New to Disney Cruise Line

[FSU Girl]

Hi Everyone! I am taking my first Disney cruise this coming Christmas and I have a couple questions. I booked a snorkeling excursion in Tortola, will the water be too cold for snorkeling that late in the year? I'm from Florida and I'm afraid I won't be able to get in the water.

This is also my boyfriend and mine first cruise together, we are going without kids. How does the dining work? Will Disney put us at a table with other couples or could we end up with a table of children?

I'm a bit of a Disney fanatic and love all things Disney, but also want this to be a romantic vacation, is that possible?

First time posting in a forum Thank you all in advance!

 

[cruisehopeful]

They will likely put you at a table with all adults. When I've sailed adults only, they put us with only adults. If you have second seating, you can also request your own table, but since you are doing a Christmas sailing, it may be full and may be less likely to get your own table. You can still ask right when you board by going to the designated area for dining changes.

It can be a romantic vacation, just keep in mind that many people let their children run around unsupervised on the ships. You can get away from a lot of that by staying in the adults only areas. Kids will still walk through the pool area, but they are supposed to keep walking and not linger.

I don't know about the water temps.

 

[DisneySunPrincess]

Hi Everyone! I am taking my first Disney cruise this coming Christmas and I have a couple questions. I booked a snorkeling excursion in Tortola, will the water be too cold for snorkeling that late in the year? I'm from Florida and I'm afraid I won't be able to get in the water.

This is also my boyfriend and mine first cruise together, we are going without kids. How does the dining work? Will Disney put us at a table with other couples or could we end up with a table of children?

I'm a bit of a Disney fanatic and love all things Disney, but also want this to be a romantic vacation, is that possible?

First time posting in a forum Thank you all in advance!

How exciting!! Your first Disney Cruise. It will be life changing. And you will likely spend a lot of time thinking, I wish the kids were here to see this. LOL All that aside, the water temperature in December should be fine as far south as Tortola. It might be starting to get a little chilly near Castaway Cay, but even that is more dependent upon the weather leading up to your trip and the currents. As far as getting a table by yourselves, you can call DCL and request a private table. They are generally pretty good about granting those requests. I am not sure I have ever heard of someone requesting it and not getting it. I would also try to add Palo and/or Remy for dinner to your plans to ensure that "romantic" vibe you are looking for. Hope that helps!

 

[FSU Girl]

Still trying to get the hang of the forum so not sure if I'm responding correctly. Thanks for letting me know about the water temps, I was concerned. For the specialty dining, we are going on the Magic so it's only Palo. Is it worth the upcharge? Also, how would I pick which night to go on. I don't want to miss something in the normal dining rooms, would there be a particular night on a 7 night cruise that would be a good day to go there so I don't miss anything?

 

[DisneySunPrincess]

Still trying to get the hang of the forum so not sure if I'm responding correctly. Thanks for letting me know about the water temps, I was concerned. For the specialty dining, we are going on the Magic so it's only Palo. Is it worth the upcharge? Also, how would I pick which night to go on. I don't want to miss something in the normal dining rooms, would there be a particular night on a 7 night cruise that would be a good day to go there so I don't miss anything?

You did just fine with your reply. If you want it to be brought to a certain posters attention, just click reply at the bottom of their post. Anyway, Palo! Yes....I love Palo. Now granted, I am a Palo Brunch girl. Not to say that dinner would not be wonderful as well, but much like you, I don't like to miss the nights in the MDRs because EVERY night has a different menu. And....Palo for brunch is still VERY romantic. I went with my husband last year and we loved our time there. They have fresh roses on the tables and a glass of mimosa is included as well. If you would choose to do dinner, the most popular night to "escape" from the MDRs is usually Pirate Night. The menu leaves a lot to be desired for many people. But....if you are as much like me as you sound, I would do the Brunch. And...BTW....the Magic is an amazing ship. You will love it. It was my first ship with DCL (and only ship until next September), but you are sure to have a wonderful time.

 

[Jess_S]

Still trying to get the hang of the forum so not sure if I'm responding correctly. Thanks for letting me know about the water temps, I was concerned. For the specialty dining, we are going on the Magic so it's only Palo. Is it worth the upcharge? Also, how would I pick which night to go on. I don't want to miss something in the normal dining rooms, would there be a particular night on a 7 night cruise that would be a good day to go there so I don't miss anything?

