Main Dining rooms

[gumbypee]

JohnDS, please cancel your cruise so someone who will actually happy enjoy it can go in your place.

 

[PrincessTrisha]

I've been looking at the menu's at http://disneycruiselineblog.com/menus/

Are these accurate? I've read other people's comments raving about the food, but these menus seem very limited and aren't very appealing. I guess I was hoping for menus with a little more depth.

I find the food "okay" - some dishes are very good (well prepared, well seasoned, well thought out), some dishes are "good" (nothing really special but taste correct), and some dishes just miss the mark completely (for me at least).

I find the fish dishes generally on the very good side (though the fish is frozen not fresh - that doesn't bother me because I find it rare that I eat fresh fish either at home or at local restaurants). The vegetarian dishes are really hit or miss - Potato and Celeric root gratin I thought was amazing but the black bean choptle cakes were a big disappointment for me (it was like eating mashed up pebbles). Many of the beef dishes (my dad orders steak every night along with whatever else strikes his fancy) were generally "good" (not the best steak but cooked to the correct temperature and while not really tender, they weren't tough).

Usually I ordered 2 entrees with the idea that I would enjoy enough from each one to be satisfied. And there were some nights I was very glad because 1 was a complete disappointment (like mushy lobster tail - the first one was completely mushy - inedible and I asked it to be replaced; the second one was a little better but still way over cooked so I was done with it after 2 bites - I was very thankful that I ordered a second entree that night!)

I also found that there was some inconsistency with the food - for instance on Pirate Night - both my father and I ordered the BBQ short rib. His was very good (meaty, 2 bones, no fat deposits); Mine was not good at all - I had 5 bones and a big layer of fat around the one side - by the time I picked out the bones and removed the fat there was maybe 2 ounces of meat - I took one bite (after doing all of the work to remove bones and fat) and my meat was tough and chewy. Not worth the effort.

Overall, I wouldn't say that DCL has the best dining at sea. Some nights it were very good, some nights were fine and a couple of nights we ended up ordering room service not too long after we'd left the dining room.

 

[JohnDS]

if THAT'S your priority then I get why you would cruise there...

LOL, This is why I am so amused by this thread. I obviously have touched some nerve by daring to insult the selections available. The fact is that it isn't my priority, I raised a point and everyone else went bananas. The post below yours for example is virtually unreadable.

The fact that I don't like the menu was then grounds to suggest that we should go eat at a private table, and then we should just simply stay in our room. That's nice, I guess I can agree at least that I'd rather not be at the table with those individuals.

It is fascinating to me the wild assumptions made and the veiled insults hurled all because I noticed that in the main entrees there are 2 fish courses, one chicken, one pork and one beef option.

 

[JohnDS]

JohnDS, please cancel your cruise so someone who will actually happy enjoy it can go in your place.

See my previous post.

 

[Meghatron]

The fact that I don't like the menu was then grounds to suggest that we should go eat at a private table,

The suggestion about requesting a private table was in response to your assessment that standard dinner service on DCL would be intrusive for you and your family, and so therefore a private table would allow you to not experience that level of service when it was given to your tablemates. It had nothing to do with your opinion of the menu.

Sent from my Tricorder using DISBoards

 

[Dug720]

Yes, I believe those are the most up to date menus.

Except there is no Parrot Cay menu for the Wonder. The picture is there, but nothing happens when you click on it.

 

[Dug720]

Just more options. 5 choices for entree doesn't feel like a nice restaurant, it feels like my kitchen.

Wow. I've never had 5 choices prepared for me to select from each night at home. We had one thing prepared and you ate it or not. But that was dinner. Impressive you have menus presented with more than 5 options!

 

[lbgraves]

Interesting, I've only ever had one meal at WDW that was remarkable for the food and that was at the Coral Seas. Other than that the same food seems to be served at all of the restaurants in the parks with mostly average service. I was under the impression that the dining on the Cruise line was expected to be better than the parks.

Any more when we go to WDW, we eat most of our meals at the quick serve counter locations because while still expensive at least we can get going faster and are out a bit less for the effort.

I was not comparing the quality of the food at WDW to that on DCL. I was simply pointing out that the value of the food on DCL is such that your tips for the food staff work out to less than 15%, which is less than the average tipped on land when dining out. I worked it out one time and found it to be closer to 10%. You also can't compare quick service at the parks to the table service on DCL at dinner, or any other meal, so I was referring to the cost of table service at WDW to get that value.

