0000737875 00000 n The group we are going with have all chosen the early 5pm dinner reservation. On a Royal Caribbean cruise, you need to register for My Time Dining if you don't want a set dining time. Pasted as rich text. Could you please tell me how I can improve it? That is not the case anymore but Royal is not great about updating their website information (I've heard they still talk about Dynamic Dining on Quantum class ships which only lasted one year). I did find My Time Dining rather a contradiction as theoretically you could dine anytime between the hours of 6.30 9.30, but, its best to make a reservation, as it turned out the waiting time was approximately the same for both cases. 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. Here's how it works on Royal Caribbean: As of September 7 th, 2022, the automatic service gratuity of $16.00 USD per . You can then book dinner in the Main Dining Room for any time you want, or just walk in without a reservation. 0000901784 00000 n If you want, you can even try to switch onboard. Paste as plain text instead, 0000006236 00000 n 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. . Guests who have signed up for My Time Dining will have their SeaPass card designated with the dining room and deck number. Learn more. Should they have been paid at the time of booking? No votes so far! 0000891478 00000 n 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. If you continue to use this site, you consent to our use of cookies. What is Royal Caribbean's service gratuities (tips) price and policy? You will be able to see the exact times that My Time Dining is offered each evening once you book your cruise. My confusion is to do with the My Time Dining - If gratuities havent been prepaid, do we still have the My Time Dining thats on the invoice?! If you pay them onboard, it will be charged automatically each day of the cruise. Pardon? We do not prepay gratuities because we always have OBC and they will be deducted from the OBC daily. 0000011539 00000 n It's easy, convenient, and if you wish to recognize outstanding service you can always tip extra cash personally. Their website explains it as such: "By selecting My Time Dini. Smart cruise advice, cruise deals, and breaking news. 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. Alas! So for those who like some solitude, they may find that this more freestyle approach works better, but not everyone likes the NCL style of eating. Traditional seating will mean that guests will keep the same wait staff and dining companions throughout the cruise. *Please see all applicable Terms & Conditions for Promotions. The early seating is usually around 5:30pm, while the late seating is around 8:00pm. With My Time Dining, you can simply walk up to the host stand to be seated or make reservations in advance for your preferred time. You can eat anytime between 6:00 pm and 9:30 pm. Brilliance of the Seas is operated by RCL (UK) Ltd., a subsidiary of Royal . That means two people sharing a room on a seven-night cruise would pay $308 in tips for an otherwise free drinks package on top of their daily service charge fees. We always choose My Time dinning. 0000417078 00000 n The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached, or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Royal Caribbean Blog. Prior to checking out, you will have to make a decision on dining style. That explains it and answers my question- youre right, it does still say it on parts of the website. Like what you see? 0000891999 00000 n Unlike Traditional Dining, you will not be seated at the same table with the same wait staff if your choose My Time. The Dining experience was Excellent as were the Waiting Staff, the only gripe, there had to be one, was the cost of the Wine. 0000426585 00000 n Please don't disrupt the system that works that was put in place that is fair to crew and guests . With Traditional Dining, you will have the same reserved seating each night of your cruise, and there are two seatings to choose from: first (early) and second (late). A The automatic service gratuity is $16.00 USD per person, per day for guests in Junior Suites and below, or $18.50 USD per person, per day for guests in Grand Suites and above, applied to each guest's SeaPass account on a daily basis. The traditional dining experience allows you the choice of either early or late seating times for each day of your cruise. Upload or insert images from URL. Check out Intelligent Cruiser here for a better cruise vacation. Learn more. Hi, I'm Jenni. The high annual fee is only worth it if youre taking full advantage of the cards benefits. 