early or late seating? WHY??

[motherchic]

We are on the Costellation sailing out of Puerto Rico.

We are wait listed for the late seating....I am so dissappointed!

What time does main seating start?

and what are the benifits?

I have always loved getting on the ship after a day on the island-enjoying the Thallo pool...then getting dressed for dinner.....

[sgrissom]

We've done both and prefer late seating. That said, there are many advantages to early seating and you'll probably be fine. Main seating on Celebrity is usually 6pm.

 

The advantages to early seating include:

1) Your show will always be after dinner. Many shows for the late seating guests are before dinner. With early seating you've got the whole evening ahead of you for whatever activity yu have planned.

2) You might actually have a bit of room to try some of the gourmet bites or midnight buffets. Late seating guests don't even want to look at food again that soon!

3)You won't be going to bed on a full stomach.

 

And if you really want late seating you can see the maitre d' right after you board and try to get it changed. You'll probably be successful.. just don't wait, do it right away.

And if you're not successful with your change, schedule yourself for the specialty restaurant at th time of your choosig on a day that you think you'll be in port particularly late.

Sally

[joie de vivre]

I like late seating the best because you have time to wind down, take a quick nap, get ready for the night, stop in for a happy hour drink and then go to dinner. If I want to see a show I hit the late ones. But it also depends on age.

I tend to stay up later so getting going later works for me.

[Druke I]

My wife and I prefer 1st seating. We are not night people, and if we eat late, we don't sleep as well.

 

Early meal, and 1st show works well for our "body clocks".

[motherchic]

Sally,

that is a great tip on scheduling a late dinner on the day that we will have an active day on the island.

Thank you

[doree]

We have always done early, but decided to do late on our Jan 2006 cruise. We hate having to rush around to be at dinner at 6. Our last, we did alternative several nights just so we could relax...so that is an option and the food and service were GREAT! It is especially a pain when you are in port till late and need to rush back for dinner...we dont do that~not like we had "nothing" to eat all day!

[jbags58]

My husband and I prefer the late seating and this is why. IF you have excursions or out shopping around....laying on the beach and/or swimming....you have to be back to the ship at a certain time and then BAM, you gotta get ready for dinner....

We really enjoy coming back from our daily outtings, relaxing, showering, relaxing, taking in the veiw from our balcony and then getting ready of dinner and the nights events...NO RUSHING....

If we dont feel like hitting the dining room...we go somewhere else or order room service....I dont want to HAVE to be ANYWHERE at any certain time...I"M ON VACATION! hahaa!

 

I just got back from the Royal Caribbean Mexico weekend cruise with the girls and by accident we got the early dinner seating. We skipped the first night for the same reasons above...didnt feel like rushing. So next time we know.

 

We sail the Glory on April 30th with 8 other people...ALL of us wanted late seating...SO THERE YA GO!

 

Good luck to you!

 

Julie =)

[Lois R]

Hi:) this question is one of those that has been asked 1,000 times.

I prefer late as well. But it is good they offer 2 choices because there are enough people who like both! (and not enough space for everyone to eat at the same time:D ;) )

 

Anyway, my suggestion is the same as sgrissom's~after boarding, usually about 12:30 the Maitr'd is outside of the dining room. Go see him/her (yes I have had a female Maitr'd before) and they usually do their very best to accomodate your request.

[Leela]

We prefer late, because we're later-night people. We rarely eat dinner at home before 8 or even 9pm, so the late seating fits into our schedule better.

[Debi_D]

We really love getting the most of our days so when it comes time for dinner we love the late sitting... Allows us to have a Bubba or 2 before dinner, then we usually take our time at dinner and enjoy talking about our day without being rushed out for the next sitting;) We are usually the last to leave the dining room and we are the ones that laugh all the way though dinner:D :D

 

Deb

[dakrewser]

Why be straight-jacketed into one seating? You keep the early one and have your spouse/friend/travelling companion switch to late. That way you can choose each day which one to have. Scout out the DR and it's really easy after a day or two to actually go to both seatings. This is great for those who get embarassed asking for two or more servings of anything - they can get one at each seating!

 

All the class of Celebrity with the dining convenience of NCL - what more could you ask? :rolleyes:

[Bruin Steve]

I think I've answered this question in some form or another about 500 times!

 

We always opt for Main (early) seating...

