recent negative food comments

[2xcruiser]

First cruise was in 1999 - second in 2004 - we noticed no difference in the food quality. Like others, we were not blown away by the food - the food was good to very good, but not spectacular - food was not the reason we went on the cruise, so not an issue for us.

Overall we loved both cruises, and booked a third while on board.

The food is not 5 star quality, but from what I've read about other cruise lines, none of them are - it's too hard to serve spectacular food to that many people all at once. If you have reasonable expectations, then the food will not be a dissappointment.

BTW - I've read countless posts raving about Palo's - my wife and I ate there on cruise #1 and were not impressed, so we didn't book it for cruise #2 - again, not a major issue - we chose not to let in ruin our night or our cruise. It's amazing how different people can have such different impressions of the same thing (we are certainly in the minority on this issue, though, from what I have read).

DCL is not perfect, just like WDW is not, nor I'm sure is RCCL, Vegas, Paris, or any other vacation option. It is, however, hands-down the most enjoyable and relaxing family vacation we have ever been on, and we intend to be repeat customers for a long time. Our kids loved it and can't wait to go again.

I recommend that you go, relax and enjoy yourself - if you go looking for a dissappointment, you will certainly find it - if you go with reasonable and balanced expectations, I'm sure you will have a wonderful experience. (By reasonable, I mean in the context of what you would expect from Disney and based on the price - I'm not suggesting you should expect mediocraty.) It is up to you if you allow minor issues to ruin your experience.

 

[toot2]

Jeanie,

I share you're philosophy. Life is WAY too short to let every detail bother you.

Before our trips (especially a highly anticipated one like this) I remind my kids (and myself) to go with the flow and don't let a few disappointments ruin your fun. Sometimes the unexpected moments are the most memorable. I still laugh when I think about our jeep getting stuck in the sand in Cozumel!

Remember, its your VACATION...have a good time!!!

We loved both cruises. I hope do it again sometime.

Sue

 

[wide awake]

I think you need to read the whole review to get an idea of WHY some of the reviews are negative...when I first started reading these boards about six months ago, there was a terrible review regarding the food...then this same person wrote what she fixed for dinner at home...a REALLY BAD meal...everything the same color, texture, and temp, processed, something a 7 year old would cook !! You also need to realize that many of DCL's clients are not very sophisticated...I ordered lox and bagels one morning, the waiter explained what lox was...then he saw the look on my face and apologized and mentioned many cruisers are surprised by the lox...the same thing happened when I ordered gazpacho...the waiter asked if I knew it was cold. You have to understand, there is nothing in my appearance, bearing, clothing, speech, or table manners that would indicate that my dining out experience is limited to fast food. I found the food to be of high quality, with menu selections and presentations geared toward the familiar...which is very appropriate for a family cruise line. This is not to say that every bad food review means that the poster is a picky eater or a terrible cook at home...it means food is very subjective, as someone already pointed out.

 

[fcrouch]

I've not been on a DCL cruise yet - but have been on several other cruises. I think folks should keep in mind the number of meals being served - in other words - it is not going to be gourmet cuisine from Charle Trotter's or the French Laundry. It should be good, cooked to order and hopefully hot or cold as appropriate (though that is difficult in such a large dining room). That said, if you don't like something, order something else. It would be great if the breakfast menu/breakfast buffet could change often - and have gourmet breakfasts like one might get at a classy B&B, but B&Bs are serving a dozen people, not 1200. So, I think it is a matter of expectations perhaps being too high. But consider the beautiful setting, good service, lesiurely meals (not rushed through unless you want to rush), usually some effort at presentation, and then I think cruise food is really quite good (and a good value). Someday I would like to try one of the truly upscale, small ships - where I would expect higher caliber more creative food. (also remember - the ship has to serve lots of people - so the food can't be too "different" so that most people can find something they like).

 

[rw2dodge]

Just recently back from out 4/25 cruise and we LOVED the food. We ate like royalty all week. I am not a great cook and the food we consumed on our cruise was very well received.
I usually went with the servers recommendations and they never let me down (Thanks Cheddar)
Our servers also catered to my ds 8. He is a very picky eater. If he didn't see anything he liked on the menu they went out of their way to find something he would love.

 

[ThreeCircles]

The Disney Magic May 1st cruise was my fifth cruise with DCL and I have loved the food each and every time. I have always found it to be of excellent quality and well-prepared.

And, there's a bottomless supply of it to boot!

