How Did We Eat So Much?! Lots of Pics + DxDDP + DCL! *UPDATES 7/12*

[Bonifay5]

I am looking forward to your Fantasy food review.

 

[RGirl]

LOL at the picture of the Willow-head sized cinnamon roll!

If you're going to have a cinnamon roll, it may as well be as big as your head!

Sorry the cupcakes weren't as good as you had hoped, I agree they certainly look good. I've been told we have a bakery here that does amazing vegan, gluten-free, allergen-free cupcakes and other baked goods. I don't have any issues with food allergies so I've never tried Babycakes, I go for the ones with all the bad stuff added, LOL.

I would MUCH rather go for those myself. I really don't bother with gluten-free baked goods most of the time - it's not like I need the calories. But on vacation, it's fun to try some things, and most of the treats I got at Disney were great.

So excited to see the start of your cruise reviews! Your room service items all look very good, glad you both enjoyed them. Your frosty adult beverage looks yummy as well, can't do sail-away without one of those!

It was the perfect start to the more relaxed half of our vacation.

Looking forward to the next instalment.

Coming up (finally)!

I am looking forward to your Fantasy food review.

Thanks! Coming up right now!!!

 

[RGirl]

Royal Court Dinner - French Dinner Menu​

On DCL, you are assigned to a dining rotation, which tells you which of three main restaurants you are assigned to each night. Your service team is with you at each restaurant. (There are also two up-charge adults-only restaurants on the Fantasy, but I will tell you more about those later.)

For our first dining experience, we were assigned to Royal Court, which was featuring the French Dinner menu this evening. Royal Court is a beautiful restaurant - very princessy, so we were happy. I didn’t get any great shots of the restaurant this evening, but hopefully, I will have some pictures to share in another update, because we did eat here a few times.

I did get pictures of the menu!

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Service on DCL is like nowhere else I have ever been. Our serving team on the Fantasy was no exception. They brought drinks immediately (and from this night on, DD’s drink of choice was always waiting for her at the table) and bread. Bread service tonight was warm herb brioche with an olive spread. Unfortunately, I couldn’t enjoy either of them, but DD did enjoy the bread. I loved the bread basket!

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Don’t feel too sorry for me though. Our assistant server promptly provided some nicely warmed gluten-free rolls.

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You may be wondering how food allergies/intolerances are handled on the ship. Well, for me, the kitchen was able to provide me a very nice meal and some choices this evening. From this night on, I would be presented with the next night’s menu at the end of the meal; I would place my order then, and that ensured that I could choose almost anything because there would be enough time for the chefs to prepare it allergen-free. It worked very well.

For her appetizer, DD chose a melon boat with strawberries. She was very pleased when our assistant server proceeded to cut up the melon for her.

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For her dinner, she chose mac and cheese. (Prepare yourself, you will be seeing this a lot; she developed a weird week-long obsession with Disney mac and cheese. )

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DD was so eager to get to the kids club that she skipped dessert! We had late dining, and during that dining rotation, the kids club counselors actually come to the restaurants to pick up any kids who want to ditch their parents and head to the clubs. DD was definitely one of them. She was gone in a flash!

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One of the best things about DCL dining in my opinion is that portion sizes are perfect - not obscenely huge, but nicely sized to make it possible to enjoy several courses without exploding. So I ordered the Iced Lobster and Jumbo Shrimp - white and green asparagus, micro greens, and lemon-dill dressing with horseradish cream.

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This was nice and fresh and flavorful.

I also ordered the Avocado-Citrus Salad with iceberg and radicchio leaves and orange vinaigrette. This was nice too - fresh, crisp, cold. Yum!

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My entree was the Aged Grilled Beef Tenderloin topped with Garlic Shrimp - sauteed snow peas and marquis potatoes with a cognac reduction. I couldn’t eat all of this, of course, but it was pretty tasty.

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Here is the dessert menu for your viewing pleasure.

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Obviously, there weren’t a lot of options for me. But don’t fret! My wonderful serving team presented me with a delectable gluten-free cookie sundae!

