Strange dining time experience

[dcassetta]

We booked a quick weekend cruise for late summer as an add-on to a Keys trip. When we go to select dining time - second dining is NOT available. I have never seen that in all my years of sailing DCL. The app says we can join the wait list for second dining. We always choose second, but maybe will do first just to see what it's like. Or not...

 

[Flossbolna]

On our Med cruise the second dining is fully booked, too. But I understand it more there. Strange for a weekend cruise!

 

[td002796]

Not 100% sure if this is the reason why, however I've read some posts from other DCL cruisers (even with young kids) about how they initially opted for first service but eventually ended up with the second service, to have a surprisingly better experience. The consensus was there was less stress to make it on time for dinner, and the families would enjoy the pool area more due to a reduced crowd. Their young kids would be snacking most of the day anyways and wouldn't be at all hungry during a 5:30PM dinner. Another common theme at a second seating dinner was that their young kids would eat quick, then likely fall asleep in the dining room, allowing daddy and mommy to have some well-deserved peace and quiet to enjoy their meals.

 

[71 Truck]

If your cruise has more family's with older kids than younger kids this may be the reason. Family's with younger children look at the later dinning time as to late to be eating for the kids right before the go to bed.
My wife and I do not have children but this would be my guess.

 

[CamColt]

That is strange! Makes me nervous this will be the new trend. No way would I want early dining.

Not 100% sure if this is the reason why, however I've read some posts from other DCL cruisers (even with young kids) about how they initially opted for first service but eventually ended up with the second service, to have a surprisingly better experience. The consensus was there was less stress to make it on time for dinner, and the families would enjoy the pool area more due to a reduced crowd. Their young kids would be snacking most of the day anyways and wouldn't be at all hungry during a 5:30PM dinner. Another common theme at a second seating dinner was that their young kids would eat quick, then likely fall asleep in the dining room, allowing daddy and mommy to have some well-deserved peace and quiet to enjoy their meals.

My kids are now 23 and 26. They have been sailing since they were 3 years and 8 months old. We have always purposely chosen late dining for some of those reasons, mostly not rushing to dinner. In fact we often skip the shows so we can have that relaxing late afternoon time.

 

[Snowwhyt]

I have got my dad to go with the flow and take the adult entertainment for the two hours following dinner, and it has made digestion just fine for everyone. And it worked well for my mother for one year but then she started her dementia problems and seems to want to duck out of evening events now after dinner, and just stay in the cabin.
Which port did you find this? I wonder if there’s a huge party that’s doing evening dining? You know big group family of 40 or so people. Do you belong to the Facebook group for your sailing? I’d be interested to know if that was the reason. I could follow that logic why a large group would be unable to get the earlier dining and have to take the evening dining instead. That would fill up a time slot.

 

[sponica]

That is strange! Makes me nervous this will be the new trend. No way would I want early dining.



My kids are now 23 and 26. They have been sailing since they were 3 years and 8 months old. We have always purposely chosen late dining for some of those reasons, mostly not rushing to dinner. In fact we often skip the shows so we can have that relaxing late afternoon time.

I wish my kids could hang until the second seating, but they are absolute monsters after 6 PM. Doesn't matter how much they snack. But we eat dinner by 530 most nights at home.

 

[dcassetta]

I wish my kids could hang until the second seating, but they are absolute monsters after 6 PM. Doesn't matter how much they snack. But we eat dinner by 530 most nights at home.

I think this is true for many families, which is why I was so surprised that second dining was not available.

 

[sponica]

I think this is true for many families, which is why I was so surprised that second dining was not available.

Maybe there's just a huge adult group traveling on that sailing. Or a contigent of west coasters or something. Some grouping that would prefer to eat at 815.

 

[dcassetta]

Maybe there's just a huge adult group traveling on that sailing. Or a contigent of west coasters or something. Some grouping that would prefer to eat at 815.

There is definitely something strange going on!

 

[jerry557]

I prefer late most of the time. More time if out at port, or you can have later lunch or more snacks. Etc. The sea days seem longer.
The waitstaff also seems to be less rushed and less stressed.

 

[AquaDame]

Maybe there's just a huge adult group traveling on that sailing. Or a contigent of west coasters or something. Some grouping that would prefer to eat at 815.

