If youre not someone who has cruised before, you might not be aware of traditional dining times on cruise ships. You will be seated with whomever you arrive to the dining room with. 0000906914 00000 n Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. What is My Time Dining? | Royal Caribbean Cruises Join 40,000 cruiserswho readmy email each week Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The actual times, however, will vary by sailing. When making a reservation you will be offered "My Time" or traditional dining times (i.e., 5:30 pm & 8:00 pm). I think the crew would let it be know if they were not receiving their share of the gratuities. Passengers in mini-suites pay $17, while those in bigger suites pay $18. 0000738152 00000 n 0000819210 00000 n But some people just want to eat with their own family. Even if you only plan to eat in the Main Dining Room a couple of times during your cruise, it often makes sense to choose My Time Dining so that you can pick the time you want. 0000883078 00000 n 0000897748 00000 n 19952023, The Independent Traveler, Inc. Read more: Whats Included in a Royal Caribbean Cruise? You can eat anytime between 6:00 pm and 9:30 pm. 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. All rights reserved. Tipping on a cruise ship: Everything you need to know We have my time dining and according to the threads it looks like the gratuities are asked to be prepaid. Depending on when you go, you may have to wait until there is an available table. You dont have to do anything. For instance, in recent years, Norwegian has been continuously running free at sea promotions that include not just free crew tips but free shipboard Wi-Fi and a free drinks package, too. 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. I'm so sorry that this post wasn't useful for you! 0000003555 00000 n Get Cruise Savvy with our FREE Newsletter! | Click the button above to compare the prices of cruises from all travel agents. In addition to this, an 18% gratuity is automatically added to all drinks, spa and salon services. Main Dining Room on Allure of the Seas We were unaware of the automatic (recommended amount) tipping charge applied to our credit card when we switched to My Time on the 3rd day of our recent 8 day cruise. 0000419636 00000 n Search Now 0000422815 00000 n You can post now and register later. For guests staying in Grand Suites and above, the fee is $18.50 per person, per day. 0000755470 00000 n Two brothers started Cruise Fever in 2011 when they decided they couldn't stop cruising so they might as well write about it. This allows you to decide when you want to eat, and who you want to sit with, instead of traditional dining where you have set times and sit with the same group each day. 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. Plus, your own feed of TPG content. You can save even more $$$ by eating in the Lido on the last evening and avoiding your cabin steward that night also ? Tipping on a cruise does not have to be complicated, but you need to understand the big picture to budget for your vacation appropriately. 0000690334 00000 n Royal Caribbean "My Time Dining" Review. My Family Time Dining | Royal Caribbean Cruises 0000433627 00000 n If not, you might be stuck eating even later than the second seating! You can change your dining time on your Royal Caribbean cruise using the Cruise Planner on Royal Caribbeans website. 0000844607 00000 n The best way to fully take advantage of the My Time Dining program is to make your reservations before you board the ship! Speciality restaurants require reservations but they dont have traditional dining times. Im really asking the opposite - We havent prepaid gratuities, but the agent has booked us in for My Time Dining! In this case, no gratuities will be charged to your onboard account. We'll run a soft credit check to find special offers, but it wont affect your credit score. (Sponsored). Compare the cost in points or miles to cash, and see which option is best. The menu for My Time Dining is still the same, so you will get the same quality meals. 0000003388 00000 n My Family Time dining is currently unavailable throughout our fleet. You also do not get to know the wait staff as well, since you may be seated in a different area every night. 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. "=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 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. CC Help Jenn If you get one of these packages for free as a booking perk, as with the aforementioned Norwegian Cruise Line promotion, you may still be required to pay the gratuities on the free perk. After 23 Royal Caribbean Cruises, What I've Learned About Tipping Discover the culinary curiosities of Wonderland Imaginative Cuisine. The flexibility of My Time Dining comes with responsibility. Unlike Traditional Dining, My Time Dining is only marked as lasting for fifteen minutes. One thing Ive read over and over again from people who really like My Time Dining is that they dont have to worry so much about what time dinner is. 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. On a Royal Caribbean cruise, you need to register for My Time Dining if you don't want a set dining time. The same applies if you want to switch from My Time Dining back to traditional dining. 0000916095 00000 n 0000750166 00000 n My Time Dining and tips - Royal Caribbean Blog During peak dinner times, you may have to wait as long as 45 minutes for a table. By his definition the answer is yes. 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. 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. They are per person. For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit. All sent to your inbox. 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. For guests that want to experience the Main Dining Room without the formality of having a set time, Royal Caribbean, Royal Caribbean offers its guests two choices for enjoying dinner in the main dining room: My Time Dining or. document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); | We do not prepay gratuities because we always have OBC and they will be deducted from the OBC daily. Your browser is outdated and does not support many of the modern features of this website, Hi! Someone else that pays more will take up the slack for you. 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. What is Royal Caribbean's service gratuities (tips) price and policy? 