Enchanted Garden -- Embarkation Lunch -- Disney Dream

*This dining experience took place in May 2018. 

Embarkation Lunch at Enchanted Garden

We recently went on a 3-day cruise on the Disney Dream. Disney Cruise Line offers some unique dining experiences, including adult dining and also offers rotational dining, where guests dine at a different restaurant each night of the cruise. One of these restaurants is Enchanted Garden. While we did dine there for dinner, we also got a chance to dine here for lunch on embarkation day.When my mom and I went on the Disney Dream back in 2014, we also ate at Enchanted Garden during embarkation. But, it was a buffet then. Now, Enchanted Garden offers an a la carte menu. Guests wanting a buffet can still enjoy the buffet up at Cabanas on deck 11. Because I have found the buffets to take a bit of time to get special dietary needs meals, we decided that Enchanted Garden might be a calmer and easier bet. In addition to my special dietary needs, Brandon is also allergic to fish and shellfish, and we wanted to make sure he was extra safe on the cruise ship where there's a ton of seafood.

Atmosphere

The theming in Enchanted Garden is set to represent the gardens of Versailles in France. You'll see lots of whimsical touches and bright colorful decor.Our favorite part of the restaurant had to be the entry seating which included gorgeous booths. On embarkation day, we actually got to sit in these as we were one of the first groups in the restaurant. They're beautifully themed and super cozy!You'll notice lots of garden theming even in the ceiling of the restaurant, as well as the light fixtures.And, of course, the centerpiece of the restaurant is a beautiful fountain.As you can see, the lighting in this restaurant is quite beautiful. We loved it at night, when the lighting changed quite a bit. But, more on that in our dinner review!

The Food

Of course, the big thing we were there for was the food. Neither of us had eaten much for breakfast, so we were ready for a nice lunch. Our server during lunch was not our regular server (you get a team of servers that follow you to you each restaurant for dinner). But, Jude, who assisted us, was a rockstar. He asked immediately if we had special dietary needs and worked to ensure we both had something tasty and safe.The Disney Cruise Line does not offer an allergy-friendly menu, like the Disney Parks, but they do note gluten free, dairy free, and vegetarian dishes on the menus.As I learned on my 2014 cruise, there are often more dishes than are noted that are actually safe to eat or easy to modify when asked.If you have a special dietary need, usually, you will discuss options with your server who will speak to the chefs on your behalf. I have heard others say chefs have come to their table, but that has not been my experience, except at Cabanas, Palo, and Remy.Prior to ordering, Jude brought me some gluten free and dairy free rolls. Disney Cruise Line is currently serving Ener-G rolls at most main dining locations. They do not offer vegan buttery spread, so guests with dairy allergies or intolerances or are vegan should ask about extra virgin olive oil. Unfortunately, during this meal, the rolls were not well heated and turned hard as a rock almost immediately, so I didn't really eat much of them.For my appetizer, I ordered the Sliced Smoked Salmon with Lemon and a Honey-Mustard Dill Sauce which was marked both gluten free and dairy free on the menu. Overall, I thought this was good, but not amazing. I really enjoyed the mustard though and thought it paired very well with the salmon.For my entree, both Brandon and I got the Sliced Roasted Beef Sirloin with Double Baked Potato, Green Beans, and a Thyme Red Wine Jus. This was marked gluten free and is also fish/shellfish free too. The potato did contain dairy. So, if you are dairy free, you can swap out for a plain potato. Because I've reintroduced dairy back into my diet, I did not modify the dish. This was a very solid entree, though quite filling for a lunch. We both agreed that the double baked potato was our favorite part of the lunch entree.For dessert, there are no options marked on the menu gluten free or dairy free. Jude brought me a Chocolate Mousse with Chocolate Syrup that was gluten free but did contain dairy. I have seen a ton of photos online of vegan diners who have had different types of mousse made for them with dairy free options, so it's worth asking if you're dairy free too. I took a few bites of this, and I really enjoyed the light, chocolatey flavors of the mousse and thought it was a nice ending to the meal.

Overall

We both agreed that dining at Enchanted Garden for lunch on embarkation day was a much calmer and easier option than Cabanas, which was kind of nuts. We both felt we had decent options and were pleasantly surprised at how solid the meal was. We're already thinking about another cruise and definitely would visit Enchanted Garden for lunch again too! Huge shoutout again to our sever Jude for this meal. We literally saw him at other points on the cruise, and he always remembered our names and that we had special dietary needs. Talk about Disney Cruise Line magic!Have you been on a Disney Cruise? Where do you go on embarkation day for lunch?