Hooked on Wonder of the Seas: A Review and Smart Way to Try Specialty Dining

Hooked on Wonder of the Seas is a specialty dining option that many cruisers don’t always think about trying unless they plan to purchase the full upgraded dining package. One of my favorite things about cruising is realizing you don’t have to upgrade everything to still enjoy something special. During our sailing on Wonder of the Seas, I decided to dine at Hooked, but instead of purchasing an upgraded dining package, I booked one lunch reservation.

That single decision ended up being one of the best dining choices I made onboard.

If you’ve ever looked at specialty dining and weren’t sure how it fits into a shorter sailing, or simply hadn’t thought about reserving just one meal, this experience is a great example of how to enjoy specialty dining in a more intentional way.

Why We Chose Hooked on Wonder of the Seas (and Why Lunch Made Sense)

We were on a 4-night cruise with stops in Nassau and Perfect Day at CocoCay, so our time onboard felt limited in the best way. We didn’t want to plan specialty dining on a port day because we didn’t want to miss anything ashore, and dinner didn’t feel like the right fit either since I really wanted to experience the main dining room menus in the evenings.

That left only one day to choose from. I looked at what restaurants were open for lunch, what sounded good, and what actually had availability. I love seafood, Hooked sounded delicious, and it fit our schedule, so that’s what I picked.

The restaurant itself was light, open, and airy, with beautiful ocean views. You could see the water from where you were seated, which made it feel relaxed but still special, especially for a sea day when you actually have time to slow down and enjoy the meal.

The Wine Story (and an Off-Menu Surprise)

Before we even get to the food, the wine deserves its own moment.

We had booked our next cruise while onboard, and because of that, we were given a complimentary bottle of white wine. While we were in the main dining room, the server asked if we wanted it chilled and brought out the next day, so we said yes.

When we tried it after it had been chilled, it was terrible. Hands down, it was the worst white wine I’ve ever tasted.

I’m not a big wine drinker. I can’t drink red wine at all because it gives me an instant migraine, but I do enjoy the occasional white wine if it tastes good. I know when I like something and when I don’t, and that one was a hard no.

I mentioned this story to our server at Hooked and also told him about a white wine I had years ago at Cinderella’s Royal Table at Disney that I really liked. I showed him a photo, and he recognized it as a Moscato. He told me that I might be able to find something similar onboard.

Then he said he had something special for me. He told me he only saved it for special people, and that it wasn’t on the menu. He brought out a bottle of Moscato and poured me a glass.

The bottle was Castello del Poggio Moscato, and when I looked it up later, I was surprised by how inexpensive it was, but it didn’t matter because I loved it.

Whether he was being charming or just hoping for a good tip (and he got one, but not just because of the wine — he was a great server), I didn’t care. It was fun, funny, and sweet, and it made the experience feel personal. If you like Moscato, it’s worth asking for it specifically, since it may not be listed on the menu.

Here’s the drink menu from Hooked, so if you don’t want to ask for the off-menu Moscato, you can browse and choose from the options that are listed.

Starters and Appetizers

Here’s a look at the Hooked menu, so you can see what’s offered before your cruise.

We began with a round of fresh, warm, and buttery biscuits. Their flaky, golden texture was a great way to start the meal.

From there, we ordered several appetizers to share, including the Caesar salad, shrimp cocktail, and baked oysters. Everything was fresh, flavorful, and beautifully prepared.

Entrées and Sides (Plus a Bonus Lobster)

Our son and I both ordered the steak and lobster. My husband went with the messy fish sandwich.

As for the steak and lobster, it was exactly what I wanted from a specialty dining experience. My son decided he wasn’t in the mood for the lobster, which meant bonus lobster for me. I will never turn extra lobster down.

Each entrée came with one side. I chose coleslaw, my son chose fries, and my husband’s sandwich came with chips.

I commented on how good the lobster mac and cheese sounded, and the server offered to bring it out so we could try it. I thought it was really nice of him to do that, and I appreciated getting to try the additional side dish. We weren’t charged anything extra for it.

The lobster mac and cheese was creamy and delicious, rich without being heavy, and full of lobster. It definitely made it onto my will-order-again list.

Even though this was lunch, it never felt rushed. You know those times when you sit down at a restaurant absolutely starving, and the food feels like it takes forever to come out? That wasn’t the case here at all. Everything came out pretty quickly, and we weren’t left drooling and starving while waiting for our food.

Dessert

We ended the meal with dessert, choosing a few different options to share from the menu.

Between the lemon tart, cherry pie, and the decadent chocolate brownie with ice cream, the desserts were rich, creamy, and full of flavor. Who am I kidding? Even if I hadn’t had room, I still would have eaten them.

Was Hooked Worth It?

Hooked was the best meal I had on the entire cruise.

The food in the main dining room was good, too, and I really enjoyed being able to try different menus and dishes each night, but Hooked clearly stood out as the best overall dining experience we had onboard.

Choosing lunch at Hooked meant I didn’t have to miss out on any of those dinners. I got an incredible specialty dining experience and still enjoyed everything the included dining had to offer.

Even though this was lunch, it didn’t feel like a lighter meal. We had three courses, the portions were generous, and we left completely stuffed.

Choosing Hooked for lunch also meant saving money, since lunch is about half the cost of dinner, and it worked perfectly with how we wanted to spend our time onboard.

If you’re sailing on a shorter cruise or trying to decide whether specialty dining is worth it without committing to a full dining package, this is such a smart way to do it. One well-chosen specialty meal can elevate your cruise experience without taking away from everything else that’s already included.

And for us, Hooked was absolutely the right choice.

Want to See More?

If you want to see more of Hooked beyond the blog and the photos, I also shared a video review from our meal on my YouTube channel.

Watch the Video Review

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