How do you plan to utilize dynamic dining?

[Paulxyz2004]

I would like to say that I am surprised by the negative responses about DD all across the RCI board, however I'm not. After cruising with passengers who complain so much and dislike change, especially my recent Explorer cruise, I can see it.

 

However for me, I am ecstatic that RCI is finally doing something about their lackluster main dining room experience. When I first started cruising RCI over 10 years ago, the MDR experience was much more pleasant, the food was better, and the service was better. The past couple years have proved that wasn't the case anymore. For those people who would rather not waste your time and book months in advance or hate the idea, simply don't go like many of you said.

 

DD seems like it is a well thought-out dining system that will hopefully bring a higher quality of food and a higher level of service in a smaller venue. The pictures and descriptions of the food on the dynamic dining website look and sound amazing. On the Oasis, I plan on trying each restaurant twice, leaving one night open for a specialty restaurant.

 

I am wondering though how they are going to do breakfast/lunch like in the MDR. My though was that they would just use the American Icon Grille when necessary.

 

Really? Are they?:confused:

 

First of all I´ve always been happy with the Food and Service in the MDR.

Of course I can´t say for sure what will happen, but I highly doubt the Service Level and Food Quality Level will increase and I don´t see any indication why it should.

 

I doubt they will increase the number of waiters onboard, so I don´t see how Service Levels would improve and if they will it´s a matter of Training and could have been achieved with the old concept as well.

 

Let´s take Oasis, they are simply turning each Level of the MDR into a restaurant. Nothing will Change in regards to the number of People served, as each Level had their own galley in the past already and as said before I doubt the number of waiters will increase.

 

Many will like DD and many won´t, I´m in the camp of the later, but that´s OK, I know about it and I will book accordingly, there´s no reason to whine about it, I just vote with my vacation Money.

 

However I expect the complaints aobut Service and Food Quality will still be the same and I say don´t let them fool you with Website pics and descriptions. Of course they will tell you how much better the Food and Service will be, only time will tell how much they will live up to it, but I don´t believe it.

[Paulxyz2004]

I have only just seen the threads about dynamic dining and need some help/advice please.

We are a party of 8 booked on the allure august 2015. We had late sitting in the main dining room and haven't had any emails from rci about any changes. I am going to log onto my cruises to see what it says.

 

Anyway... Does this mean we won't have the option to use mdr (we have only used mtd once as prefer having the same wait staff).

Are they doing away with formal nights?

Will the dynamic dining mean we can eat in any restaurant each night but will we have to pre book? With being a table for 8 it would probably be advisable though so we don't just turn up and maybe have a wait.

Do you know if there will be a charge for certain or most restaurants for doing this? Would we be able to prebook before we go or just have to do it onboard on the tv?

 

Sorry for all the questions.. I have logged on here today and picked up some conversations so before i tell the rest of our group wanted to get all the facts.

 

Thanks in advance

 

I can only answer the highlighted part. No you can´t use the MDR anymore, as plain and simple there won´t be a MDR anymore.

[steveru621]

We are sailing on 12/12.

 

I checked the reservation system a couple of months ago and there wasn't any dining times available that fit my perceived 'schedule'. I'm not going to fight the system... So it will be completely dynamic. Just show up where-ever and when-ever we please.

[hummy0605]

For 24/8/15 how soon do they open it up for booking times etc?

[Yorkvillain]

Choosing not to use it is most certainly a valid response. I think it is important to note that many people are looking for ways to maintain a more traditional experience with the introduction of this new approach to food service.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

The OP wanted to start a discussion about how people are going to utilize DD. There are plenty of other threads where the Doom and Gloomers can complain about DD. This is not one of them but of course they can't help themselves. They just love to complain.

Edited November 1, 2014 by Yorkvillain

[hummy0605]

I have only just seen the threads about dynamic dining and need some help/advice please.

We are a party of 8 booked on the allure august 2015. We had late sitting in the main dining room and haven't had any emails from rci about any changes. I am going to log onto my cruises to see what it says.

 

Anyway... Does this mean we won't have the option to use mdr (we have only used mtd once as prefer having the same wait staff).

Are they doing away with formal nights?

Will the dynamic dining mean we can eat in any restaurant each night but will we have to pre book? With being a table for 8 it would probably be advisable though so we don't just turn up and maybe have a wait.

Do you know if there will be a charge for certain or most restaurants for doing this? Would we be able to prebook before we go or just have to do it onboard on the tv?

 

Sorry for all the questions.. I have logged on here today and picked up some conversations so before i tell the rest of our group wanted to get all the facts.

 

Thanks in advance

 

On rci ours still shows traditional 8.30pm so will see what happens

[Clarea]

For 24/8/15 how soon do they open it up for booking times etc?

