Someone is actually looking forward to Dynamic Dining

[skatermegs]

I am also really excited about DD. I love the idea of having choices-and being able to see new places and try new foods. That said, why don't they try for the best of both worlds? Disney does so by having people rotate from restaurant to restaurant, but in a set pattern. Maybe, for those who are so traditional dining oriented they could offer something similar where instead of choosing restaurants and times the cruisers simply select a set time and if they want a shared table or not, and RCI could assign them a rotation of the free restaurants for the cruise? And for those of us who are excited to choose our own, we could go ahead and make reservations? I love planning, and do a lot of Disney trips, so booking dining far out from a trip is standard and fun! (Yes, I am one of those planners!) I figure I enjoy MTD and NCL's dining, and after all, I am on a cruise ship! It's food! I am happy just to be aboard, they can give me PB&J three times a day and I will probably be thrilled. :D

[dacsmom]

I am also looking forward to Dynamic Dining, there are so many more food choices. Now, I know I am not fond of the Mojo menu so I book a specialty restaurant that night. With DD I have so many more options.

[mdwcruises]

Sounds like they are slowly moving to the NCL model.

 

Looks like it.

[TM38Rob]

For those who are looking forward to DD, good for you. Hope you enjoy it.

 

For those who attack people who are not looking forward to DD, how can you say you can't be against something unless you try it first when the same logic can be applied to How can you look forward to something that hasn't even been tested yet?

 

I don't need to waste my money to see that DD isn't going to work for me just as you can say you are looking forward to DD. One size doesn't fit all.

 

For me sailing solo, I look forward to traditional dining with an awaiting assigned table with the same tablemates and waitstaff every night. This is an automatic icebreaker. You quickly get beyond the where you from and what do you do stage and actually have meaningful conversation. You look forward to meeting again the next night (for the most part) and ask each other about how your day went and activities you did, etc.

 

As for alternatives to traditional dining for solos, nothing compares or even comes close to being a suitable substitute. So let's not go there.

 

ChipLondon, I haven't sailed Oasis yet (next month), but I can see how DD would work on that ship with all the specialty restaurants. Hope the DD experience is a good one for you, and look forward to your review of the experience as well as the menu items in the future.

 

Retrofitting it to the Voyager and Freedom class ships, however, is a tougher pill to swallow. To add another restaurant (and more cabins) to the DD experiment, the 2 story nightclubs (Chamber, Dungeon, etc.) are being eliminated. Double Whammy in my book.

Edited September 28, 2014 by TM38Rob

[ChipLondon]

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

 

For those who are looking forward to DD, good for you. Hope you enjoy it.

 

For those who attack people who are not looking forward to DD, how can you say you can't be against something unless you try it first when the same logic can be applied to How can you look forward to something that hasn't even been tested yet?

 

I don't need to waste my money to see that DD isn't going to work for me just as you can say you are looking forward to DD. One size doesn't fit all.

 

For me sailing solo, I look forward to traditional dining with an awaiting assigned table with the same tablemates and waitstaff every night. This is an automatic icebreaker. You quickly get beyond the where you from and what do you do stage and actually have meaningful conversation. You look forward to meeting again the next night (for the most part) and ask each other about how your day went and activities you did, etc.

 

As for alternatives to traditional dining for solos, nothing compares or even comes close to being a suitable substitute. So let's not go there.

 

ChipLondon, I haven't sailed Oasis yet (next month), but I can see how DD would work on that ship with all the specialty restaurants. Hope the DD experience is a good one for you, and look forward to your review of the experience as well as the menu items in the future.

 

Retrofitting it to the Voyager and Freedom class ships, however, is a tougher pill to swallow. To add another restaurant (and more cabins) to the DD experiment, the 2 story nightclubs (Chamber, Dungeon, etc.) are being eliminated. Double Whammy in my book.

