What's going on with the later MyTime Dining start time?

[OnTheJourney]

We're scheduled on the Adventure in the near future, and I just noticed today that MTD - as we're typically assigned to beCAUSE of being able to eat early - is now listed as not starting till 6:30 - an hour later than the early MDR seating. I'm not happy. 6:30 is way too late for us especially since we like to catch the earlier show time. I'm thinking we should have our TA change us to the early seating so as to get in by 5:00 - 5:30. Not sure I can do this myself on the website.  If we do the MDR though and can't reserve a table for two, we'll probably scratch the MDR completely and just do the buffet, and then might strongly consider not cruising with RCL in the future. 

[FionaMG]

You'll need to get your TA to do it. If by any chance there is no availability, get them to waitlist you for it. If it doesn't come through by the time you sail, head straight to the MDR service desk when you board and try and sort it there.

[OnTheJourney]

1 minute ago, FionaMG said:

If by any chance there is no availability, get them to waitlist you for it. If it doesn't come through by the time you sail, head straight to the MDR service desk when you board and try and sort it there.

Are you referring to still trying to get an earlier MTD seating, or are you talking about a table-for-two at the early MDR seating? I assume the latter. Waitlist is probably the best way, but if this becomes too much hassle, I'm done with RCL, especially having come off of a cruise line where you don't need to reserve any dining time other than the two specialty restuarants onboard. 

Edited August 19, 2022 by OnTheJourney

[davekathy]

16 minutes ago, OnTheJourney said:

We're scheduled on the Adventure in the near future, and I just noticed today that MTD - as we're typically assigned to beCAUSE of being able to eat early - is now listed as not starting till 6:30 - an hour later than the early MDR seating. I'm not happy. 6:30 is way too late for us especially since we like to catch the earlier show time. I'm thinking we should have our TA change us to the early seating so as to get in by 5:00 - 5:30. Not sure I can do this myself on the website.  If we do the MDR though and can't reserve a table for two, we'll probably scratch the MDR completely and just do the buffet, and then might strongly consider not cruising with RCL in the future. 

Have your TA call and change your dining preference to TD and the early time. When you first board the ship go directly to the MDR and find a table, size and location you like and ask if the table is available and can you get it for the entire cruise. Or contact the following a couple weeks prior to your sail date with your requests once you have TD...rcldining@rccl.com.  

 

 

 

Edited August 19, 2022 by davekathy

[FionaMG]

6 minutes ago, OnTheJourney said:

Are you referring to still trying to get an earlier MTD seating, or are you talking about a table-for-two at the early MDR seating? I assume the latter. Waitlist is probably the best way, but if this becomes too much hassle, I'm done with RCL, especially having come off of a cruise line where you don't need to reserve any dining time other than the two specialty restuarants onboard. 

What @davekathysaid. Waitlist would be if early TD is unavailable.

[OnTheJourney]

8 minutes ago, davekathy said:

TD

TD...what is that? Same as MTD?  Thanks for the advice. I'm sure it's the best way to proceed but...just not happy about having to hassle with this. I like to reserve all the dining times in advance. We're only a few weeks out at this point so I'm going to email the address you provided. Thanks! 

Edited August 19, 2022 by OnTheJourney

[crzndeb]

On the Wonder TA in Oct., MTD starts at 7:15pm. It may likely change once onboard, but that’s late.

[S.A.M.J.R.]

6 minutes ago, OnTheJourney said:

TD...what is that? Same as MTD?  Thanks for the advice. I'm sure it's the best way to proceed but...just not happy about having to hassle with this. I like to reserve all the dining times in advance. We're only a few weeks out at this point so I'm going to email the address you provided. Thanks! 

TD = "Traditional Dining"

 

We haven't been on many cruises, but it seemed to me past cruises had TD on decks 3 & 4, then MTD (starting at 5:30p) on deck 5.   

 

On our cruise last month on Mariner, they had early TD on deck 3, MTD starting an hour later on deck 3 (using tables not used for TD presumably), TD late on deck 4, and not sure how they split up deck 5.  

 

I agree MTD should be able to start at the same time as TD. 

[crzndeb]

9 minutes ago, OnTheJourney said:

TD...what is that?

Traditional Dining. Early or late seating.

[OnTheJourney]

1 minute ago, crzndeb said:

but that’s late.

Yeah...it sure is for me. I'm not into "eating fashionably late". Like I said, we can find someone else to cruise with if they're going to do this sort of thing. 

[OnTheJourney]

1 minute ago, S.A.M.J.R. said:

I agree MTD should be able to start at the same time as TD. 

Absolutely, makes no sense to me. We're assigned to deck 3 for MTD. The Adventure has dining on 3 decks (not sure how we'll like this after being on a ship with only around 700 people and one dining room). 

[OnTheJourney]

I'm thinking that there are probably more times available than they have listed...will research it further. Thanks for replies! 

[LeeW]

Shortly before covid they started doing an early-early fixed seating on Oasis class ships.  Since they couldn't do this in the fixed seating area (messes up 6-6:30 early traditional), they stuck it in the Mytime dining room.  Post covid they have expanded this to most ships.

 

Since the people eating in that service don't get done until 6:45-7:15, Mytime isn't available any time earlier.  So you have two options if you like to eat early.  1) Pick early fixed seating.  2) Book Mytime and make reservations as early as you can.