 

[Lisa F]

I definately think it's a combination of a matter of personal taste (some people will say that food is "bad" when it's actually not badly prepared but is just prepared in a way that is not to their liking) and sometimes you get the occasional plate that has been sitting out a little too long or has the butt end of a piece of meat or something like that. In either case, we have always thoroughly enjoyed the food and that is because if it's not something we enjoy, the servers are more than willing to bring you something that you WILL enjoy.

For sure, SOME things are better than others and the servers know what meals tend to be a hit. If you are unsure of what to order, ask your server for suggestions. They are generally quite candid and will even tell you "you can try that if you want to but most people are not happy with it." We did that once and he was right!

The most fabulous cruise that we ever had was made that way by a really awesome server, Adrian on the Magic. The first night he brought us one of each dessert and the next night I told him he did so well picking dessert (I was kind of kidding, since he brought EVERY dessert) that he could just pick my meal for me. It became a game, every night he would place the menus in our hands and as soon as he gave out the last menu he would take back the first menu he had given out, stare at each of us in turn with a very "deep in thought" look, write something down, and wouldn't you know it.. he nailed it EVERY time except for one when he brought chicken to my husband (who doesn't care for chicken). By the time my husband finished telling the rest of the table to go ahead and start without him, a new plate with something much more to his taste had appeared.

Anyway sorry to blab so much but I just wanted to help reassure first time cruisers. Hubby and I love to try good restaurants... sometimes we think the critics are nuts for liking something that we don't. We love gourmet food and to try new things, but we also love simple food. I grew up on brooklyn and spent quite a bit of time in Italy and found the pizza to be pretty decent, so it sounds like something went wrong with the pizza making process if it was really disgusting as you described (I'm not saying it wasn't like that, just that your description doesn't fit the norm in our experience on 4 past cruises).

I think if you get a good rapport going with your server and are willing to try new things (or ask for something if it's not to your liking) you will enjoy the food!

 

[maminnie]

For future cruisers, I don't want you to think by my comments that the food was not good. As I concluded it was not outstanding but it was good to very good most of the time. It is amazing how many people they serve. Again as I mentioned in my post, your servers will likely go out of their way to make you happy so if you're not happy with a meal, request something else. I had eaten far more than I usually do on a day to day basis, so a so-so meal every now and then didn't bother me and I didn't complain to our servers who were great. We're big chocolate eaters and always wanted to leave room for desserts anyway!! There is plenty to eat and the selections do vary night to night; something for everyone.

We had a great time on our cruise and the food is just a part of it.

Enjoy yourselves and have great cruises all of you!!! Wish I could go again tomorrow!

 

[MrsPete]

We enjoyed the great majority of the food on our cruise. Here are my very random comments:

First, I agree about the pizza -- I'm sure it was frozen. Now, I like frozen pizza just fine, and I even eat pizza in the cafeteria at the high school where I teach; however, that's cheap pizza and I enter into that "dining experience" with low expectations. On a cruise, I expect more. They really should work on the pizza; my kids didn't even want to go for pizza a second time.

The burgers and hot dogs at Plutos were yummy! Note that they also serve nachos, which are not advertised on the menu. A couple people walked up and asked us, "WHERE did you get those nachos?"

Still in the fast-food frame of mind, we only had ice cream once. It was soft-serve, and it melted so quickly that it made a mess on my daughters' clothes. I wish they'd bring back the scoop ice cream that the old-timers mention occasionally.

We found room service to be quick and efficient. My daughters had a great time ordering cookies at bedtime. We ordered turkey sandwiches once, and we were a bit disappointed. They were on onion-onion-onion-onion-onion rolls -- did I mention there's a bit of onion in the rolls? I like onion, but this was really too much. The PB&J sandwiches were the Smuckers' round frozen sandwiches -- my girls LOVE those things.

On to the main attraction -- we had excellent meals in each of the dining rooms. I don't remember the name, but some fish that I had (salmon?) was my favorite entree. My husband had beef most nights, and he raved about it. I especially enjoyed the soups; perhaps because that's something I don't eat often at home. On the first night we made a rookie mistake: we ate the bread, the salad, the soup, the entree . . . and we had no room for dessert. We learned quickly to pace ourselves!

I enjoyed Palo, but I don't think it was quite as good as I'd been led to believe. I ordered pasta, which was rather ordinary. My husband, on the other hand, had a steak that was delicious. Our waitress asked very seriously, "Do you trust me?" and she brought out three desserts for the three of us to try. Both my husband and I ranked the so-often touted chocolate souflee as the third choice (it was delicious, but we liked other things better).

