Dynamic Dining Officially announced on Oasis

[kruzerci]

Copy of response to my email to RCI

It appears they don't give a damn what we think!

So this diamond + is no longer loyal to royal

Princess from now on!

 

Dear Mr.

 

Thank you for your email.

 

Thank you for taking the time to email us your feedback and concerns regarding Dynamic Dining and your cancelled cruise vacation. Rest assured, we have forwarded your comments to the appropriate department for further review.

 

Mr. ,thank you for choosing Royal Caribbean International.

 

Sincerely,

 

 

 

 

Michelle Peacock

Customer Service Representative

 

-----------------------------

 

Country of Residence: USA

 

My cruise information:

Booking ID: Not Specified

Ship: Oasis Of The Seas

Sail Date: Not Specified

Phone: 5807

 

Issue: FYI

This morning I canceled our may 2015 cruise on Oasis due to the announcement that you will be implementing Dynamic Dining at the dry dock later this year!

As I have stated before we will never sail on a ship that does not offer traditional dinning.

I will be booking either princess or carnival later today!

Thank you

A

 

 

I'm not thrilled about it, but that is a little bit dramatic and immature :rolleyes:

 

Nobody has even tried it yet. If it's a flop on Quantum, I'm sure they will re-evaluate. I was very irritated about MTD when it was rolled out... We ended up really liking it and utilize it every trip.

[Sunny AZ Girl]

There will be plenty of people who don't make reservations in advance and they will still get into their eating venue of choice. If you choose to go at 7:00 PM without reservations you may have to wait a while (you can count on waiting up to an hour on a Friday nigh here at home for just about anyplace, especially during the winter months when we have all of our winter visitors), but you will get in. If you go early or late you will probably not encounter a wait at all. Plus I can guarantee that there will be the electronic boards telling you what venues have waits and which ones do not to minimize that wait, unless you are se on one particular venue.

 

I tend to be a planner so plan ahead I will do! Plus, we are sailing with other people, so pre-reservations make sense. I do hope that shows are released about the same time as dining, though.

 

When we sailed on the Allure we used the show schedule for the previous sailings to kind of plan our days, if I remember correctly. There was very little change from that, so it worked out.

[TequilaToo]

So, then, just switch to the Allure the same week - problem solved.

That could work, except we don't want to do Western Caribbean.

[SherriZ366]

This is the responce I received from my email to Royal that I sent yesterday afternoon. What do you guys think now? This just gets weirder and weirder.

 

I just received this a few minutes ago:

 

 

Thank you for your email.

 

We are pleased to inform you that Dynamic Dining will not be added to the Oasis of the Seas prior to your cruise vacation. At this time, Royal Caribbean International has not released any plans to add Dynamic Dining to the Oasis class ships.

 

From a quick breakfast to a late-night snack, Café Promenade is the perfect spot for casual dining and coffee on the Oasis of the Seas. Bring your friends for an afternoon snack or enjoy a dinner of pizza or a sandwich and some pastries for dessert. There is terrific coffee available to keep your energy levels up as you take on a fresh new day of excitement.

 

We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for being a member of our Crown & Anchor Society. As a Gold member you are offered exclusive benefits, including the Ultimate Value Booklet with great onboard offers. Some offers include 25% discount on any coffee beverage and 10% off any one spa/salon service. The Ultimate Value Booklet will be automatically loaded onto your SeaPass card at check-in and a list of offers will be available in your stateroom. For more information on the Crown & Anchor Society please visit http://www.royalcaribbean.com or contact us directly at 1-800-526-9723.

 

Thank you for choosing Royal Caribbean International. We look forward to welcoming you aboard the Oasis of the Seas in June of 2015.

 

Sincerely,

 

 

 

 

Brittany Williams

Customer Service Representative

When I talked to the CVP at D+ last night after 10 PM, she had just been informed a few hours before about DD on Oasis and that it would start in March 2015. Cruises until the start date would have Traditional and My Time dining

[SherriZ366]

I'm not thrilled about it, but that is a little bit dramatic and immature :rolleyes:

 

Nobody has even tried it yet. If it's a flop on Quantum, I'm sure they will re-evaluate. I was very irritated about MTD when it was rolled out... We ended up really liking it and utilize it every trip.

This guy -- Peterbuilt -- has been identified by other posters as a troll who has been posting things on various threads about DD. He changes his screen name frequently when folks catch on to him. Note the low level of posts Edited August 28, 2014 by SherriZ366

[CVU]

Not impressed with DD.

