What you need to know about cruising . . .

Which is better, Early or Late Dining? As a rule of thumb, Early Dining means you'll have dinner between 6 pm and 6:30 pm. Late Dining means you'll have dinner between 8:15 and 8:45 pm. There are many reasons why one dining may be better for you than an other.

You may want Early Dining if:
You are traveling with small children who need to stick to a set meal and bedtime schedule.
You don't enjoy that bloated full feeling before bedtime
You generally go to bed between 10 pm and Midnight
You are taking a very "At Sea" intensive itinerary.
You are an early riser

You may want Late Dining if:
You are a night owl, you catches their second wind later in the evening
You don't want to feel rushed for dinner after a day in port
It takes you or your spouse a long time to get ready for dinner.
You don't mind finishing your meal around 10:15 or 10:30 pm
There are some trends that we have noticed with regards to itineraries and the popularity of a particular dinner seating.

Eastern Caribbean cruisers like Early Dining because of all the days at sea
Western and Southern Caribbean Cruiser like Late because of all the ports
3 and 4 night cruisers like Late because they party into the night
Family Reunion Groups like Early because of the variety of age groups travelling
European and Exotic Cruisers like Early because the older passengers who sail prefer to eat earlier.

Many of today's cruise lines including Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, and Princess are now offering alternatives to having dinner in the dining room or room service. For example, Norwegian Cruise Lines now has the Bistro on all of their ships. This is a separate a la carte restaurant open between 6:30 and 11:00 pm where you can go to dinner anytime you'd like. Carnival, Princess, and NCL are now using their upper deck breakfast and lunch facilities to offer a buffet version of their dinner menus. These restaurants are more casual allowing you to be more flexible with your meal time and dress.

Since the Caribbean is our most popular destination, Late Dining always books first and is often on a wait-list 6 months prior to sailing. (Carnival does not confirm dining at booking. Your assignment will be made once your board the ship with them). If you want to confirm a particular seating, book early, book early, book early.

Are there non-smoking areas? Today, virtually all ships have smoking and non-smoking table and/or sections in the dining rooms and lounges. In fact, many cruise ship dining rooms are now totally smoke-free, reflecting passenger requests. If you want your dining table in a non-smoking area, just tell your CLIA-affiliated travel agent. Onboard, in open-seating situations, you can advise your waiter or the maitre d'.