Quantum of the Seas Dynamic Dining Disaster

[flgrrl27]

I am having a hard time understanding what is so dynamic about a dining process where the you start booking reservations months in advance for a set time for the people in only your reservation and then keep checking back to see if anything comes available when the restaurants are showing unavailable.

 

Becoming frustrated with the poor User Interface implementation (having to look up each restaurant each night manually), I called the Royal Diamond Plus number to find terrible customer service. Told reservations were down after being on the line an extended period. Asked if this could be fixed when they were up and never received a call back.

 

I still have several nights on the inaugural without a dining reservation and will be looking at booking future travel with other cruise lines if the standby lines at the dining room are so long I have to eat dinner at the buffet.

[kelmac]

We will be 14 nights on the Anthem in June. Went online and booked all nights. Looks like fun and I'm willing to give it a fair shot. No problems to this point.

 

Enjoy!

Kel:)

[nelblu]

I am having a hard time understanding what is so dynamic about a dining process where the you start booking reservations months in advance for a set time for the people in only your reservation and then keep checking back to see if anything comes available when the restaurants are showing unavailable.

 

Becoming frustrated with the poor User Interface implementation (having to look up each restaurant each night manually), I called the Royal Diamond Plus number to find terrible customer service. Told reservations were down after being on the line an extended period. Asked if this could be fixed when they were up and never received a call back.

 

I still have several nights on the inaugural without a dining reservation and will be looking at booking future travel with other cruise lines if the standby lines at the dining room are so long I have to eat dinner at the buffet.

 

 

Try calling "Quantum Dining" at 877 812-3612. They were helpful.

[gumbocc1009]

Try calling "Quantum Dining" at 877 812-3612. They were helpful.

 

Interesting... I am getting a busy signal...

[cruisenfever]

Interesting... I am getting a busy signal...

Then just call C&A at 1-800-526-9723.

[Jimbo]

Had all my reservations for dining already done months ago, I just went on My cruises and says I have 0 reservations............is the site down again?

 

Jimbo:)

[jefarl]

just noticed my booking confrimation said Dynamic Dining option so i started to read the postings... Going on 11 TA in May and really don't want to think about making reservations now.. just may wait until each day or so on board and go with what we feel like and what is available..hey we are on vacation so will just chill out...

 

does anyone know yet if they will be putting people together to share tables if we want? or only if you come as 2 you sit as 2... would rather have shared tables and meet new people over a meal?

 

:)

[Biker19]

The host almost always asks if you want to share a table - you get seated faster that way.

 

Whether you want to share a table is up to you. Depending on the venue and location the tables, the two tops are pretty close to other tables so you may end up talking to others anyway.

[Shacky316]

We were on Quantum over the weekend. We were never asked if we wanted to share a table. I guess since we were 2 adults/2 children no one would want to sit with us anyway.

 

American Icon first night then Jamie's. Service is slow. I know why the reservations are for 2 hours. I hate two hour dinners. Especially since we had Mamma Mia and Starwater lined up afterward.

 

No way you can have a dinner there in less than 90 minutes they way they run it.

[Biker19]

 

No way you can have a dinner there in less than 90 minutes they way they run it.

It was that way for the first night - after that we were finished (including desert) in an hour every night.

[BobK in NJ]

just noticed my booking confrimation said Dynamic Dining option so i started to read the postings... Going on 11 TA in May and really don't want to think about making reservations now.. just may wait until each day or so on board and go with what we feel like and what is available..hey we are on vacation so will just chill out...

 

does anyone know yet if they will be putting people together to share tables if we want? or only if you come as 2 you sit as 2... would rather have shared tables and meet new people over a meal?

 

:)

 

Book dinner reservations now! It is far easier to change the reservation time later than to try to make a reservation at a later date.

 

They asked us each time if we wanted to sit at a large table or a table for two. Always chose the table for two and had a great time in conversations with adjacent tables for two. The only exception was breakfast and lunch at the American Icon Grill where they seat you at large tables as you arrive (just like the old MDR). Dinners typically took between an hour to 1-1/4 hours. We had no issues.

