Daven Tamayo

From Asian flavors to a 'secret' bar: Dining on the new Disney Adventure cruise ship

Article (news)

Karen Flores

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17737483474421773748360437.jpeg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Animator&#x27;s Palate, one of the restaurants in Disney Adventure, serves Asian dishes like Laksa. <em>Karen Flores Layno, ABS-CBN News </em></span></span></span></div><p>SINGAPORE — In all of its ships, Disney Cruise Line (DCL) has promised to deliver a memorable dining experience, combining good food and service with themed executions and immersive environments. </p><p>The same thing applies to <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/lifestyle/food-travel/2026/3/13/theme-park-at-sea-disney-adventure-cruise-sets-sail-in-asia-2050">Disney Adventure</a>, which is not only its newest and biggest vessel, but also the first to homeport in Asia. Given this, DCL took on the ambitious task of putting together a food and beverage experience that caters primarily to guests from the region, as opposed to their usual American and European markets.</p><p>For this, the company tapped Singapore-based Martin Tan, who now serves as DCL&#x27;s senior executive chef for Asia. He made sure to bring together flavors from different cultures which can be seen in the ship&#x27;s restaurants, room service, and quick service offerings.</p><p>&quot;It&#x27;s been an amazing and great journey for me,&quot; Tan said during the media preview sailing for Disney Adventure. &quot;In Singapore, we have a wide variety of great products, so we bring them all here.&quot;</p><p>Asian dishes are sprinkled across the menus of Disney Adventure&#x27;s main sit-down restaurants. These are part of DCL&#x27;s signature rotational dining experience, which ensures that guests can try a different restaurant in each night of their cruise.</p><p>At the main dining restaurant Navigator&#x27;s Table, for instance, you can enjoy Porcini-spiced Ahi Tuna Sashimi, Thai Shrimp Pumpkin Soup, Miso-glazed Chilean Sea Bass, and even Hainanese Chicken Rice alongside entertaining mascot shows. </p><p>Over at Animator&#x27;s Palate, you get to see the characters you drew on paper brought to life on screen while enjoying Korean Barbecue Beef Steamed Baos, Chicken Satay, Dragon Rolls, and Laksa. </p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1773748488641disney-2.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Porcini-spiced Ahi Tuna Sashimi at Navigator&#x27;s Table (left) and Chicken Satay at Animator&#x27;s Table. <em>Karen Flores Layno, ABS-CBN News </em></span></span></span></div><p>&quot;<a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/lifestyle/food-travel/2026/3/13/theme-park-at-sea-disney-adventure-cruise-sets-sail-in-asia-2050">Rotational dining</a> is unique to Disney and we started this in 1998,&quot; said Daniel Cowan, DCL&#x27;s director for dining operations and integration. &quot;We try to take all the panic and stress away — you have your reserved dining table opposite your entertainment experience. That way, you have your evenings planned for you.&quot;</p><p>&quot;But what is really special is you have a dedicated service team,&quot; he went on. &quot;They follow you from dining room to dining room. So while you&#x27;re experiencing new cuisines, you have the comfort of your service team who knows your likes and dislikes, and you build that emotional connection with your family.&quot;</p><p>For lunch, guests are spoiled for choice with Disney Adventure&#x27;s buffet restaurants, where they can literally combine the flavors of east and west. This is actually what one DCL executive likes to do on board: eat pancakes with chutneys, and play around with different spices and condiments. </p><p>These are available at Enchanted Summer Restaurant, which includes two dining rooms inspired by &quot;Frozen&quot; and &quot;Rapunzel&quot;; and Pixar Market Restaurant, which celebrates characters from &quot;Cars&quot; and &quot;Finding Nemo,&quot; among others.</p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1773748668246disney-3.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Pork and Shrimp Shumai (left) and Summer Roll at Pixar Market Restaurant. <em>Karen Flores Layno, ABS-CBN News </em></span></span></span></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/177374617493720260307_123013.