Wish - Food vs. Classic Ships

[Jaycen1801]

Perhaps this has been covered off already, if so - apologies. Did our first Disney cruise on Fantasy in March '22 - just as Covid restrictions were being relaxed.
Looking into another one on the Wish - however, a lot of the reviews I'm reading seem to indicate a lackluster food experience compared to the legacy ships.
I personally thought the meals on the Fantasy were pretty darn good for a cruise line. All other issues aside (layout, staff, etc) - can anyone speak to whether this is just me seeing generally bad reviews on the food front, or does this seem to be an issue?

 

[Marthasor]

Honestly, other than Palo, I find the food rather mediocre across all DCL ships. Wish was definitely mediocre. We are sailing the Dream this summer - I just don't have high expectations of cruise ship food, quite honestly, unless we are sailing on a smaller line.

 

[OKW Lover]

I don't think this is really an issue. The Wish sails out of Port Canaveral and gets restocked by the same vendors who handle the Fantasy. They would be getting the same quality of food.

 

[CamColt]

We have always enjoyed the food on DCL. We went on the Wish in Feb and felt the food was kicked up a notch (with the exception of Marceline Market). The BBQ at Festival of Foods was a great option! Even the same dishes we have at Palo Brunch seemed a little better on the Wish. We did miss our old favorites from the older ships but we will have them again. The food, was one of the few positives we found on the Wish.

 

[soniam]

I would ignore the reviews. Each person will say the exact opposite about each ship. However, I have heard that the QS on the Wish is better than the other ships. It’s a different concept. The DIS crew thought the food on Wonder out of Alaska last summer was terrible. Ours was good this summer. They also thought the food on Fantasy last year was great. We thought our food on Fantasy last summer was just OK, especially compared to our previous 2 cruises on Fantasy.

 

[SandyinMonterey]

I don't have high expectations for DCL food, especially in MDR's. To me, it's just okay. Palo is the exception though. We sailed the Fantasy December 2022 and the Wish June 2023. The Festival of Foods is taken up a notch, the Mexican food was very good. So was the pizza. We only went to MM twice, once for breakfast and once for lunch. Breakfast was good, our lunch day not so much. We went on the 4 night on the Wish. Also had Palo Brunch and dinner which was fantastic. Ate twice at Marvel and struggled to find something to have there. 1923 was just okay. My husband and I both order the filet mignon and it was itty, bitty tiny and did not taste great. No Arendale for dinner because of Palo but we did go there for sale away lunch and it was very good. Best MDR experience on the Wish, for us. We went on the 4 night cruise. With the shorter cruise, eating at Palo twice and the many food options on the Wish, it's wasn't possible for us to get to everything.

 

[kiford]

I was unimpressed with the Festival of Food offerings. I thought the selection at Marceline Market was less than at Cabanas but I did like what I had. I enjoyed the food in the MDRs, some very much, especially breakfast. I can't say that overall I would say that it's better or worse than the other ships, just different. Everyone will have different tastes but the food seemed quite similar quality to me.

 

[mtil]

Last year we went on both the Fantasy and the Wish. We thought that the Wish had better food and more variety (pizza, burritos and bbq) on the pool deck (though the area was hot) versus the Fantasy's offerings. We liked Cabana's on Fantasy better than Marceline market. The MDR's were similar.

 

[epcotrulz]

I find the MDR have some great options. The sea bass in enchanted garden is excellent for example.

I don’t understand some of the “poor food” comments … there are some dishes I don’t like, I don’t get them again or have them replaced …

 

[tvguy]

We all bring different food expectations and experiences. Guy at a table next to us I swear probably never ate at anything fancier than a Sizzler. He ordered Beef Wellington on night, and then (Loudly) complained that he had never heard of putting pastry on beef before.
Of course, he wore a black sweatsuit to dinner every night in the MDR so I don't think he got out much at home.

 

[anjuan]

We thought that the food on the Wish was a step up from the other ships- especially the Festival of Foods but we also enjoyed the MDRs as well. Part of it might have been that we've had the same food on the other ships so many times and it was nice to have a different variety of food.

 

[soniam]

.

 

[Calantha]

I like the Fantasy MDRs better than the Wish - both menus and themes. I like the Wish’s Festival of Foods better than the Fantasy quick service.

 

[epcotrulz]

There’s a difference between not liking a dish and the quality being bad. For instance, many of our MDR meals on the Fantasy last summer weren’t delivered hot; they were usually warmish. Also, some, especially seafood, seemed overcooked but still not hot. I chalked it up to new staff and possible understaffing. It might have gotten better toward the end, but we don’t know. We had to quarantine the last 3 nights, because our son got Covid. I don’t expect room service to be at the proper temperature, especially if it’s coming from the MDR.

As I said, I would send cold or improperly cooked food back, until I got something I liked. That’s worked well for me.

 

[soniam]

.

 

[NephieRN]

The only food I enjoyed on the Wish was Donald’s cantina on deck, palo brunch, and the concierge lounge offerings. The MDR meals left a lot to be desired from both a food perspective and atmosphere. I never did eat in marceline market so can’t comment on that quality vs cabanas. Overall, the Wish was more than likely a one and done for us.

 

[epcotrulz]

At some point, you don't want to be sitting at dinner for 2+ hours and then have to wait for more stuff to come out. There are other people who need to get to the 2nd dinner seating. I really didn't need more food. That's for sure. I definitely wasn't going to send the room service food back; it already took forever to get it.

Sorry to hear your experiences have been disappointing. My point remains for me, I just speak to the right folks to express my disappointment and I typically get a resolution that works for me. Happy Cruising!

 

[bakerworld]

Marceline Market Chicken Fingers & Pot Stickers - YUM

 

[grantclaire]

Hi, we sailed on the Wonder last August with some of the Dis crew. I loved the food! Had seafood everynight in the MDRs. Everyone will have different tastes and likes!

 

[DCLMP]

The only food I enjoyed on the Wish was Donald’s cantina on deck, palo brunch, and the concierge lounge offerings. The MDR meals left a lot to be desired from both a food perspective and atmosphere. I never did eat in marceline market so can’t comment on that quality vs cabanas. Overall, the Wish was more than likely a one and done for us.

Donalds Cantina was the one redeeming thing about the Wish. Palo was also good, but Palo is always good.