Today's cruise ships are floating resorts that carry so many passengers, it is necessary for most to have multiple dining options. Here is what you should know about the cruise dining experience.

• Early or Late Seating Preference
• Freestyle Dining & Personal Choice Dining
• Table Size at Dinner
• Dining with other Traveling Companions
• Tables for 2
• Smoking Preference
• Alternative Dining Options
• Celebrating a Special Occasion
• Gratuities

1. Early and Late Seating Preference

When you book your cruise online, you'll be asked to specify a dining preference with regards to when you will have dinner. Most Resort / Contemporary and Premium Cruise Lines have open "anytime" dining for breakfast and lunch, but offer two separate seatings for dinner:

• Early Seating (Early / Main Dining)
• Late Seating  (Late Dining)

There are many reasons why one dining may be better for you than an other.

Main Seating (Early Dining)
As a rule of thumb, Main Seating means you'll have dinner between 6 pm and 6:30 pm. You may want to choose Early Dining if:

1. You are traveling with small children who need to stick to a set meal and bedtime schedule
2. You like to go to bed between 10 pm and Midnight
3. You are an early riser.

Late Seating  (Late Dining)
Late Seating means you'll have dinner between 8 pm and 8:45 pm. You may want Late Dining if:

1. You don't want to feel rushed for dinner after a day in port
2. You're a Night Owl and love late-night social activities
3. If you don't mind finishing your meal around 10:30 pm

All dinner seatings are on a "Request" basis only and are assigned on a first come first serve basis by the cruise line.  The sooner you book your cruise, the better you chances of getting your dining preference.   

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2. What is Freestyle and Personal Choice Dining

Some cruise lines offer an alternative to the traditional Early and Late Seating option.  Norwegian Cruise Lines has Freestyle Dining and Princess Cruises has Personal Choice Dining.  Instead of giving passengers a set time to have dinner, they let passengers eat when they want, where they want and with whomever they want. If you are sailing on Norwegian Cruise Line, your only option is Freestyle Dining.  On Princess, you can select either Main Seating, Late Seating or Personal Choice.

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3. Table Size at Dinner

When you book your cruise, you will be given a choice between a small, medium or large table at dinner.  A small table seats 2 - 4 guests; a medium, 6 - 8 guests; and a large table seats 8 - 10 guests.  The cruise line will then do their best to seat you with passengers in a similar age group; families with other families; singles with singles and honeymooners with other honeymooners.

Lifelong friendships have been made between total strangers who shared a table during their cruise vacation, so the dining experience is a great way to meet new people from all over the world.  In the unlikely event you don't enjoy the company of your table mates, you can request to be moved to another table.  Just speak with the maitre d'. He'll make every effort to seat you with more compatible dining companions... discretely and politely.

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4. Dining with other Traveling Companions

If you are traveling with three or more cabins, we recommend that you do not book your cruise online. Instead call and speak with a CruiseCheap.com Cruise Specialist so that we can make sure that all staterooms are cross-referenced and electronically linked for dining purposes.  Without this cross-reference, you will likely be seated at separate tables.  If you choose to book online, make sure you contact us to link your reservations.

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5.  Tables for Two

Many cruise lines offer tables for two.  Since there are a limited number on each cruise ship, we must make a special request for one on your behalf.  The cruise line will try to accommodate your request, but tables for two cannot be guaranteed or confirmed in advance of your cruise.  If you would like to request a table for two, please call or email upon completion of your reservation.

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6.  Smoking Preference

Most cruise ship dining rooms and showrooms are now totally smoke-free. Smoking is allowed on deck and most public areas including bars, lounges and casinos. 

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7. Alternative Dining Options

Many cruise lines today offer alternative dining venues to the main dining room. These can be as simple as very casual, buffet-style lido restaurants to elegant "reservations-only" bistros that cater to a small number of guests every evening. Both offer passengers a chance to break the normal routine.  The casual lido-style buffets are included in the cost of your cruise fare and are perfect when you don't feel like dressing up and eating on a schedule.

The "reservations-only" restaurants are perfect when you want a nice, romantic dinner for two without the kids to enjoy each other's company. Many of these specialty restaurants are comparable in quality to the finest restaurants like Morton's, Ruth Kriss, The Palm, or Joe's Stone Crab. You can even enjoy special theme restaurants such as Italian, Chinese, Japanese or Southwestern cuisine. Additional charges ranging from $10 - $20 per guest may be applicable to the specialty restaurant, depending upon the cruise ship and the restaurant. These restaurants book up very quickly, so you should make your reservations as soon as you board your ship.

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8. Celebrating a Special Occasion

If you are celebrating a birthday, anniversary or honeymoon please let us know after you book.  Most cruise lines will treat you to a complimentary cake and a chorus of Happy Whatever to honor the occasion. Your birthday or anniversary can be more festive with champagne, flowers, canapes, wine or cheese. You can even arrange for a special private party. All you have to do is advise us in advance.

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9. Gratuities

The cruise lines have made it easy for you with regards to tipping the staff. All bar bills, including soft drinks and wine, have a 15% service charge added to each receipt and all other gratuities are automatically charged to your onboard account. These tips equate to around $10 per person per day that is divided among your head waiter, waiter, bus boy and your cabin steward . Since tipping is a personal matter, you can alter the tipping at the purser’s desk according to the level of service you received.