Since this will be your first DCL cruise and all of the MDRs and MDR menus will be new to you, my personal vote would be to skip Palo and use the money for something else. (I'm thinking rainforest room passes or a nice bottle of wine). As much as people love Palo, I found the MDR experience very enjoyable on my first cruise and I would not have wanted to miss trying all of the menus. After a first cruise, my vote would probably be different.

 

[FSU Girl]

Thank you all for the great replies! It's been very helpful. I think I'll skip Palo this cruise. Brunch would be fun, but I'm not sure what we will be doing when so don't want to have to work around it. I know this cruise ship is the oldest one they have, is that noticeable? I've been on a few other cruises before, but never Disney. This will also be my first time with a balcony room so I'm excited

 

[rhinodadz]

Just remember that you won't be able to do everything!! That being said, IMHO Palo dinner is definitely worth missing one night in a MDR for a romantic dinner(as others have mentioned, Pirate night is a good one to miss). And Palo brunch is also an incredible experience. If your budget permits I'd try for both.

 

[rhinodadz]

Thank you all for the great replies! It's been very helpful. I think I'll skip Palo this cruise. Brunch would be fun, but I'm not sure what we will be doing when so don't want to have to work around it. I know this cruise ship is the oldest one they have, is that noticeable? I've been on a few other cruises before, but never Disney. This will also be my first time with a balcony room so I'm excited

You can always book a brunch now and then cancel or move your time when you get on board if you decide there's something else you'd rather be doing at that time.

 

[FSU Girl]

Just remember that you won't be able to do everything!! That being said, IMHO Palo dinner is definitely worth missing one night in a MDR for a romantic dinner(as others have mentioned, Pirate night is a good one to miss). And Palo brunch is also an incredible experience. If your budget permits I'd try for both.

I think Pirate night is the day we snorkel in Tortola, do you think that's still a good day to go to Palo? What is the MDR menu like that night? I actually like pirates lol, I was a pirate wench for Halloween one year. I think my boyfriend wouldn't mind the romantic night away though.

 

[Sytrace]

Hi Everyone! I am taking my first Disney cruise this coming Christmas and I have a couple questions. I booked a snorkeling excursion in Tortola, will the water be too cold for snorkeling that late in the year? I'm from Florida and I'm afraid I won't be able to get in the water.

This is also my boyfriend and mine first cruise together, we are going without kids. How does the dining work? Will Disney put us at a table with other couples or could we end up with a table of children?

I'm a bit of a Disney fanatic and love all things Disney, but also want this to be a romantic vacation, is that possible?

First time posting in a forum Thank you all in advance!

The water temps in Tortola and St. Thomas will still be rather warm. Castaway Cay temps are a bit more chilly and would be closer to the mid 70's. And then the air temps are going to be a bit cooler too as you get closer to Florida again.
Typically you would be seated with other adults. Disney is quite good at playing matchmaker and you might find yourselves seated with other folks in your age range.
Palo Dinner would give you even more of an adult atmosphere.
There are also adults only activities and clubs available all day, but after 9:00 PM the entertainment in the Adult lounges and clubs goes to 18 and older only. There is a pool area as well that is set aside for those 18 and over.
I would choose Palo for Pirate night personally. Though the menu has changed a tad so that might improve things a bit. lol Also, something to consider...the first 3 nights aboard the ship will be your first experiences with the MDR's. After the first 3 nights the dining rooms change but you will repeat them after that. That being said, I would not advise doing Palo dinner on any of the first 3 nights. This way you can experience each one and its menu.

Have a great cruise!

 

[Sytrace]

I forgot to mention that if you have Palo on Pirate night, there is a buffet in Cabanas after the fireworks show that you might be interested in. Depends though on how late you eat and if you are hungry. lol

The pirate menu has things like johnny bread , a jerk chicken salad, quite a bit of seafood, and very good appetizers.
The Pirate buffet has a potato bar, taco bar, turkey legs, massive amounts of dessert etc.

