What to Expect | Disney Cruise Food Options

What to Expect | Disney Cruise Food Options

I was not compensated nor was I given a free trip. I am sharing with hopes to help future travelers.

When planning for our first Disney Cruise, we had many (many) questions and had no clue what to expect. I decided to write about our experiences in hopes to help future travelers plan and feel more confident before their first cruise.

One short disclaimer before I go on … It is difficult for me to go anywhere without my “blogger hat” on. This means I am always ready to snap a photo so that I can share my experience with my readers. I was so totally and completely relaxed on this vacation that I unintentionally let many photo opps slide by. My work hat was “off” and I loved it. I did take a few pictures to share (with my cell phone), but I apologize for not having all of the photos that I now wish I had taken (and of course… I wish I had taken them with my “good” camera).

My last post was what costs extra on a Disney Cruise. This post will focus on…

Food

Food is never lacking on a Disney Cruise. From amazing “sit down” restaurants, buffet, and fast food to room service. Yes, even room service food is free (fyi pop from room service is extra because it’s served in a can … if you can’t remember just ask!).

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Meat eaters options are everywhere. My husband, daughter and youngest son are vegetarians and had a little tougher time of it.

The sit down dinner menu (at your dining time each night) always had a vegetarian option, but there weren’t many “choices”. The line up usually included an appetizer, main and side but those were the only options … aka no “choices”. The server manager found out on the 5th night that they were vegetarians and made a special order of lentil curry and tofu curry with rice for them to enjoy the last night. When we travel again, we intend to notify him immediately as he said he tries to go out of his way to find something the vegetarians will enjoy.

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Speaking of going out of their way … my Ethan (age 5) has decided he does not want to eat meat like his Daddy. The kids menu (at sit down dining) had two vegetarian options available; cheese pizza and macaroni & cheese. Ethan could not decide, so they let him order both. Even on the nights he did decide, our waiter still remembered and brought him both just in case.

One night in particular Ethan wanted peas and corn with his dinner. The waiter could not find them that night, but the next night he brought a huge heaping family style sized bowl of peas and corn for Ethan as a surprise.

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Emma was easier to please and enjoyed the chicken fingers most nights.

Notice the serving size differences on their plates? There are no worries … if Emma had decided she wanted more of anything they would have brought it to her with a smile on their face.

During the day we had several options. Breakfast is available at the sit down dining, but with our large family of six (two of which were eager to get to kids club) we headed to Beach Blanket Buffet. There everyone could get what they wanted and as much as they wanted of everything.

One tip about the scrambled eggs on the buffet… I tried them every morning for five mornings … they always tasted “fake”. If you go around the corner at the end of the buffet, there was usually an omelet station there where the chefs would whip up a fresh (real egg) omelet made to order. I ordered fresh scrambled eggs for Ethan from them and they made them for me with a smile. 😉

So what if your family is having too much fun at the pool, but they are hungry? No worries! Thanks to Pinocchios Pizzaria, Plutos Dog House and Topsider all located on the same deck as all three pools. These are walk up fast food style eateries that are usually open all day.

Pinocchios Pizzaria has a variety of pizza available for the asking … one slice or a whole pie … no worries.

Plutos Dog House had typical fast food American fare. Hamburgers, chicken fingers, veggie burgers, hot dogs, and the special of the day (things like pulled pork sandwiches) all served with french fries. Just want a plate of fries to go with your pizza? Yep, you can have that, too.

At Topsider they had several healthier options available. Things like sliced honeydew, cantaloupe, and pineapple, bananas and oranges for a side and deli style sandwiches and wraps for your main item.

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Dessert was never an issue anywhere on the ship … the issue was deciding which dessert. The fabulous thing about a Disney Cruise is, you can have mutliples if you want! The desserts were even fabulous at the buffet as well.

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The kids had special dessert options on their menus each night … their favorite was the Mickey Bar above. It is ice cream on a stick shaped like Mickey Mouse covered in dark chocolate. Truth be told, even the adults clamber for Mickey bars. (btw … even though they are not on the room service menu, you can order them for free through room service … shhhh!)

If you get back to your room and later wish you had something sweet, there is all you can eat soft serve ice cream up on deck 9 right next to Topsider. You will see people walking around all day with a soft serve ice cream cone. They are fabulous.

Still looking for answers? Check out my other posts about taking a Disney Cruise:

Disney Wonder Inside Stateroom Review 

Disney Cruise Line Extra Expenses

Inexpensive Disney Cruise Souvenirs

Comments

  1. Julie Wood says

    What a wonderful vacation to go on with the kids, or just go as adults only. I would love to take a Disney cruise, if not for the Food. The food looks so delicious, and is everywhere, and I can find so many items that I would love. I want to go on a Disney Cruise!

    • I think you would enjoy it with or without kids! My husband and I want to take a Disney Cruise to Alaska (alone). They definitely take care of you!

