TM38Rob

Originally Posted by TM38Rob

 

The Grande is Formal Night every night, suits/tux required for men. Hardly consider this "complimentary" if it requires the purchase of a suit or a tux rental.

 

You can as long as you have pants and a decent shirt, the venue will provide a suit coat. ;)

Thanks Biker19. It's good to know suit coats are available at The Grande, just like a land based fine dining restaurant. With the tux rentals offered through the ship, I didn't think they would provide them.

 

I'm reminded of an episode of "Cheers" where Sam Malone wasn't allowed into Melville's without a jacket, so he had to borrow Norm's. Of course, Sam was going there to confront the new owner of Melville's (John Allen Hill) about some of his new changes and how they were negatively affecting the Cheers regulars.

To remove the contradictory spin from the press release, the basics of Dynamic Dining is the elimination of the Traditional Main Dining Room. Replacing the MDR space are specialty restaurants. Dynamic Dining encompasses all the specialty restaurants ("complimentary" and extra charge), the Windjammer buffet, and the snack venues (Doghouse, Sorrentos Pizza, Cafe Promenade) for dinner.

 

On Oasis-class ships, the MDR becomes American Icon Grille on Deck 3, The Grande on Deck 4, & Silk on Deck 5. These 3 restaurants, along with Chic, are on Quantum-class ships. COASTAL Kitchen is on both Quantum and Oasis-class ships, with the latter replacing the Viking Crown Lounge, is for Grand Suite guests and above along with Pinnacle only. These are the so-called "complimentary" restaurants.

 

American Icon Grille is "comfort food with a twist" and Silk is Pan Asian fare. These are the only two I would consider "complimentary", along with Chic on Quantum.

 

The Grande is Formal Night every night, suits/tux required for men. Hardly consider this "complimentary" if it requires the purchase of a suit or a tux rental.

 

COASTAL Kitchen requires the purchase of a suite, so it's only "complimentary" if you're a Pinnacle member of Crown & Anchor Society.

 

Wonderland is an extra charge restaurant being adding to Oasis from Quantum.

 

"On Oasis Class, American Icon Grill, Silk, and The Grand will feature two menus that rotate midway through the cruise". Otherwise, each restaurant will have the same menu every night of the cruise.

 

If you ate all your meals in the Traditional Dining Room in the past, Dynamic Dining is a major change. No more nightly rotating menus. No more assigned tables with other guests and the same waitstaff nightly. You will be required to choose where you will dine and make reservations for each restaurant you wish to dine, or dine in the Windjammer.

 

If you never ate in the MDR, or only one or two meals, then Dynamic Dining is nothing new for you. For those mostly dining in the specialty extra charge restaurants, you may view Dynamic Dining as "more choice". If you ate all your dinners in the Windjammer in the past, well, the Windjammer is still there.

 

For the DD cheerleaders promoting "more choice" as a good thing; Traditional diners may view this as "too much choice" in having to choose where to dine each night, and "less choice" as the MDR is no longer an option and the menus only appeal to a specialty rather than the variety offered on the MDR rotating menu.

 

[For me personally, Dynamic Dining is a bad thing. As I often sail on my own, I will no longer have the same tablemates (or any tablemates) and same waitstaff. Without that experience, the menu becomes more important to me as it does when dining alone on land. I can't afford suites, so COASTAL Kitchen is out. Don't own a suit and not paying extra to rent a tux to dine by myself, so The Grande is out. Menus at Silk and Chic do not appeal to me, so they're out. That leaves me with American Icon Grille, which the Children's menu looks better, but not enough variety for a 7 night cruise. So this forces me to repeat the menu, or eat at the Windjammer, or pay extra for Chops Grille. That is why I put on my survey from my recent Oasis cruise that I will never sail on a ship with Dynamic Dining. (Well, not solo anyway.) It's a shame that they put the new Studio Balcony staterooms on a ship with no MDR.]

Updated to reflect that California Kitchen is actually Coastal Kitchen. From the description of Coastal Kitchen in the Dining Options: "Fuses Mediterranean influences with the unmatched riches of California's bountiful farmlands."

 

Either way won't be able to eat there even if I wanted to.

