disney cruise dinner and show times

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Which Do You Prefer: Main or Second Seating for Dinner on Disney Cruise Line

After we have decided on the ship and the itinerary for our next Disney Cruise Line voyage, the next decision for us is which dining time to select. Main Seating or Second Seating?

Dining Times on Disney Cruise Line

Disney Cruise Line pioneered the concept of rotational dining where guests rotate between the ship’s main dining rooms each evening, but while the venue may change, your serving team stays with you.

Two standard dining times are offered each day. The earlier dinner is served at 5:45 pm, while the later seating is at 8:15 pm. These times may vary by itinerary, so be sure to check your DCL Navigator app.

For us, the early time is a little too early, and the late, is – you guessed it – a touch too late for my tastes. Maybe a Pros & Cons analysis is in order… here are a few of my thoughts, but please keep adding to them in the comments! With a few sailings on the horizon, I need all the help I can get.

Main Dining Time: The Pros

A 5:45 dining time is going to be a much more family-friendly option for guests sailing with children. You eat first, then head off to your evening show in the Walt Disney Theatre or other evening activities.

If you are looking to enjoy adult-friendly fun, an early dinner time allows time for your dinner to settle before heading to the pubs and nighttime entertainment.

Main Dining Time: The Cons

Let’s face it, 5:45 pm is early. Even for someone who lives on the East Coast, it can be hard to be ready and in the mood for dinner at that hour. You have to be mindful of afternoon activities and Port Adventures, and you need to be on time. With a dinner service after yours, lingering too long is frowned upon.

Second Dining Time: The Pros

An 8:15 dining time allows for a much more leisurely pace to your afternoon. Your “showtime” at the Walt Disney Theater is going to be before dinner, but it is entirely up to you whether or not you go to the show at all – and we often skip the show if it’s one we’ve seen a few times.

Pro Tip: During the first dining hour (and when the first show is on) is a great time to enjoy the pool and slides with much smaller crowds while there is still a bit of daylight in the sky.

The later dining is also a bit more adult-centered. However, families will be happy to know that your servers can offer your kids a slightly quicker dining experience, and you can then take them to the Youth Activities Center, while you and the other adults in your party finish dinner at a more leisurely pace.

Second Dining Time: The Cons

An 8:15 pm start time isn’t a deal-breaker for me, but a 10:15 pm finish time is. On one sailing, it always seemed like we were being served our appetizers as other tables were finishing their main courses. Our older kids often just got up and left before dessert was even offered. We did kindly ask for quicker service, but it just wasn’t in the cards.

After a long day of fun, a late meal will put me straight to sleep. I’m tired. My family is tired, and even if there is an evening activity I want to participate in (like fireworks at sea!) a full belly may make me too sleepy to join in the fun.

Other considerations

One thing to consider is your home time zone vs. your sailing time zone. This is especially true on a shorter cruise when you don’t have as much time to physically adjust to the new time.

Keeping kids on a familiar schedule is tough enough on vacation. Add a touch of jet lag, and deciding when to eat dinner can be a full-on debate.

Check out: Dining Options When Rotational Dining Doesn’t Work for You (note: at this time Cabanas is still not offering dinner service)

Also, the Main Seating (or early dining) typically fills up first. When in doubt, select the first seating. You can usually change to the later dining time if you find that it will suit your travel style better.

Your Thoughts

Have you experienced both dining services? Which one worked best for you and why? Are you strictly devoted to early dining, or is the late service the only one for you? Let us know over on Facebook or on the Disboards . I clearly need all the help I can get.

About Post Author

Melanie Clatfelter

Melanie is the mom of three young adults. She is a native Floridian who now lives in North Carolina. She is a Gold Castaway Club Member who has sailed on all four of the current ships at least once and is ready to set sail on the Disney Wish this fall.

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Pros and Cons of Disney Cruise Line Dinner Seating Times: Early vs. Late

For dinner on Disney Cruise Line, guests are assigned to one of two seating times, which they will have for the entirety of their sailing — you’ll eat dinner at the same time every night. For sailings originating from U.S. and Canadian ports, seatings are typically at 5:45 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. For sailings originating in Europe, seatings are typically at 6:00 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.

Every sailing offers counter-programming that corresponds to the dinner times – shows in the theater that match the dinner hours. So if you have the 5:45 early dinner, you’ll be able to watch the 8:00 stage show, and vice versa.

When you book your cruise, you’ll be asked to select your preference for earlier or later dinner seating. Many folks new to cruising are intimidated by this choice. Which is better? How will it impact the rest of the cruise? How do you decide?

There are some factors to think about as you make your decision. Some of the considerations that are Pros for one guest may be strong Cons for another guest. So rather than present a pure Pro/Con list, I’m listing things to think about – and you can decide if these items feel Pro or Con to you.

Are you coming from a culture where dining early or late is particularly important to you? It’s worth noting that on U.S. cruises, the early seating tends to “sell out” more quickly and on European cruises, the late seating fills more quickly. Many Europeans think that even 8:30 is too early and consider 6:00 to be basically late lunch.
Are you coming from a time zone where it will be more or less challenging to have a particular dining time? Guests who live on the U.S. west coast sailing from Port Canaveral or Miami may also find that the early seating feels like lunch rather than dinner. East coast guests sailing out of San Diego or Vancouver may find the late seating challenging.
Do you have any medical issues that will impact the time you eat? For example: Do you have acid reflux or other issues that mean you need to eat your last meal of the day several hours before bedtime? Do you consume a medication that must be taken on a full, or empty, stomach at a particular time.
Do you have a child who will be asleep during the later dinner seating? Many young children simply cannot stay awake past 7:30 or 8:00 p.m. If you want them to eat dinner with you in the main dining rooms, then the late seating may be untenable. On the other hand, if you really want them to see the theatrical performances, then you have option to feed the kiddos room service or pool deck quick service rather than a full sit-down meal.
Are you picky about where you sit in the main theater? Early diners will be able to see the second staging of the mainstage show, but may not get there quickly enough to snag a particular seating area. If you’re particular about your location, opt for late dinner so that you can be first to line up for the early show.
Are you OK with your family members consuming a substantial snack during the late afternoon? Folks who are used to eating early at home may be fine adapting to the late seating if they have a substantial snack in the late afternoon to stave off the hangriness. ( Hello room service cheese plate. ) But if you have rules about between meal eating or are trying to limit overall calories, this may be less of an option for you.
Do you have any long port adventures (on-shore excursions) planned that will get you back to the ship close to, or after, the early dinner time? If you have land-based plans that will get you back to the ship late, you may want to opt for the later dinner seating.
Will you want to shower/change prior to dinner? If you’re staying on the ship you may want to be able to spend every possible moment at the pool. If you want to do this, and shower, and change before dinner, the later seating might better suit you. Even if you just like to dress up for dinner in general, you want more time to do this.
Do you want a slightly quieter dinner atmosphere? While there are young kids at both seatings, there are likely to be more kiddos at the earlier seating, making the late seating a bit quieter.
Will you be enjoying Palo, Remy, or Enchante brunch? Brunch at these venues are substantial, multi-course meals. If you’re have late mid-day adult meals, you might want more ample time to digest than the early seating would allow.
How long is your sailing? You may be able to easily cope with a slightly sub-optimal dining time if you’re on a quick 3-night sailing. Or, if you’re on a 12-night voyage, you may feel that you have ample time to adapt to either option,
Will you actually be dining in the rotational restaurants? Some guests on 3-night sailings may be able to book dinners at both Palo and Remy or Enchante and will opt for room service or poolside dining on their third night on board, making moot the question of which main dining room seating to select.
Do you care when you eat breakfast during disembarkation day? The time of your last breakfast is related to your dinner seating assignment. Early dinner eats early breakfast and late dinner eats a later breakfast. If you want to sleep a bit more on your last day and won’t be running to catch a plane, then selecting late dinner may help your situation.
Do you eat slowly? Some guests find that they’re less rushed during the second seating because the servers don’t have to immediately turn over their table.

Depending on how far out you book, one or the other seating time may not be available. If your seating preference is not open, you can request an alternate seating time by joining the waitlist on the My Reservations section of the DCL website. I’ve gotten off the waitlist for my preferred seating a few times.

If you don’t make it off the waitlist before you sail, stop by guest services when you’re on the ship and they may be able to help you. There may be another party who wants the opposite assignment and Guest Services may be able to swap you.

Erin Foster

Erin Foster is an original member of the Walt Disney World Moms Panel (now PlanDisney), a regular contributor to TouringPlans.com, and co-author of The Unofficial Guide to Disney Cruise Line. She's been to WDW, DL, DL Paris, Hong Kong Disneyland, Aulani, DVC Vero Beach, and DVC Hilton Head. She's a Platinum DCL cruiser and veteran of 10 Adventures by Disney trips. Erin lives near New York City, where she can often be found indulging in her other obsession - Broadway theater.

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Live Stage Shows

List of Past and Present Disney Cruise Line’s Broadway-caliber, Disney-themed live shows. These shows are performed aboard the Disney Dream, Disney Wonder, Disney Magic, and the Disney Fantasy in the Walt Disney Theatre. Some live stage shows are available on multiple ships. If you cannot make the show, check your stateroom TV guide for viewing in your stateroom.

During longer itineraries the Walt Disney Theatre will play host to guest performers or screen one of Disney’s latest theatrical release movies .

Current Disney Cruise Line Shows

Retired disney cruise line shows.

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57 Replies to “Live Stage Shows”

I wonder if they would ever consider re-running a retired show? We saw Hercules: The Muse-ical on our first two sailings and loved it!

I only saw Hercules once, but a revised Muppet show would be a great idea for an opening night variety show. It would be easy to plug in the special guests such as Knight Magic.

Remember the Magic also plays on the Wonder on some itineraries.

How often do the live show itineraries change? We are thinking of booking our second cruise on the fantasy but are hesitant only because the live show schedule appears to be the same as it was almost 2 years ago? Does it ever change? Thanks so much for your input!

They do change, but not very often. Pending any drastic shakeup your cruise will have the same shows.

We’ve cruised on the Disney Fantasy 3 times (2012 & 2014 & 2016) and have seen the same shows everytime. We are cruising on the Fantasy again in 2020 and would love to see something new but expect to see the same.

The Fantasy has the new Aladdin musical! It’s great 😀

It does change from time to time, but they add new segments and it normally takes the shows to the next level.

Do you have to reserve seats at the shows on the Dream? Is there a charge? Do you have to get there like an hour early and stand in line?

Cindy, You do not need to reserve seats or a showtime. The live shows are included in the price of the cruise. Lines do form prior to the show as seats are first come first serve and saving of seats is discouraged.

I was just on the fantasy january 25-1 and loved aladdin and wishes but I can’t find a cast list anywhere I would love to know who the actors are.

Is Walt Disney: The Dream Goes On only on longer cruises? If so which length of cruise.

Does anyone know what order the shows play in on a 4 night cruise? We’re trying to schedule Remy, but I really want to see the Villains show.

Jen, Check out a set of Personal Navigators from the Disney Dream.

The Villians show on the Dream was the BEST show we saw on our cruise! The cast member who played Hades when we were there was so amazing!

I hear that they have special shows during the Holidays. Is this true or is it just the movie selection?

They have special events in the Atrium such as King Triton’s Tree lighting .

Any idea how often they replace the shows? I have friends who were on the Wonder in 10/13 and want to do an Alaskan cruise this summer, but are afraid the shows will be exactly the same..

Mindy, the shows, as a whole, do not change that much.

Do You have an estimate of how large the total cast of a play would be?

I believe the number is about 20.

thanks. Is that per play or does the same crew work on every play?

Same cast for all the shows.

33 where on the wonder in april according to the peter cruise director

We are sailing for the 3rd time on the Disney Fantasy summer 2016. Do you think there will be any new shows by then? We saw the same ones summer 2014 that we saw summer 2012. They are great but would like to see something new.

I would not expect any new shows on the Fantasy for next summer.

I agree, it’s time for something new. We skipped all the shows this past November. 3 times on the Fantasy and no new shows. The only way to see something new is to switch ships but then the problem for me is that the the spas are outdated and I love and need the Rainforest….uggg So I am going to bite the bullet and go on the Magic next to see Tangled. Thankfully I love to hang out in Keys.

Since the ships are usually running 7 days a week, the turn around in the home port is too short to uninstall an old show and install a new one. As a result if the ship has not entered a dry dock situation since your last cruise, it is highly unlikely for the shows to have changed.

Any chance the Tangled show will ever be brought to a different ship? We are hoping to go late Spring 2017 but so far it looks like the Magic is only sailing out of San Juan! 🙁 We were hoping to do Eastern Caribbean from Port Canaveral.

It was said during the DCL Parks Blog event that they are attempting to keep things varied across the fleet rather than duplicating shows on each ship, to help keep things fresh for repeat guests.

Any chance I can find out the time and schedule of each show? so far my search turned up nothing? I need to know the times to schedule dinner on Fantasy cruise 7 night East carib.

There are two show times each night opposite Main and Late dinning times. On some sailings there are even matinee showings.

Anyone know the running time of the shows? I mean the actual start to finish each evening?

The shows vary, but they are about 45 minutes to an hour in length.

On the Dream, 3-night cruise, do you get all 3 shows? {Believe, Golden Mickey’s, Villains Tonight}

Does the Wonder ship has more than one show as well? We are currently on a waiting list for early dining and we are hoping we don’t miss the shows. We sail Friday after Thanksgiving 2016. Thank you!

Fara, there are two dinner seatings. If you have main dining your show time will be after dinner. If you have late dinner, you will go to a show then eat. You will not miss them due to the dinner seating time.

Thank you! I can stop worrying now,?

One more question (you hope). Do we have to make reservations on any particular activity like character breakfast or pictures with the different characters?

There are a few meet and greet experiences and possibly a character breakfast depending on your ship/itinerary. DCL recently added online reservations for some of these, but as of now still offer onboard reservations on embarkation day. Check your Navigator if you do not pre-book online.

Thank you!?

Scott, any thoughts on which shows will be on the 3-night Fantasy sailing 5/17/17? Has anything been published as to any show changes during the dry dock?

Mark, I would guess the 3 main shows will play; Aladdin, Wishes and Believe.

I’m so upset that they will be replacing ‘Villains Tonight’ with ‘Beauty and The Beast’. Nothing against the latter but ‘Villains Tonight’ is so good and funny! Thankfully, we’ll be going on Halloween on the High Seas this year to see it one last time. (Rather they had replaced the Golden Mickey’s, lol).

Scott, I know that Villains Tonight! has already ended but what is now showing in place of it till the new Beauty and the Beast show debuts? Haven’t seen any current Navigators. Thanks!

On the last 3-night the film, Disney’s Newsies The Broadway Musical was shown in place of Villains Tonight!

We are just trying to book a few things and want to be available for the shows. What times are the shows normally at? Is there anywhere that I can find a schedule. We are going Jan 6, 2018 on Fantasy !!

You can find links to previous Personal Navigators for your sailing on this page . Based on the latest navigators, showtimes on the Fantasy have been 6:15 and 8:30.

Hello, it’s Marcus again, I just want to say that my 2008 navigators have the show: “Remember the Magic: A Final Farewell”, and I was wondering if that show is still playing on the Magic/Wonder. Could you please help me on this one?

Are there any rumors on the dreamvine of the Wonder being pixie dusted with a new show? Dreams is already 15 years old, and the Golden Mickeys is nearly 20. My wife and I will be on the Wonder next Spring for an Alaskan cruise. When or how long in advance would they announce upcoming changes? It seems that quite a few were changed out after just 5 to 8 years.

DCL went through a period of making a unique, single franchise production for each ship. Tangled, Frozen, Beauty & the Beast, and to a lesser extent Aladdin. I recently heard some rumblings of a Toy Story something, but nothing that points directly to a stage production.

Hey Scott, if you have any connections pass on this idea to the imagineers. Replace the Dreams stage show onboard the Wonder and the Twice Charmed show on the Magic with a Star Wars and Marvel stage shows (different show on each). But let each one come with a twist where the World of Disney Magic (characters) help save the day in their respective universes. This could give a continual draw of Marvel and Star Wars fans to the cruise line beyond the special sailings, and at the same time let the fans of all three Worlds (Disney, Marvel, Star Wars) enjoy a crossover event. I love crossover tv episodes; why not stage shows.

With the extended shutdown due to Covid, are there any rumors about new stage shows, the same ones, or will they be put on hiatus like the parks? My wife and I have a sailing coming up in February, and we’re just curious as to what to expect.

There’s a show missing, I believe fully retired and only shown a few times. “When Mickey Dreams”, debuted for the EBTA in 2007 and shown on Med cruises, then again on the WBPC in 2008. Can’t find any reference to it existing outside of that.

I did find a reference in an old press release. I added a page for When Mickey Dreams .

The Golden Mickeys used to be on the Magic as well…

Frequently Asked Questions

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What is rotational dining, can i make additional dining reservations before my cruise, what time is dinner served on board a disney cruise, does disney cruise line offer meals for dietary needs, can i bring alcohol onboard a disney cruise.

Rotational dining is the Disney Cruise Line way of making sure that all Guests get to enjoy each of the themed dining venues while on board. Each evening, you dine with the same waiting team as you rotate to one of three main restaurants on the ship and experience a mixture of mouth-watering menus.

You will receive your restaurant schedule and table number upon arrival by checking your ‘Disney Cruise Line Navigator App’. Then, each evening, you, your tablemates and servers will rotate to a different restaurant. As you rotate, the same wait staff—who know your preferences—will serve you each night while you get to experience the unique atmosphere of each dining venue. Rotational Dining is included in the price of your Disney Cruise however should you wish to book additional dining, you can do so via Disney Cruise Line's Navigator App or by visiting 'My Reservations' on ‘My Disney Cruise’.

You do not need to book rotational dining, this is included in your booking, however, you can add additional dining reservations before you embark on your Disney Cruise through the ‘Disney Cruise Line Navigator App’ or under 'My Reservations' on 'My Disney Cruise'. To access the planning center on the app or on site, you will need your cruise reservation number and the date of birth of the lead passenger. How far in advance you can do this will be dependent on your Castaway Club membership, as you will see from the four categories below; • 75 days prior to sailing for first-time Disney Cruise Line® Guests • 90 days prior to sailing for Silver Castaway Club Members • 105 days prior to sailing for Gold Castaway Club Members • 120 days prior to sailing for Platinum Castaway Club Members and Guests staying in Suites

Each night with rotational dining, there are 2 seating times for dinner. For European sailings, the Main Seating begins at 6PM, with the Second Seating beginning at 8:30PM. For USA sailings, the Main Seating begins at 5:45PM, with the Second Seating beginning at 8PM. This schedule has been designed to allow guests plenty of time to see a performance of any evening’s live show.

Your preferred seating can be requested under 'My Reservations' on ‘My Disney Cruise’ or through the ‘Disney Cruise Line Navigator App’, with requests subject to availability. If your seating preference is not available, you can request an alternate seating time by joining the waiting list. To see your assigned seating time and restaurant rotation, please check the ‘Disney Cruise Line Navigator App’ upon your arrival.

There are a range of gluten-free, vegetarian, no added-sugar, dairy-free and lighter offerings offered at all table-service restaurants. Kosher meals and other lifestyle or cultural meals may also be available upon request. Please detail any dietary requests at the time of booking so that we can accommodate your dining requirements.

Disney Cruise Line permits Guests 21 years and older to bring a maximum of 2 bottles of unopened wine or champagne (no larger than 750 ml) or 6 beers (no larger than 12 ounces) on board 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 note: • Alcohol brought on board may not be consumed in any lounge or public area. • 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 $26.00 per bottle. • All alcohol brought on board must be in an original unopened container. Partially used bottles and those in which the seal is broken are prohibited. • Any wine or champagne in excess of 2 bottles or beer in excess of 6 beers is prohibited and must be discarded prior to entry and no compensation offered. • Liquors or spirits or excess wine and beer purchased in ports of call will be stored until the end of the cruise.

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Food on Disney Cruise Line: Tables in front of large seaside windows

Food on Disney Cruise Line: A Dining Guide

Discover the culinary adventure that awaits you with this comprehensive guide to food on Disney Cruise Line. Disney cruises offer an array of dining experiences and restaurants for every palate. This guide will help you navigate the ins and outs of dining onboard, from understanding the unique rotational dining system to exploring the specialty dining options. You’ll also get a peek into the magic of Disney’s character dining experiences. So, whether you’re a food connoisseur or a family looking for fun-filled meals, get ready to discover the delicious world of food on Disney cruises.

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Cost of Food on Disney Cruises – What’s Included, What’s Not

Disney Cruise Food - Chilean Sea Bass served with a seared scallop and vibrantly-colored vegetables on a dark plate.

Before we dive into the specifics of the Disney Cruise Line food options, it’s essential to clarify what’s included in your fare. Here’s a rundown:

Main Dining Rooms : Meals at the main dining restaurants (such as Animator’s Palate, Enchanted Garden, and Royal Court) are included.
Quick-Service Dining : Food from quick-service (casual) spots like Flo’s V8 Cafe, Duck-In Diner, and Eye Scream is included.
Buffet Dining : Meals at buffet-style dining venues like Cabanas are included.
Character Breakfasts : These breakfasts are free, but tickets must be obtained in advance.
Room Service : Most items on the room service menu are complimentary, but note that gratuity is not included.
Snacks : Free snacks are available throughout the day at various locations on the ship.
Most Non-Alcoholic Drinks : Complimentary soft drinks, milk, tea, water, and coffee are available at beverage stations and most restaurants.

Unlimited sodas and juices are included in your cruise cost, no drink package necessary!

Not Included:

Specialty Dining : Meals at adult-exclusive dining venues like Palo, Remy, and Enchanté come at an additional cost. The same goes for Royal Court’s Royal Tea.
Alcoholic Beverages and Specialty Drinks : Soft drinks are free at the beverage station, but alcoholic beverages, smoothies, and specialty coffees are not.
Snacks at Preludes : Snacks and beverages at Preludes, located near the ship’s theaters, are not included.

Your Disney Cruise fare includes a wide selection of delicious meals that cater to all tastes. However, you have the choice to enhance your dining experience with premium options available for an extra charge. It’s entirely up to you whether to stick with the inclusive options or add charges to your stateroom account.

Keep in mind, though, that gratuities are not included in the cost of a Disney cruise, and this applies to both the included and extra-cost meals.

Types of Dining Experiences on Disney Cruise Line

Disney Cruise Food - Roast Duck breast and leg on a plate with a dark sauce

A Disney cruise offers a variety of dining options to suit every taste, from gourmet foodies to fussy eaters. Here are the main types of dining experiences you’ll encounter on a Disney cruise.

Rotational Dining on Disney Cruises

Disney Cruise Line’s Rotational Dining introduces a novel approach to dining, blending variety with familiarity. My wife and I are big fans of this system, as it brings a delightful element of surprise to our meals.

