Early or Late ?

We are signed up for late dining as of now (3/30/18 sailing) what I understand from this forum is that early dining is probably full at this point and RCI would not change even if I ask.

I keep going back and forth as to what is the better time to eat. I have never liked My Time Dining because I think it is niceto sit at a table with a few other couples and get to know them over theduration of a cruise.

Her are a couple of my thoughts and wonder if anyone wants to chime in and help with our decision. maybe I need a shrink!!!

CONS for Early Dinning:

When we get back from an all day excursion, it is nice notto have to hurry, have a drink, maybe goto a hot tub or pool and take our time taking a shower and getting cleaned upfor the early show and dinner.

Most families do early dinning and more kids are in the diningroom (not to sound like we hate kids)!

CONS for Late Dinning:

We are used to eating around 6pm at home.

I have been very good on a diet lately and I hate to thinkof eating a big meal so late at night. I will have a tendency after dinner tosit at a show and then a bar and then go to bed.

Thanks for your input......

What about MyTime?

We are signed up for late dining as of now (3/30/18 sailing) what I understand from this forum is that early dining is probably full at this point and RCI would not change even if I ask.

I keep going back and forth as to what is the better time to eat. I have never liked My Time Dining because I think it is niceto sit at a table with a few other couples and get to know them over theduration of a cruise.

Her are a couple of my thoughts and wonder if anyone wants to chime in and help with our decision. maybe I need a shrink!!!

 

 

 

CONS for Early Dinning:

 

When we get back from an all day excursion, it is nice notto have to hurry, have a drink, maybe goto a hot tub or pool and take our time taking a shower and getting cleaned upfor the early show and dinner.

 

Most families do early dinning and more kids are in the diningroom (not to sound like we hate kids)!

 

 

 

CONS for Late Dinning:

 

We are used to eating around 6pm at home.

 

I have been very good on a diet lately and I hate to thinkof eating a big meal so late at night. I will have a tendency after dinner tosit at a show and then a bar and then go to bed.

Thanks for your input......

I've been down the "I'm doing really well on my diet" road before. In my experience, that will last a few hours after boarding, then go right out the window until I get home. If you like the sound of relaxing before hitting the dining room, I'd say go for that. Hit the gym a few times during the trip, then get back on the diet when you get home.

Could someone tell me if the Allure has set dining times for dining, or is it all my time? I only see info on the reservation of my time, and we were not asked if we by chance wanted early or late.

What about MyTime?

That would preclude OP's wanting to sit at the same table and getting to know some other couples.

Having said that, with MTD you can book the same table at the same time every night once you get on board. If you tell them you don't mind sharing, you'll most likely get other people to sit with, but maybe not the same people every night.

We, too, eat early at home (by 6pm), but have always preferred late seating on a cruise. After dinner, even if there isn't a show or other activity we want to go to, we always spend some time dancing, walking around, or out on promenade deck to look at the stars. Somehow the timing just feels right.

I have enjoyed sharing a table with others and fixed dinning where everyone is seated around the same time. However, it causes a lot of problems with other plans for the evening. So I have moved away from having a set meal in MDR every day. Instead I mix it up with speciality, Windjammer and the odd meal in MDR. For this reason I choose MTD if given the choice.

Fixed dinning has changed quite a lot anyway. People are in more of a hurry to be somewhere else so other people on your table aren't always pleasant company.

Honestly I have the same issues as you. Early seems too early and late seems too late. lol. With that being said I've been doing early and haven't really found a problem. If we have a late excursion one day we just go to the Windjammer.

I agree table mates and ambience has changed a lot lately!

Many people show up late all the time and they delay things for the whole table...:rolleyes::mad:

We are signed up for late dining as of now (3/30/18 sailing) what I understand from this forum is that early dining is probably full at this point and RCI would not change even if I ask.

I keep going back and forth as to what is the better time to eat. I have never liked My Time Dining because I think it is niceto sit at a table with a few other couples and get to know them over theduration of a cruise.

Her are a couple of my thoughts and wonder if anyone wants to chime in and help with our decision. maybe I need a shrink!!!

 

 

 

CONS for Early Dinning:

 

When we get back from an all day excursion, it is nice notto have to hurry, have a drink, maybe goto a hot tub or pool and take our time taking a shower and getting cleaned upfor the early show and dinner.

 

Most families do early dinning and more kids are in the diningroom (not to sound like we hate kids)!

 

 

 

CONS for Late Dinning:

 

We are used to eating around 6pm at home.

 

I have been very good on a diet lately and I hate to thinkof eating a big meal so late at night. I will have a tendency after dinner tosit at a show and then a bar and then go to bed.

Thanks for your input......

Lots of different things to consider. Let me address one: On a cruise that departs on March 30, you WILL have loads of kids.

I, too, don't like to eat late at night, and will (almost) always choose early seating or My Time Dining over late seating.

If you do MTD, you can ask to be seated with others. If you hit it off, you can all agree to eat together again. Just a thought. :)

We have the same dilemma, but traveling with kids and the late dining is just too late. But, 5:30 seems early and I do enjoy sitting out by the pool listening the band in the late afternoon without being rushed.

OP - which ship are you on? We are headed out on the 3/31 sailing Freedom.

Sorry to say the OP faces the same issues many cruises face. Early dining seems too early, having to rush back to get ready for dinner. Late is later than they eat at home. My time loses some of the traditional cruise dining experience.

If the cruise is only weeks away, the original decision of late dining is apt to stick, as early dining during spring break timeframe is probably already full of families with a wait list. Perhaps my time will be, too, as families will probably take that option before late dining.

So, try to enjoy the seating you have. Maybe sleep in a bit if you can, shifting the days meals and activities a bit later in the day. And have a great time.

On most ships, the shows revolve around the 2 traditional seating times...so if you want to go to a show, if you have LATE seating, you will go to the show BEFORE dinner...(which is during early seating!)...so everyone really needs to be ready at about the same time. We've never found there to be a "rush" getting to early seating on a port day. You will need to be ON the ship 30 mins. before sailaway, and most folks are back before that!

We only do My Time Dining now. Eat when we want. The only way to go!

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have never done early in 60 something cruises, although I preferred the past when shows were after dinner not before

On most ships, the shows revolve around the 2 traditional seating times...so if you want to go to a show, if you have LATE seating, you will go to the show BEFORE dinner...(which is during early seating!)...so everyone really needs to be ready at about the same time. We've never found there to be a "rush" getting to early seating on a port day. You will need to be ON the ship 30 mins. before sailaway, and most folks are back before that!

Not true!

The early show usually does not start until 6:45pm as the show is a lot shorter than first seating - it will start later...

I still think my time is the best.

Being in port,coming back late etc. Allows you to eat different times and not rush to eat at a confined time. On vacation I like not to be rushing to make dinner same time each night. Jmo