To remove the contradictory spin from the press release, the basics of Dynamic Dining is the elimination of the Traditional Main Dining Room. Replacing the MDR space are specialty restaurants. Dynamic Dining encompasses all the specialty restaurants ("complimentary" and extra charge), the Windjammer buffet, and the snack venues (Doghouse, Sorrentos Pizza, Cafe Promenade) for dinner.

 

On Oasis-class ships, the MDR becomes American Icon Grille on Deck 3, The Grande on Deck 4, & Silk on Deck 5. These 3 restaurants, along with Chic, are on Quantum-class ships. California Kitchen is on both Quantum and Oasis-class ships, with the latter replacing the Viking Crown Lounge, is for Grand Suite guests and above along with Pinnacle only. These are the so-called "complimentary" restaurants.

 

American Icon Grille is "comfort food with a twist" and Silk is Pan Asian fare. These are the only two I would consider "complimentary", along with Chic on Quantum.

 

The Grande is Formal Night every night, suits/tux required for men. Hardly consider this "complimentary" if it requires the purchase of a suit or a tux rental.

 

California Kitchen requires the purchase of a suite, so it's only "complimentary" if you're a Pinnacle member of Crown & Anchor Society.

 

Wonderland is an extra charge restaurant being adding to Oasis from Quantum.

 

"On Oasis Class, American Icon Grill, Silk, and The Grand will feature two menus that rotate midway through the cruise". Otherwise, each restaurant will have the same menu every night of the cruise.

 

If you ate all your meals in the Traditional Dining Room in the past, Dynamic Dining is a major change. No more nightly rotating menus. No more assigned tables with other guests and the same waitstaff nightly. You will be required to choose where you will dine and make reservations for each restaurant you wish to dine, or dine in the Windjammer.

 

If you never ate in the MDR, or only one or two meals, then Dynamic Dining is nothing new for you. For those mostly dining in the specialty extra charge restaurants, you may view Dynamic Dining as "more choice". If you ate all your dinners in the Windjammer in the past, well, the Windjammer is still there.

 

For the DD cheerleaders promoting "more choice" as a good thing; Traditional diners may view this as "too much choice" in having to choose where to dine each night, and "less choice" as the MDR is no longer an option and the menus only appeal to a specialty rather than the variety offered on the MDR rotating menu.

 

[For me personally, Dynamic Dining is a bad thing. As I often sail on my own, I will no longer have the same tablemates (or any tablemates) and same waitstaff. Without that experience, the menu becomes more important to me as it does when dining alone on land. I can't afford suites, so California Kitchen is out. Don't own a suit and not paying extra to rent a tux to dine by myself, so The Grande is out. Menus at Silk and Chic do not appeal to me, so they're out. That leaves me with American Icon Grille, which the Children's menu looks better, but not enough variety for a 7 night cruise. So this forces me to repeat the menu, or eat at the Windjammer, or pay extra for Chops Grille. That is why I put on my survey from my recent Oasis cruise that I will never sail on a ship with Dynamic Dining. (Well, not solo anyway.) It's a shame that they put the new Studio Balcony staterooms on a ship with no MDR.]

Hello, just wondering if anyone has done the Universal Studio's package prior to your cruise and what you thought of its value ? We are doing Freedom next fall and are considering staying right at Universal for the 3 days prior, then doing the cruise. If I read the details right, they transport you from the airport to Universal, then to the pier and back to the airport when its over. Thanks for any input !

Good value. Includes transfers from airport to hotel, and hotel to pier. 3 years ago I had to book the transfer post cruise to airport separate, not sure if it's included now. Choice of on site hotel at Universal Orlando or one nearby (different prices based on hotel). Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure park tickets also included. Well worth it!

Go for it! I did the Majesty 4 night for my first cruise, and revisited that itinerary again 5 years later. One thing that has changed are the menus in the MDR. Another change is the carpeting is gone from the pool deck.

 

Don't think of it as a Redo. Think of it as a New Adventure... with Friends.

Ask what they'd like to do in Nassau and Key West and plan from there.

My vote is for Donunts. Don't care too much for Hot Dogs.

 

Someone mentioned something about a Pretzel Dog. Too bad there isn't a fresh made soft pretzel stand. I could go for one with cinnamon and a side of icing to dip it in.

