My Time Dining vs Assigned Time

[maryhou]

We are a family of 5 and enjoy normally eating 6/6:30. They assigned us to 5:30 dinner........ that's super early especially on our three port days. We like to sit with others at dinner, can we have the same servers each night with my time dining? Do they do reservations or is it walk in only?

[Peeker28]

My experience with MTD on Oasis was that after we finished dinner the first night we went up to the Maitre D' and told them we wanted to be with the same wait staff each night. We didn't always have the same table but we always had the same wait staff.

[gerif]

It appears you currently have traditional seating. If you wish to change to MTD you need to contact whoever booked your cruise. If you can make the change, you are free to either make reservations or just show up. Sitting with others would be hit or miss as there would need to be others who show up the same time you do who also want to share a table.

[nancy513]

A 5:30 seating doesn’t mean you’re eating at 5:30. You will be seated, they will take your drink order and offer you some bread. We usually don’t get our food until after 6. Dinner is long drawn out experience on the ship. Expect to be there until around 7. I don’t think that the time would be an issue for you.

Personally, I prefer traditional dining. It’s a set reservation every night and you don’t have to worry about. You have the same wait staff every night and they get to know your preferences.

If you can’t make it to your dinner time one night, there other free options such as the buffet. Room service now has a small charge, but it’s only about $7. There also a variety of specialty dining restaurants that you have to pay for, but you can reserve the time you want.

 

 

 

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[njmomof2]

I completely understand your concerns for the 5:30 fixed early seating. Getting a family of 5 ready to be at the doors of the dining room by no later than 5:40 or so is difficult, especially if you're in port that day and get back later from an excursion.

 

Contact either your TA or Royal directly and see if you can be moved to MTD. If so, then you can either go into your cruise planner and see if they have availability at your preferred time (but be aware that prime times like 6:15-7:30 may not be available for advance reservations). If you can't make a reservation, just show up at the MTD desk and ask for a table.

 

You might have a bit of a wait, but they will seat you. Generally, you won't be seated with others, unless another group specifically asks to be at a mixed table, but you can certainly tell the host/hostess that you're willing to share. At least that has been our experience.

 

If you like your serving staff, you can ask at the desk if you can be seated with them again, and even see if they can make reservations for you for other nights of the cruise.

 

If you make selections from all courses, your dinner could take 1.5 hours, so plan accordingly.

[BensonFan711]

I totally get it. I'm a diabetic, and my body is accustomed to eating dinner between 6:45-7:30. If I eat too early, blood sugar crash around 2:30 in the morning. If I eat too late, my blood sugar crashes before dinner, and I have to "eat before I can eat." Early dining is too early, late dining is too late....totally sucks. So, the only option Royal has given me is MTD (or eat somewhere than the MDR). On the second leg of my B2B Oasis cruise, they booked me for the late seating. I had my TA call, explain my medical condition, and voila! Magically, I have MTD for both legs.

 

Considering all of my experience has been with NCL, I prefer the freedom, and I don't mind waiting for a table if I have to.

[SmoothFlying]

We are a family of 5 and enjoy normally eating 6/6:30. They assigned us to 5:30 dinner........ that's super early especially on our three port days. We like to sit with others at dinner, can we have the same servers each night with my time dining? Do they do reservations or is it walk in only?

 

A question for this thread.. My wife and I have done fifteen plus cruises and have always done either the Windjammer OR the MTD. I have only recently heard that if you decide to do the assigned MDR (either early or late) and do NOT plan to do a night then it's considered necessary to advise someone in restaurant management of the 'no-show' of the assigned time so they can advise the waitstaff. The only reason I ask is because I have heard in some cases some waitstaffs have been know to wait 30-40 minutes after the assigned time before starting the food service. Is this true ? While we have never used the MDR it had never occurred to me that a waitstaff would actually make passengers wait.:eek:

 

Mac.

[Atlantix2000]

In my (limited) experience, the waiter will ask if you want to wait for other people at the table to arrive. I think it's polite to mention to your table if you have reservations at a specialty restaurant. On one day my last cruise we had a couple arrive an hour late for the early seating due to the husband's motion sickness acting up. We were ordering dessert while they ordered appetizers.

 

I'm curious if the waiters can check whether you have specialty reservations. Anyone know?

[RoLoHa]

You can go in your cruise planner and reserve specific times for MTD or you can do it onboard. This reduces wait time and usually gets you seated in the same section if not the same exact table so your wait staff is the same.

 

 

 

 

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[OCruisers]

This may or may not apply to your situation.

We book My Time because we have dinner in a speciality restaurant almost every night and would feel bad about taking up space in Assigned that some others might like to have.

[cb at sea]

MTD is mainly for those who do NOT want company at dinner. You can request to be seated with others, but they are likely to decline to sit with you.

If you want tablemates..have an afternoon snack and do late traditional seating!

[Quiltincruiser]

First day on ship, we go to MDR and tell them the time we would like to eat every night. We are officially My Time Dining, but we have a 7:30 reservation.

 

 

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[DelK1412]

Hi all, quick question, for my upcoming cruise I was automatically placed on the late traditional fixed dining - i'm on the MTD waitlist but not sure if it will come available - when we get on the ship I will try to go to the dining room and request to change if possible.

With fixed dining, is there a way for my partner and I to just sit on our own? He is a bit antisocial and I feel like he might get anxious sitting with people we don't know.

[Clarea]

Hi all, quick question, for my upcoming cruise I was automatically placed on the late traditional fixed dining - i'm on the MTD waitlist but not sure if it will come available - when we get on the ship I will try to go to the dining room and request to change if possible.

With fixed dining, is there a way for my partner and I to just sit on our own? He is a bit antisocial and I feel like he might get anxious sitting with people we don't know.

 

About 3 weeks before the cruise, request a table for two from rcldining@rccl.com.