ANTHEM - What's going on with DD/Classic Dining?

[wovenwonder]

We LOVE Dynamic Dining and would be disappointed to see it not continue for sure!

[CheerMom15]

From what I understood the 4 "dining venues" were all different in decor and what not and The Grande was the one restaurant that you could (maybe without feeling out of place) dress up for dinner. If they assign you to 1 dining room the whole time on your cruise, it would kind of be lame to not get to experience all of the other dining areas. I don't have anything invested in the DD v classic debate but I want to see what the ship has to offer, not just get a different menu in the same seat every day. How boring would that be?

[OfTheSeasCruiser]

From what I understood the 4 "dining venues" were all different in decor and what not and The Grande was the one restaurant that you could (maybe without feeling out of place) dress up for dinner. If they assign you to 1 dining room the whole time on your cruise, it would kind of be lame to not get to experience all of the other dining areas. I don't have anything invested in the DD v classic debate but I want to see what the ship has to offer, not just get a different menu in the same seat every day. How boring would that be?

 

You do understand that that is how dining works on every ship other ship in the fleet?

 

(+ My Time Dining, where you go to the same dining room every night, but at no set time and no set table)

Edited March 23, 2016 by OfTheSeasCruiser

[CheerMom15]

You do understand that that is how dining works on every ship other ship in the fleet?

 

(+ My Time Dining, where you go to the same dining room every night, but at no set time and no set table)

 

I was under the impression that on other cruises where they had a Main Dining Room, then yes you would be in the MDR every night. But since this ship was designed to have 4 different distinct dining rooms so they could go away from the MDR feel, I would think it would be boring to sit in Chic every day when there are 3 other detailed beautiful places to be seen. I was also under the impression that other ships had "formal night" not a "formal restaurant" ( and yes, I understand that some people don't dress up and they ignore the dress code, that isn't what I am debating). So are they going to do away with formal anything if you can no longer eat in the Grande where dressing more formally wouldn't make you look out of place.

Edited March 23, 2016 by CheerMom15

[grouchomarx]

You do understand that that is how dining works on every ship other ship in the fleet?

 

(+ My Time Dining, where you go to the same dining room every night, but at no set time and no set table)

 

The point is that the 4 different restaurants on Anthem have different names, decor, lighting, table layout, furniture, menus, themes, etc. They are each a unique experience. Unlike traditional dining where there may be several MDR but they are all basically similar in design, theme, decor, food etc.

What would be the point of keeping someone locked in 1 of 4 uniquely interesting dining rooms and not getting to experience the others? Isn't that what you're paying for, all these fun dining venues that are different than your typical boring old MDR situation?

[Hoopster95]

it would kind of be lame to not get to experience all of the other dining areas....I want to see what the ship has to offer, not just get a different menu in the same seat every day. How boring would that be?

 

This is EXACTLY what the complaints have been about. Most experienced cruisers do not want choice.. They want same waiter, same table, same seats, same menus as other ships, same menu order as other ship, same everything... They want everything pre-planned. No choice. I've even seen arguments over the actual seats at a table!!!!! Disgusting

 

Majority rules... You're in the minority. And so am I evidently.

[cruisenfever]

You do understand that that is how dining works on every ship other ship in the fleet?

 

(+ My Time Dining, where you go to the same dining room every night, but at no set time and no set table)

Not quite. On all other ships there is "1" MDR that may comprise 2 or 3 decks. The decor is the same as our the menus. There is traditional times (early and late seating) or MTD.

 

On Anthem there are "4" MDRs that each have their own theme and decor as well as their own menu. There is "no" formal night on Anthem unless "you" want to dress formally or are eating in The Grande. And currently there is traditional early and late seatings as well as chose your time.

Edited March 23, 2016 by cruisenfever

[OfTheSeasCruiser]

I was under the impression that on other cruises where they had a Main Dining Room, then yes you would be in the MDR every night. But since this ship was designed to have 4 different distinct dining rooms so they could go away from the MDR feel, I would think it would be boring to sit in Chic every day when there are 3 other detailed beautiful places to be seen. I was also under the impression that other ships had "formal night" not a "formal restaurant" ( and yes, I understand that some people don't dress up and they ignore the dress code, that isn't what I am debating). So are they going to do away with formal anything if you can no longer eat in the Grande where dressing more formally wouldn't make you look out of place.

 

 

I don't want to speculate too much on this whole thing, but if they were to bring a more traditional model to Anthem, I have no clue if they'd move to a rotational model like Disney, have a ship wide formal night, have an evening chic night like Celebrity, or completely do away with formal night.

 

This is EXACTLY what the complaints have been about. Most experienced cruisers do not want choice.. They want same waiter, same table, same seats, same menus as other ships, same menu order as other ship, same everything... They want everything pre-planned. No choice. I've even seen arguments over the actual seats at a table!!!!! Disgusting

 

Majority rules... You're in the minority. And so am I evidently.

