question for people with late MDR assigned times

[luckyinpa]

on anthem that means 815 but my guess is most other ships are around that time.

 

do you normally eat that late at home

 

what time do you go to bed after your 8pm dinner

 

what time is your lunch

 

i know if i waited from around noon to 8 my ribs would be showing and my stomach not very happy. also at home im usually in bed 9 or 10 so eating at 8 would just be crazy. admittedly on a cruise my time is not normally 9 but probably 11 would be normal. cant imagine pigging out on buffet etc then going to bed. and yes on a cruise you must eat a lot, its the rules!

 

so do all you late people have later lunches or stay up late etc. i see this frequently on tv shows and i always think when they said lets meet for dinner at 7 or 8 that that is crazy.

[Sancho_proudfoot]

Interesting point! At home, we'll eat around 6.30/7.00 pm and be abed by 10.30 ish.

 

However, that's usually because of work tomorrow - weekdays I'm up at 5.30.

 

Onboard ship we choose late dinner sitting. This tends to be because if we've been ashore - an excursion, or just a wander - theres plenty of time to get back on-board have a drink somewhere, go back to the cabin, maybe a snooze, a leisurely shower, hit the favourite watering hole for a cocktail then then eat.

 

Afterwards maybe the late theatre show, or donate at the casino, or listen to some live music...... and bed about 1.00 am.

 

Not having to stick to.home routines and timings is one of the joys of cruising for us.

[luvscruising2007]

At home we eat dinner between 7 and 8. We are retired so we don't have to be up in the morning.

 

For lunch on the ship we go to the MDR on sea days, usually late. If we get hungry we eat a snack. I usually bring something from home, like peanuts or crackers.

On port days we just eat lunch after an excursion, booking excursions mid morning.

 

We generally get a short nap in the late afternoon which helps to stay up later in the evening and usually hit the cabin for bedtime after 11. We sit out on our balcony for awhile with a glass of wine.

[TheOldBear]

On Cunard, the late seating is 8:30 - and that's what we have selected.

on anthem that means 815 but my guess is most other ships are around that time.

 

do you normally eat that late at home

Not when I need to get up at 6AM the next day - that would be a typical work day.

 

On vacations dinner tends to be later - as does wakeup / breakfast times

 

what time do you go to bed after your 8pm dinner

On a cruise? Sometime between midnight and 2 AM [after dancing or a post dinner show - and hopefully some interesting conversations]

 

what time is your lunch

That varies - on a cruise that is most typically a mid morning brunch.

i know if i waited from around noon to 8 my ribs would be showing and my stomach not very happy. also at home im usually in bed 9 or 10 so eating at 8 would just be crazy. admittedly on a cruise my time is not normally 9 but probably 11 would be normal. cant imagine pigging out on buffet etc then going to bed. and yes on a cruise you must eat a lot, its the rules!

We may go to the 'afternoon Tea' or the buffet to fill in the gaps - but we try to avoid 'pigging out' ;p

So far we have not experienced the frequently reported behavior of salt air shrinking clothing during a cruise.

 

so do all you late people have later lunches or stay up late etc. i see this frequently on tv shows and i always think when they said lets meet for dinner at 7 or 8 that that is crazy.

[spookwife]

before we started the My Time Dining thing, we always chose late dinner to have fewer small children around. we ate when we were hungry. if it was noon we ate a big lunch, if it was between 3-5, we ate a smaller one.. one ship we were on once had a mobile Sushi cart starting at 3. grabbed a few rolls and that held us over til our 830 dining time. usually the buffets will have a small section of light nibbles mid afternoon.

 

my sleeping routine rarely changes on board so I am in bed before ten most night and I am up by 6 most mornings.

 

and noi we do not eat a lot. in fact we routinely skip at least 2 courses at dinner every night.

[BDRebel]

I usually have dinner at home about 6:00 PM, so early MDR is perfect for me.

[cb at sea]

We eat sort of late at home..later in the summer, than in the winter. On a cruise, we will eat lunch at a normal "lunch time", and grab a snack around 4 or so, if we need something to "hold us over" until late seating. On some ships, there may be "munchies" at a bar around the cocktail hour...we take advantage of that when offered!

