Dining - What if you don’t like the food?

[Livelovedance]

I looked up the menus online for the main dining rooms, and I’m a little concerned about the small amount food options I saw for each section (appetizers, entrees, etc.). I know we could go to the buffet for dinner. What happens if you get to the dining room and find nothing you want to eat? Can you see the menu for each day on the app or elsewhere before you go to dinner to avoid that?

 

[brownmajik]

Yes, you can see the menus for the restaurants prior to dinner on the app. Also, there is no buffet for dinner. Cabanas has a menu at dinner, but there are other food options on the pool deck as well

 

[roylanc]

The app will have most of menus available for restaurants.
Some of them though, we have found may not show all the food options available on the menu at certain restaurants.
There are quite a few restaurants at WDW which have larger menus than others.
Here on the DIS they have a great up-dated restaurant list with quite comprehensive menus.
We use it all the time.
I would browse through there, it's really easy to navigate.
Some of the restaurants are now doing PRIXE FIX menus, so there will be limits to the menu at these restaurants.

 

[Starwind]

There is no buffet for dinner. The buffet restaurant (Cabanas on Dream and Fantasy) at dinner is table service with a combination of items from the main dining rooms. It also isn't open the first and I believe last night of the cruise.

The menus for the entire cruise are available on the app.

There is a "lighter fare" section on the menu that has things like basic chicken, steak, baked potato, rice, veggies. Also, you can mix and match items on the menu - eg. an entree form one dish and a side from another.

One of the pool QS places will be open during dinner hours.

We find the MDR dinners to be a lot of food and usually skip the appetizer, get a soup OR salad, get an entree and side [often from the lighter fare menu] and get dessert. We are quite full afterward.

SW

 

[dclpluto]

You can order off the kids menu if you can’t find anything on the adults menu that you want. Also don’t be afraid to mix and match. If you want the chicken but want the side dish that comes with the steak you order that.

 

[Livelovedance]

Perfect! Thanks for the quick replies! We’re new to cruising and I was anticipating some awkwardness at dinner, but we should be able to avoid that with your suggestions. Thanks again!

 

[su_A_ve]

Perfect! Thanks for the quick replies! We’re new to cruising and I was anticipating some awkwardness at dinner, but we should be able to avoid that with your suggestions. Thanks again!

Not sure it was mentioned, but there's also room service available. Food is free as well as coffee/tea.

It's your time to try new things...

 

[jdb in AZ]

Perfect! Thanks for the quick replies! We’re new to cruising and I was anticipating some awkwardness at dinner, but we should be able to avoid that with your suggestions. Thanks again!

It's a good idea to ask your waiter for a recommendation. He/she will probably tell you anyway. They're very eager to help you find the right meal for you.

 

[BarlowFamily]

I looked up the menus online for the main dining rooms, and I’m a little concerned about the small amount food options I saw for each section (appetizers, entrees, etc.). I know we could go to the buffet for dinner. What happens if you get to the dining room and find nothing you want to eat? Can you see the menu for each day on the app or elsewhere before you go to dinner to avoid that?

The above posters are correct and helpful! The buffet with be a table service dinner option, not buffet. And you will be able to see the menu on the app. I have a food allergy AND am a little picky. I found it easy to order a different combination, such as 3 appetizers and a dessert some nights. Your dining servers will also quickly learn your preferences and will make suggestions if you ask. If you liked something on a previous night's menu, but nothing this evening, ask to have that dish again. And as someone mentioned, you can change the side dishes - I did this a few times.

 

[dclpluto]

Also watch some you tube videos on Disney cruise food and there is a thread right here pictures of food. Myself I can tell from looking at something if I’m going to like it or not.

 

[cruisehopeful]

On one of my cruises, my daughter ordered chicken strips and fries every night. It wasn't even on the menu, but our server had no problems getting it and after the second night, pretty knew it was going to be a nightly thing.

 

[Quellman]

I hope that you get put to minds ease. The serving team will be more than happy to help you. You can also talk to the head server and see about getting accommodation for meals where they serve you items not on the menu, and you'll still choose a day in advance.

 

[serenitynow]

We were cruising with a 13 year old on the Dream. He asked our server if he could just have the macaroni and cheese from the kids menu, but in “grownup” size. Our server asked that’s all he wanted for dinner and suggested several other options. The boy insisted on just mac ‘n cheese. He got it alright. The largest bowl of macaroni and cheese I’ve ever seen was placed in front of him. It was like a serving dish full of bright orange goodness. We laughed and laughed.

