Another My Time question

[surgie]

Sailing to AK in July 2024. 11 people in our family (6 adults and 5 kids ages 5-11). The TA suggested we do My Time dining since some port days are long and we would have more flexibility. 

 

A friend cruised out of California last month on RCCL with MT dining and said they could never get a table before 8:00 even going at the start of the cruise to reserve. She was told she should have reserved her nightly times online before the cruise. 

 

My TA said I should be able to do this but when I look in my account it says to reserve once on board.

 

Has anyone had success booking individual nightly times in advance with MT dining?

 

I'm tempted to switch to the traditional time for early dining and just doing Windjammer on the nights we aren't back in time. 

[Biker19]

20 minutes ago, surgie said:

I'm tempted to switch to the traditional time for early dining and just doing Windjammer on the nights we aren't back in time. 

For your situation and group size this might be best though early traditional may be full by now.

 

BTW, MT booking should work but others have reported issues with availability.

Edited April 30, 2023 by Biker19

[HappyTexan44]

18 minutes ago, surgie said:

I'm tempted to switch to the traditional time for early dining and just doing Windjammer on the nights we aren't back in time. 

 

That was precisely our thought process.  Started out thinking MTD because of the port days, then switched to early dining.  If we won't be back by the dining time, then we'll go to the WJ.  We are now a group of 8, so that is another reason I'm glad we have early dining.  
 

Also, read several reports here of early dining being full.   So, anyone in doubt between early and MTD should reserve early.  

[WorkingForOBC]

July 2024 is a long time away. It's most likely that My Time bookings haven't opened up in the cruise planner yet.

 

Personally, we have a Feb 2024 cruise booked, and My Time dining reservations opened around the 1 year mark (Feb or March 2023).

We also have an August 2024 Alaska cruise planned. When I look at the Dining section of the cruise planner, nothing is populated yet.

 

One last question, you say that you're looking at your "account." Do you mean that you're looking at

the Royal Caribbean Cruise Planner, or is it a different "account?"

 

[Sea Dog]

Once you get on board go to the MDR stand and try to make reservations for the whole week with a time you would like. I find they will accommodate you.

[taglovestocruise]

3 hours ago, surgie said:

Sailing to AK in July 2024. 11 people in our family (6 adults and 5 kids ages 5-11). The TA suggested we do My Time dining since some port days are long and we would have more flexibility. 

 

A friend cruised out of California last month on RCCL with MT dining and said they could never get a table before 8:00 even going at the start of the cruise to reserve. She was told she should have reserved her nightly times online before the cruise. 

 

My TA said I should be able to do this but when I look in my account it says to reserve once on board.

 

Has anyone had success booking individual nightly times in advance with MT dining?

 

I'm tempted to switch to the traditional time for early dining and just doing Windjammer on the nights we aren't back in time. 

What ship are you on. Ovation and Quantum are completely different than other classes of ships.  Both ships have a separate deck with two restaurants for MTD. We sailed Ovation Alaska last year, MTD was open with no waiting most nights. We had late traditional and our waiter said MTD works very well.   

[Engineroom Snipe]

Just off of Enchantment of the Seas. MTD was offered up to two days before sailing. The last two days before sailing, the reservation system is not available online.

 

Times were available from 6:45pm before sailing. Onboard, same day, seemed to be between 7:45pm and 9pm. If you reserved one day early, about 7:15pm and on available.

 

We did not use standby MTD.  We were seated almost immediately when using reserved times.

 

Last September on Oasis, even with reservations, MTD was delayed by 15 to 30 minutes. We stopped using it on that trip and just went to Windjammer.

[BirdTravels]

4 hours ago, surgie said:

Sailing to AK in July 2024. 11 people in our family (6 adults and 5 kids ages 5-11). The TA suggested we do My Time dining since some port days are long and we would have more flexibility. 

 

A friend cruised out of California last month on RCCL with MT dining and said they could never get a table before 8:00 even going at the start of the cruise to reserve. She was told she should have reserved her nightly times online before the cruise. 

 

My TA said I should be able to do this but when I look in my account it says to reserve once on board.

 

Has anyone had success booking individual nightly times in advance with MT dining?

 

I'm tempted to switch to the traditional time for early dining and just doing Windjammer on the nights we aren't back in time. 

.We have never had problems making MTD reservation in advance of our cruise. We just watch the Cruise Planner to see when it opens. 

 

Just a thought,,, when we travel as a group/family, we normally have one or two group dinners per cruise. With all of the different dining venues, entertainment, activities, most of our "kids (now adults with families)" would prefer to be on their own and not stuck with protracted group dinners... and actually resent being asked to participate in group dinners nightly. Night-to-night we may eat with members of the group. 

[surgie]

12 hours ago, WorkingForOBC said:

 

 

One last question, you say that you're looking at your "account." Do you mean that you're looking at

the Royal Caribbean Cruise Planner, or is it a different "account?"

 

I am looking at my RCCL cruise planner.

[surgie]

8 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

 

 

Just a thought,,, when we travel as a group/family, we normally have one or two group dinners per cruise. With all of the different dining venues, entertainment, activities, most of our "kids (now adults with families)" would prefer to be on their own and not stuck with protracted group dinners... and actually resent being asked to participate in group dinners nightly. Night-to-night we may eat with members of the group. 

Yes, I understand. And we want to watch the kids one night so the parents can go to a speciality restaurant. So probably a night or two is all we would have as a group of 11 in the MD room.