A themepark journalist, and soon-to-be published cookbook author, who's done 35+ cruises across every major line — Holland America, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, Carnival — just weighed in on who does food best at sea. Her answer? Disney Cruise Line, and it isn't particularly close. This week we welcome Carly (Adventures by Carly), theme park journalist, Attractions Magazine Podcast co-host, and soon-to-be cookbook author, for an over-an-hour bonus episode covering DCL food favorites, ship rankings, fleet speculation, and the origin story of a cookbook built on a 1981 Walt Disney World menu document she found while going down a rabbit hole.

In this episode:

Her two must-order DCL cocktails — including the Palo balsamic grande martini she insists will change your life, and the Hook's Barbary Old Fashioned she calls the best she's ever had
The sea bass and a Lion King chicken skewer on the Disney Destiny that she orders every single time without hesitation
Why the Disney Magic and Disney Destiny tied as her all-time favorites — and what it tells us about how much DCL's theming and entertainment has evolved
Her dream wishlist for the Disney Believe — including a Pixar Lamplight Lounge concept, Oga's Cantina at Sea, and a new musical dining experience
Why Alaska on the Disney Wonder was "the greatest, greatest cruise ever" — and what made a 35-cruise veteran finally not want to get off the ship

"If you don't go to Palo and get that at brunch, you are not living your last best life." — Carly

You can follow along with Carly's amazing travel and adventures on Instagram, Threads, her website and her podcast. You can also pre-order Carly's forthcoming cookbook, The Unofficial Disney Parks Retro Cookbook, on Amazon.

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The views expressed in this podcast are our own and do not reflect the views of the Walt Disney Company, Disney Cruise Line or any other travel provider discussed or mentioned.