Disney Wish Food Is A Letdown?

[juxtapose]

The pictures look like there is more variety than the Dream a few weeks ago especially for the breakfast buffet, which is good. The BBQ and Mexican food on the deck add some variety too. I was not that impressed with the variety or quality on the Dream, I was expecting WDW quality (Epcot and Animal Kingdom lol not Cosmic Rays) and definitely got below that. Nothing was awful but nothing was really good either, I need more spices in my food.

 

[OKW Lover]

Have you been on most the DCL ships? Any preference? Please share your opinion on the Wish when you get back!

Yes, we have been on all four existing ships and we will be on the Wish Maiden Voyage.

 

[DisneyKrayzie2]

Food quality is so relative. I have seen the adults who only eat chicken tenders, hamburgers, pizza and the occasional steak or those that think pasta carbonara is an "adventurous" choice lol They might have issues as the menus seem to lean into actual cuisine as opposed to children's food (though those items are still there). When perusing the menus, that was my first reaction. How are the simple eaters going to do with this?

I think you are talking about me here. Seeing the menus one the Wish my first reaction is I won't eat any of that, stuck with the lighter fair steak and chicken every night. I'm more excited about the food at Mickeys Festival of foods, most of that looks "fantastic" to me, May end up eating dinner at those places and going to the dining rooms for desert Or ordering from kids menu.

 

[dwg]

Food that tastes amazing. There is no specific thing to defining what’s amazing in food. It’s when you get impressions of the food and the majority response is “This food is amazing”.


EVERYTHING is subjective. I’m asking this question about how the food is in general the same way people read impressions of movies, rides, food etc. Like how Godfather is generally considered an amazing movie. That’s subjective but we generally consider it as fact that it’s an amazing movie. Pirates of the Caribbean ride. There are people out there who hate it I’m sure. It’s subjective. But it’s still generally considered an amazing ride. Etc..

You answered your own question. "EVERYthing is subjective" so expecting some definitive answer regarding the quality of the food from others is unrealistic. Only you can decide if the food is amazing and the only way to do that is to try a cruise for yourself and research as much as possible the dining menus to see if the type of food you like is being offered.

We have been on 14 Disney cruises including all 4 of the existing ships. In my opinion the food in the MDR and Palo's has generally been better than most of the food in the parks. I think the pizza on the ships is terrible, the hamburgers are average and the chicken fingers are good. The only guarantee about the food is that someone else will have a different opinion about the food than I will and their opinion is no better than mine.

 

[DVacationer]

You answered your own question. "EVERYthing is subjective" so expecting some definitive answer regarding the quality of the food from others is unrealistic. Only you can decide if the food is amazing and the only way to do that is to try a cruise for yourself and research as much as possible the dining menus to see if the type of food you like is being offered.

We have been on 14 Disney cruises including all 4 of the existing ships. In my opinion the food in the MDR and Palo's has generally been better than most of the food in the parks. I think the pizza on the ships is terrible, the hamburgers are average and the chicken fingers are good. The only guarantee about the food is that someone else will have a different opinion about the food than I will and their opinion is no better than mine.

Doesn’t need to be definitive. Just trying to get an overall sense and general consensus about people’s view on the food. Like you said about Paolo, I heard overall it generally has some great food.

 

[Karin1984]

Doesn’t need to be definitive. Just trying to get an overall sense and general consensus about people’s view on the food. Like you said about Paolo, I heard overall it generally has some great food.

With that you also have to keep in mind: is Palo really that amazing in general or in comparison to the main dining rooms

It is probably also better because a. People pay extra for it, and therefore they have to try harder and b. Less people per sitting.

I have another interesting review to draw to your intention, it is strangely enough from a worst-things-list

https://www.disneytouristblog.com/worst-things-disney-wish-cruise-ship/

"Marceline Market – Effectively replacing Cabanas, Marceline Market is the main food hall and buffet on the Disney Wish. Listing it among the “worst” aspects of the ship is a bit hyperbolic. In reality, Marceline Market is just fine.

It’s mostly a lateral move, not significantly better or worse than Cabanas. There are a few little things that bugged me, but the same is probably true of Cabanas if I were to give it deeper thought. The reason Marceline Market makes this list is because all of the other dining options improved to such a degree. Relative to those, it now stands out as a weakness."

The writer thinks the buffet is just fine and equal to the buffet on the other ships, but it pales in comparison because the other food options have improved much more.

Some more food for thought, take the human factor into account. In essence all Disney ships hire their people centrally. It is a mere coincidence if a group of 'more talented' cast members comes together on the same ship or in the same team.
From what I have heard, service on the Wonder seems to be considered better than on other ships. How can that happen if the hiring and training process is the same for all? Just luck.

And then there are the stories that DCL has taken their best crew from all the ships and put them together on the Wish.

 

[DVacationer]

With that you also have to keep in mind: is Palo really that amazing in general or in comparison to the main dining rooms

It is probably also better because a. People pay extra for it, and therefore they have to try harder and b. Less people per sitting.

