Hours for Meals, Activities, Use of Facilities and Shore Excursions
Most people don’t like the idea of watching the time when on holidays. Some like to sleep late, others like to eat dinner a little bit earlier, … In other words, they prefer a ‘holiday’ pace and be lazy if they feel like being lazy. But there are also holidaymakers who prefer to be active while on holidays too: get up early, work out in the gym, go for a swim after breakfast. Then there are also those who are compelled to do so by their kids.
Yes, kids are very active holidaymakers, leaving their parents no choice than to be active (and early) themselves. Or do they? Those who take their children to a cruise may be able to do both, that is to enjoy their hard earned holiday at their own pace, while their children can have fun at the many organised groups activities and programmes for children-only. Nevertheless, all passengers should roughly follow the hours for meals, activities, use of facilities and shore excursions.
Hours for Meals
The hours for the main meals - breakfast, lunch and dinner slightly vary from one ship to another but generally, breakfast is served from 7 am to about 9.30-10am, lunch is served after noon to about 1.30 pm and dinner from about 7 to 8.30 pm. In addition, most cruises also offer 24/7 room service in case you manage to oversleep the breakfast with your children around.
What if you or your kids get hungry before lunch or/and dinner? Don’t worry, most family-friendly cruise liners also offer various snacks which should keep your kids satisfied until the main meals. And the best thing about them is that they are typically included in the fare price. Each ship also has alternative and speciality restaurants with a variety of foods to choose from but keep in mind that you’ll be charged extra for anything you eat (and drink) there.
Hours for Activities and Use of Facilities
To participate in various activities for both children and adults, you are recommended to pay attention to the starting times. You won’t be rejected if you’re a few minutes late but if the activity started half an hour ago, you will obviously miss a great deal of fun or/and probably won’t be able to catch up with the group. Extra events are laid on for special occasions such as, anniversaries or birthday treats. Most on-board facilities are open 24/7 but if you are interested in sauna, spa, massage, salon treatments or similar ‘pleasures’, you are recommended to inform yourself about opening times and preferably, make an appointment to avoid waiting.
Hours for Shore Excursions
Shore excursions are usually scheduled before lunch in order to allow the participants to see and experience as much as possible.