We had a wonderful time on our Disney Dream vacation. However eating healthy was a constant challenge. Here are the ins and outs of the trip and my tips to keep healthy on the Disney Dream.
Every night you are assigned to a different restaurant with limited options. Your wait staff is rotated with you as you go through the different restaurants each night. The good news here is that if you have any particular tastes, your waiter knows. However I didn’t seem to have made much of an impression on our waiter. Each night he seemed blown away that I didn’t want dessert and sort of made a big deal about it.
Palo
One of two adults-only restaurants on the Disney Cruise Line’s brand new ship, the Dream, Palo can also be found on the Disney Wonder and Disney Magic cruise ships, but in a slightly different form. It will also be found on the Disney Fantasy, sailing in 2012; this version will be similar to the restaurant on the Dream.
We ate at Palo on the last night. The additional cost was $20. I really didn’t find anything suitable for someone trying to control their weight at this restaurant. The anti-pasta was drenched in oil (12 grams of fat in a tablespoon!) and a personal pizza was an appetizer option. I ended up ordering some dish which was mostly palenta I believe with beans on top. I skipped dessert as usual.
Cabanas
This is your best bet for staying on a healthy eating plan. Cabanas is open for 3 meals a day, and you don’t have to eat at your assigned restaurant. Cabanas is a open buffet style restaurant. You can eat all the fruit and vegetables you want here.
Here is an issue I encountered repeatedly on the cruise. Vegetables are routinely sautéed in oil. It was rare to encounter a vegetable not drenched in butter or oil. I ended up eating a lot of fruit on the trip.
I also had a lot of soup on the trip. Soup, as long as it’s not cream based or has a lot of cheese is usually safe. Another interesting thing is that Sprite Zero was available on the boat everywhere. Generally at Disney restaurants Diet Coke is all that is available as far as a zero calorie soft drink. I actually drank so much Sprite Zero that I have started purchasing it at home.
