My time dining queston

[Blue Flamingo]

Sailing on Freedom of the Seas in September, we have my time dining. How does this work? My reservation is 5:45 --8:45 do we arrive anytime during this time? I did put a time, and this showed up on my reservation.

Thanks, this is our first time cruising with RC.

[Clarea]

When you have My Time, it is your choice to make a reservation for a specific time, or just show up with no reservation. Reservations are not mandatory.

[Rewind]

My time dining can work in two ways. You can just show up whenever you want between the window of 5:45 and 8:45 but you can expect to wait a while to get a table. Or you can make a specific time reservation (say 6:15) and then show up at that time and your table should be waiting for you.

[xpcdoojk]

My experience is that you normally get seated quicker if you have a reservation time. It doesn't have to be the same every night.

 

jc

[marys350]

Sailing on Freedom of the Seas in September, we have my time dining. How does this work? My reservation is 5:45 --8:45 do we arrive anytime during this time? I did put a time, and this showed up on my reservation.

Thanks, this is our first time cruising with RC.

 

What specific time did you select when you made your My Time Dining reservations in advance? Did you pick the same time every day or different times on different days?

 

When we made our reservations online, we selected 6:45 every night. On the cruise planner section of our online reservation, our dining reservation was listed as 6:45-8:45. I have made My Time Dining reservations in advance on several Royal Caribbean cruises. My understanding is that the reservation is for the time that you selected and does not mean to show up anytime within that window of time. We always stop by the dining room and check in with the Maitre D' to confirm our reservations in the afternoon after boarding the ship. Even if you make reservations in advance, you can still change them once on the ship if your plans change.

 

Enjoy your first Royal Caribbean cruise and My Time dining!

[Blue Flamingo]

Thank you everyone, I'm really looking forward to our cruise.

[mysticbluebmw]

We also have My Time dining, and we made our reservations for the earliest time each day except for one of the port days when we get back to the ship a little later. You just use the cruise planner to make all your reservations. Good luck and have a fun vacation!

[razorkd]

How far in advance do the reservations usually open?

[Clarea]

How far in advance do the reservations usually open?

Unfortunatly, there is no "usual" time. Could be over 120 days or less than 60 days. All you can do is keep checking the website.

[Earthworm Jim]

The whole process of the dinner reservations seems like it will be a hassle if you are trying to time dinner to work well with whatever the show time is that night. First you have to try and research when the show will be each night, then you have to make all you reservation.

 

But maybe it isn't that hard. Perhaps the shoe times info is readily available but I just accidentally haven't come across it yet. (Too early now for me to make dinner reservation)

[oldplayer532]

With "My time" , in my understanding, you get a different table in MDR every night. I get "attached" to "my waiter" who knows what type of bread, or tea I like , etc. It's a first time we'll try "mtd" upcoming January on Indy.

[Clarea]

With "My time" , in my understanding, you get a different table in MDR every night. I get "attached" to "my waiter" who knows what type of bread, or tea I like , etc. It's a first time we'll try "mtd" upcoming January on Indy.

You can request the same table and/or wait staff, and they will do their best to accommodate you.

[duluthga]

We will also be trying MTD for the first time next June.

Is there normally wait at the earlier times? like 5:45?

[xpcdoojk]

With "My time" , in my understanding, you get a different table in MDR every night. I get "attached" to "my waiter" who knows what type of bread, or tea I like , etc. It's a first time we'll try "mtd" upcoming January on Indy.

 

That is not true. You can request the same wait staff and table every night. It is usally approved. On the Oasis and Liberty in February, we couldn't get our table one night because it was occuppied at the time we wanted to eat. Our staff found us anyway.

 

jc

[kirian]

For the first time ever, I went ahead and made reservations for some of the nights on my upcoming cruise just yesterday. It just so happened that chose the same time for all of the nights I made a reservation for....7:30. In the cruise planner calendar it does show as 7:30p-9:30p, but I just assumed this is so you can figure you might be in the MDR during that time period and you won't try to plan another activity to coincide.

 

So, I guess what I am saying is I "think" if you (OP) booked all of your dinner times to be at 5:45p, then you will show a two hour window on your cruise planner calendar.... not because you "can" show up anytime during that window, but rather because the calendar is trying to remind you that an average dinner might take 2 hours and you may not get out of the dining room until 7:45p.