Regarding the food at WDW, we also stick with quick service for the same reason. We have had some table service meals when at the parks with friends and have found DCL better than most of those we have had. It is definitely better than the quick service options at WDW. If I know I'm not going to like one of the rotation menus, I know that I can order something off one of the other menus that night.

 

[mmouse37]

Interesting, I've only ever had one meal at WDW that was remarkable for the food and that was at the Coral Seas. Other than that the same food seems to be served at all of the restaurants in the parks with mostly average service. I was under the impression that the dining on the Cruise line was expected to be better than the parks.

Any more when we go to WDW, we eat most of our meals at the quick serve counter locations because while still expensive at least we can get going faster and are out a bit less for the effort.

Our worst meals ever were at the Coral Reef Restaurant at the Living Seas (and talk about expensive)....food is just so subjective. But I do find it interesting that you mention you only want to eat at counter service at WDW but are looking for much more than what the current DCL menus offer in terms of variety. I would take DCL MDR food over WDW counter service any day...paired with great service in a nice atmosphere and I am a happy camper (well cruiser).

I do agree that you may want to request a table for just your family (and hang that DND sign on your cabin door lol). Also, know that you can order more than one of anything on the menu. If you find you want 3 apps instead of 1 app and an entrée ask for it. They do try to accommodate everyone.

I would also speak to your servers on the first night and explain your expectations and that you do not want anyone cutting up your son's food. Save them the embarrassment of being reprimanded if they try. Let them know you like minimal hands on service. They will be perplexed but better to let them know what to expect from you upfront than to wonder what they did wrong. Their goal is to please you so the more they know of what you want out of the MDR experience the better for all.

MJ

 

[jjje]

The services provided to you are a big part of a Disney cruise. The crew works hard to make you happy. Most people like that. Obviously not everyone. I can't imagine that a Disney cruise would be a very fun vacation if you were the sort of person who felt like they had to be constantly on guard to defend yourself against people trying to provide you with excellent service. This is not a thinly veiled insult. This is me saying you seem pretty certain that your cruise will be awful and littered with people trying to go through your stuff or interrogate you. If you want to spend your money on a cruise you seemed determined to hate then more power to you. I can't wait to read your trip report.

 

[JohnDS]

Wow. I've never had 5 choices prepared for me to select from each night at home. We had one thing prepared and you ate it or not. But that was dinner. Impressive you have menus presented with more than 5 options!

Impressive that you have servers at home preparing your food for you.

 

[Dug720]

Impressive that you have servers at home preparing your food for you.

I didn't. My mom and dad took turns making dinner, and when my sister and I were older, we had our turns as well.

But we still never had even 5 offerings.

 

[MND]

What a fun thread!

I have 2 comments:

1. Each MDR menu has more than 5 items on it. I'm not sure where that comment is coming from.
2. The servers may cut the food for children & adults, but they won't prechew it for you.

Mike

 

[Dug720]

What a fun thread!

I have 2 comments:

1. Each MDR menu has more than 5 items on it. I'm not sure where that comment is coming from.
2. The servers may cut the food for children & adults, but they won't prechew it for you.

Mike

The OP complained that there are only 5 entree choices.

As for the second... HAHA!!! No mama bird-baby bird feeding going on here!

 

[scothen]

I think the main reason that the menus do not have as many choices as a restaurant on land is that they can only bring a certain amount of food, beverages, cargo on board - based on the number of days the cruise is. The size of the ship and the number of days of the cruise also would factor in to this.

 

[Silverfox97]

Except there is no Parrot Cay menu for the Wonder. The picture is there, but nothing happens when you click on it.

Fixed.

 

[Dug720]

Fixed.

Thanks!

 

[gumbypee]

See my previous post.

Yes? I read it and my opinion still stands if not more so. Whatever.

 

[tweis]

Fixed.

It still isn't working for me.

 

[ocspartan]

To enlighten the original post most of the best restaurants have very limited menus, many charge a premium to just find out what the chef decides to prepare, as opposed to a chain that will cover every type of cuisine in one menu but back to the original post the mdr's are not intended to be a five star restaurant, they are similar to banquet halls,

but in general after reading your posts I am wondering why you would chose a disney cruise, truthfully it sounds like you want to minimize all of the extras that disney provides in terms of service which is part of the dining experience and in general part of what makes a disney cruise special compared to other lines, if that's the case you should have saved your money and taken a different cruise. Just a personal opinion