"Dynamic dining is going fleetwide"

[ryano]

I believe this entire thread was premature since Adam Goldstein made statements about future plans and it is not in the cards for the immediate future on the rest of the fleet.

But rumors do take root on CC.:rolleyes:

 

Premature or not, all I was doing was telling Cruise Critic what I was told firsthand by a CVP at RCI. I dont think I could have been any clearer that I knew it was rubbish and how we all know that everyone from the CVP answering the phone all the way UP to the Captains spread false information all the time. :rolleyes: Im sure even Adam himself has done such a thing before.

 

In no way was I ever trying to start any rumor here. Please dont shoot the messenger. Honestly it would be almost impossible to do the whole DD concept on the older smaller ships.

 

It sure is funny watching all the whiners whine about something that hasnt even been rolled out yet on a ship that isnt even complete though. :D

 

Good stuff.

Edited August 15, 2014 by ryano

[Cruzaholic41]

Premature or not, all I was doing was telling Cruise Critic what I was told firsthand by a CVP at RCI.

 

I can easily see it going fleetwide. I just don't think it could be anytime soon. A lot of RCI ships are fresh out of drydock, so it'll be 5 years before they can go back and reconstruct the different levels of the dining rooms into separate themed restaurants.

[Cindy]

LOL! Like!

 

Youve been around a while. You probably remember the group here that vowed "NEVER ON OASIS of THE SEAS" and even had an acronym N.O.O.T.S. for said group. They fussed and fussed and fussed about it. Funny how it seems a large majority of them have went against their word, went on Oasis class and now love those two ships. :o

 

Some people LOVE to fuss about stuff they really dont know if they will like or not. It reminds me of people that claim they hate cruising yet have never even stepped foot on a cruise ship.

 

LOL! I will be writing a N.O.O.T.S. review of Oasis this November!:o It will probably be titled "Eating Crow Pie" since one bird is no longer sufficient. I ate that one back in 2006 when I took a Voyager class cruise, and obviously didn't learn my lesson.;)

Edited August 15, 2014 by Cindy

[Ken at the beach]

LOL! Like!

 

Youve been around a while. You probably remember the group here that vowed "NEVER ON OASIS of THE SEAS" and even had an acronym N.O.O.T.S. for said group. They fussed and fussed and fussed about it. Funny how it seems a large majority of them have went against their word, went on Oasis class and now love those two ships. :o

 

Some people LOVE to fuss about stuff they really dont know if they will like or not. It reminds me of people that claim they hate cruising yet have never even stepped foot on a cruise ship.

 

Thanks for posting. In now know what N.O.O.T.S. stands for.

[nbsjcruiser]

The attached PDF will explain it. It is a dining concept being launched on Quantum class ships. Early and late seating would be eliminated in favor of an expanded MTD concept. The single large dining room is being redesigned to be four smaller no charge themed restaurants with enhanced menus. There will be a total of 18 dining venues split 50/50 between no charge and fee based.

 

I like the concept.

[DonnaK]

I've avoided NCL for a reason: we love the traditional MDR experience. We like dining at the same time each night, having the same table, wait team and tablemates, and a rotating menu for the length of the cruise.

 

If Dynamic Dining goes fleetwide on RCI, then we will be moving over to another line that still offers the traditional dining experience. The restaurant concept just doesn't appeal to me at all.

 

To the poster who said that dynamic dining doesn't change anything because we can book the same restaurant, same table and same waiter each night: the problem is that the menus and food-style won't change from night-to-night in any particular restaurant. In the MDR, the menu varies so I can choose food that is Italian, Asian, Caribbean, etc, throughout the cruise.

Edited August 15, 2014 by DonnaK

[OfTheSeasCruiser]

I'm a fan of traditional dining, but am very hopeful to try DD on Quantum/Anthem! I personally just don't want the existing ships to have DD implemented on them. Q and A were designed for DD, not the rest of the fleet.

 

I also think Royal knows that by switching the whole fleet to DD at this time will disappoint a lot of loyal customers. I can see them wanting the whole fleet on DD in the future, but not anytime soon.

