Disney Fantasy - Dining rotation and Animator's Palate appetizer question

[dpswift]

Did the waiter give you a dirty look because you didn't finish your meal but ordered a dessert? Or was the dirty look because you ordered off the kids menu?

I honestly do not remember it had been a bad meal. It was the first night we got in line at opening and the four of us had been seated at an eight top. A few minutes later they started to seat another family with us. The family took one look at us and demanded a private table (we found out the next day that the previous year they had been seated alone and had no idea of the group seating)

Also for some reason we do not get the wonderful, entertaining waiters that others on the board talk about. The first time a waiter had to be sent home due to an injury and the other waiters had to pick up his tables. Last time the waiters seemed overworked. To be honest we got to know our waiters on other cruiselines better.

We love Disney and other aspects of the cruise more than make up for our MDR service. I plan on going into the next cruise with the hopes of getting an excellant team and not compare them to previous ones.

 

[mitsguy2001]

I honestly do not remember it had been a bad meal. It was the first night we got in line at opening and the four of us had been seated at an eight top. A few minutes later they started to seat another family with us. The family took one look at us and demanded a private table (we found out the next day that the previous year they had been seated alone and had no idea of the group seating)

Also for some reason we do not get the wonderful, entertaining waiters that others on the board talk about. The first time a waiter had to be sent home due to an injury and the other waiters had to pick up his tables. Last time the waiters seemed overworked. To be honest we got to know our waiters on other cruiselines better.

We love Disney and other aspects of the cruise more than make up for our MDR service. I plan on going into the next cruise with the hopes of getting an excellant team and not compare them to previous ones.

I hope I don't offend anybody, but I think part of it is that this board tends to attract the Disney cheerleaders who love anything Disney does, and who tend to blow the service out of proportion. I think one major problem is that us customers are pressured to give only Excellent ratings on the comment sheet. I realize that Disney treats "very good" as a failure, and I don't want to get the server in trouble, so I just give "excellent". But that means that employees never improve, since they don't get any constructive feedback.

For example, on my last cruise, our service was generally excellent, except that one night, our server insulted the entrée choice that I made. And she asked a question that my wife felt was overly personal. Both areas where she could have improved, but not anything I was willing to get her in trouble over. So, I rated her excellent, even though "very good" with a few constructive comments would have been more appropriate. But since she already told us that she'd get in trouble for "very good", I gave her "excellent" and didn't give the comments that could have helped her.

One idea that I was thinking about was writing comments and giving them in the tip envelope, so that only the server sees the comments, and Disney does not. Has anybody ever done that? Or is that just looking for trouble?

 

[holula]

I hope I don't offend anybody, but I think part of it is that this board tends to attract the Disney cheerleaders who love anything Disney does, and who tend to blow the service out of proportion. I think one major problem is that us customers are pressured to give only Excellent ratings on the comment sheet. I realize that Disney treats "very good" as a failure, and I don't want to get the server in trouble, so I just give "excellent".

I don't rate servers as excellent just because I hear the spiel every cruise. If they are excellent, like some have been, I will rate them as such. If they have areas for improvement I won't rate them excellent and will give them an appropriate rating on the comment card and add comments. I think a score out of 10 would be better, and have 9 or 10 as a pass because a 9 would mean some small improvement areas.

What I completely disagree with is the food quality/enjoyment question that reflects back on the server. That is the problem of the kitchen, NOT the server.

 

[moomy-san]

I don't rate servers as excellent just because I hear the spiel every cruise. If they are excellent, like some have been, I will rate them as such. If they have areas for improvement I won't rate them excellent and will give them an appropriate rating on the comment card and add comments. I think a score out of 10 would be better, and have 9 or 10 as a pass because a 9 would mean some small improvement areas. What I completely disagree with is the food quality/enjoyment question that reflects back on the server. That is the problem of the kitchen, NOT the server.

