Dining experiences on Disney Cruise ships are not only pleasing to the palate, but often offer surprises for all the senses. From a variety of dishes to dinner theater while you dine, you are sure to be pleased by this part of your cruise. There is a lot to know about dining aboard the Disney ships so today I am sharing my favorite tips!
Rotational Dining
First, let’s talk about Disney’s unique approach to providing guests the opportunity to dine at the three main restaurants onboard each of their ships. Each evening of your cruise, you will dine with your tablemates at a different restaurant, but your servers will travel with you. This begins on your very first night, when you will be assigned your first dining location. There, you will meet your servers and then all subsequent nights, no matter which restaurant you rotate to, your servers will be there for you.
Dining Times
Disney offers two dining times for guests, Main Dining and Second Seating. The times vary based on itinerary. In general, for sailings out of the domestic US, the Main Seating begins at 5:45 PM, and the Second Seating begins at 8:00 PM. For sailings out of Europe, the Main Seating begins at 6:00 PM, and the Second Seating begins at 8:30 PM. If your preferred time is unavailable at time of booking, I will waitlist your desired time.
Table Requests
You can request the size of your table for dining. For instance, my family likes sitting together at dinner without other guests. This makes it easier on me as I have food allergies that can cause embarrassment for me or delays for other guests. For this reason, I prefer to dine with my family only.
Guests traveling in a group can request to be seated together. Some cruise guests like to be seated with other guests, as it is a great way to meet people. Note: please know that table requests are only requests and will be honored, if possible.
Try Anything You Want
Each meal at the restaurants comes with one appetizer, entree and dessert at dinner time. Don’t feel restricted – you can order as much or as little as you want. Sometimes deciding between two entrees, or in my case two different desserts, is extremely hard. In that case, you can just order both!! Children can also order from their parents’ menu if they don’t see anything they like on theirs, for no additional fee.
Dress Code
In general, most onboard dining locations are “cruise casual,” so casual attire, such as shorts and T-shirts, is permitted, with the exception of swimwear and tank tops. Most cruises have special theme nights that provide opportunities to dress up for a one-of-a-kind family photo. Here’s a breakdown of special dress events by cruise itinerary:
3-night cruises:
- One cruise casual night—no swimwear or tank tops
- One pirate night themed deck party
- One optional “dress-up night”—jacket for men, dress or pantsuit for women
4-night cruises:
- First night is cruise casual—no swimwear or tank tops
- One pirate night themed deck party
- One optional dress-up night—jacket for men, dress or pantsuit for women
- Final night is cruise casual—no swimwear or tank tops
7-night cruises:
- First night is cruise casual—no swimwear or tank tops
- One pirate night or other themed deck party
- 3 additional cruise casual nights—no swimwear or tank tops
- One formal and one semi-formal night—both give you the opportunity to dress up and take advantage of the special photography experiences onboard. Though optional, we recommend dress pants with a jacket or a suit for men, and dress or pantsuit for women
Dress Codes for Adults-Only Restaurants for Guests 18 and Older
Adult-exclusive restaurants aboard Disney Cruise Line ships are elegant dining experiences. There is an additional charge for these and reservations are necessary, and can be done from the Navigator app. Guests are requested to dress in a manner consistent with the restaurant’s atmosphere. Formal or semi-formal attire is recommended. Dress casual attire with a polished look is permitted (such as dress pants, jeans in good condition, collared shirts and blouses and lifestyle shoes). Clothing such as T-shirts, swimwear and sports attire are not permitted. Adults-only restaurants throughout the Disney Cruise Line fleet include:
- Palo: An elegant northern Italian-inspired dining venue aboard the Disney Magic, Disney Wonder, Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy.
- Remy: A love letter to the City of Lights, serving up sophisticated French cuisine aboard the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy.
- Palo Steakhouse: Acclaimed Italian cuisine is paired with world-class steakhouse fare aboard the Disney Wish.
- Enchanté: A romantic dining venue featuring French-inspired delicacies aboard the Disney Wish.
Pirate Night
On select itineraries, eat, dance and be merry at a buccaneer bash fit for a pirate. Pirate Night is celebrated on each of the 5 ships. As part of the celebration, you will feast on a pirate-themed dinner followed by a “Pirates in the Caribbean” show and deck party.
Enjoy dinner in one of the Main Dining restaurants where the servers, dressed for the occasion, will greet you with a cheerful “Ahoy matey” and “Arrr!” (That’s “hello, how are you?—I’m fine” in pirate talk.) Once seated, the food and fun await, including:
- A party bandana for each Guest – tie it on for a little pirate flair
- A dinner menu that resembles an old treasure map
- Festive dinners include such options as Jolly Rogers Barbecue Rib Salad or Pirates Gold-en Pot Stickers or even Chilled-to-the-Bone Honeydew Melon and Watermelon Soup (menu offerings subject to change)
Pirate Night dinner is followed by a Deck Party and the first Fireworks-at-sea.
Please note: Some itineraries do not include fireworks and/or Pirate Night.
Casual Dining Options
In addition to the themed restaurants, there are also casual dining locations onboard the Disney ships. There is a buffet at Beach Blanket Buffet on the Disney Wonder, as well as the Cabanas on the Disney Magic, Disney Dream, and Disney Fantasy. Marceline Market on the Disney Wish also serves a great variety of dishes. Quick poolside meals are also available during breakfast and lunch. Check the Navigator app for hours of operation for these dining locations.
Room Service – One of the Best Things on the Ship
Room service on all Disney ships is available 24 hours a day. It is totally free (included with your fare) and is THE BEST wake-up call ever!! A knock on the door with fresh, hot coffee at a time you designated the night before on your room service request is a great way to start the day.
In addition to that, you can order complimentary continental breakfast to be delivered from 7:00 – 10:00 AM (excluding disembarkation morning). For Guests in Category 1, 2 and 3 staterooms, a full breakfast is served upon request from 7:00 – 10:00 AM (excluding disembarkation morning).
If you would like to take a picnic with you on deck while you are enjoying the pool, you can order room service and pack the food to go. You can do the same for port excursions, as most do not provide any food options. Just pack it and take it. It will be a nice treat and save you some money.
Free Ice Cream
Another great offering on Disney Cruise Line is soft-serve ice cream available throughout the day. This offering, along with all non-alcoholic beverages like water, soda, coffee, tea and lemonade, are free on the Disney ships. The Beverage Stations are on Deck 9 of the Disney Magic and the Disney Wonder and on Deck 11 of the Disney Dream, Disney Fantasy and Disney Wish. Tip: we always bring our refillable mugs from the Disney resorts so we can get more than the small cups offer.
Wine with Dinner?
Guests 21 years and older may bring a maximum of 2 bottles of unopened wine or champagne (no larger than 750 ml) or 6 beers (no larger than 12 ounces) onboard at the beginning of the voyage and at each port of call. These beverages must be packed in carry-on (not checked) bags or luggage. Please know that guests wishing to consume wine or champagne that they have brought on board in one of the dining rooms will be charged a corking fee of $25.00 per bottle.
Mickey Bars are Always Available at Disney
Guests may always request a Mickey Ice Cream Bar for their dessert at any restaurant. It will not be shown on the menu, but Mickey bars are always available. You can also request them from room service.
And just in case you haven’t felt spoiled enough, you can request an extra special treat at bedtime. Room Service will deliver warm cookies and milk!
I hope you will find these tips helpful as you plan your Disney Cruise vacation. If you have not yet booked your trip, I would love the opportunity to help you. Please reach out to me at Brenda@pixievacations.com.
Thanks for reading and Happy Sailing!
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