First Time Disney Cruiser w/ a Group

[nhquilter1]

I'm heading out on the Magic on 1/20 with a group of about 24 friends/family. I've cruised several times on NCL but am new to Disney.

Often if there was something served for dinner that we liked, we would mix and match (two entrees because we liked the side on one better) is that possible to do on Disney?

How are drink prices? (I've heard they're one of the less expensive of the cruise lines.)

How does the rotational dining work?

Thanks in advance!

[moki'smommy]

First, be sure that your reservations are "linked" or "cross referenced for dining." This tells everyone that you are a group and want to be seated near each other. A serving station is 18 people, so your group will be divided between 2 stations. That's not a problem as they will be 2 stations next to each other. I would strongly suggest tables for about 8 or 10 people (call DCL and tell them what you'd like). Bigger than that and you can't communicate with people at the other end of the table.

 

Rotational dining means that you move between the 3 dining rooms, changing rooms basically each night (there may be 2 nights in a row in the same room depending on the cruise). Your schedule for the various rooms is printed on your KTTW card and also on the dining tickets that will be in your cabin. Some people make a big deal out of which rotation they have; the bottom line is that by the end of the cruise, everyone will have had the same menus and the same rooms. You will eat in each room at least once; more times depending on length of cruise. Your table numbers and servers will remain the same--they travel to each restaurant with you.

 

You can mix and match to your heart's content. You can order multiple entrees if you wish. On one cruise our tables's dessert order was "one of each thing" and we would pass them around. If there was something that someone wanted a full serving of, they'd order that in addition.

 

Drink prices are about $7 normally. All bar items have a 15% mandatory gratuity added. There are 2 for one happy hour specials by the adult pool, but the same special is available in any bar. Get them to make you a couple of fresh ones, not the melted ice that the guys by the pool are serving. There is also a "drink of the day" that is a small discount.

Edited January 7, 2017 by moki'smommy

[nhquilter1]

First' date=' be sure that your reservations are "linked" or "cross referenced for dining." This tells everyone that you are a group and want to be seated near each other. A serving station is 18 people, so your group will be divided between 2 stations. That's not a problem as they will be 2 stations next to each other. I would strongly suggest tables for about 8 or 10 people (call DCL and tell them what you'd like). Bigger than that and you can't communicate with people at the other end of the table.

 

Rotational dining means that you move between the 3 dining rooms, changing rooms basically each night (there may be 2 nights in a row in the same room depending on the cruise). Your schedule for the various rooms is printed on your KTTW card and also on the dining tickets that will be in your cabin. Some people make a big deal out of which rotation they have; the bottom line is that by the end of the cruise, everyone will have had the same menus and the same rooms. You will eat in each room at least once; more times depending on length of cruise.[/quote']

 

Thanks for the quick reply! We are all in the same seating and our reservations are linked so we're good! Any idea where I can look at menus?

Thanks!

[moki'smommy]

Thanks for the quick reply! We are all in the same seating and our reservations are linked so we're good! Any idea where I can look at menus?

Thanks!

 

The signature menus for each restaurant are posted on the DCL website. Other menus are available here:

http://disneycruiselineblog.com/menus

 

You will have the signature menu for each restaurant. If your cruise is at least 4 nights, you'll have the Pirate Night menu. The other menus will vary based on the length of the cruise...so look for menus on a cruise of the same length as yours.

[ArthurUSCG]

Since all of the reservations are linked, if all or some of you in different cabins want to do the same shore excursions, designate 1 person to book them online. That way you can be sure your group gets put together. Otherwise you could be split into separate groups. The cost will get billed back to the person/cabin, so you don't have to worry about paying each other.

 

We have had tables of 10 and it was too loud to talk to the people on the other end of the table in animators plate but was on at Luiminers.

 

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

[moki'smommy]

We've been at tables of 20 and 16 which really did not work at all. You'd talk to the people near you, but that was it. I really don't like getting any bigger than about 8 if the goal is conversation.

 

When we did the 16, we actually made it work. A couple of the teens weren't exactly getting along, so we'd make sure they were at opposite ends of the table. It avoided a lot of eye rolling and made any real confrontation virtually impossible.