From what I get from the VP and F&B, it's going to cost more to cruise on RCI. Yes you can stick to the free places, but those are going to be very few. If this DD goes fleet wide especially on the Explorer of the Seas series and larger and newer, those of us who don't wish to partake in this, will have a choice of either changing cruise lines, Celebrity or Princess for me or cruise on the smaller and older ships which doesn't appeal to me.

...said Brian Abel, vice president of food and beverage operations, talking exclusively to Cruise Industry News. “Eighteen distinct restaurants really provide a huge variety in type of cuisine, price point, service style and they allow guests to pick and choose based on their state of mind and mood. Each restaurant is a distinct concept."

 

I agree it's going to cost more if you want a different full service restaurant/menu each night. At the same time, it's a cost cutting measure. As DD encompasses all the "restaurants", they are trying to encourage people to include a hot dog and/or frozen pizza in lieu of a 3 course meal in the MDR for one or more nights.

 

Abel noted some major differences in the Windjammer (buffet) for Quantum. “The design is more modern and more contemporary than what we’ve done in the past,” he said. “We have more action stations, and food islands each with someone behind them doing food prep.”

 

With the changes to Windjammer I'm sure they need more staffing and need to justify the expense by getting more people out of the MDR and eat at Windjammer for dinner if they don't want the headache of making nightly reservations for multiple restaurants.

 

Celebrity is majority owned and operated by Royal Caribbean, so I'm not sure if DD will make it's way there anytime soon, but it's possible.

For many of us who have booked a cruise with Quantum, the DD sytem is a reality now. We are not wasting our time but searching for information on how it is supposed to work because our next cuise with Royal is under this system. We can hardly just wait to be on board to see if we had to make reservations for all our evenings or not. As a matter of fact, instead of all of us especulating, what we would like to have is a better explanation from Royal how is this DD supossed to work for those of us who do not know months in advance what type of food we would like to eat on board, but still want to have dinner (and not necesarily at the Wind Jammer)

Here's the vague description of Dynamic Dining from Royal Caribbean's VP of F&B Brian Abel in an article for Cruise Industry News: http://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-magazine/feature-magazine-articles/67-articles/11292-summer-2014-food-and-beverage-royal-caribbeans-dynamic-dining-is-a-revolution.html

Major advantage is the transfers between hotel and pier. Possible disadvantage is a minimum of 3 nights at Universal Orlando hotel added to your 7 night Freedom Cruise for a total of 10 or 11 nights for your trip.

 

 

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Contact a CVP or your TA to inquire about options. No extra deposit required, just like adding a hotel pre or post cruise to your booking.

 

 

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Can you tell me about this package and how much would it be and what're the advantages and disadvantages?

 

 

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3 or 4 nights before or after your cruise. Price depends on which hotel you choose and number of nights. Includes transfers from airport to hotel, hotel to pier, and admission to Universal Studios & Islands of Adventure. I did this on Monarch 3 years ago & stayed @ Doubletree at entrance to Universal Orlando. Booked package again for next year on Enchantment, staying 4 nights pre-cruise at the new Cabana Bay Resort on site. Other on site hotels include Royal Pacific Resort, Hard Rock Hotel, and Portofino.

 

 

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We kept walking and I turned around to see this massive hotel up close! I think I could stay here for a week? Over a cruise I don't know. Has anyone every stayed at the hotel for a few days? What was it like?

 

Hi Michael,

 

Enjoying your review so far. I'm booked on Enchantment for next year, going to Atlantis in a few weeks on Oasis to do the Aquaventure.

 

Two years ago I stayed at Atlantis for a few nights when all the SO (Deck 9) rooms on Majesty were sold out before I could request time off from work. I arrived the day after Hurricane Sandy passed by, so the beach was closed and it was still very windy.

 

Different from the cruise experience, but worth it if you get the chance and the price is right. There's a complimentary movie theater with a concession stand (for a fee) inside. 15 min. of free internet in the Library.

Only thing missing was a trip to Cococay!

 

Last year I returned on Majesty and did the Dolphin encounter.

 

Looking forward to more of your Enchantment review,

-Robbie

[quote name='Maraprince']Most cruise lines with set dining times usually group singles together at the same table giving them a chance to bond on their own.

