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Dining Information

Dining on the cruise ships is constantly evolving as the cruise lines are making
Although the scheduled dining option is still very popular, some of the cruise lines
offer "relaxed" dining options that allow you to dine when you want, where you
want, even in your stateroom if you desire.

In addition, there are many "specialty" restaurants on cruise ships such as
Chops Steak House, Il Fornio's . They offer an upscale dining experience at a
very reasonable cost ($15-30) per person. These specialty restaurants are great
for special occasions such as Honeymoons, Anniversaries, Birthdays, or just
when you want a memorable dining experience with that special someone.
Make your reservations as soon as you board ship because seating is limited.
Also, special diet meals are readily available on most cruise lines for customers
with special dietary needs including vegetarian, low cholesterol, low fat or low
calorie meals. You can request your special diet meals from your Head Waiter.

The dining options vary from cruise line to cruise line and from ship to ship.
We have provided information below for the various cruise lines that you will
find helpful.

Scheduled Dining - Early and Late seatings

Advantages and disadvantages of the Early Dining seating, that usually
occurs around 5:30pm to 6:30pm. If you are traveling with family, especially
children or “very mature” adults I recommend early dining primarily because
the late dining 7:30pm to 8:30pm is a long way from lunch. I have found that
the young ones and older ones get cranky when they are hungry. Also, if you
are not a late night person you will find that finishing your meal about 9:00pm
to 10:00pm can be dangerous when you fall asleep in your bowl of soup or
you have a sensitive digestive system. A disadvantage of early dining is that
if you are on a port intensive cruise and plan on taking shore excursions it
can be inconvenient to rush back to the ship to attend early dining, especially
on formal/dress night when your significant other needs to spend a little
extra time to look his/her best. If you plan on making a night of it in the disco
or casino the real action does not begin in the lounges until after late dining
(around 10:00pm). I find that when I go to early dining I fall asleep before the
nightlife begins on the ship. Besides, unless you have an early morning
shore excursion you can sleep in and relax from the previous nights revelry.

Second, the size of the table you choose generally depends on your
personality, occasion, and your personal preference. If you enjoy meeting
other people and are a good conversationalist (and listener) I recommend
sitting at a table where you have the opportunity to meet other people and
hopefully make some life-long friends. I have met some nice and interesting
(and some not-so nice & interesting people) on cruises, however, it can also
depend on the occasion. If you are celebrating an anniversary or
honeymoon you may want to sit with your special someone in a more
romantic and private setting (see in-cabin and specialty restaurant dining). If
you decide that on the next night you desire to sit at a smaller or larger table
contact the Maitre’d and he will generally attempt to oblige you (appropriate
tip opportunity). If you are sailing with a large group it is generally best the
group be seated together. The maximum table size is usually 8-10 and if the
group is larger they will be seated at separate tables. The cruise line will
attempt to seat them at tables nearby each other but will not guarantee it.

Advise your cruise counselor at the time of booking the seating you prefer and
size of table where you would like to be seated.

Corkage Fees - If you bring your own wine at dinner, the cruise line will charge a
corkage fee which varies with each cruise line.

Tipping - In addition to the standard gratuity policy, it is recommended that wait
staff be tipped when they perform service above and beyond their normal service,
e.g., providing service you in your cabin, serving birthday cakes, etc. A few dollars
can go a long way because the staff will show their appreciation throughout the
duration of the cruise.

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