MTD Question answered

[Markmom18]

Just an FYI....

We just got back from the Mariner of the Seas on Sunday. Great cruise too! There seems to be some question as to My Time Dining. I asked the head matire'd (sp???) his response in a nutshell....

UNTIL MTD is officially listed in the documents as a choice (like Main and Second seating is now) that MTD is a first come first serve basis. He said that more people sign up for MTD then there are spots open. The guests believe that by requesting the MTD via their TA or RCCL specialist that it's a given they will have this option upon boarding. Not true.

When we boarded the ship we went directly to the Formal dining room and set our time for that evening. That put us in the MTD option for the week.

We were told that many guests walk away upset when they are informed that they cannot use this dining option. I don't blame them. We personally witnessed upset passengers being turned away. Obviously being prime Spring Break the ship was packed. We were told we were "lucky" that we decided to visit first thing as guests who showed up at dinner were told the MTD was full.

Anyway, that's our experience on Mariner. I personally think that this option needs to be throughly discussed with the passengers at time of booking the cruise.

[Cloverfield]

There was a posting on this a while back, someone said that RCCL was not honoring the reservations that were pre-made, even if you had pre-paid all of your gratuities.

I contact RCCL in regards to it, as we had booked and pre-paid back in Februrary - they told me our reservations were intact and not to worry.

We are traveling Liberty of the Seas (leaves in 3 days yippee) not sure if that makes a difference.

Based on your posting, to be safe we will make the dining room our first stop!!

 

Thanks

[Albert Ross]

Lets me explain again.....

MTD has been up and running on around ships for over a year now.

For these ships if you request MTD then you are 100% definitely on MTD

The list of ships is: Oasis, Legend, Enchantment, Independence, Freedom, Brilliance, Serenade, Jewel, Radiance

 

 

For every other ship there is MTD available on board but you cannot prebook it as the computer system is not up and running yet for these ships, therefore the ship knows nothing of your request and you must go to the dining room on boarding and get signed up. Irrespective of what your TA or RCI staff may tell you!

 

Cloverfield - as Liberty is not one of the original 9 then you must go and resign up on board.

 

The computers are now meant to be working May 10th to enable you to prebook MTD on the remaining ships.

[little britain]

There was a posting on this a while back, someone said that RCCL was not honoring the reservations that were pre-made, even if you had pre-paid all of your gratuities.

Yes, I can agree with this.

Signed up for MTD in the UK, but via this board I heard that the ship was not aware of who had. So went straight to the dining room when we boarded to re-register. The MTD hostess confirmed to me that they had no list of who had/who hadn't signed up before hand and they were just allocating places on first come/first served basis.

[babies12]

Just an FYI....

We just got back from the Mariner of the Seas on Sunday. Great cruise too! There seems to be some question as to My Time Dining. I asked the head matire'd (sp???) his response in a nutshell....

UNTIL MTD is officially listed in the documents as a choice (like Main and Second seating is now) that MTD is a first come first serve basis. He said that more people sign up for MTD then there are spots open. The guests believe that by requesting the MTD via their TA or RCCL specialist that it's a given they will have this option upon boarding. Not true.

When we boarded the ship we went directly to the Formal dining room and set our time for that evening. That put us in the MTD option for the week.

We were told that many guests walk away upset when they are informed that they cannot use this dining option. I don't blame them. We personally witnessed upset passengers being turned away. Obviously being prime Spring Break the ship was packed. We were told we were "lucky" that we decided to visit first thing as guests who showed up at dinner were told the MTD was full.

Anyway, that's our experience on Mariner. I personally think that this option needs to be throughly discussed with the passengers at time of booking the cruise.

 

Ok, I'm new to sailing RCCL and will be on the Mariner 5/10. I have already prepaid my tips so that we can have MTD. Apparently, this is not the case as now we have to scramble once on board to secure it. So where do I go to sign up? What deck?

[novalab]

Ok, I'm new to sailing RCCL and will be on the Mariner 5/10. I have already prepaid my tips so that we can have MTD. Apparently, this is not the case as now we have to scramble once on board to secure it. So where do I go to sign up? What deck?

 

 

Deck 5 is what I was told. They will be signing you in there. We are in the same boat so to speak.

[trucruz]

We are in the same situation for our sailing on the Granduer. We have prepaid our tips, but MTD is new to that ship. Do we need to bring proof of our prepaid tips to the dining room when we first board the ship? I guess I can bring my confirmation invoice. Would that be the best thing to do?