 

This has caused problems on some ships - there can be a huge line of people that don't make reservations wanting to get in when the dining room opens.  Lately they have been taking these people to other dining rooms but we have seen a couple hundred people in line and people coming up and asking why they can't eat now since a reservation isn't required.

 

For us, 5:15 is too early and 8:00 too late, so we make the earliest Mytime reservations we can.  Sometimes we have to wait for the table we want to clear but it usually only a few minutes.  And with a lot of people doing specialty dining "our" table often isn't used before us.

[Another_Critic]

I'm confused, if you want to eat at 5:30, why didn't you choose early seating to begin with?

 

I personally choose MTD because early to too early and late is too late.  I like to eat at 6:30 to 7:00.

[HicksRA]

16 minutes ago, Another_Critic said:

I'm confused, if you want to eat at 5:30, why didn't you choose early seating to begin with?

 

I personally choose MTD because early to too early and late is too late.  I like to eat at 6:30 to 7:00.

Probably because before Covid you could choose MTD that early and still have the flexibility to vary dine times during the cruise if situations dictated  

[poocher]

It’s been this way since RC sailings resumed so over a year now.  MTD does not begin until early Traditional Dining starts to clear out.  For our last, and next 2 cruises, I have made MTD reservations for the first time slot (6:30-6:45) as soon as I booked the cruises.  It has been widely reported here for quite some time.  I’m sorry you didn’t see it.  

[Starry Eyes]

If you want to eat early, ask your TA to switch you to early dining with a table for two request; hopefully slots are still available.  If not join the waitlist.  If you get early dining, send the email requesting a table for two 2-3 weeks before the cruise.
 

 As you like dining quite early, the good thing for you about the new system (assuming you are able to get early dining), there are typically plenty of small tables for early diners because early dining also uses the table that are later used for MTD…smaller tables are more plentiful there.

[S.A.M.J.R.]

55 minutes ago, LeeW said:

Shortly before covid they started doing an early-early fixed seating on Oasis class ships.  Since they couldn't do this in the fixed seating area (messes up 6-6:30 early traditional), they stuck it in the Mytime dining room.  Post covid they have expanded this to most ships.

 

Since the people eating in that service don't get done until 6:45-7:15, Mytime isn't available any time earlier.  So you have two options if you like to eat early.  1) Pick early fixed seating.  2) Book Mytime and make reservations as early as you can.

 

This has caused problems on some ships - there can be a huge line of people that don't make reservations wanting to get in when the dining room opens.  Lately they have been taking these people to other dining rooms but we have seen a couple hundred people in line and people coming up and asking why they can't eat now since a reservation isn't required.

 

For us, 5:15 is too early and 8:00 too late, so we make the earliest Mytime reservations we can.  Sometimes we have to wait for the table we want to clear but it usually only a few minutes.  And with a lot of people doing specialty dining "our" table often isn't used before us.

I'm pretty sure Oasis has three dining rooms, deck 3, 4, and 5.  Run TD on one deck and MTD on two (or vice versa).  That's how they did it on our cruise 9 years ago.  I just don't understand the logic of the change. 

[poocher]

Like everything else, short staffing in the MDR. And when sailings first started, needed separate areas for vaxxed and unvaxxed passengers:

[Alexxussss]

Just fyi I emailed RCL at that address for my cruise on Oasis and it took them almost 2 months to reply…it was changed though!

[clskinsfan]

Just a heads up. I was able to book MTD times on the app for my cruise in October. I am not sure how soon after payment you can book them though. I just booked us for 7 every night. Dont know if they are legit reservations. But I did receive email confirmations. 

[taglovestocruise]

38 minutes ago, S.A.M.J.R. said:

I'm pretty sure Oasis has three dining rooms, deck 3, 4, and 5.  Run TD on one deck and MTD on two (or vice versa).  That's how they did it on our cruise 9 years ago.  I just don't understand the logic of the change. 

Demand for traditional is increasing. They have replaced early MTD with additional space for early traditional.  We had late dinning on Independence and looking down to the lower deck it was 90% empty for MTD.

[Donsyb]

I believe this is because as has been mentioned, MTD uses the same dining room as early dining now. I’m assuming because of lack of staff to be able to run MTD concurrently with two TD sittings.

 

Although I also don’t understand why you didn’t book early dining if you want early dining?

[OnTheJourney]

1 hour ago, poocher said:

It’s been this way since RC sailings resumed so over a year now.

We had no problem with MTD at 5:00 on Enchantment, and that was only back in March. The staff told us to come even earlier after we showed up around 5:15 the first day or so. 

 

1 hour ago, Another_Critic said:

I'm confused, if you want to eat at 5:30, why didn't you choose early seating to begin with?

Haven't thought about using the early MDR seating basically cause we haven't done that for years. Can't even remember the last time we would have booked TD. Always did MTD and so I don't think about the early or late seating options. We like the MTD flexiblity to have the option of picking a different time each day - IF needed due to sometimes later / longer shore excursions. 

 

I only looked at all this today as part of planning to check in. Based on our March experience with RCL, I just assumed the earlier MTD times would be available as they always have been. 

Edited August 19, 2022 by OnTheJourney

[OnTheJourney]

8 minutes ago, Donsyb said:

I’m assuming because of lack of staff to be able to run MTD concurrently with two TD sittings.

I'm sure you're right about this. I have to look at it again. I think MTD is assigned to deck 3 and then TD is 4 and 5 - I didn't spend too much time on the website thus far after briefly looking at the MTD times. The rest - MDR deck assignment and so forth, is really no big deal.