My Time Dining on Allure

[tronaiv]

We just booked Allure for Sept (our first time on her) & we used a website that shall remain nameless to book our cruise & I was told that the only thing available is My Time Dining. We have never used this before & I see good & bad on it so I'm looking for helpful hints to try & make it go smoother. We've always had assigned time of the late seating (our preference as we like to go to the Diamond Lounge first for Happy Hour) so would it be better to try & book the times before we cruise online? If so, when? Or wait until we board? Any & all suggestions welcomed please! :confused:

[Clarea]

We just booked Allure for Sept (our first time on her) & we used a website that shall remain nameless to book our cruise & I was told that the only thing available is My Time Dining. We have never used this before & I see good & bad on it so I'm looking for helpful hints to try & make it go smoother. We've always had assigned time of the late seating (our preference as we like to go to the Diamond Lounge first for Happy Hour) so would it be better to try & book the times before we cruise online? If so, when? Or wait until we board? Any & all suggestions welcomed please! :confused:

I would try to book your times pre-cruise if possible. If you can book a standing reservation, you should be able to get the same table and wait staff, so it won't be much different than traditional dining.

 

Use your Cruise Planner on Royal's website to make MTD reservations. If reservations are not open yet, then keep checking periodically because there is no set time for them to open.

[bigsky]

When are you going? We'll be on her as well in September

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[tronaiv]

When are you going? We'll be on her as well in September

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

 

We're doing Eastern on Sept 4th

[tronaiv]

I would try to book your times pre-cruise if possible. If you can book a standing reservation, you should be able to get the same table and wait staff, so it won't be much different than traditional dining.

 

Use your Cruise Planner on Royal's website to make MTD reservations. If reservations are not open yet, then keep checking periodically because there is no set time for them to open.

Once again Bob, thank you!!!

[Clarea]

Once again Bob, thank you!!!

You're welcome.

[5soonerfans]

When I first booked our July cruise on Allure it said that only MTD was available. Within the past week or so traditional dining is now available. We are going to stay with MTD, but as of right now we cannot reserve dinner times and we are 92 days out. Keep checking and traditional may open up if that is what you prefer.

[rucruisn2]

We always do my time dining. In Jan. on the Allure, I booked 7 pm every night for a table for 4. We were always seated promptly. Sometimes you can book way in advance, but usually it is 90 days out. Keep checking.

[tronaiv]

When I first booked our July cruise on Allure it said that only MTD was available. Within the past week or so traditional dining is now available. We are going to stay with MTD, but as of right now we cannot reserve dinner times and we are 92 days out. Keep checking and traditional may open up if that is what you prefer.

That's good to know because we really prefer traditional dining. How do I go about seeing if/when it's available? We booked through a travel website so I know I can't do anything with my reservation w/o going through them first.

[Clarea]

That's good to know because we really prefer traditional dining. How do I go about seeing if/when it's available? We booked through a travel website so I know I can't do anything with my reservation w/o going through them first.

You can do a mock booking of your cruise on Royal's website to see what dining is available. Or you can ask the travel agent to check.

[tronaiv]

You can do a mock booking of your cruise on Royal's website to see what dining is available. Or you can ask the travel agent to check.

What would we do without you Bob? Looks like between now & Sept 4th I'm just going to do a blanket THANK YOU!!! :D:D

[Clarea]

What would we do without you Bob? Looks like between now & Sept 4th I'm just going to do a blanket THANK YOU!!! :D:D

You're welcome, and I hope you get the dining you want.

[SargassoPirate]

She Who Must be Obeyed and I were on the Allure for a B2B in January. We didn't pre-book anything, dining or shows, and opted for Mai Tai (as we call it) Dining. We had a brief wait for a table the first night and were seated in an area where there was a row of tables for two with barely room to squeeze between them. May as well have been a table for 12. Plus, the area was in the middle of the dining room and the sound was deafening, making it impossible to carry on a dinner conversation. As we left, we scouted out a few other areas where the tables were not cheek to jowl and the sound levels were better. On the way out, be asked the matre d about a reservation for the next evening and in one of the more quiet areas. No problem. We even wound up with an exceptional waiter and dined with him the next 13 nights.

