Is food and drink included on Disney cruises?

[k5thbeatle]

Hi, we've never been on any cruise before, Disney or otherwise, and we're wondering how Disney handles food service on their cruises.

Is food and drink included (including alcohol) or is there an option to have food and drink included? Can you eat and drink whatever or whenever you like or exactly just how does this work? I'm also curious as to how this compares with other cruise lines in regards to dining?

Simply stated I was hoping someone with cruising experience can tell me more about what exactly is or isn't included in regards to dining and how dining "works" on a cruise?

Thanks

 

[starrydominique]

Most food and soda type drinks are included with some exceptions.

Alcohol is not free. They do offer packages and you can bring a limited amount of wine and beer onboard.

Bottled water is not free. There is a tap water option at the soda drink stations and you can get glasses of water free at main dining. You can bring your own bottled water with you. They do sell it onboard but it's crazy overpriced.

Soda is free from the drink stations and at main dining. It is not free if you order from room service because they will bring you a can.

Room service is mostly free but there are certain items I've been told that are extra (i.e., the soda cans).

Specialty coffee is not free. There is regular coffee offered at the soda drink stations but any fancy latte frap thing is extra.

Theater snacks are extra. We always grabbed cookies and ice scream from the free areas on deck and brought them down if we wanted a snack.

Sailing concierge does have some perks with the price tag. They have a happy hour each night with free drinks. You can get endless, free, bottles of Evian in there. And they have one of the fancy coffee machines for free espresso and lattes.

The adult specialty restaurants also have an upcharge to dine in them.

Dining is rotational and your waiters follow you each night. You either eat main seating around 5:30-6:00? (Can't recall) or second seating at 8:15 (we prefer second). I've been on Dream and Fantasy and they have 3 main dining halls, Animators Pallate, Royal Court, and Enchanted Garden. You will hit these at least once in your trip. There are quick eat places that serve hamburgers and pizza and such on deck 11 as well as the Cabana buffet.

I don't drink and my husband drinks lightly. We only ate at the buffet for breakfast and lunch and main dining for dinner. Our food bill was just a few beers he ordered at dinner.

When we sail concierge, our extra food bill is $0 because he gets his drinks from their free happy hour every night.

I've never sailed another line but husband has done Carnival and says their food was just as tasty (he hated the rest of the experience). Oddly enough, the one time we spent the money and ate at Palo we didn't like the food as much as main dining.

 

[MouseMomx2]

Food - All food in the main dining rooms, buffet, quick service locations and room service (tips are appropriate for room service) is included. You will pay for dining in Palo or Remy (adults only), specialty cakes and packaged foods bought through room service or at the theater snack bars.

Drink - Soft drinks, milk and juice are included in the dining rooms, buffet and from the 24-hour drink station. You will pay for alcoholic beverages and any sodas purchased at bars or via room service. There will be an occasion or two where alcoholic drinks are free (Captain's reception, etc.). They also offer a drink-of-the-day at a reduced price. Check the Navigator for each day's selection.

 

[Jestocost]

And to answer the other part of your question, Disney is fairly similar to other cruise lines except that most other lines charge for any sodas outside of the MDRs and unlike many other lines Disney does not have packages offering unlimited specialty or alcoholic beverages. They do have wine and beer packages that can reduce your costs but that's it.

 

[cruisehopeful]

They are very understanding and if you order something that has a fee, you can just tell them that you didn't know it wasn't included and they will take it back and not charge you. They've always told me how much something costs before they brought it, with the exception of drinks in the bars or cove cafe.

 

[gumbypee]

someone has a list of all things with upcharge

 

[k5thbeatle]

Thanks for all the replies. Couple more questions to clarify; Are you basically paying for and guaranteed three meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner)? What if someone wanted a late night snack or perhaps wanted a late night sandwich? Is all room service extra? Also are breakfast, lunch, dinner only available during certain times? Sorry to ask more questions but our clan has a wide range of eating habits?

 

[PrincessShmoo]

