2nd Dinner Seating - Miss Sailaway???

[newcruiser80]

:confused:

 

Most cruise compasses I've looked at show a sailaway party starting at 9:30, but second dinner seating starts at 9. Will we miss departure? How long does a dinner take in the dining room? This is my first cruise and don't want to miss the big party because of dinner, but also don't want to miss first dinner - what to do?!?! :confused:

[cb at sea]

This must be a European trip--that sounds awfully late for 2nd seating! anyway, dinner usually takes between 1 1/2 - 2 hours, depending on how "social" you and your tablemates are!

[Suzanne74]

You could be talking about leaving out of San Juan. They used to leave at 10pm but now leave at 8:30pm with a sailaway party at 8-9pm I believe. Basically it is just calypso music and waiters walking around with overpriced frozen drinks! :D First dinner is at 6:30pm and the 2nd is at 9pm for the first night only. The rest of the cruise is 6pm and 8:30pm.

[alicam]

My cruise out of San Juan in March departs at 10:00 PM and 2nd seating is at 8:30 PM...However I can't see as I would be sitting down in the main dining room the first night...you only get one "sailaway" party per cruise and you can eat in the dining room any night. Why not run down to one of the other venues for a bite to eat if you are concerned with missing the sailaway party...

[iheartbda]

Thought this was going to be about selecting a MISS Sailaway at the 2nd seating.:D :D :D

[lovemylab]

When we were on the Serenade in November sailaway was at 10pm and second seating was at 8:45pm. All other nights dinner was at 8:30pm however it is delayed the first night due to the muster drill which was at 8pm.

 

We were just receiving dessert as the ship was starting to move. There were several tables that had finished before us, we just happened to be with some chatty tablemates :)

[Suzanne74]

All San Juan cruises now leave at 8:30pm not 10pm. We leave in March too and it still says 10pm in the RCCL online itinerary but starting in Jan 08 everyone's documents they receive 1 month before leaving all say 8:30pm. Double check when you get your documents. 5:30pm drill, 6:30 dinner, 8:30 sailaway, and 9pm second seating.

[theotherchad]

You could be talking about leaving out of San Juan. They used to leave at 10pm but now leave at 8:30pm with a sailaway party at 8-9pm I believe. Basically it is just calypso music and waiters walking around with overpriced frozen drinks! :D First dinner is at 6:30pm and the 2nd is at 9pm for the first night only. The rest of the cruise is 6pm and 8:30pm.

 

I always hear the same comments from some people about the "overpriced drinks" on cruises. Where do you folks drink on land? Seriously, although you might find a happy hour or a mexican restaurant with a $1.50 margarita night, generally speaking, the drink prices onboard ship (at least RCCL) are comparable with drink prices in just about any typical bar on land.

 

Suzanne, please don't take this personally. I'm not sniping at you. :) It's just that I hear this from people on these boards with great regularity and I have to say something sometime. If you want overpriced, stop by a Margaritaville sometime.:eek: I love Jimmy Buffet, but he'll never get me to buy more than one drink from his place at the prices they charge.

[BopRN]

Yes we missed Sail-a-Way last March on AOS (SanJuan) since we had late dinner. It was kind of odd since it was dark....didn't seem the same as sailing away on a bright sunny day. We were by a window and could see the various buildings, cruise ships , etc. we were passing. I am not sure we missed much up on deck since it was dark. But I was bummed that we missed it.

 

I too thought Miss SailAway was a new Cruise Queen contest...haha!

[crisp1]

Gee, I thought this thread was about a new contest. They pick Miss Sailaway upon embarkation:p :D ;)

[Gonzo70]

In my opinion you'd be missing more by skipping the first dinner in the main dining room than you would by skipping the sail-a-way party. If the sail-a-way party is very important to you, you could eat in the Windjammer or do room service.

[OPSoccermom]

To us, the most impressive thing about sailing out of San Juan at night was the view of El Moro as the ship leaves the harbor at San Juan. We had second seating on Serenade, and missing the official sailaway party wasn't a big deal as we could enjoy the ondeck music and drinks all afternoon. We left the dining room as we were beginning to move, and were able to watch as we moved through the channel and out to sea. El Moro will be on the starboard side as you leave San Juan.

 

Enjoy! We loved our Serenade cruise.

[katstoy]

The "sail away party" is not really a big party, unless you're on DCL. It's pretty much as the prior poster said, a band playing music and a chance to get your drunk on early:D . You will get this same atmosphere pretty much every sea day by the pool, in fact it will most likely be the same band. I would opt for dinner in the dining room. You get to meet your new tablemates and your waiter. The food is sooooo much better in the dining rooms than in the Windjammer.