I had a lengthy discussion with my friend (who was a training officer for all the servers onboard) about the food quality issue reflecting poorly on the servers. Disney trains the servers to correct any and all issues, no matter how small or crazy. So if you thought your food was not top quality it is up to your server to fix it or make a suggestion to make it right for you. If you are on night 7 of your cruise and your perception of the food is that it wasn't excellent, then your servers didn't do their jobs. Seems extreme to me, but its just the way it is.

 

[dpswift]

I hope I don't offend anybody, but I think part of it is that this board tends to attract the Disney cheerleaders who love anything Disney does, and who tend to blow the service out of proportion. I think one major problem is that us customers are pressured to give only Excellent ratings on the comment sheet. I realize that Disney treats "very good" as a failure, and I don't want to get the server in trouble, so I just give "excellent". But that means that employees never improve, since they don't get any constructive feedback.

For example, on my last cruise, our service was generally excellent, except that one night, our server insulted the entrée choice that I made. And she asked a question that my wife felt was overly personal. Both areas where she could have improved, but not anything I was willing to get her in trouble over. So, I rated her excellent, even though "very good" with a few constructive comments would have been more appropriate. But since she already told us that she'd get in trouble for "very good", I gave her "excellent" and didn't give the comments that could have helped her.

One idea that I was thinking about was writing comments and giving them in the tip envelope, so that only the server sees the comments, and Disney does not. Has anybody ever done that? Or is that just looking for trouble?

I feel that way also. I must admit that the talks on the last night tend to annoy me. I wish since they have to say something they would try to be descreet. It bothers me that the level of attention is highest on the last night to get the 10. I never believed in giving a 10 out of 10. There is usually some area where there is room for improvement.

Our assistant server spilled a glass of water on me the last night and was in a panic. Accidents happen. I think she made to big of a deal of it. It just seemed our waiter ws always off waiting for the meals. I wish they had a better system for getting the food to the MDR so we could get to know the waiters.

 

[nala3378]

I have reservations at Palo on Day 6 should I try to change the dinner to a different night… Is this a big deal this night? Or should I wait until I get on the ship and see what the schedule is… The way I understood it was that my Cruise only had one formal night and it was the 2nd night…

 

[Deb in IA]

I have reservations at Palo on Day 6 should I try to change the dinner to a different night… Is this a big deal this night? Or should I wait until I get on the ship and see what the schedule is… The way I understood it was that my Cruise only had one formal night and it was the 2nd night…

On our January 10 - 17 Eastern Caribbean on the Fantasy, our Day 2 was Formal Night; Day 6 was Semi-Formal night and it was the Captain's Menu, which means lobster tails in the MDR. I've heard they also have lobster tails in Palo that night as well, but we have never been there on that night, so I can't say from experience.

 

[lbgraves]

...
One idea that I was thinking about was writing comments and giving them in the tip envelope, so that only the server sees the comments, and Disney does not. Has anybody ever done that? Or is that just looking for trouble?

It would be after the cruise, so not like the server could treat you poorly if you give it to them the last morning. I would explain that you didn't want to penalize them with DCL, but thought that your observations/suggestions might help them in the future.

We complained about a HORRIBLE server on night 3 of the MV on the Fantasy to Fitz, who wasn't our head server but we knew him from previous cruises and he knew that we aren't picky. We had a new server the next evening. One cruise when I turned in our tip sheet at GS the CM there asked if there was a problem with our stateroom host due to the amount we had left. I told her everything we had experienced, including the beds/bunk not being prepared until almost 11 pm one night, didn't even see her until day 5 in the hall and the fact that she always looking like she was miserable when we did see her. The GS CM knew of her and said she was extremely homesick. I suggested that HR help her and maybe being onboard wasn't right for her. When I posted about that here on the board someone else pmd me and asked if it was the same host they had the previous week. It was, and they found an extra suitcase under their bed the last day of their cruise. They hadn't looked before putting their bags there, but that meant that the host never cleaned/looked under the bed which you would think would be done on the changeover day at least.

 

[dpswift]

It would be after the cruise, so not like the server could treat you poorly if you give it to them the last morning. I would explain that you didn't want to penalize them with DCL, but thought that your observations/suggestions might help them in the future.

