Just HOW Crowded is Cabanas for Embarkation Lunch?

[RafikiTiki21]

So everyone keeps stating that Cabanas is very busy for lunch on embarkation day, rightly so with everyone boarding and needing to eat about the same time, and all the excitement in the air.


Is it so crowded for lunch that it becomes stressful, or you cannot find a place to sit down and eat?

Or just a general statement that it's busier than other days on board and be prepared for that initial crowd?


(I understand there is one of the MDR choices as a lunch option, but I want to have my expectations right on the scene at Cabanas).

I'll be on the Fantasy, btw.

Thanks!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

So everyone keeps stating that Cabanas is very busy for lunch on embarkation day, rightly so with everyone boarding and needing to eat about the same time, and all the excitement in the air.


Is it so crowded for lunch that it becomes stressful, or you cannot find a place to sit down and eat?

Or just a general statement that it's busier than other days on board and be prepared for that initial crowd?


(I understand there is one of the MDR choices as a lunch option, but I want to have my expectations right on the scene at Cabanas).

I'll be on the Fantasy, btw.

Thanks!

If you can get to Cabanas pretty soon after boarding begins (say, withing 20 minutes) you'll be ahead of the major part of the crowd. Or wait until after 1:30. 12:00-1:00 is the busiest/crowded time.

I'd say either walk around the ship for a while before going there, or head immediately to the pool for a bit before going.

 

[dclpluto]

That's why I go to the other restaurant that is open and serves the same food.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

That's why I go to the other restaurant that is open and serves the same food.

Most of the same food. The buffet in the MDR is a little more limited than in Cabanas. We prefer Cabanas since we can sit outside, up high, and watch the goings on prior to sailing better. In the MDR you are down on deck 2 or 3, inside. But it's quieter there.

 

[disny_luvr]

On our last two Fantasy cruises, we went to Cabanas and didn't find it busy at all. On both cruises we had the earliest PAT and were in boarding groups #2 and #3. After securing tickets for the gingerbread house making we made our way to Cabanas and found it virtually empty. Even after we finished our lunch, it was still pretty empty but I imagine it gets busier as more people board.

 

[RafikiTiki21]

Thanks for the comments.

I get to book activities/check in online Monday, so I'll know what (if anything) else I need to do upon boarding. I'd like to make Cabanas a priority to avoid any stress/lack of seating to eat, but may depend on what boarding time I get and other things I am able to secure online.

We're touring plans/rope drop/do anything to avoid the major crowds type of people-- even around home, we usually get to busy places when they open, type of a thing. Not antisocial or anxious, just not fans of big lines, waits, and crowds. We've mastered this for WDW but 4,000 people on the Fantasy all trying to get to one place has me a little concerned about the approach. I would like to have our first lunch up there with the view and enjoy the excitement in the air rather than go down to a MDR. There are just three of us so I'm hopeful it will go smoothly and we'll be able to have a fun first meal onboard.

 

[jskacoc]

Our 1st cruise was on the Wonder. I was not a member of these boards so I had no idea what it was like. If I based the cruise on that 1st impression I would have never done a 2nd.
We had 4 people in our party and had a hard time finding a table. We also had carry-ons and they handed us tray like plates when we walked in (I think they were for kids?) So we were struggling with all if this.
Second cruise we knew what to expect and it was 2 of us. I don't remember it so it must not have been bad. Last cruise with 4 of us we did go to the dining room which was quieter at first but did fill up and lines were a little long but not unbearable.

 

[jlemieu1]

Just a note that you can't book all activities online like OP mentioned (like Gingerbread house, and certain Character meetings)
Even at the busy time it is not that bad. I was expecting much worst. I recommend finding a seat than get your food.

 

[RafikiTiki21]

Just a note that you can't book all activities online like OP mentioned (like Gingerbread house, and certain Character meetings)
Even at the busy time it is not that bad. I was expecting much worst. I recommend finding a seat than get your food.

I understand, thank you. I meant that since I can do some/most online next week, I'll soon know what is left to prioritize upon boarding. I may be able to go to Guest Services after eating if anything else isn't critical. I appreciate the advice!

 

[pixarprincess7]

We too try to get up there as early as possible and havent found it to be overwhelming. An adult should find a table for you and your carry ons while the rest of your group grabs food. then switch. We have always managed to have a leisurely lunch on the patio and then head to the pool for a bit before our room is ready. I agree 12:15ish-just after 1pm will be the busiest.

 

[Weedy]

We usually find a table 1st. Put our bags down, get our drinks and then go get our food.
Cabanas has lots and lots of seating and many different stations to get food. So walk around and find an empty area.

