My Time Dining, Carry-ons, and Embarkation Questions!

[PMHNPCruiser]

We have my time dining for the first time. With this option the dining times on the app show 6:45pm-9pm. We did not make reservations for days 1 or 2. Will we be able to go to the dining room at 6 and stand in the "no reservations" line or do we have to wait until 6:45pm?

 

Are we able to drop our carry on bags in our room when we board? (Just drop them off when we pick up our key cards, not stay in the room ourselves.)

 

Last, what is the earliest embarkation time that is usually available for check in?

 

Thanks!

[Biker19]

21 minutes ago, PMHNPCruiser said:

Will we be able to go to the dining room at 6 and stand in the "no reservations" line or do we have to wait until 6:45pm?

 

Are we able to drop our carry on bags in our room when we board? (Just drop them off when we pick up our key cards, not stay in the room ourselves.)

 

Last, what is the earliest embarkation time that is usually available for check in?

Yes, though it seems you could do something more productive with that hour of your cruise (you may not get seated till almost 7). Getting seated before official start of MTD is unlikely and varies by ship/sailing. 
 

You can drop off after cabins are available- sometime after 1PM.

 

That varies by port/ship. 

Edited May 2 by Biker19

[PMHNPCruiser]

We are sailing on Harmony of the Seas out of Galveston.

[SilkySal]

Ditto to what @Biker19 said. As far as possible boarding times, I found this thread talking about cruises from Galveston:

 

You can also go to the roll calls for Harmony of the Seas; find a cruise that's current or recently completed and ask that question.

Welcome to CC and happy cruising! Cheers!

Edited May 3 by SilkySal
add

[Anton]

20 hours ago, PMHNPCruiser said:

Are we able to drop our carry on bags in our room when we board?

Cabins are open for guests to access around 1pm or shortly after.  Guests are not allowed to access the cabin area prior to that, even if you just want to drop off carry on luggage and get seapass cards.  You use your setsail pass or just your cabin number for purchases prior to the cabin availability.  

[PMHNPCruiser]

2 minutes ago, Anton said:

Cabins are open for guests to access around 1pm or shortly after.  Guests are not allowed to access the cabin area prior to that, even if you just want to drop off carry on luggage and get seapass cards.  You use your setsail pass or just your cabin number for purchases prior to the cabin availability.  

Thank you!

[PMHNPCruiser]

13 minutes ago, SilkySal said:

Ditto to what @Biker19 said. As far as possible boarding times, I found this thread talking about cruises from Galveston:

 

You can also go to the roll calls for Harmony of the Seas; find a cruise that's current or recently completed and ask that question.

Welcome to CC and happy cruising! Cheers!

Thank you!

[MtnSeaGirl]

On our April cruise out of Miami, there were a couple nights the stand by line for MTD seated early.  Unfortunately, several nights even the reservation line seated a little late due to the first seating ending a little late.  We had signed up for MTD thinking it would be like another line and found out a couple weeks prior to our cruise it was not what we thought it was. We had an early arrival time, went by the MDR as soon as we boarded and were switched to early dining even though we could not do that by calling Royal. You may try that. Good luck.  It stinks to have to wait so long.  

[PMHNPCruiser]

1 hour ago, MtnSeaGirl said:

On our April cruise out of Miami, there were a couple nights the stand by line for MTD seated early.  Unfortunately, several nights even the reservation line seated a little late due to the first seating ending a little late.  We had signed up for MTD thinking it would be like another line and found out a couple weeks prior to our cruise it was not what we thought it was. We had an early arrival time, went by the MDR as soon as we boarded and were switched to early dining even though we could not do that by calling Royal. You may try that. Good luck.  It stinks to have to wait so long.  

Thank you! All the other nights we want the 645/7pm dining time. Unfortunately nights 1 and 2 we have 8pm shows reserved. We will have to try our luck with the standby line 😄

[taglovestocruise]

2 hours ago, PMHNPCruiser said:

Thank you! All the other nights we want the 645/7pm dining time. Unfortunately nights 1 and 2 we have 8pm shows reserved. We will have to try our luck with the standby line 😄

Windjammer has dinner at 5:30 and Solarium Bistro opens at 6. Both have very good dinner offerings.  WJ just walk in any time and the Bistro sometimes needs reservations.  We always miss at least one MDR dinner and hit the Windjammer or Bistro.  Or do a early specialty. 

Edited May 4 by taglovestocruise

[Mum2Mercury]

Instead of standing in the longer "no reservations" line, make a reservation.  Once you're onboard, you can just walk up to the podium earlier in the day and make a reservation.  

 

Or you might opt for dinner somewhere other than the MDR.  We like the MDR, but 7 nights of the same thing gets old.  

 

The doors to the cabin rooms will be closed until about 1:00.  The captain'll make an announcement when the rooms are ready.  

 

10:30 is usually the earliest embarkation time.  

[PMHNPCruiser]

21 hours ago, Mum2Mercury said:

Instead of standing in the longer "no reservations" line, make a reservation.  Once you're onboard, you can just walk up to the podium earlier in the day and make a reservation.  

 

Or you might opt for dinner somewhere other than the MDR.  We like the MDR, but 7 nights of the same thing gets old.  

 

The doors to the cabin rooms will be closed until about 1:00.  The captain'll make an announcement when the rooms are ready.  

 

10:30 is usually the earliest embarkation time.  

Thank you! I wasn't sure if they would let us make a reservation for prior to 645pm. If they will, that's the perfect option!

[Mum2Mercury]

20 minutes ago, PMHNPCruiser said:

Thank you! I wasn't sure if they would let us make a reservation for prior to 645pm. If they will, that's the perfect option!

Oh, that early?  No, I'm pretty sure that's before My Time Dining starts on all ships.