How would you rate the food on DCL?

[DVCconvert]

Very well put Crisi

 

[auntsue1]

Like others I feel taste is in the eye of the beholder. So with that said, I will rate the food a 6. Overall service is definitely a 10. Presentation of food a 9. Surprisingly we didn't like much of the seafood on ship. Food was fine as long as we stayed with beef or chicken. That's surprising considering my family LOVES seafood! The special Christmas Log they served for dessert on Christmas was just that- a log!

Overall we found the meals very pleasant.

 

[wayneg]

I would rate the main restaurant's 8, but no other cruise line to compare with.
My biggest dissapointment was the buffet restaurant upto last month I would have said about a 6 but now I have been on RCCL I would rate it 2. RCCL buffet was so good we didn't even go to the main restaurant's.
Never dined at Palo's as I don't believe in excluding children from restaurant's. Especially when DS is 5' 9" and more adult than me.

 

[pgfour]

We went on our first DCL cruise last summer and were pleasantly surprised by the food. I had read several reviews on the DIS and from other sources saying how bad the food was, so perhaps we went in with lower expectations. I'm a bit nervous when I now read that some feel the food quality has declined in the past year. (We leave on the Magic in November.)

I would give the overall food experience a 7.5-8. I thought desserts were a little below average. (Luckily I'm not a dessert person!) Also, you could only order what was on the menu. Seems like a couple other cruise lines we've been on would let us order something that wasn't specifically on the menu that evening, such as filet mignon.

We've stayed and eaten at 5-Star resorts & restaurants and we've also eaten at McDonald's (so we've experienced the entire "quality spectrum"). I think if you are a true gourmet or extremely picky, you'll be disappointed. The rest will probably be able to find something they'll like. If you don't like something, ask for a replacement right away, and they should be able to oblige.

Good luck and hope you enjoy your cruise!

 

[BelievesinMagic]

I'll rate the restaurants a 9 and palo' a 10 on everthing I ordered. Everything tasted fresh N fabulous to me. If you aren't use to fresh ingredients food will not taste as you expect it to. Try this, eat brunch or any meal at Palo's, then try something cooked from deck 9 later in the day. That was a big mistake for us. We'll never do that again.

 

[tvguy]

It is really important to sort of know the tastes of the other posters who are criticizing or raving about food - on the cruise or WDW. I know that there are a few posters with similar tastes to mine over on the restaurant board, so I'll weight their reviews higher. When they cruise and say food is good or bad, I weight them higher over here as well. However, anytime anyone posts that DCL food is great, or that the B&C burger is wonderful, or their favorite onsite restaurant is Boma, I know that persons tastes isn't similar to mine, and tend to discount their other reviews. I've had DCL food, the B&C burger and Boma - and while all the food was O.K. none of it was - according to my own tastes - worth raving about.

True. And your current surroundings impact your judgement too. I'm at work, and had a Weight Watchers Smart Ones TV dinner for dinner tonight, I'd take the worst Disney has to offer right now.

 

[crisi]

I'll rate the restaurants a 9 and palo' a 10 on everthing I ordered. Everything tasted fresh N fabulous to me. If you aren't use to fresh ingredients food will not taste as you expect it to. Try this, eat brunch or any meal at Palo's, then try something cooked from deck 9 later in the day. That was a big mistake for us. We'll never do that again.

I'm very used to fresh food. Buy most of my food locally grown from the coop. (Well, I'm in Minnesota - for a few months a year its locally grown). Much of the meat and fish we eat has never seen a freezer. I wouldn't have described DCLs food as fresh - in fact, lack of freshness was one of the big disappointments.

 

[scootermom32]

I thought the variety across the ship was good, the execution not always perfect. I liked breakfast in the dining room a lot; the buffet less so (I'm not a buffet person...at the buffet, I kept it simple w/ cereal and fruit).

Lunch buffet didn't really satisfy anyone in my family. Pluto's and Goofy's Galley were our lunchtime mainstay, and we were happy with what we got from there.

