Harmony - Traditional vs My Time

[island lady]

40 minutes ago, LuCruise said:

Unfortunately we don't have your problem... yet (lol as not Diamond, nor stay in a suite), but can see the logistics with timing and the room filling up. And yes...early is too early and late is too late.  When I questioned the time with the Royal agent, he said "You can line up at 4:45pm if you want".  Um no....Wonder how far back they will start?

 

Agree... the wait times and lines that snake down the hallway are getting worse and worse.  😞 

[PigsCanFly]

Our traditional times at the MDR for our Dec 1 & 8 Harmony cruises are listed as 5pm on both.

[Lindanuf]

On 11/24/2019 at 10:44 AM, LuCruise said:

Thanks.  The only thing is that for the production shows in the theatre such as Grease or Columbus, I like to arrive early at around 45 min before, to try and get good seats (or as best as we can as a lot of the front ones are reserved).  

 

If anyone can confirm how traditional dining works when it shows a range...then I think it may be best to switch.  But if we need to arrive at 5pm sharp...then that's a bit too early.  Also, I think it's easier to switch from traditional to MTD vs the other way around, once we see the actual show times on our cruise if dining doesn't work out?

I’m on Harmony now, 5-5:30 early dinner you can show up anytime before 5:30.  When we leave the main dining room between 6:30 and 7 there is a line out the door, around the corner, and back past the elevator, on both sides.  After seeing the horrible lines every day I would never do my dining time.  5 is a little early for us too but we get there closer to 5:30.

[Illbcruzn4life]

1 hour ago, Lindanuf said:

I’m on Harmony now, 5-5:30 early dinner you can show up anytime before 5:30.  When we leave the main dining room between 6:30 and 7 there is a line out the door, around the corner, and back past the elevator, on both sides.  After seeing the horrible lines every day I would never do my dining time.  5 is a little early for us too but we get there closer to 5:30.

 

Thanks for the heads up. Whomever thought this was a good idea should be made to walk the plank.😋

[LuCruise]

6 hours ago, Lindanuf said:

I’m on Harmony now, 5-5:30 early dinner you can show up anytime before 5:30.  When we leave the main dining room between 6:30 and 7 there is a line out the door, around the corner, and back past the elevator, on both sides.  After seeing the horrible lines every day I would never do my dining time.  5 is a little early for us too but we get there closer to 5:30.

Thank you for confirming!  Really glad you can show up within the range and thus at least come closer to 5:30pm (we tend to get a table for ourselves).  Too bad they use all rooms for traditional and push MTD start time as we found My Time worked well on Allure a few years ago. Sounds like it's a mess on Harmony.

Hope you're having a great cruise.

[Lindanuf]

2 hours ago, LuCruise said:

Thank you for confirming!  Really glad you can show up within the range and thus at least come closer to 5:30pm (we tend to get a table for ourselves).  Too bad they use all rooms for traditional and push MTD start time as we found My Time worked well on Allure a few years ago. Sounds like it's a mess on Harmony.

Hope you're having a great cruise.

I was disappointed we got a table with just the 3 of us, I requested one with more people.  Other than that we’re having a great time.

[LuCruise]

9 hours ago, Lindanuf said:

I was disappointed we got a table with just the 3 of us, I requested one with more people.  Other than that we’re having a great time.

I'm surprised that they sat you alone when you requested otherwise.

[taglovestocruise]

19 hours ago, Lindanuf said:

I’m on Harmony now, 5-5:30 early dinner you can show up anytime before 5:30.  When we leave the main dining room between 6:30 and 7 there is a line out the door, around the corner, and back past the elevator, on both sides.  After seeing the horrible lines every day I would never do my dining time.  5 is a little early for us too but we get there closer to 5:30.

What is the procedure for a table of 6 or 8 if some show up at 5 and others at 5:30. We have shown up a little early for late traditional and the waiters always wait until everyone shows up before taking orders. 

[GTO-Girl]

We had selected MTD for years and it worked great until the Harmony.  By using all three dining rooms for Traditional dining and MTD not starting until 6:30 this has caused quite a mess....in my opinion.  
 

