My Time Dining.......but not really?

[Tiggerontheseas]

2 minutes ago, LobsterStalker said:

Problem is that it seems early is far and above peoples first preference . If they cannot offer enough early dining slots (which clearly never used to be a concern) , then they need to consider how to fix the issue .To make this much much worse they are also overpromising and confirming way too many people for early than they can accomodate. I did consecutive in the fall (Symphony/Explorer) and Wonder last month , and all 3 I had confirmed Early dining ( 2 of the 3 I had Email confirmations from RCL dining , with table numbers) .All 3 I showed up , headed straight to dining room to check my table only to find out I had none..... 

.... Embarassing the way things are being run at present . Hope they get their act together soon 1 way or another !

 

Cheers

 

I think it also might be a bit of a self-perpetuating circle.  They don't have enough room for MTD earlier than 6:45 because of all the people booking Early Dining, but many of those people are probably only booking Early Dining BECAUSE they can't get MTD until 6:45 which is too late for them.  

[HappyTexan44]

10 minutes ago, LobsterStalker said:

Problem is that it seems early is far and above peoples first preference . If they cannot offer enough early dining slots (which clearly never used to be a concern) , then they need to consider how to fix the issue .To make this much much worse they are also overpromising and confirming way too many people for early than they can accomodate. I did consecutive in the fall (Symphony/Explorer) and Wonder last month , and all 3 I had confirmed Early dining ( 2 of the 3 I had Email confirmations from RCL dining , with table numbers) .All 3 I showed up , headed straight to dining room to check my table only to find out I had none..... 

.... Embarassing the way things are being run at present . Hope they get their act together soon 1 way or another !

 

Cheers

 

What did they end up doing?   

 

 

 

[Tatka]

We always use MTD and never had issues (with Royal we used it on Adventure, Anthem, Enchantment, Grandeur, Explorer, Oasis, Freedom etc) It is only two of us so maybe it is easier to find tables for 2.

Now times are a bit later (it was 6:30 the earliest on Enchantment last week) .. we showed up around 6:15 and were given tables very soon.

[nimbex1970]

I understand the frustration.  Traveling with the grandkids in May on the WOS and no way 645 would work for them.  That puts us in the Windjammer every night for dinner.  We enjoy the dining room and would be frustrated to miss it. Plus we would need the earlier shows, which would be a no go, if we just sat down at 645.  

 

The specialty dining is no different, I pay extra for 7 people and we still can't get the times we want.  It really affects the entire cruise planning.  I have two NCL booked for transatlantic as I didn't want to mess with RCL dining mess for 20 days. Still love RCL, but I hope they figure this out soon.

 

Me, I think it's staffing, because this worked pre covid, but that is me guessing. 

[cruiseboy89130]

36 minutes ago, nimbex1970 said:

Me, I think it's staffing, because this worked pre covid, but that is me guessing. 

No they changed the set up!

It is cost saving - MTD needs more staff for assignment and seating.....so they want people to better choose early traditional and will only start MTD after they clear early seating...

[S.A.M.J.R.]

3 hours ago, cruiseboy89130 said:

No they changed the set up!

It is cost saving - MTD needs more staff for assignment and seating.....so they want people to better choose early traditional and will only start MTD after they clear early seating...

Why would they need more staff for MTD than traditional?  

[Tatka]

Question is… why traditional is at 5:30? If it was at least at 6:15 more people would be booking it rather than MTD.

[Biker19]

1 minute ago, Tatka said:

Question is… why traditional is at 5:30? If it was at least at 6:15 more people would be booking it rather than MTD.

That way they can turn over the tables at least three times - it would be a bit harder if they didn't start till after 6.

[Tatka]

3 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

That way they can turn over the tables at least three times - it would be a bit harder if they didn't start till after 6.

I wonder how it worked pre MTD? 

[S.A.M.J.R.]

35 minutes ago, Tatka said:

Question is… why traditional is at 5:30? If it was at least at 6:15 more people would be booking it rather than MTD.

According to PP, more people do want 5:30.  While not unusual, 6:15 (which is probably closer to 6:30-6:45 before food is delivered) is actually later than we normally eat.  

