Confused: Dining Rotation & What Can We Order on FANTASY Eastern

bellenbuzz

Living Happily Ever After
Joined
Jan 6, 2005
Messages
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First Time Cruiser: Eastern Fantasy Booked for Nov 2014

Can you please clarify the Dining Rotation for Dinner ?
I see there are only 3 restaurants so do we eat at each one twice ??

Where are we assigned to have Breakfast & Lunch ?? Where do we eat Breakfast or Lunch ??

Are ALL the meals really included ?? Minus Alcohol
And we order anything we want off that menu ???

Is there a snack bar open 24 hours ??

I'd truly appreciate any replies.....it's quite overwhelming for a first time Cruiser
THANKS
 
I have never cruised on the Fantasy, but the basic premise applies to all Disney ships. yes, you repeat the restaurants and have dinner twice in two restaurants and three times in the third. The menus however do not repeat. Each restaurant has a signature menu, which is served on one of your dinners there and on the remaining nights, the same menu is served in all restaurants. The only variation to this is Animator's Palate, which will have a set soup and appetizer on the night that you are there for the Animation Magic show, which is different from the one that is normally served as part of whatever menu you have that evening.

Breakfast and lunch you can wherever you choose. There is a buffet at Cabanas and I think also at Enchanted Garden. There is also a sit down menu at Royal Court. During lunchtime, all the quick service outlets near the pools will be open. I am not sure if this is the same on the Fantasy, but on the classic ships, one of them also serves a continental breakfast (fruit, pastries, smoothies). The only time that you have breakfast in an allocated dining room is on debarkation morning, but even then you can opt to eat at Cabanas.

There is not 24 hour snack bar, but the opening times of the quick service outlets are pretty extensive and there is room service available 24 hours a day.

Corinna
 
For dinner there are 3 main dining rooms you will eat at at these for dinner. For 3 nights the restaurants will serve their signature menus. On the other nights all the restaurants will serve a special menu Pirates, Princess, Golden Mickey.

They day you check in you will get get your dining rotation. It will be one of the 3 choices. It will be printed on you key card (KTTW card)

DISNEY DINING ROTATIONS ON THE FANTASY
This is the rotation for Eastern

1. R-A-E-R-A-E-R

2. A-E-R-A-E-R-A

3. E-R-A-E-R-A-E

R = Royal Court
A = Animator's
E = Enchanted Garden

All the fast food on the pool deck in included in your cruise.

Breakfast and lunch have both a waitress service restaurant and a buffet restaurant open everyday. Also included

Room service is also included but you should tip a few $$. This is available 24 hours a day. In your cabin (in the desk) there is a card and you can pre order coffee and danish/muffins to be delivered to you cabin in the morning:)

Here is a link to a persons blog who cruises a lot!! You can see the menus and get an idea of the restaurants.
http://disneycruiselineblog.com/



Also each day you will receive a Newsletter called a Navigator it will list the times that the restaurants are open the shows and all activities. Here is a link to some past Navigators. They may not have all the activities but it will give you an idea if show times, restaurants times.
http://disneycruiselineblog.com/personal-navigators/
 
You will have a dining rotation noted on your room key - something like AERAERA. The letters stand for each of the main dining rooms. So you eat at two of them twice and one of them three times. You will not know your rotation until check in. There are specialty menus such as Pirate Night, Captain's Gala, etc, so you will never have the same menu twice. Cabanas is not a buffet for dinner - it is a sit-down with a menu based on items from the other menus being offered that night, plus a salad bar and (I think) a carving station.

Pirate night there is a late-night buffet in Cabanas after the fireworks with turkey legs, sweets and all kinds of goodies, but I have always found it to be a madhouse.

There are also snacks in the Cove Cafe coffee bar throughout the day, and in the bars at night that are included.

If you eat in the sit-down restaurants at breakfast or lunch, you can sit wherever you would like. At the buffet for breakfast or lunch, you can sit inside or outside, take your food to the pool deck or even back to your room.

All of the main eating areas are included in the price of your cruise. You can order whatever you want and as many as you want - you want three lobster tails, go for it!

The main "extra charge" items are the adults only restaurants, alcohol and specialty coffees and sodas from the bar.
 

The one thing I have found confusing with the menus is the specialty drinks. There are several drinks (mixed drink type) listed on the top of the menu each night. No price is listed (unless that has changed recently) but they do cost extra. Everything else on the printed menu is included in your fare and you can eat as much as you want.
 
I LOVE reading your feedback, it truly helps me understand it better.
And ALL Meals are included !?!?! That's Fantastic ! Plus snacks anytime, anywhere !!
No wonder I hear people say they gained 10 lbs on their cruise !! YUMMY

So I take it on formal nite we should were something a little nicer ??

