Disney Food- how is it REALLY?

I wouldn't pay to dine at any of those restaurants...or Remy. Palo is "fine" enough for me.

All the easier to get reservations. ;)

Palo is pretty run-of-the-mill. I'm not saying the food and atmosphere aren't nice, but we typically eat at a similar type restaurant at home at least once a month, so it's nothing special.

Overall, I think the food on Disney is fine.

I can only remember one appetizer that I didn't like and the waiter had warned against it. That wasn't a problem as I had ordered other appetizers and a salad, so no big deal.

I like PALO and REMY as well. I met a couple that had dinner in PALO every night, they liked it so much.

I would recommend the main dining room for breakfast and lunch as well. I like that it is a sit down meal and you are assigned your own table without asking. The staff is very attentive there.

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I forgot to mention that the first day lunch buffet is very good as well. Shrimp and lamb are excellent there.

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I have been on the Disney Magic and Wonder, as well as 2 each on Holland America, RCCL and Celebrity. I was on Princess once. We have been to Alaska twice (Celebrity and HAL). I would pick the itinerary over food. I think Glacier Bay is amazing and I would definitely choose an itinerary that included a day there. The best cruise food has been on HAL and Celebrity, hands down. I never felt the need to go to a specialty restaurant because the main dining room food was so good. I don't eat at the buffets a lot, but when I did I thought there were some excellent dishes there as well. Disney was great for the kids, the service was amazing, and the production shows were the best out of all my cruises. However, the food was a big disappointment. Every time I consider Disney, that is the one thing that makes me hesitate. I know I will sail Disney again, but will most likely eat at Palo more for dinner. The food there is excellent. The cost is not bad and we will budget for that in advance.

This how I feel. I was quite disappointed with the food. Maybe, because I had higher expectations since DCL usually cost more than other lines. I might go again for my kid but eat in Palo more than once.

I would pay double to dine in Remy.

 

I look at it this way... Cost to dine at Per Se, $295 pp. Cost to dine at the Meadowood, $225 pp. Cost to dine at Daniel $220 pp. Cost to dine at Victoria and Albert's, $135 pp.

 

Remy is a bargain by comparison.

That is fine. I am just a pickier ester so I didnt like everything served at Remys.

I love everything Disney - some of the restaurants at Disney World (Swan & Dolphin's Shula's & Bluezoo, Grand Floridian's V & A) are wonderful with great wine lists & tableside finishes. Others, like Le Cellier or Tokyo Dining give a nice taste of other cuisines and a quiet respite in the parks. also love DCL, the service and atmosphere on the Magic & Wonder were incredible - fun but also relaxing. Disney makes their ships magical, with wonderful shows, and little touches everywhere.

But the MDR food is awful, in my opinion, and not by any means up to Disney's usual standards. Just my opinion, of course. My guess is that families with young children on board are more worried about getting them fed than a lingering gourmet dining experience. It sounds wonderful on the menu, it just doesn't taste that great. I did not complain about the food while on board, but I didn't eat much. The head waiter noticed and said "it's not very good, is it?" At least he was honest. I told him no it was not, but the service and the rest of the ship made up for it.

I am planning on sailing Disney again, but I will be booking Palo each night except Animator's Palate - not because it has great food, but because of the fun show. I recommend Disney, but I also recommend the alternative dining option most nights, if you can build that into your budget.

Sailed

Sept 2004 - Disney Wonder Caribbean

Oct 2004 - Queen Mary 2 New England & Canada

Dec 2005 - Queen Mary 2 Caribbean

Dec 2006- Queen Mary 2 Caribbean

May 2006 - Queen Mary 2 Norwegian Fjords

Dec 2007 - Queen Mary 2 Caribbean

Dec 2008 - Queen Mary 2 Caribbean

July 2008 - Queen Mary 2 4th of July

Dec 2009 - Queen Mary 2 Caribbean

Dec 2010 - Queen Mary 2 Caribbean

Sept 2011 - Queen Mary 2 TA

Sept 2013 - Queen Mary 2 New England & Canada

Jan 2014 - Disney Magic Bahamas

COMING UP

October 2014 - Queen Mary 2 New England & Canada

The sad thing is that DCL food used to be much better in the early years. Now, even my daughter feels that the quality has slipped.

I love everything Disney - some of the restaurants at Disney World (Swan & Dolphin's Shula's & Bluezoo, Grand Floridian's V & A) are wonderful with great wine lists & tableside finishes. Others, like Le Cellier or Tokyo Dining give a nice taste of other cuisines and a quiet respite in the parks. also love DCL, the service and atmosphere on the Magic & Wonder were incredible - fun but also relaxing. Disney makes their ships magical, with wonderful shows, and little touches everywhere.

 

But the MDR food is awful, in my opinion, and not by any means up to Disney's usual standards. Just my opinion, of course. My guess is that families with young children on board are more worried about getting them fed than a lingering gourmet dining experience. It sounds wonderful on the menu, it just doesn't taste that great. I did not complain about the food while on board, but I didn't eat much. The head waiter noticed and said "it's not very good, is it?" At least he was honest. I told him no it was not, but the service and the rest of the ship made up for it.

