Experiences with My Time Dining

[CreativeCruiser119]

we LOVE LOVE LOVE MTD!. Have done MTD since it was first introduced and will never go back to traditional. Love going to eat when we feel like it. We rarely make reservations, but you can if you want. I don't think we have ever waited more than 5 minutes to get a table. Just love the flexibility of going to dinner when we want vs when we have to.

 

 

 

That really put me at ease! Thank you so much for taking the time to reply. I was worried about the wait, but you made me feel a lot better. I think it will be very convenient! Thanks again!

 

 

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[CreativeCruiser119]

We had it for the first time last summer on Liberty. I had no complaints! I did make reservations but we tend to eat fairly early. Most of our reservations were for around 6:00-6:45. We had the same table/waitstaff every night. I would imagine it's different if you don't make reservations and just show up.

 

 

 

Thank you for your reply! Yes, we love having the same waitstaff every night, as they get to know you and not only are they quick to memorize your preferences, but they are also fun to talk to once you've gotten to know them. And your reservation time is around our preferred time, too. Actually works easier so I'm rushed to get out of the pool in the afternoon, and my brother off the FlowRider! Thanks again!

 

 

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[CreativeCruiser119]

Popular reservation times (6:30-7:30) will fill up faster, but you can go without a res and usually get seated quickly. You mentioned going with your family. Note that the larger the table required, the longer the wait may be. Seating for couples is quick, but I once traveled with a group of 10 and had to make special arrangements and available times were similar to traditional seatings (early and late) so they could turn the limited number of larger tables. Another pro for MTD is that it usually seems to move quicker than traditional. Don't want to rush thru dinner, but sometimes traditional tended to drag out a bit with the bigger group seatings.

 

 

 

Thank you very much for your reply. We are a family of four. Most likely, we will make reservations but time will tell what we end up doing. Either way, we feel so much more relaxed after replies from those of you on here, so once again just wanted to extend my thanks. Cheers!

 

 

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[CreativeCruiser119]

It's like any "land-based" restaurant...you can "call ahead" or show up and be seated at the next avail. table. If you have a LARGE party (over 4), then it's harder to seat you, so do make a reservation....you don't need to do it in advance, you can do it each morning, if you wish.

 

 

 

Thank you for your reply. We are a family of four. If it is like a land-based restaurant, that is no issue whatsoever for us. I have heard horror stories of Disneyworld-like lines at the MDR for MTD which is why I inquired on here. Thanks so much for your helpful reply! Cheers!

 

 

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[CreativeCruiser119]

We went on a Mediterranean cruise two years ago. That whole cruise was on My Time, because it was so port-intensive. That was the only time we've ever done My Time, but we were pleasantly surprised by it.

 

 

 

The second night, we came down for dinner. The maitre d' asked us whether we'd like the same waiters as the evening before. We enthusiastically said yes. This waiter assignment held for all nights of the cruise but one. It was really the best of both worlds -- flexible time plus familiarity with your waiters.

 

 

 

Thank you so much! This helped a lot! Sounds very convenient!

 

 

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[CreativeCruiser119]

I sailed the Western route with her last year, and had MTD the entire week. I like to dine early, and had a standing 5:00 pm reservation. However, I doubt it would have mattered as I was seated almost immediately each night. Also, I had the same table and wait staff each night. No issues whatsoever with MTD for me.

 

 

 

Thank you so much for your reply! It sounds a lot easier than I thought!

 

 

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[CreativeCruiser119]

Well at 5pm there is not that much demand!

 

 

 

True! I would say peak time is around 6-7pm, give or take a few minutes.

 

 

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[CreativeCruiser119]

We had MTD on Radiance in 2015, but only actually went to the MDR once. Called after breakfast and made a reservation for 7 people for 6 pm no problem. That was a port day. Called the next morning, the last sea day, around the same time, and they were booked up. The earliest they could take us was 8 pm. Much too late for most in the group.

 

I would definitely recommend making reservations for a large party. Online before sailing, if possible.

 

 

 

Thank you so much for your input. We are a family of four. I do agree, reservations will probably be the way to go. Thanks again for all your help!

