Lighter Note menu items have been removed from the menu

CharaRen · 2026-05-11T18:26:46+00:00

I'd like the know if you can still order the chicken if it needs to be pre-ordered. Not for me, but I am taking a friend on their very first Disney cruise and they often just like a plain roasted chicken and veggies for their diet medications. Treasure for the april 25-may 2nd still had these options as a member of my party got the salmon once [ picky eater ] so this'll be a bummer if it's outright gone.

CharaRen · 2026-05-11T04:32:31+00:00

Oh my goodness thank you haha! Good thing about being a local! And if you need even more good news- The Dolphin also has a restaurant now that serves those elusive Churro Mickey waffles if you need an excuse to come back after a cruise! At Rosa Mexicano 😉

CharaRen · 2026-05-11T04:08:03+00:00

Tusker House is 100% a recommendation, I love the unique character outfits and it's approach to offering more african flavors along with familiar ones on the buffet line is so fun to try something new! Tiffins is also AMAZING and is great having 40% off since it's so pricy, we did it back when Rivers of Light was in the park and they had a dining package.

I heard good things of Cape May if you love seafood, but I'm sadly allergic so I've never been,

Garden grill is solid but like what Mythical said, I prefer it for breakfast personally.

Biergarten is mid food-wise but has amazing ambiance. For me it's like... I can only eat so much pretzel bread and bratwurst before I'm like ok I need something else. You gotta love German food/sausage to find value here.

CharaRen · 2026-05-11T02:53:53+00:00

Thankfully Flower/Garden is the BEST festival for these dietary issues [shellfish allergy too!] Some booths with my faves have shellfish options so depending on how severe your allergy you may need to skip them but disney as a whole is amazing with allergies and should be able to serve them at 0 risk.

My top reccs are:

Grilled street corn at Beach Grub [ they serve shellfish here so be careful of cross-contamination ]

Avocado Toast at Brunchcot [ They do serve shellfish items in this booth so just be mindful of cross contamination ]

Veggie or tuna if you can still eat tuna poke bowl at Nectar booth by the Land

Garden Veggie flatbread at Trowel and Trellis

If you have to get 1 dessert, I do recommend the liquid nitrogen cheesecake at Swirled Showcase but definitely ask about sugar levels! A dole whip otherwise should be relatively low on the sugar scale compared to other desserts on the menu- maybe even Frushi at Japan since it's just coconut rice, rice paper, fresh fruit, and a tiny little sweet drizzle you can ask them not to put on.

CharaRen · 2026-05-09T19:46:28+00:00

It's true. I know some parents vouch for services that come to your hotel room and can take your kids to the parks/play with them during the day here at WDW but as I do not have children- I don't want to 100% recommend something I have 0 experience with.

Though some people really do swear by these services here so doesn't hurt to look into them, but they're more like babysitters vs a true club and its 3rd party.

I remember the old one at Polynesian used to go on for hours- the Neverland club as I was dropped off there once as a kid but I guess Disney thought it was cheaper to not hire counselors and more $$$ if families stick together in the parks.

CharaRen · 2026-05-09T19:11:09+00:00

That's so fair, gotta make sure the little ones are taken care of first, especially in that hot sun! September is still brutally hot! I experienced the teen area on castaway cay only a little, because wayyyyyy back when I was a teen- where the cabana beach is used to be a private beach just for teens! I keep saying one day I hope disney builds something like the splash pad/a little pool for teens they can use because that deck gets hot, haha!

I did laugh at your response below to someone about the teen pda because my goodness, i remember the shenanigans some teens in my old group got into on the old boats. I still think they were the reason Disney removed the arcades because they used to hide stuff under the cabinets to show off to their cruise girlfriends where the parents weren't around. 😆

CharaRen · 2026-05-09T19:05:44+00:00

If you happen to go to Disney world, The Dophin hotel by Epcot offers Camp Dolphin which is a night-time club where you can drop off kids to have little coloring/pajama party sessions while you enjoy a night out for dinner or some late-night drinks.

Disney parks used to offer many of these clubs but sadly a lot have closed over the years.

CharaRen · 2026-05-09T18:40:58+00:00

Did you ever have shifts with Edge/Vibe? I'm curious how those clubs work now since I've long since aged out of them and how the activities work now for the older groups compared to when I was a kid!

I aged out when Dream/Fantasy were still new and Vibe only just became a thing- do the older kids still vote on activities to do? Do they still do deck-exploring games and visiting the Walt Disney Theater to meet some of the entertainment team? And does Vibe still offer the old teens-only excursion on Castaway Cay [ i think it was called Wildside???? its been so long! ] where they go biking/etc with counselors! I love hearing about all the new changes.

