Day 1: Happy Birthday To Me! Our First Disney Cruise 2021!

Home » Everything Disney » Disney Cruise Line Trip Reports » Day 1: Happy Birthday To Me! Our First Disney Cruise 2021! » Page 5

Please Share This Post!

Dinner at Lumiere’s

We nipped back to our stateroom to change for dinner (I had seriously overpacked for this trip so I wanted to make sure I wore everything I brought!) and then headed down to Deck 3 and Lumiere’s which was the first of our dining rotation.

We had chosen the late dining time when we booked the cruise, and I also requested that my seat at our table did not have arms (plus-size folks + chair arms = sad times).

Our dining time each evening would be at 8:15 and we would always be seated at table number 1. We would also have the same set of servers that would follow us to all of the different restaurants each night. Disney calls this Rotational Dining and it is something unique to Disney Cruise Line.

The main entrance to Lumiere’s is within the Atrium on Deck 3, Middle. As you can see in the photo below, steps are leading up to it. If you are using a wheelchair or ECV there is a flat entrance down the hallway to the right – the crew will guide you in the right direction.

We were greeted and shown to our table, where we were told of our three servers. Our Server was Paulo (from Portugal), his Assistant Server was Bernido (from the Philippines) – these two would be the ones we saw the most and who would serve our food, drinks, and clean up the table.

There was also a Head Server (who I guess is a bit like a Maitre’d,) was Valentin, and I wish I could remember where he was from! We didn’t interact with him that much, but he always remembered our names.

All of our servers were wonderfully friendly and attentive, and we had amazing service throughout our cruise.

Main Dining on Disney Magic

The menu for all of the restaurants can be found in the Navigators App or by scanning the QR code that was on the table. You can ask for a paper menu (which we did for souvenir purposes) if you wish, but they are not given out as standard.

We started with bread service and water and had our drinks order taken. Fountain beverages (Coca-Cola products at Disney!) are included in your fare. Other drinks like specialty drinks, cocktails, and alcohols not.

We had a table to ourselves – in normal cruising times you may be sat with other guests which are quite standard for cruise ships. and it’s a great way to meet other people on board. However, due to physical distancing, this was not the way. We did however chat to a table very near to us.

Food reviews are always subjective because we all enjoy and dislike different foods and flavors. So I try to give factual information if something isn’t good, rather than me not liking it.

I’m also not going to go mega-deep into describing everything because I just didn’t pay that much attention other than “this tastes so good” or “no this does not!”.

Overall I would say that on the whole, the food in the main dining rooms was very good and of good quality too. But it was also a bit hit and miss at times. I don’t have other cruise lines to compare the food with, but I would say that it is up there with some of the Signature Dining at Walt Disney World.

I will discuss the other locations in future days!

Now, onto what we had at Lumiere’s!

Lumiere’s »

Named after the candlestick from Beauty and the Beast, Lumiere’s is the fanciest of all three of the main dining rooms onboard the Disney Magic.

At the end of the room is a huge mural, and enchanted roses are hanging from the ceiling. Entertainment is subdued and mellow (compared with the other two) with a live pianist playing Disney songs while you eat.

The menu has a French-inspired menu with appetizers, soups, and salads, main dishes, vegetarian options, lighter offerings (these are more ‘plain’ dishes like chicken breast with vegetables), and of course desserts, which included a “signature” dessert as well as a no-sugar option.

You can order as much as you like – this is all included!

Bread Service…

  • French Baguette
  • Whole Grain Rolls
  • Dinner Rolls
  • Black Olive Oil for Dipping

We found that the bread service at all but one restaurant to be on the stale side. I don’t know if this was because we were the second sitting and the bread had been sitting out, but it certainly could have been better.

It didn’t stop us dunking our bread into the olive oil though!

blank
Bread Service (Lumiere’s)
blank
Black Olive Oil Dip (Lumiere’s)

Appetizer…

Me: Iced Lobster and Jumbo Shrimp – with Green Asparagus, Horseradish Cream, and Dill Dressing

Steve: Breaded and Deep Fried Brie – with an Orange and Cranberry Chutney

Steve: Gaston’s Escargot Gratinée – Herb-marinated Snails with Finely Chopped Mushrooms topped with Garlic Butter

Paulo gave us the very hard sell on the escargot (for the uninitiated they are snails). Steve was swayed and ordered them, but you could not get me to do the same! I was forced to try snails as a kid on a holiday in Cyprus and it’s always a NOPE from me!

