London-Calling

I'm not sure why American's are getting upset about the re-deployment of Quantum?

 

You can still experience big new ships and 'Dynamic Dining' on-board Epic, Breakaway and Getaway!:)

 

As for talk of RCI being 'loyal' to US customers, this is business NOT friendship! I'm rarely loyal to any one product, I switch brands dependent on price and convenience etc.

 

There are plenty more ships in the sea!

I would have though that many of Quantum's dining options were designed for American tastes and certainly the western world. I would have though that the Chinese market would expect more Chinese options.

 

I suppose menu's can be changes, but it sounds like quite a paradigm shift. Langue and entertainment will also need to re-structured to suit the Asian market.

We did not do any specialty restaurants, just the MDR, and the food and service were both sub par to any other cruise we've taken, including Carnival.

 

To get a good meal with NCL, you normally have to pay a surcharge!

 

Of course if NCL keep the free options at a 'mediocre' level, the surcharge ones do better. If the MDR food was too good, the surcharge rooms would lose income.

 

I fear the same with Quantum!

No newer ship looks as ugly as Epic! A close second is NCL's 'Pride of America'.

 

The real similarity between Epic and Quantum is the dining system.

What interests me the most (apart from Sheehan's jeans) is the additional public spaces.

 

Will there be more restaurants? A lounge? Both?

 

Will the existing Breakaway dining rooms/public spaces be changed/re-themed?

I've cruise on both.

 

Personally I found Oasis to be a breathtaking ship which makes Getaway look small! However they are quite different products and not easy to directly compare.

 

NCL wins on dining choices/flexibility, but Oasis is an amazing design. Both are child friendly. Both have excellent shows.

 

There's more to a ship than a few water slides! Oasis has wonderful “Wow” spaces such as the Royal Promenade (internal street) Central Park, The Boardwalk, The Aqua and Studio-B Ice Rink. NCL have none, due to packing every inch of the ship with revenue generating restaurants and bars.

 

I bet you spend less on-board an RCCL than you would on an NCL ship.

 

Everyone should try Oasis or Alure!

 

Be Brave - try something new!

I like the sound of the 'Grande' especially as it's formal.

 

I hope RCL's free options are better than NCL's - they tend to be mediocre.

Here are a couple of questions for you all, inspired by 'Dynamic Dining':

 

Have you cruised NCL?

 

Did you like 'Freestyle'?

 

If you have not cruised with NCL, why not?

Maybe so. The problem with saying that is that every other person that has said it meant it as a negative.

 

In reality 'Dynamic' is probably both positive AND negative. Just like 'freestyle', some aspects work very well other aspects don't'.

 

Mind you fixed dining (one main dining room ) has its problems too - like a total lack of flexibility.

I think they price it higher for the European market too. I noticed the allure seems more expensive in the med than in carribean. Now that could also be due to port taxes & other factors.

 

There are so many big/newish ships in the Caribbean, the competition is fierce.

It depends on the upgrade cost, for $4 yes, for $400 probably no!

It must have been quite a design challenge to put something that heavy on the top deck. Most of a ships weight (engines, fuel, provisions, water etc.,) are located very low down for stability.

 

Apparently locating Two70 directly above the engines was a challenge too.

Looking at the design of Getaway/Breakaway, 'Dynamic Dining' will require multiple entertainment venues. 4,000+ passengers will not fit into the Theatre.

 

We know about the Theatre, The Music Hall and Two70. However I would at least expect another major venue or two, maybe a minor one too?

 

There has been a rumour of a 'Rainbow Room', NY Art Deco style. This might be a cabaret room?

Royal Caribbean keeps claiming 18 different dinner venues but that is a bold lie.

 

NCL do that too: they claim Breakaway has twenty options. One is room service, for example! I believe the dining rooms with both internal seating and seating on the Waterfront prom are counted as two options. I true figure is more like 10.

 

A nice logical reply to my post, thanks.

Do we have to love everything RCL do to partake in this form?

 

Here's the logic in the perceived anti-Dynamic Dining:

 

• Many people here are probably loyal (ish) to RCL because they feel that they are better than NCL.
   
   
  
• You can't really separate NCL from 'Freestyle'. If you don't like NCL or do not think that they are as good as RCL, it's probably because of 'freestyle'.
   
   
  
• Freestyle has many advantages and disadvantages. However some people just don't like it.
   
   
  
• RCL have now adopted a rival cruise lines system - 'Dynamic Dining' is somewhat similar to NCL's 'Freestyle'.
   
