Early vs. Late Seating

[JMCRUZIN]

When we booked our cruise, we chose a late seating in the MDR. I'm wondering if that was a good idea. Will we miss the shows because of the late seating? Are there any pros or cons to each seating?

[MandyMooToo]

On our first cruise we chose the early seating and I always felt like I had to keep watching the clock to be sure we'd get to the room in time to get ready for dinner. This upcoming cruise we chose the later seating. I made reservations for all of the shows, late shows or matinee, and from what I've read there should be no trouble getting to them in time.

[olibubble]

I thnk for late seating you go to the early sowing of the show, and then go to dinner.

 

Thats the reason ive always chosen early seating, as that way it is dinner then show, which is more normal to me :)

[JMCRUZIN]

We will be sailing on Jewel of the Seas. Do all of the ships do two shows each night?

[efields2]

We will be sailing on Jewel of the Seas. Do all of the ships do two shows each night?

 

Most nights, yes. Sometimes on the first and last night they will only do one show. But typically, late diners go to the show BEFORE dinner. Early diners go to the AFTER dinner.

 

But there's a third option -- My Time Dining. You can pick when you want to eat and then you could pick which show you want to go to, depending on what works with your dinner schedule.

[luvscruising2007]

We always eat late seating and have never missed a show. Just check your Compass each day because the show time can change. You still won't miss the show.

[lauren0309]

We like early seating. Dinner and then then the show. If we're on an excursion that ends late we just go to the Windjammer for dinner so we don't have to rush.

[setsail]

You have 5 choices, lots of options

 

Early-MDR

Late-MDR

MTD- you can change to this after boarding if you want

Specialty restaurants

Windjammer

[Gina130284]

We've just arrived back from Enchantment. We had the 5:30pm seating (which was originally slightly later when we booked) and personally I wish we'd had the later or my time option instead.

It was our wedding and honeymoon and we missed every sunset because dinner took approx 2 hours. One night we chose to eat in the windjammer so we could watch the sunset, but we regretted eating there!

 

Also, the sun was still out at 4:30pm and I had to tear myself away from my sun lounger to go get showered and changed for dinner!

[jndsilver31]

My DW and I booked early dinner on our cruise last September. We did that because we eat dinner around 4pm. My working hours are 7am-3pm. I have breakfast at 5:30am, lunch at 11am, so we are ready for dinner at around 4pm.

[DragonOfTheSeas]

While we eat dinner around 6 at home. [just our habit from years of rsaising our kids LOL] On cruises we always pick late seating. first of all I eat much more on the cruise than I do at home. I will not starve. Next, it is much more convenient on port days to have the later seating. fianlly, I like the ability to get to know my fellow tablemates rather than MTD. Getting to know new people is a big perk of cruises.

 

There are shows scheduled for late seating.

[cruiseguy1016]

Another concern is, what time do you normally eat while at home? We always eat at early seating because that's closer to the time we eat at home. If you are used to eating early at home, you'll probably want to eat early on the ship so your body's meal clock doesn't get screwed up.

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

We have always chosen early dining on our cruises, but this last cruise we finally decided we are better off with late seating because with early seating, we miss nearly every port sailaway, every sunset, every moon rise, and so on. I particularly enjoy watching our ship sail away from ports because it is often such a pretty view and also because I never know when we will be back.

 

Also, I feel so rushed around five hurrying to get ready for dinner. Early shows are usually around seven or so. I'd rather see the early show then eat early. Late shows are too late for us. We are often just too tired by that time to enjoy the late show.

 

We have two cruises booked and both ones we have requested late seating. If we aren't hungry that late, we don't have to go. You are not required to show up for dinner.

 

We don't really cruise to meet people. I know that is some of the great fun of cruising for many folks, but that isn't why we cruise,so if we never, ever go to the MDR, it doesn't matter to us. That is why we request a table for two, so table mates aren't sitting waiting for us to show up.

[krev]

We had early seating on our last cruise (jan/feb) at 6:00. We usually didn't get our main course until about 7 so it was perfect. Two years ago we had late seating at 8:30 and it was just too late. We were really busy on the Islands and were beat by dinner time. It's last cruise had MTD but a lot of the folks we met could only get a very late seating.

