Dining room question

[3yorkies]

I am traveling as a single/solo in a few weeks on Liberty OTS.    I have done 6 other solo cruises in the past 10 months and have always gone to the main dining room when I board and had them change my table to a solo table with no other diners.  Since the dining rooms have been sparsely occupied August 2021 through April 2022, it has never been an issue.   I am now hearing that the ships are running close to capacity and likely will be full in June.    Has anyone had a recent issue with getting a single table?   I have never cared to dine with strangers, just not my thing.   But in the current covid environment, I have no desire at all to sit at a table with strangers for 90 minutes.  I also only order a couple of things and prefer to eat quickly and get on my way, not sit around while others enjoy three, four, or more selections.    It's just not a priority for me, but I hate buffets, so always eat in the MDR.   

[OCVTSGIRL]

Maybe dine in the Windjammer.  My husband & I did that on one of our cruises just to give it a try.  It was fine and maybe as a solo traveler that doesn't want to sit with strangers, this might be a good thing for you to do.  It was fun when the WJ opened, the wait staff cheered us on as we entered.  

[taglovestocruise]

Sounds like you need MTD, it is somewhat set up for two tops which would be easy for one.  MTD is also good if you like to eat quick. Far fewer two tops in traditional dining but a table for yourself should still be possible.  Make your first stop after boarding a trip to the dining room to make sure you get what you want. 

[C cruise]

9 minutes ago, taglovestocruise said:

Sounds like you need MTD, it is somewhat set up for two tops which would be easy for one.  MTD is also good if you like to eat quick. Far fewer two tops in traditional dining but a table for yourself should still be possible.  Make your first stop after boarding a trip to the dining room to make sure you get what you want. 

what is MTD?

 

[d9704011]

6 minutes ago, C cruise said:

what is MTD?

 

My Time Dining

[Ourusualbeach]

6 minutes ago, C cruise said:

what is MTD?

 

My Time Dining

[Cruising89143]

1 hour ago, 3yorkies said:

I am traveling as a single/solo in a few weeks on Liberty OTS.    I have done 6 other solo cruises in the past 10 months and have always gone to the main dining room when I board and had them change my table to a solo table with no other diners.   

Head to the MDR after boarding and have a conversation with the maitre d’. I’m sure they would be happy to help you. You won’t know unless you ask. 

[chefchick]

To piggyback off this (hope the OP doesn’t mind).  I am new to Royal but not to cruising.  I have MTD and am also traveling solo and prefer a table for one,  Ive read I should make reservations if I don’t want to eat very late or will be forced to stand in line with everyone else wanting to eat around 7pm.  Can I make a standing reservation for say, 7pm every night by talking with the maitre d on embarkation day?  Or is everything done via the app?  
 

Thank you in advance. 

[kands6191]

We just cruised and made a MyTime Dining reservation online in advance for 7 PM each night we weren't going to a specialty restaurant. 

The line was very, very long for those with reservations and even longer for those without reservations.  People in the reservations line were complaining after waiting over 20 minutes and seeing non-reservation diners being taken in. The hostess said they had been waiting over 45 minutes so they had to seat them. When we finally got seated we saw part of the problem. There were at least 6 large tables (6+ seats) that had only 2 diners while many 2 tops were empty. Seems like the staff were maybe new. Only one night were we seated within 10 minutes. And we did see at least one solo diner so that aspect doesn't seem like it will be a problem for you.

[baelor]

7 hours ago, OCVTSGIRL said:

Maybe dine in the Windjammer.  My husband & I did that on one of our cruises just to give it a try.  It was fine and maybe as a solo traveler that doesn't want to sit with strangers, this might be a good thing for you to do.  It was fun when the WJ opened, the wait staff cheered us on as we entered.  

This seems like weird advice when OP went out of their way to note in express terms that they hate buffets and thus never eat at them.