[caribbean sailor]

IF it is going to be rolled out I would think that it would be something that would need to be done during Drydock. I guess we shall see shortly as Oasis is next up for

 

Personally I don't expect to see it happen until AFTER Quantum and Anthem have been sailing for a little while so that they can work out the bugs.

 

I can see them launching Oasis 3 and 4 with dynamic dining.

 

The QUANTUM AND Anthem are the bugs. :)

[brfan]

I can easily see it going fleetwide. I just don't think it could be anytime soon. A lot of RCI ships are fresh out of drydock, so it'll be 5 years before they can go back and reconstruct the different levels of the dining rooms into separate themed restaurants.

 

My guess the answer will be known when it is announced what will be happening during the Oasis dry dock in the next few weeks. If they opt to switch to a form of dynamic dining on her, then my guess is the same will be true for the Freedom and Allure for their dry docks next year.

 

I wouldn't be shocked if they do a modified dynamic dining and maintain traditional dining, but on a smaller scale (maybe only one or half of one dining room will be traditional and the rest will be split up into different restaurants).

 

To the OP, I also read on a Royal Facebook page where several people had been told the same thing by their CVP with regards to the Oasis after her dry dock.

[OfTheSeasCruiser]

During the Oasis drydock, I can see it being a possibility that they may replace MTD with some form of DD, but I doubt they will eliminate traditional dining on a ship designed for it.

[Hoopster95]

I've avoided NCL for a reason: we love the traditional MDR experience. We like dining at the same time each night, having the same table, wait team and tablemates, and a rotating menu for the length of the cruise.

 

If Dynamic Dining goes fleetwide on RCI, then we will be moving over to another line that still offers the traditional dining experience. The restaurant concept just doesn't appeal to me at all.

 

To the poster who said that dynamic dining doesn't change anything because we can book the same restaurant, same table and same waiter each night: the problem is that the menus and food-style won't change from night-to-night in any particular restaurant. In the MDR, the menu varies so I can choose food that is Italian, Asian, Caribbean, etc, throughout the cruise.

 

example: 7 night cruise on Quantum or Anthem (Bermuda?) ... 4 free venues to eat at over 7 nights. You book your 6pm dinner each night 6 months in advance for example. You get to experience 4 different menus and sit in 4 different places within the MDR. This provides variety of foods/themes and a fresh outlook on dining. This is what cruisers are doing right now.... and PAYING for it at upcharge venues Chops, Giovannis, Park150, Samba's, etc. You don't get the same table or waiter there every night either.

 

I think many here need to think more positively rather than negatively ... I think the general public wants to see various options, and instead of providing more and more pay options, RCL is actually providing variety for free!

 

Let's see all the foodie reviews starting in November :D

[gaylemh]

example: 7 night cruise on Quantum or Anthem (Bermuda?) ... 4 free venues to eat at over 7 nights. You book your 6pm dinner each night 6 months in advance for example. You get to experience 4 different menus and sit in 4 different places within the MDR. This provides variety of foods/themes and a fresh outlook on dining. This is what cruisers are doing right now.... and PAYING for it at upcharge venues Chops, Giovannis, Park150, Samba's, etc. You don't get the same table or waiter there every night either.

 

I think many here need to think more positively rather than negatively ... I think the general public wants to see various options, and instead of providing more and more pay options, RCL is actually providing variety for free!

 

Let's see all the foodie reviews starting in November :D

 

The majority of cruisers don't book upcharge restaurants. Maybe one during a cruise. With traditional dining on a 7 night cruise you get 7 different menus. With 4 free restaurants on Quantum you only get 4 different menus. I think there's more variety now.

[nicstress]

My guess the answer will be known when it is announced what will be happening during the Oasis dry dock in the next few weeks. If they opt to switch to a form of dynamic dining on her, then my guess is the same will be true for the Freedom and Allure for their dry docks next year.

 

I wouldn't be shocked if they do a modified dynamic dining and maintain traditional dining, but on a smaller scale (maybe only one or half of one dining room will be traditional and the rest will be split up into different restaurants).