0000901714 00000 n 0000916809 00000 n You will have to make each reservation individually and add them to your cart one-by-one. I understand that once upon a time prepaid gratuities were required for MTD. If youre late then your table may be given away, and youll have to wait for another one. You dont really get to know the people you are eating with that well. Never feel pressured to add an extra tip when you've already paid one. It is usually at the very bottom below the dining packages, specialty restaurants, and other exclusive dining experiences. Instant Real Time Pricing I am looking at cancelling my gratuities when I get on board so I can pay these personally. Some guests choose to recognize particularly exceptional service with an additional cash gratuity on the last night of their cruise. The dining staff will do all possible to accommodate the request, based on availability. You do have to prepay your gratuities in order to sign up to My Time Dining. For example, Norwegian offers a complimentary Open Bar drinks package for travelers who book its "free at sea" promotion. Jenni Fielding is the founder of Cruise Mummy. You can, of course, request a specific table and waiter, but they may not be able to honor this. That said, the total number of lines with a service fee has been shrinking over the years. 0000006404 00000 n 0000019459 00000 n You can wait to make your My Time Dining reservations until you board your cruise ship. You can then make reservations for your restaurant, or just turn up at the restaurant between 6 pm and 9.30 pm and wait for a table to be available. Reservations arestronglyrecommended in order to avoid a delay in seating (reservations will be taken once onboard, based on availability). It has its advantages, but for a lot of people, its too restrictive. 0000891084 00000 n 0000828394 00000 n Unlike Traditional Dining, My Time Dining is only marked as lasting for fifteen minutes. Once you have made your My Time Dining reservations, they will appear in your cruise calendar, both on Cruise Planner tab and Royal Caribbean's app. If you have an issue with how the crew get paid don't withhold your tips since that will only penalize the crew. Regent Seven Seas Cruises. And that's before you add in any additional tips you wish to give to your room service or favorite bartender or autogratuities tacked on to bar, restaurant and spa bills. A lot of people still prefer the idea of traditional dining where you sit for dinner at the same time every evening, with the same party and with the same waiter. The annual airline fee statement credit can be complicated to take advantage of compared to the broader travel credits offered by competing premium cards. But whether My Time Dining works for you or not really depends on what your preferences are. 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. Also if staff are chastised for receiving cash, why do all the posts advocate tipping over and above the automatic gratuities for good service? There is a $9.75 gratuity per day that is required and this actually covers not only the wait staff but your room steward. I will pay for fantastic service but can't stand getting it shoved in my face and HAVE TO pay gratuities. Online, you can only book My Time Dining for up to eight guests. Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the authors alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. On a cruise ship there are so many activities and fun shows, that it can be easy to lose tract of time, and not having to worry about being at diner at a specific time works for some people. As I mentioned, most of the time you will be eating with just your party, but if you prefer to eat with others you can still request it. However, as mentioned, it is usually just easier and more convenient to leave the auto-gratuity/service charge/hotel charge (it is called different things on different cruise lines) in place. 0000003555 00000 n 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. Contact Us Get support by Phone or Email 866-562-7625 Email Your Questions Locate a Travel Agent Earn 5X Membership Rewards Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year. Obviously through this conversation you can tell that you can pre-pay your gratuities our they will be added to your onboard account daily as you cruise. 0000002916 00000 n Join 40,000 cruiserswho readmy email each week Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. 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. 0000755470 00000 n Or do they not notice those "add on" charges? (Sponsored). You dont have to attend dinner at the same time, and you can arrange a table that works for you. 0000916414 00000 n Dont worry: When lines offer such deals, it doesnt mean the crew will receive fewer tips the week you cruise. Any amount is fine and will be appreciated by the hard-working crew. We know booking a cruise can be a complicated process, so if you need any help or would even like us to fill out your information for you please get in touch. 0000022110 00000 n Daily service charges are not the only cruise tips you will pay on board. I think you probably have had you questions answered already but I wanted to show an example. They say the money is shared not just with front of house crew, such as room attendants and waitstaff, but also with behind-the-scenes workers. 