Huge Dissatisfaction with Dynamic Dining

[LoneStarJeffe]

This is the last day of our cruise on Quantum. As many have stated, a lot of improvements have been added. However, DD is still not as smooth as the traditional dining experience.

 

I personally enjoyed meeting different people but missed not having the same waiter each night.

 

The largest trade off with DD is that I think you plan your main activities at night and then plan your dining around them. Previously, your dining time was more fixed and you planned your activities around the dining time. Both approaches have good and bad.

 

I do want to address menu variety. I think if you only eat at the free venues, the menu does get stale over a long er cruise. I do not know, but suspect part of the problem might be there is insufficient historical data to properly know just how much to order in terms of food. I have not seen this aspect of DD discussed much but with traditional dining, it is a fleet wide menu and they have data across all ships to use to determine how much to order based on passenger numbers. With DD on Quantum they only have the data from the sailings since November. I suspect they need to get a good baseline and then work from there to expand the menu. Otherwise, they order food that does not get used and has to be thrown out. So the limited menus will be around for awhile. Unfortunately, with Quantum going to China, I do not think this will be easily resolved before Anthem replaces Quantum. But over time, and as they move past just a single ship doing DD, they will get a better understanding of how much of what to order and can then start expanding the menu. But I suspect right now, they are tuning the ordering to a fixed menu and do not want to make a lot menu changes.

 

Just my thoughts.

 

Quantum is a beautiful ship and my wife and I have really enjoyed it. No regrets on sailing her these past twelve days.

[Merion_Mom]

As opposed to traditional dining, however, it is.

 

Have you ever been near the Main Dining room at 5:25 for a 5:30 main seating, or 5:55 for a 6:00 main seating?!?!?!?

 

:eek:

[LMaxwell]

Have you ever been near the Main Dining room at 5:25 for a 5:30 main seating, or 5:55 for a 6:00 main seating?!?!?!?

 

:eek:

Haha yeah its a zoo! But that's different than a 45 minute wait for dinner. Show up for 6 pm traditional at 6:02 and you stroll right in

[LetsGetWet!]

I think the one area I disagree with is that people would look for more traditional cruise experiences after Quantum. I actually think that if a new cruiser has a bad experience with Quantum they probably wouldn't want to set foot on any cruise ship again, no matter what the shape of the logo is on the outside.

 

At best DD requires much more forethought and planning than a traditional cruise.

 

At worst it is frustrating, fraught with lines, impersonal service, etc...

 

The menus look enticing, not sure why they couldn't just keep MTD and MDR and use a good portion of the new items to update menus.

Hmm... Once again we're in complete agreement - scary! :eek::p

[John&LaLa]

Ok no offense, but dont be a sound board for the line. The poster had a legitimate complaint about how they didnt like it....and you come back sounding like the PR department..... congrats, you love RCCL so much you dont see the stains on the floor ever....

 

I don't see stains because I don't look for them. Time is short, keep your chin up.

[ScubaCruiser54]

Interesting thread. I am also a Diamond C&A member and I have no desire to travel on any ship that has Dynamic Dining (DD). I do not want to be "fighting for reservations" with other passengers to be able to use the "free dining rooms". I have already expressed this to RCI.

 

Reading through the comments on many reviews of the RCI Quantum of the Seas, it is readily apparent that the problems that I predicted in my letter to RCI came to fruition. It appeared that there were screwed up reservations, screwed up service, insufficient seats available without waiting in line for the "free dining areas", inability to continue dining with people you have met in the "free main dining areas" [as you have to keep making reservations to sit with the same people], wait staff who were not as attentive as traditional dining wait staff on other ships, and the preparation to convert traditional dining areas into facilities to extract even more money out of travelers beyond their ticketed passage just to eat.

 

I also predicted that RCI would use DD as their vehicle to create extra income by changing main dining facilities into numerous dining facilities for "FEES". This will cost RCI significant cruisers who will now take the opportunity to "drop their current loyalty" to RCI in an effort to continue to enjoy the traditional cruising that they have come to expect by exploring other cruise lines. Fighting, hassling or even wasting my time to try to coordinate my dining locations for each night of a 7 to 14 day cruise with other travelers is NOT part of vacationing on a cruise ship. That exercise soon becomes a tedious exercise in frustration and wasted time. If you want to be a Mouseketeer, try your vacationing ashore or on NCL. There are usually lines in the Windjammer. Other than the first night out, you may have a line for traditional dining as people find their tables [for those who do not look during the day].

