Question about My Time Dining

[pkay414]

My friend and I are booked on a cruise in February. All that was left was the MTD option. I've never done MTD, always been assigned to the MDR so I'm unsure how it works. Years ago I went on a NCL to Alaska and their freestyle dining (whatever it was called) and I remember waiting for about 45 minutes for a table -- if I wanted to do that, I'd stay home!!

 

But from what I'm seeing on Cruise Critic, MTD seems to be a great thing; but how does it work? I've read something about going on board and making a reservation and sitting in the same section every night. So can someone explain to me exactly how it works? Can you make a reservation for the same night every night? Or do you just show up and wait for a table to open up?

 

Thanks in advance!

[cb at sea]

You can make nightly reservations, or just show up. Smaller parties are easier to seat than larger parties...just like in a restaurant. Since not everyone on the ship has MTD, you shouldn't have wait times like on NCL.

 

Same menu and dress code for all types of dining room seating.

[EBFURR]

You can make reservations if you wish, either for the entire week or one day at a time. You can specify a table size, which may or may not affect the wait or you can just take pot luck. We have never made reservations - we just show up at whatever time suits us and we have never had a wait longer than a few minutes, if that. That may just be due to luck, or maybe we just happen to pick a slow time. In any case, we much prefer this to set dining times so we are more flexible with our day & evening plans.

[mrsaknar]

I also have a MTD question ~ Wondering if we can do Main Dining Room most nights but MTD on nights that we get back from an excursion too late to make our 5:30 Main Dining Room reservation? Thanks :)

[dplusd]

We love MTD, prefer to eat later and at a table for two. So, we make a standing reservation (online) for each night at 8:00pm. On nights we decide to go to a specialty restaurant, or Windjammer, or dine with friends we meet onboard, I call the dine line to make changes to that nights reservation.

 

We are usually seated at the same table (or general area) with the same wait staff. As others have already said, the menu and suggested dress in MTD is the same as traditional dining.

[cruzegurl104]

We made MTD reservations for Oasis... Do we have to stick with our reservation time, or can we show up later if we want?

 

Thanks for the help!:)

[EBFURR]

We made MTD reservations for Oasis... Do we have to stick with our reservation time, or can we show up later if we want?

 

Thanks for the help!:)

 

Based on our experience, you can dine whenever you wish. Probably the best thing to do would be either to cancel the standing reservation when you board or on the first night, or to go ahead and adjust the times if you know what you want to do. I personally would not leave the reservations in place and then not show up. The folks at the MTD desk at the dining room really do aim to please and will work with you. As I stated, we never made reservations and on our last cruise we had the same waiters every night simply because we said we liked them. We have nothing but good things to say about the MTD experiences we've had.

 

To the other poster: To our knowledge you cannot mix fixed dining option with MTD option. Best just to go MTD and you can eat at the fixed times if you wish, and probably be at the same table or general area if you askk for that.

[Ashland]

I also have a MTD question ~ Wondering if we can do Main Dining Room most nights but MTD on nights that we get back from an excursion too late to make our 5:30 Main Dining Room reservation? Thanks :)

No sorry...you can't combine the two ever...MTD has pre-paid their gratuities and having extra people show up that have booked MDR wouldn't be fair affecting their wait time for a table. You must stick with one or the other...but there is always the WJ and speciality dining venues you can mix either options with.

[cruzegurl104]

Based on our experience, you can dine whenever you wish. Probably the best thing to do would be either to cancel the standing reservation when you board or on the first night, or to go ahead and adjust the times if you know what you want to do. I personally would not leave the reservations in place and then not show up. The folks at the MTD desk at the dining room really do aim to please and will work with you. As I stated, we never made reservations and on our last cruise we had the same waiters every night simply because we said we liked them. We have nothing but good things to say about the MTD experiences we've had.

 

To the other poster: To our knowledge you cannot mix fixed dining option with MTD option. Best just to go MTD and you can eat at the fixed times if you wish, and probably be at the same table or general area if you askk for that.

 

 

Yes, thank you. We will probably stick with our original reservations, but let them know which nights we'll be dinning at Chops