We complained about a HORRIBLE server on night 3 of the MV on the Fantasy to Fitz, who wasn't our head server but we knew him from previous cruises and he knew that we aren't picky. We had a new server the next evening. One cruise when I turned in our tip sheet at GS the CM there asked if there was a problem with our stateroom host due to the amount we had left. I told her everything we had experienced, including the beds/bunk not being prepared until almost 11 pm one night, didn't even see her until day 5 in the hall and the fact that she always looking like she was miserable when we did see her. The GS CM knew of her and said she was extremely homesick. I suggested that HR help her and maybe being onboard wasn't right for her. When I posted about that here on the board someone else pmd me and asked if it was the same host they had the previous week. It was, and they found an extra suitcase under their bed the last day of their cruise. They hadn't looked before putting their bags there, but that meant that the host never cleaned/looked under the bed which you would think would be done on the changeover day at least.

Good ideas. I am sure that it did much more than my just not tipping extra. I just do not want to get someone in trouble if they were having a bad week. Just on our last Wonder cruise it seemed as though all the waiters left for signicant amounts of time. The only time that he spent time with us was to give us the 10 speech. On other lines by the end of the cruise we knew where they were from, how long they had worked on cruise ships what ships they had worked on and their goals for the future.

 

[dpswift]

DH loves Palo and wants to go there. What nights have the least amount of MDR entertainment. We would want to see both shows in Animaters Palate for sure.

 

[Marlea98]

If I understand the dining rotations on the Fantasy (Eastern Caribbean), they works like this:

Nights 1-3: You get the regular menu for whichever restaurant you are in that night. Night 2 is the formal night, but has the regular menu for that restaurant.

Night 4: Pirate night, and pirate menu in all dining rooms

Night 5: Prince and Princess menu. But if you have Animator's Palate that night, you get a reduced menu, with only 1 appetizer and 1 soup (no choices)

Night 6: Captain's gala / second formal night. Menu includes lobster. But if you have Animator's Palate that night, you get a reduced menu, with only 1 appetizer and 1 soup (no choices)

Night 7: See you real soon menu. But if you have Animator's Palate that night, you get a reduced menu, with only 1 appetizer and 1 soup (no choices)

My first question is, am I correct that on Nights 5, 6, and 7, on the night that you are in Animator's Palate, you get a reduced menu, rather than the normal menu for that night (prince and princess, captain's gala, or see you real soon)? Why is that? Am I correct that the entrees and desserts are the same as at the other restaurants? Am I correct that the difference is that you get only 1 appetizer and only 1 soup, with no choices? If so, what is the one appetizer, and what is the 1 soup? If you request, can you get an appetizer and a soup or salad that is served at the other 2 dining rooms that night?

Also, which formal night is more formal? Usually it's the first one. But in this case, the first one just has the normal menu, but the second has the lobster menu. What is the difference between the two formal nights?

My wife wants to request a rotation based on matching attire to the dining room. But I'm thinking it makes more sense to choose whichever one has Animator's Palate on the night (5, 6, or 7) that has the least impressive appetizer and soup / salad selection, given that it appears that Disney is denying us the opportunity to have the usual appetizers and soups / salads for that night. Or, as I asked earlier, can they bring us an appetizer and soup / salad from the other 2 dining rooms if we request? I have a feeling this is a typical male / female dilemma (female prioritizing attire, male prioritizing food). lol

Finally, is one rotation more geared toward adult couples with no kids? At the time of the cruise, I will be 36 and my wife will be 37, and we have no kids yet. If we request no rotation, which one will we most likely get, or will it be completely random? We have late dining.

My wife is thinking we should request AERAERA. This would put us in Enchanted Garden for the first formal night, and Royal Court for the 2nd formal night. Is the 2nd one more major? It also puts us in Animator's Palate for pirate night, which I have read is desirable. On the other hand, I read that tends to be the rotation for little children. Or is that not an issue with late dining? It gives us the reduced menu for the 7th night. Not sure if that's good or bad.

