Dinner seatings

[Setsail71]

What are the chances of us getting moved from the late to early seating? The early seating wasn’t available when we signed up months ago for a June sailing. I cannot eat that late, will make me sick with GERD. I will literally have to eat in the room each night to avoid getting sick. Do people ever move off the waitlist?

 

[Missrawson]

We requested in the app ages ago to change times, and its just updated with a new time, didn't notify us.

 

[Marc D]

Most people who request early will be moved. DCL only makes a small portion of early places available for advance selection, and defaults most guests to late. They then move over those who request early because they want to prioritize them, knowing it is essential for some families. The only reasons for not being moved after requesting early seating is if you are trying to move a very large group (more than 8) or if you have large group on a very crowded ship.

Know that there is no point in calling/texting multiple times. The waitlist is managed by the dining team and they go through the list only once or twice, in the weeks leading to the cruise. The CM’s on the phone cannot do anything more than you can online, meaning they can move you if there is an open spot at that time, something you can see yourself.

 

[MickeyMouseLove]

I requested early dining the same day I booked my cruise (a member of my party has diabetes and needs to eat early). It always showed my request on the site and app, but my time was never changed to early dining before my cruise. As soon as I boarded I went to the tables they had set up for dining requests to make my request again, and they said they would probably not be making any changes. And they didn't. We had to keep our late dining time. This was on the Fantasy at end of April.

 

[tvguy]

A Doctor's note should get you moved if you have GERD. My normal response would not apply because you have a medical situation. That response is many people who try late seating find out they like it better.

 

[Shinaniganz]

Based on discussions in this forum, I was expecting to be moved to early dining with 3 kids 6 and under. But it never cleared.

When I got onboard, I went down to the dedicated dining changes area and requested it again. The gentleman started by saying that if it didn’t clear on the original waitlist, it meant they were full and unable to accommodate us. He said they’d see what they could do though, and a couple hours later we had a silent change to an early dining table.

 

[otten]

What are the chances of us getting moved from the late to early seating? The early seating wasn’t available when we signed up months ago for a June sailing. I cannot eat that late, will make me sick with GERD. I will literally have to eat in the room each night to avoid getting sick. Do people ever move off the waitlist?

Very good. Odds are you will be moved before the sail date (seems they start to do that 30-60 days out) and if not they should be able to love you onboard.

 

[Geomom]

We were assigned late dining for our June 2022 Fantasy cruise (booked 6 mths out as I switched from a different cruise). I waitlisted immediately. Then I checked the app daily to see if I could switch. About 10-14 days before the cruise I was able to switch to early on the app. I'll never know if the wait-list would have worked as I did it myself instead. We always have dinner around 6pm at home, DH usually stops eating by 8pm. If we ever end up stuck with late dining, we'll probably just get a few appetizers and desserts vs everything...a lighter meal as I can't eat a full dinner that late. (And have some other food earlier from the pool deck or room service.)

 

[OpieDoodle]

I'd get on the waiting list ASAP if you aren't already and submit a doctors note. I would expect as long as you are on the waitlist chances are pretty good that you'll get early dining.

 

[Flip flops in winter]

We sail on Saturday and this is the first time we've never been moved off the waitlist for early dining by this point. I'm getting nervous, but also...I wouldn't mind trying late dining. It would just suck for 7 nights if we don't like it. Our youngest is 8 now and we couldn't have successfully done late dining before this.

 

[Pluto1008]

The only reasons for not being moved after requesting early seating is if you are trying to move a very large group (more than 8) or if you have large group on a very crowded ship.

I am also hoping to be moved to early dining and have always been moved, but for our Alaska sailing in June (which seems pretty full), we are 'connected' to our friends, making a group of 9. I am nervous we won't be switched and late dining is of zero appeal to all of us. Would it be a better strategy to 'disconnect' our reservations into groups of 4 and 5 and then ask to sit next to each other? I'm worried a group of 9 isn't going to get moved to main dining and we are 26 days from sailing. Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[Mango7100]

We sail on Saturday and this is the first time we've never been moved off the waitlist for early dining by this point. I'm getting nervous, but also...I wouldn't mind trying late dining. It would just suck for 7 nights if we don't like it. Our youngest is 8 now and we couldn't have successfully done late dining before this.