 

[Sytrace]

We have never had a big problem. We get a table first and drop off carryons etc... then the kids and 1 adult go get food and drinks, and then when one person (kid or adults) comes back, the other one leaves to get their food. The first time we sailed we got onboard at about Noon and it was crazy...after that we managed to get on earlier and earlier in Boarding group 2 and 3 and it was much easier.
We also, go right to the Aft elevators instead of trying to use the midship elevators. This can save time.

Something to know about the buffet is that there is no real line, and many people will not understand this at first and get angry at you when you dart in and out to get food that you want.

For example, if you are in a line that starts right and meets in the middle and you want to get some French fries that are in the middle, but nothing else, just jump in and get the fries. As long as someone else is not going for the fries at the same time of course. Instead, folks just go along in the line and wait until they get to the one item that they want. And then keep staying in the line until they get to the next thing that they want, which might be pizza.
I would actually recommend checking out where everything is at all the stations, as they wrap around to the very back of the ship. There is pizza, burgets, chicken nuggets, potatos, rice, noodles, and then another little section with soup and another with seafood. And yet another towards the back with hand carved meats, jello, desserts, yougurt, fruits and veggies. Check it all out first and have a plan.
Usually there are CMs there to guide folks but many times people don't understand that the CM is directing them to just go to where the food is that they want. We are programmed to be polite and Disneyfied, so it is a big adjustment. It took me quite a few cruises to just feel okay with jumping in. And honestly, when I see a little kid trying to get what he/she wants, I tend to let them get in there before me.

 

[mmouse37]

A big mistake people make upon entering Cabanas is to stop and get on the line that invariably forms at the entrance. Bypass the line and go deeper into Cabanas and find yourself a seat and then to go to the different stations to get food. Cabanas is set up with repeating sets of stations but many think it is a normal buffet line...it is not. The whole design is to keep people from standing in one long line (but people are like sheep and see a line and get on it). You will find the exact same stations further into Cabanas that you will find in the front of Cabanas.

You will not be doing anything that some think of as bad etiquette. Cabanas is meant to be stations. Of course you would never push in front of someone at a particular station (you would wait your turn) but you certainly can go to any station in any order to get the different selections.

MJ

 

[daneenm]

DH hates crowds too and we did not have much trouble. I agree with previous posters who suggest grabbing a table first. Much easier to navigate without carrying you stuff too.

 

[Jennifer777]

We've always had a fairly early PAT and we usually go straight to Cabanas shortly after boarding. We've only had difficulty finding a table once. You can also take your food out to one of the tables by the pool too if there are none available in Cabanas.

 

[tinkerone]

I don't ever remember it being so bad we couldn't find seating. We like to sit outside on the deck and the outside deck on the fantasy is fairly small so we might wait a few minutes to grab one of those but for the most part it has never been a problem, at least for us. I have read where some find it a nightmare but maybe we just have always hit the right time. Also I think that fewer people know about the outside deck as its not really obvious that it is there so that probably helps us get a table quicker.
Good recommendation from pp's about finding a table first and sending some off to get lunch while one stays with the carryon's. Its what we do and has always worked out fine.

 

[CesD]

i dont remember it being too horrible. busy yes, but not insane and this was on Wonder and Dream. On the Magic we went to the MDR buffet and it seemed like a slower, quieter pace and i think i would head to the MDR buffet first if that was an option.

 

[CurtisB]

I was boarding group 8 on the Dream a week ago. I got on, stopped by GS to book a tasting then walking to the aft stairway and up to Cabanas. It was pretty empty. Easy for me to get a table outside. Still empty when I was done.

 

[Flossbolna]

There really is not one correct answer to this. On our Fantasy cruise we arrived at Cabanas just around 12:40pm. I hated it because it was so crowded. I remember that we had trouble to find a table for the two of us and it was just so many people rushing around. My boyfriend has a totally different memory of that meal. He says that the issue with the table was not that there were not any, but that I did not like the few that were open. Also, my seat was so that I faced the busy walkway, he was looking out towards the dining room, so we observed very different areas and got different impressions. I have to admit though that while it was full inside, we did not have to wait long for food as we just jumped in at the different stations where we wanted something. My boyfriend loved lunch at Cabanas, I hated it. So, you see even two people being there at the same time and sitting at the same table can give you different opinions on just how crowded it is!

 

[Naterfan]

Get there early. We did, and took a table in a corner near the bussing station. It did start to get very crowded, but our corner stayed relatively clear. A family a few tables over did have an issue when a larger family, all carrying trays, decided to stand over them (in what I considered a perfect example of passive-aggressive behavior) in an attempt to get them to finish their meal faster. They literally circled the table, holding their trays, looking like statues. Thankfully, the smaller family didn't cave to the pressure.