5 night Magic - what rotation dining meal to miss for Palo?

[Lisa F]

Hi everyone.

I have an adult only 5 night magic cruise booked for June. It's not super booked up and I assume we'll be able to get dining rotation request met for late dining.

I have Palo booked for the last night of the cruise, which is also a rotational dining night and my 50th birthday.

I am cc gold but haven't been on the magic since 2005, and cruising with 3 first time Disney cruising adults.

I kind of didn't want to miss the tangled show at first but after doing some research it sounds like the character interaction may not be everyone in my party's cup of tea (I'm neither here nor there but it's something new to me.)

Which rotational restaurant would you miss for Palo for an adult only cruise and why?

Thanks

 

[auntlynne]

I would skip Animator’s - because it’s my least favorite of the rotation menus.

For me, I do Pirate Night in Palo. Again, menu, and I am not the type to ask for a specific dining rotation; I take what I get.

 

[Lisa F]

I would skip Animator’s - because it’s my least favorite of the rotation menus.

For me, I do Pirate Night in Palo. Again, menu, and I am not the type to ask for a specific dining rotation; I take what I get.

I had originally planned to do pirate night in Palo, but did really want to see the fireworks (I love fireworks.)
last time I cruised the fireworks happened at 10pm

now I am reading they happen at 8

I had booked for 7:30 thinking that would be plenty of time but if fireworks are at 8 we will miss them

Then I looked at navigators from last June to see if they were at 10 wondering if they really shoot them off at 8 when the sun sets only like 20 minutes earlier and fireworks were at 10 then

So I really have no idea, called Disney and they were of course no help. As of right now they are doing fireworks at 8, not sure if they will move them later for summer or what the deal is so I decided to go back to my original plan of having Palo ON my birthday. I never celebrate my birthday because of proximity to father's day which always seems to take over so it will be a real treat.

I don't mind the pirate menu either honestly - never had any complaints about it. Give me 3 samosas and a mojito and I'm good!

 

[Karin1984]

I love it if Animators Palate is the last night on a short cruise. When Sorcerer Mickey appears with the Fantasmic music... that's my kind of magic. Perfect way to end a cruise.

Out of the 3 restaurants on the magic, I would skip Lumiere's. It is the most non-Disney out of the three.

 

[unrequited23]

Over 2 years after the fact, I still think about the sea bass from Rapunzel's so that would be a must do for me.

I would consider Palo earlier in the cruise if possible. I just do not seem as hungry as the cruise goes on. Plus there is some pressure to get everything packed and outside your door on the last night if you are not doing express walk off.

 

[auntlynne]

(Just a little more info.)

I sailed Magic and Fantasy in 2023 (May and September). Fireworks were late; after the Pirates Party.

Birthday in Palo is great.

But if you opt for other, consider the first night. Looking at 5-night Magic Navigators, they are using the Let the Magic Begin menu on Night One. Pirates and rotational menus the following nights. Which means you do miss one of the standard menus.

Palo reservations are easier to get on Night One; so much easier, you can make two Palo reservations for the week if you book Night One.

Have a great cruise and a Happy Birthday!

 

[Lisa F]

(Just a little more info.)

I sailed Magic and Fantasy in 2023 (May and September). Fireworks were late; after the Pirates Party.

Birthday in Palo is great.

But if you opt for other, consider the first night. Looking at 5-night Magic Navigators, they are using the Let the Magic Begin menu on Night One. Pirates and rotational menus the following nights. Which means you do miss one of the standard menus.

Palo reservations are easier to get on Night One; so much easier, you can make two Palo reservations for the week if you book Night One.

Have a great cruise and a Happy Birthday!

I was thinking about the first night too but then it is over and done with nothing to look forward to.

I was very taken aback when I saw that pirates had been moved to between seatings, the party is 7:30-8 (which seems very short to me) with fireworks right after. I am not sure why they would have done this except to be more appealing to small kids, but it seems very smushed in between seatings. Checked some navigators and it seems to be earlier now. I don't know whether it is seasonal when the sun sets earlier or a permanent change but it really screwed up my plans as I do not want to miss the fireworks.

