early or late traditional dining time?

[58Piano]

We have always done the early 6pm traditional dining. Our next cruise in April we thought we would try 8:15 late traditional dining.

What is your opinion? Can you make it to the shows, entertainment and movies with a late seating? We don't usually stay up late at night.

Or is it a juggling act to see the entertainment? Do one show then rush to dinner. Then try to catch another show after dinner? Hard or not?

Any suggestions from your experiences?

[caribill]

With three performances an evening in the Princess Theater, there will be a show before dinner and one after you can choose from.

 

Yes, if there is other entertainment offered you may have to pick between them or do one before and one after dinner.

 

Of course any one-time-only activities in an evening that are scheduled during the late seating time would have to be missed. For example a trivia contest or "The Marriage Game."

[windsor26]

As said the theatre performances are split to ensure you get a chance either before dinner or after to see them but the other shows may need you to ask your waiter to let you through early and they do if there is a specific show you want to attend, However usually the late dinner is either 8pm or 7.45pm I had not been as late as 8.25pm and we always have late sitting

Edited January 14, 2014 by windsor26

[Quacker]

On a long cruise with lots of sea days we do the early dinner time. This way we have the whole evening to see shows etc. If the cruise has lots of port days we do late so can have some rest and or clean up before dinner. This has worked well for us.

[lv2cruiseanywhere]

We have always done the early 6pm traditional dining. Our next cruise in April we thought we would try 8:15 late traditional dining.

What is your opinion? Can you make it to the shows, entertainment and movies with a late seating? We don't usually stay up late at night.

Or is it a juggling act to see the entertainment? Do one show then rush to dinner. Then try to catch another show after dinner? Hard or not?

Any suggestions from your experiences?

 

We like the late dinner; it just works for us. We enjoy Afternoon Tea (served every day) and it's too close to early dinner time to enjoy each day. Also, there are a lot of entertainment times (more now that the shows are only 30 minutes long) so we have no trouble seeing what we want, either before or after dinner.

 

We never have to go early to get a seat at the late show; usually around 10:15pm or so. The early shows sometimes have lines to get in.

[flamomo]

On the other hand, I don't like the late seating, because I don't like getting out of the dining room after 10PM. I don't usually care to stay up late, especially if the next day is a port day. But it's not comfortable to go to bed, or conducive to getting to sleep, with a full stomach because I just left the dining room.

[Wichenford Wolf]

We have always used Anytime Dining and don't really understand why people go for fixed times?

 

If you get to like a certain waiter, we have found that a quick word with the Maitre d' will get you a table in his / her area.

 

And we enjoy meeting new people at dinner on the cruise!

[geoherb]

We prefer the second seating. We always go to the shows in the theater. They're usually scheduled so we can do them before or after dinner. Just pay attention to the Patter to find out the time so you won't be disappointed. We had tablemates who were looking forward to a show last month on the Ruby and I had to be the bearer of bad news--that they should have gone before dinner because it was not being repeated after dinner due to the deck party that night.