I am interested to know what seating you were assigned to. Our first cruise, several years ago, we were assigned to the early seating. We thought the food was good, but not anything to fawn over. (In the interest of full disclosure DH is a former chef who specialized in high end french cuisine. I eat like a queen most nights.
) The following cruises we had the late seating and ohmygoodness...
The food was AMAZING. It's not very often when I get to hear DH comment about how much he enjoys someone ELSE's dishes.
Oh, and a lot of the sides (particularly potato dishes) were either super bland, or over salted. No happy medium.
...we have talked them in to the late seating. Here's hoping for the dining experience I "DREAM"ed about last year!
We had second seating, so I am afraid I can't vouch for that plan. But again, different kitchens on different ships with different chefs may be better... I hope it works out!!
I always try to 'pick smart' when eating at Disney, whether in the parks or on the ship. For instance, most pasta dishes will be ok, lobster will be yucky. Ribs are unlikely to be great, but lamb chops are usually ok. I always try to envision what could be cooked en masse, be held for a few minutes or more, and still survive as 'tasty'. Soup is often a good choice, as is salad.
I was reasonably satisfied with my DCL and park food, given what I expected about being in mass dining rotations. We've also had amazing food where the chefs can shine, like at V + A, and the best chicken parmesan I have ever had a Palo, but I don't expect it other places, truly I don't.
Both pastas I had was like a frozen meal--bland and gummy. The lobster wasn't too bad, just overcooked. Ribs were soooo fatty I barely had any meat, but the flavor was alright. Every soup I tried (with the exception of the cold fruit puree soups) was overly salty and seemed to be thickened with flour--that thick, pasty taste and texture, if you know what I mean. Salads were fine, but I couldn't make a meal of them. Shrimp in both the dining room and at Palo were overcooked. The only other seafood I dared to try was a risotto with scallops and it was a gummy pile with lukewarm flavorless scallops on top.
I will say that my park food experiences have been mostly stellar. We love many of the restaurants in World Showcase, and eat at places like California Grill (which is the level we kind of expected Palo to be at--"park fine dining"), Yachtsman Steakhouse (they even had menu item on night called the "Yachtsman Steakhouse New York" and it was an insult to that restaurant!), etc. Heck, even though Hoop Dee Doo Revue is a catering style dinner, we think they do a great job with that (low expectations were well exceeded both times)!
I wouldn't expect Ruths Chris style dining if you're not willing to pay for Palo or Remy.
At the end of the day, if you get something that doesn't taste good... ask for something else. That's the magic of being on a cruise! I find it hard to believe that people would have 3 meals for 7 days straight and be unsatisfied with every meal.
But even when we DID pay for Palo we had a bad experience. And I never would have expected Ruth's Chris in any case, but when the tenderloin is overcooked, the shrimp is overcooked, they forget an entire course...I can't say I would pay to go back for dinner there.
I suppose I could outline everything I ate and what I felt was wrong with it, but that would just sound like whining; and to be honest, I don't feel I have to defend or "prove" my experience. Please trust that this was not an exaggeration, no matter how much you may think it is. I did not send anything back for something else mainly because dinner goes by so fast and everyone has plans to be someplace else after, so when you are dining with other people you don't want to hold up the flow of the meal. That said, my husband had similarly disappointing meals every time (he had a few more positive "hits" than I did, but not many), so I was certainly not confident that anything I sent to replace my meal was going to be any better. Luckily, the service was lovely as was our company, so it wasn't like I was sulking my way through every meal.
We were on the magic in 2008 and the only thing we didn't like was the bacon. It had absolutely no flavour at all, like it was never smoked. On a trip report someone flamed me saying there is one person who's only job on the Magic is cooking bacon but maybe I'd like to give him some pointers. This had nothing to do with the person cooking it but with the quality of product he was supplied with.
I like the buffet line and cheese selection. I have to agree with what TB posted. I wouldn't go n an entire cruise and not like anything that was ever served to me. I've seen servers combine items from different menus to make someone happy. I think they do a great job.
I have to agree on the bacon! LOL A little nest of paper thin flavorless bacon. It has to do with the product, not necessarily the cook. I liked the buffet selection alright, but didn't want to spend every night in the cacophony and atmosphere of a buffet.
And I am sorry if you don't believe me either, but it's true. The two memorable things I had were a piece of shrimp off my hubby's plate on the night of the Captain's Gala--the only hot shrimp not overcooked my entire trip--and the chocolate souffle at Palo (but I am not a sweet-tooth person, so while it was delicious, I wasn't rolling my eyes back in my head like other people might. Haha!) As I mentioned above, it would have taken up time each night to try and re-jigger my meal and we had places to be. I kept thinking that surely the next meal would be better, and I ordered very different things every night in an attempt to strike on a menu category that would be better prepared (steak one night, pasta another night, seafood another night, soups, salads, etc) but not a one really hit the mark.
I have cruised Disney many times and feel the food is just OK. Palo is good, Palo Brunch is very good.
But if you read these boards much you will see many people comment that they feel the food is too fancy. To me it is very plain and not much flavor. The appetizers are usually better than the meals.
I can see why people might find it "fancy", though I enjoyed the attempts at more creative fare (in theory more than in practice). I could see them do some American fare very well--fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and corn is a great staple I bet many people would enjoy. A mixed green salad with a selection of toppings would also probably make people really happy (choose a dressing, "do you want croutons and bacon bits with that?"). I am not saying I would need or want these things on the menu, but I can see how the preparations may confound people who just want a basic staple or two.
I really enjoy that Disney does their rotational dining. It was cool to be in a different venue and trying different menus each night, whether or not the food was up to what I was hoping. But I could see how other cruise lines, with a single dining room and dedicated menu, might be able to deliver more consistent meals. Perhaps it is the focus on the "show" of the meal, and not enough on the quality, that is its downfall...
I really appreciate everyone's feedback!