 

[goingbacksoon]

In some prior posts, its been mentioned about how the food is good but not great. I'd tend to agree, and a glance at the passporter would seem to hint as to how it evolved that way.

It mentioned that DCL had changed menus to reflect varying taste, one of which is to attempt to please the widest clientel. People said the offerings were too exotic, therefore they added simpler items. This is consistent with the typical DCL cruiser, i.e., families. Older kids (and many adults) don't want all the extras, or could care less what their chicken is encrusted with, so long as it is appetizing. That said, it seems that when some say "good", a better word might be "ordinary." That doesn't mean it doesn't taste good, it just means not as exotic.

With that mouthful though, most would agree the desserts ARE spectacular.

goingbacksoon

 

[Luv2Dream]

My complaint was that the food wasn't hot enough. I don't want it scalding, but it really should have been warmer than it was. Unfortunately it wasn't so unacceptable to send it back but it bordered on it. I found some of the risotto dishes to be excellent so don't forget about them.

 

[Mjasp]

I think you should go in with your expectations low, then you will be pleasantly surprised. When we went on our first Disney cruise, my DH thought the food was going to be terrible, c'mon we all know how the food in the parks taste. We went to China in Epcot to eat and coming from NY we knew it would have to be real good for us to like it. But let me tell you, it wasn't even edible, and from what I understand Disney doesn't even run these restaurants. So he thought he was in for 7 days of smelling smoked turkey legs LOL. Since we went in with such low expectations, we found the food to be quite good. But it has been 2 years since we cruised and the menu's have changed, so you never know, maybe it has gotten worse.

Also, I really feel (IMHO) it is better going on your first DCL cruise BEFORE you find these boards, so you can't overcontemplate every detail and be disappointed when it doesn't meet your expectaions.

I personally thought Disney Dreams was just O.K. I expected it to be the best show I have ever seen, it was far from it. BUT I think it was because of the expectaions I got from these boards. And maybe it wasn't the boards, as I am not the type of person that amuses easily and a show (Broadway or not) has to be outstanding for me to enjoy it.

I hope you all enjoy your cruise and I hope I enjoy mine also LOL

Sorry to all that have cruised and didn't have a wonderful time, as it is expensive and I know how it feels when it just isn't right.

Joanna

 

[OJulie67]

We just got home yesterday~ My opinions are these~

PARROT CAY~ Excellent food. Never had an issue with any of our entrees. They were hot and tasty for dinner. I suggest the rib eye and the tenderloin if you have the restaurant for night 4. Dessert was incredible. Buffet for breakfast and lunch was great! Abundant and fresh!!

ANIMATORS PALATE~We both had the sirloin. It was extremely tough. We were not pleased with the dinner at all. The lobster and shrimp wrapper appetizer was delicious though.

TRITONS~ we missed due to a spa appt. Heard from our neighbors that it was excellent!

BEACH BLANKET SEAFOOD BUFFET (4 Day Wonder) FABULOUS! Our favorite meal! Crab claws were huge and delicious. Shrimp was fresh and juicy and other selections were awesome! They had a huge assortment of sushi. Clam chowder was good. Salad bar fresh and yummy! Get there early...the crab claws go fast!!! Especially when my DH is on board!

PINNOCHIOS PIZZA~ My DD thought it was great. DH said it was awful pizza.

PLUTOS~ Great chicken fingers and yummy fries. Tends to be a bit on the cold side.

SCOOPS~ A BEAUTIFUL display of fresh fruit offerings...HUGE strawberries were incredibly delicious and sweet! Oranges, bananas, pears etc...Definitely needs to stay open later!! Only open a few select hours. Ice cream is soft serve. Good, with toppings to choose from. (M&M's etc...)

ESPN ZONE~ Fresh chips and cheese sauce, Hot dogs looked like they'd been there awhile. Nice for a snack and a beer!

ROOM SERVICE~ Ordered something everynight after picking DD up from the club. All hands on deck cheese tray was delicious! A few different cheeses, crackers and red grapes. A perfect snack! The cakes are different everyday and wonderful! Chocolate chip cookies are YUMMY!
Sandwiches and salad is very good! Didn't like the dressing selection was all.
DH said Manicotti was good, but too cheesy for him. It looked yummy.
Definitely try room service, They are FAST! It's a yummy midnight snack!!!

