Royal Caribbean vs. Disney Cruise Line

Disney vs. Royal Caribbean: Dining

When it comes to dining, Disney and Royal Caribbean take somewhat different approaches. Both offer main dining venues and buffets that are included with the fare, plus extra-fee restaurants, beverage packages, celebrity chef partnerships, room service and kids’ menus. Both have at least one formal night per cruise, but that’s where the similarities end.

Choose Disney if You Like a Pre-Set Dining Schedule

Disney features a rotational dining system. Guests are assigned a dining time, tablemates and waiter, and eat with the same people at a different main dining room (there are three) each night, on a pre-set schedule. In addition to the buffet, there’s pizza and burgers, while one or two specialty restaurants are upscale, adults-only, and charge a fee.

Choose Royal if You Like Traditional and/or Flexible Dining with More Venues

Royal Caribbean gives passengers a choice of traditional (same time, same table) or flexible (come anytime, sit with whomever you like) dining options in designated dining rooms. Royal Caribbean ships can have quite a large number of alternative dining venues, from casual hot dog stands to upscale fine dining establishments and an array of restaurants serving international cuisine. Not all extra-fee restaurants are fancy, and kids are welcome.

On average, Royal Caribbean ships offer more alternative dining venues than Disney, many of which are family-friendly. If you don’t want to be pinned down to eating at the same time each night, you can choose the flexible MyTime Dining option and switch off between the main dining room(s), the buffet, specialty restaurants, and room service as you see fit. Royal is also aware that children may not be able to sit through long drawn-out meals, so it offers MyTime Family dining in the main dining room, where children aged three to 11 will have their meals served within 45 minutes, and the Adventure Ocean youth staff will collect them for evening activities while parents linger over dessert and coffee.

Choose Disney if You Don’t Want to Be Nickeled and Dimed on Food — and Like Whimsical Venues

Family-friendly dining options are always included on Disney ships, and should you opt out of paying for a specialty restaurant, you’ll still get to try multiple restaurants and only miss out on an adults-only date night or two. Disney does not charge for soda (unlike all other mainstream cruise lines) or room service (Royal Caribbean charges a fee for all room service orders except continental breakfast).

Disney does a great job at making dinner fun for young cruisers, who might not have the patience for a multi-course meal. The Animator’s Palate restaurant features different “shows” on Disney Magic, Wonder, Dream, and Fantasy, such as conversations with Crush the Turtle from “Finding Nemo” and an animated sequence featuring diners’ drawings. And onboard Disney Wish, you’ll find a Frozen- and an Avengers-themed dining experience.

Character dining is always included, and themed dinners featuring Princesses and other classic Disney characters add fun for the entire family. Even Palo, the adults-only venue, allows guests to wear jeans, and the upscale Remy, while requiring dressy attire, has an adorable rat motif, inspired by the movie “Ratatouille.”

Choose Royal if You Want a Multitude of Cuisines

Disney’s specialty restaurants are upscale French and Italian. Royal Caribbean offers Italian, Brazilian, Mexican, Asian, sushi, teppanyaki, and a steakhouse on their ships. Its buffets also include a multitude of international fare. If you’re partial to a certain cuisine, choose a ship that offers your favorite.