My time Dining

[bravesfan19]

I received an email from RCCL that said they were starting "my time dining". What exactly does this mean? I have sailed on NCL several times, and I assume this is similar to their freestyle dining. My question is, does this mean that RCCL is doing away with traditional seating dining, or will they have one dining room that is for my time dining and the others for traditional dining?

[I'm on holiday]

From what I've read here on CC, My Time Dining (MTD) can be booked on most RCI ships now. Your tips must be prepaid to participate. A section of the main dining room is set aside for MTD. You show up anytime between 6pm and (I believe) 9:30pm, and will be seated as you would in a land based restaurant. You can be seated alone, or with others. It's your choice. You can reserve a time, or just show up.

[bravesfan19]

Would you have the same waiter & assistant waiter each night, or a different one each night?

 

 

From what I've read here on CC' date=' My Time Dining (MTD) can be booked on most RCI ships now. Your tips must be prepaid to participate. A section of the main dining room is set aside for MTD. You show up anytime between 6pm and (I believe) 9:30pm, and will be seated as you would in a land based restaurant. You can be seated alone, or with others. It's your choice. You can reserve a time, or just show up.[/quote']

[Rala]

This is just an observation from our recent Brilliance (eastern Med.) cruise. We had early seating(traditional) which meant we were in the dining room from 6pm until 7:45-8pm every night. We could see the MTD area across the way from our table. It was nearly empty every night so I don't think they will be eliminating traditional dining which was pretty much full every night. MTD may be more popular on other sailings/itineraries, but it did not seem popular at all on our cruise.

[I'm on holiday]

Would you have the same waiter & assistant waiter each night, or a different one each night?

 

You can request to be seated in the same section, with the same wait staff, if you wish.

[baseballmom94]

I sailed on the Freedom last week 3/22 -2/29. The week before the cruise, I called RC and signed up for My Time Dining and paid the gratuities in full for the 4 of us by credit card.

 

When we arrived on the ship, our Seapass said 6pm Main. I asked at Guest Services about this and they said I needed to go to the dining room to check on the status of our MTD. I went to staff right outside the dining room and there was a HUGE sign promoting MTD. I explained the situation to the staffperson there and she looked at their list of MTD guests and we were not on the list. Then she said that they could not accomodate us in MTD because they had no more tables for 4. I was pretty disappointed as I had paid the gratuities in full and was told that we were in MTD a week prior to the sailing. Also, several people were coming to the desk and calling the desk to be placed in MTD while I was there.

 

As it turned out, they had already placed us at a table for 4 in the front of the dining room during the Main 6pm seating. She said that we could arrive anytime between 6 and 7pm. This turned out to be fine but what is the point of RC promoting MTD in a huge way with signs and print materials and for guests to prepay the gratuities if they cannot accomodate people once they show up?

[NorbertsNiece]

MTD is a relatively new innovation for some ships and its popularity is growing. As in a regular restaurant you are arriving without booking and as such need to be flexible.

It's a pity that they weren't able to accomodate you but maybe in hindsight it was wishful thinking that you could be accommodated at short notice. When you reserved MTD with RCCL did the booking clerk check that it was indeed available? It may have been possible after the first night once they had settled into the cruise to have fitted you in on your table for 4 had you been seated with others for the first night.

When we requested MTD prior to our Jewel cruise we were told it was not possible but we were able to transfer over once we'd boarded. I will want to opt for MTD in the future.

[CaroleSP]

We just got off the EOS and was able to participate in the MTD program. Although I tried for several weeks to make this preference known before sailing, we were told it had to be done once we boarded. However, my tips were pre-paid already.

 

Once we boarded, we headed over to the appropriate area and registered with no problem. However, we were asked what time we wanted to dine that evening. They tried to encourage us to make a reservation for the following night each time we completed our meal. We did most of the time; calling for a reservation the day of, was no problem at all.

 

It worked out so well for us, we will always choose this way of dining. We never had to rush!!!

