Dining Plan Question

[dalai]

My wife, two boys (9,11) and I will be on Western March 27. I'm thinking we'll be mostly dining in specialty restaurants and may not even try the MDR. Seems like I should select My Time Dining so we're not expected every night? Is that correct?

 

My Time Dining gratuities are paid in advance - is that for all nights or just for the nights that I make a MDR reservation?

 

My family and I have been on a few cruises, so we've experienced the classic cruise dining room. Still, are we missing out by not planning to try it on Allure? If we were to go once, is there a night not to miss?

 

Thanks,

 

Dalai

[Langley Cruisers]

MTD is perfect for those who do not want to be tied down to a fixed dinner schedule and time. We chose it on our recent Mariner cruise and LOVED the flexibility. We ate in the Windjammer Buffet one night, and in Chops Grille one night, and the rest of the nights in the MTD dining room. Contrary to what you may be told or have heard, you do not have to make a reservation for each night at a specific time, or tell them when you will and won't be dining there. It's YOUR choice. Pretty awesome.

 

If you choose MTD, yes, your tips will be prepaid. This is for everyone in your reservation and it is regardless of how many nights you use the MTD dining room.

 

In theory, you could dine in other venues and not even make it into the main dining room for Traditional Dining. Many have done it. We cruised Oasis and took Main Seating for our family of 4 at 6 pm, and enjoyed meeting and getting to know our tablemates. However, you can select a table for just your family.

 

You choose either MTD, or Traditional Dining. You cannot go to both or one or the other on whatever night - does that make sense? Personally, we loved MTD and will always choose it from now on. On Mariner they have it absolutely perfected, but I'm hearing on the larger ships there can be quite a wait at peak times.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

[compman9]

Yes, gratuities are pre-paid for MTD, which on any other ship is great.

 

On Allure, we had to line up with approximately 50-100 people every night despite making reservations prior to departure.

 

Were I to sail on Allure again I would save up to use the speciality restaurants, the main dining room was the most poorly organised with the most harried service staff I have come across on a cruise ship.

[Trevoli]

If you choose MTD, and don't eat in the MDR any/all nights, I urge you to leave the tips in place.

 

The MDR staff works at other dining venues, including the Windjammer where you don't normally tip, so they will earn/deserve your MTD tips, even if you don't set food in the MDR.

 

Of course, tipping is a personal thing, and can get costly for a family, but that's my personal opinion.

[Cruising89143]

Your plan will work the best. We just spent two weeks on Allure and signed up for MTD at the time of booking. We never made it to the MDR one time. The specialty dining was too good along with the service.

[sn2792]

We are leaving on Allure on Sunday and have specialty restaurants booked every night. We signed up for MTD and prepaid gratuities. If you are planning on specialty restaurants, then MTD is the option you should choose for dining, even if you never show up at the MDR.

[Ashland]

Don't rule out the buffet at the WJ..you might be surprised...at least take a look see...;)

[Cruising89143]

I took a look see at the WJ and no thanks. We went up one evening and the offerings were not good at all. They have made so many cuts in the WJ. We also dined once in the WJ for breakfast and it was as bad as I remember on the Freedom. Cold food and something that they tried to pass off as scrambled eggs. Still not sure what it was. Not sure RCI could tell you either.:) The WJ for dinner used to be one of the best things about RCI and causal dining.

[bajathree]

If you are going to do mainly specialty dining then why choose MTD and have to pre-pay your gratuities:confused: you are going to be double paying gratuities that way. The majority of your gratuities are going to the MDR staff. I use specialty dining exclusively and choose traditional dining with a small table request...that way it doesn't effect any others at the table in the MDR. Then I tip as I go along to specialty dining staff at the venue I dine at that day....this way the gratuities go to the people that deserve it.

[CaptData]

I chose MTD on Allure for the 5 Dec 2010 cruise. There is two lines when you enter. One that made ressie one that did not. If you made ressie for say 7:30 (most poplur time) then you waited for a couple of minutes to get a waiter to take you to your table but if you did not make ressie it could take more then 20 minutes at that time. I made ressie for between 6 - 6:30 and never waited more then 5 mins to be taken to my table. It was fun be escoted every night to my table.

 

Since you should pay gratuities anyway just pay before you go and forget about them. If you eat at the Pay resturants you have already paid the gratuitues for them too. It is not double paying them as above. You use various resturants for breakfast and lunch and this covers them too plus which ever nights you don't eat in pay resturants is covered ie Windjammer, Park Cafe, Sorrento's ect.

