Be sure to join my email list for my best cruise tips and handpicked deals each week. 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. You will not be able to make your choice until the last step in the booking process; all passenger names will have to be entered first! A world of culinary exploration awaits you onboard Royal Caribbean. If you feel anyone has been particularly helpful you can always tip them extra in cash. Posted June 24, 2017. Card Rating is based on the opinion of TPGs editors and is not influenced by the card issuer. Automatic gratuity charge: None. The same applies if you want to switch from My Time Dining back to traditional dining. They will be seated in one of the main dining rooms. Related: Use these credit cards to maximize your next cruise vacation. Search Multiple Sites at Once A list of those who do this is available to the staff. 0000737875 00000 n 28 0 obj <> endobj xref 28 131 0000000016 00000 n My Time Dining is one of the options you'll get to choose from when you book your cruise. 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. On a Royal Caribbean cruise, you need to register for My Time Dining if you don't want a set dining time. Thanks Matt- We paid for the cruise at the time of booking. It truly depends, though. For your convenience, prepaid gratuities are automatically added to your flexible option reservations. Dont worry: When lines offer such deals, it doesnt mean the crew will receive fewer tips the week you cruise. You will see the same helpful crew members waiting on you in the WJ as you did last night in the MDR. 0000891423 00000 n 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. For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit. Often, even if you do have a reservation you have to wait, but the time is much shorter since they are expecting you. There is no special dress code for My Time Dining it has the same dress code as traditional dining. You can, of course, request a specific table and waiter, but they may not be able to honor this. Well, this is NOT the only option and you can still choose to eat in the traditional manner. No votes so far! Check here before booking an award fare. 0000828837 00000 n 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. Best card for premium perks while traveling, Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, The Business Platinum Card from American Express, Disney Cruise Lines Castaway Club loyalty program: Everything you need to know, 21 new Hyatt hotels where you can get 500 extra points per night, My first cruise to the Galapagos: The good, the bad and the absolutely adorable. You can be seated with the party you arrive with or be seated at your own table. The high annual fee is only worth it if youre taking full advantage of the cards benefits. 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. Understood, and many passengers also feel this way. 0000916923 00000 n What happens if I cancel the gratuities? Guests who have signed up for My Time Dining will have their SeaPass card designated with the dining room and deck number. Heres how I get the lowest price when I book a cruise. TPG values it at $1,600. 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. April 7, 2008. You may find that you are split up at different tables that are not located near each other. I take any thread older than a year (sometimes less) with a grain of salt. Have you noticed over the years that daily grats have been increasing almost every year to make up for the non tippers. Enrollment required. If you opt out of daily gratuities your account will not be charged for them. Do I have to pre-reserve My Time Dining through Cruise Planner? 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. If you have multiple people in your stateroom or travel party, you can make multiple reservations each evening to accommodate everyone's preferences. You may tip extra if you feel you have been "WOW'd". On a Royal Caribbean cruise, you need to register for My Time Dining if you dont want a set dining time. 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? M&-]f_Le}BXJ.D7CCx. 0000907210 00000 n 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. Youll be asked to pre-pay your gratuities. 0000014730 00000 n Can I participate in My Time Dining but make a reservation for a specific time? Upon checkout, you will be charged $0.00, unless you are also purchasing other add-ons. American Express has expanded The Centurion Network to include 40+ Centurion Lounge and Studio locations worldwide. It is much simpler, and fairer, to leave them in place. 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. 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. 0000905280 00000 n 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. 0000423354 00000 n 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. Princess, for example, has added a Princess Plus plan as a booking option. The old way of MTD had forced you to prepay gratuities but that changed some time ago. Your browser is outdated and does not support many of the modern features of this website, Additionally, an 18% gratuity is added to bar bills, dining room wine purchases and Lotus Spa services. Below is a line-by-line look at policies for automatic gratuity charges (called service charges or crew appreciation charges at some lines). Many cruise lines will tack an automatic gratuity charge onto the bill for extra-fee drinks, restaurant meals and spa treatments. 