 

I also want to point out that I am taking neither side of the argument here. I enjoy traditional dining, but that's all that I've tried (well actually I did try freestyle on NCL and didn't like it, but lets stick to RCI). Dynamic Dining seems interesting. I would love for them to somehow figure out a way for DD Choice and Classic to coexist and run seamlessly, but I'm not so sure that is possible.

Edited March 23, 2016 by OfTheSeasCruiser

[OfTheSeasCruiser]

Not quite. On all other ships there is "1" MDR that may comprise 2 or 3 decks. The decor is the same as our the menus. There is traditional times (main and late seating) or MTD.

 

On Anthem there are "4" MDRs that each have their own theme and decor as well as their own menu. There is "no" formal night on Anthem unless "you" want to dress formally or are eating in The Grande.

 

I know exactly how dining works on Anthem, and every other ship in the fleet.

 

The poster that I was responding to said that sitting in the same seat every night but with a rotating menu would be boring. I said that is how it works on almost every other ship in the fleet with traditional dining.

 

I guess I should've been clearer. :rolleyes:

[ecourtney]

Confirmation from whom?

 

We received confirmation from the maitre d' in Grande. He came over to our table, we expressed our disappointment in DD, and he told us that it was "going away" in May.

[gaylemh]

May I ask from where and from whom the confirmation was generated from?

 

I'm with you Gayle. Did a b2b on Lady Q and absolutely loved DD and never once experienced any of the problems being posted here.

 

Looking forward to 5 weeks of DD beginning Sunday and hope there are no changes, as we will be very disappointed.

 

Have a great 5 weeks on Anthem. Hopefully I'll get to meet you when I board again on 4/18.

[Merion_Mom]

I don't want to speculate too much on this whole thing, but if they were to bring a more traditional model to Anthem, I have no clue if they'd move to a rotational model like Disney, have a ship wide formal night, have an evening chic night like Celebrity, or completely do away with formal night.

 

 

 

I also want to point out that I am taking neither side of the argument here. I enjoy traditional dining, but that's all that I've tried (well actually I did try freestyle on NCL and didn't like it, but lets stick to RCI). Dynamic Dining seems interesting. I would love for them to somehow figure out a way for DD Choice and Classic to coexist and run seamlessly, but I'm not so sure that is possible.

 

Gayle and I have been saying, to no effect, apparently, that they work just fine together!!!!!

 

 

I know exactly how dining works on Anthem, and every other ship in the fleet.

 

The poster that I was responding to said that sitting in the same seat every night but with a rotating menu would be boring. I said that is how it works on almost every other ship in the fleet with traditional dining.

 

I guess I should've been clearer. :rolleyes:

 

I understood you.

 

Boy, I am really in the minority on this thread, all round! :D

[OfTheSeasCruiser]

Gayle and I have been saying, to no effect, apparently, that they work just fine together!!!!!

 

 

 

 

I understood you.

 

Boy, I am really in the minority on this thread, all round! :D

 

Sorry, I shouldn't of worded the comment about the two choices working together like that. I'm having a hard time with this thread...:cool: I think the negativity sometimes clouds my vision of DD. I'm not judging until I try it.

[Mom.to.2]

 

Looking forward to 5 weeks of DD beginning Sunday and hope there are no changes, as we will be very disappointed.

 

 

Patti, please come back and let us know what you learn on board!

 

 

 

 

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[cruisenfever]

Patti, please come back and let us know what you learn on board!

 

 

 

 

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Absolutely.:D

[Mom.to.2]

Absolutely.:D

 

 

Much appreciated!

 

Look forward to possibly meeting you on the 4/8 sailing.

 

 

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[cruisenfever]

Have a great 5 weeks on Anthem. Hopefully I'll get to meet you when I board again on 4/18.

Much appreciated!

 

Look forward to possibly meeting you on the 4/8 sailing.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Looking forward to meeting you both, but at different M&Ms!!:p

[cot427]

I would be a little disappointed if they ended Dynamic Dining starting in May. Of course I'm booked on the May 14th sailing. This would be the second time they did this. When I originally booked Oasis for last September, they had announced it was getting Dynamic Dining and we all know that was never followed through.

 

I'm also with some of the others - the schedule for some of the entertainment and activities is absolutely ridiculous. It doesn't take a civil engineer to plan. For example, my sailing has 3 WWRY showings. first night at 6:30 and second day at 2:30 and 6:30. So, with Classic 1, that eliminates the 6:30 (and people with Classic 2 will barely make it) and it ruins a relaxing day in the sun on the way to Bermuda on day 2...since the second half will be going to Boston, it will likely be a tad cooler.

 

And the only dates open online for the North Star were when we were just getting into port...I won't be surprised if they cancel mine.

 

Any one of us here could plan times that work better. I just don't get why this is so hard for them!

[Phoenix1949]

I like DD and sorry to hear they are doing away with it. One of the things that put me off of cruising was having to be at such and such a place at such and such a time with who we say you be be there with. I don't mind the planning, kind of like it actually. But I'll wait to hear from RCCL since getting information here is like playing the telephone game.

With the Grand becoming a main dining room will they be bringing back formal nights?

