Is it insane to miss your "main" dinner on a DCL cruise?

[Brett Wyman]

We booked out first Disney Cruise ever at a late window of 7 months out. We have young kids and we were only able to get second seating for dinner. There's no way my kids can make it that late for dinner. We are on the waitlist but I assume that will be a slim chance of coming through. With the extreme cost of DCL compared to other cruises is it in insane to miss main dinning? We have theorized skipping it and eating QS, or just one adult dining alone, or cancelling the cruise out right.

 

[apathetic]

Some people skip the main dining, but it's probably not the norm. You could always dine in Cabanas, it's a table service dinner that anyone can go to. Or, you could have your kids eat earlier (Cabanas or quick service) then drop them at the kid's club while adults enjoy the later dinner. Late dining also has the kid's clubs come down to gather up children. Tell the servers and they will have the kids food ready pretty quick so they can go back to having fun. There are a few different options.

 

[AngelDisney]

Cabanas serves simple non-buffet menu if you want table service instead of quick service. This can be an option, but you wouldn’t want to miss the dinner shows. Try to get waitlisted for first seating or try to change to first seating once onboard. Check the personal navigator for the location to make dining changes.

 

[AquaDame]

We booked out first Disney Cruise ever at a late window of 7 months out. We have young kids and we were only able to get second seating for dinner. There's no way my kids can make it that late for dinner. We are on the waitlist but I assume that will be a slim chance of coming through. With the extreme cost of DCL compared to other cruises is it in insane to miss main dinning? We have theorized skipping it and eating QS, or just one adult dining alone, or cancelling the cruise out right.

You can get a mix of different entrees they serve in the MDRs at Cabanas as PP mentioned - we've done this on a couple of occasions. You could also grab some food for your kids and then take them to the clubs which would leave you free to go to the later dinner. Food is just one part of the whole cruise picture.

 

[SnappySerape]

It's not insane to miss main dining. I think the quality of served food is a much better than Flo's Cafe but Cabana's is still pretty good! I will tell you from experience that my two most recent DCL cruises, I was on second seating and as soon as I got on the ship, I've requested first seating. I got switched both times. It's definitely the route to go if you want first seating and couldn't get it during the reservation process!

 

[Geomom]

If your waitlist doesn't come through, once you board, head straight to the 'change dining' location to request early dining. It will be in one of the restaurants, location will be listed in that day's personal navigator. I believe that most people have had their requests granted, especially if you explain why you need early dining.

 

[braysmommy]

We booked late this past summer and had second seating which we were able to change once on board. I would try and switch it as soon as you board.

 

[FightingIrishman]

If you are able to board the ship relatively early, get in line ahead of time for the chance to switch to early seating at the place indicated in the Navigator.

Backup options we had for early dinner (if we were not able to switch) were Cabanas (sit down but they offer the same limited menu every night with trainee servers), Palo and Remy for adults, Oceaneer Lab/Club for kids, pool deck food, and room service.

You can always tell your dining team you want your food fast and keep the kids happy until then with food from other places on the ship.

 

[NephieRN]

We booked a guaranteed rate only 65 days out for our last cruise. Our waitlist for early dining dining came through about 6 weeks before the cruise. But if it doesn’t come through, ask first thing when you board the ship and they may be able to accommodate you

 

[Steve Dexter]

We skip the main dining all the time, it's no big deal. It's like adding time to your cruise. Being hungry is not an issue on a cruise.

 

[MomOTwins]

One thing I learned from our last cruise is (1) they claim to "sell out" main dining long before it is anywhere near to sold out; (2) they don't even begin processing the waitlist until after the PIF date, since that is when they know people are "serious" about going on the cruise, and (3) they prioritize families with kids. On our last cruise, there was a massive wave of waitlist conversions to main dining and everyone in our facebook group who was waitlisted got in. We are on the waitlist again and I am trying to just remember to breathe and stay calm, and let the waitlist play out. Good luck!

 

[Brett Wyman]

Thanks everyone.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

If it's a first cruise, I might try to prioritize a few evenings with the cool shows in MDR, like Animator's drawing night.

 

[bakerworld]

We often skip the main meals. We decided with place to attend based on the menu and the type of seating. We always as to be seated alone and sometimes they cannot accommodate 2 person seating. Room service is always available and if we eat a late lunch we not ready for dinner.

 

[Numtini]

I don't know if it's insane because to each their own, but I can't imagine going on a Disney cruise and not going to the MDR. It's one of the highlights, not because of the food, but because of the atmosphere and in selected MDRs, the entertainment. I'd try to change the schedule and if you can't, I'd take the first night and use it to readjust the kids schedules so they can enjoy the rest of the cruise at the later time.

 

[DisneyPoly]

Hubby and I sailed in November on a three night and ate twice at Palo and once at Remy ... it was our first time skipping the MDR, however we were traveling without kids and enjoyed getting to know our Palo server very much!

 

[Sakura1017]

Check periodically right before PIF date. I was able to switch a couple of days when I logged in when there was an option available to switch to main dining. I wasn't even on their wait list either.

 

[MichelleCanada]

We live on the west coast and once we boarded we (DH, DS6 at the time and I) realized that late dinner might be better for us and switched. There may be other families that do the same - opening up a spot for families that prefer the early time.

The kids menu is not great food (we ordered off the regular menu for my son to get a better steak) - I agree with feeding your kids ahead of time and then letting them have time in the kids club.

 

[KT2038]

The kids can also eat with us in the Lab which is much earlier than the second dining seating. They can then stay and play while you have dinner

 

[Stitch'sCousin]

Check periodically right before PIF date. I was able to switch a couple of days when I logged in when there was an option available to switch to main dining. I wasn't even on their wait list either.

The exact same thing happened to us on our most recent cruise. We were waitlisted for main dining, but read about another cruiser making the change on their own instead of DCL doing it for them. We logged in and checked our reservation that same day and found the option to switch to main dining was available for us. We immediately did the switch ourselves. Be sure to check frequently just in case the option to switch dining times opens up for you. (This happened after we were paid in full.)