Tell me about our lunch options on the Magic

[DisneyRN]

What is our best bet for lunch on the Magic? Has anyone had bad expereinces with lunch choices on either ship?

Also, do most people eat off the boat while in port, or do they come back on to have lunch? How do you know what's "safe" to eat off the ship and what's not safe?

Sorry if my OCD questions are a little wacky! I get all ansy when I am going on a trip that I have never been on.

[DisneyDudet]

Well, when we went to St. Maarten, we shopped for the first part of the day, came back for lunch, and met for our excursion afterward. It worked out quite well, since the food was already paid for. We ate at Topsider's, and they always have something!

If you don't like that, there's always the eateries outside on deck 9, Hot dogs, burgers, pizza, etc. Parrot Cay is usually open if you are wanting inside eating. Then there's always room service.

When we went to St. Thomas, our excursion was over in the afternoon, so while we were at Meagan's Bay, we had a small snack and drinks, and then ate on Deck 9 when we got back, so we could have hot dogs

At St. Maarten, it is easy to look around near the dock and come back for lunch. You're there longer than you are in St. Thomas. There is a new port in St. Thomas, and its far from the main drag in town, so it would be harder to get back. Most restaurants are ok to eat at, we didn't see any problem with any of them.

If you go to St. Maarten, there is a ferry that is by the docks, and for $5 a person, you get a wristband that is good for all day round trip, multiple trips. Its faster to take that then walk, but if you just want to walk around, thats ok. It was just really fast to get to the good shopping!

All this, of course, is if you are indeed doing the Eastern Caribbean!

[AvaNellMouse]

I think your only challenge on the ship will be not eating too much. The food in the restaurants is really good at lunch. You will be seated with random other people which was fun. We ended up running into one couple over and over again the rest of the cruise.
On deck the panini's near the ice cream area are simply awesome. I really had to pace myself there.
As far as off the ship, you need to remember that these areas are for tourists. If they feed you bad food and you get sick, you won't come back. It is in their best interest to make sure what you get is not going to ruin your vacation.

[TammiMcMan]

My advice is to read that particular days Navigator very closely. Restaurant hours and availability change each day, so you need to plan your time accordingly. The buffet lunch can end as early as 2pm, then you've only got counter service or room service to choose from.

An option if you are concerned about "off ship" food is to pack a cooler and order from room service. You can take sandwiches and sodas off the ship with you.

[DisneyDudet]

My advice is to read that particular days Navigator very closely. Restaurant hours and availability change each day, so you need to plan your time accordingly. The buffet lunch can end as early as 2pm, then you've only got counter service or room service to choose from.

An option if you are concerned about "off ship" food is to pack a cooler and order from room service. You can take sandwiches and sodas off the ship with you.

There are some ports that do not allow this. I know St. Thomas is one of them, because they are US Virgin Islands. They treat it as if you are coming back into the states, and you can't take anything off, esp food. They made announcements and everything. Just beware of which ones you can. The foreign ports (St. Maarten, Nassau, and others) most likely allow you to carry off food, but St. Thomas did not.