Why do you choose the dining option you do?

[ali_mcd]

My comment about convenience for the show schedule applies to the majority of ships, which don't have pre-cruise reservations for entertainment. For these ships, the main theater can normally hold about half the total guests on the ship, so they can show two performances per evening, each timed to be convenient for one of the traditional dining times.

 

For ships like Oasis class, where there are so many guests that they have to have 3 or 4 performances in the main theater to accomodate everyone, reservations become a necessity.

 

Thanks that's helpful.

[Diplomacy]

Sorry, new to cruising - first time in two weeks and can't wait. What do you mean by automatic convenience for the show schedule? I have booked a couple of entertainment which will mean we can't make our 20.30 Trad dining option those nights as the start time for the show is around the same time. We thought we will just have to eat elsewhere on the ship those nights... or can you change those nights to earlier MDR timing?

 

Most ships have an early and a late show, and an early and a late seating in the MDR and they are designed to fit together with eachother. Theoretically, you should be able to eat in the MDR every night and enjoy all the entertainment at least once, even on the Oasis class...

 

However some reservations may fill up faster than others, and you aren't guaranteed a schedule that works for you. Fortunately on the big ships, this gives you an excuse to try a specialty restaurant, which you should probably do at least once.

Edited October 16, 2015 by Diplomacy

[rxziebel]

My husband does not like to eat in the Main Dining Room at night so we do MTD and eat dinner in the buffet. MTD means they do not keep chairs for us in the dining room.

 

We often eat breakfast or lunch in the MDR. We go against the flow since most passengers eat in the MDR at night and the buffets for Breakfast and Lunch.

 

I agree totally, and as an additional benefit, dinner in the Windjammer allows us to eat at our own speed and in the order we wish. I prefer salad after the hot entree, and will occasionally have a cookie with the dinner plate. :)

 

Spending 90-120 minutes eating dinner would drive me insane!

[LuckyStar]

My DH and I have selected Traditional Dining for our upcoming Jewel cruise, early seating. Now we are second guessing that decision.

 

Understanding that each option is subjective and has a pro and con (or perhaps not) that fits your needs. Why do you choose the dining option (Traditional, early or late seating and My Time Dining) that you do?

 

Thanks.

 

We had a tough time choosing as well. We are a group of 8 women and we chose the later dinner because we have a port intensive itinerary and wanted to make sure we could stay in port as long as possible rather than trying to get back by 5:00. If anyone gets hungry before our dinner, the buffet is always open.

[LABCHICK]

We love MTD. We make a reservation for the same time every evening and have the same wait staff and same table. It is usually just the 2 of us, but have been able to talked with a lot of very nice folks sitting next to us.

[dplusd]

MTD for the flexibility and guarantee of a private table for just our party. We have always been seated in the same area (if not the same table) and with the same wait staff. Love MTD on Royal!

[corakari]

I have been reading threads about the dining options on Royal and have some questions that have probably been asked many times but still not clear. When we booked our cruise last week (for 2017), the time for dining shows a set time at 8pm (did not know we had a choice, or did not see the options). That seemed ok as just two of us and we are fine dining with others. But after reading the posts about MTD vs MDR, it seems as though many people opt for additional dining options during the cruise: specialty, windjammer, in-room, etc. How does having a set time mess up the traditional table or system if we choose specialty or in-room on port nights or just want to dine alone a night? And, are the MTD dining rooms in different locations of the ship from MDR? Some mention of pre-paid gratuities for the MTD vs daily gratuities for MDR? Are these the same amount, just paid differently? Very confusing! Thanks in advance for any advice, information. Oh, ship is Radiance if that helps.

[Clarea]

I have been reading threads about the dining options on Royal and have some questions that have probably been asked many times but still not clear. When we booked our cruise last week (for 2017), the time for dining shows a set time at 8pm (did not know we had a choice, or did not see the options). That seemed ok as just two of us and we are fine dining with others. But after reading the posts about MTD vs MDR, it seems as though many people opt for additional dining options during the cruise: specialty, windjammer, in-room, etc. How does having a set time mess up the traditional table or system if we choose specialty or in-room on port nights or just want to dine alone a night? And, are the MTD dining rooms in different locations of the ship from MDR? Some mention of pre-paid gratuities for the MTD vs daily gratuities for MDR? Are these the same amount, just paid differently? Very confusing! Thanks in advance for any advice, information. Oh, ship is Radiance if that helps.

Whether you are assigned to traditional or MTD, you are free to dine elsewhere whenever you wish. It does not mess up anything if you don't show, though we always try to notify our waiter ahead of time so they don't wait for us. Gratuities are exactly the same for MTD and traditional. MTD dining rooms are in the same place as traditional dining rooms, though they may have MTD on a different deck, or even have half of one deck MTD and the other half traditional. Same menu, same food.

Edited November 27, 2015 by clarea

[corakari]

Thank you very much!

[tip]

I have no desire be locked into a fixed dining time, especially on port days.

 

I also want to dine with just my husband as it is our time to focus on one another, reflect and relax.

