My Time Dining, or Traditional (8:30pm)?

[aeonix01]

I have traditional dining for now. Should I switch up to my time? Can I do that? I'm debating a switch, if I can, but am not sure if it's wise.

 

My fiancee doesn't usually eat dinner that late. I'm sure she can find something aboard to tide her over, that's not an issue. Is My Time dining better than 8:30?

 

I'm just not sure how My Time lines up against ports of call vs. dining at 8:30. What do you guys do?

[cdamion]

I very much prefer traditional dining over My Time Dining. For me, part of the cruise experience is having the same wait staff and table mates every single night. Also, I have had bad luck on the few days that I tried My Time Dining (not on RCI) where the waits were long. I have been lucky with having great table mates thus far and I have had pretty good to great wait staff.

 

As far as whether to go with early or late seating, I check the sailaway times from each port as well as try to get a look at the cruise compass to see what times things are scheduled. Usually they schedule things twice if they conflict with early or late dinner, but that is not always the case.

[sweetcruiser106]

I believe that you can switch to My Time Dining. We were originally scheduled for early traditional dining, but due to over scheduling at that time we were moved to a set time in the My Time section of the dining room. We picked a time that worked well for us and most likely will never go back to traditional dining. When you book My Time Dining, you can book the time that is most convenient for you if that time is available. Do what is best for you. Have a great time! Congratulations on your upcoming marriage:D.

Anne:)

[eel]

I have traditional dining for now. Should I switch up to my time? Can I do that? I'm debating a switch, if I can, but am not sure if it's wise.

 

My fiancee doesn't usually eat dinner that late. I'm sure she can find something aboard to tide her over, that's not an issue. Is My Time dining better than 8:30?

 

I'm just not sure how My Time lines up against ports of call vs. dining at 8:30. What do you guys do?

 

We love My Time dining. It gives you the flexibility you need to work around port schedules. Most of the time we ask for and are seated with the same wait staff. You can request to share a table with others if you prefer that. You can meet a lot of people that way.

[waterdave]

if you really like eating in the dining room you should do the fixed time dining, there is no wait to be seated and youll have the same two waitstaff every evening who are pretty good at quickly learning your special needs.

 

But if you plan on eating in specialty restaurants, and only going to the dining room a couple of times, than my time is probably best for you....

 

Just keep on mind that the formal /semiformal nights on oasis were the only nights that i had a 15 minutes+ wait to be seated when i did my time dining, and when your all dressed up it stinks to have to wait!

[Merion_Mom]

I have traditional dining for now. Should I switch up to my time? Can I do that? I'm debating a switch, if I can, but am not sure if it's wise.

 

My fiancee doesn't usually eat dinner that late. I'm sure she can find something aboard to tide her over, that's not an issue. Is My Time dining better than 8:30?

 

I'm just not sure how My Time lines up against ports of call vs. dining at 8:30. What do you guys do?

 

Do you want to spend the cruise just staring into your beloved's eyes? Do you want as much "couple time" as possible? Would you like to make the rest of the world just go away?

 

If so, then book My Time Dining. You will have a table for two every night.

 

Do you want to be social and meet lots of people? Do you want to spend dinnertime comparing your days and activities with other cruisers? Do you want conversation with a group, not just with your beloved?

 

Then stick with traditional dining.

 

:)

[English_in_Spain]

They will be on their honeymoon ;)

[EBFURR]

