The rates listed are per person, per day. But I remember the days before MTD and Automatic Tips when, on the last night, TIP Night, people would eat at other venues and skip out on tipping the wait staff. The benefits of My Time Dining are that you decide who you eat with, and when. I am looking at cancelling my gratuities when I get on board so I can pay these personally. ?xtp~?f~j)Br$7q,,"Sf%SXAii%1O=]rlsE"V3ueGWY^U?h2/?7>V1yP GoW}wA[5!>0yuoe 0000006404 00000 n
At most lines, you can pay your service charges in advance of sailing (at the same time you pay your cruise fare). Feel free to leave a comment below to let the community at Cruise Fever know how you feel about My Time Dining in the comment section below.
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My Time Dining Question : r/royalcaribbean - reddit.com Member Title: 100,000+ Club. Flexible seating works very much like standard restaurant seating. They were accurate as of the publishing of this story. Callummck Unlike traditional dining where a dining time is assigned to you guests who opt for My Time Dining can eat in the Main Dining Room anytime they like during dinner hours, according to times availability. Royal Caribbean charges a gratuity of $16.00 per person, per day. You can do this before the cruise, or during your voyage. The longer you wait to arrive, however, the longer you will have to wait for an available table. You can wait to make your My Time Dining reservations until you board your cruise ship. I take any thread older than a year (sometimes less) with a grain of salt. E{3bEi_,FdTneL m!TlmJ=&esmh~rqbo)q9V'{7_LA74us i%@MZC1twwBjkC%{'BLTzP64Z{C@gC;qdF\u4:}NiIYmKzuu>k&dOWd1ydzW ]EhWJt*iLAcGMUyhvjw%m&_I;jxt' jg|zn~7_{ksiY15M HHnV6@,,TnMv9GU{$ 0000417807 00000 n
Traditional seating will mean that guests will keep the same wait staff and dining companions throughout the cruise. Welcome aboard! Start with these stories: The credit card offers that appear on the website are from credit card companies from which ThePointsGuy.com receives compensation. This also applies to sailings departing from Australia and New Zealand. If you prefer to pay for tips once you're on board your cruise, youll generally find that the gratuities automatically appear on your bill. She also told us about gratuities added to the Seapss account. Search Multiple Sites at Once The extra cost of the automatic gratuity charges can be a shock to first-time cruisers. My Time Dining is therefore available to anyone who wants to mix things up. You dont have to attend dinner at the same time, and you can arrange a table that works for you. You can be seated with the party you arrive with or be seated at your own table. Royal Caribbean recently added "My time dining" as a dining option. Thanks Matt- We paid for the cruise at the time of booking. Daily service charges are not the only cruise tips you will pay on board. If not, just leave blank, How to book My Time Dining on Royal Caribbean, What you need to know about Royal Caribbean's My Time Dining, Royal Caribbean My Time Dining versus Traditional Dining. No reservation is needed, but Royal Caribbean strongly encourages you to get a reservation if you dont want to spend a lot of time waiting when you go to dinner. Our new My Time Dining option allows you the flexibility to choose when you want to dine each evening, giving you the chance to enjoy your meals at your own pace. 0000913926 00000 n
This is why we recommend making reservations for My Time Dining, whether that be in advance via the Cruise Planner or onboard by speaking with a head waiter.
How Does Royal Caribbean's My Time Dining Work? - Cruise Fever No votes so far! xbbba`b``0 u B
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I don't know if you have cruised before, but the gratuities cover more than your wait staff in My Time Dining. Reservations arestronglyrecommended in order to avoid a delay in seating (reservations will be taken once onboard, based on availability). 0000003555 00000 n
My Time Dining is the flexible dining option on Royal Caribbean cruises. Youll be asked to pre-pay your gratuities. Love Cruise Fever?Sign Up to Our FREE Newsletter! Those grats are also handed out to WJ staff, cafe staff, etc. 0000690334 00000 n
Still, not all lines have service fees that high. Your browser is outdated and does not support many of the modern features of this website, If youre already booked and have chosen the flexible option, you can easily pre-reserve specific days and times online. Lines with such charges include both of the two giants of the cruise business, Royal Caribbean and Carnival Cruise Line, as well as Norwegian, MSC Cruises and Princess Cruises. Yes. If you are unable to book show times in advance via the Cruise Planner when you are making your My Time Dining reservations, you may end up booking a dinner time that clashes with one of the shows. 0000891812 00000 n
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I understand that once upon a time prepaid gratuities were required for MTD. This may not seem like a big deal if youre new to cruising, but cruise ship waiters are exceptional at their job and they are very good at learning all about you. 0000005911 00000 n