If the first formal night is more major, then my wife is thinking ERAERAE, so that we have Royal Court on the first formal night. But that puts us in Animator's Palate and with the reduced menu on the 2nd formal night, so that's not idea. Also, with prince and princess night in Royal Court, we wonder if that tends to be the little girl rotation.

Finally, we wonder if the adult rotation, if one exists, might be RAERAER, since it goes to the most formal restaurant, Royal Court, 3 times. But it puts us in Animator's Palate for the first formal night.

I know, this is a lot of questions. Thanks.

Your post has made my head swim! Why not just cruise and enjoy yourselves instead of getting all in a tizz over something as simple as food?

I cannot understand why your wife wants to base her wardrobe on the 'theme' of each restaurant - and I'm a woman! I understand that you do not have children and probably want to make your cruise special but it seems it's a lot of effort to go to. I would suggest that you opt for Palo or Remy for few nights if you want something more adult-oriented.

The servers are usually happy to bring you something from another dining room if you ask nicely and give them a bit of fair notice. I prefer to start my meal off with a plain garden salad - I tell them what I would like on it and what dressing I like on the side and they're happy to accommodate. I usually don't eat dessert so on our last cruise I was happy to have a few slices of pineapple while everyone ate their dessert. It was no big deal and the servers were happy to oblige. As long as you aren't demanding and acting all entitled to 'special treatment' I've yet to see a server refuse something that is not on the menu. In fact, I enjoyed something on the menu one night I asked if I could have it again the next night and that is what I received.

Good luck on your cruise and I hope you have an enjoyable vacation

 

[Marlea98]

My wife now wants to request the rotation that puts us in Royal Court for the first formal night. Assuming that nothing changes for Halloween and/or Rosh Hashanah, that would be ERAERAE. Not sure I like that, since it puts us in Animator's Palate for the 2nd formal night, and means that we'll get the dumbed down menu for the Captain's Gala, which means probably missing the best menu.

They're not 'dumbed down' though. You may think it is but others may disagree. Everything is subjective. My children really enjoyed every single restaurant (and they rarely order from the children'smenu) and while I prefer AP on the Wonder my husband and children loved AP on the Fantasy.

 

[Marlea98]

DH are on the same cruise. I have been wondering about the menus and rotations myself. I am very picky and on our last Wonder cruise I did not eat much and the Waiter gave me a nasty look when I ordered a Mickey bar for Dessert My sister in law says she does it all the time. It is upsetting to hear about the limited appetizers.

I've twice ordered Mickey Bars for dessert and never had a 'dirty look' and the ice creams were always presented in a bowl covered in sprinkles and syrup.

 

[dpswift]

I've twice ordered Mickey Bars for dessert and never had a 'dirty look' and the ice creams were always presented in a bowl covered in sprinkles and syrup.

That is why I was confused. I know my sister in law does it all the time.

 

[Stitchie13]

If I understand the dining rotations on the Fantasy (Eastern Caribbean), they works like this:

Nights 1-3: You get the regular menu for whichever restaurant you are in that night. Night 2 is the formal night, but has the regular menu for that restaurant.

Night 4: Pirate night, and pirate menu in all dining rooms

Night 5: Prince and Princess menu. But if you have Animator's Palate that night, you get a reduced menu, with only 1 appetizer and 1 soup (no choices)

Night 6: Captain's gala / second formal night. Menu includes lobster. But if you have Animator's Palate that night, you get a reduced menu, with only 1 appetizer and 1 soup (no choices)

Night 7: See you real soon menu. But if you have Animator's Palate that night, you get a reduced menu, with only 1 appetizer and 1 soup (no choices)

My first question is, am I correct that on Nights 5, 6, and 7, on the night that you are in Animator's Palate, you get a reduced menu, rather than the normal menu for that night (prince and princess, captain's gala, or see you real soon)? Why is that? Am I correct that the entrees and desserts are the same as at the other restaurants? Am I correct that the difference is that you get only 1 appetizer and only 1 soup, with no choices? If so, what is the one appetizer, and what is the 1 soup? If you request, can you get an appetizer and a soup or salad that is served at the other 2 dining rooms that night?