 

I am planning on sailing Disney again, but I will be booking Palo each night except Animator's Palate - not because it has great food, but because of the fun show. I recommend Disney, but I also recommend the alternative dining option most nights, if you can build that into your budget.

Sailed

Sept 2004 - Disney Wonder Caribbean

Oct 2004 - Queen Mary 2 New England & Canada

Dec 2005 - Queen Mary 2 Caribbean

Dec 2006- Queen Mary 2 Caribbean

May 2006 - Queen Mary 2 Norwegian Fjords

Dec 2007 - Queen Mary 2 Caribbean

Dec 2008 - Queen Mary 2 Caribbean

July 2008 - Queen Mary 2 4th of July

Dec 2009 - Queen Mary 2 Caribbean

Dec 2010 - Queen Mary 2 Caribbean

Sept 2011 - Queen Mary 2 TA

Sept 2013 - Queen Mary 2 New England & Canada

Jan 2014 - Disney Magic Bahamas

COMING UP

October 2014 - Queen Mary 2 New England & Canada

A meal at Palo each night is a great idea, but I have read poor reviews on this restaurant too. Last year on our Disney Alaska cruise our best meal of the week was on an excursion to the Taku Lodge. On our next Disney cruise 2015, we will probably not eat every night in the dining room. Maybe we will do room service a few nights, and enjoy our balcony.

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Eating in Palo every night might be a nice idea, but unless you are in concierge, you can't get that many reservations.

You are limited to ONE dinner reservation in advance. You can make more after boarding on a "space available" basis. Every night--not gonna happen. You might want to try Topsiders/Cabanas. We were very pleasantly surprised by this venue a couple years ago. It is NOT a buffet at dinner--it is a sit down restaurant with a salad bar. You order off the menu which is a selection of what is being served in the MDRs that night.

The big difference is that there are no crowds, few if any screaming children, you can eat when you want during the available hours, and the attire is always cruise casual.

Don't let everything you read bother you. Poor reviews of Palo? I'm sure they are out there...but we've always had excellent food and service there.

You might want to try Topsiders/Cabanas. We were very pleasantly surprised by this venue a couple years ago. It is NOT a buffet at dinner--it is a sit down restaurant with a salad bar. You order off the menu which is a selection of what is being served in the MDRs that night.

 

The big difference is that there are no crowds' date=' few if any screaming children, you can eat when you want during the available hours, and the attire is always cruise casual.

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Not only are there no crowds, but the food is cooked to order so generally what you'll receive is better made.

 

On the dream - the pasta pursette's sauce was clumpy and dried out in the MDR, the dish was lukewarm at best; in Cabana's it was silky smooth, hot and freshly made.

 

They also featured a larger selection of steaks and sides than the MDRs.

Not only are there no crowds, but the food is cooked to order so generally what you'll receive is better made.

 

On the dream - the pasta pursette's sauce was clumpy and dried out in the MDR, the dish was lukewarm at best; in Cabana's it was silky smooth, hot and freshly made.

 

They also featured a larger selection of steaks and sides than the MDRs.

Very true. It is a "training" restaurant, but the trainees are doing a much better job than the MDRs ...I suspect because they are functioning one on one rather than a mass production line. The food was MUCH better, the service was super (if a little hesitant), and we were quite pleased. We'd eat there all the time if we wouldn't miss the fun in the MSRs.

Having cruised on Celbrity, Holland and Carnival, DCL's food is way behind the others, especially the first two. The so called coffee was undrinkable. The buffet was closed much of the time and mediocre when open. No waffle station, no cooked to order breakfast, no fresh stir fries, no sushi. I could go on and on. The always available ice cream always had long lines and several of the machines were not available. There as in the other quick service places, no napkins except upon request. And loonnng lines. The servers were way too busy in the MDR to provide personal service.

The shows, movies, characters were great, as were the rooms. I may go again with small children. The concierge service was superb. But know what to expect with the food. I would try the specialty restaurants if I did again - all the time.

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A meal at Palo each night is a great idea, but I have read poor reviews on this restaurant too. Last year on our Disney Alaska cruise our best meal of the week was on an excursion to the Taku Lodge. On our next Disney cruise 2015, we will probably not eat every night in the dining room. Maybe we will do room service a few nights, and enjoy our balcony.

 

 

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I was okay with Palo - my mom and I enjoyed it thoroughly, and we did not feel rushed or anything like that. This was only about 7 months ago, so I think it would probably still be good quality. I think Palo was very good, but not great. The quiet, unrushed atmosphere and serene décor combined with the food that was several levels above my MDR experience will make it worthwhile for each night. But I still would go to Animator's Palate - the concierge rooms get up front tables and you can't beat the show being a few feet from your table.