 

I don't know how it works anywhere else, but it seemed that most people were in the the same general area every evening. With one exception, we ate at the same table each night. HOwever, all nights we were served by the same wonderful waiter, assistant waiter and head waiter. We have cruised many, many times and found the service to be first rate, without exception.

[RevSmith]

I've done MTD on Freedom (once) and NOS (twice)...each ship was different. I was signed up on Freedom and just arrived whenever I wanted. On NOS they did ask me what time I would like to dine...I told them...but then arrived about a half hour early, and there was no problem...I love it, because it goes beautifully with my type of schedule.

[JMG]

We just got off of the AOS and the My Time Dining was very limited. You made a reservation FOR THE WEEK for a TABLE FOR 2. They had a very small portion of the upper dining room reserved for MTD. It was not popular at all since it was not flexible throughout the cruise week and the seating was tables for 2.

[alicam]

We just got off of the AOS and the My Time Dining was very limited. You made a reservation FOR THE WEEK for a TABLE FOR 2. They had a very small portion of the upper dining room reserved for MTD. It was not popular at all since it was not flexible throughout the cruise week and the seating was tables for 2.

This appears to be an instance in which head office isn't getting the word out to the fleet in how to implement MTD...sounds like each is running it as they see fit...not exactly how it should be done....perhaps head office could run a course in Miami to get all "onboard" so to speak and have consistency across the line...

[onesphinx2004]

I sailed on the Freedom last week 3/22 -2/29. The week before the cruise, I called RC and signed up for My Time Dining and paid the gratuities in full for the 4 of us by credit card.

 

When we arrived on the ship, our Seapass said 6pm Main. I asked at Guest Services about this and they said I needed to go to the dining room to check on the status of our MTD. I went to staff right outside the dining room and there was a HUGE sign promoting MTD. I explained the situation to the staffperson there and she looked at their list of MTD guests and we were not on the list. Then she said that they could not accomodate us in MTD because they had no more tables for 4. I was pretty disappointed as I had paid the gratuities in full and was told that we were in MTD a week prior to the sailing. Also, several people were coming to the desk and calling the desk to be placed in MTD while I was there.

 

As it turned out, they had already placed us at a table for 4 in the front of the dining room during the Main 6pm seating. She said that we could arrive anytime between 6 and 7pm. This turned out to be fine but what is the point of RC promoting MTD in a huge way with signs and print materials and for guests to prepay the gratuities if they cannot accomodate people once they show up?

 

My husband & I are sailing the AOS May 10th. I called a week or so ago and requested MTD. They charged my account for prepaid gratuities and I received a new Booked Confirmation Invoice. This new invoice showed that I had paid the prepaid gratuities. Now, this week I received my Cruise Documents by mail. They have us down for Main Seating. Should I call RCI again?

[JMG]

Most likely, the documents were printed before you made the change and they were not able to correct the dining choice.

 

If you still want to do My Time Dining, simply go the the Mozart Dining Room after you board ship and make your reservation. I would carry with me proof that I had already paid the gratuities. The Mozart Dining Room has a small area of tables FOR TWO that are reserved for My Time Dining and you have to select a time for the entire week. You do not go at 6pm one night and then 7pm the next night. It would 6pm for the entire cruise!

[negc]

They are apparently still having start up problems with their computer system. Our documents showed we had my time dining but on check-in our seapass cards had us at an assigned table at second seating. A quick trip to the maitre'd in the dining room shortly after we boarded, corrected the situation. We were on a five night cruise and dined at times of our choosing on four nights, and the other night we dined in Chops. We were able to select a different time each night or just show up to be seated whenever we chose. Only a small section of the fifth floor dining room is set aside for my time dining as they strive to make sure that all of the possible bugs have been worked out. We had the same service staff each evening (at our request) and we were quite pleased with everything about it. I was an inveterate traditional seating diner who doubted that both traditional and my time dining could be offered successfully. My recent experience would seem to indicate that I was wrong and I would likely book my time dining again on a future RCI cruise. As they become more comfortable with the system, they will probably expand participation but they have assured everyone that traditional dining will always be offered on their ships.:)

[Spring]

Is MTD on the Voyager????????