Oasis is supposed to open reservations for Dynamic Dining on Jan 1, so maybe Allure too?

[shellunderwater]

I am waiting to hear some "real-time" experiences with DD. I like the concept, but I do not like the idea of having to make reservations months in advance. So you can count me as undecided until we actually see the system in action.

 

Ok, I don't mean this to be a flame or rude, so please don't take it that way.

 

But, right now, if you book MDR dining "traditional", aren't you making reservations months in advance? Maybe you prefer MTD, and if so, I understand your comment.

 

Like I said, not trying to flame, just trying to understand some folks comments about DD.

Edited November 1, 2014 by shellunderwater
Fixing "Flame to rude" to be "flame or rude"

[SamFritz]

The OP wanted to start a discussion about how people are going to utilize DD. There are plenty of other threads where the Doom and Gloomers can complain about DD. This is not one of them but of course they can't help themselves. They just love to complain.

 

 

Apparently you can't help yourself either. Who appointed you to decide on what threads others are permitted to participate and give their thoughts?

 

 

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[steveru621]

Ok, I don't mean this to be a flame or rude, so please don't take it that way.

 

But, right now, if you book MDR dining "traditional", aren't you making reservations months in advance? Maybe you prefer MTD, and if so, I understand your comment.

 

Like I said, not trying to flame, just trying to understand some folks comments about DD.

 

Fair enough. But I'm only making ONE reservation, not seven. And I know, in advance, that the entertainment will be scheduled around dining times, I will have the same waitstaff, and make some new friends.

 

You can have your DD and MTD, why can't I have my option that has been around for one hundred years? A tradition is not bad.

[Clarea]

Fair enough. But I'm only making ONE reservation, not seven. And I know, in advance, that the entertainment will be scheduled around dining times, I will have the same waitstaff, and make some new friends.

 

You can have your DD and MTD, why can't I have my option that has been around for one hundred years? A tradition is not bad.

That's my problem with DD too, especially the timing of entertainment.

Edited November 1, 2014 by clarea

[shellunderwater]

Fair enough. But I'm only making ONE reservation, not seven. And I know, in advance, that the entertainment will be scheduled around dining times, I will have the same waitstaff, and make some new friends.

 

You can have your DD and MTD, why can't I have my option that has been around for one hundred years? A tradition is not bad.

 

Wasn't trying to take a side, just learning about DD.

 

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[Paulette3028]

If you don't plan to do a lot (if any) for fee dining..how to most of you plan to do DD on your typical 7 day cruise. I think my family is planning to rotate through each of the three restaurants twice...(Iwill be on Oasis)...do each one once and then repeat...leaving one day for specialty or Windjammer but if we decide we didn't like one of the restaurants then we have time to cancel the second round and make other plans...I think it was easier when I just had to show up for dinner and not plan ahead so much...but I hope the new restaurants are a better quality of food...

 

When DD is on a ship with it, we will have dinner there -- simple as that. As long as we can set up our reservation before we set sail, it will be fine. If we dislike one of the first options, we will change our plans for the other nights. I am surely not going to 'worry about a ruined cruise' because of a dinner format change. Perhaps I will hear wonderful things from people who had it on a cruise before I experience it. If I hear unhappy woes from people, I will take what they say with a HUGH chunk of salt and consider them whiners.

 

What I will miss, is having the same cruisers at dinner each night and wait staff. Eating is a social experience for me on a cruise and the fellow cruisers will be missed more than the staff (I think).

Edited November 1, 2014 by Paulette3028

[nelblu]

Our reserves for the upcoming 11 nite "Q" cruise covers American Icon (4), Silk (2) Chic (1) Grande (2) & Jamie's Italian (2). Hoping that the hype is well founded. Also, hoping that they serve Tutti salad bar on sea days in the MDR.

 

For lunch and breakfast, we'll explore the other dining option. For example, on the Oasis/Allure we basically eat breakfast at Park Café, Solarium Bistro and Wipe Out Café. For lunch at Park Café and Solarium Bistro and of course the Tutti salad bar. Never ate in the WJ as we were not impressed with the selections.

[Yorkvillain]

Apparently you can't help yourself either. Who appointed you to decide on what threads others are permitted to participate and give their thoughts?

 

 

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I usually don't go to the shows at night on a cruise. It's just not my thing. If someone starts a thread like "what shows do you think will be on the Quantum?" I don't reply "I hate shows. I don't go to them". I simply don't respond or even open that thread.

Edited November 1, 2014 by Yorkvillain

[shellunderwater]

 

What I will miss, is having the same cruisers at dinner each night and wait staff. Eating is a social experience for me on a cruise and the fellow cruisers will be missed more than the staff (I think).

