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Dining...Late or early seating.

daisy7113

By daisy7113,
in Carnival Cruise Lines

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98Charlie

98Charlie

Posted
Posted
Neither . . . the only way to go is Any Time dining, that way you go eat when you want and can avoid the circus when the staff is forced to dance.

 

I have to say I've learned to look forward to the ``circus.'' First few Carnival cruises I felt sorry for the staff then started watching their faces as they dance and sing and have seen their faces light up with the activity. Gives many of the crew an opportunity to chill out from all the pomp and stiffness of serving the meal.

 

Dianne

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soozles

soozles

Posted
Posted
Early for us. Don't understand the comments of being rushed to get back on ship. Our upcoming Miracle cruise leaves the ports at 5pm, 5pm and 4pm. Have to be on ship earlier than that. Early dinner not till 6pm. Where is the rush ??

 

Well I am one of those people that likes to take a nap after coming back from port. It's hard work lying on a beach all day! I need a little snooze on a lounge chair in some shade on the lido deck, or a cat nap on my balcony, or if I'm really tired, some major shut eye on the comfy beds before I can even think about getting ready for dinner. Besides, I like to go all out for dinner every night, hair, makeup, the works. I don't get much chance to do it home, so I look forward to it on the cruise.

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ShakyBeef

ShakyBeef

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Posted
Early for us. Don't understand the comments of being rushed to get back on ship. Our upcoming Miracle cruise leaves the ports at 5pm, 5pm and 4pm. Have to be on ship earlier than that. Early dinner not till 6pm. Where is the rush ??

 

 

That can be a bit of a time-crunch for a couple in cramped quarters to go from salt-encrusted, sunblock-slathered beach-bums to presentable gentleman and lady dining in the MDR.:o

 

I guess it depends on how much prep time one needs, and how one chooses to dress for dinner. We like to look nice for dinner, so that sometimes takes a LOT of effort.;)

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TVChick16

TVChick16

Posted
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We have always had the late seating and prefer it for several reasons.

 

1. There are less kids! :o

 

2. We tend to max out our time in the ports and I would hate to have to rush back to the ship for dinner. :cool: On one of our upcoming cruises we are in port 11am-8pm, so I'm glad we have late dining.

 

3. Being a "typical" woman, I need ample time to make myself presentable for dinner in the MDR. ;)

 

4. We rarely eat dinner at home before 7:30pm, and I know I would not be hungry if we had early seating.

 

5. We are night owls and the later dinner just flows into whatever nighttime activities we decide to partake in on the ship. There have been several nights when we have wandered around the ship looking for some action and wondering where everyone is and then realize it's 3am. :D

 

6. Often times sailaway from the ports takes place during the early seating or right before it. I like to be on an outside deck during sailaway and wouldn't want to be stuck in my cabin getting ready for dinner or in the dining room itself. If sailaway does happen during the late seating it's not that big of a deal because it's pretty much dark outside so I don't feel like I'm missing a photo opportunity.

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friedshrimp

friedshrimp

Posted
Posted

Early seating. If I wait until late seating, I get hungry and snack my time away until dinner and then I;m not hungry in the MDR by the time I get there. Also, I'm and early to bed, early to rise kind of person and I don't want to go to bed directly from the MDR.

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f7prez

f7prez

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We prefer the early seating. Not crazy about eating as late as the late seating. Never felt rushed coming back from port. Usually have time to sit by the pool, enjoy a frozen adult beverage before getting ready for dinner. This time we are trying the anytime dining. Looking forward to having a private table without having to make small talk with strangers.

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TaraLynne

TaraLynne

Posted
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Which do you prefer and why?

 

I've had early seating on 3 out of my 4 cruises. On this last cruise we had late seating and I *hated* it. I don't eat that late at home so it messed up my schedule something awful. Plus...well, when we go on vacation we like to party, and with such a late dinner time (8:15, it was a Disney cruise) led to us having a few drinks before dinner, which I rarely do. I prefer to eat my food, let it settle, then have a few drinks...so on this cruise, drinking before dinner led to an icky-feeling stomach and going to bed almost right after we ate, as we never got out of dinner before 10:30 PM. I don't know, it just wasn't my thing.

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whendoweleave?

whendoweleave?

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My family and I are not early diners at home, but we can tend to procrastinate and take forever to get places and do things if we don't have SOME kind of deadline. :) Plus, I like to have the chance to have my food settle and have the night ahead of me. At least, at this time, I feel like there's so much I want to get to on a cruise, that it never feels like there's enough time. That just means I need to go on more and more! :D

 

When we took the kids (3 boys pre-teen and teens) last Spring Break, we did anytime dining, and I still think I like early, at least for now.

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Unknotted

Unknotted

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I prefer early or My Time because I like to relax after dinner, not go straight to bed. PLUS, if I want a bedtime snack I'll have room by then. I am thin, so I can eat as much as I want without worry...and bedtime snacks sound GREAT to me, but not if I just finished dinner.

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near the beach

near the beach

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Posted

We use the early seating. Our grandson travels with us. It is a vacation so we don’t go to bed to early except maybe the night before an early excursion. We like to go to the early shows. We found that some of the on ship activities started before the late seating was over. On our last cruise our luggage was late getting to us. Usually on the first night of the cruise the dress code in the MDR is not as strict. In July when we sail on the Inspiration out of Tampa. We will probably skip dinner in the MDR the first night so we can be on deck when the ship sails under the Skyway Bridge. That will be around 6:00-6:30 PM.

 

For anyone who has done anytime seating. Do you have the same waiters every night?

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