 

To the OP, I also read on a Royal Facebook page where several people had been told the same thing by their CVP with regards to the Oasis after her dry dock.

 

Gee, I posted a couple of weeks ago that there were rumors Freedom was being set up to test dynamic dining and someone practically bit my head off saying that it couldn't possibly be true. But recent reports of how they are changing the restaurants on Freedom in January point in that direction. It will be modified, with the MDR remaining but only 2 levels. My guess is My Time dining will be a modified Dynamic Dining test. I am on the second sailing after dry dock and we shall see! Currently we cannot book anything related to dining or entertainment.

[nicstress]

I hope this is wrong. We are sailing on FR on Feb. 22, 2015 and it would be a nightmare in a short time period (from when it would be announced) to make reservations if this was changed.

 

I am on the 2/8/15 sailing and was forced into MyTime so I wouldn't actually mind it. They will still have the MDR on 2 levels so anyone that has early or late seating will most likely keep it and anyone with My Time will get a Dynamic Dining test.

[DonnaK]

example: 7 night cruise on Quantum or Anthem (Bermuda?) ... 4 free venues to eat at over 7 nights. You book your 6pm dinner each night 6 months in advance for example. You get to experience 4 different menus and sit in 4 different places within the MDR. This provides variety of foods/themes and a fresh outlook on dining. This is what cruisers are doing right now.... and PAYING for it at upcharge venues Chops, Giovannis, Park150, Samba's, etc. You don't get the same table or waiter there every night either.

 

I think many here need to think more positively rather than negatively ... I think the general public wants to see various options, and instead of providing more and more pay options, RCL is actually providing variety for free!

 

Let's see all the foodie reviews starting in November :D

 

I have over 100 nights at sea and have NEVER booked a specialty restaurant. Most cruisers do not eat at specialty restaurants, especially those traveling with kids/families.

 

I am sailing on the 3 day Quantum sampler. I booked 3 of the included restaurants (skipping the one that is formal all the time). If I were on a longer cruise (like the 10 or 12 night), then each restaurant with the same cuisine style and menu would get very boring by the end of the cruise. This is not a great variety of free choices. Plus, it was very hard to get reservations, especially at our desired times.

 

The majority of cruisers don't book upcharge restaurants. Maybe one during a cruise. With traditional dining on a 7 night cruise you get 7 different menus. With 4 free restaurants on Quantum you only get 4 different menus. I think there's more variety now.

My thoughts exactly! Edited August 16, 2014 by DonnaK

[TM38Rob]

If you are in favor of Dynamic Dining, great. Please explain how it works for you. If you are not in favor of Dynamic Dining, you are welcome to explain how it doesn't work for you. But there's no need for those who are in favor to bash those who are opposed (and vise versa for future posts).

 

I don't need to get arrested to know I'm not going to like jail. I also don't need to experience Dynamic Dining to know I'm not going to like it.

 

In addition to my post about sailing solo, DD wouldn't work for me if I did have someone sailing with me. With four "complimentary" restaurants, its gets narrowed down to three for me as I don't bring a jacket with me and its required for men in the "formal" restaurant. Of the three remaining, only the American Icon restaurant appeals to my tastes. I've seen the menu, and there are 3 choices I'd like to try. This would be great on a short 3 or 4 night cruise, but not on a longer cruise.

 

The whole reason for Dynamic Dining and eliminating the MDR is to try to force people who normally wouldn't eat at an upcharge specialty restaurant to do so with limited "complimentary" options for dinner. The problem with that, though, is that none of the specialty restaurant menus appeal to me. Norwegian, on the other hand, has specialty restaurants with menus that do appeal to me. I would have eaten at Cagney's Steakhouse or La Cucina, however, I did not have a reservation and wait times were in the red on the restaurant wait list screen.

 

I'm only saying I'd try to avoid any ship with Dynamic Dining (or at least ones without the MDR option), otherwise, I'll continue to sail on other Royal Caribbean ships (if only to go to CocoCay). I'll also sail Norwegian again, if only to see what Great Stirrup Cay is like (so close to CocoCay, yet so far away). But maybe now I will actually consider booking Carnival :eek: (Just to sail to Grand Turk, to start).