0000841664 00000 n You will be able to see the exact times that My Time Dining is offered each evening once you book your cruise. 0000897748 00000 n My Time Dining is now a choice within the booking process. 0000419636 00000 n When planning your other evening activities, make sure that you allot yourself at least 75 minutes for your Main Dining Room experience. Reservations are strongly recommended. $200 Airline Fee Credit: Get up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year in baggage fees and more at one select qualifying airline. 0000417308 00000 n All rights reserved. Still need help? The guest relations staff will want to know if youve experienced particular service issues. Read on to learn what My Time Dining is, the benefits that it offers, and how to book. ;p, You will be able to leave a comment after signing in, By John2195, June 24, 2017 in Royal Caribbean International. Have our travel agency partner get you a free quote for a Royal Caribbean cruise. You also will not be able to switch after the second day, so you'll want to visit Guest Services and/or the Main Dining Room when you embark-- Guests can only participate in one dining style per sailing. You cannot paste images directly. Pardon? 0000011404 00000 n but it's so much better to leave the automatic tips in place and just give extra cash to those you feel deserve it. You definitely won't go hungry during your sailing, even if you don't purchase any dining extras. 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. 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 . Copyright 19952023 The Independent Traveler, Inc. Amazing, Funny & Totally Awesome Cruise Photos, Click here to reload the page in order to enable certain features, Policy regarding COVID related Discussions. 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. If we paid the gratuities up front when onboard would we still have able to do MTD? That is how it works for those employees who get paid with tips. That's exactly the case with the Amex Platinum card. Itll be one less thing on your final bill at the end of the cruise. Start with these stories: The credit card offers that appear on the website are from credit card companies from which ThePointsGuy.com receives compensation. Unsubscribe whenever you want. Royal Caribbean recently added "My time dining" as a dining option. 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. If you do not prepay gratuities, they will be charged to your onboard account automatically, on a daily basis. So if I cancel my gratuities what will be added to my account for my time dining. At some lines, these charges run as high as $25 per day. 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). Similarly, if youre on a higher-end ship that lists gratuities as being included in the fare, that means just what it says. 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. Related: A beginners guide to picking a cruise line. 0000883078 00000 n On a typical seven-night cruise, thats nearly $600 in fees. 0000902161 00000 n 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 whenever they like during dining hours, according to availability. How Does Royal Caribbeans My Time Dining Work? 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. Additionally, several major lines in the past couple of years have begun offering bundle pricing to customers who pay for cruise tips, Wi-Fi charges and an onboard drinks package all at once in advance of sailing, potentially at a discount. There is a $9.75 gratuity per day that is required and this actually covers not only the wait staff but your room steward. 0000892817 00000 n 0000750166 00000 n 2011-2023, Cruise Fever . 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. Started June 21, 2021, By The standard gratuities of $13.50 per person per day for JS and below, and $16.50 per person per day for GS and better. The lines that offer these deals say theyll pay a normal gratuity to the crew on your behalf. Guests can only participate in one dining style per sailing. 0000892388 00000 n Planning a cruise? Reservations arestronglyrecommended in order to avoid a delay in seating. Should they have been paid at the time of booking? 0000421346 00000 n Please note, you can only choose one dining style per sailing so once they join you they must use My Time Dining for the rest of the cruise. We always choose My Time dinning. If you are purchasing a dining package or plan on eating dinner in one of the other complimentary venues, you may not find yourself putting too much thought into what dining style you'd prefer. Every Royal Caribbean ship includes meals at many included restaurants, including the main dining room and the buffet. We'll run a soft credit check to find special offers, but it wont affect your credit score. Reservations arestronglyrecommended in order to avoid a delay in seating (reservations will be taken once onboard, based on availability). That said, the total number of lines with a service fee has been shrinking over the years. ;). "=0 2BNX/edbi-:w)ddA(BTec;B&r9mE(!Rp#nZbCE2$*,U3Qg+sm{_`S.c xj"PxglZ%Ter_&8W}.l|2cs='g}:f kyMFNG7xFdI"^Jd\O&+W\^:_6 XEljBWm6jk2Tn)a0jGG\E Tipping on a cruise does not have to be complicated, but you need to understand the big picture to budget for your vacation appropriately. 