[UKWLDCruise]

2 hours ago, chefchick said:

To piggyback off this (hope the OP doesn’t mind).  I am new to Royal but not to cruising.  I have MTD and am also traveling solo and prefer a table for one,  Ive read I should make reservations if I don’t want to eat very late or will be forced to stand in line with everyone else wanting to eat around 7pm.  Can I make a standing reservation for say, 7pm every night by talking with the maitre d on embarkation day?  Or is everything done via the app?  
 

Thank you in advance. 

 

Yes you can make reservations for the same time each evening by talking rather than using the app.

 

[LeeW]

When you make reservations before the cruise I always have to make each reservation separately and check out between them.  Some folks have reported that there is a button that allows a "make this reservation for all nights" but I haven't been able to do this.

 

If you like the table/waiters when in the dining room and have reservations for each night, just ask either the headwaiter or the desk folks as you leave to assign you to that table.  Note that since the MTD room is now used for early fixed seating that if you want to eat at 6:45 you may have to wait for that table to clear.  Had to wait 15 minutes or so about 4 times in two weeks on Symphony last month.

[C cruise]

This will be my first time cruising on Royal Caribbean - I have been on a few cruises on NCL and they don't give you a set time for dinner.  Anyway, I have been given a time that works for me.... I had called to ask some questions and the lady asked if we wanted a table just for the 4 of us or a bigger table with strangers --- I picked just my family and she put it down ... so I'd call if I wanted a specific table (solo cruisers)  What happens if we decide to skip the main dining room and eat at the buffet?

[rdtpm64]

1 hour ago, C cruise said:

 What happens if we decide to skip the main dining room and eat at the buffet?

Nothing happens.  Your MDR table assigned to you is yours throughout the cruise.  It will be there for you the next night and should remain empty if you're not there.

[johnjen]

On 5/30/2022 at 6:47 PM, 3yorkies said:

I have never cared to dine with strangers, just not my thing.   But in the current covid environment, I have no desire at all to sit at a table with strangers for 90 minutes.

if I were you, I'd perhaps reconsider cruising in 2024 just to be safer.

[nelblu]

Contact rcldining@rccl.com with your request.

[pcur]

On 5/30/2022 at 3:47 PM, 3yorkies said:

I am traveling as a single/solo in a few weeks on Liberty OTS.    I have done 6 other solo cruises in the past 10 months and have always gone to the main dining room when I board and had them change my table to a solo table with no other diners.  Since the dining rooms have been sparsely occupied August 2021 through April 2022, it has never been an issue.   I am now hearing that the ships are running close to capacity and likely will be full in June.    Has anyone had a recent issue with getting a single table?   I have never cared to dine with strangers, just not my thing.   But in the current covid environment, I have no desire at all to sit at a table with strangers for 90 minutes.  I also only order a couple of things and prefer to eat quickly and get on my way, not sit around while others enjoy three, four, or more selections.    It's just not a priority for me, but I hate buffets, so always eat in the MDR.   

 

I've sailed 58 days since mid-February as a solo.  There are far more tables for two than before, but what I would recommend is you also think seriously about the location.  Several of my cruises were crowded, and the noise level in My Time Dining was incredibly LOUD.  Go into where your dining room location is on embarkation day (main dining room or MTD), and look for "alcove" dining rooms.  Almost all ships have them, and usually if you walk in and make a left or right "U" turn, you'll find them. The head waiter usually handles requests around 1pm, and you can ask for a particular table.  Have several as choices, too.

 

I had a table for two on one of my recent cruises where I literally could not figure out how to get across the dining room to leave!!  The larger table diners had chairs pushed out to the point where there was no clear path to get to the dining room entrance.  Seriously.

[rudeney]

3 hours ago, rdtpm64 said:

Nothing happens.  Your MDR table assigned to you is yours throughout the cruise.  It will be there for you the next night and should remain empty if you're not there.

 

And it will sit there empty to aggravate all the MTD passengers who waited an hour on a table. 😜  Seriously, to help with MTD, they need to put a time limit on holding a fixed-time table.  If the party is not there after 30 minutes of the scheduled dining time, they need to turn it over for MTD seating.  Or, give FTD passengers an option in the app to "decline" their table that night and help out the MTD passengers.