[Eriksgarden]

We prefer early dining, then a show, then whatever. It also feels more "normal" to us. :-D

[baggal]

When we booked our cruise, we chose a late seating in the MDR. I'm wondering if that was a good idea. Will we miss the shows because of the late seating? Are there any pros or cons to each seating?

 

Where are you cruising? If its in the Mediterranean, then all seating starts later than elsewhere: late seating can be as late as 9 and 9:30 p.m.

[FoxyBride14]

When we booked our cruise, we chose a late seating in the MDR. I'm wondering if that was a good idea. Will we miss the shows because of the late seating? Are there any pros or cons to each seating?

 

We usually choose late seating and we go to the shows before dinner. I liked the late seating better because on our cruise we had 5 port days and only 1 sea day, so we were at the islands until late. So we didn't have to rush back or anything.

[Chileancruiser]

When we booked our cruise, we chose a late seating in the MDR. I'm wondering if that was a good idea. Will we miss the shows because of the late seating? Are there any pros or cons to each seating?

 

 

We typically do the MTD simply because we like enjoying our vacations. In my work life there's a schedule, deadlines, and a sense of urgency that I need to be here or there in such a such of time. While on vacation I like to do things when we desire to do them. Flexibility is awesome.

[Rocket3D]

When we booked our cruise, we chose a late seating in the MDR. I'm wondering if that was a good idea. Will we miss the shows because of the late seating? Are there any pros or cons to each seating?

 

Hi,

 

The Welcome Show on first night is usually only one show about 8PM...you

could possibly make that one either way.

Depending on the ship the main production show usually has 2 showings

...just for that reason...so each dinner seating can catch the show.

 

I rarely see this mentioned but we always eat early at home...by 6:30

anyway....so we don't change our eating times because if we eat late

we can't sleep on full stomachs.

 

Maybe 'MyTime' dining is an option so you can schedule meals around showtimes.

 

Have fun.

 

:cool:

[gooloobie]

Where are you cruising? If its in the Mediterranean, then all seating starts later than elsewhere: late seating can be as late as 9 and 9:30 p.m.

 

What about early seating for a Mediterranean cruise?

[tasbm1]

Just recently, on our last cruise, we took early dining because late dining was running into our sons Adventure Ocean activities on our last cruise. Next cruise, I am going back to late dining. We do not like to be rushed to get ready for dinner. With early dining, I felt like we were getting back from an excursion and had to get ready for dinner immediately. One night we had no choice but to go to WJ because there was no way to take a shower and get ready for early dining in MDR. With late dining, we can take our time and relax while we get ready. If we are a bit hungry room service is a great option for a snack until late dinner. As for the shows, it always seems to work out whether you have early or late dinner. If I had young children, I would take early dining so the child could participate in the AO activities, but for our family with an older child or when we travel without our son, I will be taking late dining.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

On Royal I would do early ..

[roboref]

We choose late seating most times. The pool area clears out about 4 pm as everyone with early seating leaves to get ready, so that part of the ship is deserted as well as the fitness room. We tend to sleep in and either eat late breakfast or pick up something from windjammer and then lunch at MDR around one, so to go to early seating we are still full, plus you can't get a treat mid afternoon. So late seating to us equates to more activity time during the day. We can hang out at the pool or whatever else we have going on until about 5, then I can go workout or go to the cigar bar, while DW goes back to the room to rest and get ready for dinner.

 

We have chosen early seating a couple of times, med cruises where we had lots of early excursion and wanted to be able to go to bed earlier and then last year on Panama canal trip as the cigar bar didn't open until 9, so I would not have been able to use it had we not gone to early seating.

 

Have not tried MTD, as we have done many cruises on NCL with Freestyle dining and I just don't prefer to have to make decisions over when to go to dinner.

 

If you want to see the shows and are on MTD you will be basically going when the early or late seating is as others have mentioned the shows are timed around early and late seating.

[Jimnbigd]

You are more likely to miss some of first and last show with early dining. It usually starts 1.75 hours after early dining starts. Dining can take two hours or more. Also with early dining you will miss some of the Captains party and free champagne. We had early dining starting at 5:45, and the Captain's party started at 7pm as I recall. I prefer late dining.

[time4u2go]

We prefer early. As others have said, it just seems more "normal" (to us) to have dinner then a show. We just like the idea that after dinner, there's still much of the evening ahead of us! We also don't go to bed terribly late, and we don't like having just eaten all that rich food not too long before bed.