[John&LaLa]

With 7 different themed menus plus the alternative menu now in the MDR, there are a lot of choice. I think more of the problems that I have been reading about over the past few years is that the quality of the food has declined. DH feels that way but he is a picky eater.

 

Sherri, there are indeed 7 different menus, but they are one and done. If you see something you like it is only there the one night. And some nights nothing is palatable, so hello Chops. ;). I do think DD will be hardest on solos

 

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[cublet]

For those who are looking forward to DD, good for you. Hope you enjoy it.

<snip>

I don't need to waste my money to see that DD isn't going to work for me just as you can say you are looking forward to DD. One size doesn't fit all.

 

For me sailing solo, I look forward to traditional dining with an awaiting assigned table with the same tablemates and waitstaff every night. This is an automatic icebreaker. You quickly get beyond the where you from and what do you do stage and actually have meaningful conversation. You look forward to meeting again the next night (for the most part) and ask each other about how your day went and activities you did, etc.

 

As for alternatives to traditional dining for solos, nothing compares or even comes close to being a suitable substitute. So let's not go there.

 

ChipLondon, I haven't sailed Oasis yet (next month), but I can see how DD would work on that ship with all the specialty restaurants. Hope the DD experience is a good one for you, and look forward to your review of the experience as well as the menu items in the future.

<snip>

 

Hello,

 

When it comes to holidays, there is only little me. Well, OK maybe the 'little' is wide of the mark, but the 'only me' is true.

 

I am not looking forward to DD for the same reasons as TM38Rob. But even before I get to a DD table, I can see myself being asked every night by the Maitre D' "Would you mind sharing?" unless someone takes pitty on me like some lost little fury animal and a temporary union is formed. I like the arrangement with RCI where, with one exception, I am usually on a large table and able to build a rapport with the others over the length of the cruise. If I have to start afresh every night, I can draw up the list of the same questions I'll be asked every night.

 

If DD is on the Allure next May I may stick to the Windjammer and come out of the shadows for two formal nights in the Grande Restaurant.

 

Regards,

 

Cublet

[SnappyNappi]

Personally, I understand why people are adverse to change and it is hard to embrace it when you like things the way that you have done them in the past. The same can by said about any change... some changes are met positively and some negatively. Admittedly, I was initially put off by the announcement and voiced my displeasure on the boards. However, after thinking about it, I decided to keep an open mind and when we saw the plans for each venue, I thought that the design looked interesting.

 

Dynamic Dining seems to be compared most often to the NCL version of Freestyle Dining, which to be honest, we have not tried because we have not traveled NCL and enjoy RCCL. However, I like to think of the Dynamic Dining to be more like My-Time-Dining, only instead of having only 1 venue to choose from and only have flexibility for our dining time, we have many venues and menus to choose from. DH and I are booked on Quantum in February 2015 and we are booked in a different venue on most evenings, hoping to sample each menu and take in each of the different 'restaurants'. Like on many of our cruises, we are also booked to in a Specialty venue on one evening and we chose to book the American Icon Grill 2 of our 7 nights because the menu looks to appeal to us.

 

DH and I have done traditional dining once and then MTD, deciding that we much preferred MTD (our preference). I look forward to trying something new and will wait to form a final opinion or decide whether or not I like the concept until AFTER we actually try it.

[Russ Lomas]

I am all up for giving Dynamic Dining a try. When you think about it, offering 4 set menus instead of having 7 different menus in the MDR should make things easier for the cooks to get it right since it should be more repetitive for them. Granted, it means that we customers who eat in the MDR regularly only have 4 different menus to choose from instead of 7, so we have much less choice over the course of the week. That being said, I never have done a B2B cruise, so there has always been more than enough choice for me on a menu. I often end up getting 2 appetizers, 2 entrees, and 3 desserts because I do not want to miss anything on the menu that I wanted to try and I know that it will not be offered again later in the week.

