Fantasy Embarkation food/lunch? Best place?

[CruiserJill]

Can someone suggest the best place to get lunch after we embark on the Disney Fantasy? In the past, I've found the buffet to be REALLY crowded, are there better alternatives for lunch after we get on the ship?

 

We are on the Disney Fantasy, departing on Saturday, January 19th, 2013, after an overnight stay at Saratoga Springs (near Downtown Disney) in Orlando area. We MAY be bringing our own lunch (tuna sandwiches), but want to start eating the Disney food ASAP!

 

Thanks!!

 

Cruiser Jill

[Shmoo here]

Can someone suggest the best place to get lunch after we embark on the Disney Fantasy? In the past, I've found the buffet to be REALLY crowded, are there better alternatives for lunch after we get on the ship?

 

We are on the Disney Fantasy, departing on Saturday, January 19th, 2013, after an overnight stay at Saratoga Springs (near Downtown Disney) in Orlando area. We MAY be bringing our own lunch (tuna sandwiches), but want to start eating the Disney food ASAP!

 

Thanks!!

 

Cruiser Jill

 

Are you talking about bringing tuna sandwiches to the ship from WDW? You can't bring non-commercially, pre-wrapped, unsealed food onboard.

 

One of the MDRs will be open for lunch (limited hours) on embarkation day. Sorry, I'm not sure which one. But it will also be a buffet. However, you are seated prior to going though the buffet line and there are servers for your drinks.

 

:)

[dexddd]

You'd also have the food around the pool area. They've had some type of tuna wraps in the past that are good if tuna is your thing.

[CruiserJill]

Thanks for the answers, I did see in some of the documentation last night that you cannot bring food on board, so if we still have our sandwiches, we'll make sure to eat them before we arrive! Thanks for pointing that out, though, as that restriction never occurred to me!

 

I'm just trying to figure out where the crowds for lunch on the first day will be small, the main dining room or the buffet up top. In the past, we've been stuck in some badly crowded buffets, and would like a more relaxing start to our cruise.

 

Thanks again!

[jkrislc]

Your best bet may be the quick service locations around the pool if you're trying to avoid crowds as most people don't even consider those as an option on the first day. I've also read that the buffet is much larger and better organized than on the classic ships, so it might be worth checking out when deciding.

[dexddd]

Yes, the buffets on the new ships are much larger and more spread out than the two older ships. It was pretty busy on the first day when we went to the buffet on the Dream but if you have a little patience you will be seated fairly quickly and you will have no problem getting food. The selection in the new ships' buffets is large or you can go out by the pool area for snacks.

[winnie1274]

Can someone suggest the best place to get lunch after we embark on the Disney Fantasy? In the past, I've found the buffet to be REALLY crowded, are there better alternatives for lunch after we get on the ship?

 

We are on the Disney Fantasy, departing on Saturday, January 19th, 2013, after an overnight stay at Saratoga Springs (near Downtown Disney) in Orlando area. We MAY be bringing our own lunch (tuna sandwiches), but want to start eating the Disney food ASAP!

 

Thanks!!

 

Cruiser Jill

when we were on the Dream we ate at Cabana's once we boarded. Yes it was busy but there was allot of seating. The CMs made sure my family was able to get a table as quickly as possible & assisted me getting to & from the buffet (powerchair user). Cabana's has everything you can think of. My kids made 4 or 5 trips to the buffet before they finally called it quits. The buffet wraps around & starts repeating 1/2 way around so no matter where you are seated you have plenty of options. We found that the farther back in seating area that we went the less crowded it was, seems everyone was grabbing tables closer to the entrance. After we ate lunch my kids discovered the soft serve ice cream station. I didn't think they had anymore room in their tummys but they did. By the time we were done with lunch & ice cream it was time to go to our room. I realize that there was allot of people on deck 11, but it really seemed open & airy.

[tweis]

On our cruise on the Dream this past June, Enchanted Garden was open for lunch during embarktion. Yes, it is buffet but it is ALOT less crowded than Cabanas and a CM will seat you and get your drinks. They will tell you upon boarding to head to Cabanas for lunch but if you ask the CM they will tell you which mdr is open. :)

[Supercrossfox21]

Are you talking about bringing tuna sandwiches to the ship from WDW? You can't bring non-commercially, pre-wrapped, unsealed food onboard.

 

One of the MDRs will be open for lunch (limited hours) on embarkation day. Sorry, I'm not sure which one. But it will also be a buffet. However, you are seated prior to going though the buffet line and there are servers for your drinks.

 

:)

 

Does this mean we can't bring snacks, such as goldfish, fruit cups, cereal bars, etc on board in out checked luggage, even if they have never been opened? (Our 3 yr old likes certain snacks). When we cruised on Carnival in Oct 2010 I brought a bunch of snacks in our luggage and never had any problem- in fact I had a full suitcase full of snacks and liquid formula. Just wondering if things have changed since then.

[dexddd]

Does this mean we can't bring snacks, such as goldfish, fruit cups, cereal bars, etc on board in out checked luggage, even if they have never been opened? (Our 3 yr old likes certain snacks). When we cruised on Carnival in Oct 2010 I brought a bunch of snacks in our luggage and never had any problem- in fact I had a full suitcase full of snacks and liquid formula. Just wondering if things have changed since then.

 

Yes you can bring pre-packaged foods like goldfish, chips, granola bars, candy, etc.

 

That being said, around the pool there is a venue that serves fruit, wraps, and other healthy food that is open a large chunk of the day.

[Supercrossfox21]

Yes you can bring pre-packaged foods like goldfish, chips, granola bars, candy, etc.

 

That being said, around the pool there is a venue that serves fruit, wraps, and other healthy food that is open a large chunk of the day.

 

Thank you.

[moki'smommy]

At boarding, you'll find food available at Cabanas (pool deck buffet), Enchanted Garden (inside buffet--you'll be escorted to a table and have beverages served to you), and at the various fast food outlets on the pool deck.

 

We prefer Enchanted Garden/Parrot Cay. Yes, they are buffets, but we like to sit and have beverages served to us (including refills). However, others like the sea view on the pool deck--your call.