Disney Dining Rotation

[mouskateer]

We are sailing on the Disney Dream for 4 nights... I know that we have a dining rotation for the three main resturants with the option of repeating one on the fourth night. My question is... does the rotation start on the first night of your cruise... and how and when do we pick the fourth night restaurant. We are thinking of doing Cabanas on the extra night and not repeating one of the other three... Thanks... :)

[cruisefamilyforever]

Your dining rotation is assigned automatically and it starts the first night. You have the option of dining at Cabanas any night you choose. You just don't eat at the dining room that you have been assigned that night. You don't pick the dining room you wish to repeat. If it really matters to you as soon as you board you can try to get a different rotation. Usually people only do this when they are trying to juggle a Remy or Palo reservation and they don't want to miss dining in a particular rotation restaurant.

[DaKa2002]

You are assigned a rotational schedule - whether you accept the initial one or go to the Royal Palace between 1 and 3 PM on embarkation day to ask for another schedule.

We recommend skipping the rotational restaurant on Pirate's night - the menu is the same in all three restaurants; not sure if dinner at Cabana's is also the same that night.

We usually plan a nice dinner at Palo or Remy on Pirate's night.

[Shmoo here]

We are sailing on the Disney Dream for 4 nights... I know that we have a dining rotation for the three main resturants with the option of repeating one on the fourth night. My question is... does the rotation start on the first night of your cruise... and how and when do we pick the fourth night restaurant. We are thinking of doing Cabanas on the extra night and not repeating one of the other three... Thanks... :)

 

The 4 night Dream cruise rotation is 1223 (the dining room you are in on night 2 is repeated for night 3). The repeated dining room is on Pirate night. Personally, I like the Pirate night menu.

 

As noted you are assigned to a specific rotation, and it will be printed on your KTTW card that you get at check in.

 

Cabanas is a table service for dinner with a limited menu of selected items from the other menus available in the other dining rooms that evening. It's also no open on the first and last nights of the cruise.

 

Generally, the first time you dine in each dining room you will get their Signature (rotational) menu. Sometimes there is a variation with which night (2 or 3) is pirate night.

 

It's my suggestion, if this is your first DCL cruise, that you enjoy the MDRs to make up your own mind what (if any) menus have less appeal to you. You can then choose to miss one on a subsequent cruise.

[moki'smommy]

We are sailing on the Disney Dream for 4 nights... I know that we have a dining rotation for the three main resturants with the option of repeating one on the fourth night. My question is... does the rotation start on the first night of your cruise... and how and when do we pick the fourth night restaurant. We are thinking of doing Cabanas on the extra night and not repeating one of the other three... Thanks... :)

 

You don't choose anything. Your assigned rotation will be noted on your KTTW card and on a ticket in your cabin. And your rotation covers every night of your cruise, whether your cruise is 3,4, or even 15 nights--it is all specified for you.

 

If you want to eat at Cabanas, you just go up there during the hours it is open (listed in the Navigator). If you want adult dining, you make reservations. And, if for some reason there is a conflict between your rotation and your reservations, you go to "Dining Changes" after boarding (location listed in the Navigator, but usually Royal Palace), and the head servers there will work it out for you.

[BullDawg91]

Note: on a 4 day cruise, you need to eat in the MDR each night to experience the menus of each because on pirate night they all serve the pirate menu.

 

On your first cruise, I wouldn't skip pirate night because it's just a lot of fun to see all the guests coming to dinner in their pirate gear.

 

 

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[cublet]

Hello,

 

Please be gentle with me as I am a poor little Celebrity / Royal Caribbean cruiser.

 

Rumours abound that RCI are going to instigate 'rotational dining' on their newest ship(s) given the poor reception 'Dynamic Dining' has received. As, from the UK at least, cruises are between 7 and 14 nights, would we keep going around and around like a merry-go-round until the end of the cruise? What happens if someone particularly likes one particular venue and would like to eat there again/more and not wait for its turn to come around again?

 

Many thanks.

 

Cublet

[moki'smommy]

Hello,

 

Please be gentle with me as I am a poor little Celebrity / Royal Caribbean cruiser.

 

Rumours abound that RCI are going to instigate 'rotational dining' on their newest ship(s) given the poor reception 'Dynamic Dining' has received. As, from the UK at least, cruises are between 7 and 14 nights, would we keep going around and around like a merry-go-round until the end of the cruise? What happens if someone particularly likes one particular venue and would like to eat there again/more and not wait for its turn to come around again?

 

Many thanks.

 

Cublet

 

We obviously have no way of knowing what RCI will be doing.

 

That said, on DCL your dinner seating is assigned. You do not have the opportunity to change restaurants at will at dinner time. You may choose where you eat for breakfast and lunch, so if you like the decor in a particular restaurant that serves those meals, you may certainly choose to eat there.