In the Rotational Dining system, you’ll visit three main dining restaurants during your cruise, changing the venue each night . This rotation lets you appreciate the unique ambiance, theme, and menu of each restaurant, ensuring that you experience them all.

You don’t need to make a reservation for the nightly dinner service — you simply pick a dining time when you book your cruise. You’ll select either early/main dining (usually around 5:45 PM), or late/second dining (typically around 8:00 PM). As you board the ship, you’ll receive a dining rotation that shows which restaurant you’re assigned to for each night of the cruise.

One of the standout features of this system is the consistent service. Your serving team travels with you from restaurant to restaurant, quickly becoming familiar with your personal preferences, dietary requirements, and even your favorite dessert, leading to a truly personalized dining experience.

Here’s a glimpse into the dining rotation on each ship:

On Disney Magic , the rotation includes Lumiere’s, Animator’s Palate, and Rapunzel’s Royal Table.
The Disney Wonder features Triton’s, Animator’s Palate, and Tiana’s Place.
On Disney Dream , you’ll experience Royal Palace, Animator’s Palate, and Enchanted Garden.
Disney Fantasy also includes Royal Court and Animator’s Palate but with the Enchanted Garden as the third venue.
And finally, Disney Wish introduces Arendelle: A Frozen Dining Adventure, Worlds of Marvel, and 1923.

Disney Cruise Food - Prime Rib on a plate with potatoes and vegetables

Every meal becomes a highlight of the day, bringing the excitement of a new setting combined with the comfort of familiar faces in our serving team. For my wife and I, the variety offered by Rotational Dining transforms each meal into its own unique adventure.

Buffet Dining

Disney Cruise Line’s buffet dining options, like Cabanas on four Disney ships and the new Marceline Market on Disney Wish, offer a casual, diverse culinary experience. Both buffet venues feature an extensive selection of dishes for breakfast and lunch in a free-flowing dining environment, allowing guests to enjoy a variety of dishes at their leisure.

At Cabanas , guests can start their day with a classic American breakfast featuring made-to-order omelets, scrambled eggs, sausages, and Mickey-shaped waffles. Lunch transitions into contemporary favorites like salads, soups, burgers, sandwiches, steak, chicken, seafood, and pizza. Vegetarian options and a kid-friendly menu are also available.

Cabanas’ décor is designed to evoke the relaxed ambiance of a beach boardwalk, complete with sweeping sea views through floor-to-ceiling windows and on an outdoor patio. The nautical-themed setting is enhanced with a stunning 30-foot-long mosaic depicting a scene from Pixar’s Finding Nemo.

Disney Wish enhances the buffet experience with Marceline Market , a unique venue housing a series of themed food stations. Inspired by international marketplaces, the restaurant offers a wide range of international dishes, including Italian staples, Asian specialties, comfort food, and seafood specialties.

Dining at the buffet is included in your Disney cruise fare and offers flexibility to suit every schedule. However, because operating hours and offerings vary from day to day, please check the daily schedule.

Specialty Dining

Disney Cruise Line’s specialty dining options are perfect for guests seeking an upscale, intimate culinary experience. These adult-exclusive venues – Palo, Remy, and Enchanté – do require an extra fee and reservations, but they provide an unforgettable culinary experience.

Palo , available across all ships, offers Northern Italian cuisine in a sophisticated setting. The menu features a wide range of antipasti, handcrafted pasta, seafood, and delectable desserts, paired with a comprehensive wine list. Palo is my personal favorite, consistently impressing me with its atmosphere and cuisine. On the Disney Wish, Palo is enhanced as Palo Steakhouse , offering not only Italian favorites but also prime beef choices such as Australian wagyu and Japanese Kobe/Miyazaki.
Remy – found on Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy – delivers a superb French menu inspired by Disney and Pixar’s Ratatouille. My wife, Jaimie, is a huge fan of Remy — the impeccable service, the menu bursting with flavors, and the overall culinary experience are exceptional.
On the Disney Wish, Enchanté takes luxury dining up a notch. The adults-only spot serves incredible food in a stunning setting with a menu designed by a three-Michelin-starred chef.

Chairs and tables in front of large floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the ocean, at Palo Steakhouse onboard the Disney Wish cruise ship

Palo Steakhouse – Disney Wish

The specialty dining venues on Disney cruises offer a peaceful, adult-only escape amidst the bustling cruise activities. They provide an opportunity for a relaxed, romantic meal. Exceptional service, thoughtful theming, and gourmet cuisine set these dining experiences apart on any Disney cruise. Speaking from personal experience, my wife and I believe these extraordinary moments justify the additional expense and the need to dress up just a bit.

Find the Perfect Disney Cruise and Save with The Vacationeer

Do you have questions about dining on Disney Cruise Line? Are you ready to receive a free quote or book your trip? The Vacationeer is here to assist you!

The Vacationeer , an elite Diamond-Level Authorized Disney Vacation Planner Agency, boasts years of experience and exceptional customer service for Disney Cruise Line vacations.

Your dedicated Vacationeer will handle every aspect of your cruise. After selecting your itinerary, they’ll ensure every detail is booked correctly and at the best price . With their expertise, your cruise will be tailored to your preferences, maximizing both land and sea activities.

Beyond planning activities, they will assist in tailoring your dining plans . They’ll help you choose the perfect restaurants for your family and make dining reservations for specialty and premium dining experiences. They will also work with Disney to customize your meals if you have specific dietary needs or requests, such as food allergies or a vegan diet. Relax while they handle everything!

Furthermore, The Vacationeer offers complimentary Disney cruise onboard credit as a booking bonus, which you can use to cover extras beyond your cruise fare. It’s essentially free money to spend on your cruise!

Another fantastic advantage is that The Vacationeer ‘s services are free of charge . There is no catch – they are genuinely free!

Collaborating with an experienced Disney travel agent makes sense for everyone, but especially for those new to Disney cruises . Don’t hesitate to contact The Vacationeer today for your free instant quote !

Quick Service Dining

Whether you’re craving a snack between meals or just a casual bite to eat, Disney Cruise Line offers a variety of quick-service dining options. These conveniently located dining spots are scattered across the pool deck and other areas of the ship, serving a range of food and beverages throughout the day.

The options range from classic comfort food like burgers, hot dogs, and pizza to healthier choices like fresh salads, wraps, and sandwiches. Whether you’re lounging by the pool, catching a movie under the stars, or simply looking for a snack to tide you over until dinner, quick-service dining offers a convenient and informal option that won’t interrupt your day’s activities.

Image © Disney

For instance, on the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy, you can grab a quick bite at Flo’s Café , a Cars-themed quick service location offering American classics. On the Disney Magic, you’ll find the Duck-In Diner serving up delicious meals poolside. Pinocchio’s Pizzeria, a beloved feature on Disney Magic and Disney Wonder, delivers hot, fresh pizza throughout the day. On the Disney Wish, the Mickey and Friends Festival of Foods offers a selection of quick bites.

Quick-service dining is included in your Disney cruise fare, ensuring a wide selection of options for everyone in your party at no additional cost.

Character Dining Experiences

One of the unique aspects of a Disney cruise is the opportunity to dine with beloved Disney characters . These special dining events provide magical moments for kids and kids-at-heart alike.

Some of the main dining rooms offer some character interaction during dinner. For example, Louie makes appearances at Tiana’s Place on the Disney Wonder, and the Frozen dining experience on Disney Wish features all the primary characters from the films.

Arendelle – a Frozen Dining Adventure, onboard the Disney Wish

Character breakfasts may be offered on cruises of seven nights or longer and offer the chance to pose for photos and get autographs from characters dressed in the cruise attire . It’s the perfect way to kick off your cruise day and one of the many reasons why Disney Cruise Line enjoys a reputation as the best cruise line for kids .

Additionally, the Royal Court Royal Tea Party (available for an additional fee on all ships except the Disney Wish) is a grand affair where young guests are treated like royalty . Accompanied by select Disney Princesses, guests enjoy tea, sandwiches, and pastries, along with storytelling and song performances.

The Vacationeer can provide more information about these special dining experiences.

Themed Dining Events

Disney Cruise Line takes themed dining to a whole new level with their unique dining events. These include Pirate Night , a swashbuckling celebration featuring a special menu and a grand deck party, and Frozen-themed dining on select sailings, where guests can savor Nordic-inspired dishes while interacting with beloved characters from the film.

On Marvel Day at Sea and Pixar Day at Sea sailings, guests can enjoy special themed menus inspired by their favorite movies. These dining events, complete with character appearances and entertainment, add another layer of magic to the Disney cruise experience.

In addition to meals, Disney Cruise Line offers a variety of snacks throughout the day. You can satisfy any mid-day or late-night craving with a variety of sweets and savory options.

One popular spot for a sweet treat is Eye Scream Treats , a self-service frozen dessert station where you can enjoy a (free!) swirled cone of soft-serve ice cream in various flavors. For those desiring a pastry or a caffeine kick, the adults-only Cove Café provides specialty coffees and assorted pastries.

Guests aboard Disney Dream can visit Vanellope’s Sweets & Treats , offering a delightful mix of candies, gelato, and baked goods inspired by the Wreck-It Ralph movies. On the Disney Fantasy, Sweet on You caters to guests’ sweet tooth with its handcrafted gelato, ice cream, chocolates, and an extensive selection of candies.

These snack locations are perfect for moments when a small treat is just what’s needed to satiate a sweet tooth or tide you over until the next meal. It’s important to note that while many snack options are included in your cruise fare, some items, particularly those from Vanellope’s Sweets & Treats and Sweet on You, carry an additional charge.

Room Service

Disney Cruise Line offers 24-hour complimentary room service , allowing guests to enjoy a meal or snack in the comfort of their stateroom. The room service menu features a variety of options, including sandwiches, salads, burgers, desserts, and a selection of beverages. Be sure to try the All Hands On Deck cheese/cracker/fruit plate — it’s a repeat cruiser favorite!

You will need to pay a bit extra if you want canned sodas, specialty drinks, or prepackaged candies.

Whether you’re craving a midnight snack or prefer breakfast in bed, Disney’s room service has you covered. However, note that while the food is complimentary, gratuities for the delivery personnel are customary and not included in your cruise fare.

Lounges and Bars

Disney Cruise Line boasts a diverse range of bars and lounges catering to various moods and occasions. From refined champagne bars to dynamic sports pubs and relaxing pool bars, there’s an ideal spot for everyone.

Certain venues like Crown and Fin and O’Gills not only offer an extensive beverage selection but also provide light snacks or small-plate food options, enhancing your night out.

For those favoring an alfresco experience, pool deck bars such as Currents and Waves are perfect for a cocktail or cold beer paired with a selection of snacks.

Disney Cruise - Pink Champagne Bar with bubble décor implying the inside of a champagne bottle

Pink Wine & Champagne Bar (Disney Dream)

Each Disney ship hosts a unique nightlife district, offering themed bars and lounges. For example, the Europa district on Disney Fantasy, with its European-inspired venues, offers a variety of specialty drinks and bite-sized foods.

Disney Cruise Line’s bars and lounges extend beyond relaxation and socialization; they deliver a culinary adventure with finely crafted drinks and delightful snacks amidst a magical Disney setting. Note that while many drink options are included in your cruise fare, some specialty beverages and foods may incur additional charges.

Food at Disney Cruise Line Destinations: A Tasting Tour

Disney Cruise Food - Scallops seared and served with orzo and vegetables

Disney Cruise Line’s itineraries do more than just transport guests to some of the world’s most captivating and scenic destinations; they also offer a passport to discover unique flavors and culinary traditions from across the globe. As a result of the diverse food options available at these destinations, dining becomes an adventure, allowing guests to experience local culture through their food.

Castaway Cay

Castaway Cay, Disney’s private island in the Bahamas, is a tropical paradise with great food as well. Included in your cruise fare are meals at two island dining venues, Cookie’s BBQ and Cookie’s Too BBQ , which serve a mouthwatering spread of BBQ ribs, burgers, grilled chicken, hot dogs, fresh salads, and soft-serve ice cream.

Disney Cruise Food - Cookie's BBQ entrance, showing plates stacked high and customers entering

Adults searching for a serene and relaxed dining environment can head over to Serenity Bay BBQ . This adults-only location provides the same tantalizing menu in a tranquil setting. It’s a location my wife, Jaimie, and I particularly enjoy.

Should you wish to indulge a bit more, various island bars serve a selection of tropical cocktails and beer for an additional fee.

Whether you’re savoring your meal with your toes in the sand or enjoying a fruity drink at the adults-only Serenity Bay, Castaway Cay offers a delicious taste of the tropics. See our Castaway Cay Tips page for more information.

Caribbean itineraries offer a chance to taste a medley of cuisines influenced by African, European, and Amerindian traditions. Local food vendors at various ports of call might serve up dishes like jerk chicken in Jamaica, roti in Barbados, or conch fritters in the Bahamas. If your itinerary includes a stop in Mexico, take advantage of the chance to savor authentic tacos or enchiladas.

Mediterranean

Disney’s European cruises introduce guests to a wide range of culinary traditions, especially in the Mediterranean. In Italy, you might enjoy a classic pasta dish or a slice of authentic Neapolitan pizza. In Greece, sample the traditional moussaka or a gyro filled with succulent meat and fresh tzatziki. If your cruise stops in Spain, don’t miss the chance to try paella or tapas.

Other Food Experiences on Disney Cruise Line

Disney Cruise Line also offers Port Adventures in many locations that include food tastings or cooking demonstrations, allowing guests the opportunity to learn more about the local cuisine and culture.

While dining onboard Disney Cruise Line is an experience to remember, the culinary adventures continue at each unique port of call. From local restaurants and food stalls to Disney’s very own Castaway Cay and forthcoming Disney Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point , there’s a world of flavors waiting to be discovered on your Disney Cruise Line journey.

Special Diets and Allergies on Disney Cruise Line

Disney Cruise Food - Grilled Fish served with fresh vegetables and a griddled lemon half.

Disney Cruise Line is committed to offering a wide variety of culinary options that cater to passengers with food allergies and special diets. They understand the importance of providing delicious, safe meal options for all guests, regardless of dietary restrictions or preferences.

Each dining venue on the ship features diverse menu options, many of which are suitable for vegetarians, vegans, and those with food allergies or intolerances. Guests with special dietary needs can expect to find a variety of tasty dishes, from fresh salads and grilled vegetables to unique plant-based entrees.

Disney Cruise Line menus accommodate a range of dietary requirements, including gluten-free, lactose-free, Kosher, Halal, and more. However, to ensure a seamless dining experience, guests are encouraged to communicate any food allergies or special dietary needs at the time of booking. This information is then shared with the onboard team to prepare and handle your meals with utmost care.

A Disney Travel Agent from The Vacationeer can be a helpful resource in managing this process. They can assist in notifying Disney Cruise Line of any dietary needs ahead of your sailing, ensuring your dining experience is worry-free and enjoyable. Remember, the key is to communicate your needs in advance, and Disney will do its best to accommodate you.

Have questions about food on Disney cruises? Need help with a special diet?

List of Dining and Snack Locations on Disney Cruise Ships

Disney Cruise Food - Grand Marnier Soufflé

A Disney cruise is more than just a journey at sea – it’s a culinary experience filled with savory delights. Each ship in the Disney fleet offers distinctive dining options, each presenting its own distinct theme and cuisine. We have reviewed the broad categories of dining options, which include rotational, buffet, and specialty restaurants, as well as quick service and snack options available on every Disney cruise ship.

Now, let’s take a closer look into what each of the five Disney cruise ships specifically has to offer. We’ll provide a brief description of the dining and snack locations you can expect to find on each ship. Note that this isn’t a comprehensive list, and dining locations and menus are subject to change. However, it will give you a good sense of the main dining and snack spots you’ll find aboard Disney cruise ships.

For further information on any of these locations or to book your reservations at any of the specialty restaurants, feel free to contact The Vacationeer .

Disney Magic: Food on Cruise Ships

Disney Magic , the first ship in Disney Cruise Line’s fleet, offers an unforgettable dining experience. Here’s a glimpse of the dining venues onboard:

Rotational Dining:

Animator’s Palate serves global cuisine in a magical environment filled with sketches, animations, and color changes.
Lumiere’s , the main dining room, offers a variety of dishes with a French flair inspired by Beauty and the Beast.
Rapunzel’s Royal Table provides a character dining experience with a menu inspired by German cuisine, as guests enjoy live entertainment featuring characters from Tangled.
Cabanas serves a variety of foods in a buffet style for breakfast and lunch and casual table-service dining for dinner, all in a beach-themed setting.

Specialty Dining (Adults Exclusive):

Palo offers Northern Italian cuisine and a selection of wines in an intimate, adults-only setting with panoramic sea views.

Quick Service (Casual):

Pinocchio’s Pizzeria offers freshly made pizzas throughout the day, making it a great option for a quick bite by the pool.
Daisy’s De-Lites offers healthy options like salads, sandwiches, smoothies, and fruits, a great choice for guests looking for lighter fare.
The Duck-In Diner serves hot dogs, hamburgers, and chicken tenders near the pool on Deck 9.

Character Dining:

Rapunzel’s Royal Table : (see above)

Snacks/Dessert:

Eye Scream Treats and Frozone Treats are quick-service locations offering a variety of ice creams and frozen desserts for guests to enjoy.
Cove Café , an adults-only café, offers specialty coffees, teas, pastries, and snacks.
Preludes , located near the Walt Disney Theatre, serves refreshments and snacks before shows and during intermissions.
O’Gills Pub is a traditional Irish bar offering a variety of beers and specialty cocktails, along with a selection of pub-style light bites and snacks.
Promenade Lounge offers cocktails, coffee, and snacks in a family-friendly environment, with various board games and activities.

Room Service:

Room Service is also available for guests who prefer to dine in the comfort of their Disney Cruise Line staterooms .

Disney Wonder: Food on Cruise Ships

Disney Wonder , one of the classic ships of Disney Cruise Line, provides a wide variety of dining experiences that encapsulate the magic of Disney. Here is a list of the dining venues onboard:

Tiana’s Place is where Southern-style cuisine meets live jazz music, immersing guests in Princess Tiana’s enchanting world.
Animator’s Palate enchants diners with its dinner show, where Disney animation springs to life amidst a menu of international culinary delights.
Triton’s provides an elegant setting inspired by Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” and serves American cuisine for breakfast and lunch, while the dinner menu features continental French cuisine.
Cabanas is your go-to for casual dining, serving a variety of market-style food selections accompanied by stunning sea views.
Palo , an adults-only retreat, pampers guests with Northern Italian cuisine and a selection of fine wines, all set against panoramic sea views.
Daisy’s De-Lites and Pete’s Boiler Bites are two pool deck quick-service dining locations offering a variety of lunch and snack options.
Pinocchio’s Pizzeria is a haven for pizza lovers, serving freshly made pizzas throughout the day.
Tiana’s Place (see above)
Eye Scream Treats is your destination for soft-serve ice cream and other frozen delights.
Preludes provides snacks and beverages during live show performances and movies in the Walt Disney Theatre.
Cove Café , an adults-only location, serves up specialty coffees, mixed drinks, and baked goods.
The Crown and Fin , a sports pub-themed lounge, provides a full bar in the evening.
Room Service is on hand 24/7, delivering a variety of snacks, meals, and beverages to your stateroom.

Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy: Food on Cruise Ships

Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy , sister ships in the Disney Cruise Line fleet, provide an array of dining options that blend culinary artistry with Disney’s unique touch of magic.

Animator’s Palate is a dining venue that celebrates the magic of Disney animation with a menu of global culinary delights.
Enchanted Garden provides a beautiful, Versailles-inspired setting with a globally influenced menu.
Royal Court (Disney Fantasy only) is a princess-themed dining experience that serves French cuisine. The décor pays homage to Disney’s classic princess films, creating a grand ballroom ambiance.
Royal Palace (Disney Dream only), inspired by timeless Disney classics such as Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty, is designed to transport guests into a majestic grand ballroom. Here, diners can indulge in a selection of elegant French and Continental dishes.
Cabanas is your destination for buffet-style breakfast and lunch and casual table-service dining for dinner, all in a beach setting.
Remy delivers the most luxurious dining experience onboard, serving French-inspired dishes crafted by award-winning chefs in an adults-only setting.
Palo is an adults-only dining location that offers Northern Italian cuisine and a selection of fine wines.
Flo’s V8 Cafe is a quick-service dining spot, drawing inspiration from the hit Disney Pixar movie “Cars,” offering a variety of American classics perfect for a speedy meal or snack.
Animator’s Palate (see above)
Frozone Treats and Eye Scream Treats serve a variety of refreshing smoothies and soft-serve ice cream.
Preludes serves snacks and beverages at the Walt Disney Theatre during live shows and movies.
Cove Café is an adults-only location offering specialty coffees, mixed drinks, and baked goods.
Senses Juice Bar provides a variety of healthy smoothies and fruit juices in the fitness area.
Vanellope’s Sweets & Treats (Disney Dream only) is an ice cream and candy shop inspired by the film “Wreck-IT Ralph,” serving a variety of sweet treats to satisfy sugar cravings.
Sweet on You (Disney Fantasy only) offers ice cream and sweets inspired by Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse.

Bars/Lounges:

O’Gills Pub (Disney Fantasy only), an authentic Irish bar, delights guests with its assortment of beers, unique cocktails, and light pub fare.
Pub 687 (Disney Dream only), a contemporary sports bar with live matches and comfy seating. Open to everyone during the day, and adults only at night.
Skyline provides scenic views of iconic city skylines around the world. Thanks to a little Disney magic, the view changes to a different city every fifteen minutes!
Meridian Lounge is the perfect spot for a cocktail before or after dinner at Palo or Remy.
Pink (Disney Dream) and Ooh-La-La (Disney Fantasy) focus on the bubbly side of things, featuring private-label Tattinger champagne created and bottled exclusively for these locations.
Room Service is available 24/7, offering a variety of meals, snacks, and beverages to enjoy in your stateroom.

Disney Wish: Food on Cruise Ships

As the newest and best Disney cruise ship , the Disney Wish is a food lover’s paradise. Here’s a snapshot of the dining offerings onboard:

Arendelle: A Frozen Dining Adventure serves Nordic-inspired cuisine in an immersive Frozen-themed setting with live entertainment.
Worlds of Marvel is the first Marvel cinematic dining adventure offering an interactive mission alongside a menu inspired by the Marvel universe.
1923 serves California-inspired dishes in a classy atmosphere, celebrating the year The Walt Disney Company was founded.
Marceline Market is a new casual dining concept featuring a variety of food stations inspired by international marketplaces.
Enchanté provides a luxurious dining experience in a romantic, adults-only setting, serving a menu crafted by a three-Michelin-starred chef.
Palo Steakhouse combines an upscale dining experience with high-quality steaks, seafood, and Northern Italian cuisine.
Mickey and Friends Festival of Foods features an array of quick-service options inspired by Disney’s iconic characters.
Arendelle: A Frozen Dining Adventure (see above)
The Bayou delivers a Princess and the Frog-inspired New Orleans atmosphere complete with southern-style cocktails and beignets (New Orleans-style French pastries coated with powdered sugar).
Star Wars: Hyperspace Lounge combines a traditional bar with intergalactic travel thanks to giant widescreen “windows” showing views of planets and ships from Star Wars canon.
Joyful Sweets and Wheezy’s Freezies are quick-service locations offering a variety of ice creams and frozen desserts.

