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One of the best parts about Disney Cruises is that all of your food is included in the cost of your cruise. While a few select options will involve spending extra money on Disney, it’s absolutely doable to eat all your meals and snacks without spending an extra penny. If you’re excited about sailing on Disney’s newest ship, the Wish, then this breakdown of absolutely everywhere you can eat on board is the pre-vacation primer you’ve been waiting for.
If you’re team “I love cruises because I love food,” then this breakdown of Disney Wish restaurants will give you all the information to help you plan your ultimate food fest at sea. Stretchy pants not included.
The coolest thing about dining on the Disney Wish is that it’s different. There are many similarities between dining on the other four Disney cruise ships; for example, all four of the older ships have an Animator’s Palate. Everything on the Wish is fresh and exciting.
Main Dining Room Dining
The new Disney Wish has three main dining rooms. As with the other four Disney Cruise Line ships, the Wish has rotational dining. Rotational dining means that you’ll dine in a different restaurant each night, rotating through the dining rooms in a set order. What’s really cool is that your servers will rotate with you. You’ll have the same servers throughout the cruise, no matter what restaurants you eat in.
The restaurant you will dine in each night will be listed in your Disney Cruise Line Navigator app. All you have to worry about is getting to dinner the first night. After that, your serving team will make sure you know where you need to go on subsequent nights, although the dining room and menu are always listed in your Navigator app. You’ll repeat your rotation on longer cruises, but the menu will be different.
There are three main dining room restaurants on the Wish, and they’re all new. Some of the other ships have the same or very similar restaurants, but the options on the Wish are fresh.
Read More: Which is the Best Disney Cruise Ship? The Ultimate Guide to Itineraries, Dining and Entertainment
Worlds of Marvel
World of Marvel is a Marvel-themed restaurant, as the name suggests. Spoiler alert: the food is good, but if you’re not at least a little bit of a fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, this experience might not wow you.
This is dinner and a show – the show is called Quantum Encounter, and it is played on large video screens throughout the restaurant. The lighting is dim, and the volume of the show is pretty loud, so focusing on anything other than the entertainment isn’t really an option.
The decor is futuristic, with lots of chrome and blue lighting. It reminded me a little bit of being in the queue at Space Mountain at Disney World. The table settings are very on theme with Avengers-branded bread plates and a Quantum Core centerpiece that is an integral and interactive part of the Quantum Encounter, which is hosted by Ant-Man and The Wasp. The show is virtual, but it ends with a surprise in-person encounter with an Avenger who is actually aboard the Wish.
On our cruise, we were visited in person in the dining room by Spiderman. I’ve read other reviews that say they were visited by Ant-Man and the Wasp, so there may be some variation. Surprises are good.
Food at Worlds of Marvel
The appetizer choices were smoked salmon, bao buns, hearts of palm ceviche, and crispy shrimp. Salad choices were an heirloom tomato salad and an iceberg wedge and soup choices were potato and cream of mushroom.
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The entree selections were a spiced pork chop, a seafood pasta dish, a turbot filet, chicken schnitzel, and a ribeye. As with all Disney Cruise Line main dining room menus, there are vegetarian selections and a “lighter note” menu section, which always includes a salad, steak, chicken, and salmon prepared on the plain side.
The dessert selection did not disappoint and included sticky date pudding, key lime pie, chocolate torte, a donut sundae, cheesecake, and a flourless chocolate beetroot cake. DCL dessert menus always have a signature dessert, a sugar-free dessert, and some type of ice cream sundae. I go between the signature and the sugar-free, and my husband always goes for the ice cream.
I had the crispy shrimp appetizer and the Golden Mystic Pasta: angel hair pasta with caramelized sea scallops with tomatoes and spinach. For dessert, I had the cheesecake. My food was good, and I had no complaints, but it wasn’t anything to get overly excited about.
If I sail on the Wish a second time, I might choose the night we’re scheduled to dine at Worlds of Marvel to do something else, like grab room service or quick service food on deck or book an adult dining experience. The show was pretty all-consuming, and while it was cute, once was enough.
Arendelle: A Frozen Dining Adventure
Arendelle is Frozen-themed dining, and if you’ve dined at Tiana’s Place on the Disney Wonder or Rapunzel’s Royal Table on the Magic, this is the same concept. Disney has blown the theming out of the water with the Arendelle decor. The hallway into the restaurant is a full-on Frozen Instagram fest that makes you want to unashamedly belt out a chorus of For the First Time in Forever. At least it had that effect on me.
