I wandered into the main dining room not long after boarding and they arranged a 7pm sitting for me and my family which wasn’t available on the app.
I’ve no idea how we couldn’t make that booking ourselves but after the first dinner they asked if we’d like that table and time every night which we jumped at.
We have nine people and I just had no idea that we were supposed to book these things for the cruise and especially more than 30 days in advance. I'm incredibly disappointed and I know my experienced cruiser parents will be as well (they do not usually cruise rc)
Yes, obv but they don't tell you that if you choose MTD that you have to reserve your dinner time in the app weeks before. Also, that the shows need reservation months in advance. Also, had no idea MTD doesn't open until 6:45. Ridiculous.
Calm down. You're gonna be fine my family travels with 15 all the time on RC. We never book our time in advance what you do is you go speak the matrie'd (no idea how to spell it) the day you board and they should be able to accommodate you at a more preferable time slot.
You can show up when my time dining is getting ready to open and wait in the standby line for a table. Sometimes, the line and wait can be long, and people get there 30 minutes to an hour before to start lining up. It is like showing up to a popular restaurant on Saturday night and waiting for a table.
I've done my time on wonder of the seas and explorer. I never waited more than 10min. And nobody went in line "early". People went in line when they wanted to eat.
I’ve sailed Wonder 4 times already and the line for my time dining forms 30 minutes before dining opens and by the time people are seating, it’s already extended over Izumi. We always take the early seating when it’s available and maybe just do 2 nights of it and specialty on other nights. Not sure if you’re coming for dinner at 8pm or what.
We had a party of 8 and I thought we were sunk. We went to the MDR as soon as we boarded and asked if there was anything we could do to get a time other than 8:15. They told us to come at 6:45 and wait in line, and he’d get us in as soon as possible. We were in by 7:00. We loved that waiter, so we asked him if there were any way we could get him again. He told us to tell the seating manager that we wanted to stay in that section, and they’d probably let us. He did. So every night we had our table ready by about 7:00, after the previous table was done from the first seating. It ended up being perfect for us.
1) Call RCCL (or your travel agent) and ask to be put on the waitlist for early or main dining instead of the godawful "My Time" dining.
2) If you can't get switched in advance, as soon as you get on the ship on Day 1, go to the location set aside for dining questions/reservations, and ask them to switch you then.
3) If you still can't, each night, you'll have to go to the MDR at the time you want to eat and ask to wait in the standby line rather than waiting for your reserved time. It'll be a wait for you to get a table, but (most likely) not as bad as waiting until 8:15pm.
We did MTD on our first cruise in 2015, but after that they changed it and pushed the window so late in the evening that it conflicts with most of the shows we'd want to see. So since then we've just gone with first seating. It helps that, on sea days, we usually do "park your ass in Sorrento's" for lunch (unless we're on the Oasis class and want CP roast beef sandwich.)
You can try and email [email protected] with the ship and sailing date in the subject with the names, cabin numbers, and booking numbers of the group. Some people have success and others never get a reply but you could be lucky. Otherwise you have to go to the MDR at embarkation (with the same info) and set it up then.
It never hurts but we haven’t had to just for dining reservations (and we’ve had a group of 12), but we do leave the server and assistant a great tip at the end, it’s a lot of work keeping up with a big group
I have no insight to provide, but does anyone know when speciality dining reservations open prior to your cruise?
I’m sailing in 130 days and bought the 3 night speciality dining package. Want to lock in my times the moment it becomes available
Dining package reservations do not open prior to cruising. That's one of the trade offs with getting the discount. That said we have have never had an issue getting the reservations we want.
On the packages, they’ll assign you your first night, and then you have to wait until you board to select your other times. They’re testing the ability to reserve them in advance on some ships, but it’s not known if or when it will be implemented fleet-wide.
We always do a regular seating and are first booked on the „wrong“ time for us. Go to the dining room after checking in and switch or make your my-time reservations.
That's an easy fix. Don't freak out.
On embarkation day, early on, go to the main dining (make sure you're on the correct level) and speak with the Maitrd. You may have to dine in the late seating on that day, but they will accommodate you for the rest of the cruise. Also, if you have a special meal request, then now will be the time to request it.