Conclusion: Food on Disney Cruise Line

Disney Cruise Line’s array of dining options significantly enriches your voyage. With a variety of eateries available on each ship in the fleet, there’s something to cater to every taste, preference, and occasion.

From high-end gourmet venues to casual snacks featuring both international and home-style cuisines, every dining spot provides a unique touch of Disney magic. Whether you’re seeking an elegant, adults-only dinner, a memorable character dining adventure, or a quick poolside bite, the options are virtually limitless.

Additionally, the culinary journey extends beyond the ship itself, with exciting opportunities to explore diverse local flavors at various ports of call. Sampling local cuisines at your destinations adds another layer of cultural immersion to your cruise experience.

To ensure you make the most of this gastronomic adventure, consider discussing your dining preferences and plans with a Disney travel agent before booking your cruise.

Book Your Disney Cruise with The Vacationeer

Questions about your Disney Cruise? Ready to book? We recommend reaching out to The Vacationeer !

As an esteemed Diamond-Level Authorized Disney Vacation Planner Agency, they know everything there is to know about Disney Cruise Line. Their passionate team of Disney fans and expert vacation planners bring years of experience to guide you through the booking process, answer any questions, and ensure you receive the lowest prices and best deals .

Whether you need advice on how to save on Disney Cruises , information about Florida Resident Discounts for Disney Cruise Line , or help finding Disney cruises departing from Florida like Port Canaveral , Miami , or Fort Lauderdale , The Vacationeer has you covered. They can also help you find Disney cruises from Galveston , San Diego , New Orleans , New York , or overseas.

The Vacationeer doesn’t just stop at booking your cruise. They also handle all your reservations , including dining reservations, ensuring a stress-free experience. Moreover, they provide onboard credit as a booking bonus and offer the convenience of working with only one dedicated Vacationeer travel planner from start to finish.

They will also assist in making your dining experiences on Disney Cruise Line unforgettable. Your dedicated Vacationeer will help you select the best restaurants for your group and liaise with Disney Cruise Line to accommodate any special dietary needs or food allergies.

The best part? All these comprehensive, personalized services provided by The Vacationeer are completely free . So, reach out to The Vacationeer for a free, no-obligation quote, and let them transform your dream Disney Cruise into a reality!

Specialty Dining on Disney Cruise Line: Lumiere leads the way to Enchanté

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The Ultimate Guide to Shows on Disney Cruise Line

By Kayleigh Henniger Leave a Comment

If setting sail with Disney Cruise Line (DCL) is one of your favorite things to do, or if you’re hoping to experience it for the first time, this post is for you!

Disney Wish

For a first-timer, it might seem that the Disney Cruises would have less to do and experience compared to the parks. While, no, you won’t be soaring at nearly 60 miles per hour on a roller coaster, or taking photos in front of a castle, there are plenty of shows, snacks, character meet and greets, and activities — so many, in fact, that you’ll find that there simply isn’t enough time to complete everything! A fan-favorite experience on these ships is watching the shows that take place aboard. If your idea of fun includes sitting in a crowd and watching a themed show or spectacular be performed in front of you, then keep reading.

This post is going to serve as your ultimate guide to shows on DCL. Typically, there are two different showings of each show or musical per day — one that accommodates guests from each of the two dining times. However, for a brand-new, popular musical, there might also be an additional showing earlier in the day. (Back in the pandemic days, DCL actually limited the number of specific shows playing, with more times added to allow for distancing!)

Schedules are always subject to change, so it’s important to check the Daily Navigator or the Disney Cruise Line Navigator app for specifics on available shows, dates, and times. Shows are typically around an hour long, so you’ll still have plenty of time to fit in other activities and experiences throughout the evening. Now, without further ado, let’s first talk about the different theaters available aboard DCL.

Walt Disney Theatre

The Walt Disney Theatre is aboard the Magic, Wonder, Dream, Fantasy, and Wish ships. The theatre decor resembles that of vintage movie houses, yet the shows on stage include modern technology.

Walt Disney Theater

The theatre is adorned with Art Deco and Art Nouveau flourishes from the 1930s and 1940s. This luxurious theatre was designed to handle complex, modern productions.

Buena Vista Theatre

The Buena Vista Theatre is inspired by the golden age of cinema — boasting Art Deco-inspired decor throughout. You’ll find it aboard the Magic, Wonder, Dream, and Fantasy.

The theatre showcases first-run films as well as popular motion-picture releases and classic Disney films!

Wonderland and Neverland Cinema

Specific to the Disney Wish, these cinemas are themed to popular classic Disney films. Wonderland is a woodland-themed theater themed to Alice in Wonderland, while Neverland is inspired by Peter Pan’s flight from London to Neverland.

Wonderland Cinema

Combined, these cinemas seat 170 guests and are more intimate theatres. Here, visitors can catch glimpses of modern films.

Now that we’ve gotten to take a look at the theatres aboard Disney Cruise Line, it’s time for the fun part! The shows! Below, you’ll find a list of some of the live shows you can see on your cruise.

Shows Aboard the Disney Magic

Disney Magic

Tangled: The Musical

Tangled: The Musical features three new songs not in the original film and includes a beautiful set and costumes. There are even some puppets that help bring the characters to life!

Disney Dreams

Disney Dreams is about a young girl who learns to believe in herself as she is visited by beloved characters like Peter Pan, Mickey, and Minnie. This is a really cute story and it can be fun to see scenes from so many popular musicals in one show.

Twice Charmed: An Original Twist on the Cinderella Story

Twice Charmed is a version of Cinderella that takes place in an alternate world where the glass slipper is destroyed before Cinderella can try it on.

Shows Aboard the Disney Wonder

Disney Cruise Line’s Disney Wonder

Frozen: A Musical Spectacular

Frozen: A Musical Spectacular utilizes projectors, puppets, costumes, and more to showcase the kingdom of Arendelle. The musical includes popular songs from the first Frozen movie, including “Let It Go,” as well as snow falling down on the theatre!

The Golden Mickeys

The Golden Mickeys starts out with a shy stage manager having to fill in for a non-show host, so it follows the “believe in yourself” theme woven into many Disney movies and shows. There are awards given for various categories and the show includes performances from popular Disney movies including The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Tarzan, and Mulan.

Shows Aboard the Disney Fantasy

Disney Fantasy

Disney’s Believe

Believe Is about a botanist dad who doesn’t believe in magic, while his young daughter does. When he forgets her birthday because he’s focused on growing his plants, she makes a birthday wish for him to believe.

Disney’s Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular

This musical showing of Aladdin showcases the music, characters, and theming of the original Aladdin movie, while also showcasing some newer technology.

Shows Aboard The Disney Dream

Disney Dream

Beauty and the Beast

This take on the classic film includes giant LED walls and projections that help set up the stage. The images on the screen work as the set design and background — helping you to feel as though you’re transformed into the show.

Shows Aboard the Disney Wish

Disney Wish docked at Castaway Cay

Disney Seas the Adventure

This live stage show features a procession of characters from some all-time favorite Disney adventurous classics!

The Little Mermaid

This theatrical production of The Little Mermaid includes innovative design and immersive special effects that will transport you into the story.

Well, there you have it! Those are all the theaters and shows that you can check out while aboard your Disney cruise. Don’t forget to also check the Disney Navigator for the times of the Deck Shows during your cruise — which feature some fan-favorite characters as well. Make sure to follow along for more Disney news, reviews, and updates — DCL things included.

What characters can you spot on Disney’s private island? Click here!

What you need to know about disney cruise line, learn all about disney cruise line and its various ships, explore disney’s mega cruise ship – the wish, a full list of what you can’t bring on a disney cruise, these are the best times to book your disney cruise, the best ways to save space in your tiny cruise cabin, 10 things you need on your next cruise (that you won’t think to pack), what it’s like to live on a cruise ship for 6 months, join the dfb newsletter to get all the latest disney news delivered right to your inbox click here to subscribe.

Have you ever been on a Disney cruise? Let us know in the comments!

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How Does Dining on Disney Cruise Line Work?

By: Author Carrie Ann Karstunen

Posted on Published: July 8, 2021 - Last updated: November 21, 2022

How Does Dining on Disney Cruise Line Work?

Are you planning your first Disney cruise? Cruisers new to DCL often have lots of questions about how dining on Disney Cruise Line works.

I’ll answer all of the most commonly asked questions about meals on a Disney cruise —everything from handling food allergies, to how seating arrangements work, to requesting extra dessert at dinner.

What food and drinks are included in my Disney cruise fare?

All Disney cruise ships offer three Main Dining restaurants that are complimentary for all passengers. But you’re not limited to eating in the MDR if you don’t want to pay extra for your meals and snacks!

You’ll also find quick-service dining options for a poolside meal, a buffet that becomes a table-service restaurant at dinner, and 24-hour room service, all for free!

Every ship also has upscale specialty dining restaurants along with elevated snack options available for an added charge.

To find out what complimentary and for-a-fee dining options will be available on your cruise, check DCL’s dining venue list and select your specific ship from the drop-down menu.

Soft drinks served at meals and at each ship’s beverage station are also included in your cruise fare.

What is rotational dining on a Disney cruise?

If you’ve sailed before on other cruise lines, you’ll notice that DCL does things a bit differently when it comes to dinner. Disney cruises use a concept called rotational dining, where guests receive a personalized dining schedule on embarkation day. You’ll be assigned to either early or late dining, and your schedule shows which restaurant you’ll dine at each evening.

Rotational dining is Disney’s way of making sure each guest has a chance to try each of the three Main Dining restaurants while on board.

Each evening, you and your tablemates will rotate to a different themed restaurant. Plus, your servers rotate with you! This way, the service staff gets to know your preferences while you experience the unique atmosphere of each dining venue.

Disney Cruise Line doesn’t offer a version of “anytime dining” in their main dining rooms. However, if your set dinner time interferes with your plans on any day, you can always eat at an alternative dining venue or make reservations for a specialty restaurant.

Be sure to let your server know if you’ve made other dining plans—they’ll usually delay service for the rest of the table if they think you’re just running late.

Will I have to sit with strangers at dinner? Can I request a private table?

DCL’s standard policy is to seat guests from the same stateroom together at dinner in the Main Dining venues. If you have friends or family sailing with you but in a different cabin, you can absolutely ask to sit together. Just be sure to request this when you book your cruise, or let your travel agent know.

Disney staff aim to fill the dining tables, which generally seat four, six, or eight. If you have a smaller party, they’ll usually seat you with other guests. They do try to match dining groups—seating adults without children together and matching families with other similarly-aged families.

Although they generally do a great job of matching guests for dinner, occasionally they get it wrong and you’ll find yourself sitting with someone you can’t stand. Just let the Head Server know, and they often can make alternate arrangements.

Don’t like the idea of eating with people you don’t know? You can request a private table for dinner. Just call DCL or tell your travel agent, and the cruise line will try to honor your request.

What time is dinner served on Disney cruise ships?

Each evening on a Disney cruise, there are two seatings for dinner, the main or early seating, and the second or late seating. The early seating begins sometime between 5:45 PM and 6:15 PM (exact times vary based on itinerary). The late seating begins between 8:00 PM and 8:30 PM.

Your assigned seating time (along with an alphabetical code for the order of your dining rotation) will be noted on the dining tickets you’ll find in your stateroom on embarkation day.

Want to change your seating time for your cruise? You can submit a request through DCL’s Planning Center .

Do the rotational dining venues offer entertainment at dinner?

Several—but not all—of the complimentary restaurants offer entertainment at dinner.

Inspired by Tangled , Rapunzel’s Royal Table on Disney Magic features lively singing and dancing from a band of musicians. You’ll enjoy appearances from Tangled characters like Flynn Rider, the Snuggly Duckling Thugs, and of course Rapunzel herself.

At Tiana’s Place on Disney Wonder , the Crawfish Crooners perform New Orleans-style jazz numbers during your meal. Louis the trumpet-playing alligator joins in on the fun, and Tiana is on hand to greet her guests and sing a few of her favorite songs.

Animator’s Palate , inspired by animation from Disney and Pixar films, is available on all Disney ships. Depending on the ship, each Animator’s Palate features a different show during dinner. On Disney Dream , diners can interact with a digital Crush the sea turtle from Finding Nemo .

On Disney Magic , Fantasy , and Wonder , guests at Animator’s Palate are treated to a montage of Disney and Pixar clips. The show’s finale features the theme song from Fantasmic , with a visit from Sorcerer Mickey who dances and mingles with passengers.

Are there other character dining experiences available on a Disney cruise?

Disney fans (especially the littlest ones) love character dining, and you can book even more character experiences to enjoy at mealtime.

Is your kid obsessed with Disney princesses? Royal Court Royal Tea , designed for children aged 3 to 12 is offered on all Disney cruise ships. Adults are welcome, but they must be accompanied by a child! Cinderella, Belle, and Ariel host this beautifully presented tea party, where guests can enjoy small sandwiches and pastries.

Royal Tea is a bit of a splurge, but your child will also receive several high-quality gifts during the hour-long experience (you can choose between princess-themed and knight-themed gifts).

If your Disney cruise is seven nights or longer, the family can enjoy a character breakfast, and it’s free! Disney Junior Breakfasts are usually scheduled twice a week on sea days . Space is limited, so you do need to request tickets in advance through your Disney Cruise Personalizer online or via the Disney Cruise Line Navigator app.

Geared toward little cruisers, the characters you might see include Sofia The First, Doc McStuffins, Jake, and Vampirina. Of course, Mickey Mouse will also be there to meet the family.

Is room service available on a Disney cruise?

Although many cruise lines now charge a fee for room service, DCL offers complimentary round-the-clock meal delivery right to your stateroom.

You can order meals or snacks at any time, although lunch and dinner options are unavailable during the breakfast hours of 7 to 10 AM. Room service is available until 1:30 AM on the last day of your cruise.

Certain snacks and beverages do have an additional charge, and tips aren’t included (a dollar per meal is just fine).

Do Disney ships have a buffet?

Most Disney Cruise Line ships feature Cabanas , a buffet-style restaurant that offers more than ten diverse food stations for breakfast and lunch. At dinnertime, Cabanas converts to a table-service restaurant with menu options cooked to order.

For breakfast, Cabanas serves classic American breakfast fare to start the day. Enjoy made-to-order omelets, scrambled eggs, sausages, hash browns, Mickey-shaped waffles, muffins, fruit, cereal, and more.

The lunch offerings at Cabanas include salads, soups, burgers, sandwiches, steak, chicken, seafood, and pizza, along with a range of sweet dessert treats.

If you’d like to skip your scheduled restaurant at dinner, you can eat alfresco or choose an indoor oceanview table at Cabanas. The menu features signature dishes from the Main Dining restaurants, plus their own exclusives.

For an additional charge, you can order cocktails and specialty drinks from the full-service Clam Bar .

Cabanas has plenty of kid-friendly options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. You’ll find classic children’s food favorites to satisfy picky eaters of any age.

The new Disney Wish ship, launched in July 2022, replaces Cabanas with a new buffet concept called Marceline Market .

Marceline Market is a food hall with ten stalls, all inspired by marketplaces around the world. Cruisers can enjoy a variety of food options, including American favorites and comfort foods, international specialties, and vegetarian and vegan fare.

Which restaurants serve breakfast and lunch on Disney cruise ships?

In addition to the buffet and the various quick-service restaurants on board each Disney ship, some of the Main Dining restaurants also serve breakfast and lunch daily, including:

Disney Dream : Royal Palace and Enchanted Garden
Disney Fantasy : Royal Court and Enchanted Garden
Disney Magic : Lumiere’s
Disney Wonder : Triton’s
Disney Wish : 1923

Check your Personal Navigator daily newsletter or the Disney Cruise Line Navigator app on board for specific breakfast and lunch times.

Are all the restaurants on Disney cruise ships kid-friendly?

All of the Main Dining restaurants you’ll visit in your rotation are kid-friendly, along with Cabanas and all of the quick-service food venues. However, the specialty restaurants are all adults-only. All guests at these added-charge restaurants must be 18 or over.

Adults-only dining venues on Disney ships include:

Remy (on Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy )
Palo (on all DCL ships)
Palo Steakhouse (on Disney Wish )
Enchanté by Chef Arnaud Lallement (on Disney Wish )

What’s the difference between the Main Dining restaurants and the specialty restaurants on DCL?

The food served in Disney’s Main Dining restaurants tends to be excellent, with a variety of options for all palates. But the adults-only specialty restaurants on Disney cruises elevate the cuisine, service, and ambiance to a much higher level.

Foodies and those seeking a reprieve from the often noisy atmosphere you’ll experience with rotational dining might want to consider booking dinner or brunch at a specialty restaurant. It’s not cheap—but many Disney cruisers agree that the experience, as well as the food, are well worth the money.

Remy is DCL’s ultra-luxe gourmet French dining venue featuring a menu co-curated by Chef Arnaud Lallement (of France’s three-Michelin-starred L’Assiette Champenoise) and Chef Scott Hunnel of Victoria & Albert’s at Walt Disney World. The décor is loosely inspired by Ratatouille , but you won’t find costumed rat characters—it’s an elegant experience, perfect for a romantic dinner or special occasion.

Dinner: $125 per person
Remy Champagne Brunch: $75 per person (add $30 per person when you include the Champagne pairing)
Remy Dessert Experience: $60 per person (add $25 per person when you include the wine pairing)
Petites Assiettes de Remy: $50 per person (includes one wine pairing per course)
Remy Wine Pairing Experience: $105 per person

Palo , Disney’s upscale Italian restaurant, takes its name from the colorful poles lining the canals of Venice. Within Palo’s sophisticated atmosphere, diners can enjoy a memorable experience savoring Northern Italian specialties and classic reserve wines.

Prix fixe dinner: $45 per person (add $59 per person when you include the wine pairing)
À la carte menu: Priced by item (add $59 per person when you include the wine pairing)
Brunch: $45 per person

Palo Steakhouse takes the well-loved Palo concept of authentic Italian dining and combines it with the refinement of a modern steakhouse. Beauty and the Beast ‘s Cogsworth is the inspiration for this new restaurant.

Prix fixe dinner: $45 per person. (add $70 per person when you include the wine pairing)
À la carte menu: Priced by item (add $70 per person when you include the wine pairing)

Enchanté by Chef Arnaud Lallement is another luxurious Disney dining experience curated by the renowned French chef. Inspired by everyone’s favorite candelabra maître d’, Lumiere, diners at Enchanté can expect to be surrounded by elegant, romantic design details.

Enchanté Dinner Collection: $195 per person
Champagne Journey: $140
Passion (six courses): $125 per person (add $115 per person when you include the wine pairing)
À la carte menu: Priced by item (add $115 per person when you include the wine pairing)
Brunch: $75 per person

How do I make reservations for Disney Cruise Line specialty restaurants?

As long as you’ve paid for your cruise in full, you’ll be able to make reservations in advance depending on your Castaway Club level. You can see what dates and times are available, as well as book your reservation, in your online cruise planner.

Here’s how far in advance of sailing you can make specialty dining reservations:

Platinum Castaway Club (completed at least 10 DCL cruises): 120 days in advance
Gold Castaway Club (completed at least 5 DCL cruises): 105 days in advance
Silver Castaway Club (completed at least 1 DCL cruise): 90 days in advance
New DCL cruisers : 75 days in advance.

Guests staying in concierge level staterooms can always make reservations 120 days in advance. Just be sure to reach out to your shoreside concierge prior to that 120-day mark so they can help you with booking.

Will restaurants on a Disney cruise accommodate food allergies or special diets?

If you have a food allergy or intolerance, let your Head Server know soon after you arrive on embarkation day.

Guests with severe or life-threatening food allergies should contact DCL’s Special Services team at (407) 566-3602 well before sailing.

Servers and kitchen staff on Disney cruises are well-trained to handle food allergies, but they don’t have separate kitchens to prepare allergen-free items.

For guests who follow a special diet for medical, lifestyle, or religious reasons, all of the table-service restaurants offer gluten-free, vegetarian, no sugar added, dairy-free, and “lighter note” offerings on the menu.

Other special diet options, including kosher meals, are available by advance request. Let your travel agent know what kind of special meals you’ll need, or call Disney Cruise Line well before your sailing date to discuss your options.

You may also like: How to Eat Whole30 (ish) on a Cruise

Is there a limit to how much food I can order at the dining venues?

When you’re eating in one of the rotational dining restaurants or at a quick-service spot, feel free to order as much food as you can eat! Maybe you’d like to order an extra appetizer (or two!) for the table so you can all share. And yes, if you have a sweet tooth, you can absolutely order two desserts.

This goes for the main course as well! For cruisers with hearty appetites, you can definitely order two entrées if you’re feeling ravenous.

In the for-a-fee specialty restaurants, you can generally ask for an extra starter or dessert if you’re ordering from the prix-fixe menu. Some cruisers have had luck ordering additional main courses, but many others haven’t. It seems to be a YMMV situation!

However, when ordering from the à la carte menu at any of the specialty restaurants, you’ll be charged for each item you order.

You may also like: What New Cruisers Don’t Know About Cruise Food & Drinks

Do restaurants on Disney ships have a dress code?

In the Main Dining restaurants, the dress code is “cruise casual”, so shorts and tees are allowed. Swimwear isn’t allowed in the dining rooms, and (at least officially) tank tops are banned. However, dining staff don’t tend to turn away women wearing dressy tanks, sleeveless tops, or tank-style dresses. Male passengers won’t be allowed in if they show up in a tank top.

Although cruise casual is the official minimum dress code, most passengers tend to dress up a bit for dinner.

On most Disney sailings, one night will be themed as Pirate Night . That evening the restaurant servers, dressed in pirate costumes, will bring you Caribbean-inspired food. Many guests like to join in on the fun, wearing their own pirate-themed outfits to dinner.

You’ll also have at least one optional dress-up night (seven-night sailings have one formal and one semi-formal night). DCL recommends dress pants with a jacket or a suit for men, and a dress or pantsuit for women.

Learn more: What to Wear on Formal Night on a Cruise

For adults-only restaurants, like Palo, Remy, and Enchanté the dress code is a little more strict to maintain an elegant atmosphere.

Disney Cruise Line used to have very specific dress codes for each adult dining venue. However, in June 2022 the cruise line relaxed the rules.

Per DCL, the new dress code states: “ 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 is not permitted. “

Can I bring my own food on a Disney cruise ship?

