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opinion of My Time Dining.


Diane S

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We tend to use MTD like a personal fixed seating. Make our online reservations in MTD for the same time every day. After boarding we go to the dining room and pick out a nice table for 2 that we like and ask the hostess for that table. If we like it on the first night( service, etc.), we just ask the hostess to make it the same for the cruise.

This may be harder to do for seatings about 7PM. Generally, a lot of the early diners are still there, so a lot of the tables are occupied. I find a little flexibility helps. 

This works well for early seatings, not sure about later(8PM on)

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We absolutely love My Time Dining..... It's like my wife says, we're on vacation, we shouldn't have to live by a schedule.  Even though they recommend making reservations with MTD, being just the two of us, we don't bother.  We just show up in the MDR and we're seated.  I think the longest we had to wait for a table was two minutes.  Now, if we were a party of more than 4, then I would recommend getting a reservation, but just the two of us, never an issue.

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Pro for us: Can dine whenever it fits our schedule for the day.  Especially with the Oasis class ships I find it is easier to work MTD around the show times.  As long as you make reservations there's not much of a wait (maybe 5 min most).  Although I have read on Shipmate that some people have waited longer on Anthem...

Con: Hard to get the same waiters for each night.  Missing that personalized service where they get to know you.  And we have tried asking for the same waiters and tables like others have done but it has never worked for us.  I think that is one of the reasons why I loved Coastal Kitchen so much because we really got to know the wait staff there and vice versa.

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19 minutes ago, Sabrinaklai said:

Con: Hard to get the same waiters for each night.  Missing that personalized service where they get to know you. 

 

14 minutes ago, Matt said:

I just like having the same table, tablemates and waitstaff.

Amen to that!:27_sunglasses:

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4 hours ago, L454S said:

We tend to use MTD like a personal fixed seating. Make our online reservations in MTD for the same time every day. After boarding we go to the dining room and pick out a nice table for 2 that we like and ask the hostess for that table. If we like it on the first night( service, etc.), we just ask the hostess to make it the same for the cruise.

This may be harder to do for seatings about 7PM. Generally, a lot of the early diners are still there, so a lot of the tables are occupied. I find a little flexibility helps. 

This works well for early seatings, not sure about later(8PM on)

This is exactly what we do, too.

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23 minutes ago, DocLC said:

It is usually easier to be seated with just two. Note, however, that the tables for two are extremely close together, so you may end up feeling as if you're dining with others. 

I agree, Kris.  This is why I like to scout out the tables and try and find one that is somewhat isolated.  Not always easy to do but it's worth a couple of minutes the first day.

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So, if on Day 1 I approach one of the two MDR's offering My Time Dining for our 6:30 PM time as already set, can I request a particular table and to be with the same waiter/waitress for the entirety of the cruise? We don't plan on hitting any specialty restaurants.

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We made reservations for MTD this summer on Liberty and usually walked up and they seated us immediately,  but was told by one of the hostesses that if there was a line since we are Diamond that we didn't nee to wait, walk up and they would seat us, which really helped because the next night we were late for our appointed time for some reason and walked past the line and didn't have to wait. We never ask for the same table though.

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2 hours ago, Koz said:

So, if on Day 1 I approach one of the two MDR's offering My Time Dining for our 6:30 PM time as already set, can I request a particular table and to be with the same waiter/waitress for the entirety of the cruise? We don't plan on hitting any specialty restaurants.

You can request a particular table at 6:30, but if it is taken by another earlier seating, you will have to choose another or wait. I guess it depends how many show up for the early seatings(prior to 6:30). 

I enjoy having the same wait staff for the whole cruise. When you show up at the hostess station at 6:30 you can ask for the same wait staff even if the particular table you want is taken. You might be seated at a different table in their section.

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My personal preference is MTD for the flexibility.  I think new cruisers can benefit from fixed time.  There is so  much to take in for newcomers that fixed time can help anchor the day and you do get a better dining experience with the same wait staff each night.  You can often manage that with MTD if you are early or late and eat at the same time each night, but generally speaking fixed time is a better overall experience. 

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39 minutes ago, twangster said:

My personal preference is MTD for the flexibility.  I think new cruisers can benefit from fixed time.  There is so  much to take in for newcomers that fixed time can help anchor the day and you do get a better dining experience with the same wait staff each night.  You can often manage that with MTD if you are early or late and eat at the same time each night, but generally speaking fixed time is a better overall experience. 