 

On the flip side... if you don't like your tablemate.... well, problem solved. We have a tablemate who insisted on talking about the 2012 election since we live in Ohio..... as much as we tried to change the topic. We would have loved changing restaurants. Fortunately the we're only there two nights with us.

 

Hope you enjoy your next cruise.

 

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[caribbean sailor]

We don't intend to do DD. We will be sailing on a ship with traditional

dining, or not at all. We don't want a cruise to be a job prior to it!

 

Cruzin Lady

 

Sounds like a plan,we agree.:)

[cruiselvr04]

We are booked on Quantum in April for 12 nights. Right now I am not happy with our dining times at all. Some are as early as 5:30 which is way too early but others are 8:45 which is a bit late. Until the entertainment schedule is out I am letting it ride and hope to change things then. For 12 nights I simply chose each of the "free" for four nights. I do not think Grande will be all that dressy. I am pretty sure a jacket for the DH and any dress for me and we will be fine. Just no shorts or jeans. However we will see after we have a few cruisers reviews of Quantum. One thing I will be unhappy about is waiting for a table for more then five minutes anywhere! Vacation time is precious and I do not want to wait for a table. This is one reason we always use traditional dining and not my time. We don't like to waste time in in Dallas waiting for a table either and either get reservations or go early or late to miss the wait.

 

We will try DD and see how it goes. If we don't like it we will avoid any ships that have it in the future. I know we will miss eating with others as we travel alone. Never say never to anything. We didn't think we would Oasis due to the size and it was fine.

[Paulette3028]

On the flip side... if you don't like your tablemate.... well, problem solved. We have a tablemate who insisted on talking about the 2012 election since we live in Ohio..... as much as we tried to change the topic. We would have loved changing restaurants. Fortunately the we're only there two nights with us.

 

Hope you enjoy your next cruise.

 

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I understand the flip side....one time, when we cruised by ourselves (no friends accompanied us on the cruise), we did not enjoy sitting by ourselves and we vowed it would not happen again. So after that we have always requested that we be seated at a table for 8-10 and viola, we get it. Does everyone show up each night, no. Does everyone 'blend 100% with each other, no' -- but we sure do manage to have a very broad based conversation range.

[KeywestK]

We don't intend to do DD. We will be sailing on a ship with traditional

dining, or not at all. We don't want a cruise to be a job prior to it!

 

Cruzin Lady

 

My feelings exactly.

 

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[Paulette3028]

I am not apposed to DD, but it will be a couple years before we experience it. I will form my opinion once I see it and since I plan way ahead I don't see a problem making reservations. It just means one more thing to have to plan and reserve for.

 

When we were on Allure this past summer, I thought I would dislike having to make reservations in advance for the shows we wanted to see. That wasn't much of an issue, so I expect making reservations for dinner at 6 or 6:15pm won't be difficult either. When we are on a ship with DD, we will just reserve the included restaurants and then go as a starting point.

 

What I don't like about DD, has nothing to do with making reservations in advance.

[spazzyjanet]

I really want to be able to see the actual menues for these restaurants. In doing research on the 3 restaurants, I'm thinking that we aren't going to do Grande since formal night, especially with kids isn't our thing. I'm concerned about the pan-asian place with kids as well. So, I guess that leaves one restaurant? How much variety will American Icon have?

 

So, maybe we'll do Giovanni's one night, Johnny Rockets one night, Rita's one night, American Icon 3 nights and maybe the pan-asian place one night and put the kids in Oceaneer's club?

[silvermcs]

Can't wait to hear the experiences and how it all really works. I went through the deck plans for the Oasis and would need a B2B to get to all of the dining (fee and free) options. As probably all of you have too, I have tried all of the pre-DD dining options and gravitate back to the ones I like the best. For all different reasons, am sure people will have their favorites. For those that like eating in the same place each night, they could pick the American Icon or The Grande, and get the same time and table each night of the cruise. It seems you can adapt the experience to suit your style without having to change cruise lines...:confused:

[suekay]

Can't wait to hear the experiences and how it all really works. I went through the deck plans for the Oasis and would need a B2B to get to all of the dining (fee and free) options. As probably all of you have too, I have tried all of the pre-DD dining options and gravitate back to the ones I like the best. For all different reasons, am sure people will have their favorites. For those that like eating in the same place each night, they could pick the American Icon or The Grande, and get the same time and table each night of the cruise. It seems you can adapt the experience to suit your style without having to change cruise lines...:confused:

 

Do you get the same menu every night?

[Paulette3028]

Do you get the same menu every night?

 

If you go to the same restaurant each night, the menu will be the same.