Food is very subjective, so I would encourage you to get a lot of opinions. Statements like it was "good" or "bad" aren't very helpful unless you know why someone thought it was good or bad. The context and the person's experience are needed for you to be able to determine if you are likely to agree with their opinion or not.
We were on the July 9 Magic 11-day cruise. It was our first
DCL cruise and our 9th overall. We have been on Celebrity, Princess, HAL, and Carnival.
With all cruises, there are a few things to remember. Unless you are in Palo (or Remy), you are getting banquet food - food prepared to feed thousands of people. Don't expect fine dining. However, given those limitations, the cruise lines do pretty well.
Main Dining Rooms - in general, I thought the food here was pretty good banquet food. Braised dishes like oso buco, etc., are generally good because it really doesn't matter how long those dishes sit. The steaks, in contrast, didn't fare as well, tough, and not very tasty. Kinda like a steak you would get at Applebees. One surprise, was how well they did fish on the Magic. We have typically found fish to be overcooked and dry on ships. Not so this time. Soups were a mixed bag. The hot soups were too salty to my taste and often lacked a lot of the main ingredients. Few lobster pieces and not much flavor in the lobster bisque. I'm a sucker for the cold fruit soups on cruises and I thought Disney's were the best I have ever had. I loved the desserts. I'm still thinking about the banana bread pudding from Parrot Cay. All of the above applies to dinner. We liked our lunches and breakfasts there as well as there was more variety. Eggs Benedict, yum.
Topsiders buffet. In my opinion, this was the worst buffet of any cruise ship that I have been on. It's small, crowded, and dated, with food to match. Breakfast is the same every day. About the only difference is what hot pocket they'll offer. Lunch has theme days, with a little more variety, but not much. We avoided it where possible.
Goofy's Galley, Pluto's Dog Shop, etc. - GG has better morning pastries than the buffet, sandwiches (not fresh made) for lunch. Pluto's has good hot dogs, fries, and chicken strips (especially when compared with the fused mcnuggetty looking things they had at Topsiders. Avoid the burgers. The dry and overcooked patties are taken out of a warming drawer and a piece of cold American cheese is slapped on top.
Palo - you get food made to order here and it was very good. I left feeling uncomfortably full. There was a lobster pasta dish that was great. So was the soufflé. So was the panna cotta. So were the lamb chops, and the tuna.
Room service - we ordered food for the kids often. We also ordered the cheese plate and it was delicious. Good variety. They have Mickey Bars as well even though it is not on the menu.
Finally, if you ever get something you don't like, say something. There is likely something that you will like and your server will bring it to you. If you can't decide between two items, order both. If you want four appetizers and no main dish, go for it. It's not a problem.
Enjoy your cruise! You will eat well.
In WDW there is so many great places to eat, I'm guessing the food will be just as good on the cruise ship? In your opinion whats the best appetizers/entrees/dessert/ etc. to eat on the ship? Anything to stay away from?
