Chances of getting desired MyTime Dining reservation once on board?

[akl432]

We sail on Oct. 25 and have MyTime Dining. We would like 6:30-6:45 dinner reservations each evening, but the only options available are 5:30 and 7:30 or later. I understand we can request reservation time changes once on board. How likely is it that we can switch to 6:30-6:45pm reservations once on board? Is it like DCL, where they hold back a portion of reservations (sort of like Palo) for onboard booking? Or are we pretty much out of luck?

Thanks!

 

[bumbershoot]

Since MTD means you could just walk up when you want to eat and stand in line for the next available table, yes they hold tables back.

We got onboard, went to the dining desk. Booked for that night. Then went back later (but before dinner) and booked for the rest of the cruise. Almost the same time as the first night, and with the same serving team. EASY.

Pretty sure Disney and Royal IT are done by the same people, as they are both just awful. So it could very well just be a website issue right now.

 

[eskimoinparadise]

As soon as you board, go to the MTD desk and you should be able to book a standing time for every night on the cruise. As bumbershoot said, you can also book different times on different nights, in case you have something else going on. You can also just walk up when you're ready to eat. There are two lines: One for reservations, and one for walk-ins. Neither line takes more than 5-10 minutes to get you seated. Depending on which ship you are on, the MTD desk may be in a different location when you board than when you go to eat. (You might even find an MTD desk in the terminal before you board)

 

[ronandannette]

As soon as you board, go to the MTD desk and you should be able to book a standing time for every night on the cruise. As bumbershoot said, you can also book different times on different nights, in case you have something else going on. You can also just walk up when you're ready to eat. There are two lines: One for reservations, and one for walk-ins. Neither line takes more than 5-10 minutes to get you seated. Depending on which ship you are on, the MTD desk may be in a different location when you board than when you go to eat. (You might even find an MTD desk in the terminal before you board)

Don't count on this. We've done MTD two years in a row now on two different ships and the experiences were drastically different. On Liberty the MTD worked pretty much like they say it should - either with or without reservations. On the Radiance, it barely functioned AT ALL - whether or not you had made a reservation. The problem on the Radiance seemed to be their insistence on seating us at the same table every night. That meant the logistics of "organizing" everybody's reservations at differing times, while keeping them at the same table every night was a nightmare. For the Record, not only did we NOT insist on the same table, we specifically asked to be seated at any possible open table (and at any given time there were many, waiting for the reservations at "that table" to arrive). We found the host stations to be a chaotic, stressful mess at practically any hour and finally gave up on night 3 and just "went with" booking dinner every night at 5:30, which is what they had been trying to steer us toward all along. Very dissatisfying. I think it really varies, ship to ship, and maybe even sailing to sailing. I wouldn't count on it absolutely being a certain way until I saw for myself.

 

[bumbershoot]

On Freedom the standby line always seemed pretty long and unpleasant. I was glad we went along with the host's suggestion that first day and just made reservations.

 

[eskimoinparadise]

Don't count on this. We've done MTD two years in a row now on two different ships and the experiences were drastically different. On Liberty the MTD worked pretty much like they say it should - either with or without reservations. On the Radiance, it barely functioned AT ALL - whether or not you had made a reservation. The problem on the Radiance seemed to be their insistence on seating us at the same table every night. That meant the logistics of "organizing" everybody's reservations at differing times, while keeping them at the same table every night was a nightmare. For the Record, not only did we NOT insist on the same table, we specifically asked to be seated at any possible open table (and at any given time there were many, waiting for the reservations at "that table" to arrive). We found the host stations to be a chaotic, stressful mess at practically any hour and finally gave up on night 3 and just "went with" booking dinner every night at 5:30, which is what they had been trying to steer us toward all along. Very dissatisfying. I think it really varies, ship to ship, and maybe even sailing to sailing. I wouldn't count on it absolutely being a certain way until I saw for myself.

Admittedly the last time we sailed on Radiance was a few years ago before they pulled her out of Tampa, but we've never experienced that type of "organizing" on any of her sister ships.

On Freedom the standby line always seemed pretty long and unpleasant. I was glad we went along with the host's suggestion that first day and just made reservations.

We sail Freedom twice a year, and the only time we've seen appreciable standby lines in MTD was on formal nights, and that was more because the photographers set up their backdrops right at the MTD entrance and backed everyone up while they took that next "just one more" shot.

 

[ronandannette]

On Freedom the standby line always seemed pretty long and unpleasant. I was glad we went along with the host's suggestion that first day and just made reservations.

Yeah, unpleasant is a pretty good description, which is NOT the way I like to start a nice meal. There were people getting downright growly and the host staff were none too gracious either. Part of the trouble is that the Radiance doesn't have a suitable waiting area nearby. We had one incident that was actually pretty laughable, assuming a "lost in translation" factor. The hostess bluntly told us to "go stand in the corner" - pretty sure she didn't realize how rude she sounded. We got a good giggle out of it.