Also, which formal night is more formal? Usually it's the first one. But in this case, the first one just has the normal menu, but the second has the lobster menu. What is the difference between the two formal nights?

My wife wants to request a rotation based on matching attire to the dining room. But I'm thinking it makes more sense to choose whichever one has Animator's Palate on the night (5, 6, or 7) that has the least impressive appetizer and soup / salad selection, given that it appears that Disney is denying us the opportunity to have the usual appetizers and soups / salads for that night. Or, as I asked earlier, can they bring us an appetizer and soup / salad from the other 2 dining rooms if we request? I have a feeling this is a typical male / female dilemma (female prioritizing attire, male prioritizing food). lol

Finally, is one rotation more geared toward adult couples with no kids? At the time of the cruise, I will be 36 and my wife will be 37, and we have no kids yet. If we request no rotation, which one will we most likely get, or will it be completely random? We have late dining.

My wife is thinking we should request AERAERA. This would put us in Enchanted Garden for the first formal night, and Royal Court for the 2nd formal night. Is the 2nd one more major? It also puts us in Animator's Palate for pirate night, which I have read is desirable. On the other hand, I read that tends to be the rotation for little children. Or is that not an issue with late dining? It gives us the reduced menu for the 7th night. Not sure if that's good or bad.

If the first formal night is more major, then my wife is thinking ERAERAE, so that we have Royal Court on the first formal night. But that puts us in Animator's Palate and with the reduced menu on the 2nd formal night, so that's not idea. Also, with prince and princess night in Royal Court, we wonder if that tends to be the little girl rotation.

Finally, we wonder if the adult rotation, if one exists, might be RAERAER, since it goes to the most formal restaurant, Royal Court, 3 times. But it puts us in Animator's Palate for the first formal night.

I know, this is a lot of questions. Thanks.

I am with you on this, I am a woman and the rotation IS terribly important to me because I don't care for the Pirate night menu, I've never been a fan of the AP menu and I want to be sure I see the Animation show and get my Captain's Gala menu plus I do not want to be in AP for Formal night just my preference. It's easier now on the Fantasy and Dream to do Formal night in the Enchanted or Royal Court - when I used to dine on Wonder and Magic when they had Parrot Cay I would not care to dine in there with my husband in his tux! Whilst I understand that these things do not matter to all who cruise Disney it does to some of us and honestly I don't understand why we should be criticized for it. If this is what makes our cruise more enjoyable then good for us.

 

[lmhall2000]

I am with you on this, I am a woman and the rotation IS terribly important to me because I don't care for the Pirate night menu, I've never been a fan of the AP menu and I want to be sure I see the Animation show and get my Captain's Gala menu plus I do not want to be in AP for Formal night just my preference. It's easier now on the Fantasy and Dream to do Formal night in the Enchanted or Royal Court - when I used to dine on Wonder and Magic when they had Parrot Cay I would not care to dine in there with my husband in his tux! Whilst I understand that these things do not matter to all who cruise Disney it does to some of us and honestly I don't understand why we should be criticized for it. If this is what makes our cruise more enjoyable then good for us.

Pretty good explanation I'm in the same boat with others who think this is far beyond what would ever come to my mind in cruise planning. We are fly by the seat kind of people and the ability to keep it that way makes our vacation..but I can easily see how the opposite spectrum would need more control/planning.

It is interesting, I can envision the future of cruising. Customization...that's a key word in many industries. I can see it being more like retirement villages where they send you a sheet of paper in the morning and you select all your apps/entrees/dessert via a computer so that when you arrive for dining, there is no menu/choice time..just social time with family/friends then your selections arrive It'll get there I'm sure one day

 

[princesspwrhr]

I had a lengthy discussion with my friend (who was a training officer for all the servers onboard) about the food quality issue reflecting poorly on the servers. Disney trains the servers to correct any and all issues, no matter how small or crazy. So if you thought your food was not top quality it is up to your server to fix it or make a suggestion to make it right for you. If you are on night 7 of your cruise and your perception of the food is that it wasn't excellent, then your servers didn't do their jobs. Seems extreme to me, but its just the way it is.

