Dining time

[Gayle]

Planning future cruise, will have DGS and DGD who will be under five. Should we do early or late supper. What are the pro's and con's of both times.

[ElenitaB]

Travelling with children that age, you will most likely be assigned the early dining slot and with good reason. Few children are up to eating dinner at 9:00 p.m. and personally, I've seen more than one sleeping with their heads on the table or spread out on two chairs at that seating.

The upside is that they eat dinner, go to a show, the Pirate Party and to character meets after dinner, and still get them to bed at a decent hour.

There will also be other children their age at the earlier seating (not so many at the later seating). So they may make new friends.

[JMTStone]

I always used the later seating. My kids are different. Not fussy late at night and they were always good at sleeping in so they got their 9 to 10 hours of sleep.

While getting ready for the 6 PM show, we would take advantage of the in-room delivery so they could eat something to "hold them over". Then we would go to the show. Then dinner.

Then, magically during the dinner (just about the time the kids start to get restless)... the Kids Counselors show up at the door to take the kids back to kids club. We LOVE THIS.

DH, our 20 year old daughter and I finish our meal in peace.

And no matter what time we go to pick up the little one, she is NOT READY TO GO. So we've even had the older one pick up her sister and they go back to the room for some sister time while husband and I enjoyed a glass of fruity drink and walk around the ship holding hands.

[janebanks]

Can't even imagine having young kids at the late seating!

[DizneyRox]

On more than one occasion, I've had one fall asleep at the first seating. There's a lot to do, they will be tired, I say earlier the better.

[Quadstriker]

Use the early sitting.