 

To put it another way, if you schedule a work meeting to start at 2p and it is a 2 hour meeting, it will show on your electronic calendar (e.g. Outlook) as being from 2-4p.... doesn't mean you can show up when you like in that window... probably wouldn't make the boss very happy :p... but rather, that you will be in the meeting for 2 hours.

 

Hopefully my explanation on what I believe you are seeing (and my assumed understanding of it on my own cruise calendar) makes sense :)

 

Have a great cruise!

Melissa

 

BTW - all this grand explanation aside, you can actually show up whenever you like when you have MTD... you just may have a small wait if you don't have a reservation. But if you do make a reservation it is courteous to show up on time or else contact the desk to cancel/change the reservation if you know you won't be there at the reserved time.

[janrey1234]

The whole process of the dinner reservations seems like it will be a hassle if you are trying to time dinner to work well with whatever the show time is that night. First you have to try and research when the show will be each night, then you have to make all you reservation.

 

But maybe it isn't that hard. Perhaps the shoe times info is readily available but I just accidentally haven't come across it yet. (Too early now for me to make dinner reservation)

 

I made my Mytime reservations before shows and before excursions then modified as necessary. No problem doing so.

[Blue Flamingo]

Kirian

For the first time ever, I went ahead and made reservations for some of the nights on my upcoming cruise just yesterday. It just so happened that chose the same time for all of the nights I made a reservation for....7:30. In the cruise planner calendar it does show as 7:30p-9:30p, but I just assumed this is so you can figure you might be in the MDR during that time period and you won't try to plan another activity to coincide.

 

So, I guess what I am saying is I "think" if you (OP) booked all of your dinner times to be at 5:45p, then you will show a two hour window on your cruise planner calendar.... not because you "can" show up anytime during that window, but rather because the calendar is trying to remind you that an average dinner might take 2 hours and you may not get out of the dining room until 7:45p.

 

To put it another way, if you schedule a work meeting to start at 2p and it is a 2 hour meeting, it will show on your electronic calendar (e.g. Outlook) as being from 2-4p.... doesn't mean you can show up when you like in that window... probably wouldn't make the boss very happy :p... but rather, that you will be in the meeting for 2 hours.

 

Hopefully my explanation on what I believe you are seeing (and my assumed understanding of it on my own cruise calendar) makes sense :)

 

Have a great cruise!

Melissa

 

Yes, that is how it is showing up on my planner. I get it now, thanks.

[kirian]

 

Yes, that is how it is showing up on my planner. I get it now, thanks.

 

Yeah! I'm so glad that my "wordy" explanation actually made sense to someone besides me :D

 

Have a fabulous trip!!!

Melissa

[djandnic]

With "My time" , in my understanding, you get a different table in MDR every night. I get "attached" to "my waiter" who knows what type of bread, or tea I like , etc. It's a first time we'll try "mtd" upcoming January on Indy.

 

This has never been my experience, not saying it doesn't happen, just relaying our experience. We never make reservations, just show up based on what we're doing that day. Never had to wait more than 5 minutes, if that.

 

Not to say this is standard and will happen every time on every ship, but for us across many cruises and many ships, that has been our experience.

 

OP, Good luck and enjoy you're cruise!!

[Big_G]

We never make reservations, just show up based on what we're doing that day. Never had to wait more than 5 minutes, if that.

 

Not to say this is standard and will happen every time on every ship, but for us across many cruises and many ships, that has been our experience.

 

 

We've shared the same experience with Voyager, Freedom, and Radiance Class but not so much with the Oasis Class. There were a couple of 20 - 30 minute waits on our Allure cruises. Not that I'm complaining.

[razorkd]

This has never been my experience, not saying it doesn't happen, just relaying our experience. We never make reservations, just show up based on what we're doing that day. Never had to wait more than 5 minutes, if that.

 

Not to say this is standard and will happen every time on every ship, but for us across many cruises and many ships, that has been our experience.

 

OP, Good luck and enjoy you're cruise!!

 

 

Curious how big your party was? We have 11 and I fear we won't be able to just walk in without a reservation.

[marys350]

Curious how big your party was? We have 11 and I fear we won't be able to just walk in without a reservation.

 

I strongly recommend making reservations for large parties. We made reservations for our party of 12 and sat at the same table and had the same wait staff every night. Our table was always ready for us and we never had to wait.