[pghsteelerfan]

We've had MDR late seating, by choice, on all of our cruises. Six have been with Carnival and one with Royal Caribbean. On Carnival, late seeing dinner in the MDR is also at 8:15PM.

 

When cruising, we tend to go with port heavier itineraries vs. those with more sea days. I will mention that on a cruise, we normally eat a much bigger breakfast than we do here at home, so we're usually satisfied until mid to late afternoon. We love spending time in ports without feeling rushed to get back, showered and ready for dinner. If we're not on a tour that includes a meal, we usually have a late lunch when we get back on board the ship since we usually get back on board an hour before sail away time. After a bite to eat, it's nice to get a drink and go up to the upper outside decks for views as we sail away and also stay out to watch sunset (weather permitting) without having to be inside getting ready. We try not to over do it on the lunch and will eat something that will satisfy us, not fill us, so by 8:15, we're ready to eat again.

 

Due to my husband's long commute to/from work, he's usually not home any earlier than 7:30PM (we live in the suburbs of a large city known for gridlock at rush hour), so our normal dinner time is between 8:00 and 8:30PM anyway, and it's been later on a few occasions. Our *normal* bedtime is between 11 and 11:30PM Sunday -Thursday and a little later on Fridays and Saturdays. We usually stay up a little later than or normal bedtime on cruises, but it's not much later on the night before a port since we usually try to get off the ship as soon as possible, especially if we have a tour planned.

Edited May 10, 2017 by pghsteelerfan

[sanger727]

I've never done late seating and frankly would probably not book a cruise if that was the only option available. We eat between 5 and 6 at home and like OP usually go to bed around 10 to 11; so having a huge meal from 8 to 9 or 9:30 is unappetizing. I pick whatever the lines version of anytime dining if I can; or early as a last resort. We like norwegian specifically because the whole ship is anytime dining which works well.

 

 

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[Flatbush Flyer]

on anthem that means 815 but my guess is most other ships are around that time.

 

 

 

do you normally eat that late at home

 

 

 

what time do you go to bed after your 8pm dinner

 

 

 

what time is your lunch

 

 

 

i know if i waited from around noon to 8 my ribs would be showing and my stomach not very happy. also at home im usually in bed 9 or 10 so eating at 8 would just be crazy. admittedly on a cruise my time is not normally 9 but probably 11 would be normal. cant imagine pigging out on buffet etc then going to bed. and yes on a cruise you must eat a lot, its the rules!

 

 

 

so do all you late people have later lunches or stay up late etc. i see this frequently on tv shows and i always think when they said lets meet for dinner at 7 or 8 that that is crazy.

 

 

There are entire countries where the predominant cultural dictate is to not eat dinner until after 8 PM.

 

 

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[SantaFeFan]

There are entire countries where the predominant cultural dictate is to not eat dinner until after 8 PM.

 

Quite correct. Many European countries dine late. Many restaurants don't even open until well after 6:00 pm. For example, if you choose a decent restaurant in Paris and you will have to wait until at least 7:00 pm for it to open. Some open even later.

[TC1957]

We have always chosen the late seating. At home we typically eat dinner around 6:00 but that is because for the last two plus years my wife and I have been living with and caring for her elderly mother. She like to go to bed and "read" around 7:00. Before we moved in with her we ate around 7:30.

[AmeliaAtSea]

do you normally eat that late at home

 

what time do you go to bed after your 8pm dinner

 

what time is your lunch

My husband and I often eat late, sometimes as late as 10 pm. I don't often eat lunch, but when I do, it depends on if I'm eating out with my kids (they're 11 & 13 now, will be 13 & 15 on our cruise) or if I'm eating on my own here at home--for me, it can be anywhere from 12 pm to 2:30 pm at home. They usually eat lunch anywhere from 12-1 pm (we homeschool, so we have a lot of flexibility), and they eat supper around 6 pm, sometimes earlier, sometimes later, depending on what's going on.

 

I chose late dining (8:15 pm) for our cruise. I figure if we are up early, we can have a "normal" breakfast time, or we can still have a late breakfast if we feel like it. I'm planning on a late lunch or regular lunch with snacks between lunch & dinner. We'll have to pay attention to closing times for the lunchtime food venues. There's also the Tasting Bar on Carnival before dinner (on sea days?).

 

Normal bedtime is 9 or 9:30 for the 11 yr old, 10:30-ish for the 13 yr old (she'd love midnight, she's our night owl), and midnight for dh & I.

