Ahoy Jeffery!
As they say in
Finding Nemo, “Welcome aboard explorers! Let’s get this show started!” I know Captain Mickey feels this way about getting back onboard and sailing out in the “Big Blue.” We are so excited for your upcoming Disney Cruise Line vacation and helping you with your cruise planning!
Disney Cruise Line's fabulous
rotational dining principle is simple: Guests dine at different restaurants every night all the while keeping the same servers. It’s truly one of the main reasons why my family adores cruising with Captain Mickey. While
dining times vary from voyage to voyage, the Main Seating usually begins around 5:45 P.M. and the Second Seating is typically around 8:00 P.M.
When my kids were much younger, I preferred the Main Seating so they would be able to eat first before we went to the
Walt Disney Theatre for the musical entertainment. For that reason, it does tend to be a very popular option. But the advantage of the Second Seating is that Captain Mickey offers a program called Dine and Play that we enjoyed when our now teenage kids were younger. The young guppies would have their meal expedited so they can leave early with the youth counselors to go join the fun in
Disney's Oceaneer Club and
Disney's Oceaneer Lab. Let me just say how much I love this wonderful perk: the kids can go play with friends and the grown-ups can linger over dinner with some adult time.
If you want Main Seating but are assigned Second Seating, go ahead and contact Disney Cruise Line at (800) 951-3532 to be placed on a waitlist for the earlier seating. Then you can check under "My Reservations" online before you leave home to see if there's been a change to your assigned time. If not, I recommend once you board the ship, head to the designated spot for dining reservations. The
Disney Cruise Line Navigator app will tell you exactly where to go (typically one of the lounges/main dining rooms). Cast Members will let you know if they can accommodate your party changing to a different seating.
Jeffery, just keep swimming back to planDisney. We may want to shout, “Mine! Mine Mine!” when your question comes in, but I promise that we will dive in and get back with an answer just as quickly as we can. As Crush would say, have a totally righteous cruise!
Bon Voyage!
Sherry