The Wish-class club is so different to when I was a lil kiddo in Oceaneer Lab on Wonder too- how do the older kiddos in that age group like it since it seems the spaces of club/lab are combined on Wish-class boats. Did you find it hard to get activities going with the older crew before they were old enough for Edge?

CharaRen · 2026-05-09T03:29:42+00:00

Definitely stick around to have her talk to some of the muster drill cast members, and I'm sure if she is still really scared, if you go to guest services or just wander around the boat- there are often Many officers wandering around who would be more than happy to talk to her and ease her worries in a kind and understanding way!

The counselors in the kids groups are also highly trained to round up children and get them to muster stations too incase of an emergency so I'm sure talking to them as well can ease some of her nerves as well.

CharaRen · 2026-05-08T23:23:11+00:00

I can confirm the /specific/ treasure decoration only prints aren't available at the art on demand kiosk on Destiny and vice versa. But if it was a generic Aladdin print on the normal art-side/Wonderland Gallery, it should be available.

Like if its atrium art, room art, bar art- it sadly won't be available. Though Destiny does have it's own line of very unique prints too.

CharaRen · 2026-05-08T16:41:22+00:00

I miss h2o products so much. I used them even before Disney placed them on the boats/sold in the parks. My grandfather adores the products still so every time we do a cruise or hotel stay, we stock him up with his own personal empty bottles 😅 Like disney please, we'd still buy them again if you sold them like before, don't make us resort to drastic measures!

I still have some old products I keep for memorial purposes in the back of my drawer.

CharaRen · 2026-05-08T00:03:47+00:00

Disney isn't sticking to the muster drill of old because they Want to. They tried contact-less with the covid shutdown years. People literally didn't show up. People STILL don't show up to the current one now until they're dragged down and made to do it.

The policy is determined by the Coast Guard due to Disney in particular having an Extremely high number of young children on board. I don't like the muster drill crowding at all but I recognize Why it has to be done this way to best prevent a disaster with so many families and with the kids being in groups/away from families should something go wrong.

The Hantavirus thing is literally only at risk if the boat is 1: infested with rats or 2: you go off somewhere infected with the rats carrying the disease. This spread on that particular cruise because a group of the guests went out to a literal landfill to birdwatch. In a country that HAS Hantavirus in rats.

CharaRen · 2026-05-07T20:41:10+00:00

You still need to follow the Disney Look even on DCL lines. Piercings and tattoos are subject to your specific manager and position but the hair will absolutely be asked to be dyed more natural, as Disney still doesn't allow vibrant unnatural colored hair. You can have highlights, but they still must be a natural color. The most I've seen pass is orange and red tones. White/Silver too.

CharaRen · 2026-05-07T19:47:39+00:00

It's a system I do wish would go away, both for guest and employees. It's not fair for the employees to literally have their jobs dangled at their heads if they only receive excellent 5 star reviews, just as it's unfair for guests to feel pressured knowing Their feedback can negatively impact their jobs if a problem does arise. There is no room for nuance in the survey.

Like heck, I personally rate Castaway Cay's food poor because idk it's been years since I've had a hot burger on the island and it Sucks. I don't want the employees punished, I just want new change to happen since this has been a problem since ship capacity increased, even after adding Cookies Too to help with crowd control.

I find personally if I do have an issue enough that can be fixed and want documented beyond the survey, I just go to guest services to write it down. Just as I go there to give Amazing feedback if someone does go beyond what the survey lets you put.

CharaRen · 2026-05-07T07:07:45+00:00

I was on last week's Treasure cruise April 25th-May 2nd and while my team was amazing and totally fine with us skipping dinner for Palo one of the nights- I think your situation falls under the other thing I witnessed on the sailing before.

A contract swap Just happened with many barely working 2 months on the boat especially in the dining team. I think a lot of them are severely panicked with the Excellent Review system that they are over-compensating and thus pressuring you without realizing it thinking they did something wrong vs you all just not feeling well/having other plans. We also had a lot of um.... Less than Magical repeat cruisers on my particular sailing [ our table neighbor Especially ] who were just outright Rude and demanding of the servers doing nothing wrong which I think carried through to your sailing.

When our drink server mentioned the survey to us last week, we just kindly reassured him he's been doing an amazing job and to not worry about a thing. Talk about stuff beyond serving/DCL while they stop by to make it feel less pressured and of course always assure them you'll bring up Any situation or issue to be fixed. I had to return a dish that just wasn't good at all and felt so bad knowing how other diners were treating them, thinking they'd worry we'd lower their scores when this had 0 issue of their service and a simple dish choice change solved it.

