My Time Dining -- How long does the meal take from start to finish?

[jt58203]

I've always had My Time dining (or whatever it's called on other lines too). I don't recall how long the whole dining experience takes once seated. I'm guessing 1.5 to 2 hours. I've never really kept track. I will be traveling with a first time cruiser and we'd like to know how long to set aside. I know we can eat in the buffet for the quickest meal, but prefer to be waited on.

[dplusd]

At a table for two, it's more like 1 to 1.5 hours tops. I am sure if we asked our servers to rush us through it would be under 1 hour.

[Clarea]

I've always had My Time dining (or whatever it's called on other lines too). I don't recall how long the whole dining experience takes once seated. I'm guessing 1.5 to 2 hours. I've never really kept track. I will be traveling with a first time cruiser and we'd like to know how long to set aside. I know we can eat in the buffet for the quickest meal, but prefer to be waited on.

If you are just a party of two, you can probably finish dinner in an hour. If you want to go slower, then 1.5 hours is certainly doable. All you have to do is tell your server your time contraint and they will generally meet it.

[petel]

I've always had My Time dining (or whatever it's called on other lines too). I don't recall how long the whole dining experience takes once seated. I'm guessing 1.5 to 2 hours. I've never really kept track. I will be traveling with a first time cruiser and we'd like to know how long to set aside. I know we can eat in the buffet for the quickest meal, but prefer to be waited on.

You can control the time by asking your waiter to help you get out in a particular time. You can also help with that by ordering all courses at once and asking for all to be served at once. You can also enlist your head waiter's help.

Just some ideas. My DW and I have been in and out in under 40 minutes. Enjoy :)

[setsail]

Hard to answer as your cruise has not happened, we don't know anything about who your waiter will be, they all serve at different speeds, and we don't know what size table/time you will have. I would guess anywhere from 1.5 to 2.5

[boltpeople]

May I ask why you prefer My Time Dining over a set dinner time? Just wondering what the advantages are since I signed up for it on my next cruise. Thanks!

[willing292]

Some nights, at a table for 2, we were out in 45 minutes.

 

 

Shirley, Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[mkmom514]

Our dinners for two went anywhere from 45 minutes to 1.5 hours, usually around 1 hour.

[Weber Prof]

We had my time dining on NOS in December. Specifically asked for tables for 6 or 8. Due to the wonderful conversation and delightful fellow passengers our dinner was almost always 2 - 2/12 hours.We loved the lingering and the conversations. Dinner was not a race for us, but an enjoyable event.

[cb at sea]

As fast as you can stuff it in, is as long as it will take..

 

We enjoy a bit of respite between courses...just more civilized! You can go as fast as you want!

[The Sunset Glow]

Our dinners for two went anywhere from 45 minutes to 1.5 hours, usually around 1 hour.

 

Exactly the same for us at a table for 2.

 

However, we just did MTD with 9 and it always took between 2 and 2-1/4 hours, which is expected with a large group.

 

So it depends on how many at your table, I guess.

[negc]

May I ask why you prefer My Time Dining over a set dinner time? Just wondering what the advantages are since I signed up for it on my next cruise. Thanks!

 

One of the best reasons is that it allows you to dine at a time that best fits your schedule. Some find the traditional dining times are either too early or too late and they would prefer a time that fits somewhere in between the two seatings. You can still have the same wait staff each evening, if that is your wish, and you can eat at the same time each evening or at a different time each night whichever best suits you. We have found that the service is as good as, if not better than, the service we were used to receiving in traditional dining.

[dacsmom]

With us, about an hour generally. If we had to make a show they got us out in time.

[gfd_2]

I've always had My Time dining (or whatever it's called on other lines too). I don't recall how long the whole dining experience takes once seated. I'm guessing 1.5 to 2 hours. I've never really kept track. I will be traveling with a first time cruiser and we'd like to know how long to set aside. I know we can eat in the buffet for the quickest meal, but prefer to be waited on.

 

Depends on the night. Formal night they take a little longer - maybe 1.5 hours. Usually about an hour and 10 minutes but, that included us working through the cheese platter that our waiter gave us every night in between dinner and dessert. Didn't even have to ask.

[Familygoboston]

With a table with just our party 2,3 or 4 depending in the cruise) we've usually taken from an 45 to 70 or 80 minutes depending on whether we've had all the courses, or asked for a rush job (though it never feels that way!) to make a show. Usually we leave at least 1.5 hour before a show, but we mention we have a show, and they'd have us out in under an hour anyway ;)

 

For the person who asked about why to choose MTD, here's why I do!

 

- you can book your dining times, the same every night or different every night

 

- you can book online before departure,

- OR once on board (on TV, or over the phone) for the week

- OR you can book each day once you know your plans (expect the popular times of 6:30-7:30 to be full)

- OR turn up at the "no reservations" line and wait for a table when you feel hungry

And you can change your plans at anytime

 

 

- you can dine with just your own party OR ask to sit with others, you can vary this every night. You can make new friends who also have MTD, and dine with them.

 

-service is usually faster, and if you are sitting with your own party it can be tailored to your parties needs.

 

- you can request the same waiter every night if you liked them OR move on if you had a bad first experience.

 

And lastly for me- you are in a different level of the MDR, so you don't get roped into napkin waving, clapping, singing, and hooting for your waiters as they "perform"... (You may enjoy that, in which case you might miss it if you have MTD)

Edited March 18, 2014 by Familygoboston

[Roce48]

May I ask why you prefer My Time Dining over a set dinner time? Just wondering what the advantages are since I signed up for it on my next cruise. Thanks!

 

Traditional Dining served in the MDR has two set seating times (Early and Late) with the same waiters and table mates each night.

 

My Time Dining offers the option of eating at different times each night, or picking a set time for each night of the cruise. You choose the time you want to eat, and make the reservations.

You may also decide to choose different times for different nights depending on your schedule of activities.

 

Finally - Under the MTD plan, you also have the option of simply arriving at the Main Dining Room that has been designated for My Time Diners and asking to be seated. You may ask to be seated with others, or by yourselves.

Both Assigned Time Dining (Early and Late seatings) and My Time Dining are served in a MDR (Main Dining Room).

[traveler/]

We sit at a table for 2, and our normal dining time is 1 hour and 5 minutes in MTD. MTD seems to have faster service than regular dining, which we really like. Our dinners in specialty restaurants onboard are usually 2 to 2 1/2 hours, too long for us, so we eat in those only 1 time per cruise at most.