Changing Fixed to Any Time Dining Once on Board

[Mimiya11]

A group of 11 of us are currently booked for 6pm fixed dining but.... with our cruise being port intensive, we suspect that will be challenging and 8:30 pm is way too late.   

 

The question is

Are we able to change fixed dining to any time dining once we board the ship?  Chances are all 11 of us will not be eating together regularly anyway but wanted to try it for at least the first 2 nights.  

 

Thank you.  

 

   

 

 

 

[MandyMooToo]

You can go to the MDR and ask that you all be moved to MTD as soon as you board.  But I would suggest reaching out to RCCL dining beforehand by email.  The ship and sail date must be in the subject line and then list names, booking numbers and cabin numbers (if they have them and aren't awaiting a guaranty assignment) of everyone. Ask that all reservations be moved to MTD.  The biggest thing to consider here is will you want to eat together in groups of more than 4 or 6?  If so, then you need to plan for what nights, times, etc. and ask to be accommodated.  My concern would be moving everyone from a connected dinner reservation that is set to MTD and then 8-11 people showing up for a table at a random time.  Who knows how long you would have to wait?? 

[HicksRA]

You can contact rcl dining at rcldining at rccl dot com. 

[1025cruise]

Assuming there is space available in MTD, yes. I would try to do this ahead of time.

[taglovestocruise]

33 minutes ago, Mimiya11 said:

Are we able to change fixed dining to any time dining once we board the ship?  Chances are all 11 of us will not be eating together regularly anyway but wanted to try it for at least the first 2 nights.  

 

Thank you.  

 

If you can make the the change it will be permanent, there is no going back and forth.  MTD usually starts at 6:45 at the earliest. 

[cruisegus]

3 hours ago, 1025cruise said:

Assuming there is space available in MTD, yes. I would try to do this ahead of time.

Much easier to change to MTD than to go the other way, at least to Early Traditional.

[surgie]

15 hours ago, taglovestocruise said:

If you can make the the change it will be permanent, there is no going back and forth.  MTD usually starts at 6:45 at the earliest. 

I debated about which way to go for this and ended up with early fixed dining (better for the kids). I've gone back and forth about what to do as some days we will likely be eating at the port and we have a specialty dinner or two. But I'm wondering why MTD begins so late? When our TA originally chose this for us, I liked the idea of trying for a 6:00 seating that I planned to request for MTD but I've read so much about waits and not getting seated until 7:00. So I guess I need to keep my traditional early time. 

[Biker19]

55 minutes ago, surgie said:

But I'm wondering why MTD begins so late?

That's when tables become available after first fixed seating.

[HicksRA]

2 hours ago, surgie said:

I debated about which way to go for this and ended up with early fixed dining (better for the kids). I've gone back and forth about what to do as some days we will likely be eating at the port and we have a specialty dinner or two. But I'm wondering why MTD begins so late? When our TA originally chose this for us, I liked the idea of trying for a 6:00 seating that I planned to request for MTD but I've read so much about waits and not getting seated until 7:00. So I guess I need to keep my traditional early time. 

Originally, they had one deck exclusive to my time dining so my timers could actually start at 5:00. Fixed dining was exclusive to the other floors. 
Some brainiac at Royal decided they’d put fixed dining on all three floors and the my time diners would just have to squeeze in between them - thus my time doesn’t start now until after early fixed dining is cleared out. 

[pcur]

3 hours ago, HicksRA said:

Originally, they had one deck exclusive to my time dining so my timers could actually start at 5:00. Fixed dining was exclusive to the other floors. 
Some brainiac at Royal decided they’d put fixed dining on all three floors and the my time diners would just have to squeeze in between them - thus my time doesn’t start now until after early fixed dining is cleared out. 

Correct.

 

MTD was a nightmare for the first 3-4 nights on the Jewel Transatlantic last month 4/5 - 4/20.  HUNDREDS of people showing up 6:45 - 7:15 with no tables available.  

 

I went in the early afternoon on embarkation day to confirm our dining location.  First night I saw the mob, and went up to the dining manager I had talked to that afternoon, and told him quietly that we would be eating elsewhere that night because of the crowded conditions.  He made me wait a few minutes and had me seated, since we had an assigned table.  Then, I went back and got my friends.

 

On our way out I told him we wanted that table and waiters every night.  The next night it was the same, and we walked through to crowd and to our table. 

 

Our waiter showed us the "back way" to get into the dining room.  On the Jewel there are cabins next to Guest Services, 4580 - 4590, and an open entry to the dining room.  It's great for getting to your assigned table without having run the gauntlet of people at the main entrance.

[cruiseboy89130]

56 minutes ago, pcur said:

MTD was a nightmare for the first 3-4 nights on the Jewel Transatlantic last month 4/5 - 4/20.  HUNDREDS of people showing up 6:45 - 7:15 with no tables available.  

Same on Odyssey TA!

[surgie]

On 5/11/2024 at 1:49 PM, cruiseboy89130 said:

Same on Odyssey TA!

I think I will stick with Fixed Dining even though 5:30 won't be convenient on some nights. We can just go to Windjammer if we have to. There are 11 of us so I don't think we can all be seated together in the MDR on Radiance anyway. 

[Mimiya11]

Thanks all for your responses.   We are going to stick to the 6pm Fixed Dining as all 15! of us are linked and know that odds of us at least having tables close to one another are more realistic this way.  And if we end up having long port days, we will find other dining options.  

 

[c-leg5]

2 hours ago, Mimiya11 said:

Thanks all for your responses.   We are going to stick to the 6pm Fixed Dining as all 15! of us are linked and know that odds of us at least having tables close to one another are more realistic this way.  And if we end up having long port days, we will find other dining options.  

 

Is this a European sailing?

[Mimiya11]

15 minutes ago, c-leg5 said:

Is this a European sailing?

Yes.  Out of Rome.