Rotating Restaurants on Anthem

Just a question--how does Disney's concept differ.

I don't know how Royal's version went but on Disney you are assigned a rotation to all 4 of the dining rooms (the rotation varies) and the wait staff follows you to each of the dining rooms. There are a few special nights that have the same menu in all 4 dining rooms but on a regular night each dining room has its own unique menu.

On the flip side Disney has been doing this flawlessly since they started sailing.

Funny how the same concept can be correctly executed, while the other should be executed for doing it incorrectly.

Does Disney mix Traditional (fixed) and My Time dining? Does Disney allow the guests to set their own sequence of restaurants, e.g., can the guest go to the same restaurant every night, instead of alternating?

I don't know how Royal's version went but on Disney you are assigned a rotation to all 4 of the dining rooms (the rotation varies) and the wait staff follows you to each of the dining rooms. There are a few special nights that have the same menu in all 4 dining rooms but on a regular night each dining room has its own unique menu.

Other than the special night(s) I don't see dramatic difference in the concepts. I would think that it would be more difficult with Disney with many more kids sailing. Maybe it's because RCL has been cruising longer and it's established Paxs have different expectations.

I sailed on Disney's Big Red Boat (Oceanic) and it was one large dining room.

Does Disney mix Traditional (fixed) and My Time dining? Does Disney allow the guests to set their own sequence of restaurants, e.g., can the guest go to the same restaurant every night, instead of alternating?

Disney only has traditional dining. And the guests can not go to the same restaurant every night. And Disney doesn't have nearly the amount of speciality restaurants (and the ones they do have are adults only).

Disney only has traditional dining. And the guests can not go to the same restaurant every night. And Disney doesn't have nearly the amount of speciality restaurants (and the ones they do have are adults only).

My guess is that limiting dining to tradtional (fixed) makes it much easier to implement the rotating dining. Royal also had one particular restaurant that offered "free" lobster and another that offered primarily Asian cuisine, which caused uneven distribution of guests.

My guess is that limiting dining to tradtional (fixed) makes it much easier to implement the rotating dining. Royal also had one particular restaurant that offered "free" lobster and another that offered primarily Asian cuisine, which caused uneven distribution of guests.

Probably. It has been a few years but if I remember correctly the formal night menus on Disney (which normally include lobster) are on one of the nights the menus are all the same.

Probably. It has been a few years but if I remember correctly the formal night menus on Disney (which normally include lobster) are on one of the nights the menus are all the same.

Obviously, the concept can work, but Royal's implementation was poor. Royal also misjudged the turnover time and did not allocate enough seats to accommodate a slower turnover rate. They also initially reduced the staff allocated to dining, which did not help.

My guess is that limiting dining to tradtional (fixed) makes it much easier to implement the rotating dining. Royal also had one particular restaurant that offered "free" lobster and another that offered primarily Asian cuisine, which caused uneven distribution of guests.

Don't know how MTD was treated under DD concept. The MTD guests would have thrown the off the distribution. However, this could have been fixed and controlled by simply having one of the restaurants designated as MTD and the other able 3 to rotate.

In addition to the gripes it may be simply be bottom line economics as many Pax order multiple lobsters, I know I did.:D

I'm not sure that is true as all Paxs had to rotate to each of the 4 restaurants.

When we cruised on the Anthem in July 2015 we were allowed to drop out of DD and just eat in Silk. Not sure if we were just lucky or it was because we were in a JS.

Probably. It has been a few years but if I remember correctly the formal night menus on Disney (which normally include lobster) are on one of the nights the menus are all the same.

We've been on Disney 8 times and I cannot remember lobster on the menu.

We've been on Disney 8 times and I cannot remember lobster on the menu.

I very well could be mixing that up with the lobster mac and cheese or the lobster app or something. I don't eat shellfish so I don't pay that close of attention to it on menus, but I did think it was on the Captains Gala menu

When we cruised on the Anthem in July 2015 we were allowed to drop out of DD and just eat in Silk.

There were two options under the later version of DD - Classic (which involved the rotation through venues) and Regular (which was like MTD). Under regular you could eat in the same venue every night if you wanted to, but your menu never changed.

During Quantum (in US) and early Anthem days, there was only one version of DD, original (no rotation - MTD without menu changes).

