Wonderland--good or bad? Reviews are all over the place.

[baelor]

Basically the title.

 

I would be curious about specific impressions and why you liked/didn't like it.  Was service bad?  Was the meal too long?  

 

I have seen some complaints that the experience is more about presentation than food.  What does that mean, specifically?  Did the food taste bad?  Was it not cooked well?  Was it tasteless?  Was it too weird for you?  Was the meat in one course overdone?  Did the flavor combos in another course not work?

 

With food being (somewhat) subjective, I was hoping to get at least some details/objective information so that my group can figure out whether we want to go.

 

Thanks!

[HicksRA]

I’ve done it twice. Once was really enough but we had the UDP for the second time so we figured “why not”.  
It’s an experience that is fun the first time. The food is strange and pretty good but nothing to get too excited about.  
I found the Mad Hatter on the second visit weird to even creepy and annoying. 
Give it a try for the experience, but once is really enough. 
Just my opinion. 

[RFerrington]

Count me in the "no thank you" column, as well.

 

We started out with a party of 8 and by the time it was FINALLY over there were 2 left.  We were Star Class so there wasn't any issue about the bill (no one skipped out without paying).

 

It was too long and the food was just too weird.  I actually enjoyed the presentation...it was different and fun...but the food was too bizarre and I had no appetite for much of it.  The whole setting was poisoned for me as the smell of those dreadful smoky eggs was nauseating and I could not get past that....it just got worse from there.  What they called "liquid lobster" looked like little snot balls to me.  I was one of the 6 that high-tailed it outta there before the end.  

 

The only time I have returned to Wonderland was to drop in for dessert during a different cruise.  Since I didn't make it to the end on our first try, I did want to try the World.  It is excellent.  IMO it's the only thing in the entire restaurant that is edible.

[RoyalFan509]

My husband was also very skeptical and doesn't like to go out of his food box but he enjoyed it. I am always open to trying new things and try to go into situations I am not familiar with or used to with a very open mind. It is not for everyone but if you are willing to take a chance and be opened minded, give it a try. We enjoyed everything on Odyssey.  The idea of it is pretty neat. I wouldn't do it every cruise or might not do it if I didn't do the UDP. Everything we had was great. My husband had the beef and it was extremely tender. I wish I had gotten that instead of the fish. That was good too but the beef was melt in your mouth. Of course you will read over and over about the world and it is fantastic.  The experience can be kind of long but your on vacation and I enjoy relaxing. 

[baelor]

20 minutes ago, RFerrington said:

It was too long and the food was just too weird.  I actually enjoyed the presentation...it was different and fun...but the food was too bizarre and I had no appetite for much of it.  The whole setting was poisoned for me as the smell of those dreadful smoky eggs was nauseating and I could not get past that....it just got worse from there.  What they called "liquid lobster" looked like little snot balls to me.  I was one of the 6 that high-tailed it outta there before the end.  

Thanks for the vivid description!  Did you taste any of the food?  When you say "no appetite," what do you mean--did the food not look good, or did it have ingredients you do not normally eat?

Edited April 21, 2022 by baelor

[baelor]

8 minutes ago, RoyalFan509 said:

My husband had the beef and it was extremely tender. I wish I had gotten that instead of the fish. That was good too but the beef was melt in your mouth. Of course you will read over and over about the world and it is fantastic. 

Thanks--if we go, we will have to check the beef and World out.

[leaveitallbehind]

Short and sweet - the food for the most part was good, the "show" somewhat unique, and the overall experience OK.  Done it twice on two different ships (because of the people we were with at the time) but likely won't do it again. Twice was probably one time too much.  Once you try it the first time you get the full experience. There are other restaurants on board at which I prefer to spend my specialty restaurant money that provide IMO a better dining experience.

Edited April 21, 2022 by leaveitallbehind

[baelor]

7 minutes ago, leaveitallbehind said:

There are better restaurants on board at which to spend my specialty restaurant money.

Which ones do you like best (and why)?  We were drawn to 150 CP and Hooked.

Edited April 21, 2022 by baelor

[smokeykat]

This is a one time have to try place. It is unique and the presentations are really interesting. We enjoyed the experience but would not go again unless we were with others that never went to Wonderland before.

It is different!!

[leaveitallbehind]

7 minutes ago, baelor said:

Which ones do you like best?  We were drawn to 150 CP and Hooked.

Those would be two of our favorites, with 150 probably the best.  Also like Izumi's, Giovannis and usually stop at Chops as well.  Prefer all of the above to Wonderland. 

 

While we're at it our least favorites are Sabor and Samba Grill.  When they introduced Sabor on Navigator it was a rather upscale and IMO very good restaurant. But on Allure now it is hardly a step up from Rita's Cantina, in which space it now occupies.  And Samba IMO in our two experiences there falls quite a bit short of a true Brazilian steakhouse.

 

All of the above is of course very subjective and just my opinion.

Edited April 21, 2022 by leaveitallbehind

[rvlandandsea]

We dined at 150CP 3 times on one cruise and there was enough variety to keep us delighted. As for Wonderland we loved the experience, waiter was not to over the top and we let him select everything except the main:  beef and fish. It is fun and the drinks are original. Not sure about this but if you don’t like something maybe you could ask for a substitute. Our waiter aimed to please. 

[baelor]

6 minutes ago, leaveitallbehind said:

While we're at it our least favorites are Sabor and Samba Grill.  When they introduced Sabor on Navigator it was a rather upscale and IMO very good restaurant. But on Allure now it is hardly a step up from Rita's Cantina, in which space it now occupies.  And Samba IMO in our two experiences there falls quite a bit short of a true Brazilian steakhouse.

