Experiences with late dining with kids?

[sadiecatie]

We've been assigned late dining on our upcoming Alaska cruise, and I'm just wondering what others' experiences have been with late dining with kids. My daughter will be 8, and while I'm confident we can roll with it if we have to do late dining, I am concerned about how late that will be (not just with our regular schedule - we tend to eat dinner at 6-6:30, so the earlier seating would be ideal), but also with the time change (we're from Ohio, so we're definitely going to be adjusting those first couple days with a 3-4 hour time difference).

Have you had success getting your dining time changed? (I did get on the waitlist for early dining). Did your kids adapt well to the later dining time, or was it a disaster?

 

[happycamper47]

Late seating is 8 pm so actually 4 pm for you with the time change. The CM's that I've cruised with have always been able to get dining switched to early seating so I would think you should have no problem. They don't get cabins assigned until late either.

 

[sadiecatie]

Late seating is 8 pm so actually 4 pm for you with the time change. The CM's that I've cruised with have always been able to get dining switched to early seating so I would think you should have no problem. They don't get cabins assigned until late either.

The time difference is the other way - 8pm Alaska time is midnight EST. We are planning to try to adjust in the week before we leave (going to bed incrementally later and getting up later), and we're arriving in Vancouver two nights before we set sail, but it's still quite an adjustment!

 

[freshmanjs]

The time difference is the other way - 8pm Alaska time is midnight EST. We are planning to try to adjust in the week before we leave (going to bed incrementally later and getting up later), and we're arriving in Vancouver two nights before we set sail, but it's still quite an adjustment!

The cruise will be during EDT, not EST.

 

[happycamper47]

The time difference is the other way - 8pm Alaska time is midnight EST. We are planning to try to adjust in the week before we leave (going to bed incrementally later and getting up later), and we're arriving in Vancouver two nights before we set sail, but it's still quite an adjustment!

Oops...old age

 

[McSmooth]

Another thing to keep in mind with Alaska during the summer months, is that the sun doesn't set until very late. The excess daylight might help a little with keeping everyone "awake" a bit longer than usual.

We sailed during the solstice last summer, and it never got completely dark. At midnight, it was "dusk".

 

[Weedy]

Call Disney and ask to be put on the waitlist for early dinner. If you don’t hear anything a few weeks before the cruise call again.
If that doesn’t work the day you board there will be an area set up (usually one of the bars or restaurants) that will help with dining changes.

 

[ngl]

We just completed our 4th Disney cruise and we always selected late even the first time when my kids were 5 and 3. My husband & I never got home from work before 6pm so our kids always ate later so it was not a big deal. We like to do the early show and have a snack there but like like later dining because you can have the full day if you are in port and don't have to worry about getting back on the ship earlier. Plus, as mentioned re Alaska it is daylight until midnight (or even longer it seemed!) However, like all else about a vacation, to each his own!

 

[Mango7100]

We prefer late dining and have done it when DD was 5 and 6 and have it again for March. Early dining is just too early—it feels like at 4 pm we would have to start cleaning up for dinner. DD was fine with late dining and we tended to go back to the room right after and start getting her ready for bed

 

[Dug720]

that will help with dining changes.

If there is space available to move them. You can always go to ask, but if Early dining is full, it is full and there is nothing they can do - even when you're on board.

I just don't want first time cruisers thinking that whatever they want will happen if they go to the dining changes tables because sometimes it's just not possible.

 

[tvguy]

20 years on these boards, and an amazing number of people "forced" to take late dining discover it works very well for them on a cruise.
I can't say for us because we are West Coasters and always request late dining. But I can relate to having to adjust because on a Caribbean cruise, late seating is actually eating early for us.

 

[Lizardgi]

We loved late Dining with our kids, 8 and 10, last year on the Wonder. Makes for a much more full day, no rushing to dinner, and with most "kids" in the earlier dining time, the ship was much less crowded for kid activities while the early diners were eating. If you plan to sleep in a bit, have later breakfast, later lunch, and afternoon snack - late dining is perfect!

 

[gotomu212]

We’ve done late with little kids a lot. For us, the first night is a little rough and we’ve had sleeping kids at the table (when they were 3 and 5), but its been NBD and they’re adjusted by day 2 or 3.

The pluses for us is that they can go to the pools when they’re less crowded and the shows were less crowded (plus they were wide awake for those).

Alaska was also a port heavy cruise and having a little downtime between getting back and dinner was nice and allowed us plenty of time to show and dress so we werent in our Alaskan lumberjack layers.

 

[soniam]

We usually do first dining but chose 2nd for our Alaska cruise in June. It seems that we leave the ports fairly late on some days. Craig from the DIS recommended late dining for Alaska because of this.

 

[tj48103]

We've been assigned late dining on our upcoming Alaska cruise, and I'm just wondering what others' experiences have been with late dining with kids. My daughter will be 8, and while I'm confident we can roll with it if we have to do late dining, I am concerned about how late that will be (not just with our regular schedule - we tend to eat dinner at 6-6:30, so the earlier seating would be ideal), but also with the time change (we're from Ohio, so we're definitely going to be adjusting those first couple days with a 3-4 hour time difference).

Have you had success getting your dining time changed? (I did get on the waitlist for early dining). Did your kids adapt well to the later dining time, or was it a disaster?

Last December we tried late dining for the first time. Kids were 13, 10 and 7. It worked out great. We enjoyed having a little extra time at the pool in the late afternoon and getting to see the earlier show. At least 1 night the 7 year old did fall asleep after his dessert but the servers made him a little bed out of two chairs.

In May we did Alaska and I chose Main. I really regret doing it that way. We were so busy all day and barely made it to dinner on time. One day coming right from the dock to the dining room in our dusty sweaty excursion clothes.

That said if you are on the waiting list chances are good you may be moved up to main. It's always come through when we have requested it.

 

[Carohs]

My kids adapted well. Naps for all, even the adults mid afternoon helped. We've done both but found we got so much more out of our day and the ship to do the nap/late dinner route vs early dinner and then crashing from a busy busy day.

 

[Madhattermad]

I done late dining for the first time on my last cruise with my 4 year old daughter and now we are converts. We built in time for a short nap during the day and it worked like a dream.

 

[sadiecatie]

Thanks for all the feedback! I’m actually convinced to just give late dining a chance! We’re going to lean into it and enjoy the benefits you’ve all outlined.