2 quick questions...

[tsj04]

1. Any cons to having late dinner seating? I had to change our cruise reservation yesterday and that was all they had. I would love to see the ice shows and others but didn't know how late they are.

 

2. The cabin we have according to the legend says that it is a connected stateroom. The RCC rep didn't mention anything about it when I booked. Thoughts on that?

 

Thanks!:)

[Sue L]

there are usually two sets of shows so both dinner seating are accommodated. Some of the late dinner shows might be before dinner so check the compass each day. We love the late seating because when we come back from port we usually grab a snack and then there is plenty of time to take a nap and then get ready for dinner.

 

 

Some people say they hear their neighbors more because of the connecting doorway. I have never been in one so no firsthand knowledge.

[tsj04]

Thanks Sue :)

[Gonzo70]

I have always had late seating and never missed out on anything (i.e. I went to the Ice Show, always go to Quest, some other shows etc.). Occasionally when we have had an usually long dinner I have had to sneak out as some people at my table were finishing off their coffee and dessert so as to not be late for a show, but that is only when we have been among the last table still going strong in the dining room.

 

I really enjoy having the later dining and not having to rush back from port or what not to get ready for dinner.

 

Oh, one other con is that you won't be hungry for the midnight buffet unless you take it easy at dinner that night!

 

Enjoy your cruise.

[rclcruzer]

1. Any cons to having late dinner seating? I had to change our cruise reservation yesterday and that was all they had. I would love to see the ice shows and others but didn't know how late they are.

 

2. The cabin we have according to the legend says that it is a connected stateroom. The RCC rep didn't mention anything about it when I booked. Thoughts on that?

 

Thanks!:)

Being able to see shows due to late seating will not be a problem. They run accordingly to dinner times etc..you will not miss your chance to get in on the action! We always have late seating and it's fine. As to your second question, I think it would be fine. Maybe you could keep checking back to see if another cabin may pop up? Just keep the door locked! Otherwise, maybe someone else can help in this area.

Happy Cruising! :D

[Elizanessie]

We have had connecting rooms on 2 cruises and never heard any noises from our neighbours :)

[tsj04]

Thanks for the responses. I'm happy just to be going on a cruise and I'm sure it'll be great. I was just concerned about the connecting room. I may just check every so often to see if there is anything else available otherwise, oh well :)

[KC_fn]

We had a connecting room. After dinner on the first night, DD tried the door handle (which was of course locked). A couple of seconds later, the person on the other side tried the door handle. Scared DD half to death. :p After that, the door became part of the wall as far as we were concerned.

 

I'm not sure why you'd need to keep looking; it really was not a problem in any way.

[tsj04]

We had a connecting room. After dinner on the first night, DD tried the door handle (which was of course locked). A couple of seconds later, the person on the other side tried the door handle. Scared DD half to death. :p After that, the door became part of the wall as far as we were concerned.

 

I'm not sure why you'd need to keep looking; it really was not a problem in any way.

 

 

I would want to keep looking partly because of what you just said :rolleyes: Thanks for your response :)

[fpcruiser]

We had a connecting room with friends. When we asked to have them unlocked our room attendant said only his supervisor could unlock them. So I wouldn't worry about your neighbors getting it unlocked. The room attendant made sure we both wanted it unlocked.

[tsj04]

Yeah, I guess I am/was more concerned about noise (going both ways). We probably will be out and about anyway so I'll try not to worry about it. Thanks :)

[vickiw0318]

We had no problems in general and specifically heard no additional noise when we had a connecting room last January.

 

I had late seating when I cruised with my daughter last May. Some of the shows for the second seating were early, i.e. during the first seating. DD and I actually skipped our dinner seating one night because we missed the early show (not ready yet) and really wanted to see the performer. The early show time is not as early as the time for the first dinner seating, (I want to say they started around 7:00), but we still managed to miss it.

 

I had no problem with this when DD and I cruised because we slept late and had correspondingly late mealtimes, but when DH and I cruise and have late seating, we find that we eat almost a "fourth meal" for a snack to tide us over to 8:30. Since that is about the last thing my body needs, I try for early seating when possible.

 

P.S. Being a responsible Cruise Critics, we. of course, stopped by to see our tablemates and let them know we wouldn't be dining with them that evening.

[cb at sea]

The only downside to late seating is how late it is! You won't be finished until around 10-10:30, which means partaking of any buffets or "munchies" that are offered in the public spaces late at night, will be nearly impossible! Too full!

Other than that--no downside at all. No shows EVER need be missed because of dining!

