Dining Times

[Julie Costa]

We are looking to book our first Disney Cruise for Feb 2017, sailing on a 4 night Dream out of PC. In reading the website it looks like you cannot have a guaranteed dinner time, but rather just make a request and they will let you know when you board your dinner time (first or second seating). We are traveling with a 3 year old who cannot do a 830 dinner time. This could potentially be a deal breaker, but I really don't want it to be! The cruise looks awesome, our family just can't do 830. Thoughts? Suggestions? Experiences? How flexible are they about switching? Thanks!

 

[disneyfaninaz]

When you book your cruise you can choose either main or late seating. What you book is your guaranteed dining time. If main seating is not available (as is mostly the case when you are late booking), you can ask to be put on a wait list. Most times, the dining time is changed, but you might not find out until closer to your cruise date. If your dining time is not changed when you check in, you can also try to get it changed once onboard. A lot of people change and something usually opens up. Don't let it deter from cruising.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

We are looking to book our first Disney Cruise for Feb 2017, sailing on a 4 night Dream out of PC. In reading the website it looks like you cannot have a guaranteed dinner time, but rather just make a request and they will let you know when you board your dinner time (first or second seating). We are traveling with a 3 year old who cannot do a 830 dinner time. This could potentially be a deal breaker, but I really don't want it to be! The cruise looks awesome, our family just can't do 830. Thoughts? Suggestions? Experiences? How flexible are they about switching? Thanks!

When you make your booking, the default is late (second) seating. Once the reservation is made, you can change this, either online or by calling DCL. This is different than it used to be. Time was you actually selected "Main" or "Second" seating during the reservation process, but that's no longer true.

Depending on how far out you are from the cruise, your chances of the change coming through are good.

 

[jne7043]

We booked with a TA just last week for a September cruise. Late dining was the only choice. As we also have a 3 year old who is in bed before that time our TA put us on a waiting list for the early dining. Within 2-3 days we were able to get the earlier dining. Although not a guarantee I wouldn't be too worried if only late dining is available right now. You can be put on a waiting list and can also ask once you get on the ship.

 

[Rob1872]

When you make your booking, the default is late (second) seating. Once the reservation is made, you can change this, either online or by calling DCL. This is different than it used to be. Time was you actually selected "Main" or "Second" seating during the reservation process, but that's no longer true.

Depending on how far out you are from the cruise, your chances of the change coming through are good.

Why did they change it so you couldn't select the dining time during the reservation? That seems like an important part!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Why did they change it so you couldn't select the dining time during the reservation? That seems like an important part!

Probably bad web design. But, it could be that they are trying to head more people toward the later seating (without them being aware of it). Sometimes new cruisers don't catch that stuff.

 

[myrtleturtle]

We were just on a 4 night Dream cruise with our 3 year old twins. We booked 30 days out with a military discount, so of course only late dining was available. Our TA put us on the wait list and I was sweating bullets! Our kids eat at 5 at home and are in bed at 7, so expecting them to eat at 8:30 isn't reasonable. She emailed two days before we sailed to say we got main dining. It was a weight off my shoulders for sure!

If we didn't get moved, our plan was to eat at Cabanas every night, except the first night when it would have been room service or quick service.

 

[summerrluvv]

The 2nd seating is so late, so definitely try to get waitlisted. But, I also felt the first seating was too early because we would rush back to the room to shower, etc. The first shows were never nearly as crowded as the 2nd shows, so that was the benefit of having 2nd seating. IF you don't get first seating, even after waitlisting, you can always do room service, cabanas or the quick serve places in between. Then go to your late seating, and do the "dine and play" and the kids club will come and pick them up while you finish your meal.

 

[RedSox68]

The 2nd seating is so late, so definitely try to get waitlisted. But, I also felt the first seating was too early because we would rush back to the room to shower, etc. The first shows were never nearly as crowded as the 2nd shows, so that was the benefit of having 2nd seating. IF you don't get first seating, even after waitlisting, you can always do room service, cabanas or the quick serve places in between. Then go to your late seating, and do the "dine and play" and the kids club will come and pick them up while you finish your meal.

