Food on Dream - Good, Bad and Meh?

[viluvsdisney]

Hi - first time cruiser - European cruise out of Barcelona in July this year. I’ve been reading the food reviews and it’s a mixed bag. Trying to figure out what to expect food wise on the Dream. What’s a reasonable expectation? Is the similar to the food in sit down dining in the WDW parks and/or resorts? When folks say it was bad or “meh” there’s no comparison. We’re not expecting fine dining - just enough to get by with some ok meals and then eat some great meals in the ports. Appreciate the feedback - thanks!

 

[Flossbolna]

Someone told me before my first cruise to expect big function type of food.

I have generally found the food ok to good. It’s not as good as the WDW sit downs as the dishes are mass produced. But some are still so delicious that they are favorites amongst Disney cruiser. Food is very subjective and that’s why find so many different views.

Two things to keep in mind: ordering dishes that are easier to keep fresh after being produced I find fare better (steak being the exception, most steaks I had hab been at least good). And partly it’s to manage your expectations. The food is often a bit on the bland side.

What I like is that the meals are multiple courses. We usually get soup or salad, then appetizer and main course. We sometimes skip dessert as we find that those are where DCL is lacking. We never skip the Grand Marnier Soufflé in Royal Palace though! It’s amazing!

Palo and Remy are different. Palo is on par with a signature restaurant at WDW. Remy can only be compared to Victoria & Alberts. If food matters to you I can highly recommend both of these.

Otherwise the fast food on the pool deck is decent. I have always enjoyed the buffet at Cabanas as there is a wide variety. At some point the pods do repeat, but I always walk all the way around to make sure to get an overview first as some things are a bit hidden.

Personally I really like the sit down dining room for breakfast and lunch as well as it is peaceful. It’s in Royal Court and you just show up during their opening hours, no reservation needed.

One good thing: if you don’t like something, your servers will happily replace it for you. And you can order as much as you want from the menu. So, it’s a great way to try things you would normally not order. I found out I love fennel. Also tell your server if your dish is not up to quality! I once got a cold soup and it was quickly replaced with a really hot one.

Also, listen to your servers‘ recommendations. They usually know which dishes are the ones that people do enjoy less. So ask them if you are undecided between two dishes.

And finally, if you want to look at menus, you can see them here: https://disneycruiselineblog.com/menus/

Once you are onboard you can look at all the dining menus for your cruise in the app.

 

[viluvsdisney]

Someone told me before my first cruise to expect big function type of food.

I have generally found the food ok to good. It’s not as good as the WDW sit downs as the dishes are mass produced. But some are still so delicious that they are favorites amongst Disney cruiser. Food is very subjective and that’s why find so many different views.

Two things to keep in mind: ordering dishes that are easier to keep fresh after being produced I find fare better (steak being the exception, most steaks I had hab been at least good). And partly it’s to manage your expectations. The food is often a bit on the bland side.

What I like is that the meals are multiple courses. We usually get soup or salad, then appetizer and main course. We sometimes skip dessert as we find that those are where DCL is lacking. We never skip the Grand Marnier Soufflé in Royal Palace though! It’s amazing!

Palo and Remy are different. Palo is on par with a signature restaurant at WDW. Remy can only be compared to Victoria & Alberts. If food matters to you I can highly recommend both of these.

Otherwise the fast food on the pool deck is decent. I have always enjoyed the buffet at Cabanas as there is a wide variety. At some point the pods do repeat, but I always walk all the way around to make sure to get an overview first as some things are a bit hidden.

Personally I really like the sit down dining room for breakfast and lunch as well as it is peaceful. It’s in Royal Court and you just show up during their opening hours, no reservation needed.

One good thing: if you don’t like something, your servers will happily replace it for you. And you can order as much as you want from the menu. So, it’s a great way to try things you would normally not order. I found out I love fennel. Also tell your server if your dish is not up to quality! I once got a cold soup and it was quickly replaced with a really hot one.

Also, listen to your servers‘ recommendations. They usually know which dishes are the ones that people do enjoy less. So ask them if you are undecided between two dishes.

And finally, if you want to look at menus, you can see them here: https://disneycruiselineblog.com/menus/

Once you are onboard you can look at all the dining menus for your cruise in the app.

Your reply went above and beyond! Thank you so much - really appreciate it!

 

[Geomom]

Food really is subjective. We've been on 3 cruises (Wonder,, Magic, Fantasy) and loved 90% of the food. We didn't really find any of it bad. I love being able to order anything I want in the MDRs--multiple appetizers, salads, entree, dessert. Favorites for me are the portobello triangoli (not the truffle pursettes in Animators Palate... everyone seemingly loves those but I've tried them twice and they're just okay), most beef tenderloin dishes,, many vegetarian dishes, and that Grand Marnier Souffle @Flossbolna mentioned...I've had it every cruise! Oh, and my husband loves all the seafood appetizers, really fresh. For quick service, I like Filmores favorites on the pool deck--fresh fruit, salads, and freshly made paninis. We also really enjoy doing breakfast and lunch in the main dining room... somehow only manage to do each of those only once per cruise though.

If you want to see pics of food, check out my trip reports in my signature below. The Fantasy one would be the closest to food on the Dream.

 

[MomOTwins]

It is very inconsistent and different dishes range from very good to not good. So I agree you should ask (and follow) the server's recommendations. Anytime we've gone against our server's advice we've been disappointed, but there are some really good dishes there, you just have to know what to order. We learned that through trial and error and now we always have a good meal.