0000841939 00000 n 0000902161 00000 n Yes, if there is availability in the My Time Dining Room, we would be happy to accommodate the request. There are even more places your Platinum Card can get you complimentary entry and exclusive perks. Your automatic gratuities also cover your cabin steward and other behind the scenes personnel; not just dining room staff. What is Royal Caribbean's gratuity price and policy? - Cruises A world of culinary exploration awaits you onboard Royal Caribbean. Hi, I'm Jenni. There will be a My Time Dining check-in desk at the entrance to the dining room with wait staff to greet guests. 0000828837 00000 n If your My Time Dining reservation is at 7:15pm, do not make any other reservations until 8:30pm or later. Plus Ups are excluded. 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. That is how it works for those employees who get paid with tips. 0000422260 00000 n At the same time, you will be able to add prepaid gratuities and vacation protection, if you choose to do so. My time dining and gratuities - Royal Caribbean International - Cruise That said, the total number of lines with a service fee has been shrinking over the years. Depending on the choice of the guests on board, there may be designated restaurants for those on a traditional dining plan and those on a My Time Dining plan. They were accurate as of the publishing of this story. If you need to change or cancel a reservation for any reason, you will have to go into the specific order and cancel each reservation separately before you are able to rebook. (Enrollment required for select benefits.). 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. Daily service charges are not the only cruise tips you will pay on board. Maximum of 10 guests per reservation. Itll be one less thing on your final bill at the end of the cruise. gratuities amongst the other My Time Dining waiters; feel free to reward your waiter with an extra tip for providing excellent service . The old way of MTD had forced you to prepay gratuities but that changed some time ago. No, no, no, no, no. For your convenience, prepaid gratuities are automatically added to your flexible option reservations. Uber Cash and Uber VIP status is available to Basic Card Member only. 0000427335 00000 n 0000737498 00000 n But whether My Time Dining works for you or not really depends on what your preferences are. The automatic service gratuity is $14.50 USD per person, per day for guests in Junior Suites and below, or $17.50 USD per person, per day for guests in Grand Suites and above, applied to each guest's SeaPass account on a daily basis. Can they join me in the My Time Dining Room. Seating can also be reserved while onboard. 0000417013 00000 n Upon checkout, you will be charged $0.00, unless you are also purchasing other add-ons. Pardon? ;). If you have an issue with how the crew get paid don't withhold your tips since that will only penalize the crew. 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. If you feel anyone has been particularly helpful you can always tip them extra in cash. My Time Dining Frequently Asked Questions | Royal Caribbean Cruises Powered by Invision Community. 0000019016 00000 n Answer (1 of 4): Fares purchased on the Australian website will always include pre-paid gratuities. Or do they not notice those "add on" charges? Whats Included in a Royal Caribbean Cruise? Do I have to pre-reserve My Time Dining through Cruise Planner? 20102023Regal Sea Media LLC. Traditional dining is great for anyone who enjoys the classic cruise dinner experience, meeting new people and enjoying a dedicated waiter for the duration of your sailing. If we paid the gratuities up front when onboard would we still have able to do MTD? By 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 and earn 5X Membership Rewards Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel. If you continue to use this site, you consent to our use of cookies. The only real downside beyond having to pay your gratuities in advance is that you arent guaranteed the same waiter every night. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account. Still need help? 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. Traditionally, dinner on a cruise ship has been served at two specific seating times. There is no special dress code for My Time Dining it has the same dress code as traditional dining. We hate spam as much as lounge chair hogs. What we experienced was that their program is NOT really "My time dining", it is RESERVATION time dining. 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. You need to contact your TA and have her add it to your invoice in order to prepay gratuities. 0000425403 00000 n The included tip amount varies by cruise line, but is typically 15% to 20% of the bill. Sometimes it's worth a large investment to reap the benefits of a great credit card. Royal Caribbean does make it easy to enjoy flexible dining with My Time Dining, so just make sure you sign up to it if you want to decide when you eat each day. That means, if you decide to visit the Main Dining Room on day 3 of your cruise, you wont be able to choose your time. Royal Caribbeans award winning dining program, My Time Dining, offers flexible and traditional options. A world of culinary exploration awaits you onboard Royal Caribbean. 0000019459 00000 n Also as others have stated, prepaid gratuities and MTD have nothing to do with each other anymore. All rights reserved. You will have to make each reservation individually and add them to your cart one-by-one. 0000420293 00000 n Understood, and many passengers also feel this way. My Family Time Dining is a dining option for families with children ages 3-11 years that aims to help kid's complete dinner within 45 minutes, freeing parents to enjoy coffee and . Powered by Cruiseline.com, spoke with royal Carib rep today who said prepaid grats are now out if you are using My Time Dining. If you opt out of daily gratuities your account will not be charged for them. 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. Once you have decided on the perfect ship and itinerary, you are ready to move forward with the cruise booking process. This card comes with a long list of benefits, including access to Centurion Lounges, complimentary elite status with Hilton and Marriott, at least $500 in assorted annual statement credits and so much more. Im pretty sure were havent prepaid the gratuities, but our invoice from RCL does say that our dining is My Time Dining and the Cruise planner will let us make reservations. The group we are going with have all chosen the early 5pm dinner reservation. Youll be told which restaurant to go to based on your choice. John2195, June 24, 2017 in Royal Caribbean International. Love Cruise Fever?Sign Up to Our FREE Newsletter! Your browser is outdated and does not support many of the modern features of this website, 0000003836 00000 n I am looking at cancelling my gratuities when I get on board so I can pay these personally. Then, contact one with a best-price guarantee and have them beat it! 