West Coaster here and we still prefer 6pm. We eat around then or earlier still as my husband works 6am-2:30pm and don't have a problem with jet lag or hunger when the time difference is so little. Next time we take a short cruise though I think we will try second seating - on our last cruise he tended to want to chill after dinner which led to napping which led to missing all but one of the adult acts. If I keep him moving maybe he will make it.

 

[Flcruising]

We don't find it strange.
Anyone who is hungry before dinner can eat. There's not a lack of food. The kids are more likely to enjoy the early show when they are fresh. At the late show they fall asleep and miss it. Doesn't matter if they are tired and fall asleep at dinner.
After noon activities don't need to be rushed so you can go get everyone dressed in time for dinner/pictures.
Servers seem more relaxed.
So there are a number of reasons we do second seating. Don't find it strange.

 

[dcassetta]

We don't find it strange.
Anyone who is hungry before dinner can eat. There's not a lack of food. The kids are more likely to enjoy the early show when they are fresh. At the late show they fall asleep and miss it. Doesn't matter if they are tired and fall asleep at dinner.
After noon activities don't need to be rushed so you can go get everyone dressed in time for dinner/pictures.
Servers seem more relaxed.
So there are a number of reasons we do second seating. Don't find it strange.

I don't think second seating is strange. I think the fact that it's not available is strange. There are many posts where people say they are not able to get first dining, but I don't think I have ever seen someone say they couldn't get second. This has never happened to me in 25 years of sailing DCL.

 

[CapnCrunch]

Not 100% sure if this is the reason why, however I've read some posts from other DCL cruisers (even with young kids) about how they initially opted for first service but eventually ended up with the second service, to have a surprisingly better experience. The consensus was there was less stress to make it on time for dinner, and the families would enjoy the pool area more due to a reduced crowd. Their young kids would be snacking most of the day anyways and wouldn't be at all hungry during a 5:30PM dinner. Another common theme at a second seating dinner was that their young kids would eat quick, then likely fall asleep in the dining room, allowing daddy and mommy to have some well-deserved peace and quiet to enjoy their meals.

The secret is out. Nothing beats being able to get an afternoon nap in and still have some time out on a much less busy pool deck. Little to no wait for the water slides either.

 

[OpieDoodle]

That is really odd for sure! My Sept and Nov cruises both already have a wait list for the earlier dinning. For me with my 3 kids if we don't do first dinning we end up with hangry kiddos (no matter how much snacking) and dinner is not enjoyable for us at all. Plus we have a couple adults in the party we sail with often that are early to bed.

Often I've seen a lot of people that want second that are adults or west coast families as that is a more "normal" dinner time for people on the West Coast. Not saying all prefer it but that's usually who selects it. Makes me wonder if you have more people from the West Coast our even further on your sailing!

I doubt it'll be a new normal. I'm still more than 6 months out for one of my cruises and main dinning is already wait listed.

 

[Anna131517]

I wish my kids could hang until the second seating, but they are absolute monsters after 6 PM. Doesn't matter how much they snack. But we eat dinner by 530 most nights at home.

Same!

 

[holula]

This happened to me once… a week later second seating was back. Typical DCL glitch for that cruise.

 

[phi2012]

For our last cruise. When we booked late seating was our only option, about 6 months before we were looking and saw early seating had become available, so we changed, thinking with kids it might be better. I then panicked a week later and tried to change back, but nothing was then available for late seating, only early was (which like you confused me, as more kids on a dcl during holidays, I assumed the earlier one would be the busiest).
We stuck with early seating, and honestly was so happy we did.
We'd have an early breakfast, early lunch, then early ish dinner (fairly close to our normal dinner time at home of 6.30 ish) then the lovely thing we did on two nights was a late night room snack from room service whilst watching a family film all together. It was one of our happiest memories from the cruise.

Because of this, we have opted for the early seating again next summer on the fantasy.

 

[CamColt]

I wish my kids could hang until the second seating, but they are absolute monsters after 6 PM. Doesn't matter how much they snack. But we eat dinner by 530 most nights at home.

At home we would eat around 4:30, but on vacation, the schedule was (still is) much different.