Your link has been automatically embedded. If you want to use My Time Dining you must pay for tips in advance. 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. The only thing you should HAVE to pay at booking is the deposit. We do not prepay gratuities because we always have OBC and they will be deducted from the OBC daily. Planning a cruise? Pardon? 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. 0000427335 00000 n 0000896900 00000 n The mandatory 20% gratuity comes out to nearly $22 per day. What is My Time Dining? | Royal Caribbean Cruises ;). You do have to prepay your gratuities in order to sign up to My Time Dining. 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. 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 . If anyone on our team wouldnt recommend it to a friend or a family member, we wouldnt recommend it on The Points Guy either. Apply and select your preferred metal Card design: classic Platinum Card, Platinum x Kehinde Wiley, or Platinum x Julie Mehretu. Every Royal Caribbean ship includes meals at many included restaurants, including the main dining room and the buffet. The exact times, however, will vary according to your cruise itinerary. Hi! Our Best Royal Caribbean Cruise Tips And Tricks 0000891696 00000 n 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?? 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?! 0000022522 00000 n We strongly recommend reserving your dining times through Cruise Planner prior to your sailing as dining times may fill up. What is Royal Caribbean's gratuity price and policy? - Cruises Still need help? Started June 21, 2021, By Instant Real Time Pricing If you continue to use this site, you consent to our use of cookies. 0000897170 00000 n Automatic gratuity charge: None. Tipping on a cruise does not have to be complicated, but you need to understand the big picture to budget for your vacation appropriately. Can I participate in My Time Dining but make a reservation for a specific time? . Regent Seven Seas Cruises. Cruise lines say they pass the money collected from service charges to the shipboard crew. They work very long hours all day long. What happens if I cancel the gratuities? And, unlike the typical service fee or resort fee found at a land resort, they are not per room. That explains it and answers my question- youre right, it does still say it on parts of the website. If you tip personally in cash, those people must turn it in or face dismissal. Learn the cruise secrets most people don't know and cruise like a boss. April 7, 2008. Click the button above to compare the prices of cruises from all travel agents. Guests who have signed up for My Time Dining will have their SeaPass card designated with the dining room and deck number. That's exactly the case with the Amex Platinum card. Pasted as rich text. 0000417581 00000 n From there, you can go ahead and make a reservation for each night of your cruise. Now you have a choice to prepay gratuities or not with either Traditional or MTD. Callummck 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. Royal Caribbeans award winning dining program, My Time Dining, offers flexible and traditional options. Tipping on a cruise ship: Everything you need to know 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. Never feel pressured to add an extra tip when you've already paid one. 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. CC Help Jenn Note that this only applies to dinner in the Main Dining Room. 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. but only parties of 20 or less can be seated at one time. If you feel anyone has been particularly helpful you can always tip them extra in cash. Note, however, that this means you may not be able to have as flexible of a dining experience as you might be hoping for, especially if prime reservations have been secured in advance by other guests. 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. 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. xbbba`b``0 u B endstream endobj 29 0 obj <>/ViewerPreferences<>/Metadata 6 0 R/AcroForm 30 0 R/Pages 5 0 R/StructTreeRoot 8 0 R/Type/Catalog>> endobj 30 0 obj <>/Encoding<>>>>> endobj 31 0 obj <>/Shading<>/ColorSpace<>/Font<>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageC/ImageI]/Properties<>/MC1<<>>/MC2<<>>/MC3<<>>>>/ExtGState<>>>/Type/Page>> endobj 32 0 obj [/Indexed 47 0 R 162 85 0 R] endobj 33 0 obj [/Indexed 47 0 R 140 80 0 R] endobj 34 0 obj <> endobj 35 0 obj <> endobj 36 0 obj [/Indexed 47 0 R 147 75 0 R] endobj 37 0 obj [/Indexed 47 0 R 120 96 0 R] endobj 38 0 obj [/Indexed 47 0 R 210 122 0 R] endobj 39 0 obj [/Indexed 47 0 R 77 93 0 R] endobj 40 0 obj [/Separation/PANTONE#20281#20CV/DeviceCMYK<>] endobj 41 0 obj [/DeviceN[/Cyan/Magenta/Yellow]/DeviceCMYK 114 0 R 116 0 R] endobj 42 0 obj [/Indexed 47 0 R 128 101 0 R] endobj 43 0 obj [/Indexed 47 0 R 192 121 0 R] endobj 44 0 obj [/Indexed 47 0 R 128 110 0 R] endobj 45 0 obj [/Separation/PANTONE#202727#20C/DeviceCMYK<>] endobj 46 0 obj [/Indexed 47 0 R 3 66 0 R] endobj 47 0 obj [/ICCBased 65 0 R] endobj 48 0 obj <>stream 0000910770 00000 n You no longer have to prepay gratuities if you select My Time Dining. 0000006714 00000 n Sorry- Im not expressing myself too well! Enrollment required. 0000016969 00000 n I think you probably have had you questions answered already but I wanted to show an example. Automatic Gratuities were added to lessen the event of "skipping out" on tips and to make sure MTD waiters were tipped. 0000812508 00000 n 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. The flexible option allows you to select your own dining time and table companions on a daily basis. 