Dinner times in Europe

[ehogan]

We have received our tickets for our Medit. cruise and have discovered that the late seating (which we requested) is 9:30! - even though when I inquired several months ago, I was told it would be 8:30. I think 9:30 will be too late for us, so I am considering requesting a change when I get on board to the early seating.

 

To anyone who has done this cruise on the Brilliance - is the early seating too rushed if you are doing a lot of shore excursions? Most of our excursions are through the ship. Also, what time are the shows for the early seating and the late?

 

Thanks for your help

[denmanja]

ehogan, we are on the Brilliance next week (!). I originally requested late seating as well, after being told that it was 8:30 pm. I read numerous posts about 4 seatings on European cruises, but was reassured after numerous calls to RCI that it was just an experiment and would not occur on our cruise. Last week, we received docs stating that our dining time was 9pm. Apparently they are still doing 4 seatings, and we are in the "early" late seating. I don't want to be rushing back from excursions, but I don't want to starve either. RCI advised us to try to change our seating when we first board the ship. Does anyone have better advice?

 

Jennifer

[lina1]

Hi,

 

I also read that there are 4 dinner times. 6:30;7:00;8:30 and 9:00. I was booked for the 6:30 and had it changed to 7:00. I had to call RCI 3 times because the first two people told me there were only 2 seatings and THEY SHOULD KNOW BECAUSE THEY WORK THERE! Anyways, talked to a supervisor who stated that yes there are 4 seatings in the Med (7:00 and 9:00 are on the 5th floor) and they changed my dining time. I would try and change it before getting on the ship. I have tried to change my times before and once it was granted and the second time it was denied. Good Luck!

[Florida_cruisers]

There is no win situation here. The early seating is at 6:30pm, which is too early. While the late seating is at 9:30pm, which is too late. So it looks like DH and I will be eating at Chops once or twice and at the Wyndjammer every other night that is not on sea days and Chops.

[egdr22]

Our seating for our upcoming Brilliance cruise (May 29th) is 7:30. Hmmm...some friends of ours have a 6:30 seating on this same cruise. The early seatings must be 6:30 and 7:30 for our cruise. I'm not sure what the late ones are. I had heard 9 and 10!!! We're happy, though...7:30 seems just perfect!

[ehogan]

Just got off the phone with RCCL. They are still insisting that there are only two seatings - one between 6:30 and 7:00 and one between 9 and 9:30 - go figure since I received a 9:30 seating and Jennifer received a 9 seating.

 

Anyway, I had mine changed to early seating (at least I'll be awake enough to eat). My first call (no success) was to RCCL customer service which told me that I had to change through my TA. My second (successful) call was to RCCL Crown and Anchor phone line and I had no problem changing - maybe this is one of the perks of being a member?

[denmanja]

I just called RCI. This is the first time (in I don't know how many calls over the last few months) they have admitted to 4 seatings on ALL the European cruises: 6:30, 7:30, 9, and 10. However, she could not help me change the time since we booked through a travel agent. :mad: And sadly, this is my first cruise, so I can't test out the C&A. Happy for you though ehogan! Guess I will be waiting it out on the ship with everyone else.

 

Jennifer

[ehogan]

Jennifer, I would try to call your TA ASAP if you want your time changed - the fellow I spoke to thought that since our sailing was so close (also May 15) it might be too late to change, but it was still OK. It would be nice to avoid having to stand in that line up to change your seating time on board.

 

Anyway, I envy you that it is your first cruise - you are going to be blown away!! there is nothing better!

[Bruin Steve]

ehogan,

 

We did the Med on the Millennium on a 13-nighter with Early (6:30) seating...and, for us, it wasn't that big of a problem...in fact, we usually got back to the ship after a full day of touring being quite hungry...The dinner time was only a major problem for us in one port - Naples - where we did a 10 hour excursion that ran late causing us to rush to get to dinner...but we still made it...

 

I took a peek at your itinerary:

15-May Barcelona, Spain 7:00 PM Boarding

16-May Ajaccio, Corsica 9:00 AM 5:00 PM Docked

17-May Villefranche (Nice), France 7:00 AM 11:00 PM Tendered

18-May Livorno (Florence/Pisa), Italy 7:00 AM 7:00 PM Docked

19-May At Sea

20-May Messina (Sicily), Italy 7:00 AM 5:00 PM Docked

21-May Naples, Italy 7:00 AM 7:00 PM Docked

22-May Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy 8:00 AM Departure

 

In Corsica and Sicily, the ship leaves at 5:00 so you'll have to be back on board by around 4:30 anyway...giving you 2 hours to dress for dinner at the least...

 

In Livorno and Naples, the best thing I could tell you is to check your shore excursion times or plan your independent tours carefully...With 7:00 departures, you'll have to return by 6:30 anyway...The longest Shore excursions in these ports are 10 hours...If they leave at 8 am (and we found our longer tours usually left earlier), you'll be back by 6...so, if you are the type that can grab a quick shower and throw on clothes and be ready for dinner, you should have no problem...If you're the type that need two hours to dress for dinner, you'll have a problem...

