Early vs. Late seating?

[JungleCruiser]

Can anyone tell me the pro's and con's of early and late dinner seatings? With kids, which one do you prefer and why?

 

[JimmyJackJunior]

We had a 1 and five year old. I am not sure there was a pro to the late seating we were at. Pretty much a disaster. Many times the five year old didnt make it to dinner as his bedtime is normally 8:30. We just did it and would never consider cruising again without the guarantee of an early sitting.

 

[newfamilyman]

I started an identical thread to yours about two or three weeks ago in the main DCL forum (not trip reports). You might want to look for it.

 

[micmouse]

We returned from our Cruise a week ago and we were assigned late seating which was too late for our kids(5,3,1). They fell asleep at the table and I had my dinner delivered to my room on one occasion. Our Server arranged for us to get a table at the first seating on the last night, which worked out better for the kids.

You can board the ship early(we boarded at noon) and read the navigator to find out where you can request a seating change (Wavebands for us on the Wonder around 1pm). The Mickey Pool altered my plans and I arrived late securing the 20th spot on the waiting list.

Hope this helps.

 

[Tanya]

We cruised last May with our 4 year old. We opted for the early seating. She was up after 8:30 some nights but I could see her getting tired and cranky at the dinner table and that would have been a nightmare!

You still get to see the shows and stuff... If you do early dinner then obviously it's after that. If you have late seating I believe the shows are before dinner.... I think ??

Good luck! and have a great trip!