please help me decide...dining options

[debs2028]

00000hhhhhhh....help me to decide which dining is best for me as I really am having trouble. At the moment I am down for main seating. There is myself, 2 sons of 16 and one of 6, I chose the earlier sitting for the 6 year old

 

Now here comes the problem this is a med cruise and some of the ports are long days etc and I was thinking my time dining might be a good option for us as a family as it is a bit quicker and the 6 yr old will get distracted with long meals. I also quite like the idea of paying my gratuities and getting this out of the way....sounds great doesn't it, but I am travelling on my own with the children and although not a very outgoing person quite liked the thought of having table mates!!(as long as they were nice)

 

Now they also have this family dining which means that the youngest boy would be able to go to kids club and we could finish our meal, the latest time for this is 6.30 but there is a possibility you could be allocated 5.30 which I definitely do not want

 

so please please help me make up my mind and tell me your thoughts

 

Thanks:rolleyes:

Debs

[debs2028]

I should mention I am new to cruising so have no experiance of any of the dining options

[DonnaK]

We prefer early seating so that the kids can attend scheduled events in the kid's club immediately after dinner. The meals aren't really "that" long - about 75-90 minutes. You can set the pace with your wait team. Our kids never had problems sitting through dinner because there's a lot of action and interaction to hold their interest. We always liked dining with another family - it was like having "instant" friends for us and for our kids.

 

You can prepay your gratutities with fixed dining too. Just visit the customer service desk after you board the ship to set this up.

[peteranddan]

In my opinion, I would change to the second seating. On our Western Med cruise last summer we were rarely back from port by 5:00 or 6:00. After being in an intensive port all day, do you really want to have to rush to get all of you ready for dinner?

 

If the 6 yo is hungry, or any of you for that matter, there are plenty of things to snack on. You can alway order a snack to the room when you get back from port and nibble as you get ready.

 

I particularily liked the late seating because it gave me the opportunity to enjoy as much of the increddible ports as possible and also allowed for a short nap prior to showering for dinner.

 

Just my opinion, we weren't travelling with children.

 

Peter

[cb at sea]

If your kids want to make use of the club, then you need to keep main dining, unless they will be eating elsewhere--2nd seating interferes with the club hours.

 

I would stick with traditional, so that you could have tablemates (don't worry, they'll be 'nice'--everyone on the ship is out for a good time!!!) even if the kids don't dine with you at times. I'd HATE to sit alone! Dinner is more than just an eating time---it's a social occassion. You don't have to be "outgoing" to enjoy it! As long as you're a good listener, you'll do great!

[debs2028]

If I didn't have the 6 year old I would definitely do the later dining on a med cruise but 8.30 would be to late for him.He is normaly in bed,8 to 8.30pm so I guess willl be starting to get tired.He will stay up later on holiday but don't think he would cope with eating this late. I know he could eat elsewhere and then go to kids club but I enjoy the company of the children for meals and mostly eat with them at home

 

Would i still meet people if I did my time dining or is this less likely??

[MAZANDSTEVE]

00000hhhhhhh....help me to decide which dining is best for me as I really am having trouble. At the moment I am down for main seating. There is myself, 2 sons of 16 and one of 6, I chose the earlier sitting for the 6 year old

 

Now here comes the problem this is a med cruise and some of the ports are long days etc and I was thinking my time dining might be a good option for us as a family as it is a bit quicker and the 6 yr old will get distracted with long meals. I also quite like the idea of paying my gratuities and getting this out of the way....sounds great doesn't it, but I am travelling on my own with the children and although not a very outgoing person quite liked the thought of having table mates!!(as long as they were nice)

 

Now they also have this family dining which means that the youngest boy would be able to go to kids club and we could finish our meal, the latest time for this is 6.30 but there is a possibility you could be allocated 5.30 which I definitely do not want

 

so please please help me make up my mind and tell me your thoughts

 

Thanks:rolleyes:

Debs

 

 

Hi, we are doing a Med cruise too and have chosen MTD for the same reason, we have long days on excursions some days and will want to come back and rest and shower etc, I dont want to be held to a set time each day.

[printingchick]

After years of traditional dining, I was a bit hesitant to try MyTime Dining. However, I've become a huge fan and highly recommend it. You can eat whenever you want, changing day to day according to your planned activities. It is faster, because your waiter is serving just your family, not an entire table. We did not make reservations and never had to wait to be seated. It was such a stress-free way to dine, not worrying about getting the the dining room every night at a specific time.

[debs2028]

After years of traditional dining, I was a bit hesitant to try MyTime Dining. However, I've become a huge fan and highly recommend it. You can eat whenever you want, changing day to day according to your planned activities. It is faster, because your waiter is serving just your family, not an entire table. We did not make reservations and never had to wait to be seated. It was such a stress-free way to dine, not worrying about getting the the dining room every night at a specific time.

 

will I get chance to make friends though being on my own???

[sandytoes03]

I hope you enjoy your 1st cruise!

 

We always do first seating b/c we just can't wait unil 8 or 9 to eat.

 

But, maybe MTD is the way to go since you can adjust day to day based on your schedule.

 

Have fun!

[RetireeWannabee]

I would go with My Time Dining so that meals are convenient. When you arrive for dinner, ask to share a large table. This will give you dinner companions each night, vs just the three of you each night.

[debs2028]

I was thinking that people on my ime dining would mostly want to eat on there own or in own group,do many share tables do you know???

[stephanie1]

I have always been a big fan of Late Seating but on my last cruise on

the Navigator the 1st night the seating was at 8:45 and the other

nights it was 8:30. I think that "late" is just getting too late.

 

MTD is the way to go.

 

On my November cruise I chose late seating but 1 nite I will go to

Chops and the other 3 I will go to MTD.

 

You start eating at 9 or so and by the time dinner is over you have

missed some shows. Its really not worth it anymore to go to Late

seating. If I had kids I would go to MTD as well.

[RetireeWannabee]

I was thinking that people on my ime dining would mostly want to eat on there own or in own group,do many share tables do you know???

Going to vary by sailing. We like dining with others, just would rather not have a set time.

 

I think you are right that some people will choose this option to not have to eat with 'strangers.' We see a lot of that on this board.

[RetireeWannabee]

On my November cruise I chose late seating but 1 nite I will go to

Chops and the other 3 I will go to MTD.

You don't get to switch into and out of MTD. It's all or nothing.

 

You could go with MTD the whole time and have your late seatings at the lateness of your desire!

 

I thought there were early and late shows so you could do show then dinner if you were late seating?

[MrsPete]

You don't get to switch into and out of MTD. It's all or nothing.

BUT -- I'm saying this because the OP's new to cruising -- you're not required to hit the dining room every night of your cruise. Regardless of which option you choose, you can always go to the buffet, the Promenade Cafe, or just order room service for an easy, casual dinner. No dressing necessary, no lengthy meal -- and you still have time to do something else in the evening.

 

I do like the dining room, but EVERY NIGHT of it is a bit much for me. It is a long meal with lots of food (and I'm a small person).