 

 

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[CreativeCruiser119]

Hi CreativeCruiser. It appears that we will be on the same cruise with our family of 16. We booked well over a year in advance and were told that MTD was all that was available as well. We all want to eat together and it was proving difficult to make reservations for such a large group, so I requested a change to traditional 5:30 dining which will be better for the 2 grandchildren. It looks like part of our group has been changed. Still waiting to hear about the others. Since we did a group booking, all paid for by my SO, I'm hopeful it will work out. Fingers crossed. :)

 

 

 

Thank you so much for your reply. I am so excited for the cruise, and maybe I'll meet you onboard! I just joined the roll call. We booked the cruise onboard Harmony in April and were surprised at how little availability there was nearly a year out. At least we got a good cabin selection- Deck 7, starboard side, just 10 rooms forward of our cabins on Liberty so closer to the elevators! We were also offered Deck 12, but chose to stick with Deck 7. We will keep looking to see if any traditional dining opens up, but from what I've read on here, it may not be as much of a hassle as I thought it would be! At least not like what I've heard it's like on the Oasis class! Thanks again, March can't come soon enough! Cheers!

 

 

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[CreativeCruiser119]

I have heard depending on the ship, your wait times may be longer. I'm sailing on Anthem in a few months and I have read that Anthem seems to be a little different than the other ships. Longer wait times without a reservation than on other ships. We have reservations for 6 or 6:30 each evening so we will see how that goes.

 

 

 

That backs up what I thought. I've heard it is the worst on Oasis class. I just graduated high school this spring but still keep in touch with many of the staff, and my former principal sailed Allure in January with a MTD reservation. Perhaps I shall ask her about her experience the next time I see her. Best of luck to you, and enjoy your cruise! Thanks again for the reply!

 

 

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[CreativeCruiser119]

We make reservation first thing for MTD after we board..

 

 

 

Probably a good idea! I take it these are made with the Maitre'D? Which deck is MTD on for Freedom? 5? Thanks so much for your helpful reply!

 

 

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[CreativeCruiser119]

If you really want a specific time, make the reservation now on line. If you get into the preferred time, then cancel them. When we were on the Freedom in October, we did not make reservations before. We tried going down between 6:30 and 7 and were told to come back at 8:30. They made a reservation for the rest of the week for 8 and told us we were lucky to get it. I have done my time dining a few times and would never do it again with out making the reservations as soon as they open up. Royal Caribbean could learn a lot from Norwegian where dining is such a smooth process.

 

 

 

This was very helpful! We will look into that. Thanks so much for your help! Cheers!

 

 

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[CreativeCruiser119]

I'm glad I read this. I just got off the Anthem and saw huge lines for MyTime dining the few times I walked by (I had Traditional). I booked for Alaska next year and chose MyTime and was rethinking my decision. Sounds like everyone has had good luck with it so I'll stick with it.

 

 

 

Thanks so much for your input! I'm hoping it will be different on Freedom, and hopefully making reservations will make it a smoother process. I'm so glad this thread has helped you as much as it has helped me! Thanks again, and happy sailing!

 

 

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[CreativeCruiser119]

We did MTD for the first time on our B2B April 2017 Caribbean cruise on the Jewel. I made reservations for two at 5:30 for each evening thru the Cruise Planner months before the sail date. When we boarded we selected a specific table for two next to the railing. We had the same table for both legs of the cruise but not the same wait staff. We knew we wouldn't and we didn't mind as the wait staff for both legs of the cruise were excellent. All of our future cruises will be MTD with a reservation. There was a constant line for those with reservations and those that didn't have reservations. One line was on the port side and the other on the starboard side. Very organized.

 

 

 

Thanks so much for your reply. I guess it can vary depending on your luck. I'm glad it was organized for you. Thanks again for your input, and happy sailing!

 

 

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[CreativeCruiser119]

We had MTD on Allure of the Seas in January and made reservations for about the same time every night. I think it was either 6:30 or 7. We cancelled most nights as we had a 5 night dining package. One of the nights we did use the MTD was the 2nd formal night. We were in line for at least 20 minutes and then waited in a "holding area" for at least another 10.

 

 

 

 

 

We were seated at table for 2 which was what we requested and it was stuffed into a small corner. Not one of the better tables for sure. The other night we went to the MDR was the last night. Once again, about the same time and it didn't even take 5 minutes in line and then to the table. When we left dinner, there was a huge line.

 

 

 

I prefer the MTD as 5:30 is sooooooo early to have dinner and now that I travel with my sister or my son and his family, 8PM is too late for them. At home I have dinner at 7, so the MTD usually works for me.