[baelor]

8 minutes ago, rudeney said:

 

And it will sit there empty to aggravate all the MTD passengers who waited an hour on a table. 😜  Seriously, to help with MTD, they need to put a time limit on holding a fixed-time table.  If the party is not there after 30 minutes of the scheduled dining time, they need to turn it over for MTD seating.  Or, give FTD passengers an option in the app to "decline" their table that night and help out the MTD passengers.

30 seems like way too generous...why not 10?

[rudeney]

2 minutes ago, baelor said:

30 seems like way too generous...why not 10?

 

Have you seen the crowds in the elevators lately?  🤣

 

OK, maybe 15 minutes.  But the best solution is to let the passengers opt-out of the MDR each night so they know what tables can be used for MTD.

[nelblu]

17 hours ago, rudeney said:

 

And it will sit there empty to aggravate all the MTD passengers who waited an hour on a table. 😜  Seriously, to help with MTD, they need to put a time limit on holding a fixed-time table.  If the party is not there after 30 minutes of the scheduled dining time, they need to turn it over for MTD seating.  Or, give FTD passengers an option in the app to "decline" their table that night and help out the MTD passengers.

It's not a big deal to tell your waiter that you will not be there on specific nights.  I do this as a courtesy so they are not waiting for me to show up.

 

Also, since I'm solo, they usually give me a table for 2 and I'm done in about 1 hour.

Edited June 4, 2022 by nelblu

[rdtpm64]

On 6/3/2022 at 3:22 PM, rudeney said:

 

And it will sit there empty to aggravate all the MTD passengers who waited an hour on a table. 😜  Seriously, to help with MTD, they need to put a time limit on holding a fixed-time table.  If the party is not there after 30 minutes of the scheduled dining time, they need to turn it over for MTD seating.  Or, give FTD passengers an option in the app to "decline" their table that night and help out the MTD passengers.

Agreed.  I certainly wouldn't mind declining our table for the night.  On that note, though, we went to Izumi Hibachi our first night on Allure in April. Our table neighbors told us the next night that someone else had been at our table the night before.  Maybe they have started doing this?

[pcur]

On 6/3/2022 at 11:18 AM, pcur said:

 

I've sailed 58 days since mid-February as a solo.  There are far more tables for two than before, but what I would recommend is you also think seriously about the location.  Several of my cruises were crowded, and the noise level in My Time Dining was incredibly LOUD.  Go into where your dining room location is on embarkation day (main dining room or MTD), and look for "alcove" dining rooms.  Almost all ships have them, and usually if you walk in and make a left or right "U" turn, you'll find them. The head waiter usually handles requests around 1pm, and you can ask for a particular table.  Have several as choices, too.

 

I had a table for two on one of my recent cruises where I literally could not figure out how to get across the dining room to leave!!  The larger table diners had chairs pushed out to the point where there was no clear path to get to the dining room entrance.  Seriously.

I'm quoting my self to add to my previous post.

 

If you can be flexible with your dining time, there will be no problem getting a table you like.  I go in and tell the head waiter I am good with anything between 7-8pm.  He advises me, and we adjust over the first several days.  I end up with a fixed table, time, and wait staff, and I'm happy.  

Edited June 13, 2022 by pcur

[nonnie&dgd]

On 6/3/2022 at 2:10 PM, nelblu said:

Contact rcldining@rccl.com with your request.

I did this for my March cruise this year. They emailed me back with confirmation and also my table number. I had early dining.  

[broadwaybaby123]

On 5/31/2022 at 12:46 AM, chefchick said:

To piggyback off this (hope the OP doesn’t mind).  I am new to Royal but not to cruising.  I have MTD and am also traveling solo and prefer a table for one,  Ive read I should make reservations if I don’t want to eat very late or will be forced to stand in line with everyone else wanting to eat around 7pm.  Can I make a standing reservation for say, 7pm every night by talking with the maitre d on embarkation day?  Or is everything done via the app?  
 

Thank you in advance. 

Pre-COVID, yes you could.