 

[crisi]

I'll agree with whomever said that they are feeding a lot of meals quickly, and its good considering.... But if your expectations are gormet - you'll be disappointed. Too much food moving through the kitchen for exceptional food. Likewise, the poster who had gazpacho explained as cold is probably right as well - some of the offerings are haute cuisine enough to throw the TGIFriday's is a nice restaurant crowd.

We only had breakfast at Beach Blanket Bingo, and I didn't think that was good at all. We did most of our lunches at Parrot Cay or Tritons.

I had low expectations for the pizza, and thought it wasn't bad.

 

[Mjasp]

Originally posted by crisi
I'll agree with whomever said that they are feeding a lot of meals quickly, and its good considering.... But if your expectations are gormet - you'll be disappointed. Too much food moving through the kitchen for exceptional food. Likewise, the poster who had gazpacho explained as cold is probably right as well - some of the offerings are haute cuisine enough to throw the TGIFriday's is a nice restaurant crowd.

But if that is the case how come some people say that food on cruises is simply the "best"

Again,I guess it depends on who is giving the revue.

 

[makaylee]

We went last May and thought the food was quite good. Keeping in mind though our idea of eating out is Olive Garden or Applebee's type restaurants, we don'tt get alot fancier than that. As far as snacking goes, I thought the pizza was really good and the chicken tenders were the best i've ever had. For breakfast we always went to Topsiders and had the buffet. We mostly had the made to order omlettes which we thought were excellent. We usually went there for lunch also and some days we thought the food was quite good and other days it was just okay. We ended up really enjoying every single one of our dinners in the dining room. One of the big reasons we did was because if we ordered something we didnt really like we asked for something else. Our server never batted an eyelash, he actually encouraged it. I did not care for my lobster so he brought me fettuccine, another night I liked my husbands lamb chop better than my chiken so he brought me my own (lamb chop). You just have to let them know what you like and what you dont like, they are very accomodating. There has got to be something on the menu that appeals to you. Now Palo was a different story, at brunch and dinner we loved everything that was put in front of us. No switching needed

 

[justcruisin]

A question for repeat cruisers .... Was the food "better" in the past? Has it gone downhill?

I'm happy with any meal I didn't have to cook

 

[WDWLVR]

Originally posted by justcruisin
A question for repeat cruisers .... Was the food "better" in the past? Has it gone downhill?

Our first DCL cruise was October '99 - our last was May '03

I don't think the food was better in the past. I don't think it was worse in the past.

The menus have changed and I've enjoyed some of those changes.

The food is mass produced so as someone said if you are expecting something like a gourmet resturant you will be disappointed.

Let your servers know your tastes (I don't like a lot of sauces etc. so I told them that up front). If you order something and really don't like it - tell them. They want to make you happy!

We've had everything from Palo to Plutos to Room Service and we've always found something we've enjoyed.

We've done both the buffet and sit-down for breakfast and lunch. Mix it up and try both.

For those who haven't cruised yet - my best piece of advice for the entire experience is don't go into it with your expectations too high - you are sure to be even a little disappointed.

Do your research (read the menus on Barb's site and Dave's site) and see what is offered for your cruise. Then listen to your servers recommendations. If they sound like something you would like go for it. If you think you will like something better then pick that.

Most of all enjoy and know one thing is certain - you won't starve!

 

[CM_Mom]

We were on the 5/1 Magic and found something on the menu every night that we liked, some things more than others. We're pretty meat and potatoes and fast food folks at home so we decided to try new things on the cruise. I agree with the previous poster who said the lobster and shrimp wrap appetizer in Animator's was great. The filet in Palo was better than the sirloin in Animator's... is anyone surprised? One of the things I really loved on the cruise was that I could try different things and didn't feel that I'd wasted my money if I didn't like it. I tend to be really cheap in restaurants and stick to "safe" choices so this was an opportunity to splurge.

We did the galley tour and the chef said the galleys prepare and serve 10,000 meals EACH DAY for guests and crew. Considering the quantities prepared, the food was great. The 5 in our party often ordered different things and sampled from each other's plates. Maybe not perfectly "gracious" but it let some of us try stuff that we wouldn't have ordered on our own.

I don't know how the Three Circles guys stay so slim with the quantities of food that are offered. I had to make a concious effort to stop each night since I had made a committment NOT to gain any weight. Thanks to LOTS of walking at WDW, I actually got home no heavier than when I left.

 

[Mickeyhugger]

Lucky you, CM_Mom!

The first time we cruised the Magic, I gained 5, DH gained 0.

Second time, I gained 8! and he gained 5.

We're cruising again in two weeks, I hope it's back down to 5!