[mrsfuzzmo]

Interesting point! At home, we'll eat around 6.30/7.00 pm and be abed by 10.30 ish.

 

However, that's usually because of work tomorrow - weekdays I'm up at 5.30.

 

Onboard ship we choose late dinner sitting. This tends to be because if we've been ashore - an excursion, or just a wander - theres plenty of time to get back on-board have a drink somewhere, go back to the cabin, maybe a snooze, a leisurely shower, hit the favourite watering hole for a cocktail then then eat.

 

Afterwards maybe the late theatre show, or donate at the casino, or listen to some live music...... and bed about 1.00 am.

 

Not having to stick to.home routines and timings is one of the joys of cruising for us.

 

THIS^^ I agree with completely. We LOVE late dining on a cruise. At home we have dinner around 5:30 or 6 pm. On a cruise we will eat and snack on all the offerings all day. There's a heck of a lot to eat other than just the lunch buffet. Lots of options for a mid-afternoon snack. I have ZERO WORRIES that my ribs would ever be showing.....even after a week of starvation. :)

 

 

We love to stay in ports as long as possible. On many itineraries, that would roll us right into the early dining times. We like to play all day in the sun, then head back to the cabin for a shower and a nap, then off to pre-dinner martinis and maybe listen to some music, or stroll the decks. After dinner, we have a few more drinks, maybe hit the piano bar, or watch a comedian and then off to bed by 11 or midnight.

[herbanrenewal]

When I was younger i was a late start/ evening shift/ late evening person. About 15 years before I retired I took a job where I started at 6am. Now even after retiring and having any option available I usually get up around 530 and unless i take an afternoon nap I'm tired by 9pm. No way I could enjoy a late dinner. I'm usually ready for dinner at earliest time either any time dining or early seating. I would be falling asleep at the table like a toddler if i had a late seating.

[Sequim88]

We prefer late and we actually eat at about that time at home. Ever since becoming empty nesters it creeped a little later and settled at 8 pm (after Jeopardy). Work nights we get to bed by 11 pm but on cruises that's usually 1 am unless the next day is an early port stop. I have a very quick 3 mile commute so can wake up at 7:15 and be to work by 8 am. I move that schedule a bit later on cruises but the commute to the buffet is also reasonably quick. ;)

[LHT28]

We had late sitting on HAL so we ended up at the buffet every night because we usually eat at 6pm so the buffet worked for us

If you need to eat earlier it is a good option also there are usually place to get a snack or room service if you still want to eat in the MDR late sitting

 

we prefer ships with open dining so we can eat when we are hungry not when the cruise line thinks we should eat

YMMV

[GMRPHRN]

My family likes late seating simply because the early is too early. At home we eat between 7 and 8:30 depending on what is going on in our lives. Lunches vary per person and schedule. At home we still go to bed by 11pm most nights. On the ship I have often found that I am really hungry by dinner time and often am eating another meal called "Lupper" to tie me over. I am on vacation and am not opposed to eating more than 3 times a day. Bedtime on the cruise depends on how tired we are, what the evening entertainment offerings are, if we had a nap, etc. I am on vacation so I am not opposed to my schedule being all over the place.

[lisiamc]

We prefer to eat late, 8.00 or 8.30, and we don't like to start getting ready for dinner until about 6.30 pm. When we first started cruising (on Celebrity), back when fixed seating was the norm, there was always a show after dinner for each seating. Then the show was moved to a slot before late seating dinner on some nights, and now, it's before dinner every night. If we choose Select dining, we still want to eat at about 8 or 8.30, so now we miss 99% of the shows, because we don't want to get ready that early. If we wanted to finish our day and start getting ready for the evening at 5pm, we would choose early seating.

 

We eat breakfast about 9 am, lunch at 1.00 or 1.30. So we're nicely hungry by 8.30 pm.

[GottaKnowWhen]

on anthem that means 815 but my guess is most other ships are around that time.

 

do you normally eat that late at home

 

what time do you go to bed after your 8pm dinner

 

what time is your lunch

 

i know if i waited from around noon to 8 my ribs would be showing and my stomach not very happy. also at home im usually in bed 9 or 10 so eating at 8 would just be crazy. admittedly on a cruise my time is not normally 9 but probably 11 would be normal. cant imagine pigging out on buffet etc then going to bed. and yes on a cruise you must eat a lot, its the rules!