[crusinmama06]

How much you like Late Seating has everything to do with how YOU normally eat at home. Can you eat from 8-10:30 and not be starving before? Or do you go to bed early, so eating at 10:30 would be like sleeping with a brick in your stomach? lol ;)

 

I need Early Seating because 1) we always sail with kids and the early seating is closer to the time we eat at home

 

2) I am an early to bed, early to rise kind of person. So if I ate at 10:30 I would be sleeping on a full stomach.

[Apoggi]

We have always had the late seating since our first cruise. We had the early seating on the first cruise and had to rush back from the islands, get ready for dinner, too much stress for a vacation. The good thing about eating later is you don't want anything else to eat. No snacks or partaking of the midnight buffet. I would die if I had to do early seating again.

[Bruin Steve]

There are both pros and cons to both early and late seating...It really all depends on your personal lifestyle...

 

I usually re-post my lengthy FAQ version of Early vs. Late about now...but I'll shortcut it...assuming you usually do early and are happy with it...

 

The Ice shows shouldn't be much of a problem, to my recollection, they are at varying times...at least one will workl with late seating dinner...

 

The cons to late seating are:

1) You won't be served an entree until well after 9:00 pm...You might have to eat before that, just to tide you over...

2) Your show times, nowadays, will often be BEFORE dinner...so any perception of "lots of time" to come in late from port, prepare for dinner, etc. are gone...

3) You won't have a lot of time after dinner to enjoy the various nighttime activities on board: Karaoke, Piano Bar, Casino, Dancing, shows, etc.

4) You are eating a lot of food then going to bed on a full stomach...

5) You may find yourself just killing a lot of time waiting for your dinner seating time...(No, you're really likely not spending more time in port... check your itinerary...likely most ports you need to be back on board by 5:00 pm...Now you're just killing time until 9...

 

If you really want early seating, here's what to do...when you get to the ship, march right up to the Dining Room and talk to the Maitre d'--They will most likely be able to reassign you to early seating. For every person wanting to change from late to early, there's likely someone else trying to switch early to late...

[MakinGold]

1. Any cons to having late dinner seating? I had to change our cruise reservation yesterday and that was all they had. I would love to see the ice shows and others but didn't know how late they are.

 

2. The cabin we have according to the legend says that it is a connected stateroom. The RCC rep didn't mention anything about it when I booked. Thoughts on that?

 

Thanks!:)

 

1. As far as I know, the only "con" to late seating would be if you prefer to eat earlier. They arrange the entertainment such that all passengers have an opportunity to see the shows. If you have kids, late seating might interfere with some of their scheduled activities, but I'm assuming you're not traveling w/ kids or you would probably have mentioned that as a factor.

 

2. A connected stateroom is nice, if you have two and want to connect the two together. Otherwise, it's really not a problem. You just keep the connecting door locked. We were in one once, and if I recall correctly, there might be a slight difference in the furnishing to allow for the connecting door to open for those people who are booking both cabins, but it doesn't really detract from the room at all.

[OGCFreddie]

I've always had late seating and I love it!! They schedule shows so both Late and early can enjoy them. The only Con to late seating that I can see would be if you had younger children. Late seating is, by experiEnce, less child inhabited so that could be a pro or con depending on your needs.

 

As for the connecting cabins, I have had them a couple of times in the past and never had any problem with noise, etc. As a matter of fact, the door handle makes a nice extra spot to hang things when getting ready for dinner. Just my opinion, of course.

 

No matter what you decide, I'm sure you are going to have a fantastic time. ENJOY YOURSELVES!!!

[tsj04]

Thanks for all of the responses. They were very helpful. When I booked yesterday the RCC rep said that he would wait list us for the early seating but it would not be guaranteed. I'll just go to the dining room and see about getting it switched, we really would prefer the early dining. We usually eat at home no later than 7:30 p.m. Someone asked if we had kids, nope just me and DH for now :) I'm SO excited for the cruise I'm sure once we are onboard all of my worries will have been for nothing :D Thanks again!!

[EggDropErin]

For me, the con to having late dining would be being too sleepy. But I'm a very old young person. LOL

 

As far as the connecting staterooms go, we have had them. Never had any problem. The strangers next door never bothered us.

[Qswift13]

I have to agree with pretty much everybody else...

We always have late seating and don't mind it, we've never missed any shows or anything.

As far as the connecting rooms, we had one once and it wasn't a problem at all... when we first went in the room it was funny to see an extra door, but by the end of the week we didn't notice it at all. We did hear some noise from our neighbors, but no more than usual I think.