 

Edit: Carnival by Natalie Merchant just began to randomly play from my iTunes. Maybe its a sign, Maybe ;).

Edited August 16, 2014 by TM38Rob
song

[mac_tlc]

We are on the Freedom now and last night at the top tier event, the Hotel Director and Captain said its coming to the Freedom during its drydock in January. Three separate restaurants on the three levels. One is Silk, one is Grand, and they did not mention the third. Also indicated it is coming to Oasis and Explorer. Some executives from Miami are coming on board on Sunday to discuss it with the Captain and Hotel director.

 

I'm not a fan, but they did not ask me.

 

My guess is it will go fleetwide -- and much quicker than we thought.

 

mac_tlc

Edited August 16, 2014 by mac_tlc

[Ken at the beach]

We are on the Freedom now and last night at the top tier event, the Hotel Director and Captain said its coming to the Freedom during its drydock in January. Three separate restaurants on the three levels. One is Silk, one is Grand, and they did not mention the third. Also indicated it is coming to Oasis and Explorer. Some executives from Miami are coming on board on Sunday to discuss it with the Captain and Hotel director.

 

I'm not a fan, but they did not ask me.

 

My guess is it will go fleetwide -- and much quicker than we thought.

 

mac_tlc

 

Was there any other information about the drydock?

[RocketMan275]

One thing I don't think anyone has touched upon is the Formal Dinning. One venue where every night is formal and the remaining venues are casual. If this is implemented, then there will be no need for the dress code threads here on CC. You want to go formal, you can do it every night. You don't like formal, so be it.

 

Forgot to add. I like the dynamic dinning concept. I like the menu's and I especially like having a venue especially for formal wear. FYI, I don't do traditional dinning so that may be a factor.

Edited August 16, 2014 by RocketMan275
Completeness

[Cindy]

We are on the Freedom now and last night at the top tier event, the Hotel Director and Captain said its coming to the Freedom during its drydock in January. Three separate restaurants on the three levels. One is Silk, one is Grand, and they did not mention the third. Also indicated it is coming to Oasis and Explorer. Some executives from Miami are coming on board on Sunday to discuss it with the Captain and Hotel director.

 

I'm not a fan, but they did not ask me.

 

My guess is it will go fleetwide -- and much quicker than we thought.

 

mac_tlc

 

It will be interesting for me to see what, if anything, happens to the Oasis in drydock. I am cruising November 15th, and I already have a combination of MTD and specialty reservations -- carefully scheduled around my entertainment reservations.

 

Hopefully if they decide to test this on the Oasis, they will find a way to accommodate people who already have dining reservations without making them redo everything. Maybe it will be like CATS, where they just slid Hairspray reservations over to the new show. Oh, wait...:p;):p

 

I'm not adverse to trying something new. In addition to MTD, we already paid to go to Chef's Table, 150 Central Park, GT, and Chops on this cruise. It is a little frustrating, however, to work on a schedule and get everything to fit, then have the cruise line make changes to available shows or dining.

Edited August 16, 2014 by Cindy

[celebrity]

I've avoided NCL for a reason: we love the traditional MDR experience. We like dining at the same time each night, having the same table, wait team and tablemates, and a rotating menu for the length of the cruise.

 

If Dynamic Dining goes fleetwide on RCI, then we will be moving over to another line that still offers the traditional dining experience. The restaurant concept just doesn't appeal to me at all.

 

To the poster who said that dynamic dining doesn't change anything because we can book the same restaurant, same table and same waiter each night: the problem is that the menus and food-style won't change from night-to-night in any particular restaurant. In the MDR, the menu varies so I can choose food that is Italian, Asian, Caribbean, etc, throughout the cruise.

 

Same here. One of the advantages of Royal's fleet are the different classes of ships and amenities onboard. Making Dynamic Dining fleet wide is a huge game changer and one that will be a deciding factor for me.

[xpcdoojk]

If you are in favor of Dynamic Dining, great. Please explain how it works for you. If you are not in favor of Dynamic Dining, you are welcome to explain how it doesn't work for you. But there's no need for those who are in favor to bash those who are opposed (and vise versa for future posts).