Though now that I can see the scrolling navigators (as opposed to the paper scans) looks like by late april it's back to 10pm. So I am very very confused. I am wondering if this is a winter when the sun sets very early thing. It seemed weird to be to be shooting fireworks off 20 minutes after the sun set.

I wanted this to be an easy no stress book my stuff at the gold window and be done cruise and now I am stressing and overthinking!

I booked first night also as a backup. Not sure if it's a good way to start the cruise or if it's a "nothing to look forward to" now situation.

Still overthinking though. Doesn't help that my travelmates have no clue so I can't even get a meaningful opinion.

 

[Jen_in_NH]

I was just on the Magic last week - the pirate deck party and fireworks were at 7:30. We were cutting it close to get to late dining afterwards.

 

[Lisa F]

Over 2 years after the fact, I still think about the sea bass from Rapunzel's so that would be a must do for me.

I would consider Palo earlier in the cruise if possible. I just do not seem as hungry as the cruise goes on. Plus there is some pressure to get everything packed and outside your door on the last night if you are not doing express walk off.

interesting point about being less hungry. I just booked the first night as a backup. I could probably stand to miss that menu. I'm not really concerned about forming any kind of a bond with my servers or anything that couldn't happen 2nd night.

I had wanted to stay out of the overthinking zone but now i am firmly in it.

 

[Lisa F]

I was just on the Magic last week - the pirate deck party and fireworks were at 7:30. We were cutting it close to get to late dining afterwards.

I couldn't find what I thought I saw and thought I was going NUTS. I wonder why they moved it so early? Doesn't seem to make a lot of sense!

It also seems like it really compresses it, as I seem to remember the show/deck party lasting longer than a half hour?

I am not so interested in the deck party, just the fireworks.

Any other tips being off so recently? I feel really lost, lol.

 

[auntlynne]

My thinking: which one would make you happier? Celebrating your birthday at Palo or providing the first timer’s with the traditional 3 dining rotations, Pirate’s, and dinner at Palo.

There is no wrong answer.

 

[auntlynne]

I was just on the Magic last week - the pirate deck party and fireworks were at 7:30. We were cutting it close to get to late dining afterwards.

Where were you, geographically?

 

[Lisa F]

I love it if Animators Palate is the last night on a short cruise. When Sorcerer Mickey appears with the Fantasmic music... that's my kind of magic. Perfect way to end a cruise.

Out of the 3 restaurants on the magic, I would skip Lumiere's. It is the most non-Disney out of the three.

I haven't been on the magic in nearly 20 years but I remember liking that menu! but that said I guess I am not that fussy. I guess I'd least want to miss tangled just because it's new but also wondering how chaotic it is with the characters as that doesn't appeal. But the menu does sound good!

 

[Lisa F]

My thinking: which one would make you happier? Celebrating your birthday at Palo or providing the first timer’s with the traditional 3 dining rotations, Pirate’s, and dinner at Palo.

There is no wrong answer.

Well I think what I can decide right now is that I want to move it off of pirates night due to uncertainty about when the fireworks would be so then I can take that off my plate entirely. I was casually scrolling through posts this morning while waking up and saw that they had moved the fireworks to between seatings and that really threw me for a loop feeling like I had everything set.

Right now I have both first and last night booked for dinner. So I have time to make the decision.

It might be a good start to the cruise to kick off with Palo (I do have a brunch booked later on the 2nd sea day too which is the 4th day of the cruise so it does space Palo out). Then the rotation wouldn't matter and I wouldn't have to decide what to miss.

I am back and forth on my birthday, someone mentioning that you are less hungry at the end of the cruise was a good point as well and we might enjoy the meal more the first night (again with brunch to look forward to later in the cruise anyway). We are all flying in the day before so we'll have a day to get into vacation mode before boarding the ship. I had originally thought to do it on my birthday but I am not that tied to the idea either. I really just don't know, lol. Now I am coming around to first night. I guess people don't like it because they want to meet their serving team and get established but for late seating and without kids I think this is much less of an issue (if I had to deal with childcare I would not want to be putting my kids in it for the first night of the cruise either.)

 

[Karin1984]

I haven't been on the magic in nearly 20 years but I remember liking that menu! but that said I guess I am not that fussy. I guess I'd least want to miss tangled just because it's new but also wondering how chaotic it is with the characters as that doesn't appeal. But the menu does sound good!