I'm not sure which is worse, going alone and having to eat alone or being the only odd person at a table with an entire family.
MARAPRINCE[/quote]
There was only one cruise out of ten where I was seated at a table of 6 where all 6 of us were each sailing solo.

I have been at a table with only one couple and only with one family on a couple cruises. At first it feels awkward to be an outsider sitting with a family, however, they quickly welcome me and they get a chance to tell stories to a new audience. My last cruise I was at a table with a family of 3. One night I was at dinner alone as we were in port overnight and they were still ashore. That was the worst night, being alone at dinner, than any other night in the MDR on Royal Caribbean in eleven cruises, and the lasagne was the best out of the past 3 cruises it's been offered.

[quote name='boscobeans']I would love to know how RCCL made their decision concerning Dynamic Dining.

Research of what sort?
From what type of group?

I could imagine a mixed group made up of experienced cruisers along with folks who have never stepped foot on a ship being asked to complete a survey.

Questions on survey dealing with dining preferences:

1. Do you want to have to choose only one of two dining times for your entire cruise?
2. Do you want to eat in the same restaurant every night during your entire cruise?
3. Do you want to have the choice of eating at any one of (10-12-13-14...18) different restaurants during your cruise?
4. Do you want to have the choice of dining at different times each night during your cruise?
4. Do you want to eat at restaurants with menus designed by highly rated popular chefs?

There are many, many things that the above questions do not address or explain fully.

Surveys, focus groups and think tanks can and are often wrong depending on many things and can easily be steered in almost any direction.

The decision to market the New Coke (some groups got samples containing as little as two ounces)was well researched and yet failed.

I think many major corporate decisions are made well before the research is done based on many things other than true umbiased research.

After 30 plus years of working for large corporations I have seen this over and over again.

As to any decision about DD versus Traditional, the choice is up to the individual and since RCCL has decided to go with it it's not worth arguing over.

This thread and all the others dealing with the topic are great for opinions both pro and con as well as being very informative for those who may need help choosing one over the other.

Only time will tell.


Whatever your choice I hope all goes well and you enjoy every aspect of your cruise no matter how you choose.

OMO

bosco[/quote]
I'm sure it's a combination of surveys to focus groups and feedback from some people requesting more specialty restaurants (and complimentary ones). This could explain why some people in favor of DD try to silence those in favor of Traditional Dining instead of explaining what they are looking forward to in DD. Maybe they're afraid they'll have one less "restaurant" to choose from if they keep a dining room (or dining space) for Traditional Dining.

If the survey as described above was given to groups of people who have never sailed before, their responses may be different if you survey them again after sailing. I remember when I was researching what Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, and Carnival had to offer in terms of dining. Norwegian's menus looked better then Royal Caribbean's for specialty dining, and they boasted more restaurants onboard. (The price wasn't as high as it was today). At the time, I could only find a sample menu if I found one at all for the MDR, so I was unaware of a different menu each night. Norwegian might have won for my first cruise, however, it came down to Norwegian Sky vs Majesty of the Seas. Neither ship had the number of restaurants the newer ships had, or the specialty restaurants I was looking forward to (on Norwegian). Johnny Rockets had been added to Majesty, and improvements to CocoCay were enough for Royal Caribbean to win.

I'll admit I was a little uneasy about dining with "strangers" at dinner. The first night I ate at Johnny Rockets due to a stormy sailaway and not enough time to get ready for dinner. The 2nd night was formal night and I was under the impression you had to wear a suit or tux to dinner. My Stateroom Attendant informed me that they get the room ready for the night while we're at dinner, and a nice shirt and pants would be acceptable. The third night was my birthday, I had run out of excuses and was time to try the MDR. I had great tablemates and wished I had met them sooner.

Point is: my survey answers pre-cruising would have been in favor toward Freestyle/Dynamic Dining (I was in my late-20's at that time) and having sailed a Tradition Dining ship, my answers would have changed to be in favor of the latter. This shows survey results are useless.

