Which is the best 'light option' at dinner?

[Girl of the South]

Chicken. Steak. Salmon. And I know there is sometimes a 4th option. Has anyone eaten any of these light options? Which one is the safest (tastiest) bet. Not so much calorie wise but taste wise??

Must be someone out there who can't eat the 'fancy' foods?

 

[PrincessTrisha]

They also offer a salad as a Lighter option. Ask for the dressing on the side and that's probably going to be your tastiest option. The chicken, steak, salmon are really plain and are served with plain sides. Unless you're adding a lot (like butter, sour cream, salt, pepper) to your potato or plain rice, it's going to be kind of bland.

 

[shoes99]

I've ordered the steak and/or chicken. It fine for me. I also asked for a children's menu every evening. I have no problem ordering a children's entree.
They often have steak, chicken, salmon, turkey etc. I always order the children's garden salad as my first course. They also have a good
chicken noodle soup on the children's menu.

 

[MSPeeler]

I always have the Sirloin Steak, medium well. Always. Everynight. But thats because I love it so much and I'm not a fancy eater. Give me my steak, baked potato with veggie and I'm good to go. It was delicious EVERY time.
My husband and FIL usually will order Grilled salmon, they both liked it when they did order it from what I remember. My husband ordered the grilled chicken one night also, I think he liked it better than the salmon, but he isn't a "fish eater" normally either.

I don't think we ate any of the "Main Coarse" dishes. My FIL might have one night, but I don't rememeber what it was.

 

[dvcdisney]

Compared to my son, my husband and myself, my daughter is the least adventurous when it comes to food choices.

I would say about half the time she chooses her main course from the Lighter option...Although, I do believe it's light on taste, but absolutely not light on portion.

She would choose chicken or salmon. The chicken is quite large and she rarely finishes it. She loves the salmon. It has very little added spice, but it's not horrible. She doesn't like a lot of spices or sauce on her food so it works out well for her. Even the side veggies are very plain.

However, my daughter chooses very tasty appetizers and steers clear from bland ones.

 

[Girl of the South]

Thanks all! I haven't cruised on Disney in probably 10 years and don't remember the food being so . . . . fancy? It's all very pretty and maybe there will be something enticing but I'm just happy with someone else cooking. I like all 3 but chicken can be dry and steak can tough, but I like steak.

Also saw some interesting lunch options in a video of Cabanas that looked like Indian food? Took a Carnival cruise (against my better judgement) a couple years ago and every night they had an Indian vegetarian option that was FABULOUS. Ship and cabin were disappointing BUT I have to say the food was really good.

Maybe I should bring a little bottle of tabasco sauce . . .

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Chicken. Steak. Salmon. And I know there is sometimes a 4th option. Has anyone eaten any of these light options? Which one is the safest (tastiest) bet. Not so much calorie wise but taste wise??

Must be someone out there who can't eat the 'fancy' foods?

I often order the lighter fare chicken. You can get it with a baked potato, rice, or steamed veggies. I find it very good.

Occasionally I get the steak, same side options. Also a good choice.

 

[Sytrace]

Thanks all! I haven't cruised on Disney in probably 10 years and don't remember the food being so . . . . fancy? It's all very pretty and maybe there will be something enticing but I'm just happy with someone else cooking. I like all 3 but chicken can be dry and steak can tough, but I like steak.

Also saw some interesting lunch options in a video of Cabanas that looked like Indian food? Took a Carnival cruise (against my better judgement) a couple years ago and every night they had an Indian vegetarian option that was FABULOUS. Ship and cabin were disappointing BUT I have to say the food was really good.

Maybe I should bring a little bottle of tabasco sauce . . .

They have vegetarian options every evening in the MDR...Black Bean Chipolte cakes were pretty darn spicy I believe they have Tobasco sauce available if you ask for it. My daughter ordered the Salmon off the lighter fare menu and always asks for barbecue sauce which they bring happily. The lunch buffet in Cabanas has some nice options as well in regards to more spicy and less bland.

 

[OKW Lover]

Maybe I should bring a little bottle of tabasco sauce . . .

They have it on board. Just ask your waiter.