0000011404 00000 n Then, contact one with a best-price guarantee and have them beat it! 6 Things You MUST Know About Formal Night on a Royal Caribbean Cruise. 0000736746 00000 n 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 recommended dress code for the Main Dining Room for traditional dining or My Time Dining is smart casual. Royal Caribbean gratuities for children and infants If you arrive as soon as the Main Dining Rooms open, you will be able to be seated shortly. Looking for the Best Cruise Deals? Passengers in mini-suites pay $17, while those in bigger suites pay $18. At least, thats how it is supposed to work. 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. If you are purchasing a dining package or plan on eating dinner in one of the other complimentary venues, you may not find yourself putting too much thought into what dining style you'd prefer. The menu for My Time Dining is still the same, so you will get the same quality meals. CC Help Jenn please click here to update it. 0000913926 00000 n Due to availability, however, you may not have as many times to choose from. If youre not someone who has cruised before, you might not be aware of traditional dining times on cruise ships. To ensure quick seating, we encourage guests who have selected the Flexible option to place a reservation for each evening. 0000916923 00000 n Do I have to pre-reserve My Time Dining through Cruise Planner? The problem is, I cant see anywhere how to prepay the gratuities? The lines that offer these deals say theyll pay a normal gratuity to the crew on your behalf. Discover the culinary curiosities of Wonderland Imaginative Cuisine. You may request a certain waiter each night, and we will work to seat your party in his or her area depending on availability. 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. 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. 2010 Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. My Time Dining uses the same menu as traditional seating. If you feel anyone has been particularly helpful you can always tip them extra in cash. What happens if I cancel the gratuities? 0000747552 00000 n My Time Dining is therefore available to anyone who wants to mix things up. Start with these stories: The credit card offers that appear on the website are from credit card companies from which ThePointsGuy.com receives compensation. These 9 Drinks Are Free on Royal Caribbean Cruises. 0000755747 00000 n Credit ranges are a variation of FICO Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application. Royal Caribbean recently added "My time dining" as a dining option. In this line of thinking, lines with these charges are essentially breaking out a good chunk of onboard labor costs as a separate line item on your bill. You can disable the usage of cookies by changing the settings of your browser. We do not prepay gratuities because we always have OBC and they will be deducted from the OBC daily. Posted June 24, 2017. The mandatory 20% gratuity comes out to nearly $22 per day. I take any thread older than a year (sometimes less) with a grain of salt. That said, some people do leave a little extra for crew members who go above and beyond. 0000005911 00000 n E{3bEi_,FdTneL m!TlmJ=&esmh~rqbo)q9V'{7_LA74us i%@MZC1twwBjkC%{'BLTzP64Z{C@gC;qdF\u4:}NiIYmKzuu>k&dOWd1ydzW ]EhWJt*iLAcGMUyhvjw%m&_I;jxt' jg|zn~7_{ksiY15M HHnV6@,,TnMv9GU{$ *Please see all applicable Terms & Conditions for Promotions. 0000891340 00000 n April 7, 2008. You can, however, always tell your waitstaff that you have other plans, and they will do their best to serve you as quickly as possible. The guest relations staff will want to know if youve experienced particular service issues. Why is it combined? Someone else that pays more will take up the slack for you. If you want to reserve it on-board then visit Guest Services. Get Cruise Savvy with our FREE Newsletter! #4. Traditional dining guests may be seated with other parties to form a larger table, which can be fun if youre confident enough to make new friends. Cost includes $12.95 plus applicable local sales tax. Planning a cruise? Since they are not . When you are reserving your cruise, you will be given the option to select "Traditional Dining" or "My Time Dining.". A world of culinary exploration awaits you onboard Royal Caribbean. 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. To ensure quick seating, we encourage guests who have selected the Flexible option to place a reservation for each evening. If you would like a specific waiter or table, they are more likely to be able to accommodate your request with advance reservations (however, please note this is based on availability). On a Royal Caribbean cruise, you need to register for My Time Dining if you dont want a set dining time. But its not strict. It is recommended that you book a table though. 