Dining rotation with young children?

[MICKEYKART]

Do they generally put families with young children (5 and 7) in they same dining rotation or do they seem to spread them throughout the 3 dining rooms? If they generally keep them together, does anyone know which dining room they are in the first night?

Also, what is the order of rotation for the 3 dining rooms and which nights are the formal and informal nights?

 

[llachance]

I have a 15 year old and last year we had Lumieres as our first restaurant. Added my mother to the list and started in Parrot Cay this year....both times late seating. Last year as a couple my daughter and I sat with several other couples, this year with my mom they put us with a family. They were nice but didn't click like we did last year as I am a single mom and my daughter was always up and out of there (to do Common Grounds stuff) before dinner was over while the family were interested in having a family dinner....had the late seating.

 

[Windermere]

It all depends on how many toddlers vs young children vs teens vs adults on board. In general:

rotation 1: plaplap (youngest children)
rotation 2: aplapla (older children)
rotation 3: laplapl (couples without children)

this is a general rule and people will be placed according to dining needs on each particular cruise. So there may be young kids on rotation 3 and a couple could be placed in rotation 1 or 2. My guess is that would happen if the cruise is VERY full and they have to find tables for everyone.

Formal night is Sunday and semi-formal is Thursday (I think). Someone will correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[disney6]

Just to let you know, there are exceptions (I guess you can call it that) to the above. We were a party of 8 (me, DH, DS8,DD4,DD2,DD1, DGM,DGF) and we had aplapla rotation. Just didn't want you to count on and plan around a certain rotation and get something else. Your rotation is printed on your KTTW card when you check in so you will know right BEFORE you board and can make plans accordingly.

 

[RIDISNEYLOVERS]

We are on the 4 night wonder and I thought ours was going to be: APTA

We have a very big group going and in that group we have two 2 1/2 year olds, and 8 month old and a 12 year old.

Do you think this would be our rotation or would it be different?

 

[jds]

On the 7-day Eastern Magic, our group of 26 (which included 6 "older" kids--ages 9 through 15---and four younger ones---4, 4, 5, and 6) had the LAPLAPL rotation.

 

[mcnuss]

We are a family of 3 with a DD8, late dinner seating. Is she considered an "older" or "younger" child? I am hoping we are not going to be seated with a bunch of toddler or very little kids, as DD is a veteran restaurant kid and a gourmet in the making, and we would all be bothered (that may be too strong a word but can't think of another) by this. Any suggestions? Can we ask to be seated with a family with "older" children?

** I keep putting that in quotes bc I realize she is not that old and that most teenagers, etc... would not be thrilled to sit with her, as she would not be thrilled with a 4 yo! Although she worships teenaged girls, I don't think it's reciprocated!! **

 

[4nana]

We will have 16 in our group with 7 grands 2- 15. According to what I'm reading here there seems to be no 'rhyme or reason' as to which rotation we'll get, so we won't get our hopes up for any particular one. As long as we get to eat together this is one area we won't stress over, go with the flow and be happy where ever we are assigned

 

[GoodStepMom]

We sailed 7/13 on Magic with DD6 and DD11 and had APLAPLA.

There were alot of infants in that rotation but we were seated with another family of 4 with similar aged DD's also from FLA. We loved our dinners and dressed up every night (skipped Parrot on Wednesday though--tired from St. Thomas!)

There were 700 kids aged 13 or under on our cruise (according to Cruise Director Jacqui--I never would've guessed there were that many!) so I don't know if this affects the general sorting of dining rotations.