My Time Dining on Navigator - reserve for first night? And subsequent nights?

Hello All,

I'm sailing on Navigator next month and haven't had My Time Dining before.

Can I reserve the first night now? Or wait until onboard? And for subsequent nights? I'm not sure we'll want to be tied to booking it all up in advance but worried we'll get ridiculous times if we don't.

Also, there are 5 of us in 2 cabins - can we all sit together for dinner - do I have to link the dinner reservations?

Any help / advice greatly received.

Thanks,

Sarah

Yes.

Either.

Either.

Yes.

For that many people for MTD you are probably better off making all the reservations now and adjust as needed on board. You might have few slots available this close to sailing.

... Also, there are 5 of us in 2 cabins - can we all sit together for dinner - do I have to link the dinner reservations? ...

You should link your bookings so you can make dining reservations for the group.

The only option that was available when we bought our cruise was late dinning so we asked for MTD. When we upgraded from a Balcony to a suite, it looks like they honored the request for MTD.

We were thinking that it would be easy to simply designate when we wanted to eat when we were on the ship as it was with NCL but it sounds like simply showing up at the door may not work like it did with NCL. We are 3 adults (self, wife & 15 year old boy). As with NCL, we are in a full suite, we may have options that others might not, like having the butler take care of our reservations once on board but we aren't really the type of people that type of service (If we could book a suite without the additional staff, we would).

Should we try to book our dinner reservations ahead of time and if so, how do we do that? I don't see many options in the planner other that specialty bookings and most of those are already booked here @ 45 days before the cruise.

PS - I found the option for MTD on the planner but apparently have to add it (at no cost) yet the reservation times are not goo (either before 5:45 or after 8:30 each night) so even if I could reserve ahead of time, I don't think we would want to. Perhaps this is the reason for the "Genie" & why people like being in suites so much? If so, then I just need to learn more about the suite life and how to best take advantage of its benefits

Since we are in a full suite, we may have options that others might not, like having the butler take care of our reservations once on board but we aren't really the type of people that type of service. Should we try to plan ahead and book our dinner reservations ahead of time and if so, how do we do that?

Unless you are in Star class on the few ships that have them, there are no butlers on any RCI ships (and the ones with Star class call them Genies). The MTD choice to book is all the way at the bottom of the Dining choice in the planner.

We booked our MTD as soon as we could for our cruise this month and got all the times we wanted. Did it on the ship on our last cruise and had to settle for whatever we could get.

Unless you are in Star class on the few ships that have them, there are no butlers on any RCI ships (and the ones with Star class call them Genies). The MTD choice to book is all the way at the bottom of the Dining choice in the planner.

Thanks

Unless you are in Star class on the few ships that have them, there are no butlers on any RCI ships (and the ones with Star class call them Genies). The MTD choice to book is all the way at the bottom of the Dining choice in the planner.

So if no Genies then dinner booking could be done via the concierge I assume? I had already looked at the online options and unless we want to eat @ 5:30 or after 8:30 there really was nothing showing as available for ANY of the nights of the cruise. I did read in another thread that others staying in GSs had used room service (for no service charge) which I guess could be an option if we wanted or needed to eat at a specific time and didn't want to eat @ the buffet.

We also have a couple of specialty dinning from our TA but I don't see a way to use those coupons online so that we could book Chops for dinner. Online Chops only shows available for the 1st or last night and only for the 8:30 timeslot even if we purchased it online without using the OBC

3 separate lines for MDR on navigator last week. One for suites and pinnacles. You’ll have no problems just walking up.

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So if no Genies then dinner booking could be done via the concierge I assume? I had already looked at the online options and unless we want to eat @ 5:30 or after 8:30 there really was nothing showing as available for ANY of the nights of the cruise. I did read in another thread that others staying in GSs had used room service (for no service charge) which I guess could be an option if we wanted or needed to eat at a specific time and didn't want to eat @ the buffet.

 

We also have a couple of specialty dinning from our TA but I don't see a way to use those coupons online so that we could book Chops for dinner. Online Chops only shows available for the 1st or last night and only for the 8:30 timeslot even if we purchased it online without using the OBC

Yes the concierge can make the bookings for you. Not all the times show up online, they hold some back form onbaird booking. So you can either ask the concierge or go to the Maitre D desk on boarding day and book then.

You cannot use your TA coupons to reserve specialty restaurants online. Again not all time slots show up so you will certainly be able to make suitable bookings when you board.