 

On most 14 night cruises, the rotation was 1-2-3-1-2-3 repeated to 14 nights. Obviously, many of us chose to do an evening or more of adult dining, and perhaps try the pool deck restaurant (on DCL, this is sit down at dinner).

 

Round and round like a merry go round seems a bit harsh. DCL never feels like that...but yes, you do have a different assignment each night. Before you depart after one evening meal, your server will make sure you know what your assignment is for the next night--you always have the same serving team, regardless of where you are sitting. And reality, only the decor of the restaurant changes. But, you do not have the chance to eat dinner in your favorite until its turn comes around again. You will have the same menus on "theme" nights regardless of where you are seated.

 

Again, that's how DCL does it. Whether RCI copies that or invents something of its own...I guess time will tell.

Edited February 1, 2015 by moki'smommy

[BullDawg91]

Correct me if I'm wrong. Don't MDRs have more than one menu, meaning you won't be offered the same menu the second night in Animator's Palate as on the first night in that location? I know on longer cruises menus are repeated eventually.

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

Correct me if I'm wrong. Don't MDRs have more than one menu, meaning you won't be offered the same menu the second night in Animator's Palate as on the first night in that location? I know on longer cruises menus are repeated eventually.

 

Exactly. Each dining room has its primary menu - you get that your first time in that MDR. On the specialty nights (Pirate Night, Prince and Princess, Captain's Gala, Til We Meet Again, etc.) the MDRs will have the same menu. The exception being your second (possibly third if your rotation puts you in there three nights - the middle one will be Pirate Night) night in Animator's Palate on the Fantasy when you have the Animation show - that night it is a set appetizer trio and soup, but I believe the rest of the menu will be whatever the night's theme is across the board.

[moki'smommy]

Correct me if I'm wrong. Don't MDRs have more than one menu, meaning you won't be offered the same menu the second night in Animator's Palate as on the first night in that location? I know on longer cruises menus are repeated eventually.

 

No menus are repeated ever. We've done many DCL cruises of 14 nights--no repeats.

 

Each restaurant has a signature menu, which is served once during each cruise to each guest. On the 3 signature nights, each restaurant serves its special signature menu. The other nights are "theme" nights where each restaurant serves the same menu. Thus my statement that the only thing that differs among the restaurants on those nights is the decor. On cruises of longer than 7 nights there are special themed menus.

 

3 night cruise=3 signature menus

4 night cruise = 3 signature menus + pirate menu

7 night cruise = 3 signature + pirate, Captain's Gala, Till We Meet Again, Prince and Princess (I think...haven't done a 7 night for a while)

14 night will include other themes--Taste of the Med, Mouseketeer, etc. Total 3 signature, 4 "normal" theme nights, 7 "special" theme nights

 

Cruises of 10, 11, 12 nights simply have fewer of the "Special" theme nights.

[sunset@sea]

We just completed a seven day on the Magic. We enjoyed the rotation, as it provided variety in the atmosphere. There was no repetition of menus during our sailing. We liked that we had the same table number each night regardless of the dining room (easy to remember) and we had the same fabulous servers who did great magic tricks for our kids and brought us things just as we liked them. And when we dined in the same dining room a second time, we had the same table as before which I liked.

 

We had an early seating which we won't do again because it's too early for us, but it never seemed overly chaotic - aside from one near unfortunate incident during pirate's night in which a toy gun of some sort was discharged into the back of my young daughter's chair. The poor mother was so apologetic I couldn't get too upset. I was just glad it wasn't my child's head.

 

We were fortunate to have our request for a table against the wall just for our family accommodated by the dining and concierge teams. That may have made it seem less noisy. But, no. It never seemed boring or repetitive to us. It seemed like dining at neighborhood restaurants with friendly, attentive staff that know you well, and strive to provide great service.

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

We had an early seating which we won't do again because it's too early for us, but it never seemed overly chaotic - aside from one near unfortunate incident during pirate's night in which a toy gun of some sort was discharged into the back of my young daughter's chair. The poor mother was so apologetic I couldn't get too upset. I was just glad it wasn't my child's head.

 

That prop should never have been allowed on board. DCL makes it very clear in their what not to bring list that things like that are not allowed.

 

Your dining rotation is assigned automatically and it starts the first night. You have the option of dining at Cabanas any night you choose. You just don't eat at the dining room that you have been assigned that night. You don't pick the dining room you wish to repeat. If it really matters to you as soon as you board you can try to get a different rotation. Usually people only do this when they are trying to juggle a Remy or Palo reservation and they don't want to miss dining in a particular rotation restaurant.

 

Not quite true. Cabanas is not open for dinner on the first or last night of the cruise. On those nights your choices are your assigned MDR, Palo or Remy if over 18 and reservations are available, or Room Service.

[captcruiser]

Dining rotation is fun. Pirate night menu is good, although on our last trip on Dream we were having such a good time on the pool deck that we opted to eat at Flo's. Paninis, burgers, chicken fingers...if you don't need formal it's a great way to have fun poolside and not stop for dinner.