Disney Magic Breakfast and Lunch - Cabanas or MDR?

[BadPinkTink]

I've been following The Magic Summer 2019 through the personal navigators and every day one of the MDR is open for breakfast and lunch.

Then I start to read trip reports here on DIS and almost every single one says they went to Cabanas for lunch as soon as they get on the ship, and Cabanas for breakfast and lunch every day they are on the ship.

Then I go to YouTube and start to watch some videos from 2019 Magic Dover Departures and everyone went to Cabanas for lunch at Dover and then Cabanas for breakfast the next day.

Is the lunch on embarkation day and breakfast every day in MDR some sort of secret club? Do people just follow the crowds and not realise the MDR are open?

Even though my cruise is 11 months away still, my plan is to have lunch on embarkation day in MDR and breakfast each morning in MDR. I guess I just like being different

 

[lklgoodman]

We usually eat in the MDR for breakfast and lunch at least once each cruise. We prefer Cabanas because there's a lot more variety of food choices. When you get on the ship the cms usually tell people to go to Cabanas. If someone hasn't done any research, they may not know a MDR is open. I had wanted to eat in the MDR for embarkation lunch until I saw the menu. If you want a quieter meal the MDR is the way to go.

 

[nole75]

I've been following The Magic Summer 2019 through the personal navigators and every day one of the MDR is open for breakfast and lunch.

Then I start to read trip reports here on DIS and almost every single one says they went to Cabanas for lunch as soon as they get on the ship, and Cabanas for breakfast and lunch every day they are on the ship.

Then I go to YouTube and start to watch some videos from 2019 Magic Dover Departures and everyone went to Cabanas for lunch at Dover and then Cabanas for breakfast the next day.

Is the lunch on embarkation day and breakfast every day in MDR some sort of secret club? Do people just follow the crowds and not realise the MDR are open?

Even though my cruise is 11 months away still, my plan is to have lunch on embarkation day in MDR and breakfast each morning in MDR. I guess I just like being different

Lunch and breakfast at Cabanas is always a zoo. Selection is greater, but the competition to get to the trough is fierce. MDR selection is limited, however, the scene is usually much more quiet and civilized. Also seating at “the slop chute” is a competition in it’s own right.

 

[BadPinkTink]

phew I found some people who know about MDR,

I guess for me, I dont really eat out that much, so when I have the opportunity to eat in a restaurant compared to a buffet I take advantage of it. Also from the videos Im watching Cabanas seems to be more family friendly picky eaters plain food every day food. Im a foodie person and enjoy more fine dining style restaurant experience even though I cant really afford it.

 

[lklgoodman]

I wouldn't consider the food in the MDR fine dining, if that's what you are expecting you may be disappointed. I had a really good hamburger for lunch one time in the MDR(pool deck ones are pretty bad) but the food in both the MDRs and Cabanas can be hit and miss depending on what you order. I've had really great food at both places and really not so good at both.

 

[BadPinkTink]

I wouldn't consider the food in the MDR fine dining, if that's what you are expecting you may be disappointed. I had a really good hamburger for lunch one time in the MDR(pool deck ones are pretty bad) but the food in both the MDRs and Cabanas can be hit and miss depending on what you order. I've had really great food at both places and really not so good at both.

oh don't worry, I know its cruise dining, Im not expecting Michelin Star for my first cruise, every thing will be new, so I just want to experience as much as I can.

 

[Arcanum777]

In Cabanas there is an omelette station at the very end of the buffet. if that is on your list, don’t get sucked in to picking the egg dishes at the beginning of the line. The omelettes are made fresh to order at the station

 

[Marc D]

I think the MDR lunch is not so popular because, psychologically, eating two full meals a day, a few hours apart, is too much. You probably end up eating as much at a buffet but it doesn’t feel like it. Also, in Cabanas, you have more flexibility with timing. You do not rely on the speed of the service. Many also feel be waited upon is ‘stuffy’ and one meal like that per day is enough for them.

For us, we only eat embarkation lunch in the MDR. The food for lunch is no better than what you can get at Cabanas, and you can try more things there without ordering multiple plates and wasting food. It’s much faster. We’re often in a hurry to get to the next activity

 

[Skylarr29]

Timing can also be an issue. On our last cruise in May, it was over 40 minutes from the time we ordered until we got our appetizer. We could have been done had we just gone to cabanas or the pool deck, and we almost got up and left. Total time spent was probably an hour and a half and for us it was just too long.

We did eat lunch there again another day and the speed was much better but it definitely turned us off to it a bit.

 

[Geomom]

We've done 2 cruises, 1 on the Wonder, 1 on the Magic. Went to the MDR for embarkation lunch both times as we prefer a quieter, more relaxing start. Both our cruises were 7 nts, so we did a character breakfast at each with the kids. DH and I have done a breakfast by ourselves in the MDR one time each cruise, lots of fun and relaxing. We also did the lunch 1 time in the MDR. We've done room service breakfast once each cruise when we had an early port adventure.