someone has a list of all things with upcharge

WHAT COSTS EXTRA?
1. Parking/transportation
2. Port porters
3. Room upgrades (usually at port, sometimes GS)
4. Extra Wave Phone rental
5. Cellular phone calls (will be billed later to your phone bill)
6. Ship to shore calls from your room phone
7. Welcome aboard packages (flowers, candy, etc waiting in your cabin)
8. Alcohol and cigarettes for delivery at end of voyage
9. Alcoholic drinks at the bars and from roving servers (welcome aboard)
10. Tastings and Mixology
11. Wine by the glass or wine packages at meals
12. Additional tip (over the automatic) for bar servers
13. Tips for room service
14. Soft drinks and candy/snacks from room service or bar
15. Specialty coffee
16. Bottled water (sparkling or still)
17. Candy and snacks/popcorn outside theater
18. Candy and ice cream from Vanelope’s on the Dream
19. Smoothies from the bar in Senses Spa on the Dream
20. Upcharge food items at the adult clubs
21. Adult dining (Palo, Remy)
22. Shore excursions (including cabanas and rentals at CC)
23. Tip for Castaway Cay cabana host (you’ll need cash for this one)
24. Stamps from Post Office at Castaway Cay
25. Excursion tips
26. Spa treatments
27. Required gratuity added to spa services
28. Bingo
29. Sports simulator
30. Photos (individual and packages)
31. Internet
32. Art
33. Purchases from the stores: clothing, sundries, jewelry, souvenirs, etc.
34. Cameras from photo shop
35. Pins sold at trading pin sessions
36. Cigars (Meridian bar)
37. Arcade
38. Hair Braiding
39. Laundry room and send-out laundry and dry cleaning
40. Onboard booking for future cruises
41. Disney Vacation Club membership (you can purchase on board)
42. Adventures by Disney (you can purchase on board)
43. Medical care
44. Nursery (for under 3’s)
45. Kids’s club magic bands (if you want to keep them, you lose the deposit)
46. Meeting room rental
47. Onboard or Castaway Cay wedding (currently $3000/$4000)
48. Vow renewal ceremony
49. Tuxedo rentals
50. Duties at customs at end of cruise if you've made a LOT of purchases abroad
51. Fuel supplement charge if the price of oil is above a certain level(never happened yet, that I know of)
52. Fish Extender program gifts (if you participate)

 

[kiford]

Thanks for all the replies. Couple more questions to clarify; Are you basically paying for and guaranteed three meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner)? What if someone wanted a late night snack or perhaps wanted a late night sandwich? Is all room service extra? Also are breakfast, lunch, dinner only available during certain times? Sorry to ask more questions but our clan has a wide range of eating habits?

At least three meals. Breakfast and lunch have times set aside in a couple of different locations. Every day the Navigator will tell you which restaurants are open and for which times. You can just go to those any time they are open and be seated or go to the buffet restaurant during its open times. Dinner is a set time if you go to the main dining rooms; except on the first and last night the buffet restaurant (which isn't buffet at dinner time) is open for a few hours and you can just go up any time to that instead of the main dining room. The adult-only restaurant(s) are open for dinner and sometimes brunch, but you have to book a specific time and are limited in the number of bookings you can make.

There are several quick service places on deck which are open most of the day; some close at 10 or 11 pm but some are open to midnight. It depends by ship and sometimes its different from cruise to cruise but typically there are burgers, hot dogs, tacos or shwarma, chicken fingers, wraps, sandwiches, salads, fruit, ice cream.

Room service is 24 hours although I'm not sure how long it's open on the last night. Only a very few items on room service have a charge if they are packaged, like M&Ms, pop cans, etc. There are a number of places that have snacks during the day; afaik only the theatre food has an extra charge.

Finding food most of the day isn't generally a problem.

 

[CM Dad]

Thanks for all the replies. Couple more questions to clarify; Are you basically paying for and guaranteed three meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner)? What if someone wanted a late night snack or perhaps wanted a late night sandwich? Is all room service extra? Also are breakfast, lunch, dinner only available during certain times? Sorry to ask more questions but our clan has a wide range of eating habits?

You are assigned a dining room rotation for dinner at either the main or late times. For breakfast and lunch you can choose a buffet or one of the sit down restaurants. The Navigator you get every evening for the next day will have the hours for the various restaurants. If you don't want to go to your assigned dining room for dinner there is also a sit down option. Hours will be listed in the Navigator. There are some quick serve options on the pool deck. Other than main dining, you can eat whenever you want at any of the locations that are open. They don't track who has gotten what, so eat as much/often as you want. These are all included for free (or included in the fare you are paying). Most room service is also free.

 

[scgustafson]

