It’s time to step aboard the Disney Fantasy Cruise Ship! Today, guest author Rachel Gardner brings us a wonderful review from the princess-themed Royal Court — one of the rotational dining restaurants on this gorgeous Disney Cruise Line ship.

Atmosphere

The Royal Court Restaurant on Disney Cruise Line’s newest ship, the Disney Fantasy, is a princess haven!

The restaurant has the princess concept refined to its most basic elegance.

This sophisticated restaurant located on Deck 3, adjacent to the lobby, reflects each princess through unique and breathtaking mosaics!

There are two rooms set off from the main dining hall with even more princess décor including beautiful (they look hand-painted!) plates.

One of the two rooms is dedicated to The Princess and the Frog, with large tiled mosaics on the walls.

Princess motifs adorn the restaurant as well. They are so subtle, yet I made it my personal mission to try to spot the unexpected.

The music that plays throughout the restaurants includes songs from classic. Disney movies — one of my favorite types of music. Before you know it, you will be humming tunes in your head while you eat.

Here’s a tip that will make all you fellow “germaphobes” smile: there are always one or two cast members at each restaurant handing each person a hand wipe as he or she walks into any of the restaurants. Disney only spreads pixie dust, not germs.

Breakfast Eats

Royal Court serves the only order-off-a-menu breakfast on the ship (Cabanas and Enchanted Garden are buffet).

The Eggs Benedict was quite good. The egg was cooked correctly and the Hollandaise sauce had flavors that paired nicely with the egg and English muffin without overpowering it.

I also had the Disney Cruise Line Breakfast Trio – French toast, Belgian waffle, and buttermilk pancakes. The French toast was certainly the best! Plenty of tasty cinnamon on a pretty thick piece of toast, which I prefer to thinner slices.

The waffle was good too, especially with maple syrup. Yet, the pancake left something to be desired. Just like the buffet pancakes, this one was too thick and not fluffy, and also lacked in the rich flavor I had hoped for.

Lunch Eats

Royal Court’s lunch proved to be just as tasty as breakfast.

I had the Fettuccine with tomato ragu with shaved parmesan cheese on top. I am a pasta lover and there was not one pasta dish at any restaurant that I did not like!

This pasta had just the right amount of sauce so that it coated every noodle, but did not dominate the plate. The ragu was surprisingly light in flavor, not too heavy for lunch.

For dessert, we ordered pineapple upside down cake and apple crisp.

The pineapple upside down cake was awful. I am not this critical with food unless it is merited, and this cake was very unappetizing. While the presentation was nice, the cake was soggy, flavorless, and the gooey coating that looks tasty had the consistency of Vaseline.

The best dessert by far was the apple crisp. Large pieces of apple gave the dish a nice chunkiness.

Served in a ramekin, the dish was piping hot, so much so that the vanilla bean ice cream on top immediately began to melt! Just the way I like it.

Dinner Eats

We ate dinner at Royal Court twice, and both experiences were pure magic — food and atmosphere. Due to the vast number of dishes served, I chose a few to highlight.

At every rotational dining restaurant, each meal begins with bread — and a different type(s) each night!

My dad ordered escargot and I have to say it is only slightly more appetizing than it looked. I, personally, did not like the tart, slimy texture, but he seemed to enjoy it and ate it all.

Soufflés are very popular on Disney Cruise Line, both for dessert and as an appetizer. The double baked spinach and cheese soufflé was full of flavor, but extremely rich! Its density combined with the richness of three cheeses was a little too much for my taste buds, and I love cheese.

My mother ordered lobster tail and was very pleased with her meal. The sea bass is by far the BEST fish served at sea, but the lobster is a very close second.

My favorite dish of the night was my Chicken Parmesan with Fettuccine Alfredo – YUM!

The fettuccine sauce was rich, but not heavy and the chicken was baked to perfection. The meat was tender and moist and the breading was just the right amount of crunch.

Dessert

The dessert must be the most important course of the meal because the “wax seal” on the back of the menu’s envelope makes the dessert offerings look as if they are by royal decree!

The Grand Marnier Soufflé was one of the best desserts on the cruise. The cake was dense, yet airy, keeping with the soufflé texture, and infused with orange zest giving just the right amount of acidity. But the crème anglaise sauce that you pour into the center of your steaming hot soufflé brought the whole dessert together.

Fun and tasty, the strawberry shortcake sundae brought this easy at-home treat to a deliciously new level. The strawberries (and every piece of fruit on the ship for that matter) could not have been fresher!

The sponge cake was fluffy and did not taste store bought; and the chocolate Mickey on top just makes you smile!

On our second meal at Royal Court, I was surprised with a delicious chocolate mousse cake congratulating me on my graduation!

Disney knows how to celebrate any occasion – just make sure to tell guest services on the first day of your trip as well as your head server what night you would like a celebratory dessert. They are more than happy to make your dreams come true!

Overall

We enjoyed our meals at Royal Court, not just because of the wonderful food, but the décor truly makes the difference! The princess theme was elegant, sophisticated, and opulent. You felt like a prince or princess eating here.

To me, it feels like a place where all the princesses would come to eat a meal together, in grand style… and they all lived happily ever after!

Rachel is a college freshman with a PASSION for Disney! She avidly reads the Disney Food Blog and loves helping friends and family plan their Disney vacations. Since her first visit to Walt Disney World when she was four years old, Rachel has traveled to Walt Disney World, Disneyland (CA), Disneyland Paris, and taken two Disney Cruises. She hopes to one day visit all the Disney parks in the world.

Have you dined in the Royal Court? Let us know your favorite dishes!