 

[Lisa F]

Perfect! Thanks for the quick replies! We’re new to cruising and I was anticipating some awkwardness at dinner, but we should be able to avoid that with your suggestions. Thanks again!

There won't be any awkwardness, the servers really want to please. Just ask for what you want and as others have mentioned check out the lighter fare (also more basic) and kid menu options. My son had some form of steak with mac and cheese on the side for every meal

Also there is no downside to trying something and not liking it - they will bring you something else if you don't. I can't eat that much and one day overindulged on appetizers which meant I picked at my main - they were super concerned and wanted to bring me something else and I insisted that I was just not hungry and it was true!

You definitely will not go hungry on a cruise, that's for sure.

 

[dad of 3 addicted to DCL]

One last comment, if you're in Royal Court (for example) and the app lists an entree in Animator's Palate that is what you want, you can order that in lieu of the offerings in your MDR. Can't order from the Palo/Remy menu, but all others are fair game. On Wonder, I ordered Biegnets three times (only once in Tiana's Place)!

 

[FSU Girl]

Don't be afraid to try new things. Worse case you don't like it and they bring you something else. I always try to be more adventurous since you aren't risking paying for a meal you'll hate. On the app you can see the full menu and get idea of what you'll want to order that night.

 

[MomOTwins]

I guess I'm not really sure what it is OP is looking for. If it is that they want healthier options or more "basic" options like mac n cheese, as others have noted, those are available. If it is that the MDR menu is not adventurous/varied enough, I'd recommend booking at Palo or Remy at least one night.

And yes, the dining team can accommodate to a certain extent but it should be noted that cruise ship kitchens are not made-to-order kitchen--they generally do prepare a large volume of the same dish and may not be able to accommodate on the spot special requests (e.g., ordering a vegetarian version of the spaghetti Bolognese may not be possible if sauce already is prepared and has the meat mixed in).

My tip for OP is that you are not boxed in to ordering one item each from the appetizers, soup/salad, and entrees. You can skip an entrée and order two or three appetizers instead.

 

[WishUponAStarryNight]

I agree with all of the above. I'll also note that the menus make the food sound much more fancy than it is. If you'd like the protein without the fancy-sounding sauce, ask for it that way. Enjoy!

 

[braysmommy]

On one of my cruises, my daughter ordered chicken strips and fries every night. It wasn't even on the menu, but our server had no problems getting it and after the second night, pretty knew it was going to be a nightly thing.

Our first cruise my son was 5 and ordered mac n cheese for 14 straight nights! By about night 5 or 6 our waiter would give him a look and my DS would just nod. He even snuck it in a few times at lunch.

 

[kiford]

Also available, but not always on the menu, is caesar salad. One of our friends had it every. single. night (for 12 days). We don't have kids so I never knew that chicken soup is always available off that menu until our last cruise. The AP show night has a set appetizer plate which has seafood so I can't have it in case any of the other items have contacted it. My server suggested the chicken soup (with Mickey head noodles!) so I now know it's an option if I ever don't like the appetizers or I'm not that hungry.

Also, as others have said - try something and see if you like it since it doesn't cost anything extra if you don't. Or ask for sauces or dressings to be removed, go for something simple like grilled steak, chicken breast or fish which are usually always on the menu (I found that they're not always listed on the app but they're always on the menu and/or you can ask for them). One of our friends on a different cruise had steak and steamed veggies 4 nights out of 7. Ask for different veggies, more potatoes, etc. They'll do their best to find something you like. There's also usually a simple pasta or rice dish. Or order multiple items off the children's menus or see if they'll make you a larger plate of items off that. There should be lots of combinations that you can try to satisfy you. Or come to dinner not very hungry after eating pizza, burgers, tacos/shwarma/paninis (depending on ship and offerings), hot dogs, fries, sandwiches or salads from on deck. Or do that after dinner if you're still hungry.

My tip for OP is that you are not boxed in to ordering one item each from the appetizers, soup/salad, and entrees. You can skip an entrée and order two or three appetizers instead.

I usually ordered two of appetizer, soup or salad depending on what was on offer that night, and entree and no dessert. Sometimes I didn't like the appetizers and had soup and salad, sometimes two appetizers and no soup or salad, very occasionally 1-2 appetizers, soup and/or salad and no entree. I just had them bring the salad during the entree course since it didn't need to be kept hot so could be time-shifted a bit without slowing them down. So many different combos. We had tablemates once who ordered 3-4 entrees between the two of them (no appetizers or soup/salad) and then shared between them so that they could try lots of different things.

Don't stress over it. You'll probably find enough to eat and they'll do their best to find what you like.