Dining Table Request Question

We have early seating, our cruise friends booked after us approx one year before cruise date and are waitlisted for early. Our cruise is in Dec. They booked with RCI and we booked with a TA who informed us that they close bookings for early seating well before they're actually filled and open up after final payment when more places become available. If true I don't understand the logic??

We all prefer traditional dining, not MTD.

After a few attempts to reach out to RCI, C&A, our friends got no resolution. None of us are D or D+.

Do we just have to wait until final payment is made?

Ultimately, we WILL switch to late so we can dine with them but we want to wait and see what happens. However, I'm afraid if we wait too long my husband and I will be locked out of late seating and our friends will still be locked out of early. Then what?

Ahh the many problems of cruising :D

I am on the same cruise as the OP. Question - is there a bad place to sit in the MDR? We are a party of 8 with MTD and don't mind sharing a table but I was curios, is location a big deal?

Maybe just ask for a window. The only tables I don't like are the ones right in the front of the dining room as you enter. It's almost like you are sitting in the middle of a walkway.