 

When RCI starts turning its fleet into DD to the detriment of traditional dining, that will be the time I quit aiming to complete the few cruises I have left to reach Diamond Plus status and begin looking at other cruise lines which remain true to traditional dining without your having to do anything other than requesting main or late dining [and coordinating the reservation numbers of the members of your party one time through a travel agent or the booking agent].

 

For those who ripped on each other over issues such as spelling and grammar in a blog or message board, grow up.

 

Don't get me wrong, if the ships have a few "fee paying" restaurants that is no big deal, it has been that way for several years. But when you change the majority of your dining areas into "fee dining" and then require cruisers to "chase the reservation", that is going overboard and courting the loss of loyal passengers.

 

I also agree with whomever made the statement that RCI needs to seriously update their menus for the main dining rooms.

 

Have a nice day.

Edited January 22, 2015 by ScubaCruiser54

[steveru621]

Why is it when the "Dynamic Whiners" state the facts that formed our opinion that DD was poorly executed, it is only our OPINION? But the cheerleaders are only stating facts?

 

What happened to me in early December CANNOT BE CHANGED BY ANY IMPROVEMENTS THAT OCCURRED SINCE. You can't reach back in time and fix anything.

 

Like the article stated, let's hope that DD is fixed for Anthem, because I would like to sail out of NJ in 2016.

 

And as I have stated before, DD was executed so well, RCI decided to make it a Quantum class exclusive and postponed it on Oasis class.

[Big_G]

Why is it when the "Dynamic Whiners" state the facts that formed our opinion that DD was poorly executed, it is only our OPINION? But the cheerleaders are only stating facts?

 

 

 

Complaining about your experience isn't whining. Incessantly complaining using experiences of others without any experience of your own would be whining.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Edited January 23, 2015 by Big_G

[Jimmers]

Complaining about your experience isn't whining. Incessantly complaining using experiences of others without any experience of your own would be whining.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

What's it called when those who don't have any personal experience with the Quantum or DD complain about the complaining of those who do.? :D

[Big_G]

What's it called when those who don't have any personal experience with the Quantum or DD complain about the complaining of those who do.? :D

 

 

Cruise Critic of course. :D

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[negc]

Interesting thread. I am also a Diamond C&A member and I have no desire to travel on any ship that has Dynamic Dining (DD). I do not want to be "fighting for reservations" with other passengers to be able to use the "free dining rooms". I have already expressed this to RCI.

 

Reading through the comments on many reviews of the RCI Quantum of the Seas, it is readily apparent that the problems that I predicted in my letter to RCI came to fruition. It appeared that there were screwed up reservations, screwed up service, insufficient seats available without waiting in line for the "free dining areas", inability to continue dining with people you have met in the "free main dining areas" [as you have to keep making reservations to sit with the same people], wait staff who were not as attentive as traditional dining wait staff on other ships, and the preparation to convert traditional dining areas into facilities to extract even more money out of travelers beyond their ticketed passage just to eat.

 

I also predicted that RCI would use DD as their vehicle to create extra income by changing main dining facilities into numerous dining facilities for "FEES". This will cost RCI significant cruisers who will now take the opportunity to "drop their current loyalty" to RCI in an effort to continue to enjoy the traditional cruising that they have come to expect by exploring other cruise lines. Fighting, hassling or even wasting my time to try to coordinate my dining locations for each night of a 7 to 14 day cruise with other travelers is NOT part of vacationing on a cruise ship. That exercise soon becomes a tedious exercise in frustration and wasted time. If you want to be a Mouseketeer, try your vacationing ashore or on NCL. There are usually lines in the Windjammer. Other than the first night out, you may have a line for traditional dining as people find their tables [for those who do not look during the day].

 

When RCI starts turning its fleet into DD to the detriment of traditional dining, that will be the time I quit aiming to complete the few cruises I have left to reach Diamond Plus status and begin looking at other cruise lines which remain true to traditional dining without your having to do anything other than requesting main or late dining [and coordinating the reservation numbers of the members of your party one time through a travel agent or the booking agent].

 

For those who ripped on each other over issues such as spelling and grammar in a blog or message board, grow up.

 

Don't get me wrong, if the ships have a few "fee paying" restaurants that is no big deal, it has been that way for several years. But when you change the majority of your dining areas into "fee dining" and then require cruisers to "chase the reservation", that is going overboard and courting the loss of loyal passengers.

 

I also agree with whomever made the statement that RCI needs to seriously update their menus for the main dining rooms.

 

Have a nice day.

Should I assume that the very fact that under the dynamic dining system they actually increased the number of "complimentary" or "included" dining venues actually proves your position or am I missing the point?

