New to Disney and rotational dining

[wrf2e]

My wife and I are booked on the 7 night Wonder cruise from San Juan. Neither of us have sailed Disney and have been pretty spoiled by Your Time Dining on Carnival. I am just trying to wrap my head around the rotating dining plan and looking for advice on Palo.

 

Given that the cruise is 7 nights, can I assume we will eat in two of the restaurant twice and 3 times in one of the dining rooms? Is there any way to know the rotation before getting to the ship? I was thinking we could do Palo the night we are scheduled to eat in the one restaurant for the third time, but would like to book in advance.

 

Also, with it just being the two of us (no kids), would we likely be seated at a table with another couple or group without kids? We chose the second seating for 2 reasons. We have a port intensive cruise and enjoy not being rushed back to the ship to get ready for dinner and I read that there are less children in the second seating and that they are served their entrees with everyone else's appetizers and then taken off to the kids clubs. I know this sounds like I don't like children, but that is not the case. We love children and love spending time with our nephews and young cousins. I'm just trying to avoid the awkwardness that may come from a random couple being seated with a family with small children.

 

Thanks for any advice!

[Ex techie]

My wife and I are booked on the 7 night Wonder cruise from San Juan. Neither of us have sailed Disney and have been pretty spoiled by Your Time Dining on Carnival. I am just trying to wrap my head around the rotating dining plan and looking for advice on Palo.

 

Given that the cruise is 7 nights, can I assume we will eat in two of the restaurant twice and 3 times in one of the dining rooms? Is there any way to know the rotation before getting to the ship? I was thinking we could do Palo the night we are scheduled to eat in the one restaurant for the third time, but would like to book in advance.

 

You have this absolutely correct.

You can call DCL shoreside reservations if you booked directly with them, or ask your TA to request a dining rotation. You won;t know the rotation until you board unless you request one.

You need to work out which of the three MDR's you would like to skip though?

Also, you may not get a Palo reservation on the night you wish, and you won't know that until your booking window opens, so best to not request that until you know if you can get a reservation.

You may be able to get a Palo reservation once you board the ship, as some are held back.

 

Also, with it just being the two of us (no kids), would we likely be seated at a table with another couple or group without kids? We chose the second seating for 2 reasons. We have a port intensive cruise and enjoy not being rushed back to the ship to get ready for dinner and I read that there are less children in the second seating and that they are served their entrees with everyone else's appetizers and then taken off to the kids clubs. I know this sounds like I don't like children, but that is not the case. We love children and love spending time with our nephews and young cousins. I'm just trying to avoid the awkwardness that may come from a random couple being seated with a family with small children.

 

Again, you can call DCL if you booked with them or ask your TA to request a table for adults only. They will do their best to accommodate your request, but it is only a request.

DCL do a great job at matching up diners with others of a similar age, so I wouldn't worry about being seated with a family of children, especially if you request a table for 2 and they cannot fulfil that request.

 

Thanks for any advice!

 

Replies in RED.

 

ex techie

Edited January 8, 2016 by Ex techie

[Shmoo here]

My wife and I are booked on the 7 night Wonder cruise from San Juan. Neither of us have sailed Disney and have been pretty spoiled by Your Time Dining on Carnival. I am just trying to wrap my head around the rotating dining plan and looking for advice on Palo.

 

Given that the cruise is 7 nights, can I assume we will eat in two of the restaurant twice and 3 times in one of the dining rooms? Is there any way to know the rotation before getting to the ship? I was thinking we could do Palo the night we are scheduled to eat in the one restaurant for the third time, but would like to book in advance.

 

Also, with it just being the two of us (no kids), would we likely be seated at a table with another couple or group without kids? We chose the second seating for 2 reasons. We have a port intensive cruise and enjoy not being rushed back to the ship to get ready for dinner and I read that there are less children in the second seating and that they are served their entrees with everyone else's appetizers and then taken off to the kids clubs. I know this sounds like I don't like children, but that is not the case. We love children and love spending time with our nephews and young cousins. I'm just trying to avoid the awkwardness that may come from a random couple being seated with a family with small children.

 

Thanks for any advice!

 

Typically the rotation for the dining rooms is 1231231. That is, the passenger complement is divided into thirds and each 1/3 starts in a different Main Dining Room. On the Wonder the MDRs are usually done in this order: Parrot Cay followed by Animator's Palate followed by Triton's (repeat for duration of cruise). On some cruises, the rotation may be 1231223; o 1223123; or 1233123. There's no way of knowing for sure what the actual rotation is until you get your Key to the World card at check in (it will be printed on the card).

