Dining Seating time - Reasons you chose 1st or 2nd?

[jkleinmom]

Going on first Disney cruise on Dream Apr 27 cruise with DH and 2 DD ages 13 and 11. I have read a few posts saying if you select the first dining time then you have to get back to the boat early from your port excursions. True? If you do the later dining time do you miss out on shows or attend them before dinner? I know it is a personal choice but wanted a little help deciding. Why do you like seating time 1 or 2? If you select a certain time, can you change it after the first night? Thank you for your input!

 

[saraheli]

Our first sailing we did main seating and I hated it. It was way too early.. i felt like we had just finished eating lunch and now we had to rush to get to dinner. We had a 3yo and 6 yo and felt compelled to chose first seating bc of their age but honestly the kids stayed up to almost 11 every night and then just slept in the next day. Thats why we chose second seating for next cruise.

 

[lizabu]

We chose main seating for our upcoming cruise. We did late seating on our last cruise. The pace was very slow and some nights it was nearly 11 by the time we got out of there. We were too tired to enjoy much after dinner and just went right to bed. We came late to pirate night festivities because dinner kept us and we had no room for the pirate buffet. Each night the nightclub area has snacks but when you just came from dinner there is no room for snacks.

When you do main seating you watch the show after. When you do late dining you see the show first. So which ever one you do you aren't missing anything. It's personal preference. If you eat late at home you may be happy with late dining. We're early to bed early to rise people at home and it can be tricky to change your natural schedule.

 

[perditax]

I am still not sure, but right now I'm at late seating on the theory there may be fewer unhappy small children (going on a couples cruise). That said, we usually eat early at home and I'm wary of other posters who say the second seating can run long.

Honestly, I'm on a four nighter and seriously considering only doing one MDR, and rounding out the rest with Cabanas/room service and as many Palo bookings as they'll give me. (Loud, crowded dining rooms make me anxious.)

 

[lizabu]

Your server can speed things up if you ask. We didn't know on the first night so it was the worst but even with speeded up service three courses can take some time

 

[sc426]

It is a personal choice. Yes you do need to be back on board from your excursions early enough for the first seating. It also depends on when you normally eat dinner. I personally am and early to bed early to rise person. So my eating schedule is a little on the early side. I have always picked the main seating and have not had a second thought even once. I have usually gotten done with the main seating by 7:30 or so and then I can either chill in my room or watch the evening shows. If you also pick the main seating for dinner, they usually get you out by 8 because they need to set up for the second seating. So if there is anything you are planning on doing at night, you can be assured you will get to it in a timely manner. Just my two cents.

 

[goofyintoronto]

We had the main seating. We never had any issues coming back from port "early" in order to make it for our dinner. By that time we were ready to leave anyway. It all worked out in the end. But if you miss your seating time due to an excursion, you can always eat at Cabanas.

Never really thought of it but would they let you eat at the 2nd seating time if you asked just for that one day?

 

[sweetnsalty]

. But if you miss your seating time due to an excursion, you can always eat at Cabanas.

Never really thought of it but would they let you eat at the 2nd seating time if you asked just for that one day?

That is true on a 7 day (not on first or last day) but I don't think it is the case on the shorter ones. I know we tried that and went to cabanas about a half hour after our scheduled seating on the dream and it was closed. So it was either chicken fingers from pool, room service or be embarrassed and walk into the MDR super late. We did the latter and our servers were very understanding and quickly brought us food. We were dining at a table by ourselves so that helped.

We have always done main dining but this time will try second seating as it is what we were assigned. I have always rushed to first seating and never liked the time. I will say the dining anytime on the other lines is super nice. Loved going to dinner when we felt like it. I like dinner at 6:30- 7 and that is what time we eat at home. Since that is not possible with DCL, we will try second seating finally after 4 DCL cruises.

 

[xlxo]

People generally preferred dining closest to the time zone where they are from. In Alaska, the early dining was busiest.

I prefer the late dining for more port time. It also allowed for late afternoon snack to sample the local port cuisine (eg crab legs). The evening kids program come around 9:15 to pick them up.

 

[emilyclaire]

We chose second this time. The first time, we had main seating. We were never hungry enough to eat by 5:30 because we usually had eaten a late buffet breakfast, then late lunch by the pool, sometimes ice cream in the afternoon too. We all groaned when we realized it was dinner time. Likewise, after the second theater show, we were all hungry again and would either go after ice cream or order room service. I think the earlier show and later dinner is going to be much better for us this time. Also, with a 4 year old, I think he will do better eating by the pool, seeing the first show (which he will be awake for this time!), then doing dinner. At least the dining rooms will be lit and he will be busy eating, which will help keep him awake, and there's always the option of the kids club picking him up for dinner if that's what he wants. The darkness of the theater makes him more likely to sleep during the second show when he's already tired.

