Cruising as adults only, what night to book Palo dinner?/ Cabana ?

[chimo2u]

Hi First time cruiser here...I am so confused! There's so much to learn and so much I don't understand! My hubby and I are booked Concierge on the Fantasy Oct 31-Nov 7 for our 25 anniversary celebration vacation, and it will be just the 2 of us! first timers to this whole thing, hubby doesn't do well in crowds, so we are definitely skipping Pirate night. Wondering if this would be a good night to book our PALO dinner?? another night I am considering is the Sail Away (last night) as I've heard the menu isn't the greatest on this night.
What night would you recommend to book PALO? and for a PALO brunch, do you recommend booking it on our first sea day??
What dining recommendation / rotation would you recommend for us?? We are on the second seating dining rotation, because DH thinks it'll be quieter.... I'm hoping I can last until 8 pm, LOL!! that's some late eating!
any help you could give me to help make this process easier would be so greatly appreciated.

Since I'm writing this post, I may as well ask for your recommendations for booking the CABANA on the Adult Only Beach?? is it worth it?? It seems very pricey for a few hours, and I'm really questioning if I want to drop $400 on it. DH wants to jet ski that day, and I'm thinking i might like the sting ray excursion. I'm wondering if there are hammocks or places with shade to relax if we choose not to go with a CABANA??? any thoughts on that would be much appreciated.

Lastly, can you recommend some good adult excursions. I'd like to zipline, but I'm deathly afraid of ski lifts, so that leaves out mystic mountain, however I am considering the Chukka??? zip line adventure. DH wants a good dune buggy adventure. Are there any others you'd recommend as must-do's??

thanks for the help! I'm feeling quite overwhelmed with planning this part of our trip, and that's not like me when it comes to Disney...frankly, I'm so overwhelmed, I don't even know where to start! hopefully I get my butt in gear in time to solidify some plans for us!

Marie

 

[HappilyEverAfter80]

I can't answer some of your questions as I haven't done some of those things on our cruise such as Palo dinner or Cabana, but I would book the brunch on the 2nd sea day. We used the first day to explore the ship as it was new to us. I left the dining rotation to chance and I thought that was fun. I would also book a wine tasting or take a mixology class if you drink alcohol. It was a lot of fun. You book those when you board the ship. You'll have an amazing time!

 

[Dug720]

I like to book Palo for the first night to kick things off. (It was the second night this past cruise as night one was Valentine's Day and, just, NO!) This past cruise was the first time I had more than one sea day, and I opted to put Palo brunch on the final sea day as sort of bookends.

I have never had issues getting a seat with an umbrella on Serenity Bay - and I have been in July and Presidents' Week so the ship was definitely almost full. Hammocks are not paired with an umbrella. I don't do excursions on CC and even then see no need for a Cabana. Others swear their trip is ruined if they can't get one. Very few people are neutral on them. But if I was going to be spending money and time on excursions I definitely would not spend more money on a cabana.

Sail Away is the first night so your menu would be the normal rotational menu for whatever room you are in. The final night is See Ya Real Soon (or is that final breakfast? One of them is that and one is Til We Meet Again) - I found more to eat on that menu than the Prince and Princess menu. But everyone's tastes vary.

As far as "lasting" until 8, please come back and tell us how you manage to get hungry on the ship if you truly find that to be a problem.

As to the excursions, it sounds like your itinerary is different as I've never heard of what you mention. Sorry!

 

[sleepydog25]

Hi First time cruiser here...I am so confused! There's so much to learn and so much I don't understand! My hubby and I are booked Concierge on the Fantasy Oct 31-Nov 7 for our 25 anniversary celebration vacation, and it will be just the 2 of us! first timers to this whole thing, hubby doesn't do well in crowds, so we are definitely skipping Pirate night. Wondering if this would be a good night to book our PALO dinner?? another night I am considering is the Sail Away (last night) as I've heard the menu isn't the greatest on this night.
What night would you recommend to book PALO? and for a PALO brunch, do you recommend booking it on our first sea day??
What dining recommendation / rotation would you recommend for us?? We are on the second seating dining rotation, because DH thinks it'll be quieter.... I'm hoping I can last until 8 pm, LOL!! that's some late eating!
any help you could give me to help make this process easier would be so greatly appreciated.

