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. Even if you initially booked Traditional Dining, you can call your travel agent or Royal Caribbean directly to change to My Time. She also told us about gratuities added to the Seapss account. The benefits of My Time Dining are that you decide who you eat with, and when. 0000003555 00000 n Don't know why you want to do this (are you planning to carry cash every time you go to the WJ?) Have you noticed over the years that daily grats have been increasing almost every year to make up for the non tippers. Below is a line-by-line look at policies for automatic gratuity charges (called service charges or crew appreciation charges at some lines). 0000690334 00000 n For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit. Can you opt out of gratuities on Royal Caribbean? - Quora Still need help? You can be seated with the party you arrive with or be seated at your own table. 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{$ 0000433627 00000 n You can disable the usage of cookies by changing the settings of your browser. 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. Contact Us Get support by Phone or Email 866-562-7625 Email Your Questions Locate a Travel Agent In exchange for the annual fee, you'll unlock access to the Amex Membership Rewards program that let you access airline and hotel transfer partners, along with new lifestyle and travel credits. Royal Caribbean. Reservations are strongly recommended. Can they join me in the My Time Dining Room. If you have multiple people in your stateroom or travel party, you can make multiple reservations each evening to accommodate everyone's preferences. Enrollment required. 0000767892 00000 n Powered by Invision Community. Some people assume that, because My Time Dining offers more flexible dining, it has a more flexible dress code. 0000022522 00000 n Jon lives in the foothills of North Carolina and wishes there were a cruise port that far inland. Having to arrive early, though, defeats the purpose of being able to dine whenever you'd like. I will HAPPILY pay my gratuities, and feel that having them paid in advance is very convenient, andprobably saves me some money. Even if I opt out of automatic gratuities? 0000002916 00000 n 0000914358 00000 n 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. 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. When making a reservation you will be offered My Time or traditional dining times (i.e., 5:30 pm & 8:00 pm). I understand that once upon a time prepaid gratuities were required for MTD. If, for example, two people would like to eat earlier around 6:30pm, you would make them their own reservation. 28 0 obj <> endobj xref 28 131 0000000016 00000 n To this day it still references dynamic dining in the cruise planner even though that is long gone. 0000027181 00000 n 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. 0000897748 00000 n My Time Dining is now a choice within the booking process. 0000006714 00000 n Additional cash gifts are not expected. You cannot paste images directly. 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. 20102023Regal Sea Media LLC. For your convenience, prepaid gratuities are automatically added to your flexible option reservations. 0000014304 00000 n 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. 0000003388 00000 n 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. 0000736746 00000 n Their memory is incredible and they really do make you feel special. (Sponsored). Speciality restaurants require reservations but they dont have traditional dining times. How Does Royal Caribbeans My Time Dining Work? The best way to fully take advantage of the My Time Dining program is to make your reservations before you board the ship! Then, Norwegian Cruise Line decided to shake things up a bit with "freestyle dining", an innovation that allows guests to eat dinner anytime . My Time Dining - Gratuities?? - Cruise Critic Community Be the first to rate this post. You may request a certain waiter each night, and we will work to seat your party in his or her area depending on availability. Any amount is fine and will be appreciated by the hard-working crew. Who knows? 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. 0000896900 00000 n The flexibility of My Time Dining comes with responsibility. Tipping on a cruise does not have to be complicated, but you need to understand the big picture to budget for your vacation appropriately. If you cancel prepaid gratuities, you can visit Guest Services once you are onboard and request they discontinue automatic gratuties. We want to do MTD, but Im asking will this stand without finding a way to prepay the gratuities beforehand (Id guessed it would have been in Cruise Planner but evidently not), The gratuities is distributed amongst the entire cruise staff including the dining staff. 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. 0000892388 00000 n 0000901784 00000 n 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. 0000418076 00000 n That explains it and answers my question- youre right, it does still say it on parts of the website. Also as others have stated, prepaid gratuities and MTD have nothing to do with each other anymore. Seldom travelers may not get enough value to warrant the cost. 0000006404 00000 n 0000913572 00000 n If the gratuities are pre-paid, it should be part of the cruise booking. 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. ?xtp~?f~j)Br$7q,,"Sf%SXAii%1O=]rlsE"V3ueGWY^U?h2/?7>V1yP GoW}wA[5!>0yuoe 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. By Never feel pressured to add an extra tip when you've already paid one. Should they have been paid at the time of booking? I'm so sorry that this post wasn't useful for you! Due to availability, however, you may not have as many times to choose from. It is possible to snag dining times around 7:00pm every night, but this is a highly desirable dinner time. Display as a link instead, Related: A beginners guide to picking a cruise line. 0000891084 00000 n They are per person. Remember that all additional tipping is at your discretion. The exact times, however, will vary according to your cruise itinerary. 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. Related: Use these credit cards to maximize your next cruise vacation. You can post now and register later. Started August 27, 2021, By Check out Intelligent Cruiser here for a better cruise vacation. In that sense, the current system is more equitable than the old system of cash tipping, which favored certain workers, lines say. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. I will pay for fantastic service but can't stand getting it shoved in my face and HAVE TO pay gratuities. Also, once you have been seated and your meal is being served, no other guests will be sat at your table. Royal Caribbean Gratuities: Everything You Need to Know 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. That is not the case anymore but Royal is not great about updating their website information. The actual times, however, will vary by sailing. . Royal Caribbean gratuities for children and infants Still, some critics see the charges as a sneaky way for cruise lines to make their fares appear lower than they really are. If your line raises the rate between the time you pay and the time you sail, you wont pay more. Well, this is NOT the only option and you can still choose to eat in the traditional manner. You need to contact your TA and have her add it to your invoice in order to prepay gratuities. However, each ship does also offer specialty dining for an additional fee. gratuities amongst the other My Time Dining waiters; feel free to reward your waiter with an extra tip for providing excellent service . 