 

 

 

Thank you so much for your reply. My high school principal was on the January 15-22 Sailing and her group did MTD for the first few nights, then decided to try out the specialty restaurants for the rest of the cruise. I am a graduate now but have a brother at the school and still keep in touch with many of the staff, so the next time I see her I may ask about her experience. Of course, I would imagine it may be a bit different on Oasis Class vs. Freedom Class. I agree, 8 is too late for us as well. I think anywhere between 5:45-6 and 7-7:15 is a good time, in my humble opinion. Thank you again for your input, and happy sailing in the future! Cheers!

 

 

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[CreativeCruiser119]

Update on my party of 16 switching from My Time Dining to Traditional 5:30 dining. We all got switched. Royal Caribbean confirmed this on Friday. Fingers crossed for your situation. There is a lot of time fortunately.

 

 

 

This really helped! When we booked this cruise while onboard the Harmony, we were told that MTD was all that was available but to keep an eye out for cancellations. So we'll definitely stay on top of that, just in case. Thanks so much for your help! Cheers!

 

 

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[CreativeCruiser119]

This really helped! When we booked this cruise while onboard the Harmony, we were told that MTD was all that was available but to keep an eye out for cancellations. So we'll definitely stay on top of that, just in case. Thanks so much for your help! Cheers!

 

 

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I don't know how likely this is, but it's always possible. Keeping my fingers crossed!

 

 

 

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[CreativeCruiser119]

Thanks so much everyone for your replies, and my apologies for replying so late! We are very relieved now, and while we will try to look for cancellations, do not consider it a big deal as it doesn't sound like it is as much of a hassle as we thought, based on what I've read on here. Thank you all so very much for all your help, I very much appreciate it! Happy cruising to all! Cheers!

 

 

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[Russ Lomas]

Thanks so much everyone for your replies, and my apologies for replying so late! We are very relieved now, and while we will try to look for cancellations, do not consider it a big deal as it doesn't sound like it is as much of a hassle as we thought, based on what I've read on here. Thank you all so very much for all your help, I very much appreciate it! Happy cruising to all! Cheers!

 

 

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I did not read the entire 3 pages of the thread, so I apologize if what I say has been mentioned already. We sailed the past two March breaks on the Freedom. 2016 was a disaster, 2017 was awesome. We booked it again for March 2019.

 

We had MTD both years on the Freedom and it was the best thing about both of our cruises. The early seating on the Freedom was very early (5:30 or possibly even 5 pm). I found this too rushed when we were in port late, so I decided to try MTD instead of the early seating. We made standing reservations for 6 pm every evening with the same waiter (we found an awesome one!!!) He did not mind if we showed up a bit late or even a bit early since we were his first table of the evening, as long as we were out by 8:15 or so because he had a second seating he had to do each night around then.

 

We will only book MTD in the future, we enjoyed it so much. If you are looking for 7 pm dinner times, you may have a wait, but if you are good with a standing 5:45 time or so, try MTD.

 

 

By the way, if you stick with MTD, be sure to ask for Leo Serano as your waiter (best waiter we have ever had). His home ship is the Freedom and we requested him last year - and plan to do so again in 2019 if he is still aboard the Freedom). You will have an amazing dining experience if you can have him as your waiter.

[bsblindab]

Personally, I love MTD...you can make reservations for the same or different times each day. There are two lines, one for people with reservations and one for those without. I have never waited more than 10 minutes in either line!

 

so with MTD I could make a reservation for "late night" dining or early..and as long as I have a reservation for a specific time I should be good? I didn't want to do late night as that's to late..but you never know

[bsblindab]

we LOVE LOVE LOVE MTD!. Have done MTD since it was first introduced and will never go back to traditional. Love going to eat when we feel like it. We rarely make reservations, but you can if you want. I don't think we have ever waited more than 5 minutes to get a table. Just love the flexibility of going to dinner when we want vs when we have to.

 

What would be the advantage of Late/early dining over MTD?

[Thorben-Hendrik]

No standing in line every night!

[Biker19]

[tortoisegirl]

We did MTD on Explorer last fall. I had made reservations online for similar times each night. Oddly enough there were 2 lines upon entering, but no distinction for reservations vs. not. We did notice that some folks were asked to wait a bit in the small waiting area, presumably some of those without reservations. It took between a couple and 20-30 min (first night) to get in. We like MTD as early is too early as we'd have to miss sailaway or even come back early from a port, and late is too late. We do like the same waiter every night (which can often be done with MTD), and would prefer to avoid the line though.

[buddyjones]

We are on Oasis of the Seas now, going into port tomorrow. We’ve done my time dining (MTD) twice now and prefer it. We basically walk up with no reservations. The longest we’ve had to wait anytime this week has been 15 minutes.

 

 

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