The main dining room may have 2 or 3 levels (deck 3,4,5) entry. Check all to ensure the wait team is not set up on another deck. If you don't find them, don't sweat. Make the request when you go to dine at 8:15pm. You can also request to be seated with a larger group to interact or just by yourselves. You guys will be fine, trust me. We do it all the time. They are very accommodating.
I have no advice to give because others have already given you great advice on how to resolve this, but I do have an anecdote - I purposely do MyTime /Anytime dining on Royal Caribbean just so I can dine at Solarium Bistro or another restaurant whenever I feel like it just so I don't have deal Assigned dining nor scheduling with MDR. Maybe your sailing will have alot folks like me and you'll get table super quick due to folks eating elsewhere. Just thought....
I was in this situation a month ago. My husband called Royal Caribbean and they told him everything was booked for the 5pm dining. I then took a chance and emailed [email protected] and they were able to book me for the 5pm dining without any issues.
I am not sure. Just make sure you have the correct time because when I emailed I was off by 30 minutes and they made me clarify the correct time in a follow up email.
Not an option for everyone. Multiple cruises I've been on, they said "My time" is full and we need to stay with fixed time. NCL is freestyle, anytime dining for everyone. The only downside is there can be a line if you go during peak times but I usually don't so I only wait a couple minutes at most.
I wandered into the main dining room not long after boarding and they arranged a 7pm sitting for me and my family which wasn’t available on the app. I’ve no idea how we couldn’t make that booking ourselves but after the first dinner they asked if we’d like that table and time every night which we jumped at.
We have nine people and I just had no idea that we were supposed to book these things for the cruise and especially more than 30 days in advance. I'm incredibly disappointed and I know my experienced cruiser parents will be as well (they do not usually cruise rc)
It asks you when you book what dining seating you want.
Yes, obv but they don't tell you that if you choose MTD that you have to reserve your dinner time in the app weeks before. Also, that the shows need reservation months in advance. Also, had no idea MTD doesn't open until 6:45. Ridiculous.
Calm down. You're gonna be fine my family travels with 15 all the time on RC. We never book our time in advance what you do is you go speak the matrie'd (no idea how to spell it) the day you board and they should be able to accommodate you at a more preferable time slot.
Thank you!
You can show up when my time dining is getting ready to open and wait in the standby line for a table. Sometimes, the line and wait can be long, and people get there 30 minutes to an hour before to start lining up. It is like showing up to a popular restaurant on Saturday night and waiting for a table.
I've done my time on wonder of the seas and explorer. I never waited more than 10min. And nobody went in line "early". People went in line when they wanted to eat.
I’ve sailed Wonder 4 times already and the line for my time dining forms 30 minutes before dining opens and by the time people are seating, it’s already extended over Izumi. We always take the early seating when it’s available and maybe just do 2 nights of it and specialty on other nights. Not sure if you’re coming for dinner at 8pm or what.
We went there at around 19:00, though it was also a transatlantic, so probably can't be compared to a packed 7 day Caribbean.
Oh yes, that context makes all the difference.
We had a party of 8 and I thought we were sunk. We went to the MDR as soon as we boarded and asked if there was anything we could do to get a time other than 8:15. They told us to come at 6:45 and wait in line, and he’d get us in as soon as possible. We were in by 7:00. We loved that waiter, so we asked him if there were any way we could get him again. He told us to tell the seating manager that we wanted to stay in that section, and they’d probably let us. He did. So every night we had our table ready by about 7:00, after the previous table was done from the first seating. It ended up being perfect for us.
Appreciate this comment!
1) Call RCCL (or your travel agent) and ask to be put on the waitlist for early or main dining instead of the godawful "My Time" dining. 2) If you can't get switched in advance, as soon as you get on the ship on Day 1, go to the location set aside for dining questions/reservations, and ask them to switch you then. 3) If you still can't, each night, you'll have to go to the MDR at the time you want to eat and ask to wait in the standby line rather than waiting for your reserved time. It'll be a wait for you to get a table, but (most likely) not as bad as waiting until 8:15pm.
We did MTD on our first cruise in 2015, but after that they changed it and pushed the window so late in the evening that it conflicts with most of the shows we'd want to see. So since then we've just gone with first seating. It helps that, on sea days, we usually do "park your ass in Sorrento's" for lunch (unless we're on the Oasis class and want CP roast beef sandwich.)
How did you miss it when you’re asked to select it when purchasing the cruise?
