MTD - Must You Make a Reservation?

[Yvonne]

We tried MTD on our 4-night Monarch of the Seas cruise a few years ago and did not have a good experience. We did not have a reservation the first night and was told they would not have a table for us until "after the show" which would have been at least an hour and a half wait. We went to the buffet all 4 nights.

 

We have always had good experience with Anytime Dining on our Carnival cruises. We never make reservations and most times get seated either immediately or maybe a 5-10 minute wait. We waited about 30 minutes on Elegant Night once.

 

From what I've been reading here most people make reservations with My Time Dining on their cruise. Is that what we're going to have to do on our Oasis cruise? I truly hope not as to me making a reservation just defeats the purpose of MTD. We want to go to dinner when we're ready, not when a reservation tells us its time.

[Biker19]

Is that what we're going to have to do on our Oasis cruise? I truly hope not as to me making a reservation just defeats the purpose of MTD. We want to go to dinner when we're ready, not when a reservation tells us its time.

That's fine, but like on Monarch, be prepared to wait if you want to go whenever. A slightly better strategy would be to have some reservation and then modify to suit your day..

[rum & monkey]

We usually just walk up but on Harmony we made our reservations once on the ship for the week (we were dealing with a part of 11). If they would have done large parties on-line I would have done it. The problem for Oasis class ships is you make reservations for the shows so your dinner window is different than either just early or late. They did not have all our times we wanted available but said to just show up 30 minutes early and they would seat us with our reservation early. Would recommend reservations on an Oasis class ship if you are planning on making all the shows. I made show reservations first then did a spread sheet of those to see what made sense for dinner (before or after show). Any other ship we either wait or make reservations mid day for that evening.

 

 

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[wolfcathorse]

Once on Majesty (2015), I just walked up, told them I'd share a table and was seated immediately. On Freedom in (2016), we just walked up, told them we'd share a table and were seated immediately. On Explorer (2017), we just walked up, told them we'd share a table and were seated immediately. See where this is going? If you're willing to sit with strangers, you can be seated immediately. If you're picky and want to dine with just family (who you live with and know all about their lives) then you'll have to wait if you don't make a reservation.

[Bruin Steve]

In the past, I've always just showed up at the dining room when I wanted...and always got seated almost immediately...I always thought that was sort of the purpose of the MTD. Since we are Diamond C&A, we'd usually go to the Diamond Lounge for drinks, then leave for dinner at variable times, depending on what time the show was later and on what conversation we might be involved in at the Diamond Lounge.

 

HOWEVER, last month when we did our back-to-back cruises on Jewel of the Seas, we became increasingly frustrated. On the first leg, every night for the first five or six nights, we got a hassle trying to get seated. We'd be left standing in a "without reservations" line with nobody getting seated, often nobody even paying attention to the line. We'd get to the front of the line and were told "There are no tables". It became laughable. We are not fussy--we always tell the person seating us that we would sit by ourselves or would gladly share a table with others. One night, we were told no tables (of course we could see empty tables), then were told, "Oh, we have one table--but it's a table for six, so you'd be sitting alone with just the two of you at a table for six." I said, "what about the couple behind us in line?" (yes, there was another couple behind us also willing to share a table). "Okay"...and so they seated the four of us, leaving two empty seats--which they never filled!

 

I finally went down to the guest relations desk and complained. They said someone would get back to me...but they never did. I told Romina, the C&A Hostess...and, finally, she took some action, calling the Dining Room manager...and then told us to let her know each night when we wanted to go down to dinner...and she'd call ahead to the manager and he would make sure we got seated. So, after that, we did that each night and didn't seem to have that problem again. Of course, I understand that not everyone has that pull with the C&A folks. And...we were so frustrated that, on the second cruise, we bought the 3 specialty restaurant package...and on a fourth night, we were invited to the Captain's Table, so that took care of a fourth night.

 

For our next cruise, December on Navigator (the Christmas cruise), I am not taking too many chances. I just went onto the website--where I saw we would be able to make reservations at either 6:30/earlier or 7:45/later each night--nothing in between. So, I just made a 6:30 reservation each night...and we will TRY to show up close to that time (I'm guessing they're not all that exact)...I assume if we show up between 6:15 and 6:45, we'll be accommodated (maybe even a few minutes later?). Not our ideal, but better than being forced to eat at 5:30 each night...

