With the Disney Wish heading to New York, there has been a lot of attention on the Wish lately. If you are considering a Disney Wish cruise, one of the experiences you will have onboard is Disney Cruise Line’s rotational dining.
On Disney Cruise Line itineraries, you rotate through different restaurants each night of your cruise. During my recent three-night sailing on the Disney Wish, we experienced all three rotational dining restaurants: Arendelle: A Frozen Dining Adventure, 1923, and Worlds of Marvel.
I went into this sailing with my clients in mind. As a travel agent specializing in Disney vacations, I wanted to pay attention to the questions I know families have about dining on the Wish. How does rotational dining work? What happens if you have a picky eater? How are allergies handled? What is included? How long does dinner take? And, of course, how is the food?
How Does Disney Wish Rotational Dining Work?
One of the things I really enjoy about Disney Cruise Line rotational dining is having a different experience to look forward to each night.
You won’t know your restaurant order until you get onboard. Once onboard, the Disney Cruise Line Navigator app will tell you which restaurant you will be dining at each night, as well as your table number.
When it is time for dinner, arrive at your restaurant at your assigned dining time, either early or late. You will be asked for your table number when you arrive, and that table number will stay the same throughout your cruise.
Your serving team stays the same too. While you move from restaurant to restaurant, your servers rotate with you each night.
We were seated at a large table, so there were a lot of orders to keep track of. Our servers always checked to make sure everyone received everything they ordered, including when people ordered more than one dish. This was one of the areas where Disney’s customer service really stood out to me.
If at any time you aren’t sure what to order, ask your servers. They can provide recommendations based on the menu and help you decide what you may enjoy. You also aren’t limited to ordering one dish from each section, which gives you plenty of opportunities to try something different without having to choose between two things that sound good.
Having the same serving team each night was something I really appreciated. Even though everything around us changed from one restaurant to the next, we continued to see the same servers throughout our cruise.
What Can You Order at Disney Wish Rotational Dining?
At each restaurant, you will be provided a menu with three courses: small plates, entrées, and desserts. There are plenty of options in each category, and if you can’t decide, you can order more than one.
If two small plates sound good, order both. If you are stuck between two entrées, you can order more than one of those too. There were several of us at our table trying different dishes throughout the cruise, and our servers made sure everyone received everything they ordered.
This is also a great option if you want to try something you normally wouldn’t order. You don’t necessarily have to choose between trying something new and ordering something you already know you will enjoy.
If you get to your main dining restaurant and don’t love the menu options, talk to your server. You can ask if an item you enjoyed from one of the other rotational dining restaurants is available. Your serving team is there to help, so it never hurts to ask about your options.
Dessert has some flexibility too. If you look at the dessert menu and nothing sounds good, you can request a Premium Mickey Ice Cream Bar instead.
What About Picky Eaters?
One question families may have when looking at the Disney Wish menus is what their picky eater is actually going to eat. There are plenty of options.
The kids menu includes familiar foods such as chicken strips, pasta, and pizza, so kids don’t have to order some of the more adventurous items from the regular menu. Even adults can order from the kids menu if they prefer one of those options.
Being able to order more than one dish can also help. If your child wants to try something new, they can still have another option available rather than worrying about whether they are going to like the one thing they ordered.
After seeing the options onboard, picky eating is not something I would be overly concerned about when looking at the rotational dining menus before your cruise.
What Is Included With Disney Wish Rotational Dining?
Your main dining has a lot already included in your cruise fare.
The food you order from the menu is included, including extra servings if you decide to order more than one appetizer or entrée. Soda with your meal is also included.
Specialty drinks and cocktails are available for an additional cost.
This means you can sit down each evening, look through the menu, and try different foods without worrying about an additional charge every time you decide you want to order another dish.
What About Food Allergies?
Food allergies were something I intentionally paid attention to during this sailing because I know this can be an important concern for the families I work with.
We were provided sanitizing wipes when entering the dining room, just another way Disney goes above and beyond to ensure everyone’s health. Once we were seated, our server immediately asked about allergies before taking our orders.
One of my friends has a gluten intolerance and ordered from a separate menu.
This is another place where having the same serving team each night is nice. Instead of starting over with a completely different serving team at every restaurant, your servers rotate with you and already know about the allergies and dietary needs you have discussed with them.
Disney Cruise Line goes above and beyond to ensure everyone dining has a safe meal. If someone in your family has a food allergy or intolerance, make sure to discuss your specific needs with Disney Cruise Line and your serving team.