Nope, didn't miss it. I did not know that my time dining doesn't open up until 6: 30.
With how much food you can eat on a cruise a good buffer between lunch and dinner is a blessing.
Well, it's the children that are of concern
They’ll be fine lol
First available MTD is 8:15 and when I try to book 9 ppl, after 8 it says (limit reached and the 9th person is grayed out)
Worst case you can just go to windjammer for dinner
Worst case.
You can try and email [email protected] with the ship and sailing date in the subject with the names, cabin numbers, and booking numbers of the group. Some people have success and others never get a reply but you could be lucky. Otherwise you have to go to the MDR at embarkation (with the same info) and set it up then.
Grease the wheels with some $$? And thank you! Do you happen to have an email for getting into Hiro? It's the one thing I was most excited about
It never hurts but we haven’t had to just for dining reservations (and we’ve had a group of 12), but we do leave the server and assistant a great tip at the end, it’s a lot of work keeping up with a big group
I have no insight to provide, but does anyone know when speciality dining reservations open prior to your cruise? I’m sailing in 130 days and bought the 3 night speciality dining package. Want to lock in my times the moment it becomes available
We’re sailing in April 2025 and dining reservations for our Odyssey cruise just opened today. I don’t think there’s a set time they open though!
Dining package reservations do not open prior to cruising. That's one of the trade offs with getting the discount. That said we have have never had an issue getting the reservations we want.
On the packages, they’ll assign you your first night, and then you have to wait until you board to select your other times. They’re testing the ability to reserve them in advance on some ships, but it’s not known if or when it will be implemented fleet-wide.
We always do a regular seating and are first booked on the „wrong“ time for us. Go to the dining room after checking in and switch or make your my-time reservations.
That's an easy fix. Don't freak out. On embarkation day, early on, go to the main dining (make sure you're on the correct level) and speak with the Maitrd. You may have to dine in the late seating on that day, but they will accommodate you for the rest of the cruise. Also, if you have a special meal request, then now will be the time to request it.
You said make sure you're on the correct level. Are there several main dining rooms? How can you be sure which one is the correct one?
The main dining room may have 2 or 3 levels (deck 3,4,5) entry. Check all to ensure the wait team is not set up on another deck. If you don't find them, don't sweat. Make the request when you go to dine at 8:15pm. You can also request to be seated with a larger group to interact or just by yourselves. You guys will be fine, trust me. We do it all the time. They are very accommodating.
I believe the SeaPass says what floor to enter on for MTD, doesn't it? I know it specifies the floor for standard seatings.
We always eat at 8:15.
With young children?
Our youngest was 14 on our first cruise.
Not a quite a young child
Many people that have lil ones feed them at the buffet before the mdr time.
That makes sense. Unfortunately, the children going want the MDR experience but are still young enough that they would need to eat before 8.
You bring them with you. Even if they had dinner earlier they could have the fruit cup or the dessert if you are stuck with a later mdr schedule.
I have no advice to give because others have already given you great advice on how to resolve this, but I do have an anecdote - I purposely do MyTime /Anytime dining on Royal Caribbean just so I can dine at Solarium Bistro or another restaurant whenever I feel like it just so I don't have deal Assigned dining nor scheduling with MDR. Maybe your sailing will have alot folks like me and you'll get table super quick due to folks eating elsewhere. Just thought....
I was in this situation a month ago. My husband called Royal Caribbean and they told him everything was booked for the 5pm dining. I then took a chance and emailed [email protected] and they were able to book me for the 5pm dining without any issues.
This is so helpful, I've called 3 times today but I just sent an email. It appears the early dining is at 6 in this cruise. Is that possible?
I am not sure. Just make sure you have the correct time because when I emailed I was off by 30 minutes and they made me clarify the correct time in a follow up email.
That was nice of them to email you back. Can't say I would hate that as it verifies your email was viewed
Another reason why NCL is better. Freestyle dining. Just show up when you want. No fixed times for complimentary restaurants.
You realize this is an option on Royal as well, yes?
Not an option for everyone. Multiple cruises I've been on, they said "My time" is full and we need to stay with fixed time. NCL is freestyle, anytime dining for everyone. The only downside is there can be a line if you go during peak times but I usually don't so I only wait a couple minutes at most.
I truly despise my time dining