Also, let's say my hubby & I go to a lounge a night for a cocktail, and we get hungry...do they serve appetizer type foods in the bars ?? AND are they included ??
 
As another poster mentioned, these are the rotations:
The Rotations are:
RAERAER
AERAERA
ERAERAE

R= Royal Court
A= Animators Palate
E= Enchanted Garden.

And these are the Nightly Menu Break Downs

Night 1: Rotational Menu/Crush if Animators
Night 2: Rotational Menu/Crush if Animators
Night 3: Rotational Menu/Crush if Animators
Night 4: Pirates Menu All Restaurants
Night 5: Prince and Princess Menu All Restaurants/Animation Show if Animators
Night 6: Captain's Gala Menu All Restaurants/Animation Show if Animators
Night 7: See ya Real Soon Menu All Restaurants/ Animation Show if Animators


We like requesting the AERAERA rotation because we start and end the cruise with a cool animation show at dinner... and we are in more formal restaurants for the formal and semi formal nights :-)

We skip Pirate night in Animators and use that night to dine in Palo (which is an added 25/person plus tip).

Palo and Remy are added fees for both brunch and dinner.
Everywhere else is pretty much fair game :-)

We love eating breakfast at cabanas! We always find something in the buffets to pick from. Then in the afternoon we normally go back to cabanas or go eat a burger or wrap or something out by the pools. We stick to the main dining rooms for dinner only, but that's just our personal preference.

You'll also find people on board that don't like the buffets and pool food and to each their own :-)

We will only rarely order room service. Room service is free (with the exception of some snacks) but it is generally nice to tip a buck or two to the person that brings it to you if that is something you like to do.

All sodas on board are free, as is milk tea, juice, coffee and hot cocoa.

All alcohol cost money and some speciality coffee drinks (lattes, mochas,etc) also cost.
 
Also... On Pirate Night...the Pirate Buffet...

On the Magic it was all these great dessert right by the pool area. But I have seen pix of the Fantasy and Dream....in the buffet restaurant with all kinds of great goodies ...including those giant Turkey Legs.

I believe the goodies in Cove Cafe the pastries are free but I believe the Coffee drinks are extra.

They also have appetizers in the adult areas at night.

One of my favorite spots is the quick service outside the buffet that has these great sandwiches, fruit and salads!

Room service is great...on our 7 night cruise when DH and I went to Palo my younger sons ordered their own room service...on their own...they loved the Steak Sandwiches....

And in the Main Dining rooms ...you can eat as much as you want....now we do not go crazy but DH and me usual spirit an extra entree ....I usual do appetizer plus a salad...sometimes we spilt an extra app......plus when you say you do not know what to get for dessert we have on several occasions our server says let me bring you something....and out comes 3 of the dessert selections....

You will have a wonderful time.:)
 
I LOVE reading your feedback, it truly helps me understand it better.
And ALL Meals are included !?!?! That's Fantastic ! Plus snacks anytime, anywhere !!
No wonder I hear people say they gained 10 lbs on their cruise !! YUMMY

So I take it on formal nite we should were something a little nicer ??

Also, let's say my hubby & I go to a lounge a night for a cocktail, and we get hungry...do they serve appetizer type foods in the bars ?? AND are they included ??

O'Gills the sports bar does have free snacks out in the evening.

The only places you pay for food is Palo and Remy. Those are the 2 adult restaurants.
Also, The Cove Cafe has speciality coffees that are offered at an extra fee. But they also offer goodies that are free for you whether you purchase coffee or not.

Have a wonderful time! I just celebrated my 50th with my family on The Fantasy last month it was wonderful!!!
 
And ALL Meals are included !?!?! That's Fantastic ! Plus snacks anytime, anywhere !!

For the most part, most food and drinks are included, however, snacks for the theater like popcorn costs extra. Smoothies costs extra. Alcoholic beverages cost extra. You can get milk, juice, tea, coffee, lemonade and soft drinks free with meals in the dining rooms, but all drinks ordered at the bar costs extra, including soft drinks. Room service offers milk, juice, tea or coffee free, (you should tip when ordering room service) but charges for soft drinks, alcoholic beverages and bottled water. Food and drink while you're off the ship in port (with the exception of Castaway Cay) will cost extra.
 
Our rotation on the Fantasy in February was ERAERRA. (Three times in Royal Court, even though it wasn't our first dining room.)
 