Early or Late Dining on the Disney Wish?
We had early dining, which I would recommend for families.
Our dinners lasted almost two hours each night, so this is something I would keep in mind when deciding between early and late dining. Dinner is not necessarily a quick meal before moving on to the next thing. It is part of the evening experience.
During Arendelle and Worlds of Marvel, there are activities and entertainment happening throughout dinner, so there is typically something going on to help keep kids engaged during the longer meal.
For adults traveling without children, I would consider late dining.
Which option works best is going to depend on who you are traveling with, but knowing that our meals lasted almost two hours is something I discuss with my clients when booking their Disney cruise.
Arendelle: A Frozen Dining Adventure
Our first night onboard started with Arendelle.
We are big Frozen fans in my family, so I loved all the little details throughout the hallways and dining area. Walking in, you are greeted with family paintings that were showcased in the films. Remember Anna roaming those empty halls? Once inside, we were seated near the stage.
During dinner, songs from the movies were performed and characters arrived to greet the guests. Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, Oaken, and even Olaf participated in the show and also came around to say hello to each table.
During the show itself, the restaurant gets very loud and dark. This is especially something I let my families with young children know if they may be sensitive to loud experiences. If you have a noise-sensitive child, I would bring noise-canceling headphones with you for this dinner.
As for the food, I ordered the smallest appetizer at the table. It was almost comical.
My serving of asparagus, while good, was very small compared to what my neighbor received. The portion really depended on what you ordered. This was definitely a night when I was wishing I had ordered a second small plate.
1923
Our next night was 1923, which was by far my favorite of the three dining locations.
This elegantly themed restaurant brings out the 1920s aesthetic while surrounding you with the artists of Disney. The restaurant is split into two sides, Walt and Roy. We were seated on the Roy Disney side, which highlights some of the more modern animated movies.
The dining experience was more refined without feeling formal, which I appreciated after our loud night in Arendelle.
The food at 1923 was my favorite of the three dining locations as well. Everyone at our table agreed that they enjoyed their dishes, including a lobster salad.
This night also happened to be our Pirate Night. Due to our short three-night sailing, we did not have a separate Pirate Night menu that would typically be available on a longer Disney cruise. Instead, we had the regular 1923 menu.
Worlds of Marvel
Our final restaurant, and final night aboard the Disney Wish, was Worlds of Marvel. This restaurant was the surprise of our entire group.
When I saw the menu and the red rolls, I thought I would be ordering room service right after dinner. Instead, we were all pleasantly surprised at how wonderful the food actually was. Every person at my table recommended their dish, and the favorite dessert was the sticky date pudding.
The show experience was a good middle ground between Arendelle and 1923. There was a show on the screens highlighting various Marvel characters, along with an interactive beacon on our table that we needed to use to help achieve success in the mission.
There were also quiet moments when we could chat with those at our table without feeling like we were missing the show.
Finally, we had a cameo from Spider-Man, who arrived in time to visit the tables before departing for another mission.
Worlds of Marvel was not the restaurant I expected to surprise me with the food, but it did. Our entire table walked away talking about how much we enjoyed what we ordered.
Why Firsthand Experience Matters
At All In Vacay, firsthand experience is something we really value because it helps us better serve our clients. There is only so much you can learn about a destination from reading about it online.
That was a big focus for me while sailing on the Disney Wish. As a travel agent specializing in Disney vacations, I wasn’t only looking at whether I enjoyed my meal. I was paying attention to the things my clients may ask me later. How loud does Arendelle actually get? How long should a family expect to be at dinner? What choices are there for picky eaters? How are allergies handled? Would I recommend early or late dining?
Experiencing those things myself helps me give my clients information based on what I actually saw and experienced onboard.
It also helps when a family has needs that may be different from another family. A child who is sensitive to noise may have a very different experience at Arendelle than a child who loves being right in the middle of the music and entertainment. Those are the details I want to know when I am helping a family plan their vacation.
Working with a travel agent gives you someone who can help you sort through those details and decide what makes the most sense for your family.
Overall, I really enjoyed rotational dining on the Disney Wish. Each night gave us a completely different dining experience, while having the same serving team gave us consistency throughout the cruise. Between the food, entertainment, and Disney service, dining became part of the experience each night rather than simply somewhere we went to eat.
Thinking about sailing on the Disney Wish or another Disney ship? Contact All In Vacay, and let’s start planning your Disney cruise!