My time dining or standard in Europe?

Does it make more sense to do My Time Dining in Europe since most of the ports leave at 7:00 and we will want to stay as long as possible? How easy is it to get a table for 6 during peak dining hours. My TA said the European dining times are 7:00 (too early) and 9:30 (too late). Can anyone confirm or deny this? We really don't want to miss any shows either. Also, do they still have scheduled formal nights if we choose My Time? Does anyone know where I can get a recent daily planner for a current European itinerary just so I can get a bit of an idea?

We just did a Norwegian fjords cruise followed by a TA and found that MTD worked very well for us. Traditional dining times weren't as late, at least on those two cruises, as you cite- more like 6 and 8 pm.

NCL only has My Time Dining. So it is difficult to compare.

NCL only has My Time Dining. So it is difficult to compare.

Where did NCL enter the picture? Our Norwegian fjords cruise and the TA were on RCI's Serenade of the Seas, and the OP never mentioned NCL in his or her query so no comparison was involved.

Med cruises do have later dining times as many Europeans eat late in the evening at home. We ate at 8pm almost every night on our Jewel cruise this summer and it was just right.

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We were on Rhapsody in August out of Venice. From around 7.30pm the queues for MTD were solid till around 9pm.

Formal nights (and menus) are the same whether you are in MTD or traditional.

You will have to be ON the ship 30 mins. prior to sailaway, so you should have plenty of time to get ready for dinner, no matter which you choose.

You can't book the "popular" MTD times in advance...you'll have to wait until you're ON the ship. And, just like in any restaurant, larger parties are harder to seat than 2 or 4.

Med cruises do have later dining times as many Europeans eat late in the evening at home. We ate at 8pm almost every night on our Jewel cruise this summer and it was just right.

 

 

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If sailing from Southampton same as US. Italy/Spain it is later. Not sure about elsewhere

Where did NCL enter the picture? Our Norwegian fjords cruise and the TA were on RCI's Serenade of the Seas, and the OP never mentioned NCL in his or her query so no comparison was involved.

Sorry, I'm an idiot. I didn't notice fjords when I read it. Duh. I just saw Norwegian and assumed.

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When on a RCCL Euro itinerary, it is not unusual for disembarkation into a port to start after 9AM ( for you purists, some do as early as 7AM but this is the exception). We normally tour the port then have a rather late lunch to savor the cuisine of that port. This adventure is so filling that a late light dinner in the Windjammer is enough for us.

NCL only has My Time Dining. So it is difficult to compare.

Where did NCL enter the picture? Our Norwegian fjords cruise and the TA were on RCI's Serenade of the Seas, and the OP never mentioned NCL in his or her query so no comparison was involved.

Sorry, I'm an idiot. I didn't notice fjords when I read it. Duh. I just saw Norwegian and assumed.

No, no one is an idiot. :) mvh is OP so I assumed s/he had cruised with NCL previously and since they only have Freestyle (My Time Dining), it can't be compared with traditional dining.

My opinion - our Med cruise in 2011 was the first time we ate exclusively in Windjammer buffet for dinner, for exactly the reason OP is concerned about. I mean, every night in the WJ.... it was incredible.... a different night in each port, a different sunset.... we never made it to the dining room once! We loved it.

Europe is a port-intensive itinerary and we felt we needed to relax after such heavy port days. WJ fit the bill nicely. :)

We were on the Jewel not so long ago doing the Greek Isles out of Rome. We had late dining (9pm) which was a tad late for us but it was a lot better than My time dining. We had one couple join our table after changing from MTD because the queues to get a table were so bad that they didn't eat until almost 11pm one night. We spoke to quite a few people who said the queues for MTD were insane every night and that they wouldn't do it again. Might just have been that cruise but it definitely put me off doing MTD.

 

You can't book the "popular" MTD times in advance...you'll have to wait until you're ON the ship. And, just like in any restaurant, larger parties are harder to seat than 2 or 4.

I booked my MTD times for my Mediterranean cruise online, and I was able to choose the times I wanted:7:00 every night with one 7:15, but that day is going to be a late excursion anyway. While I'm sure the popular times are snatched up quickly for advance reservations, they do offer all times in advance. You just need to reserve ASAP, and if you don't get what you want, you can change on board.

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I booked my MTD times for my Mediterranean cruise online, and I was able to choose the times I wanted:7:00 every night with one 7:15...

Yes. Yours is the correct answer. :):):)

Just off Jewel, Greek Islands and Italy, traditional dining was 6.30 & 8.30.

Can't you not either book your table in the morning on a daily basis based on the departure time at each port or book your table in advance online via the cruise planner as you already your itinerary?

Formal nights still apply to MTD.

I think dining times in Europe depend a bit on the ship and the itinerary. I just got off Harmony in the Med yesterday. Traditional dining times were 6-ish for early and 8.45 for late. Departure time from three of the ports was 7.30 pm or later.