Table for 2?

[FManke]

Anybody ever not been able to get a table just for two in the MDR or specialty restaurants when requested? My wife and I will be on our 27th wedding anniversary cruise this Oct, and to be honest, there are just some nights I don't want to dine with anybody else but her.

[JLMoran]

I was re-listening to episode 184 of the podcast the other day, which talks about the main dining room, and Matt noted that you can email [email protected] to make a special request for something like that.

[WHStoneman]

Anybody ever not been able to get a table just for two in the MDR or specialty restaurants when requested? My wife and I will be on our 27th wedding anniversary cruise this Oct, and to be honest, there are just some nights I don't want to dine with anybody else but her.

Just ask...they will be thrilled to assist you and your bride.  

[FManke]

Just ask...they will be thrilled to assist you and your bride.  

I'm not always anti-social, just when I want to be. :) 

[monorailmedic]

Unless we're on a group cruise Larissa and I always request a table for two.  Out of all of our cruises there was one night on one cruise where it could not be accomodated (wasn't on RCL, also, we didn't press the issue as we weren't normal passengers on this one trip).  Request ahead of time, have your TA note the request, and mention it again to the MDR staff when boarding on day 1.  The same formula follow true for most other special requests.

[FManke]

Unless we're on a group cruise Larissa and I always request a table for two.  Out of all of our cruises there was one night on one cruise where it could not be accomodated (wasn't on RCL, also, we didn't press the issue as we weren't normal passengers on this one trip).  Request ahead of time, have your TA note the request, and mention it again to the MDR staff when boarding on day 1.  The same formula follow true for most other special requests.

Can those requests, be made through the cruise planner, when reservations are made?

[monorailmedic]

Can those requests, be made through the cruise planner, when reservations are made?

Not as far as I am aware.  Just ask your travel agent to annotate your reservation for any special requests.  In some cases they can do this throught their portal, in other cases they'll reach out via email to the proper persons.  This all varies by which cruise line, the nature of the request, whether you're sailing with a group, etc.

 

Also note that in terms of table requests (location, number of people, etc) this applies to traditional dining.  With My Time dining this would be a 'per meal' request when you go in and request a table.

[shannonk]

I'm glad to hear this. We are a family of 4 and on our upcoming 3-night cruise, I really would like to dine with just us at the table. I'm okay with passing, brief friendly conversation with strangers, but I'm a bit shy, and the idea of an entire meal (let alone 3-nights in a row) of meals with people I do not know well was stressing me a bit.

[Arizona73]

So it sounds like it's reasonably easy to request a table for 2 at the MDR, but what about specialty restaurants?  I'm assuming, particularly since you're paying extra for those, that you can be seated alone if you prefer?

[mom2mybugs]

33 minutes ago, Arizona73 said:

So it sounds like it's reasonably easy to request a table for 2 at the MDR, but what about specialty restaurants?  I'm assuming, particularly since you're paying extra for those, that you can be seated alone if you prefer?

I have always been seated at our own table at the specialty restaurants.  They have never even asked if I'd want to sit with someone else...it is more like a regular "true" restaurant.  Jane

[Matt]

8 hours ago, Arizona73 said:

So it sounds like it's reasonably easy to request a table for 2 at the MDR, but what about specialty restaurants?  I'm assuming, particularly since you're paying extra for those, that you can be seated alone if you prefer?

The only specialty restaurants where you will be seated with others is Chef's Table or Izumi hibachi

[DunkelBierJay]

21 hours ago, monorailmedic said:

... we weren't normal passengers on this one trip...

just this one?

[monorailmedic]

Just now, Spiegeje said:

just this one?

Alright, we're always abnormal.  I meant that on this sailing we were traveling as guests of employees.

[Dirk]

We always are on MyTime Dining and never had problems in getting a table for two. Never had to wait more than 5 minutes, even during peak times.

[Rose City Cruiser]

Just came back from a recent sailing on Oasis of the Seas.  We booked late and they put us at a table with three other couples.  It was my wife's birthday and we were also celebrating our anniversary.  On Day 2, we went to the MDR manager on Deck 5 (Silk) at 5:30pm.  They were able to accommodate us and gave us a table for 2 for the remainder of the trip.  But we had to keep 5:30PM Traditional Dining. 

[FManke]

2 minutes ago, jurrjurr said:

Just came back from a recent sailing on Oasis of the Seas.  We booked late and they put us at a table with three other couples.  It was my wife's birthday and we were also celebrating our anniversary.  On Day 2, we went to the MDR manager on Deck 5 (Silk) at 5:30pm.  They were able to accommodate us and gave us a table for 2 for the remainder of the trip.  But we had to keep 5:30PM Traditional Dining. 

Did you have traditional dining to begin with? We have MTD.

[Rose City Cruiser]

3 minutes ago, fmanke said:

Did you have traditional dining to begin with? We have MTD.

We had Traditional Dining to begin with.  

If you have MTD, they should be able to accommodate you.  You would need to speak to the manager at the MTD MDR.  

[FManke]

1 minute ago, jurrjurr said:

We had Traditional Dining to begin with.  

If you have MTD, they should be able to accommodate you.  You would need to speak to the manager at the MTD MDR.  

