Can't do late seating!

[critterchick]

I haven't heard much good about MTD...I hear it works much better on other lines. Is that true? We'll be on Legend of the Seas.

 

I just want dinner, not a hassle.

 

It worked very well on Vision and Rhapsody, Legend's sister ships.

 

Huh?

Isn't 'My Time', go anytime you want? That's the way 'Freestyle' works on NCL...it's just like a restaurant ashore...if the dining room is full when you arrive, you wait or they give you a pager to tell when table is available. Usually only have to wait 10 or 15 minutes or so during peak times. Other times you sail right in. They serve from around 5 PM to 10 PM.....

If they 'give' you a time, isn't that the same thing as assigned seating?

 

No pagers on RCI. We've only had to wait more than a couple of minutes twice, once on New Year's Eve when a friend in traditional dining joined us because her husband didn't feel well, and another time when our group went from 2 to 4 to 6 as we waited.

 

fredmdcruisers, I do hope that you reported your inexcusably rude treatment on your comment card. I've seen some of the abuse that the headwaiters take from people who felt entitled to something just because they wanted it and I've never seen them treat a passenger like that. It's all the more inexcusable because you had a medical reason, not a whim, and you had been confirmed in advance. I hope that your situation was just a bad apple and not a fleetwide policy. Sorry, that got me riled up, and here it is my bedtime!

[firefly333]

We're booked on a Panama Canal cruise in April 2014. Our capable, competent, generally wonderful Travel Agent said that RCCL cannot book us for early seating, and they would not even put up on a wait list.

 

Coming from the USA's West coast, we'd be finishing dinner very very late, and with several health issues, that just will not work for me. I dread having to eat every dinner in the Windjammer, to eat at a semi-reasonable hour!

 

Do I have any other options here?

 

Ill be honest, I booked late my last Navigator cruise and got late, requested early.

 

I never once bothered to go to the MDR and ate every night in the buffet. First time I didnt go try and fight to get changed. I knew I booked late.

 

I thought about going on elegant night (lobster night), but said no sense going just for the one night.

Edited June 11, 2013 by firefly333

[Folk Singer]

MTD has always worked just fine for us. Also, if you advise that you have some medical issues, I'm sure the maitre d' will be able to put you in early seating.

 

they are always really accommodating.:):)

[edjny]

It does appear to be a new policy among the ship-board staff that wait lists are gone and that having cleared a list or having had your choice confirmed via email is now meaningless. At least that was the case on the Freedom of the Seas last week. Early traditional seating was not available when we booked so we booked MTD. I also emailed special needs and our early seating was confirmed several days prior to sail date. They automatically removed all of our MTD times and changed the reservation to early seating. We printed that page and took the email with us which we decided was good planning when upon checking in our seapass cards still said MTD and we were told to see the Maitre D after boarding. Having had to do this in the past with no problems, we headed there after boarding. Not only were we blown off but they managed to do so loudly enough to embarrass us -- like we were crazy. No waitlist - "We don't do that. We can not honor the letter no matter what Special Needs department wrote. Just go to MTD and you will like it." So then a nice gal from Guest Services took us back to the Maitre D's desk. Got a different one but the same attitude -- "Try MTD we feel sure you will like it." She explained that once I took my insulin shot I could not stand in line to wait for a table. "No problem -- go to front of line and tell them you will sit with any group at the next available table." (I'm sure the other cruisers in line would have liked that!) She explained that we needed a table for 2. "Then the only choice is to stand in line for the next available table. That shouldn't take too long." And he turned his back on the 3 of us. The guest services gal apologized but where does that get us?

 

My guess is traditional dining will be gone soon and everyone will be forced into MTD.

 

The earlier you book the cruise, the more likely the dining choice will be open. If the dining options are closed, you have to go on a wait list hoping that somebody else will cancel their previous selection. There are only so many tables in the dining room. When they are full, they are full.....

 

That said, go with the MTD. Make the MTD reservations ahead of time and there is only a minimal delay while they look up your cabin number to find the table you are assigned to.

[sandravb79]

We're booked on a Panama Canal cruise in April 2014. Our capable, competent, generally wonderful Travel Agent said that RCCL cannot book us for early seating, and they would not even put up on a wait list.

