1st timer here. Me 40, my wife 35.

Can anyone tell me what is the best sitting and why?

The best sitting is the one that fits you and your schedule of events and do you like to eat early or late this is really a choice that you would make better than anyone else. Welcome to cruise chat steadymann.

I always like the later so I don't have to rush back to the ship if I am doing something in one of the ports. Besides I never eat dinner that early at home anyway.

Yes, as Spiritfilled stated, this is a personal choice.

They offer two dinning times (sometimes 3) to allow for personal tastes. Some people enjoy eating later and some earlier. The early seating starts at 5:45PM (again depends on the ship but this is typical) and you will be finished with dinner roughly about 7PM or so depending on how long you like to linger. The 8:30 seating (late seating) finishes up closer to 10PM. My wife doesn't like to eat that late because it bothers her. Frankly that is too late for me normally too, but since I'm up soo late on a cruise, I could do it if I had to.

Note that both dinning options have a main show time that allows them to see the evening show and still make dinner. Carnival does two viewings each night and in the Caper paper, they will be listed as the 7PM "Late seating" theater and the 9PM "early seating theater". So you are not going to miss anything by picking either dinning option.

The other thing to consider is that the early seating normally coincides with the time you are leaving port. So coming in from your port visit you would have to immediately get changed/dressed for dinner and head down. Some people don't like that hurry up and eat thing, but we have never found it to be that big of an issue. (Of course with a couple of kids and the need to grab showers, it can be a challenge unless you come back to the ship slightly ealry from port.

Hope that helps you make a choice.

quote:

Originally posted by steadymann:
1st timer here. Me 40, my wife 35.

Can anyone tell me what is the best sitting and why?

As spiritfilled and Jim C indicate it is a personal choice. My wife and I always take the earliest seating so we can watch the shows TWICE We really love the shows and the first show (for the late seating) usually follows a Bingo or some other event in the main theater and the best seats are already taken for the show when we get there. So we watch that from wherever we can and then the 2nd show move up to 5 rows from the stage and center. Sometimes we watch the first show from the balcony behind the sound tech and watch him work, fasinating.

For a long time we took late seating because it allowed for longer afternoons. I never thought much about it until last year when my agent talked me into trying early seating for our then upcoming cruise. I found that I liked it since I got dinner out of the way and had the whole evening to do stuff, instead of spending it waiting for dinner to start and then sitting in the dining room until 10pm.

However, which seating you choose can also depend on the cruise itinerary. For our next cruise to Alaska, which has most port calls where the ship won't leave until 8pm or later, we went with late seating since this will give us more time ashore.

That's a good plan for Alaska Dave. The sun will still be up when you go to dinner, so you won't feel like your eating late. But, you may have issues adjust to the time zone changes AND eating later than normal. But you should be able to adjust to that.

We have a main seating time for our Alaska cruise and we did find ourselves coming back to the ship a little early to get to dinner "on time".

On a side note, what you said about having the early dinner so your night is free is true. i noticed that the casino isn't very crowded after the early seating since the late dinners are in watching the show end and then they are off to dinner, so you can get in some crowd free gambling that way too...

Around 4PM the pool areas start to clear out and the ship is a bit quieter up on deck. It's my favorite time of the day to relax on a lounge chair b/c the temperature is just right and it's nice and quiet. Choosing the late seating gives you a couple of extra hours to take advantage of the late afternoon. Also, there are more children at the early seating. Just my 2 cents. Happy sailing.

Carnival Freedom 2/9/08

Carnival Legend 2/07
Carnival Pride 2/06
Carnival Destiny 2/05
Facination 2000
Ecstasy 1994

It really is a matter of personal choice as has been stated. I like the late seating, because we like the lido deck, and enjoy a few drinks as we sail away from the ports. It just seems too rushed to make the early, plus I can sneak in a power nap. Different strokes...