Passengers in mini-suites pay $17, while those in bigger suites pay $18. Often, even if you do have a reservation you have to wait, but the time is much shorter since they are expecting you. A lot of cruisers were actually upset when they heard about My Time Dining and vowed to never sail with Royal Caribbean again if this was the only option. My Family Time dining is currently unavailable throughout our fleet. 13 Biggest Mistakes Made by Carnival Cruise Passengers [Carnival Tips], Cruise Ship Room Service: Menus and Fees for Cruise Lines, Carnival Anytime Dining: Tips for Your Time Dining with Carnival, Carnival Bringing a Fourth Cruise Ship to Galveston, Texas, Carnival to Send Newly Upgraded Ship on 14-Day Transatlantic Cruise, Royal Caribbean Updates Perks in Loyalty Program. You'd likely pay it at final payment date. You can choose a different time each day, so you can fit dinner around the rest of your onshore and onboard plans. If you do not prepay gratuities, they will be charged to your onboard account automatically, on a daily basis. Automatic Gratuities were added to lessen the event of "skipping out" on tips and to make sure MTD waiters were tipped. American Express has expanded The Centurion Network to include 40+ Centurion Lounge and Studio locations worldwide. All sent to your inbox. We do not prepay gratuities because we always have OBC and they will be deducted from the OBC daily. Its much better if youre someone who likes to play it by ear for dinner, based on how hungry you are. Find the right card for you. 0000014730 00000 n
If you're wondering how much you should tip on the specific cruise line you're considering or have already looked, we've compiled that information here. We'll run a soft credit check to find special offers, but it wont affect your credit score. 0000419103 00000 n
Enrollment required. If anyone on our team wouldnt recommend it to a friend or a family member, we wouldnt recommend it on The Points Guy either. I always find that funny when peeps complain about the added on grats listed as a separate charge..do they ever look at their cable bill, electric bill, phone bill.etcetc. 0000902670 00000 n
Do you have to pay gratuities on Royal Caribbean Australia? The early seating is usually around 5:30pm, while the late seating is around 8:00pm. If you dislike tipping on cruise ships, but can't afford to sail on an all-inclusive line, look for promotions when cruise lines with service charges throw in free gratuities as a booking incentive. You can disable the usage of cookies by changing the settings of your browser. 0000916095 00000 n
It's kind of a runaround to personally get to everyone who is included (my opinion). Please view our advertising policy page for more information. CC Help Jenn Would we pay them on the first day onboard?
After 23 Royal Caribbean Cruises, What I've Learned About Tipping From there, you can go ahead and make a reservation for each night of your cruise. 0000914358 00000 n
At the same time, you will be able to add prepaid gratuities and vacation protection, if you choose to do so. Ive worked in the cruise industry since 2015 and now my blog helps over a million people to plan their cruises each month. Unlike Traditional Dining, you will not be seated at the same table with the same wait staff if your choose My Time. 0000911365 00000 n
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A fun part of cruising can be meeting the same people for lunch or diner every day and discussing things about the ship or about the excursions they went on. Just head over to the Main Dining Room to speak with a head waiter, and they will assist you! All of the gratuities are divided equally among the wait staff. I always prepay my gratuities and do traditional dining. 0000006636 00000 n
Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. When you eat with someone different every night it can be hard to get past the introductions every night and really get to know someone. You may find that you are split up at different tables that are not located near each other. The menu for My Time Dining is still the same, so you will get the same quality meals. You can even switch from My Time Dining to Traditional if you booked before understanding the differences, but you might end up with late dining depending on when you make the change, as early tends to book up quickly. Even if I opt out of automatic gratuities? You don't have to tip on these cruises because the line is already paying gratuities to the staff on your behalf. Improve earnings, maximize rewards and track progress toward dream trips. Follow along on this incredible voyage! Booking MTD on certain ships requires individual checkouts for each night while other ships you can make reservations for the whole cruise and check out once. Royal Caribbeans award winning dining program, My Time Dining, offers flexible and traditional options. Once you have decided on the perfect ship and itinerary, you are ready to move forward with the cruise booking process. The others could make a separate My Time Dining reservation for 8:15pm. If you have selected My Time Dining for your next Royal Caribbean Cruise vacation, here's everything you need to know about how to book My Time Dining and secure your nightly dining reservations. The agent asked us which dining option wed like and we chose my time. But even so, it's more likely to keep up with cost of living, not to make up for those who don't tip. In that sense, the current system is more equitable than the old system of cash tipping, which favored certain workers, lines say. You will have to make each reservation individually and add them to your cart one-by-one. Started October 12, 2018, Copyright 19952023 The Independent Traveler, Inc. If, for instance, you plan on staying late in port one day but still wish to eat in the Main Dining Room, you could make a reservation for later in the evening, rather than miss out on the experience because you have early dining. But to the OP's question, we have MTD on Mariner next month and have not prepaid our gratuities. 0000418111 00000 n
Their website explains it as such: "By selecting My Time Dini. You can choose a different time each day, so you can fit dinner around the rest of your onshore and onboard plans. 0000422260 00000 n
We hate spam as much as lounge chair hogs. 0000901423 00000 n
If you do get the same waiter every night, theyll remember your name and your preferences.
Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $6,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Do you know about when you'd like to sail? Our dining options have been reimagined to give you a culinary experience at sea as vast, varied and eye-opening as dining in the worlds most cosmopolitan cities. Seating can also be reserved while onboard. It also means you arent limited to eating at 5.30 pm or 8 pm you can choose any time between 6 pm and 9.30 pm for your table. Reservations are highly recommended, as the wait time can be long if you choose to eat during the prime dinner hours of 6:30-8:00pm. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). You will be able to see the exact times that My Time Dining is offered each evening once you book your cruise. Remember that all additional tipping is at your discretion. Still need help? I think you probably have had you questions answered already but I wanted to show an example. By If, for example, two people would like to eat earlier around 6:30pm, you would make them their own reservation. Still reserve a table if you can otherwise, you might be waiting with a grumbling stomach until a table becomes free if you just walk in. When making a reservation you will be offered "My Time" or traditional dining times (i.e., 5:30 pm & 8:00 pm). Fortunately, Royal Caribbean still offers both traditional and My Time Dining options. This is an unfair statement. However, each ship does also offer specialty dining for an additional fee. If you have a smaller party, you might find that you do not have to wait as long as larger parties. ( use to happen frequently). Some people like to get to know their wait staff and sitting with other people at a table is not a problem, while others like to dine anytime they feel like it and prefer to eat with just their party.
My time dining and gratuities - Royal Caribbean International - Cruise Related: The best cruise booking perks and which ones are actually free. Online, you can only book My Time Dining for up to eight guests. By his definition the answer is yes. Traditionally, dinner on a cruise ship has been served at two specific seating times. To request a call back from one of our cruise experts, kindly provide us with the details requested bellow and we will get back to you as soon as possible. Be the first to rate this post. The only real downside beyond having to pay your gratuities in advance is that you arent guaranteed the same waiter every night. If we paid the gratuities up front when onboard would we still have able to do MTD? However, a lot of people do uphold the dress code, so if you turn up in a t-shirt and shorts then you may look out of place. 0000006450 00000 n
You can, of course, request a specific table and waiter, but they may not be able to honor this.
My time dining and gratuities - Royal Caribbean International - Cruise Additionally, if you are traveling with a large party, you might find Traditional Dining to be easier. Can a family in one stateroom dine at different times with My Time Dining? 0000738152 00000 n
Note, however, that this means you may not be able to have as flexible of a dining experience as you might be hoping for, especially if prime reservations have been secured in advance by other guests. Flexible seating works very much like standard restaurant seating. The group we are going with have all chosen the early 5pm dinner reservation.
One additional reason that you might pre-pay in the future is that Royal can change these rates at anytime, if you have them pre-paid, you are locked in to that rate. A beginners guide to picking a cruise line, Use these credit cards to maximize your next cruise vacation, 9 times you do not need to tip on a cruise, The best cruise booking perks and which ones are actually free, pay $16 for what the line now calls a crew appreciation charge, The 5 most desirable cabin locations on any cruise ship, The 8 worst cabin locations on any cruise ship, A quick guide to the most popular cruise lines, 21 tips and tricks that will make your cruise go smoothly, 12 best cruises for people who never want to grow up, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. The Dining experience was Excellent as were the Waiting Staff, the only gripe, there had to be one, was the cost of the Wine. Please note, you can only choose one dining style per sailing so once they join you they must use My Time Dining for the rest of the cruise. The recommended dress code for the Main Dining Room for traditional dining or My Time Dining is smart casual. please click here to update it. We have my time dining and according to the threads it looks like the gratuities are asked to be prepaid. Speciality restaurants require reservations but they dont have traditional dining times. Reservations are strongly recommended. When making a reservation you will be offered "My Time" or traditional dining times (i.e., 5:30 pm & 8:00 pm). The closer you get to your cruise vacation, the fewer reservations you may find. Weve booked a cruise through an agent. However, many people now prefer to enjoy more flexibility with dinner, so cruise lines have either done away with traditional dining altogether or set up an alternative option. However, spaces may be limited so it may not be possible if you leave it too late. If you dont like tipping in advance to your service, and you would rather leave generous tips individually, there is nothing stopping you from going the extra mile to tip your waiter or waitress each night you use the My Time Dining option. My Time Dining usually begins around 6:00pm and lasts until 9:30pm, giving you a wide range of times to choose from. There is a $9.75 gratuity per day that is required and this actually covers not only the wait staff but your room steward as well.