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It was a great meal! And it was even nice to have some time alone, and I’m sure DD enjoyed some time without me after a full week of being together 24 hours a day.

 

[emmysmommy]

What a lovely first meal on the ship! I was interested to see how they addressed your food allergy but they have that one covered. That's a great plan to let you chose the night before.

Mmmmm that tenderloin and the shrimp look delicious. I love that they had so many choices and the lighter options section. I agree about portion sizes. It allows you to have more courses if they keep them smaller. If you want an extra of something I'm assuming they would bring it to you as well.

Did you have your own table? If so, did you have to request it? Just curious. For all of our cruises except one, we were seated with others.

Ok, nosiness aside, looks like a great start for your cruise.

 

[shan23877]

That picture of Willow's empty seat cracked me up.

The meal sounds divine. Am I the only one who chooses what would get when menu pics are posted? I would have gone with the steak too BTW.

Seems like a great system for addressing allergies!

That bread basket is adorable. I want one.

Where are the adult beverage photos? Willow was at the kids' club, surely you had one or two???

 

[RGirl]

What a lovely first meal on the ship! I was interested to see how they addressed your food allergy but they have that one covered. That's a great plan to let you chose the night before.

Yes, I have read people complaining about having to choose the night before, but I didn't mind at all. Because of doing it that way, they were really able to accommodate almost any request - I really was able to choose almost anything on the menu, which is very cool. And there were several nights we didn't dine in the main dining rooms, and our team was still able to pretty much guess what I would have ordered for the next night. DCL is amazing!

Mmmmm that tenderloin and the shrimp look delicious. I love that they had so many choices and the lighter options section. I agree about portion sizes. It allows you to have more courses if they keep them smaller. If you want an extra of something I'm assuming they would bring it to you as well.

I absolutely love the portion sizes on DCL - I almost never enjoy multiple courses because everything is so huge. You really can enjoy several courses on the ship because the portions are not outrageous - I mean, you still can't finish everything, but it's nowhere near as wasteful as at a land-based restaurant.

Yes, you could order every appetizer and every entree if you wanted to, I'm sure! And wait until I get to the Remy meals! OMG! AMAZING!

Did you have your own table? If so, did you have to request it? Just curious. For all of our cruises except one, we were seated with others.

We did have our own table. And I did request it. There is no guarantee, but we were accommodated. I was actually torn about it because I thought it might be nice to have other folks to talk to, but I also knew that Willow would likely desert me at times, and I wasn't super-comfortable with sitting there with a family by myself if they were having a great time and I was just kind of forcing my way into their dining experience. On the Wonder, we were a party of 4, and I never though about it, but we were seated at a table for 4 just for our party. Luckily, the MDRs do have a lot of smaller tables, so I think it is pretty easy for them to accommodate requests not to be seated with other families.

Ok, nosiness aside, looks like a great start for your cruise.

Can't wait to share more! We love DCL!!!

That picture of Willow's empty seat cracked me up.

I was cracking up when I took that photo!

The meal sounds divine. Am I the only one who chooses what would get when menu pics are posted? I would have gone with the steak too BTW.

I always do that! It's one of the reasons I tried so hard this trip to remember to take menu pics. I love picking out my meals when reading DRs!

Seems like a great system for addressing allergies!

It worked beautifully for me.

That bread basket is adorable. I want one.

I would not be surprised if you could purchase it in the gift shop with the $4,328 Animator's Palate bread knife…..

Where are the adult beverage photos? Willow was at the kids' club, surely you had one or two???

Honey, I think you know me well enough to know that I had already had at least one or two and that more were coming…. :

 

[vettegirl]

What a lovely meal on the ship. The presentation and selections look incredible. Thanks for sharing!!

 

[englishrose47]

Loved the dining choices !! I know I had the shrimp/lobster appie and the steak and shrimp entree on the Dream . Royal Courtwas a favorite of mine we ate breakfast there 3 mornings and I loved it !!!