[cruiserking]

just noticed my booking confrimation said Dynamic Dining option so i started to read the postings... Going on 11 TA in May and really don't want to think about making reservations now.. just may wait until each day or so on board and go with what we feel like and what is available..hey we are on vacation so will just chill out...

 

does anyone know yet if they will be putting people together to share tables if we want? or only if you come as 2 you sit as 2... would rather have shared tables and meet new people over a meal?

 

:)

 

I agree 100% with BobK, you should definitely make all of your dinner reservations ahead of time. We met several people who had booked the 2-day sampler cruise 2 weeks prior and were shut out of all of the restaurants.

 

It's better to have the reservation locked in, you can always change the time or perhaps the day once you're on board.

 

Jonathan

[Biker19]

We met several people who had booked the 2-day sampler cruise 2 weeks prior and were shut out of all of the restaurants.

They were not shut out - they just chose not to wait till an opening became available.

[cruiserking]

They were not shut out - they just chose not to wait till an opening became available.

 

They were shut out of pre-booking. My point is don't wait till you get aboard and have to hope you get get a dining slot.

 

Jonathan

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Forums mobile app

[Biker19]

They were shut out of pre-booking.

 

But I bet they got into the restaurant without any issues.....

 

Folks, RCI is not reinveting the wheel with DD. Think of DD like a popular land based restaurant on a Saturday night. You go before 5:30PM or after 9PM and you can get in without much wait. Show up at 7PM without a reservation and you wait. Same thing with DD.

 

Yes, if you have the time and the technical skills (which I assume you do since you're on CC), go ahead and make reservations before boarding. If you book and all the reservable slots are gone, don't stress, you'll get into the restaurant with a bit of a wait.:cool:

[Georgeny]

But I bet they got into the restaurant without any issues.....

 

Folks, RCI is not reinveting the wheel with DD. Think of DD like a popular land based restaurant on a Saturday night. You go before 5:30PM or after 9PM and you can get in without much wait. Show up at 7PM without a reservation and you wait. Same thing with DD.

 

Yes, if you have the time and the technical skills (which I assume you do since you're on CC), go ahead and make reservations before boarding. If you book and all the reservable slots are gone, don't stress, you'll get into the restaurant with a bit of a wait.:cool:

 

Kind of make what the point is for some. Cruise because I don't wish to dine the same way I do on land at sea. I remember being in the NCL Spirit and being handed one of those previously seen on land flashing beepers. Oh boy I'm excited to be cruising, look I get a beeper just like at franchised Outback. Yeah that was what I wanted to do on vacation wait in line with my beeper. Yes that was my last NCL sailing 2006. Started sailing NCL 1984 when it really was Norwegian. Stopped as stated 2006 when it was Outback at Sea courtesy of Asian Star Chinese line who now own it.

 

Yet I am sailing her, Quantum, soon to see if I am wrong and my mind can be swayed.

 

George in NY - Quantum Dec 20th Holiday sailing

[negc]

We were on Quantum over the weekend. We were never asked if we wanted to share a table. I guess since we were 2 adults/2 children no one would want to sit with us anyway.

 

American Icon first night then Jamie's. Service is slow. I know why the reservations are for 2 hours. I hate two hour dinners. Especially since we had Mamma Mia and Starwater lined up afterward.

 

No way you can have a dinner there in less than 90 minutes they way they run it.

 

We simply told our waiter in Grande that we wanted to be out in time to see Starwater and we were served promptly but not rushed and we were out about thirty minutes before the performance began. None of our meals (there were either two or three in our party each evening) and none of them took two hours.

[negc]

I agree 100% with BobK, you should definitely make all of your dinner reservations ahead of time. We met several people who had booked the 2-day sampler cruise 2 weeks prior and were shut out of all of the restaurants.

 

It's better to have the reservation locked in, you can always change the time or perhaps the day once you're on board.

