DiningDisney Cruise Line

What to Expect from a Disney Cruise Line Buffet Breakfast

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All Disney Cruise Line ships have a buffet-style restaurant, called Cabanas (on the Magic, Wonder, Dream, and Fantasy) or Marceline Market (on the Wish and the upcoming Treasure). The buffet restaurants serve breakfast every on every sailing, other than on embarkation day. Hours may vary depending on whether the ship is at sea or in port, but typical hours for breakfast are from about 7:00 a.m. until about 10:30 a.m. See your onboard navigator app for the specifics of your sailing.

The photos below were taken on eight different sailings from 2020-2023 on the Magic, Dream, Fantasy, and Wish, as well as from a 2019 sailing on the Wonder. There is almost shockingly little variation in the breakfast buffet spread from day to day, year to year, and ship to ship. You might find slightly different egg preparations or pastry flavors, but overall there is great consistency in the DCL breakfast buffet menus across the fleet and over time. The main points of difference might be in something like varied boxed cereals on sailings departing out of non-U.S. ports or speciality items added for holidays. The one exception to this is a few offerings on the Wish are elevated from the other ships; these are indicated in photo captions.

The vast majority of the shipboard breakfast foods are geared to the American and Northern European palate, plus a handful of Asian basics.

The all-you-care-to-eat buffet is included with the price of your cruise at no additional charge.

Pastries and Breads
Warm Breakfast Bread-like Items
Meats, Eggs, and Other Savory Items

Note that while scrambled eggs and pre-made omelets are available on the buffet line, each ship also has a made-to-order egg prep area where you can request omelets and freshly made eggs to order at no additional charge.

Fresh Fruit
Hot and Cold Cereals
Dairy
Toppings and Sauces
Beverages

Note that while the coffee from Cabanas and Marceline Market dispensers is free as part of the buffet, the quality of this brew is decidedly sub-optimal. There is a premium coffee bar inside the Marceline Market buffet area on the Wish and the Cove Cafe coffee bar is near the buffet on the other ships. These venues offer better coffee and options similar to those you’d find at Starbucks, along with prices similar to those you’d find at Starbucks.

Sample Plates
The Disney Wish has some items displayed in a lower-height kid’s area, but these items are available to all guests

On debarkation day, the offerings are abbreviated to just a few pastries, fruit, cold cereals, and basic eggs and breakfast meats. The reduced variety is to encourage guests to leave the ship in a timely manner and to allow staff to prep for the next sailing. Again, breakfast is also offered in the main dining rooms on debarkation morning, but the menu is limited there as well.

Guests with food allergies should be sure to indicate their needs during the online preference request process or by contacting DCL at SpecialServices@disneycruise.com. In any buffet situation the possibility of cross-contamination is high. Breakfast is also served in one of the ship’s main dining rooms and via room service where there is a greater degree of control over food distribution.

What do you usually get from the DCL breakfast buffet? Is there anything you wish they had, but don’t? Let us know in the comments.

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Erin Foster

Erin Foster is an original member of the Walt Disney World Moms Panel (now PlanDisney), a regular contributor to TouringPlans.com, and co-author of The Unofficial Guide to Disney Cruise Line. She's been to WDW, DL, DL Paris, Hong Kong Disneyland, Aulani, DVC Vero Beach, and DVC Hilton Head. She's a Platinum DCL cruiser and veteran of 10 Adventures by Disney trips. Erin lives near New York City, where she can often be found indulging in her other obsession - Broadway theater.

3 thoughts on “What to Expect from a Disney Cruise Line Buffet Breakfast

  • Mickey Churro Waffles are not served every day. This treat can be once a sailing or on longer ones, every other day. So if that is a treat folks are looking for when deciding main dining room or buffet.

    Reply
  • For a food allergy, find a waiter to order your breakfast made in the kitchen and brought out to you. You can also order your breakfast the night before to save wait time. Note that there are also boxes of gluten free cereal available on request and hidden somewhere out of sight (usually Chex). We sometimes bring a box of gluten free cereal from home for our kiddo and just carry it into the restaurant (like we do whenever we travel). Never had a complaint.

    Reply
  • I love that they have a kid’s-height counter for the littles.

    Reply

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