 

[RGirl]

What a lovely meal on the ship. The presentation and selections look incredible. Thanks for sharing!!

We really enjoyed our DCL dining. I'm glad you are continuing to read along - thanks!

Loved the dining choices !! I know I had the shrimp/lobster appie and the steak and shrimp entree on the Dream . Royal Courtwas a favorite of mine we ate breakfast there 3 mornings and I loved it !!!

We really loved Royal Court too! Some of our favorite moments together this vacation were over lunch at Royal Court.

 

[RGirl]

Cabanas Breakfast​

Cabanas is the buffet restaurant on the Fantasy. It serves incredibly varied foods for breakfast and lunch. In the evening, it turns into a table-service establishment, and is a no-up-charge alternative to rotational dining - so if you didn’t feel like dining at your assigned time or in your assigned restaurant, you could always go to Cabanas.

On our first Fantasy morning, DD chose Cabanas for breakfast. She is really more of a breakfast person than I am, and I had BIG plans for brunch/lunch, so this was totally her call.

This is a terrible picture, but I just loved these plates!

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In a complete first for me, I managed to take pictures of some of the buffet offerings! Mind you - this is just a small sampling of what was available.

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And here is what DD chose for breakfast - a chocolate croissant, bacon, cheesy eggs, hash browns, pancake, salami, donut, and watermelon. She was all about the donut - Krispy Kreme, I do believe.

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Over all, Cabanas was a wonderful breakfast option! There were so many choices - far, far, far more than what I was able to capture by camera. This place is a dream come true for big breakfast lovers. Everything we have eaten at Cabanas (or Beach Blanket Buffet on the Wonder) has been very fresh and at an appropriate temperature - both really important things for me when dining at a buffet.

I apologize for the mini-reiview, but rest assured, there will be a BIG adults-only brunch review following this one!!!

 

[shan23877]

Willow is such a girl after my own heart. Doughnuts, bacon, and salami. I cannot wait to have bacon sandwiches with that girl someday.

Eager to hear about your fancy brunch!

 

[Linda67]

So happy to see that your awesome reviews have flipped over to DCL (one of my fave places to be!)
I agree with you on the service onboard, it really is spectacular and nothing is too much trouble for the staff
Thanks for the menu pics from Royal Court, I've already picked out my courses for June

 

[kel585]

Your daughter is beyond cute. Really enjoying reading your reports.

 

[RGirl]

Willow is such a girl after my own heart. Doughnuts, bacon, and salami. I cannot wait to have bacon sandwiches with that girl someday.

Eager to hear about your fancy brunch!

You and Willow will definitely have a blast! But let Maddie know that I will not insist on cucumber sandwiches during our girly day!

So happy to see that your awesome reviews have flipped over to DCL (one of my fave places to be!)
I agree with you on the service onboard, it really is spectacular and nothing is too much trouble for the staff
Thanks for the menu pics from Royal Court, I've already picked out my courses for June

Thanks so much for continuing to stick with me! Isn't dining on DCL a blast???

I love looking at menu pics - I always pick out what I would order.

Your daughter is beyond cute. Really enjoying reading your reports.

Thank you! And thanks so much for reading along. I hope you continue to do so - sorry for how slow I am!

 

[RGirl]

Remy Brunch​

The day was finally here - my first experience dining at Remy! On this day, I was heading to Remy for brunch.

Here is how Remy is described on the menu that I was given to take at the end of the meal:

“Bonjour and welcome to Remy, Disney Cruise Line’s luxurious gourmet French Restaurant. Remy creates a dynamic landscape where the talents of Chef Arnaud Lallement from L’Assiette Champenoise, of a two-star Michelin restaurant in Reims, France and Scott Hunnel from award-winning Victoria and Albert’s at Walt Disney World, combine to deliver a menu of Epicurean excellence.

“Prepare your taste buds to be dazzled by this delectable display of contemporary and modern French cuisine, accompanied with some of the world’s finest wines. Be our Guest on your journey in a Champagne Brunch of culinary delight and exquisite service.”