Dinners...a lot of the food tasted bland to me, but in general, things were pretty good. We found that DCL did best with beef and chocolate. I'm not a beef person, so more of my entrees (fish & chicken) were disappointing than my DH, who ordered beef at every opportunity. Apps and soups were pretty good, salads not terribly impressive. I wasn't terribly impressed with most desserts -- they tried too hard. Toward the end of the week, I had a simple apple-cranberry deep dish pie (more of a cobbler, I thought) that was tasty and satisfying.

We double-dipped, and thought that lunch on CC was just fine.

From a healthful eating perspective, I was pleased at the availabilty of fresh fruit & veggies, and healthy options on the menus. DH and I didn't gain any weight while on DCL (eh, maybe a pound).

 

[disneydeb]

creme brulee is always number 1

 

[Carolinax4]

Gee, after reading the boards tonight, I am a little nervous. First off we're sailing in January and most people would not it seems based upon the thread, "November or January?" AND the food doesn't seem as good as I had hoped.

But....I've not heard anything bad about Palos so should we try and eat there as much as possible (we're traveling with in-laws). In other threads, it sounds like we could eat at Palos in lieu of Animator's Palate or Parrot Cay and really not miss anything. Do you agree?

Thanks!

 

[crisi]

Gee, after reading the boards tonight, I am a little nervous. First off we're sailing in January and most people would not it seems based upon the thread, "November or January?" AND the food doesn't seem as good as I had hoped.

But....I've not heard anything bad about Palos so should we try and eat there as much as possible (we're traveling with in-laws). In other threads, it sounds like we could eat at Palos in lieu of Animator's Palate or Parrot Cay and really not miss anything. Do you agree?

Thanks!

Nope, you'd miss the decor of the restaurants (especially Animators - and the Animators light show - you can at least have breakfast and lunch at PC), the quality of service (excellent at Palo as well), the variety of menus (Palo is the same every night), participation in theme nights - at least the dinner portion. Your tablemates. Mostly you'll miss the chance to make up your mind for yourself and develop your own opinion.

You'll only be able to make one reservation for Palo. If they aren't completely booked (which happens) you may be able to slip in a second seating. But I wouldn't count on Palo every night.

 

[Disney Lover Linda]

I agree, you will want to try all the restraunts. Especially on your first DCL cruise, it's exciting to go to each since they are all very different and each does a little 'show' or something special on your first visit to it (if 7 night you will be at each twice). I recommend the first three nights going to your assigned restraunt and pick your favorite item from each menu - I'm sure you will love it. The fourth night or after plan an evening at Palo, the kids can eat with the kids club (my daughter loved that). I do feel they have the best food but I would'nt miss the others. Just be a little picky about what you chose. Have fun, you won't be disappointed with this cruise - we have been on 2 and they were the BEST family vacations we have been on. Lots of together time, great memories (even the food!).

 

[auntsue1]

I know everyone has their own opinion. My family would rather go everynight to Palo's (if you could) & have breakfast & lunch up on deck 10. We enjoyed eating outside and loved the choices of Topsiders and Pluto's. What can I say but the ambience & the food @ Palo's is superb! We liked the elegance of Lumieire's but we found the light show @ Animator's Palate not all that spectacular. Yes the light show is unique but the graphics aren't that high tec (in our opinion).

 

[beachblanket]

I've been reading in so many threads lately that the food on DCL was bad, and that other lines have much better food than DCL. Well, my family has pretty simple tastes, but we are looking forward to some tasty chow on board....now I'm a little worried

Is the food on DCL tasteless and poorly prepared?

An emphatic "no."

Given the high premium DCL charges, is it far above what the competition provides?

Again, another emphatic "no."

I would rate the main dining room food on DCL as about the same quality as what I've had on Carnival and Costa. The food on Holland American was a little better than those, and on Celebrity was much better.

When you get into the premium (ergo, Palo) area, Carnival's extra fee restaurants are better than DCL's (in terms of food, furnishings and service - overall, a much more refined experience set to a higher standard).

For lido deck Buffets (ergo, Topsiders), I'd rate DCL as the same as HAL and
Celebrity. Carnival (with it's broad food station approach) wins in that category.

And given all that, I'd grade DCL dining at a "B" level. It's O.K. but should be much better given what DCL charges.