Shake Shack changed their fries about a year ago to hand cut ones instead of crinkle cut ones bases on feedback from "certain passionate fans". However, "We didn’t fully appreciate the simple, tactile pleasure and the emotional attachment our fans have to the crispiness, the ridges and pure joy that these fries bring to guests of all ages. Even fans that genuinely appreciated what we were trying to do continued to remind us that they just wanted the crinkle cuts back." Now the Crinkles Are Coming Back in November [URL]https://www.shakeshack.com/2014/08/08/crinkles-are-coming-back-this-fall/[/URL]

Although we were told DD would be tested fully on Quantum ships before expanding to other ships in the fleet, we learned this is not true as it is going to Oasis (and rumors about Freedom, Allure, Liberty, etc.) My guess is the "testing" of DD was on Voyager during the cruises from China. I remember reading somewhere that the MDRs were changed to have food Chinese people would like, each MDR had a different menu, and it was all MTD. It wouldn't surprise me if we start seeing groups of passengers from China sailing on ships with DD from the U.S. as there is a "complimentary" restaurant (Silk) dedicated to Asian cuisine. After all, the Chinese have funded in the Baha Mar resort in Nassau, Bahamas. At Mohegan Sun casino, there's an area dedicated for Chinese visited with signs in Chinese and a dedicated Momentum rewards booth for them.
This is just my theory and only time will tell. We can agree to disagree if you don't agree. I don't feel that Royal Caribbean is just trying to attract a younger audience, they are trying to attract those with more money to spend.

[quote name='ryano']Who has attacked anyone?

Just as Im sure all the pro Dynamic Dining people are tired of all the pro traditional dining people whining about something that hasnt been rolled out yet. Dont tell someone they should be against it before even trying it unless you are willing to pay for their cruise.


See how that works?[/quote]
The OP expressed frustration is not being able to book reservations on Quantum. The first reply (post 2) starts with "When you've experience Dynamic Dining, come back and tell us then. Don't shoot something until you've tried it." I call that an attack. They didn't pay for the OP's cruise, so who are they to tell them that. Furthermore, the OP explained their experience with DD so far (with the reservation problems) and prefers Traditional Dining.

Also Traditional Dining people are not "whining" about Dynamic Dining. We have legitimate concerns about how Dynamic Dining will affect us.

I'm tired of the pro-Dynamic Dining people attacking people who prefer the option of Traditional Dining. It's great if it works for you, but it's not for everyone. Don't tell someone they should wait and try it first before being against it, unless you plan on paying for their cruise.

 

In attempting to try it, the OP has been unable to get reservations for the times and restaurants of their choice. Why should they have to wait until they get onboard before maybe getting a desired reservation?

 

Before DD, there are 3 choices: First Seating, Second Seating, or MTD. It's so easy to do when booking a cruise over the phone. "I'd like the 6pm seating, please." Now I'm done, one less thing to plan or worry about. When I get on the ship, I'll sometimes go the MDR to locate my table. Either way, I'm seated as soon as I arrive or the doors are opened to the MDR. As a solo, I have the same people to sit with each night and the same waitstaff. I look forward to meeting with these people as we get beyond the icebreaker stuff. After a busy day in port or around the ship, I like getting served a glass of water with multiple refills. Then I like to eat some bread while looking over the menu. The assistant waiter knows I have the soda package from day 1, so he brings me a Coke without constantly asking for my seapass card. Since the menu changes each night, I can order more than one appetizer, entree and dessert if I desire. (I actually had a thin tablemate with a high metabolism order two appetizers, two entrees, and two desserts every night and take photos of them before eating.) Then we all do it again the next night.

 

With DD, your only tablemates are your roommates or people you are traveling with if you make a reservation. Then you may have to make adjustments if there are conflicts with your Entertainment reservations (that by itself was a major PITA!) If you don't have reservations when you arrive, you will have to wait in a line with no guarantees a table will be ready for you when you get to the front of the line.

 

If you then decide you don't want to wait for a table, you can go to the Windjammer, but you lose out on the wait service. First, I would have to go back to my room to get my Coke Freestyle cup. Then I would have to juggle that with my plate of food from the self service buffet and a cup (not a glass) of water. If I want a refill on my soda, I have to wait 15 minutes whereas it would be refilled as many time I want in the MDR.