 

[bigAWL]

(not the truffle pursettes in Animators Palate... everyone seemingly loves those but I've tried them twice and they're just okay)

I agree. I also tried the sea bass and sticky date pudding, which get raves on these boards. I thought they were decent, but not something I would have come here to post about.

Some things I would order again include the ahi tuna and avocado tower, oven baked salmon, deep fried brie, sea scallops, and escargot. I would easily put these on par with WDW table service, and on the right night maybe approaching signature restaurants.

 

[Geomom]

I agree. I also tried the sea bass and sticky date pudding, which get raves on these boards. I thought they were decent, but not something I would have come here to post about.

Some things I would order again include the ahi tuna and avocado tower, oven baked salmon, deep fried brie, sea scallops, and escargot. I would easily put these on par with WDW table service, and on the right night maybe approaching signature restaurants.

DH loves that ahi and avocado tower!

 

[CamillaF]

You have great advice here. I found that some of the kids dishes (steak) were inedible. I thought they were just being picky and had a bite and I could not believe that it was that bad. After that we had the kids order from the adult menu and had much better results.

I am picky (I like healthy food that has a balanced flavor) I would usually order three dishes between my husband and I am usually we would find 2 of them good and one of them not worth eating. It felt bad to be so wasteful but the first night we left hungry because we ate almost nothing we ordered.

I found the appetizers mostly good and at least one main course per evening was amazing.

Have fun.....

 

[MomOTwins]

I agree. I also tried the sea bass and sticky date pudding, which get raves on these boards. I thought they were decent, but not something I would have come here to post about.

Some things I would order again include the ahi tuna and avocado tower, oven baked salmon, deep fried brie, sea scallops, and escargot. I would easily put these on par with WDW table service, and on the right night maybe approaching signature restaurants.

Good list! I would add the smoked salmon tartare at Animators and the chataubriand and grand marnier souffle at Royal Court/Palace.

 

[pjsmith67]

Sea bass is my absolute favorite on the ships. Its the only thing I would order instead of prime rib and they always seem to have both on the same night (GRR!). I usually order 2 or 3 servings of it.

But yeah, I find the food on Disney cruises in general to be good, but not great. It tends be a bit bland but remember they are catering to a lot of different tastes. Cabanas lunch is usually just ok, but there is almost always something on there that I will like. Never get a chicken breast on the buffet. It is always dried out.

Breakfast was always my favorite on the ship, but since I developed type 2 diabetes, I can't have the waffles, french toast, pancakes, etc.... but I still like being able to pig out on bacon there.

Phil

 

[auntlynne]

 

[msmama]

I hate cooking, and I'm not very good at it, so pretty much anything someone else makes for me I'm going to appreciate!

I've only had one meal that I found really un-edible (I remember not liking it, but it wasn't bad enough for me to remember what it was, except that it was something I wouldn't usually order or make at home). But others have been delicious (the trio of veal is one of my favorites at Rapunzel's on the magic).

I'd say, if you can stand TGI Friday's/Applebees/Olive Garden kind of simple, average joe appeal foods, you'll be fine on the ship.

 

[mlayton14]

I hate cooking, and I'm not very good at it, so pretty much anything someone else makes for me I'm going to appreciate!

I've only had one meal that I found really un-edible (I remember not liking it, but it wasn't bad enough for me to remember what it was, except that it was something I wouldn't usually order or make at home). But others have been delicious (the trio of veal is one of my favorites at Rapunzel's on the magic).

I'd say, if you can stand TGI Friday's/Applebees/Olive Garden kind of simple, average joe appeal foods, you'll be fine on the ship.

Hmm puzzling , how is the Beef Wellington or Ahi Tuna and Avocado Tower at Applebees or Fridays? You have peaked my interest

 

[auntlynne]

 

[mlayton14]

It has no flavor.

Gotcha , you have don’t have an axe to grind

 

[chuff88]

Hi - first time cruiser - European cruise out of Barcelona in July this year. I’ve been reading the food reviews and it’s a mixed bag. Trying to figure out what to expect food wise on the Dream. What’s a reasonable expectation? Is the similar to the food in sit down dining in the WDW parks and/or resorts? When folks say it was bad or “meh” there’s no comparison. We’re not expecting fine dining - just enough to get by with some ok meals and then eat some great meals in the ports. Appreciate the feedback - thanks!

My best advice is not to be afraid of ordering a couple of things if you’re torn between choices, since it really is unlimited. I usually order an appetizer and a soup, an entree, and my mom and I will order 3 desserts between the two of us. The portions aren’t huge (especially for the appetizers), so it doesn’t end up being a ridiculous amount of food. Also the soups always stand out to me as being good, for some reason. As others have said, if you’re not happy with something your server is more than happy to get something else for you.

We like to do breakfast in the sit down restaurant (it’s always whatever the atrium restaurant is) because they have a lot of options, but I’ll second that Cabanas is pretty good for breakfast and lunch, especially because there are a TON of options.

Also echoing others, Remy is truly incredible. I haven’t been to Victoria & Albert’s, but I likened it to the chef’s counter at Napa Rose in Disneyland. The food and service are incredible, and if you even have a passing interest in wine I absolutely recommend the pairing. I’m not really a wine drinker but I really enjoyed the experience of the pairing, and the sommelier was awesome. I’ve only done the brunch at Palo, but it’s also very good and a fun experience.

 

[auntlynne]