Has anyone ordered everything on the menu in the dining rooms since it's free?

[KaryCam]

We would never order more than on dish with our family mostly for our kids sake. We are trying to teach them to respect food; to not overeat (especially desserts), avoid junkfood, and not waste. Ordering an extra dish and multiple desserts would send exactly the wrong message. Kids learn more from what they watch us do (and others do) than from what we say.

One of the biggest deterrants for us taking another cruise is this exact problem. It is hard to answer all the questions about other's lifestyles in plain view on a cruise like "Why does our new friend we met at the pool get to have 6 desserts for lunch without having anything healthy? She got to eat 4 donuts for breakfast and ice cream all morning whenever she wanted. Can you do that too....just on vacation?" Everytime they bring it up, we wince a little.

I fully understand. We are careful with what DS eats too. DH and DS are very trim with fast metabolisums (sp?). They eat frequently but not real junk food. But that said, after eating during the day, an occasional trip for ice cream on the ship was not too bad. There were times at dinner, he wanted dessert but was too full. As a compromise, we got dessert "to go." Thus he was learning about not stuffing himself and only one dessert. And just because we can get multiples of many items, doesn't mean we should get too many or that often. At least for my family. And if DS sees me have two entrees or two appitizers once or twice on a 7-night cruise, he also knows that I do not do this usually.
At breakfast on the ship, he did have a doughnut sometimes but I did insist on healthier choices too and that they must be eaten first. I also did have to explain about other children's choices, but DS mostly brought it up about how that kid wasn't eating anything healthy and he should.


Also wanted to mention that you can get a side dish of the vegetable of the day. Which we did do a few times. DS & I love vegetables and they gave us steamed broccoli, sauteed spinach, carrots, etc.

 

[johnkerryP]

On our last Wonder Cruise, we were told by our head waiter that the previous sailing a couple got kicked out of dining and banned for the rest of the cruise for ordering everything off the menu every night. It completely screws up their schedule of balancing each table, and they were clearly taking advantage of it.

So, yes techincally you can, but I would advise against it (unless you can actually eat everything on every plate) as you put undue stress on your waitstaff, and cause a burden in the vacation of the other table members of your waitstaff.. I am sure you wouldn't want your dining experience delayed and lagging in experience if someone else did the same.

 

[unrdisney]

Well, I figure it this way; we are paying A LOT of money for the cruise and it's all you can eat which means that the thousands we spent paid for the food on the cruise then we are entitled to whatever we want to eat. It's not like we are really getting it for free nor are we taking it away from anyone else who wants it. This is one of the perks of a disney cruise which we have spent money for so we should be able to take advantage of it. So if we want to order more than one entree, appetized and dessert because we cannot decide then we will.

I think you might be confusing "all you can eat" with "all you can order". The two are very different. IMO its nice to try other things but you paid A LOT for many,many things (beverages,use of pools, entertainment, and accomodations ) and like you said, all you can eat you not all you can order

 

[NancyIL]

It is probably hard for them to watch. Many of the servers come from countries where the average worker earns only a few dollars a day. The vast majority of their budgets are spent on feeding their family. Therefore food is precious and sacred. Every morsel not used is saved and eaten at another meal or used to cook the next meal. The food wastage by cruise patrons must be downright shocking to them.

Thank you - this is exactly what I wanted to say, too!

 

[dizzi]

On our last Wonder Cruise, we were told by our head waiter that the previous sailing a couple got kicked out of dining and banned for the rest of the cruise for ordering everything off the menu every night. It completely screws up their schedule of balancing each table, and they were clearly taking advantage of it.

So, yes techincally you can, but I would advise against it (unless you can actually eat everything on every plate) as you put undue stress on your waitstaff, and cause a burden in the vacation of the other table members of your waitstaff.. I am sure you wouldn't want your dining experience delayed and lagging in experience if someone else did the same.

I somehow do not think this must be completly true.
Not that you are lying...I think if the story was told by the head waiter he was most likely stretching the truth or totally joking.

