Dining on the serenade of the seas

[cas1000]

Hi I have 3 questions

1) Can anyone confirm what the dining times are on the Serenade of the Seas? My booking confirmation and the brochure says 8.30 which is just about ok but someone thought it may be 9.00 which would definitely be too late.

2) I also wanted to change to My time dining to have some flexibility but was told by RC today that it is all sold out. This seems strange seeing as our Cruise is not until August. Does anyone have any advice how I can still get this onboard. This is our first and a special cruise for us and our family so dont want it to be spoiled by hanging around in the evening waiting to eat.

3) If it is 9.00 and we cant get the my time dining if we change to 6 30 does that meant you have to eat at this time as this would be too early or can you go later at about 7.30?

Thanks for your help

[cb at sea]

It seems that the dining times vary from cruise to cruise. The latest we've ever had was 8:30....

 

You can almost always change your dining time once you're onboard. If you want MTD, get on the waitlist now, and go to the dining room when you board and see what they can do.

 

If you are booked into one of the traditional seatings, you need to go at the appointed time, or it throws off the entire schedule...at 7, (aside from being quite rude!), you will not be on the schedule of the rest of the dining room. Sometimes, the doors are closed, so late-comers may be denied entry. At 7;30, they will not be able to serve you...there's simply not time!

 

It's always best to choose the dining time closest to when you eat at home...your tummy will thank you!

 

If you decide to stick with late seating, you won't be "hanging around, waiting to eat"! You'll take your time getting ready for dinner, catch a show, have a drink....you're on vacation....supposed to chill and take your time doing things!

[vickiw0318]

I am not sure which itinerary you and your family are on, but both seem to be quite port intensive. If you put in days ashore like my daughter and I did when we did our seven day cruise out of Barcelona, you may be very glad of your late seating time. I know we were up early to get breakfast and catch a 7:30 bus and then back from our journey at 6:00 or 6:30. You'll want time to unwind when you return to the ship and time to clean up before dinner. Since there are several of you with just one bath, that process could take a while. (Some families have been known to send a couple of their number to the gym to use the showers there.) Actually, my daughter and I ate most of our evening meals in the buffet venue (the Windjammer) simply because we were too tired to face that process. We got a quick bite to eat and then headed to our cabin to soak our tired, aching feet. We had a wonderful time on our cruise, but the sightseeing was a bigger deal to us than our dinners.

 

You can go to the dining room on boarding day and ask the Maitre d about changing to My Time Dining.

 

There is plenty to do before dinner. On many nights, the evening show for late seating guests is before dinner time. There are also lots of events in the lounges.

 

The Serenade has several other dining options including two venues with surcharges - Chops and Portofino. The Seaview Cafe is a free venue that many people enjoy. There are pizza and burgers available in the Solarium Cafe too. When the Serenade was in the Caribbean, the chef at Portofino had a special event at lunchtime that involved a pasta making demonstration and lunch at a lower cost. It's a fun event.