 

I feel that Dynamic Dining gives me the chance to revisit a menu on another night without having to gorge myself in a single seating. There are more than enough "good sounding menu choices" that RCCL has posted.

 

I too love the option of being able to get a surf and turf or another meal I absolutely loved on a 2nd day on the same trip.

 

I am concerned about the issues I have heard with people having issues booking ahead online however. Hopefully this is resolved in the near future.

 

One thing missing, which are some of my favourites, are the cold soups. Hopefully, they will still do them and put them in the buffet daily.

[Cindy]

I would have liked to try DD on our Oasis cruise in November. We're doing MTD with 4 specialties anyway, so I think it would be fun to have new menus. Hopefully on a future cruise...

[Janet524]

My initial response to Dynamic Dining was "OH NO!" I can't believe they are eliminating the MDR! However, the more I thought about it the more I realized that we are eating in the MDR less and less. We usually do three specialty restaurants on a seven night cruise, and many times on the nights we do eat in the MDR, others assigned to our table aren't there. So I guess the concept is starting to grow on me. (Yes, I know fungus grows on one also.) The main concern that I have is availability of one's preferred dining times. I think there are some logistics that may have to be ironed out when DD launches on Quantum, but hopefully by the time DD arrives on a ship that we're sailing it will be all worked out.

[John&LaLa]

My initial response to Dynamic Dining was "OH NO!" I can't believe they are eliminating the MDR! However, the more I thought about it the more I realized that we are eating in the MDR less and less. We usually do three specialty restaurants on a seven night cruise, and many times on the nights we do eat in the MDR, others assigned to our table aren't there. So I guess the concept is starting to grow on me. (Yes, I know fungus grows on one also.) The main concern that I have is availability of one's preferred dining times. I think there are some logistics that may have to be ironed out when DD launches on Quantum, but hopefully by the time DD arrives on a ship that we're sailing it will be all worked out.

 

Yep, specialty restaurants killed the MDR, it just took a while for them to realize it. We to noticed the empty seats at our tables as people headed off to Chops, Portofino, etc.. Time to move on

 

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[jayblue]

Went on the NCL getaway this past summer to try something new. We are emerald on RCCL.

 

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?

 

Give it 5 years and every major cruise line will have the same dynamic dining model.

 

We need a "like" button here.

[SherriZ366]

For those who are looking forward to DD, good for you. Hope you enjoy it.

 

For those who attack people who are not looking forward to DD, how can you say you can't be against something unless you try it first when the same logic can be applied to How can you look forward to something that hasn't even been tested yet?

 

I don't need to waste my money to see that DD isn't going to work for me just as you can say you are looking forward to DD. One size doesn't fit all.

 

For me sailing solo, I look forward to traditional dining with an awaiting assigned table with the same tablemates and waitstaff every night. This is an automatic icebreaker. You quickly get beyond the where you from and what do you do stage and actually have meaningful conversation. You look forward to meeting again the next night (for the most part) and ask each other about how your day went and activities you did, etc.

 

As for alternatives to traditional dining for solos, nothing compares or even comes close to being a suitable substitute. So let's not go there.

 

ChipLondon, I haven't sailed Oasis yet (next month), but I can see how DD would work on that ship with all the specialty restaurants. Hope the DD experience is a good one for you, and look forward to your review of the experience as well as the menu items in the future.

 

Retrofitting it to the Voyager and Freedom class ships, however, is a tougher pill to swallow. To add another restaurant (and more cabins) to the DD experiment, the 2 story nightclubs (Chamber, Dungeon, etc.) are being eliminated. Double Whammy in my book.

Glad you posted this. On some DD threads, people are really critical of those of us who like Traditional Dining not being enthusiastic about DD. As I have posted, we will give it one or two tries to see if we like it. We will probably try to re-create traditional by choosing one restaurant and one time and asking for the same table and wait staff as that works for our group. This is what we have done when using MTD to accomodate others who do not want late seating but will eat around 7 PM. It was a lot of work and stress to get the same table, time and wait staff. However, if we sail on the Aug. 30, 2015 FR cruise, we will be in a similar position to singles as we will not be seated with other cruises that we can get to know.

