I am looking forward to HAL cruise in May to Alaska. The couple we are traveling with opted for 6:00 dining. I am leaning towards 8:00. Is there enough time after the tours to be ready for the 6:00? I have lots of ??'s but will save them of another time.

I MUCH prefer the later seating. Especially in Alaska. The way to see Alaska is to get off the ship and take part in excursions. Many days we did two excursions. The late seating gave us plenty of time to do what we wanted and then relax a bit before dinner.

YOU'll BE SORRY with the early seating... you'll need a bib for the food fights (all kids). Plus, you'll have to RUN back from the shore excursions to shower up. DEFINITELY eat later (or find another couple to travel with)

We did a HAL cruise in Alaska last August and opted for the 8 p.m. seating. At that time of year it did not get dark until about 8 p.m. We were on deck whale-watching until we were forced to go in to dress for dinner. The folks who opted for the 6 p.m. seating missed a good deal of the action! <BR> <BR>Enjoy your cruise. <BR> <BR>Pat

I prefer the early seating but for Alaska I'd have to agree with the comments above. We often felt rushed trying to get ready for 6:00.