Dining. First seating or Second? Why?

[JLC@SD]

Late sitting because

 

more time to relax after a port call

less chance to get kids at the table

[tip]

I'm really debating. At home we have dinner around 7pm. 6 seems too early, 8 too late. I don't like "Anytime Dining", because you don't develop a relationship with anyone on the ship. /quote]

 

For years we chose late dining when we dined traditional. Now we use "Anytime Dining" because it gives us the flexibility.

 

By the way, my wife and I "don't develop a relationship with anyone on the ship" other than with each other!;)

[kasi1979]

We prefer late seating for a lot of reasons:

- no need to hurry after a day in port, been there done that and just 10 minutes from getting back on board and being scheduled entering the dining room for gala night has no vacation feeling for me.

- my husbands tends to get hungry quite late and has to roam the midnight buffet if we eat too early

- you don´t get rushed at dinner, if you are talking with your table mates noone is going to turn up the lights, clean your table and asks you to leave

- Some ships have sushi or stirfry around 5 p.m. , how am I going to eat dinner at 6 if I just had a fantastic snack?

 

I could go on and on, for us it´s late seating. Even if we had to convince the maitre´d on costa to let us sit at an american table, which was our only chance for late seating, and much nicer than the older german couples we were placed with the following week...

[NancyIL]

I prefer Anytime dining, as I cruise mostly for the ports. Despite what another poster said, the early seating time does interfere with port days when you are in port until 8:00 pm or later in some cities.... I don't like to eat in the buffet, so it's always the MDR for me. I will occasionally eat ashore (looking forward to dinner in Istanbul on my upcoming cruise :D), but ships mostly leave too early to allow for that.

 

I don't require a lot of personal attention from waitstaff, and I can't say I've noticed any big difference (for me) between Anytime and fixed dining in that regard. It's a great way to meet a lot of people and by the end of the cruise I find that I'm frequently running into people I've shared dinner with, which is nice.

 

I agree! I have had Anytime Dining on 3 Princess cruises, most recently in June on a British Isles cruise, and loved it. I enjoy sharing a dinner table with others, and have rarely had to wait to be seated.

 

When I choose traditional dining, I like early seating. I tried late seating only once, and I didn't like finishing a meal at 10 p.m. I am an early riser rather than a night owl, and I didn't like finishing my dinner so close to bedtime.

 

I look at the port times to determine if we should choose early fixed dining or anytime dining.

[Dagny]

I prefer anytime dining, but if that isn't available, then late dining. I like to get back onboard in time for a quick swim and hot tub to rejuvenate then head back to my room to shower and order a cheese platter to enjoy with a bottle of wine and watch sailaway from the balcony and recount the day quietly. Most early dining options are around sailaway time and you end up missing most of what to me is a highlight of the cruise - especially in the Med. I am also used to eating later in my everyday life and am never hungry enough at 5-6 pm for a full meal.

[Grand Sophy]

I pack as much into the day as I can so I am up early and like the early dinner seating. I like the shows and then still have time for the casino or bar hopping or people watching until late. If I do an early dinner the dressing up is done, back to the room for a quick change and then back in the mix.

[jocap]

Hmmm. Many of the Spanish would be unhappy to eat so early. :). We have spent some time driving in Spain and they certainly do eat late. DW and I once went to a well known restaurant in Caceres and thought we would fit-in by making a 10pm reservation. We were only the 2nd table in the place and around mid-night some of the locals starting coming for dinner with their children. Gotta love it

 

Hnak

Hank- as you know, the Spanish have a different sleep/eat pattern to those in colder climes, so their long siesta in the afternoon means they're back to work/school in the early evening. Eat late, then sleep for just a few night hours. It should make their ships lively through the night- I always fancied Pullmantor!:cool:

Jo.

[Downdie]

Hank- as you know, the Spanish have a different sleep/eat pattern to those in colder climes, so their long siesta in the afternoon means they're back to work/school in the early evening. Eat late, then sleep for just a few night hours. It should make their ships lively through the night- I always fancied Pullmantor!:cool:

Jo.

