Specialty dinner on Pirate night or Princess/Prince night

[sprout76]

Hey all!

 

I know that I want to do a dinner in either Palo or Remy, but can't decide which night to pick. Pirate night or Princess/Prince night. My husband and I do not have children, but we're going with some friends who have 2 little girls (5 and 10). We have late seating and I've requested the ERAERAE rotation, which I know is only a request. We'll be on the Eastern Itinerary C Fantasy sailing April 25th.

 

I also need to figure out which restaurant. I've eaten at Palo on both the Magic and the Wonder, but those were in 2000 and 2001 and I still remember the mushroom risotto I had (and I'm not a huge foodie) :D

 

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[Loonbeam]

If you are not a huge foodie, I'd say Palo. Remy is great but there is a big price factor for the experience. Dining rotation won't matter as they all will have the Pirate/Princess menu.

 

I'd find the menus themselves online and pick whichever night appeals least.

 

Hey all!

 

I know that I want to do a dinner in either Palo or Remy, but can't decide which night to pick. Pirate night or Princess/Prince night. My husband and I do not have children, but we're going with some friends who have 2 little girls (5 and 10). We have late seating and I've requested the ERAERAE rotation, which I know is only a request. We'll be on the Eastern Itinerary C Fantasy sailing April 25th.

 

I also need to figure out which restaurant. I've eaten at Palo on both the Magic and the Wonder, but those were in 2000 and 2001 and I still remember the mushroom risotto I had (and I'm not a huge foodie) :D

 

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[moki'smommy]

Pirate night is our least favorite menu on the 7 night cruises, so we typically book Palo that evening.

 

Palo vs.Remy--honestly they are not comparable. If you enjoyed the food in Palo, go for it again. Remy is $75 per person before wine. It is more of an "experience" than a meal, but it really is a foodie thing. Honestly, Palo is where I'm more comfortable. I find the food there to be great and the atmosphere and service rarely disappoint. I would have said never, but we had one.........

 

I'm with the above--look at the menus for the MDRs and decide which night you'd prefer to miss.

[sprout76]

That is a great recommendation! I don't know why it didn't occur to me to look at the menus and decide based upon that :D

 

I was leaning towards Palo and after hearing what you guys have to say I think that is what we'll go with. I think my husband would like both so he would be okay with either.

 

Thanks again. It's been a long time since I've been on Disney, but I'm so excited about it.

[Funky Chicken]

On our upcoming cruise we will be spending our third pirate night eating at Palo.

We head to Meridian for sail away and get a 6:00 reservation. Then we pick up our daughter at the club and she has a late dinner from Flo's on the pool deck before the fireworks.

It's our favorite night, and not because it's pirate night!

[grinningimm]

I loved the advice above about picking the night that you are least excited about the MDR menu, and doing Palo that night. We have downloaded the app that will let us see the entire cruise menu at once, so that will be easy. Here is a somewhat related question, regarding ordering something not on the menu for a given seating:

 

One of the tips I've read on these boards in general is to make a request (probably 24 hours in advance) of your MDR waiter that one of the international chefs make you something from their home country. My wife and I love Asian food of all kinds, and I don't want to miss this potential "bonus" feature of a cruise. Does this really happen, and if so, is it looked upon as a pain for the staff, or is it a common occurrence that is welcomed?

 

We are sailing on the Fantasy on Saturday. (Just 5 more days!)

Edited December 22, 2014 by grinningimm

[moki'smommy]

 

One of the tips I've read on these boards in general is to make a request (probably 24 hours in advance) of your MDR waiter that one of the international chefs make you something from their home country. My wife and I love Asian food of all kinds, and I don't want to miss this potential "bonus" feature of a cruise. Does this really happen, and if so, is it looked upon as a pain for the staff, or is it a common occurrence that is welcomed?

 

We are sailing on the Fantasy on Saturday. (Just 5 more days!)