I think that IF this did happen it was an odd occurence, and that IF someone was doing this and DCL was offended byt it they were warned on many occasions before being "kicked out of dining"

 

[extechie rbd/wdt]

Hopefully the strange lady with the stuffed bear who order's food for it isn't cruising on DCL again or even now married to it!

Ex Techie

 

[jkhilgeman]

Our last cruise my 16 year old son ate every thing on the dinner menu every night. In his defense he has no idea if they serve breakfast or lunch on the cruise. He was having such a great time he refused to take time to eat. He was required to show up for dinner. Our server was thrilled the boy liked the food. Even when I asked them not to bring it, I was told he is a prince and he should have anything he wished.

 

[girl_barrie]

This is a blatant waste of food and is one of the reason some cruise lines have someone dispensing bacon at the breakfast buffet, a few years ago on Disney I watched a 13-14 yo boy load up a plate with bacon and then only eat a few pieces Yes you pay for the food and should be able to order as much as you can consume but to just want to sample a little of everything is wrong. The bottom line is the final cost will be handed down to the customer so if everyone did this the price of the cruise will do up.

I really don't want to start any kind of an argument at all, but in light of the bolded portion of your response, if you saw the way that I eat, you might think it was quite wasteful. I am a small eater out of necessity and choice. So, pretty much all of the meals are "more than I can consume". However, I do like to have soup when it is good & always a salad (gotta have my greens!) & I like to try the appetizers too. Usually I have a few bites and I am done - especially if I have had "pre-food" before the main meal. And I LOVE dessert, so usually have at least a bite or 2. The dessert samplers are awesome!! Tapas-sized "small bite" portions of the main meals would be so wonderful!!
Having been MUCH more overweight than I am currently, my view on the "waste" is that I would rather throw it away than cleaning my plate to have the extra lard sitting on my tush & hips. NOBODY will EVER 'MAKE ME' clean my plate again!! I stop when I am full. That childhood mandate was the beginning of some really awful habits that have taken me years to overcome. So don't judge if I do not clean my plate, it is NO CONCERN of yours!! Much better "waste" than on my waist!!
Oh, and I do eat EVERYTHING that I want, a bite or two of whatever it is - and have always come back from my cruises 5 - 10 pounds slimmer, thanks to using the stairs, the gym, and constant small amounts of "real" food rather than noshing on junk.

 

[GoofyTwinDad]

IMHO, the issue is not about wasteful ordering, but of cruisers wanting the abilility to taste the different dishes that DCL creates. There are many who cruise that do not have opportunity to enjoy the quality of food that is presented onboard. I will not order everything on the menu, but I definitely will be ordering other menu items that appeal to me.

This is a vacation that I worked very hard to make possible, and if I want to order extra food to sample, I feel I deserve the opportunity to do so. Everyone should be concentrated on having as much fun as possible with their families and getting as much enjoyment out of their cruise. Some people may feel eating is the highlight of the cruise, so let them enjoy it without making them feel guilty for pleasures.

 

[TDC Nala]

Who orders every single thing on the menu every night? Does that really happen? I mean, besides a really big group that intends to share it around. and if someone did do that, I think they wouldn't be kicked out of the dining room unless they were asked to stop and refused.

Sometimes I order three appetizers and no entree. Usually the servers get a little kerfluffled that I don't want an entree. I don't know whether they are locked into serving a certain way or they just don't understand that someone may not want an entree, but I sometimes have to explain a couple of times that I really don't want an entree.

As for teaching your kids about wasting food, the deal with that is you can't control what other people do, so if you're seated at a table with people who order three desserts I don't think there's much of a way to stop them.

 

[helenb]

Some people have mentioned not wanting to order too much food, because they don't want to set a bad example for their kids. For my kids, I think it sets a good example on a cruise if I encourage them to try something new and different, that they may not have at home. One of the ways I get them to do that is by reminding them that if they don't like it, they can get something else. So yes, sometimes my children have two entrees, but I consider it part of being on a cruise and encouraging them to order from the adult menu and expand their horizons.