Dwayne

I agree, it is a personal choice, but I prefer the late seating. This way if we are out shopping, etc. we don't have to hurry back like the rest to get to dinner in time.

Also, when we get back we like to shower and RELAX or REST. That way we are "ready" for anything that is happening after dinner.

brneyes

I like the late seating because there is less kids and it seems (To me anyways) to be a little more formal. I think that it really depends on wheather you are the kind of person you does stay up later on vacation. I watch the ship pull away from port (my favorite part of cruising)then I take a nap (While my wife gets ready) and then get ready for the show and then dinner. We will usually have a drink or two (Sometimes three) before hand then go. We will also stay up later in the evening. However if you don't like to stay up late you will find yourself finishing dinnner, doing a lap around the ship and by then it is 10:30 and bedtime on a full tummy. We prefer the later one just because we tend to stay up later and still have a full day in port. One quick thing to remember about that. If you are in the earlier seating on formal nights you will have to head back to the ship by 3pm. By the time you get on board, your wife picks out her attire and gets ready it is already 5:00-5:30 and then a few quick pictures because after your tummies will be full of three courses of lobsters and a bottle of wine.

We've always done the earlier seating and never had a problem getting back in time. We eat around 6 pm at home, so it made sense for us. As everyone else has said, it's all up to your personal preferences!

We prefer the later seating,never even tried the early seating. By the time we get back on the ship, rest for a while, shower and change,it would be too much of a rushed situation. With the late seating, we take our time,still catch the early show and do it all at our leisure. After all, that's what cruisin is all about, isn't it.

We also like the later seating ourselves. Our assignment was changed to 8:30p from an earlier time and at first, I was disappointed, however, it worked out great. You have more time in the afternoon to do activities, eat (of course) and things are less crowded when the early dinner crowd is leaving to eat. Also, a later dining time gives you plenty of time to shower and get ready without rushing. We will always request a later time, but it is up to you! There are pros and cons to both times!

I have always preferred second seating for exactly the same reasons as llev80: it's the nicest time of day around the pools and there are fewer children at second seating, and it never seems rushed. We like to linger after a wonderful meal with coffee and maybe a cognac, and sometimes at early seating I feel like they can't wait for me to leave. Of course I understand they have a lot to do between seatings--so I just avoid the problem and go to second seating.

And I hate having to rush back from a shore excursion to be ready for dinner by 6:00. I know there are other choices for diner but I really prefer the main dining room.

I like late seating, I'm a night owl. I did early last cruise because my parents joined me and they eat early and go to bed early. I always felt rushed to get ready in time. If you get back from port and want a little time to relax before the clean up, dress up for dinner, there's just not as much time. Even though they may be adorable when they're happy, a dining room with lots of babies and todlers is not my favorite to enjoy a relaxing evening meal if they're not all happy campers. Early dining is the choice of most traveling with little ones.

Cheers, Neil

I have crashed the early seating a few times to dine with friends. We did have our friends ask their waiter if it was ok first. I noticed alot more kids, and I have to agree, it did seem quite rushed compared to the late seating.

Dwayne

Yes, while reading your reply something dawned on me.

When you have the late seating, you are not RUSHED to get back from port, get dressed, eat or even take pictures.

Speaking of pictures, if you "happen" to eat too much, it "may" show up.

brneyes

My husband and I are exactly your ages! We chose late seating for many of the already mentioned reasons. We really liked not having to rush back from our port stops to hurry up and try to make it to dinner. We also typically were still enjoying the sunshine until about 4 or 5 p.m. on sea days. On our ship, they had a sushi bar that opened from 5:30 to 7:30 and was the perfect "pre dinner" snack to tie us over for the late seating. We are typically the type to get to bed early, but hey, you're on a cruise, so enjoy every minute!

Yes, I think a lot of deciding when you want to eat in the evening, has to do with what you do at home.

As I said I prefer the late eating, and now that I'm thinking of it, it is probably because (I "KNOW" it is bad)I eat after 8:00 at night.

brneyes