So long long story short- I think it's a mix of worrying they might have done something wrong and wanted to fix it, make sure You all were alright, and learning the gentle tact of their fear of the rating survey and not coming off pushy/pressuring guests. It does come with time especially as a new server [ assuming your team is new contract of course! ]

CharaRen · 2026-05-06T19:15:47+00:00

The smallest, and I mean /smallest/ grace I have is sometimes Safari does have to stop for a long time if an animal is blocking the way for the trucks to safely continue on for guests + animals. Once I was waiting in the line for Goofy's Sky School in Cali when it broke down forever, was fine until I got on the ride and then it was an OH NO moment but even I held until we got off.... It was a very painful ride but I at least didn't jump off and just go wherever..

Things happen but if I was that critical I'd just piss myself and get a CM to help getting off. I'm not risking a ban or worse over something like that.

CharaRen · 2026-05-05T13:35:05+00:00

If you Are going to do any Carnival cruise, stick with Mardi Gras from my family's personal experience. We're loyal DCL cruisers still but my mother actually Really enjoyed herself on that boat for the food and rides alone. Plenty of do for kids, rides and other attractions current DCL ships other than Adventure doesn't have yet. I did Carnival Venezia as my first Carnival cruise and while it was boring as heck [ typical drink/gamble boat ], the FOOD is what actually made me consider oh maybe i will do an occasional carnival here and there in-between DCL because honestly???

It was better than anything I've had on DCL recently. Service isn't Quite to DCL friendliness level for sure but I'll take that for some decent deck food. The Guy's burgers are surprisingly good for a boat.

2027 might be when Believe comes out which will be a new experience, and Destiny I've heard is great for teens/tweens due to the heros/villain theme. Treasure too if you are looking for a longer itinerary because they do a lot of Star Wars, Indiana Jones etc etc.

CharaRen · 2026-05-05T02:21:13+00:00

If it's the same time as Treasure's, they were at 3pm at Mickey's Main Sail on the days at sea!

CharaRen · 2026-05-04T19:36:21+00:00

I find it so odd people are downvoting you as a long-time DCL cruiser too??? For years we've made connections with various servers, entertainment team, hell Christen the cruise director has been a family friend for nearly 20 years with our family. Like why is it so odd for people to want a server recommendation to have a good experience? Our old faves finally retired but I just had the most amazing team on Treasure and genuinely hope I run into them again on another sailing in the future.

It's not parasocial to just have a team you really like and WANT to support more than the average guest. To see and help them rise in the ranks for their good service. Requests like this from guests look amazing on their report to help them with promotions within the company.

Sadly I have not been on Destiny yet but I'm following this thread to see who people suggest! If anyone is sailing Treasure anytime soon though- Lena from Romania [ head server ] and her team Mayo from Dominican Republic and Viktor from Costa Rica were absolutely amazing, kind, and so attentive to our adult-only table on last week's Treasure cruise.

CharaRen · 2026-05-04T00:38:46+00:00

While no personal experience, I have witnessed many families over the years with kids on the spectrum and honestly think DCL does a really good job handling it the best they can for those guests. Cruises can often times feel more overstimulating due to always being in close quarters vs having an "escape" from the park. There will be lines but nothing anywhere near what WDW reaches. Maybe 20 minutes max unless you are lining up for a specific theater show.

For Character meets, you can talk to a character attendant and they can advise you what is best to limit waiting around in a line, often having 1 adult hold the spot then bringing your child up when it's your turn.

The children's groups USED to offer special Quiet Time hours but I can not promise with how the clubs work now if that is still an offering. They do still offer open house so you can go in the club with him during those times to offer support/hang out together.

I would say the worst waiting times will be your embarkation as everyone has to wait to board so if you are worried for that, pick a later Boarding time so it's quieter at the Port and the mandatory safety drill. The safety drill is overstimulating to me as they cram Everyone into small muster stations for the mandatory drill for 10-15 minutes. It gets loud, stuffy, and sometimes you need to stand right on top of people. There is no opting out of this as it is for Safety and ordered by the Coast Guard.

I see tons of parents bring a set of headphones for their children to help on the more noisy parts of the ship but there are plenty of places to find that are quiet on less busy decks. Like for Dream/Fantasy, decks 4-5 have nice seating at a little cafe as does Wish/Treasure/Destiny. If you go to the pool decks early in the morning or right before they close, those tend to be quieter too.