 

I will also point out that you won't have the same menu every time you are in a particular MDR. Each MDR serves it's own Signature Menu (usually the first time you are in that particular dining room. That takes care of 3 nights. The other 4 nights the same menu is served in all the dining rooms - one night will be Pirate night, one night is typically the Prince & Princess menu, one night is typically the Captain's Gala menu, and the final night usually is the Till We Meet Again menu.

 

DCL is very good about seating groups together with the same make up (couples with couples; young families with young families; single parent groups together; etc). All of our DCL cruises it's just been us 2 adults. And we've always been seating with other adult only groups. One cruise out of 10 (actually had our 19 year old with us) we were seated with a mom (our age) and her older teen/young adult children.

 

Second seating, in our experience, has a lot more kids than you think it will. In reality, DCL has to split the passenger complement evenly between early and late seating, so it's a crap shoot whether your seating actually has fewer kids or not.

 

I'd suggest you go ahead a book your Palo reservation for whatever night works for you. Once you check in at the port, if the night you have your reservation isn't really the night you want, go to where the dining changes are being handled (it'll be noted in the Navigator where/when this is) and request to either have your dining rotation changed, or your Palo reservation, whichever is easiest.

[wrf2e]

Thanks for the great info! I just received an email from Disney with some tips about what to expect. It stated that formal night and Palo have a dress code of coat and tie for the men. Would I be out of place with slacks and a button up and tie? I haven't worn a coat to dinner in some time and will need to buy one. We used to get "fancied up" on Carnival, but they have gotten lax on their dress code (nice jeans and a polo on normal days and slacks and a nice shirt on formal night. I don't mind, and actually enjoy dressing up for dinner, but on Carnival it has almost become swapped where you may feel out of place if you are dressed too nice.

[Shmoo here]

Thanks for the great info! I just received an email from Disney with some tips about what to expect. It stated that formal night and Palo have a dress code of coat and tie for the men. Would I be out of place with slacks and a button up and tie? I haven't worn a coat to dinner in some time and will need to buy one. We used to get "fancied up" on Carnival, but they have gotten lax on their dress code (nice jeans and a polo on normal days and slacks and a nice shirt on formal night. I don't mind, and actually enjoy dressing up for dinner, but on Carnival it has almost become swapped where you may feel out of place if you are dressed too nice.

 

Actually, for Palo it's dress shirt & pants and EITHER tie or jacket as the basic requirement.

 

But, my husband wears the full suit and tie for dinner. Brunch is a bit more relaxed, nice pants and shirt works fine for that.

[Ex techie]

Thanks for the great info! I just received an email from Disney with some tips about what to expect. It stated that formal night and Palo have a dress code of coat and tie for the men. Would I be out of place with slacks and a button up and tie? I haven't worn a coat to dinner in some time and will need to buy one. We used to get "fancied up" on Carnival, but they have gotten lax on their dress code (nice jeans and a polo on normal days and slacks and a nice shirt on formal night. I don't mind, and actually enjoy dressing up for dinner, but on Carnival it has almost become swapped where you may feel out of place if you are dressed too nice.

 

Can you copy and paste the email information on here?

 

Only asking because the only dress code requirement for Palo is:

Dress to Impress

To preserve the elegant atmosphere, you are asked to adhere to a strict dress code when dining at Palo. Dress pants and shirt are required for men and a dress or pantsuit is required for women. Please no jeans, shorts, capri pants, flip-flops or tennis shoes.

 

https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/onboard-activities/palo-restaurant/

 

And formal nights are optional.

 

At Remy, on the Dream and Fantasy it is more strict. They do require a jacket, and ties are optional.

Dress to Impress

To preserve the elegant atmosphere, you are asked to adhere to a strict dress code when dining at Remy.

Dinner

At dinnertime, the following dress code is enforced:

 

Men: A jacket (such as a sports, suit or tuxedo jacket) is required, with dress pants/slacks and shoes. Ties are optional. Please no jeans, shorts, sandals, flip-flops or tennis shoes.

Ladies: Cocktail dress, evening dress, pant suit or skirt/blouse are required. Please no jeans, shorts, capri pants, sandals, flip-flops or tennis shoes.

Brunch and Dessert

During brunch and dessert, the following dress code is enforced:

 

Men: Dress pants and a shirt are required for men. A jacket is optional. Please no jeans, shorts, capri pants, sandals, flip-flops or tennis shoes.

Women: A dress or pantsuit is required. Please no jeans, shorts, capri pants, sandals, flip-flops or tennis shoes.

https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/onboard-activities/remy-restaurant/

 

As you are sailing on the Wonder, you will only have Palo as the upscale Adults Only dining venue.