If your So. Caribbean Connie itinerary is the same as ours, then in four of the five ports, sailing time is either 4:30 or 5:30 (The fifth one is Casa de Campo--11 pm--where I hear there really isn't that much to do in port, but you can always reserve the specialty restaurant or use an alternative venue that one day)...When the ship is scheduled to sail at 5:30, they tell you to be back on the ship by 5...Early seating depends on the ship...but it's never before 6:00 (It was 6:30 on the Millie in Europe)...This leaves a full hour to get dressed and ready for dinner...For some of us, this is no problem...I understand some others take 2 hours to get dressed...or like to kill a cocktail hour in a lounge before heading to dinner--and those people tend to feel rushed...For us that do any drinking after dinner and don't need an eternity to get dressed, no problem...

 

The major benefit for Main Seating diners is that you are typically done with dinner by 8:15 or 8:30 (On a ship where Main Seating is at 6, late is at 8:30...when Main was at 6:30 on the Millie, Late was at 8:45)...You have the "show" at 9:00, when they hold karaoke, it is usually at 10:00, you've got the Casino, the dancing venues...and now, the Cirque de Soleil...You have a long evening in which to enjoy several different activities and venues...

 

When you have late seating, you are not getting served your dinner until around 9:00 and not even finishing up with dessert until maybe 10:30-10:45...Yes, if you are a "late night" person, you can still stay up and party until 3 in the morning...but, really, there's not quite as much happenning on the ship after about 1 am...Your night time activities are fairly curtailed...and you haven't really had any additional time in port...What you have gained is more time BETWEEN port and dinner...It does allow you the longer time to get dressed or the martini hour...or it lets you go to the buffet or the sushi bar to get something to eat because it's a long time between lunch and dinner...Sometimes, they do the "show" BEFORE dinner for the late seating group, so that will fill in this time as well...

 

But, overall, it's obviously a matter of personal choice and lucklily there are people who prefer each...

 

PS...The idea of being "rushed along to clear us out for the next seating" is absurd...they leave two and a half hours between the two seating times (6 and 8:30)...they let you eat leisurely until 15 minutes or so before the next group...We've NEVER been told to leave...it's plenty of time...The Late seating, however, does not get any real additional time...the waiters will move you along to and through dessert just as quickly...These waiters get up at 6 am to start working breakfast...they really don't want you sitting there until anything past 10:30...They have to clean up after you and they want to get out of there...Again, they don't flat out tell you to leave, but they have their tactful ways of letting you know...Plus, that late show time is usually 10:45 or 11:00...so, you've got a choice to make, huh? Annoy the waiters and miss the show or have your two-hour dinner and leave...

[mii]

We always prefer early seating and the reason is that we are early eaters, we are not night people(shoot I am in my warm bed around 9:00 p.m.) and if I ate late the food would just lay on my stomach and I would be miserable.

 

Marilyn

[Lois R]

Hi Steve:) we both always reply to this topic:D and we will always agree to disagree.

 

I don't care about seeing a show every night and I hope I don't annoy my wait staff!

I just prefer those drinks before dinner and I love eating later while on vacation;)

 

Quote:

 

"But, overall, it's obviously a matter of personal choice and lucklily there are people who prefer each..."

 

That is something we can agree 100% on:)

[richviv]

This is the first time I'm answering this type of question,,

both my SO/DW and I prefer the late seating,,

especially, if you're in a port of call later then usual,

you don't have too rush back to get ready for dinner,

and as stated, you can relax, take a dip or a long shower,,

or for that matter,, enjoy a couple of drinks,,

or if you're at sea you can also enjoy the early show,,

then proceed to have a nice evening meal,,

afterward,, maybe hit the casino or enjoy that stroll on deck,

taking in that fresh sea smell,,,

[niborHS]

i wish that those of us who like late seating for all the reasons mentioned, but hate the fact that most of the shows are at 7, which defeats one of the main reasons for taking late seating, would get after Celebrity to change this. ALthough there are things like the lounge singers, etc, and the disco, late, that is not the same as something you would really want to see. If anyone was on the Millie recently, am I the only one who thought the singers in Renezvous were not too good? I did like the few moments we heard the singer in Michaels, or the string quartet, but maybe one of my problems was that the friends we were with didn't really want to have a night out, and my husband always went to the casino. Well, next year we've agreed to try Princess, so we'll see.