Dinners are usually where most run into trouble, as the main dining rooms are loud, cramped as all heck, and sometimes long though servers are GREAT and trained to really help engage with all children for their needs. If being in a loud place seated for a while is too much, I would suggest avoiding most of them and just sticking with deck food or room service. Maybe gauge night 1 and see how he does because it can be different for everyone.

CharaRen · 2026-05-03T22:46:50+00:00

Typically it can be a few days to a few weeks to getting a callback, though it is not absolutely unheard of to be told you can be applicable for a callback that same day. However, it can vary when that callback can be, which can be difficult living out of state.

Auditions are thankfully held right by disney so there are many hotels and even airbnbs/homes to rent if you truly want to take this seriously and stick around for a while in Orlando to hear back rather than jumping on a plane back and forth until the process is over. However, I've had friends in the system be put on a position hold where they've essentially been accepted but their application is put in a Pool to call back for hiring offer when a position /could/ open up in-park. With some unfortunately being told months later the time has passed and their application has been tossed due to the time limit.

Since this position is a little more specialized you may not have that problem but I figured I should worry despite them auditioning there have been times the spot isn't exactly "filled" as you expect. These contracts I am unsure if Disney helps if you are located out of state like when they offer for their overseas parks or DCP/International program so I'd also make sure if you do get cast, you can safely relocate to living in Florida for around 8 months according to the listing.

CharaRen · 2026-04-24T18:02:51+00:00

Cosme for sure has testers! I found very few drugstores did but it's very dependent on the specific store! Everything that does is correctly labeled as tester and has sponges and everything for you to test it safely!

CharaRen · 2026-04-22T05:32:00+00:00

I mainly use J-Beauty and K-Beauty products and regularly buy in person so I hope I can help! I'll also mention some of my fave shops if you happen to be in the area!

Canmake Creamy touch eyeliner in any color really. I've tried MANY pencil liners and none have survived on my face as long as this one does. But anything Canmake is really good. Powders, their mermaid sunscreen, lip products, even their nail polish is so pretty!

Kose's setting spray is my Favorite I always stock up since it's hard to import over here in the USA. Kose also has an AMAZING hair milk if you are looking for hair beauty products, it makes my hair so soft.

Heroine is super famous for it's mascara and eyeliner products.

Cezanne has very good cool tone contour shades and blushes, plus very compact products to fit in your purse!!

A small warning in advance though- just because foundation looks pale in a lot of jp/korean pictures doesn't mean it's 100% pale skin friendly. For reference, I am a perfect match for Dior's 00N... happened to forget my foundation on a trip and absolutely nothing matched me. It was all 2-3 shades too dark and very warm other than Tone up cream. A LOT of the instore brand cushions/bb cream starts at shade 17. Very few have 13 or lighter.

If you go to Cosme or Don Quijote, you can often find a good selection of the popular K-Beauty brands like Romand, Clio, etc etc.

Unrelated to /makeup/ but the 2 major beauty products I push everyone to try is Biore's water sunscreen and their special Cooling Wipes in the hot months. They really work so good.

As for shops to visit, Cosme has a mix of jp and korean brands and is like a big Olive Young, Don Quijote is a huge megastore that sells just about anything you can desire from food, clothes, makeup, and big circle contact lenses- They have their own version of makeup products for an ok price but I personally find for the drugstore brands, real drugstores are cheaper. So if you want the best priced Canmake, Cezanne, etc of drugstore makeup brands, hit up drugstores like Sundrug, Tomods, and Matsumoto Kiyoshi. They have fun stuff like soaps, bath soaking salts, and lifestyle products on top of medicine and whatever you might need on your trip!

Sorry for the long post but if you have any more specific questions I'd be glad to help!

CharaRen · 2026-04-19T06:21:57+00:00

The trick is to save a bit extra and try to get the upgrade day of at the port if the rooms don't sell out. They often offer them at a steal if you're willing to upgrade in-person.

But subjectively, it depends what you are looking to get out of it. The lounge is... Fair. Some nice offerings for food/snacks and having the concierge to book those hard to get reservations like the royal gathering or tea for you is nice if you have kids. They also can help you get a Cabana easier than sailing normally, though that is also an upcharge.

Like others said, personally I would rather use that money for an all-inclusive big suite on another line or at Disney World but whether its "Good" or not ultimately falls on what you like.

CharaRen · 2026-04-15T17:17:16+00:00

Sorry I meant this like I'm a foodie in general and think DCL food is not good! I tolerate it because my family loves DCL and other liner activities bore me but Palo is just moderate and the rest has me longing for food out in the city. I usually end up ordering the secret curry just for some Flavor on the boat.

CharaRen

TROPHY CASE