I have another interesting review to draw to your intention, it is strangely enough from a worst-things-list

https://www.disneytouristblog.com/worst-things-disney-wish-cruise-ship/

"Marceline Market – Effectively replacing Cabanas, Marceline Market is the main food hall and buffet on the Disney Wish. Listing it among the “worst” aspects of the ship is a bit hyperbolic. In reality, Marceline Market is just fine.

It’s mostly a lateral move, not significantly better or worse than Cabanas. There are a few little things that bugged me, but the same is probably true of Cabanas if I were to give it deeper thought. The reason Marceline Market makes this list is because all of the other dining options improved to such a degree. Relative to those, it now stands out as a weakness."

The writer thinks the buffet is just fine and equal to the buffet on the other ships, but it pales in comparison because the other food options have improved much more.

Some more food for thought, take the human factor into account. In essence all Disney ships hire their people centrally. It is a mere coincidence if a group of 'more talented' cast members comes together on the same ship or in the same team.
From what I have heard, service on the Wonder seems to be considered better than on other ships. How can that happen if the hiring and training process is the same for all? Just luck.

And then there are the stories that DCL has taken their best crew from all the ships and put them together on the Wish.

Very interesting. I went and read through, then read their best of Disney Wish. They cited that the dining is elevated so the buffet seems more of a letdown. Then they said the best meal was the upcharged Enchante. So are they basing the food being elevated compared to the other ships based on the upcharged dining? Which is like $130 vs palo thats $40. Because under the best of, they didn't say Frozen or Marvel dining was better then anything on the other ships.

 

[happycamper47]

From what I have heard, service on the Wonder seems to be considered better than on other ships. How can that happen if the hiring and training process is the same for all? Just luck.

That's how we have always felt. It seems the Senior officers/managers don't move around like the servers and other CM's. One of the dining officers that we talk to regularly has been on the Wonder for as long as we can remember and our first Wonder cruise was in 2012. We just saw him again in November when we did the EBPC. Maybe that's the key.

 

[BrinkofSunshine]

So I’ve sailed on two preview cruises now and I thought the food, overall, was excellent. There’s hits and misses (the scrambled eggs at breakfast are awful) but overall everything is good to great. The scallops I had at Marvel were the best I’ve had, though I don’t eat them often. There’s also so much variety it’s hard to imagine someone being disappointed.

 

[Cheburashka]

My vacations center around food whether it’s the Disney parks, Non Disney trips, anything. For a cruise it’s especially importany because that’s a big part of the price...

Im starting to think the food so far is not that good? Am I the only one with that impression so far? Have I missed people raving about the food somewhere?

Have you ever cruised before? If you have, you know that most cruise ship food is like hotel banquet or wedding banquet food. It's mass produced, and shares the quality of being mass-produced. Some lines do it better than others, but all mass market cruise lines, including DCL, provide mass-produced food at their main dining restaurants. Expect relatively good hotel banquet quality from DCL.

Some people view a cruise as a place to pig out, to be blunt, so the fact that most food is covered by the voyage fare doesn't speak that much to food quality. For the cruise line, it's about volume. They have to provide ample food to ensure every guest could potentially stuff themselves with a great variety of food options. That's different from the food being of the highest quality possible. To give a Disney comparison, I'd say that DCL's MDR food is usually slightly lesser quality than regular WDW table service food. It doesn't come anywhere close to WDW signature dining restaurants. The only thing onboard that does rival WDW signature dining restaurants is the upcharge adult restaurants, Palo and Remy (the Wish doesn't have Remy, and their version of Palo is a steakhouse, so I can only speak to those restaurants on the other ships). The upcharge restaurants are very good, but you have to pay extra for them and make reservations. They are a definite step up in food quality, service and ambiance from the main dining restaurants (MDRs).

I'm not saying the main dining restaurants are bad, as I'm usually quite satisfied with them, but I'm also not a "foodie". I usually just want a tasty meal in a nice atmosphere. If you are a foodie, you need to manage your expectations going in to a cruise.

 

[Cheburashka]

I was not that impressed with the variety or quality on the Dream, I was expecting WDW quality (Epcot and Animal Kingdom lol not Cosmic Rays) and definitely got below that. Nothing was awful but nothing was really good either, I need more spices in my food.

Cruise ship food is not usually going to be as good as the food you eat in comparable restaurants on land. Cruise ships mass-produce their food, so that affects the freshness of ingredients as well as the variety of spices you'll get.

 

[Kwami]

Food quality is so relative. I have seen the adults who only eat chicken tenders, hamburgers, pizza and the occasional steak or those that think pasta carbonara is an "adventurous" choice lol They might have issues as the menus seem to lean into actual cuisine as opposed to children's food (though those items are still there). When perusing the menus, that was my first reaction. How are the simple eaters going to do with this?

Oh, come on with that "actual cuisine" and "children's food" and "simple eaters" nonsense. How pretentious!

Have you ever considered that some of us like plenty of more "adventurous" food, but that we like different foods than what Disney serves on their cruise ships? You can keep your fish and wine sauces and pigeons. Where's all the Indian, Thai, Moroccan, Filipino, and Cambodian stuff? Why can't I get a good, spicy curry?