 

Yes, the staff will TRY to meet your request. It is possible, but it is certainly not an advertised feature. Obviously priority is given to guests with special needs--allergies and other dietary restrictions--before special preparations by request can be done. It is not a common occurrence, but as with most things on Disney, they will try to prepare something special if you ask.

 

Simple requests are common and sometimes not even made but happen--for instance, our server learned that my daughter's favorite vege was broccoli. Every night, she had a side of steamed broccoli served to her, whether it was on the menu or not. We had never asked for this. Another "trick" is that on rotational nights, you can get food from one of the menus being served in another restaurant. Again, DD likes the soup from Animator's. We always ask the server if he can have a bowl of that soup for her on the rotational nights in the other restaurants (note--rotational night is when the signature menu is served, as opposed to the theme nights).

[grinningimm]

Thanks MM. I understood everything you said except the very last sentence. Can you explain more about the difference between a "signature menu" and a "theme night" menu, and how they relate to rotation? I know that we will be in a different MDR every night, but this is my first Disney cruise.

Edited December 22, 2014 by grinningimm

[Shmoo here]

Thanks MM. I understood everything you said except the very last sentence. Can you explain more about the difference between a "signature menu" and a "theme night" menu, and how they relate to rotation? I know that we will be in a different MDR every night, but this is my first Disney cruise.

 

Not moki's mommy, but -

 

Each Dining Room has it's own "Signature" menu (also called "Rotational" menu). Three of the nights on any given cruise all 3 MDRs will serve their own Signature menu. That's 3 different menus offered on all three of the nights, one in each MDR.

 

If your cruise has more than 3 nights, the additional nights the same menu is served in all the dining rooms (these are the "theme" nights). Those menus include Pirate night (any cruise that's at least 4 nights long will have this one); Prince & Princess; Captain's Gala (generally the semi-formal night); Welcome Aboard; Till We Meet Again (or Sea Ya Real Soon).

Edited December 22, 2014 by Shmoo here

[moki'smommy]

Thanks MM. I understood everything you said except the very last sentence. Can you explain more about the difference between a "signature menu" and a "theme night" menu, and how they relate to rotation? I know that we will be in a different MDR every night, but this is my first Disney cruise.

 

Each of the restaurants has a signature menu. You will get to see all of them since you will eat in a different restaurant each night, and then repeat them if your cruise is more than 3 nights. Signature menu nights are also called "rotational" nights.

 

On a 3 night cruise, you'll see only the signature menus. 4 night = 3 signature menus + pirate. 7 night = 3 signature + 4 "themed" nights of which one is pirate night. On the theme nights, each restaurant seres the same menu. No matter where you are assigned to eat, you'll have the same menu. On the signature nights, each restaurant will serve its own signature menu, so the food in each is different. Thus, if you like a dessert from Enchanted Garden but you are sitting in Animator's on a signature menu night, you can ask your server if he/she can get you the dessert. This does work best if you ask in advance rather than sending someone scurrying all over the ship to get it for you!

 

Shmoo, I think great minds are thinking alike....or something like that!

Edited December 22, 2014 by moki'smommy

[Shmoo here]

Each of the restaurants has a signature menu. You will get to see all of them since you will eat in a different restaurant each night' date=' and then repeat them if your cruise is more than 3 nights. Signature menu nights are also called "rotational" nights.

 

On a 3 night cruise, you'll see only the signature menus. 4 night = 3 signature menus + pirate. 7 night = 3 signature + 4 "themed" nights of which one is pirate night. On the theme nights, each restaurant seres the same menu. No matter where you are assigned to eat, you'll have the same menu. On the signature nights, each restaurant will serve its own signature menu, so the food in each is different. Thus, if you like a dessert from Enchanted Garden but you are sitting in Animator's on a signature menu night, you can ask your server if he/she can get you the dessert. This does work best if you ask in advance rather than sending someone scurrying all over the ship to get it for you!

 

Shmoo, I think great minds are thinking alike....or something like that![/quote']

 

Well, I've learned a lot from my cruises, as well as from other cruisers who post, including you. :)