? about My Time Dining

[betmust]

We have not sailed since pre covid but have a cruise booked on the Serenade.  In the past I was able to go online and make a reservation for each night for a set time - generally 5:15 - 5:30. I was just looking at it and notice the earliest time listed in 6;45 some nights and 7;00 other nights. 

Anyone been on the Serenade recently and able to get earlier dining times or is that what time they are starting?  Would it help to go to the main dining on the first day and see if i can get earlier times booked for each day?

 

Thanks for any help

[mafig]

We are on Serenade also.  Unfortunately, MyTime doesn't even start until 6:45.  

 

We booked Early Traditional because of this, even though that starts are 5:00!  

So we'll probably miss sail away from most ports and going under the Skyway Bridge (no, I cannot get dh to do the buffet for dinner).

 

 

[CruisinNole]

I made our MTD reservations about 2 weeks ago for our August Serenade cruise and selected 6:30pm. However, on the calendar it shows 6:30pm followed by (15). Have no idea what that means. I guess we'll show up at 6:30pm and wait to be seated at 6:45.

[island lady]

Yes, recently on B2B Serenade out of Tampa.

 

In the past, well before Covid, we always enjoyed MTD.  Now...we would not dream of doing so.  It is traditional early for us.  No waiting in line.  

 

MTD used to be on the top dining floor, now it is on the main floor, with 6:45 being the norm due to the estimate of when the first seating pax finish their meals.  The MTD pax are simply led to a table when those pax leave.  If too many of first seating decide to linger over coffee and dessert...it sets everything back.  

 

When we would leave our table on that main floor, there would be a line of grouchy pax waiting for a table (with or without reservations) out to the photo gallery.  

 

IMHO...MTD is a total fail program now.  

[RedIguana]

3 hours ago, mafig said:

We booked Early Traditional because of this, even though that starts are 5:00!  

So we'll probably miss sail away from most ports and going under the Skyway Bridge

Not sure if the departure times have changed, but the 2 I have done from Tampa since the restart departed around five and went under the bridge about 7:15. You should make that.

[Happy Cruiser Girl]

Our experience with MTD on the Jewel a couple of weeks ago:

 

I had reserved 6:45 pm every night since that was the earliest time. We tried just showing up earlier, but they said to come back. We ended up liking the table (by a window) so we asked to be seated there every night and we either got the window seat or the one next to it. Although I thought 6:45 pm would be a bit too late since we usually eat dinner earlier at home, it turned out just fine. We only had a long line to wait in 2 nights, but the line moved quickly.

[CruisinNole]

3 hours ago, island lady said:

Yes, recently on B2B Serenade out of Tampa.

 

In the past, well before Covid, we always enjoyed MTD.  Now...we would not dream of doing so.  It is traditional early for us.  No waiting in line.  

 

MTD used to be on the top dining floor, now it is on the main floor, with 6:45 being the norm due to the estimate of when the first seating pax finish their meals.  The MTD pax are simply led to a table when those pax leave.  If too many of first seating decide to linger over coffee and dessert...it sets everything back.  

 

When we would leave our table on that main floor, there would be a line of grouchy pax waiting for a table (with or without reservations) out to the photo gallery.  

 

IMHO...MTD is a total fail program now.  

Thanks for the info. We had MTD reservations for our August Serenade cruise but just cancelled them and purchased the UDP which was on sale. We usually purchase the UDP for short cruises but wanted to go to the main dining room for a couple of nights on this cruise. Your post made us change our minds. And 5pm traditional dining is just too early.

[betmust]

Thanks everyone.  I called Royal and was put on a waitlist for first seating for traditional dining.

On 4/14/2023 at 9:24 AM, mafig said:

We are on Serenade also.  Unfortunately, MyTime doesn't even start until 6:45.  

 

We booked Early Traditional because of this, even though that starts are 5:00!  

So we'll probably miss sail away from most ports and going under the Skyway Bridge (no, I cannot get dh to do the buffet for dinner).

 

 

Oh no. I did not realize it started so late. When I booked (more than a year ago) I was automatically put in for MTD. I never would have booked if I knew it was that late.  I am going to call and see if there is a chance I can change it.  

Thank you

[suzyluvs2cruise]

We were proponents of MTD from it's inception until recently. The change to 6:45 start time (after 1st seating) was a game changer for us as we were always in a line to get in (reservations or not) and many nights did not get seated until well after 7pm. They want to seat you with the same waiter/same table and.....if the early seating people at that table linger.....you have to wait. I get the rationale behind having the same table/same wait team but think MTD would work better if you got the 1st available table. We're not fans of dining at 5pm but will choose that over MTD now. 

[poocher]

And our experience was just the opposite.  If we arrived and our “usual” table was still in use, they immediately offered to seat us elsewhere.  I have had very good luck with MTD my last 2 cruises and I do not consider 6:30 - 7PM eating too late.