We are picky eaters and like plain food which has worked for 50 RCL cruises this month.......sure don't want to plan breakfast, lunch and dinner for a whole cruise and book it before we leave in Months to come.:eek:

 

We are on Oasis TA Both before and after dry dock. Did read we will still have the MDR menu on Oasis but the dining room will be chopped up perhaps by then.

 

Much prefer the no thinking or planning part of the MDR- book your time and you are done!!! Cruising is to be relaxing not stressful when you want to eat!!! You have your time and a table, how easy is that?

 

Booked on Allure B2Bs in 2016, so will see how it works then but we sure like it the way it has been thank you!!! Hence we have stayed to keep cruising RCL. Too many changes and people will walk to find somewhere else that works.

Edited August 28, 2014 by CVU

[jalpert]

Sounds like I'm on the same cruise and I'm a bit disappointed as well. DD, regular dining, both have their pluses and minuses.

 

But making us sit in a DD constructed restaurant and then serve us MDR food is like the worst of both worlds.

 

At that point, if it's built, just start the DD.

 

about the 5 months from dry dock til March. I cruise on Oasis the fist week of November and am worried that parts of the ship will be unavailable due to construction.:confused:

[Sunny AZ Girl]

Not impressed with DD.

We are picky eaters and like plain food which has worked for 50 RCL cruises this month.......sure don't want to plan breakfast, lunch and dinner for a whole cruise and book it before we leave in Months to come.:eek:

 

We are on Oasis TA Both before and after dry dock. Did read we will still have the MDR menu on Oasis but the dining room will be chopped up perhaps by then.

 

Much prefer the no thinking or planning part of the MDR- book your time and you are done!!! Cruising is to be relaxing not stressful when you want to eat!!! You have your time and a table, how easy is that?

 

Booked on Allure B2Bs in 2016, so will see how it works then but we sure like it the way it has been thank you!!! Hence we have stayed to keep cruising RCL. Too many changes and people will walk to find somewhere else that works.

 

You do not have to plan and reserve breakfast and lunch. Just go wherever you want. Lots of free options available on Oasis Class. We did utilize the in room and at the elevator banks screens o see what venues were crowded to help us choose. It worked out well. And you can pre-reserve dinner every night at the same time, same place if you want. If you want to vary your menu then reserve the same time a a different restaurant every night. That way you don't have to worry about it once on board. As you said, book your times and you are done!!! Give it a chance. It may not be as bad as you think.

 

As another poster stated we thought MTD was the end of the world. We tried it on our last cruise, and now it is our preferred way to reserve dining.

[vacation_junkie]

http://www.******************.com/2014/08/27/royal-caribbean-announces-dynamic-dining-will-expand-oasis-of-the-seas

 

Royal Caribbean announces Dynamic Dining will expand to Oasis of the Seas

 

In: Dynamic Dining

Oasis of the Seas

 

 

27Aug2014

Royal Caribbean's new way of dining on a cruise ship that is debuting first on its Quantum-class of ships will start spreading to other ships in Royal Caribbean's fleet.

During a Quantum of the Seas media event in Germany, a Royal Caribbean executive announced that Oasis of the Seas will get Dynamic Dining during her upcoming refurbishment.

No other details have been released yet but the idea behind Dynamic Dining is to remove the Main Dining Room and replace it with a combination of complimentary and additional fee specialty restaurants that guests can choose from to dine each night.

Dynamic Dining is a fundamental shift in how Royal Caribbean offers its guests dinner, opting to forgo the formality of a main dining room and make dinner more convenient with no set times and a relaxed dress code.

Oasis of the Seas is scheduled to go to Europe in October 2014 and have her refurbishment shorthly thereafter.

[Ocean Boy]

This is the responce I received from my email to Royal that I sent yesterday afternoon. What do you guys think now? This just gets weirder and weirder.

 

I just received this a few minutes ago:

 

 

Thank you for your email.

 

We are pleased to inform you that Dynamic Dining will not be added to the Oasis of the Seas prior to your cruise vacation. At this time, Royal Caribbean International has not released any plans to add Dynamic Dining to the Oasis class ships.

 

From a quick breakfast to a late-night snack, Café Promenade is the perfect spot for casual dining and coffee on the Oasis of the Seas. Bring your friends for an afternoon snack or enjoy a dinner of pizza or a sandwich and some pastries for dessert. There is terrific coffee available to keep your energy levels up as you take on a fresh new day of excitement.