 

Villefranche, with the 11 pm sail time is a unique situation...Some folks prefer to eat in port that night...We just did our tour and returned to the ship around 5 and it was enough for us...Another shot (what we did in Santorini with a similar midnight sail time) was to book the specialty restaurant that night...

 

Another VERY interesting note about seating times in the Med...On our ship, the concensus among people we met (both those in early and late seating) was that if they had to do it again, they'd choose EARLY seating...The early seating was mostly adults...the overwhelming number of kids were in late seating...It's an interesting quirk in the Med...they get a lot of "locals"...On our cruise, there were over 500 French passengers and a large number of Spaniards as well...The French and Spaniards all seemed to bring their kids...and, as is their local custom, they eat dinner late...So all of those European families were in what proved to be a very hectic late seating...

 

To me, that 7:00 slot, if available, sounds just about perfect...it gives you a little extra time to get ready in the later ports, it keeps you out of those horrendous late seatings and it allows you to enjoy the evening shows, lounges, etc. after dinner and still get to bed at a reasonable time for that exciting next day in port...

 

Good luck...

[bchbms]

There is a thread running on the main RCCL board right now started by a guy who is on the Brilliance transatlantic. He said he asked the head maitre d and was told the dinner times on the Med cruise will be 6:30, 7:00, 8:30 and 9. Hope this helps!

[denmanja]

Okay, here's an update on my saga. Royal Caribbean REALLY needs to work on their customer service. :mad:

 

Less than an hour ago, someone there finally confirmed 4 seatings. I contact my TA via a live web-chat service, and here is their condensed reply:

 

"I have RCCL on the phone now and they said they only have 2 dining times, even for the European sailings... The times aren't confirmed until you get on board the ship and it usually 6:30 is early and 8:30 is late... I do apologize, but I have worked here for 2 yrs and never heard of there being 4 dining times with RCCL. The representative from RCCL has worked there for 3 yrs and he said the same thing".

This is making me pull my hair out!!!

Jennifer

[3dogmom]

Geez, what is wrong with RCCL customer service? You think trying to find out dining times is a nightmare? Try having someone explain the onboard booking policy! If you speak to 5 agents, you'll get 5 different answers! My cruise is 7/11 so I can't wait to hear what the real story is on these dining times. I was under the impression that there are 4 seatings, and I requested late, thinking that would be 9:30 at the latest. Jennifer, if you find out any more info, please keep us posted. Thanks and try not to pull all your hair out!!

[Nliedel]

Please note that on Eurpoean Cruises you will have many Europeans (well duh :) ) and in countries like Spain dinner time is, what I consider, very late at night. Dinner at 10 pm is the norm. I remember trying to stay awake for dinner the last time I was in Spain! Since I am hopelessly "early to bed" (on a cruise I have the late seating and have been known to crash just after dessert) this is a real challange for me. What is the norm on a Caribbean sailing (late dinner at 8:30) would be early for most Europeans (not the English however, who eat later than we do but not so very late as those in mediteranian countries). While you seem to be getting mixed signals from RCI I suspect it is a result of most of their cruises being in the western hemisphere. Yes it is bad training. Do not be surprised if the seating is later. Also you can fix things if you go to the Maitre'd as soon as you board. While this sort of thing just stresses me to death (I'm a planner and telling me at the last minute kills me) it is one of those things I have learned to live with when I cruise. If I ask for early seating I get late and visa versa.

 

Is it acceptable? Not really but again, there are some things you cannot fix.

[denmanja]

Another call to RCI resulted in the girl insisting there were only 2 seatings. After she checked with someone else, she changed her story - go figure. :mad: Again she stated that dining times for European cruises would be 6:30, 7:30, 9 and 10. This fits with our confirmed time - 9 pm - but not with ehogan (the OP). It also doesn't match the times told to someone on board BOS at this very moment. Also, she finally offered to help me change times, but could not guarantee that we would get 7:30. They still only promise early or late. :confused: 9pm is better than 6:30, so we are going to chance it on the ship after all.

 

Wow, do I need a vacation! :p

 

Jennifer

[Florida_cruisers]

I spoke with the Crown and Anchor help desk and they immediately acknowledge the 4 different dinner times. Of course, I immediately made sure that I had the dining time I requested

[jbond]

We were on Brilliance last year and we were told that there were four seatings. When we got on board we found that there were only two. We had second seating at 9:15. It was perfect for us. If you like to see as much as possible in port, you will be back on board quite late and early seating would be a major rush.

As for RCI's Customer Service, I'm always amazed that a major company like RCI has such poor Customer Service. They are so inconsistent that they are useless.

[pcur]

For some reason RCCL's home office folks just aren't in good touch or synchronized with their ships' dining room management. It's been this way FOREVER!!