[Yvonne]

Once on Majesty (2015), I just walked up, told them I'd share a table and was seated immediately. On Freedom in (2016), we just walked up, told them we'd share a table and were seated immediately. On Explorer (2017), we just walked up, told them we'd share a table and were seated immediately. See where this is going? If you're willing to sit with strangers, you can be seated immediately. If you're picky and want to dine with just family (who you live with and know all about their lives) then you'll have to wait if you don't make a reservation.

 

One of the two reasons we prefer MTD is so that we can have a table for ourselves, either just myself and husband, or with other family members we are cruising with. I don't feel that is "picky" at all. It is just our preference. Nothing wrong with it, just as there is nothing wrong with those who prefer to sit at a table with strangers and make small talk.

 

The other reason is that sometimes we're not even hungry if we have traditional early seating, or we're starving before our traditional late seating.

 

I don't mind waiting a few minutes, even up to 30, for a table for two as sometimes here at home we wait for a table if we go during the busiest time.

 

I guess we'll just have to wait and see how it goes. We have awhile to wait since it's a year and a half out. :)

[CRUISEFAN0001]

One of the two reasons we prefer MTD is so that we can have a table for ourselves, either just myself and husband, or with other family members we are cruising with. I don't feel that is "picky" at all. It is just our preference. Nothing wrong with it, just as there is nothing wrong with those who prefer to sit at a table with strangers and make small talk.

 

The other reason is that sometimes we're not even hungry if we have traditional early seating, or we're starving before our traditional late seating.

 

I don't mind waiting a few minutes, even up to 30, for a table for two as sometimes here at home we wait for a table if we go during the busiest time.

 

I guess we'll just have to wait and see how it goes. We have awhile to wait since it's a year and a half out. :)

Despite NOT being a fan of MTD at all, and having some LESS-THAN-PLEASANT experiences with that kind of dining service...

 

I both respect and agree with your comments (including this not being "picky"), with just one exception. We have seen firsthand (not just us) waiting more than an hour for a table - which becomes impractical and unpleasant. The dining options and how they actually execute the process still needs some improvement and revisions.

[melski]

I think the first 2 nights on any ship tend to be crazy in MTD. I would make a reservation and get there early. After that, things sort themselves out.

 

That being said you should be aware of the flow of the dining room. People start entering the dining room at 5:30 and it can be full anywhere between 6:15 and 6:30 (earlier the first 2 nights). Then you will have to wait for a table to open which can be between 6:45 and 7:15 (assuming a 60 -90 minute dinner...60 minutes being quite fast) to have a second seating at that table. Then the question is do you want to be in the first seating of MTD which then you need to get there before 6:30 or would you rather be 2nd or 3rd seatings and get there after 7:15.

 

 

They typically won't make a reservation during a time when they know the tables will be full...so there are times you won't be able to make reservations and they probably won't seat you at that time either.

 

 

Of course you don't have to make a reservation but I like to and it is easy to change the reservations if our plans change.

[Yvonne]

Despite NOT being a fan of MTD at all, and having some LESS-THAN-PLEASANT experiences with that kind of dining service...

 

I both respect and agree with your comments (including this not being "picky"), with just one exception. We have seen firsthand (not just us) waiting more than an hour for a table - which becomes impractical and unpleasant. The dining options and how they actually execute the process still needs some improvement and revisions.

 

Thank you for your statement about my comments, I appreciate that. :)

 

I'm disappointed to hear about your MTD experience. Waiting more than an hour for a table is unacceptable. So, we may be forced into making reservations, or if we have an experience such as yours we'll opt for other dining venues I guess. :(

[rharvey999]

We have always appreciated MTD. We do reserve a time in advance especially if we are traveling with family or friends. Our reason is simply because first seating is routinely too early for us and second seating too late.

 

Most often we are happy to meet new friends at our tables (we do ask for a large table) and if the first night is good we go the MTD reservation desk outside the dining room and reserve that table for the rest of the cruise.

[CRUISEFAN0001]

Thank you for your statement about my comments, I appreciate that. :)

 

I'm disappointed to hear about your MTD experience. Waiting more than an hour for a table is unacceptable. So, we may be forced into making reservations, or if we have an experience such as yours we'll opt for other dining venues I guess. :(

We learned...if we have MTD (not our first choice), we make reservations for sure. Recommended.

