Anthem eliminates Dynamic Dining

[dh464]

We enjoyed DD on the anthem in May so much! We are booked for this coming May,and raved about how great it was to rotated through the the different restaurants to our family members going with us. I guess it will be back to boring old dining!:eek:

[beachbuddy]

+1. I totally agree. Thank goodness I got to try DD on Quantum and Ovation and loved it.

 

So now we have several ships with randomly decorated dining rooms all serving the same boring menu....JMHO.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone 6s using Tapatalk

 

Yep, that's what it amounts too. It's Classic dining that they should be eliminating, not DD!

[beachbuddy]

I've never sailed Disney, but isn't the difference you have no choice, you just rotate? I guess Royal is trying to accomodate everyone?

 

From the sounds of it, we're not going to be rotating. Classic gets the pretty dining rooms (Grande and Chic) and MTD gets to eat in American Icon and Silk.

So looks like we'll be stuck in 1 restaurant for all 12 night!

[jstraw20]

I have a feeling this is more than just guest dissatisfaction though. Maybe DD costing a lot more than expected? Not worth the effort? Or are post-cruise surveys really that bad?

 

I think you're probably correct, they underestimated the costs of being able to do DD "right" for lack of a better word.

[ncbn0902]

We are on the Nov 27th cruise and I just got off the phone with a RCCL dining person and she informed me that you will be given one restaurant out of the 4 and you will be in the same one for the whole cruise unless you dine in the windjammer or specialty restaurant. She also told me that there will be 2 formal nights like only ships have and all 4 of those restaurants will be formal on those nights. I asked if I could have the grande as my choice and she told me I would have to call back Monday and speak to the person handling my reservations.

[BekkaW]

I thought DD was a really interesting concept and I'm a bit sad that I havent have an opportunity to try it. Sadly our schedules haven't allowed for us to get over to the US for a cruise since Quantum class came out. We're looking at Ovation this summer but I guess it won't have DD either?

[robbykapnj]

REALLY disappointed with this We mainly booked our cruise on the Anthem in December due to Dynamic Dining Classic - the ability to rotate to different restaurants with different environments. Not be stuck in the same venue for 10 nights.

 

We were looking forward to no set formal night. New menues. After many RCL cruises, we were sick of the main dining room and were looking forward to something new. This concept was different and intriguing. Gave us another reason to stick with Royal Caribbean and not dread the same old routine.

 

Now might have to cancel our our sailing and switch to Freestyle dining with different restaurants on the NCL Breakaway.

 

Royal Caribbean sold us on something they are no longer providing VERY DISAPPOINTED.

[Turtles06]

We are on the Nov 27th cruise and I just got off the phone with a RCCL dining person and she informed me that you will be given one restaurant out of the 4 and you will be in the same one for the whole cruise unless you dine in the windjammer or specialty restaurant. She also told me that there will be 2 formal nights like only ships have and all 4 of those restaurants will be formal on those nights.

 

Wow, unless RCI does some major remodeling (obviously not about to happen any time soon), I feel *really* bad for the folks stuck in Silk, the decor of which is a pretty stereotypical American Chinese restaurant with more red than anyone would want beyond a night or so.

 

These four venues were NOT designed for people to eat in them every night of a cruise, and some of them are more elegant than others.

[John&LaLa]

You know, I really don't think I care how the place is decorated. I just want good food and professional wait staff

 

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Forums mobile app

[swoopy2110]

Just wait for the complaining threads to start!

 

"I wanted to eat in American Icon but had to sit in Silk for 9 days. They had better decor in American Icon"

 

Even though they'll be getting exactly the same food and have the same view out the window!

[gc]

If Royal Caribbean has actually succumbs to the "Dynamic Whiners " we are missing out on a new fresh innovative cruise dining experience with many different menu choices.

I am glad I still have the choice this October on the Anthem.

 

gc

[BEENSAILING]

It is really too bad. We liked the varied menus in the 4 locations. (One Quantum cruise and 2 Anthem cruises, though we also had the dining option of Coastal Kitchen, which we loved. ) The 4 "free" - the Grande, Silk, American Icon and Chic - was new and innovative for Royal, with many food style options. - If so many people wanted the same waiters every night in the same dining room on Royal ship - they should have chosen a different ship which offers a main dining room. The entire Quantum class experience was for new and innovative dining and other new cruising amenities.

[ceejaykay]

I'm sorry to hear about this change, but I'm glad I'll be able to experience DD in 13 days on Anthem. I was on the Disney Dream in 2013, and I enjoyed going to a different venue every night and having new menu choices.

 

I agree with a previous poster - I can't imagine if Silk was my dining assignment for 9 consecutive nights.

 

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Edited September 9, 2016 by ceejaykay

[Life is Good Cruising]

It is really too bad. We liked the varied menus in the 4 locations. (One Quantum cruise and 2 Anthem cruises, though we also had the dining option of Coastal Kitchen, which we loved. ) The 4 "free" - the Grande, Silk, American Icon and Chic - was new and innovative for Royal, with many food style options. - If so many people wanted the same waiters every night in the same dining room on Royal ship - they should have chosen a different ship which offers a main dining room. The entire Quantum class experience was for new and innovative dining and other new cruising amenities.

 

Cheryl,

 

Totally agree with everything you said!

 

Back on Anthem next month :)

[robbykapnj]

Just spoke to Royal. Their staff was informed today. We are cruisers who were lookng for a change and booked specifically for the varied dining while keeping classic. They may not send out an email to inform cruisers of this change. I can't imagine that - booking somethng and being presented with a different experience.