 

Thanks for the heads-up.  We are sailing on Symphony, and I don't think it has either of those.  I see Giovanni's mentioned a lot here as well, and I don't think our ship has that either.  I did not realize that there were so many different restaurants across the ships.

[baelor]

4 minutes ago, rvlandandsea said:

We dined at 150CP 3 times on one cruise and there was enough variety to keep us delighted. As for Wonderland we loved the experience, waiter was not to over the top and we let him select everything except the main:  beef and fish. It is fun and the drinks are original. Not sure about this but if you don’t like something maybe you could ask for a substitute. Our waiter aimed to please. 

Glad to hear that you had good experiences at both 150CP and Wonderland!

[leaveitallbehind]

7 minutes ago, baelor said:

Thanks for the heads-up.  We are sailing on Symphony, and I don't think it has either of those.  I see Giovanni's mentioned a lot here as well, and I don't think our ship has that either.  I did not realize that there were so many different restaurants across the ships.

Symphony has Izumi, Playmakers, Jamie's Italian, 150 CP, Chops, Wonderland, and Hooked.  We also prefer Giovanni's to Jamie's, but that is not on Symphony.  Solarium Bistro also may offer a nice dinner option .

Edited April 21, 2022 by leaveitallbehind

[Ralphinsc]

As you may have caught on, Wonderland is about presentation and kind of caters to an adventurous palate. I wouldn't recommend it to someone who isn't into trying different things. It is a great one and done restaurant, except for dessert (lol). If you have never done it, I would definitely try it. But I wouldn't rank it above 150CP, Hooked, Jaime's, or Izumi. Chops can be hit and miss. 

[Mapleleafforever]

Count us in the pot with the one and done crowd. We did it and enjoyed it thoroughly actually but the novelty wears off real fast and if we didn't get extra helpings we would have gone right to the WJ after. 

[leaveitallbehind]

4 minutes ago, Ralphinsc said:

Chops can be hit and miss. 

It does seem to vary by ship.  Giovanni's has a steak that IMO can rival the best on the ship, but unfortunately for the OP Symphony doesn't have that restaurant, with Jamie's being the Italian offering instead.  And they are 50/50 in our experience. Although I do like their Lasagna!  All subjective again, of course.

Edited April 21, 2022 by leaveitallbehind

[MichaelCMTX]

18 minutes ago, leaveitallbehind said:

 And Samba IMO in our two experiences there falls quite a bit short of a true Brazilian steakhouse.

 

All of the above is of course very subjective and just my opinion.

I usually tell people "if you've never been to a Brazilian steakhouse and you're on the ship and feeling frisky, it's a good sample of what to expect, but will likely be better if you decide later to check out a local establishment."

 

The proprietors we spoke to were thinking "On a ship?  How could they do that right?"

[baelor]

11 minutes ago, leaveitallbehind said:

Solarium Bistro also may offer a nice dinner option .

Thanks.  We are definitely fans of Greek/Mediterranean food, and the Solarium food seems a bit lighter/healthier than some of the other options!

[baelor]

9 minutes ago, Ralphinsc said:

As you may have caught on, Wonderland is about presentation and kind of caters to an adventurous palate. I wouldn't recommend it to someone who isn't into trying different things. It is a great one and done restaurant, except for dessert (lol).

Thanks.  Everything on the menu seemed pretty mainstream to us, so I think it will be a good chance to get food presented in a new way and have a bit of a show with our meal!

[Ralphinsc]

4 minutes ago, baelor said:

Thanks.  Everything on the menu seemed pretty mainstream to us, so I think it will be a good chance to get food presented in a new way and have a bit of a show with our meal!

 

If you aren't against spoilers, you can find some good youtube review on Wonderland. We liked everything there the last time we went, even the picky 14 year old.

[Ralphinsc]

11 minutes ago, leaveitallbehind said:

It does seem to vary by ship.  Giovanni's has a steak that IMO can rival the best on the ship, but unfortunately for the OP Symphony doesn't have that restaurant, with Jamie's being the Italian offering instead.  And they are 50/50 in our experience. Although I do like their Lasagna!  All subjective again, of course.

 

We had Jaime's for a lunch on our Symphony sailing and they just about fed us to death. 🤣 I had no real complaints; but then again, I'm a fairly easy to please person.

[RosieRoo]

It’s definitely an experience. We had an excellent waitress who explained and presented everything. I don’t think the experience would have been the same without her. The food was all very good, especially the short rib. 

[PTC DAWG]

I take restaurant reviews with a grain of salt…that said, I don’t go on a cruise to eat the same things I eat at home..that’s how you expand your palate, try different things..

 

When folks start describing things like a 3rd grader would re food, time to move on to the next review, IMHO. 

Edited April 21, 2022 by PTC DAWG

[PompeySailor]

Visited twice 
150CP is now our go to, IMO the quality of food is very good, service also very good.

Tasty, portion sizes adequate and plenty of variety to easily  eat three times in a week and mix it up without being too repetitive.

If writing a food review I would rate 9.5/10

Table side Martinis (Urban Garden) are now on the must have drinks list.
They even created a new cocktail for our daughter (20) so virgin, but a nice touch to the overall experience.

 

Wonderland 

Visited twice on Harmony.

1st time: We literally had everything on the menu except one entree.

Add in the experience and excellent service (Zoe) I would push the boat out and give it a 10/10. ⭐️

 

2nd time, we cut back on amount we ordered to eat and drank more, the experience was different, not in a bad way, just not as whimsical 2nd time round.

Portions are small, but so many to choose from.

The Halibut is very good IMO 10/10 overall would give experience 9/10

 

Being Star class and having the Unlimited Dining package, quantity of food was never an issue.

Having the drink package just made the whole dining experience for us so much better.

We drank concoctions we would never have, if we didn’t have package

And we didn’t waste any 😉

 

Subjective

HAPPY Days!