Since I'm writing this post, I may as well ask for your recommendations for booking the CABANA on the Adult Only Beach?? is it worth it?? It seems very pricey for a few hours, and I'm really questioning if I want to drop $400 on it. DH wants to jet ski that day, and I'm thinking i might like the sting ray excursion. I'm wondering if there are hammocks or places with shade to relax if we choose not to go with a CABANA??? any thoughts on that would be much appreciated.

Lastly, can you recommend some good adult excursions. I'd like to zipline, but I'm deathly afraid of ski lifts, so that leaves out mystic mountain, however I am considering the Chukka??? zip line adventure. DH wants a good dune buggy adventure. Are there any others you'd recommend as must-do's??

thanks for the help! I'm feeling quite overwhelmed with planning this part of our trip, and that's not like me when it comes to Disney...frankly, I'm so overwhelmed, I don't even know where to start! hopefully I get my butt in gear in time to solidify some plans for us!

Marie

I wouldn't sweat which days to book your Palo experiences as you'll enjoy them, regardless. However, we do generally book something extracurricular on Pirate Night as the menus at all the rotational restaurants are generally the same. Further, we prefer the early dining rotation to give us greater flexibility for our evening plans. The trade-off is your late afternoon plans can be impacted by the earlier dining, but since we usually have dinner by 6:30 at home, the early dining option works better for us. I agree that going with the flow as for restaurant rotation is the way to go since you've not yet experienced any of the restaurants. Next time you cruise, you'll better know which restaurants to repeat. One thing you didn't mention is Remy. I highly recommend booking Remy, and if your actual anniversary date falls while you're on board, I suggest booking Remy for that night. Remy is quite similar to the experience at Victoria & Albert's only it's just $75 per person (drinks extra, of course). I can't say enough good things about a dinner at Remy. Yes, we book both Palo and Remy on our cruises. For the cost, we don't think a cabana at the adult-only beach is worth it. Explore, sit alone on the beach and soak up some rays, snorkel, parasail. Each of these is relaxing and costs far less. Finally, try not to get overwhelmed. You have plenty of time to read and explore the various cruise threads here since you can't book much of anything yet. Have fun!

 

[Uncleromulus]

We'll be on that same cruise!!

We always do Palo on Pirate night-alto "always" has been on just 2 Fantasy cruises!!

As for the cabana--no hammocks on the Adult beach but plenty of chairs and umbrellas. If you are planning other activites on CC, then probably not worth the $$

We do the later dining--but you certainly will see plenty of kids then as well. Later seems less rushed as they don't have to worry about clearing the dining room and then setting up for the second rotation. Plus it gives extra time so you don't have to rush back from a shore excursion or other activity.

Pick up the current Passporter book for Disney Cruise--LOTS of great info there for first timers.

BTW we'll be in 11002

 

[phinz]

We've had a cabana and we've gone without. When we went without we didn't even bother spending more than an hour on CC, and didn't even go to SB. If you're doing excursions then the cabana isn't worth it, in my opinion, but if you're going to spend the day at SB then I feel the cabana is worth it, if for nothing more than the shade and peace and quiet of having your own little retreat with a refrigerator, couches, loungers, hammock and even a safe for valuables.

 

[waggles02673]

On our upcoming Back to Back on the Dream we will be at Palo our first and last night for dinner and brunch for the seas day. You asked about the Cabana's at SB. We love them and get the same one everytime we sail in Concierge. It is Cabana 25 (used to be 21) and is the very last one also I believe it is reserved for Concierge guest. We like it so much we booked it for both stops at CC this upcoming trip. We get a cabana instead of doing excursions. Below is a link to video of it from last time we had it.