0000006450 00000 n 0000422496 00000 n We have had really wonderful waiters in the WJ, some that even remember my DH loves those ranger cookies and will bring him some when they see us. Even if I opt out of automatic gratuities? My Time Dining is now a choice within the booking process. The old way of MTD had forced you to prepay gratuities but that changed some time ago. The traditional dining experience allows you the choice of either early or late seating times for each day of your cruise. You don't have to tip on these cruises because the line is already paying gratuities to the staff on your behalf. Can guests move between My Time Dining and Traditional Dining during their cruise? Paste as plain text instead, You can then book dinner in the Main Dining Room for any time you want, or just walk in without a reservation. CC Help Jenn 0000005141 00000 n But to the OP's question, we have MTD on Mariner next month and have not prepaid our gratuities. Callummck This also applies to sailings departing from Australia and New Zealand. 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. Additionally, if you are traveling with a large party, you might find Traditional Dining to be easier. Maximum of 10 guests per reservation. Ive worked in the cruise industry since 2015 and now my blog helps over a million people to plan their cruises each month. But some people just want to eat with their own family. Hi, I'm Jenni. You must have JavaScript enabled to use this form. In that sense, the current system is more equitable than the old system of cash tipping, which favored certain workers, lines say. I'm travelling with guests from another stateroom who selected Traditional Dining. 0000006636 00000 n View All Cruises 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. 2010 Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. 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. 0000828884 00000 n 0000006714 00000 n Our points-obsessed staff uses a plethora of credit cards on a daily basis. For example, Norwegian offers a complimentary Open Bar drinks package for travelers who book its "free at sea" promotion. Powered by Invision Community. Jon can be reached at. What we experienced was that their program is NOT really "My time dining", it is RESERVATION time dining. 0000014874 00000 n 0000736952 00000 n What is Royal Caribbean's service gratuities (tips) price and policy? But whether My Time Dining works for you or not really depends on what your preferences are. You do have to prepay your gratuities in order to sign up to My Time Dining. 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. 0000896900 00000 n Some people also like to pay their service charges in advance for budgeting purposes. Love Cruise Fever?Sign Up to Our FREE Newsletter! Could you please tell me how I can improve it? 0000417078 00000 n If you are asking by prepaying gratuities in advance does that force you to do MTD, then the answer is no. 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. $240 Digital Entertainment Credit: Get up to $20 back each month on eligible purchases made with your Platinum Card on one or more of the following: Audible, Disney+, The Disney Bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, Peacock, SiriusXM, and The New York Times. 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. 0000005676 00000 n 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. 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. Royal Caribbean has done the latter keeping the option for traditional dining service but also offering My Time Dining. Suggested read: 6 Things You MUST Know About Formal Night on a Royal Caribbean Cruise. Just make sure to turn up at the reserved time. 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. Can they join me in the My Time Dining Room. Royal Caribbeans award winning dining program, My Time Dining, offers flexible and traditional options. I have just booked the allure this afternoon and was told by the iglu cruiserep that if I wanted my time dining then I would HAVE to pay the gratuities up front at the time of booking,but if I had first or second sitting then I didn't need to pay I was imformed that royal had made this part of their booking conditions 2 months ago. If your line raises the rate between the time you pay and the time you sail, you wont pay more. 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. If a guest requests My Time dining, can wine be ordered through Royal Gifts to be delivered to the dining room? 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 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. At most lines, you can pay your service charges in advance of sailing (at the same time you pay your cruise fare). Speciality restaurants require reservations but they dont have traditional dining times. There is no need to remove the "pre=paid" or "included" tips. Weve booked a cruise through an agent. You do have to prepay your gratuities in order to sign up to My Time Dining. When you are reserving your cruise, you will be given the option to select "Traditional Dining" or "My Time Dining.". (Enrollment required for select benefits.). 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. There will be a My Time Dining check-in desk at the entrance to the dining room with wait staff to greet guests. It gives passengers prepaid gratuities, a single-device Wi-Fi plan and a basic beverage package for a single bundled price of $50 per person, per day. 0000841939 00000 n Jenni Fielding is the founder of Cruise Mummy. 0000026625 00000 n Enrollment required. 