 

SOMETHING had to have changed.  MTD worked well pre Covid.  

[lovesthebeach2]

Just got off Brilliance and we had early dining.

 

While our seapass said it began at 5:30, they made multiple announcements for the first couple of days that the MDR would open up at 5 if you choose to go earlier. They did this to get the MTD in earlier it appeared. It was a good idea, some guests came at 5 and some came at 5:30, so by then some were almost finished and they could begin brining in the MTD guests earlier.

 

Not sure if all ships do that… Brilliance is a well run ship and it is a good idea.

[HappyTexan44]

9 minutes ago, lovesthebeach2 said:

Just got off Brilliance and we had early dining.

 

While our seapass said it began at 5:30, they made multiple announcements for the first couple of days that the MDR would open up at 5 if you choose to go earlier. They did this to get the MTD in earlier it appeared. It was a good idea, some guests came at 5 and some came at 5:30, so by then some were almost finished and they could begin brining in the MTD guests earlier.

 

Not sure if all ships do that… Brilliance is a well run ship and it is a good idea.

 

That is a good idea.  Some would prefer to eat at 5pm., particularly the families with little kids.   If I were solo, I'd probably go at 5pm.   I tend to eat at 9 am and 4 pm, if left to my own devices.  

 

 

[nelblu]

16 hours ago, taglovestocruise said:

Show up when you want. There is a line for no reservations and a line for those with reservations. May have a slight wait when the doors open at 6:45 but not unusual to have no wait time after 8pm.

On my February Anthem cruise, my MTD began at 6:45.  However, I was seated at a table for 8 with only 4 diners and it was traditional early (5:15).  On or about the 3rd night we were joined by a MTD couple at about 5:30. The couple joined us for about 3 nights only.  Maybe if there are empty seats in the MDR they allow some to dine earlier than the listed time.

 

Ps.  There are always empty seats in the MDR.

 

Also, if one needs special times due to medical condition, I suggest contacting Royal at 

rcldining@rccl.com a few weeks prior to sail.

[Starry Eyes]

34 minutes ago, S.A.M.J.R. said:

According to PP, more people do want 5:30.  While not unusual, 6:15 (which is probably closer to 6:30-6:45 before food is delivered) is actually later than we normally eat.  

 

SOMETHING had to have changed.  MTD worked well pre Covid.  

Though you evidently did not experience it, the new MTD (not improved) scheme started before Covid on some ships.  We experienced it on Harmony before covid.  It has continued to spread to more and more ships.

 

First, let’s discuss the very early start time. Realize that when you change early dining start time, you impact late dining start time (and MTD start time).   On Wonder early dining is 5 pm and late is 7:45pm. That’s pretty early for “late” dining, and I suspect some people who ordinarily consider themselves late diners can do 7:45.  The 5 pm early dining mean MTD can start at 6:30 as the early diners are filing out.  What if Wonder’s early dining were shifted to a more civilized 6 pm?  Well, late dining would be 8:45pm, which Royal likely found attracted fewer people at Port Canaveral.  And with the new MTD scheme, MTD could not start until 7:30.  So, making early dining very early shifts people’s dining choices a bit and favorable adjusts the start times of other options.

 

I think Royal is trying to maximize the use of seats in its MDR from the instant they open.  If every seat on all three levels is assigned at opening time with traditional early diners, all three levels are filled within about 15 minutes. That’s very efficient use of the seats.  
 

Contrast that with the prior arrangement where two levels were early traditional and one was MTD.  Two levels filled quickly.  The other often filled at a trickle when the opening.  Table availability is tracked and groups are escorted to a table each night, so more personnel is needed.  The seats in the MTD room are probably not filled for an hour

 

[moposh]

I liked MTD.  For me, it worked well on my last cruises.  On my cruise last August, we showed up between 5:00 and 5:30 p.m. and didn't have any problems getting a table.  Now that MTD has moved to 6:00 p.m. or later I have gone with the early seating for dining.  

 

On Enchantment, they had the upper level for MTD and the lower level of the dining room for early seating.  It always seemed like they had a separate area for MTD, but now it seems they are incorporating the two together, which I don't like.  

