How's the food, as compared to WDW?

[butterfly8]

Im curious what to expect from the food that is included in the price of the cruise, like the MDR and buffet.

 

[ronandannette]

Im curious what to expect from the food that is included in the price of the cruise, like the MDR and buffet.

Totally depends on the cruiseline. Everybody's taste differs too. I have found the buffets on both Carnival and RCCL to be absolutely loathsome. Princess had a very good buffet but poorer MDR food. Carnival's MDR wasn't bad but the choices were very Applebee'ish - nothing very elegant at all. RCCL (which we sailed most recently last month) was actually very good in the MDR but the menus have shrunken over the years so that there are considerably fewer choices than there used to be. Some nights, depending on the "theme", you may end up ordering the "always available" chicken breast, strip loin or salmon. The best MDR food we ever had, in terms of both selection and quality was on Celebrity, but that was 5 years ago and they too have likely had some decline in favour of economy. The only other cruiseline we've sailed is NCL and their concept is a little different. The MDR's were OK, but their extra-fee venues were excellent.

 

[drb116]

Honestly, we very much dislike the food at Disney World and would say that the food is much better. I am sure there are good places to eat at WDW, but we have not found them and as a result we usually stay someplace with a kitchen.

I actually think Royal Caribbean has very good buffets, maybe not as good as Carnival, but both are better than Disney's buffet. We like Disney's options best for grabbing a snack on the pool deck and we found that the food in the MDR is very dependent on what you order. Some dishes are great, others are a big disappointment.

Even if you like the food at WDW, I think you will find it a little better on the cruise ships. The great thing is that you are not paying for it, so if you get a bad dish, you can always ask for something else!

 

[bobbiwoz]

I did not particularly like the food in Windjammers, the 11th floor buffet on the Explorer of the Seas. I made a "taco salad" without any tacos one lunch time, but that was all I could eat up there. I really missed the peel and eat shrimp that is offered on DCL!

In my opinion the dining room food was very good, tasty and varied. They list soups and appetizers under the same heading, but will give you what you ask for.

 

[soniam]

RCCL food is better than WDW parks/resorts, generally, except for some of the really good TS. However, the DCL buffet is better than the RCCL buffets. I haven't done the pay dining on RCCL, but I can't imagine anything beating Remy. The MDRs on RCCL are good and possibly better than DCL MDRs, but not by a ton.

 

[SevenWonkas]

I think it's hard to compare food to WDW, because those a restaurants compared to cruise ship food. But compared to DCL....

- I think the buffet is better on DCL (I've been on the Dream twice). They had some higher quality items, like sushi, crab legs, and shrimp. (The sushi was cheap and fairly low quality, but was sushi nonetheless). The rest of the "standard" food was pretty comparable. We don't usually eat in the windjammer on Royal's ships, opting instead to eat at other locations.
- royal's main dining room has some lovely options for lunch on sea days. In addition to the lunch menu (which is pretty good), they have the tutto salad. You get to pick your lettuce and a variety of toppings, and the chef tosses it in your choice of dressing. It's very yummy!
- I also enjoy the main dining room for breakfast. You can eat off the menu, but have the option of picking items from a small buffet instead. It's less crowded than the windjammer and you don't have to search for a table.
- in terms of "quick service" options, Royal wins in my book for variety (on the larger ships at least), while DCL wins for convenience and kid-friendly. Flo's Cafe on the Dream is great for kids, and convenient for various activities. But Royal ships have a variety of pizza, sandwich, and other options as well. They're just scattered throughout the ships.
- I thought the food in the main dining room was comparable on both ships. DH likes Royal better. To each their own.