[newmexicoNita]

In the original cruising days we opt for late seating when we could get it, but as the dinner started dragging on til 10am which is not unusual and we found we either went to bed on a full tummy or had to stay up til 1am or so we decided to switch to early. Of course we prefer seeing a show after dinner as well. We don't do the show thing every night, but certainly like the ability to see them after we have eaten. Sometimes we are rushed after touring the islands, but never is it too bad. To be very honest 6pm is a bit early and 8pm is a bit late, we have discovered freestyle (I know, another cruise line) this fits our schedule perfectly as ideally we like to eat about 7pm. NMnita

[stanjj111]

We always go for the late seating. When you get back from shore you can relax. If you get hungry you can always order room service to tide you over.

[njhh]

We have done both, and for us the best part of the late seating is that the ship feels half empty during the main dinner hour. (Especially nice for spa and work out related activities.) But I have never minded the early seating and always sleep better. When we did a Baltic cruise, we thankfully had early seating because we were dead tired by late seating.

 

Keep in mind even if you are wait-listed, you will most likely get late seating. If you get early seating, be adventurous and do one of the other options like alternative dining or the specialty restaurant a few nights.

 

I understand the dilema and some people will point to it as a reason not to cruise. But the dining room experience is so fantastic - we have learned that it works out great either way and I recommend everyone try both.

 

Nancy

[Luckyroot]

I have a question that sort of pertains to this topic.....

 

We are sailing Century's Western Caribbean next month. We, and our traveling companions have main seating. This works best for us, and only one of the ports departs late, which is Cozumel (departs at 7pm).

 

If we were to wait to get back to the ship till around 6pm, would either of the following options be available?

 

1) Travel companions were on Century last year, and she mentioned that we could ask the Matre'D if they could seat us at late seating on Cozumel night. I wouldn't think there would be tables available to switch around like that, would there?

 

2) We are staying in a suite. I thought that maybe we would just have dinner in our suite, but I'm wondering, can we invite our friends for dinner, and have our butler serve the 4 of us? (we would give him an additional tip for this, at the time of service)

 

TIA for your input

[Lois R]

Hi Ruth:) first question, yes there have been evenings on Excursion days when people have switched. It happened to me last January. We didn't have a full table (only 3 of us that night). There was a couple who had missed main seating and the Maitr'd asked us if we minded 2 more that night. No problem for me:) I always enjoy meeting new people!

 

And I have never had a suite, but from reading everything on here I think you can invite whoever you want. Just inform your Butler and they will set the table for 4:D and let him advise the Maitr'd the 4 of you won't in the dining room that evening.

[cathi]

I opt for early seating for the same reasons as everyone else. I'm not a late night person and eating a big dinner at 9 or 10 at night leaves me sick!!! Besides on our next cruise (Med in June) we have to be up and going early nearly every day so I'm famished by the time 6 pm rolls around.

On 1 of our cruise we ended up with a late sitting and never made it once! opted for the alternative restuarants every night!!

[lkb125]

We are on the Costellation sailing out of Puerto Rico.

We are wait listed for the late seating....I am so dissappointed!

What time does main seating start?

and what are the benifits?

I have always loved getting on the ship after a day on the island-enjoying the Thallo pool...then getting dressed for dinner.....

I like early because that is the time we usually eat and it is at 6:30

[Lsimon]

I've changed from Early to late on board a couple times when we haven't been able to get pre-assigned to late seating. Go see the matre'd ASAP when you board. Be very nice. Start out with a pleasent introduction and palm him $20 or $40 just before making your request to let him know how much you'll appreciate his services.

 

 

We are on the Costellation sailing out of Puerto Rico.

We are wait listed for the late seating....I am so dissappointed!

What time does main seating start?

and what are the benifits?

I have always loved getting on the ship after a day on the island-enjoying the Thallo pool...then getting dressed for dinner.....

[motherchic]

All of you are right-it is a matter of preference.

I have had 2 back surgeries, the last was on Feb 2, 04. We were supposed to sail on the Summit that day but instead i had a date with the surgeon. Was able to go in April and had a wonderful time. If i can be in the late seating ,,,i can do a long shore excursian-take a relaxing dip in the thallo pool to relax my back, go to our room, ice my back and still have time for a drink and then dinner. It makes all the world of difference in my pain threshold. That being said if it doesnt work out then i will adjust. A cruise is a huge trip for us. Wont be on one for a long time after this- so of course i would like it to be just perfect.

But i know it will still be pure bliss!

Croo your fingers for me that the second seating opens up!!!