 

Jo:

My last two cruises have been on Pullmantur, admittedly both in the Caribbean. The first had dinner seatings at 8.00 early and 10.15 late, the second had 7.30 early and 9.45 late. The reason for the difference was the second cruise was a combined CDF/Pullmantur ship and the French don't eat as late as the Spanish. Needless to say us English speakers got allocated to first seating. As you suggest, both ships were pretty lively late into the night, probably enhanced by the fact that CDF/Pullmantur ships are the only mainstream all-inclusive lines as far as alcohol is concerned.

[Hlitner]

We love cruising with a ship full of Europeans as its a nice change from fellow Americans. DW and I are content to dine (not try to eat like we are in a crazed fast food restaurant) and are often at one of the last tables to leave the dining room. The Spanish dining habits are fun because its a change, which is one of the fun parts of traveling. Unlike some, we like embracing other cultures rather than just taking our own home habits abroad. When we see posts here asking "where can we find American food in Barcelona" it kind of makes us cringe :) One other thought is about the Spanish vs Mexicans and South Americans. DW would quickly say that the Spanish are pretty reserved, quiet and very polite. When you cruise out of San Juan the ship is full of folks wearing lots of gold, a bit loud, kids running to and fro with little control, etc. Cruising out of Spain you do not see any of this stuff.

 

Hank

[NancyIL]

DW would quickly say that the Spanish are pretty reserved, quiet and very polite. When you cruise out of San Juan the ship is full of folks wearing lots of gold, a bit loud, kids running to and fro with little control, etc. Cruising out of Spain you do not see any of this stuff.

 

 

How about the folks sailing from Spain to San Juan? :D

[Azure Moon]

I love NCL's Freestyle Dining (dine where and when you want), so next time we sail on Carnival I'm going to try Anytime Dining.

 

On previous Carnival cruises we've dined early once (didn't care for that for a variety of reasons) and had late seating the rest (liked this the best).

[stowaway2k]

Late.

The day goes by too fast to suddenly have to get ready for dinner in a rush.

Plus, it's nice to have pre-dinner drinks in a lounge, relax, and chat with new friends.

If we think that it's too long to dinner and the tummy is rumbling, then a quick pass through the buffet for some nibbles if the lounge isn't serving any canapes.

The crowd at the early sitting seems too, um, sedate, whereas the late sitting seems more upbeat and lively. Plus, the early diners get rushed out as soon as dessert and coffee arrives whether they like it or not to make room for the late sitting. The late diners can linger over dessert and coffee.

[cruznjan]

We choose early seating since it's closer to our usual dinner time.

[jocap]

Jo:

My last two cruises have been on Pullmantur, admittedly both in the Caribbean. The first had dinner seatings at 8.00 early and 10.15 late, the second had 7.30 early and 9.45 late. The reason for the difference was the second cruise was a combined CDF/Pullmantur ship and the French don't eat as late as the Spanish. Needless to say us English speakers got allocated to first seating. As you suggest, both ships were pretty lively late into the night, probably enhanced by the fact that CDF/Pullmantur ships are the only mainstream all-inclusive lines as far as alcohol is concerned.

We know some Brits who live in Spain, and who travel on any ship going out from there on last minute deals. They absolutely love Pullmantur, and, as ace booze smugglers, that's something they don't have to worry about!

The ships always seem to have a happy crowd on board, whichever port you meet them in.

Jo.

[AZaTaz]

Late seating for us.

As many have said we enjoy a large table where we meet people and we like lingering over coffee and desert chatting with our new friends.

[5326jan]

Late seating for us.

As many have said we enjoy a large table where we meet people and we like lingering over coffee and desert chatting with our new friends.

 

I love that sentiment!!! I want to sit at your table!:D

[cause121]

I like the early dining because once I am finished I can go have fun for a few hours till I am hungry again and either make a trip to the lido deck for some pizza or order some room service! Yum! You should never worry about your weight on a vacation!