I booked concierge so getting a reservation every night was not a problem, but...Palo was not busy while we were there either. I don't think anyone would have had a problem getting a reservation there each night; there were enough open tables, it appeared. In fact, I think only the Palo brunch was a difficult ticket. Maybe cruisers are having so many "alternative dining" experiences with extra charges thrown at them, that they are tired of paying the extra? This is just my experience on the one trip - perhaps Palo/Remy are busier on longer cruises, ours was only 4 days.

I was okay with Palo - my mom and I enjoyed it thoroughly, and we did not feel rushed or anything like that. This was only about 7 months ago, so I think it would probably still be good quality. I think Palo was very good, but not great. The quiet, unrushed atmosphere and serene décor combined with the food that was several levels above my MDR experience will make it worthwhile for each night. But I still would go to Animator's Palate - the concierge rooms get up front tables and you can't beat the show being a few feet from your table.

 

I booked concierge so getting a reservation every night was not a problem, but...Palo was not busy while we were there either. I don't think anyone would have had a problem getting a reservation there each night; there were enough open tables, it appeared. In fact, I think only the Palo brunch was a difficult ticket. Maybe cruisers are having so many "alternative dining" experiences with extra charges thrown at them, that they are tired of paying the extra? This is just my experience on the one trip - perhaps Palo/Remy are busier on longer cruises, ours was only 4 days.

We are concierge for our up coming cruise too. I didn't know we would get a selected seat for the MDR. We were thinking of reviewing all the menus from the dining rooms, and then selecting our preference for in room dining/balcony.

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We are concierge for our up coming cruise too. I didn't know we would get a selected seat for the MDR. We were thinking of reviewing all the menus from the dining rooms, and then selecting our preference for in room dining/balcony.

 

 

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It appeared to me that all of the concierge guests (I recognized them because our cabins were pretty much all near one another on deck 8) were seated in the area of Lumiere's & AP near the wide central aisleway in the middle of the restaurant. We were at a table for 4, but there was only 2 of us there. This seating area is the prime location in AP, as Mickey's "show" was done mostly in this area, and also allowed you to look out over all of the restaurant to enjoy the changing scenery and the changeover from black and white to color. As concierge you can order room service from any menu at each of the MDR's, but - really I would say if you are going to do that, just go to the restaurant so you an enjoy the scenery in the restaurant. The food from room service was the same quality in the room as it was in the MDR

While the ports in Alaska are more important than the food (IMHO), we had the best ports and great food on HAL-Volendam out of Vancouver. I would choose that over any other cruiseline. And don't listen to people who say HAL is for old people. There were lots of families and a fair amount of kids on our July/Aug. cruise.

While the ports in Alaska are more important than the food (IMHO), we had the best ports and great food on HAL-Volendam out of Vancouver. I would choose that over any other cruiseline. And don't listen to people who say HAL is for old people. There were lots of families and a fair amount of kids on our July/Aug. cruise.

Perhaps you could tell us what other cruise lines you've been on to make that type of statement?

I thought the MDR food was great! Ive sailed Carnival (which I also loved the food) and Disney. I love seafood and love trying new foods. My husband is a chicken fingers & fries kind of restaurant diner he doesn't like trying new foods (other than desserts) so he left still hungry a couple times, but grabbed a hot dog up on deck a little later. We also ordered pizza to snack on from room service after our son went to bed. That's the beauty of a cruise, there is always something available.

Perhaps you could tell us what other cruise lines you've been on to make that type of statement?

Carnival, Royal Caribbean and NCL

Carnival, Royal Caribbean and NCL

I think you need to change your statement to "any cruise line I've sailed on."

I've been on Royal Caribbean and thought the food was pretty poor, even in the Italian specialty restaurant. (We did like Chops but it's pretty hard to screw up a slab of beef.)

Of the cruise ships I've sailed on, I'd rate them for DINNER like this, best to worst, and not including specialty restaurants:

1. Windstar (heads above the others)

2. Disney Dream

3. Disney Magic (tie)

3. Paul Gauguin (tie)

4. Royal Caribbean (way below the others)

For lunch:

1. Disney Dream

2. Windstar

3. Disney Magic (tie)

4. Paul Gauguin (tie)

5. Royal Caribbean (way below the others)

For breakfast: (note, I am only talking about food quality and prep--see note below)

1. Disney Dream

2. Windstar (tie)

2. Disney Magic (tie)

3. Paul Gauguin

5. Royal Caribbean (way below the others)

Specialty restaurants:

1. Disney Dream (Remy, 'nuff said)

2. Windstar

3. Disney Magic

4. Paul Gauguin (tie)

4. Royal Caribbean (tie)

Overall service for all meals except specialty dining:

1. Windstar

2. Disney Magic

3. Disney Dream

3. Paul Gauguin

4. Royal Caribbean

I find the food REALLY good in most restaurants...my favorites are Animator's Palate and Carioca's (Magic). But in general the food is really good...in all of them...PALO and REMY are exceptionally good but even the Cabana's is good. If you don't like something, you can always request something else no matter where you are at...and the room service food is always a great option as well...so, ENJOY it all!

:p