Dynamic Dining is "Future of Cruising," Says Royal Caribbean CEO

[bouhunter]

Couldn't agree more, send those loyal customers that probably don't spend a dime at the alternative restaurants and only care about having some sort of diamond status that gives them nothing really.

 

NCL is making a killing, royal is basically going freestyle dining and good for them, carnival is adding more restaurants too and I'm sure going the same route.

 

No one wants to sit in the same restaurant every night, I can care less if the waiter knows me, I want to eat different foods in different places.

 

Glad to see the old days of cruising going away, this crowd can go to Holland I think that's the only ones left

 

Seriously? Have you read any threads here at all?......:rolleyes: Even though it's not me there are obviously MANY people who want to sit in the same place with the same servers every night. "NCCL is making a killing". What does that even mean?............

Edited April 23, 2015 by bouhunter

[antmintj]

Leaving tomorrow on Quantum & just went to print my DYNAMIC DINING reservations. Well, we had 7 of the 8 nights booked on-line many weeks ago. Then I had gone back on-line to book the last of the dinner reservations and discovered that one of the reservations I had previously booked had already disappeared! I called and spoke to a customer service rep because I had a hard time re-booking that reservation. "So sorry," they said and I had to settle for a different restaurant and time. Not only that, there were no reservations available for our remaining night at all! Fast forward to today and lo and behold as of this morning WE NOW ONLY HAVE 4 DINNER RESERVATIONS! I've heard this has happened to others, as this particular cruise has a very large, special group of people that are "observing" this cruise. Others on this cruise also had their reservations simply disappear. I know I can stand on the "non-reservation line" and hope to get into the restaurant of our choice or eat in the Windjammer, but I thought the point was to book early on-line. Not happy at all about this...RCI is less and less customer driven. Vacations are supposed to be stress-free! RCI... WAKE UP! You've already missed your chance to WOW me. DYNAMIC DYING RESERVATIONS = DIAPPEARING DINING RESERVATIONS...JUST DEPENDS ON WHAT GROUPS ARE ON BOARD!

[richstowe]

Sorry to hear about the cancellation of your reservations . Certainly shoddy customer service .

 

What does this mean ? I don't understand . (Seems like code ;))

This particular cruise has a very large, special group of people that are "observing" this cruise.

[Maraprince]

Leaving tomorrow on Quantum & just went to print my DYNAMIC DINING reservations. Well, we had 7 of the 8 nights booked on-line many weeks ago. Then I had gone back on-line to book the last of the dinner reservations and discovered that one of the reservations I had previously booked had already disappeared! I called and spoke to a customer service rep because I had a hard time re-booking that reservation. "So sorry," they said and I had to settle for a different restaurant and time. Not only that, there were no reservations available for our remaining night at all! Fast forward to today and lo and behold as of this morning WE NOW ONLY HAVE 4 DINNER RESERVATIONS! I've heard this has happened to others, as this particular cruise has a very large, special group of people that are "observing" this cruise. Others on this cruise also had their reservations simply disappear. I know I can stand on the "non-reservation line" and hope to get into the restaurant of our choice or eat in the Windjammer, but I thought the point was to book early on-line. Not happy at all about this...RCI is less and less customer driven. Vacations are supposed to be stress-free! RCI... WAKE UP! You've already missed your chance to WOW me. DYNAMIC DYING RESERVATIONS = DIAPPEARING DINING RESERVATIONS...JUST DEPENDS ON WHAT GROUPS ARE ON BOARD!

 

Just goes to show, individual passengers have no clout or guarantees over group reservations.

 

Why would a passenger go to the process of selecting dinner times to mesh with show times only to have them "disappear"? Now you have wait to board and go to the individual restaurants in the hope you will get a time slot close to what you want.

 

If you have a printout of your dining reservations prior to them disappearing, I would take it up the line and ask for a supervisor and also the loyalty ambassador.

 

MARAPRINCE

[Stateroom_Sailor]

Just goes to show, individual passengers have no clout or guarantees over group reservations.

 

Yeah but if you were a first time cruiser you wouldn't mind so much! :rolleyes:

[DarthGrady]

DD or traditional, neither concerns me much really. I think the Windjammer is the future of my cruising. As the cruises go by, I'm less and less drawn to sitting in ANY dining room for one or two hours. But that's just me. We do still occasionally go to the MDR or a specialty venue (to use the bogo coupon) but it's become much less frequent.

[Debde]

DD or traditional, neither concerns me much really. I think the Windjammer is the future of my cruising.

 

Maybe that's why I have no problem with DD and winging it. I'd easily and happily have dinner in the WJ if all other venues were full!:D

[Canadian Tyler]

 

No one wants to sit in the same restaurant every night, I can care less if the waiter knows me, I want to eat different foods in different places.

 

No one? Are you sure about that?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Stitchman]

Disney Dining !! wicked !!

[squadron]

I like how NCL do their Freestyle dining. I don't find their dining room experience anywhere near as good as Royal but I love their speciality restaurants (great choice of dining and great food). I factor the price of speciality dining into the price when comparing cruises.