 

so do all you late people have later lunches or stay up late etc. i see this frequently on tv shows and i always think when they said lets meet for dinner at 7 or 8 that that is crazy.

We eat at 6:00pm at home, but that is not my preference. That is dictated by other constraints and others' in the household. When we cruise, late dinner is far preferred! As others have said, we don't need to feel rushed coming back from port. Rather, we can come aboard, freshen up, relax, change, go have a drink, or two, then dinner. If we skipped lunch ashore we might stop by the buffet for a slice of pizza and a beer on the way to the room. This sort of schedule also gives a chance to see the sail away and/or sunset along the way. No feeling rushed to finish dinner quickly so staff can clear the tables for the 2nd seating. Ashore before or after the cruise, whether in the Lauderdale/Miami metroplex or in Old San Juan or Barcelona or Venice or Southampton, we would still choose to eat at 7:30-8:00pm, leisurely dinner...

 

Not sure what you mean by pigging out at the buffet and then to bed... Assigned dining applies to the Main Dining Room. The buffet is an alternative to the MDR, open for anyone any time (more or less) so if you like your dinner to be a pig-out session at the buffet, there is no time constraint. I don't think many people do both in the same evening but the option is there if that is your thing.

[Hlitner]

I guess there is a trend to eat early, but we are the exception. When we had a young DD, we usually ate at about 6:30. But once our DD was a teen we would eat around 7, and now, as empty nester's we normally eat between 7:15 and 7:30. But when we are having special dinners at home we normally eat around 8. When we go out to eat our norm is to make a reservation for about 8. But when we are in larger cities such as NYC (our original home town and where our DD now lives) we routinely eat at 9 or even 9:30 when we go out to a restaurant. When we travel around Europe (which has been a long time passion) we seldom eat before 8:30...and when in Spain will often have dinner around 9:30 (which is actually early in parts of Spain). On cruise ships we usually do the Select (or Anytime dining) and seldom go to the MDR before 8. You might ask why and its simply because the evening is our time to socialize and have fun. We are normally out on deck (during sea days) until around 5. If in ports we often do not get back to the ship until 4:30 or 5. Then we go back to our cabin, shower, relax and get ready for the evening. We normally leave our cabin between 6:30 and 7....and head to a bar to relax and have pre-dinner cocktails and socialize with other like minded cruisers. Then after cocktails (and chatting with new friends) we will head to dinner around 8 - 8:30. Sometimes we will eat with others we have met during cocktails. At dinner we prefer a larger table and socialization is part of true dining. Our tables are often among the last to finish (because we are all having fun and not in a hurry) so we may not leave the MDR until well after 9:30. And then its time for evening shows, entertainment, and perhaps a few late night drinks. Around midnight...when most ships tend to die....we are off to our cabin.

 

We do understand that the trend in North America is to do everything on a much earlier schedule...but perhaps its because of extensive European travel...we have adopted more of a European schedule. Some might be shocked to know that in many European cities, few locals will go out for dinner before 9. And DW reminds me of a time (many years ago) when we tried to make a 9pm reservation at an acclaimed restaurant in Spain...only to be told that they did not open until around 9:30! Go figure.

 

Hank

[Markanddonna]

We had only one late dining experience and that was on a Eastern Car. Carnival cruise (our only one on that line.) It was a last minute booking and the staff refused to move us to early or MTD. There were very few people who showed up at the late dining time and our table mates never showed up so we always ate alone. After we met some nice folks at late dining, they invited us to their table.

 

I think dining time depends on:

 

- time zone differences

- your usual dining time at home

- your activity level (we like to dance in the evening, therefore prefer early dining)

- if the cruise is port intensive or sea day intensive (like a TA)

- dietary issues like GERD

[Jimnbigd]

There is often a lot of night life on the ship. I usually stay up past midnight.

I prefer late dining. But I'm a diamond member on RCI and have free appetizers starting around 4:30pm.

If you do get hunger before 8:15, grab a snack at one of the free places on the ship, such as the buffet or a sandwich shop.

[Geldhart]

Late dining for us turns out to match normal dining at home due to time zones. Quite nice

 

 

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