 

We ask for a table for 2 on all our cruises (Diamond C&A Members), and have to go to the dining room and check the table every single cruise.

 

So, even though you may talk to your TA, the Customer Service people, and the C&A people, they have no control over the dining room on an individual ship.

 

We were on the Meditteranean itinerary 3 years ago on the Splendour and had late seating. It started at 9 PM, and we liked it. We would come back from our day of sighseeing, hit the Solarium Cafe or the end of the Windjammer afternoon snack service, and that would hold us over until our late dinner.

 

If they are switching to 4 seatings for some cruises, it's probably to accommodate different groups or European and American mixed passengers. We Americans like to eat a LOT earlier than Europeans.

 

We are going on the Brilliance for her 12 day Med and Venice cruise, and I fully expect to see the head waiter to change our table to one for 2 people.

 

Speaking of which, you don't have to stand in a long line. Go to the dining room immediately upon boarding the ship and ask anyone in there what the times are for that specific cruise. If it's not to your liking, then ask WHEN and WHERE the maitre d' is accepting dining change requests. Get to the spot (usually the dining room; sometimes the conference area) about 20 minutes early, and you will be within the first dozen people. It's part of my routine every cruise.

 

Enjoy the cruise! I loooooooved our Med cruise on the Splendour.

[navel1ring]

Did the Med on Splendour last October. Had the late seating - 9:00 pm. After a long day in port I would not have wanted the early seating-too rushed we never got back to the ship before 6 or 6:30. With the late seating we had time for a short nap & a nice hot shower & dress for dinner. Usually got to bed between 11 & 11:30 pm & up by 6:30 or 7:00 am. The late seating was perfect for us & I'm usually asleep by 9:30 or 10:00 pm at home.

 

Wendy

[vivian02]

The wife and I did Splendor early last June. We had the early seating and there was a half emply resturant? Yes, the Eurpoeans do eat late. If you need a early seating I don't think it will be too difficult to change. Our waiting staff was so bored that we got the royal treatment. It wasn't a problem for us. I'm not sure how it worked for the folks doing the late seating. Tim

[dr2ooth]

THER ARE FOUR SEATINGS AS WAS EMAILED TO ME BY RCCL.

 

 

Thank you for your e-mail.

 

Dr. Kazew, regarding your inquiry, yes, there is four dining times onboard.

 

Our dining times are:

 

6.30 pm - 7.00 pm

9.00 pm - 9.30 pm

 

The cruise director is Bill Brunkhorst.

 

 

BY THE WAY THAT WAS FOR THE 7-11 BRILLIANCE CRUISE

THAT SHOULD SOLVE ALL THE ISSUES

[Host Karen]

Unfortunately, it doesn't resolve it because a current Brilliance cruiser on the main board asked his waiter to check on dining times in the Med and she said the times were 6:30 and 7:00 for early and 8:30 and 9:00 for late. According to what we are hearing, the cruise documents are listing 7:30 for early seating but we will be given our true dining time and table assignment when we check in at the pier. Looks like the maitre d' will be VERY busy at the beginning of these Med cruises, at least until we can confirm the seating arrangements through experience.

 

Just as an FYI, there were four seatings on last year's Brilliance 12-night Med cruises.

 

Just wanted to add that since our June 5 sailing is the first 12-nighter for the season, I'll be sure to post here and on the main board what our seating times actually turn out to be.

[dr2ooth]

Our Travel Agent Too Asked Us Which Dinner Seating We Wanted And The Choices Were As Stated Above 630 And 700 ,900 And 930.

Would Like To Hear If Indeed They Are Different After Your June 5th Cuise. They May Change It All Again If There Is Mass Confusion.

[jbond]

Just as an FYI, there were four seatings on last year's Brilliance 12-night Med cruises.

Not on our Brilliance cruise, just two.

[Host Karen]

Update from the thread on the main board: The poster's waiter reported revised dining times for Brilliance in Europe (I assum beginning with the 6/5 sailing):

 

Deck 4: 7:00 and 9:30

Deck 5: 7:30 and 10:00

 

As mentioned in my previous post, I will post our actual dining times and deck locations once we have boarded Brilliance. Of course, that doesn't guarantee that those times will hold throughout the season.

 

jbond, were you on a 12-night? I hadn't heard of any Med sailings last year that had only two seatings. I suppose that simply adds to the confusion.

 

Karen

[jbond]

jbond, were you on a 12-night? I hadn't heard of any Med sailings last year that had only two seatings. I suppose that simply adds to the confusion.

Karen

 

Yes, it was the 12 night Greek Islands version. Prior to sailing we were told that they had four seatings, using different decks for the early and late versions of the first and second seatings. :D On board we found only the two seatings. We had a table for eight and first night it was full. Second night we had six different people. We thought that we have said something, but they all showed up later to explain that they had moved to early seating.

It wasn't a problem for us, even though we usually eat early at home. Allows more time for those before dinner cocktails.