0000005096 00000 n You do have to prepay your gratuities in order to sign up to My Time Dining. $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. Ive worked in the cruise industry since 2015 and now my blog helps over a million people to plan their cruises each month. 0000916414 00000 n Daily service charges are not the only cruise tips you will pay on board. 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. 0000011404 00000 n 0000426236 00000 n A list of those who do this is available to the staff. You dont have to attend dinner at the same time, and you can arrange a table that works for you. PDF MY TIME DINING - Royal Caribbean International Jon lives in the foothills of North Carolina and wishes there were a cruise port that far inland. Compare the cost in points or miles to cash, and see which option is best. Fortunately, Royal Caribbean still offers both traditional and My Time Dining options. Personally, I wouldn't dream of NOT tipping people that are doing me a service. At most lines, you can pay your service charges in advance of sailing (at the same time you pay your cruise fare). Additionally, an 18% gratuity is added to bar bills, dining room wine purchases and Lotus Spa services. 0000891423 00000 n You can save even more $$$ by eating in the Lido on the last evening and avoiding your cabin steward that night also ? 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. Reservations are strongly recommended. Your previous content has been restored. If youre already booked and have chosen the flexible option, you can easily pre-reserve specific days and times online. Then, Norwegian Cruise Line decided to shake things up a bit with "freestyle dining", an innovation that allows guests to eat dinner anytime . 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. Quote tiny260 Members 2.4k LocationOklahoma Posted January 11, 2019 I think you probably have had you questions answered already but I wanted to show an example. I am looking at cancelling my gratuities when I get on board. That said, some people do leave a little extra for crew members who go above and beyond. Sunshine State. If your My Time Dining reservation is at 7:15pm, do not make any other reservations until 8:30pm or later. In many cases, the service charges are adjustable. 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. Im really asking the opposite - We havent prepaid gratuities, but the agent has booked us in for My Time Dining! I don't know if you have cruised before, but the gratuities cover more than your wait staff in My Time Dining. The best way to fully take advantage of the My Time Dining program is to make your reservations before you board the ship! 28 0 obj <> endobj xref 28 131 0000000016 00000 n Even if I opt out of automatic gratuities? document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); | I'm so sorry that this post wasn't useful for you! If you pay them onboard, it will be charged automatically each day of the 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. You can disable the usage of cookies by changing the settings of your browser. For your convenience, prepaid gratuities are automatically added to your flexible option reservations. By his definition the answer is yes. This site does not include all credit card companies or all available credit card offers. By You can reserve My Time Dining when you first book your cruise, or by logging onto the Royal Caribbean website to amend your booking. There are even more places your Platinum Card can get you complimentary entry and exclusive perks. Can a family in one stateroom dine at different times with My Time Dining? As soon as you place the deposit for your cruise, you will gain access to the Cruise Planner. The included tip amount varies by cruise line, but is typically 15% to 20% of the bill. 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). Plus, your own feed of TPG content. Any amount is fine and will be appreciated by the hard-working crew. The group we are going with have all chosen the early 5pm dinner reservation. A world of culinary exploration awaits you onboard Royal Caribbean. 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! 0000891478 00000 n Sometimes it's worth a large investment to reap the benefits of a great credit card. If you want, you can even try to switch onboard. You must have JavaScript enabled to use this form. 0000417078 00000 n Main Dining Room on Allure of the Seas 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. These 9 Drinks Are Free on Royal Caribbean Cruises. Please don't disrupt the system that works that was put in place that is fair to crew and guests . 0000418920 00000 n If, for example, two people would like to eat earlier around 6:30pm, you would make them their own reservation. 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. Clear editor. You may request a certain waiter each night, and we will work to seat your party in his or her area depending on availability. Unlike Traditional Dining, you will not be seated at the same table with the same wait staff if your choose My Time. 0000738858 00000 n 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. 13 Biggest Mistakes Made by Carnival Cruise Passengers [Carnival Tips], Cruise Ship Room Service: Menus and Fees for Cruise Lines, Carnival Anytime Dining: Tips for Your Time Dining with Carnival, Carnival Bringing a Fourth Cruise Ship to Galveston, Texas, Carnival to Send Newly Upgraded Ship on 14-Day Transatlantic Cruise, Royal Caribbean Updates Perks in Loyalty Program.