Late MDR dining being eliminated?

[coaster]

Just added a b2b on Serenade. Royal is telling me that late dining is not available on our second leg.  They put me on a waitlist. Very unusual to me as usually early is the first to go. Guessing because the lack of bookings?

Edited October 11, 2021 by coaster

[tserface]

It might have just been full.  They are putting a lot more emphasis on My Time dining since it is more flexible for people and easier to do with smaller tables.  On our recent cruise there was only one regular seating dining room and most people wanted My TIme anyway.

[coaster]

I am 99 percent sure a sailing from Florida would never have late dining booked to capacity. Too many older folks here needed to eat before sunset. Lived in Florida long enough to know. Might get that way at some point, but eating at 5:30 pm is depressing. Has to be the low capacity issue.

Edited October 11, 2021 by coaster

[foxgoodrich]

Be sure you're on the 'waitlist' for late dining as this gives them info on what customers want.  They can allocate MDR space assignments appropriately for various dining options when they know what people want, so "full" is relative.  Of course they also make no promises vis-a-vis the waitlist, but in the end you will most likely get late dining if you've requested it. We've been waitlisted several times and always got it.  Good luck!

 

Edited October 12, 2021 by foxgoodrich
grammar

[cruisegus]

2 hours ago, tserface said:

.....They are putting a lot more emphasis on My Time dining since it is more flexible for people and easier to do with smaller tables. ...... most people wanted My TIme anyway.

with the lousy time they are now offering no dinner till 6:45 or later

[njkruzer]

We have late confirmed on all our upcoming 5 cruises including our December and January Jewel cruises.

[BirdTravels]

2 hours ago, coaster said:

Just added a b2b on Serenade. Royal is telling me that late dining is not available on our second leg.  They put me on a waitlist. Very unusual to me as usually early is the first to go. Guessing because the lack of bookings?

After first seating, a lot of the tables are converted to MTD. The days of early and late dining will come to an end soon (like formal nights). Not what the contemporary cruiser is looking for. And the cruise industry is catering to those new, contemporary cruisers. 

[coaster]

53 minutes ago, foxgoodrich said:

Be sure you're on the 'waitlist' for late dining as this gives them info on what customers want.  They can allocate MDR space assignments appropriately for various dining options when they know what people want, so "full" is relative.  Of course they also make no promises vis-a-vis the waitlist, but in the end you will most likely get late dining if you've requested it. We've been waitlisted several times and always got it.  Good luck!

 

I didn't include the all the details. They put me on waitlist for late dining after a followup call to Royal after booking. Hopefully we can eat later than 5:30 pm.

[coaster]

8 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

After first seating, a lot of the tables are converted to MTD. The days of early and late dining will come to an end soon (like formal nights). Not what the contemporary cruiser is looking for. And the cruise industry is catering to those new, contemporary cruisers. 

Disagree... NCL does this, but abandoned NCL years ago because of their MDR policies. Royal caters to those of us who like traditional dining along with those who like MTD.

[njkruzer]

10 minutes ago, coaster said:

I didn't include the all the details. They put me on waitlist for late dining after a followup call to Royal after booking. Hopefully we can eat later than 5:30 pm.

Don't like eating at 5:30.  Hope we can continue to have late seating.   Also like eating with people.  Can always eat with dh.  Like to meat new people. 

[coaster]

5 minutes ago, njkruzer said:

Don't like eating at 5:30.  Hope we can continue to have late seating.   Also like eating with people.  Can always eat with dh.  Like to meat new people. 

Same here! Love our dining companions in MDR for dinner in the past! 5:30 is just too early.

Edited October 12, 2021 by coaster

[coaster]

Just called Royal again. No options for a My Time dining time for late dining is strange. Tons of open cabins. Sailing so underbooked is why I guess why they only offer early MDR and nothing else,

Edited October 12, 2021 by coaster

[Iamcruzin]

2 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

After first seating, a lot of the tables are converted to MTD. The days of early and late dining will come to an end soon (like formal nights). Not what the contemporary cruiser is looking for. And the cruise industry is catering to those new, contemporary cruisers. 

Covid has given them the perfect opportunity to transition into this.

[OfcSupport]

4 hours ago, cruisegus said:

with the lousy time they are now offering no dinner till 6:45 or later

I agree with you. There is nothing convenient about it now. You need to make a reservation and the times are all late.

[njkruzer]

7 minutes ago, OfcSupport said:

I agree with you. There is nothing convenient about it now. You need to make a reservation and the times are all late.

And of course some of still thinks that's too early. 

[crazyank]

5 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

After first seating, a lot of the tables are converted to MTD. The days of early and late dining will come to an end soon (like formal nights). Not what the contemporary cruiser is looking for. And the cruise industry is catering to those new, contemporary cruisers. 

Nope.

 

5 hours ago, coaster said:

Disagree... NCL does this, but abandoned NCL years ago because of their MDR policies. Royal caters to those of us who like traditional dining along with those who like MTD.

This is correct

[Iamcruzin]

9 hours ago, njkruzer said:

Also like eating with people.  Can always eat with dh.  Like to meat new people. 

Are they even sitting strangers together in traditional dining now? Perhaps that's the reason why late seating is waitlisted. You can't fit as many in the dining room if they are just seating people traveling together at the same table. 

[Lionesss]

That getting only early dinner is the Rumor going around on the Symphony. 
 

sea ya

[shipgeeks]

On our booking for February, I forgot to note our preference, and was given Early, presumably as the default.  Our TA requested a change to Late, and it was fixed.

[BekkaW]

13 hours ago, coaster said:

I didn't include the all the details. They put me on waitlist for late dining after a followup call to Royal after booking. Hopefully we can eat later than 5:30 pm.

We too prefer late dining. When this has happened to us in the past that it was full/waitlisted, we have had success approaching the Maitre D stand on boarding day afternoon. They have always been able to change us to late dining. 

[CruisinCrow]

12 hours ago, OfcSupport said:

I agree with you. There is nothing convenient about it now. You need to make a reservation and the times are all late.

 

They've always encouraged reservations but it's never been required.  We just go when we want to go and so far, it's never been a problem.  Hopefully it won't be on our cruise next month.

[BND]

We're booked as far out as Nov 2022 (Jewel) and have late dining (830).

[zekekelso]

16 hours ago, njkruzer said:

Also like eating with people.  Can always eat with dh.  Like to meat new people. 

Probably a typo, but I’d be real careful if njkruzer asked that I be at their table for dinner. 

[pcur]

I just checked my bookings, and I can add MTD for January and February 2022 sailings.  So, about 4 months in advance. I was able to get the time I wanted for both cruises.  

[Husky1987]

39 minutes ago, zekekelso said:

Probably a typo, but I’d be real careful if njkruzer asked that I be at their table for dinner.