 

Coming from the USA's West coast, we'd be finishing dinner very very late, and with several health issues, that just will not work for me. I dread having to eat every dinner in the Windjammer, to eat at a semi-reasonable hour!

 

Do I have any other options here?

 

I don't understand why your location has anything to do with finishing dinner late... :confused:

[JaneStarr]

Thanks for this.

 

I've tried and tried but can only get reservations at 5:30 or after 8pm on My Time Dining for our upcoming cruise (I started calling several months in advance). It does seem like a misnomer when a few months out you can't get a dining time between 5:45-7:45 pm...

Our experience with "My Time" dining has been that it should really be called "Their time". It was not a good experience when traveling with 3 other couples. We ended up needing to choose a fixed time, but the same wait staff were not guaranteed and "our" table was sometimes occupied when we arrived on time.

(We wanted traditional late seating.)

Jane

[Paul65]

I don't understand why your location has anything to do with finishing dinner late... :confused:

 

Well, it can have that effect, but if you're used to west coast time zone, then the time on the east coast would actually feel earlier. If you're finishing dinner at 10pm on the east coast, it would be 7pm back home. So, I understand how location can have something to do with it, but feel like it should actually be working in the OP's favor in this case (at least by the end of the cruise).

Edited June 11, 2013 by Paul65

[Morecruisesplz]

The earlier you book the cruise, the more likely the dining choice will be open. If the dining options are closed, you have to go on a wait list hoping that somebody else will cancel their previous selection. There are only so many tables in the dining room. When they are full, they are full.....

 

Read the post please!! Our choice was confirmed in writing via email and on our reservation. Maitre 'd still refused to honor it. They are PUSHING MTD and will not even take your name to contact you should something open in Traditional Seating as they did in the past.

 

MTD (or as someone as called it Their Time Dining) is not for everyone.

[elkie20000]

We have never been refused wait-listing, and it has always cleared....hope this is not a new RCCL policy! Ask your TA to call again - maybe a different rep will have a different answer. Good luck!

 

BTW, if you do decide to try My Time, do it right away - better chance to be able to get the time you prefer!

 

We were in this same situation when I booked our June cruise in January. Early dining was full and the wait list was also full. So, we were given MTD since I didn't want the late seating. I called and checked a couple times to see if the wait list ever opened, but it was still full each time I called.

 

We've never had MTD before so this will be a new experience. As soon as I discovered that MTD bookings were open, I tried to book 6 or 6:30 every night but most of those were also taken so we have mostly 5:30 and 5:45 reservations...which will be fine. That is a little early for me but I figure it takes awhile to get your food anyway so we likely won't be actually eating until later.

[awhcruiser]

No it doesn't. You can request the same waitstaff each night.

MTD negates that.

 

[Desert Cruizers]

Regarding time zone and eating, we are on the West Coast so naturally if we fly to FL, it is later by 3 hours, yet we still eat around 6 to 6:30 regardless of the time zone. It may take a day for us to adjust but we are ready to go after that. Now going to Sydney next year will really throw us off by 15 hours.:)

[JaneStarr]

No it doesn't. You can request the same waitstaff each night.

You can request same wait staff & table but our experience with this wasn't great.

[monkeyluis]

I don't understand why your location has anything to do with finishing dinner late... :confused:

 

Time difference, body is not use to it.

[broberts]

Read the post please!! Our choice was confirmed in writing via email and on our reservation. Maitre 'd still refused to honor it. They are PUSHING MTD and will not even take your name to contact you should something open in Traditional Seating as they did in the past.

 

MTD (or as someone as called it Their Time Dining) is not for everyone.

 

Agree on the pushing of MTD. I organize a fair size group that cruises once a year. This year it was very difficult finding an itinerary that didn't have either or both of the traditional seating times closed, and this at nearly a year out.

 

As you say, MTD is not for everyone, multi-table groups being just one example.

