royal caribbean my time dining gratuities

I suspect that the automatic tipping is a hidden charge for the customers who already paid to go on the cruise to subsidise the company's wage bill. Contact Us Get support by Phone or Email 866-562-7625 Email Your Questions Locate a Travel Agent My Time Dining usually begins around 6:00pm and lasts until 9:30pm, giving you a wide range of times to choose from. Speciality restaurants require reservations but they dont have traditional dining times. Read more: Whats Included in a Royal Caribbean Cruise? Note that if you purchase a dining or beverage package, the cruise line will charge you gratuities based on a percentage of the package price. #4. Can I participate in My Time Dining but make a reservation for a specific time? Perhaps as more and more cheapos remove their grats the cruise lines will finally just increase fares so everyone pays the same in tips. 0000016969 00000 n Here's how it works on Royal Caribbean: As of September 7 th, 2022, the automatic service gratuity of $16.00 USD per . This website uses cookies in order to offer you the most relevant information. 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. On a typical seven-night cruise, thats nearly $600 in fees. We always choose My Time dinning. 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. The best way to fully take advantage of the My Time Dining program is to make your reservations before you board the ship! Also, once you have been seated and your meal is being served, no other guests will be sat at your table. Follow along on this incredible voyage! document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); | It is usually at the very bottom below the dining packages, specialty restaurants, and other exclusive dining experiences. I don't know if you have cruised before, but the gratuities cover more than your wait staff in My Time Dining. 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. If you have a smaller party, you might find that you do not have to wait as long as larger parties. A world of culinary exploration awaits you onboard Royal Caribbean. My Time Dining is the flexible dining option on Royal Caribbean cruises. Search Now Clear editor. This dining option requires you to "pre pay" your gratuities. What we experienced was that their program is NOT really "My time dining", it is RESERVATION time dining. Started August 27, 2021, By 0000005141 00000 n If you are choosing My Time Dining because you are not a fan of either set dining times, you will need to ensure that you make nightly reservations as soon as possible via the Cruise Planner. Now, she helps over 1 million people per month to plan their perfect cruise holidays. Or do they not notice those "add on" charges? The old way of MTD had forced you to prepay gratuities but that changed some time ago. but only parties of 20 or less can be seated at one time. They were accurate as of the publishing of this story. If you cancel prepaid gratuities, you can visit Guest Services once you are onboard and request they discontinue automatic gratuties. 0000891696 00000 n The buffet restaurant doesnt offer reservations and you can visit it whenever you want. Piano bar regulars know that a cash tip will increase the chances of the pianist choosing and performing your song request. Like what you see? 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. The folks who WERVE YOU are the ones who get your tips. 0000892817 00000 n Automatic Gratuities were added to lessen the event of "skipping out" on tips and to make sure MTD waiters were tipped. Ships registered in the Bahamas. Powered by Invision Community. Wondering if anyone can help out with this? 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. Unlike Traditional Dining, you will not be seated at the same table with the same wait staff if your choose My Time. Online, you can only book My Time Dining for up to eight guests. 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. You can eat anytime between 6:00 pm and 9:30 pm. Still need help? It's also not possible to update every forum discussion when information changes so it can be confusing to read conflicting threads. Seldom travelers may not get enough value to warrant the cost. That is not the case anymore but Royal is not great about updating their website information. In addition to this, an 18% gratuity is automatically added to all drinks, spa and salon services. Related: 9 times you do not need to tip on a cruise. CC Help Jenn 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. There is no special dress code for My Time Dining it has the same dress code as traditional dining. 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. 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. Any amount is fine and will be appreciated by the hard-working crew. My Time Dining is one of the options youll get to choose from when you book your cruise. That said, the total number of lines with a service fee has been shrinking over the years. 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. Planning a cruise? 0000737875 00000 n Fortunately, Royal Caribbean still offers both traditional and My Time Dining options. 0000819210 00000 n 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. Our opinions are our own, and have not been reviewed, approved, or endorsed by our advertising partners. If youre already booked and have chosen the flexible option, you can easily pre-reserve specific days and times online. Youll be asked to pre-pay your gratuities. My Time Dining Question : r/royalcaribbean - reddit.com 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. The included tip amount varies by cruise line, but is typically 15% to 20% of the bill. Ive worked in the cruise industry since 2015 and now my blog helps over a million people to plan their cruises each month. For your convenience, prepaid gratuities are automatically added to your flexible option reservations. 0000420293 00000 n Please don't disrupt the system that works that was put in place that is fair to crew and guests . 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. Instant Real Time Pricing Privacy Policy | The extra cost of the automatic gratuity charges can be a shock to first-time cruisers. 0000750166 00000 n 0000006450 00000 n has written about cruising for more than 25 years and for many years oversaw USA Todays award-winning cruise site. Start with these stories: The credit card offers that appear on the website are from credit card companies from which ThePointsGuy.com receives compensation. Royal Caribbeans award winning dining program, My Time Dining, offers flexible and traditional options. 0000897170 00000 n 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. 0000891812 00000 n From there, you can go ahead and make a reservation for each night of your cruise. Since they are not . Display as a link instead, The others could make a separate My Time Dining reservation for 8:15pm. Kudos to NCL for no longer allowing grats to be removed onboard. Improve earnings, maximize rewards and track progress toward dream trips. When making a reservation you will be offered "My Time" or traditional dining times (i.e., 5:30 pm & 8:00 pm). The guest relations staff will want to know if youve experienced particular service issues. All of the gratuities are divided equally among the wait staff. If anyone on our team wouldnt recommend it to a friend or a family member, we wouldnt recommend it on The Points Guy either. 