Credit: Matt Stroshane
Family Dining
For our first lunch we tried the casual indoor-outdoor Cabanas restaurant. Fashioned after a boardwalk in California – complete with palm trees, beach umbrellas, and seagulls – it offers an array of cold as well as hot choices scattered throughout the “food stations,” eliminating the tiresome buffet lines.
Contrary to other cruise companies, Disney has a handle on “portion control.” Fruit, cold cuts and dessert are guarded behind glass cases and you have to ask for what you want. Under the scrutinizing eyes of the server, there’s no chance of overloading your plate. On the other hand, piles of fresh shrimp and huge crab claws are simply yours for the taking….something you rarely find anywhere.
While portion sizes are reasonable, food is available all day long. In addition to 24 hour room service, complimentary soft-serve ice-cream, soft drinks, coffee and tea are available round-the-clock from self-serve areas on the pool deck.
At night, Disney has developed “rotational dining” which is exclusive to their ships and allows guests to enjoy different restaurants for dinner each night, while their servers accompany them to each one.
Credit: Matt Stroshane
We tried all of the family restaurants: the ornate Royal Court, inspired by Disney classics “Cinderella,” and “Beauty and the Beast,” and Enchanted Garden, a whimsical nod to the gardens of Versailles and Animator’s Palate. Animator’s Palate Restaurant, where the picture you draw in a special template on your placemat at the beginning of your meal is later set to music and becomes an animated image that leaps from screen to screen around the room.
Mateo, who at first ordered from the “kid’s menu,” noted that portions were extremely small, while I felt that they were not nutritionally well balanced. It seemed that every entrée came with the inevitable French fries – even when he ordered mac and cheese. After the first night, he switched to the adult menu, with portions which were also small compared to other cruises, yet satisfying.