With all the options available for dining on Disney Cruise Line, many people wouldn’t even think of bringing their own food on a DCL ship. But for parents of especially picky kids, or adults who can’t imagine being without their favorite snacks, this is a question that comes up fairly often.

Parents of babies eating solid foods also wonder if they’ll be allowed to take the specific jarred baby food their child enjoys onto the ship.

Disney has specific rules surrounding food items, as well as food prep and storage items that guests can and can’t take on the ship.

You can bring:

Nonperishable foods in sealed, original packaging. (All items must either be consumed prior to returning to your home port or remain unopened.)
Breast milk (in your carry-on luggage only).
Coolers no larger than 12″ x 12″ x 12″ only for storing medications, baby food or items related to dietary restrictions (in your carry-on luggage only).

You may not bring:

Homemade, pre-cooked, or perishable foods or open food containers.
Ice chests or coolers, except as noted above.
Electrical appliances such as rice cookers, hot plates, coffee makers, blenders, bottle sterilizers, and bottle warmers (each ship has a limited number of approved bottle warmers and bottle sterilizers available—request these through Guest Services)

More resources for your Disney cruise

Where Do Disney Cruises Go?
Disney Wish: Everything You Need to Know About DCL’s Newest Cruise Ship
How to Have the Best Embarkation Day on a Cruise

What do you think about dining on Disney Cruise Line? Or is your first sailing coming up and you still have questions about how dining works on DCL cruises? Let me know in the comments below!

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Family Travel

My Advice on Disney Cruise Early vs. Late Dining Time

Disney Cruise Line has long been synonymous with unparalleled family vacations, offering a perfect blend of entertainment, relaxation, and exploration. When it comes to dining, Disney takes the experience to a whole new level with excellent service, delicious food, and enchanting character interactions.

So you may wonder, how to choose between Disney cruise early vs late dining time. I’m here to guide you! We recently found ourselves facing a similar debate and I’m excited to guide you the pros and cons of each seating based on our experience as a family with three kids and a grandparent on 5 night voyage.

Disney Cruise Line’s approach to onboard dining is nothing short of extraordinary. Join us as we dive into the magical world of Disney Cruise Line’s dining options, sharing our experiences, tips, and all the delightful surprises that await you and your family. We recently went on the Disney Dream with our family, my mom, and friends.

Whether planning a future voyage or simply craving a taste of the Disney Cruise culinary experience, this blog post is your invitation to savor the flavors and stories of a family adventure at sea. Follow along to see the pros and cons of each dining option to help guide you to pick the best time for your family .

Pro Tip: If you are traveling with babies and toddlers, you want to ensure you are booked on the first seating of the night.

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Magnetic Hooks for bathing suits
lanyards for key cards
Disney Theme Door Magnets
Dramamine Non-Drowsy, Motion Sickness Relief
Motion Sickness Patches
Disney Character Autograph Book
Family Matching Shirts
Pirate night shirt for kids
Pirate night dress for girls
Pirate night shirt for adults
Pirate night supplies

Disney Dining

Disney Cruise Ships operate rotational dining on their ships. It may seem odd, but I liked the process. You start at one specific restaurant on night 1 and meet your servers. The crew will stay with you throughout your magical vacation. Your family or vacation group will rotate between all the Disney restaurants, and your servers follow you. This is very helpful as they learn about food allergies, drink preferences, and how to serve you best. Also, you have the same table number for the entire trip.

There are themed restaurants such as Animator’s Palate and the Royal Palace. The different restaurants have its unique cruise fare so you can try new things at no additional charge. If someone were torn between two appetizers on our trip, our wait staff would bring us both to try. The head server can assist with any questions you have about the menu as well.

Main Seating

On cruises in the Americas, the early seating is 5:45 and ideal for young children with early bedtimes. Before tucking in those little ones, you can still enjoy a delicious meal with fantastic service. Or, if your kids are a little older or have later bedtimes, you can enjoy dinner before heading to the night’s show.

Pro Tip: If you are traveling with babies and toddlers, you want to ensure you are booked on the first seating of the night. FYI- this is a popular dinner spot, so consider booking your trip well in advance. We waited a bit to confirm our reservation, and by the time we paid, all the early dinner spots were gone. In the long run, we loved the later dinner, but it was a good lesson learned.

As a side note, the early dinner on European cruises starts at 6 pm.

Second Seating

The second dinner slot on the Disney Cruise line typically starts at 8 pm on cruises in the Western Hemisphere and 8:30 pm in Europe. On our first Disney cruises, we were novices and ended up with late seating by accident. We ended up loving the late dinner option for several reasons. In case you wondered, we traveled with 5, 8, and 10-year-olds.

First, early dinner cuts into your afternoon exploring the ship or excursions. For instance, the pool deck emptied by late afternoon as families prepared for early dinner. Luckily, we had plenty of space to spread out in the pool and the best chair options to watch the kids or Disney movies on the big screen. The hot tub wasn’t packed, and the water slide line diminished greatly.

Disney cruise pools empty by late afternoon

In addition, an early dinner would shorten your time on Castaway Cay. We boarded the ship in the last 15 minutes and still had time to play on the main pool deck. If we had early dinner, we would have missed some activities, such as snorkeling on Disney’s private island.

If you have older kids, late dinner is the way to go. If they are hungry in the late afternoon, grab something from the quick service before it closes or order free room service to carry over till the big meal.

Lastly, we loved the option of the early show. We could stay on the pool deck, shower, and make it in time. We also would split if some didn’t want the show, then they could keep playing while others attended it. Finally, we appreciated that our dinner crew wasn’t rushed to get us out before the next wave of guests came in for dinner.

🚢Are you trying to decide if a Disney Cruise is worth the cost ? See why our family loves cruising with Disney over Carnival and Royal Caribbean? Click HERE! 🚢

Dining Tips

When do you know your dining rotation.

On the cruise, you can log into the Disney Navigator App and see your table number and nightly rotation. You will also be able to check the menus too. If you travel with a group, your entire group will move together if your reservations are linked.

Changing your Dining time

If you miss your preferred dinner slot, immediately get on the waitlist and check frequently. It may not change before you board. As you wait to check in for the cruise, you can start to access the chat features on the Disney cruise app. Try reaching out to guest services and requesting a change.

If you can’t secure the early seating, consider time zones, too- our cruise left out of Miami. We live on the East Coast, so there is no time change for us, but if you live further west, a later dinner may be an easier transition for your kids.

Main Dining Restaurants on each Disney Ship

🚢Disney Dream- Animator’s Palate, Enchanted Garden and Royal Palace

🚢Disney Magic- Animator’s Palate, Lumiere’s and Rapunzel’s Royal Table

🚢Disney Wonder- Tiana’s Place, Animator’s Palate, and Triton’s

🚢Disney Fantasy- Royal Court, Enchanted Garden, and Animator’s Palate

🚢Disney Wish – 1923, Worlds of Marvel, and Arendelle: A Frozen Dining Adventure.

Room Service

If you are exhausted from your day at sea or your little ones need an earlier bedtime, consider ordering room service. In particular, squeezing those in with younger kids may be difficult if you want to enjoy the earlier show or pirate night. Order room service to ensure you can soak in all the Disney magic before bedtime! There’s no additional fee for room service, so take advantage of this great amenity.

FAQ: Disney Cruise Early vs. Late Dining Time

🚢 is there a dress code.

Some other cruise lines host a formal night at sea, but not Disney. In my experience, the dress code was a wide range. Some families dress nicely in summer attire of dresses, button-up shirts, and polos, while others are very informal. On Pirate night, the majority are in some costume.

We wore beachy attire for dinner. My mom, daughter, and I were in dresses for many nights while my boys and husband wore polos with shorts. The dining rooms are cooler, so bring a light jacket if you get cold easily.

One afternoon, we visited Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique for my five year old daughter, so she came to dinner all dolled up as a beautiful Belle. If you are on the fence about splurging on the experience, check out my review of this magical transformation .

🚢 Is there additional costs at dinner?

The main additional cost is in alcoholic beverages. They have signature drinks for each restaurant, and I found the prices very affordable.

You can opt for some meals or the Royal tea at an additional cost.

🚢 Do you tip the wait staff?

At the end of the cruise, each room is given small envelopes to tip all crew that served them. This would include your crew for meals as well as housekeeping. We had our kids give the tips to our wait staff at the end of the last meal. Typically, your servers are phenomenal, and you will want to tip them.

🚢 Can kids attend the kids club during meals?

You can feed your child separately and send them to the kids’ club if you prefer a quiet meal. Also, many kids love the Oceaneer Lab and want to spend hours there.

🚢 Can you bring alcohol on board?

Guests 21 and older can bring an unopened 6-pack of beer or two unopened bottles of wine on board. You can do this at the trip’s start and at each port of call.

In Conclusion: My Advice on Disney Cruise Early vs. Late Dining Time

In conclusion, deciding between early and late seating on a Disney cruise is a personal choice that can greatly influence your family’s dining experience. Whether you opt for the convenience of an early dinner that allows for post-meal activities or prefer the flexibility of later seating, both options offer exceptional Disney service and culinary delights. Ultimately, the best choice depends on your family’s unique preferences and daily schedule.

Regardless of your decision, the memories you create together while sailing the high seas with Disney will undoubtedly be magical, filled with enchantment, and unforgettable for years to come. So, go ahead and select the dining time that suits your family best, and prepare for a voyage full of adventures and bonding moments that will last a lifetime. I hope my guide on Disney Cruise Early vs. Late Dining Time helps you plan your next great adventure.

⭐Disney Resources⭐ Is a Disney Cruise worth it? Best Ages for a Disney Cruise My Guide On Disney’s Rotational Dining Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique on a Disney Cruise Best Shoes for Disney for Families Best Disney Shoes for Women

Rebecca is a wife, mom of 3, and avid traveler. She loves to plan trips for her family to exciting places in the US, Canada, the Caribbean, and Europe. In addition, she loves to help family and friends plan their next great adventure. Most hate the planning and research process, and that is her passion. When she isn't traveling, she's a high school US History teacher in an Atlanta suburb.

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Disney Cruise Advice: Tips & Tricks Onboard the Ship

LAST UPDATE: 2/14/24

On this page we have collected some useful Disney Cruise advice, tips, and tricks that can help you save time and have more fun while you are on a Disney Cruise. Read the advice below and you’ll have a much better idea what to expect, even if you’ve never been on a cruise before!

Thanks to Marjorie Treger and to MouseSavers.com readers Jeff Evernham and Aileen B, who contributed some great tips.

Disney Cruise Advice & Important Things to Know

Embarkation, first-day bag packing list, staterooms and what’s in them, knowing what’s going on & planning your day, oceaneer club and oceaneer lab, edge and vibe, port days/shore excursions, useful things to pack, things you don’t need to (or should not) pack, disney cruise wear, phone and internet.

Spa: Treatments, Products & Fitness Center

Disembarkation

Additional tips & tricks, trip reports.

Other useful Disney Cruise information pages:

For discounts and tips on saving money on the cruise itself , visit our Disney Cruise Discount page.
For tips and tricks that will help you plan your cruise , visit the Planning Tips & Tricks for Disney Cruises page.
For advice that will help you with excursions, tours and activities while in port, visit the Tips & Discounts for Port Excursions page.

“Embarkation” means getting on the ship for the first time during your cruise; “disembarkation” or “debarkation” means getting off the ship at the end of your cruise.

“Port” is the left side of the ship as you face forward; “starboard” is the right side as you face forward. “Forward” is obvious; “aft” is the rear of the ship.

Cruise lines are required to ensure that every passenger knows the safety procedures and has been physically shown where they need to muster in case of emergency. A mandatory muster drill is held in the afternoon of embarkation day, usually around 4:00 pm. Everyone must attend in order to learn the location of your lifeboat station and other safety information. The drill takes 20 minutes or less and you do not have to bring your life jacket with you.

Make sure you turn off the cellular service on your phone while you’re at sea, so you don’t end up paying through the nose for “cellular at sea” service . There is a Disney Cruise Navigator app that you can use on most iPhones and Android phones without needing to pay for internet access. The Navigator app includes activity schedules and menus, and has a kind of text message feature that seems to work much better these days. We found that notifications were showing up quickly when people messaged using the app (our experience was with iPhone, we don’t know how well Android works).

“Cay” is pronounced “key” by locals – so unless you want to sound like a novice, remember this for Castaway Cay (Disney’s private island).

Disney asks you to select a P ort Arrival Time (PAT) when you do online check-in prior to your cruise. This arrival time was not rigidly enforced in the past, but lately, Disney has been enforcing people’s PATs pretty closely, especially during the early part of the boarding process. If you get to the terminal before 12:30, you will probably not be let in to the terminal until your time arrives. After 12:30 or so, Disney seems to just let people into the terminal as long as the check-in line isn’t completely full.

Bottom line: if you want to get on the ship as early as possible, definitely be ready to check in online on the morning your check-in opens! See below for when you can check in online:

If you are staying at an official Walt Disney World resort or at Hyatt Regency Orlando International Airport the night before your cruise, AND you booked that hotel as a package with the cruise, AND you are using Disney’s bus service to the port, your port arrival time is less important, and you may not even see an option to select one when you check in. From a Disney hotel, they’re going to assign you a bus, and generally you’ll just get there when you get there and the terminal staff will be ready to process and embark that whole busload of passengers. If you’re staying at the Hyatt, there will be multiple buses and you can take the first bus they’ll let you on. In either case, it’s rare to experience much wait no matter what your port arrival time is. But if you are offered the option to pick a port arrival time at checkin, pick the earliest reasonable time, just to be on the safe side. It can’t hurt, and it might save you some waiting.
If you are staying in a concierge level stateroom or suite , you can check in and receive your port arrival time 40 days before embarkation day. That said, your shore-side concierge will likely offer to check you in on the first day you’re eligible, so effectively you can just let them handle it and they should get you the earliest arrival time (unless they know you won’t be arriving that early).
If you are a Pearl member of the Castaway Club (25+ previous Disney cruises), you can check in and receive your port arrival time 40 days before embarkation day.
If you are a Platinum member of the Castaway Club (10-24 previous Disney cruises), you can check in and receive your port arrival time 38 days before embarkation day.
If you are a Gold member of the Castaway Club (5-9 previous Disney cruises), you can check in and receive your port arrival time 35 days before embarkation day.
If you are a Silver member of the Castaway Club (1-4 previous Disney cruises), you can check in and receive your port arrival time 33 days before embarkation day.
If you have never before taken a Disney cruise, you can check in and receive your port arrival time 30 days before embarkation day.

When you arrive at Port Canaveral, you’ll hand off your bags to the dock workers. Tipping is theoretically optional, but it’s customary to tip them at least $1-$2 per bag, and we tend to tip on the high side for very helpful or friendly porters. Keep your carry-on/day bag with you. Get in line to go through check-in (during which time you’ll show your port arrival document several times), then get in line to go through security (you go through a metal detector and your carry-ons go through an x-ray).

The first people who will get on the ship are Group 1, which will usually be concierge level guests. Shortly after noon, announcements will be made for general boarding by group number. You’ll present your port arrival document as you board, have a family photo taken (or bypass the photo and get on the ship that much faster), and then your family will be announced as you arrive in the atrium of the ship. After that, the ship is yours!

Most people will head straight to lunch, and if you’re hungry, that’s a great idea. If you’ve brought your swimsuits in your day bag, this is a perfect time to enjoy the pool (or AquaDuck on the Dream or Fantasy and AquaMouse on the Wish), because the ship is still relatively empty and a lot of people will not have thought ahead. If you still need to make spa appointments, change your dinner rotation, sign up for shore excursions, book Palo, Remy or Enchanté, or book any specialty character meals or tea parties, now is the time to do that. You can also get your kids’ wristbands for the kids club. If it’s your first time on the ship, this is a good time to get a map and wander around familiarizing yourself with everything.

If you are a concierge level guest, there is a special concierge embarkation lunch, or you can go to the concierge lounge, where you can relax and enjoy a snack. You’ll be personally assisted with any bookings or changes you’d like to make (dining rotations, spa appointments, etc.)

At about 1:30-2:00, your room should be ready. Your bags will be delivered at some point in the afternoon (up until about 6:00 pm).

On the embarkation day, you won’t get access to your room until 1:30-2:00 pm, and you may not get all of your luggage until 6:00 pm (or occasionally even later), so its recommended you carry a bag that contains everything you’ll need between boarding the ship and dinner. If you want to swim or ride the AquaDuck or AquaMouse, for example, you will need all your swim stuff.

Here’s our checklist for packing our day bag. Some people like to use a rolling carry-on, but we prefer a small duffel. It’s your call; whatever you feel comfortable lugging around for an hour or two. You can also pack a small backpack for everyone to spread out the load.

Flip-flops or water shoes (the deck can get hot )
Reading material, iPad, videogames or other entertainment
Camera, if you aren’t using your phone
Medications you might need between noon and dinnertime
Change of clothes for dinner, if what you wear to board the ship isn’t reasonable (though it almost certainly is fine, as long as it’s not a swimsuit).

The TV in your stateroom offers limited live TV programming, but a pretty extensive selection of Disney-owned movie and TV content. There is the Disney Channel, ABC and ESPN, all owned by Disney, plus some 24-hour news channels (MSNBC & Fox) and a small selection of basic cable channels. You can watch a huge variety of Disney movies and a few other family-friendly titles “on demand” (no extra charge).

Disney no longer provides the cordless Wave Phones; if you need to contact other members of your party, you are expected to use the Disney Navigator app on your phone. If you don’t have a compatible phone or don’t want to carry your phone, you have to fall back on the tried and true “let’s meet in XXX at YYY” or put a magnetic white board on your room door to exchange messages. Note that the kids club staff will only be able to contact you via the Navigator app, so if you don’t carry it around, you can’t be informed of issues with your kids.

Fire codes prevent cruise ships from having irons in staterooms, but irons are available for your use in the laundry rooms. Speaking of laundry, you can charge the cost of self-service laundry to your room key by swiping it through the readers on the washers and dryers.

Inside staterooms have no window (except the “ secret porthole ” rooms on the Wonder and Magic that are classified as inside but have an obstructed porthole). Inside staterooms on the Dream and Fantasy ships do have the “virtual porthole” that provides some light. It can be turned off with a switch by the bed. Bear in mind that on the Wonder, Magic and Wish (or on the Dream and Fantasy with the virtual porthole turned off), inside staterooms have no external light coming in to wake you up in the morning or give you a sense of what time it is. So if you’re anxious to get up and go in the morning, make sure you set an alarm or request a wake-up call.

A portable hair dryer can be found in a bag in the bathroom or in a desk drawer (call Guest Services if you can’t find it). It must be plugged into a European (220V) outlet at the desk. If you happen to be in a stateroom that also has a built-in hair dryer in the bathroom attached to the wall, we recommend leaving it alone; they don’t work well. Use the one in the drawer.

There is no longer a paper Navigator schedule given out in your stateroom, or even available from the front desk. You can only get the activity schedule via your phone or via the TV.

You can download the Navigator app for Apple or Android devices before you arrive at the embarkation port and then, once onboard, connect to the ship’s Wi-Fi network—complimentary for app use only. Downloading the app does not enable general-purpose internet access – you have to pay extra for that. In addition to giving you the ship’s daily schedule, the app has some information that isn’t in the paper Navigator, including menus for the various restaurants and some other useful tidbits.

The Navigator app also has the all-aboard time and the local number of the ship’s agent, who is your contact if you have an emergency or are running late and might miss the ship (or have missed the ship). It’s not a bad idea to write those things down on a separate piece of paper to carry with you when you’re in port, just in case you lose your phone or the Navigator app gets flaky. If you have an emergency and don’t have your phone or the info on paper, you can call the port and ask them who the port agent is for your ship, and then call Disney’s port agent to let them know what’s happening.

The Navigator app now has a FREE text messaging feature. The messaging feature is available on all five ships. You do not need to buy a data plan to send messages to other people in your party, assuming they also have a device that can run the app. We didn’t really use it much in previous years because there could be 20-30 minutes between sending and message and the recipient getting a notification on their phone, but on our most recent cruise everything worked fine. Also, if you get the newer internet service that you can leave on all the time (currently available on the Wish, Magic, Dream and Fantasy) it will work with iMessage, WhatsApp and other messengers, and it will work with SMS text messaging if everyone’s phone has Wi-Fi cellular enabled.

Onboard Entertainment & Activities Tips

If you’re curious to know what movies will be shown on your sailing before you get on the ship, call Disney Cruise customer service (800) 951-3532 about two weeks before your cruise and ask.

Want to ride the AquaDuck water coaster on the Dream or Fantasy or the AquaMouse on the Wish? MouseSavers.com reader Bill V has this tip: “If you enjoy the AquaDuck during the day, find an EVENING to ride it as well! Riding it at night, with the red-and-white lights strobing around the tube at each of the supports, is a completely different experience than the daytime, not to be missed! Also, the lines are truly non-existent if you go during dinner or show times, far shorter than even the times when most passengers are ashore when the ship is docked–my daughter rode it one evening over a dozen times in less than 90 minutes, usually walking on with no line whatsoever.” (This advice would apply to the AquaMouse on the Wish as well.)

Some special activities require advance sign-up at Guest Services. For instance, “Tea with Wendy,” (or “Tea with Alice” or some other character) is sometimes offered on some 7-night cruises, but has limited seating, and on cruises near Christmas, there is a build-your-own-gingerbread house activity, but they have a limited number of kits available. Check for those activities (they’ll generally be listed in the Navigator app) and sign up as soon as you can. Certain popular character meetings are also now requiring advance sign-up, usually on the first day.

Theater snacks : the theaters where the movies and shows are presented have concession stands selling expensive goodies such as canned sodas, bagged popcorn and candy, which can be charged to your room key. If you want to keep costs down, go up on the pool deck to the self-serve beverage station and get FREE sodas (or lemonade, tea, etc.) to bring into the show with you. You can also usually get FREE cookies from one of the counter-service locations on the pool deck and bring those along (or order cookies from room service, for only the cost of a tip). Concierge level guests on the Dream and Fantasy can get snacks, including cans of soda and sometimes popcorn, from the lounge. The snack bar at the theater has a refillable popcorn bucket that can be refilled for the rest of your cruise at a much cheaper price, so if you like popcorn, it’s a good idea to get one at the beginning of the cruise. Some people have brought popcorn buckets from previous cruises or from Walt Disney World and had them refilled, though that may or may not be official policy.

Embarkation Day

Once you’re onboard on embarkation day, you can eat lunch in one of three locations (or the concierge lunch if you’re in a concierge stateroom): the buffet, the pool deck food outlets (burgers, pizza, etc.) or a dining room (on the Magic, the primary lunch dining room is Lumiere’s; on the Wonder, it’s Triton’s; on the Dream and Fantasy, it’s Enchanted Garden; on the Wish, it’s been 1923 or Arendelle). The primary dining room lunch is a la carte with a normal lunch menu similar to the menu served on sea days. It has a tendency to fill up pretty quickly, so if you want to eat there, get on the ship as early as possible. There is also a lunch just for concierge guests in a different dining room.

