How does my time dining work?

Last time I cruised we had scheduled late dining every night. This time we are MTD with our kids on Liberty with Royal Caribbean. Can we make reservation before we board or is it day by day? I'm a super planner so trying to get these last details arranged before we cruise in 20 days!!

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why would you book anytime dining only to make a reservation? why not just take traditional seating

Last time I cruised we had scheduled late dining every night. This time we are MTD with our kids on Liberty with Royal Caribbean. Can we make reservation before we board or is it day by day? I'm a super planner so trying to get these last details arranged before we cruise in 20 days!!

You can make reservations pre-cruise. Use your Cruise Planner on Royal's website.

With MTD, you can make reservations, or not. You can show up anytime during the open hours. You are seated with only your party. If the kids will be doing club activities in the evening, schedule your dinner around the time of "early/main" seating, so they don't miss out on the start of the activities.

Reservations aren't needed, especially, if you are eating before 7pm or after 8pm....the 7 o'clock hour is the busy time.

Thanks. I didn't want to be locked in to one time.

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We plan my time dining to accommodate showtime reservations. And having 7:30 dinner reservations is in between traditional dining in the MDR

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why would you book anytime dining only to make a reservation? why not just take traditional seating

Because maybe they don't want to be locked in to eating at the scheduled traditional dining times such as 5:30 or 8:00. Maybe they, like us, would like to eat at 7:00 each night. We've been able to reserve our chosen time, anywhere between 7:00 and 7:30, on every cruise we've been on. Even when they tell you those times aren't available, we've managed to reserve them once onboard.

I thought you could not reserve between 7-8.

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The whole point of My Time is so you have flexibility - you don't have to eat in the dining room at the same time every evening. You don't have to reserve for My Time, you can just show up, but in that case, you may find there is a lineup ahead of you, so you have to be willing to be patient.

However, you can also reserve ahead with My Time, day by day, as you go. If, for example, there is a day when you know you have a big excursion planned and can foresee that your group will want to take extra time and eat a bit later, you can tell the Maitre d' in advance that you'd like a table for such-and-such a time that evening, and it will be booked for you.

On a couple of our cruises early dining was sold out, and we didn't want to start eating dinner at eight, so we opted for My Time. However, hubby is a creature of habit, and he likes to eat at the same time every day. So we booked all our My Time dining right as soon as we got on the ship for the same time every evening for the whole cruise. Worked out pretty well. Sometimes we had to wait a few minutes till a table was ready, but what is a few minutes on a cruise?

I also point out you can dine any evening in the Windjammer, at any time you choose, and the food there is a big step up from what is served in the WJ at lunch. Pretty darned good. If I had kids, I'd consider this. There's a lot to be said for kids being able to choose exactly what they want to eat when they can see exactly what it looks like.

MTD works just like a land based restaurant. you can make a reservation in advance if you like or you can just show up & wait to be seated. Sometimes you will be seated right away but at busy times you may have to wait & will be given a beeper.

If I can add my naivety as a first time cruiser to this post.....

What exactly is the benefit of traditional dining? I *think* I understand the way MTD works, but I can't figure out why everyone wouldn't want to do that and be on their own schedule? Is there an extra fee for it or something?

Lisa N

If I can add my naivety as a first time cruiser to this post.....

 

What exactly is the benefit of traditional dining? I *think* I understand the way MTD works, but I can't figure out why everyone wouldn't want to do that and be on their own schedule? Is there an extra fee for it or something?

 

Lisa N

No extra fee for MTD. Many people prefer having dinner on a routine schedule at the same table with the same waitstaff each night where they might enjoy getting to know their servers and interacting with them each night. They may also like maintaining the same times for the shows and other activiies they may have planned for the evening. This is more difficult to do with MTD where if you dine at different times each night it would be less likely to get the same table and waitstaff. Its a matter of personal choice.

In our early years of cruising we ate in the MDR with traditional dining times. Of course back then that was all that was offered. Now we choose MTD and with the specialty restaurants rarely set foot in the MDR. :)

On most lines you can request a table with certain waitstaff in My Time Dining if you find some people you really like. I really see no reason to eat at set Early or Late. One is too early and one too late. Who knows, depending on what you did that day, when you may want to eat dinner?

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Last time I cruised we had scheduled late dining every night. This time we are MTD with our kids on Liberty with Royal Caribbean. Can we make reservation before we board or is it day by day? I'm a super planner so trying to get these last details arranged before we cruise in 20 days!!

 

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We did MTD last cruise on Liberty...Thanksgiving week. There was no such option as "wait to be seated"; it was "the only opening we have is 8pm." I had made reservations that were mysteriously lost in the system, and it was a PAIN to get our dining time. This time I have scheduled for every night, and the times vary due to excursions...and I will check when we board! When the ship is busy, I would reserve ahead of time...otherwise I have heard the wait isn't too bad.

What is the best dining option for a first time solo cruiser

We did MTD last cruise on Liberty...Thanksgiving week. There was no such option as "wait to be seated"; it was "the only opening we have is 8pm." I had made reservations that were mysteriously lost in the system, and it was a PAIN to get our dining time. This time I have scheduled for every night, and the times vary due to excursions...and I will check when we board! When the ship is busy, I would reserve ahead of time...otherwise I have heard the wait isn't too bad.

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All cruise lines are different. That's why I love anytime dining. But for some like the structure of having a planned time for dinner. Good luck!

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What is the best dining option for a first time solo cruiser

I would suggest traditional (assigned) dining at a large table. When I cruised solo, having a regular group to meet and dine with each evening was a distinct plus.

If I can add my naivety as a first time cruiser to this post.....

 

What exactly is the benefit of traditional dining? I *think* I understand the way MTD works, but I can't figure out why everyone wouldn't want to do that and be on their own schedule? Is there an extra fee for it or something?

 

Lisa N

With traditional dining you have the same table each evening - you simply walk in and go to your table, without waiting for the manager to select a table for you and have you led to it.

While it is possible to reserve in advance with MTD, in most cases that can not be done before the cruise - generally on a day to day basis, probably not more than three days in advance.