Good point. That way you all get to experience the restaurant themes and the kids won't have to wait so long to eat

 

[Imahikergirl]

When you make your booking, the default is late (second) seating. Once the reservation is made, you can change this, either online or by calling DCL. This is different than it used to be. Time was you actually selected "Main" or "Second" seating during the reservation process, but that's no longer true.

Depending on how far out you are from the cruise, your chances of the change coming through are good.

Got the dining for our January B2B to main really simply (& instantly) online as per your post. Thanks for that! I never noticed the option before and hubby got heartburn with late dining.

 

[MamaMcK]

we just booked our first DCL cruise and we got the late dining too. i was really worried - but then i realized that it was 815 eastern time - we're coming from waaaay out west - so it'll be right about our normal dinnertime. just something to think about.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

we just booked our first DCL cruise and we got the late dining too. i was really worried - but then i realized that it was 815 eastern time - we're coming from waaaay out west - so it'll be right about our normal dinnertime. just something to think about.

Be aware there are those who will lecture you about "home time zone" having no impact. I'm not one of them.

I've found, especially for the shorter cruises (trips) back east, it just works better to keep my tummy on it's own "time zone". This means eating at late dining. For longer trips, I start eating earlier each day for about a week before the trip to acclimate my tummy to it's new time zone.

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

Be aware of those who say " own time zone" eating, it never works, you adjust straight away on a cruise to local cruise time, eating breakfast at sun up, so early in the morning, lunch normal noon to 1 pm local time, then for done reason a few lecture you that you swap back to home zone for dinner a gap of eight hours, giving kids upset tummies and meltdowns, eating late is bad for you. It's bad for your health, any internet search shows that.

You adjust fast, just eat on the ship at the local time, you eat at home, so if you eat at 6 pm at home, eat at 6 pm on ship, if you eat at 8.15 at home then late is ok.

Problem is those recommending the home time zone thing are not on the ship you are to pick up the health issues thier advice causes.

Final question, why is MAIN dinner so popular and sells out on most cruises? The majority of savvy cruisers know why.

No need to switch your eating habits a week in advance.

And in the process of booking online you can swap to main if it's available, it's no bad web design. Just done it.

 

[Jess_S]

I think we're far afield from the original question and there's obviously a difference of opinion. In my personal experience, my son never really adjusts to time changes on our trips. He's asleep early, up early if we go West and up late, to sleep late if we go East. I don't do anything special to acclimate him either way. We just try to be flexible about bed time depending on whether he actually seems tired.

OP, if you aren't able to get into main seating now, keep calling. I booked my first DCL cruise a few weeks before and main seating was full. I followed advice here to be a squeaky wheel and they were able to get me off the waiting list and into main dining a few days before the cruise.

 

[Weedy]

We have always done late dining regardless of what time zone we are in. We have always found we are on "vacation time". We eat a big breakfast around 8:30am. So not ready for lunch till 1:00 or a little later. So there is no way we would want early dinner.

 

[anricat]

You know your family and children best, but we have also found that we've tended to stay on home time zone when we travel. We are frequent travelers, residing in central time zone with family in all time zones. We probably travel 5 or more times a year and we find, for our family, we never adjust and tend to stay in central time most of the time unless the trip is really long. When we cruised on the Dream and Magic in the Bahamas and Caribbean, we had late dining both times and found it was perfect. My daughter is on the gymnastics team with practice until 6:30 or 7:00 PM three nights a week. Our family generally eats dinner around 7 or 7:15 as a result. For us, we found late dining at 8:15 to be absolutely perfect.

Now, for our Alaskan cruise, we are choosing early dining for the opposite reason. Coming from central time, if we ate late dining, it would be very late indeed. Eating at 5:45 will be more akin to eating at our normal time back home so I think it will work better. We will likely be up very early in the morning there!

 

[bearsbabe15]

We chose an earlier seating as we have little ones (3,5) which wouldn't be able to make it for the later seating.

 

[bearsbabe15]

we just booked our first DCL cruise and we got the late dining too. i was really worried - but then i realized that it was 815 eastern time - we're coming from waaaay out west - so it'll be right about our normal dinnertime. just something to think about.

That's a great point!