Early or Late Dinner Seating

[jennywbbaseball]

We've opted for Late Seating thinking that we'll not be rushed getting ready for dinner, and can have a pre dinner drink. But what will we miss???

[The Big Booper]

We've opted for Late Seating thinking that we'll not be rushed getting ready for dinner, and can have a pre dinner drink. But what will we miss???

 

Nothing.

 

Even though Celebrity now offers the option of flex dining, it is still primarily a traditional dining ship.

 

There are two performances of the main show, for late and early diners.

 

The various combos and solo performers play for several hours a night, with times overlapping the dining times, which gives you time to see part of their act, regardless of when you eat.

[Tiggertastic]

We have gone for the select and did this on the Inaugural too

 

We could either book a time or just turn up - we tried both and it worked great.

 

We shared a table for 6 each time and met different people each evening and really enjoyed it.

 

This way we can keep the flexibility each day to do as we like without any set times

[dkjretired]

We've opted for Late Seating thinking that we'll not be rushed getting ready for dinner, and can have a pre dinner drink. But what will we miss???

 

Heres a link from a previous thread...It is the best comparison of Late v Early Seating I have ever seen on this board. Enjoy...Just read Steve's post....

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=21001156&posted=1#post21001156

[jennywbbaseball]

Heres a link from a previous thread...It is the best comparison of Late v Early Seating I have ever seen on this board. Enjoy...Just read Steve's post....

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=21001156&posted=1#post21001156

 

Good Answer! I think, for us, we'll stick with the late seating for just some of the reasons Steve posted. Guess I was worried that I would miss the shows, but we can certainly make the early show and then the late dinner.

 

Thanks for all the responses!

[kitkat9438]

Best reason of all is not having to rush back from port to get ready for an early dinner. Especially on formal night when it might take a little longer. We loved the flexibility with late dining to relax, have a drink to unwind after returning from port and then get ready to hit the show before dinner. You can also get to the show earlier to get a good seat.

[Literary Lynne]

Yes - we always choose late dining for all the above reasons. When we get back on board late afternoon after a day in port we like to have afternoon tea or a little sushi and a couple of drinks before getting ready for the evening ahead. For our next cruise, we booked five months before the sail date and only Select Dining was available. I have made reservations for 9pm each evening:)

Lynne

[DCguys]

We signed up for late seating on the Solstice/Eastern Caribbean. What time do the early shows start? (and for that matter what time do the late ones start?) They last about an hour, right?

[CruisingChick]

We've always done late dining so we don't have to rush and have plenty of time to get ready for dinner.

 

My only problem which I just noticed on our last cruise has been since they started Select dining. It seems that 3/4 of the ship is done with dinner before late seating is done and therefore getting a seat in the disco or other venue is hard to nearly impossible because 3/4 of the ship is already there. Like the evenings they had the Sock Hop and Dancing with the Stripes - we basically ran there straight from dinner, but could not get a seat anywhere.

 

I know I will get flamed but this is one way that Select dining seems to interfere with my cruise experience. Why should I be penalized just because we like late dining.

 

Also it was very noticeable in the Celebrity Theater where people were leaving early or coming in late during a show. I'm assuming it's because of Select dining times.

 

These are just my observations and opinions.

[bellybutton530]

I've been cruising since the 70s, and have always opted for LATE dining. In the early days it was to avoid kids; later it was not to interfere with sailaways. Now I like to eat, then maybe have a nightcap on the verandah, then it is bedtime for me. I don't do shows or discos after dinner.

 

A repeat performance is to be expected on Connie in November. I have 3 friends sailing with me; none of them has cruised before. I've already told them that it will be every person for themselves once dinner is done....

 

Cheryl....:cool:

[The Big Booper]

]...>>>SNIP<<<... For our next cruise' date=' we booked five months before the sail date and only Select[/color'] Dining was available. I have made reservations for 9pm each evening:)

Lynne

 

What ! Is Celebrity morphing into Princess????????

 

We tend to book on short notice when there are long wait lists for TD on Princess; we haven't gone on them since they put Anytime in place.

[CruisingChick]

What ! Is Celebrity morphing into Princess????????

 

We tend to book on short notice when there are long wait lists for TD on Princess; we haven't gone on them since they put Anytime in place.

 

That's one reason we have not booked a Princess cruise. Every time I look they only have Anytime dining available and that was a deal breaker.

[bellybutton530]

That's one reason we have not booked a Princess cruise. Every time I look they only have Anytime dining available and that was a deal breaker.

 

Same here. I did a FREESTYLE on NCL only because it was a trans-Pacific with Hawaii at the end.

 

HATED IT. The food sucked. The service sucked.

 

If Celebrity makes the mistake of moving to SELECT only, I'm outta here.

 

Cheryl

[cb at sea]

If you plan on going to the show before dinner, you'll have to be ready at about the same time as those with early seating....there's plenty of time to "get ready" for either seating!

That said, we prefer late, too, simply because we enjoy having a few drinks before dinner...not so much after! So, getting a buzz going before 6pm just isn't in the cards!