[poocher]

I’ve done MTD (and I liked a PP’s “Mid Time Dining”!) twice in the past year with 6:45 reservations every night & it was great.  At home we usually eat between 6 and 6:30 so it wasn’t much different. And we didn’t have to rush to get ready for an early seating.  I understand families but people make it sound like 6:45 is the middle of the night!

[Starry Eyes]

6 minutes ago, poocher said:

I’ve done MTD (and I liked a PP’s “Mid Time Dining”!) twice in the past year with 6:45 reservations every night & it was great.  At home we usually eat between 6 and 6:30 so it wasn’t much different. And we didn’t have to rush to get ready for an early seating.  I understand families but people make it sound like 6:45 is the middle of the night!

I’m glad it is working for you and I agree that 6:45 is a very reasonable dining time.  

I’d like everyone deciding to sign up for MTD to know that MTD is opening later on most of Royal’s ships.  Somebody who thinks they can pop in anytime from 5 to 9 is apt to be disappointed; let’s reset those expectations pre cruise if possible.   I liked the old MTD system where that flexibility was possible; I don’t know how to bring it back.  I think the new MTD system works better for those who eat mid or late.  Those who hoped for flexibility in the early to mid range are not well served by the new MTD system.

 

You obviously book fairly early and make your MTD reservations ASAP. snagging good reservation times.  That’s great, but remember only a limited number of people will be able to do that or your 6:45 reservation line will be impractical.  Less knowledgeable people probably won’t get those prime reservation slots.  If ever you happen to book a last minute cruise, you probably won’t have those reservation times, either.

 

On some ships the lines outside the MTD room are really long.  Some people tolerate lines reasonably well; others don’t.

 

 

[S.A.M.J.R.]

1 hour ago, Starry Eyes said:

Though you evidently did not experience it, the new MTD (not improved) scheme started before Covid on some ships.  We experienced it on Harmony before covid.  It has continued to spread to more and more ships.

 

First, let’s discuss the very early start time. Realize that when you change early dining start time, you impact late dining start time (and MTD start time).   On Wonder early dining is 5 pm and late is 7:45pm. That’s pretty early for “late” dining, and I suspect some people who ordinarily consider themselves late diners can do 7:45.  The 5 pm early dining mean MTD can start at 6:30 as the early diners are filing out.  What if Wonder’s early dining were shifted to a more civilized 6 pm?  Well, late dining would be 8:45pm, which Royal likely found attracted fewer people at Port Canaveral.  And with the new MTD scheme, MTD could not start until 7:30.  So, making early dining very early shifts people’s dining choices a bit and favorable adjusts the start times of other options.

 

I think Royal is trying to maximize the use of seats in its MDR from the instant they open.  If every seat on all three levels is assigned at opening time with traditional early diners, all three levels are filled within about 15 minutes. That’s very efficient use of the seats.  
 

Contrast that with the prior arrangement where two levels were early traditional and one was MTD.  Two levels filled quickly.  The other often filled at a trickle when the opening.  Table availability is tracked and groups are escorted to a table each night, so more personnel is needed.  The seats in the MTD room are probably not filled for an hour

 

That's a great explanation.  BUT, if they want to use MTD as a selling point, they need to make it attractive.  Not having it start until 6:45 isn't a good way to do that.  

[S.A.M.J.R.]

4 minutes ago, Starry Eyes said:

I’m glad it is working for you and I agree that 6:45 is a very reasonable dining time.

I agree it's not a bad dining time.  HOWEVER, I think it is a bad time if you want to catch one of the shows (don't the production shows start at 8?).  I mean, yes, you can probably get in/out in an hour, but IMO, that might be rushing (especially if you have a large group), and doesn't help if you want to go back to your room and change or something. 

[RobInMN]

17 hours ago, monorail81 said:

Pre-COVID, MTD was fantastic. They started seating people at the same time as the first seating. After the reopen, they started MTD later to accommodate traditional dining’s distancing. They’ve never gone back. I’m rationalizing in my mind it has to do with a lack of staffing. Maybe one day they’ll go back to earlier MTD. 

Actually, they started f'ing it up pre-COVID.

