Late or Early Dinner

[pinkpanther52]

Hi all

 

I am struggling to decide between Early or Late Dinner.

 

At the moment I have late booked but considering changing to early (if available).

 

18:00 is on the early side for me but starting to think 20:30 would be too late.

 

I would normally dine about 19:30.

 

What experiences have folks had? Are there any advantages to one or the other e.g. On Formal night you could have longer at the masked ball.

 

I know a lot is personal preference but any input would be great.

 

Of course if I stick to late I could always go to the buffet for a snack to keep me going 

 

Many Thanks

 

 

 

Oh And it is a port intensive itinerary to Norway if that makes a  difference.

 

 

[neeuqdrazil]

I prefer late dinner, because it means that I can have afternoon tea, and not still be full by the time dinner rolls around! 

 

But it is very much a personal choice. I've only done a TA, so I'm not sure how port days work. 

 

And yes, there's always something available at the buffet. 

Edited March 21, 2019 by neeuqdrazil

[exlondoner]

I'd stay with late. It gives you time for tea, then to enjoy the sailaway, and, if you feel like it, a brief nap to gather your strength for the evening.

[Summergee]

I would stay with late. If you are on an afternoon tour and it is late back you could miss your early dinner. I have seen this happen. However, if you are scheduled to leave around 5.00pn you could do either. The only issue I have with early is that on a formal night I start getting ready halfway through the afternoon so feel I have missed out on part of the day.

[Camgirl]

Definately late sitting. For all of the reasons above. 

Our next cruise is also to Norway. We have asked for late sitting as usual. 

[ToadOfToadHall]

1 hour ago, pinkpanther52 said:

 

18:00 is on the early side for me but starting to think 20:30 would be too late.

 

 

You have hit the nail on the head with that.

 

We have done both and I'd say 18:00 is way too early. Yes, 20:30 is a bit late, but given the option, we'd take being a bit later than we'd prefer as opposed to being a lot earlier that we'd prefer.

 

Oddly, the majority on here opt for late sitting, but the early sitting is the most popular it seems.

 

Stick with the late sitting would be my advice.

 

[Underwatr]

We opt for early sitting - DW can barely stay up until 9:00 on a cruise - but I can see the attraction of late sitting, particularly on a shore day or when the clocks go ahead at noon. 

 

Pre--dinner drinks in the Commodore Club seem to be more of an event for second seating as well. If you go up before first seating the casual dress code is still in effect. 

[MCC retired]

Late seating gives us time to enjoy the uncrowded Spa , casino and Lounges before dinner . Also usually a better chance for a table for 2 .

Plenty of snack oppurtunities all afternoon to hold you over if you wish.

Edited March 21, 2019 by MCC retired

[babs135]

Late sitting for us for the same reasons as given above. Plus, if you need to do laundry I've found that once people have gone into early dining there's a better chance of finding a machine.  (Unless everyone else has the same idea 😂😂)

[Bell Boy]

Defiantly has to be late sitting for me !  I look forward to a pre dinner  cocktail, meeting new people and enjoy the  music and atmosphere in the various bar venues around the ship between 7pm -8.30pm .  

[tv24]

We dine at home around 8:00 so 8:30 works for us.  We too enjoy the various music and fun venues going on between 6:00 and 8:30.  And since we are night owls on cruises, we never seem to miss any of the fun by eating late.  Lots still going on after the late seating in the theater, the Chart Room, the ball room, and the casino.  Oh and since the early seating is more popular, it is easier to get your preferred seating arrangement if you want to dine late (such as a table for 2).

[pinkpanther52]

Thanks all Late it is 🙂

[Bell Boy]

1 hour ago, pinkpanther52 said:

Thanks all Late it is 🙂

 Good !  Go and enjoy a 'pre dinner drink and the atmosphere' in the Commodore Bar !  people watching, listening to the piano music,  and enjoying the canapés.😉

 

If you happen to be seated at a large table,  ( and would like to catch the 10.30pm show) don't be afraid to diplomatically mention it to your server and fellow table companions, you'll find that they'll feel same also. 

 

By the way, Late Sitting gives you plenty of time for a bit of a siesta, recharging your batteries for a night out on the town.  

[Jack E Dawson]

As ToadOfToadHall, the majority of people on this thread (10 out of 11) opt for Late Seating yet the majority of passengers traveling on Cunard prefer Early Seating. Interesting. Hmmmmm maybe the the majority of the people also find Pol Acker to be a nice Prosecco and I'm not the only one

[Underwatr]

1 hour ago, Jack E Dawson said:

Hmmmmm maybe the the majority of the people also find Pol Acker to be a nice Prosecco and I'm not the only one

Not this early diner! 😉

 

[tv24]

3 hours ago, Underwatr said:

Not this early diner! 😉

 

No Pol Acker for me either!  I'll send mine over to Jack with compliments.

[BobBranst]

We normally dine about 5:30 or 6:00pm, so early dining just feels right for us.   It allows us to plenty of time to go to the theater after dinner for a show or have drinks in the Chart Room and still have lots of time for dancing in the Queens Room.   Then, of course, nightcap(s) in the Commodore Club.

[Bigmike911]

On 3/23/2019 at 1:07 PM, Jack E Dawson said:

As ToadOfToadHall, the majority of people on this thread (10 out of 11) opt for Late Seating yet the majority of passengers traveling on Cunard prefer Early Seating. Interesting. Hmmmmm maybe the the majority of the people also find Pol Acker to be a nice Prosecco and I'm not the only one

Except Pol Acker is not a nice Prosecco, it is a French Sparkling Wine from the Loire Valley, I suspect it is also a furniture finish remover as well. It should be avoided at all cost, and never drunk. If Cunard doesn't give you a real Champagne you can order Champagne - Laurent-Perrier La Cuvée for $86.25 from the 'little luxuries' list in the voyage personalizer. 

Edited March 28, 2019 by Bigmike911

[Underwatr]

The Pol isn't bad in small doses with orange juice in the morning. We bring a stopper so it holds up for a few days. 

[tacticalbanjo]

Creme de Cassis also makes the Pol drinkable. In the past I have decanted some into a 100ml hand luggage size bottle (didn't want to risk it leaking in checked luggage) and it was the perfect amount. I suspect you can buy some on board but that's a pain when you just want to get into you stateroom and unpacked.

[babs135]

14 hours ago, Underwatr said:

The Pol isn't bad in small doses with orange juice in the morning. We bring a stopper so it holds up for a few days. 

Would agree with this.  Drown it in orange juice and it isn't too bad at all.  The fact that I'm on a Cunard ship makes it even more palatable (well, maybe I'm stretching that a little, but you know what I mean).  😀

[tv24]

1 hour ago, tacticalbanjo said:

Creme de Cassis also makes the Pol drinkable. In the past I have decanted some into a 100ml hand luggage size bottle (didn't want to risk it leaking in checked luggage) and it was the perfect amount. I suspect you can buy some on board but that's a pain when you just want to get into you stateroom and unpacked.

Unfortunately I think this is a poor use of good Creme de Cassis.  I recommend donating the Pol to fellow passengers, or just leaving it to be recycled to the next gang on board.

[tacticalbanjo]

6 minutes ago, tv24 said:

Unfortunately I think this is a poor use of good Creme de Cassis.  I recommend donating the Pol to fellow passengers, or just leaving it to be recycled to the next gang on board.

Luckily I'm still young enough to be able to tolerate poor quality drinks 😂 Likely in a few years when I'm in the habit of only drinking high quality stuff (and have the budget to suit!), I'll be in the give it away camp.