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. You can do this before the cruise, or during your voyage. We hate spam as much as lounge chair hogs. Similarly, if youre on a higher-end ship that lists gratuities as being included in the fare, that means just what it says. Gratuities haven't been going up "almost every year." Have you noticed over the years that daily grats have been increasing almost every year to make up for the non tippers. In many cases, the service charges are adjustable. Automatic gratuity charge: $16 to $18.50 per . My partner and I prefer a later dinner and have selected My Time dining however we'd still like to join them for dinner at least 1-2 nights. Since you stated that you have already paid you cruise in full I would not go back to your TA just to pay them, I would just pay them at the end of the cruise when you settle your account, there are 2 different rates, one for regular rooms which I believe is $14.50 per day, per person, what you see on my picture is for a suite which is $16.50 PD, PP. Most of the biggest cruise lines automatically add some type of service or gratuity fee onto passenger bills. All rights reserved. Powered by Cruiseline.com, spoke with royal Carib rep today who said prepaid grats are now out if you are using My Time Dining. 0000417308 00000 n 0000891696 00000 n Welcome aboard! This website uses cookies in order to offer you the most relevant information. The agent asked us which dining option wed like and we chose my time. Automatic Gratuities were added to lessen the event of "skipping out" on tips and to make sure MTD waiters were tipped. Upon checkout, you will be charged $0.00, unless you are also purchasing other add-ons. Started October 12, 2018, Copyright 19952023 The Independent Traveler, Inc. This is an unfair statement. The cost of that package is typically $109 per person, per day. Some guests choose to recognize particularly exceptional service with an additional cash gratuity on the last night of their cruise. document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); About Us | 0000418076 00000 n After sneaking a peek at our dining table the 1st night out & seeing we were seated with 4 elderly women, we decided to consider switching to My Time. Yes, My Time Dining is flexible. KA^tQmy9*yE'6C'VBz@JKz+I_0U{:$asg* \ endstream endobj 157 0 obj <>/Size 28/Type/XRef>>stream 0000897240 00000 n This can trick many cruisers into tipping twice. 0000897170 00000 n Theres also a dining hotline you can call from the phone in your stateroom to make changes to your reservations. 0000901330 00000 n "=0 2BNX/edbi-:w)ddA(BTec;B&r9mE(!Rp#nZbCE2$*,U3Qg+sm{_`S.c xj"PxglZ%Ter_&8W}.l|2cs='g}:f kyMFNG7xFdI"^Jd\O&+W\^:_6 XEljBWm6jk2Tn)a0jGG\E You may request a certain waiter each night, and we will work to seat your party in his or her area depending on availability. Once they go to the My Time Dining desk to be seated for dinner, the waiter will look up the guests stateroom and pull any special dietary needs or amenities purchased for them. 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. We'll run a soft credit check to find special offers, but it wont affect your credit score. Be the first to rate this post. 0000417581 00000 n For your convenience, prepaid gratuities are automatically added to your flexible option reservations. 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. Reservations arestronglyrecommended in order to avoid a delay in seating. It's also not possible to update every forum discussion when information changes so it can be confusing to read conflicting threads. I am looking at cancelling my gratuities when I get on board. Unsubscribe whenever you want. Jon can be reached at. Enrollment required. What we experienced was that their program is NOT really "My time dining", it is RESERVATION time dining. 0000417013 00000 n If you continue to use this site, you consent to our use of cookies. Plus Ups are excluded. Started in 2010, Royal Caribbean Blog offers daily coverage of news and information related to the Royal Caribbean cruise line along with other relevant topics of cruising, such as entertainment, news, photo updates and more. Theyll be able to make recommendations based on what youve previously ordered and make sure your favourite drink is waiting for you, if you want them too. So therefore it does not show on our invoice. The wait staff will have your table ready for you so can avoid a delay in seating. 0000022522 00000 n When making a reservation you will be offered "My Time" or traditional dining times (i.e., 5:30 pm & 8:00 pm). 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. The actual times, however, will vary by sailing. I always prepay my gratuities and do traditional dining. Do you plan on dining anywhere except the dining room? Cruisers should also bring cash to tip the porters who bring their bags onto the ship (usually $2 per bag), as well as tour guides in port ($5 to $10 per person for half-day tours, $10 to $20 for full-day excursions and $2 for non-guide drivers). 