[babies12]

We are in the same situation for our sailing on the Granduer. We have prepaid our tips, but MTD is new to that ship. Do we need to bring proof of our prepaid tips to the dining room when we first board the ship? I guess I can bring my confirmation invoice. Would that be the best thing to do?

 

That's exactly what I intend to do. I also e-mailed the MTD support team a month ago. I was told that April 19 was the day to call and reserve our dining reservation. She said that that was the "magic" date. So I will call on Sunday and hopefully it will be taken care of then, without the stress of having to rush onboard and secure it.

[Suzy Q]

Sailing on the Mariner in a couple of weeks. Called RCI today to check and was told REGARDLESS of prepaid gratuities or any TA paperwork, you must go and sign up on board. Was also assured there would be plenty of seats available for this. :confused: I was also told April 18 was the drop dead date. First of all, I don't want to go and stand in line, secondly, my paperwork now reads "main" seating. If we don't get MTD, fine BUT we don't want main seating. We want second seating as our default. Will we be stuck with main???:eek:

[babies12]

Sailing on the Mariner in a couple of weeks. Called RCI today to check and was told REGARDLESS of prepaid gratuities or any TA paperwork, you must go and sign up on board. Was also assured there would be plenty of seats available for this. :confused: I was also told April 18 was the drop dead date. First of all, I don't want to go and stand in line, secondly, my paperwork now reads "main" seating. If we don't get MTD, fine BUT we don't want main seating. We want second seating as our default. Will we be stuck with main???:eek:

 

This is not the way I want to begin my vacation, standing in line in the dining room waiting to secure MTD. I will try calling on 4/19. Hopefully, they will have their system up and running. If not, I guess I will have to suck it up and and head to the dining room. However, I have never sailed on RCCL and we will be on the Mariner in three weeks, and navigating it will be a challenge as she is rather large. Does anybody know what time to head up there?

[DEalfinder]

We were on the 4/5 Mariner. As soon as I got on the ship I went to Deck 5 to make sure we were confirmed for MTD. We, too, had prepaid gratuities, requested MTD, etc., etc.

 

We were asked to fill out a form agreeing to pre-pay gratuities. At first I refused to fill out the form, because I didn't want to get double dinged on gratuities that were already paid. Then Maitre De said he writes "shoreside" to designate that they were already paid.

 

We were a group of nine.

 

Night 1 we were stuck in a corner alcove next to a serving station out of view of all of the other tables/activities of the dining room. That night we had an after 8 reservation if I recall correctly.

 

We voiced our complaint about location as the (well-behaved) kids were falling asleep staring at the wall. Service was also slower that we would have liked.

 

After dinner we tried to reserve an earlier time based on the next evening's activities. We met resistance regarding the time we wanted to book, saying many people were asking for earlier dining times and maybe we'd be happier with the main dining. Isn't the whole purpose of MTD that you can book DIFFERENT times each night?

 

Night 2 we were seated near a window, different waiter, service a little better. At least he had a sense of humor. Plus the Maitre D had arranged for a special requested entree for one of the members in our group.

 

Night 3 I think we were near the window this time. Easier time booking the time we wanted.

 

Night 4 only 7 of 9 dined and the group was seated in a different part of the MTD and had Mary. She was by far the best server, wrote down everyone's names and greeted us in the Windjammer by name during the morning/daytime and evening even when not seated in her area. Service was much better paced, too.

 

Night 5 stuck in corner again

 

Night 6 & 7 near window, but tables pushed against bannister. Very tight spacing.

 

Despite reading on the boards and hearing pre-cruise that the MTD space adjusts based on interest, we were told that the MTD area is a very small area and most people want smaller tables there. Although we had some of the same Asst Waiters and waiters, only on the last night were drinks (teas,waters, sodas) we had regularly ordered delivered without being asked.

 

Also, pre-ordered Kosher for Passover meals that we planned to request Nights 4-7 and never received. Was given regular Kosher meals Nights 5-7, however on night 7 was told they were out of chicken, even though I specifically requested earlier in the day. (Previous 2 nights they had brought 3 meals out of the two of us, not advising us what choices were available or asking what we might like.)

 

While our idea dining time would have been 7ish, we realized that because of show schedule, we needed to book either earlier or later time if we wanted to see a particular show/partake in a specific activity. Also, we were told to leave 2 hours for dining. We would have preferred 90 minutes. Which some of the nights that was the case and we know we wouldn't have felt rushed for that to happen.

 

The Maitre Ds (Macjiec [Magic] and Rock) were very nice and accommodating, with the exception on the Kosher food issues/explanation on the last night as to why those in our group who had requested were not given Kosher for Passover and why only Kosher Pepper Steak was available on night 7.