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. 0000901423 00000 n Posted June 24, 2017. No votes so far! There have been both positive and negative reports on Royal Caribbeans My Time Dining. 0000736952 00000 n The group we are going with have all chosen the early 5pm dinner reservation. Im sorry you never received a tip in your years of "slogging your guts out." Im really asking the opposite - We havent prepaid gratuities, but the agent has booked us in for My Time Dining! We always choose My Time dinning. Pasted as rich text. Perhaps as more and more cheapos remove their grats the cruise lines will finally just increase fares so everyone pays the same in tips. | 0000916095 00000 n My time dining and gratuities - Royal Caribbean International - Cruise My Time Dining is one of the options you'll get to choose from when you book your cruise. 0000844607 00000 n The others could make a separate My Time Dining reservation for 8:15pm. Finally, the evening shows are often scheduled around Traditional Dining times with early and late showings. Get $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection bookings, which requires a minimum two-night stay, through American Express Travel when you pay with your Platinum Card. 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. We hate spam as much as lounge chair hogs. That's because some cruise lines tack daily service fees onto passenger bills yet many travelers still hand out additional cash gratuities, either as a matter of course or for exemplary service. Understood, and many passengers also feel this way. Jon can be reached at. 0000005866 00000 n If you have an issue with how the crew get paid don't withhold your tips since that will only penalize the crew. Get Cruise Savvy with our FREE Newsletter! I noticed the My Time doesn't offer reservations until 6:45. Some people like to get to know their wait staff and sitting with other people at a table is not a problem, while others like to dine anytime they feel like it and prefer to eat with just their party. Our points-obsessed staff uses a plethora of credit cards on a daily basis. I think the crew would let it be know if they were not receiving their share of the gratuities. We can honor requests to change only once based on availability. 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. What happens if I cancel the gratuities? They will be seated in one of the main dining rooms. Upload or insert images from URL. 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 . So by your definition no one should tip because others will make up the difference? 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. document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); | You may request a certain waiter each night, and we will work to seat your party in his or her area depending on availability. 0000891587 00000 n 0000024527 00000 n You can choose a different time each day, so you can fit dinner around the rest of your onshore and onboard plans. The lines that offer these deals say theyll pay a normal gratuity to the crew on your behalf. Additionally, if you are traveling with a large party, you might find Traditional Dining to be easier. 0000019016 00000 n 0000819210 00000 n Royal Caribbean charges a gratuity of $16.00 per person, per day. I don't know if you have cruised before, but the gratuities cover more than your wait staff in My Time Dining. Unlike Traditional Dining, My Time Dining is only marked as lasting for fifteen minutes. Heres how I get the lowest price when I book a cruise. 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. Cheap people have been around for years. On a Royal Caribbean cruise, you need to register for My Time Dining if you don't want a set dining time. LauraS Thanks Matt- We paid for the cruise at the time of booking. Flexible seating works very much like standard restaurant seating. 6 Things You MUST Know About Formal Night on a Royal Caribbean Cruise. Compare the cost in points or miles to cash, and see which option is best. If you tip personally in cash, those people must turn it in or face dismissal. Apply and select your preferred metal Card design: classic Platinum Card, Platinum x Kehinde Wiley, or Platinum x Julie Mehretu. Seating can also be reserved while onboard. What is My Time Dining? | Royal Caribbean Cruises Improve earnings, maximize rewards and track progress toward dream trips. If not, you might be stuck eating even later than the second seating! A list of those who do this is available to the staff. If you continue to use this site, you consent to our use of cookies. What is My Time Dining? | Royal Caribbean Cruises 0000006236 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. PDF MY TIME DINING - Royal Caribbean International 0000005911 00000 n I'm travelling with guests from another stateroom who selected Traditional Dining. 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. All rights reserved. View All Cruises You dont have to do anything. Some guests choose to recognize particularly exceptional service with an additional cash gratuity on the last night of their cruise. 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. 0000831970 00000 n 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. 0000014874 00000 n 0000006312 00000 n How much to tip extra on a cruise is entirely up to you because it is in no way required. 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. Started June 21, 2021, By 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. 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. $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. You can save even more $$$ by eating in the Lido on the last evening and avoiding your cabin steward that night also ? Depending on when you go, you may have to wait until there is an available table. 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 . 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. Their website explains it as such: "By selecting My Time Dini. Guests who have signed up for My Time Dining will have their SeaPass card designated with the dining room and deck number. Looking for the Best Cruise Deals? You'd likely pay it at final payment date. Earn 5X Membership Rewards Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel. 0000422260 00000 n 0000015069 00000 n To ensure quick seating, we encourage guests who have selected the Flexible option to place a reservation for each evening. 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. Daily service charges are not the only cruise tips you will pay on board. ;) Can we opt out of those added on charges also?? Start with these stories: The credit card offers that appear on the website are from credit card companies from which ThePointsGuy.com receives compensation. Additionally, an 18% gratuity is added to bar bills, dining room wine purchases and Lotus Spa services. Do you have Cruise Fever too? please click here to update it. 0000006636 00000 n