0000913926 00000 n document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Dine as you want, when you want. All rights reserved. I'm so sorry that this post wasn't useful for you! 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. If you want to use My Time Dining you must pay for tips in advance. Related: 9 times you do not need to tip on a cruise. Read on to learn all about cruise ship tipping culture and how much you'll need to tip on your next cruise, based on which cruise line you're sailing. Cost includes $12.95 plus applicable local sales tax. With your support, we can create more exciting content and share with everyone! Flexible seating works very much like standard restaurant seating. Are you sure that isn't an Iglu Cruise rule? 0000891999 00000 n 0000704363 00000 n We always choose My Time dinning. It isn't a hidden charge, since we all know about the charge and of course it subsidizes the wage bill. In addition to this, an 18% gratuity is automatically added to all drinks, spa and salon services. My Time Dining is not available for breakfast, but you can still use it for both lunch and dinner. 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. ( use to happen frequently). 0000006312 00000 n Our opinions are our own, and have not been reviewed, approved, or endorsed by our advertising partners. 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. Early dining is around 6 pm, while late dining is closer to 8:30 pm. ?xtp~?f~j)Br$7q,,"Sf%SXAii%1O=]rlsE"V3ueGWY^U?h2/?7>V1yP GoW}wA[5!>0yuoe I noticed the My Time doesn't offer reservations until 6:45. Can a family in one stateroom dine at different times with My Time Dining? 0000722800 00000 n You can be seated with the party you arrive with or be seated at your own table. In many cases, the service charges are adjustable. My Time Dining is now a choice within the booking process. 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. Royal Caribbean. Note that this only applies to dinner in the Main Dining Room. That explains it and answers my question- youre right, it does still say it on parts of the website. Heres my confusion: I understand prepaid gratuities is required for My Time Dining. My Family Time dining is currently unavailable throughout our fleet. Your browser is outdated and does not support many of the modern features of this website, The extra cost of the automatic gratuity charges can be a shock to first-time cruisers. January 11, 2019 in Royal Caribbean Discussion. I have just booked the allure this afternoon and was told by the iglu cruiserep that if I wanted my time dining then I would HAVE to pay the gratuities up front at the time of booking,but if I had first or second sitting then I didn't need to pay I was imformed that royal had made this part of their booking conditions 2 months ago.this is royal caribeans latest sneaky trick to get you to part with more money than you need to.the gratuities payment are VOLUNTARY you have the choise to pay them or request onboard the ship to take them off of your account . And that they aren't simply following the outdated information still present on Royal's website as pointed out above? If you plan on spending most of your time in the buffet restaurant anyway, then you might not be concerned about the Main Dining Room and your dining times. 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. Display as a link instead, Royal Caribbean "My Time Dining" Review. 0000738152 00000 n You can change your dining time on your Royal Caribbean cruise using the Cruise Planner on Royal Caribbeans website. 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.". Who knows? If you want to reserve it on-board then visit Guest Services. You can choose a different time each day, so you can fit dinner around the rest of your onshore and onboard plans. 0000690334 00000 n I don't mind tipping for good service. The early seating is usually around 5:30pm, while the late seating is around 8:00pm. The menu for My Time Dining is still the same, so you will get the same quality meals. document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); | But even so, it's more likely to keep up with cost of living, not to make up for those who don't tip. You'd likely pay it at final payment date. #4. 0000425403 00000 n The recommended dress code for the Main Dining Room for traditional dining or My Time Dining is smart casual. 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. 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. Ships registered in the Bahamas. | The mandatory 20% gratuity comes out to nearly $22 per day. 0000906128 00000 n If you tip personally in cash, those people must turn it in or face dismissal. 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. Royal Caribbean gratuities for children and infants Still need help? For your convenience, prepaid gratuities are automatically added to your flexible option reservations. $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. Your automatic gratuities also cover your cabin steward and other behind the scenes personnel; not just dining room staff. 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. For guests staying in Grand Suites and above, the fee is $18.50 per person, per day. Started August 27, 2021, By 0000906618 00000 n The actual times, however, will vary by sailing. 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. Your previous content has been restored. The annual airline fee statement credit can be complicated to take advantage of compared to the broader travel credits offered by competing premium cards.