Admittedly the last time we sailed on Radiance was a few years ago before they pulled her out of Tampa, but we've never experienced that type of "organizing" on any of her sister ships.


We sail Freedom twice a year, and the only time we've seen appreciable standby lines in MTD was on formal nights, and that was more because the photographers set up their backdrops right at the MTD entrance and backed everyone up while they took that next "just one more" shot.

I really think it's just a "luck" thing, although the Freedom-class ships were purpose-built with a MTD set up whereas the Radiance-class ships were not. I also think (and this is just a "conspiracy theory" on my part) that they try to keep you at the same MTD table each night so that the wait staff have a shot at developing a relationship and getting extra tips on the last night, like they do in Traditional dining. I know the waiters we talked to (on both LOS and ROS) said they would have preferred to be assigned to Traditional although they stopped short of saying why.

Part of our problem was caused by the fact that we met some nice people waiting in line on our first night and buddied-up with them for dinner. Therefore the "records" showed us as a party of 4. The next two nights the host staff kept trying to correct our request for a table for 2 and make us wait for the rest of our party, which didn't exist. Things would have worked a lot better if they would simply LISTEN to what they're being asked/told and accommodate it from there.

 

[eskimoinparadise]

Yeah, unpleasant is a pretty good description, which is NOT the way I like to start a nice meal. There were people getting downright growly and the host staff were none too gracious either. Part of the trouble is that the Radiance doesn't have a suitable waiting area nearby. We had one incident that was actually pretty laughable, assuming a "lost in translation" factor. The hostess bluntly told us to "go stand in the corner" - pretty sure she didn't realize how rude she sounded. We got a good giggle out of it.

I really think it's just a "luck" thing, although the Freedom-class ships were purpose-built with a MTD set up whereas the Radiance-class ships were not. I also think (and this is just a "conspiracy theory" on my part) that they try to keep you at the same MTD table each night so that the wait staff have a shot at developing a relationship and getting extra tips on the last night, like they do in Traditional dining. I know the waiters we talked to (on both LOS and ROS) said they would have preferred to be assigned to Traditional although they stopped short of saying why.

Part of our problem was caused by the fact that we met some nice people waiting in line on our first night and buddied-up with them for dinner. Therefore the "records" showed us as a party of 4. The next two nights the host staff kept trying to correct our request for a table for 2 and make us wait for the rest of our party, which didn't exist. Things would have worked a lot better if they would simply LISTEN to what they're being asked/told and accommodate it from there.

I think "lost in translation" is a job requirement on RCL ships . I do agree though that the staff on the Radiance seemed uniquely dysfunctional the last time we sailed on her.

 

[bumbershoot]

Part of our problem was caused by the fact that we met some nice people waiting in line on our first night and buddied-up with them for dinner. Therefore the "records" showed us as a party of 4. The next two nights the host staff kept trying to correct our request for a table for 2 and make us wait for the rest of our party, which didn't exist. Things would have worked a lot better if they would simply LISTEN to what they're being asked/told and accommodate it from there.

Wow, so frustrating! I mean, great service and memory IF they had actually been in your party, that would have been cool. But to not listen to the person in front of them is just obnoxious.


Should reiterate the "seemed" part in my previous sentence. Since we weren't in that line, all we have is an impression as we walked into a different line and were seated. We weren't in the line, and don't know how quickly it moved (and though we were vaguely in sight of the line once seated, we weren't watching it LOL). But it seemed long and unpleasant, especially if you were hungry when you got to dinner.

 

[ronandannette]

Wow, so frustrating! I mean, great service and memory IF they had actually been in your party, that would have been cool. But to not listen to the person in front of them is just obnoxious.


Should reiterate the "seemed" part in my previous sentence. Since we weren't in that line, all we have is an impression as we walked into a different line and were seated. We weren't in the line, and don't know how quickly it moved (and though we were vaguely in sight of the line once seated, we weren't watching it LOL). But it seemed long and unpleasant, especially if you were hungry when you got to dinner.

Well, here's the thing - even with reservations it wasn't going too smoothly for any seating past the first (we finally ended up booking 5:30 for the last nights just to get through it). When people arrived for their reservations they were being made to wait if "their" table was still occupied even when other tables were clearly empty. (I now assume those tables were waiting for "their" diners to arrive.) All of this could be rectified by just seating the next waiting party at the first available table like at regular restaurants on land. That said, I understand many specifically wish to remain at the same table nightly, but that was never a requirement for us. Oh well...enough ranting about MTD - we didn't starve and I'm sure lots of other people have a better experience with it than we did - maybe even on the Radiance!