Very good point!:27_sunglasses:

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We had MTD with a fixed time of 7pm each night. I'm not sure this is common, although we could have been placed anywhere in the dining room, we received the same table for two each night and subsequently, the same waiters, which was nice. Although the tables were close together, they weren't uncomfortably close.

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The other argument in favor of traditional instead of MTD is if one of your cruise goals is to have a more "traditional" social experience at dinner, and be seated at a larger table with a fixed group you can really get to know over the length of your cruise. No way to really do that with MTD, unless you just happen to find a good group the first night and everyone decides they want to meet up every night.

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3 hours ago, Koz said:

So, if on Day 1 I approach one of the two MDR's offering My Time Dining for our 6:30 PM time as already set, can I request a particular table and to be with the same waiter/waitress for the entirety of the cruise? We don't plan on hitting any specialty restaurants.

I recommend that if you want the same table and wait staff every night and if you want to choose your table do NOT wait until 6:30 on night #1 to do that.

Go to the dining room where you will be served (the name of the restaurant and the deck # will be on your seapass card) as soon as you get on the ship and find "your" table and pre-reserve it ASAP.  If you wait until 6:30, chances are someone else will have snagged your table already.

If you enjoy your location and wait staff after night #1, just tell the maitre d that you want the same table for the rest of the cruise and as long as you are planning on dining at basically the same time each night, they will make sure you have that table reserved.  If you do NOT care for your wait staff (has only happened to us once in all of the cruises we have been on) you will have to choose a different table b/c the staff are assigned to specific tables.

Everyone has schedule changes that they do not anticipate or just don't see ahead of time so if you have a set table/time for a week and you know that you are going to be delayed or have to make alternate dinner arrangements for a night, please let the maitre d know that so that your table doesn't go unused.  Someone from the "no reservations" line can take your place for that one meal if they know you aren't coming or if they know you will be coming at a different time.

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I will sailing on Freedom of the Seas with only my wife next April.   We chose MTD and reserved mostly early seating and late seating on a couple nights.  Is it easier to get a table for just the two of us with MTD?  Am I in the minority if I am not wanting to share a table with another couple/group?  If I wanted to socialize, I would just go to the sports bar or the pool deck during the day.  

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24 minutes ago, jurrjurr said:

...  Is it easier to get a table for just the two of us with MTD?  Am I in the minority if I am not wanting to share a table with another couple/group?  

Minority?  Not at all.  Usually a table for two with MTD is easy.  If you show up in prime time, there may be a wait, no different than a local home town restaurant off ship.    Sometimes when I cruise solo I'm in the mood for company and ask for a larger table, sometimes I don't because I don't like explaining again why I am solo and OMG how could I cruise solo?  Maybe next time I 'll create something like - aliens usually leave me alone on ships :6_smile:.  

Point is, they will generally try to accommodate your MTD whim, even if it changes night by night which is easier for them off peak, no different than any land restaurant.    

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You’re definitely not in the minority. Dan and I always get a table for 2 but as was indicated earlier, sometimes their tables for 2 are so close together you might as well be at a group table, so I highly recommend that you try and pre-reserve a truly segregated table for 2 (if that’s what you want) by going early on day 1, finding a table that you want and having it assigned to you before dinner ever gets started.  

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With MTD, we've always been seated with the same service team without requesting it. However, there have been times where we requested a different team as some meet our preferred style of dining better than others. And I think this is another benefit of MTD as you can sample different service teams and find the one the matches your interests--in our case, expediency--better than others. 

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We've done it on our 4 cruises, and don't foresee changing it up down the line.  It worked out well when some excursions went longer than planned and we couldn't make our preferred 5:30, or when our friends took too long getting ready.  In both cases we just walked up, and it didn't matter that we were 30min, or an hour "late"...there is no late with MTD.

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  • 2 years later...

I absolutely HATE My Time Dining. We work from home, so we don’t get a time to socialize, so for us, we want to sit with the same group and build a (short) relationship. I like comparing excursions and getting to know people...we’ve made great friends on cruises. I also enjoy having a relationship with our waiter and assistant waiter...it’s special when  you get to dinner and your drink is waiting and they remember your preferences  it’s totally different than our day-to-day dining back home.