I've sailed the Magic twice, it's not that chaotic. The restaurant is pretty big, so the characters are usually spread out.
I think the capacity is over 400 people. So let's make that 100 tables. And there are 5(?) characters going round. Rapunzel, Flynn and 3 thugs. That's many tables in a short amount of time. So time at your table is limited. Say hi, take a picture, say something cute and they move on. They are not at your table constantly.

Yes, they do a dance with the kids going through the restaurant, but in my memory: on the entire night it's only a little more chaotic than a Disney restaurant without characters.

What does make a difference is where your table is. A table next to the center aisle is great to see the show, but it's also a lot busier with people / servants walking by. A table in the corner is nice and quiet.

 

[Jen_in_NH]

Where were you, geographically?

It was southern caribbean - I think pirate night was after our day in Curacao.

 

[auntlynne]

The beauty with two Palo dinner reservations is you can drop the second one while on the cruise if you opt out of it. Maybe 24 hours notice? Or 48? In other words, you can re-evaluate during the cruise. The others may get tired of the big, noisy high school cafeteria feeling of the MDRs.

You are on an adults’ cruise. And a birthday cruise. This is the opportunity to mix things up if you’d like. Two dinners at Palo means you can try different menu items.

If the budget allows, this idea of lots of Palo dining sounds great.

…and that is how an idea evolves in my head.

I do enjoy Rapunzel’s. The theming seems better thought out (the other two have original decor). I don’t seek out characters, but I enjoy having Rapunzel visit the table for a chat. I don’t really bother watching the show, but it doesn’t bother me - it’s just extra noise in that giant room.

 

[Lisa F]

I've sailed the Magic twice, it's not that chaotic. The restaurant is pretty big, so the characters are usually spread out.
I think the capacity is over 400 people. So let's make that 100 tables. And there are 5(?) characters going round. Rapunzel, Flynn and 3 thugs. That's many tables in a short amount of time. So time at your table is limited. Say hi, take a picture, say something cute and they move on. They are not at your table constantly.

Yes, they do a dance with the kids going through the restaurant, but in my memory: on the entire night it's only a little more chaotic than a Disney restaurant without characters.

What does make a difference is where your table is. A table next to the center aisle is great to see the show, but it's also a lot busier with people / servants walking by. A table in the corner is nice and quiet.

our cruise is not close to sold out (it's the same week as the first fantasy with stop at Lighthouse Point so obviously that itinerary was MUCH more popular) and we chose late dining to start with so I'm guessing the dining room won't even be completely full.

 

[auntlynne]

It was southern caribbean - I think pirate night was after our day in Curacao.

I was wondering if there was a reason to not have it later - like being far out at Sea or having to speed up the ship after late dinner to get to the next port.

 

[Lisa F]

The beauty with two Palo dinner reservations is you can drop the second one while on the cruise if you opt out of it. Maybe 24 hours notice? Or 48? In other words, you can re-evaluate during the cruise. The others may get tired of the big, noisy high school cafeteria feeling of the MDRs.

You are on an adults’ cruise. And a birthday cruise. This is the opportunity to mix things up if you’d like. Two dinners at Palo means you can try different menu items.

If the budget allows, this idea of lots of Palo dining sounds great.

…and that is how an idea evolves in my head.

I do enjoy Rapunzel’s. The theming seems better thought out (the other two have original decor). I don’t seek out characters, but I enjoy having Rapunzel visit the table for a chat. I don’t really bother watching the show, but it doesn’t bother me - it’s just extra noise in that giant room.

thanks, I appreciate you taking the time to talk it through with me. I was kind of thinking the same thing, maybe keep both and see how we feel on the cruise, lol.

The expense doesn't bother me (I'm going to do what I want to do now that I've spent a fortune on getting there!), not sure about our travel mates - they may want to go with what is just included. Having travel mates complicates things - esp since I couldn't book them into brunch and we have to try to add them on board. We'll see how that goes, I'm not missing it if we can't get them in, lol.

My partner barely understands what I am telling him let alone can offer an opinion. Plus since it's my birthday he's like "whatever you want is fine by me." He'd enjoy Palo twice I'm sure.