SO WHATS THE DIFFERENCE PLEASE BETWEEN 1ST AND 2ND SEATING DINING? - WHICH ONE DO YOU PREFER AND WHY?

[anjuan]

When my daughter was younger I preferred early dining. But now that she is older we agree that late dining is better. It seems less crowded and there are more adults in the second seating.

 

[mmouse37]

We prefer late dining....even when our kids were young and now even when we bring our very young grandkids. My thoughts are that they can eat mac and cheese anytime at home but how often are they able to see Broadway style shows with their favorite characters....I would rather they were alert and awake for the show than for dinner. If they fall asleep at the table so be it.

MJ

 

[cedricandsophie]

We do late dinner. Tried early once and hated it.we have been to all the ports so we rarely get off. We just hang by pool most days. We go to early show at 6ish, then my husband and I head to the piano car while my daughter and her friend, who we always take, look for characters. Then we meet up at dinner. After dinner we might go to the adult area for the adult show

 

[Bibbidi_Boo]

If you're on an Alaskan cruise, many of the port departures (and excursions) won't be until after early dining. We always choose 2nd seating.

Europe cruises are like that too.

 

[Bibbidi_Boo]

We prefer late dining....even when our kids were young and now even when we bring our very young grandkids. My thoughts are that they can eat mac and cheese anytime at home but how often are they able to see Broadway style shows with their favorite characters....I would rather they were alert and awake for the show than for dinner. If they fall asleep at the table so be it.

MJ

That was a huge reason why we liked the second dinner even with preschool age kids. They enjoyed the shows and honestly they don't care that much about the dinners as much at that age (some but not as much as when older) and we could always get them snacks if hungry. So we would then just go to dinner and they ate quick and went to the kids clubs.

 

[jimmymc]

The difference is the time you eat.

Sorry, I had to. First seating is normally full and has more children. People don't want to eat so late with their young children. Second seating is less full, which can mean both better service and a higher chance of getting a table request. I've never seen or heard of the main restaurants running out of a dish during second seating, so I don't think it's something to consider.

Another thing to consider is your port schedule. If you'll be in port late, you may want a later dining time to accommodate excursions.

 

[CaseyCruiser]

We always do second seating. It's very relaxing and perfect for a cruise vacation.

 

[Pixarfans]

We like early. My son loves to go to the tween (this trip teen) club after dinner and we are not late night people. I like getting dinner over with rather than having to wait to get it started (and then snacking all the way up to it). We are big dessert people and like to let it settle while watching the show or a movie on deck. We almost never get off the ship, so port times don’t matter to us. I actually feel more rushed at late seating as they clean the dining room and we are still there.

 

[LambertLion]

We prefer late dining for a couple reasons, first being the ability at most ports (especially embarkation day) to stay out and about and watch sail away as long as we want, without feeling rushed to get ready for dinner. Second, you have more time to snack a bit throughout the day and at ports and still be ready for dinner by the time that rolls around. With no young kid to worry about anymore for us, we dont have to worry about cranky little one or struggling to stay awake. Also, as many have said, definitely less kids and a bit more chill vibe.

 

[Husker Mike]

One factor that hasn't been brought up is time zones. If you live in a later time zone as the cruise, early dining is in the afternoon and late dining is probably closer to many people's normal dinner time.

Late dining gives you more options before dinner. If the show doesn't appeal to you, you can spend more time on deck. I once rode the AquaDuck nearly a dozen times after 6 pm. Or you can hang out on Castaway until right before the All-Aboard time, especially if you have family members who need more time to get cleaned up.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

One factor that hasn't been brought up is time zones. If you live in a later time zone as the cruise, early dining is in the afternoon and late dining is probably closer to many people's normal dinner time.

We live on the west coast, and always take early dining. We tend to take longer cruises, and it just makes sense to us to match "what we do at home" (dining around 5). Doing late dining just doesn't sit well with my tummy, so early works better for us.

 

[DigitalOlli]

last year on the wish we had early dining. with our 7 year old

but we fellt a little bit rushed and want to try late dining this year on the magic

 

[OKW Lover]

We always book late dining on Disney. There are fewer (but still many) children and that makes for a more sedate dining experience.