I wonder if Princess will ever do these things?

Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Sea is coming out of dry dock and has some interesting changes.

Definitely not your grandmother's cruise anymore.

I'd like to see some of these on Princess

http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=6022

Some of the highlights:

Oasis of the Seas will offer passengers 20 restaurants to chose from...

Other new eateries onboard include: Izumi Hibachi & Sushi with a full teppanyaki menu, Sabor Taqueria & Tequila Bar, first introduced on Navigator of the Seas, Wonderland Imaginative Cuisine, offering avant garde dining, and Coastal Kitchen, a restaurant serving suite guests.

Oasis' internet offerings have also been upgraded with Royal Caribbean's 'Boatloads of Bandwidth' program, which sees the line partnering with O3b to offer land-like internet speeds.

Royal iQ app that allows passengers to make reservations for restaurants, shore excursions and spa appointments.

A total of 10 new suites have been added to the ship...

The suite-only Coastal Kitchen eatery... the line has put in a new exclusive lounge, The Suite Lounge, and sun deck area, The Sun Deck, just for suite passengers

When a ship sails with 5,400 people, it needs more restaurants, and needs an automated system to take reservations. Otherwise, additional personnel are needed to handle all the phone traffic for reservations. While certain of these features would be nice to see, they aren't really necessary on most Princess ships. Besides. I sail on Princess in part because the ships don't have Johnny Rockets, Starbucks, et al. Though I really do think that the addition of Alfredo's on certain ships should prove that Princess can and should expand its "no additional cost" dining options to include a broader range of ethnicities. If Alfredo's is popular, so too would a Chinese restaurant be. Or a Mexican Cantina. Not necessarily all on the same ship. But mix it up a bit to give the ships their own identity.

Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Sea is coming out of dry dock and has some interesting changes.

Definitely not your grandmother's cruise anymore.

I'd like to see some of these on Princess

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=6022

 

Some of the highlights:

 

Oasis of the Seas will offer passengers 20 restaurants to chose from...

 

Other new eateries onboard include: Izumi Hibachi & Sushi with a full teppanyaki menu, Sabor Taqueria & Tequila Bar, first introduced on Navigator of the Seas, Wonderland Imaginative Cuisine, offering avant garde dining, and Coastal Kitchen, a restaurant serving suite guests.

 

Oasis' internet offerings have also been upgraded with Royal Caribbean's 'Boatloads of Bandwidth' program, which sees the line partnering with O3b to offer land-like internet speeds.

 

Royal iQ app that allows passengers to make reservations for restaurants, shore excursions and spa appointments.

 

A total of 10 new suites have been added to the ship...

 

The suite-only Coastal Kitchen eatery... the line has put in a new exclusive lounge, The Suite Lounge, and sun deck area, The Sun Deck, just for suite passengers

You do understand that those 20 restaurants replace the MDR onboard, which is no more under Dynamic Dining (similar to My Time Dining, or NCL's freestyle). Since you now need to make reservations for every meal, the mobile app to allow you to do so only makes sense.

When a ship sails with 5,400 people, it needs more restaurants, and needs an automated system to take reservations. Otherwise, additional personnel are needed to handle all the phone traffic for reservations. While certain of these features would be nice to see, they aren't really necessary on most Princess ships. Besides. I sail on Princess in part because the ships don't have Johnny Rockets, Starbucks, et al. Though I really do think that the addition of Alfredo's on certain ships should prove that Princess can and should expand its "no additional cost" dining options to include a broader range of ethnicities. If Alfredo's is popular, so too would a Chinese restaurant be. Or a Mexican Cantina. Not necessarily all on the same ship. But mix it up a bit to give the ships their own identity.

I'm with you. I would be lost on a ship with 20 vents for dining. And I have no need for what amounts to big name fast food joints.

If Alfredo's is popular, so too would a Chinese restaurant be. Or a Mexican Cantina.

You do understand that those 20 restaurants replace the MDR onboard, which is no more under Dynamic Dining (similar to My Time Dining, or NCL's freestyle). Since you now need to make reservations for every meal, the mobile app to allow you to do so only makes sense.

Ugh, what a pain in the *%$.

Remind me never to sail this ship or any others that follow suit.

With a ship that big, it's less and less like a cruise.

Thanks for posting, but it doesn't interest me.

 

Oasis of the Seas will offer passengers 20 restaurants to chose from...

 

RCCL is switching to what they call "dynamic dining." This concept eliminates traditional dining, both the fixed time every evening and what Princess calls anytime.

With dynamic dining, there will be several restaurants that will be free every evening, but most will have a charge. The free restaurants (other than the buffet) will each have its own menu which does not change from night-to-night. In other words, you can still have the same dining room service you had in the past, but with a single menu for the entire cruise if you keep to that dining room.

Also with dynamic dining, at least on Quantum OTS, one of the no-charge restaurants will be formal night every evening. The others will not have a formal night at all. On Quantum, there will thus be three restaurants (with three non-changing menus) that those who do not want to dress up for can use with no charge. Of course the buffet is also available.

This system seems designed to force passengers into extra-cost restaurants to avoid menu boredom.

I hope this concept of a single fixed menu in the main dining room never comes to Princess.

Ugh, what a pain in the *%$.