 

We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for being a member of our Crown & Anchor Society. As a Gold member you are offered exclusive benefits, including the Ultimate Value Booklet with great onboard offers. Some offers include 25% discount on any coffee beverage and 10% off any one spa/salon service. The Ultimate Value Booklet will be automatically loaded onto your SeaPass card at check-in and a list of offers will be available in your stateroom. For more information on the Crown & Anchor Society please visit http://www.royalcaribbean.com or contact us directly at 1-800-526-9723.

 

Thank you for choosing Royal Caribbean International. We look forward to welcoming you aboard the Oasis of the Seas in June of 2015.

 

Sincerely,

 

 

 

 

Brittany Williams

Customer Service Representative

 

Why are they "pleased" to inform you DD will not be added? Do they think that Dynamic Dining is not a good concept?

[danv3]

We are pleased to inform you that Dynamic Dining will not be added to the Oasis of the Seas prior to your cruise vacation. At this time, Royal Caribbean International has not released any plans to add Dynamic Dining to the Oasis class ships.

 

So basically no one at RCI has any idea what's going on right now? LOL. Epic marketing fail.

[whitshel]

I'm all for it, something new. i do have a couple of questions though,

 

1. Since there will be no more MTD with the adoption of DD, does that mean no more paying tips up front or then does everyone have to pay tips up front?

 

2. If you don't make a reservation in one of the 4 main dinning venues can you still go and wait for a table like MTD?

 

Thanks :confused:

[OfTheSeasCruiser]

So basically no one at RCI has any idea what's going on right now? LOL. Epic marketing fail.

 

My guess is that the original tweet was posted much earlier than planned. Explains why there is no official press release attached and why some reps don't have any idea what is going on.

[Sunny AZ Girl]

I'm all for it, something new. i do have a couple of questions though,

 

1. Since there will be no more MTD with the adoption of DD, does that mean no more paying tips up front or then does everyone have to pay tips up front?

 

2. If you don't make a reservation in one of the 4 main dinning venues can you still go and wait for a table like MTD?

 

Thanks :confused:

 

Those are good questions. I do pay my tips up front with my final cruise payment as I don't like getting a big bill at the end of the cruise. However, I don't see why they would change the options as everyone's sea pass would get charged the same as they do now, anyway. What are the Quantum cruisers doing? I would think the Oasis would be the same.

 

I also would think that waiting for a table would be an option. If you use the electronic screens that tell you what venue is busy it would minimize your wait, if you weren't set on a particular restaurant at a particular time. Again, I prefer to have my dining set, so I will make reservations. However, things can change and if we decide to do something else instead I am sure we can do it.

 

Also, for someone who wants very casual and relaxed times the Windjammer is always an option. I have some friends who prefer that venue anyway. Not for me, except for an occasional time when I am really tired after a long excursion and just want a quick bite and go relax in the cabin.

[beancounterbeth]

Why are they "pleased" to inform you DD will not be added? Do they think that Dynamic Dining is not a good concept?

 

 

Because I told them in my email that I had heard a rumor and I wasn't happy about it and was hoping to find out some more information from them. That was late yesterday afternoon. I received this response from them this morning. Sounds like some of the people in customer relations still don't know what's going on.

[Ourusualbeach]

This is the responce I received from my email to Royal that I sent yesterday afternoon. What do you guys think now? This just gets weirder and weirder.

 

I just received this a few minutes ago:

 

 

Thank you for your email.

 

We are pleased to inform you that Dynamic Dining will not be added to the Oasis of the Seas prior to your cruise vacation. At this time, Royal Caribbean International has not released any plans to add Dynamic Dining to the Oasis class ships.

 

From a quick breakfast to a late-night snack, Café Promenade is the perfect spot for casual dining and coffee on the Oasis of the Seas. Bring your friends for an afternoon snack or enjoy a dinner of pizza or a sandwich and some pastries for dessert. There is terrific coffee available to keep your energy levels up as you take on a fresh new day of excitement.

 

We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for being a member of our Crown & Anchor Society. As a Gold member you are offered exclusive benefits, including the Ultimate Value Booklet with great onboard offers. Some offers include 25% discount on any coffee beverage and 10% off any one spa/salon service. The Ultimate Value Booklet will be automatically loaded onto your SeaPass card at check-in and a list of offers will be available in your stateroom. For more information on the Crown & Anchor Society please visit http://www.royalcaribbean.com or contact us directly at 1-800-526-9723.

