How The Whiners Ruined Dynamic Dining

[OfTheSeasCruiser]

Biker, who does not believe Quantum class ships will reach say Oasis levels even after the elimination of DD.

I agree.

[Stitchman]

And this is coming from someone who's Avatar is in a tux. [emoji28]

 

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Forums mobile app

 

 

No ....... I meant ..... Dress up (it never comes across the same way in the written word). I cruise so I can wear a dinner suit a couple of nights [emoji3] my mistake was not realising Q class ships were a casual affair.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[soccer2010]

I've noticed this a lot - people like yourself and MM who have actually got a lot of experience with DD love it. People who have never tried it feel the need to put in their 2c that it sucks... I for one am sad that I won't be able to try it

 

Because you never tried it, your opinion does not count … per the head non-whinner :D

 

I would say I was looking forward to trying it for the first time on our upcoming Anthem cruise, but I'm not entitled to that opinion. ;)

I will be enjoying the cruise immensely though.

Edited December 31, 2016 by soccer2010

[Stitchman]

All it is now is a waste of 4 separate differently styled restaurants on the quantum class ships. It wasn't the dynamic dining, it was the "booking restaurants thing. That's my opinion.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[Ocean Dancer]

So now that this thread has resurfaced, and DD has been dead for over a month, how do cruisers who have done both ways of dining like it now?

[Paulxyz2004]

All it is now is a waste of 4 separate differently styled restaurants on the quantum class ships. It wasn't the dynamic dining, it was the "booking restaurants thing. That's my opinion.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

While the booking Thing bothered me as well it was not my main gripe with DD. To me the worst Thing was the choice of menus. Being for over two weeks onboard I prefer to have a different menu every night and not be stuck with 4 menus. In Addition from the 4 menus there were two I wasn´t particular keen abot, so that left me with just two. Sorry, but to me this was an ill fated idea and I´m more than happy they got rid of it.

I admit I wasn´t a big supporter of MTD in the beginning, but have learned it has it´s pros as well, but DD was just a big big failure.

 

If it makes me a whiner in MM´s eyes, so be it, but I´m proud to be part of the whiners Group that ruined it.

[Merion_Mom]

So now that this thread has resurfaced, and DD has been dead for over a month, how do cruisers who have done both ways of dining like it now?

 

OP here.

 

I just boarded the Anthem this morning.

 

Since someone resurrected this thread, I will respond to your question, Ocean Dancer, in a couple of days.

 

:)

[wishtdream]

Merion_Mom While you are onboard this week can you please find out who the sports deck staff are? My DD is looking to find out if some of her favorites from Freedom have joined the Anthem crew.

 

TYA :)

[Merion_Mom]

Merion_Mom While you are onboard this week can you please find out who the sports deck staff are? My DD is looking to find out if some of her favorites from Freedom have joined the Anthem crew.

 

TYA :)

 

I will probably not do that. But maybe someone on my roll call will. :)

[gaylemh]

While the booking Thing bothered me as well it was not my main gripe with DD. To me the worst Thing was the choice of menus. Being for over two weeks onboard I prefer to have a different menu every night and not be stuck with 4 menus. In Addition from the 4 menus there were two I wasn´t particular keen abot, so that left me with just two. Sorry, but to me this was an ill fated idea and I´m more than happy they got rid of it.

I admit I wasn´t a big supporter of MTD in the beginning, but have learned it has it´s pros as well, but DD was just a big big failure.

 

If it makes me a whiner in MM´s eyes, so be it, but I´m proud to be part of the whiners Group that ruined it.

 

Each restaurant that 3 different menus that changed every 4 days depending on the length of your cruise. So there were 12 different menus, and if you add in Solarium Bistro it was 13.

 

I've been on Anthem and Quantum a total of 9 times, and loved the original DD. I never had a problem making reservations, and anything I wanted to change was very easy once on the ship. Never had a wait for any of the restaurants either.

 

I was just on the Anthem 12/9 and was very disappointed in the menu choices and missed not going to the different restaurants. For the first time in 9 cruises we actually ended up go up to the WJ 3 of the 7 nights. With DD you had a choice of 4 different menus each night, so you could always find something you liked in one of the restaurants.

 

I think what ruined DD was that there were many people getting on the ship without reservations. In all my bookings on Anthem and Quantum not once did anyone, TA or Royal, tell me that you needed to make reservations for dining. I think if people were told when they booked, that reservations were needed, it would have worked out much better.

[johnjen]

Why we didn't like Dynamic Dining on Anthem:

 

1. We felt as if we were rushed through the dining experience so they could get another free table and dump another couple in it

 

2. We immediately noticed that the larger tables were garnering all of the attention from the wait staff...all we got was "are you finished yet"

 

3. Even long after booking and wanting a larger table, we were still stuck at a table for two

 

So, in our experience, we decided to book on a smaller ship that didn't do Dynamic Dining.

 

Glad they stopped this horrible experience.

[Baron Barracuda]

I think what ruined DD was that there were many people getting on the ship without reservations. In all my bookings on Anthem and Quantum not once did anyone, TA or Royal, tell me that you needed to make reservations for dining. I think if people were told when they booked, that reservations were needed, it would have worked out much better.

 

Too many people who didn't make reservations, too many who tried to do so online but were unable to, too long two hour time slots in the reservation system, too small dining rooms and too few staff.

[Biker19]

All it is now is a waste of 4 separate differently styled restaurants on the quantum class ships.

 

Harmony came out with different styled venues and never had DD.;)

[nelblu]

While the booking Thing bothered me as well it was not my main gripe with DD. To me the worst Thing was the choice of menus. Being for over two weeks onboard I prefer to have a different menu every night and not be stuck with 4 menus. In Addition from the 4 menus there were two I wasn´t particular keen abot, so that left me with just two. Sorry, but to me this was an ill fated idea and I´m more than happy they got rid of it.

