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

[Yokelridesagain]

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.

Happily, they got rid of the set appetizers and soup on animation magic night--back to full service.

 

[kiford]

Happily, they got rid of the set appetizers and soup on animation magic night--back to full service.

Sooo glad to hear that. I wrote that as a comment in my comment card. I get the timing issue, but who puts something on a set plate that a reasonably significant portion of the population is allergic to? Made no sense to me and you couldn't even modify the plate. Still, I'm keeping that chicken soup in mind for our next cruise just in case or just because.

 

[Lisa F]

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!

I was just going to point that out too. The menu sounds fancier than it is - lots of stuff I got and was like "oh, that's all it is?" lol. It's not super challenging food no matter what it sounds like most of the time.

 

[otten]

If you mention it to your serving team in advance there is a lot they can accommodate.

When we cruised last time my older daughter was 3.5 and all she really ever ate was spaghetti and meatballs. (Gotta love a toddler food jag lol) Well the first dinner on the ship she was mad that there were no spaghetti and meatballs on the menu. We mentioned it to our head server and he said that while they couldn't accommodate on short notice (didn't expect them to) they could get her spaghetti with meatballs for future meals. So after that first night she had spaghetti and meatballs every night.

Meanwhile our not even 10 month old ate everything from baked salmon to steak.

 

[Livelovedance]

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

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.

The family member I'm traveling with is an extremely picky eater, and does have some food restrictions. I'm picky as well, but not as bad. I plan to try some new things (to an extent), but I can't speak for more than myself!

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.

I do feel much better, thank you! I just didn't want to cause unnecessary awkwardness if we get to dinner and don't find something we're both interested in.

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.

Thank you! I definitely think we'll take advantage of that. The menu seems fancier than we're used to, but with some explanations and possible changes, plus kids menu options, it sounds like we'll be fine! Thank you!

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)!

That is great news as well! I'll keep that in mind as we're browsing the menus just in case. Thanks!

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.

My concern is actually the opposite. It seems like the menus are too adventurous! We're used to more "basic" choices. I think with some explanations and possibly ordering from the kids menu as needed, we should be fine. Thanks for your input!

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!

This is exactly what my concern was. I also browsed some of the DCL food pictures posts and they seemed too fancy as well lol. I just didn't want to show up and feel like we went to a restaurant we didn't belong in! I'll be sure to ask questions; it sounds a lot less complicated than it seemed in my head!

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.



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.

Thank you very much! Caesar salad and chicken noodle soup are safe choices that I didn't notice on the menus I browsed. We like simple foods like what you mentioned, so I'm glad to hear they should be available. I just didn't want to sit at dinner, find there was nothing we'd want to eat, and then have to miss the shows to go eat at the buffet restaurant (which I now know isn't a buffet at dinner anyway lol). Thanks for helping ease my concerns!

I was just going to point that out too. The menu sounds fancier than it is - lots of stuff I got and was like "oh, that's all it is?" lol. It's not super challenging food no matter what it sounds like most of the time.

This is exactly what I needed to hear. Thank you!

Thanks again to everyone that responded. I feel much better already!

 

[DisneyPiPhi]

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.

I have a wheat allergy and don't like seafood, so I order from this menu almost every night. Steak or chicken with a baked potato and a pile of steamed veggies get the job done and don't require the kitchen to make too many special accommodations for me. For others who prefer basics or consider themselves picky, this section of the menu is great.

 

[Karin1984]

Whatever you do, don't be afraid of it being awkward, or worry about this. The servers at Disney have seen everything. You have different taste than others and that's fine. If you want to order just fries, order that, full of confidence

 

[Dug720]

The lighter fare section is about as basic as you can get.

 

[CPME]

I am a very fussy eater and also cruised when pregnant, further limiting what I could eat, and after 12 nights I honestly was running out of options because the food was too fancy for me. As others have said though, there are so many ways around this and you'll be fine. The lighter fare options which are the same every night are great. Our server also asked what our favourite dishes were so if they appeared anywhere in other restaurants during our cruise he could get them for us, which meant one night I had an unexpected curry which was very welcome! And one night when I just couldn't face anything on the menu I simply enjoyed the time with my family and went up top afterwards for a pizza. Also, great news for a picky eater, but if you order a meal you end up not liking once it comes, they won't bat an eyelid if you return it with just one bite missing so it's always worth the risk ordering if you see something you might like. You won't go hungry and nobody will mind what you do as long as you're happy. Have fun!

