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

[mitsguy2001]

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.

 

[mitsguy2001]

One other thing I should mention: our cruise is Sept. 12, 2015. Last year, we were on the Dream 4 night cruise the week of Sept. 7, 2014, and by then, they started the Halloween theme, which changed the rotations. We had the ERRA rotation, so normally we would have been in Royal Palace on the formal night, as my wife wanted. But due to Halloween, the 2nd night was Halloween night, so the formal night was the 4th night, when we were in Animator's Palate, which made no sense. How does the Halloween season affect the rotations on the 7 night cruises?

Also, I doubt that this matters, but Rosh Hashanah falls during the cruise that we are booked. Rosh Hashanah falls Sept. 14-15, 2015, and I know that Jewish holidays start at sundown the night before, so the nights of Sept. 13 and 14 (Nights 2 and 3) would be during Rosh Hashanah. Does that affect the rotations at all? I assume not. I am not Jewish, by the way, but just curious as to whether or not it would affect the rotations.

Thanks.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

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.

Yes, on the Animation Magic show nights in AP there is only one appetizer and one soup. All the MDRs serve the same menu that night. We had an "Appetizer Sampler Plate" (Smoked Duck breast on Duck confit with pickled red onions; Mozzarella with basil and cherry tomatoes; dill marinated lobster and shrimp with tomato mayonnaise and horseradish cream). The soup was Macaroni Cheese and Baked Potato soup. You can look here to see what appetizers/soups are served in the "other" MDRs: http://disneycruiselineblog.com/menus/
I'm not sure if they will bring you something from one of the other MDRs, as the show and service are timed, that's why they only serve one thing for those courses.

There is no rotation that is more "adult" in make up. They used to do that on the classic ships on the late seating, but they stopped doing it when people started making too many rotation requests.

Really, formal or semi-formal pretty much comes out the same dress-wise.

We just go with what DCL assigns us, and we've been happy.

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

To correct some points I have been on the Cantasy and on the " limited" starter in AP I couldn't have the set starters due to allergies. They gave me a variation of the set starters, they didn't iffer anything from the other MDRs. I suggest checking me he's by the ships navigator app onboard and if you can't have the set meal then tell the Servers in advance and they will accommodate you.

 

[Kimosabe]

In theory, formal night implies tuxedo or suit and tie for men, while semi-formal (the second one - Captain's Gala) implies a jacket but maybe no tie.

In reality, many people now ignore these titles and just wear whatever they want to wear. On our cruise a couple of years ago, we were ready for formal night (we like to look the part), but somehow completely missed the Navigator reference to semi-formal night, so plenty of other guys were looking nice, while I just had on a golf shirt and khakis....and yet there were plenty of other men looking every bit as casual as I did. I think the general dress code rules have been even more relaxed (shorts OK now?) since we last cruised, so I am fully expecting to see all manner of attire (from tuxedos to shorts) on "formal night."

...and the good thing about all of this is that nobody really cares. Everybody likes to vacation/cruise differently, so at this point, there's no definite right or wrong answer.

 

[Dug720]

To correct some points I have been on the Cantasy and on the " limited" starter in AP I couldn't have the set starters due to allergies. They gave me a variation of the set starters, they didn't iffer anything from the other MDRs. I suggest checking me he's by the ships navigator app onboard and if you can't have the set meal then tell the Servers in advance and they will accommodate you.

I honestly don't see how plating them all together and forcing everyone to have those is any faster than just limiting it to those three.

I really want to see the "show" in AP, even if I can't draw worth a crap, but honestly the trio of pre-plated appetizers and that disgusting sounding soup (I am all about potato soup normally, but with mac and cheese? GROSS!) make me want to just skip that meal. And I normally love AP.

 

[Prose]

As was mentioned above, the reason for the 1 appetizer, 1 soup is that the pace of dinner in Animator's Palate is so fast and tight on show night. They simply don't have time to take orders and prepare multiple options for the first two courses. We love both the Animation Magic and Crush, but find the dinner pretty hectic and the mac&cheese soup gloppy.

The first formal night is more formal - you'll have the chance to take formal family portraits, and you'll see more people dressed up.

Personally, I would not overthink the whole "match our outfit to the dining" thing - and I'm a woman. I would just relax and go with the flow of whatever rotation you are assigned to. There is no 'adult' rotation or 'kid' rotation. Generally, second seating has fewer young children, so that is really the only difference.

Disney does an awesome job of trying to match you up with compatible table partners. You will find that they are similar to you in age - one year, the other family we were matched with worked in the same industry and my husband, and on another cruise, our kids had similar learning disabilities, and the grandma and I were both cancer survivors. There is no way DCL could have known that - just Disney magic, I guess.

 

[mama2mickeyfans]

I honestly don't see how plating them all together and forcing everyone to have those is any faster than just limiting it to those three.

I really want to see the "show" in AP, even if I can't draw worth a crap, but honestly the trio of pre-plated appetizers and that disgusting sounding soup (I am all about potato soup normally, but with mac and cheese? GROSS!) make me want to just skip that meal. And I normally love AP.

Agree with you on that soup. I'm thinking, make a stop for some super yum chicken tenders on deck mid afternoon, and just enjoy the animation show until entree time
I can 100% guarantee I'll get enough to eat some way or another...

 

[Dug720]

Agree with you on that soup. I'm thinking, make a stop for some super yum chicken tenders on deck mid afternoon, and just enjoy the animation show until entree time
I can 100% guarantee I'll get enough to eat some way or another...