We just returned from Freedom of the Seas on Sunday and opted for my time dining - we have always had late seating on previous cruises except for a 5 day Enchantment on which we also had my time dining. This turned out to be one of the best aspects of our cruise by far. On the Freedom, they really have the my time dining nailed; they do it perfectly. We never did reserve in advance; we just showed up with our party of four. This usually turned out to be around 7:30PM since that was when everyone seemed to be ready. We never waited for more than a minute or two (essentially no wait) and we were seated. We really liked our waiter the first night, so we asked for him again and were automatically seated with him every night thereafter without asking. We were seated at a prime table right next to the window and were alternated between it and the adjacent table all week. We have never had better seating arrangements. The service was outstanding. They were so efficient and attentive to us and all of those around us that it almost seemed like 15 years ago. On our past several cruises with late seating we were often in the dining room untill well after 10:00PM. It seemed like we were constantly waiting for something. The My time staff on Freedom was so efficient that we never felt like things were lagging. We never felt rushed; things just seemed to flow along smoothly. Our average time in the dining room seemed to be about 1 hour & 15 minutes including desert, coffee, etc. This was plenty of time to enjoy our meal and we still had plenty of evening left afterwards.

 

I have no idea how they manage to pull this off with the number of people and the random nature of the arrivals, but they do and they do it very well. RCI has really scored a home run in our opinion. By the way, there seemed to be plenty of tables for two around as well.

 

Although we prepaid the tips as required for my time, we were happy to kick in a little extra for the wait staff at the end of the week for their outstanding efforts.

[Vanilla]

On the Allure they have 3 floors of dining rooms, 2 of those are for traditional dining and 1 is for anytime. I was surprised that the demand was higher for traditional dining (hence the 2 dining rooms). We prefer the traditional because of the same tablemates, same waitstaff, and if you have food allergies - most of the time, the waiter remembers that and makes sure there are no shellfish/mushrooms/etc... in whatever you order.

[Doctor Pedantic]

I originally booked late seating (we are a family of five) because that gives everyone time to finish the day's activities, shower, and dress for a relaxing dinner. We also live in California so depending on how we adjust to the time change, 8:30 might still feel like 5:30!

 

I kept vacillating because I heard so many great things about MTD, so yesterday I called RC to switch and was told there was no availability. We are sailing on Freedom of the Seas on August 7, which is later than your cruise, so I suggest that you call right away to see if this is even an option for you.

 

Good luck, and congratulations!

[negc]

I have traditional dining for now. Should I switch up to my time? Can I do that? I'm debating a switch, if I can, but am not sure if it's wise.

 

My fiancee doesn't usually eat dinner that late. I'm sure she can find something aboard to tide her over, that's not an issue. Is My Time dining better than 8:30?

 

I'm just not sure how My Time lines up against ports of call vs. dining at 8:30. What do you guys do?

Is there a time in the evening that would be better for you fiancee? Might there be some nights when you would want or need to eat earlier or later than 8:30? If so, you might want to switch to My Time Dining. You can then eat at the time you choose, whether it be the same time every evening or a different time each night. If you want you can even request to have the same wait staff every evening and they will do their best to accommodate you, though it might not always be possible. If there is space available in My Time Dining you should be able to switch either now or shortly after you board.

My Time Dining is not necessarily "better" than traditional dining (early or late). It depends on how you feel about dining at set times or being somewhat more fliexible in making your dining time arrangements.

I was a traditionalist who had bad experiences with Princess' version of Anytime Dining, but tried My Time Dining when RCI introduced it and quickly became a convert. On those few occasions where circumstances caused us to book traditional late seating, I found that it is now much later than I like, so whenever possible we select MTD. I have also found that it is possible to join others in MTD if you wish to do so and other guests are agreeable, and to invite other MTD diners to join you for dinner should you make friends with them elsewhere on the ship and decide that they would be pleasant dinner companions. You are required to prepay your gratuities should you choose MTD, but since we have always tipped the staff at a minimum at least of the suggested amounts, we have never had a problem with this requirement and we have experienced absolutely no diminution of the quality of service we have received.:)

[karena1]

We Love MTD, will never go back to traditional. We never make reservations, just go when we feel like it. Never have waited more than 10 minutes. We thought we would miss the "big table thing", but found we love eating alone, catching up on the day, etc. We meet so many people when we cruise, we enjoy the "alone" time at dinner.

 

Always have had the same waitstaff for the entire cruise. Service is fantastic and you can eat at your pace without waiting for someone else.

[Excited to sail]

We are sailing on Adventure of the Seas in January and have never sailed Royal Caribbean before. We have never done My Time Dining, but we are setup for My Time Dining now, since the 8pm traditional dining option is full. How do you schedule your mealtime with My Time Dining? Do you have to go to the Dining room every morning to set up a time for that evening?? Can you mix it up and sit with people one night, then the next night sit alone at a table for 2?

Has anyone experienced My Time Dining specifically on Adventure of the Seas? I would imagine the dining hall will be totally over-crowded at the 8pm time, so can we still eat at 8pm if we want to with the My Time option?

Thanks!

[Jimnbigd]

Evening shows in the theater are coordinated with fixed traditional dining. If you want to see most of the shows, you might want to stay with traditional dining. Also, the Windjammer buffet is always MTD, and I have read it is really good at night. Not the same as being waited on in the dining room, but at least it is an option if you get hungry. You could even go to the Windjammer around 6pm (or whenever it opens in the evening) for a snack (maybe even sushi), then still go to the dining room at 8:30pm.

 

Hmmmm...I just saw you already sailed -- the Explorer of the Seas. So what did you decide?

[callaghan0416]

DH and I love traditional dining. We enjoy having the same wait staff and we always sit alone. But, the times of traditional could have been better, so last cruise we opted for MTD at 645.... best decision we ever made. We spoke to the head waiter and were seated with the same wait staff every night and had the luxury of doing it on our schedule.

BTW...we eat by ourselves because we either have three children with us or are child-less!

[Host Faith]

We are sailing on Adventure of the Seas in January and have never sailed Royal Caribbean before. We have never done My Time Dining, but we are setup for My Time Dining now, since the 8pm traditional dining option is full. How do you schedule your mealtime with My Time Dining? Do you have to go to the Dining room every morning to set up a time for that evening?? Can you mix it up and sit with people one night, then the next night sit alone at a table for 2?

Has anyone experienced My Time Dining specifically on Adventure of the Seas? I would imagine the dining hall will be totally over-crowded at the 8pm time, so can we still eat at 8pm if we want to with the My Time option?

Thanks!

 

 

We had MTD on the Adventure a few years back and loved it. The first day of the cruise, I went to the dining room to confirm our MTD, and let them know what time we planned to be there that night. They also asked us what time we anticipated arriving for dinner during the rest of the cruise. I said we would probably be there around 7-7:30.

 

Honestly, we just showed up most nights around that time and didn't have more than a 5-minute wait. We liked MTD, since we sat in the same area every night, and had the same waiters all week. We had a table for two as well. You can call the dining room from your stateroom if you really want to make a reservation for that evening.

[negc]

We are sailing on Adventure of the Seas in January and have never sailed Royal Caribbean before. We have never done My Time Dining, but we are setup for My Time Dining now, since the 8pm traditional dining option is full. How do you schedule your mealtime with My Time Dining? Do you have to go to the Dining room every morning to set up a time for that evening?? Can you mix it up and sit with people one night, then the next night sit alone at a table for 2?

Has anyone experienced My Time Dining specifically on Adventure of the Seas? I would imagine the dining hall will be totally over-crowded at the 8pm time, so can we still eat at 8pm if we want to with the My Time option?

Thanks!

You don't have to make reservations for MTD. You can just show up and they will usually seat you with only a minimum wait. Unlike Princess, you won't be handed a beeper and told that you will have a forty five minute wait.:mad: If you prefer you can at the start of the cruise, make a standing reservation for a specific time (creating your own version of traditional dining) or you can make reservations on a daily basis for the same or different times each day. If you find a wait staff that you especially like, you can request to be seated at one of their tables and the MTD staff will do their best to accommodate you. (In such instances you might need to be a bit flexible in choosing a time to dine in the event that their tables are already taken for certain times of the evening.)

We were traditional diners until we experienced Royal Caribbean's My Time Dining and found it works out better for us and we have never had to miss a show or other activity because we were always able to adjust our dining schedule to fit our plans for the rest of the evening.:)

[karinad]

Hmmm.....now I don't know what to do! We're leaving on the EOS Nov. 10. We usually sail with Princess, not because we're loyal, but because of the price or where it goes. We never get Traditional Dining on Princess. I went with late seating on our upcoming cruise, because I thought of waiting with the beepers on some nights, and always getting the disapproving look from the hostess when we said that we wanted a table for 2. I'm also thinking of all the sea days. We tend to eat earlier, not by much, on sea days. No matter what, it's usually not before 8:00 that we leave the cabin. We also tend to like to see the shows later, not necessarily the production shows (broadway). What's anyones advice?

[Traveling Library]

We love MTD and will never go back to traditional dining. We tend to eat at the same time 7-ish so we make a reservation but you don't have to. Some cruises we've sat at different tables each night and have a lovely time meeting lots of people. Other cruises we've sat with the same people at the same table and other times we've sat with some of the same people (one other couple we met at MTD) but at different tables and with 1 or 2 other couples filling out the 6 or 8 top. If you like your waiter and/or table then request to be seated there. They do their best to meet your requests. There are a fair number of tables for 2 but we like sharing.

[critterchick]

I love the flexibility of MTD. I prefer to eat when I'm hungry, which could be 7:00 or 8:30. And the pace of dinner flows better - no waiting for the table next to us to finish their appetizers so the waiter can be more efficient about fetching the next course, no waiting for tablemates who may never show up, no nodding off waiting for dessert.

[Cruising Erin]

I'm a huge fan of traditional late seating. We'll grab a snack if we're hungry earlier but it's great to not have to rush when we've had a full day in port. We have met wonderful people at our dining table and have always had great service.

[negc]

Hmmm.....now I don't know what to do! We're leaving on the EOS Nov. 10. We usually sail with Princess, not because we're loyal, but because of the price or where it goes. We never get Traditional Dining on Princess. I went with late seating on our upcoming cruise, because I thought of waiting with the beepers on some nights, and always getting the disapproving look from the hostess when we said that we wanted a table for 2. I'm also thinking of all the sea days. We tend to eat earlier, not by much, on sea days. No matter what, it's usually not before 8:00 that we leave the cabin. We also tend to like to see the shows later, not necessarily the production shows (broadway). What's anyones advice?

 

You won't get a beeper on RCI if you have My Time Dining and there are a good number of tables for two in the MTD section so you won't suffer any disapproving looks from the host or hostess if you request one. Seems to me that MTD dining (which is usually available from 5:30 until 9:30) fits your requirements wonderfully. If you find a wait staff that you especially like, you can request to be seated at one of their tables for the remainder of the cruise and the staff will strive to accommodate you.:)

[Bookish Angel]

Early is too early and late seating is too late so the flexibility of MTD is perfect for us.

 

We've never waited more than 10 minutes for a table and enjoying dining alone.

[karinad]

Thanks, I think MTD does sound better. I wonder if it could be changed so close to sailing?? We're 3 wks. away. I'll call my TA today.

 

Sorry, I don't mean to hijack this thread. Thanks for starting it. It's very informative. I'm just realizing how close we are to going!

[Host Faith]

Thanks, I think MTD does sound better. I wonder if it could be changed so close to sailing?? We're 3 wks. away. I'll call my TA today.

 

Sorry, I don't mean to hijack this thread. Thanks for starting it. It's very informative. I'm just realizing how close we are to going!

 

You may be able to change it with your TA, though you will have to pay the gratuities now, even if you're put on the wait list.

 

When we found that out, we decided to wait and change to MTD when we got on the ship. We had no problems switching from late dining to MTD a couple hours after boarding.