 

Mai Tai Dining allows the flexibility to upgrade your table and waiter with little fuss.

 

We love it!

[rowelltwins]

We are going on her in a few weeks. We only planned on dining room for 2 nights and we waited too long to book. We ended up with 7:45 and 8:15 rather than 7 p.m. like we had hoped. I think we booked the times about 60 days out. I think if you make your reservations at 90 days, you'll be o.k.

 

Last year we were on the Independence and had a similar experience. Apparently, I forgot.

[kjacruiser]

We're doing Eastern on Sept 4th

:eek: guess we'll see you on board....but just start checking around 90 days out...

[tronaiv]

:eek: guess we'll see you on board....but just start checking around 90 days out...

Great! :) Thanks

[DonnaK]

That's good to know because we really prefer traditional dining. How do I go about seeing if/when it's available? We booked through a travel website so I know I can't do anything with my reservation w/o going through them first.

 

Have your travel agent put you on the wait list for Traditional dining. It is my experience that once final payment comes and some reservations drop off, the traditional dining slots open up.

[googoocards2314]

I went to cruise planner and reserved all my dinning times.. I'm used to the early dining, so I reserved the earliest ones that were offered... It will also tell you if there a is conflict with entertainment .. they give you a two hour period...

[sailor_jimc]

So first time on RCI with MTD and I am wondering if you HAVE to make reservations? Seems to kill the whole purpose of it if you have to make reservations 3 months ahead of time. Why not just take traditional dinning?

 

If we don't make reservations (because I really don't like planning a vacation down to the minute 3 months out) will we be waiting in line to eat every night?

[Clarea]

So first time on RCI with MTD and I am wondering if you HAVE to make reservations? Seems to kill the whole purpose of it if you have to make reservations 3 months ahead of time. Why not just take traditional dinning?

 

If we don't make reservations (because I really don't like planning a vacation down to the minute 3 months out) will we be waiting in line to eat every night?

You don't have to make reservations. Depending on the size of your party, you may have little or no wait withotu reservations.

[APDMOM]

We always do my time dining. In Jan. on the Allure, I booked 7 pm every night for a table for 4. We were always seated promptly. Sometimes you can book way in advance, but usually it is 90 days out. Keep checking.

 

How did you book a table for 4? I did not see that option when I did our bookings.

[mark22mac]

We just booked Allure for Sept (our first time on her) & we used a website that shall remain nameless to book our cruise & I was told that the only thing available is My Time Dining. We have never used this before & I see good & bad on it so I'm looking for helpful hints to try & make it go smoother. We've always had assigned time of the late seating (our preference as we like to go to the Diamond Lounge first for Happy Hour) so would it be better to try & book the times before we cruise online? If so, when? Or wait until we board? Any & all suggestions welcomed please! :confused:

 

I would pre book for the times you want as the Lines were long this week for MTD. Some days it was out the door luckily we had a gold card and were able to bypass the lines and be seated immediately.

[tronaiv]

Just logged into My Cruise Planner on Royal's website & it let me choose the entire week & lots of time choices so it looks like I've got the MDR booked for the week at the times I wanted. I've logged out & back in & they're still there so it looks like I'm booked for the time I want. Tried to do the shows too but it's telling me that's not available at this time so I'll just keep checking. Thank you all for the advice! :D:D

[jonbgd]

Another thing with MTD on the Allure.

There is a bar, left side after hostess station, prior to doors of dining area

A great place to use one of those 3 pre loaded Diamond HH beverages :D

[ubish00]

When I booked our cruise on the Allure the only option for dinner was my time dining. I've never done this before and have been trying to get as much information as possible. Sounds like I should book online as soon as that's available to do.

 

I am cruising with my 5 year old niece. This will be her 4th cruise but we've always done Disney and on our first cruise they matched her up with a child the same age. The last couple of cruises were with other friends so no issue. I was wondering if RCI does the same thing. If I request a table for 6 or 8 will they match her up with a child/children the approximately same age? If not then I will request a table for two.

 

Does anybody have any experience with this? Thank you.