[CruiseMore1]

It does appear to be a new policy among the ship-board staff that wait lists are gone and that having cleared a list or having had your choice confirmed via email is now meaningless. At least that was the case on the Freedom of the Seas last week. Early traditional seating was not available when we booked so we booked MTD. I also emailed special needs and our early seating was confirmed several days prior to sail date. They automatically removed all of our MTD times and changed the reservation to early seating. We printed that page and took the email with us which we decided was good planning when upon checking in our seapass cards still said MTD and we were told to see the Maitre D after boarding. Having had to do this in the past with no problems, we headed there after boarding. Not only were we blown off but they managed to do so loudly enough to embarrass us -- like we were crazy. No waitlist - "We don't do that. We can not honor the letter no matter what Special Needs department wrote. Just go to MTD and you will like it." So then a nice gal from Guest Services took us back to the Maitre D's desk. Got a different one but the same attitude -- "Try MTD we feel sure you will like it." She explained that once I took my insulin shot I could not stand in line to wait for a table. "No problem -- go to front of line and tell them you will sit with any group at the next available table." (I'm sure the other cruisers in line would have liked that!) She explained that we needed a table for 2. "Then the only choice is to stand in line for the next available table. That shouldn't take too long." And he turned his back on the 3 of us. The guest services gal apologized but where does that get us?

 

My guess is traditional dining will be gone soon and everyone will be forced into MTD.

 

WOW!!! Really sorry to hear that!

[Starry Eyes]

It does appear to be a new policy among the ship-board staff that wait lists are gone and that having cleared a list or having had your choice confirmed via email is now meaningless. At least that was the case on the Freedom of the Seas last week. Early traditional seating was not available when we booked so we booked MTD. I also emailed special needs and our early seating was confirmed several days prior to sail date. They automatically removed all of our MTD times and changed the reservation to early seating. We printed that page and took the email with us which we decided was good planning when upon checking in our seapass cards still said MTD and we were told to see the Maitre D after boarding. Having had to do this in the past with no problems, we headed there after boarding. Not only were we blown off but they managed to do so loudly enough to embarrass us -- like we were crazy. No waitlist - "We don't do that. We can not honor the letter no matter what Special Needs department wrote. Just go to MTD and you will like it." So then a nice gal from Guest Services took us back to the Maitre D's desk. Got a different one but the same attitude -- "Try MTD we feel sure you will like it." She explained that once I took my insulin shot I could not stand in line to wait for a table. "No problem -- go to front of line and tell them you will sit with any group at the next available table." (I'm sure the other cruisers in line would have liked that!) She explained that we needed a table for 2. "Then the only choice is to stand in line for the next available table. That shouldn't take too long." And he turned his back on the 3 of us. The guest services gal apologized but where does that get us?

 

My guess is traditional dining will be gone soon and everyone will be forced into MTD.

 

I am sorry this happened to you.

 

As I recall, on of the D+ perks is preferred dining time and table. Since I made D, I have had no trouble getting the dining time I desire, and I was hoping D+ would get me some more input into table size and or location. Your post is dashing that hope substantially. If you have a similar pre-cruise issue, rather than special needs, may I suggest you TA or RCI customer service agent contact the dining department on your behalf as a D+ member(I believe they that dept has daytime hours on weekdays only, so best to call then). Maybe the dining dept will honor your request as a D+.

 

Although it felt that way to you one the recent cruise, I do not have the impression they are pushing lots of unwilling people into MTD. In fact, MTD is often filled before one or both of the traditional dining times on my cruises. I hope you simply ran into a bad apple having a bad day.

[JemzRoo]

Also, we use different cruise lines, and kinda look forward to the same people and waiter for dinner each night on RCCL. MTD negates that.

 

I'm sorry but I disagree with the statement that MTD negates that.

 

On my last three cruises I've done MTD and each and every one I sat with the same waiter. There was one night where they asked me if I wanted to wait for my waiter (on Adventure) and I said I'd take another. We didn't end up liking the new waiter but it was the only night on 3 cruises that I sat with someone other than the one on the first night; and they asked me first if I wanted to wait for my main waiter.

 

I have absolutely no complaints with MTD.

[Morecruisesplz]

I am sorry this happened to you.