[Esahuma]

 

Dynamic Dining seems to be compared most often to the NCL version of Freestyle Dining, which to be honest, we have not tried because we have not traveled NCL and enjoy RCCL. However, I like to think of the Dynamic Dining to be more like My-Time-Dining, only instead of having only 1 venue to choose from and only have flexibility for our dining time, we have many venues and menus to choose from. DH and I are booked on Quantum in February 2015 and we are booked in a different venue on most evenings, hoping to sample each menu and take in each of the different 'restaurants'. Like on many of our cruises, we are also booked to in a Specialty venue on one evening and we chose to book the American Icon Grill 2 of our 7 nights because the menu looks to appeal to us.

 

DH and I have done traditional dining once and then MTD, deciding that we much preferred MTD (our preference). I look forward to trying something new and will wait to form a final opinion or decide whether or not I like the concept until AFTER we actually try it.

 

**We have done 1 NCL and did not like their "Free Style Dining" -

 

We DO LOVE MTD but have gotten tired with the same ol' same ol' on the MDR Menu - and we usually don't pay for the speciality restaurants -

 

That being said - WE ARE SOOOOO LOOKING FORWARD TO OUR QUANTUM 11 day cruise 2 Feb!

 

We absolutely feel that all the restaurants have exciting menu's except for the one that will be "FORMAL" - soooooo......

 

We booked 3- American Grill - 2 - Jamie's Italian by Jamie Oliver 3 - Chic

1 -Devinly Decadence at Solarium Bistro - 1 - Silk 1 - Izumi's

 

NO Breakfast - Brunch in the new WJM and whatever else we want - This is NOT a cruise for ports as we have been to all of them - it is a cruise for wining and dining!

[John&LaLa]

**We have done 1 NCL and did not like their "Free Style Dining" -

 

We DO LOVE MTD but have gotten tired with the same ol' same ol' on the MDR Menu - and we usually don't pay for the speciality restaurants -

 

That being said - WE ARE SOOOOO LOOKING FORWARD TO OUR QUANTUM 11 day cruise 2 Feb!

 

We absolutely feel that all the restaurants have exciting menu's except for the one that will be "FORMAL" - soooooo......

 

We booked 3- American Grill - 2 - Jamie's Italian by Jamie Oliver 3 - Chic

1 -Devinly Decadence at Solarium Bistro - 1 - Silk 1 - Izumi's

 

NO Breakfast - Brunch in the new WJM and whatever else we want - This is NOT a cruise for ports as we have been to all of them - it is a cruise for wining and dining!

 

Plenty of wining on this thread. :D

 

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[OCruisers]

We're looking forward to it! :D

[Big_G]

For those who are looking forward to DD, good for you. Hope you enjoy it.

 

For those who attack people who are not looking forward to DD, how can you say you can't be against something unless you try it first when the same logic can be applied to How can you look forward to something that hasn't even been tested yet?

 

I don't need to waste my money to see that DD isn't going to work for me just as you can say you are looking forward to DD. One size doesn't fit all.

 

 

No attack from here either but the difference between us is that I'm looking forward to it with an open mind. Who knows if I'll like it or not. You're not looking forward to it and have already made up your mind you won't like it. That said, there certainly is enough variety out there for everyone. Happy sailing.

[Chuggiebug]

No attack from here either but the difference between us is that I'm looking forward to it with an open mind. Who knows if I'll like it or not. You're not looking forward to it and have already made up your mind you won't like it. That said, there certainly is enough variety out there for everyone. Happy sailing.

 

Our feelings exactly!

[boscobeans]

I am not knocking DD as it is way too early for any real opinion of it. I think it will take at least a few weeks and a few cruises to shake it down and see if it works.