We did MTD a few times after it was created and loved it. We could board the ship, get the show schedule, and book our MTD any time we wanted that worked with our excursions and when we wanted to see which shows. Then did a cruise on Symphony December of 2019, and never bothered to look at MTD or anything ahead of time and when we got on the ship, that's when we found out that they had changed MTD to 6:45 and later. The dining room manager ended up just changing us to early seating (there were 6 of us).

We've just book early seating ever since, and if the time doesn't work out any given day, we'll just skip MDR and do WJ. If we know we'll be up to 30m late, we'll let our servers know, and they'll wait for us.

 

[poocher]

17 minutes ago, S.A.M.J.R. said:

I agree it's not a bad dining time.  HOWEVER, I think it is a bad time if you want to catch one of the shows (don't the production shows start at 8?).  I mean, yes, you can probably get in/out in an hour, but IMO, that might be rushing (especially if you have a large group), and doesn't help if you want to go back to your room and change or something. 

I am in the minority in that I am unimpressed by the production shows and really don’t care if I see them.  I do like the comedy show & there is typically a late one I can attend.  So dinner rarely interferes with my plans.  Again I realize I am in the minority here.

[Starry Eyes]

1 hour ago, S.A.M.J.R. said:

That's a great explanation.  BUT, if they want to use MTD as a selling point, they need to make it attractive.  Not having it start until 6:45 isn't a good way to do that.  

Oh, I totally agree.  I liked the original MTD, but as an early-mid diner the new system stinks.  I think the new system is about filling seats efficiently in the MDR, not about pleasing cruisers

 

1 hour ago, S.A.M.J.R. said:

I agree it's not a bad dining time.  HOWEVER, I think it is a bad time if you want to catch one of the shows (don't the production shows start at 8?).  I mean, yes, you can probably get in/out in an hour, but IMO, that might be rushing (especially if you have a large group), and doesn't help if you want to go back to your room and change or something. 

It has always been true that the main production shows on the small/mid sized ships are timed to accommodate the early and late diners.  Someone who selected a middle time in MTD always had this issue.  The difference with the new system is that they are less able to scoot their dining time earlier to catch the early show.  They can catch the late shows.

[LobsterStalker]

17 hours ago, HappyTexan44 said:

 

What did they end up doing?   

 

 

 

The first 2 were resolved pretty quickly as I was onboard ship early enough and the mass of other unhappies hadn't reached them yet . Last sailing , we boarded later so there were many , many ahead of me with the same problem , and she wasn't willing to promise me any resolution other than come to MTD tonight and I'll get you in ASAP, and I'll see if there is anything I can do past that". I followed up the complaint later that evening at guest services and she messaged someone about it.

I did receive an Early Dining for the remainder . 

.... I did learn that if I was willing to cry...' literally'  to the manager that I would have gotten a table that night. It was embarassing what I witnessed right ahead of us in line . A family of four (2 kids in the 8-10 range) , being told the exact same thing as I was , but the wife kept looking at her husband like he shouldn't give in , until finally Mom starts crying , with 10 year old girl coming to console her saying "it's OK mommy ". Before you know it they were given a table. I was gonna walk up and say " I'll have what she got ....or I'll cry too !! " 

Dining ,and at a proper hour is a big part of our cruise experience too but that was disgraceful !

 

Cheers

[LobsterStalker]

5 hours ago, Tatka said:

Question is… why traditional is at 5:30? If it was at least at 6:15 more people would be booking it rather than MTD.

It is as early as 5 PM some sailings

[suzyluvs2cruise]

17 hours ago, Tiggerontheseas said:

 

I think it also might be a bit of a self-perpetuating circle.  They don't have enough room for MTD earlier than 6:45 because of all the people booking Early Dining, but many of those people are probably only booking Early Dining BECAUSE they can't get MTD until 6:45 which is too late for them.  

We were fans of MTD since it's inception but have recently changed back to early seating after they started seating MTD guests after 1st seating. We made a reservation for 6:45pm (the earliest available) but most nights had to wait 15-30 min or more as they want to seat you at the same table with the same servers. If early seating guests linger it throws off the seating time. While I understand that it could be a plus to have the same servers each night I think MTD would work better if you were seated wherever there was an available table.