 

As I recall, on of the D+ perks is preferred dining time and table. Since I made D, I have had no trouble getting the dining time I desire, and I was hoping D+ would get me some more input into table size and or location. Your post is dashing that hope substantially. If you have a similar pre-cruise issue, rather than special needs, may I suggest you TA or RCI customer service agent contact the dining department on your behalf as a D+ member(I believe they that dept has daytime hours on weekdays only, so best to call then). Maybe the dining dept will honor your request as a D+.

 

Although it felt that way to you one the recent cruise, I do not have the impression they are pushing lots of unwilling people into MTD. In fact, MTD is often filled before one or both of the traditional dining times on my cruises. I hope you simply ran into a bad apple having a bad day.

 

Thank you for the input and I hope you are right about this being a one-time experience. This was our first cruise as D+. Is there a special number to call for the preferred seating request?

[Starry Eyes]

I'm sorry but I disagree with the statement that MTD negates that.

 

On my last three cruises I've done MTD and each and every one I sat with the same waiter. There was one night where they asked me if I wanted to wait for my waiter (on Adventure) and I said I'd take another. We didn't end up liking the new waiter but it was the only night on 3 cruises that I sat with someone other than the one on the first night; and they asked me first if I wanted to wait for my main waiter.

 

I have absolutely no complaints with MTD.

 

they do seem to try to keep people with the same waiter. sometimes on we get a couple waiters, especially on longer cruises. I suspect the waitstaff likes it that way, too. after all, if one gets to know and bonds with a wait team, one might like them enough to give an extra tip.

[critterchick]

I am sorry this happened to you.

 

As I recall, on of the D+ perks is preferred dining time and table. Since I made D, I have had no trouble getting the dining time I desire, and I was hoping D+ would get me some more input into table size and or location. Your post is dashing that hope substantially. If you have a similar pre-cruise issue, rather than special needs, may I suggest you TA or RCI customer service agent contact the dining department on your behalf as a D+ member(I believe they that dept has daytime hours on weekdays only, so best to call then). Maybe the dining dept will honor your request as a D+.

 

D+ and Pinnacle get priority on the waitlist, but no guarantee of time or table size.

[awhcruiser]

Sorry to hear..We were on the Mariner and had no problems with it. What made your experience not so great?

You can request same wait staff & table but our experience with this wasn't great.

Edited June 12, 2013 by awhcruiser

[awhcruiser]

Thank you. We love it.

I'm sorry but I disagree with the statement that MTD negates that.

 

On my last three cruises I've done MTD and each and every one I sat with the same waiter. There was one night where they asked me if I wanted to wait for my waiter (on Adventure) and I said I'd take another. We didn't end up liking the new waiter but it was the only night on 3 cruises that I sat with someone other than the one on the first night; and they asked me first if I wanted to wait for my main waiter.

 

I have absolutely no complaints with MTD.

[awhcruiser]

We've been to Sydney...Time difference is quite an adjustment.

 

Regarding time zone and eating, we are on the West Coast so naturally if we fly to FL, it is later by 3 hours, yet we still eat around 6 to 6:30 regardless of the time zone. It may take a day for us to adjust but we are ready to go after that. Now going to Sydney next year will really throw us off by 15 hours.:)

[39august]

What?

[Paul65]

Going to add my two cents about My Time Dining. We also like to eat on the earlier side and only late dining was open, so we switched to My Time.

 

It worked VERY efficiently on Independence. I made a reservation online for the first night- thereafter, I tried to make reservations on the ship- but all they had was 8pm or later! Hey, what's the point of My Time if you can't choose your time?

 

So here's what we learned....there are two lines, one for folks without reservations, and one for people with. After the first night, we just jumped in the "no reservations" line, which was shorter, I might add. On all occassions we were seated in less than 3 minutes.

 

It worked just fine- do My Time Dining and don't bother with reservations!

 

Wish it had worked that well for us. We had 8pm seating, and after the first night, my wife thought is was too late. We asked to switch to MTD, and made a 7:15 reservation for the next night.

 

There were two lines: one for passengers with reservations and another for "groups" with reservations. I didn't see a line anywhere for without reservations. We stood in line about 25 minutes, so that, despite our 7:15 reservation, we weren't seating until about 7:40. Then the service was so slow that we decided we were better off just going back to our original 8pm seating table.

 

That may just be an isolated thing, but as it was our first experience with MTD, it left a bad impression.