Best night for specialty dining

[NC Grateful Dead Dad]

While we are early seating for dinner in the MDR next week on Symphony, our TA hooked us up with a night at one of the other restaurants. (We are debating as a family Hooked vs. 150 Central Park if anyone wants to weigh-in.)  We have gone through the app looking at the MDR menu to see what is the best night to skip out what is being served in there.  Based on the menu, we know 2 possible nights.  Its just a matter of which night we think we can get in as we cannot make a reservation online with the coupon from the TA- the reservation must be made on board.  Our cruise goes in and out of Rome.  However, on day 4, we hit Barcelona where more than half the ship will disembark and new cruisers will come on starting their week.  That is the night that sets up best menu-wise for us to have specialty dining.  The next night- formal night, is our second choice based on the menu.  All that to ask these:

1) Which night do you think we will have a better chance at getting a good eating time (6:00-7:00) for 4 people?

2) I know they list dinner as lasting 75 minutes in the MDR.  Is that about the same for Hooked or 150?  We have shows both nights and don't want to book dinner too late.

[Xaa]

I think you have a good chance of getting it for what will essentially be night 1 for the bulk of the cruisers.  I think your Specialty dining will run a bit longer than 75 minutes.  Probably 90-120.

[Last Lion]

Interesting question.

Just out of interest, when it comes to choosing specialty dining times, do you:

1. Prefer early, mid or late times?

2. Prefer sea days or shore days?

3. Prefer early in the cruise or later?

For me the answers would be early, sea days, later in cruise.

[WAAAYTOOO]

1.  We always eat early

2.  Sea day or a port day when we stay on the ship

3.  BOTH !