 

[DisneySunPrincess]

I think Pirate night is the day we snorkel in Tortola, do you think that's still a good day to go to Palo? What is the MDR menu like that night? I actually like pirates lol, I was a pirate wench for Halloween one year. I think my boyfriend wouldn't mind the romantic night away though.

I totally love Pirate night, but you don't have to miss much going to Palo for dinner that night. You can make reservations so you still see the deck party and the fireworks, and as PP mentioned, the Pirate Night buffet in Cabanas. If you want to check it out, here is a link to the newest Pirate Night menu. Just recently changed within the last few weeks.
http://disneycruiselineblog.com/menus/pirates-caribbean-dinner-menu/

 

[FSU Girl]

One more question. When do they serve lobster tails? Do they? I went on Royal Caribbean and they seemed to stop serving them, even on the seven day cruises.

 

[disboardlover]

On a 7 night, it would likely be on the "formal" night or Captain's Gala Dinner, toward the end of the cruise... night 6 is a good guess.

If you go to a popular Disney Cruise Line blog, you can select your cruise, and if there are any past cruise navigators (daily activity sheets) for a similar past itinerary, you can check to see what the schedule might be. Your schedule can be different, but usually it is more similar than not.

UPDATE: If you are on the December 23rd cruise on the Magic, there are no past navigators available right now for the Disney Magic. However, there are navigators for the Disney Fantasy, which follows a somewhat similar itinerary from Port Canaveral.

 

[rhinodadz]

I think Pirate night is the day we snorkel in Tortola, do you think that's still a good day to go to Palo? What is the MDR menu like that night? I actually like pirates lol, I was a pirate wench for Halloween one year. I think my boyfriend wouldn't mind the romantic night away though.

We're on the Fantasy next week and doing Palo on Tortola day after snorkeling. I think our reservation is for 7:30 which is plenty of time for a nice dinner and still see the on deck pirate festivities.

 

[DisneySunPrincess]

On a 7 night, it would likely be on the "formal" night or Captain's Gala, toward the end of the cruise... night 6 is a good guess.

If you go to a popular Disney Cruise line blog, you can select your cruise, and if there are any past cruise navigators (daily activity sheets) for a similar past itinerary, you can check to see what the schedule might be. Your schedule can be different, but usually it is more similar than not.

UPDATE: If you are on the December 23rd cruise on the Magic, there are no past navigators available right now.

Yes, current 7-night Eastern on the Fantasy has Captain's Gala on night 6, which is nice for the possibility of lobster tail appearing at Serenity Bay at Castaway Cay.

 

[FSU Girl]

On a 7 night, it would likely be on the "formal" night or Captain's Gala Dinner, toward the end of the cruise... night 6 is a good guess.

If you go to a popular Disney Cruise Line blog, you can select your cruise, and if there are any past cruise navigators (daily activity sheets) for a similar past itinerary, you can check to see what the schedule might be. Your schedule can be different, but usually it is more similar than not.

UPDATE: If you are on the December 23rd cruise on the Magic, there are no past navigators available right now for the Disney Magic. However, there are navigators for the Disney Fantasy, which follows a somewhat similar itinerary from Port Canaveral.

Yes I'm on the cruise leaving the 23rd. Thank you for your help! I just booked the Palo dinner for the pirate night. Going to need to bring lots of fancy dresses I'm excited

 

[FSU Girl]

For the pirate night, is the pirate show on the top deck the only show that night? Or do they also have one of their Broadway shows that night too? I made a 6pm Palo reservation that night and don't want to miss any of the night festivities

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I forgot to mention that if you have Palo on Pirate night, there is a buffet in Cabanas after the fireworks show that you might be interested in. Depends though on how late you eat and if you are hungry. lol

The pirate menu has things like johnny bread , a jerk chicken salad, quite a bit of seafood, and very good appetizers.
The Pirate buffet has a potato bar, taco bar, turkey legs, massive amounts of dessert etc.

The Pirate menu changed recently. So many of the offerings have disappeared. I don't think they have the jerk chicken salad any longer, but there's a BBQ rib salad. And a regular jerk chicken entree.

http://disneycruiselineblog.com/2016/10/new-pirates-caribbean-menu-debuts-fall-2016/