MyTime Dining

[TinaLouise]

Will someone explain to me how this works?

[AshleyDillo]

28 minutes ago, TinaLouise said:

Will someone explain to me how this works?

With My Time Dining you are not set to a specific dining time.  This allows you to either walk up to the main dining room when you are ready to eat or you can make a reservation in advance.  It's just like dining out at home.  

There will be a dining room area that is specifically for My Time Dining which you can find on your Cruise Compass when you get on the ship.

If you want to make reservations in advance you can do so through the cruise planner.  You may find that the time slots are limited and if that's the case when you get on board you can go to the dining room and make your reservations if you would like.  Alternatively, just show up when you are ready to eat and you will be put on the list if there's a wait.  

[Sh2738]

This is essentially the same as eating out at a land restaurant. You can eat whenever you like, and it can change for your schedule and most importantly you don’t have to eat with strangers at your table. You simply make a reservation on your planner for the time and table size that you want and show up at time to eat. 

 

You can choose not to make reservations but then you run into the possibility of having to wait for your table especially for tables of 2 and other smaller tables. 

 

Personally, I love it and much prefer it over traditional because of not having to eat with strangers. Happy Cruising. 

[JohnK6404]

I also strongly agree... My Time is our preference. No downside, especially if you book your reservations through the Cruise Planner right after it becomes available so you get your pick of time slots. You will see your reservation in the Cruise Planner calendar and eventually on the phone app (if available). The MDR menu is the same regardless of the dining preference you select.

Your SeaPass card will also state which dining room is assigned (there are usually 3 levels for the Main Dining Room). Our SeaPass card indicated: "DINING: DECK 3, MY TIME" for our 5/19/19 sailing on Allure.

On that cruise in May, we chose 6:00 PM 5 of the 7 evenings (other 2 evenings a little later due to port days). We had the same amazing server team all 7 evenings and the same window table for the four of us for 6 of the 7 evenings (odd evening we still had a window table in same section, but right next to our usual table!). You can still link reservations if you are traveling with another party so you can be seated together (that's what we did). On that cruise, we only did Specialty Dining for lunch (2 of the lunches were complimentary due to Central Park balcony and the Key perks).

We planned our entertainment accordingly. As mentioned above, you still retain the flexibility to later change your reservation prior to cruise (Cruise Planner), onboard well in advance of that meal, or you can just walk up and wait for a table if you have the time and patience. We never found ourselves racing to finish our meals to get to a show. If you feel you're going to be tight on time on any given evening and you still want to eat in the MDR, you can let your waiter know and they will move the meal along a little faster to ensure you get out on time for your show.

Have a great time! 

[Yo2slick]

2 hours ago, JohnK6404 said:

I also strongly agree... My Time is our preference. No downside, especially if you book your reservations through the Cruise Planner right after it becomes available so you get your pick of time slots. You will see your reservation in the Cruise Planner calendar and eventually on the phone app (if available). The MDR menu is the same regardless of the dining preference you select.

Your SeaPass card will also state which dining room is assigned (there are usually 3 levels for the Main Dining Room). Our SeaPass card indicated: "DINING: DECK 3, MY TIME" for our 5/19/19 sailing on Allure.

On that cruise in May, we chose 6:00 PM 5 of the 7 evenings (other 2 evenings a little later due to port days). We had the same amazing server team all 7 evenings and the same window table for the four of us for 6 of the 7 evenings (odd evening we still had a window table in same section, but right next to our usual table!). You can still link reservations if you are traveling with another party so you can be seated together (that's what we did). On that cruise, we only did Specialty Dining for lunch (2 of the lunches were complimentary due to Central Park balcony and the Key perks).

We planned our entertainment accordingly. As mentioned above, you still retain the flexibility to later change your reservation prior to cruise (Cruise Planner), onboard well in advance of that meal, or you can just walk up and wait for a table if you have the time and patience. We never found ourselves racing to finish our meals to get to a show. If you feel you're going to be tight on time on any given evening and you still want to eat in the MDR, you can let your waiter know and they will move the meal along a little faster to ensure you get out on time for your show.

Have a great time! 

How did you reserve a window table?  Cruise Planner as well?

[Sh2738]

17 minutes ago, Yo2slick said:

How did you reserve a window table?  Cruise Planner as well?

As far as I am aware of you cannot reserve a window table, but perhaps others know of a way where you can. As far as my experience goes, You would just wait and see what table is available for you. Thanks 

[JohnK6404]

2 hours ago, Yo2slick said:

How did you reserve a window table?  Cruise Planner as well?

I don’t believe you can reserve a specific type of table through the Cruise Planner. We were just lucky that on the first evening at 6:00 PM a window table was available. Once we had that table, we just asked if we could keep that table for the rest of the cruise. They too would prefer for continuity to keep you at the same table as much as possible so you have the same server team, especially if your reservations are around the same time each evening. 

I would maybe ask before being seated that first night if a window table is available. You might be able to stop by the MDR on your assigned level and request one earlier on embarkation day... can’t hurt to try!