[jebl]

Sailing on Enchatment on Sun 4-19. Cruise docs read 'open dining confirmed'.

 

Guess it all depends on the ship. I will check though once onboard. I usually go to dining room to check on table anyway so won't be any inconvenience for me.

[Markmom18]

We were on the 4/5 Mariner. As soon as I got on the ship I went to Deck 5 to make sure we were confirmed for MTD. We, too, had prepaid gratuities, requested MTD, etc., etc.

 

We were asked to fill out a form agreeing to pre-pay gratuities. At first I refused to fill out the form, because I didn't want to get double dinged on gratuities that were already paid. Then Maitre De said he writes "shoreside" to designate that they were already paid.

 

We were a group of nine.

 

Night 1 we were stuck in a corner alcove next to a serving station out of view of all of the other tables/activities of the dining room. That night we had an after 8 reservation if I recall correctly.

 

We voiced our complaint about location as the (well-behaved) kids were falling asleep staring at the wall. Service was also slower that we would have liked.

 

After dinner we tried to reserve an earlier time based on the next evening's activities. We met resistance regarding the time we wanted to book, saying many people were asking for earlier dining times and maybe we'd be happier with the main dining. Isn't the whole purpose of MTD that you can book DIFFERENT times each night?

 

Night 2 we were seated near a window, different waiter, service a little better. At least he had a sense of humor. Plus the Maitre D had arranged for a special requested entree for one of the members in our group.

 

Night 3 I think we were near the window this time. Easier time booking the time we wanted.

 

Night 4 only 7 of 9 dined and the group was seated in a different part of the MTD and had Mary. She was by far the best server, wrote down everyone's names and greeted us in the Windjammer by name during the morning/daytime and evening even when not seated in her area. Service was much better paced, too.

 

Night 5 stuck in corner again

 

Night 6 & 7 near window, but tables pushed against bannister. Very tight spacing.

 

Despite reading on the boards and hearing pre-cruise that the MTD space adjusts based on interest, we were told that the MTD area is a very small area and most people want smaller tables there. Although we had some of the same Asst Waiters and waiters, only on the last night were drinks (teas,waters, sodas) we had regularly ordered delivered without being asked.

 

Also, pre-ordered Kosher for Passover meals that we planned to request Nights 4-7 and never received. Was given regular Kosher meals Nights 5-7, however on night 7 was told they were out of chicken, even though I specifically requested earlier in the day. (Previous 2 nights they had brought 3 meals out of the two of us, not advising us what choices were available or asking what we might like.)

 

While our idea dining time would have been 7ish, we realized that because of show schedule, we needed to book either earlier or later time if we wanted to see a particular show/partake in a specific activity. Also, we were told to leave 2 hours for dining. We would have preferred 90 minutes. Which some of the nights that was the case and we know we wouldn't have felt rushed for that to happen.

 

The Maitre Ds (Macjiec [Magic] and Rock) were very nice and accommodating, with the exception on the Kosher food issues/explanation on the last night as to why those in our group who had requested were not given Kosher for Passover and why only Kosher Pepper Steak was available on night 7.

We also were onboard the April 5th sailing on the Mariner. Your experience pretty much match's our own. 'Magic' offered us a "fine table" the first night. My mom and I were placed in the darkened side of the dining room ( the thick curtains were drawn shut) AND next to the servers station. Apparently this was also the walkway for other guests leaving this portion of the dining room for bathroom trips.

The next night my mom spoke up and let Magic know that this table was not "fine" with us and could he do better. Magic replied he had a "beautiful table" for us this time. Sure enough he chose a table for 2 that overlooked the beautiful hanging chandelier. This was also the evening he explained the whole MTD program on the Mariner (which I posted here).

We did go to the Rhapsody in Blue Dining Room (Deck 5) as soon as we boarded. There we filled out the form and waited a short bit till we spoke with Magic. He writes down your dinner reservation time. In all we probably spent less than 5 minutes here. It truly wasn't a huge amount of time. But, yes we were surprised that it wasn't just an automatic thing. Our seapass had "main" dining time too. And we had prepaid the gratuity as well.

We didn't let it ruin our vacation, so I would just say to those who have posted their concerns....go first thing...and then enjoy this beautiful ship.

Again, I just wish that this program was clearly outlined before boarding. Maybe it's me and my menopausal brain, but I just assumed that by prepaying and signing up that I was guaranteed MTD.