[compman9]

I chose MTD on Allure for the 5 Dec 2010 cruise. There is two lines when you enter. One that made ressie one that did not. If you made ressie for say 7:30 (most poplur time) then you waited for a couple of minutes to get a waiter to take you to your table but if you did not make ressie it could take more then 20 minutes at that time. I made ressie for between 6 - 6:30 and never waited more then 5 mins to be taken to my table. It was fun be escoted every night to my table.

 

Since you should pay gratuities anyway just pay before you go and forget about them. If you eat at the Pay resturants you have already paid the gratuitues for them too. It is not double paying them as above. You use various resturants for breakfast and lunch and this covers them too plus which ever nights you don't eat in pay resturants is covered ie Windjammer, Park Cafe, Sorrento's ect.

 

This has subsequently changed. I asked which line for reservations on two different nights and the Maitre D said, "both, it doesn't matter"

 

It sounds as if your experience was a preferable one. It is a shame they changed it - perhaps this was deliberate, to get more people to use the paid for restaurants ;)

[bajathree]

I chose MTD on Allure for the 5 Dec 2010 cruise. There is two lines when you enter. One that made ressie one that did not. If you made ressie for say 7:30 (most poplur time) then you waited for a couple of minutes to get a waiter to take you to your table but if you did not make ressie it could take more then 20 minutes at that time. I made ressie for between 6 - 6:30 and never waited more then 5 mins to be taken to my table. It was fun be escoted every night to my table.

 

Since you should pay gratuities anyway just pay before you go and forget about them. If you eat at the Pay resturants you have already paid the gratuitues for them too. It is not double paying them as above. You use various resturants for breakfast and lunch and this covers them too plus which ever nights you don't eat in pay resturants is covered ie Windjammer, Park Cafe, Sorrento's ect.

 

How do you figure that:confused:...the cover charge is just that...a cover charge...I always tip them extra in cash. I have discussed this with staff several times....if you dine in a specialty restaurant and just throw something extra on the check it goes to the entire restaurant...they much rather have it in cash...that way it goes directly in their pocket.....why do I want to tip someone that doesn't serve me:confused: All I can say is I get excellent service in the specialties and always dine in most several times per sailing....and the same staff always want to wait on me....I see that as them being very happy:)

[dalai]

I appreciate the responses. Very helpful information - and some diverse viewpoints. RCI is likely trying to present as simple a tipping system as possible, but that doesn't mean we'll understand the mechanics of it under scrutiny.

 

No matter - I worked in restaurants during college and I remain empathetic to the staff. So it sounds like My Time Dining for us and our prepaid tips will go to deserving folks.

[Cruising89143]

How do you figure that:confused:...the cover charge is just that...a cover charge...I always tip them extra in cash. I have discussed this with staff several times....if you dine in a specialty restaurant and just throw something extra on the check it goes to the entire restaurant...they much rather have it in cash...that way it goes directly in their pocket.....why do I want to tip someone that doesn't serve me:confused: All I can say is I get excellent service in the specialties and always dine in most several times per sailing....and the same staff always want to wait on me....I see that as them being very happy:)

 

It would really be nice if we all knew exactly how the tipping situation works on a ship. By that, I mean who actually gets what. I too want to make sure that the people taking care of me are the ones who benefit from the gratuity. It really is muddy waters when it comes to knowing who receives what.

 

On the Allure for this July, we decided to book late seating and not MTD as we plan to skip the MDR again for this cruise. I will stop by the MDR on the first day so that they can release the table for those that need it. The MDR no longer appeals to us and we just factor in the cost of specialty dining now for all nights.

[bajathree]

It would really be nice if we all knew exactly how the tipping situation works on a ship. By that, I mean who actually gets what. I too want to make sure that the people taking care of me are the ones who benefit from the gratuity. It really is muddy waters when it comes to knowing who receives what.

 

On the Allure for this July, we decided to book late seating and not MTD as we plan to skip the MDR again for this cruise. I will stop by the MDR on the first day so that they can release the table for those that need it. The MDR no longer appeals to us and we just factor in the cost of specialty dining now for all nights.

 

 

Yep...that is exactly what we have started doing now....we just factor specialty dining into the cost of the sailing. I actually think that with the shift to ships offering more and more specialty dining that they should make a new dining category to reflect people like us so we don't even have to make a dining choice. MTD still means you are expected to eat in the MDR and the way it's supposed to work is that those tips are being pooled between the MTD wait staff....so again....why should I be tipping the MTD wait staff if I am not even using the MDR.