Changing seating times

[dlf246]

Just booked today for March cruise and found out we are way down on a looonnng wait list for early seating. We know about requesting a change on board at embarkation. I have 2 family members who really crash after 8PM. May I ask how often you have and have not been able to get changed to early seating? and does our group being an odd 5 make it less likely??

 

[cass'mom]

When we took our first and only cruise in August of 2002 we also got stuck with late seating and I knew my 3 yo dd wasn't going to handle that. So we went to try to change it during embarkation and we had NO problems. It was so easy it was unbelievable. I was really shocked because I prepared myself for the worst. We were a party of 6 but I have no idea if party size matters. I am curious to hear if we were the norm or very unusal... Good Luck!

 

[JanDave]

Hi: We were on a wait list for early seating for our last cruise 2 months ago. By the time we got our cruise docs, we were scheduled for early seating. Also, when we boarded we checked to see what type of table we were seated at. I was traveling with my goddaughter who has Down Syndrome and is very shy. When we found out we were seated at a table for 8, I asked a table for 4 was available. And there was! DCL is extremely accommodating.

Jan

 

[one princess]

I was on the list for early seating in Jan. and never got it. Everything turned out fine for us but I made sure I got my ressie early enough this time for early seating. I hope it works out for you.

Jackie

 

[jel0511]

We're from the opposite camp. We wanted Early seating, both of my kids are usually out by 9PM and I'm usually not far behind them. None of us liked the thought of late seating, and we never cleared the waitlist. I decided to just stick with it, and go with the flow. If the kids couldn't do it, then there was roomservice, fast food from the pool places, the clubs, and the buffet to feed them. I wasn't going to let this ruin my vacation and wasn't going to fret whether it could or couldn't be changed, just go with the flow. Well, it turned out to be the BEST thing. We were all usually tired in the afternoon after all the sun, so we'd all take a small nap. We didn't have the rushed feeling getting ready for dinner (we had had early on 3 earlier cruises) and it truly was relaxed. Yeah, once both kids were a little cranky eating late and my 4YO slept through dinner once, but other than that it was a COMPLETE success. So much so, we booked late for our next cruise. We were complete early people before this experience and are now complete converts. We'd usually be done by 10PM and with the afternoon naps, could still stay up awhile. We got to take part in a lot of the later entertainment that we never did before with early seating. I'm not talking about the nightclubs, the family dance party in STudio Sea. My kids LOVED THEM and we also had a great time. It really turned this cruise into such a fun one for us. Try to think of ways to make it work, you most likely can and it might be a fabulous find, like what happened to us.

 

[yazee1]

Chalk up one a wait-listed family who got their wish. We booked in January for an April cruise, so of course, the early seating was booked, and we were wait listed. A few weeks before the cruise I called DCL about something else and asked about it while I was on the phone. The agent was able to secure us an early seating for our family of five.

 

[dlf246]

I was on the list for early seating in Jan. and never got it. Everything turned out fine for us but I made sure I got my ressie early enough this time for early seating. I hope it works out for you.

Jackie

Thanks to everyone for your replies.

Jackie, I was wondering if you tried to change on embarkation?

 

[tvguy]

The best advice is request the change, and be prepared not to get it.
As most have found, Late Seating is not only workable, but has advantages over Early.
Granted, I'm a west coaster, so late seating is actually about 3 hours EARLIER than my body is used to getting dinner. However, on our Alaska cruise we had late seating too, nothing like sitting at your table, finishing a sweet treat, sipping coffee, and watching the sunset at 10 pm.

 

[kcashner]

If you don't get the change by the time you board, DO go to "Dining Changes." The location will be listed in your "welcome aboard" sheet that you get when you check in. It is quite likely that you can be changed at that time.

 

[otoole]

I booked the Western Carribean cruise for March 11th with the Magical rates and found that I too had the late dinner seating. Personally I can't believe this as it is 7 mos. away. I even considered doing a land/sea trip instead in order to have an early seating but the Magical Rates price was too good to pass up. Since my children will be 4 and 6 and are usually in bed before 8:00 they cannot stay up that late (even with naps). I figure hopefully over the next 7 mos. someone will change their time and I also assumed that the waitlist wouldn't be long (DCL couldn't tell me how long it was). Keeping my fingers crossed.

 

[tvguy]

. Personally I can't believe this as it is 7 mos. away..

We've done 7 cruises, and always book close to a year in advance, and that seems to be about the norm, so I suspect the ship is pretty close to sold out only 7 months out.

 

[one princess]

Thanks to everyone for your replies.

Jackie, I was wondering if you tried to change on embarkation?

Yes, I did. Our tablemates also tried but didn't get it. It really turned out OK for us. The only real problems were that myy dd's table manners were pretty much non-exsitant at that hour and I also felt like a stuffed pig when it was time for bed. It was nice though to not feel rushed to get to dinner and to be able to have a later lunch.

Jackie