Is Second Seating Dead

[psychtobe]

on Sapphire Aug 28, and I believe 2nd seating is at 8pm, not 8:30 pm. so it's not quite as late as feared. now if only my east coast parents can stay up for it!

[WCAB]

I believe I am the minority but my entire family, husband, sister, Mom and Dad prefer early seating, actually we do personal choice but we are there at 5:30 p.m. I enjoy eating but also want to leave time for the shows and a trip by the casino. I am not that old but would feel like a zombie if I stayed up much later then 11:00 -11:30 p.m. I enjoy getting up early and walking the ship before everyone is up.

[catdancers]

We just went on a cruise with some friends who insisted on early seating which turned out to be at 5:30 PM. We hated it! Second seating is our favorite!

[Cindy]

We always take second seating. After all, we can always get a snack to tide us over if we're hungry!:D

[dutchess43]

Second seating is not dead if it is someone forgot to tell me. We only book second seating traditional dinner for all our cruises(17th this summer). We were on NCL Dawn & I enjoyed the PC dining DH hated it, that was the only type of dining offered so we had no choice! I remember on one of the shore excusions we were running very late & it effected the early diners. I felt so bad for that group because they did not have a chance to get freshened up & had to go straight to dinner. Your dining times should reflect your lifestlye whatever works for you.

[GottoCruise]

OOHHH --I LOVE it if 2nd seating Traditional goes to 8PM - That wolud be just PERFECT :D

 

 

Any word on the Golden European Summer 2005 sailings sailings doing this???

[WazAnOkie]

We also prefer second seating. No rush to get ready early, and no rush to get done. Only problem we have had was we usually had so much fun talking and enjoying dinner we were sometimes late or missed some shows. One of our cruises, our whole table was often the last to leave. We really talked with our waiter and would always ask if he did any 'waiter tricks' - of which he showed us many. Since we were there late, he would also bring over other waiters to show off their tricks and stunts, we had a blast, and could not have done this on early seating.

[goblue]

I must be the minority then ?

We ate early at home so always first seating for us - the only time I ate after 8 something on a formal night (forgot to make reservation earlier) I fell asleep at the end of meal before dessert was served :rolleyes:

My (not-so-old) body clock just won't switch to a later time :o

[harrodsfan]

We love second seating. It actually gives us a chance to breath after a long day in port...before eating.

[Dreamer333]

Nope, you're not alone in enjoying second seating:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=166305

 

 

.

[sunprincess]

Definitely 2nd seating for me, or even later if doing PC. Gives me more suntime;)

[Cruisin' Chick]

We have always requested second seating, even with our child. This last cruise, our girl wanted to go to the kids' zone instead of the dining room, so we would get her something to eat (hot dog or pizza if before 6) and dropped her off. And just try to remember to get her before 10. Sometimes she wanted to see the production show (she liked the Undercover show). If we get hungry before 8:15, we could always grab a nosh at the Horizon to hold us over.

[peeshee]

We just returned from our first cruise on the Diamond Princess. We had first seating and if I were to do it again, I think I'd choose 2nd seating. The main reasons being ; 1)not having to rush getting ready 2)being able to enjoy tea time or the free ice cream sundaes at 3:30. First seating was 5:45, but we usually arrived at 6:00. The last night, which was a Victoria stop, the times were 1st sitting 5:30 and 2nd at 7:45. On the flip side, it was nice to be able to eat dinner then go to the early shows at 8:00 pm.

[ronjj66611]

Thanks everyone for thier input. I always see things written about PC and first sitting so I just wondered. I can't wait to enjoy the early evening hanging on our balcony and relaxing after a busy day, not having to rush to dinner.:D After two cruises, I can't imagine having to eat so early, we rarely eat early at home anyway.

 

Happy Sailings!

 

Ron

[Love Cruis'n]

Im really enjoy the later dinner.

The other couples we usually cruise with are also later eaters.

It's only my DW who would prefer to eat at - well sometimes I think she wants to eat at 4:30, but the cruise is the one time it is a no brainer - she has to go with the group. In turn, I stay up with her till she "digests" which she insists takes hours - but I digress... :)

[Terre]

We have always booked second seating and the dining rooms have always been full.

[kryos]

Does anyone else like the second seating? I enjoy it because it allows us to come back from an excursion and relax, rather than have to rush into the shower and get ready for dinner (not easy with a duaghter and wife)

Second sitting is far from dead. True, you won't have many children in second sitting (in my case, a definite plus!), but there are plenty of people who prefer to eat late. Late sitting is also good on port days as it gives you time to get back to your cabin and relax a bit before having to get ready for dinner. Lots of people like that.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita