My Family time dining question

[JimLahey]

Once I learned the details of My Family Time Dining, I knew it would be awesome for our trip. No way my kids will last a full multi-course meal.

One issue: it says it is only for the early seating. Unfortunately, the early seating is all filled for our cruise. We are on a waiting list, but we did get My Time Dining instead of the late seating.

So my question: if we don’t get the early seating, can we still participate in My Family Time Dining program if we are on My Dining Time and if we make our dinner reservation for the same as the early seating?

[nomadiccrocodilehunter]

I am sorry that I don't know the answer to your question, Jim, but I have a related question.

 

We are lucky enough to have early seating. Do we need to contact our TA to request My Family Time dining? Or should we book it on the ship with the Maitre'D perhaps? Or do we just send our child up to the front of the dining room at some appointed time?

 

Can anyone provide some guidance about this, please (as well as help the OP)?

[Cel_cruise]

Once I learned the details of My Family Time Dining, I knew it would be awesome for our trip. No way my kids will last a full multi-course meal.

 

One issue: it says it is only for the early seating. Unfortunately, the early seating is all filled for our cruise. We are on a waiting list, but we did get My Time Dining instead of the late seating.

 

So my question: if we don’t get the early seating, can we still participate in My Family Time Dining program if we are on My Dining Time and if we make our dinner reservation for the same as the early seating?

 

 

 

We had MTD on NAV in Feb 2015 and we participated!! It was great - and I think better than early seating.

 

We would book a 5:45 reservation, usually be seated around 5:50. After the first night (when there is no kids club anyway) - we understood the menu so it was easier to get thru the orderig for the kids quickly. We did have to explain what we wanted to do to our waiters but after explaining it - they understood and did a great job the rest of the nights!

 

We would ask our waiter to bring a fruit cup and a ceaser salad as soon as we got there for the kids, then they had their entree by 6:15 or so (usually the chicken breast with gravy - it was SOOO good!) and apple slices and then at 6:30, Andre would bring them their brownie Sunday with a chocolate chip cookie topper. They would eat (but never finish) until 6:40 and then we would walk them to the 4th floor. The person would would walk them down was gone about 5 minutes max, sometimes 3 minutes.

 

The adults always enjoyed desert alone and many times even finished our main courses alone. It was very nice!

 

Andre (our assistant waiter) even cut the kids chicken up so I didn't have to! And he kept on top of them to eat their chicken so he could bring their deserts on time! Truly made our cruise special to have him chiding them along instead of me having to do it!! We thanked him generously at the end of our trip!

 

Those that went to early seating would be siting at 5:30, that meant the kids didn't leave for 1 hour 10 minutes....that's too long!!! Stick with MTD! It's great! And it gives you the option to see an early show with kids, then feed them in wind jammer, and then enjoy an adult meal at MDR after dropping them off at kids club once too!

[nolesrule]

We've done it without ever actually signing up for My Family Time Dining. As long as you have early seating or an early MTD reservation, you should be good.

 

Adventure Ocean does only one pickup from the MDR. You need to find out what time they do that pickup and on which floor, and let them know that your children will be participating, so that they will be expecting your kids.

 

Your MTD reservations will need to be early enough so that your kids will actually be done eating and you can walk them out to the pickup point (they have to be escorted there) at the proper time.

 

You can tell your waiter you want the kids' meals expedited, and they'll bring out the kids' courses rather quickly.

[LadyBeBop]

Can we inform AO that our child will participate in the pick-up that day? We are on MTD. I'm not sure if my granddaughter would sit through a long dinner. She's pretty good at dining out, but nothing this long.

[nolesrule]

Can we inform AO that our child will participate in the pick-up that day? We are on MTD. I'm not sure if my granddaughter would sit through a long dinner. She's pretty good at dining out, but nothing this long.

 

Yes, you can. They need to know ahead of time, so when you register the child with Adventure Ocean on the first day of the cruise, just ask about their procedure for letting them know.

[Cel_cruise]

Can we inform AO that our child will participate in the pick-up that day? We are on MTD. I'm not sure if my granddaughter would sit through a long dinner. She's pretty good at dining out, but nothing this long.

 

 

On NAV we signed up for AO and also got a kids compass daily. The compass had instructions for which things needed to be coordinated ahead of time and which ones we could just show up for.

 

For dinner pick up - as long as we had or paperwork filled out, we didn't have to do anything ahead of time like sign up. The night the kids had dinner with the AO staff - that we had to sign up ahead of time for so hey knew how much pizza to make! (Kids loved being in the windjammer with their friends while it was closed to everyone else!!)

[BlueSkiesTX]

We've done it without ever actually signing up for My Family Time Dining. As long as you have early seating or an early MTD reservation, you should be good.

 

Adventure Ocean does only one pickup from the MDR. You need to find out what time they do that pickup and on which floor, and let them know that your children will be participating, so that they will be expecting your kids.

 

Your MTD reservations will need to be early enough so that your kids will actually be done eating and you can walk them out to the pickup point (they have to be escorted there) at the proper time.

 

You can tell your waiter you want the kids' meals expedited, and they'll bring out the kids' courses rather quickly.

 

Nolesrule-That's great info! We are stuck in MTD this time around with our three little ones. I was hoping I could do an early dinner reservation and still send them away with the AO staff. Thanks!

[HMH G]

Trying to make sure I understand how this works...

We are currently signed up for late dining, but we are going to try and switch it to my time dining (early dining is full already, they said) because we have young kids and don't want to eat super late. Can we still use the family dining program if we arent actually signed up for the early dining? If we use my time dining, but schedule it for 6PM or so? Is there a time cut off? I called and asked but no one seemed to know.

And just to confirm, it is available on Liberty of the Seas, right?!

 

Thanks!

[Clarea]

Trying to make sure I understand how this works...

We are currently signed up for late dining, but we are going to try and switch it to my time dining (early dining is full already, they said) because we have young kids and don't want to eat super late. Can we still use the family dining program if we arent actually signed up for the early dining? If we use my time dining, but schedule it for 6PM or so? Is there a time cut off? I called and asked but no one seemed to know.

And just to confirm, it is available on Liberty of the Seas, right?!

 

Thanks!

The program is available on Liberty. My understanding was that you had to be in traditional early dining to take part in My Family Time Dining. However, check with the Adventure Ocean people, maybe you can make it work with an early My Time.

[Ashland]

How old are your littles? Our grandson (3) in the Aquanauts and they took them to dinner in the WJ at 5:30.

[HMH G]

How old are your littles? Our grandson (3) in the Aquanauts and they took them to dinner in the WJ at 5:30.

 

 

They will be 3 and 4 years old.

 

 

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[Ashland]

They will be 3 and 4 years old.

 

 

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Then they can and will take them to dinner...This just recently worked out great for us...Just have them there (at the Aquanauts room in Adventure Ocean) just before 5:30pm. All the info you need will be in the "Kids Daily Planner" their version of the Cruise Compass that will be left in your cabin each night along with yours.

[alisatj]

It doesn't matter what kind of dining you have. You just have to have the kids at the meeting point at the correct time.

 

We registered our kids for AO on the first day. On the second and every following day, AO staff came to the MDR at a set time. I think it may have been 645.

 

We took the kids to the meeting point and wrote their names on the 'roll' that the staff brought. Then they walked the kids from the MDR over to AO. We could then pick the kids up at 10pm when they closed.

 

The trick is to have the kids done eating by the time the staff is coming for pick up. If you miss them, then you have to traipse all the way to the other end of the ship and back to drop them off yourself.

 

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[ONECRUISER]

Can we inform AO that our child will participate in the pick-up that day? We are on MTD. I'm not sure if my granddaughter would sit through a long dinner. She's pretty good at dining out, but nothing this long.