I admit I wasn´t a big supporter of MTD in the beginning, but have learned it has it´s pros as well, but DD was just a big big failure.

 

If it makes me a whiner in MM´s eyes, so be it, but I´m proud to be part of the whiners Group that ruined it.

 

There's 28 different menus on a 7 day cruise under DD concept.

[The_Big_M]

There's 28 different menus on a 7 day cruise under DD concept.

 

No, the menu doesn't change every day.

 

On some cruises, to accommodate the lack of variety, they changed every 4 days. Though on my 6 day cruise, we had the same menu without change every day.

 

I was fortunate to have had access to the Coastal Harvest menu which was wonderful, but being restricted to those otherwise limited choices would have been too long.

[kevinyork]

No, the menu doesn't change every day.

 

 

 

On some cruises, to accommodate the lack of variety, they changed every 4 days. Though on my 6 day cruise, we had the same menu without change every day.

 

 

 

I was fortunate to have had access to the Coastal Harvest menu which was wonderful, but being restricted to those otherwise limited choices would have been too long.

 

 

 

Yes they changed every 4 days on our 14 night cruise. The thing is though that once we had had a nice meal, we wanted to experience it again so would ensure that same menu was on when we revisited. They also had the nightly classic options plus you could order from the menu of the neighbouring dining room since they shared the same kitchen. We were spoilt for choice.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[nelblu]

No, the menu doesn't change every day.

 

On some cruises, to accommodate the lack of variety, they changed every 4 days. Though on my 6 day cruise, we had the same menu without change every day.

 

I was fortunate to have had access to the Coastal Harvest menu which was wonderful, but being restricted to those otherwise limited choices would have been too long.

 

There were 7 daily distinct menu for each restaurant on our Aug. '16 Anthem cruise. Therefore, in a week's sail it totaled 27. he menu repeated on the 8th day of our 9 night cruise.

[gaylemh]

There were 7 daily distinct menu for each restaurant on our Aug. '16 Anthem cruise. Therefore, in a week's sail it totaled 27. he menu repeated on the 8th day of our 9 night cruise.

 

I've sailed 6 times on Anthem and the 3 menus in each restaurant only changed every 4 nights in each restaurant on all my sailings. The menu in Coastal Kitchen changed every night, and the Solarium Bistro was only one menu. An example is if you ate in AI on night 1 and went back on night 5 it would be the same menu as night 1, if you went on night 6 you would have a different menu. So if you didn't hit the nights right it could appear that the menu never changed.

[cruizefam]

http://creative.rccl.com/Sales/Royal/Anthem/Dining_FAQs_2016

 

I see that says the Anthem -

 

However, I was on the first 12 night caribbean sailing of the Quantum, the first ship to incorporate the dynamic dinning ordeal- I may say it was AWFUL, and a fiasco - it took several months, with extremely long phone wait times to even make dinner reservations, and some of our group was from the UK - and they couldn't even get into the group because of their home country. (US and Europe could not schedule meals together) On or about the 10th night of the cruise they ran out of food in almost every dining venue. The last two mornings at breakfast they were serving lunch items made into breakfast.

Wait times were about 30+ min behind your reservation times, which made long standing lines outside the restaurants.

 

Do I remember seeing your id and that you also cruised on that sailing too? But I don't think there were many people that enjoyed such a hassle while on a "vacation" that should be relaxing.

 

I think it is such a positive move by RCCL to dump that program.

 

--- I haven't cruised any ship that has had it since the first one I experienced.

Edited January 3, 2017 by cruizefam

[Stitchman]

Harmony came out with different styled venues and never had DD.;)

 

 

I know, I've been on it [emoji6]

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[Biker19]

I know, I've been on it [emoji6]

 

My point was that RCI didn't think it was a "waste" decorating the three levels of Harmony in DD fashion.

[Stitchman]

Ok

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[mcatmcat]

Why we didn't like Dynamic Dining on Anthem:

 

 

 

2. We immediately noticed that the larger tables were garnering all of the attention from the wait staff...all we got was "are you finished yet"

 

I wish all ships were like this, I 96% of the time ask for a table of 2 or 4 if I am traveling with friends and sometimes we are done really quick but I still have to wait a long time for main or dessert.

Edited January 3, 2017 by mcatmcat

[Ocean Dancer]

Mom and Gayle, we also never had problems with DD, We booked the Anthem late after my mother passed about 3 weeks later. We did reserve on line, but got 9:30 reservations for dinner, we just showed up after the first show around 8pm and since we DID have reservations, they never blinked, just seated the 3 of us.

 

I will miss having lobster 5 times on a 12 night cruise

, and we never ate dinner in the WJ.

 

Mom and Gayle, how is the entertainment in the Music Hall? We really enjoyed that every night even the Silent Party. We love to dance, hence my name.

 

Mom have a great cruise, and Gayle, I see you have many booked.

 

Happy sails to you all!! :)

[nelblu]

Why we didn't like Dynamic Dining on Anthem:

 

1. We felt as if we were rushed through the dining experience so they could get another free table and dump another couple in it

 

2. We immediately noticed that the larger tables were garnering all of the attention from the wait staff...all we got was "are you finished yet"

 

3. Even long after booking and wanting a larger table, we were still stuck at a table for two

 

So, in our experience, we decided to book on a smaller ship that didn't do Dynamic Dining.

 

Glad they stopped this horrible experience.

 

Sailed on the Quantum & Anthem and did not experience any of what you are identifying. We had excellent waiters & asst. waiters and it was a big advantage as we had a table for 2 and completed our meal in a little over an hour. We were always the 1st to give our dining orders and did not have to wait for any tablemates which delays the process.