Mediterranean Cruise Shore Excursions and Dining Rotations

[disneygrandmom2007]

Looking at the Shore Excursions offered for the August 22, 2015 Mediterranean Cruise, many of them are 8 or 9 hours long. We have chosen the Main seating for our dining rotations so I'm worried we will miss dinner if we are on any of the longer excursions. Does anyone know if the excursions return you to the ship in time for Main seating or will we have to choose a different dining option? TIA.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Looking at the Shore Excursions offered for the August 22, 2015 Mediterranean Cruise, many of them are 8 or 9 hours long. We have chosen the Main seating for our dining rotations so I'm worried we will miss dinner if we are on any of the longer excursions. Does anyone know if the excursions return you to the ship in time for Main seating or will we have to choose a different dining option? TIA.

No, the excursions that are 8 or 9 hours long do not return in time for early seating. That's the reason we selected late seating for our Med cruise (we typically do early). For our cruise the early seating was 6:00 and late was 8:30 (except for 2 nights when it was 6:30 & 8:45). Most of our all day excursions arrived back just as (early)seating was starting, or after. We felt that rushing immediately from the bus to dinner table wasn't something we wanted to do.

We also found (due to doing the late seating on this cruise) we don't really like late seating. Mostly because it's rough eating all that food and, basically, immediately going to bed (early days the next day).

If you remain with Main seating, and you are late for the actual seating time, your options are Cabanas, room service, or the quick serve locations on the pool deck.

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

Looking at the Shore Excursions offered for the August 22, 2015 Mediterranean Cruise, many of them are 8 or 9 hours long. We have chosen the Main seating for our dining rotations so I'm worried we will miss dinner if we are on any of the longer excursions. Does anyone know if the excursions return you to the ship in time for Main seating or will we have to choose a different dining option? TIA.

I was in the Med in 2014 and YES all shore trips returned in time for main dinner which is at 6.15 pm on Med cruises.
The ships are normally in 7 am / 8 am at port and all tours go off quickly so you can see a 9 hour trip is back at 5 pm.
Late dinner last year was at 8.45 pm which is very late.
I have been on two DCL Med cruises and this has always been the case.

Note the ship normally leaves by 6.45. So with that you can see all DCL trips have to be back before that time.

I watched them in each port on my verandah returning and gas many friends on our cruise meets on many different tours I would see them at Nain dinner on time, which BTW was full and no empty tables so everyone got back.

So in summary ALL DCL shore trips are back by MAIN / EARLY dinner. When you have your cruise this summer you will see this is the case and what I am posting is correct.

 

[DisneyHelen]

We went to med in 2013 and had main dining.They did not mind if you were a bit late due to excursions.

 

[3Down1Up]

We did the Med in 2014, had main dining at 6:15, arrived late to dinner twice. Other tables around us arrived late other days. The staff seems prepared for late arrivals for the Med ports because of those long days. I would go with your preference: if it's main dining, choose that.

 

[Saamh]

We were also in the Med in 2014 (12nt Barcelona to Venice) and there were a couple ports where DCL excursions were back after he start of main seating (Rome and Naples). All aboard time was after the start of first seating on some ports on that sailing.

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

We went to med in 2013 and had main dining.They did not mind if you were a bit late due to excursions.

We did the Med in 2014, had main dining at 6:15, arrived late to dinner twice. Other tables around us arrived late other days. The staff seems prepared for late arrivals for the Med ports because of those long days. I would go with your preference: if it's main dining, choose that.

agree Main is fine - and late at 8.45 is very late. Bad advice to suggest that late is best. Unless you like eating past 9 pm.