Disney Cruise Line is famous for its rotational dining in its main dining rooms, and I’ve talked about on-deck food options in the past, but what if you don’t feel like going up on deck to get dinner and just want to hang out in your stateroom or on your verandah? Luckily, as I’ve said before, there’s no hunger on the high seas – Disney has you covered with some amazing 24-hour room service options. Best of all, unlike some other cruise lines, it’s free!
Diva Tip: Room service is free, but if you want to give the crew member bringing your room service order a gratuity, you can either give them a few dollar bills, or simply write it in on the receipt they will have you sign and it will be charged to your onboard account.
Many first-time cruisers get overwhelmed with all the dining options and don’t even realize that room service exists. Each stateroom comes equipped with a hard-backed book, and inside, in addition to ship information and port guides, is a room service menu.
Every stateroom has a hard cover book with a copy of the room service menu inside
The menu features soups, salads, sandwiches, entrees, and desserts. There’s really something for everyone here – everything from chicken tenders and mac and cheese to a grilled salmon salad or panini.
Ordering is easy – you just pick up your stateroom phone and pick the stateroom dining option. They will give you a rough estimate of when they will be bringing it to your room, but I have generally found that they over estimate the amount of time it will take, and it usually comes much sooner.
The All Hands on Deck cheese platter
Diva Tip: While it’s not on the menu, you can always order Mickey ice cream bars from room service.
When the crew member delivering your room service knocks on the door, they will ask if it’s all right to come in, and they will place the tray on the coffee table in front of your sofa.
Probably my favorite thing to order, especially in the afternoons after we come back on board after a shore excursion, is the All Hands on Deck. This is billed as “A special selection of international cheeses served with crackers.” It’s essentially cheeses like cheddar, gouda, brie, swiss, blue cheese, or a Babybel (options vary with each ship/time of year) along with crackers (those vary, too) and grapes. On our most recent cruise on the Dream, there were also some celery sticks on the side.
Key Lime Pie from the room service dessert menu
My daughter and I ordered this almost every day, and we ended up ordering ours with just the cheeses we liked. This brings me to my next point: many of the items are premade, and thus can’t be customized, but there are some that are not. We were able to ask for our cheese plate with just the cheeses we knew we would eat. We also asked for a side of fries another day. Just ask the crew member who takes your order if it is possible to get something made the way you like it. And if you have allergy concerns, definitely ask before ordering.
Tip: It’s also not on the menu, but you can order free, packaged Uncrustables from room service. These are great snacks to bring along on Port Adventures.
It’s important to note that not everything is free of charge on the menu: if you get alcohol, bottled water, smoothies, or specialty snack items like M&Ms, peanuts, or popcorn, there will be an extra fee. And while soda is always free up on deck, if you order it from room service, they will bring you canned soda and charge you accordingly. Milk, coffee, and hot tea are always free.
The room service breakfast menu.
On our last trip, we only ordered snacks like the cheese platter, French fries, and fruit. We did try out the key lime pie, and it was surprisingly good. I’ve also had the soup and my kids have had the pizza and the mac and cheese. While it’s not anything to write home about, you sure can’t beat the convenience.
Room service breakfast tray. The thermal carafe keeps coffee or hot water warm for hours.
Another super convenient aspect is that if you know you have a busy port day ahead of you and would rather not spend the time going to Cabanas or one of the main dining rooms to eat breakfast, you can just pre-order a continental breakfast to be delivered to your room.
You’ll find a door hanger with the information in one of the drawers in your cabin. You can choose from a few options (it’s mostly fruit, cereals, and breads/pastries), pick a time slot, and hang it on your door the evening before. The next morning, they will deliver it to your door.
Diva Tip: Don’t feel like being woken up by room service but still want to enjoy a cup of coffee on your verandah in the morning? Order some coffee or tea the evening before: it comes in thermal carafes that keep the contents warm until the next morning.
When you’re done with your tray, you can either leave it outside the door of your stateroom, or simply leave it on the coffee table and your stateroom host or hostess will clear it away.
Goodies available at the Vista Cafe
Now, this post is about room service, but I also wanted to mention that there are other places to get free food on the ships. The Cove Café on the Wonder and the Magic and both the Cove and Vista Cafes on the Dream and Fantasy have refrigerated cases that stock all kinds of yummy snacks throughout the day. In the earlier part of the day, there are pastries, muffins, and desserts, and then around 6 pm, they will feature some cheeses, olives, and bread sticks. For sanitary reasons, these cases are no longer self-serve.
On the Magic, O’Gills pub also has a buffet serving all kinds of snacks starting in the late afternoon. The Wonder’s Crown and Fin has something similar. Everything from chips and salsa, guacamole, and nacho cheese sauce to wings, hot dogs, carrot sticks, celery sticks, and ranch dip. On our recent cruise on the Dream, there was an area near 687 Pub that looked like they might set up a similar buffet, but we never saw it in use.
Diva Tip: Children under 18 are not allowed in the Cove Café, so an adult will have to grab snacks for kids and take them outside, but families are allowed in the Vista Café. O’Gills and 687 Pub allow families until the early evening, usually 8 pm. Check your Navigator or Navigator app for hours.
As you can clearly see, there’s no shortage of places to eat on board Disney Cruise ships. Whatever hour of the day, you will surely find something to hit the spot!
Want FREE help planning your Disney cruise? Contact Patricia at All For Dreams travel for all your vacation planning needs!
