Where to begin?

[Beth E. (NJ)]

I'm very excited about my family's upcoming cruise. We are doing the 7 night Western Carib on 9/28. I have found other people who are doing the same cruise. Beth waves at the other people cruising then.

For some reason I can't start planning my stuff. Usually when I am going to WDW I am a planning commando. I make my itinerary with all the details (the who, what, where and when stuff) and I make my Priority Seatings.

For this I feel unable to plan. I've seen the itinerary but my brain keeps going "Palos, brunch, tea, spa? What day? What will I miss if I do that then?"

Any suggestions? Tips? Sedatives?

 

[Michelle]

Beth, Beth, Beth, the prescription is to read the past 500 pages of the Cruise Board.

Seriously, there is so much to learn here and lots of information. Here are two of my best tips:

Palo GOOD. You do not want to miss dinner and a champagne brunch here, make your reservations the first afternoon right when they start taking reservations.

Spa GOOD. You need to find a little time to pamper yourself; again, make an appointment the first afternoon when the spa opens.

I'm sure you'll get lots of other great tips, just ask away!

 

[floridaminnie]

Here are some websites that have navigators, menus, pictures and so much more to help with your planning

http://www.castawayclub.com/

http://www.dcltribute.com/

http://psiklops.brinkster.net/Trips/Main.aspx?TripDateID=1

Have fun with your planning!

 

[Dave_from_Marietta]

I have some standard "newbie" advice at my web site...

www.dcltribute.com/faq/newbieadvice.htm

 

[Beth E. (NJ)]

I think the thing that is affecting me the most is not knowing the dining rotation. If I want to set up a mental itinerary -- and figure out a grown up night to go to Palo's I would love to know when I am dining where.

Do the meals usually go in order as to the style meal too?

 

[disneyholic family]

if you're going to have only one massage i strongly suggest a massage in the cabanas at serenity bay....though don't call it that for nothing.....

 

[softfluff]

I have my dining assignment for next April already. Can you have your travel agency call?

 

[Beth E. (NJ)]

Hi Softfluff and welcome to the DIS!

What I would love to know is the order to which I will hit the restaurants. Guess it really doesn't matter since I will be there for a week and hit each one more than once.

I have to go and read 600 pages of cruise posts now!

 

[jellymoon]

Hi! We'll be cruising along with you--- and I know how you feel!!! It is hard to plan ahead when I don't know really what choices I would be making!

For you veterans, is it true (as I've read somewhere around here) that if you have children, you start your rotation in Animators Palate? We have four kids 7 and under, so I'm wondering if that makes it a safe bet.

Also--- we are a little self-concious about eating in public with our kiddos. What are the chances that we'll just have a table of six, rather than some poor unsuspecting couple being seated with us? Should we make a request?

Jelly

P.S. I can't wait!!! And I'm so thankful for this board.

 

[Beth E. (NJ)]

Hi Jellymoon! If you are concerned then I would make a request. Dining with my kiddos might be a concern too LOL! You never know the mood kids will be in when it comes to meal time.

 

[JLSE50]

Once you have been on a Disney cruise it is easier to decide how to plan the next one.

We have been on the MAGIC for a four night and a 7 night cruise. Neither of us has ever had a massage, or a spa treatment. We have never gone to Palos for anything.

We found the meals in the diningroom on our rotations to be so much fun we did not want to miss them. We wanted to spend our time together so did not want separate spa treatments.

This is a VACATION. It is not a contest to see how many events you can schedule yourself for. Enjoy yourself. Take it easy. Some of the best times are lounging on a deck chair or walking on deck 4: things you do not have to schedule or pay for.

Relax. Take it easy. If you get home and find something you wish you had done, make a list and schedule it for your next Disney Cruise.

Jan

 

["Ginger"]

You can do both dinners. If you have main seating which is 6:00p.m. make your Palo reservations for 7:30 or later, if you have late seating make Palo ressies at 6:00. Just remember you'll only want to nibble at your rotation dinner because Palo's is SOOOOO!!! much better. . DH and I have learned that the first night on the ship works great for us at Palo, never busy that night. We always have main seating so we take our DD to dinner, she eats we nibble. Then we drop her off at the Oceanears Club, register your children early in the day, which she loves and we head up to Palo's for our 7:30 reservations.
On your last Magical cruise we discovered dining at Topsiders in the evening was excellent also. They offer this as open seating from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. a formal style buffet with servers at your table you don't have to go to the buffet line they will serve you everything. A great get away for those who aren't traveling with children but Disney has placed you with them. Note if you do have dinner there you may want to carry a little cash for a tip. Children are welcomed but we didn't see many there.

Jellymoon I would say that your chances of a private table is very good. We've been on 4 Disney cruises with our DD who is 5, twice we have started our dining rotation in Parrot Cay and twice in Animator's Palate.

 

[tkd lisa]

Beginning this with Dave from Marietta's standard quote "Your mileage may vary", here's what I've heard (both on the board and from our server) about the "likely" dining rotations.

Young kids (cut off seems to be club age or 7 and younger), APLAPLA.

School age kids (8-14), PLAPLAP.

Older kids/no kids, LAPLAPL.

It seems that if you have kids on either side of the range, you go into the PLAPLAP (i.e. kids 4 and 10, or kids 10 and 16).

Beth, you could figure out which category you're likely to fall in and plan off of that. Or if you're REALLY into it, you could plan for each possible rotation??

 

[atigeg]

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