 

Thank you for choosing Royal Caribbean International. We look forward to welcoming you aboard the Oasis of the Seas in June of 2015.

 

Sincerely,

 

 

 

 

Brittany Williams

Customer Service Representative

 

Poor Brittany always the last to know.:eek:

 

RCI does a poor job of informing its customer service agents about any and all changes so getting this response does not surprise me. Do not take this response as accurate.

[Mouse's Shadow]

I'm glad we're doing Allure in 4 months. We really like the MDR. We like having the same wait staff every night. I've never felt the need to eat in any of the specialty restaurants. We usually do a family cruise every 3 years. It looks like we'll have to try a different cruise line it the change goes fleet wide.

[CVU]

Sounds like I'm on the same cruise and I'm a bit disappointed as well. DD, regular dining, both have their pluses and minuses.

But making us sit in a DD constructed restaurant and then serve us MDR food is like the worst of both worlds.

At that point, if it's built, just start the DD.

We get on Oasis Oct. 14, so I think we will be the ones in the construction zone.:D

You do not have to plan and reserve breakfast and lunch. Just go wherever you want. Lots of free options available on Oasis Class. We did utilize the in room and at the elevator banks screens o see what venues were crowded to help us choose. It worked out well. And you can pre-reserve dinner every night at the same time, same place if you want. If you want to vary your menu then reserve the same time a a different restaurant every night. That way you don't have to worry about it once on board. As you said, book your times and you are done!!! Give it a chance. It may not be as bad as you think.

As another poster stated we thought MTD was the end of the world. We tried it on our last cruise, and now it is our preferred way to reserve dining.

Some like MTD, but we have only seen long line ups on all of our cruises this year and last. When we are forced to try it, then we will. So far we have been very happy walking in with no wait to our usual table.

Being fussy eaters, with food sensitivity issues as well, it has been a lot simpler going to the MDR.

Looking at the Quantum menus nothing much appeals......WJ is a pain to find a seat and find the food there we think. I have wandered around looking for the rest of the salad fixings. They are not laid out as other buffets on the other ships.

I was referring the DD when it comes. Looking on Quantum it shows Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner. There are other options yes, but if you want to go to those other options it looked to me you had to book them.......

[vacation_junkie]

It's amazing how many people throw a hissy fit like a 2 year old whenever there is any sort of change on a Cruiseline.

 

Regardless of how many or how few cruises you have taken with a particular line they really don't owe you anything!

 

I know I'm going to get gripe about how many $'s people have spent being "loyal" to a particular line and they feel they should get something in return and how dare they change it on them! But seriously...

 

Cruising is a multi billion dollar a year industry. If you choose to act like a spoiled brat and cancel your cruise out of the retaliation of change then so be it!

 

There will always be someone else that will fill your stateroom!

 

There needs to be a far less complaining and little more appreciating the fact that you are able to afford to vacation in the first place.

 

There are ALOT of people out there that will never be able to afford the luxury !

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[celebrity]

It's amazing how many people throw a hissy fit like a 2 year old whenever there is any sort of change on a Cruiseline.

 

Regardless of how many or how few cruises you have taken with a particular line they really don't owe you anything!

 

I know I'm going to get gripe about how many $'s people have spent being "loyal" to a particular line and they feel they should get something in return and how dare they change it on them! But seriously...

 

Cruising is a multi billion dollar a year industry. If you choose to act like a spoiled brat and cancel your cruise out of the retaliation of change then so be it!

 

There will always be someone else that will fill your stateroom!

 

There needs to be a far less complaining and little more appreciating the fact that you are able to afford to vacation in the first place.

 

There are ALOT of people out there that will never be able to afford the luxury !

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

I fail to see how passengers are acting like " spoiled brats" when the experience that they have been accustomed to has changed. The complaints are from cruisers who LIKE having a set dinner time with a staff that gets to know your likes/ dislikes .

No one will argue that we are very blessed to get the opportunity to travel. However, many cruisers ( myself included) find it very appealing to just book a cruise and not have to worry about reserving dinner times to correspond with show times. I can do that on a land vacation.

I can personally attest to the Dynamic Disaster of booking dining on my Quantum cruise 10 months before sailing.