[twindaddy]

Cheerleaders, whiners, complainers, bad spellers, jokers, you name it, I have read every post of the debate.

 

No one has ever answered my basic question: what is the problem that Dynamic Dining is trying to solve, that a mix of MTD/MDR with better menus cant fix.

 

Have an MDR restaurant, a few MTD restaurants with different menus, everyone is happy.

 

Anyone?

[LMaxwell]

No one has ever answered my basic question: what is the problem that Dynamic Dining is trying to solve, that a mix of MTD/MDR with better menus cant fix.

 

Anyone?

 

Attracting families and new cruisers away from resort style vacations; make the ship the destination. Provide lots of razzle dazzle and choices. Let's face it, a lot of the general public has never cruised, or maybe is one and done, and they have a lot of preconceived notions about what a cruise is and don't want any part of it. It's hard to entice them onboard without a radical change. So...Dynamic Dining is that radical change, along with a lot of other things about Quantum that hold little interest to me, or I even find off-putting, but will attract new blood and fat wallets.

 

Your idea of incorporating some of the DD dishes into traditional MDR menus to liven them up, I think, is a good idea. One I support. But it didn't solve RCI's problem; how to fill more beds at higher cost per head. Newbies have no idea what they are missing out on from the past. Heck, I don't even think people who first cruised 7 years ago know what they are missing from just shortly before that.

 

So, for me, give me the menus just spare me the experiment.

[Hoopster95]

Reading through the comments on many reviews of the RCI Quantum of the Seas, it is readily apparent that the problems that I predicted in my letter to RCI came to fruition.

 

Anyone with zero experience and zero knowledge of actually being on the ship should just simply never post on a dynamic dining thread. Highly self-serving, negative, dramatic know-it-all attitude... totally ignorant to any truths. How can anyone preach truths or "predictions" when one hasn't even set foot on the ship? Boggles the mind:

 

"That Mercedes is junk! Poor acceleration, crappy brakes... but I've never driven one"

"That gourmet restaurant is awful, horrible steaks and poor service... oops, I've never dined there"

 

Get the picture... Z E R O credibilty.

 

Those who had awful experiences should very well be posting their thoughts from factual experience of what actually happened so that future cruisers can prepare and RCL can attain feedback.

Those who had fabulous experiences should also be posting here as they had actual experience, and those same future cruisers can learn and RCL can gain feedback of a cruise where everything actually worked.

 

The biggest factor I can see in all these DD threads since Q began sailing is that those experienced cruisers with excellent experiences for an entire 11 days every single day (me, Merion_Mom, etc) can have such a drastic pendulum swing to those experienced cruisers on the Holiday cruises which were mostly negative. Both sides of experienced knowledgeable cruisers just can't be lying. How can there be such a swing from excellent to horrible literally from one day, Dec 11, to another on Dec 12? It's very difficult for me to understand having had such a good experience, and I am 100% sure those that had awful issues/lines/etc just can't believe how my review and cruisers I sailed with can be just as opposite.

[Hoopster95]

Cheerleaders, whiners, complainers, bad spellers, jokers, you name it, I have read every post of the debate.

 

No one has ever answered my basic question: what is the problem that Dynamic Dining is trying to solve, that a mix of MTD/MDR with better menus cant fix.

 

Have an MDR restaurant, a few MTD restaurants with different menus, everyone is happy.

 

Anyone?

 

My answer comes from an experience I had 3 years ago when I brought my then 29yr old phenom business partner and wife on the Freedom. After the 2nd night of MDR he hated it... and truthfully I would agree in that the waiter/asst were a couple of the worst I ever experienced. Night 3 we went to the Windjammer in Billabongs and t-shirts, free and easy, just like you'd expect from the younger crowd. He loved it, we got great service once they knew we were up there every night. The rest of the ship was only so-so to him, he felt "disconnected" from the world. My business partner a triple AAA personality, house full of technology (Apple TV, do dads everywhere, etc), and he bores easily. I showed him my Quantum cruise and now he wants to give it a shot.... Wifi, handheld control, choices everywhere you turn, right down his alley.

 

DD is part of what the world is changing to imo... choice and control. DD you choose and control everything, MDR you control nothing. Hate to be so blunt but younger generation want control and constant change, older demographic want stability with zero change which is what MDR gives you on a nightly comfortable basis. Just my 2 cents... I think RCL is starting to target the younger generation and newer cruisers as many other threads have indicated. Those of us who don't like change as we age will keep HAL in business when we leave RCL.

[B-52]

Cheerleaders, whiners, complainers, bad spellers, jokers, you name it, I have read every post of the debate.

