Welcome aboard, Jessica!
How exciting that you have a fabulous
Disney Cruise Line vacation to look forward to in the new year and escape a wintry Ohio in February! Thank you for trusting our advice at planDisney and reaching out when you couldn’t find the answer elsewhere. We’re here to help, and we use our experience plus research with official Disney sources and connections to get you the information needed anytime. I’m happy to share what you can expect for your dining experience onboard.
I confirmed with a Disney Crew Member that unfortunately Dine and Play has not returned to the ships, and it’s not clear if or when this service will return. Prior to 2020, Youth Counselors would come to the main dining rooms during the Second Seating to allow children to eat and then enjoy the programming at the Oceaneer Club while adults lingered over their meal. While this gave wiggly kids a chance to eat and dash to fun in the youth clubs, I can share a few ideas for happy family meals onboard in 2024.
If the second dining time feels uncomfortably late for your family, you can request to be on the waitlist for Main Seating. You can do so through the Disney Cruise Line website under My Reservation or in the
Disney Cruise Line Navigator App prior to sailing. If you haven’t seen the waitlist come through indicating a switch to the first dining time before embarkation day, you can inquire with the Dining Team once onboard. Check the Disney Cruise Line Navigator App for their location and time to meet in person to discuss this request. I’ve had success changing dining times and even moving to a private table on embarkation day, but of course these cannot be guaranteed based on so many factors in each sailing.
If the second dining time feels right for your family, you can do a few things to make it a more efficient experience. I’ve found our fantastic Dining Team always serves my son first, but if you arrive each night knowing what you’d like to order they can quickly place everyone’s order and bring it to you promptly. The Disney Cruise Line Navigator App will show you the daily menu once you’ve flipped to “onboard mode”; my family likes to browse the menus each day and when we arrive to our table, we are ready to request each course. Please remember that
in-room dining is available 24 hours a day – some nights you may choose to order dinner for your children so they can eat prior to your Second Seating and they enjoy the Oceaneer Club while adults dine in the main dining room. My son adores the quick service options on the pool decks, so sometimes he will enjoy his dinner there and head to the youth club while my husband and I linger in the main dining room. There are so many options for dining, and I hope you can find a variety of solutions for your family that keeps everyone happy and relaxed on vacation.
Please note that the age ranges for youth programming recently changed; the
Oceaneer Club now serves Guests up to age 10 and those
11 to 14 will enjoy Edge. At Edge, children may leave the club space to get food from the pool deck and bring it back to Edge; if your children are in that age range, this may be another nice option for them.
I hope this helps you think through ways to fully enjoy the experience of rotational dining for all members of your family, Jessica. Please let us know what other questions you have about this special vacation.
Wishing you a magical cruise,
Amy