Most people have said that we should not have any problems. I will check with a manager the first day, just to make sure. Thanks

[Donna2905]

We sailed on Liberty of the Seas last May for our 25th anniversary.  We set up ahead of time for us to sit at a table for two the entire week.  It will only be for dinner. At breakfast and lunch if you eat in the dining room you will sit with other people.  We are sailing on her again this August.  We have already set up our dining to be the same. As for the specialty restaurants, if you book a party of 2, you will sit at a table for 2.  Hope this helps.

[DocLC]

At lunch, I've always asked for a private table and have always received one. 

[mom2mybugs]

Wish i knew what my 14 year old is going to do!   We are trying MTD this time.   If we eat early she will likely eat with us,  but if we eat late she will be with her friends.   We'd like to be just the 2 of us if she isnt with us and don't care as much if she is.  Not sure other make reservations we can do.   Im sure you can't request just 2 at some meals and not care at others!  Jane

[PRC]

Just now, mom2mybugs said:

Wish i knew what my 14 year old is going to do!   We are trying MTD this time.   If we eat early she will likely eat with us,  but if we eat late she will be with her friends.   We'd like to be just the 2 of us if she isnt with us and don't care as much if she is.  Not sure other make reservations we can do.   Im sure you can't request just 2 at some meals and not care at others!  Jane

With MTD, you can make a res for each night in advance, or simply walk up and say "table for x".  You may wait a few minutes, but you can vary table size at will with MTD.

 

 

[FManke]

9 minutes ago, mom2mybugs said:

Wish i knew what my 14 year old is going to do!   We are trying MTD this time.   If we eat early she will likely eat with us,  but if we eat late she will be with her friends.   We'd like to be just the 2 of us if she isnt with us and don't care as much if she is.  Not sure other make reservations we can do.   Im sure you can't request just 2 at some meals and not care at others!  Jane

We chose MTD for a  simple reason, we could eat when we wanted and with who we wanted. We will be on the cruise for our 27th wedding anniversary, so I know we will be eating, just the two of us quite a bit. But we also have the option of being seated with others, if we choose. But we have the control.

[DocLC]

This is why I don't make reservations for MTD. Sometimes my son goes with us; other times, he eats with the kids in the AO. Thus, we just go when we're hungry and ask for an appropriate sized table. 

[FManke]

11 minutes ago, DocLC said:

This is why I don't make reservations for MTD. Sometimes my son goes with us; other times, he eats with the kids in the AO. Thus, we just go when we're hungry and ask for an appropriate sized table. 

Eat because you are hungry, not just because it's time to eat.

[DocLC]

2 hours ago, fmanke said:

Eat because you are hungry, not just because it's time to eat.

Easier said than done. ;). This is why I need to drop some wait before my first marathon next year. Probably shouldn't have scheduled a cruise that disembarks the day before, either. 

[FManke]

9 hours ago, DocLC said:

Easier said than done. ;). This is why I need to drop some wait before my first marathon next year. Probably shouldn't have scheduled a cruise that disembarks the day before, either. 

I say this because I'm trying to work on this same thing myself. A month after booking our first cruise I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Have to look at cruising and eating in a whole new light now. Down 14lbs in a month, so I'm off to a good start.

[DocLC]

2 hours ago, fmanke said:

I say this because I'm trying to work on this same thing myself. A month after booking our first cruise I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Have to look at cruising and eating in a whole new light now. Down 14lbs in a month, so I'm off to a good start.

Great start. Keep up the good work. Also, keep in mind that Royal had a lot of good options that are low fat, low sugar, etc. So that you can enjoy the rest in moderation. 

[FManke]

6 minutes ago, DocLC said:

Great start. Keep up the good work. Also, keep in mind that Royal had a lot of good options that are low fat, low sugar, etc. So that you can enjoy the rest in moderation. 

Thanks. I just have to plan for the bad stuff I'm going to eat, because I'm going to eat some. I already know it.

[mom2mybugs]

15 hours ago, DocLC said:

This is why I don't make reservations for MTD. Sometimes my son goes with us; other times, he eats with the kids in the AO. Thus, we just go when we're hungry and ask for an appropriate sized table. 

And the waits really aren't bad?  I have this fear of waiting 45 mins for a table.   That would make me crazy i think!   Can you make reservations and show up at a different time?  Or do you need to cancel first?   

[FManke]

11 minutes ago, mom2mybugs said:

And the waits really aren't bad?  I have this fear of waiting 45 mins for a table.   That would make me crazy i think!   Can you make reservations and show up at a different time?  Or do you need to cancel first?   

Others have told me that the waits aren't over 10min. I'm sure someone will chime in with more details.

[DocLC]

3 hours ago, mom2mybugs said:

And the waits really aren't bad?  I have this fear of waiting 45 mins for a table.   That would make me crazy i think!   Can you make reservations and show up at a different time?  Or do you need to cancel first?   

I've only dined MTD with Royal in the last several years and usually sail with them three weeks per year.  In all of those experience, only one night had a particularly bad wait and that was maybe 15 minutes.  More often than not, we were walked right to a table or had a short (less than 10 minutes) wait.  Formal nights tend to be the most crowded, so dining early or late and/or having a reservation will help.  It seems that 6:30/7 - 8/8:30 are crunch times, so if you can avoid the "prime time" without a reservation, you'll be fine.  It's much like Disney.  As long as you don't eat when everyone else is, there's no crowd.