MDR vs MTD w/Children

[disney922]

Please help me.

 

This is only our 2nd cruise as a family, we did Oasis in March of this year. I really disliked our 6:15 dining. We did MDR and felt rushed EVERY day. This year we will use kids club quite a bit and looked at My time family dining but with that you still need to be at dinner at 6:15???

 

We really enjoyed the dining room and having a nice sit down dinner every night(we will do 1 or 2 speciality dinner as well)

 

I guess my questions are:

How do you do shows if you do late MDR?

Exactly how does MTD work? You just make reservation for say 7 or 7:30 every night? Do you get same waitress/waiter? Same manue

 

What are pros and cons and what do other family's do.

 

Our children will be 4 and 8 at time of cruise.

 

Thank you!

[megr1125]

if you have late dining (MDR is Main Dining Room...MTD is My Time Dining..) then you go to the show first (usually)...

 

if you have MTD you go when you want...MTD is in PART of the MDR and the menu is identical.

 

you can go at the same time every day, and the same table if you so request, or you just go when you want.....

 

can't help with My Time Family Dining as well...i am single and child free!:D

 

as for feeling rushed, in all but 1 cruise my mom and i ate at a table for 2 so we got done when we were done...and now when i dine solo, i am in and out fast as they are only taking care of me, and i tend to eat pretty quickly. i don't feel rushed at all...rather i eat at my own pace and don't have to worry about others..nor do i have to wait for late comers..

[39august]

If you book MTD you do not have to make a reservation for every night. You can just show up when you want. Or you may make a reservation either for the whole week or each day. If you make reservations, you will have the same servers and table. If you don't, they will attempt to seat you near the servers you had the night before. Also MTD requires that you prepay your gratuities. These will be added to your final cruise payment. Late diners usually go to a show before dinner, and early diners usually attend a 9 PM show. On first and last nights there will be only one show usually around 7:30.

[cb at sea]

If your kids plan on doing the evening AO activities, then either main (early) seating traditional or using MTD at an earlier time will be best. Of course, you could always feed them early in the WJ, and while they're in "camp" you could have an adults dinner at the time of your choosing.

 

The shows are scheduled around the 2 traditional seating times....if you do MTD, then it's up to you to eat at a time that allows you to make it to the show. With traditional, there's no guesswork regarding entertainment.

[Mom.to.2]

Regarding my family time dining: yes, it's only for the 1st seating and it only works if you start your meal as soon as the 1st sitting doors open. If early seating is at 6:00, arriving at 6:15 is too late. Remember, the waitstaff has to fit 3 courses in for your child and have them out in 40 minutes from when the doors open.

 

If your kids won't sit through a leisurely meal and 6:00 is too early for you, I think your best option is to feed them at the Windjammer, drop them off at Ocean Adventure, then proceed to the MDR with your spouse for either MTD or the late sitting.

[wcook]

Another option is to just skip the MDR and eat in the WJ. I found the food at least as good. And - this may just be me - I'd rather just get stuff myself rather than wait around for a waiter to bring it.

 

If you don't need the MDR "experience" it makes life so much easier.

[sargenet]

We went on Navigator last year..my son was 7. We picked MTD and our plan was to feed our son in the Windjammer and then head to dinner either in the dining room or a specialty restaurant each night after he entered the kids program. We had made reservations at 7:30pm for all...

 

I do not know if this is always the case, but I was totally disappointed that the Windjammer did not open up till 6:30pm! My son is used to eating earlier and I was caught off guard at the late opening time. I have been on other cruise lines and their "casual" location always opened either at 5, 5:30 or 6pm...

 

I felt rushed walking in at 6:30..having my son eat..then taking him to the kid's program.

 

We are getting ready to sail again this Thanksgiving and are on the Jewel... I am hoping that Windjammer will be open at 6pm....not 6:30pm...

 

But for your kid's I would highly recommend doing MTD...my son at 7 HATED eating in the dining room and loved all the choices at night in the windjammer..

[39august]

I 've been on many different RCI ships and all opened WJ at 6:30. But I agree it should be earlier.

[disney922]

Thank you so much. I think the MTD is going to work best for my family.

 

Missy