This is for you if you love a meal with a good backstory. The story picks up where Frozen II leaves off, and the meal is a party celebrating the engagement of Anna and Kristoff. The engagement party is hosted by Elsa herself and Olaf and put on by Oaken’s “Party Planning Service and Sauna.” All the characters are in attendance, so be prepared for many squeals as these iconic modern princesses enter the dining room.
The show is in three parts, so the entertainment is not continuous as you enjoy your meal. The stage is in the center of the room, so the idea is that guests will be able to see the show from anywhere in the dining room. The tables on the outer perimeter of the restaurant will naturally get less of a good view. The characters are fun and funny, and the whole experience is lighthearted and whimsical. You do have to be at least a little bit into the whole Frozen experience, though.
Food at Arendelle
As you might expect, the menu has a Nordic theme to it, but as with all DCL menus, there’s something designed to please all palates.
Appetizers include a charcuterie board with smoked salmon and trout, a Jarlseberg cheese and ham tart, chilled asparagus, and scallops in puff pastry. Salad offerings are cucumber, potato, and carrot salad and baby greens with lingonberry dressing, and soup choices are carrot and yellow split pea.
The entree selections were a dry-rubbed pork tenderloin, Chilean sea bass, braised meatballs on egg noodles, roasted chicken breast, and a ribeye. As with all Disney Cruise Line main dining room menus, there are vegetarian selections and a “lighter note” menu section, which always includes a salad, steak, chicken, and salmon prepared on the plain side.
Always Room for Dessert
Desserts included apple cake, a pancake with lingonberry jam and cheesecake, butter cake, chocolate cake, and an Elsa’s Coronation Sundae with mint chocolate chip ice cream. The no-sugar dessert was a lemon almond cake with citrus salad.
I had the scallops in puff pastry appetizer, which was delicious and surprisingly hearty. My experience with DCL appetizers is mostly positive, but the portions typically aren’t huge. This was. I also tried the baby greens salad and the carrot soup. The soup was a big winner for me. I went with the vegetarian potato lefse, which was just OK. None of the desserts really spoke to me, so I used that as an excuse to order a Mickey Ice Cream Bar, which is off-menu but always available.
SheBuysTravel Tip: Check out the kids menu for dessert selections. They’re different and sometimes offer different confections adults like, too, such as red velvet cake. Disney Cruise Line is also known to be extremely accommodating and I’ve heard that if you ask for a dessert from another dining room’s menu you can get it, although I’ve never done it myself.
1923
Best for last! Although I enjoyed all three main dining rooms on the Disney Wish, 1923 was my favorite. Although I enjoy Disney, I find myself gravitating more strongly toward any venue that’s not hyper character themed, especially now that my kids are older. 1923 is named for the year the Walt Disney Company was founded and the decor and artifacts pay homage to Disney’s early animation history.
1923 is split into two dining rooms, the Walt Disney and the Roy Disney. When you are lining up for dinner, it’s helpful to know what side your table is on but you won’t know that unless you’re already familiar with the dining room layout or you’ve taken the time to ask.
There are two lines to get into the restaurant and we waited in the Walt Disney line when our table was on the Roy Disney side, so we had to get out of one line and into another. While this was annoying for a moment, both lines moved quickly.
The vibe in 1923 is old Hollywood. There are original animation drawings located in cases throughout the restaurant, which are interesting to check out. The only drawback is the restaurant is quite crowded, and it’s difficult, if not impossible, to cruise around the restaurant looking at the displays.
Suppose you’re really interested in the art of animation… In that case, I recommend lingering and looking at the displays as the meal is coming to a close and people are leaving or choosing the table service breakfast option instead of the popular buffet, Marceline Market.
Food at 1923
The 1923 menu is California-inspired, a nod to the Walt Disney Company’s roots in the Golden State. Appetizers are spiced ahi tuna, a burrata plate, tri-color tortelloni and duck confit pastilla. Salad choices are fennel bartlett pear salad and a romaine lettuce salad with heirloom grape tomatoes. Soup offerings are pulled Guinea Hen corn chowder and a roasted tomato soup.
Main dishes included tortiglioni pasta with pancetta, seared salmon, rack of lamb, and a peppered filet mignon. As with all Disney Cruise Line main dining room menus, there are vegetarian selections and a “lighter note” menu section, which always includes a salad, steak, chicken, and salmon prepared on the plain side.