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">A selection of South Asian condiments at Enchanted Summer Restaurant. Karen Flores Layno, ABS-CBN News</span></span></span></div><p>Disney Adventure further drives the point home with two of its quick service restaurants: Gramma Tala&#x27;s Kitchen, where you can build your own rice bowl with Asian staples like black pepper beef and Sichuan braised tofu; and Mowgli&#x27;s Eatery, which is all about Indian classics such as Butter Chicken, Kerala Fish Curry, and crisp papadum.</p><p>There&#x27;s even bubble tea on board, courtesy of the Ursula-inspired Bewitching Boba and Brews (although this is not part of the cruise package, so you have to buy this separately). </p><p>But if you&#x27;re looking for Western comfort eats, don&#x27;t fret: Disney Adventure also has kiosks for burgers and pizza, as well as a soft-serve ice cream station. And for late-night cravings, you can always turn to the ship&#x27;s 24-hour room service.</p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1773748832046disney-4.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Disney Adventure also offers bubble tea (left) and pizza on board. <em>Karen Flores Layno, ABS-CBN News </em></span></span></span></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1773749013050disney-5.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Room service breakfast (left) and snacks at Cosmic Kebabs. <em>Karen Flores Layno, ABS-CBN News </em></span></span></span></div><p>The Asian theme continues with Disney Adventure&#x27;s bars, a welcome respite for adult guests after a full day of child-friendly experiences and activities. </p><p>Salah Chetbi, DCL&#x27;s beverage operations and integration director, said they sourced liquor from different parts of the region such as Japanese whisky and Moutai from China. </p><p>&quot;Usually we cater to Americans and Europeans, so for us to now cater to Asians is fantastic. Sourcing was wonderful,&quot; he said. &quot;We have to connect with our market, so we studied drinking habits in Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, and Singapore.&quot;</p><p>On board, you can find cocktails with ingredients like pandan and lychee. One of the more interesting drinks here, though non-alcoholic, is the Alley Cat&#x27;s Meow at the &quot;Big Hero 6&quot;-inspired Alley Cat Cafe. Highly recommended by another DCL executive, it&#x27;s a lightly sweet beverage made with espresso, condensed milk, oat milk, vanilla, and yuzu. </p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1773749231589disney-6.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Coffee at Tiana&#x27;s Bayou Lounge (left) and Alley Cat&#x27;s Meow at Alley Cat Cafe. <em>Karen Flores Layno, ABS-CBN News</em> </span></span></span></div><p>As an added treat, guests will find TWG Tea and Bacha Coffee in their staterooms, with the two brands also having their own boutiques on the ship.</p><p>Of course, it&#x27;s not a Disney cruise without the &quot;secrets.&quot; If you&#x27;re on the Disney Adventure, make sure to order the off-menu Mickey Ice Cream Bar and Mickey Churro Waffles. They&#x27;re not exactly mind-blowing taste-wise, but they certainly add to the novelty. </p><p>And then, there&#x27;s the &quot;secret&quot; bar inside the Marvel Style Studio. This shop turns into a speakeasy starting at 8 p.m., and you can get in by pressing an emergency switch. It&#x27;s helmed by a Filipino bartender named Archie — you can also find him at the nearby Buccaneer Bar. </p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1773749577741disney-7.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">The &quot;secret&quot; bar at Marvel Style Studio (left) and the off-menu Mickey Ice Cream Bar. <em>Karen Flores Layno, ABS-CBN News </em></span></span></span></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/177374659496420260307_230213.jpg" style="width:960px;display:block;height:auto" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">The Dead Man&#x27;s Chest cocktail duo at Buccaneer Bar. <em>Karen Flores Layno, ABS-CBN News</em></span></span></span></div><p>&quot;Dining here on the Disney Adventure is more than just having a meal, it&#x27;s allowing our guests to step into our Disney stories,&quot; said Pam Rawlins, Walt Disney Imagineering&#x27;s executive producer. &quot;We designed our restaurants as immersive venues, and each venue is its own narrative within itself.&quot;</p><p>&quot;We really want our guests to live in these stories and create wonderful memories for years to come,&quot; she ended.</p>

<p>As the first Disney ship to homeport in Asia, Disney Adventure offers a food and beverage experience that caters primarily to guests from the region.</p>

As the first Disney ship to homeport in Asia, Disney Adventure offers a food and beverage experience that caters primarily to guests from the region.