 

Exactly! We want to dine on our schedule, not the ship's. We have always been able to get a table for two with "My Time Dining" and usually request and get the same wait staff. Depending upon what we will be doing after dinner, we can request that service be speeded up or at a more leisurely pace.

[goneclear]

WE are also in the MTD camp. Love the flexibility. We enjoy our evening cocktails in the different bars and decide to eat when we think it's that time.

[corakari]

Exactly! We want to dine on our schedule, not the ship's. We have always been able to get a table for two with "My Time Dining" and usually request and get the same wait staff. Depending upon what we will be doing after dinner, we can request that service be speeded up or at a more leisurely pace.

When I booked the cruise, I did not know about the MTD and think I will switch to it because of the flexibility. I have been reading that dinner service can run over 2 hours - this would be too late for us to start at 8:00pm on consecutive port days. Assume we can change from traditional to MTD online as I booked online? Will gratuities be added to final bill when due?

[chermilo]

When I booked the cruise, I did not know about the MTD and think I will switch to it because of the flexibility. I have been reading that dinner service can run over 2 hours - this would be too late for us to start at 8:00pm on consecutive port days. Assume we can change from traditional to MTD online as I booked online? Will gratuities be added to final bill when due?

 

It is part of your normal gratuities that you can pay in advance before your cruise or pay per day while on the cruise.

[adjoankora]

My DH and I have selected Traditional Dining for our upcoming Jewel cruise, early seating. Now we are second guessing that decision.

 

Understanding that each option is subjective and has a pro and con (or perhaps not) that fits your needs. Why do you choose the dining option (Traditional, early or late seating and My Time Dining) that you do?

 

Thanks.

 

We select traditional (late). We sometimes felt rushed when we used traditional (early). My Time Dining is also nice, but sometimes we needed to wait to be seated which became inconvenient for other activities we wanted to do.

[hazeleyez3]

Definitely My Time Dining.

 

• We can choose when we want to dine (We don't make reservations and have never waited more than five minutes).
  
• We don't have any desire to sit with others.
  
• Less of a chance of having the same waiter.
  
• Less chance of experiencing dining room "entertainment".
  

[corakari]

Definitely My Time Dining.

 

• We can choose when we want to dine (We don't make reservations and have never waited more than five minutes).
  
• We don't have any desire to sit with others.
  
• Less of a chance of having the same waiter.
  
• Less chance of experiencing dining room "entertainment".
  

So, what do you mean by entertainment in quotation marks? I have one last question about MTD - can we just change to it once we get onboard or do we have to switch in advance. Thanks. Edited November 29, 2015 by corakari
added question

[Clarea]

So, what do you mean by entertainment in quotation marks? I have one last question about MTD - can we just change to it once we get onboard or do we have to switch in advance. Thanks.

If there is space, you can change to MTD onboard.

 

I believe "entertainment" in this case means singing / dancing / napkin waving wait staff.

Edited November 29, 2015 by clarea

[corakari]

If there is space, you can change to MTD onboard.

 

I believe "entertainment" in this case means singing / dancing / napkin waving wait staff.

Thanks, well maybe we will keep traditional, that sounds interesting:)

[nealstuber]

Traditional. Zero wait time to get seated and automatic convenience for the show schedule.

 

 

Ditto. Also having a waiter who learns and anticipates our tastes is one of the things that separates cruising from other vacation experiences.

Edited November 29, 2015 by nealstuber

[eel]

MTD

1) Early is too early and late is too late. We make reservations at around 6:30 PM each day. Not a problem if we show up earlier or later. Never have to wait more than a minute or two unless we show up at "prime time" (7:15 PM or so).

2) We like to opt for a sharing table. Get to meet new people each night. With traditional you may or may get lucky and have compatible dinner mates. With MTD if you run into incompatible table mates at least it is only for one night!

3) We usually meet others doing MTD in the diamond lounge and can just go to dinner together whenever we feel like it.

4) We can adjust dining time based on port and show schedules.

5) Some cruises we have the same wait staff the entire cruise. Other times we have a different wait staff each night. Either is usually good by us.

[Clarea]

Thanks, well maybe we will keep traditional, that sounds interesting:)

You can still see the wait staff "entertainment" with MTD, You just have to be in the dining room around an hour before the end of the traditional dining times.

[tip]

You can still see the wait staff "entertainment" with MTD, You just have to be in the dining room around an hour before the end of the traditional dining times.

 

We use MTD and try to make it a point to leave before the so-called wait staff "entertainment" begins!;)

[Clarea]

We use MTD and try to make it a point to leave before the so-called wait staff "entertainment" begins!;)

I've seen it enough too.:rolleyes:

[K1200S]

Traditional late as we then have plenty of time to get ready for dinner and or stop in the DL for a drink.

 

 

 

 

Pete

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[JimAOk1945]

We prefer the flexibility of My Time Dining. It allows us more freedom to relax and do whatever we wish whether it's a shore excursion or just hanging out onboard.