Main or Late Dining - HELP Please

[DiMar]

We are a group of 30 adults and teens going on the Century for the 9 night Xmas/New Years sailing. We have a dilemma...some of us want late dining and some of us want main dining. We would like your feedback so we can make a decision. We have 4 ports that all end at 5pm and we have 4 sea days...HELP!

[Barry ATL]

We like the early seating. This will give you full run of all of the entertainment with no conflicts. Also, we like having the option of a late night snack or buffet. If we are on the late seating, then there is no room for a midnight food experience.

 

The other part of having more evening time on the ship is important to us.

[canderson]

We are a group of 30 adults and teens going on the Century for the 9 night Xmas/New Years sailing. We have a dilemma...some of us want late dining and some of us want main dining. We would like your feedback so we can make a decision. We have 4 ports that all end at 5pm and we have 4 sea days...HELP!

That all of your port departures are at 5:00pm is quite unusual, and changes my 'standard' answer to this question entirely!

 

It's because we'd often be too rushed in showering and dressing after returning from a shorex to make the early seating (if we could make it at all) that has kept us solidly in the late seating camp. It's an extra pain on any but casual nights. That certainly answers one of the first questions I'd have asked you, and actually removes my major objection to early seating.

 

Beyond this, it turns into a matter of personal preference rather than practicality -- and without the practicality, I can't give you any real ammunition one way or the other. In a sense, you're in a fortunate situation in that you're really in much better shape than normal either way you go! Not sure that helps much, but while I'm generally a strong advocate of late seating to provide some R&R time before dinner, your somewhat unique circumstances could easily change my mind.

[dkjretired]

in any of the organized group activities, they would be much better with the early seating since many of these activities are closed at that time. As to the adults, that is really preferences depending on a lot of factors.

[covey]

Because Celebrity allows you to order room service from the regular dinner menu, we prefer to order an appetizer and enjoy a drink before going to late seating and enjoying the rest of dinner. Some early eaters can't be changed so Good Luck!

[dkjretired]

in any of the organized group activities, they would be much better with the early seating since many of these activities are closed at that time. As to the adults, that is really preferences depending on a lot of factors.

[dmarch@islc.net]

My wife would have to be back in the room by 4:30 to be ready in time for early seating. It just cuts to much into the day, and I prefer to eat dinner when it's dark.

[canderson]

I prefer to eat dinner when it's dark.

Don't ever take an Alaskan cruise in July or all you'll get is the midnight buffet:rolleyes: I was always amazed when we'd get up from late seating and the sun would just be thinking about setting! For those of us who live in middle/lower latitudes, it's a pretty bizarre experience the first time it's experienced.

[flashdog_1]

I've done both main and late seating. Regardless of the dinner hour, we always seemed to go to bed after eating, always planning to get up and go to the casino etc. but usually slept right on through!

 

I liked late seating because I could have a massage during main seating and look more rested! Only once my hair was so covered in frangipani that would not wash out that I had to opt for room service.

 

It depends on how port intensive your cruise is, too. And how much you push yourself on the excursions. Allow for a nap if you know you will be worn out.

 

The T pool is still open during main seating, so that's another nice reason to take late seating.

 

Main seating will have more children because of their bedtimes, if that matters to you.

 

Do you like to have a drink before or after dinner? The lounges are really full when you're going in to late seating (full of people having a drink after dinner), but are not as populated if you have main seating.

 

Also consider the time zone you are accustomed to. if you're taking a cruise from Ft Lauderdale but live in California you may not be hungry at first seating because it still feels like 3 in the afternoon to your body. Likewise, if you live on the east coast and take an Alaskan cruise, main seating would be at 2 p.m. to your body's clock.

[Longboysfan]

Why not split it. Teens in the early sitting and adults in the late.

Teens can be ready to dress for dinner in a flash.

Then the adults can get ready at their own pace.

Set some time limits as to where they should meet after dinner.

[excitedofharpenden]

This is a question I asked myself before my last cruise. Many of the reunion group I went with had main seating and I opted for that, even though I always go for late seating. Going early just didn't suit me at all. It was a rush to get ready in the evening when I wanted to relax and sit in the T-Pool, I wasn't particularly hungry for the food at 6.15pm and by 9.30pm I was ready to go to bed. After much deliberation I changed to late after two days.

 

There's no right or wrong answer. It's just what you are used to, so if you do choose one seating for the group, be it main or late, be prepared for it not to work for some.

 

Phil

[shofer]

All the above answers are correct. It depends on what you are looking for iin evening entertainment, if at all. If your cruise is port heavy and you have to be up early for go-go-go, then dine early and retire early.

 

Only once did we do the early dining and that was with a family group because one couple wanted the midnight buffet experience. As it turned out, not one of us ever visited the midnight buffet because we were too busy with other things.

 

The idea of an in-room appetizer before late seating is a great one. We always enjoy a cocktail in the Rendez-vous lounge before late seating and enjoy watching the dancers and the fashion parade on formal night.

[dabear]

we're late seating fan.s We don't like to rush, enjoy a nap on occasion, a drink w/ appitizers before dinner (in our cabin or the martini bar,) and are glad we are too full to visit the midnight buffet.

[CruisingChick]

We too are late seating fans for all the various reasons already mention. My son was 10 years old when we starting cruising and late seating has never been a problem.

 

If you are hungry, don't forget the sushi comes out at 6:00 PM. That's always something fun to do if you can't wait until 8:30 PM.

 

Anne Maria

[nparmelee]

I think the big problem you have here is that some want to eat early and some want to eat late. We are normally early eaters, but on a cruise prefer the late seating. With 30 people you all aren't going to be able to all sit together anyway, they'd have you split up with different tables, if you're lucky the tables may be close to each other, so why not just have every body eat when they want and meet in between the two seatings for a drink together and plan other activities for the whole group?