 

I can go on and on. The point is, people who eat outside the MDR (Extra $$$ specialty restaurants, Windjammer) and/or do the MTD have nothing to lose and more perceived "choices" with complimentary specialty restaurants whereas people who prefer Traditional Dining have a lot to lose, especially the choice of Traditional Dining. So stop attacking us.

From http://www.royalcaribbean.com Contact Us page:

 

Guests from Australia can contact us at their local office:

Australia (Sydney Office)

Monday - Friday: 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

• Tel: 61 (2) 433 15400

• Fax: 61 (2) 432 20326

• Pre-Cruise Inquiries:

fit.au@rcclapac.com

• Post-Cruise Comments

and Questions:

customerservices.au@rcclapac.com

 

If you are outside the US or Canada:

Reserve your Royal Caribbean Vacation

by calling our Certified Vacation Planners

at the International reservations desk or

send us an e-mail: reservationroyal@rccl.com

Hours of operation: Mon-Fri, 8am to 8pm EST

Sunday, 9am to 6pm EST +1 (305) 341-0204

 

Not sure how to directly contact the resolutions department.

 

Royal Caribbean has a program (insurance) called Cruise Care for an extra fee to refund money in situations like this. In Australia this may or may not be available, not sure. The reason for the partial refund policy at a certain time frame closer to the cruise is to help protect the cruiseline from loss in the event they are unable to resell the vacant stateroom or sell it last minute at a very reduced rate.

 

In the case of the OP, they can go on the same ship for the same sailing with the original stateroom still available. I see it as good business for Royal Caribbean to allow the OP to rebook this cruise and apply the $800 not refunded to the new booking and the OP pay the difference. The new rate should be the current price, unless it less than the original booking, then charge the greater of the two prices. That would be a fair resolution in this case.

I agree with the OP. I was ready to book a cruise on Freedom when Royal Caribbean cancelled the January/February cruises and then I decided not to when word on CC that DD was announced on Freedom at a C&A event. The only problem with asking for a confirmation of changes, though, is that corporate said that Dynamic Dining would be fully tested on Quantum (and Anthem) first. Neither ship has launched yet, and they've already confirmed they are implementing it DD on Oasis, and rumors are that Allure and Liberty are also in line to get DD within the next 16 months. So asking Royal Caribbean to "confirm" something that may change later is meaningless.

 

And of course, they announce DD on Oasis just as my final payment was due. I had thought about cancelling that cruise and switching to the Allure, however, the Allure was double the price and I have a room at the Hard Rock (non-refundable) pre-cruise. I'm a little relieved that DD won't launch until next year, but I'm a little skeptical until my first night in the MDR when Oasis returns from dry dock.

 

On a related note, I booked the Hard Rock months ago in part because I enjoy their pool. A few weeks ago I noticed on their website the pool is closed for renovations. A few days later I received an email explaining this to me, and that arrangements have been to use a pool at another hotel at the beach. While I would have booked another hotel (at the beach) pre-cruise had I known this back then months ago, this communication is enough for me to keep my reservation instead of demanding a refund. The way I look at it, extreme cold on my first visit there and thunderstorms on my second visit prevented me from enjoying the pool area, so at least I get to go to the ocean on my 5th visit.

 

I think that is the point the OP is trying to make. They want to know what they are getting into first, and don't want to be test subjects for DD. We know how well the IT dept. is and there probably will be kinks that need to be worked out on the DD reservation system. The menus have yet to be tested, so no reviews on what dishes are good and which ones to avoid. DD also includes changes to the Windjammer. There are too many unknowns (but enough for me to know DD is not for me, at least when sailing solo).

 

To the OP, it's your money. Enjoy your cruise on the Regal Princess.

 

For everyone who demands that we embrace change and spend our hard earned money and something that hasn't been tested yet, please make sure you following your own advice and spend your money on a cruise with DD. Then come back here to CC and give us a detailed review of all the restaurants & menus. Be sure to include photos, and describe in detail which dishes you enjoyed (and why) as well as which dishes you tried and wished you hadn't. Please be objective with this subjective matter.:D

Thanks in advance.

