I called
Disney Cruise Line during my lunch break.
Dress for Dining:
- Monday: Casual
- Tuesday: Formal (Golden Mickey's)
- Wednesday: Casual
- ThursdaY: Casual
- Friday: Casual - Pixar Pals Party (Indoor, Atrium)
- SaturdaY: Semi Formal
- Sunday: Casual
Was told (already knew this) that they...
- Take requests for dinning rotations, but make no guarantees.
- Can link dining reservations to eat with another stateroom.
As a first time cruiser, I am new to the idea of Disney's Dining Rotation. Is one rotation better than another? And why? I see folks talking about special meals (Signature Dinner??) and events (Animator's Show??) and don't know which rotation I could/should request. It's just me and DH, and one night I hope to score Palo reservations if there are any left at 75 days out. Thanks for any help offered!
Let me try and make it easier to understand. It sounds more complicated than it is.
First, all the rotations will have the Animator's show, usually on the last time in that restaurant.
Basically, you rotate in one of 3 groups from restaurant to restaurant.
A- Animator's Palette
P- Parrot Cay
T- Triton's
You have to start in one of them, them you follow the same circle order like playing cards, everyone rotate in the same "direction" at the same pace.
Your rotation will be on your KTTW card along with your table number and life boat station.
Everyone will get to be in all the restaurants 2 times. Everyone will get to experience all the menus available and all the shows. Also all the shows in the main theatres no matter which seating you are on.
Since this is a 7 day that leaves one restaurant you eat at three times. That extra night works out as all the restaurants also have the same menus some nights.
It is just which room you sit in one extra time.
This year, Disney has you stay at the same restaurant on the 2nd and 3rd nights (the sea days)
The dining rotations are:
APPTAPT, PTTAPTA, or TAAPTAP
the restaurant you eat at on the last night is the restaurant you are scheduled for breakfast at on the last morning as well.
Signature Menus
Each MDR has one menu that is made specifically for the MDR. They make it 3 times, once for each rotation.
French Dinner is Triton's Signature Menu.
Some nights the restaurants all have the same menus at the same time. These can be:
Formal Night
Pixar night/Pirate night menu
Captain's Gala
Till We Meet Again
When you make a preference request- it can be for a server or a rotation.
If you have a favorite server and want them again- request that
If you have a favorite restaurant- request the rotation that goes there 3 times.
The only time any of this matters is if you decide to eat elsewhere, like Palo's of BBB instead of your MDR rotation. Then you miss whatever
DCL had scheduled for you that night.
You can schedule Palo's however you like. Some do it on a certain night, like those that avoid Pirate's night.
Some go last night, some first night, some like Formal night as they have to dress up anyway.
Some a different night and they like dressing up more often.
There is no right or wrong to it. Just preference.
Just know you will get all the menus and all the shows available no matter which rotation you are on. Unless you opt to eat elsewhere.
My first cruise I stressed way too much over this. instead of just experiencing it and enjoying it, I was worried about missing something.
My second/third cruise I went with the flow. By relaxing I enjoyed myself more.
That being said, I did make a rotation request, but it is based on food allergies and my anniversary being May 27.
We planned to eat at Palo's for our anniversary. I also have food allergies that make the Parrot Cay Island Dinner menu challenging. so we requested the rotation that had Parrot Cay on my anniversary, hoping it would have me avoiding that particular menu.
P-casual
T-1st sea day Formal
T- 2nd Sea day Tracy Arm casual
A-Skagway casual
P-Juneau (Pixar night)
T-Ketchikan semi-formal
A-last sea day casual
Process of elimination- I avoid the Island menu I can't eat. Hoping they do Taste of Alaska on a different night. It used tobe on Ketchikan night as they stock up on the seafood in port.
Anyway, I hope that helped make it clearer and not more confusing.