 

[BadPinkTink]

thanks, its great hearing about the different experiences with lunch in MDR as its not that easy to find info about

Also it seems like first timers and silver cruises who mainly do trip reports and YouTube videos so they might not know about MDR being open.

 

[Ralph&Pam]

I've been following The Magic Summer 2019 through the personal navigators and every day one of the MDR is open for breakfast and lunch.

Then I start to read trip reports here on DIS and almost every single one says they went to Cabanas for lunch as soon as they get on the ship, and Cabanas for breakfast and lunch every day they are on the ship.

Then I go to YouTube and start to watch some videos from 2019 Magic Dover Departures and everyone went to Cabanas for lunch at Dover and then Cabanas for breakfast the next day.

Is the lunch on embarkation day and breakfast every day in MDR some sort of secret club? Do people just follow the crowds and not realise the MDR are open?

Even though my cruise is 11 months away still, my plan is to have lunch on embarkation day in MDR and breakfast each morning in MDR. I guess I just like being different

We always eat embarkation day lunch in the MDR, and we usually eat either breakfast or lunch in the MDR as well. It would be unusual for us to eat three MDR meals on the same day, since that’s a lot of time and probably more food than we really need. We prefer the longer cruises (TA and PC) with lots of sea days, so devoting some time to MDR meals is easier than when you have excursions to work around.

 

[BadPinkTink]

We always eat embarkation day lunch in the MDR, and we usually eat either breakfast or lunch in the MDR as well. It would be unusual for us to eat three MDR meals on the same day, since that’s a lot of time and probably more food than we really need. We prefer the longer cruises (TA and PC) with lots of sea days, so devoting some time to MDR meals is easier than when you have excursions to work around.

My plan is spend as much time on the ship as I can, Im not really bothered about the ports. Im looking forward to being on the ship when everyone is out on excursions, so I will have the time to spend in the MDR. My cruise is a European cruise so most people will be there for the ports.

Also, just because the menu has 3 courses, does not mean that I will be ordering 3 courses at every meal, I just enjoy the restaurant experience more than the buffet experience. You can eat light and small amounts in a restaurant too

 

[Cruising Engineer]

We usually do lunch MDR on embarkation day because it is less crowded than Cabanas, but still pretty popular. Luggage can be a bit of a problem but the CMs do a great job of finding places to store it during lunch. the rest of the cruise is Cabanas for breakfast and MDR for lunch and dinner.

 

[Ladybugx87]

For embarkation day, we strongly prefer the MDR and will always do that - my family is OK with not getting straight to the pool and find it to be a relaxing way to start the cruise.

We have done a mix of MDR and Cabanas for breakfast - DH and I are both runners so a lot of times Cabanas actually works better with us working out in the morning.

For lunches beyond embarkation day, I try to get to the MDR once or twice per cruise - on our last cruise (11 night Iceland and Norway), we only did it one additional time and it was slow....so my family out-voted me and we didnt go back to MDR lunch. That said, I was pleasantly surprised with the variety in Cabanas during the cruise.

 

[dclpluto]

Some people like eating at the mdrs is that you will eat less in the mdr. Good for people who are watching their weight on a cruise.

 

[NAB]

We done both for breakfast and lunch in the dining rooms. I find lunch to heavy in the MDR when we get on the boat. Or I order the beef and find out that is what is on the menu for dinner.

Usually don’t eat a full breakfast at home so either place is fine. Usually it is late to so we miss out on lunch and grab something pool side to get us to late dining.

 

[BCV23]

We're big fans of breakfast and lunch in the MDR. We have breakfast there every day except for disembarkation. We only miss lunch on the day we do Palo brunch. Lunch is no longer served in the MDRs on CC day but back when it was, if we weren't getting off or just went ashore for a bit, we enjoyed lunch there.

As you said, it is not necessary to order three courses. At breakfast, we always skip the pastry tray. We don't normally order dessert at lunch.

It is such a civilized way to dine.

Plus I don't have to worry about other people in the buffet line who may not be washing their hands, lick their fingers, etc..

 

[LeiaOfAlderaan]

We’ve done MDR twice and Cabanas once for embarkation lunch. Our last cruise we were boarding group 2 and decided to go straight to Cabanas, and there was almost no one there yet so it wasn’t too crazy. I don’t know which I prefer. Maybe the MDR because it’s quieter and I feel like it’s easier to start relaxing and set up chatting on the app, and no one is bothering you to buy a water package. I would guess families with small children don’t want want to have to sit through an MDR meal right when they get on the ship so they go to Cabanas.

We’ve never done MDR for breakfast or lunch after embarkation day though. Usually room service for breakfast so we can watch the morning show on the tv while we eat, and cabanas for lunch because we like the variety.

 

[Karin1984]

I knew about the MDRs, just don't care for a table service breakfast and lunch. One big meal a day is enough.
As a solo traveller I am in and out of Cabanas in 15 minutes, max. There is too much to do on a ship than to spend it in a dining room. It's probably me, but I didn't find Cabanas a zoo and didn't have a problem finding a table.