MTD Reservation Times - Different onboard?

[LisaLisa87]

We will be on Brilliance for 12-nights in June and decided to give MTD a try. We are planning to do MTD for 7 of the nights and specialty restaurants for the other 5. I checked the Cruise Planner today and saw that dining reservations are now open for our sailing. Ideally, I would like to make reservations for 7:00/7:15 each night. Using the Cruise Planner, there is a gap in the times offered for MTD from 6:15-7:45 every night. I'm assuming they are trying to keep things open during their peak time, but I'm wondering whether we can choose a time in that window once we've boarded?

 

Another question: I'd like to wait until we board and book the 5-night package for the specialty restaurants as I want to pay for it with OBC. Are there any restaurants that we should worry about being able to reserve if we wait? We're thinking Giovanni's Table twice, Chops twice, and Izumi once.

 

Thanks for any input!

[molly361]

You should be able to get the times that you want once onboard. I have noticed that as well. Whenever I go to try to book MTD online they always have really early or really late, never in the middle.

[mrpayroll]

I don't think you will have a problem waiting till you board for the specialty restaurants. :)

[LisaLisa87]

You should be able to get the times that you want once onboard. I have noticed that as well. Whenever I go to try to book MTD online they always have really early or really late, never in the middle.

 

I don't think you will have a problem waiting till you board for the specialty restaurants. :)

 

Thanks to both of you for responding. This will be our first experience with MTD and our first time on RCCL in years, thus all the uncertainty!

[cb at sea]

The don't allow you to book the "Popular" times online...you have to do it once you board.

[memparrot]

Good to know. I really did not want to eat at 5:30pm or 8pm. Nor wait in long lines at 6:30pm

[LisaLisa87]

The don't allow you to book the "Popular" times online...you have to do it once you board.

 

Thank you for confirming this! I made 7 reservations for 7:45 online. Do you think it matters whether I keep those reservations and change the times after boarding, or cancel them and make new reservations onboard?

[jtdlmc]

I was not able to change our 5:45 reservation on board other then to 8 p.m. I booked the day online reservations became available and went to the dining podium the day after embarkation. Maybe everyone else with unsatisfactory times went upon boarding, I don't know, but don't get your hopes way up. If there are only two of you, you could probably go without reservations as two of our party did because they refused to eat that early and they didn't have long waits. We were a party of 7 so it could also have been that they didn't have two tables side by side available at any other time.

[LisaLisa87]

I was not able to change our 5:45 reservation on board other then to 8 p.m. I booked the day online reservations became available and went to the dining podium the day after embarkation. Maybe everyone else with unsatisfactory times went upon boarding, I don't know, but don't get your hopes way up. If there are only two of you, you could probably go without reservations as two of our party did because they refused to eat that early and they didn't have long waits. We were a party of 7 so it could also have been that they didn't have two tables side by side available at any other time.

 

Thank you for sharing your experience. There are 3 of us, so I was hoping to make reservations. If we're not able to switch to our preferred time after boarding, I may just cancel the remaining reservations and take our chances.

Edited March 14, 2016 by LisaLisa87

[LeeW]

Part of the reason for the hole in the MTD schedule is that if the dining room fills up at 6 there won't be any open tables until 7:30 or so. That said, the folks at the dining room desk will change any reservations if you ask - people are always changing their schedules. If you show up early for a reservation they just change your dining time. If no seating is available they just give you a beeper.

[Coloradodude]

It really isn't my time dining. I just got off Freedom of the Seas. We went to dining hall desk at 1PM right after we got on-board. I was unable to book anything online ahead of time for around 6-7pm. So I thought when I got the ship I could get a 6-6:30 time etc.

 

I was wrong.. 5:30 or 7:30 was available. Otherwise you had to just show up and hope the dining hall was not filled up. They really pushed 5:30 or 7:30 or later. That was our choice for My time dining.

 

Hope that helps

[CU64]

Thank you for sharing your experience. There are 3 of us, so I was hoping to make reservations. If we're not able to switch to our preferred time after boarding, I may just cancel the remaining reservations and take our chances.

 

If you want to go later, then you should sign up for Anytime Dining or (MyTime Dining) and make your reserved times when you get on board asap.

 

The reason they have Traditional set times is because you will have the same table, tablemates, and waiters every night. They will get to know you and your food preference needs. The times between the 2 seatings are for cleanup and new table settings for the LATE Traditional at 8.

 

If you sign up for MyTime Dining, they will charge your gratuities before you go since you will have different waiters every time, usually, unless you make consistent times every day.

 

It is not a good idea to think you can show up at the MDR anytime you wish and you will be seated. .....you CAN show up at MyTime Dining and stand in line with No Reservations.

Barbara

[LisaLisa87]

It really isn't my time dining. I just got off Freedom of the Seas. We went to dining hall desk at 1PM right after we got on-board. I was unable to book anything online ahead of time for around 6-7pm. So I thought when I got the ship I could get a 6-6:30 time etc.

 

I was wrong.. 5:30 or 7:30 was available. Otherwise you had to just show up and hope the dining hall was not filled up. They really pushed 5:30 or 7:30 or later. That was our choice for My time dining.

 

Hope that helps

 

Interesting. I can get 6:15 now, but I think that'll be a bit of a rush some days. I think I'll stick with 7:45 for now and see how things play out once we board.

[LisaLisa87]

If you want to go later, then you should sign up for Anytime Dining or (MyTime Dining) and make your reserved times when you get on board asap.

 

The reason they have Traditional set times is because you will have the same table, tablemates, and waiters every night. They will get to know you and your food preference needs. The times between the 2 seatings are for cleanup and new table settings for the LATE Traditional at 8.

 

If you sign up for MyTime Dining, they will charge your gratuities before you go since you will have different waiters every time, usually, unless you make consistent times every day.

 

It is not a good idea to think you can show up at the MDR anytime you wish and you will be seated. .....you CAN show up at MyTime Dining and stand in line with No Reservations.

Barbara

 

We actually are signed up for MTD. We chose that because the early traditional dining time is too early for us and the late time is too late. I had thought that we'd be able to make reservations in advance for any time we wanted -- I didn't realize that peak times were blocked out. We'll try 7:45 the first night, and if that's too late and we aren't able to move our other reservations earlier, we'll probably try just showing up for MTD (NOT the MDR -- I realize you can't just show up there!).

 

On another note, I thought I had read that you no longer have to pre-pay gratuities for MTD? In any case, we weren't asked to pay them when I made the change to our reservation from early seating to MTD.