I managed to reserve only 5 out of 12 nights at my preferred dining time for a family of four.

Looks like we wil be eating on the fly 7 nights. That is not acceptable in my book on a cruise that was paid at a premium price.

[SherriZ366]

It's amazing how many people throw a hissy fit like a 2 year old whenever there is any sort of change on a Cruiseline.

 

Regardless of how many or how few cruises you have taken with a particular line they really don't owe you anything!

 

I know I'm going to get gripe about how many $'s people have spent being "loyal" to a particular line and they feel they should get something in return and how dare they change it on them! But seriously...

 

Cruising is a multi billion dollar a year industry. If you choose to act like a spoiled brat and cancel your cruise out of the retaliation of change then so be it!

 

There will always be someone else that will fill your stateroom!

 

There needs to be a far less complaining and little more appreciating the fact that you are able to afford to vacation in the first place.

 

There are ALOT of people out there that will never be able to afford the luxury !

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

I think your characterization of folks who don't like DD and want traditional dining as "spoiled brats" If DD is on any of the 5 cruises we have booked, we will try it and I will work hard to get some form of dining that appeals to our party who like the Always Available menu or need a special men. If we don't like it, we will try RCI ships without DD or other lines.

 

We are fortunate to be able to afford to cruise but we want to pay for something we enjoy not someone else's vacation.

[SherriZ366]

I fail to see how passengers are acting like " spoiled brats" when the experience that they have been accustomed to has changed. The complaints are from cruisers who LIKE having a set dinner time with a staff that gets to know your likes/ dislikes .

No one will argue that we are very blessed to get the opportunity to travel. However, many cruisers ( myself included) find it very appealing to just book a cruise and not have to worry about reserving dinner times to correspond with show times. I can do that on a land vacation.

I can personally attest to the Dynamic Disaster of booking dining on my Quantum cruise 10 months before sailing.

I managed to reserve only 5 out of 12 nights at my preferred dining time for a family of four.

Looks like we wil be eating on the fly 7 nights. That is not acceptable in my book on a cruise that was paid at a premium price.

Well put. Your experience in booking dining is one of the things I am worried about.

[Yorkvillain]

It's amazing how many people throw a hissy fit like a 2 year old whenever there is any sort of change on a Cruiseline.

 

Regardless of how many or how few cruises you have taken with a particular line they really don't owe you anything!

 

I know I'm going to get gripe about how many $'s people have spent being "loyal" to a particular line and they feel they should get something in return and how dare they change it on them! But seriously...

 

Cruising is a multi billion dollar a year industry. If you choose to act like a spoiled brat and cancel your cruise out of the retaliation of change then so be it!

 

There will always be someone else that will fill your stateroom!

 

There needs to be a far less complaining and little more appreciating the fact that you are able to afford to vacation in the first place.

 

There are ALOT of people out there that will never be able to afford the luxury !

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

 

 

It really is unreal how people on here get. Every time Royal announces something new or announces a change I think to myself that I should probably stay off Cruise Critic for a little bit since it's going to be a complain-a-thon from the whiners.

 

People hate change and people love to complain.

Edited August 28, 2014 by Yorkvillain

[Ocean Boy]

Because I told them in my email that I had heard a rumor and I wasn't happy about it and was hoping to find out some more information from them. That was late yesterday afternoon. I received this response from them this morning. Sounds like some of the people in customer relations still don't know what's going on.

 

Now that is really hard to believe.:eek:

[Paulette3028]

Meaning pay for my dinner?

 

Never going to happen on a cruise. That's part of why I cruise. It's supposed to be all inclusive (except for alcohol and excursions). If that does end up happening I will join all those others that are saying goodbye to RCCL and I have always been the person who tells other people who say they hated their cruise that it's because they didn't cruise with Royal.

 

Until our last cruise on Allure, we had not gone to any of the Specialty Restaurants....we did go to Izumi, the Japanese restaurant and had a wonderful dinner...it was comparable to any Japanese restaurant that we would go to at home.

 

For me to go to the other options as a Specialty Restaurant, is unlikely...to have steak or Italian food, that has been a staple of the main dining room and included in my cruise costs, I don't see us doing. True the better choices of steak may not be offered on the MDR menu -- yet you do have the ability to order it (usually) in the main dining room.

 

I am sure Royal realizes that people are traditionalists in some way.....and that is why some restaurants will be 'included', but reservations may still be needed.