The people who liked to dine early on MTD are now having to wait until at least 6:30...so they are waiting along with people who normally dine around 6:30-7:00.  This causes a huge bottom neck with both groups trying to dine at the same time.  I don’t know who came up with this idea, but it is clearly not working!!!

 

On our cruise in August and on our upcoming cruise we now do Traditional.  Such a more relaxing dining time and a better experience!!

 

[LuCruise]

1 hour ago, GTO-Girl said:

We had selected MTD for years and it worked great until the Harmony.  By using all three dining rooms for Traditional dining and MTD not starting until 6:30 this has caused quite a mess....in my opinion.  
 

The people who liked to dine early on MTD are now having to wait until at least 6:30...so they are waiting along with people who normally dine around 6:30-7:00.  This causes a huge bottom neck with both groups trying to dine at the same time.  I don’t know who came up with this idea, but it is clearly not working!!!

 

On our cruise in August and on our upcoming cruise we now do Traditional.  Such a more relaxing dining time and a better experience!!

 

Definitely glad someone pointed out that MTD doesn't start until 6:30pm and that we were still able to change from MTD to traditional.  Seems like the better option.

[jagsfan]

1 hour ago, LuCruise said:

Definitely glad someone pointed out that MTD doesn't start until 6:30pm and that we were still able to change from MTD to traditional.  Seems like the better option.

I agree!

I owe a lot to the poster who gave us the heads up. I’d have really been upset if I’d found out too late to switch back to traditional. 

[patattack]

We had MTD on Harmony last week with 7:00 PM time.  The line was out the door everyday we went (we had 2 days specialty dining), but it did not take long for us to get seated.  I was irritated, and by the second day, I was done with it and did not return which is the first time for me.  The waiter asked us the first night if we had plans after dinner and we said yes, but not until 9:30 PM.  We were the last table for everything as he would comment this table has plans earlier than us etc.  I looked over it the first night.  The second night, we said we needed to be out by 9:00 PM.  I did not want to spend more than 2 hours in the dining room.  He was very unhappy and made it known.  This was my third time on Harmony, but I had Main Dining the other times.

 

Pat

[Lindanuf]

3 hours ago, LuCruise said:

Definitely glad someone pointed out that MTD doesn't start until 6:30pm and that we were still able to change from MTD to traditional.  Seems like the better option.

This the line for MTD looked like at 6:10 tonight on Harmony.  The thought of coming to wait in line 20 mins before I can even get in is not something I want to ever deal with.  At 6:30 the line is actually insane.

[Illbcruzn4life]

thanks for posting the pics. That is total nonsense.

 

I'd switch to first seating if it's available but I'm afraid I won't be able to get a 2 top.

 

That's the main reason I don't give MSC a try

[LuCruise]

7 hours ago, patattack said:

We had MTD on Harmony last week with 7:00 PM time.  The line was out the door everyday we went (we had 2 days specialty dining), but it did not take long for us to get seated.  I was irritated, and by the second day, I was done with it and did not return which is the first time for me.  The waiter asked us the first night if we had plans after dinner and we said yes, but not until 9:30 PM.  We were the last table for everything as he would comment this table has plans earlier than us etc.  I looked over it the first night.  The second night, we said we needed to be out by 9:00 PM.  I did not want to spend more than 2 hours in the dining room.  He was very unhappy and made it known.  This was my third time on Harmony, but I had Main Dining the other times.

 

Pat

It's good that they accommodate if you have a show or event, but doesn't mean they slow down and other tables need to wait longer.  That's horrible.

[LuCruise]

3 hours ago, Illbcruzn4life said:

thanks for posting the pics. That is total nonsense.

 

I'd switch to first seating if it's available but I'm afraid I won't be able to get a 2 top.

 

That's the main reason I don't give MSC a try

Agree.  Arriving 20 minutes early and a huge line.  100% convinced that traditional is the way to go on Harmony if eating in the MDR.  Appreciate all the feedback.