Edited April 15, 2023 by poocher

[island lady]

21 hours ago, CruisinNole said:

Thanks for the info. We had MTD reservations for our August Serenade cruise but just cancelled them and purchased the UDP which was on sale. We usually purchase the UDP for short cruises but wanted to go to the main dining room for a couple of nights on this cruise. Your post made us change our minds. And 5pm traditional dining is just too early.

 

You are most welcome.  I think you did the right thing.  We will no longer book MTD, unless they change the program for the better again, but I don't see that happening anytime soon.  

[Giantfan13]

23 hours ago, Happy Cruiser Girl said:

Our experience with MTD on the Jewel a couple of weeks ago:

 

I had reserved 6:45 pm every night since that was the earliest time. We tried just showing up earlier, but they said to come back. We ended up liking the table (by a window) so we asked to be seated there every night and we either got the window seat or the one next to it. Although I thought 6:45 pm would be a bit too late since we usually eat dinner earlier at home, it turned out just fine. We only had a long line to wait in 2 nights, but the line moved quickly.

We also do MTD and always prefer a 6:30 slot which is no more. But, unlike your experience, we showed up when we wanted and we were always seated earlier. We have done this for our last 3 cruises and never have been told to come back later. It's like you don't have a reservation and show up to eat as what MTD is about. 

 

Cheers

Len

[davekathy]

1 minute ago, Giantfan13 said:

We also do MTD and always prefer a 6:30 slot which is no more. But, unlike your experience, we showed up when we wanted and we were always seated earlier. We have done this for our last 3 cruises and never have been told to come back later. It's like you don't have a reservation and show up to eat as what MTD is about. 

 

Cheers

Len

Until MTD really became popular and if you wanted early (6:00PM) you needed reservations. That's when RC had two lines for MTD. One for those with reservations and one for no reservations. We stopped doing MTD on our March 2022 B2B cruise on the Explorer. At that time early MTD started at 7:15. We switch to early TD (6:00 PM) prior to our sail date. We saw long lines stretching back to studio B every night (both legs) for MTD when we were leaving the MDR. We'll continue with early TD. 

[island lady]

37 minutes ago, davekathy said:

Until MTD really became popular and if you wanted early (6:00PM) you needed reservations. That's when RC had two lines for MTD. One for those with reservations and one for no reservations. We stopped doing MTD on our March 2022 B2B cruise on the Explorer. At that time early MTD started at 7:15. We switch to early TD (6:00 PM) prior to our sail date. We saw long lines stretching back to studio B every night (both legs) for MTD when we were leaving the MDR. We'll continue with early TD. 

 

I can definitely attest to that!  🤗 Was on same cruise here with Dave and Kathy, witnessed same awful experience of the way MTD was being handled, and have witnessed same on each ship since then. 

 

We also switched to early traditional on that cruise on EX..(was lucky to get it so late) and have done so now on each cruise since then.   

 

Couldn't be happier now.  We always check table location upon boarding, and then simply walk directly to table at opening time for dinner...no line...no waiting.  Same wait staff, who knows our preferences.  🙂 

[Giantfan13]

6 hours ago, davekathy said:

Until MTD really became popular and if you wanted early (6:00PM) you needed reservations. That's when RC had two lines for MTD. One for those with reservations and one for no reservations. We stopped doing MTD on our March 2022 B2B cruise on the Explorer. At that time early MTD started at 7:15. We switch to early TD (6:00 PM) prior to our sail date. We saw long lines stretching back to studio B every night (both legs) for MTD when we were leaving the MDR. We'll continue with early TD. 

We have done some form of MTD on every cruise we have ever been on, dating back some 25 years when NCL first started with their Free Style Dining. I understand what you are saying, but what I said was I just showed up a bit earlier than my reservation and I explained it to the person assigning seating that we cannot start eating at 7:00 and they always took us whenever we showed up. We weren't trying to be cute and get ahead of everyone else. There is always seating available at 6:30 and we have never had any problems getting seated within 5 minutes of arriving.

We did consider a regular early dining time, but on our last couple of cruises it was 5:30 and that is just way too early.

 

Cheers

Len

[davekathy]

38 minutes ago, Giantfan13 said:

We have done some form of MTD on every cruise we have ever been on, dating back some 25 years when NCL first started with their Free Style Dining. I understand what you are saying, but what I said was I just showed up a bit earlier than my reservation and I explained it to the person assigning seating that we cannot start eating at 7:00 and they always took us whenever we showed up. We weren't trying to be cute and get ahead of everyone else. There is always seating available at 6:30 and we have never had any problems getting seated within 5 minutes of arriving.

We did consider a regular early dining time, but on our last couple of cruises it was 5:30 and that is just way too early.

 

Cheers

Len

Things may have changed from our March 2022 B2B Explorer cruise, but the staff wasn't seating anyone earlier than the 7:15 start time. I had heard from a few on our TAD that weren't happy with the MTD long wait times.  

[QueSeraSera]

I think you'll have a great cruise, with plenty of food and fun.  We just completed a great cruise on Odyssey and, honestly, never understood the impact of MTD.  - Useless I guess but confident you all will have blast!