Note that if you head for the inside dining room, you will encounter multiple crew members who will try to herd you to the buffet, which can handle more people. Just tell them you’d prefer the interior dining room.

Breakfast and Lunch

During the cruise, there are usually two or three breakfast and lunch locations with different hours (check the Navigator app for hours). You can choose from one or more full-service restaurants with open seating (just show up when you want during opening hours, and they’ll seat you), or eat at the buffet.

Dinner Rotations

Your dinner arrangements — meaning your restaurant rotation schedule, and whether you have the early or late seating for dinner — are assigned before you embark on the cruise. You can find your restaurant rotation by checking the “My Plans” section of the Navigator app. It will also show your table number and seating time, as well as the recommended dress code and menu. If you have trouble using the app, Guest Services or any of the dining locations can help you get that information.

If you want to change your seating or your restaurant rotation, do that as soon as you embark. The location on the ship where changes can be made will be listed in the Navigator app, or just go to Guest Services and they can point you in the right direction.

If you go to your assigned restaurant for dinner each night, your servers will be the same for every night of your cruise. On longer cruises they’ll get to know you, and may even have your “usual” beverage waiting for you at your table. If you are served something you don’t like, tell the servers and they’ll bring you something else. And if you want to indulge, they’ll be happy to bring you two desserts (or two appetizers, or even two entrees)! In true Disney style, if you have a special event you are celebrating, make sure your servers know. You will get appropriate special treatment (usually a special dessert, and perhaps some singing).

We recommend not rushing to dinner. If you show up five minutes or so after they begin seating you’ll walk right in. If you show up early you’ll just have to wait in line! Don’t wait too long, though: in order to get everyone served in a timely manner, each server really needs to get all the orders from all their tables at once. If you come too late, it throws off their timing, necessitating multiple extra trips to the kitchen and long delays for everyone. Also, if you won’t be at the regular rotation dinner one night, it’s helpful to tell your server or head server in advance, so they won’t wait for you to arrive to start service for the other tables.

We also recommend having the Navigator app open to your dinner reservation and table number the first time you arrive at each restaurant, so you can be seated more easily. But if you remember your table number, you can just tell the servers.

Each restaurant has a “special” menu that is only offered at that restaurant, which will be used on one of the nights you visit each restaurant (the same night as the show, if there is one for that restaurant). On the other nights, you’ll get “standard” menus that are the same at all three restaurants (they change every night, but each of the three restaurants gets the same menu).

Dinner Shows

The following restaurants have special shows and menus on one night of your cruise . These shows are one of the unique entertainment experiences on a Disney cruise, so try to see them if you can! Ask at Guest Services or ask your server which night it will be for your rotation. Move your Palo, Remy or Enchante reservations or change your dinner rotation if you have to.

Animator’s Palate (Magic, Wonder, Dream, Fantasy) — On the Magic & Wonder, this show allows everyone in the family to design a character and see it animated. It’s pretty neat! On the Dream & Fantasy, the show involves interacting with an animated character (Crush the sea turtle from Finding Nemo). On longer (7+ night) cruises on the Dream & Fantasy, they may also do a version of the “draw your own animated character” show on the second night you visit Animator’s Palate.
Tiana’s Place (Wonder) — A rollicking dinner show with the characters and songs from The Princess & The Frog.
Rapunzel’s Royal Table (Magic) — A fun musical show with characters and songs from Tangled.
Arendelle: A Frozen Dining Adventure (Wish) — An elaborate show where you’re a guest at an engagement party for Anna and Kristoff, hosted by Wandering Oaken. Enjoy songs and characters from the two Frozen movies.
Worlds of Marvel (Wish) — A loud action spectacle involving Ant-Man and the Wasp (and some guest Marvel characters) takes place during dinner. Most of the action is ostensibly taking place elsewhere on the ship (you watch it on screens on the walls of the restaurant), but live-action Ant-Man and the Wasp appear near the end to wave at diners.

Premium Restaurants

If you enjoy fine dining, we definitely recommend making a reservation for Palo, Remy or Enchanté, particularly on a 4-night or longer cruise. There is a small extra cost (larger for Remy and Enchanté) but it is well worth it for the cuisine, the atmosphere, and the opportunity to enjoy a nice dinner without the kids. The Remy and Enchanté dinners are especially elaborate, and are similar to meals that cost much more at Michelin starred restaurants or Victoria & Albert’s at Walt Disney World. Palo can be found on all five Disney ships, though the menu is slightly different (and more steakhouse-oriented) on the Wish. Remy is only on the Dream and Fantasy, and Enchanté is only on the Wish.

Alternatively, consider booking the Palo, Enchanté or Remy brunch (offered usually only once or twice on most cruises). We find the premium brunches particularly fabulous and might even prefer them to dinner in Palo.

Palo, Remy and Enchanté are very popular, so book them as early as you can . If you’re not able to get a reservation in advance, check the Navigator app or ask a crew member to find the location where you can go and request a reservation onboard.

If you want to skip one of the regular rotation restaurants in order to dine in Palo, Remy or Enchanté, our suggestion is to call Disney to find out the dining rotations for your cruise and pick a night that is the second visit to a restaurant, since the first night is very likely to be that restaurant’s special menu (and will have a show, if there is a show at that restaurant). For example, if your rotation is “Enchanted Garden, Rapunzel’s Table, Rapunzel’s Table, Animator’s Palate”, pick the third night, since it is the most likely to be a “standard” menu.

Keep in mind that the dinner rotations and timing of Animator’s Palate, Tiana’s, Rapunzel’s, Marvel or Arendelle shows are subject to change, and in our experience the folks at the Disney call center don’t always have accurate information about when the show will happen. The people actually on the ship know, so if you want to be sure your premium dining doesn’t happen on a dinner show night, go to Guest Services or the dining reservation location listed in the Navigator app on the first day of your cruise and ask. If there’s a conflict, they can either reschedule your premium dinner or put you on a different main dining rotation.

Alternate Dining Options

There are always plenty of options for food: check the Navigator app to know which restaurants are open at what times.

In the past, Disney has opened up the buffet area (Cabanas or Marceline Market) for dinner on most nights of the cruise (usually all but the first night), but as a table-service venue, not a buffet. There’s no specific time, you just show up and choose from a limited menu that includes some of the same foods served in the main dining rooms (but without all the hoopla). Of late they haven’t been doing it, but all indications are that this is a temporary post-pandemic measure because of logistics issues, so it could restart any time. If you’d prefer a quieter dinner at your own dining time, ask if it’s an option on your cruise.

There are fast-food locations up on the pool deck, serving kid-friendly fast food. We think the burgers and other sandwiches on a bun are edible, and the mini-wraps are quite good. The pizza is not a highlight – the toppings are fine, but the crust is sub-par, except on the Wish, where it is pretty good. The Wish also has a barbeque window, and a Mexican food window with choose-your-own ingredient bowls, tacos and burritos (think Chipotle), and both of those options are quite good. The fruit is fruit; nothing wrong with it. The soft-serve ice cream is not very creamy, but it makes a nice snack on a hot day, and they usually rotate in some unusual flavors like mango or strawberry over the course of the cruise.

On most ships, there are some small snacks available most of the day. In the adult coffee bar, there have generally been free mini-desserts available during the day, and little antipasto nibbles during the evening, but we didn’t see them on the Wish. In the adult lounge area on the lower decks, there is usually a (small) hot snack buffet available for part of the evening, either in the pub or the hallway between the various lounges. Usually there’s something like a build-your-own nacho bar, plus some sort of hot savory like pigs in a blanket or egg rolls. Again, this little mini-buffet has not been present on the Wish. In the pub on each ship, there are about 4-6 extra-cost hot snacks & entrees you can order. Typically at least one of the pool deck food stations will be open until midnight, usually pizza. From midnight until breakfast time (6:30 or so) room service is the only food option.

On Alaska cruises, there have usually been some snacks on the front of the ship on the pool deck on the glacier-viewing day , including hot soup in small bread bowls, cookies and hot cocoa. They also usually do a special barbecue lunch that day on the deck behind the buffet, typically sausage, fish, and steak. Sometimes they have been known to serve elk or another Alaska specialty. Make sure you go out to the deck to check it out; we met many people who had no idea the cookout was happening and just ate regular buffet food instead of the fresh-grilled options just a few steps away.

Concierge guests have access to snacks and beverages (bottled water, soft drinks, coffee drinks) in the concierge lounge.

Kids’ Meals

There are kid’s menu options at all the table-service meals , but children are not limited to eating from those menus. Your servers will bring your kids whatever they want, including full adult appetizers, meals and desserts, and in fact if there’s something on the ship they can get or make, they’ll usually try to accommodate you even if it’s not on the menu. In other words, if all your kids want is french fries, that’s not a problem, assuming you’re OK with it.

It’s worth noting that asking your server to bring you something from another restaurant is not a trivial undertaking . They will almost certainly do it, because they really want guests to be happy, but don’t spring a request on them unless you really can’t find anything else for your kids to eat. And if possible, let the service staff know early if your child has specific food issues. If they know in advance that your child will only eat french fries and chicken fingers, they can have those ready each night.

If you have kids in the Oceaneer Club, they will be offered lunch and dinner if they are in the Club at the appropriate time. There are not usually a lot of choices, but what they’ll offer is going to be pretty simple and kid-friendly, like chicken nuggets and apple slices.

Two key things to be aware of: one, they usually don’t serve the kids dinner on the first night of the cruise (the day of embarkation). So if you have Palo or Remy reservations for that night, you’ll need to feed your kids yourself. Fortunately that’s easy: all you have to do is get food for the kids before or after your reservation from one of the fast-food restaurants on the pool deck. Two: be aware of when the kids are served. Meal times may be too early for your liking if you leave your kids in the Club.

Also, keep in mind that the Disney crew members will not make your kids sit down to eat. They will make sure every child is informed that food is being served, but they can’t and won’t make your children stop playing to eat, and there is one opportunity to eat for each mealtime. There are no snacks served in the club between meal times. It’s a good idea when you pick up your kids to check if they ate and if they are hungry.

Dine and Play Program

Please note : The Dine and Play program is temporarily suspended, but may return at any time. Ask about it onboard if you’re interested.

The Dine and Play program allows children to get their meals quicker and adults to check in a child for Youth Activities without leaving the dining room. The Dine and Play program is offered for families assigned to second dining, and is open to children ages 3-12.

Here’s how it works: You arrive in the dining room and inform the server that your child would like to participate in Dine and Play. The dining room team brings the child’s meal first while serving the adults at a more leisurely pace.

About 45 minutes after seating begins, Youth Activities Counselors arrive in the dining room and sign in the child to Disney’s Oceaneer Club, eliminating the need for you to escort the child to Deck 5.

Adults are then able to enjoy the full dining experience with the knowledge that their children are having a great time in a safe, fun and comfortable environment.

Alternative approach: You can ask your server to feed the kids as fast as possible, and then have an adult walk them over to the kids club and check them in. It only takes a few minutes to get to the club and back. Some parents have told us their kids prefer this method over using Dine & Play, as you can get the kids to the club whenever they’re ready and there’s less waiting around.

Room Service

Room service is not a strong suit on Disney Cruise Line. The food, in our experience, is merely adequate. It is free (though a tip is welcomed) and convenient, though. Selection is mostly very basic and very middle-American: sandwiches, basic soups, chicken wings, a few salads, a cheese plate, burger, pizza or topped flatbreads.

If the buffet or top deck restaurants are open, we suggest sending someone to the buffet or top deck instead of ordering room service . The selection in the buffet is much better and the food better prepared. The top deck restaurants have a more limited selection, but sending someone to the top deck for food has always resulted in hotter, fresher food when we’ve done it. That said, if you’re worn out, or come back really late from a port excursion, it’s nice to know they will bring you food any time.

Mickey bars (Mickey head shaped ice cream bars) and Smuckers Uncrustables (packaged peanut butter & jelly sandwiches) are not on the menu, but have usually been available on request.

Special orders are limited , but if you want something simple that is not on the menu, but is made with components used in items that are on the menu, such as a grilled cheese sandwich, plain salad without dressing, plain hamburger patty with no bun or just an order of french fries, they will usually make that for you on request.

Room service breakfast in the regular staterooms is a very basic Continental offering of various baked goods, cereal, milk, hot drinks and juice. There is nothing hot and no real protein, so if you like eggs and bacon in the morning, head for the buffet or whichever dining room is serving breakfast (it’s listed in the Disney Cruise Navigator app). We do sometimes use room service to get coffee delivered in the morning. Though lately we just have them deliver hot water, because we prefer the Starbucks Via packets to the ship’s reconstituted coffee product.

Guests in concierge staterooms and suites can order dinner from the rotation restaurants during regular dinner hours . Ask your concierge staff for a menu. All courses of your meal are brought at once, which doesn’t do good things for the quality of the meal, but it’s still better than the regular room service offerings. Concierge level guests can order hot breakfasts in their suites and staterooms during the cruise.

Many common beverages (including sodas) are available FREE most of the time , but there are situations where you could be charged for them. Here are the basic rules:

The self-service drink station on the pool deck offers milk , juice , tea (hot or iced) , coffee, hot cocoa , lemonade, plain water and fountain sodas at no extra charge 24 hours a day.
The dining rooms (including Palo, Remy and Enchanté) offer milk , juice , tea (hot or iced) , coffee , hot cocoa , lemonade, plain water and fountain sodas at no extra charge with meals. All other drinks can be ordered, but cost money.
Castaway Cay offers milk , juice , tea (iced only) , lemonade, plain water and fountain sodas for free. All other cold drinks (except iced espresso drinks) can be ordered at a bar, but cost money. No hot drinks are available.
Room service offers milk , juice , tea (hot or iced), plain water and coffee free. All other drinks cost money.
All bars (including espresso bars) charge for all beverages , except plain tap water.
Bottled water, canned and bottled soda and soft drinks , alcoholic beverages , mocktails , smoothies, shakes and espresso drinks (and related drinks like chai lattes) always cost money no matter where you order them.
The fountain sodas are all Coca-Cola products (which could change any time, but Coca-Cola has had a strong partnership with Disney for many years). The bars have a wider selection of canned and bottled beverages available, at a charge.

Consider bringing your own bottled water if you think you’ll drink a lot of it on shore excursions, Castaway Cay, etc. Bottled water on the ship or Castaway Cay is expensive. Consider packing a small carry-on suitcase with just bottled water. Then on the way home you’ll have room for all those things you didn’t plan to buy. (If you are staying on concierge level on the Dream or Fantasy, bottled water is provided in the lounge without cost.)

Disney allows each adult to bring up to two 750 ml bottles of wine or six 12 oz beers onboard at embarkation and at each port visited. Bottles must be sealed and they must be in your carry-on luggage. Spirits (rum, vodka, whiskey, etc.) are not allowed (they will be confiscated and given back to you at disembarkation).

Sealed bottles or cans of non-alcoholic beverages can be carried on in any amount that will fit through the x-ray machines (carry-on bag sized, in other words). As for coolers, Disney officially says that you can only take aboard small (12″ x 12″ x 12″ max) soft-sided coolers for keeping things like insulin and breast milk cold. In practice, soft coolers can be any size that’s small enough to fit through the x-ray machine (again, basically the size of a carry-on bag), but no hard-sided or wheeled coolers.

Disney, like all other cruise lines, does not allow any beverages in checked bags , because checked baggage is stacked up and handled roughly during the loading process, which could cause containers of liquids to break and/or leak onto other people’s luggage. They do screen for those items. If they find disallowed items, the items will be confiscated and given back at the end of the cruise.

Coffee and Tea

Regular American-style coffee on Disney ships is unfortunately not good. The “drip” coffee they serve throughout the ship is made in a machine that looks vaguely like a coffee urn, but actually produces instant coffee on demand by mixing liquid concentrate and hot water. When it’s made in a properly-calibrated machine it tastes like OK instant coffee (not as good as Starbucks Via, but better than Folger’s Crystals). If the machine is out of calibration, it can be really weak or very strong.

If you like your coffee with cream and sugar or just aren’t picky about coffee, you may be fine with the reconstituted coffee . If you like quality coffee, you may want to order espresso drinks (at extra cost), which are available at most bars and sit-down restaurants and at the bar in the Wish, Dream & Fantasy’s buffets. You might also consider bringing Starbucks Via packets if you like them. In our experience the Via is much better than the reconstituted stuff.

If you’re a tea drinker, the news is better: there are a wide variety of Twinings tea bags (regular and herbal) at the main deck drink stations and in the dining rooms. And in the dining rooms, they almost always serve tea properly, with acceptably hot water and a small pitcher of milk upon request.

The iced tea served everywhere is unsweetened reconstituted iced tea from a soda machine (Fuze brand from Coca-Cola), but you can make your own iced tea by brewing fresh hot tea and adding ice and water, and that is much better. Our recipe: put two regular black tea bags in a cup of hot water, steep three minutes, stir in sugar if desired, then pour over a full cup of ice. Add water to taste.

Most bars on the ship have espresso machines , including the adults-only Cove Cafe on the pool deck and the all-ages Promenade Lounge on deck 3 (Wonder & Magic), Vista Café on deck 4 (Dream & Fantasy), and all bars and lounges on the Wish. Espresso is also available in the main dining rooms, the premium restaurants, and the Dream, Fantasy and Wish buffets. All espresso drinks cost extra, generally about the same price as on land. If you are a regular consumer of espresso drinks, be sure to get a coffee card. Each time you buy a latte, cappucino, etc. they will mark the card. Your sixth beverage is FREE! If you don’t fill your card during the cruise, hold onto it — it can be used on a future cruise, even on a different Disney ship!

Wine Packages and Refillable Beer Mug

Disney doesn’t have any “all you can drink” packages available. You don’t really need one for sodas, since they’re included (except at bars). Alcohol and other specialty beverages are always a la carte. There are, however, two programs that could save you some money (albeit with a few caveats).

Wine Packages

This is an opportunity to pre-pay for a certain number of bottles of wine, which you can enjoy at any of the sit-down restaurants. If you don’t finish one, you can get it recorked for the next night (and they’ll take it to the next restaurant in the rotation, or you can get it brought to you at Palo, Remy or Enchanté), or you can take it with you to your room. If you don’t end up drinking them all, you can take the remainder home. Your server will usually suggest buying one bottle per cruise night, but you can buy more or less if you like. The wines are all from a set list, which changes from time to time, and usually includes about 10-12 white wines and 8-10 red wines. There are two tiers, with the more expensive one including fancier bottles of wine. The wines on the list change regularly, but we think the choices are all pretty good, with a few real winners on each list. Disney pushes these packages aggressively: a brochure will be on the table your first night, and one of your servers will offer a sales pitch the first night.

We went to the trouble a few years ago to price out all the wines on the list and compare to the average cost per bottle from the packages . The price per bottle in the packages was about $2-3 cheaper than the average price of the bottles included in the package. However, the packages typically have only 5-7 selections that sell for more than the average price, and 12-15 selections that sell for less than the average price. So if you pick random bottles from the list, you’re very likely to end up spending more (or at least not much less) by buying the package. To come out ahead, you have to consistently order from the few bottles that are higher priced.

Frankly, our opinion is that it’s not worth the trouble, at least as a money-saving strategy . If buying your dinner wine in advance will help you relax, then go ahead; you certainly won’t lose much money unless you happen to always pick the cheapest wine on the list. And if you really love a particular wine or wines that you know are higher-priced, and you plan to only drink those, the plan will save you a few bucks per bottle.

Refillable Beer Mug

This is a large 21 oz glass souvenir beer mug that you can buy at any bar for $17 (last we checked). When you get it filled (at any bar or restaurant), you get 21 ounces for the price of a 16 ounce draft beer. One nice thing is that you don’t have to cart the mug around; they’ll give you a little token you can trade for a mug at any time. So you give the token to your server and get a mug of beer, and when you’re done you can give them the mug and ask for the token back. At the end of the cruise, just stop by any bar to get a nice clean mug to take home. The selection of draft beers is pretty good, and in addition to the standard American beers, there are always a few craft beers like Widmer or Full Sail and even sometimes a cider like Strongbow. (Disney Cruise Line advertises this as a 21 oz glass, but we heard from a reader who measured it and found it actually held 20 oz when filled to the rim.)

Purely as a money-saving strategy, it’s hard to get your money’s worth out of the mug unless you really like beer. However, if you like the idea of having a Disney Cruise Line souvenir beer mug, and the price seems reasonable, then the extra beer is basically FREE. Make sure to tell your spouse that when you buy it.

Disembarkation Day

Breakfast is served on the day of disembarkation. In fact, you’ll have an assigned restaurant and time for breakfast for disembarkation, or you can choose to eat at the buffet instead. It will be a much smaller selection than during the cruise: welcome back to the real world!

Regular guests do not have access to room service on disembarkation morning. Concierge level guests can order a standard Continental breakfast from room service on disembarkation morning.

Most kids find the Oceaneer Club and Oceaneer Lab, for ages 3-10, to be the best part of a Disney cruise. There is a lot to do, with great hands-on organized activities going on all the time.

Signing in and out is a relatively easy process considering what needs to be done to protect the children. However, you may have to wait in line either to drop them off or pick them up. Plan at least 5 minutes for the pick up or drop off process. If your children are 8 years old or older, they can be given the ability to sign themselves in and out on their own.

The Navigator app will tell you what’s happening and where your kids are at any given time. Check the app to see if your children will be out of the Club at the time you want to sign them out – for instance, they could be up on the deck playing basketball. Using the app to plan will save you a wasted trip. Also, when the kids are moving from one location to another, they will not allow you to sign them in or out, so there can be a 10-15 minute window where you have to wait.

You can keep your child signed in to the Oceaneer Club while at Castaway Cay. They will take the kids off the ship to special play areas for supervised games and activities throughout the day. If you do this, be sure to bring your phone with you. The Wi-Fi covers much of Castaway Cay and the app tends to work OK. But if you want your kids to join you for some time on the island, make sure you know their schedule of activities. They eat lunch fairly early, and are taken back to the ship before the beach closes.

Edge is the “tween” club for ages 11-14. Vibe is the teen club for ages 14-17. A 14-year-old can access both Edge and Vibe, but they will have to register for both. Disney will sometimes be slightly flexible about the age groups for these clubs, and will sometimes allow a child that is a little younger than the target age into the older teen club if they have space in the club your child wants to attend, especially if they have a friend or sibling in the older club. This is not guaranteed, but it’s worth asking.

The Disney Cruise offers many opportunities to meet characters . You will see most of the popular characters at some point or another on the Disney Cruise. Greeting times are available in the Navigator app. The lines for character greetings usually start forming about 15 minutes before the scheduled greeting time, so if you can get there 10 minutes beforehand, you won’t have a long wait once the characters arrive.