I think that the missing link here is the cruisers- we have to tell the servers if something is not quite right, then they can "correct any and all issues". Not everything can be fixed though and that shouldn't be the servers fault. (Example- I liked the flavor but not the texture of the potato leek soup- I know I have texture issues and no one else had a concern. Nothing the server could have done to fix that. I did tell him when he asked if I liked the soup, but also refused his offer to bring something else.)

It's a never ending circle where the server is on the losing end. I have the same issue with my job. I do educational tours at a living history museum and the teachers/group leaders have to fill out an evaluation after every tour. Ratings are excellent, very good, good, poor. Questions are about my teaching style, rapport with group, hands on activities etc. Sounds fair right? Well if it's pouring down rain and the teacher is miserable- there's a chance I'm going to get dinged for it. If the museum is so crowded you can't move because reservations can't say no, I may get dinged for it. If they are an hour late and I can't give them the full tour because they have somewhere else to be- yep, probably my fault and my evaluation will say something about it. I don't know if the servers have any recourse if they get bad marks, but I would hope they at least get to tell their side. Like, if they get called about room X at table 3 giving an unable to judge on MDR food quality, I hope they would be able to say, "that table did not eat in the MDR".

 

[kiford]

What the heck even is "confit" anyway?

It's a method of cooking something using fat at low-ish temperatures (in the case of duck confit it uses duck fat) that is then preserved in that fat. IMO, anything with bacon is good and anything cooked with duck fat is even better than anything with bacon and duck confit is better than anything that has just been cooked with duck fat. Duck confit normally uses duck leg. But it's not diet food. Which is fine, because on vacation calories do not exist or they are still at home and do not know where to find you.

 

[mitsguy2001]

Your post has made my head swim! Why not just cruise and enjoy yourselves instead of getting all in a tizz over something as simple as food?

I cannot understand why your wife wants to base her wardrobe on the 'theme' of each restaurant - and I'm a woman! I understand that you do not have children and probably want to make your cruise special but it seems it's a lot of effort to go to. I would suggest that you opt for Palo or Remy for few nights if you want something more adult-oriented.

The servers are usually happy to bring you something from another dining room if you ask nicely and give them a bit of fair notice. I prefer to start my meal off with a plain garden salad - I tell them what I would like on it and what dressing I like on the side and they're happy to accommodate. I usually don't eat dessert so on our last cruise I was happy to have a few slices of pineapple while everyone ate their dessert. It was no big deal and the servers were happy to oblige. As long as you aren't demanding and acting all entitled to 'special treatment' I've yet to see a server refuse something that is not on the menu. In fact, I enjoyed something on the menu one night I asked if I could have it again the next night and that is what I received.

Good luck on your cruise and I hope you have an enjoyable vacation

On our last cruise (Dream, 4 night), I talked my wife out of requesting a rotation (I didn't want Disney to think we were high maintenance, and I felt that Disney would do a better job of assigning rotations than we did), and she wasn't happy that we were in Animator's Palate for formal night. We had ERRA, so she at first was happy, thinking that we'd be in Royal Palace for formal night. But due to Halloween (even though it was only early September) the formal night was moved to the 4th night. She says that the rotation won't ruin her cruise, but that she never gets the rotation that she wants.

 

[mitsguy2001]

They're not 'dumbed down' though. You may think it is but others may disagree. Everything is subjective. My children really enjoyed every single restaurant (and they rarely order from the children'smenu) and while I prefer AP on the Wonder my husband and children loved AP on the Fantasy.

Maybe "dumbed down" isn't the right term. But what I mean is that on one of those 3 nights, whichever one has you in Animator's Palate, the people in the other 2 dining rooms get a choice as to what they want for the appetizer and for soup / salad, while you get no choice in Animator's Palate. And then for dessert, the choices in Animator's Palate that night is a subset of what the people in the other 2 dining rooms get. So, clearly you get a menu that is inferior to what the other 2 dining rooms are getting, even if you like the items that you get.