 

With Royal I have not felt the need to use speciality dining because their whole main dining room experience has been great. I assume they are making the changes to get more people to use their speciality dining? For European cruises Royal tend to cost a lot more than NCL even factoring in eating every night in speciality dining on NCL.

 

NCL have been doing their freestyle for a while now and personally I think they do it well. If Royal want to do a similar thing I hope they get it right quickly.

 

Do I read this to mean that in order to get a good dining experience you really need to pay for specialty dining on NCL? Takes away some of the supposed advantage to switch lines. I may be in the minority but enjoy traditional dining.

[AtlFolks]

I enjoy establishing a rapport with those who are serving me for a week, and in most of my 8+ years of cruising I have enjoyed getting to know my waiters and my cabin steward. I like the rotational dining concept and would welcome that. I don't care for dining at sea like I don't home.

[sandpebble1]

Just read Royal Caribbean blog. They are taking out dynamic dining from all ships due to the negative reviews. Going back to traditional and anytime dining. I was on the Quantum this past December and I did not like the dining experience. Very happy with this news!

[RocketMan275]

Just read Royal Caribbean blog. They are taking out dynamic dining from all ships due to the negative reviews. Going back to traditional and anytime dining. I was on the Quantum this past December and I did not like the dining experience. Very happy with this news!

 

Well, whoever writes their blog had better talk to the CEO who, as late as Tuesday, said: Dynamic Dining is the "future of cruising." and "is here to stay". Sorry about that.

[sandpebble1]

Look at examiner. Com dated today. Going back to traditional dining.

[RocketMan275]

Look at examiner. Com dated today. Going back to traditional dining.

 

You can believe what you want but the CEO of Royal Caribbean is a more reliable source than a website that relies upon "pro-am" contributors. I believe you're going to be very disappointed.

[danv3]

[quote name='richstowe']My principal worry is that this is designed only as a cash grab where there will be less and less included dining and more and more supplemental fee food options . I believe this is $ driven and realize that's a "well duh" comment .[/QUOTE]

I've thought all along the whole point is to increase sales in the specialty restaurants.

[danv3]

[quote name='mcatmcat']In other words, we want to attract new cruise costumes. I'm so glad to like royal but not really loyal to them[/QUOTE]

Disney (theme parks, not cruise line) works the same way. Focus on new customers who are willing to spend extra for a once in a lifetime vacation with no concept of how current quality and service levels compare to the past, while actively taking steps to alienate long time customers.

[3dog]

[quote name='sandpebble1']Just read Royal Caribbean blog. They are taking out dynamic dining from all ships due to the negative reviews. Going back to traditional and anytime dining. I was on the Quantum this past December and I did not like the dining experience. Very happy with this news![/QUOTE]

[quote name='sandpebble1']Look at examiner. Com dated today. Going back to traditional dining.[/QUOTE]

I don't find either of these. Please add the link.

Maybe you are confused with the new "Choice" and "Classic" options?

[LoisGriffin1]

[quote name='squadron']Do I read this to mean that in order to get a good dining experience you really need to pay for specialty dining on NCL? Takes away some of the supposed advantage to switch lines. I may be in the minority but enjoy traditional dining.[/QUOTE]

I would say yes but others may disagree with me.

Where I live we are spoilt for choice with great restaurants so dining room food on cruiselines have never been what I would call great. What Royal had over NCL was a good experience. We have always had great waitstaff and fun people to chat to on the tables nearby.

I was in my mid-twenties on my first cruise with NCL was the only disappointment was the main dining room. Everything else was amazing and I loved it. I probably was Royals current target market at that point and even then I wasn't impressed with a rushed meal and unfriendly waitstaff.

[Biker19]

[quote name='3dog']I don't find either of these. Please add the link.

Maybe you are confused with the new "Choice" and "Classic" options?[/QUOTE]

That may be intentional on RCI's part. It could be that because of the less than stellar reception of "Dynamic Dining" RCI will rebrand the concept as Classic and Choice Dining, dropping the word Dynamic. In extreme cases they can even say that Dynamic Dining is gone, but in reality it's just a different name for a slightly tweaked verion of the original concept.

[Stitchman]

I'm hoping the dynamic classic will be good for me seeing as I'm a jolly old dinosaur that loves traditional set dining times.
I hate being rushed and I hate standing in the bar with a buzzer like in one of those burger restaurants :)

[emdia43]

I'm reading on another site that Jamie's restaurant will switch to a la carte pricing shortly....

[Clarea]

[quote name='emdia43']I'm reading on another site that Jamie's restaurant will switch to a la carte pricing shortly....[/quote]
Supposedly, the a la carte pricing is already in place.

[Stitchman]

[quote name='clarea']Supposedly, the a la carte pricing is already in place.[/QUOTE]


I believe it already is.
people on my roll call are very annoyed about it !!

[Stitchman]

I wouldn't mind ....... but it's not like he's ever on the ships !!
PUKKA !!!!