 

No one has ever answered my basic question: what is the problem that Dynamic Dining is trying to solve, that a mix of MTD/MDR with better menus cant fix.

 

Have an MDR restaurant, a few MTD restaurants with different menus, everyone is happy.

 

Anyone?

 

 

Another way to MAKE MONEY!

It's ALWAYS bout making money, increasing profits when it comes to any changes a large industry makes....It's NOT about solutions to make people more happy....

It may take a year or two...perhaps more, but they are setting the stage now.

 

It will happen slowly, gradually, and the seasoned veterans will remember the "Good Old days" as change slowly continues.

You might even see a reduction in the up front sticker price for a cruise, instead of ever increasing.....Attract more, new people to replace the veterans who are slowly leaving.

 

All those people in the MDR eating all that food for free....there's got to be a way to make money off this...start offering the Chops Steak or a whole lobster for $$ ? Maybe, they can try that in the short run. But then I think they are up to something better. (for them)

Edited January 23, 2015 by B-52

[poncho1973]

Interesting thread. I am also a Diamond C&A member and I have no desire to travel on any ship that has Dynamic Dining (DD). I do not want to be "fighting for reservations" with other passengers to be able to use the "free dining rooms". I have already expressed this to RCI.

 

Reading through the comments on many reviews of the RCI Quantum of the Seas, it is readily apparent that the problems that I predicted in my letter to RCI came to fruition. It appeared that there were screwed up reservations, screwed up service, insufficient seats available without waiting in line for the "free dining areas", inability to continue dining with people you have met in the "free main dining areas" [as you have to keep making reservations to sit with the same people], wait staff who were not as attentive as traditional dining wait staff on other ships, and the preparation to convert traditional dining areas into facilities to extract even more money out of travelers beyond their ticketed passage just to eat.

 

I also predicted that RCI would use DD as their vehicle to create extra income by changing main dining facilities into numerous dining facilities for "FEES". This will cost RCI significant cruisers who will now take the opportunity to "drop their current loyalty" to RCI in an effort to continue to enjoy the traditional cruising that they have come to expect by exploring other cruise lines. Fighting, hassling or even wasting my time to try to coordinate my dining locations for each night of a 7 to 14 day cruise with other travelers is NOT part of vacationing on a cruise ship. That exercise soon becomes a tedious exercise in frustration and wasted time. If you want to be a Mouseketeer, try your vacationing ashore or on NCL. There are usually lines in the Windjammer. Other than the first night out, you may have a line for traditional dining as people find their tables [for those who do not look during the day].

 

When RCI starts turning its fleet into DD to the detriment of traditional dining, that will be the time I quit aiming to complete the few cruises I have left to reach Diamond Plus status and begin looking at other cruise lines which remain true to traditional dining without your having to do anything other than requesting main or late dining [and coordinating the reservation numbers of the members of your party one time through a travel agent or the booking agent].

 

For those who ripped on each other over issues such as spelling and grammar in a blog or message board, grow up.

 

Don't get me wrong, if the ships have a few "fee paying" restaurants that is no big deal, it has been that way for several years. But when you change the majority of your dining areas into "fee dining" and then require cruisers to "chase the reservation", that is going overboard and courting the loss of loyal passengers.

 

I also agree with whomever made the statement that RCI needs to seriously update their menus for the main dining rooms.

 

Have a nice day.

 

So "am" I correct "that" you actually "wrote" a letter of prediction to "a" company about a "product" that didn't exist yet to "complain" about said product "prior" to its launch?

[Georgeny]

Have you ever been near the Main Dining room at 5:25 for a 5:30 main seating, or 5:55 for a 6:00 main seating?!?!?!?

 

:eek:

 

Why would you even do that??? 5:35 for 5:30, or have cocktail in nearby lounge wait for doors to open 2 minutes go. Other than first night table finding never waited on any line. In fact only lines I can recall ever waiting on were tender, disembark early port, and immigration when handled onboard all must attend. Never for evening dining, traditional timing is easy. DD timing is impossible.

 

George in NY

[steveru621]

Complaining about your experience isn't whining. Incessantly complaining using experiences of others without any experience of your own would be whining.

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

What's it called when those who don't have any personal experience with the Quantum or DD complain about the complaining of those who do.? :D

 

This is all getting very complicated! :D I think everyone is starting to have fun with this debate. Hopefully something new for CC.

 

So who's on first, what's on second??

[Donray]

I have one question that will determine if I take RCL with DD.