[happy cruiser1234]

Thanks for the info in this thread.  I also switched our dining from MTD to Traditional Early time.  Now we won't be  stressed about making it to the shows on time. 

Thanks. 😊

[LuCruise]

19 minutes ago, happy cruiser1234 said:

Thanks for the info in this thread.  I also switched our dining from MTD to Traditional Early time.  Now we won't be  stressed about making it to the shows on time. 

Thanks. 😊

Exactly how I feel.  Glad you were able to switch too.

[Rala]

On 11/24/2019 at 1:58 PM, John&LaLa said:

 

Closer to 5 is better, if you dont show up until 5:30, you will irritate your table mates. Now if you don't share a table, closer to 5:30 is probably fine

How do you get into the MDR "closer to 5".  In my experience, they don't even open the doors until  5:30, or a very few minutes before like 5:25.  🙂

[Biker19]

10 minutes ago, Rala said:

 In my experience, they don't even open the doors until  5:30, or a very few minutes before like 5:25.  🙂

Early TD on Harmony now starts at 5.

Edited November 27, 2019 by Biker19

[Rala]

Just now, Biker19 said:

Early TD on Harmony start at 5.

OK! Thanks.  I didn't know that.  🙂

[LuCruise]

Plus a recent Harmony compass shows Main Seating as 5:00pm-5:30pm ..and thus, my question in the post (but now that I've switched to traditional, the invoice shows 5:00pm).  First time I've noticed a range.

[Illbcruzn4life]

if a lot of people show up at 5:30pm that just makes the lines longer for the 6:30 my time diners as there is no way most are getting out of the dining room in 1 hour.

[kathy884]

I wanted traditional seating early dining on the Harmony and interestingly enough even booking the cruise nine months in advance they would not give me an early time and put me on a wait list for that.  They said only my time dining and late dining were available.  I picked my time and asked to be wait listed for traditional early.  Two months later my godparents booked the same cruise and were able to get early dining right away (They went thru a travel agent).  I called RCCL and was then able to get our party moved to early dining and seated with them.  They did not, though, move me without my calling.

 

I could be off, but initially when I  booked the traditional dining was listed as later, but it looks like they moved it to earlier and opened up three dining rooms for main traditional early dining because of the demand for it.

 

A big part of our wanting traditional dining is that my dad prefers to walk everywhere on the cruise, but has limited mobility and can't stand for long.  With the traditional he can go right to where he sits vs. needing to find a chair for the wait.   The early dining while a bit early will work better for him than the later dining, and in our party as the planner for the group am catering to the 80 plus vs. younger group.  All can be a little flexible and adaptable.  It's got to be a challenge to feed that many people.

[LuCruise]

3 hours ago, kathy884 said:

I wanted traditional seating early dining on the Harmony and interestingly enough even booking the cruise nine months in advance they would not give me an early time and put me on a wait list for that.  They said only my time dining and late dining were available.  I picked my time and asked to be wait listed for traditional early.  Two months later my godparents booked the same cruise and were able to get early dining right away (They went thru a travel agent).  I called RCCL and was then able to get our party moved to early dining and seated with them.  They did not, though, move me without my calling.

 

I could be off, but initially when I  booked the traditional dining was listed as later, but it looks like they moved it to earlier and opened up three dining rooms for main traditional early dining because of the demand for it.

 

A big part of our wanting traditional dining is that my dad prefers to walk everywhere on the cruise, but has limited mobility and can't stand for long.  With the traditional he can go right to where he sits vs. needing to find a chair for the wait.   The early dining while a bit early will work better for him than the later dining, and in our party as the planner for the group am catering to the 80 plus vs. younger group.  All can be a little flexible and adaptable.  It's got to be a challenge to feed that many people.

I'm pretty sure when we booked Harmony close to opening day (so last Dec), the early time showed 5:15pm.  I remember as I was thinking that it was moving back even earlier now (and I thought 5:30pm was just a bit too early).  Now it is 5pm.  

 

That's another good reason for you selecting traditional dining as you can walk right to your table as you say.  Glad you were able to switch to traditional with a phone call.