 

That being said, when my dining time does not coincide with any sail away, I do like to be out on deck to watch the ship leave port and watch the scenery pass by.

 

FYI the sail away party starts pretty much right after the muster drill, even though you may not officially sail away until 30 - 60 minutes later. So, right after the muster drill go out on deck to start the party and at your dinner time, head on down to the dining room.

[Worn out mailman]

All San Juan cruises now leave at 8:30pm not 10pm. We leave in March too and it still says 10pm in the RCCL online itinerary but starting in Jan 08 everyone's documents they receive 1 month before leaving all say 8:30pm. Double check when you get your documents. 5:30pm drill, 6:30 dinner, 8:30 sailaway, and 9pm second seating.

 

I'll be thrilled if this is true....I want my girlfriend to experience sailaway on deck since this will be her first cruise, and if dinner is at 9, we'll be able to watch from up top then meander down to the dining room after.

Thanks for good news Suzanne. :)

[alicam]

All San Juan cruises now leave at 8:30pm not 10pm. We leave in March too and it still says 10pm in the RCCL online itinerary but starting in Jan 08 everyone's documents they receive 1 month before leaving all say 8:30pm. Double check when you get your documents. 5:30pm drill, 6:30 dinner, 8:30 sailaway, and 9pm second seating.

 

I double checked them, as I received them last Saturday (19th--E-docs)....sailing at 10:00 pm...dining time (2nd seating) 8:30 pm...this is for Serenade on March 8/08...first sailing out of drydock

[cruzincurt]

Actually, you "sail away" from each port. But if you are first time cruisers, it would be memorable. I'll never forget our first time standing next to a big guy who authoritively stated to his DW "Now Mable, we won't be leaving until the tugs get here." As the thrusters gently pushed us away from the dock he exclaimed "Wow, now just look at that".

[Suzanne74]

I double checked them, as I received them last Saturday (19th--E-docs)....sailing at 10:00 pm...dining time (2nd seating) 8:30 pm...this is for Serenade on March 8/08...first sailing out of drydock

 

Woops, I forgot about the Serenade. I meant all AOS cruises. Sorry! :o

 

 

To the OP, you will find out in your docs for sure what time you leave I guess depending on what ship you are on. IF, sailaway is during your late dinner and this is your first cruise - I don't think you should miss. It isn't that big of a deal but it is still fun! Anyway, make reservations at Portofino or Chops the first night either before or after your sailaway time. Toast some good wine, have a great meal and enjoy yourself!!

[OPSoccermom]

Also, be prepared that you could very well be departing later than expected. If the weather up north is bad, it is reflected in flight arrivals into San Juan, and they can hold up departure for late arriving flights. This has happened to us twice on San Juan departures. Fortunately, the itinerary usually leaves lots of flexibility for a late departure.

[BadBoysDriveAudi]

I always hear the same comments from some people about the "overpriced drinks" on cruises. Where do you folks drink on land? Seriously, although you might find a happy hour or a mexican restaurant with a $1.50 margarita night, generally speaking, the drink prices onboard ship (at least RCCL) are comparable with drink prices in just about any typical bar on land.

 

Suzanne, please don't take this personally. I'm not sniping at you. :) It's just that I hear this from people on these boards with great regularity and I have to say something sometime. If you want overpriced, stop by a Margaritaville sometime.:eek: I love Jimmy Buffet, but he'll never get me to buy more than one drink from his place at the prices they charge.

 

It depends on where you go. Generally, the prices on the cruise ship are a small percentage higher than what I normally pay on land. That being said, the last time I was in Miami, I partied the night away (well, before going to SoBe) at this open air bar in Bayside that was right across from the Hard Rock Cafe (can't remember the name). A Rum and Coke and bottled water cost me over $11! :eek: :eek: :eek:

 

And to think I thought the prices at Chilkoot Charlie's were pushing it...

[Suzanne74]

Suzanne, please don't take this personally. I'm not sniping at you. :) It's just that I hear this from people on these boards with great regularity and I have to say something sometime. If you want overpriced, stop by a Margaritaville sometime.:eek: I love Jimmy Buffet, but he'll never get me to buy more than one drink from his place at the prices they charge.

 

I don't take it personally. ;) I live right outside of DC so the drink prices sometimes are cheaper on the cruise then at a restaurant near me. It normally does not effect me at all. I was talking about the souvenier sailaway drinks they offer you for $12 each - we bought 2 on our first cruise and I almost spit my drink out when I saw the price after taxes (we didn't leave yet) and tip. They must get the newbies all the time! :D