[janoma]

We are first-time cruisers, traveling with another couple who are more experienced. We are all casual folk and our friends tell us they NEVER eat in the main dining room - they do Windjammer all the time. We also would not want the standard dining room set up - for one thing, I'd prefer to eat around 7:30 - so neither early nor late works for me. Someone on this thread mentioned using My Time Dining but doing Windjammer on formal nights - does that mean that you've prepaid the gratuity for the nights you don't eat in the Dining Room (i.e., this program doesn't cover Windjammer)? I would have liked to have been able to split my time between the 2 options (a "really nice" meal would be better than an "OK" one on occasion!), but not if I'm overpaying for gratuities. We are on a 12-night Med cruise in September and I'm afraid Windjammer would get old fast (4-7 nights, oK, but 12?). Thoughts?

[Richiebaseball]

We are first-time cruisers, traveling with another couple who are more experienced. We are all casual folk and our friends tell us they NEVER eat in the main dining room - they do Windjammer all the time. We also would not want the standard dining room set up - for one thing, I'd prefer to eat around 7:30 - so neither early nor late works for me. Someone on this thread mentioned using My Time Dining but doing Windjammer on formal nights - does that mean that you've prepaid the gratuity for the nights you don't eat in the Dining Room (i.e., this program doesn't cover Windjammer)? I would have liked to have been able to split my time between the 2 options (a "really nice" meal would be better than an "OK" one on occasion!), but not if I'm overpaying for gratuities. We are on a 12-night Med cruise in September and I'm afraid Windjammer would get old fast (4-7 nights, oK, but 12?). Thoughts?

 

Your suggested gratuities also cover the service in the Windjammer.

[alphakitty]

I am working on getting MTD on our Oasis cruise. My invoice still shows Main, but my TA keeps assuring me that it is in RCI's system as MTD. She says there is no place on the Booking Dashboard for MTD yet and that RCI is working on it. I just hope I don't get on board and find out I do not have MTD. Our cruise is still a long way off, so I hope it is straightened out before we go.

[musiccity2008]

I'm glad to see that RCL is implementing my time dining, although it sounds as if they still have a lot of kinks to work out. We recently were on a Princess cruise, which we ultimately decided upon because they had anytime dining. For those of us who prefer a dining arrangement more like a land based restaurant, my time dining is a definite attraction. For us, when we're on a cruise we really don't want to adhere to a schedule, so the flexibility of showing up when we're ready is great, even if we have to wait a few minutes for a table.

[bluecookies]

if they told one cruiser they had to come back between 6 and 7, and most everyone else that had to make a reservation the night before, then what is the point of "my time dining". I thought the point was so that you could just arrive whenever you felt like it.

[negc]

if they told one cruiser they had to come back between 6 and 7, and most everyone else that had to make a reservation the night before, then what is the point of "my time dining". I thought the point was so that you could just arrive whenever you felt like it.

 

That was our experience. We could make reservations or just show up. It worked for us and we never had to come back or reserve a specific time.:)

Clearly there is a chance that if you just show up at a time when all of the tables are occupied or have been reserved, you might experience a wait but the issue never arose while we were onboard. Only a small percentage of the dining room is currently used for my time dining and only a limited number of guests are allowed into the program at this time so the likelihood of such a problem arising is pretty minimal. We also found service to be quicker but no less attentive so the turnover of tables is probably faster than if everyone was in the dining room as long as would be the case in traditional dining.

[janoma]

Thank you all for your responses...very helpful...I think this is definitely something I would like to do and now just have to work on the rest of the group!

[LilPony]

Sorry if this is a repeated question .....Is My Time Dining available on all ships ....planning on Med Cruise in July and it would be perfect for us ...

Thanks (and sorry if this same question has been asked a million time :) )

[Kurbanfan]

They shouldn't let people make reservations for my time dining......defeats the whole purpose IMO.........

[janoma]

In my instance, it very specifically says on RC's website that My Time Dining is available on this cruise. See if you can find the small print.