Some popular character meetings and meals may require advance booking . There’s no charge for the character meetings, but certain breakfasts or teas with characters may have an additional fee. You should book these as early as you can online; the bookings open on the same schedule as booking excursions and Palo/Remy/Enchanté . You can also call or stop by guest services on the first day and ask about tickets; they may hold back some slots for onboard booking. Thanks to Sarah B and Rachel P for info.

Bring your kids’ Disney costumes, if they have any. The cruise is a great opportunity to get pictures of your daughter dressed as Belle with the “real” Belle herself, without her having to wear the costume all day.

If you’re on a 7-night cruise, you may have an assigned Character Breakfast on one of the days of the cruise. You’ll get a chance for photos with all the main Disney characters, including Mickey and Minnie!

Most of the character greetings will include a Disney professional photographer , so if your own photo doesn’t turn out you can still buy a memento from Shutters, the onboard photo location.

Read our tips, tricks and discounts on Port Excursions !

The list below is mostly based on reader suggestions. We have to admit, we have taken Disney cruises at various times without these, and everything went just fine. So don’t go too crazy with overpacking! But some of these are good ideas for specific needs.

Water shoes – Always a good idea if you’ll be snorkeling or wading where there are coral reefs and sharp rocks. Also handy to protect your feet on hot sand, concrete or the pool deck; the sun can make the deck very hot and you’ll want some of these or some simple flip-flops while hanging around the pool. You can wear water shoes that are secure and not likely to come off on the AquaDuck, AquaMouse and AquaDunk, but flip-flops or water shoes that slip off easily will need to be stowed before riding.
Safe Sea lotion – This is a lotion that protects against jellyfish, sea nettle, and seabather’s eruption , caused by jellyfish larvae that are sometimes called “sea lice.” There is actual independent research that backs this up – we’ve read it and are satisfied that it works. We want to reassure people that large jellyfish are kept out of the lagoon at Castaway Cay by netting under the water, so we’ve never heard of anyone getting a serious sting there, but people do occasionally get seabather’s eruption. At other beaches in the Bahamas and Caribbean jellyfish stings are not common, but they do happen. The peak season for jellyfish is summer (June-August) and they’re rare in winter. We actually had a very minor issue with seabather’s eruption on one trip to Castaway Cay (on some skin that didn’t have lotion; we failed to note that you need to apply some underneath the swimsuit for full protection), and we can attest that while it’s not the end of the world, it’s quite unpleasant and worth avoiding. Certainly the lotion is a cheap form of insurance, and there are formulations that include sunscreen, which you’ll need anyway. Another option is to bring some jellyfish after-sting gel just in case, or some sources recommend hydrocortisone cream or antihistamine cream .
Body Powder – If you’ve ever tried to wipe beach sand off your body, you know it tends to stick in an annoying manner. It turns out it sticks to your skin because of residual moisture, and if you just rub your skin with water-absorbent powder (i.e. scented cornstarch), the sand drops right off. We used to recommend a very useful little mitt that contained cornstarch-based body powder for wiping off sand. Apparently that mitt isn’t made any more, but you can get the same effect by just sprinkling the powder on a towel and wiping with that. Do make sure you’re getting plain cornstarch powder, or at least talc-free powder. Talc is not good to breathe.
Robe – if you like to wear one in your room, you’ll need to bring your own unless you’re in a concierge room. Some people have had luck asking their stateroom attendant, but it’s not guaranteed they can get you one.
Pop-up Hamper – We like the rectangular kind with a circular opening on the top, as opposed to the ones that look like a big round cloth-covered spring. The squarer ones seem to hold their shape better. They only weigh 8 ounces, fold down to a small circle, and fit nicely into hotel and stateroom closets.
Dry box/case – Basically, a small waterproof box or pouch on a lanyard. Used by scuba divers and snorkelers, these are handy for any beach visit, because you can keep your ID and some money around your neck, instead of sticking valuables in your shoe and leaving them on the beach (yeah, everyone knows about THAT hiding place!)
Clothespins – These have a variety of uses, from weighing down a shower curtain that wants to stick to you, to anchoring your beach towel to a lounge chair. You can clip your curtains together if you want to minimize light leakage in the morning. Oh, and you can use them to hang laundry up to dry, too (there’s a retractable clothesline in the bathtub).
Night light – Particularly if you are staying in one of the Inside cabins on the Magic, Wonder or Wish, this is nice to have. It’s pitch black in those rooms when the lights are off. If you don’t want to use up a wall plug, you can get a USB light that plugs into an empty USB charger port. (It’ll also work in a laptop USB port, but not all laptops keep power to the USB ports when they go to sleep, so you’d want to check that first.) An LED flashlight or headlamp can also be handy if you need to get up in the middle of the night and don’t want to turn on lights.
Magnets – The stateroom doors are metal (except for the doors in the concierge section of the Dream and Fantasy). You can stick magnets on them to decorate your door, and it makes it easier for your children (and you) to identify your room. Don’t bring anything you can’t bear to lose: these do get taken sometimes. Please note that you are not allowed to use any type of adhesive on your door, including removable gel adhesives that supposedly come off clean. You will be charged for any damage to the door.
Multi-USB charger – When we have a lot of things to charge while travelling, normally we bring a travel power strip , but as mentioned below, power strips are generally not allowed on Disney ships. Now we bring a multi-charger, which can charge 4 or more devices from one outlet. We’ve used Anker brand as well as Amazon Basics, and they’ve both been perfectly fine. You’ll need to also bring the USB cable for each device. We’d recommend getting at least a 40W model if you have anything more than just a phone or two. A 60W model typically has six outlets and might be just the thing if you have a lot of tablets and phones to charge, or you want a spare port to plug a USB night light into. Note that on the Magic and Wonder, they’ve installed a few more USA-type power outlets near the desk, and there are a couple of USB charging ports at the desk and on the alarm clock next to the bed. The Wish staterooms have tons of USB charging outlets at the desk and next to the bed, including two USB-C ports, so you can probably get by without a USB charger on that ship.
Irons are NOT ALLOWED as they are a fire hazard. Fire is a huge danger on cruise ships. If you take an iron it will be confiscated from your luggage. Irons are available for your use in the laundry rooms.
Rolls of quarters – In the past, these were needed for the self-service laundry onboard, but now you just swipe your room key for use of the washer, dryer, soap and dryer sheets. The cost is charged to your account.
Over-the-door shoe organizer – Some people have used these to store toiletries or other small items. Disney now asks that you do NOT use them as they “scratch and/or disfigure stateroom doors and trim.” You will be charged for any damage.
Seasickness medication – Unless you KNOW you get seasick on cruise ships, don’t bother bringing this. If you do get queasy, the ship’s health center or the guest services desk will give you FREE over the counter medication (generic meclizine, the ingredient in Bonine or non-drowsy Dramamine). If you get super-queasy the health center can get you prescription medication (for a fee).
Beach towels – They are provided when you get off the ship on beach days.
Power/outlet strip – These are not allowed on the ship. MouseSavers.com reader Christina N reports: “… they confiscated these from my bag and from others. They do not allow them as it blows circuits in the room.” Technically, they only ban extension cords, and power strips with surge protectors, but in practice people have reported having just about any kind of multi-outlet strip or adapter confiscated, because the people doing the screening don’t want to figure out whether your power strip is one of the “bad” ones. One thing not many people know is that there’s an open outlet behind the TV in most cabins on the Magic, Wonder, Dream and Fantasy. The TVs are on a pivoting arm, so it’s easy to pull them out and expose the spare plug. Many smartphones and smaller tablets can be charged through a USB cable connected to a laptop, so if you take a USB cable you’ll only need one outlet, to plug in the laptop. Or you might want to pack a multi-USB charger like the ones mentioned above. And over time Disney has been adding USB charging ports to the outlets near the desk, so you might not need a power strip depending on how many devices you have.
Extension cords – the only extension cords allowed on the ship are ones you can borrow from Guest Services ($50 deposit required; refunded when you return the cord). There are a limited number and availability is first-come, first-served. If you need one for a CPAP or other medical device, one will be made available, but all of the ships now have a plug next to the bed, so you shouldn’t need an extension for a CPAP. On the Wish, there are US-style plugs next to one side of the bed, and a European plug on the other side. So if you have a CPAP or other device that goes next to the bed, and you really prefer to sleep on a specific side, make sure you have the correct plug adapter and your CPAP power supply handles both 110 and 220 volt current (almost all of them do, but you should check).
Hairdryer (maybe) – Hairdryers are provided, but the ones provided might not be up to your standards. If you’re not picky, don’t bother packing one.
High chair / booster seat – Both are provided on request in the dining room.
Pack and play crib – These are provided onboard (request when booking your cruise).
Stroller (maybe) – There are some strollers available to borrow onboard (deposit required) and on Castaway Cay. However, there are a limited number and it’s first-come, first-served. If you have a little one, it’s not a bad idea to bring a small umbrella stroller along.

During the day and most evenings on the Disney Cruise Line, you can wear casual clothing. At dinner, you are asked to stick to “cruise casual.” Most men wear a collared shirt (aloha shirts and golf/polo shirts are fine) and long pants (chinos or dress slacks) or nice shorts. Most women wear a skirt, dress, nice pants or dressy capris. Disney requests no swimwear or tank tops at dinner, but in practice, dressier tank-style tops will usually be acceptable. People who show up to the main dining rooms in swimsuits are almost always asked to change.

There are times when dressing up to some extent is either required or encouraged:

When having dinner at Palo, Remy or Enchanté, the dress code is basically “business casual plus.” Men are required to wear long pants suitable for professional work (which could include “nice” jeans), collared shirts and dressier shoes. Some men wear suits or even tuxedos. Women can wear pretty much anything “nice” that isn’t swimwear, casual t-shirts, shorts or sportswear. Semi-formal or even formal wear would not be out of place. At Brunch or Tea at either restaurant, the dress code is “cruise casual,” which basically means no shorts, swimsuits, tank tops or flip-flops.
On 4-night or longer cruises, there will be one or two “optional dress up” nights that you can interpret how you will. Dressing up is not required, but some folks will make an effort to change for dinner. On our most recent Disney cruises we’ve seen a handful of tuxedos on dress-up nights and a few dozen men wearing jackets. A fair number of women were dressed in nicer outfits. Lots and lots of people were just in normal “cruise casual” outfits, so if you don’t like to dress up don’t feel like you’re under any obligation to do so. On the other hand, if you like to dress up, it’s a great opportunity. The crew and the Disney characters will be in nicer clothes, there will be photo stations where you can get a picture of the whole family in nice outfits, and you won’t feel overdressed in a gown or tux.
Some people like to wear dressy or semi-formal clothing on the nights when they dine in Lumiere’s (Magic), Triton’s (Wonder) or Royal Palace/Royal Court (Dream or Fantasy), since those are the restaurants with the fanciest theming but this is not by any means required.
Similarly, a few people like to dress in 1920’s inspired clothes when dining in 1923 on the Disney Wish. This is just a fun thing to do and not in any way required.

Where to Buy Disney Cruise Wear

If you’re looking for Disney-themed casual cruise wear (aloha shirts, etc.), a good place to look is DisneyStore.com . Unfortunately they only offer resort wear on a seasonal basis (usually spring and summer), but even in the winter it’s always worth looking to see if they have anything in the sale section.

DisneyStore.com carries a significant amount of Disney Cruise Line clothing and other logo merchandise as well.

See current discounts and offers for DisneyStore.com.

Your phone should still be able to reach a tower on land as long as the ship is in port, but once you are at sea, we strongly advise you to turn off international roaming and data roaming, to avoid having your phone accidentally use the “Cellular@Sea” service, which is very expensive. You can (and should) leave wi-fi turned on, so you can use Disney’s Navigator App to see the current schedules and menus and so forth.

You can also use the Disney Navigator App on your own phone to send messages to other people in your party. To get message notifications as quickly as possible, make sure that notifications are enabled for the Disney Navigator app, as well as background updates. Basically in our experience, the Navigator app needs to have all permissions set to “on,” including Location, Bluetooth, Notifications, and Background Update. You can (and perhaps should) turn those off again once your cruise has ended.

If you absolutely must use your phone to call or text while at sea, service may be available on Disney ships through the “Cellular@Sea” service. It is a very expensive form of international roaming and the ship must be 8 to 10 miles out to sea before you can access it. Most phones will just connect to Cellular@Sea without needing any special setup, but be aware that the service includes phone, text messaging, and data . If your phone is set to auto-update, you could end up on the hook for a large data charge because it decided to download a 100MB game update or something. Definitely turn off your cellular data, or set it to not use cellular data when roaming.

US phones will work in most international ports if you have turned on international roaming. You might need to arrange with your provider for that feature to be turned on in advance, but most providers have it set up by default. Depending on your provider, roaming may be very expensive (potentially over $2 per minute, and $10 or more per megabyte of data). Check with your provider for special international roaming packages, which may save you money if you plan to use your phone a lot.

Wireless internet service is available on all Disney ships . All internet is over satellite, and you shouldn’t expect speeds or responsiveness similar to what you get on land, though it’s usually good enough to send messages and emails and use Facebook and other social media.

Internet service on Disney ships is paid for by the day, and is theoretically “unlimited .” It’s pretty fast for cruise ship internet, but still slower than most land-based systems. You’re sharing bandwidth with all the other passengers and crew, so right after you leave a port, expect the internet to crawl as everyone starts posting pictures of their excursions to social media. If you have cellular internet service that works in that country (and is reasonably priced), you may want to post your pictures before you leave port via cellular rather than via wi-fi. If your cellular is flaky, get to the top deck and walk over to the side of the ship closest to land. Alternatively, wait until dinner time, when the wi-fi speeds will pick up considerably.

Prices are (so far) pretty reasonable for cruise ship internet, with a basic single-device plan that lets you use Facebook and similar apps (but not email or web) for $16/day (when purchased for the whole cruise), a fancier plan that includes email and web (but no streaming) for $24/day, and a premium plan that includes music streaming for $34/day. Video streaming is not supported on any plan , so no Netflix or Hulu. Plans cost a little more if you only buy a plan for individual days rather than the whole cruise, and there is a small discount for adding additional devices.

Spa: Treatments, Products and Fitness Center

Spa treatments are very popular and fill up early , so book them as early as you can . If you’re not able to get an appointment before you embark, go to the Spa when you get onboard and you’ll probably be able to arrange one in person.

We don’t recommend having any spa treatments done on the first (embarkation) day , because people are touring the Spa all afternoon and evening, making it busy and not very relaxing. It’s a good day to set up your future appointments, but not as good for actually having treatments done.

The changing rooms in the spa have fluffy robes for your use. Sadly, the robes are all “one size fits most” and aren’t big enough for many people. You then can choose a locker that contains a clean pair of spa sandals. The lockers allow you to set your own combination for secure storage of your personal items. We don’t find the sandals they provide very comfortable (again, they’re “one size fits most”), so we just wear a clean pair of sandals or flip-flops to our spa appointment.

You can change into your robe in the open locker room or in one of the toilet cubicles. Once you’re in your robe and sandals, an attendant will escort you to a quiet waiting room, where you can enjoy some water while you wait for your treatment. After your treatment you’ll be escorted back to the locker room, where you can use one of the spacious showers if you wish. Basic toiletries, disposable combs, etc. are provided. On the Dream and Fantasy, there is a dry sauna in the locker room that you can enjoy after your treatment for no additional charge.

If you are considering a Cabana Massage on Castaway Cay, here are a few things to consider first:

The cabanas are rustic. There is no running water in them, so your massage therapist cannot wash her hands during your treatment. There is no air conditioning (there is a ceiling fan) or heat so it can be unpleasantly hot in the summer and uncomfortably cool in the winter.
Your feet and lower legs will almost certainly be covered with sand by the time you get to the cabana, and there’s really no facility for removing it. (There is an outdoor shower near the waiting area, but you’ll then proceed across the sand to the cabana… you’ll get sandy again, trust us.) So the sand inevitably becomes part of the treatment. How you feel about having sandy oil rubbed into your skin is a matter of preference. And remember, the massage oil dissolves any sunscreen you’re wearing, so you’ll need to reapply it afterward, which enters the mix with the sand.
When you envision this experience, you might think you would be relaxing to the sound of the ocean waves. Nope. The cabanas are located right above the lounge chairs along the beach (though visually separated by some plants), so you will hear the chatter of people sitting right below you.
The Cabana Massage is billed as featuring “breathtaking views of Serenity Bay.” Well, that’s true for the massage therapist, but you’ll be lying on a table, and you won’t see the scenery from there.
The Cabana Massage is more expensive than a regular massage in the ship’s spa, yet in many ways you are getting less for your money. If you have a massage on the ship, you’ll have access to showers, a locker room, robes and sandals, etc. With the Cabana Massages, you get none of that.

The Rainforest

The Rainforest is a lovely, relaxing co-ed spa area on each ship.

On the Magic and Wonder , the Rainforest includes three tiled steam rooms (each a different temperature), some open showers with different scented “rain” programs and a few heated loungers.
On the Dream and Fantasy , the Rainforest has a dry sauna, a hot steam room and a hammam (a large, tiled steam room that is less hot than the regular steam room), four scented showers with multiple “rain” programs, numerous heated loungers with views of the sea and two hot tubs on a private deck overlooking the water.
On the Wish , the Rainforest has a dry sauna, hammam, a cryotherapy (cold) room, showers with rain programs, heated loungers, and a nice sun deck ( much larger than the one on the Dream & Fantasy) with two hot tubs and plenty of sun beds. The sun deck is tucked into the nose of the ship, one deck below the promenade, so there’s no ocean view, but you can see the sky and relax in the sun or the shade according to your preference.

You can purchase a day pass or a longer pass for the length of your cruise. A limited number of passes are sold on each sailing. Tip: the Rainforest Room is closed until around 5 on embarkation day, so you won’t typically get a lot of usage on the first day of the cruise. You may find it’s a better deal just to pay day-by-day, or ask if you can buy a shorter pass. The single-day passes for the sea day(s) will go first, followed by the full-cruise passes. A pass for the Castaway Cay day or other port day might be available same day, and could be a good alternative if you’re not interested in that port.

When you want to use the Rainforest, just tell the front desk staff at the spa and they’ll give you a wristband that opens the door to the Rainforest area. They will hold your room key while you are in the Rainforest. You then proceed to the locker room, where you can choose a locker and get a robe and sandals, if desired. A swimsuit must be worn since the Rainforest is mixed-gender.

Towels and drinking water are provided.

The spas on the Disney ships are operated by Steiner, a huge British spa company that runs spas for cruise lines and resorts. The staff do a great job performing the spa treatments, but Steiner trains them to offer product upsells at every reasonable opportunity. The result is that they almost always give cruise passengers a sales pitch on spa products. The products themselves are fine, but they are expensive and getting a sales pitch after your relaxing treatment can be annoying.

You’ll be given a “health form” before your treatment, asking about various health issues. Any issues you write on that form are used to help them sell you stuff (“Oh, I see you have very dry skin. You should try this cream.”). For that reason, unless you have an allergy or injury that directly affects your treatment , we recommend leaving the form as blank as possible .

Some people have tried writing “no sales pitch” on the form, but that is frequently ignored. Here are some other approaches we’ve used with success:

A polite and friendly “no thank you” when they start showing the products or going through their list of recommendations is our first line of defense. That’s often the end of it! But if they start offering a second sales pitch, we make a concerned/confused face, pause for a moment, and say, again politely, “I’m really not interested, thanks.” The subtext you want to get across is that by not paying attention to your clear and polite “no,” they’re running the risk of affecting your overall satisfaction, with all that implies about things like tips and guest comment cards. You don’t need to make this explicit; the concerned face and second “no” usually does the trick.
If they start the sales pitch while we are getting a relaxation treatment such as a massage or wrap, we usually just stay silent. We keep our eyes closed and don’t respond to questions. Usually they quit talking, because it becomes quite awkward for them. But if they persist, we say politely, “Sorry, I’m trying to relax, and silence really helps me with that. Thanks!”
If we are getting a haircut or pedicure, it’s harder to ignore the sales pitch. So instead we act very enthusiastic about every product they are pushing. Usually they’ll use one or more of the products on us during the service. If they offer samples we take them, with sincere thanks. When we go to check out, there is always a big stack of “suggested” products at the front desk. When they ask us what we’ll be buying, we say “oh, I want to see how the stuff I tried today works out, so I’m not buying anything right now.”
Remember that no matter what happens, you can always change your mind about the add-on products when you check out. Until you sign the purchase slip, you haven’t purchased anything. Just say, “after thinking it over, I don’t need any products right now. Could you take these off the bill? Thanks.”

Fitness Center

A well-equipped Fitness Center can be accessed through the Spa on all of the ships. It’s usually open from early morning to fairly late – check the Navigator for specific hours. There is no charge to use the Fitness Center. The locker rooms, sauna and showers for the Fitness Center are shared with the Spa. Towels, robes and water are provided, and you can borrow an iPod shuffle if you don’t have your own iPod with you.

You never are expected to add any extra tip over and above the automatic gratuity amounts, which are listed below . You may , if you wish, add more, and you can even adjust certain tips down if you feel it’s warranted. Many people add extra gratuities purely because the service staff on a Disney cruise are extremely helpful and work very hard, but again, no one should ever make you feel like you are required to tip more.

Disney provides suggested tip amounts for the crew members who will assist you throughout the week: your server (takes your food orders for each dinner), assistant server (takes your drink orders at each dinner and delivers the food), head server (in charge of the overall dinner experience, special dietary requests and special occasions), and stateroom host/hostess (takes care of your room). As on all cruise lines, tips are the primary source of income for people working in these positions.

The suggested gratuities for your servers and stateroom host are automatically added to your stateroom bill. If you want to adjust the amount, you can go to Guest Services. Toward the end of the cruise you will be provided with slips indicating the tip amounts, which you can present to your servers during your last dinner on the cruise and leave in your room for your stateroom host. (They will get the money in their accounts whether you give them the slips or not, it’s purely a symbolic way of thanking them for their service. Don’t feel you need to do it if you don’t enjoy that kind of interaction.)

If you are staying in a concierge room, a separate form is provided to add tip for the concierge staff, with a suggested “average” tip amount. You can use your discretion to adjust it up or down based on how much help they provided your family.

If you dine at Palo, Remy or Enchanté, many people add an additional tip to the per-person charge, though the basic charge is considered by Disney to cover the gratuity.

An automatic gratuity is added to all beverages ordered in bars and lounges; soft drinks, alcoholic beverages and bottled water from room service; and alcoholic beverages/smoothies/bottled water ordered in the dining room. There will also be a line where you can add an additional tip at your discretion.

You can add room service tips to your room bill. Even if your order costs nothing, you’ll be asked to sign a slip, and there is a space for tips on that slip. A dollar or two per item ordered is pretty common, but entirely optional.