[MsK64]

From what I've been reading here most people make reservations with My Time Dining on their cruise. Is that what we're going to have to do on our Oasis cruise? I truly hope not as to me making a reservation just defeats the purpose of MTD. We want to go to dinner when we're ready, not when a reservation tells us its time.

 

I totally agree with you that having to make reservations instead of just getting there when you're ready to eat, does quite clearly contradict even the name 'my time' dining. I was on the Brilliance 2 summers ago, and we could just walk up at any time and wait no more than a few minutes--though, as with the poster above, we always asked to sit with others at a large table. Unfortunately, is seems like that won't cut it anymore--unless you're going to eat very early or very late.

 

But what I did learn on the Anthem last summer (where you had to make reservations for EVERYTHING), is that it's much easier to change a reservation that you already have, then to not have one in the first place. We made reservations for most nights for 7:00. When we needed to eat significantly earlier or later on a given night, we called that morning or went down to the restaurant (this was the Dynamic Dining era) to change it. There was never a problem doing that and we never waited more than 5 minutes when we did arrive. Sometimes we would just show up 15 minutes early or late without calling, and once they found our names, they would still seat us without any significant delay. (never more than 10 minutes)

 

This summer, I'm on the Radiance in a couple of weeks and when I called to ask about this, the response was 'You absolutely don't need a reservation, but you should probably make one'. So I did, but I know we will end up changing it on several of the nights. But as I said, it's easier to do it with a reservation than without one.

 

So what I would suggest is, make a reservation for the time that you think would work most nights (assuming it's still available) and then just change it each morning if you realize you need a different time. Or just show up when you feel like it, but always get in the reservation line and just say that you're sorry but you were delayed, or that you just realized you had to eat earlier. That should work better (and be faster) than not having your names down at all.

 

Good luck, and enjoy your cruise.

[Yvonne]

I totally agree with you that having to make reservations instead of just getting there when you're ready to eat, does quite clearly contradict even the name 'my time' dining. I was on the Brilliance 2 summers ago, and we could just walk up at any time and wait no more than a few minutes--though, as with the poster above, we always asked to sit with others at a large table. Unfortunately, is seems like that won't cut it anymore--unless you're going to eat very early or very late.

 

But what I did learn on the Anthem last summer (where you had to make reservations for EVERYTHING), is that it's much easier to change a reservation that you already have, then to not have one in the first place. We made reservations for most nights for 7:00. When we needed to eat significantly earlier or later on a given night, we called that morning or went down to the restaurant (this was the Dynamic Dining era) to change it. There was never a problem doing that and we never waited more than 5 minutes when we did arrive. Sometimes we would just show up 15 minutes early or late without calling, and once they found our names, they would still seat us without any significant delay. (never more than 10 minutes)

 

This summer, I'm on the Radiance in a couple of weeks and when I called to ask about this, the response was 'You absolutely don't need a reservation, but you should probably make one'. So I did, but I know we will end up changing it on several of the nights. But as I said, it's easier to do it with a reservation than without one.

 

So what I would suggest is, make a reservation for the time that you think would work most nights (assuming it's still available) and then just change it each morning if you realize you need a different time. Or just show up when you feel like it, but always get in the reservation line and just say that you're sorry but you were delayed, or that you just realized you had to eat earlier. That should work better (and be faster) than not having your names down at all.

 

Good luck, and enjoy your cruise.

 

Sounds like a very good plan, thank you. :)

[BekkaW]

We tried MTD on our 4-night Monarch of the Seas cruise a few years ago and did not have a good experience. We did not have a reservation the first night and was told they would not have a table for us until "after the show" which would have been at least an hour and a half wait. We went to the buffet all 4 nights.

 

We have always had good experience with Anytime Dining on our Carnival cruises. We never make reservations and most times get seated either immediately or maybe a 5-10 minute wait. We waited about 30 minutes on Elegant Night once.

 

From what I've been reading here most people make reservations with My Time Dining on their cruise. Is that what we're going to have to do on our Oasis cruise? I truly hope not as to me making a reservation just defeats the purpose of MTD. We want to go to dinner when we're ready, not when a reservation tells us its time.