I did try one from Steve’s plate – he said it just tasted like really strong garlic mushrooms. To me, they just looked like sad little slugs. I ate it rather quickly and knocked back a whole glass of water like a child!

The escargot seemed to be very popular throughout as I could see many plates of them being served around the restaurant.

I would say that the appetizer portions were on the small side. I had 3 shrimp and the thinnest slices of lobster I’ve ever seen! But it was tasty and a good start to our first dinner on the Disney Magic.

In addition to the escargot, Steve also ordered the deep-fried brie, which he also enjoyed, as did I because of course, I had to have a bite.

blank
Iced Lobster and Jumbo Shrimp (Lumiere’s)
blank
Breaded and Deep Fried Brie (Lumiere’s)
blank
Gaston’s Escargot Gratinée (Lumiere’s)

Entrée…

Me: Chateaubriand-Roasted Filet Steak – Roasted Filet Steak, Crushed New Potatoes with Shallots, Buttered Green Beans, Red Wine Jus, and Béarnaise Sauce on the Side

Steve: Roasted Rack of Lamb Medium – with Dauphinoise Potatoes, Buttered Brussel Sprouts, and a Bugandy Rosemary Sauce

As soon as I saw chateaubriand on the menu I knew I would be ordering that. The last time I had this cut of steak was at a steak house in London many, many years ago and it was amazing. I am happy to report, that this steak was equally as good, and cooked perfectly. I was a big fan of the potatoes – not much flavor in them, but the green beans were crisp-tender and the red wine just brought it all together.

I didn’t have the Béarnaise sauce as it contains tarragon and I do not like the flavor of that herb.

Steve’s rack of lamb was excellent. I know in the photo it looks very red, and maybe underdone, but it was perfectly cooked. His sides were a lot nicer than mine, and I wish I had them on my plate instead! The Brussels sprouts were cooked perfectly.

One complaint I do have with Disney food, in general, is that the food is never quite hot enough. I don’t know if that is a thing in the US, or just at Disney, or that we Brits like hot food on warm plates! I have heard that it is so guests don’t burn themselves and sue… I’m just going to roll my eyes at that I’m afraid!

blank
Chateaubriand-Roasted Filet Steak (Lumiere’s)
blank
Roasted Rack of Lamb Medium (Lumiere’s)
blank
Roasted Rack of Lamb Medium (Lumiere’s)

Dessert…

Me: Apple Tart Tatin – Caramelized Baked Apple served with Vanilla Ice Cream

Steve: Tahitian Vanilla Crème Brûlée – with Almond Biscotti

We ended the meal with two delicious desserts.

The apples in my dessert were amazing, packed with caramel flavor, and the pastry was crisp and buttery.

We have always found that Disney makes awesome Crème Brûlée, and the one Steve had was no exception.

I was also presented with a piece of birthday cake with a chocolate candle on top! You are not allowed candles on the ship, but at least I still got to make my 45th birthday wish!

blank
Apple Tart Tatin (Lumiere’s)
blank
Tahitian Vanilla Crème Brûlée (Lumiere’s)
blank
Birthday Cake (Lumiere’s)

Cocktails…

Me: Impérial Illusion – Absolut Mandarin, Apple Pucker, Blue Craçao Liquor, Pineapple Juice ($9) + 18% Autogratuity $1.62 + Tip $1.62 = $12

I was a bit of a boozehound on our cruise – at least for me – I had at least 2 cocktails a day. I know, a lightweight, but I really don’t drink that much anymore.

Steve pretty much stuck to soft drinks at dinner.

One of the perks of having the same service team is they get to know your likes and dislikes, and our drinks were always pre-empted as we sat down.

The mixture of the different liquors in my specialty cocktail was so good!

blank
Impérial Illusion Cocktail (Lumiere’s)

Please Share This Post!