I very well could be mixing that up with the lobster mac and cheese or the lobster app or something. I don't eat shellfish so I don't pay that close of attention to it on menus, but I did think it was on the Captains Gala menu

You are probably correct about the lobster Mac&cheese or maybe lobster bisque. Never saw a lobster on DCL. For that matter, we just got off a Celebrity cruise to Canada and New England. There was NO lobster night. In 2017 (same cruise) there was a lobster night. Seems Lobster night has been eliminated on most cruises, same as the tuxedo.

You are probably correct about the lobster Mac&cheese or maybe lobster bisque. Never saw a lobster on DCL. For that matter, we just got off a Celebrity cruise to Canada and New England. There was NO lobster night. In 2017 (same cruise) there was a lobster night. Seems Lobster night has been eliminated on most cruises, same as the tuxedo.

I asked my fresh on the Disney Fantasy aunt and she said there was baked lobster tail on the semi formal night, which she has had on the majority of her cruises with them. It isn't on the shorter cruises, and maybe not all itineraries but strange that you wouldn't have seen it in 8 cruises. Hopefully I will see that menu again for myself once we get moved back to the mainland United States

You are probably correct about the lobster Mac&cheese or maybe lobster bisque. Never saw a lobster on DCL. For that matter, we just got off a Celebrity cruise to Canada and New England. There was NO lobster night. In 2017 (same cruise) there was a lobster night. Seems Lobster night has been eliminated on most cruises, same as the tuxedo.

All of my RCL cruises have had a lobster night.

In August '16 we sailed the Anthem 9 nite NE/Canada cruise and in addition to the lobster on the formal night we were pleasantly surprised for whole lobsters shown on the menu when we left Bar Harbor. We were told that RCL invested some $250k in lobsters. The next day on the MDR lunch menu there was a lobster/crab roll. It was as good as the one we had in Kennebunkport.

Yes, My Time Dining is offered on all RC ships.

Thanks

So... haven't been on RCCL since 2005 and just booked the Anthem for Sept 5 day sailing to Bermuda. Trying to understand the My Time Dining. "Reserved" a time for every night of the cruise. Does this mean when we get on the ship we are assigned to one dining room for the entire cruise for dinner, or can we show up at any of the four main dining rooms at the time reserved and be seated?

Also, must reservation be canceled if we would opt at the last minute to eat in Solarium/Windjammer or other included dining venues?

Thanks!

So... haven't been on RCCL since 2005 and just booked the Anthem for Sept 5 day sailing to Bermuda. Trying to understand the My Time Dining. "Reserved" a time for every night of the cruise. Does this mean when we get on the ship we are assigned to one dining room for the entire cruise for dinner, or can we show up at any of the four main dining rooms at the time reserved and be seated?

 

Also, must reservation be canceled if we would opt at the last minute to eat in Solarium/Windjammer or other included dining venues?

 

Thanks!

You will be assigned to one of the main dining room restaurants.

It would be courteous to others to cancel your reservation once you know you won't need it.

You will be assigned to one of the main dining room restaurants.

 

It would be courteous to others to cancel your reservation once you know you won't need it.

Thanks! I have read so much conflicting info, and some posters have said that they were moved to a different main dining room on certain nights, and others have said that they have requested a different main dining room some nights and were accommodated. The literature I have says the The Grande is formal only, and we were not planning to bring formal wear, so didn't know how that worked. If The Grande is no longer formal only, and there is a formal night in all MDR one night, can we be seated if my husband has a collar shirt and tie, but no jacket? Really trying to pack light, since this is such a short cruise!;)

Thanks! I have read so much conflicting info, and some posters have said that they were moved to a different main dining room on certain nights, and others have said that they have requested a different main dining room some nights and were accommodated. The literature I have says the The Grande is formal only, and we were not planning to bring formal wear, so didn't know how that worked. If The Grande is no longer formal only, and there is a formal night in all MDR one night, can we be seated if my husband has a collar shirt and tie, but no jacket? Really trying to pack light, since this is such a short cruise!;)

Some of Royal's info about Anthem dining is long out of date. The Grande is not formal only. The ship does have traditional formal nights like most other ships in Royal's fleet, usually 2 formal nights on a 7-night cruise.

With regard to formal dress, the cruise line no longer enforces any sort of dress code, so you can wear whatever you like.

We had MTD on Anthem a few weeks ago and they put us in Silk the first night & American Icon the next. I think they do this based on availability of tables, so you don't have to wait to be seated.