There are a few interesting options on these new menus. Most of the options are just redecorated chicken, fish, and steak with slightly different sauces and whatever the latest gross leafy thing is these days. As if arugula wasn't bitter enough. Now we're eating oak leaves!

 

[happycamper47]

Where's all the Indian, Thai, Moroccan, Filipino, and Cambodian stuff? Why can't I get a good, spicy curry?

Did you ever ask? I happened to mention Pancit fo a Fillipino server and the next night guess what was brought to the table?

 

[Kwami]

Did you ever ask? I happened to mention Pancit fo a Fillipino server and the next night guess what was brought to the table?

I had some pretty extensive conversations about Filipino food with our server on the Dream back in February. He said that the food they serve to the crew isn't very good and that he didn't recommend it, so we decided against having him go and get some.

 

[dianagisme]

I had some pretty extensive conversations about Filipino food with our server on the Dream back in February. He said that the food they serve to the crew isn't very good and that he didn't recommend it, so we decided against having him go and get some.

After discussing our love of Filipino food with our server in April on the Wonder, he served us pork adobo and garlic rice during our appetizer course the next night. I was curious and asked if the food was from the crew kitchen and he said that it was from the MDR kitchens. He put in a special request the night before for us. It was delicious!

 

[happycamper47]

After discussing our love of Filipino food with our server in April on the Wonder, he served us pork adobo and garlic rice during our appetizer course the next night. I was curious and asked if the food was from the crew kitchen and he said that it was from the MDR kitchens. He put in a special request the night before for us. It was delicious!

That's where my Pancit came from and yes just like I got when in the PI

 

[juxtapose]

Cruise ship food is not usually going to be as good as the food you eat in comparable restaurants on land. Cruise ships mass-produce their food, so that affects the freshness of ingredients as well as the variety of spices you'll get.

Yes, I definitely agree with you. That was our first cruise, probably last for awhile, we are big foodies so I think we'll stick to other vacation options for now until our kids beg to cruise again. My kids loved all the food, but they don't really demand much more than unlimited ice cream lol.

 

[MomOTwins]

Cruise ship food is not usually going to be as good as the food you eat in comparable restaurants on land. Cruise ships mass-produce their food, so that affects the freshness of ingredients as well as the variety of spices you'll get.

GENERALLY yes, but I also think there are advantages to the MDR model too. The food is mostly tasty, and when it is not, the servers can quickly bring you a replacement at no charge. I also like that I can freely order every course (appetizer, soup/salad, entree, dessert) an even extra appetizers for the table to sample (and to encourage my picky eaters to branch out) without having to worry about the cost. We end up trying a lot more things on the cruise than we would at a comparable restaurant on land because it is all included, and that makes for a fun dining experience. Like a buffet but with better quality plated dishes.

Specialty restaurants are a whole other ball game too. Our meal at Remy was as every bit as good as Michelin starred restaurants we've been to in New York and DC, at a reasonable price (yes I know you've already "paid" for the basic meal as part of your cruise fare, but even when you factored that in on top of the Remy upcharge cost, it was still a great deal for what it was).

Palo was less good a value in the sense that it was probably about the same as what I'd pay on land when you factor in the upcharge and the base MDR meal cost already paid for with the cruise. Some of the food we had there was really excellent, and some was merely good, but it certainly was as nice as a WDW signature restaurant.

I had some pretty extensive conversations about Filipino food with our server on the Dream back in February. He said that the food they serve to the crew isn't very good and that he didn't recommend it, so we decided against having him go and get some.

I totally agree on this. We heard so many people on disboards rave about the crew's special curry and we've tried it and it was nothing special. Not bad, but not so good that I would feel comfortable asking my server to go out of his/her way to bring it to us again.

 

[Jason Martin]

So I was on the Christening cruise as a plus 1 guest and will be returning as a paying customer on August 12 and September 2. That being said the food overall was very good and at least on par with the other ships.

Huge upgrade with Mickeys Festival of foods especially the BBQ and pizza. Didn't try the Mexican as the line was long even for a ship that was 1/3 full - so maybe that speaks for its self.

All of the main dining rooms were fabulous and Marceline market for the onboard buffet and breakfast were similar to the rest of the fleet.

Will be trying Enchante and Palo dinners in August and can report back. Enchante was not open at that point

 

[DVacationer]

So I was on the Christening cruise as a plus 1 guest and will be returning as a paying customer on August 12 and September 2. That being said the food overall was very good and at least on par with the other ships.

Huge upgrade with Mickeys Festival of foods especially the BBQ and pizza. Didn't try the Mexican as the line was long even for a ship that was 1/3 full - so maybe that speaks for its self.

All of the main dining rooms were fabulous and Marceline market for the onboard buffet and breakfast were similar to the rest of the fleet.

Will be trying Enchante and Palo dinners in August and can report back. Enchante was not open at that point

Thank you for your impressions! Do you have a favorite ship overall?