MSC Seaview - Seating in Main Dining Rooms?

[mystori]

My family and I are sailing on the MSC Seaview (in the Western Med) next June.  This will be our first experience with MSC and we're not clear how dining is handled in the Main Dining rooms.  Are guests assigned a specific table with dedicated waiters similar to early/late fixed dining on Royal Caribbean and Celebrity?  Or is it handled more like "my time dining" on those cruise lines where each night you can vary your dining time and be seated at different tables?   Thanks in advance for your response.  

[CruisingFox27]

If you've booked for the Aurea experience you'll have MyChoice dining and you can choose to dine at anytime during the restaurant opening hours, you'll be assigned a table for your party on arrival. If you dine at a similar time each day you will often be at the same table but is allocated depending on availability.  If you are booked Bella or Fantastica experience you'll be assigned a dining time and assigned a table and companions for the duration of your cruise. 

[2cruiseluvrs]

I don't know the answer, but I am going to ask my own semi-related question in this thread... My family is booked in the MSC Seaside Yacht Club, but I have family members staying in other parts of the ship. Yacht Club members have their own dining room, but what do I do if my family wants to eat with those other family members in the main dining room? There are two dozen of us! Do we just show up with them as one large group, and the staff will seat us all together?

[JAGR]

This has been a discussion topis quite a few times, 2cruiseluvrs.  Unfortunately, you will be limited in dining together.  Because MDR is at a premium for available seating, YC guests are not allowed to book or eat in the MDR.  It applies the other way, too.  YC guests cannot bring in non-YC guests to dine or to visit in YC public areas. You would be allowed to entertain them in your room to visit, but not eat in the room.  You only option for dining together will either be the Buffet, or Specialty dining.  Another possible option is to meet in the Sports Lounge and order some hearty appetizers, I suppose.  At any rate, two dozen people would never sit together at one table.  Perhaps two or three tables in close proximity may work.  Keep in mind that if the non-YC guest do want to eat together in the MDR, they will almost certainly have to link their bookings and all have to have the same dining plan (all Regular seating with the same time preference, or all have YourChoice).  The latter would not be an option if they are in Bella experience.

[JAGR]

Topic, not topis!  I miss the two-minute edit time-out!  Darn fat fingers on a small keyboard!

[2cruiseluvrs]

8 hours ago, JAGR said:

This has been a discussion topis quite a few times, 2cruiseluvrs.  Unfortunately, you will be limited in dining together.  Because MDR is at a premium for available seating, YC guests are not allowed to book or eat in the MDR.  It applies the other way, too.  YC guests cannot bring in non-YC guests to dine or to visit in YC public areas. You would be allowed to entertain them in your room to visit, but not eat in the room.  You only option for dining together will either be the Buffet, or Specialty dining.  Another possible option is to meet in the Sports Lounge and order some hearty appetizers, I suppose.  At any rate, two dozen people would never sit together at one table.  Perhaps two or three tables in close proximity may work.  Keep in mind that if the non-YC guest do want to eat together in the MDR, they will almost certainly have to link their bookings and all have to have the same dining plan (all Regular seating with the same time preference, or all have YourChoice).  The latter would not be an option if they are in Bella experience.

 

Hi JAGR, thank you. I was really upset to read that as a YC member, my family of 5 would NOT be able to dine with the others who are not in YC rooms. So I called MSC just now at 877-665-4655 and talked to a rep. She said "of course you can dine with them!" We talked about it and discussed that for a group our size we would want to talk with the Maitre D ahead of time to plan for a large group. And you're right, getting all together will be a challenge regardless. 

[2cruiseluvrs]

On 10/16/2018 at 1:06 PM, mystori said:

My family and I are sailing on the MSC Seaview (in the Western Med) next June.  This will be our first experience with MSC and we're not clear how dining is handled in the Main Dining rooms.  Are guests assigned a specific table with dedicated waiters similar to early/late fixed dining on Royal Caribbean and Celebrity?  Or is it handled more like "my time dining" on those cruise lines where each night you can vary your dining time and be seated at different tables?   Thanks in advance for your response.  

 

We sailed MSC Divina in 2016 and we sat at the same table every night, however, I sort of remember having two different waiters that would "come and go." I also remember dinner taking f o r e v e r --- and someone said to me, "that's just how they do it in Europe." Well, take that for what it's worth... and maybe Seaside is different... and maybe things have changed a lot in two years. Regardless of whatever happens, I am sure you will have a grand time. And I know that MSC seems very open to feedback and opinions, so if something isn't right for you, just be nice about it, put on a smile, and find someone in charge and see what they can do to make it right. Then everybody will be happy. My MSC trip in 2019 will be my third with them (in a row), so they must be doing something right.

[JAGR]

14 hours ago, 2cruiseluvrs said:

Well, that's good news for you.  It's a change in policy in your favor, but I hope for your sake the land side talks to the water side.  All too often Customer Service will say something that the personnel on the ship will say is not possible. Enjoy your cruise!

Hi JAGR, thank you. I was really upset to read that as a YC member, my family of 5 would NOT be able to dine with the others who are not in YC rooms. So I called MSC just now at 877-665-4655 and talked to a rep. She said "of course you can dine with them!" We talked about it and discussed that for a group our size we would want to talk with the Maitre D ahead of time to plan for a large group. And you're right, getting all together will be a challenge regardless. 

 

[2cruiseluvrs]

On 10/18/2018 at 4:54 AM, JAGR said:

 

 

Just a follow up to say that I wrote a snail mail letter to the Yacht Club director on Seaside asking if we could dine in the main dining room with the rest of our larger group. He just sent an email to me saying that yes, in fact, we could dine all together and that we would just need to make arrangements with the maître d' to get two large tables together.

 

[JAGR]

That's great news for you! One of the hallmarks of MSC is that they are consistently inconsistent!