WHAT COSTS EXTRA?
1. Parking/transportation
2. Port porters
3. Room upgrades (usually at port, sometimes GS)
4. Extra Wave Phone rental
5. Cellular phone calls (will be billed later to your phone bill)
6. Ship to shore calls from your room phone
7. Welcome aboard packages (flowers, candy, etc waiting in your cabin)
8. Alcohol and cigarettes for delivery at end of voyage
9. Alcoholic drinks at the bars and from roving servers (welcome aboard)
10. Tastings and Mixology
11. Wine by the glass or wine packages at meals
12. Additional tip (over the automatic) for bar servers
13. Tips for room service
14. Soft drinks and candy/snacks from room service or bar
15. Specialty coffee
16. Bottled water (sparkling or still)
17. Candy and snacks/popcorn outside theater
18. Candy and ice cream from Vanelope’s on the Dream
19. Smoothies from the bar in Senses Spa on the Dream
20. Upcharge food items at the adult clubs
21. Adult dining (Palo, Remy)
22. Shore excursions (including cabanas and rentals at CC)
23. Tip for Castaway Cay cabana host (you’ll need cash for this one)
24. Stamps from Post Office at Castaway Cay
25. Excursion tips
26. Spa treatments
27. Required gratuity added to spa services
28. Bingo
29. Sports simulator
30. Photos (individual and packages)
31. Internet
32. Art
33. Purchases from the stores: clothing, sundries, jewelry, souvenirs, etc.
34. Cameras from photo shop
35. Pins sold at trading pin sessions
36. Cigars (Meridian bar)
37. Arcade
38. Hair Braiding
39. Laundry room and send-out laundry and dry cleaning
40. Onboard booking for future cruises
41. Disney Vacation Club membership (you can purchase on board)
42. Adventures by Disney (you can purchase on board)
43. Medical care
44. Nursery (for under 3’s)
45. Kids’s club magic bands (if you want to keep them, you lose the deposit)
46. Meeting room rental
47. Onboard or Castaway Cay wedding (currently $3000/$4000)
48. Vow renewal ceremony
49. Tuxedo rentals
50. Duties at customs at end of cruise if you've made a LOT of purchases abroad
51. Fuel supplement charge if the price of oil is above a certain level(never happened yet, that I know of)
52. Fish Extender program gifts (if you participate)

Princess,
This response really seems like something the mods should make a sticky thread called "What Costs Extra on DCL?"

 

[Flossbolna]

Princess,
This response really seems like something the mods should make a sticky thread called "What Costs Extra on DCL?"

I think the FAQ in the sticky threads is in great need of being "refurbished" and since we now have two new moderators in @AquaDame and @CamColt on the board again it would be wonderful if that project could be tackled. Not saying that they need to do all the work, but maybe organise that people can contribute to it?

 

[samily]

I will say that when we first started cruising, we found it very exciting that we could eat just about anything we wanted and as often as we wanted. I would have breakfast, 2nd breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack or second lunch, dinner and late night snacks (and the snacks were more like meals!) but by the end of the week was just stuffed, lol. Now I have learned to eat smaller portions and try to do so only when hungry and find the cruise to be more enjoyable when I don't end up with a food hangover! But it is still tempting sometimes!

 

[disneyfaninaz]

beatle, don't worry, you will never starve on a Disney cruise! Some type of food is available pretty much 24/7 on a cruise ship.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I think the FAQ in the sticky threads is in great need of being "refurbished" and since we now have two new moderators in @AquaDame and @CamColt on the board again it would be wonderful if that project could be tackled. Not saying that they need to do all the work, but maybe organise that people can contribute to it?

AquaDame has been working on the FAQ sticky. If you have specific suggestions, I'm sure she'd be happy to hear them.

 

[Flossbolna]

AquaDame has been working on the FAQ sticky. If you have specific suggestions, I'm sure she'd be happy to hear them.

Oh, I haven't noticed that yet! That's wonderful! I will have a look later to see if I can help out!

 

[scgustafson]

AquaDame has been working on the FAQ sticky. If you have specific suggestions, I'm sure she'd be happy to hear them.

If we could just get all of the new cruisers (and some old) to look there before posting a thread with their question. It gets a bit monotonous seeing a new thread started for questions that have been asked and answered on this board tens, if not hundreds of times.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

If we could just get all of the new cruisers (and some old) to look there before posting a thread with their question. It gets a bit monotonous seeing a new thread started for questions that have been asked and answered on this board tens, if not hundreds of times.

I'll just plead my case - when I was a newbie, I didn't know or understand how forums/boards worked, I had no clue how to find stuff. So I probably was in that group that asked questions that had been asked before. Not all of us can jump into a new situation and know the ins and outs of it.

Hopefully there are enough of us who want to answer questions (yes, repeatedly) for those newbies that this board will remain friendly and helpful.

 

[DisneyQuartet]

Food - All food in the main dining rooms, buffet, quick service locations and room service (tips are appropriate for room service) is included. You will pay for dining in Palo or Remy (adults only), specialty cakes and packaged foods bought through room service or at the theater snack bars.

Drink - Soft drinks, milk and juice are included in the dining rooms, buffet and from the 24-hour drink station. You will pay for alcoholic beverages and any sodas purchased at bars or via room service. There will be an occasion or two where alcoholic drinks are free (Captain's reception, etc.). They also offer a drink-of-the-day at a reduced price. Check the Navigator for each day's selection.

Can you give a price range of the drinks of the day (non alcoholic)?

 

[DisneyQuartet]

Princess,
This response really seems like something the mods should make a sticky thread called "What Costs Extra on DCL?"

Would be great if this could include prices or range of prices. This is such a helpful list.