[Brocktoon623]

My Anthem cruise isn't till November, but we were already able to make our dining reservations through the Cruise Planner this far our. While it's not the end of the world, I will be disappointed if they go back to traditional dining.

 

One of the reasons we booked the Anthem was being told that this class of ship was designed around this type of dining. It was promoted that you could choose your venue and dining times all online in advance.

 

I understand that many cruisers like everything being set in stone and traditional dining, but we're experienced Disney vacationers. For those that are used to Disney World, then you're used to the advanced planning and reservations for dining and rides/experiences. We chose the Anthem due to the similarities in the online control and reservations. Anthem seemed to be advertised as a newer type of experience that may not be for everybody, but may be the direction the industry is headed.

 

Now there is the potential that RC built an entire boat around an experience that they couldn't figure out? Again, it's not a deal breaker for me, but for others dining is a huge part of a cruise. I would hope if the system does change, there may be a discount or OBC offered for those who didn't want traditional dining?

 

I've got a while to see how thing sort out, but it may get confusing for the folks who have cruises coming up into April/May

[masim17]

I'm confused. What is the difference between dynamic dining and MTD? If they cancel dynamic dining does MTD go away as well?

[Lady Hudson]

I have been on both Quantum and Anthem and have experienced both dynamic and classic dining. I had no problems with either but on all 3 trips I did see lots of lines with people either waiting to get into a restaurant or trying to change reservations. Don't know why this was happening but it did.

 

Could this be why people do not like the change from traditional? If you like the assigned dining time -- either late or early -- then traditional is very easy with all the entertainment planned according to dining times. And no wait to get into the dining room -- just show up at your assigned time.

 

I did notice on Anthem that the wait staff also wanted us to know that they were dependent on the kitchen in regards to fast service. In other words, not their fault if things were not perfect. Also, on Anthem, I did not think the food was as good as Quantum. Anyone else or just me?

 

I am a "what will be will be" person and Royal will do whatever it thinks will please the most passengers (or will save money):). Anytime someone else is cooking is good by me. Katherine

[OfTheSeasCruiser]

I'm confused. What is the difference between dynamic dining and MTD? If they cancel dynamic dining does MTD go away as well?

 

Dynamic Dining (DD) is only on Quantum Class Ships. All other ships have Traditional Dining + MTD. On Quantum Class, there are 4 main complimentary restaurants instead of one main dining room. Within DD, there is Choice and Classic. With DD Choice, you make a reservation (or just show up) at any of the four restaurants at any time you want. With DD Classic, Royal picks a preset lineup of restaurants for you, which you rotate though. You go at the same time each night, and you have the same waitstaff each night.

 

DD and MTD do not coexist on the same ship, so a loss of DD would not mean a loss of MTD.

Edited March 24, 2016 by OfTheSeasCruiser

[CheerMom15]

I don't want to speculate too much on this whole thing, but if they were to bring a more traditional model to Anthem, I have no clue if they'd move to a rotational model like Disney, have a ship wide formal night, have an evening chic night like Celebrity, or completely do away with formal night.

 

 

 

I also want to point out that I am taking neither side of the argument here. I enjoy traditional dining, but that's all that I've tried (well actually I did try freestyle on NCL and didn't like it, but lets stick to RCI). Dynamic Dining seems interesting. I would love for them to somehow figure out a way for DD Choice and Classic to coexist and run seamlessly, but I'm not so sure that is possible.

 

I don't mind the traditional dining assigned times because it means I don't have to plan. I just want to be able to have the experience and see all 4 dining rooms, not just the 1 I have been assigned to. I chose Anthem partly because it wasn't just 1 MDR, it was different. Therefore I am just saying that I would be a disappointed to have to eat in Silk every day. I don't see that the rotational dining wouldn't work but I am guessing they would have to add in a dining time making 5P,7P,9P instead of 5:30 and 8:30?

[brfan]

Dynamic Dining (DD) is only on Quantum Class Ships. All other ships have Traditional Dining + MTD. On Quantum Class, there are 4 main complimentary restaurants instead of one main dining room. Within DD, there is Choice and Classic. With DD Choice, you make a reservation (or just show up) at any of the four restaurants at any time you want. With DD Classic, Royal picks a preset lineup of restaurants for you, which you rotate though. You go at the same time each night, and you have the same waitstaff each night.

 

DD and MTD do not coexist on the same ship, so a loss of DD would not mean a loss of MTD.

 

DD and MTD are basically the same thing. The only exception is with DD not only do you pick the time you want to eat, you also pick the restaurant. With MTD on the other ships (other than Quantum class) the restaurant (deck) is picked for you and you pick the time to eat.

 

With the capacity of the dining rooms on the Anthem I can see them scrapping the classic option and going back to just Dynamic Choice (like they had on Quantum). I'm not sure they can scrap the Dynamic Dining concept altogether and have two restaurants as traditional and 2 as MTD.

 

I guess we'll find out soon what Royal has in mind, especially if the change will be taking place sometime in May.