MTD - can we just show up?

[kokopelli-az]

I was trying to make a couple of reservations for MTD but for every single day of our cruise, the earliest time available is 6:45pm.   I want an earlier time so can we just show up at the dining room and see if we can get in earlier?    This is for a Sept 1 sailing on the Allure.   I don't understand how come there aren't any earlier times available....

[Biker19]

Just now, kokopelli-az said:

  I want an earlier time so can we just show up at the dining room and see if we can get in earlier?   

Yes.

[dwayneb236]

we did and were seated quickly. 8 of us

[Clarea]

5 minutes ago, kokopelli-az said:

 ...  I don't understand how come there aren't any earlier times available....

 

No rhyme or reason to the available times.  Some people find that there are only early times available.

[kokopelli-az]

Now that I am looking at the Cruise Compasses for the Allure from the May 19 sailing, it says that MTD begins at 6:30 on Deck 3.  If they don't open until 6:30, how do I get an earlier reservation?   Do I have to go to a different dining room?  

[Biker19]

6 minutes ago, kokopelli-az said:

 If they don't open until 6:30, how do I get an earlier reservation?   

Very likely it opens before then.

[Clarea]

8 minutes ago, kokopelli-az said:

Now that I am looking at the Cruise Compasses for the Allure from the May 19 sailing, it says that MTD begins at 6:30 on Deck 3.  If they don't open until 6:30, how do I get an earlier reservation?   Do I have to go to a different dining room?  

 

If you want to eat before MTD opens, you may want to consider changing to fixed (traditional) dining.

[karena1]

YES!!!! That is why we love MTD.  We go eat when we feel like it. We never make reservations, we just go when we feel like it.  If you have a larger group, then probably reservations are good, but it is the 2 of us, so we go and never wait more than 5 minutes for a table.  We also don't care if we have the same wait staff, which helps..

 

[island lady]

I got tired of the game when I used to always make reservations.  For some reason they insist on seating you at the same table with the same wait team.  If that table is not ready yet, they make you wait for it even though there are other unoccupied tables ready and set up.  If I want same wait staff and table...I will do traditional.  

 

My Time Dining....supposed to be on my time.  Wish they would run it like they do for breakfast and lunch...first come first serve..whatever table is available like land based restaurants as well.  Just IMHO.  

[GTO-Girl]

On our last cruise on the Harmony My Time Dining did not go nearly as smoothly as it had on our previous Oasis cruises.

 

We too were not able to make reservations any earlier than 6:30.  The Compass listed My Time as not opening up in the American Icon dining room (Deck 3) until 6:30.  

 

It also showed Early Traditional in the other dining room on Deck 5......“as well as” ......the American Icon dining room on Deck 3 beginning at 5:00pm, stating the doors would close at 5:30 for Traditional.

 

We were finally able to be seated earlier for My Time because it seemed if they had some random tables that were not filled on the early seating for Traditional they were allowing some of us to go in.

 

It just didn’t flow well as some were seated and others turned away.  Hopefully they will get a better handle on this for future sailings because it seems to be a mess right now!!

Edited July 5, 2019 by GTO-Girl

[Mr. Candyman]

DELETED

Edited July 5, 2019 by Mr. Candyman

[molly361]

38 minutes ago, GTO-Girl said:

On our last cruise on the Harmony My Time Dining did not go nearly as smoothly as it had on our previous Oasis cruises.

 

We too were not able to make reservations any earlier than 6:30.  The Compass listed My Time as not opening up in the American Icon dining room (Deck 3) until 6:30.  

 

It also showed Early Traditional in the other dining room on Deck 5......“as well as” ......the American Icon dining room on Deck 3 beginning at 5:00pm, stating the doors would close at 5:30 for Traditional.

 

We were finally able to be seated earlier for My Time because it seemed if they had some random tables that were not filled on the early seating for Traditional they were allowing some of us to go in.

 

It just didn’t flow well as some were seated and others turned away.  Hopefully they will get a better handle on this for future sailings because it seems to be a mess right now!!

Did MTD open earlier than 6:30?  I saw a recent cruise compass for the Harmony and it showed MTD as opening at 6:30 which I found odd

[SRF]

1 hour ago, island lady said:

I got tired of the game when I used to always make reservations.  For some reason they insist on seating you at the same table with the same wait team.  If that table is not ready yet, they make you wait for it even though there are other unoccupied tables ready and set up.  If I want same wait staff and table...I will do traditional.  

 

That has not been our experience.

 

And if we actually asked for the same wait staff, they would seat us nearby, and temporarily add us to their work load.

[TravelGirlinDallas]

1 hour ago, island lady said:

 For some reason they insist on seating you at the same table with the same wait team. 

