early or late dining?

[lilone]

We're planning a family cruise for 2010 with many children. I wanted to know which dining time is best so the kids won't miss out on the Camp Carnival activities? The children will range from 2yrs to 17yrs. Thanks for any help in this area

[crusinmama06]

Well you have a pretty wide range of ages don't you? ;)

 

For the people with younger children, usually Main (early) seating works better with the Camp Carnival program. My kids would be asleep in their soup if I made them wait till 8pm to eat and then they would miss the activities from 7pm - 10pm.

 

With the teens, it doesn't matter. It's not as much of a rush to get everyone to dinner if you do Late Seating.

 

I would say that if you plan on eating with the kids, then choose Main/Early Seating. If you plan on the kids eating with Camp Carnival (which they can), then choose Late Seating so you can have more time in the ports (or getting ready for dinner after being in the ports all day)

[chrystine]

My son liked eating with the kids from Camp Carnival most nights, so late seating worked best for us. We would have more time to get ready for dinner after being in port. On the days we ate together as a family, if he seemed too tired to make it through a long, late dinner, we would just eat at the buffet.

[cb at sea]

Kids wanting to go to the nighttime activities should use early (or Main) seating....otherwise, dinner will interfere with their plans. If you want to do late seating, the kids can be fed early in the buffet.

[chipmaster]

We're planning a family cruise for 2010 with many children. I wanted to know which dining time is best so the kids won't miss out on the Camp Carnival activities? The children will range from 2yrs to 17yrs. Thanks for any help in this area

 

If the kids are going to eat with you, early seating! Late seating and your young one could be falling a sleep during the meal, not to mention being hungry waiting till 8:00 or later for the food. If they eat with the other kids it may not matter as they will have their own schedule and up in the buffet section.

[kimmimom]

i have a 14 YO, 5 YO, and 9 YO. We chose early seating so if they ate with us it would not be too late. The nights they ate with Camp, I dropped them off at 6 in the Coconut Grove and walked on to the dining room for our dinner at 6. They ate with camp and began the evening activities and I picked them up at 10. Personally, I don't want to finish eating at 9:30 pm, that is too late for me (esp if you want a late night snack-LOL).