Remind me never to sail this ship or any others that follow suit.

Ditto! :eek: Ugh!

It all seems like too much work :mad:, it's a vacation !

And don't forget the four dining rooms on the Sapphire/Diamond that started out with a different theme menu in each dining room. That lasted only a few months. Just saying. ;)

I think that the concept works only if the theme restaurants are in addition to the MDRs, not instead of. Keep 'em small. Keep 'em casual. Alfredo's is perfect. Hard to imagine that a Taqueria wouldn't work. Beer + Tequila + Tacos seems like a sure-fire formula on most itineraries. Like the Pub Lunch. Only different.

I for one would love to see some new specialty restaurants but only if they were all inclusive. Not a big fan of holding on a phone for a long time so hopefully that aspect of the reservation would be improved. If it is pay as you go then I'm fine just the way it is.

The dining changes are horrible. I will not sail with them.

I would like to see a few more specialty restaurants, inclusive or not. I've sailed NCL's Jewel and Dawn class ships a couple of times, and like the mix of restaurants they offer in addition to the MDR and Lido.

On the subject of Royal Caribbean they have just dropped the corkage fee, I wonder if Princess "will ever do that".

Love that RCL has dropped corkage. That's awesome

We are not fans if traditional dining so would love RCL 's concept. Can't wait to sail on one of their new ships.

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On the subject of Royal Caribbean they have just dropped the corkage fee, I wonder if Princess "will ever do that".

But the limit is still two bottles per stateroom. No extras. Which would you rather have: two free bottles per stateroom, or one free bottle per person and unlimited additional bottles at $15 per bottle? Sure, we'd all love to have unlimited bottles with no corkage. But the word for that is "Seabourn".

But the limit is still two bottles per stateroom. No extras. Which would you rather have: two free bottles per stateroom, or one free bottle per person and unlimited additional bottles at $15 per bottle? Sure, we'd all love to have unlimited bottles with no corkage. But the word for that is "Seabourn".

Would depend where I was sailing actually. If it were a wine region then I'd prefer Princess's policy but Caribbean ? RCL

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God I hope Princess never does anything like that...

Never say Never! No way to know what Princess may decide to do in the future. :rolleyes:

LuLu

Interestingly, I think it was the Grand that originally had a Mexican cantina restaurant. It didn't go over well and was changed to, I think, a Sterling steakhouse. :) And don't forget the four dining rooms on the Sapphire/Diamond that started out with a different theme menu in each dining room. That lasted only a few months. Just saying. ;)

Was it called the painted desert? I've been driving myself nuts trying to remember that place on Grand

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I have hard enough time with 3 choices, let alone 20. Yet, to stay current with customer demand RCCL is catering to a mass audience and I agree with the one poster that the app does streamline the process without adding FTEs. To be sure, their are going to be many who like those additions. :p

Princess does offer the Sanctuary and The Enclave (Royal & Regal) to all passengers for an additional cost which is nice. You do not have to book a Suite to get those amenities if you which to pay for them. ;)

Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Sea is coming out of dry dock and has some interesting changes.

Definitely not your grandmother's cruise anymore.

I'd like to see some of these on Princess

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=6022

 

Some of the highlights:

 

Oasis of the Seas will offer passengers 20 restaurants to chose from...

 

Other new eateries onboard include: Izumi Hibachi & Sushi with a full teppanyaki menu, Sabor Taqueria & Tequila Bar, first introduced on Navigator of the Seas, Wonderland Imaginative Cuisine, offering avant garde dining, and Coastal Kitchen, a restaurant serving suite guests.

 

Oasis' internet offerings have also been upgraded with Royal Caribbean's 'Boatloads of Bandwidth' program, which sees the line partnering with O3b to offer land-like internet speeds.

Royal iQ app that allows passengers to make reservations for restaurants, shore excursions and spa appointments.

A total of 10 new suites have been added to the ship...

 

The suite-only Coastal Kitchen eatery... the line has put in a new exclusive lounge, The Suite Lounge, and sun deck area, The Sun Deck, just for suite passengers

Any expansion or improvement in internet service would be a positive on Princess ships.:D

The rest.....not so much....too many decisions to make....too many reservations to make.....not enough do what you want when you want experience for us. :D

Would depend where I was sailing actually. If it were a wine region then I'd prefer Princess's policy but Caribbean ? RCL

Why would you prefer RCL's policy in the Caribbean? Those are the itineraries where I am most likely to want to enjoy wine on my balcony and so two bottles per stateroom per cruise would definitely not cut it. They'd be gone in a day and a half leaving me with only the ship's supply. Conversely, if I were in a noted wine region, I would probably be enjoying wine while on shore with less need to have a case in my room. Under those circumstances, RCL's limitation of two bottles for the entire cruise might be workable. Either way, there is going to be a bottle of wine on my dinner table every night, so I will always vote for a policy that allows me to pull wine from my cellar to enjoy on my vacation. Even if I have to pay $15 per bottle.

I wouldn't mind seeing an automated way to make dining reservations. More than once we've been unable to get through on the Dine line. Once we were at PSD for another matter and mentioned the Dine line not answering. The rep there tried to call and couldn't get through either. She promised to look into the problem. By the time we got back to the cabin, there was a message from someone in Dining verifying our reservation.