Last Year JetBlue changed my flight home from 1:23PM to 10:25AM. Although flying out of FLL, my cruise was Majesty in Miami. They had a later flight around 8PM. Not wanting to wait around an airport all day, I called JetBlue and changed the flight to the next day. Because the change in my original flight was 3 hours difference, they did not charge me a fee to change flights to the next day.

 

Of course, I was on my own for the hotel post-cruise, however, I did not inquire about getting one from JetBlue.

It's unlikely that you will make it on time.

You have to be at the boat by 7:30 am. The boat leaves the dock promptly at 8am. And there are always lines.

You won't be off the boat until 7:30 - by the time you grab a cab and make your way to potters cay dock, they will be pulling out.

Thanks.

Planning for next year, visiting Nassau on Enchantment of the Seas from 7am-Midnight. Bahamas Ferries Bo Hengy II leaves Potters Cay at 8am for Harbour Island. Majestic Tours offers the trip including transportation from the pier to Potters Cay, however, the the time frame for the entire trip is 6:30am-7pm.

 

Anyone visit Harbour Island with Majestic Tours? Or is it possible to get a taxi from the pier in time to get to the Bo Hengy II?

 

Looking forward to responses about your experience.

Thanks.

The Stateroom Attendants get a print out with the guest information including bed preference. These printouts will be replaced with tablets. Guess the IT dept. couldn't figure out a way to transfer the bed preference info from the reservation to the tablet.:rolleyes:

Did you really mean to say cancer???? :eek::confused: Hopefully that was just an autocorrect - otherwise you need to tone down the hyperbole :rolleyes:

Here's the definition of cancer from the Dictionary on my Mac:

 

"cancer |ˈkansər|

noun

the disease caused by an uncontrolled division of abnormal cells in a part of the body: he's got cancer | smoking is the major cause of lung cancer.

• a malignant growth or tumor resulting from the division of abnormal cells: most skin cancers are curable.

• a practice or phenomenon perceived to be evil or destructive and hard to contain or eradicate: racism is a cancer sweeping across Europe."

 

The second part of the definition is what I was referring to: a practice or phenomenon perceived to be evil or destructive and hard to contain or eradicate, otherwise known as Dynamic Dining. I see it more destructive to Royal Caribbean in the long run.

 

Don't mean to upset or offend anyone thinking I was referring to the first part of the definition.

Looks like what they did/doing with Freedom for Jan. 2015 they are doing again with Liberty for Jan. 2016. Gut the 2 level nightclub to put in an extra charge restaurant and more cabins. Also, to expand the cancer known as Dynamic Dining. In addition, add more cabins to the front of the ship on Deck 12 to block the views from the gym and take away more public space.

Rob, thank you for your contribution to this this, I hope you do not think that my comments in any way attacked you or others that have a different view, that was never my intention. Happy Cruising :D

ChipLondon, I'm glad you started this thread. It's good to see different perspectives on an issue. You acknowledge that DD is in part a cost cutting strategy for Royal Caribbean, yet you're going to have a positive outlook on the DD experience. I respect you for that.

 

Your comments are not an attack. The "attacks" come from other threads, and continue in the replies below to this thread:

Post #3: "...Life is all about changes and you never know if it's going to work until you try"

Post #4: "Most people don't like change but IMHO you can't dislike something you haven't tried."

Post #5: "People should not knock something until they have tried it at least once and even then I am prepared to give something a second chance."

Post #17: "Mama always said don't knock something till you try it."

Post #36: "DD will work great just like MTD and the SR's have. Thousands will sale (sic) weekly on full ships NOT going hungry"

Post # 41: "Went on the NCL getaway this past summer to try something new... Their food model is fantastic. Eat when you want, where you want, and how you want. How could that possibly be bad? Cause you don't have the same waiter every night? Really, will that really ruin your vacation?"

 

While some people may not have meant their post (or comment) to be an "attack", it's these type of comments that are truly unnecessary. If someone already does MTD and/or eats outside of the MDR (Specialty Restaurants, Windjammer, etc.), then DD may be a win for you and the only "change" you experience are different menus. For those like me who dine most or every night in the MDR at a traditional seating, DD is a MAJOR change being forced upon us. We know what we like, and don't need to experience this "change" to know we are going to dislike it. Just because a "change" may work for you doesn't mean it works for everyone.