You have to take your kid to the spot at front of dining room on time for your child to be escorted to AO, they won't wait but 3-5 min and they're gone. Usually best to have early reg dining or Family dining. Or just take child yourself to AO after you are all done eating...

[Cel_cruise]

We will be on MTD with 5:45/6:00 reservations and plan to take advantage of the pick up option at 6:40 for our cruise on Liberty next week. 45 minutes is more than enough time for my kids to eat! DH and I will enjoy a more leisurely pace and finish after they leave.

 

I don't do My Family time Dining - a 5:30 start time for early dinner with a 6:40 pick up is too long for the kids to be at dinner to consider this a benefit.

 

 

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[HMH G]

Thank you!

 

 

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[CruisinWithMySweetie]

Trying to make sure I understand how this works...

We are currently signed up for late dining, but we are going to try and switch it to my time dining (early dining is full already, they said) because we have young kids and don't want to eat super late. Can we still use the family dining program if we arent actually signed up for the early dining? If we use my time dining, but schedule it for 6PM or so? Is there a time cut off? I called and asked but no one seemed to know.

And just to confirm, it is available on Liberty of the Seas, right?!

 

Thanks!

 

Heather - how did the My Time Dining and getting your kids to the AO staff outside the MDR work for you on the Liberty cruise? Were the waiters able to expedite your kids meals so they'd be done eating in time so the AO staff could still bring them to AO?

[kayo kruiser]

We have booked 5:30 pm My Family Time Dining for our 3 and 4 year old to eat with us through the 7 night cruise on Oasis of the Seas.  Does anyone know if that means we are in the same Main Dining Room where the early 6:15 pm seating takes place or are we in the "My Time" dining room?  Also, does anyone know if being booked for My Family Time dining means we will be assigned the same Table # and same waiter/sommelier every night?  We also enjoy getting to know the dining room staff so, for that reason, don't like "My Time".

thanks for any info.

[spookwife]

On 4/23/2015 at 6:26 AM, JimLahey said:

Once I learned the details of My Family Time Dining, I knew it would be awesome for our trip. No way my kids will last a full multi-course meal.

One issue: it says it is only for the early seating. Unfortunately, the early seating is all filled for our cruise. We are on a waiting list, but we did get My Time Dining instead of the late seating.

So my question: if we don’t get the early seating, can we still participate in My Family Time Dining program if we are on My Dining Time and if we make our dinner reservation for the same as the early seating?

 just ask when and where the  meet up is( tends to be at the MDR entrance on the floor with  traditional seating)  and you should be able to bring the kids over with no issue.  

[little britain]

So the whole family have to dine early? It isn’t possible for the kids to eat and then the parents go and have dinner later?

[nolesrule]

2 minutes ago, little britain said:

So the whole family have to dine early? It isn’t possible for the kids to eat and then the parents go and have dinner later?

 

If you're wanting to do that, just take the kids to Windjammer, then drop them off at Adventure ocean and plan your own dining for later.

Edited February 11, 2020 by nolesrule

[Bupperd00dle]

Can anyone confirm if they are still doing this now in this sort of post-covid world? We signed up for the early My Family Time dining so we could do this with my 3-year old daughter but want to make sure 🙂 Also, any notable differences on how this may change on a 4-night cruise vs 7-night? Any other tips to live by? @Cel_cruise thanks for sharing your experience! All of that above is so helpful!

[Ashland]

1 hour ago, Bupperd00dle said:

Can anyone confirm if they are still doing this now in this sort of post-covid world? We signed up for the early My Family Time dining so we could do this with my 3-year old daughter but want to make sure 🙂 Also, any notable differences on how this may change on a 4-night cruise vs 7-night? Any other tips to live by? @Cel_cruise thanks for sharing your experience! All of that above is so helpful!

This isn't an option at this time.

[Biker19]

7 hours ago, Bupperd00dle said:

Any other tips to live by?

Bring patience pills.