Which Seating???

[Denverbri69]

I have read so many different opinions on the benefits and drawbacks to the early and late MDR times. We are leaning towards the late seating, but do not want to miss out on any of the evening activities. Someone on this board said that if you go to late seating that you will miss the shows. Is this true?

[Kween Karen]

No...it is not true that you will miss the shows. They have 2 shows each evening and they are timed so that both early and late diners can see them. On my last LONG cruise the shows were at 8:00 after early dining and at 10:00 after late dining. On my just completed Alaska cruise the shows were at 7:00 for late diners and at 9:00 for early diners.
I used to think I liked late dining best........because you have plenty of time to get ready after a day on shore. I have discovered I like early better followed by the show......otherwise it is just too late for all those early morning port arrivals. I also found that I ate less when I dined early.....no way I could have a big lunch AND a big dinner.
Whatever you do..........you won't miss the shows because of dining times.

[bermuda triangle]

I have read so many different opinions on the benefits and drawbacks to the early and late MDR times. We are leaning towards the late seating, but do not want to miss out on any of the evening activities. Someone on this board said that if you go to late seating that you will miss the shows. Is this true?

There is an assigned show time for both early and late seating. You may however miss events that happen only once per night.
I prefer late seating, but found on our last cruise that we were 10 mins late for the shows each evening. I found that to be very stressful. On my second to last cruise we were always the last ones to leave the dining room (along with the other couple at our table) and we never made it to the shows, while dinner was very relaxing Europe is very port intensive so we opted for sleep vs shows. This time we are giving early seating a try, I think this is too early, since I like as much beach time as possible, but I am a go with the flow kind of person and the others in my group prefer early dining.
Enjoy your cruise!
Laura

[Willsot]

We always request main (late) assigned seating because we don't want to feel rushed to return to the ship at ports in order to make early seating times. Of course open seating also works for that reason but we prefer assigned.

[mtnmusic]

I have read so many different opinions on the benefits and drawbacks to the early and late MDR times. We are leaning towards the late seating, but do not want to miss out on any of the evening activities. Someone on this board said that if you go to late seating that you will miss the shows. Is this true?

Pretty much.. We enjoyed early seating because afterwards you had the option of entertainment by the ship shows or attending movies in the viewing room. The only downside is that early seating might cut into your shore excursions if you have a late evening departure from a port.

[KAYEF]

.....got that "problem" solved VERY easily for us once when assigned seating was full and we were assigned ("As You Wish on another line)........
We were very disappointed until we tried it. We LOVE it. Depending on the port or the glacier or whatever's happening we can book our dining times around things. We can call and make reservations; we
We've never waited. If we happen to land at the table of a fantastic waitstaff, we request that table next time.
Last summer we had the same table for 13 nights............after being seated at a table for eight the first night when six were traveling together, and we felt like warts at THEIR table.:( We were so thoroughly ignored that I felt badly; it was my SIL's first cruise.
All turned out well.............we struck it rich the next night at a table for two and kept it.
Maybe you, too, would like to dine according to what's going on on the ship/shore.;)

[luvs2travl]

We love the "Anytime Dining" as well. We can plan each day around that specific day's activities and are not locked into one dining time. Like KAYEF, if we find a wonderful waiter, we ask to be seated as his station on future nights. We don't care about having an ssigned table because we like to meet and visit with as many folks on board as possible.

We check the daily newsletter for what type shows will be presented that evening and plan our dining accordingly, as some may pique our interests more than others.

[RuthC]

Someone on this board said that if you go to late seating that you will miss the shows. Is this true?
In my experience, yes, you will miss the shows. :mad: In the last few years the show for late seating has been before dinner, so there's no way I can make it to the show. I like to end my afternoon late, maybe take a nap, then clean up and dress for dinner. I also want a cocktail before I go into dinner. If I want to go to the show too, then the afternoon just has to end too early.

Late fixed seating diners also miss the activities like Newlywed Game, and such, that tend to be held at 8:00. And, in the last few years, the entertainment is closing earlier and earlier. It's as if HAL has decided we should all go to bed early. They close up shop, and there's not a lot to do. :mad: By midnight it's a ghost town.

[Florida to Alaska]

In my experience, yes, you will miss the shows. :mad: In the last few years the show for late seating has been before dinner, so there's no way I can make it to the show. I like to end my afternoon late, maybe take a nap, then clean up and dress for dinner. I also want a cocktail before I go into dinner. If I want to go to the show too, then the afternoon just has to end too early.

Late fixed seating diners also miss the activities like Newlywed Game, and such, that tend to be held at 8:00. And, in the last few years, the entertainment is closing earlier and earlier. It's as if HAL has decided we should all go to bed early. They close up shop, and there's not a lot to do. :mad: By midnight it's a ghost town.

What is your favorite place for cocktails? We'll be on the Statendam.

[catl331]

Ruth is a fan of the piano bars.:D

[Lesinindy]

We have had late (main) seating on all of our cruises. We don't like to hurry after any shore excursions and at home we tend to eat late due to work schedules, so it seems more normal to us. As a rule we are right the door when they open the MDR and we usually walk slowly (spelled I ate too much again) to the theater. We never take in the Newlyweds or other such shows, but we do go for the main attractions. Heck you can catch the other shows on the TV usually anyways.

[RuthC]

What is your favorite place for cocktails? We'll be on the Statendam.
That can vary based on class of ship, and what pre-dinner venues are open and an easy walk to the dining room. And who is playing where.
I love the Ocean Bar before dinner. Sometimes the Piano Lounge is open at cocktail time on the R-class ships, and I go there as the walk isn't too far.
Ruth is a fan of the piano bars.:D
Sure am. ;)

[BaltiGator]

I have read so many different opinions on the benefits and drawbacks to the early and late MDR times. We are leaning towards the late seating, but do not want to miss out on any of the evening activities. Someone on this board said that if you go to late seating that you will miss the shows. Is this true?

I think for a lot of people the problem boils down to, the early seating is too early and the late seating is too late. On land, when we go out for a meal, we usually shoot for 7:00 or 7:30. To first start a five-course affair at 8:15 or 8:30, well, by the time it's over we're ready for bed. On the other hand we're not interested in dinner at 5:30 or 6:00. That's cocktail hour in our neck of the woods. :D

We've done both early and late seating, and after much thought and discussion we decided we prefer...open seating! :D

[mindydaile]

If forced to choose I would pick early, but like many others I prefer open seating so I can pick the time I'm ready to go eat.

I'm typically in bed by 10pm so starting the dinner experience at 8pm is just too late!

[PlanoDebbie]

We've really grown to love the anytime dining. I prefer to look at the schedule each day and see what activities I want to participate in, and plan dinner around that. We don't always go to the shows, so that's not really important to us.

The big thing to think about is the port times. If you have early seating and you're in port until 6:00, you'll need to be back on the ship a lot earlier in order to get ready for dinner. We really love the flexibility of dining when we choose to. We also got to meet a lot of great people. If you find someone that you really enjoy dining with, you can always go to dinner together.