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. You definitely won't go hungry during your sailing, even if you don't purchase any dining extras. My Time Dining is now a choice within the booking process. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. 0000891812 00000 n Reservations arestronglyrecommended in order to avoid a delay in seating. In that sense, the current system is more equitable than the old system of cash tipping, which favored certain workers, lines say. They will be seated in one of the main dining rooms. 0000902188 00000 n The flexible option allows you to select your own dining time and table companions on a daily basis. Our goal has been to provide our readers with expansive coverage of all aspects of the Royal Caribbean experience. 0000891999 00000 n However, the suggested dress code remains the same. If you arrive as soon as the Main Dining Rooms open, you will be able to be seated shortly. 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?? I don't know if you have cruised before, but the gratuities cover more than your wait staff in My Time Dining. 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. Heres how I get the lowest price when I book a cruise. For example, Norwegian offers a complimentary Open Bar drinks package for travelers who book its "free at sea" promotion. Still need help? Please view our advertising policy page for more information. But even so, it's more likely to keep up with cost of living, not to make up for those who don't tip. Royal Caribbean Dining. Breakfast in the Main Dining Room is first come, first serve, regardless on whether or not you selected My Time or Traditional Dining. Theres also a dining hotline you can call from the phone in your stateroom to make changes to your reservations. 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. How much to tip on a cruise is a question that trips up many first-timers. A list of those who do this is available to the staff. Also if staff are chastised for receiving cash, why do all the posts advocate tipping over and above the automatic gratuities for good service? My Time Dining is therefore available to anyone who wants to mix things up. Royal Caribbean "My Time Dining" Review - Direct Line Cruises 0000006714 00000 n Can you opt out of gratuities on Royal Caribbean? - Quora If a guest requests My Time dining, can wine be ordered through Royal Gifts to be delivered to the dining room? 0000006358 00000 n 0000898322 00000 n 0000831970 00000 n Also (and I'm probably being the grammar police on this one) do you really mean "you HAVE to pay the gratuities up front at the time of booking" or do you mean they have to be added to your bill at time of booking? I understand that once upon a time prepaid gratuities were required for MTD. 0000002916 00000 n I'm travelling with guests from another stateroom who selected Traditional Dining. So with My Time Dining, you might lose some of that experience, but the flexibility of your own table and time is often preferable anyway. Wondering if anyone can help out with this? Welcome aboard! 0000896900 00000 n If the gratuities are pre-paid, it should be part of the cruise booking. Additionally, if you are traveling with a large party, you might find Traditional Dining to be easier. When planning your other evening activities, make sure that you allot yourself at least 75 minutes for your Main Dining Room experience. Now you have a choice to prepay gratuities or not with either Traditional or MTD. Some dont charge a service fee at all. My Time Dining Question : r/royalcaribbean - reddit.com Royal Caribbean recently added "My time dining" as a dining option. 0000916923 00000 n Remember that all additional tipping is at your discretion. The high annual fee is only worth it if youre taking full advantage of the cards benefits. MY FAMILY TIME DINING MY TIME DINING DAILY RESERVATIONS Awards FOLLOW US JOIN CROWN & ANCHOR SOCIETY CALL US NOW +971 4 331 4299 Have you noticed over the years that daily grats have been increasing almost every year to make up for the non tippers. Then, Norwegian Cruise Line decided to shake things up a bit with "freestyle dining", an innovation that allows guests to eat dinner anytime . You can reserve My Time Dining when you first book your cruise, or by logging onto the Royal Caribbean website to amend your booking. 0000896807 00000 n If you want to walk in then you might have to wait for a suitable one to become available, while if youve booked it should be ready for you when you arrive. 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. 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. Below is a line-by-line look at policies for automatic gratuity charges (called service charges or crew appreciation charges at some lines). No votes so far! The agent asked us which dining option wed like and we chose my time. 156.1k. Learn the cruise secrets most people don't know and cruise like a boss. TPG values it at $1,600. Display as a link instead, 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?! Enrollment required. And that they aren't simply following the outdated information still present on Royal's website as pointed out above? The closer you get to your cruise vacation, the fewer reservations you may find. 0000017159 00000 n 0000901330 00000 n You cannot paste images directly. 0000417581 00000 n My Time Dining is one of the options youll get to choose from when you book your cruise. You dont have to attend dinner at the same time, and you can arrange a table that works for you. Breeze through security with CLEAR lanes available at 100+ airports, stadiums, and entertainment venues and get up to $189 back per calendar year on your membership when you use your Card. Related: A beginners guide to picking a cruise line. The early seating is usually around 5:30pm, while the late seating is around 8:00pm. Finally, the evening shows are often scheduled around Traditional Dining times with early and late showings. but only parties of 20 or less can be seated at one time.