Dining on Disney Cruise Line 2022 – What You Need to Know

My family and I recently returned from a seven-night cruise on the Disney Fantasy. This was our third Disney Cruise Line vacation, and the first after the cruise industry opened back up. There were some changes to dining, but nothing that made it a bad experience. Learn more below.

I’ll start with Cabanas. This is the ship’s buffet, and one of the main choices for breakfast and lunch. Cabanas is not currently serving dinner. We had been told that Cabanas wouldn’t be open when we boarded, and we were happy to see that we had been given the wrong information.

When you walk into Cabanas there is a station to wash your hands. That has always been the case, it isn’t a change because of COVID. What is different is the way that the buffet is run. It is still all-you-can-eat, but right now you can’t serve yourself. A Crew Member will get a plate for you and place what you want on it. There didn’t seem to be as many choices on the buffet as in the past.

Drinks used to be self-serve, but there was a Crew Member at the drink stations to get you what you wanted. There was both indoor and outdoor seating. The upper level was closed each time we were there.

If someone didn’t want to eat breakfast or lunch at Cabanas, Royal Court was also open for both meals. The menu was found in the Disney Cruise Line Navigator App.

On Deck 11, outside of Cabanas, there are two drink stations. Cold drinks were self-serve, and we needed to use a new paper cup, even when filling a drink bottle. A Crew Member got the coffee and other hot drinks on the other side of the station for me.

The ice cream station was also open on Deck 11. This was run by a Crew Member, who got the ice cream for each person. It was probably a lot less messy that way.

Also on Deck 11 is Flo’s V8 Cafe. This became a daily stop for us. My daughter has a dairy allergy and we are both vegetarians, and the staff at Flo’s took very good care of us! They watched for us each day and someone would come over to speak with my daughter about what she could eat. Flo’s V8 Cafe was a surprise highlight of our trip. We were so pleased with the food and the service that we left a compliment for them when our cruise was ending.

One of the things that sets Disney Cruise Line apart when it’s time for dinner is Rotational Dining. You will have either first or second seating. First seating is a little after 5:00, and second is three hours later. We prefer second seating because it feels more relaxed to us. Families with young children often prefer the earlier time.

With Rotational Dining, you will be assigned one of the three main restaurants each night. You will also be assigned a Head Server, Server, and Assistant Server. This team will go with you each evening to whichever restaurant you are assigned to. They quickly get to know your likes and dislikes, and they make sure that you will leave each evening full and happy.

The three Rotational Dining Restaurants on the Disney Fantasy are Royal Court, Enchanted Garden, and Animator’s Palate. We dined at the second two twice, and Royal Court three evenings. Even though we repeated restaurants, it was a new menu each night. One of the nights was Star Wars Day at Sea, and all three restaurants had the same menu. Otherwise, the menu was based on the restaurant.

We needed to use a wipe on our hands before entering each location. There were a lot of open tables in the restaurants. There was plenty of space between parties.

Our serving staff was exceptional, as always. With seven nights we really got to know the team a bit. Our Assistant Server told us all about his daughter, and we talked about dogs with our Server. Our Head Server has two elephants back home! With this being our longest cruise yet, we totally bonded with them.

With my daughter’s allergy, special care had to be taken for her food. She would look at the menu the night before, and then put in an order for something that she could eat. There were special desserts for her each night.

Menus right now are found on the Disney Cruise Line Navigator App. Paper menus could be requested, but everything was already right at our fingertips. Our Server made recommendations each night as well. He learned at our first meal that my husband likes salmon, and he often brought him an extra piece on the side.

We did not dine at either Remy or Palo this trip. Those are the two signature restaurants that are an additional cost. We also didn’t buy ice cream or candy at Sweet on You, there was enough food already.

Room Service was available 24 hours a day, right up until near the end of the cruise. The menu was in the Navigator App. The menu seemed somewhat limited, but we were able to place a special order without a problem or extra charge.

Our breakfast the final morning was in Royal Court. It gave us a chance to say goodbye to our team. That was hard.

Disney Cruise Line has gone above and beyond to keep passengers safe. Dining is a gray area since face coverings aren’t worn while eating. I never felt as if we were too close to others, or that there was something that could have been done differently. Our Star Wars Day at Sea cruise was the perfect escape.