Now, some of you have probably had the opportunity to dine at Victoria & Albert’s or other restaurants of that type. I, however, never have. So I was beyond excited for this opportunity. And let me just say right up front - Remy did NOT disappoint.

The night before my brunch, I received my “invitation” from Remy:

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As you can see, my brunch was scheduled for noon. I headed up to Deck 12 aft where Remy is located. This part of the ship houses Remy as well as the Fantasy’s other adults-only, up-charge restaurant, Palo. Between the two restaurants is a beautiful bar called Meridian. I had a seat there since I was a few minutes early. This is a beautiful space.

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Soon the other 12:00 brunchers had arrived, and we were all led into Remy’s wine room where we were presented with a glass of champagne and a small plate of thinly sliced Jamon Iberico.

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The Jamon was delicious and paired perfectly with the Champagne. While we enjoyed these treats, the chef explained today’s menu to us, and the sommelier told us about the champagnes that would be paired with our courses. Next, servers arrived to show parties to their tables. I followed Niko to my table, which was perfect. I was seated in a beautiful little booth with a beautiful view of the ocean. As a lone diner, I did not feel that I was shoved in a corner at all, but I also did not feel like I was put on display in the middle of the dining room. It was perfect for me.

Here’s my view:

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And my table setting - Niko told me to mix a little of the (SOFT) butter with the salt to my liking. This was fun, and very delicious.






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Niko also went over my gluten problem with me, explaining that the chef would create a safe menu for me. He asked me whether there were any courses that I was opposed to - you know, anything I particularly didn’t like or would like to substitute. I told him that I wanted to try the menu exactly as the chef had planned it with no substitutions. I chose this dining experience as an opportunity to stretch my culinary muscles a little - I am not a terribly picky eater at all, but there are things I just don’t usually like. I wanted to eat whatever the chef was making and try it the way he intended it to be eaten in order to fully experience this level of culinary skill.

Niko brought me this beautiful, warm, toasted gluten-free bread. It was so good - no weird texture or flavor at all. It was so delicious with the salted butter.

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And the sommelier served up a delicious glass of Taittinger Prestige Cuvee Rose. Mmmmmmm

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I tried to take a few pictures of the decor to share with all of you.

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This was the fabric on my booth - so cute but under-stated:

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The backs of the chairs were just perfect!

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The first course was a Sweetcorn Emulsion. Now, up until this moment, the soup at Artist Point was about the best soup I had ever had. Sadly for Artist Point, its reign was short-lived. This soup (it was so much more than soup!) was divine - sweet, but not sweet, velvety, rich, just delicious.

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Niko brought out my next course - a lightly smoked salmon with caviar and exquisite accompaniments, including these little flowers and micro greens that Niko explained were grown on this one particular farm and then packaged in some kind of over-the-top packaging to be fresh for use at Remy. Wow!

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Continued in next post due to too many mouth-watering photos!

 

[RGirl]

Remy Brunch Continued!​

Next Niko presented me with his favorite dish, and it was very much the best course of the brunch. It was a perfectly cooked piece of sea bass with a crispy top sitting on a little circle of the world’s best scrambled eggs with a Thai sauce (I believe my sauce was made separately and slightly differently to be gluten-free).

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Now eggs are one of those things where I am a little picky - I like my eggs overcooked and get kind of freaked out by “wet” eggs. This was a perfect example of why I was so very glad that I had decided to set aside my prior experiences and preferences and go with what the chef prepared as he chose to prepare it. This dish would not have been nearly as delicious if I had insisted on overdone hard eggs.

Somewhere in here, the sommelier returned and poured a glass of Pommery “Pop Gold” ’06. The sommelier had explained during the wine room talk that people want to be able to drink champagne while viewing the Eiffel Tower, but you aren’t allowed to just walk around with glasses of champagne (one would think that if there was anywhere you could, it would be France! ). So this champagne was created - it comes in a small bottle that can fit in a coat pocket. Interestingly, the bottle can be shaken, and it will not fizz all over when the bottle is opened. I think the sommelier felt this particular champagne was pretty gimmicky, but it was fun!

