Pros & Cons of Anytime Dining

[CruiseMsclDad]

My son still has not made up his my about joining me on my upcoming cruise, so I was thinking of doing Anytime Dining for the first time, but on the fence if I am going solo. Pros & Cons of Anytime Dining?

Thanks Mitch

[ScottD]

4 minutes ago, CruiseMsclDad said:

My son still has not made up his my about joining me on my upcoming cruise, so I was thinking of doing Anytime Dining for the first time, but on the fence if I am going solo. Pros & Cons of Anytime Dining?

Thanks Mitch

I've never done MTD, so I don't have a lot of input, I do know that if your cruise is within the next few months, even the next 6 or so, most of the earlier times will be gone for MTD and it'll just be a choice of like 2-3 available times.

[WAAAYTOOO]

2 minutes ago, ScottD said:

most of the earlier times will be gone for MTD and it'll just be a choice of like 2-3 available times.

...but not really.  I always do MTD and almost never book ahead of boarding and I have never failed to get a 6:45 or 7:00 reservation.  If there are only late MTD times showing in the app or online, just wait until you board to book.  You won't have a problem.

[CruiseMsclDad]

23 minutes ago, ScottD said:

I've never done MTD, so I don't have a lot of input, I do know that if your cruise is within the next few months, even the next 6 or so, most of the earlier times will be gone for MTD and it'll just be a choice of like 2-3 available times.

Thank you!

[Ampurp85]

If you don't want to sit with a group, MTD is the best option for a solo traveler. They will sit you at a two-top and you can enjoy your meal as slow or as fast as you want. I often cruise solo, and I take my Kindle to dinner. The tables aren't far away so people will often invite you to converse, but you aren't forced into anything. 

[Jenn G-MEI Travel]

My time is great for flexibility and not being sat with a group of strangers however make your reservations now if you can so you aren't eating at 8.30 pm each night  

[CanHardlyWait]

6 hours ago, CruiseMsclDad said:

My son still has not made up his my about joining me on my upcoming cruise, so I was thinking of doing Anytime Dining for the first time, but on the fence if I am going solo. Pros & Cons of Anytime Dining?

Thanks Mitch

Con. Long lines. 

Pick early or late and walk right in.

[CruiseMsclDad]

7 hours ago, Ampurp85 said:

If you don't want to sit with a group, MTD is the best option for a solo traveler. They will sit you at a two-top and you can enjoy your meal as slow or as fast as you want. I often cruise solo, and I take my Kindle to dinner. The tables aren't far away so people will often invite you to converse, but you aren't forced into anything. 

Thank you ! It is a working trip if he does not go with me so that is a great idea!

[RafaellaCG]

On 8/11/2023 at 6:25 PM, ScottD said:

I've never done MTD, so I don't have a lot of input, I do know that if your cruise is within the next few months, even the next 6 or so, most of the earlier times will be gone for MTD and it'll just be a choice of like 2-3 available times.

We had the reverse. We had to eat pretty early because all the later times were full. The lines got insane later in the evening, though.

[AMHall827]

My regular cruising group has actually switched over from preferring MTD to fixed schedule dining (we prefer the late dining option). Basically, we had been using the MTD option because we didn't like being fixed to a particular time as the activities we were wanting to do changed pretty much nightly. The last few cruises we were on though, we couldn't make any reservations before 1930 ahead of time (and I started looking 6 months out), and on the ship itself we weren't permitted to line up at the designated MTD dining room until 1900 to 1930. Not sure if that's something universal that's been going on, but as a result, we decided that there wasn't really that big of a difference timewise between doing MTD or late-seating standard dining, and as such, we'd prefer to have the same seats and the same waitstaff every night. 

[RockerDom31]

It depends on your vacation personality. My wife and I are not sit-down formal dining type of people while on vacation. We rather enjoy Windjammer or some other quick dining and then move on to our next activity. However, this doesn't mean that we don't occasionally go to the MDR when the menu is right. On our 9-night cruise this summer, we did MDR dinner once (on Italian Night - we're both vegetarians. Plenty of choices that night!). The app said that My Time Dining was at 7:30PM but we went to the MDR at around 6:15 and asked the staff if there was any seats available. Luckily, there was! And in we went. Wish I could tell you what the secret was but I think it was just luck of the draw.

[Jolly Ogre]

On 8/11/2023 at 5:54 PM, CanHardlyWait said:

Con. Long lines. 

Pick early or late and walk right in.

Nah!!... We always get MTD and make reservations @ 6:30-7:00 PM and the longest line we had was 2-3 couples ahead of us. We ask for the same table and wait staff so we get the MDR experience but at MY Time.

[Cakemeister]

Mostly, I love MTD.

Sometimes there is a conflict with the show times. People in the very early MDR seating can go to the second show, and most of the time the very late diners can go to the first show. But that is not always the case. Sometimes, with MTD, you can miss both shows. This might be different on Oasis-class as I have only sailed on smaller ships.

With regular dining, you eat with the same folks every time, which can be good or bad. Generally, like Ampurp85 said, when you eat at MTD your party is seated separately from other parties, there are no groups.

With regular dining, you also are seated with the same waitstaff every night. Again, this can be good, bad, or neutral. There's no guarantee of having the same staff with MTD. Some staff will tell you to ask for them, probably if you tip, lol. 

I find the speed of service, quality of service, and quality of food the same between MTD and regular.