So if no Genies then dinner booking could be done via the concierge I assume? I had already looked at the online options and unless we want to eat @ 5:30 or after 8:30 there really was nothing showing as available for ANY of the nights of the cruise. I did read in another thread that others staying in GSs had used room service (for no service charge) which I guess could be an option if we wanted or needed to eat at a specific time and didn't want to eat @ the buffet.

 

We also have a couple of specialty dinning from our TA but I don't see a way to use those coupons online so that we could book Chops for dinner. Online Chops only shows available for the 1st or last night and only for the 8:30 timeslot even if we purchased it online without using the OBC

A little bit more information which might be helpful and perhaps put your mind at ease.

There is no genie or butler for suites on Navigator. You do have the services of the concierge and most likely you will get an email from them a week before the sailing.

They will make extra effort to accommodate suite guests. So you could make all your MTD bookings once on board the ship. If there is a problem with availability then the concierge will help get the bookings you want.

On some ships, there is a separate line for suite guests and you don't need to have a reservation for MTD. I can't remember whether they have this on Navigator. If they do then there is no need to book, you just turn up.

Same applies with speciality dinning. I would wait until I am on board the ship. Then check with restaurant manager regarding bookings. Let them know you are in a suite. If you can't get the slots you want, ask the concierge to help.

I have stayed in suites on a number of RC ships. I have faced the same problem of desired slots not available. In practice, I have not found problems getting reservations I wanted at the time I wanted. One of the benefits of staying in a suite. If you hit a brick wall, ask the concierge for help and usually they will fix it.

Thank you for the replies

Sarah

3 separate lines for MDR on navigator last week. One for suites and pinnacles. You’ll have no problems just walking up.

While there may be no wait at the host desk for suites, that does not mean a table will be available right away at peak times.;)

Hello All,

 

I'm sailing on Navigator next month and haven't had My Time Dining before.

 

Can I reserve the first night now? Or wait until onboard? And for subsequent nights? I'm not sure we'll want to be tied to booking it all up in advance but worried we'll get ridiculous times if we don't.

 

Also, there are 5 of us in 2 cabins - can we all sit together for dinner - do I have to link the dinner reservations?

 

Any help / advice greatly received.

 

Thanks,

 

Sarah

Oh, thank you for this question. this’ll teach me for assuming if you had MTD you didn’t need to book in advance, and could eat when you wished without booking.

So, will they let you in the MDR if you don’t have a booking (if there is space, obviously) or are they really strict.

There are only 3 of us though. Me, Hubby, and 5 year old daughter. We are in balcony, not suite

I’ve only had one cruise before, with Norwegian. Trying RCCL for 1st time. Sorry if my questions come across as daft lol

Leanne

So, will they let you in the MDR if you don’t have a booking (if there is space, obviously) or are they really strict.

You will get a table, it's just a matter of how long you have to wait - at peak times, it could be for quite a while.

We are sailing on Liberty in August and made our reservations through the Cruise Planner yesterday so we don't have to deal with it on the first day. We like to book a later dinner on the first day and port days and earlier on sea days.

A word of warning about booking MTD on the RCCL website:

You can only book one day at a time on MTD and then have to check out. You add MTD to your cart for Day 1 and select the time then check out. Then you "Continue Shopping" and add MTD again, this time selecting Day 2 and the time and check out again, then Day 3, etc.. Before the website update, you could do it all at once.

It is silly, I know... Best I can figure, Royal is using high school students in their IT department. Whoever they are, they know just enough to be dangerous. :rolleyes:

You can only book one day at a time on MTD and then have to check out. :rolleyes:

You don't have to check out - simply choose dining at the top of the planner, scroll all the way down and add MTD to the cart again and choose another day and repeat for the other days. Yes, it could be simpler, but you can reserve all days at once doing this.

You don't have to check out - simply choose dining at the top of the planner, scroll all the way down and add MTD to the cart again and choose another day and repeat for the other days. Yes, it could be simpler, but you can reserve all days at once doing this.

Thanks! Everytime I did try to add it again, it it kept telling me that it was already in my cart and wouldn't let me add another. Maybe they were making some "improvements" to the system. LOL!

You will get a table, it's just a matter of how long you have to wait - at peak times, it could be for quite a while.

Thank you for your reply.

Daft question but what is ‘peak times’ on a ship? Is it generally influenced by the times of the shows?

Thank you

Thank you for your reply.

Daft question but what is ‘peak times’ on a ship? Is it generally influenced by the times of the shows?

 

Thank you

Out experience has been that 6:30pm to 7:30pm are peak times for MTD.

Any private tours in New York when Navigator is on her transatlantic in November 2018 or other transport options ?