When you are considering going on a Disney Cruise, one of the inclusions is all of the amazing food. There are endless options throughout the ship not to mention 24-hour room service that is included with your cruise. Although there can be a lot of temptation, it was not difficult to maintain my Ketogenic way of eating. As I mentioned in my previous blog post, I was able to experience a cruise 2 months in a row. On one of those months, I waited until our first night of dining to discuss my needs with our server. On the second cruise, I called ahead of time to note my restrictions and then met with the staff upon embarkation.
Breakfast options were tremendous and honestly, who doesn’t enjoy a breakfast filled with bacon?!!?? I requested to have my eggs made to order as I am always cautious about pre-made eggs. When I asked if they could make me fresh cracked eggs cooked in butter at the omelet station, they called over another staff member. He informed me that they would cook my eggs in a specialty area of the kitchen and bring them out to me. In the meantime, I found buttered asparagus, bacon, and some sliced cheese, not to mention endless coffee! While I learned that the Cove Café coffee shop does have heavy cream for an additional price, I chose to bring my own cream and sweetener. I visited Cabanas, Royal Palace, and the Enchanted Garden and had the same experience when ordering my specialty eggs.
Lunch options were also easy to accommodate. One of the guiding principles I follow is to only eat when hungry. Often times, my breakfast would be plenty to hold me over for several hours. I was always able to enjoy meat from a carving station at Cabanas and found that there was a ketogenic friendly vegetable available. My favorite lunch option was at Serenity Bay on Castaway Cay! The lunch options included a ribeye. I did ask what sort of seasoning was used on the steak and was told it was a teriyaki seasoning. I requested that my ribeye only be seasoned with salt and pepper and they easily accommodated that. I found on the topping bar a chimichurri sauce and on the next cruise, there was a lovely herbed olive oil. It was a delicious meal and I did not feel the least bit deprived.
Dinner options were not difficult to navigate either. One of the unique features of the Disney Cruise Line is their rotation dining. Each guest is given a dining rotation upon embarkation and you will rotate to a different dining room each night. Your server and assistant server also rotate with you. For someone like myself, it was great to not have to explain my dietary needs each and every night. I did have the opportunity to pre-order my meal for the next night to ensure that I was not eating any seasonings or hidden carbohydrates. Often times, even when I did not see a ketogenic friendly side, I was able to ask for broccoli/asparagus and was easily accommodated. Every night there was also a beef option. I enjoyed a crispy duck breast at Royal Palace. The server and I discussed ingredients and oils that I should avoid and after he discussed this with the chef, it was determined the duck was within my guidelines. Although they had a no sugar added dessert available each night, I was unable to determine what alternative sweetener was used as there may have been additional hidden carbohydrates. I often enjoyed a lovely cup of coffee for dessert and that has now become a habit that I have continued!
Snacks were also plentiful and I was able to find options that easily fell within my way of eating. Room service offered a cheese plate and chicken wings. Although the chicken wings were cooked in one of my non-preferred oils, I gave in to the temptation. It was worth it! They were very spicy and delicious!!! The cheese plate did arrive with crackers and grapes but I simply chose to not enjoy those. I could have ordered a hamburger, steak sandwich, and many more items. All were customizable to my way of eating. A hidden gem that I discovered on the last night of my second cruise was the charcutterie selections at Cove Café Coffee shop.
Adhering to my ketogenic way of eating was not difficult. The options were plentiful and the servers were very engaged and worked very hard to ensure I was satisfied! Be sure to share any specific dietary needs with your travel specialist. We are always here to help!
Missy Zolecki
Travel Specialist