  2. Sandy Cain says

    OMG…look at all that food! (Even the ketchup shaped like Mickey Mouse!). How I would love to go on one of these cruises! But the closest I’ll get is the Staten Island Ferry…..I can buy a pretzel and Coke there. : (

    • Yes, they made sure to add magical touches to everything. The kids asked for ketchup just for the Mickey shapes :).

  3. I would love to go on a Disney cruise! Thanks for sharing your tip about eggs – very clever.

  4. Sounds like a good time and the food looks great. My husband works as a cook, and he told me that for safety reasons, most scrambled eggs that you get out places are actual made from a powder, not real eggs (yuck!). That is awesome that the omelet station made you some fresh ones 🙂

    • Yes, they definitely tasted like powdered eggs. The omelet chefs were very kind and were quick about getting Ethan his eggs. Another tip… watch for their waffle maker. They tiny Mickey Mouse waffles (at the same location as the omelets) are to die for!

  5. That dessert plate alone makes me want to take a Disney cruise.

    • Oh Cat! At the buffet, they had a HUGE dessert spread. I’m so sad I didn’t get photos of the buffet. I wish I could share a screenshot from my memory :). I would get 4-5 desserts and eat only a bit from each. It was YUM!

  6. Nikki says

    This is something I definitely want to do with the kids someday, but when they’re older and able to remember the experience.

    • Mine were 5 & 7. I was worried my 5 year old wouldn’t remember, but I made a photo album for him to look through and he’s still talking about it almost daily :).

  7. Sounds like an amazing time! I would love to eventually take my son on something like this!

    • My youngest are 5 & 7 and they both loved it. They’ve talked about it constantly since we came home over a month ago! It’s worth checking out.

  8. Okay, I’m going. Without the kids! LOL All that food looked absolutely delicious. And since I’m not a vegetarian, I won’t have a problem! Other than deciding.

    • Brandi,

      Even going with the kids feels like you’re without the kids (most of the time). Mine begged to go to kids club most of the time… made for lots of grown up time! 😉

  9. Donna says

    I would so love to take our son on a a Disney cruise… and I have a feeling I’d probably pack on a few pounds by the time it was over. 🙂

    • I thought I was going to go up at least a couple of pounds, but because sometimes the elevators are slow and we were only 2-3 flights to most destinations, we did the stairs many times a day. I didn’t gain at all! 🙂

  10. I’ve never been on a cruise before but have always heard the food is spectacular. After seeing your yummy photos I definitely agree!

    • I will be sharing my experience on another cruise this April. The food is amazing and you can’t get bored… there’s too much to choose from!

  11. One of my dreams is to be a pastry chef for the Disney franchise…some of the best in the world!

  12. That Mickey Bar is fabulous looking! I’m a total foodie so thanks for showing me some of the options!

    • I’m glad you enjoyed them! I wish that I had carried my nice camera everywhere, but I totally enjoyed not having my “work hat” on, too.

  13. The desserts are what I love from vacation the most!

    • I loved the desserts, too… and the fact that you can order five of them and only eat one bite out of each LOL.

  14. It’s really nice to read a review of the food and service. I have no idea what to expect on a cruise or from Disney. I am sure to check out your other posts. I like the trouble staff went through on their own to make your family feel comfortable.

    • If you have any other questions feel free to ask/email! I have several more posts left to write 🙂

  15. Kerri says

    Looks like an amazing experience! Disney never disappoints and the meals look out of this world.

    • That’s what everyone kept telling me… I had hoped they didn’t exaggerate… and they didn’t!

  16. That Mickey Mouse pop is cute!

    • We crave that silly thing now and have no clue if or where we can get them. They were amazing.

  17. It’s nice that they have healthier options! I don’t liek the sound of “fake eggs’ though.

    • I honestly tried the eggs on the buffet every morning… blech. I was so happy to find the chefs that made omelets. I had an omelet the first day I found them, and then noticed them making scrambled eggs for another traveler. Ethan was a happy boy when I brought a plate back for him :).

  18. Lisa says

    I always have my blogger hat on too!

  19. Sarah says

    I love all the mickey mouse shapes! How fun!

  20. Dorothy Boucher says

    well all the food looks yummy and glad you got to try some out and thanks for the tip on the egg 😉 Hopefully someday i will make it on that ship to try all the good eatens 😉 @tisonlyme143

  21. Sue E says

    I have never been on a cruise like the above one, but I would LOVE too!! It looks like fun for kids & the whole family. You can’t go wrong if the name Disney is involved. I can’t believe all the different kinds of food to eat whenever you want – even ice cream cones. I would gain 10 lbs easy!

  22. Lisa L. says

    A Disney cruise was the best vacay I ever had. I liked how you always had the same waiters. It was great.

  23. MeMe R says

    I’m sorry but that just looks meh. I guess that’s why you can get some good deals and all inclusive food on those trips. Too much fatty food and no healthy looking options in the photo’s. I think I have made up my mind to do a Viking cruise definitely.

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