[ByeBye1]

D+ members are garentee'd their preferred dining so how can that be if you have to go to the dining room on board to secure MTD?

[Kurbanfan]

That's exactly what I intend to do. I also e-mailed the MTD support team a month ago. I was told that April 19 was the day to call and reserve our dining reservation. She said that that was the "magic" date. So I will call on Sunday and hopefully it will be taken care of then, without the stress of having to rush onboard and secure it.

 

This is exactly what we were told also for the Mariner.....we prepaid our tips and we will be on the phone on the 19th and everyday after until we get resolved before our cruise.......

Good luck to you too........

[negc]

This is not the way I want to begin my vacation, standing in line in the dining room waiting to secure MTD. I will try calling on 4/19. Hopefully, they will have their system up and running. If not, I guess I will have to suck it up and and head to the dining room. However, I have never sailed on RCCL and we will be on the Mariner in three weeks, and navigating it will be a challenge as she is rather large. Does anybody know what time to head up there?

Go to the dining room on Deck 5 which is located aft of the Royal Promenade when you board, and preferably before 3:30 and the restaurant staff can assist you. We were on Navigator of the Seas and we did not experience a line when we went there to confirm our MTD reservation. The computer system was being updated to accept reservations made prior to the sailing date but we neither had to scramble nor wait in a long line when we arrived. Your first day's Cruise Compass should tell you when and where to go to sign up for MTD. Despite its size, I think you will be pleasantly surprised to find out how easy she is to navigate. Distances might be a concern but it is relatively easy to determine where the various venues are located.:)

[AndrewTH]

I've noticed a some people have seen tables for two in the MTD section. Were they being utilized fully?

[negc]

I've noticed a some people have seen tables for two in the MTD section. Were they being utilized fully?

 

I believe that they were, but because people can choose to eat at different times during the evening, not all of the tables, regardless of size will be occupied at the same time. It is not unlike the situation in Chops or Portofino where they don't fill every table at the same time since then they could not accept any additional reservations for an approximately two to two and a half hour period. By staggering reservations they can accommodate most people at the times that those guests prefer.:)

[babies12]

Go to the dining room on Deck 5 which is located aft of the Royal Promenade when you board, and preferably before 3:30 and the restaurant staff can assist you. We were on Navigator of the Seas and we did not experience a line when we went there to confirm our MTD reservation. The computer system was being updated to accept reservations made prior to the sailing date but we neither had to scramble nor wait in a long line when we arrived. Your first day's Cruise Compass should tell you when and where to go to sign up for MTD. Despite its size, I think you will be pleasantly surprised to find out how easy she is to navigate. Distances might be a concern but it is relatively easy to determine where the various venues are located.:)

 

Thank you for that information. Hopefully it will all be "smooth sailing".

[Albert Ross]

This is exactly what we were told also for the Mariner.....we prepaid our tips and we will be on the phone on the 19th and everyday after until we get resolved before our cruise.......

Good luck to you too........

 

I have had it confirmed again today -the day is MAY 10 and not April 19. So just a few extra weeks to wait.

[Kurbanfan]

I have had it confirmed again today -the day is MAY 10 and not April 19. So just a few extra weeks to wait.

 

My cruise is May 3.........who did you talk to?

[babies12]

My cruise is May 3.........who did you talk to?

 

My cruise is May 10, I'd like to know too.

[AndrewTH]

I believe that they were, but because people can choose to eat at different times during the evening, not all of the tables, regardless of size will be occupied at the same time. It is not unlike the situation in Chops or Portofino where they don't fill every table at the same time since then they could not accept any additional reservations for an approximately two to two and a half hour period. By staggering reservations they can accommodate most people at the times that those guests prefer.:)

 

So it sounds like I would likely be able to go this route to snag a table for 2 with relative certainty?

[negc]

So it sounds like I would likely be able to go this route to snag a table for 2 with relative certainty?

You shouldn't have a problem but of course there are no guarantees. We did note a number of tables for two and four in that section of the dining room so I think your chances would be quite good. They are real tables for two and not the "so-called" tables for two that we encountered when we dined in the Personal Choice dining rooms when we sailed on the Sapphire Princess.:rolleyes:

[babies12]

I just called MTD and checked with them regarding my status as to our request for MTD on our upcoming Mariner cruise 5/10. She told me we are on the manifest for MTD. So there is no need to for us to go see the MD on deck 5. We're all set! Good to know as I didn't want to start our cruise off by running to deck 5 and standing in line telling them I had this already reserved. She said just to show up when we are ready for dinner.