[slotaddict]

I think it would be better to split up, those that want early seating and those that want late seating. I prefer late for all the reasons posted above, however this next cruise we are going to do main seating bc going with two elderly aunts, I don;t think late seating is enjoyable for them, so we are going to give it a try. I personally think it cuts into the day to much, I would much prefer to stay at the pool or casino, or on shore, then take my time and get ready for dinner. However 30 people are alot to please, someone is going to be unhappy. I would let everyone do their own thing. :) :)

[jojun24]

Back to my experience on the Century in 1995. Wow, time flies.

We had a group of about 25 adults and teens. We found that late seating worked very well for this group. This gave everyone ample time to spend on shore and as half the ship went off to main seating we would have most of the pool deck available for gathering, swimming and the hot tubs. We could then change and meet in any of the lounges for conversation and entertainment prior to late seating. Late seating worked well for us. I do not know if it would have worked as well to try to gather after main seating. Whatever your decision, enjoy the cruise.

[Blazerboy]

My natural predjudice against a "group of teens" would make me say 'Early Seating,' as I am always at late seating. :D But then I realized that not TOO many years ago, I was a teen at late seating, so I guess I need to get over myself!:o

 

Then there's the idea of splitting up by time preference. Great, all the teens can eat early, and the adults can eat late! But wait, as perfect a teen as I was, would I really behave enough to be without adults for dinner in the dining room? Only you can answer that question... Ya' don't want the staff and half the ship out to get you because of that!;)

 

So then I thought about schedule. Seems to me that I only meet about half the people on the ship, and am always commenting upon disembarkation that I've never SEEN these people before, and always say "they must be from early seating." I assume that when I'm lunching late, the early seating folks are at an activity, when I'm at an afternoon activity, they're getting ready for drinks. When I'm having drinks, they're dining. That leads me to my theory of the dinner seatings actually impacting the whole day's routine, and so, if you actually WANT to spend time with all 30 people that you're traveling with, it might be harder if you're not all at the same seating!

 

Wow, did I overprocess, or what? :rolleyes:

 

Sounds like, with your schedule, you could all do early, but I prefer late. Just think it mihgt work out better for you to eat at the same time.:)

 

Andrew

[kr1st1nm]

We have always chosen late seating for our cruises so that we didn't have to rush back in from a port. We also like to relax a little before dinner (or take a quick nap, or have a drink, etc). It's always so peaceful up on deck in the late afternoon/early evening that we never want to hurry in.

 

We've also never had a conflict with any shows/events, etc - they always seem to have 2 seatings to accommodate the 2 dinner seatngs.

 

It's really personal preference - especially since you'll have to be back on the boat by 5pm anyway.

 

Have a great time!

[Irishwhiskey]

I like the ring of it.I've seen tables with 16 people at most.Its a waiters nightmare.With a large group you'll never get everyone to agree on early/late seatings.What ever makes your cruise work for you is how you should plan it.You didn't indicate if all the people were friends,family,or unknowns to the rest of the group.That could have a lot of say in the matter.We did a group cruise a couple of years ago and did our own thing as far as eating times go.We made plans to get together at certain times during the day or evening or at least let everyone know where we'll be and what we were planning.Its the same situation with taking excursions.You'll save yourself lots of aggrevation and hurt feelings.John

[RodPat]

We like late seating for the following reasons. No rushing to get dressed after a day out. We love to see the sailaway. It is part of our cruise experience. We love the sushi bar and the martini bar. If we had early seating we would miss this. Celelbrity does not do too many midnight buffets, opting for snacks passed around at midnight in public areas. We never eat anything that late as most of it is high in carbs and fat. Late seating seems to work out for us. Pat

[gracecarmo]

I know this topic has been discussed many times, but here is my 2 cents worth: We now like the early seating, in the past we were always 2nd seating. We like more of an evening after dinner now, going to the shows, casino, having an after dinner drink. We also like a short cocktail hour before dinner, especially on our veranda at sailaway.

On the full day tours, we usually take the tours that start in the morning, so we are back on the ship at a decent time to enjoy the amenities on the ship, like the spa pools etc. Even if we did take a really full day tour( which is rare) and were tired, we managed to eat in one of the alternative restaurants for a change of pace. Usually, we were always back by 4:00 and had plenty of time to relax and dress for dinner, have a cocktail at sailaway. We never put ourselves in a position to feel "rushed" for anything. We just adjust to the situation. With first seating, we never felt like they were pushing us out of the dining room. We do not like to linger over coffee, but usually prefer to go to one of the lounges for a change of scenery and have an after dinner drink of some sort, Irish Coffee, Baileys etc.

On a cruise with a lot of sea days, there is no problem with rushing back from a tour...we enjoy our cocktails at 5 and early dining to have the rest of the evening free. We are not night owls, and are early risers, like to see the ship pulling into port, or walk the track.

So, I guess it all comes down to your personal habits...what YOU like. Our plan is outlined above....enjoy your dinners...early or late.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone...these boards are great.

[ocngypz]

At this late date, if would be a miracle if everyone got what they wanted in the first place. I gather this was a late booking??

[lisiamc]

That leads me to my theory of the dinner seatings actually impacting the whole day's routine, and so, if you actually WANT to spend time with all 30 people that you're traveling with, it might be harder if you're not all at the same seating!

 

I think Andrew has a really good point here, that if you do split the group between the seatings, you will find it hard to do any activities with the entire group after about 4 pm.

 

If the preference is about half and half, maybe you could flip a coin? (And make the losers promise not to grumble, and the winners not to gloat!:) )

 

Lisa