 

[Patinmn]

I think Pirate night is a good night, you can dress up(not in pirate costumes ) and have a nice leisurely dinner. Then watch the fireworks off of the patio outside the bar between Palo and Remy's. That is what we did on our friends 10th Anniversary, it was a great evening. This was on the Dream, but I believe the layout is the same.

As for the Cabana's, that is a tough call. We stayed in one once, it was supposed to be a shared costs but our friends took care of it.(we have great friends) If it was just the 2 of us, not sure if I could justify the cost, but then I turn around and spend that at the spa..so it up to you.

 

[lorimay]

My husband and I sail alone a lot on Disney. Though I do love when we take our kids and grandkids along.

When we are alone, we do Palo dinner on Pirate night. I don't care for the menu offerings so it makes it an easy choice for us.
Our 'tradition" has always been to do our Palo brunch on the first sea day. It just makes us feel like yes, we are on our cruise......
We don't ask for a specific rotation for dining, because our biggest request is our own table so we take what they give us because the table for 2 is most important for us.
As far as getting a cabana on SB, we have had one each time we sail when CC is on the itinerary, it just makes for such a special relaxing day for us. We find it to be worth every penny.

We did The Fantasy cruise Nov 1st-8th last year, it had a stop in Puerto Rico, I don't know what your itinerary is for excursions so I can't offer help there.

Happy 25th!!! Enjoy your cruise and be sure to note it on your reservation so the crew is aware.
We renewed our vows on The Magic for our 25th in 2012, we were made to feel like royalty the entire week.

 

[darkwing818]

When we sail on the Fantasy we usually dine in Palo on the 1st evening (as a PP noted as well) it's great way to start a cruise. We always ask for a table by a window, so we can watch the sun set over the horizon. We also dine in Remy on Pirate night, never want to miss having a Colette Cocktail . We use our sea days for Brunch at Palo & the Champage Brunch at Remy.

Enjoy your cruise & Happy Anniversary
(we celebrated our 25th Anniversary on 's last year & had a great cruise. )

 

[chimo2u]

We'll be on that same cruise!!

We always do Palo on Pirate night-alto "always" has been on just 2 Fantasy cruises!!

As for the cabana--no hammocks on the Adult beach but plenty of chairs and umbrellas. If you are planning other activites on CC, then probably not worth the $$

We do the later dining--but you certainly will see plenty of kids then as well. Later seems less rushed as they don't have to worry about clearing the dining room and then setting up for the second rotation. Plus it gives extra time so you don't have to rush back from a shore excursion or other activity.

Pick up the current Passporter book for Disney Cruise--LOTS of great info there for first timers.

BTW we'll be in 11002

HI!! We will be neighbours!! We are in 11004! Small world! Have you joined the FB group for our cruise?? It's nice to "meet" others who will be sharing this experience with us! Looking forward to my first cruise!
Marie

 

[chimo2u]

On our upcoming Back to Back on the Dream we will be at Palo our first and last night for dinner and brunch for the seas day. You asked about the Cabana's at SB. We love them and get the same one everytime we sail in Concierge. It is Cabana 25 (used to be 21) and is the very last one also I believe it is reserved for Concierge guest. We like it so much we booked it for both stops at CC this upcoming trip. We get a cabana instead of doing excursions. Below is a link to video of it from last time we had it.

Hi! Thanks for your thoughts! Can you tell me why you like cabana 25 at SB?? is it close to the lunch/drink area? bathrooms??? Can you shed any light on what might be a good choice for a Cabana? I don't want a huge hike to the bathrooms, or drinks area. Would like a nice view of the ship if possible. I am beginning to think it might be a nice perk to have a cabana to relax, as I enjoy the shade and I burn very easily!

 

[Dug720]

We'll be on that same cruise!!

We always do Palo on Pirate night-alto "always" has been on just 2 Fantasy cruises!!