 

I don't need to get arrested to know I'm not going to like jail. I also don't need to experience Dynamic Dining to know I'm not going to like it.

 

In addition to my post about sailing solo, DD wouldn't work for me if I did have someone sailing with me. With four "complimentary" restaurants, its gets narrowed down to three for me as I don't bring a jacket with me and its required for men in the "formal" restaurant. Of the three remaining, only the American Icon restaurant appeals to my tastes. I've seen the menu, and there are 3 choices I'd like to try. This would be great on a short 3 or 4 night cruise, but not on a longer cruise.

 

The whole reason for Dynamic Dining and eliminating the MDR is to try to force people who normally wouldn't eat at an upcharge specialty restaurant to do so with limited "complimentary" options for dinner. The problem with that, though, is that none of the specialty restaurant menus appeal to me. Norwegian, on the other hand, has specialty restaurants with menus that do appeal to me. I would have eaten at Cagney's Steakhouse or La Cucina, however, I did not have a reservation and wait times were in the red on the restaurant wait list screen.

 

I'm only saying I'd try to avoid any ship with Dynamic Dining (or at least ones without the MDR option), otherwise, I'll continue to sail on other Royal Caribbean ships (if only to go to CocoCay). I'll also sail Norwegian again, if only to see what Great Stirrup Cay is like (so close to CocoCay, yet so far away). But maybe now I will actually consider booking Carnival :eek: (Just to sail to Grand Turk, to start).

 

Edit: Carnival by Natalie Merchant just began to randomly play from my iTunes. Maybe its a sign, Maybe ;).

 

Definitely a sign. You need a new play list.:D

 

jc

[OfTheSeasCruiser]

We are on the Freedom now and last night at the top tier event, the Hotel Director and Captain said its coming to the Freedom during its drydock in January. Three separate restaurants on the three levels. One is Silk, one is Grand, and they did not mention the third. Also indicated it is coming to Oasis and Explorer. Some executives from Miami are coming on board on Sunday to discuss it with the Captain and Hotel director.

 

I'm not a fan, but they did not ask me.

 

My guess is it will go fleetwide -- and much quicker than we thought.

 

mac_tlc

 

That kills me to hear. I really think Royal should start to officially say what ships will be getting it within the next year so that those of us, including me, will be able to know BEFORE we book. We are thinking of booking Oasis next year, but I am now not so sure..

 

Also maybe the third is staying a traditional dining room! :D;)

 

Edit: I have nothing against DD, actually I am very excited to try it on Quantum one day, but I would much prefer if Royal left variety in the fleet, some ships with traditional, some with DD.

Edited August 16, 2014 by OfTheSeasCruiser

[celebrity]

That kills me to hear. I really think Royal should start to officially say what ships will be getting it within the next year so that those of us, including me, will be able to know BEFORE we book. We are thinking of booking Oasis next year, but I am now not so sure..

 

Also maybe the third is staying a traditional dining room! :D;)

 

Edit: I have nothing against DD, actually I am very excited to try it on Quantum one day, but I would much prefer if Royal left variety in the fleet, some ships with traditional, some with DD.

 

Agreed! Some people will love DD, some will not. Variety is the spice of life.

Royal, please consider keeping some ships for traditionalists. Something for everyone.

[OfTheSeasCruiser]

Let me get this straight, if they are putting DD on Freedom in the MDR that is now limiting us to only three options. If they decide to also put it on Radiance/Vision classes will we then be limited to only 2 venues? I can't think of any other places on a Radiance class ship to put in another restaurant, unless they replaced one of the specialty restaurants..but we all know that will never happen! :rolleyes:

 

When we sailed the NCL Epic, we were not fans of Freestyle. The Epic has two main dining rooms and many specialty restaurants. the food lacked in the dining rooms, forcing us to try the pay restaurants...what a surprise... If Royal goes fleetwide with this, 2 or 3 different complimentary venues aren't going to have enough options.

Edited August 16, 2014 by OfTheSeasCruiser