Among Disney Cruise Line’s adult-exclusive offerings is the Chocolate & Liquor Tasting. We’ve participated in the tasting on the Disney Magic and Disney Wish but it’s available on all Disney Cruise Line ships.
Disney Cruise Line Chocolate & Liquor Tasting – $60
This is one of Disney Cruise Line’s most popular beverage experiences and is only offered a few times per sailing. Make sure to book it ahead of time if you know it’s something you want to do. Read our full guide to pre-booking Disney Cruise Line experiences.
That said, we have seen additional Chocolate & Liquor Tasting times added to the itinerary last minute because it’s so popular.
Like all beverage tastings, this is exclusively for guests 21+. The experience is one hour at one of the bars on the ship, usually the piano bar. Our tasting on the Magic was at Keys. On the Wish, it was at Nightingale’s.
The online description for the Chocolate & Liquor Tasting reads, “Indulge in the exquisite pairings of rich chocolates with premium Champagne and liquors—c’est magnifique!”
When you arrive at the venue, a Cast Member will check off your name and direct you to seats. The beverages, chocolates, and cheese you’ll be tasting are already arranged for you. They may be tempting, but don’t dive in before the seminar begins or you’ll miss the best flavor combinations.
It’s a relatively intimate experience. Only a handful of guests are in attendance and the bar is closed to other guests. Everyone is placed near each other so they can see and hear the Cast Members. Depending on where your tasting is, there may not be a lot of elbow room.
The seminar is led by one of the ship’s sommeliers. A couple of other Cast Members assist.
The bottles for each drink are displayed in the room so guests know exactly what they’re drinking. Our tasting on the Magic included Champagne Taittinger Prestige Rosé, 2016 red blend Paysage from the Lasseter Family Winery, Noval 10 Year Old Tawny Port, and Glenmorangie Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky Enigma. The origins may vary depending on your ship or sailing but there’s always a champagne, red wine, port, and whisky.
You can also purchase glasses of these liquors at some of the bars throughout your sailing.
As for the food, there is a glass of Valrhona white and caramel sipping chocolate; white, caramel, and dark chocolate chips; fresh parmesan cheese; and milk sipping chocolate. Guests also have Evian water to clear their palates.
We’ve found different sommeliers focus on different topics. On the Wish, we heard more about the science behind each pairing. On the Magic, the sommelier spoke more about the history of each drink, chocolate, and wine-making in general. There is a crossover but if you do the tasting multiple times, you’ll get varying experiences.
The pairings move from left to right, although you can experiment as you wish. The first pairing is the rosé with white and caramel chocolate. The chocolates share a glass, so you can sip from different sides and mix them if you want.
The second pairing is different chocolate chips with red wine. Guests are encouraged to take small bites of each chocolate with sips of the red and compare the different combinations.
The red wine we’ve had at every seminar is from the Lasseter Family Winery, founded by former Pixar head John Lasseter, who left Disney after multiple sexual assault allegations. The wine is good but talk of the disgraced Lasseter as though nothing happened between him and Disney is a little off-putting. It’s the only awkward moment in the middle of a great tasting, though.
The parmesan cheese is Italian and the best cheese we’ve ever had. It’s paired delightfully with the port. A chocolate stick is also on the side.
The last pairing is whisky and sipping dark chocolate (with a white chocolate stirring stick).
All of the food and drink is excellent quality. If you aren’t a fan of wine or whisky, but like chocolate and cheese, the seminar is a great way to test different pairings with your palate. You may enjoy whisky more than you thought when you’re sipping it between tastes of chocolate!
The Chocolate & Liquor Tasting is a unique, fun adult experience. It’s informative and delicious. For us, it’s a must-do and we highly recommend it, especially if you have a sweet tooth.
Rating out of 7: 7
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