To some extent I do the same thing when we are at buffet restaurants as well. My kids are very picky eaters, so this is really the easiest way for me to get them to eat new things.

 

[tinkerone]

This is a blatant waste of food and is one of the reason some cruise lines have someone dispensing bacon at the breakfast buffet, a few years ago on Disney I watched a 13-14 yo boy load up a plate with bacon and then only eat a few pieces Yes you pay for the food and should be able to order as much as you can consume but to just want to sample a little of everything is wrong. The bottom line is the final cost will be handed down to the customer so if everyone did this the price of the cruise will do up.

I really don't want to start any kind of an argument at all, but in light of the bolded portion of your response, if you saw the way that I eat, you might think it was quite wasteful. I am a small eater out of necessity and choice. So, pretty much all of the meals are "more than I can consume". However, I do like to have soup when it is good & always a salad (gotta have my greens!) & I like to try the appetizers too. Usually I have a few bites and I am done - especially if I have had "pre-food" before the main meal. And I LOVE dessert, so usually have at least a bite or 2. The dessert samplers are awesome!! Tapas-sized "small bite" portions of the main meals would be so wonderful!!
Having been MUCH more overweight than I am currently, my view on the "waste" is that I would rather throw it away than cleaning my plate to have the extra lard sitting on my tush & hips. NOBODY will EVER 'MAKE ME' clean my plate again!! I stop when I am full. That childhood mandate was the beginning of some really awful habits that have taken me years to overcome. So don't judge if I do not clean my plate, it is NO CONCERN of yours!! Much better "waste" than on my waist!!
Oh, and I do eat EVERYTHING that I want, a bite or two of whatever it is - and have always come back from my cruises 5 - 10 pounds slimmer, thanks to using the stairs, the gym, and constant small amounts of "real" food rather than noshing on junk.

i think you have picked out a few words from the above quote and decided to switch them up. i don't think the poster is saying that you should lick your plate clean. he is responding to the original post of ordering everything off the menu, and yes, this really could be a waste. note 'could be'.
if you order a soup, salad, app, entree, desert and just don't finish them no one is going to scold you. if you order 2 or three of each then yes, someone may. i'm glad you can keep your weight down and i'm sure the excersice of the stairs help but that is the last thing on my mind when i cruise. i do eat junk cause its my vacation. i fully expect to gain a few pounds, i'll work at it later, no worries. i'm indulging but that doesn't mean waste
my thought is if you want to try everything then each order something different and have a few bites of it all, pass it around. i look at the menu and i see a few things that might interest me but not every thing on it. why would anyone want to order it all?

 

[ashleyt]

I really don't want to start any kind of an argument at all, but in light of the bolded portion of your response, if you saw the way that I eat, you might think it was quite wasteful. I am a small eater out of necessity and choice. So, pretty much all of the meals are "more than I can consume". However, I do like to have soup when it is good & always a salad (gotta have my greens!) & I like to try the appetizers too. Usually I have a few bites and I am done - especially if I have had "pre-food" before the main meal. And I LOVE dessert, so usually have at least a bite or 2. The dessert samplers are awesome!! Tapas-sized "small bite" portions of the main meals would be so wonderful!!
Having been MUCH more overweight than I am currently, my view on the "waste" is that I would rather throw it away than cleaning my plate to have the extra lard sitting on my tush & hips. NOBODY will EVER 'MAKE ME' clean my plate again!! I stop when I am full. That childhood mandate was the beginning of some really awful habits that have taken me years to overcome. So don't judge if I do not clean my plate, it is NO CONCERN of yours!! Much better "waste" than on my waist!!
Oh, and I do eat EVERYTHING that I want, a bite or two of whatever it is - and have always come back from my cruises 5 - 10 pounds slimmer, thanks to using the stairs, the gym, and constant small amounts of "real" food rather than noshing on junk.

