For many families, Disney vacations are a “Dream” filled with “Magic,” “Wonder,” and “Fantasy.” Lucky families find themselves enjoying cruises on the ships of the Disney Cruise Line (DCL): the Disney Dream, Disney Magic, Disney Wonder and, as of this month, Disney Fantasy. This week, we asked our Parenting Panel: When your families travel on the Disney Cruise ships, do you dine in the formal dining rooms or elsewhere?
Chris, also known as GusMan, is always planning his next family trip to the Walt Disney World Resort and loves to help others plan their trips, as well sharing his experiences. Chris writes:
During my first Disney cruise, I had no idea what to expect when it came to anything regarding activities, the ship, and most of all, the dining. It would be easy to consider our family a group of foodies from our dining experiences at the parks. However, we did not know how things were set up on the ship.
For those who have never sailed before, when it comes to dining, there is one phrase that I think sums it up. You board the ship as passengers, but you leave as cargo. Yes, cruising is as you have heard from your friends—food is everywhere! It is a dieter’s worst nightmare, but a foodie’s dream. From the breakfast buffet to the midnight dessert spreads, there is no getting away from it. To top it off, I have never been on a Disney cruise where the food was a disappointment.
Since we were new to the cruising experience, we set one rule for our kids: They can do pretty much anything they wanted, but we would have dinner in the main dining rooms as a family. Not only was this a chance for us to dress up a little bit, as if going to a nice restaurant, but it also gave us a chance to fill each other in on what each person did. Keep in mind, during our first trip, my son was about a year old while my daughter was a tween. But we still had a lot to share around the dinner table. On subsequent cruises, as our children grew up, we saw less of them because the programs onboard are so good. This made our family dinner time even more important to us.
Keep in mind that when it comes to dining, DCL has many different options to choose from. While the main dining rooms on each ship have their own themes and features, you do not have to feel limited to the more formal choices. There are always casual and quick-serve evening dining options available if you feel like a more relaxed environment. For my family, we do like to go out every once in a while and try new things. This made the main dining rooms our best choice.
For those who may think that the main dining rooms may not be the best choice for your family, especially those with younger children, I want to encourage you to rethink your decision. I say that because when it comes to the food choices for both adults and children, I really don’t think they can be beat. The cast members serving you want you to experience only the best. They are used to special requests and meeting any dietary concerns or preferences. Children make up nearly half of the guests on the ship—and the server teams know all the tricks to help their younger guests feel right at home, regardless of age. At the same time, they want the parents to not worry, either. One time, my son fell asleep on my wife's shoulder just before dinner was served. The cast member saw how this could be something of a dilemma and even offered to cut up my wife’s steak for her. Sure, it may have been a little embarrassing to see this anywhere else, but it really shows how Disney’s service is a step above anything you have experienced before.
Regardless of how you and your family want to dine, DCL has options that not only are very attractive, but also fitting to your families desires. If nothing else, you will most likely leave the ship wishing that you would get the same level of service elsewhere. Regardless of your choices, make sure you leave room for dessert… and more food… and more dessert!
Mary Kraemer is an avid Disney fan and travel consultant with CruisingCo/MouseEarVacations who loves to travel with her husband and children to Disney destinations as often as possible! Mary writes:
How do you handle the meals on the ships with the kids?
Disney provides great options onboard their ships for food, and there’s never a lack of food! Regardless of whether you’re traveling with little kids, teens or tweens, or adults only, there are dining options that are perfect for you!
On deck, it’s so convenient to grab a quick snack or meal from the take-away food options for pizza, burgers, and quick sandwiches at Flo’s Cafe on the Dream and Fantasy or Pluto’s Dog House and Pinocchio’s Pizzeria on the Magic and Wonder. All the ships have a soft-freeze ice cream option, which is enormously popular for a quick snack.
On the Dream and Fantasy, the buffet at Cabanas always has great options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner; the Magic and Wonder buffet is available at Topsiders and Beach Blanket Buffet, respectively. This lets guests choose what they want without the wait of a typical table service restaurant, but table service is available for every meal, as well, for those who want something a little more special, or perhaps a different meal than is available at the buffet.
At night, the three onboard restaurants provide rotational dining experiences for guests, and it’s actually a great way to provide a different experience for guests as well! On the Dream and Fantasy, guests enjoy dinner at Animator’s Palate, Enchanted Garden, and Royal Palace/Court; on the Magic and Wonder, there’s Animator’s Palate, Lumiere’s/Triton’s, and Parrot Cay. Each of these dining venues has a distinct theme and can range from very tropical and casual (Parrot Cay) to formal (Royal Palace/Court). One of the unique aspects of DCL dining is that your serving staff “moves” with your rotation every night, so you have the same servers at each dinner. Having three main dining rooms provides good variety for guests.
These dining venues have two seatings per night, which works well with the theater show schedules (a great way to manage the capacity both at dinner and at the shows). So, for example, if you have the early seating for dinner, you will be able to go to the later show time. The main seating is a very popular choice for families with young children, so if you’re interested in a somewhat quieter dining experience, opt for second seating. But, if you have children, and main dining is not available for your cruise, Disney has a great option for you! At second seating, children can be served their entire meal when the adults’ appetizers arrive, and when the mouseketeers are finished, the kids group counselors will come to take them to the Oceaneer Club or Lab so they can play! It’s a great option to help alleviate the kids’ boredom during a meal, and gives the adults a chance to relax and enjoy themselves.
But Disney doesn’t forget the grownups on the ships! If you want an adult-only dinner, there’s the wonderful Italian-themed Palo restaurant on all four ships, and on the Dream and Fantasy, there’s also Remy, a French-inspired restaurant based on the movie, Ratatouille. Guests must request dining at these options, and they are highly popular. Palo is available for brunch on sea days, as well as dinner every evening; Remy is a dinner-only option. Both have a surcharge for their meals, and I have never heard a complaint about the cost from someone who’s had the pleasure of the dining experience.
What will your children do while you’re at Palo or Remy? Well, the youth clubs are your answer! The counselors will take the kids to the buffet for dinner in the evening, and you don’t have to worry about anything. If your children are older and would prefer to go to their assigned rotational dining restaurant, that’s fine, too!
Another splendid dining option on the ships is room service! Who doesn’t love the pampered feeling of having breakfast brought to your room? Well, on the Disney ships, room service is complimentary, and a very worthwhile option for its convenience! Some of my very favorite cruise memories have been enjoying my morning coffee and breakfast on the verandah of my stateroom, which is a fabulous way to start the day! One evening, when my husband and I went to Remy, our kids decided room service would be a great choice for dinner before going to one of the movies in the Buena Vista Theater.
No matter your age or inclination, DCL has the perfect solution for your shipboard dining
It's your turn—keep the discussion flowing!
Visit the Parenting in the Parks forum on our MousePad discussion board, and share your opinions about this topic or many others, or send your suggestions via e-mail. Reader-submitted tips might be used in a future article, and you might be selected to participate in an upcoming panel discussion!