 

Jonathan

 

And yet we had no problems booking once we boarded (except for Jamie's which was apparently solidly booked for the entire time). Grande,Chic and American Icon were all available at what I would consider peak times (6:30 -7:30). If you are part of a larger group, I suspect advance reservations would be called for.

[Biker19]

Kind of make what the point is for some. Cruise because I don't wish to dine the same way I do on land at sea.

 

If one can't be bothered to spend 15 min making reservations or one does not want to wait to be seated, DO NOT BOOK a ship with DD. Because if you do, you'll end up like all the others complaining about it. We get it - you don't want to duplicate what you experience on land; fine, don't go a ship with DD. RCI is betting that not only will they still fill the ship with DD, but they'll do so with higher fares.

Edited November 28, 2014 by Biker19

[applehazar]

I have to say reserving is difficult and online many times does not work with multiple couples. But I will say telephone customer service can be very good if you get the right person - the first two calls went poorly and on hold and waiting for multiple hours - neither rep would take my information and call me back - they said this was rccl policy The third call was tremendous - the rep took all the information and continuously emailed me for 3 days until all reservations with us and the other couple was successful - as with most companies - its who you get - keep trying - don't bother asking for a manager - they say they have none - but some reps are very good! - dont give up =- its much easier getting it done before boarding

[steveru621]

If one can't be bothered to spend 15 min making reservations or one does not want to wait to be seated, DO NOT BOOK a ship with DD. Because if you do, you'll end up like all the others complaining about it. We get it - you don't want to duplicate what you experience on land; fine, don't go a ship with DD. RCI is betting that not only will they still fill the ship with DD, but they'll do so with higher fares.

 

If only that were true. There is no way you can book dinner reservations for an 8 night cruise in 15 minutes. I take that back, if you are willing to eat every night at 9PM and ignore every show that you have booked in advance, then, and only then, it would take 2 hours.

 

Your advice really doesn't apply to thousands of people (including me) who booked many months ago before anyone had ever heard of DD.

 

Then there are others saying just book something, you can change it when you are on-board. Ha, ha, ha, ha ha, ha, ha. So tell me if the slot you really want is taken up by someone who just booked it just to have something, when will that slot open? Maybe we can setup a dinner stock exchange?

[steveru621]

They were shut out of pre-booking. My point is don't wait till you get aboard and have to hope you get get a dining slot.

 

Jonathan

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Forums mobile app

 

So I should book something now that I don't want so I can eventually eat when and where I don't want? When does the Dynamic part kick in?

 

Or should I just abandon that slot for the Windjammer or a specialty restaurant so no one can use that slot?

 

I didn't make reservations because there isn't any dining slots that I want. We are just going to show up when we feel like it. True DD, no reservations.

[Biker19]

If only that were true. There is no way you can book dinner reservations for an 8 night cruise in 15 minutes. I take that back, if you are willing to eat every night at 9PM and ignore every show that you have booked in advance, then, and only then, it would take 2 hours.

 

Your advice really doesn't apply to thousands of people (including me) who booked many months ago before anyone had ever heard of DD?

 

I did it in 15 min (dinner for 6 nights out of 8, plus 7 shows) - though I did have to redo some of it when RCI's IT system decided to take a dump and when we decided to change our schedule. If something was not available when I wanted it I just didn't book and took my chances on board (and it worked out fine).

 

The lack of information from RCI doesn't apply anymore - as they say, that ship has sailed. Everyone knows about DD - we are providing information for folks going forward. Being bitter about the past will not fix issues today.

Edited November 28, 2014 by Biker19

[Biker19]

I didn't make reservations because there isn't any dining slots that I want. We are just going to show up when we feel like it. True DD, no reservations.

And guess what, you'll get to be seated - just a bit slower than if you had made reservations.

[Georgeny]

They were not shut out - they just chose not to wait till an opening became available.

 

If you are looking to dine at 6:30 and you can only get in at 9 pm I guess your statement would be technically correct. However most would consider themselves shut out for all intent and purposes, especially if they were trying to coordinate between other activities.

 

George in NY