I was surprised to discover this on my first Royal cruise, although they never made us wait. The server team also encouraged us to be "on time" every night so that we would always be seated with them. We just went whenever it was convenient, though.

 

On Carnival with my/your time dining, they seat you wherever, in a different spot every night unless you specifically request the same team.

[GTO-Girl]

1 hour ago, molly361 said:

Did MTD open earlier than 6:30?  I saw a recent cruise compass for the Harmony and it showed MTD as opening at 6:30 which I found odd

 

Technically MTD did not open until 6:30 but we were able to get a table for two at 5:30-5:45 by speaking with the hostess.  

 

I felt so  bad for the servers because I am sure those of us who were brought in after Traditional Dining started really threw them off trying to work us in.  

 

They were running their heads off and did a good job.  But I could tell it was stressing them out.

 

It was a different experience than we had on the Oasis.  Trying to combine Traditional and MTD in the same dining room just didn’t look like it was working.  It sure wasn’t for the poor servers!!!

Edited July 5, 2019 by GTO-Girl

[theEvilQueen2]

If you always want 5:30 you should change to fixed dining. I'm sure they'll do it for you. Many people want My Time and can't get it, so they'd be happy to free it up for people on the wait list.

But if you do fixed dining you really need to be on time. Otherwise it throws everything off and you may get turned away if you're too late. Just like a real restaurant on land.  

[Big_G]

6 hours ago, kokopelli-az said:

I was trying to make a couple of reservations for MTD but for every single day of our cruise, the earliest time available is 6:45pm.   I want an earlier time so can we just show up at the dining room and see if we can get in earlier?    This is for a Sept 1 sailing on the Allure.   I don't understand how come there aren't any earlier times available....

 

Our experience has been if you show up at 5:30 they will seat you almost immediately.

[GTO-Girl]

5 minutes ago, Big_G said:

 

Our experience has been if you show up at 5:30 they will seat you almost immediately.

 

That was our experience on 8 trips on the Oasis.....definitely not the experience on the Harmony..

 

[kokopelli-az]

14 hours ago, Big_G said:

 

Our experience has been if you show up at 5:30 they will seat you almost immediately.

So the MTD dining room actually opens at 5:30?    This will be on the Allure.

 

[Clarea]

3 minutes ago, kokopelli-az said:

So the MTD dining room actually opens at 5:30?    This will be on the Allure.

 

 

We don't know that for sure at this point.

[RedSails1968]

My husband and I sailed Symphony in April with our daughter and her family. They didn’t want to eat in the MDR every night so we reserved 3 nights where they would eat with us. Well, it totally confused and concerned the staff when the 2 of us would show up without the other 5. We had to reassure them that there was no problem, they just preferred the buffet sometimes. I guess they were saving the big table for the 7 of us.

[GUEST71919]

21 hours ago, island lady said:

I got tired of the game when I used to always make reservations.  For some reason they insist on seating you at the same table with the same wait team.  If that table is not ready yet, they make you wait for it even though there are other unoccupied tables ready and set up.  If I want same wait staff and table...I will do traditional.  

 

My Time Dining....supposed to be on my time.  Wish they would run it like they do for breakfast and lunch...first come first serve..whatever table is available like land based restaurants as well.  Just IMHO.  

 

They do make it  difficult. I suppose they were trying to pattern it after NCL’s anytime dining (that in our experience works without issues and you truly doesn’t need a reservation). But when you still must reserve a spot to not stand in a long line, and before boarding they often often only 5:30 and 7 pm and later, then it is not stress reducing but stress inducing!

Edited July 6, 2019 by 2Beeze

[island lady]

23 minutes ago, 2Beeze said:

 

They do make it  difficult. I suppose they were trying to pattern it after NCL’s anytime dining (that in our experience works without issues and you truly doesn’t need a reservation). But when you still must reserve a spot to not stand in a long line, and before boarding they often often only 5:30 and 7 pm and later, then it is not stress reducing but stress inducing!

 

We show up with a glass of wine in hand...helps during the waiting in line if we encounter one.  🍷

 

If it gets to be more than 15 minutes...we leave and head to the WJ.  (And refill the wine  😉 ).  

[Thorben-Hendrik]

18 hours ago, theEvilQueen2 said:

Otherwise it throws everything off and you may get turned away if you're too late.

45 minutes late is no problem at all......not sure what happens if you are 1 hour late - but would be surprised if that would be a problem!🤔

[Thorben-Hendrik]

17 hours ago, GTO-Girl said:

 

That was our experience on 8 trips on the Oasis.....definitely not the experience on the Harmony..

 

Harmony seems to ALWAYS have problems with MTD....🙄