Dessert selections were churros, flourless orange almond cake, Fuji Apple cheesecake, a hot fudge sundae, blueberry lemon Bavarian cream, and a no-sugar added coconut tapioca pudding.
I had the burrata – and was thrilled to see this on the menu – the romaine salad, tomato soup, the filet and the Bavarian cream. This was my favorite meal of the cruise and I was pleased with my steak, which had received a lot of hype from the cruise podcasts I listen to.
It’s a smaller cut, which makes sense when you consider how much other food the average passenger consumes at a meal, but my only complaint is that the filet looked somewhat dry and unappetizing. It tasted great but when you conjure up an image of a juicy, perfect filet, this wasn’t it for me.
Marceline Market
Marceline Market is the Disney Wish’s buffet restaurant on Deck 11. All other Disney Cruise Line vessels have Cabanas, so for now, Marceline Market is exclusive to the Wish. The venue is named for the small Missouri town where Walt Disney grew up.
I’ll say upfront that I’ve never been a huge fan of Cabanas on the other ships. I always prefer to eat at the table service restaurants when I can, and when cruising, we usually confine our visits to the buffet for breakfast and occasionally lunch.
Marceline Market serves a buffet breakfast and lunch and, according to Disney Cruise Line, table service at dinner time. My family and I ate breakfast at Marceline Market once on our three-night cruise, so my assessment is based solely on that.
Breakfast at the Buffet
Breakfast at Marceline Market was extremely varied. No matter what you like for breakfast, it’s probably on the buffet. Scrambled eggs, bacon, Mickey Waffles, pancakes, fruit, pastries, yogurt – you name it – it’s probably available to you. The big difference between Cabanas and Marceline Market was that the employees plate your food at Marceline Market in most spaces instead of the guests serving themselves.
While I appreciate the nod to better health and safety, the serving process seemed extremely clunky to me. I’ve always found the Cabanas vibe chaotic and Marceline Market to be similar. That said, my food was solid.
SheBuysTravel Tip: Forego the premade scrambled eggs and find the eggs- and omelets-to-order station.
Quick Service Dining
If you don’t want to go to the dining room but aren’t vibing with the buffet, the Disney Wish has plenty of quick-service dining options. Deck 11 has the brand-new Mickey & Friends Festival of Foods, which means several food stands in one central spot. Guests can enjoy their goodies at one of the tables dotted around the deck or take their plates elsewhere on the ship. We frequently grab a few slices of pizza to munch on when we’re playing trivia and quiz games in the lounges.
The quick service food offerings include the DCL standbys of pizza and burgers, dogs, and fries. The Wish has two new food stands, Mickey’s Smokestack Barbecue and Donald’s Cantina. I’m sorry to report that I didn’t try any of the tacos and bowls available at Donald’s Cantina. I saw the food on other passengers’ tables and it looked fresh and delicious. It was a short cruise and I just didn’t make it into the taco line.
Mickey’s Smokestack BBQ
We did try the BBQ and while we appreciated the effort to offer something new and different, our meal was a miss. We tried smoked sausage, brisket and pulled pork with baked macaroni and cheese and sweet potato fries. While the sausage and pulled pork were just okay, the brisket seasoning tasted more like pastrami than brisket.
I’ve heard other passengers rave about the BBQ so I’d try it again on the hopes that maybe I hit an off day but this definitely wasn’t great BBQ brisket, although the quality of the meat was fine.
I appreciated being able to get sweet potato fries but the baked macaroni and cheese had a ton of breadcrumbs on top. I like a good bread crumb topping but the amount of bread on this macaroni and cheese was overpowering. And just for reference, I’m not a picky eater at all but the brisket and the mac n’ cheese really stood out as subpar.
Other Offerings on the Pool Deck
Goofy’s Grill had the standard burgers, dogs, chicken tenders, and bratwurst. They also offered an Impossible burger and plant-based sausage. And, of course, there was endless soft-serve ice cream at Sweet Minnie’s Ice Cream. There’s always vanilla and chocolate and the other flavors are switched out periodically so that you usually hit something new. My favorite is banana.
And, pizza on board a Disney cruise is still my all-time favorite. A slice of margherita pizza from Daisy’s Pizza Pies is the best second dinner ever.
Adults Only Dining
Up until this point, all of the cruise ship dining options discussed have been things that were included in the price of your cruise and available to all passengers. The Disney Wish has two adult-only, paid dining options, Palo Steakhouse and Enchanté.