 

The purpose of my time dining is to be able to eat at a time other than the traditional early and late seating. It isn't to just stroll up whenever you're hungry. Like land restaurants you can arrive without a reservation but shouldn't be shocked if no tables are available.

[Leslaf]

We learned...if we have MTD (not our first choice), we make reservations for sure. Recommended.

 

We made reservations for every night on MTD on an upcoming cruise. If we decide we just want to go to Windjammer instead and I go online and cancel my reservation even an hour before, is that ok?

[Biker19]

We made reservations for every night on MTD on an upcoming cruise. If we decide we just want to go to Windjammer instead and I go online and cancel my reservation even an hour before, is that ok?

Sure, some have reported that reservations auto cancel or given away after 15+ min if you don't show up.

[kelsey.smiles]

Maybe this is more unsual than the norm, but last summer on Allure we ate in the main dining room every night without a reservation and waited less than 5 minutes every night but one. One night we had to wait 15 minutes and were served complimentary champagne for the "inconvenience." Note that there were only 2 of us, so no large party issues, and we tend to eat a little later, usually around 8pm I think.

[Esmerelda]

Our last 3 cruises, we had MTD. We didn't make reservations on the Liberty, the Allure, or the Anthem. We had groups ranging from 9 people to 6 on all 3 cruises. We never waited more than15 minutes any evening. We usually showed up from 6:20-6:30. It worked great for us.

[MsK64]

Sounds like a very good plan, thank you. :)

 

You're very welcome; I hope it works for you. (and here's hoping it works for me too, on my upcoming cruise! :D)

 

I think the problem is, that when RCL (and other cruise lines) instituted MTD, most people still chose traditional dining. So you could just waltz into the MDR any time you wanted, without a reservation, and be seated within a few minutes. I know that was my experience. But it appears that in the last few years, more and more people have opted for MTD, and I guess the dining room can't handle the large numbers, especially if you want to eat in that 'sweet spot' between 6:30 and 7:45. (eating early or late seems rarely to be a problem)

 

Adding to the confusion is that RCL websites continue to say things like: "Our My Time DiningSM option is all about convenience and flexibility. You can choose to dine between 6:00 and 9:30 pm each evening." or "Royal Caribbean offers My Time Dining. It's a simple program where you get to eat in the main dining room on your own schedule."

 

 

The RCL website also uses the phrase "In addition, we will accept reservations once on board the ship." making it sound like you could, but only if you want to, and even if you do, you can't until you get on the ship so don't worry about it until then. What they really should be saying on the website is, "you don't have to make reservations but you really, really should--and don't wait until you get on the ship or all the 'popular' times will likely be gone." (which is what they told me when I called RCL)

In my opinion, MTD is a great idea and has worked well for me and the people I cruise with. But I think the communication as to how it really works at this point in time is the bigger problem, and that's why folks still post questions like this one.

[Hey Tina]

We always walked right in with our party of 4, never had a reservation.

[okeytaco]

When can you make reservations?

[Clarea]

When can you make reservations?

No set time. Check your Cruise Planner periodically.

[tnt10]

No set time. Check your Cruise Planner periodically.

 

Is there a "ballpark guestimate" as to when these reservations can be made? A year out? Less than 6 months out?

Just trying to figure out when to start looking;)

Thanks!

[Clarea]

Is there a "ballpark guestimate" as to when these reservations can be made? A year out? Less than 6 months out?

Just trying to figure out when to start looking;)

Thanks!

No discernable pattern.

[Cloudsipping]

We had to make a reservation online to sign up for MTD on our recent July cruise. I thought that was weird, as the point was to dine when you wanted, depending on what activities where happening on various days that interested you.

We made a reservation for the first day only. All that was available was the 8:45 slot which was way too late for us. That time was all that was available for the rest of the cruise, so we didn't bother. As it turned out, 8:45 worked out fine for the first night, as we were so busy unpacking and exploring. It was a little late but we went with it. We spoke to the hostesses outside the MTD dining venues (American Icon and Silk) and i think they changed our reservations to 8:15 or 8 pm for each night, saying they didn't have the availability to book us earlier. ( we wanted around 7). They suggested that we keep the 8:15 reservations, and just show up earlier when we wanted to eat. We did that, and honestly, we barely waited even three minutes before we were seated each time. We did have a handicapped passenger in our group, and they were very accommodating to them, so that might have fast tracked us a little, but really it was very smooth.