 

If I do make reservations can I get seated within fifteen minutes of wanting eat. That is will someone that I walk up to that will determine what restaurant has a minimum wait time and reserve a seat for me while I get there.

 

I am one that don't like lines and would wait over 15 minutes for a restaurant. I walk out and find another restaurant (we eat out about 5 times a week).

 

I have been on over 30 cruises including 4 river cruises and budget 20K a year for travel. I would think the ship itself as a destination.

[SICruiseGirlNYC]

I have one question that will determine if I take RCL with DD.

 

If I do make reservations can I get seated within fifteen minutes of wanting eat. That is will someone that I walk up to that will determine what restaurant has a minimum wait time and reserve a seat for me while I get there.

 

I am one that don't like lines and would wait over 15 minutes for a restaurant. I walk out and find another restaurant (we eat out about 5 times a week).

 

I have been on over 30 cruises including 4 river cruises and budget 20K a year for travel. I would think the ship itself as a destination.

 

We had reservations every night and never waited more than 5 minutes to be seated. Our only major issue was with service in American Icon during breakfast.

 

The other issue we encountered was when we decided to give Devinely Decadence a try for lunch. The restaurant is open from 12 - 2 for lunch. We arrived at 12:50 on the first day and were told they wouldn't be able to seat us (there were only 3 parties in front of us). The second time we waited on line for 1 hr. It was definitely not worth the wait. The food was not great and service was extremely slow. We waited 35 minutes for appetizers and another 30 minutes for our entrees.

 

I think you will be fine if you make reservations.

Edited January 23, 2015 by SICruiseGirlNYC

[Donray]

I don't want to make reservations before the cruise, and only make them the day before if at all.

[OSUZorba]

My answer comes from an experience I had 3 years ago when I brought my then 29yr old phenom business partner and wife on the Freedom. After the 2nd night of MDR he hated it... and truthfully I would agree in that the waiter/asst were a couple of the worst I ever experienced. Night 3 we went to the Windjammer in Billabongs and t-shirts, free and easy, just like you'd expect from the younger crowd. He loved it, we got great service once they knew we were up there every night. The rest of the ship was only so-so to him, he felt "disconnected" from the world. My business partner a triple AAA personality, house full of technology (Apple TV, do dads everywhere, etc), and he bores easily. I showed him my Quantum cruise and now he wants to give it a shot.... Wifi, handheld control, choices everywhere you turn, right down his alley.

 

DD is part of what the world is changing to imo... choice and control. DD you choose and control everything, MDR you control nothing. Hate to be so blunt but younger generation want control and constant change, older demographic want stability with zero change which is what MDR gives you on a nightly comfortable basis. Just my 2 cents... I think RCL is starting to target the younger generation and newer cruisers as many other threads have indicated. Those of us who don't like change as we age will keep HAL in business when we leave RCL.

 

Funny, I am an early millennial, and I and all of my cruising friends hate the idea of DD. On cruise critic it seems like mostly D+ people who seem very in favor of DD, because they are sick of MDR after doing it 150+ times (nights).

 

I just don't remember that many people complaining about the old system, until DD was announced. DD seems to be getting at most a 50/50 review at the moment, so it appears to be producing worse results that MDR/MTD. Also most of the positive reviews I've seen of DD seem to be from people that ate at specially restaurants multiple times.

 

Any ways, I won't give DD a negative review, but I also have no interest in going on a cruise with it.

[ocav]

Funny, I am an early millennial, and I and all of my cruising friends hate the idea of DD. On cruise critic it seems like mostly D+ people who seem very in favor of DD, because they are sick of MDR after doing it 150+ times (nights).

 

I just don't remember that many people complaining about the old system, until DD was announced. DD seems to be getting at most a 50/50 review at the moment, so it appears to be producing worse results that MDR/MTD. Also most of the positive reviews I've seen of DD seem to be from people that ate at specially restaurants multiple times.

 

Any ways, I won't give DD a negative review, but I also have no interest in going on a cruise with it.

 

 

Let's also remember that the reviews posted overall represent about 0.9% of the Quantum cruisers and those who have bad experiences are more likely to submit a review compared to those with a good experience

[SICruiseGirlNYC]

I don't want to make reservations before the cruise, and only make them the day before if at all.

 

Then I'm not sure you would like dd. if you don't make reservations you will most likely have to wait to be seated. We made reservations at least a month before our departure. We were able to change a few of the reservations while onboard to different restaurants at a decent hour but only because we were traveling with someone who is D+. She went to the concierge and was able to get whatever time she asked for. When we tried to book online while onboard we got late dining times (8:45 -9:30).