   
  
• Dynamic Dining/Freestyle changes the very design of the ships. Having 18 dining options leaves little room for big internal "Wow" spaces - which RCL have been famous for in the past.
   
   
  
• I don't think many of us are actually against 'Dynamic Dining' (I also cruise NCL and like them) but some of us are a little worried how well it will work and how it will change the RCL product.
   
   
  
• I used to enjoy the differences between RCL and NCL. Those differences appear to have eroded with Quantum.
  

New ships can command a 'premium' fare, for a while.

 

No disrespect, but The fact that you have booked two cruises and paid over the odds is proof positive that the strategy works.;)

[quote name='maddycat']We're loyal royals (28 RCI cruises and 3 more booked) and we're looking forward to sailing on the Quantum next spring. [/QUOTE]

Wow!

You need to do 32 NCL cruises if you want to draw an unbiased comparison.;)

[quote name='cruisingator2']Even NCL's newest ships seem behind the new Quantum class. Flow rider, bumper cars, Rip Cord and Northstar. None of those on NCL.[/QUOTE]

Behind? Those gimmicks are fine for the kids, but what about us adults?

Breakaway and Getaway have the lovely 'Waterfront' feature, which I guess will be more use to most of us than Rip-Cord! In fact Quantum is looking like a pretty 'inward' focussed ship at the moment.

If you want gimmicks NCL's new ship have the Ice Bar and the Plank. The Spiegel Tent (Circus show) and Illusionarium (Magic show) are pretty cool.

The Waterfront: [url]http://youtu.be/_kRN2i9mS2M[/url]

[quote name='SaintL']You must be joking; this is the natural direction for not only royal but all cruise lines. [/QUOTE]

NCL invented 'freestyle some [B]two decades [/B]ago.

RCL were very slow on the uptake if it's 'the future' of cruising.

It's very ironic how many RCL fans would not touch NCL/Freestyle with a barge pole in the past.

Did u cancel your booking?

 

I've not booked yet. I probably will, but I will wait until RCL 'reveal' the whole ship.

 

It is quite unusual (almost unknown) that the reveals on a new ship are still happening after the booking has opened to the public. (Not moaning, just stating a fact).

 

I'm not worried about 'Dynamic' - it works pretty well on NCL's new ships. I'm just surprised that RCL have gone down this road.

 

Ship with multiple dining rooms do not tend to have much spare room for "Wow" spaces (Royal Proms, Central Parks, Boardwalks, Studio B, Aqua Theatres, and tall atriums etc.) which we have come to love and expect form RCL.

 

Not bad, just very DIFFERENT!

We're looking forward to it. It's an interesting concept. So many choices. We absolutely love the idea of no ship wide formal night.

 

Yes, but NCL though of it two decades ago and called it 'Freestyle'.;)

 

I wonder if those that are excited about 'Dynamic Dining' have tried NCL? The system has both it's advantages and disadvantages.

In the Google Hangout sessions Adam Goldstein suggested that there might well be a few more Quantum reveals.

 

I had hoped that on 26th March all would be revealed. However we do not know much about the entertainment as yet. We still do not know what's in some of the "More To Come" spaces. We've not seen the "Royal prom" substitute either.

 

Passengers are booked onto Quantum and Anthem, yet RCL are still tantalizing us with secrets. This is madness! It's gone on for too long!:(

 

Personally I would not book a ship until I knew exactly what I'd be getting for my buck!

Having sailed NCL, I would say the key differences extend beyond food to ship design, entertainment and customer service all tipping far in RCL's favor.

 

It's all subjective of course, but having sailed on both lines, I can't really separate RCL and NCL's entertainment, on their newer ships.

 

RCL's Ice-Skating shows and Aqua shows are of course unique.

 

However NCL's F3 ships (Epic, breakaway & Getaway) the entertainment has been upgraded significantly. In fact much of it is 'branded' shows such as 'Blue Man Group' and 'Burn The floor'. Their circus how, in their intimate Spiegel Tent or magic show in their Illusionarium are also very good.

 

I've had great food and mediocre food, great service and poor service on both lines.

 

I still feel that with Quantum and Anthem their are more similarities to NCL now, than difference!

Yes, there are at least two recent threads about it here.

 

Oh, OK.

 

Links pls.:)

So this ship is "Norwegian of the Seas" just because the dining is similar? Far from a NCL ship!

 

Have you cruised on NCL's newer ships?

 

Apart from Quantum's gimmicks on the top deck, what's inside and how it all works, sounds very similar to Norwegian Epic, Breakaway of Getaway to me too!

 

So what are the differences?