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Next up was a veal tenderloin with potato croquettes. Because of my gluten issue, the chef had made me some crispy “french fries” instead of the croquettes. They were tasty! Now, I have never eaten veal - I just don’t like the way the animal is raised. However, again, I had decided to do this meal as the chef intended, so I had my first veal. It was good - I won’t be making it a habit to eat veal because it still doesn’t feel right to me - but I am glad I tried it, and it certainly was a delicious dish.

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Next, was the dessert champagne pairing - Moet & Chandon Ice. This champagne is intended to be served over ice. Admittedly, that sounded odd to me. However, this was delicious! It was such a perfect summer day beverage.

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I believe the non-allergen dessert was a kind of hazelnut cream puff-type thing. I was served a hazelnut cream topped with hazelnut gelato. This was divine. As you know by now, I am not a big dessert fan, but this was perfect for me - it was not very sweet, and it somehow managed to be both rich and light at the same time. It was the perfect end to this perfect meal.

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Of course, that was not really the end, as I was presented with handmade candies as well - an elderflower marshmallow and chocolate and lemon lollipops.

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Niko also provided me with a menu to take with me.

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I think you all know by now what I thought of Remy. It was spectacular! As of this date, it was the best meal I have ever had. But I had a Remy dinner coming up - would brunch at Remy remain my all-time favorite meal????

 

[shan23877]

AMAZING! I am absolutely green with envy right now! That sounds like an incredible meal. Do I get to intrude on your Remy brunch if we all do DCL together? If not I'll get my own table. That sounds too good to pass up. Do you think it would be weird for a non-drinker to do the brunch?

I feel the same way about veal, but I'd love to do what you did-experiences like that are not about making substitutions. They're for trying as many new things as possible!

Now I'm even more intrigued to hear about your dinner there!

 

[DisneyJo]

I definitely read your reports in the right order as I've just posted that I look forward to reading about your brunch and now here it is

Your meal sounded absolutely delicious and a very decadent way to spend some alone time

 

[disneygirl2785]

HI! I just found your dining reviews/TR and I love it! Y'all went so many places its great to hear you compare them all! Also, its great to hear of your GF experiences. If you think being GF is bad...try GF AND corn free! Ugh! I don't "get sick" when I get glutened or corned though, which is good. Anyway, can't wait to hear more!

 

[RGirl]

AMAZING! I am absolutely green with envy right now! That sounds like an incredible meal. Do I get to intrude on your Remy brunch if we all do DCL together? If not I'll get my own table. That sounds too good to pass up. Do you think it would be weird for a non-drinker to do the brunch?

OMG - the only thing that would make it better would be to be able to do it together! You and Bryan have to do a date night at Remy, but if we could do brunch, I would be thrilled! Not weird at all on the champagne - the champagne pairing is an add-on, so there are loads of people who brunch without it. Not me, of course…..

I feel the same way about veal, but I'd love to do what you did-experiences like that are not about making substitutions. They're for trying as many new things as possible!

I am so happy that I did it this way! It was an incredible experience. Next time, I would do the exact same thing except note that I'm not in love with eating veal. They have many other options.

Now I'm even more intrigued to hear about your dinner there!

I can't wait to tell you about it! I think it will be the best date-night spot EVER!

I definitely read your reports in the right order as I've just posted that I look forward to reading about your brunch and now here it is

Thanks so much for keeping up with both!

Your meal sounded absolutely delicious and a very decadent way to spend some alone time

It really was the most luxurious alone time I have ever had.

HI! I just found your dining reviews/TR and I love it! Y'all went so many places its great to hear you compare them all! Also, its great to hear of your GF experiences. If you think being GF is bad...try GF AND corn free! Ugh! I don't "get sick" when I get glutened or corned though, which is good. Anyway, can't wait to hear more!

Hey there! Thanks so much for reading and joining in!!! I am not a fan of having to make ANY special orders; I can't imagine having to deal with two dietary issues. I bet Disney takes good care of you though!