1st time family Cruisers- Dining time help

No, because the shows are timed to align with the dining times. The first show is for guests with late diding and the second show for guests with main seating. The shows generally run concurrent to the dining times, so that while you are at you main seating the first show is in progress.

Thanks for the clarification Gometros; I think we made the right choice going for early dining.

Please forgive me if this is a stupid question but we're first time DCL cruisers and I've opted for early dining. If we're eating at 6pm (this will be on Magic), does that give us time to get to the first performance of the shows...?

Absolutely not. The shows run concurrently with dinner. If you have early dinner, you'll attend the late show. If you have late dinner, you'll attend the early show.

Also, while it isn't much of a difference, the early dinner is typically 5:45, late dinner is 8:15. There are slight variations on some itineraries, but the 5:45 time is pretty much standard on cruises out of Port Canaveral. We have seen 6pm in Europe and MANY years ago in the US.

If my kids didn't go to bed so early, I'd totally pick late. Lots of families with little kids so early is the most popular and packed. You always want the least popular times with Disney.

Definitely--we always choose late dining on DCL. While there are plenty of kids at the late seating, it isn't nearly as many as early. And the Dine and Play program means that the OC staff comes to the dining room at 9pm and takes any kids that the parents want to send to the programming. Late is just more relaxing and less crazy for all involved.

Definitely--we always choose late dining on DCL. While there are plenty of kids at the late seating' date=' it isn't nearly as many as early. And the Dine and Play program means that the OC staff comes to the dining room at 9pm and takes any kids that the parents want to send to the programming. Late is just more relaxing and less crazy for all involved.[/quote']

 

So basically grownups can relax and eat at 9PMish. That is just too late for little ole me. I couldn't lay down to go to bed until after 2AM! So even if I were going with teens or just adults there is no way I could eat so late. Wish they had a dining time that started around 7:15-that would be perfect!!!!

 

Pooh

Late!

So basically grownups can relax and eat at 9PMish. That is just too late for little ole me. I couldn't lay down to go to bed until after 2AM! So even if I were going with teens or just adults there is no way I could eat so late. Wish they had a dining time that started around 7:15-that would be perfect!!!!

 

Pooh

Actually, you are eating more like right at 8:15 if you get there on time. Typically you are approaching desert by the time they come to get the kids.

i already answered that we prefer late so that we can go to the early theater show.

however, the time i took my elderly mother and sister on the disney dream, they preferred early seating so that's what we did, and i enjoyed that as well.

But if given a choice, on DCL i go for late seating. On Royal i do my time dining, but always pick an early time (usually about 6:00)

We did the early one bc our kids were younger then but at that age I’d think you could do the later one