 

[lanejudy]

The family member I'm traveling with is an extremely picky eater, and does have some food restrictions.

I can't tell from this statement if the "food restrictions" are simply from being a picky eater, or actually involve allergies or medically-prescribed dietary needs. If the latter, you should contact DCL Special Services department to inform them. They will try to have alternative options.

Enjoy your cruise!

 

[Lilsia]

Thank you! I definitely think we'll take advantage of that. The menu seems fancier than we're used to, but with some explanations and possible changes, plus kids menu options, it sounds like we'll be fine! Thank you!

Honestly, it really is not that fancy. Like others have said, you can get basic chicken, steak, salmon. Plus they can leave off any sauces or switch sides for you. They always have plain mashed potatoes, simple veggies, and grilled meats. But do try some new things out that you might not want to waste money on at a regular restaurant. We used the cruise as a great opportunity for our kids to try new things that they don't have at home. Over the years they have tried all of the proteins/seafood that they have to offer and found some new favorites.

 

[Starwind]

We eat a lot from the lighter fare menu.

But one thing we have tried and that works well:

Order the meal we want [however basic or not that needs to be], and then choose one item from the main menu that sounds interesting or that you'd like to try but aren't sure if you will like it -- e.g. the duck entree -- and then share it with everyone at the table. Basically you are sampling it. If you don't like it no biggie just don't eat more of it. If you do like it you can fight for it with your tablemates Or ask for another serving of it [assuming no relevant food allergies are involved].

We found this a great way to be a little adventurous [something that is often hard to do with multiple food allergies, especially when eating out] with no risk. We found some things we liked, others we will NEVER do again. But it has been fun and interesting and a chance to try new things. It is something we will continue doing each cruise. We don't do it every night, but most nights.

SW

 

[NZMUM]

As others have said, the menu sounds fancy but in reality it isn't that fancy (I'm pretty fussy too). The lighter fare part is vey basic. My teenage son has previously ordered a burger & fries every night. He has also ordered pizza. We pre-ordered his food with our server the night before, so it was custom made. If you request the night before, you can pretty much get anything.

 

[Travel60]

While I don't disagree with any of above comments, please be aware that the servers are very busy and have a lot of people to try to please. Please be courteous to them and others at your table. Don't be a prima donna. Check the app (menus also available on the electronic boards near the elevators), go to dinner knowing what you want. Don't get there and hem and haw for ten minutes. I've been at a table with "those" people and by the end of the cruise, the whole table hated them. If there is NOTHING you like, don't eat at MDR that night....do drop by and tell servers so they won't wait for you.

 

[Livelovedance]

While I don't disagree with any of above comments, please be aware that the servers are very busy and have a lot of people to try to please. Please be courteous to them and others at your table. Don't be a prima donna. Check the app (menus also available on the electronic boards near the elevators), go to dinner knowing what you want. Don't get there and hem and haw for ten minutes. I've been at a table with "those" people and by the end of the cruise, the whole table hated them. If there is NOTHING you like, don't eat at MDR that night....do drop by and tell servers so they won't wait for you.

Thank you, we don't plan on that. I asked the question here to avoid that actually! With the ability to preview the menu and order basic options if necessary, we should be fine.

 

[Dug720]

Thank you, we don't plan on that. I asked the question here to avoid that actually! With the ability to preview the menu and order basic options if necessary, we should be fine.

As has been said multiple times, the lighter fare menu has the same chicken and steak option along with one other.

If you KNOW you are going to want say spaghetti and meatballs or chicken fingers and fries, ask about it the night before and place that order just like those of us with allergies do. That makes it much easier on the wait staff AND kitchen staff as it will already be ready to be made at the right time rather than them having to scramble in the midst of preparing everything else.