You are allowed to give tips to crew members in cash, if you like, and they’re happy to take it in any major currency. If you have a meaningful amount of foreign currency (more than a few dollars worth) after your cruise that you’re unlikely to use anytime in the near future, feel free to leave it for your room host in addition to the automatic gratuity; they’ll be happy to get it.

As the skippers say on the world-famous Jungle Cruise, “You all have been outstanding on this cruise, but now I need you out standing on the dock!” Sadly, your cruise will eventually have to end, and Disney needs to get a few thousand people and their bags off the ship in the space of about 3 hours, so “efficiency” is the word of the day.

A few days before the end of your cruise you should be reminded to check the disembarkation instructions in the Navigator app , and you might get a paper form listing your specific disembarkation instructions. Disembarkation can feel very complicated and rushed, but it’s not that bad once you know how it works.

The first important decision is whether you want Disney to take your big luggage off the ship for you. If you have a lot of bags, or they’re unwieldy, you probably are going to want to have the bags moved for you, but if you can handle your own bags in one trip, that makes things immensely less complicated. These days we always choose to handle our own bags, but there are times we wonder whether it’d be easier to have Disney do it, usually when we’re wrestling our big roller bags down the gangplank. It’s worth trying it both ways if you go on multiple cruises, because you never can tell which one will feel easiest for you.

Whether or not you handle your own bags, you’re supposed to be completely out of your room on the final morning by 8:00 am so they can start cleaning and resetting it for the next guests (sometimes this time can change depending on the disembarkation port – check the sheet they give you or the app to make sure). This can make things logistically complicated, since if you want to do a table-service breakfast, it will be on a fixed schedule based on whether you are on the early or late dinner seating. The first breakfast seating starts early enough to get done before 8:00 am, but the later one does not. So if you plan to do table-service breakfast and you’re on late seating, you will have to take your luggage with you. Most people on late seating line up their bags in the hallway leading to the dining room. Don’t worry, no one will take your bags; your fellow guests are all far too tired. You can take smaller bags into the dining room and park them next to the table as long as they aren’t in the servers’ way. If you are planning an early breakfast in the buffet or you’re having sit-down breakfast on the earlier seating, you can just leave your bags in your room and then come back and retrieve them by 8:00 am.

Option 1: Disney Handles Your Bags

If you decide to have Disney haul your big bags to the terminal, then you’ll need to put most of your bags out the night before (typically by 10:30 pm – check the app to make sure). You need to hang on to at least one or two small bags to hold the stuff you can’t pack early, like toiletries and your pajamas. Make sure not to pack the clothes you’ll need to wear the next morning! You’ll get a set of luggage tags to put on the bags you’re putting out, and there will be a guide showing roughly when each group of bags will be ready to pick up in the terminal. For example, if you have bag tag “Donald Duck”, the sheet might say that your bags will be ready between 8:30-8:45 am. If you need to leave early to catch an flight or something, make sure you’ve got the earliest time they can give you. You can go to Guest Services to change your bag group if needed. On disembarkation morning, they will make periodic announcements about every 15 minutes, as each set of bags gets delivered to the terminal. They ask that you not leave the ship until your bag group gets called.

If you’re out of the room, but they still haven’t called your bag group, you’ll need to find somewhere to wait . In our experience, the lounges in the adult area of the ship are the most likely to have empty seats available, especially the main adult show lounge on the Magic, Wonder, Dream & Fantasy (Fathoms/Azure/Evolution/The Tube). Those are on deck 3, so you can just walk to the atrium when your group is called. On the Wish, there are fewer options on deck 3, so you may end up needing to go to another deck or sit on the floor. On the other hand, if you’re still in the dining room when they call your bag group, there’s not really any harm in waiting until you finish breakfast to disembark, assuming you don’t have transportation waiting for you. Typically they want everyone off by 9:30 am or so, so that’s your hard deadline.

When you get into the terminal, if you’re in a hurry, it’s not a bad idea to ask for a porter’s help. They’re usually lined up in the luggage area with carts, and they know the terminal well and will know if there’s any shortcuts or faster ways to get you into a cab or shuttle. They work for tips, and a typical tip is $1-2 per bag; more if they go above and beyond.

If you booked Disney’s transfers to Walt Disney World or the airport, then the timing is much more fixed. They will assign you a time to get off, and you really need to get off at that time so they can get you on the right bus. Arrange your breakfast plans accordingly.

Option 2: You Handle Your Own Bags

If you’re handling your own bags, there’s not really much you have to do the night before to prepare . Get mostly packed up the night before. Finish packing on the morning of disembarkation, get breakfast if you like, and then just leave the ship. You can leave any time after the ship is cleared, which will be 15-30 minutes after the ship is docked. They won’t necessarily announce to the whole ship that disembarkation has begun, because it’ll happen as early as 6-6:30 in the morning and they don’t want to wake everyone up with an announcement. If you can see that the ship is docked, just head down to deck 3 and wait for them to start letting folks off.

Skip the talks, except for the nature talks on the Alaska cruises, which can be excellent. The shopping talk is just a “rah-rah” for certain shops that are paying a marketing fee, and you might get a few coupons for free (junky) souvenirs. Both the shopping and disembarkation talks are replayed on the television repeatedly. Don’t waste your vacation time attending these lectures in person.

Read additional tips specific to the Disney Dream (which will also apply to the Fantasy) .

So what’s it really like to take a Disney cruise? Here are a few different perspectives on the experience:

A look at what’s new and different on the Disney Wish , from a preview sailing in July 2022.
A comparison of taking three cruises on three different ships in a six-month span between March and August 2014. It was rough, but somebody had to do it.
Taking a cruise on the Disney Fantasy with a baby and a 3 ½-year-old , May 2012.
First-hand report on the Disney Fantasy from March 2012: what’s new and different? See photos and learn more!
First impressions of the Disney Dream , from a preview sailing in January 2011.
In summer 2007, friends of MouseSavers.com Ann and Danilo V wrote a travel blog about taking their 5 children to Europe for the summer. At the end of their trip they took a Disney Mediterranean cruise (10 nights roundtrip from Barcelona) in a Category 3 and a Category 4 stateroom. Then they did the 14-night Transatlantic cruise on the Disney Magic in the Walt Disney Suite!

Disney Cruise Change Dining Time – What You Need to Know

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One of the most common questions that I hear is what do I do when I want to change my Disney Cruise Dining Time?

When you book your Disney cruise you may be able to choose your dining time.

I say may be able because whilst the booking process may give the ability to choose – it doesn’t give that option all the time.

Discover everything you need to know about Disney Cruise Line dinner seating times and how to maximize your chances of getting the dining time that you want.

Disney Cruise Dinner Time Explained

There are two Disney cruise dining times.

Main Seating and Second Seating.

The actual time really depends upon your Disney Cruise sailing.

For instance, the Disney Cruise Alaska sailings usually have earlier dining times than the ones in the Caribbean.

However, your early Main dining time will be sometime between 5.45 pm and 6.15 pm.

The Second Dining time will be between 8.00 pm and 8.15 pm.

Which Disney Cruise Dining Time Should I Pick?

The issue of which dining time you get on with a Disney cruise is one of the most hotly debated topics.

Some love early dining – others would definitely only ever go for late dining.

The one thing that I can easily say is that early dining is a lot more popular than late dining .

The reason for this is probably the demographics of a Disney cruise.

Disney cruise lines is a very much family-orientated cruise. They appeal to families, particularly those with small children.

So who with a small child would volunteer to eat at 8.15 pm? Probably a grand total of no one.

When I had toddlers and young children a meal after 8 pm was my idea of my worst nightmare.

One service which Disney cruise lines do have for parents with young kids on Second Dining is that they will pick up your children from the dining room and take them to the kids club.

Your Servers will make sure that the kids are fed first. Then you can enjoy your dining at a more leisurely pace whilst the kids are happy in the club.

Note that this service has not been available since sailing resumed – so it may not be available on your sailing.

However, now I actually prefer late dining.

I would rather go to an early show, or enjoy some quiet time at the adult pool.

Activities such as the AquaDuck are also at their quietest during Main Dining times.

Also it just seems a bit rushed sometimes to get ready for dinner at 5.45 pm.

Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Food on a Disney Cruise

This is particularly so when you have been out for the day on an excursion. So there are advantages to the second seating time.

Therefore, if you don’t have young children, do think about whether the Second Dining time on your Disney cruise might be a good choice for you.

How Do You Reserve Your Disney Cruise Dining Time?

When you book your Disney cruise you will be asked which time you prefer.

Sometimes the Main Dining time will not be an option anymore.

The later you book the more likely you will not have the choice of Main Dining when you make your reservation.

Note also that the booking process defaults to second dining time. If you do not look carefully you may miss this step and not even see that there is an option for early dining.

How Do You Change Your Disney Cruise Dining Time?

If you know you want Main or Second Dining and it is no longer available the first thing you should do is call Disney cruise lines and ask to be put on the waitlist.

If you have a travel agent they should do this for you.

Sometimes, if you are on the waitlist, you are notified before your sailing date, that you have been allocated your desired change of dining time.

However, quite often this doesn’t happen before you sail.

If you get to the time of boarding the ship and you still have a dining time which is not your preferred one, don’t give up hope!

As soon as you check-in at the cruise port you can access your Cruise Navigator on your Disney Cruise Navigator App.

This will show you where the dining team will be on board the ship who will be dealing with requests for dining changes and reservations for Palo and Remy.

If you cannot see this on the App then ask a Cast Member the location of the dining team as soon as you board the ship.

Go immediately to the place where the dining team will be waiting to help you.

They will do everything they can to help you make the change. Sometimes that isn’t possible, but you can be assured they will do everything they can.

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Alison Meacham is the founder of EverythingMouse Disney Blog. For over 15 years she has shared her love of Disney Parks, Disney Cruises and Universal Orlando. In over 30 years of Disney Travel she has spent countless months in Disney Parks and has sailed on over 45 cruises. A British native and now a United States resident she splits her time between California, Florida and the UK. And spends a serious amount of time sailing the seven seas. She helps over 200,000 people per month follow their Disney travel dreams.

Rotational Dining on a Disney Cruise: What You Should Know

Are you curious about how Disney Cruise rotational dining works? Even if you are an avid cruiser with other cruise lines, the rotational dining method that Disney Cruise Line ships use may seem confusing at first.

My family and I really enjoy the way Disney Cruise Line allows you to rotate between main dining rooms throughout your cruise. This way, you get to experience all the themed restaurants on the cruise ship. Each dining space is wonderfully unique, and it is fun to spend time in each of the different restaurants.

If you’re wondering about how the Disney Cruise rotational dining system works, we’ve got you covered! In this post, I will explain what you need to know about rotational dining, and I will provide some dining tips and hacks to aid in your planning process!

When do you find out your dining rotation?

Disney Cruise Line used to print guests’ dining rotations on the Key to the World Card . Once you received this card during check in at the cruise terminal, you could determine what your dining rotation was.

However, DCL has changed the way they are doing this. At the time of this writing, guests can find out their dining rotation on embarkation day . Once you are inside the cruise terminal or onboard the ship, just login to the Disney Cruise Line Navigator App. Your dining rotation will be listed along with the menu for each restaurant.

How does the Disney cruise dining rotation work?

Each Disney cruise ship has three main dining rooms. You rotate between these dining rooms throughout the duration of your cruise. The main dining restaurants on the Disney ships are as follows:

Disney Dream – Animator’s Palate, Enchanted Garden, Royal Palace
Disney Fantasy – Animator’s Palate, Enchanted Garden, Royal Court
Disney Magic – Animator’s Palate, Rapunzel’s Royal Table, Lumiere’s
Disney Wonder – Animator’s Palate, Tiana’s Place, Triton’s
Disney Wish – 1923, Arendelle: A Frozen Dining Adventure, Worlds of Marvel

So, if you sail on a 3 night itinerary, you would visit each dining room once. If you sail on a longer itinerary, you will visit one or more restaurants multiple times, depending on the length of your cruise.

Pictures of Disney Cruise Restaurants with text overlay How does Disney Cruise Rotational Dining work

That being said, even though you may eat in the same dining room, the experience is completely different. For example, my family and I ate in Animator’s Palate on the Disney Magic during nights 2 AND 3 of a 5 night Disney cruise from Miami . During night 2, we had the regular dining menu for Animator’s Palate, and we experienced the special Sorcerer Mickey show.

We were also assigned to Animator’s Palate on night 3, but this was Pirate Night. Therefore, we had a special Pirate Night menu, and the servers provided entertainment to go along with this theme. So, even if you visit the same restaurant multiple times, you’ll get to enjoy a unique experience with a different menu at each visit.

Main Dining Room Servers

During dinner on your first night, you will meet your wait staff, which includes your server, assistant server, and head server. These three individuals will rotate dining rooms with you throughout the cruise. In addition, if your family has been seated with other travelers, they will also move with you and your servers through the same dining rotation during your trip.

This means that even though you may be dining in a new location each night, your serving team will remain the same. The assistant server is typically the first to arrive at your table each evening, and he/she will take your drink order. The server is the one who takes your food order, and the head server is kind of like the manager. He/she walks around making sure everything is running smoothly.

Disney Cruise Dining Times

Before I get into the details about your dining time, I want to start from the beginning with the Disney cruise booking process . When you initially book your cruise with DCL, you will be prompted to choose between Main Seating and Second Seating.

Main Dining Time

Depending on the ship and itinerary you choose, Main Seating should take place at around 5:45 PM. Since the Broadway style shows on the ship tend to start at around 6:15 and 8:30, those who dine at the early time would go to the later show.

↓↓ Visit My Etsy Shop ↓↓

I’m going to give you a heads up that the Main Seating time fills up fast and is often “sold out” unless you book your cruise far in advance. But, if you continue reading below, I will give you some tips for getting into the Main Seating time.

Late Dining Time

The Second Seating dining time usually begins at around 8:15 PM. Now, if you are cruising with a toddler or small kids, you may be thinking there is no way your family can eat at 8:15 at night. I totally agree with you! So, I’m going to explain a few ways to make this late dining time work for you.

First, consider the time zone in which you will be sailing. The Disney cruise itineraries that visit the Bahamas and Caribbean typically follow Eastern Time. Therefore, if you live in the Central Time Zone, 8:15 PM is really only 7:15 for you.

If you think your family can handle this second seating time, I’ve actually heard that people prefer it. The dinners are a lot less rushed and much more quiet. Also, if you eat during Second Seating, you get to attend the earlier live show in the theater. The theater during this show time can often be much less crowded as well.

Changing Rotational Dining Times

If the time zone trick still doesn’t make the Second Seating assignment work for you, these are the steps you can take to change your Disney Cruise dining time:

Get on the Waitlist

After you finish booking your cruise, call Disney Cruise Line and ask to be placed on the waitlist for Main Seating. They will tell you that this is not guaranteed. Also, they do not (in our experience) send an email confirmation about your request.

Because I am a planning/control freak, I always call DCL again a few weeks later just to clarify that I’m actually on this waitlist. Once you have done this, Disney will sometimes (eventually) move you to Main Seating before you sail. Again, they won’t email you to let you know. Instead, we have always found out by just logging into our online account, and seeing that one day it magically says Main Seating.

Check the App Often

This brings me to my next solution. Because I’m a crazy planner, I tend to check my account on the Disney Cruise Navigator App daily. On my most recent cruise with DCL, Main Seating randomly became available on the app about 30 days before we were scheduled to set sail.

Main Dining Room with lanterns hanging from ceiling

I just happened to log in one morning and see this option. So, make sure you check your account on the app regularly so you don’t miss Main Seating if it opens. I don’t think it was available for very long.

Make Changes Onboard

If you have done all of these things and they did not work, you can go to the dining changes meeting after you board the ship. When you check in on embarkation day, you will receive a Personal Navigator explaining the cruise schedule for this first day.

This Personal Navigator will list a meeting time and location for those who need to make dining changes. You just show up to the location during the time listed and wait in line until it’s your turn. Once you are able to speak to the crew member in charge, he/she may be able to add you to the Main Seating time right then.

Disney Cruise Dining Tips

If you’re a first time cruiser, these are some of my top Disney Cruise Line dining tips:

Request a High Chair/Booster Seat

If you are traveling with a baby or toddler, you can request a high chair or booster seat in your account on the Navigator App.

Food Allergy

You can make a note of certain food allergies and preferences (like vegetarian) directly on the app. I will note here that my husband has a gluten intolerance and was able to tell the dining servers once we were onboard the ship. They easily accommodated his allergy, even on Castaway Cay.

Kid’s Menu Requests

The kid’s menu rotates kid-friendly favorites like chicken fingers, hamburgers, pasta, macaroni & cheese, etc. Your kids are welcome to order off of the adult menu as well. And your servers can take care of simple menu changes for you. For example, both of my girls asked for broccoli as their side item each night even if it wasn’t listed.

Ask Your Servers

If you’re not sure what to order, just ask your serving team! They always give great recommendations since they know the menus so well!

Seating Arrangements

If you are concerned about the seating arrangements and eating with strangers, call DCL before your cruise to request a private dining table. **Note that Disney Cruise Line now allows guests to request a private table in the DCL Navigator App prior to sailing.

Dinner Attire

You will see all kinds of outfits in the dining rooms onboard, so you really can’t go wrong no matter how fancy or casual (within reason) you want to dress. Just make sure to take a cardigan or jacket with you if you tend to get cold because the dining rooms can be quite chilly. You can find the official dress code for the dining venues on the Disney Cruise ships here .

Dining Rotation Request

Some Disney Cruise Line guests prefer specific dining rotations during their trip. This could be due to many factors, including a desire to be seated in one of the “fancier” dining rooms on formal night. In other words, some families prefer to eat at Enchanted Garden or Royal Court rather than at Animator’s Palate when in formal wear.

cruise ship and restaurants with text overlay Disney Cruise Rotational Dining Hacks

Additionally, sometimes cruisers have a favorite dining room that they don’t want to miss during the trip. If those guests booked Palo or another activity that conflicted with their main dining time, they may want to request a rotation that allows them to still visit their favorite restaurant on another night.

Although my family and I have never requested a specific Disney cruise dining rotation, it is something that others consider. If this is important to you, just call DCL to make a note of your request. Similar to other requests, it is not guaranteed. However, they will try to work with you.

Final Thoughts on Disney Cruise Dining Rotations

Overall, I really enjoy the concept of rotational dining. It’s nice to visit multiple dining rooms on your cruise, especially since Disney is so great at theming these spaces. My family and I also really love the dinner entertainment that is provided at certain venues.

The live music and dancing help keep the kids (and sometimes toddlers) entertained throughout the meal. Whether you are planning your first Disney cruise or you’ve enjoyed Disney’s rotational dining experience on other ships, we hope you enjoy all the themed dining venues onboard!

I hope this helped explain how Disney cruise rotational dining works! Comment below to let me know how you feel about rotating restaurants!

Shari is an experienced planner and organizer for Disney vacations, cruising, and U.S. travel. Her family vacation information, reviews, and tips provide insight for moms and dads everywhere. You can read more about her story, including her journey through breast cancer, in the about me page.

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Disney Cruise Line Gratuities (What to Know about Tipping)

Are the rotational dinners including?

Yes, the rotational dinners are included in your initial cruise fare. Hope you have a great trip!

Halloween at Disney

Disney Experiences Celebrates Halfway to Halloween

Disney Experiences Celebrates a Wickedly Wonderful Halfway to Halloween

by Kaitlin Bailey , Global Public Relations Manager, Disney Experiences

Happy #HalfwaytoHalloween! Disney Experiences is once again celebrating the halfway point to the Halloween season with some mischievous news and announcements that will brighten even those who are rotten to the core. With wickedly fun entertainment updates, frighteningly fabulous Halloween merchandise, and scarily stunning wallpapers, we’re compiling some dastardly delightful ways to celebrate Halfway to Halloween. Gaze into the magic mirror and read on to see what tricks we’ve got up our sleeves for the Halloween season and beyond across Disney Experiences!

Walt Disney World

Cinderella Castle during Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party

Experience favorite entertainment, new offerings, and trick-or-treating during the highly anticipated return of Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at Magic Kingdom Park in Walt Disney World Resort! Get ready to strike a pose with Mickey and Minnie in their new costumes during the party, meet Bruno alongside Mirabel in the Fantasy Garden, and even show off your best villain dance moves in the new DescenDANCE Party inspired by the upcoming Disney+ movie, “Descendants: The Rise of Red,” during this year’s separately ticketed event, which will kick off on Aug. 9 and will take place on select nights through Oct. 31.

Don’t miss out on all the spooktacular fun and be sure to secure your spot. Event tickets go on sale for guests of select Walt Disney World Resort hotels, Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotels, and Shades of Green starting May 8. Tickets will be available to all guests starting May 15.

Disneyland Resort

With more nights than ever before, Oogie Boogie Bash – A Disney Halloween Party will return to Disney California Adventure park for the 2024 Halloween season, with plenty of villains lurking at every corner! For a frightfully fun time at this separately ticketed, after-hours event, guests of all ages are invited to wear their favorite Halloween costumes* and enjoy an evening of immersive treat trails, unique character sightings, special entertainment, themed merchandise, food and beverages available only during Oogie Boogie Bash nights, and so much more!

Admission to the after-hours event also includes entrance to Disney California Adventure park three hours before the party begins and unlimited Disney PhotoPass digital photo downloads from the party. Make sure to mark your calendars because Oogie Boogie Bash will be returning on 27 select enchanting nights from: Sunday, Aug. 25; Tuesday, Aug. 27; Thursday, Aug. 29; Tuesday, Sept. 3; Tuesday, Sept. 10; Thursday, Sept. 12; Sunday, Sept. 15; Tuesday, Sept. 17; Thursday, Sept. 19; Sunday, Sept. 22; Tuesday, Sept. 24; Thursday, Sept. 26; Sunday, Sept. 29; Tuesday, Oct. 1; Thursday, Oct. 3; Sunday, Oct. 6; Tuesday, Oct. 8; Thursday, Oct. 10; Sunday, Oct. 13; Tuesday, Oct. 15; Thursday, Oct. 17; Sunday, Oct. 20; Tuesday, Oct. 22; Thursday, Oct. 24; Sunday, Oct. 27; Tuesday, Oct. 29; and Thursday, Oct. 31 — Halloween night!

Be sure to check out the Bone Chillin’ Halloween Merchandise Preview for an early look at some of the merchandise you’ll be able to find at Oogie Boogie Bash – A Disney Halloween Party, and stay tuned to Disney Parks Blog in the coming weeks for even more details for this year’s Oogie Boogie Bash, including when tickets will go on sale!

