My Time Dining: Strategy for reservations? (1st cruise)

First time cruisers, on Allure in late May with our 7 year old. We picked My Time Dining. What strategy should we use to make reservations? We have shows booked so we can set reservations around them. We don't eat red meat at all. Just look through descriptions and pick? Any can't miss or stay away from? Not sure where to start. Thanks!

Are you asking about making reservations at Specialty Restaurants or MTD reservations in Main Dining Room?

Not Specialty, only included. So that's MTD in main dining room or other "Complementary Dining" places like Windjammer, correct?

Not Specialty, only included. So that's MTD in main dining room or other "Complementary Dining" places like Windjammer, correct?

If you are asking about complimentary dinner, then the Main Dining Room is the only venue that takes reservations. All the other complimentary food options do not take reservations.

Also, reservations are not mandatory at the MDR. You can just show up if you like.

With a 7 year old, I'd suggest you make reservations as soon as they come online. We were on Explorer last year and there was a 20-30 minute wait the first night for the line at Main Dining that HAD reservations. The people in the no reservations line were not happy. After that it was 10-15 mins wait for people with reservations, and much longer for the no reservations people. We had only been on Disney cruises prior to that which was always immediate seating so I was pretty surprised. I always hear about how you can just walk up to Main Dining but that was not our experience at all. Maybe we were unlucky. We are trying RCI this summer again but with a lot of specialty reservations! With a kid, I'd make the reservations as soon as you can to minimize waiting.

Personally my kids and I would be very happy never eating at the main dining room. They preferred the buffet because they could try things and get exactly what they wanted and it was faster. I never thought the meals at the MDR were good enough for the amount of time it took (however we did do a few specialty dining meals). By all means try to MDR but consider the other options as well especially for the seven year old. When we take family vacations it's a vacation for everyone (not just mom and dad) so we let kids decide how they want to spend their time too..and for mine it was't two hours each night in the MDR. But some people love it. My husband would eat every meal in the MDR-he hates the whole concept of the buffet.

If you are planning to eat during the most popular time, then there can be a wait. Go earlier or later, and you shouldn't have an issue. Generally, the website won't allow reservations in advance for the 7-7:45 timeslot...so you would have to do that onboard.

You can reserve MTD in your cruise planner. We reserved both formal night s on our recent cruise. WE ended up only doing the first formal night.

I reserve MTD for every night on the cruise planner and if you have reservations for shows you need to allow a couple of hours for dining. The windjammer is much quicker as you can just walk in and eat the buffet at your own pace so better if you are pushed for time.

love sailing with RCCL

I reserve MTD for every night on the cruise planner and if you have reservations for shows you need to allow a couple of hours for dining. The windjammer is much quicker as you can just walk in and eat the buffet at your own pace so better if you are pushed for time.

 

love sailing with RCCL

I'm having a hard time making a reservation for "my time dining" for each night? It will let me make one night, but not additional nights? Were you able to make all 7 nights online?

Thank You!

I'm having a hard time making a reservation for "my time dining" for each night? It will let me make one night, but not additional nights? Were you able to make all 7 nights online?

Thank You!

We had to do one night at a time.

We had to do one night at a time.

Did you do it on different days? Because when I try to add another day, it says it's already in my cart, and I can modify it? Thank you for helping me!!

Did you do it on different days? Because when I try to add another day, it says it's already in my cart, and I can modify it? Thank you for helping me!!

I had to add the reservation to my cart and complete the transaction, which zeroed out the cart. Then I went back in and reserved the next day.

I had to add the reservation to my cart and complete the transaction, which zeroed out the cart. Then I went back in and reserved the next day.

That's what I'm doing wrong!! Thanks Bob!!

We had to do one night at a time.

I just did mine today, for our cruise in September, and was able to do all in one transaction, including the first night done right.

I clicked on the "Plan all cruise dining" option (towards the top, in the middle of my screen) and it listed every day, and I chose the guests then the time slot.

When I cruise last month I had MTD printed on my card, Every night there are 2 lines. one with and one without MTD. Obvious which line goes faster. Reception don't use a check list of anybody's booking so it doesn't matter what time you book for.

When I cruise last month I had MTD printed on my card, Every night there are 2 lines. one with and one without MTD. Obvious which line goes faster. Reception don't use a check list of anybody's booking so it doesn't matter what time you book for.

Them not checking at the desk is totally contrary to what I experienced last summer on the Brilliance of the Seas.

I had made reservations for 6:30 each night and went to the MDR on boarding to see if that could get me the same table and servers each night - being gluten-free I don't want to have to have new servers every night (it was a disaster on fathom last week), but as I travel solo and have has a very bad experience where I was seated with people whose conversation made me totally uncomfortable before I do not want to deal with traditional dining. The MDR manager looked at my stuff and blocked me into a table for the whole cruise "as long as you come at 6:30 every night".

Which I did.

And there were clearly two lines, but one was for those who had reservations and those who did not. Those who did not have MTD (translation those who had traditional dining) were in the downstairs portion of the MDR so they never had to come to the MTD door.

I would say you have a special need case, hence it make sense. I travel solo too. I have never come across any time where I have to share a table with someone if the host haven't got my approval first and the other persons on the table.

I would say you have a special need case, hence it make sense. I travel solo too. I have never come across any time where I have to share a table with someone if the host haven't got my approval first and the other persons on the table.

I had been told that MTD would automatically mean your own table unless agreed upon by all sitting together (like if you met people you wanted to eat with you could go together to MTD assuming you all had it).

But that Traditional would pretty much mean sharing a table regardless.

Hence why I chose MTD.

I just did mine today, for our cruise in September, and was able to do all in one transaction, including the first night done right.

 

I clicked on the "Plan all cruise dining" option (towards the top, in the middle of my screen) and it listed every day, and I chose the guests then the time slot.

That worked! Thank you!!

I'm having a hard time making a reservation for "my time dining" for each night? It will let me make one night, but not additional nights? Were you able to make all 7 nights online?

Thank You!

What you need to do is do it 1 day at a time,check out with name, email then go back in for the next day then keep repeating that process.

43 cruises and counting.

I did our MTD yesterday. Booked for 7.15 most nights but 6.00 on a couple that I have booked shows for. We're on Oasis, having never done MTD before can someone tell me if we're likely to have a long wait and whether we're going to have different table mates or on our own maybe? Thank you.

Stand in the prebooked time queue.You should wait no more than 10 minutes.

Ask for a table for 2 and you might wait a couple more minutes but you will get it.Normally they would seat you with other people next to you in the queue unless you specifically ask for a table for 2.

43 cruises and counting.

I'm having a hard time making a reservation for "my time dining" for each night? It will let me make one night, but not additional nights? Were you able to make all 7 nights online?

Thank You!

When I had this issue, I simply called C&A and they made my reservations for me. We book 730 MTD every night that we aren't doing Specialty dining. On last 2 cruises did not even have a 1 minute wait for seating. Happy Sails to You

My family of 4 is sailing on Allure next month, and we have MTD. I booked a couple of nights, first night in MDR and last night at Chops, a couple of weeks ago. A couple of days ago I went to book our times in MDR for 4 other nights, and no times before 8:45 were offered as available. Honestly, that is pretty late for dinner (IMO) and I'd like to be able to change to an earlier time if possible. From other replies it looks like we may be able to change to an earlier time once onboard, am I correct? Does the fact that we have reservations already, albeit at 8:45, allow us to go stand in line at, say, 7:30pm instead? Thanks.