 

[Numtini]

One thing I would say is that if you want a lighter meal or you have dietary restrictions, go for it. But the "fancy" meals on DCL are more the illusion of adventurous eating than the reality. The Wasabi encrusted steak barely has any wasabi, but was an awfully good steak. I found most of the other meals similar. Enjoyed greatly, but these aren't nearly as exotic as they appear.

OTOH while I did not have the sirloin in the MDR, the one in Cabanas was quite good, and generally, I think Sirloin is the best steak out there in terms of balance of steak flavor and just enough fat to be tender while still being quite lean and tender (if you cook it right).

 

[Belle2002]

The salmon is quite good from the “lighter fare” options. My mom usually orders it a few times and Is always happy with it. Sometimes I just order a couple of appetizers for my dinner if none of the mains appeal to me. They usually have good salads and then something else. I tend to like the appies more than the mains! Also, if you aren’t sure about something, your serving team will guide you, they are great and deal with all kinds of requests. Also, if you aren’t sure about something on the menu or you don’t like it, they will bring you something else. We have done this a few times. Lastly, something else we have started doing is downloading the cruise app on board where you can view the dinner menus ahead of time. Then you can plan a little bit.

 

[Donna3271]

I have to eat very plain. I usually order 2 pieces of the salmon with extra steamed broccoli. They always accommodate me. I don't usually order the appetizer, and they bring me a bowl of fruit for dessert. I am going on my 10th cruise to Bermuda this fall and will order the same way. I love the salmon and it agrees with my stomach.

 

[Bonnie1222]

DH and I had the steak last September with the baked potato and veggies and it was very good, as was the Indian vegetarian option we tried. Talk to your serving staff, they will take good care of you and ensure you are happy with your choices.

 

[Cruising Engineer]

I tried the lighter fare once. it was bland. So I learned to eat off the main menu reasonably (soup or salad but not both, no dessert) and do more steps around the lap deck. I enjoy eating thing I don't have the opportunity to eat ( I'm not a fancy cook at home). Pre-walk your steps in the morning hours and enjoy a nice meal at night (then go walk it off).

 

[Girl of the South]

Not asking for caloric reasons - mostly plan to eat 'fun' stuff at lunch and won't need a lot of food at dinner (I like to eat lighter at night - I sleep better).

3 Laps around deck 4 is about 1 mile. Uses up 100 calories at best. One of the Mickey ice cream bars is 330 calories which would be 10 laps.

I may as well NOT rent a cabin and just keep walkin'!

THANKS FOR ALL THE REPLIES!

 

[Lilsia]

hanks all! I haven't cruised on Disney in probably 10 years and don't remember the food being so . . . . fancy?

It's not. The main dining room food is very good and well prepared but not what would be considered "fancy" by any stretch of the imagination. It is more seasoned and flavorful then the "light" menu items, but still not "fancy". Now if a person has diet restrictions and need to cut out sodium,fat, sugar, etc then the "light" menu would serve them well.

 

[Lilsia]

I like all 3 but chicken can be dry and steak can tough, but I like steak.

Almost every night they have some kind of steak on the menu that is better then sirloin(which I never eat) like filet or prime rib. You can order one of those and leave off whatever sauce they use, then you will get a better cut of meat without the extras.

 

[dclpluto]

Don’t be afraid to ask for different sides if your getting the lighter meal. If you want a side that comes with another meal but you want the light chicken get it. This goes for other meals also.

 

[xavier2001]

One thing I would say is that if you want a lighter meal or you have dietary restrictions, go for it. But the "fancy" meals on DCL are more the illusion of adventurous eating than the reality. The Wasabi encrusted steak barely has any wasabi, but was an awfully good steak. I found most of the other meals similar. Enjoyed greatly, but these aren't nearly as exotic as they appear.

Yep, the food sounds fancier than it is. I asked the server one night about the 'wild boar' and he basically told me it was a pork chop lol! A really good one at that!

That said my DS really enjoys the slow roasted chicken off the lighter menu.

 

[scrapbookjulie]

I've had both the chicken and the steak. I didn't think the steak was very tasty. So I always just stick with the chicken now. Can't really go wrong with that. Even though the servers tell me repeatedly how boring my choice is. I get it with plain old white rice. Works for me! LOL