I like to compare MTD to SPEED DATING. It’s exhausting.  And trying to get a table each night is stressful  I just want to know when to show up, and if I miss it, there are other options.

And last time, they stuck hubby and I at a “romantic table for two” and wouldn’t seat us with a larger table. We didn’t want to sit alone! It was pretty boring. I absolutely adore my husband, but getting to interact with new people is a treat. He’s a writer, and there are really interesting people with whom we wouldn’t interact with normally on our cruises. We’ve stopped going to the dining room and went to the Windjammer after day two, but you don’t get the opportunity to sit with others in the buffet. 
 

I think they’re trying to make dinner less enjoyable so you’ll go to the restaurants that charge more. The upselling is  getting really old. 

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1 hour ago, Aggiekat said:

I absolutely HATE My Time Dining. We work from home, so we don’t get a time to socialize, so for us, we want to sit with the same group and build a (short) relationship. I like comparing excursions and getting to know people...we’ve made great friends on cruises. I also enjoy having a relationship with our waiter and assistant waiter...it’s special when  you get to dinner and your drink is waiting and they remember your preferences  it’s totally different than our day-to-day dining back home.

I like to compare MTD to SPEED DATING. It’s exhausting.  And trying to get a table each night is stressful  I just want to know when to show up, and if I miss it, there are other options.

And last time, they stuck hubby and I at a “romantic table for two” and wouldn’t seat us with a larger table. We didn’t want to sit alone! It was pretty boring. I absolutely adore my husband, but getting to interact with new people is a treat. He’s a writer, and there are really interesting people with whom we wouldn’t interact with normally on our cruises. We’ve stopped going to the dining room and went to the Windjammer after day two, but you don’t get the opportunity to sit with others in the buffet. 
 

I think they’re trying to make dinner less enjoyable so you’ll go to the restaurants that charge more. The upselling is  getting really old. 

Welcome to the forums,

You can still do traditional dining and be seated with strangers.  Many people like, and choose, that. But for those who don't (that would stress the hell out of me), it's great to have the other option. I've never had stress with MyTime Dining - As others mentioned above, I make my reservations in advance, so no stress of if we're going to get a table. I even know which waiters and table I'll have every night, after the first night.  MyTime Dining doesn't combine passengers. If you want that, choose Traditional - it's as easy as that.  As far as upselling, many people like to have choices. If you don't, do Traditional. Easy.

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17 hours ago, SpeedNoodles said:

Welcome to the forums,

You can still do traditional dining and be seated with strangers.  Many people like, and choose, that. But for those who don't (that would stress the hell out of me), it's great to have the other option. I've never had stress with MyTime Dining - As others mentioned above, I make my reservations in advance, so no stress of if we're going to get a table. I even know which waiters and table I'll have every night, after the first night.  MyTime Dining doesn't combine passengers. If you want that, choose Traditional - it's as easy as that.  As far as upselling, many people like to have choices. If you don't, do Traditional. Easy.

When we book, they tell us that traditional dining is not available...that they have limited spots and even though we book months in advance, we can never get it. They always tell us to show up at the podium on day one, but that leaves us usually sitting alone. If they seat us with others, it’s just for that one night. 

We’ve been watching the ads for Virgin Voyages...we are Diamond on RC, but the idea of having 20 different dining options without the pressure of the dining up-sell and lack of MTD is appealing.  It sounds like they also have a stricter smoking policy, which has been an issue for us on RC on our recent cruises. That said, their cruises are shorter and more expensive, but that boat is pretty sexy!

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1 minute ago, Aggiekat said:

When we book, they tell us that traditional dining is not available...that they have limited spots and even though we book months in advance, we can never get it. They always tell us to show up at the podium on day one, but that leaves us usually sitting alone. If they seat us with others, it’s just for that one night. 

 

Yeah,  months in advance is pretty much a last minute booking on Royal. I don't get the impression that there's communal dining on Virgin either.  Might be fun to try though (definitely not my jam, but I can see where it would appeal to some.

I must be blind, though.  I'm aware that there are other choices, but I never notice the up selling - I never feel like anyone's pushing anything on me.  To each their own.

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