I LOVE reading your feedback, it truly helps me understand it better.
And ALL Meals are included !?!?! That's Fantastic ! Plus snacks anytime, anywhere !!
No wonder I hear people say they gained 10 lbs on their cruise !! YUMMY

So I take it on formal nite we should were something a little nicer ??

Also, let's say my hubby & I go to a lounge a night for a cocktail, and we get hungry...do they serve appetizer type foods in the bars ?? AND are they included ??

Appetizer style food is often available at the bars, and it is included. In the evenings, the sports bar will have a pub grub buffet. Pastries are often available at the upscale coffee shop (pastries are included, the coffee at the coffee shop costs. coffee at self serve station is included)

My post from a similar thread:

Breakfast and lunch are laid back. Cabanas, the buffet, will be open as will two of the MDR's. One MDR will have a buffet, the other will have sit down service for breakfast and lunch. Also, the quick service places will be open much of the day for hot dogs, pizza, burgers, wraps, etc. Also, room service.

You can eat as much as you want whenever you want. An insane but perfectly workable scenario:

Get up to a room service delivery of coffee, milk, juice, pastries, cereal (no hot items at room service b'fast).
A little later, wander over to the breakfast buffet at Cabanas for eggs, bacon, cereal, Mickey Waffles, and corned beef hash.
Leave the buffet and head to an MDR for a three course sit down breakfast.
By now, it is lunch time, so grab some pizza from the fast serve place on the pool deck. Stop by the other fast serve place for some fries to go with it. And maybe a burger.
Now stop back to an MDR for a nice sit down lunch.
Drift by the other MDR and see if any buffet items look good.
Have room service deliver some Mickey Bars to your room.
As dinner approaches, grab a wrap or two and some fruit from the third quick serve restaurant on the pool deck; that will help tide you over.
Go to your MDR for the night. A four course meal, but your servers will gladly let you have two appetizers, two salads, two entrees, and two desserts. They might force you to have two desserts.
Grab a late night snack from the quick serve spots. Unless it is pirate night. Then grab some of the desserts they have out for pirate night. Heck, treat yourself; grab some of both!
When you stop down to the adults entertainment district for some drinks and dancing, don't forget to get some buffalo wings and other pub grub at the sportsbar.
As you get ready for bed, have room service send a little something your way; don't forget some more Mickey Bars.

The only things charged are: alcoholic drinks, soda from the theater and bars and room service, and snacks at the theater and bars. If it comes in a bag, box, or can, or if it is a drink served at a theater or bar, you pay.

Soda at the self serve soda stations, both on deck and at the buffet, is free. Soda at the main dining rooms is free. (well, included in your cruise cost is more accurate).

Also, everyone has the same MDR menus for dinner. Maybe not the same each night, but DCL rotates you in a way that everyone gets the same menus over the course of the cruise.

Finally, I left out Palo and Remy, the adults-only fine dining restaurants. You do need a reservation for those. You can get that 75 days out from your cruise, after you are paid in full. For your 2nd through 5th cruises, you can reserve at 90 days. 6th through 10th, 105 days. 11th and up, 120 days. If you don't get a reservation before you go, you may still get one onboard. There is a $25 upcharge for Palo, and (I think) $75 for Remy. Frankly, for your first cruise, you might consider skipping these guys. Stick with the MDR's, figure everything out, and save something new for the next cruise.

Welcome! Start your exercise regimen now! :thumbsup2
 
Four Swampers,
Love your post. You are so funny. But you forgot about the free soft serve ice cream.
 
And sometimes soft pretzels?
And the pastries in the coffee shop?

And sometimes hot chocolate on AK cruises?
 
Is this a random selection or something you need to request in advance....
Does it really matter ??
 
I'm full already...
I feel better understanding it now !

Yaaaa, gonna skip the Adults Only this first time....I like being with my DD's
and the other MDR's sound beautiful

I think my bathing suit will get a tad snug by the end of cruise HEEE HEEEEE

But well worth it
 
As I understand it, you can request one of the specific rotations and DCL will try to accomodate, but no guarantees.
 
Question: Let's say hubby and I don't like some of the menu offerings, can we order something not on the menu (grilled chicken w/veggies and mashed potatoes, for example)?
 
Question: Let's say hubby and I don't like some of the menu offerings, can we order something not on the menu (grilled chicken w/veggies and mashed potatoes, for example)?

There is always a lighter offerings section with contains plain steak, chicken and some plain fish with vegetables and baked potato or white rice.

Corinna
 
Is this a random selection or something you need to request in advance....
Does it really matter ??

Some people would like the Royal Court for Formal night. Other because they prefer to know what night to pick for Palo or Remy because they prefer to skip one they have twice etc.

It is done randomly , you can try to request the order.
 

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