0000914358 00000 n 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 have an account, sign in now to post with your account. Then, Norwegian Cruise Line decided to shake things up a bit with "freestyle dining", an innovation that allows guests to eat dinner anytime . Others tip their room service or wait staff at their favorite bar, either early in the cruise in the hope of getting better service or at the end to thank them for enhancing the vacation experience. Your browser is outdated and does not support many of the modern features of this website, 0000906618 00000 n The closer you get to your cruise vacation, the fewer reservations you may find. 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. 0000902670 00000 n 6 Things You MUST Know About Formal Night on a Royal Caribbean Cruise. You dont really get to know the people you are eating with that well. 0000891478 00000 n 0000828884 00000 n 2010 Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. 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. 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. By his definition the answer is yes. Every Royal Caribbean ship includes meals at many included restaurants, including the main dining room and the buffet. You can choose a different time each day, so you can fit dinner around the rest of your onshore and onboard plans. Many cruise lines will tack an automatic gratuity charge onto the bill for extra-fee drinks, restaurant meals and spa treatments. Pardon? 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. How Does Royal Caribbeans My Time Dining Work? 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. My Time Dining uses the same menu as traditional seating. 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. You can disable the usage of cookies by changing the settings of your browser. The longer you wait to arrive, however, the longer you will have to wait for an available table. 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. 0000828837 00000 n Having to arrive early, though, defeats the purpose of being able to dine whenever you'd like. The mandatory 20% gratuity comes out to nearly $22 per day. How Does Royal Caribbean's My Time Dining Work? - Cruise Fever Cost includes $12.95 plus applicable local sales tax. It's kind of a runaround to personally get to everyone who is included (my opinion). Reservations are strongly recommended. That means, if you decide to visit the Main Dining Room on day 3 of your cruise, you wont be able to choose your time. When making a reservation you will be offered "My Time" or traditional dining times (i.e., 5:30 pm & 8:00 pm). 0000005096 00000 n . John2195, June 24, 2017 in Royal Caribbean International. 0000722800 00000 n 0000006046 00000 n ;p, You will be able to leave a comment after signing in, By My Time Dining Frequently Asked Questions | Royal Caribbean Cruises The menu for My Time Dining is still the same, so you will get the same quality meals. So therefore it does not show on our invoice. Thats the whole point of the service charge. It is more difficult for the Main Dining Room to accommodate larger groups with My Time Dining, as there are fewer tables set for bigger parties. KA^tQmy9*yE'6C'VBz@JKz+I_0U{:$asg* \ endstream endobj 157 0 obj <>/Size 28/Type/XRef>>stream | You can save even more $$$ by eating in the Lido on the last evening and avoiding your cabin steward that night also ? My Time Dining Frequently Asked Questions | Royal Caribbean Cruises This is an unfair statement. Discover the culinary curiosities of Wonderland Imaginative Cuisine. Not every ship has it though, so you should check out their website to see if your ship will offer this service if you are interested. 0000916095 00000 n Getting to know the staff and allowing them to get to know you is also a fun part of cruising for some people and My Time Dining would severely limit activity. 0000906914 00000 n My Time Dining is now a choice within the booking process. The flexibility of My Time Dining comes with responsibility. 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. Your previous content has been restored. Rather, you will be seated wherever there is availability. $155 Walmart+ Credit: Cover the cost of a $12.95 monthly Walmart+ membership with a statement credit after you pay for Walmart+ each month with your Platinum Card. 0000006404 00000 n 0000690334 00000 n Hes sailed on more than 150 ships. Your statement You cannot sign up for My Time Dining until you are on board the vessel is incorrect you can do this online when you book the Cruise. Should they have been paid at the time of booking? 20102023Regal Sea Media LLC. Do you plan on dining anywhere except the dining room? Have our travel agency partner get you a free quote for a Royal Caribbean cruise. You will be able to see the exact times that My Time Dining is offered each evening once you book your cruise. 0000910770 00000 n The current welcome offer on this card is quite lucrative. 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. A. 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 . 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. So if I cancel my gratuities what will be added to my account for my time dining. They work very long hours all day long. For more cruise guides, news and tips, sign up for TPGs new cruise newsletter. My Time Dining is only applicable to the Main Dining Room on your ship. Seating can also be reserved while onboard. On a Royal Caribbean cruise, you need to register for My Time Dining if you don't want a set dining time. However, you can still make reservations, based on availability, once onboard. I will pay for fantastic service but can't stand getting it shoved in my face and HAVE TO pay gratuities. If you want to change to My Time Dining, youll need to speak to Guest Services within the first two days of your cruise. 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). Your link has been automatically embedded. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. However, the suggested dress code remains the same. Early dining is around 6 pm, while late dining is closer to 8:30 pm. That said, some people do leave a little extra for crew members who go above and beyond. Gratuities haven't been going up "almost every year." 0000002916 00000 n For lines that do have them, service and gratuity charges are touted as a convenient alternative to the practice of cash tipping on cruise ships something that once was common. So therefore it does not show on our invoice. 0000425403 00000 n Traditionally, dinner on a cruise ship has been served at two specific seating times. You can then book dinner in the Main Dining Room for any time you want, or just walk in without a reservation. She has worked in the cruise industry since 2015 and has taken over 20 cruises. Learn more. 0000418076 00000 n MY FAMILY TIME DINING MY TIME DINING DAILY RESERVATIONS Awards FOLLOW US JOIN CROWN & ANCHOR SOCIETY CALL US NOW +971 4 331 4299 A list of those who do this is available to the staff. xdOHTQ7Ho1bJ!IP"th+5ha0P"..\h! hQhE9; Another method is to just simply show up at the Main Dining Room each night when you are ready to eat.

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