As for the cabana--no hammocks on the Adult beach but plenty of chairs and umbrellas. If you are planning other activites on CC, then probably not worth the $$

We do the later dining--but you certainly will see plenty of kids then as well. Later seems less rushed as they don't have to worry about clearing the dining room and then setting up for the second rotation. Plus it gives extra time so you don't have to rush back from a shore excursion or other activity.

Pick up the current Passporter book for Disney Cruise--LOTS of great info there for first timers.

BTW we'll be in 11002

There ARE hammocks on the adult beach. At least 8, maybe more, scattered around the entrance area.

 

[castaway3]

We'll be on that same cruise!!

We always do Palo on Pirate night-alto "always" has been on just 2 Fantasy cruises!!

As for the cabana--no hammocks on the Adult beach but plenty of chairs and umbrellas. If you are planning other activites on CC, then probably not worth the $$

We do the later dining--but you certainly will see plenty of kids then as well. Later seems less rushed as they don't have to worry about clearing the dining room and then setting up for the second rotation. Plus it gives extra time so you don't have to rush back from a shore excursion or other activity.

Pick up the current Passporter book for Disney Cruise--LOTS of great info there for first timers.

BTW we'll be in 11002

Did they take away the hammocks ? We were there a year ago and they had them

 

[griffindesign]

The hammocks were on SB in February.

 

[Uncleromulus]

Never saw any myself--and if there they are far outnumbered by umbrellas. We used the hammock at our cabana!!

 

[Uncleromulus]

The bathrooms, lunch area aren't terribly far from the cabanas on SB. You can buzz for a CM to take you there--but by the time he/she comes you can have walked there. As I suggested, if you are going to laze around most of the day (as we do) then I think the cabana is great. If you are going to be out and about jet skiing, etc then perhaps not so much a value.

 

[OKW Lover]

Never saw any myself--and if there they are far outnumbered by umbrellas. We used the hammock at our cabana!!

We've enjoyed the cabana hammock a couple of times now. Very nice! BTW Unc, your sig needs updating for your next cruise!

Yes, there are also a very few hammocks on the other beaches. Look right by the tree-line, not down by the shore line.

 

[Ariel484]

We always book Palo/Remy on Pirate Night. Mostly because that menu doesn't get great reviews.

I've done 2 cruises now - one with a Cabana and one without. My first cruise was the one with the cabana and it was really nice (especially because it was raining for part of the day, so we were sheltered). I thought I was spoiled forever. Then, during my second cruise, my husband and I hung out on Serenity Bay without a Cabana and it was awesome! We both easily found chairs under an umbrella and just hung out all day. I don't particularly remember hammocks but we were good in chairs with the umbrellas. And I was happy to spend that money on other things. For us, the value just isn't there (when I was in the cabana the first time i split it with a big group of friends - my share was $75)...but for others it is, and that is okay!

Also...I could be wrong but I'm pretty sure you can't get a view of the ship from Serenity Bay. If you want a cabana with a ship view you need one on the Family Beach.

I think all of your questions come down to personal preference - there isn't a right or wrong answer as far as whether you should get a cabana, when you should go to Palo, etc.

 

[waggles02673]

Hi! Thanks for your thoughts! Can you tell me why you like cabana 25 at SB?? is it close to the lunch/drink area? bathrooms??? Can you shed any light on what might be a good choice for a Cabana? I don't want a huge hike to the bathrooms, or drinks area. Would like a nice view of the ship if possible. I am beginning to think it might be a nice perk to have a cabana to relax, as I enjoy the shade and I burn very easily!

We love Cabana 25 because it is the very last one and there is only one cabana next to you and the beach isn't as crowded at that end. Also the path to beach is right by it. As for bathroom breaks all you have to do is press the buzzer and the attendant comes down in the golf cart and will take you to the bathroom or lunch and bring you back so you don't have to walk. Also if you want a drink ring the buzzer and when the attendant shows up let him or her know what you want. The cabana will be stocked with fruit, chips cold face cloths, soda and water. It makes everything very easy.