 

[AU Dre]

In the past when it was just the DH and I sailing with other adults we always did 2nd seating and enjoyed it. We just went on our first cruise with our DS, who is 6, in January. We rolled the dice and stayed with the 2nd seating and he did just fine. Our dinner never took long with the 2nd seating. It went just as fast as the hubs and I ate. Each course came out pretty much as soon as we finished the previous course, so it seems like we set the length of dinner more than anything.
DS loved getting pizza on the pool deck late in the afternoons and the late seating worked well with him eating late in the afternoons and still being hungry for dinner by the time it rolled around.
I know with the second seating that they will send up a crew from the kids club to come get any of the kids that want to go down to the kids club while you finish dinner at around 9pm if I remember correctly, so that gives you the option to finish your meal with just the adults if you want. Our DS never went because he was enjoying the dinner to much , but it was a nice option to have.

 

[wxman0]

We chose late and loved it. The 6 and 9 year olds got a little tired and sometimes crabby but we loved that we didn't have to pull them out of the pool so early to get ready to eat. There are early shows to catch. We caught most shows but sometimes we were a little late because we didn't allow enough time to get ready. By the 3rd day (of a 7 day cruise) we had our usual spots we sat in where we didn't bother anyone if a few showed up late. Dinner took us until 9:45 tops. Always had time to do plenty after we ate. We felt had we had early seating, it would have taken away from some time on deck.

 

[richmo]

We chose late seating on both of our cruises. Our kids were older, so there was no problem staying up...and plenty of places to get snacks earlier, if necessary. It was also nice on Castaway Cay day to take our time coming back, rather than having to rush for dinner. Plus we liked going to the shows before dinner, rather than after.

 

[sager1969]

We are early to rise and early to bed people. Eating the second seating was hard on my tummy. I liked having the show to watch after dinner to let my food digest. Also, my DS13 hated staying up that late. He only ate with us twice in the dining room when we did second seating. It really depends on your family and what is best for you. Every other cruise we have done main seating and have never had an issue with rushing back to be in time for dinner. Frankly, bingo caused my tardiness for dinner more than any excursion. We do take a more casual approach to dressing because we like to relax. We also like to occasionally do the pool instead of show at night. Again, it is really what is best is for your family make up. I think if I lived on the West coast, it would be a challenge to have dinner that early.

 

[JustCallMeMommy]

Most people choose early seating, so early is harder to get. I liked late seating - I wasn't in a hurry to get there, and there were plenty of options for snacks if we needed them. I really think the excursions get back on time for either, so I wouldn't worry much about that, unless you want a long time to dress for dinner. It appears to me that more of the families with older kids chose late seating - there weren't many young kids around us, other than some sleeping babies.

 

[missyp]

We always do late dining as I would rather minimize the baby/toddler population. I did my time and now that my kids are older I like a quieter more adult dinner. My kids on the other hand ( now 12 and 16 ) keep asking for earlier dinner seating because they want to Rush out and get to the Edge and Vibe. They feel like they are missing out. My older DS never stayed for dessert, always ran out. I agree that the later seating is also a slower and more relaxed pace. One cruise we were on we were always the last one out. Our last cruise on the Wonder we had an amazing waiter big difference, same ship he got us out quickly. As far as getting back late from excursions, I agree. I do not want to have to rush back to get to dinner. Do we will always continue with late dining.

 

[JimGA]

Our first cruise on a 4 night on the Dream we had first seating and on the very first day we felt rushed to get to dinner. We had just finished the sail away deck party and were on the verandah at the in laws room enjoying wine and listening to the horn as we slowly made our way out of port. No sooner did we get settled in we had to freshen up for dinner and get to the dining room. It felt like that everyday, plus we never really seemed hungry since there was food all over the ship to snack on.

In addition, we missed all the sunsets because we had to go to dinner, by the time dinner was done it was dark out. We are on second seating on our next cruise and any future ones as well.

Also, consider what time you eat dinner now and the time changes that you will experience while on the ship.

 

[ZephyrHawk]

Most people with kids choose the early seating (not just on Disney cruises) because their kids have early-ish bedtimes and are used to eating earlier. My family never believed in that, and as a result I was sometimes the only kid at the late dining seating. With fewer kids around it makes for a quieter, more relaxed dining experience. Eating later is just what my family always did, and now that I have DD, it's what I still do. For my upcoming DCL cruise I look forward to getting dressed at a leisurely pace, having cocktails with my parents, maybe going to one of the shows, and then wandering in to the late dinner seating.

 

[lisamarie12]

I chose the second seating because the early is just too early for me. At home (on weekdays) we eat dinner earlier (like around 6 to 6:30) but we get up earlier and go to bed earlier. But on weekends and on vacation, we eat a little later. On our last cruise by the time we got up and going on sea days, we would have brunch around 10, then not eat lunch until about 3. So we were not ready for dinner until 7 or so. Plus, this cruise has a slight (1 hour) time change, which makes early dining even earlier. We figured we will do a pre-dinner snack if we are hungry. Now I do have a little one, but she is not necessarily used to going to bed early (although we are trying to change that). But the last few cruises she rarely ate dinner with us anyway, as she would eat earlier or with the kids club.

 

[hanscarlet]

We do main because I have little ones but for your kids' ages I see why you'd be on the fence, they are likely old enough to wait to eat but it is kind of late. If it was just me and DH i would do late seating, the little kid population is high at the main seating.