Question about My Time Dining

[thehappierhomemaker]

Hello friends, we are veteran cruisers (platinum on Carnival) but are going on our first Royal Caribbean cruise Thanksgiving week on the Adventure of the Seas. On Carnival we always got my time dining but we could dine anytime between 5:30 and 9, so I chose My Time dining when we booked our cruise on RC. However, looking at the app in advance, it looks like there are no reservations before 8 pm and the My Time Dining doesn't even start until 6:45. Is this correct? We are early diners, usually right at 5:30. Do you think I should call to try to switch to the early seating? Any advice would be helpful, it is a little unsettling to feel like a newbie again with switching cruise lines! Thanks!

[Merion_Mom]

Yes, switch to traditional fixed early seating.

[taglovestocruise]

15 minutes ago, Merion_Mom said:

Yes, switch to traditional fixed early seating.

+1.

[LobsterStalker]

18 hours ago, thehappierhomemaker said:

Hello friends, we are veteran cruisers (platinum on Carnival) but are going on our first Royal Caribbean cruise Thanksgiving week on the Adventure of the Seas. On Carnival we always got my time dining but we could dine anytime between 5:30 and 9, so I chose My Time dining when we booked our cruise on RC. However, looking at the app in advance, it looks like there are no reservations before 8 pm and the My Time Dining doesn't even start until 6:45. Is this correct? We are early diners, usually right at 5:30. Do you think I should call to try to switch to the early seating? Any advice would be helpful, it is a little unsettling to feel like a newbie again with switching cruise lines! Thanks!

MTD on Royal is a disaster . 

Avoid it like the plague , especially if you like to dine early (ish)

JMHO

Also , If you can't get it switched pre cruise be sure and head directly to dining room as soon as you board and the "should"be able to accomodate you

 

Cheers

[twinmommy08]

MTD doesn’t open until 6:45. There will be a long line of folks trying to get in for a table. They will seat everyone until the sections are full. You could be seated for 15-20 mins until you are acknowledged because they still treat you like traditional dining- they want the servers to serve a group of tables at the same time, at the same pace. 
 

We like to eat around 7:30-8pm. We have a standing reservation at 7pm all week because we tend to get our appetizers around 7:30 on past cruises.

 

 Editing to comment that the concept of a real restaurant set up is so foreign to them. Heaven forbid you just want an entree and leave. 

Edited November 6, 2023 by twinmommy08

[thehappierhomemaker]

I called and they only offered me the 8pm traditional seating. The customer service person suggested I go in person at 5:30 and wait for a table each day. That actually won't be a problem because it will just be my husband and I except for Thanksgiving day which will be us plus our 3 sons and my mother. I have a feeling we'll be doing Thanksgiving in the buffet 👎

[Mum2Mercury]

We much prefer My Time and have had nothing but good luck with it -- multiple ships.  Thoughts: 

- The problem is that you've waited too late.  It's already November!  You can make reservations as soon as you book, which means some people have had their reservations more than a year -- those people scooped up the 6:45 time slots.  

- No, going in at 5:30 and hoping doesn't seem realistic to me.  How's that going to go?  You'll get dressed, go to the MDR, and if you don't get in ... what then?  Get a drink until 8:00?  

- Your best bet:  Wait until you're actually ON THE SHIP and talk to the Head Waiter in person.  It's harder to say no to people in person; of course, if he has no space, he has no space.  

- Your second best bet:  Check the app every day to see if anyone has dropped a reservation.  You don't have to eat at the same time every day.  

 

Side note:  Years ago we sailed Thanksgiving.  They did a great meal ... one of the best meals we've had on a ship.  We'll never sail a holiday again, but I remember that meal.  

Edited November 7, 2023 by Mum2Mercury

[Jetdriver787]

The “Reservations” mean you stand in what is often a very long line signed “Guests with reservations.” Usually there is also a much shorter line marked “Guests without reservations” where chances are you will be seated quicker. 

[Mum2Mercury]

53 minutes ago, Jetdriver787 said:

The “Reservations” mean you stand in what is often a very long line signed “Guests with reservations.” Usually there is also a much shorter line marked “Guests without reservations” where chances are you will be seated quicker. 

This has not been my experience at all.  

[neverbeenhere]

I will say that at times guests without reservations do get seated quicker. I know because we have given up making reservations. Will be on fixed dining next couple cruises to try it out again. 

[Rudyard]

My Time Dining should be renamed Their Time Dining. We're also used to ATD on Carnival and also like to eat around 5:30 or 6:00. The 6:45 start time was bad enough but needing reservations was the icing on the cake. Earliest we could get for one night was 7:30. All the other nights was 8:00 or 8:30. Luckily we had already planned to try a few specialty restaurants so that covered four nights and we ate in the Windjammer the other three. Next cruise on Royal we'll probably sign up for MTD again but will just try to get there before they open so we can hopefully get in earlier than 7:00. 

[Mum2Mercury]

1 hour ago, Rudyard said:

My Time Dining should be renamed Their Time Dining. We're also used to ATD on Carnival and also like to eat around 5:30 or 6:00. The 6:45 start time was bad enough but needing reservations was the icing on the cake. Earliest we could get for one night was 7:30. All the other nights was 8:00 or 8:30. Luckily we had already planned to try a few specialty restaurants so that covered four nights and we ate in the Windjammer the other three. Next cruise on Royal we'll probably sign up for MTD again but will just try to get there before they open so we can hopefully get in earlier than 7:00. 

I agree that 6:45 is a little later than we'd prefer, but that is the earliest MTD. 

If you want to get in before 7:00, make your reservations sooner rather than later; seriously, make your reservations as soon as you book your cruise.  That's what we did for our last week cruise, and we were taken straight to our table every day at 6:45.  Zero waiting.  

[twinmommy08]

21 hours ago, thehappierhomemaker said:

I called and they only offered me the 8pm traditional seating. The customer service person suggested I go in person at 5:30 and wait for a table each day. That actually won't be a problem because it will just be my husband and I except for Thanksgiving day which will be us plus our 3 sons and my mother. I have a feeling we'll be doing Thanksgiving in the buffet 👎

Go to the dining room when you board and ask to switch to early seating. They will find room for your family. 

[twinmommy08]

18 hours ago, neverbeenhere said:

I will say that at times guests without reservations do get seated quicker. I know because we have given up making reservations. Will be on fixed dining next couple cruises to try it out again. 

I always enter the shorter line with MTD. No one really cares. They just want to move the folks through. 

[galfromkazoo]

We got off Adventure on Saturday.    Booked cruise rather late and only MTD was available. Much prefer early dining but what can you do. Made reservations for every night at 6:45 except only 7:30 available on formal nights.  Hoped to go to dining room as soon as we got on ship to see if we could switch. This has worked for us before but not this time. Ok. 6:45. First night line was huge but we were toward the front. We were seated before 7:00

and there was no one in either line when we left less than an hour later.  Service was great. Everyone in the reservation line was seated rather quickly and then they went to those without reservations.  The rest of the week we checked in and they told us to go ahead to the same table. We were always seated by 6:50. Everyone around us was at the same table or section as well, even a couple that was always in the no reservation line. Service was great and we were in and out in less than an hour every night.  We were told to come at 6:45 the two nights we had 7:30 reservations. Worked out great. 
 

The food was not good some nights but the service could not have been better.  MTD is not always a problem. People should not worry in advance. It may work out well just like it did for us.