It's a good point you make. As in the case of my brother-in-law, there is a desire to get maximum value for your dollar. However, no one really wins by overeating more calories than their body needs. The cruise has to plan for more food and you gain weight and put your body in an unhealthy position.

I finally figured this out as a teenager at a local buffet my family liked to frequent. I always had to tell myself "I am no further ahead by eating as much food as I can stuff in". A win for me from a healthy body weight and nutritional perspective and a win for the buffet as they didn't have to supply so much food. Obviously it would take more than one person changing their habits to provide savings to the buffet, but theoretically speaking.

 

[TXDCLfan]

i think you have picked out a few words from the above quote and decided to switch them up. i don't think the poster is saying that you should lick your plate clean. he is responding to the original post of ordering everything off the menu, and yes, this really could be a waste. note 'could be'.
if you order a soup, salad, app, entree, desert and just don't finish them no one is going to scold you. if you order 2 or three of each then yes, someone may. i'm glad you can keep your weight down and i'm sure the excersice of the stairs help but that is the last thing on my mind when i cruise. i do eat junk cause its my vacation. i fully expect to gain a few pounds, i'll work at it later, no worries. i'm indulging but that doesn't mean waste
my thought is if you want to try everything then each order something different and have a few bites of it all, pass it around. i look at the menu and i see a few things that might interest me but not every thing on it. why would anyone want to order it all?

This is EXACTLY what I am saying....thank you

 

[Princess Row]

On our last cruise.....three years ago on Disney our servers realized I was a HUGE fan of Pasta. However they advised I should branch out and try other things. Everynight they brought me the pasta of the night and then I ordered one other entree. I also often ordered 2 soups or a salad and a soup and 2-3 desserts. However I am a very picky eater and I dont eat huge portions....
My family and I all shared the portions and often ended up switching.
Not very much food went to waste.

We pay alot of money to enjoy our cruise, does that mean waste everything we dont want? No! Not by any means because i know others around the world need food. However we shouldnt have to worry about what food we are wasting after the money we spend towards the cruise. I mean we look forward to the FOOD for months!!

Now on the same token...... how does Disney feel about wasted food?
We have eaten at Disney on Thanksgiving for the past 4-5 years. We have absolutely loved the large portions or turkey and stuffing and usually finish the meal. Last year I spoke with a cast member reguarding all the extra items they have that are already cooked and dont use at Disney on a day to day basis. Disney THROWS all of the food out..... doesnt give it away, doesnt donate it to a shelter, simply TOSSES out hundreds of pounds of uneaten, very good food. To this day it still bothers me and I want them to donate the food to people who need it.

 

[TDC Nala]

Disney THROWS all of the food out..... doesnt give it away, doesnt donate it to a shelter, simply TOSSES out hundreds of pounds of uneaten, very good food. To this day it still bothers me and I want them to donate the food to people who need it.

They don't donate it because they can't.

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

They don't donate it because they can't.

I don't see how a criuse ship could logesticly manage to donate food and ensures it safe.

However WDW donates to a number of shelters about 1/2 ton of cooked, but unserved food a week. Teh sheklters have a syatem with trucks picking up the donated food a few times a day.

That has been noted in the news and written about a number of times.

AKK

 

[SueTGGR]

Not sure if anyone has done this before but we got to the end of the meal and DH was so full when our server asked him what he would like for dessert he replied, "Nothing, Thank you." Our server brought dessert to our table and set a plate in front of DH and they had taken chocolate syrup and had written, "Nothing!" on it!

 

[TXDCLfan]

Not sure if anyone has done this before but we got to the end of the meal and DH was so full when our server asked him what he would like for dessert he replied, "Nothing, Thank you." Our server brought dessert to our table and set a plate in front of DH and they had taken chocolate syrup and had written, "Nothing!" on it!

many times and it is still a good one

 

[TDC Nala]

WDW can donate non-leftover prepared foods. They can't donate leftovers (food that has already been served, but uneaten).