Halloween on the High Seas

Halloween on the High Seas sets sail again for Disney Cruise Line in 2024! This year, Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, and Donald Duck don new costumes for the celebration! Mickey and Minnie are both dapper and spooky in their batty ensembles, and never to be outdone, Donald has put together a gentleman spider costume sure to impress (His spidery legs are ready to boogie!). Check out the crew in their newest ensembles, have a scarily good time at Mickey’s Mouse-querade, trick or treat, and nibble on frightening eats and drinks on Halloween on the High Seas sailings setting sail on select dates in September and October.

Disney Treasure

In addition, to really celebrate #HalfwaytoHalloween, we’re revealing new spooky décor details coming to the Haunted Mansion Parlor on the Disney Treasure, which sets sail this December. From a ghost fish aquarium to an eerie portrait gallery, there will be so much to explore in this first-of-its-kind bar. When the ship launches later this year, you’ll be invited to experience the next chapter of the Haunted Mansion saga for yourself!

A “Shriek Peek” at New and Returning Merchandise

Mickey Mouse Halloween pumpkin patch button up and tie dye Mickey Mouse vampire tee

Happy haunts will materialize this Halloween season while shopping at Disney Parks and on DisneyStore.com. Between the return of the popular Mickey Mouse pumpkin home décor, frightfully fun clothes featuring Mickey Mouse and Friends, and a hauntingly new collection inspired by the Haunted Mansion, there’s tricks and treats aplenty and even more surprises coming later this season! Read our shriek peek to find even more fun coming this Halloween.

Hong Kong Disneyland

It’s time for frights and thrills at Hong Kong Disneyland Resort. From Sept. 12 to Oct. 31, come experience Halloween where favorites such as House of De Vil-lains, award-winning show “Let’s Get Wicked” and Nightmare Before Dinner experience, complete with character greetings and an atmosphere show, will return.

Disneyland Paris

Your upcoming visit to Disneyland Paris just got a little ghastly. You heard it here first — Disney Halloween Festival will be Oct. 1 to Nov. 3! Relish in this spellbinding atmosphere with the return of fan-favorite show Mickey’s Halloween Celebration, meet your favorite Disney Villains, experience the iconic Phantom Manor, and so much more!

Tokyo Disney Resort

You’re invited to Disney Halloween at Tokyo Disney Resort! Enjoy brand new theming at Tokyo Disneyland, new entertainment and more from Oct. 1 to Nov. 7. Can’t wait? Catch your favorite Disney Villains year-round at Tokyo Disneyland in the Club Mouse Beat and Mickey’s Magical World shows!

Descendants: The Rise of Red

Halfway to Halloween is the perfect time to start preparing to visit our favorite villains – and heroes – in Auradon once again for the newest installment in the mega-hit “Descendants” franchise. “Descendants: The Rise of Red” follows Red, the daughter of the Queen of Hearts, who is forced to team up with her opposite Chloe, Cinderella’s daughter, when they travel back in time to save Auradon. The Disney Original movie starts streaming July 12 on Disney+, but you can now stream the first single from the movie, “What’s My Name (Red Version).” In this new music video, China Anne McClain reprises her “Descendants 2” anthem as Uma, the daughter of Ursula, alongside Kylie Cantrall who stars as newcomer Red.

The track will be featured on the soundtrack set for release on July 12, the same day “Descendants: The Rise of Red” arrives on Disney+. As you eagerly await the new film, get into the villainous spirit with the greatest hits vinyl album, “Music From Descendants,” featuring hit songs from the first three films, now available for purchase , or cozy up and read “Beyond the Isle of the Lost” by New York Times best-selling author Melissa de la Cruz, a madcap prequel to “Descendants: The Rise of Red.”

Disney Networks

31 Nights of Halloween, playing all October, only on Freeform and Huluween art

It’s almost time. Follow @31nightsofhalloween for updates as they count down the days until 31 Nights of Halloween, playing all October, only on Freeform.

In the meantime, you can celebrate Huluween early by streaming movies the whole family can enjoy. Hulu is your home for Halloween screams all year long, visit https://www.hulu.com/hub/huluween for more.

Disney Movie Insiders

Celebrate Halfway to Halloween with the Disney Movie Insiders Oogie Boogie Sweepstakes! Head to @DisneyMovieInsiders on Instagram by May 12, 2024 to learn how to enter for your chance to win a frighteningly fun prize pack.

Image of Haunted Mansion-inspired running shirt, perfect inspiration for the Disneyland Halloween 10K

Welcome, foolish runners. It’s time to gear up for run Disney haunts to make their way to The Happiest Place on Earth for a grim grinning good time during the sold-out 2024 Disneyland Halloween Half Marathon Weekend , with race training officially beginning this week. As you kindly step out for your miles, prepare to appear in your corruptible, mortal state with this Haunted Mansion-inspired running shirt, perfect inspiration for the Disneyland Halloween 10K. Visit here to make your own shirt as well as to download official run Disney training programs to prepare for the all-new race weekend this September.

Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings & Honeymoons

In time for Halfway to Halloween, four new Disney wedding dresses inspired by some of your favorite Villains including Ursula, Jafar, the Evil Queen, and Maleficent launched earlier this year. Whether you’re planning your big day or just love ghostly wedding inspiration, check out five Villainous Ways to Inspire your Disney Wedding Week Experience from our experts at Disney Fairy Tale Weddings & Honeymoons .

Disney Eats

Get in the spooky spirit this week with sweet treats from Gideon’s Bakehouse in Disney Springs and Kayla’s Cake in Downtown Disney District, including the following offerings.

Kayla’s Cake in Downtown Disney District - Halfway to Halloween 2024

Kayla’s Cake (Available May 6-9, or while supplies last):

Skull Macarons: Macarons with vanilla confetti buttercream and a printed black skull haunt the bakery in time for Halfway to Halloween!

Gideon’s Bakehouse in Disney Springs - Halfway to Halloween 2024

Gideon’s Bakehouse (Available May 6-8, or while supplies last):

Mephistophelittle’s Hand Pie : Is this the biggest dessert ever to come from Gideon’s? Enjoy this flaky pastry completely packed with chocolate chip cookie dough and lined with dulce de leche! (Limit two per person)
The Frankenstein Cookie: Just for Halfway to Halloween, this October favorite is brought back to life! Made from pieces of all the candies you want in your treat bag, you’ll find M&M’S, crushed Cookies ‘n Cream, and chocolate chips in every bite! (Limit two per person)
Gideon’s Trading Card Series 3: Be on the lookout for free trading cards hidden at the bottom of every medium and large cookie box! Only for Halfway to Halloween, you can get a free Barnabas Mephistophelittle Promo Card with your purchase!
Barnabas Mephistophelittle Merchandise: Don’t miss brand new merchandise featuring Gideon’s Halfway to Halloween Ambassador, Barnabas Mephistophelittle, including a collector’s pin and 24oz cold brew tumbler!

Follow along on the Disney Parks Blog for all things Halfway to Halloween and share on social how you’re celebrating halfway to the spooky season by tagging @DisneyParks and using #HalfwaytoHalloween.

*The number of tickets available for each event date are limited. Costumes are subject to Disney special event costume guidelines at https://disneyland.disney.go.com/faq/parks/dress/ . Only select attractions, experiences, offerings, and services will be available during the event. Disney Genie+ Service is not available during the event. Offer, event, and event elements may be modified and limited in availability, and are subject to restrictions and change or cancellation without notice or liability.

Topics: Halloween at Disney

I am SO sad Oogie will not be offered the weekend of the runDisney race – I was really looking forward to attending while we were in town alas no Thursday OR Sunday party that week 😢

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Booking & Reservations – Frequently Asked Questions

What activities can I book before my cruise, when can they be booked and how can I get pricing information?

After completing full payment for your cruise and your booking window opens, you can make reservations for activities and view their pricing online. Please note that some activities will fill up quickly and most require an additional fee:

Your advance booking window is determined by your Castaway Club membership level, as follows:

*Concierge Guests can book onboard activities up to 130 days prior to sail date by contacting the Shoreside Concierge Associate team. Online booking for Concierge Guests is available 123 days prior to sail date.

Online Reservations

Log in to My Reservations .
Go to the “My Plans” tab.
Select the day you’d like to reserve an activity on your day-by-day itinerary.
Select "Add Activities" and choose from the options provided.
Once you’ve selected all your activities for that day, review your choices and add them to the cart.
Repeat the same steps to add other activities on other days.
If you’d like to change a reservation already in your cart, simply follow the above steps to access it.

Onboard Reservations

You can also make reservations on board your ship on the day of your departure for all activities, subject to availability. For more information, please stop by Guest Services.

Onboard Activities and Cancellation Policies

Onboard activities vary by ship. To view availability, please visit the Onboard Activities list.

Adult-Exclusive Dining

To avoid a cancellation fee, reservations must be cancelled at least 24 hours prior to the scheduled reservation time. Please note that Guests who do not honor their reservation will incur 100% of the per-person prix-fixe cost, which will be applied to their folio. Adult-exclusive restaurants include:

Enchanté by Chef Arnaud Lallement
Palo Steakhouse
“it’s a small world” nursery! : Reservations must be cancelled at least 4 hours in advance to avoid cancellation charges. Please note that Guests who cancel fewer than 4 hours before their reservation time will forfeit 50% of the cost of care, while Guests who fail to arrive for a reservation without cancelling will be charged the full cost of the time reserved.

Onboard Fun

Beverage Tasting Seminars : Reservations must be cancelled at least 24 hours prior to the reserved experience to avoid cancellation charges. Please note that Guests will be charged the full price if cancellation falls within 24 hours before the event start time.
Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique/Pirates League : Reservations must be cancelled at least 24 hours prior to the appointment time. Please note that Guests who fail to arrive for a reservation or notify of a cancellation before 24 hours prior to the appointment time will be charged a fee.
Character Greetings : Online availability opens for all Guests 30 days prior to sail date. By request, Concierge Guests can book Character Greetings prior to the 30-day window. No cancellation fees apply, but as a courtesy to others, please cancel or reschedule any session if your plans change.
Goofy's Sports Deck : Guests will be charged 50% of their simulator booking fee if they cancel on the day of their session. No charges apply for cancellations made prior to the day of the scheduled session. No-shows will be treated as a cancelled session and will incur a 50% cancellation fee.
Olaf’s Royal Picnic : Please note that Guests must cancel their dining reservation at Olaf's Royal Picnic at least 3 days prior to the reservation; otherwise, the reservation will be considered confirmed. Guests who fail to honor their reservation will be charged the full per-person cost.
Royal Court Royal Tea : Please note that Guests must cancel their reservation at Royal Court Royal Tea at least 3 days prior to the reservation; otherwise, the reservation will be considered confirmed. Guests who fail to honor their reservation will be charged the full per-person cost.

Photography

Professional Photography : You have the option to cancel any pre-cruise orders you made online up to 3 days before your cruise departure, or while on board before the end of your cruise. However, this cancellation policy only applies if you have not downloaded any digital photos while on board. Please note that any digital photos you purchase for download through a photo kiosk or Disney Cruise Line photos website cannot be cancelled, modified or returned, and are considered final sale items that were nonrefundable.
Shutter’s Photography : No cancellation fees apply, but as a courtesy to others, please cancel or reschedule any session if your plans change.

Port Adventures

Port Adventures : Reservations must be cancelled at least 3 days prior to your cruise departure date, otherwise they will be considered final and nonrefundable. Also, please note that some Port Adventures are noncancelable/nonrefundable.

Spa & Fitness

Several options are available on board the ship to keep you relaxed and in shipshape. Please note that appointments made at the Fitness Center, Hook's Barbery, Senses Spa & Salon and Untangled Salon must be cancelled 24 hours in advance to avoid a 50% cancellation charge. Follow the links below to learn more:

Fitness Center
Hook's Barbery
Senses Spa & Salon
Untangled Salon

Did you find this answer helpful?

Disney Cruise How to Change Your Dinner Seating Time

Disney Cruise has two dining times for their rotational dinner service . Early or main dining is around 5:45, and second or late dining is usually around 8:15, depending on your cruise. You can choose your dining time when you book; the default dining is second. If you want early dining, choose it when you book your cruise.

Changing your dining time on a Disney Cruise

If you get put in the wrong dining time, you can change the time under your reservations on the Disney Cruise Line website or the DCL app. You will find Dining under your reservation on the website. On the website, you can choose to change seating, and you will see the available seatings.

Changing Your Reservation on the Website

If the dinner seating time you want is at capacity, you can join the waitlist for your desired time. You used to need to call DCL to get added to the wait list or have your travel agent do it, and now you can do it yourself. If you get on the waitlist before your paid-in-full date, PIF, odds are pretty good that you will get switched.

Changing Your Reservation on the App

On the app you will choose View All under Next Steps.

On the DCL app Changing your dining time on a Disney Cruise

Like on the website, you can change your seating time. Click edit, and you will see your choice of available times. Like on the website, you can join the waitlist if your preferred time is unavailable.

Waitlist changing your dining time on a Disney Cruise

You will see the change on your reservation when your request is granted. DCL will not contact you about your change in dinner seating time. If you don’t get your dining change before you embark on your cruise, all hope is not lost. Check the navigator app. They will have information about where you can go to change your seating time. They will do their best to get you your preferred time.

We always choose late dining, which means we don’t have to rush back from the port to make dining and late dining quieter than early. If you prefer to linger over dinner, it is much easier to do so on the later dinner seating.

Make sure you make any special requests you have for dining on the app or the website. You can choose a private table or a quiet space. And if you have any dietary needs, you can make them there.

Check out our how to guide to checking in for your cruise. Did you know the check-in dates are now based on your Castaway Club status ?

This post may contain affiliate links. Meaning, that if you make a purchase through my links, I will earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support of this site.

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IMAGES

Disney Cruise Dining Times Explained
Disney Cruise Dining Times
How to Dress for Dinner on a Disney Cruise (With images)
Seasons Dinner Menu • The Disney Cruise Line Blog
A Day-by-Day Guide to Dining on a Disney Cruise
Disney Cruise Dining Times Explained

COMMENTS

How to Find Live Show Times
For assistance with your Disney Cruise, please call (800) 951-3532. Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 10:00 PM Eastern time; Saturday and Sunday, 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM Eastern time. Guests under 18 years of age must have parent or guardian permission to call. Learn how dinner seatings and live show times are coordinated aboard Disney Cruise Line.
Which Do You Prefer: Main or Second Seating for Dinner on Disney Cruise
Second Dining Time: The Pros. An 8:15 dining time allows for a much more leisurely pace to your afternoon. Your "showtime" at the Walt Disney Theater is going to be before dinner, but it is entirely up to you whether or not you go to the show at all - and we often skip the show if it's one we've seen a few times.. Pro Tip: During the first dining hour (and when the first show is on ...
Disney Cruise Dining Times Explained
Disney Wish 1923 Restaurant. Disney cruise early dining is at 5.45 pm every day. This is by far the most popular dining time choice on all of the Disney ships. There are many families with young children who particularly want early dining time. If you have early dining you will see the show at 8.30.
Frequently Asked Questions: Stage Shows on Disney Cruise Line Ships
But in general there will be two performances of the same show each evening, one at about 5:45 or 6:00 p.m. and one at about 8:15 or 8:30. These times are the inverse of the main dining room seating times. So if you have a 6:00 dinner time, then you'll be able to see the 8:30 stage show, and vice versa.
How to Find Live Show Times
Learn how dinner seatings and live show times are coordinated aboard Disney Cruise Line. Visit Disney.com. Skip Navigation ... Dinner seating times and show schedules are planned so you will have plenty of time to enjoy a leisurely dinner and attend a live show on the same evening. ... For assistance with your Disney Cruise, please call 0800 ...
Pros and Cons of Disney Cruise Line Dinner Seating Times: Early vs
For sailings originating in Europe, seatings are typically at 6:00 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Lamb chops on the Disney Dream. Every sailing offers counter-programming that corresponds to the dinner times - shows in the theater that match the dinner hours. So if you have the 5:45 early dinner, you'll be able to watch the 8:00 stage show, and vice versa.
Disney Cruise Line Main Dining Times & Rotation Dining Explained
First, let me talk about the dining times for dinner. Disney Cruise Line has 2 dining times: Main Seating and Second Seating. Main Seating on a Disney Cruise is at 5:45pm. This is the most popular time, and it gets booked up the fastest as it is most popular for families with small children. The Second Seating on a Disney Cruise is at 8:15pm.
Live Stage Shows • The Disney Cruise Line Blog
List of Past and Present Disney Cruise Line's Broadway-caliber, Disney-themed live shows. ... I need to know the times to schedule dinner on Fantasy cruise 7 night East carib. Reply ↓. Scott Sanders Post author December 21, 2015 at 7:27 am. There are two show times each night opposite Main and Late dinning times. On some sailings there are ...
Disney Cruise Dining Explained
Disney Cruise Line has two dining options: Main or Early Dining and Second or Late Dining. Main Dining is the earlier of the two and usually is around 5:45. Second Dining is usually around 8:15. Depending on your itinerary, the times may differ slightly.
Full Guide to Disney Cruise Line Rotational Dining & Restaurants
Room service is available 24 hours a day on Disney Cruise Line. Breakfast items are available from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. and usually include juices, coffee, tea, muffins, donuts, toast, and cereals. Lunch and dinner are available the rest of the time and the menu usually includes: Custom-made sandwiches.
Dining
What time is dinner served on board a Disney Cruise? Each night with rotational dining, there are 2 seating times for dinner. For European sailings, the Main Seating begins at 6PM, with the Second Seating beginning at 8:30PM. For USA sailings, the Main Seating begins at 5:45PM, with the Second Seating beginning at 8PM.
Food on Disney Cruise Line: A Dining Guide
Quick-Service Dining: Food from quick-service (casual) spots like Flo's V8 Cafe, Duck-In Diner, and Eye Scream is included. Buffet Dining: Meals at buffet-style dining venues like Cabanas are included. Character Breakfasts: These breakfasts are free, but tickets must be obtained in advance.
The Ultimate Guide to Shows on Disney Cruise Line
This post is going to serve as your ultimate guide to shows on DCL. Typically, there are two different showings of each show or musical per day — one that accommodates guests from each of the two dining times. However, for a brand-new, popular musical, there might also be an additional showing earlier in the day.
How Does Dining on Disney Cruise Line Work?
Each evening on a Disney cruise, there are two seatings for dinner, the main or early seating, and the second or late seating. The early seating begins sometime between 5:45 PM and 6:15 PM (exact times vary based on itinerary). The late seating begins between 8:00 PM and 8:30 PM.
My Advice on Disney Cruise Early vs. Late Dining Time
The second dinner slot on the Disney Cruise line typically starts at 8 pm on cruises in the Western Hemisphere and 8:30 pm in Europe. On our first Disney cruises, we were novices and ended up with late seating by accident. We ended up loving the late dinner option for several reasons. In case you wondered, we traveled with 5, 8, and 10-year-olds.
Disney Cruise Advice: Tips & Tricks Onboard the Ship
Disney Cruise Advice & Important Things to Know. "Embarkation" means getting on the ship for the first time during your cruise; "disembarkation" or "debarkation" means getting off the ship at the end of your cruise. "Port" is the left side of the ship as you face forward; "starboard" is the right side as you face forward.
Cruise Dining Times: Early Dinner vs. Late Dinner
A late dinner seating also addresses a common cruiser complaint: On the first day of your cruise if you have to be at dinner around 5 or 6 p.m., you're likely to miss sailaway. Being on your ...
Disney Cruise Change Dining Time
The actual time really depends upon your Disney Cruise sailing. For instance, the Disney Cruise Alaska sailings usually have earlier dining times than the ones in the Caribbean. However, your early Main dining time will be sometime between 5.45 pm and 6.15 pm. The Second Dining time will be between 8.00 pm and 8.15 pm.
Walt Disney Theater
Live Show Performance Times. Live productions are performed twice in the evening to take dining schedules into consideration, so plan accordingly. Read More. SHARE. For assistance with your Disney Cruise, please call (800) 951-3532. Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 10:00 PM Eastern time; Saturday and Sunday, 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM Eastern time.
Rotational Dining on a Disney Cruise: What You Should Know
That being said, even though you may eat in the same dining room, the experience is completely different. For example, my family and I ate in Animator's Palate on the Disney Magic during nights 2 AND 3 of a 5 night Disney cruise from Miami.During night 2, we had the regular dining menu for Animator's Palate, and we experienced the special Sorcerer Mickey show.
Disney Experiences Celebrates a Wickedly Wonderful Halfway to Halloween
Disney Cruise Line; Disney Treasure; Disney Vacation Club; Disneyland Paris; Hong Kong Disneyland Resort ... and even show off your best villain dance moves in the new DescenDANCE Party inspired by the upcoming Disney+ movie, "Descendants: The Rise of Red," during this year's separately ticketed event, which will kick off on Aug. 9 and ...
Activities to Book Before Your Cruise
For assistance with your Disney Cruise, please call (800) 951-3532. Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 10:00 PM Eastern time; Saturday and Sunday, 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM Eastern time. Guests under 18 years of age must have parent or guardian permission to call.
Disney Cruise How to Change Your Dinner Seating Time
Disney Cruise has two dining times for their rotational dinner service. Early or main dining is around 5:45, and second or late dining is usually around 8:15, depending on your cruise. You can choose your dining time when you book; the default dining is second. If you want early dining, choose it when you book your cruise.
Disney Reveals Record $540 Million Theme Park And Hotel Investment
Investment in Disneyland Paris 2013 to 2023. Caroline Reid using Flourish. Last year a further $25.4 million (€23.6 million) was invested by the Disney-owned company which operates the Disney ...

Disney Cruise Line Information

Which Do You Prefer: Main or Second Seating for Dinner on Disney Cruise Line

Dining Times on Disney Cruise Line

Main Dining Time: The Pros

Main Dining Time: The Cons

Second Dining Time: The Pros

Second Dining Time: The Cons

Other considerations

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Melanie Clatfelter

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Frequently Asked Questions

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Food on Disney Cruise Line: A Dining Guide

Cost of Food on Disney Cruises – What’s Included, What’s Not

Not Included:

Types of Dining Experiences on Disney Cruise Line

Rotational Dining on Disney Cruises

Buffet Dining

Specialty Dining

Find the Perfect Disney Cruise and Save with The Vacationeer

Quick Service Dining

Character Dining Experiences

Themed Dining Events

Room Service

Lounges and Bars

Food at Disney Cruise Line Destinations: A Tasting Tour

Castaway Cay

Mediterranean

Other Food Experiences on Disney Cruise Line

Special Diets and Allergies on Disney Cruise Line

List of Dining and Snack Locations on Disney Cruise Ships

Disney Magic: Food on Cruise Ships

Rotational Dining:

Specialty Dining (Adults Exclusive):

Quick Service (Casual):

Character Dining:

Snacks/Dessert:

Room Service:

Disney Wonder: Food on Cruise Ships

Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy: Food on Cruise Ships

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Disney Wish: Food on Cruise Ships

Conclusion: Food on Disney Cruise Line

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