0000909755 00000 n You also do not get to know the wait staff as well, since you may be seated in a different area every night. The closer you get to your cruise vacation, the fewer reservations you may find. Don't know why you want to do this (are you planning to carry cash every time you go to the WJ?) I am not trying to get out of tipping, I would like to be convinced that the automatic charge actually gets passed on to the crew?? Fortunately, Royal Caribbean still offers both traditional and My Time Dining options. You do have to prepay your gratuities in order to sign up to My Time Dining. 0000812508 00000 n Even if you initially booked Traditional Dining, you can call your travel agent or Royal Caribbean directly to change to My Time. Opinions expressed here are the authors alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. Aside from formal nights, there is no enforced dress code except that bare feet and tank tops are not allowed in the Main Dining Room. The old way of MTD had forced you to prepay gratuities but that changed some time ago. Yes, if there is availability in the My Time Dining Room, we would be happy to accommodate the request. 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. Depending on when you go, you may have to wait until there is an available table. But its definitely not for everyone. Alternatively, you can have the charges added to your room bill on board. Search Now Maximum of 10 guests per reservation. Seldom travelers may not get enough value to warrant the cost. The benefits of My Time Dining are that you decide who you eat with, and when. 0000003836 00000 n The current welcome offer on this card is quite lucrative. 0000897748 00000 n My Time Dining is now a choice within the booking process. 0000883078 00000 n 28 0 obj <> endobj xref 28 131 0000000016 00000 n 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. 0000737498 00000 n 0000898322 00000 n You can then book dinner in the Main Dining Room for any time you want, or just walk in without a reservation. That is not the case anymore but Royal is not great about updating their website information. Card Rating is based on the opinion of TPGs editors and is not influenced by the card issuer. You will see the same helpful crew members waiting on you in the WJ as you did last night in the MDR. Royal Caribbean has done the latter keeping the option for traditional dining service but also offering My Time Dining. Guests can only participate in one dining style per sailing. They were accurate as of the publishing of this story. That said, if you want to, you can often adjust the charges (either up or down) while youre on board by visiting the guest relations desk. 0000902161 00000 n Their memory is incredible and they really do make you feel special. When you log into the Cruise Planner, all you have to do is navigate to the "Dining" tab and scroll down until you see "My Time Dining.". 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. See what a point or mile is worth with our appraisals of a loyalty programs currency, based on redemption values. document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); | Traditionally, dinner on a cruise ship has been served at two specific seating times. . Flexible seating works very much like standard restaurant seating. Additional cash gifts are not expected. To this day it still references dynamic dining in the cruise planner even though that is long gone. 0000891587 00000 n Whether you cruise multiple times per year or you're new to cruising, the goal of Royal Caribbean Blog is for it to bea useful resource for keeping up to date with what's new and exciting with Royal Caribbean. Suggested read: 6 Things You MUST Know About Formal Night on a Royal Caribbean Cruise. Have our travel agency partner get you a free quote for a Royal Caribbean cruise. In this case, no gratuities will be charged to your onboard account. Automatic gratuity charge: None. Powered by Invision Community. If you want to use My Time Dining you must pay for tips in advance. Thats the whole point of the service charge. If you leave the service charge on your room bill, you are not expected to leave additional cruise tips for your room attendant or waiters. Started June 21, 2021, By The others could make a separate My Time Dining reservation for 8:15pm. The standard gratuities of $13.50 per person per day for JS and below, and $16.50 per person per day for GS and better. trailer <]>> startxref 0 %%EOF 158 0 obj <>stream Another method is to just simply show up at the Main Dining Room each night when you are ready to eat. The traditional dining experience allows you the choice of either early or late seating times for each day of your cruise. 0000828884 00000 n It can be awkward to eat with a complete stranger, and this dining option also makes it easier for folks who just want to enjoy their getaway at sea. Enrollment required.