JohnASmith Posted April 7, 2015 Report Share Posted April 7, 2015 When you have My Time Dining can you reserve the main dining room (complimentary) online or do you have to wait until you board? I am not seeing that option but I am pretty sure we ere able to do this on our previous cruises on the Allure and Oasis, but I could be forgetting. markinct 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Vitale Posted April 8, 2015 Report Share Posted April 8, 2015 John, I had MyTime Dining last year and never made reservations. Just walked up, they verified who I was, waited perhaps 5 minutes while they found me a table for two, and said "follow me, this way". markinct 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jticarruthers Posted April 8, 2015 Report Share Posted April 8, 2015 John which ship(s) are you looking at? It is my understanding that you absolutely can book the MDR but remember that on some ships (quantum, anthem, ovation?) there is no longer an MDR. They have split it into the new Dynamic Dining style dining rooms so maybe those are showing up for you ? Also, I know Oasis was remodeled to turn the MDR into 3 DD style restaurants that still serve the MDR menu at the moment though so maybe those are showing up if you are looking at Oasis ? Not sure what Allure/Harmony would show as their MDR option Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnK6404 Posted April 8, 2015 Report Share Posted April 8, 2015 Yes, with the traditional dining in the MDR (unless it has changed recently), you can schedule your My Time dining times online for each night... we even linked the reservations with relatives that were on the same cruise so we sat together every night. We also always had the same great waitstaff team each time regardless of the fact that our My Time dining reservations varied from night to night (Jevy and Nestor on Explorer). Here's a video someone made of Nestor our assistant waiter (not the same cruise)... some of you may recognize him! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocLC Posted April 8, 2015 Report Share Posted April 8, 2015 You can pre reserve My Time Dining, but I never have on any line except during a holiday cruise as it defeats the purpose of the flexible dining program. On the Jewel, we never had a wait. On other lines, we've rarely waited and only once was it more than a few minutes and no more than 20 minutes with the longest wait. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted April 8, 2015 Report Share Posted April 8, 2015 Doc, I completely understand what you are saying about why do My Time if you're going to eat at the same time every night ?? I ALWAYS do MTD and I ALWAYS book the very earliest time. It has been my experience that there are more "private" tables (2 person vs multi-person) in MTD than there are in the main area (usually downstairs) for the traditional dining. My husband and I nearly always sail by ourselves and we prefer a private table....I know many people enjoy meeting new people and sharing a table. That's a matter of preference. So we use MTD b/c it generally gives us a better table location than traditional dining does. In the very few situations where we have either not made a reservation or missed our reservation time and had to go to the MTD "wait" line, I have had similarly very good results with very few exceptions... So I agree that NOT having reservations for MTD is not critical. WE just do it b/c we want to get dinner done early and have found that going first thing limits the wait time and the inevitable delays that come with screw-ups that are always unavoidable no matter how organized it might be. In first, out first and then you have the rest of the evening to do what you want ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocLC Posted April 9, 2015 Report Share Posted April 9, 2015 We've always been able to get a table for two even going standby. Our longest wait, ironically was showing up and being seated at opening. The waitstaff hadn't been released by their supervisors, so we ended up sitting at our table for 15 minutes before any servers appeared from the back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted April 9, 2015 Report Share Posted April 9, 2015 Wow, that's something I've never experienced before ! Doesn't make any sense at all to seat diners at the table but have no waiters to wait on them !! Sounds like a very bad management decision on a particular boat ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocLC Posted April 9, 2015 Report Share Posted April 9, 2015 It only happened one time, but it was very weird. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jticarruthers Posted April 9, 2015 Report Share Posted April 9, 2015 It was a test of a new cost cutting proposal - self service dining room ;) Don and DocLC 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocLC Posted April 10, 2015 Report Share Posted April 10, 2015 It was a test of a new cost cutting proposal - self service dining room ;) Wouldn't that be the Windjammer? ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jticarruthers Posted April 10, 2015 Report Share Posted April 10, 2015 Nope Windjammer is the buffet where you serve yourself, this is the new dining room where you place your order yourself and then go and stand by the galley door and wheel the cart out for your table .... while your significant other heads to the bar for drink refills. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocLC Posted April 10, 2015 Report Share Posted April 10, 2015 Nope Windjammer is the buffet where you serve yourself, this is the new dining room where you place your order yourself and then go and stand by the galley door and wheel the cart out for your table .... while your significant other heads to the bar for drink refills. I get it. Fast-casual style like Panera. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jticarruthers Posted April 10, 2015 Report Share Posted April 10, 2015 Yep, now they can eliminate all the wait staff ... if they convert the bar to dispenser style machines like the soda you could get rid of the bartenders too ... not only saves on labor costs but frees up new "subsurface" cabins with virtual balconies for additional passengers ! DocLC 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocLC Posted April 10, 2015 Report Share Posted April 10, 2015 Good thinking. Self-serve machines would force everyone to purchase the beverage packages which would increase revenues and they would likely still add gratuities to cover the staff servicing the machines. Don 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Posted April 10, 2015 Report Share Posted April 10, 2015 It was a test of a new cost cutting proposal - self service dining room ;)q Brilliant! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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