You may actually like late dining. We have always done late dining with DD10 (first time at 5 and most recent this year). We eat pretty early at home usually (like 530-6). But it’s so nice not having to rush in the afternoon to get ready for dinner, and we are usually still full from lunch and snacking that we aren’t hungry until 815 anyway. She goes to the kids club while DH and I have a pre dinner cocktail hour and then we all have dinner together Or all do show and then dinner.

 

[Bea1776]

We requested early when booking, and noticed we were switched to early at the 30 day check in time. No notification other than that. Party of 2 sailing on the Magic in June.

 

[azrivest]

I just checked today and was able to switch to Main Dining for our June 19th sailing!

 

[Sakura1017]

We requested in the app ages ago to change times, and its just updated with a new time, didn't notify us.

Weird that they didn't notify you. Usually when I'm off the waitlist I get a new email regarding the reservation. I have to look and see what's changed and then see that dining was moved to main.

 

[n2mm]

I too have a medical issue and need main dining. I’ve been lucky so far. Since the ships are sailing near full I’m hearing the dining team was only honoring request with small children and those with a medical need. We just got back on Saturday on the Fantasy and did have returned to seating parties together. We had requested a private table and it was our only request and it was honored.

 

[MomOTwins]

I think there has been a quiet shift in their practices this year. It used to be our waitlist always came through and the past two sailings we were on that was not the case. One I was able to change in the app through diligent checking shortly before the cruise when a spot opened up. On the other one I queued up an hour before the dining changes opened and was first in line for changes. They couldn’t move me the first night (a disaster meltdown for my autistic DS) but we did get moved the next night thankfully. I think they are just running the ships more full, or perhaps the increase in private tables is reducing the capacity in main seating. Either way, I really wish they would realize this is becoming a problem for a lot of people and do something—either use Cabanas as a flex time dining like they used to or move the seatings 30 mins earlier.

Currently, we have two connecting rooms (me and one kid and one with husband and our twins), and one is early dining one is late. Curious if they will really leave it like that and tell us to split up. Something is really weird with how this process works.

 

[Snowwhyt]

What are the chances of us getting moved from the late to early seating? The early seating wasn’t available when we signed up months ago for a June sailing. I cannot eat that late, will make me sick with GERD. I will literally have to eat in the room each night to avoid getting sick. Do people ever move off the waitlist?

3 of the 5 of our group have serious Gurd issues. Only once out of eight sailings have I’ve had offered an early meal.time. I’ve had to make several accommodations that I’ve helped. In advance I ask for several additional pillows so I can prop up the head of the bed. Also, I have tried to remain up active later doing more of the adult entertainment and sleeping in later in the morning catching a later breakfast. Consider taking three or four pool towels, and putting them underneath the mattress to raise the head of the mattress as well. It has been key to try to move our entertainment to the later evening and not tire ourselves out by getting up too early. I’ve thrown up the last three cruises, so I know how it can be with Gerd. One of us had surgery that helped, my testing for the surgery starts next month.

 

[n2mm]

I think there has been a quiet shift in their practices this year. It used to be our waitlist always came through and the past two sailings we were on that was not the case. One I was able to change in the app through diligent checking shortly before the cruise when a spot opened up. On the other one I queued up an hour before the dining changes opened and was first in line for changes. They couldn’t move me the first night (a disaster meltdown for my autistic DS) but we did get moved the next night thankfully. I think they are just running the ships more full, or perhaps the increase in private tables is reducing the capacity in main seating. Either way, I really wish they would realize this is becoming a problem for a lot of people and do something—either use Cabanas as a flex time dining like they used to or move the seatings 30 mins earlier.

Currently, we have two connecting rooms (me and one kid and one with husband and our twins), and one is early dining one is late. Curious if they will really leave it like that and tell us to split up. Something is really weird with how this process works.

If your rooms are linked you should all be on the same dining time. Have you called and pointed that out. I often booked on main, but if family joins me last minute they are given late, but have been switched to main within the first 24 hours after booking,

 

[Unvoiced_Apollo]

What are the chances of us getting moved from the late to early seating? The early seating wasn’t available when we signed up months ago for a June sailing. I cannot eat that late, will make me sick with GERD. I will literally have to eat in the room each night to avoid getting sick. Do people ever move off the waitlist?

Well considering we had main seating but prefer second seating, I would say at least one two person group moved off the waiting list on our upcoming cruise.