I was actually thinking I'd make my own app - either of chicken fingers from on deck OR from the stuff they put out in the bar area - and just take it with me. Haha!

 

[mama2mickeyfans]

I was actually thinking I'd make my own app - either of chicken fingers from on deck OR from the stuff they put out in the bar area - and just take it with me. Haha!

Oh yeah that's on my to do list this time too, i think DH would get a kick out of bar type snacks (WAY more his style than Duck Confit). Are those near O'Gills?

 

[Dug720]

Oh yeah that's on my to do list this time too, i think DH would get a kick out of bar type snacks (WAY more his style than Duck Confit). Are those near O'Gills?

I haven't been on the Fantasy, but I think that's around where the Dream's equivalent (687? something like that) is - sort of a center hub between several of the clubs? - and if so, yep. I went there regularly for pre-dinner snacks on the Dream last February.

What the heck even is "confit" anyway?

 

[lbgraves]

What takes up the time that night in AP is the placemats are on the table when you arrive and you draw your character. You don't get your menu to order the entrée until after you turn in your completed placemat. Having the apps already plated and ready to go keeps the dinner moving instead of delaying it for that 10 minutes or so you are drawing.

 

[mitsguy2001]

I honestly don't see how plating them all together and forcing everyone to have those is any faster than just limiting it to those three.

I really want to see the "show" in AP, even if I can't draw worth a crap, but honestly the trio of pre-plated appetizers and that disgusting sounding soup (I am all about potato soup normally, but with mac and cheese? GROSS!) make me want to just skip that meal. And I normally love AP.

I agree. They should at least give you the choice. I don't like potatoes, so there is no chance I'd like that potato soup. As for the appetizers: does everybody get a sampler plate, or just one for the table? And if somebody takes the appetizer that you want before you get to it, you're just out of luck? I get the feeling that the show is just an excuse for Disney to dumb down the menu to save a few bucks.

It sounds like they don't take requests from the normal menu for that night either. It's frustrating how when I'm at work, I'm expected to take "The client is always right" to the extreme, yet when I'm a customer, it seems that "The customer is always right" doesn't apply.

 

[mitsguy2001]

What takes up the time that night in AP is the placemats are on the table when you arrive and you draw your character. You don't get your menu to order the entrée until after you turn in your completed placemat. Having the apps already plated and ready to go keeps the dinner moving instead of delaying it for that 10 minutes or so you are drawing.

But what about people who couldn't care less about the placemat, but just want to be able to eat the food that we are paying good money for and that the rest of the ship is able to eat that night?

 

[mama2mickeyfans]

But what about people who couldn't care less about the placemat, but just want to be able to eat the food that we are paying good money for and that the rest of the ship is able to eat that night?

Does anyone know how much of the themed menus are served in Cabanas at night (i.e, are most of the themed apps and entrees available?)? Maybe that's a solution if missing the Animation is not an issue for you?

 

[Dug720]

Does anyone know how much of the themed menus are served in Cabanas at night (i.e, are most of the themed apps and entrees available?)? Maybe that's a solution if missing the Animation is not an issue for you?

That I don't know...but assuming I get my requested rotation it won't be an option for me as the rotation I requested would put me in AP for the final night and Cabanas isn't open the final night.

 

[labdogs42]

But what about people who couldn't care less about the placemat, but just want to be able to eat the food that we are paying good money for and that the rest of the ship is able to eat that night?

Eat somewhere else that night, then. On deck, book Palo or Remy, room service, etc. I'm looking forward to the animation night so I don't care about the less appetizer options! To each their own!

 

[Kimosabe]

I really want to see the "show" in AP, even if I can't draw worth a crap...

Last time we went, I actually thought in advance about what I was going to draw so that I could get it done pretty quickly (and so that it wasn't just horrible). I realize that is bordering on ridiculous planning, but it let me plan out something fairly colorful (Captain America -- tried to keep it to a Disney-owned property) that I had drawn a few times already, so it took almost no time, and it also made sure that my character was easily identifiable on screen. You'd be surprised how many of the drawings look pretty much the same, as many people have the same idea -- i.e., scratch out some stick figure as fast and plain as possible and get on with the meal.

 

[mama2mickeyfans]

Last time we went, I actually thought in advance about what I was going to draw so that I could get it done pretty quickly (and so that it wasn't just horrible). I realize that is bordering on ridiculous planning, but it let me plan out something fairly colorful (Captain America -- tried to keep it to a Disney-owned property) that I had drawn a few times already, so it took almost no time, and it also made sure that my character was easily identifiable on screen. You'd be surprised how many of the drawings look pretty much the same, as many people have the same idea -- i.e., scratch out some stick figure as fast and plain as possible and get on with the meal.

This is cool! Even if borderline OCD
I have no creative skills at all, but I would like to draw something sort of recognizable - just to help my kids spot our group of drawings. I wonder if I can make it look like a fish or an animal or something? Hmmm.

 

[labdogs42]

Last time we went, I actually thought in advance about what I was going to draw so that I could get it done pretty quickly (and so that it wasn't just horrible). I realize that is bordering on ridiculous planning, but it let me plan out something fairly colorful (Captain America -- tried to keep it to a Disney-owned property) that I had drawn a few times already, so it took almost no time, and it also made sure that my character was easily identifiable on screen. You'd be surprised how many of the drawings look pretty much the same, as many people have the same idea -- i.e., scratch out some stick figure as fast and plain as possible and get on with the meal.

Cool idea. I have never done the animation night. Do all of the drawings make it on to the screens? Any ther tips for making your drawing stand out?