Welcome aboard, Abby! Do not worry about your son being the only young child at the later dining seating at all.
I totally agree and can sympathize with you about your son needing a nap in the late afternoon. When our kids were younger, after a full day of fun onboard and in the ports of call, a late afternoon nap was just what they needed. And honestly, I joined them quite often for some shut eye as well! Making it to that early dining was pushing it a bit, so we began booking the
second seating and never went back. By 6:15 we could be up and ready to enjoy the first of the nightly
Broadway-style shows, but we didn't have to be fully dressed and ready for dinner if we were moving slow. Come 8:15, we were certainly ready to eat, and if the kids were hungry before then, as you know, there are places all over the ship to grab a quick snack to keep rumbling tummies at bay until dinner time. Going hungry onboard one of Disney's ships is just not possible!
Another thing we love about the later dining is that only during that seating do they offer Dine n' Play. Counselors from the Oceaneer Club and Lab come around to the three table service restaurants about an hour into the seating to collect any kids that are ready to go play in the clubs, leaving their parents to enjoy the rest of their meal. It's the best of both worlds: a nice family dinner, but then the kids get to enjoy entertainment and fun and the parents can have some quieter downtime to relax and enjoy a more leisurely meal. Just let your dining servers know that you'll be participating and they will bring your son's meal out early so he's done and ready to go play by the time the counselors arrive. You're going to love it, Abby!
Have such fun planning this next Disney Cruise Line adventure!
Marcy