 

ex techie

[N41EF]

We've done several cruises with no kids, and 2 with our 20+ YO daughter. We've always been seated with other childless couples, or mother/daughters in the same age group. Knock on wood, we've never had a bad set or table mates. One Dream cruise we were seated at an 8 top with three other couples, we had a blast.

 

Cruise more, worry less.

[moki'smommy]

When cruising as "adults only," we have NEVER been seated with children. DCL is amazing at placing "like" groups together.

 

If you prefer a table for just the two of you, put in that request. There are no 2 top tables; you will be seated at a table for 4 with the other two seats unfilled.

 

I'm really curious as to this e-mail. It is not consistent with any published dress code or suggested attire on DCL. As above, Palo requires EITHER a jacket or a tie, but not both. Since you are on the Wonder, there is no need to be concerned with the Remy dress code (there is no Remy on the Wonder).

 

As to rotation--don't worry about it. You will have 3 nights where each restaurant will serve its signature menu. These are usually the first time you eat in each restaurant. You will also have 4 "themed" nights where all the MDR restaurants will serve the same menu. The only thing that changes is the decor. My suggestion is to schedule Palo in the last half of the cruise so that you will miss one of these theme nights. If you don't like what you have when you check in at the terminal, go to the location listed for "Dining changes" and tell them that you'd like to change either your rotation or your Palo night...they will work it out for you.

 

The ONLY difference between DCL's "rotational dining" and dining on any other line we've done is that you change rooms each night. You keep the same team, same table number. All ships change menus....so the only difference is the decor. Not nearly as big a deal as people seem to think it is.

[Ex techie]

Mokismommy, ties are not required at Palo anymore.

Just a dress pants and shirt only for men.

 

ex techie

[wrf2e]

 

This is what I got from Disney today. I guess it doesn't say they are required, looks more like a suggestion now that I re-read it.

Edited January 8, 2016 by wrf2e

[wrf2e]

Oh man...that picture is awful. Here is the text.

 

FORMAL ATTIRE

Your voyage includes at least one formal evening. On these special nights, most women wear a gown or dress, and most men wear a jacket and tie. If you prefer a tuxedo, men's formalwear is available for rental during your cruise. In addition, If you'll be dining in one of our adults-only restaurants, we recommend a dress or pantsuit for women and a jacket and tie for men.

[Ex techie]

[ATTACH]372912[/ATTACH]

 

This is what I got from Disney today. I guess it doesn't say they are required, looks more like a suggestion now that I re-read it.

 

Unfortunately, that is illegible. The CC picture sharing isn't great and the picture is so small you cannot read anything.

 

You would need to use a hosting site like photobucket, or Flickr to share the image so it is readable.

 

I'm only asking as DCL have been very inconsistent in their information given out, and it would be useful to know if they are sending out old and out of date information.

 

ex techie

[Ex techie]

Oh man...that picture is awful. Here is the text.

 

FORMAL ATTIRE

Your voyage includes at least one formal evening. On these special nights, most women wear a gown or dress, and most men wear a jacket and tie. If you prefer a tuxedo, men's formalwear is available for rental during your cruise. In addition, If you'll be dining in one of our adults-only restaurants, we recommend a dress or pantsuit for women and a jacket and tie for men.

 

Thanks for posting the text!

 

That is what they would recommend and request you wear.

But formal night dressing up is optional, not compulsory, and the Palo dress code I posted above is directly from their website.

Dress pants and a shirt is all that is required for men, and in todays standards, dressed up enough (if you wish) for formal night.

 

ex techie

[wrf2e]

Thanks for posting the text!

 

That is what they would recommend and request you wear.

But formal night dressing up is optional, not compulsory, and the Palo dress code I posted above is directly from their website.

Dress pants and a shirt is all that is required for men, and in todays standards, dressed up enough (if you wish) for formal night.

 

ex techie

 

Thanks! I appreciate all the advice. I feel so much like a fish out of water right now lol. I could tell you anything you ever wanted to know about CCL, but with Disney I feel like such a newbie. I have been reading over dozens of reviews and trip reports.

[moki'smommy]

The only place that anything is enforced on the Wonder is Palo. Reality, most people make some effort to dress up on Formal night and for adult dining, but it is not required.

 

You'll find more alike than different among different cruise lines. At least that's been our experience. Just read the Navigator carefully or you'll miss things.

[fparker49]

How many people are seated at the dining tables? We are 6 adults and two kids (2 and 3 years old). Friends of ours are going on the same sailing and are 2 adults and 1 three year old. Are the tables big enough for all of us?

[Capt_BJ]

How many people are seated at the dining tables? We are 6 adults and two kids (2 and 3 years old). Friends of ours are going on the same sailing and are 2 adults and 1 three year old. Are the tables big enough for all of us?

 

call and link the two and they will try . . . I've see bigger tables ....