 

My idea is for something really "Dynamic" for a new dining experience using well known culinary personalities in either complimentary or for a fee restaurants. Yeah if you want you could even make all the reservations and do all the planning you want years in advance. LOL.

 

What would be be truly DYNAMIC is if each of the new venues had at last a few different menus.

 

Why not? What if at Jamie's place there were 3 or 4 different menus over the same span of days.

 

USING THESAME INGREDIENTS BASICALLY

 

A fish, beef or meat, chicken, pasta and veggie dish each night.

 

No one can tell me that a good chef or for that matter anyone who can cook would have the slightest difficulty presenting a different dish using basically same ingredients with a different slant each night.

 

Just think of all the ways Jamie has prepared pasta, chicken, eggplant (sorry he does call it something else) or beef/pork/veal over the years on his show or in his books.

 

Wow... One dish for each of the main ingredients for a entire cruise! His show would have been cancelled after one week. Any one in the galley from the line cooks down would have no trouble with adjusting to a few menus as they have been dealing with at least seven if not more in the past.

 

The same can be said for any of the other "Dynamic" venues.

 

Seems like all the "inspired" menus show little true inspiration.

 

I hope all goes well and DD is a great success for all those who choose it.

I will choose something different for the time being.

 

bosco

Edited September 28, 2014 by boscobeans

[Pandabear90]

so the menus in these 4 restaurants are the same the whole time? or they change every day?

[boscobeans]

so the menus in these 4 restaurants are the same the whole time? or they change every day?

 

They will remain the same from day to day.

 

They will share the same "alternates, available each night" menu that there has always been.

 

bosco

[SherriZ366]

I am not knocking DD as it is way too early for any real opinion of it. I think it will take at least a few weeks and a few cruises to shake it down and see if it works.

 

My idea is for something really "Dynamic" for a new dining experience using well known culinary personalities in either complimentary or for a fee restaurants. Yeah if you want you could even make all the reservations and do all the planning you want years in advance. LOL.

 

What would be be truly DYNAMIC is if each of the new venues had at last a few different menus.

 

Why not? What if at Jamie's place there were 3 or 4 different menus over the same span of days.

 

USING THESAME INGREDIENTS BASICALLY

 

A fish, beef or meat, chicken, pasta and veggie dish each night.

 

No one can tell me that a good chef or for that matter anyone who can cook would have the slightest difficulty presenting a different dish using basically same ingredients with a different slant each night.

 

Just think of all the ways Jamie has prepared pasta, chicken, eggplant (sorry he does call it something else) or beef/pork/veal over the years on his show or in his books.

 

Wow... One dish for each of the main ingredients for a entire cruise! His show would have been cancelled after one week. Any one in the galley from the line cooks down would have no trouble with adjusting to a few menus as they have been dealing with at least seven if not more in the past.

 

The same can be said for any of the other "Dynamic" venues.

 

Seems like all the "inspired" menus show little true inspiration.

 

I hope all goes well and DD is a great success for all those who choose it.

I will choose something different for the time being.

 

bosco

Don't know if a few different menus per week would satisfy some of the cost-saving objectives that may be driving the institution of DD.

[TM38Rob]

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.

[novicetraveller]

The more I think about DD, the more I am warming to the idea. Up until now, if the ship is docked until, let's say, 8pm (all aboard at 7:30pm, or whatever the cut off time is), you are seated on the 6:30pm seating, you effectively lose an hour or so shore time. Not a big deal in the big scheme of things. With Dynamic Dining, I can spend a little more time getting back to the ship without the stress of being late for dinner.

 

The other issue is show time. Unless RCCL are going to introduce Dynamic Show times (will that ever work?), I want to eat early enough so that I can get to the show without the rushing my dinner.

 

Don't get me wrong here, as a Solo traveller, MDR was a great thing, as I get to meet some interesting people at dinner time, but I am starting to warm to the idea of Dynamic Dining.