Palo Steakhouse
The Disney Wish has Palo Steakhouse with a slightly different menu and theming than Palo on the other ships. Palo Steakhouse serves dinner and brunch on sea days. I’m a huge fan of Palo Brunch but I didn’t get the opportunity to eat at Palo during my cruise on the Wish. The cost of brunch is $45 per person* and is worth it. Even though I can’t speak specifically to Palo Steakhouse Brunch on the Wish, I’d except it to be nothing short of spectacular based on past experience.
Dinner at Palo Steakhouse is served from a fixed-price menu. There are a variety of steaks and chops, naturally, but there are seafood and pasta options as well, all more elevated than what you’ll find in the main dining room with spectacular ocean views – I recommend dining at sunset – and you’ll have access to a sommelier and an extensive wine list with Italian wines. Palo dinner is $50.
Enchanté
Enchanté by Chef Arnaud Lallement is an elegant, Beauty and the Beast-themed adult dining venue. Chef Lallement is a three Michelin-starred chef from Reims, France, who also curated the menu for Remy, the French restaurant on the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy.
There’s a subtle nod to Lumiere, everyone’s most-loved candlestick, in the logo, otherwise, Enchanté is mysteriously encased behind gleaming doors in The Rose lounge on the Wish. Enchanté serves dinner, champagne brunch, and a dessert experience. The reviews and pricing indicate the experience is very similar to Remy, which means around $125 per person for dinner.
Is Disney Wish Adult Dining for Me?
There is no need to spend additional money on dining on the Disney Wish unless you want to. The food in the main dining rooms is delicious and well-presented and there are a ton of other food options around the ship. Booking a meal at Palo Steakhouse is a sound deal, compared to what you’d pay for similar quality and ambiance elsewhere, if you’re a foodie or you’re craving a special occasion celebration meal.
If Enchanté is anything like Remy, it’s for the serious foodies with an adventurous palate and not for picky eaters or anyone with extensive dietary restrictions. If this doesn’t hit close to describing you, Enchanté might feel intimidating.
Adult Dining Dress Code and Reservations
Disney cruises, in general, are pretty casual, but Enchanté and Palo adhere to a dress code. Formal or semi-formal attire is recommended. Dress casual attire with a polished look is permitted (such as dress pants, jeans in good condition, collared shirts and blouses, and lifestyle shoes). Clothing such as T-shirts, swimwear, and sports attire is not permitted.
Try to make adult dining reservations prior to sailing. All Disney cruisers will have a booking window for onboard activities and shore excursions, which Disney calls Port Adventures. You will want to make reservations at the beginning of this window, which means 12:01 am Florida time. If you don’t get the reservation you want before your cruise, check as soon as you board the ship.
There’s a delightful Beauty and the Beast-themed space called The Rose with ocean views that sits at the entrance of Enchanté and Palo Steakhouse. You do not have to have dining reservations to order a drink at The Rose.
*All prices are subject to change.
Room Service
Most room service items on the Disney Wish are included in the cost of your cruise. A variety of soups, salads, pizza, sandwiches, and desserts can be delivered to your room 24 hours a day. Really.
Certain items on the room service menu are not free, so make sure you’re paying attention when you order. Alcohol, canned soda, and snacks like candy and popcorn aren’t included.
One More Pro Tip: Table Service All the Way
Here’s something I always do on a Disney Cruise. It may or may not fit your ideas of on-board dining but this is one of my best tips.
I’ve indicated that I’m not a big fan of the buffets on board Disney cruises, and it’s not that I don’t like buffets in general; it’s that there’s a better option. On embarkation day, there is one restaurant serving table service lunch. Most passengers head straight to the buffet or the pool deck when they get on board. We don’t eat breakfast the morning of our cruise, so we’re always ready to eat.
We love the table service lunch because it’s elevated and relaxing and gives us that right start to our cruise that we’ve come to love. The embarkation day table service lunch menu has been the same for the past four years on all Disney ships, including the Wish. I always order the same thing – salmon salad – and I always love it. It also gives us a look at one of the dining rooms during the daylight, which is fun for pictures.
There will be one table service restaurant open every morning of your cruise. Your dinner staff will tell you which one, but they’ll usually steer you toward the buffet. You’ll get a much better, more relaxed meal, albeit with fewer choices than the buffet, and a fun look at another dining room in the daylight.
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