Day 9 – To New York! (But first, a detour?)

11 November, 2024

Our first sea day dawned smooth and bright, with nothing on the agenda other than dinner reservations at Wonderland. Continuing my streak for the cruise I had Eggs Benedict yet again, and the kitchen continued to impress. 

We passed the day in our usual fashion, staking out a space in Two70, which was exceptionally popular thanks to the cool temperatures on deck. When Channdy was busy elsewhere a quick trip over to the bar is all it took for Richard to fill our orders. With the café nearby we had plenty of snacks and warm beverages when needed.

Midafternoon the Captain made an announcement that a passenger and a crew member were in need to medical attention and we would be making a slight diversion to the Azores to meet their needs. He assured us that the change in plans would not have an impact on our projected arrival time in Bayonne at the end of the week.

As others have expressed before us, we were a bit reserved about what we would experience at Wonderland. As the name implies, the restaurant is themed on the story of Alice in Wonderland. The hostess wears a dress and styles her hair like Alice and the decor is playful with several nods to the Queen of Hearts. 

The menu is a blank picture frame that reveals its contents with the stroke of a water-dipped paintbrush. The silverware, drink ware, and serving pieces lean towards asymmetry and irregular shapes. While the meal format is nominally a prix-fixe consisting of a selection from each course, the wait staff will discuss your preferences and aversions and bring you a wide selection of  appetizers, with a second round of your favorite selections. After you finish your selected entree they'll deliver the benchmark dessert as well as any other dessert(s) that you may have a taste for.

The concept behind the food presentation is that things are not as they seem. Guacamole served in a cone that appears to be pistachio ice cream. Deviled eggs in a "nest" of noodles, and a red fruit with a green skin that's actually a hollowed-out lime stuffed with seafood salad.

The entrees are equally obfuscated and even more playful, each assembled to tell a story of it's own. As far as the execution of the dishes, we were floored. Before we were even served dessert we were in agreement that Wonderland was definitely an experience we would repeat. Several families were in the restaurant with us with children from about age 8 to 16, and they all appeared to be enjoying themselves. The service was exceptional, as is generally the case in the Royal Caribbean specialty dining venues.

Just before 22:00 the ship came to a stop and we looked out on Ponta Delgada, Azores. After a brief period a tender appeared and came alongside the ship. The patients were transferred after what I would assume to be a standard transfer of care handoff, assessment by the receiving providers, and appropriate immigration processing. Obviously no patient details were communicated, but the following afternoon the Captain did inform us that he had been told both patients were doing well and expected to make full recoveries.