 

So disappointed right now, I don't see why they can't wait until next year when fewer people booked for Dynamic Dining and can be sold a different experience. also don't see why they can't wait to figure out or redesign the dining venues such as Silk to accomodate the new dining.

[William W]

What's lost is will Solarium Bistro remains a complimentary specialty restaurant in the evening?

[woodyren]

Firstly let me say that we spent 39 nights on Quantum and really enjoyed DD. By far the best dinning experience we have had on any ship.

 

I agree with others who have stated that they should have left DD in its original concept and by now they would have been all over the teething problems and most passengers would have either booked Quantum class ships because they enjoyed DD or booked others because they were traditional dinners.

 

I think this change will be problematic in a few ways. The main one will be doing traditional dinning with far fewer tables for early/late seating. DD's original concept was to flip the tables more than twice per night. This cant happen with traditional.

 

I have read a comparison of table numbers before but cant recall the figures.

 

If there are for example 20% less tables in Grande and Chic than in a traditional dinning setup on other ships (pro rata for pax numbers) then a lot of people who want traditional will be forced to MTD and/or a lot more people will miss out on their beloved early or late choice. The MTD rooms will be pushed to their limits and some.

 

So people who would have avoided the ship and now have got their wish will now book with an expectation of fixed time seating will be unhappy.

 

Those casual diners who struggle to get a walk up in MTD will be unhappy because the overflow who miss out on fixed seating will just book early or late traditional in Silk or American Icon and take the whole seating time as they would in early or late.

[woodyren]

You know, I really don't think I care how the place is decorated. I just want good food and professional wait staff

 

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Forums mobile app

 

May I ask then why you care about how people are decorated.

[LMaxwell]

Back to the old fleet menu? I guess less choices will push more people to try specialty restaurants. I hadn't gotten to try DD, it was one of the only aspects drawing me to consider Anthem (but won't fly to NJ for it either).

[OfTheSeasCruiser]

If Royal Caribbean has actually succumbs to the "Dynamic Whiners " we are missing out on a new fresh innovative cruise dining experience with many different menu choices.

I am glad I still have the choice this October on the Anthem.

 

gc

 

I honestly think its more than just complaints. There has been a consistent (and sometimes obvious) pivot by Royal towards the younger generations -- I personally don't have too much of a problem with it, but in many ways, it is clear that loyal cruisers (and the complaints that come with them) are not Royal's top priority anymore. I have a hard time believing that all of a sudden these Dynamic Winers, as you put it, are spelling the end of the DD concept. In almost all ways, Royal is attempting to become the cruise line for the young families, with waterslides, skydiving, etc. Why would they only care about the older, repeat cruisers when it comes to dining?

 

I have a hard time believing that the cruisers complaining about DD are the root of this problem. Money/staffing issues seem to be the most likely culprit, IMO.

[BEENSAILING]

Cheryl,

 

Totally agree with everything you said!

 

Back on Anthem next month :)

 

Hi Linda - you going again in October? I think the change is in November, from what I have read.

 

When we were on the Anthem in August we did notice menus in Silk and Chic had many less options than the last time we were on (December).

 

We'll be on Explorer on October with the "traditional" main dining option. Nothing wrong with that - the concept and execution for the varried choices on Anthem was wonderful.

 

ps - I remember when I was on Allure a few years ago - they had remodeled the main dining room, including "a silk" area and they were trying to have different menus in the different sections. didn't work. I was assigned to the Silk dining area, but the menus were the same in all sections.

Edited September 10, 2016 by BEENSAILING

[BillNY]

My issue with DD when I sailed on Anthem in July centered around the fact that we were a group of 15. Despite assurances prior to sailing that each night we would have a table that accommodated our entire group, that only happened twice out of the nine days. The two tables we were given on those other nights weren't close to each other.

We also saw people who had been locked out of making reservations being told that their only option was to eat in the Windjammer.

These type of issues, I suppose, were at least part of the reason for the upcoming changes.

My wife and I will be sailing again on Anthem December 9, which should be interesting, since the new system will have just begun.

We chose the rotation system for this cruise (sorry, I can't get the names straight...Classic2?). I hope that translates into late seating without any hassle.

[Clarea]

... I have a hard time believing that the cruisers complaining about DD are the root of this problem. Money/staffing issues seem to be the most likely culprit, IMO.

I feel the same way. Something financially was not working for them, that's generally why they make changes.

[woodyren]

We also saw people who had been locked out of making reservations being told that their only option was to eat in the Windjammer.

 

.

 

There are still the same amount of dinning seats in the free restaurants though.

 

There will be just as many MT Diners locked out and unfortunately many of the MTD crowd will be from those who prefer traditional but could not get a booking because there are far less tradition spots as a ratio to pax numbers than there are on all the other RCL ships.

 

There will be a rush to book available spots and those who do will of course be fine. The rest of you.....off to the buffet.

 

These ships were designed for DD and the concept of casual off the cuff cruising.

 

Add me to the list of those who think this about $$$ or overworked understaffed crews.

Edited September 10, 2016 by woodyren

[gc]

I honestly think its more than just complaints. There has been a consistent (and sometimes obvious) pivot by Royal towards the younger generations -- I personally don't have too much of a problem with it, but in many ways, it is clear that loyal cruisers (and the complaints that come with them) are not Royal's top priority anymore. I have a hard time believing that all of a sudden these Dynamic Winers, as you put it, are spelling the end of the DD concept. In almost all ways, Royal is attempting to become the cruise line for the young families, with waterslides, skydiving, etc. Why would they only care about the older, repeat cruisers when it comes to dining?

 

I have a hard time believing that the cruisers complaining about DD are the root of this problem. Money/staffing issues seem to be the most likely culprit, IMO.

 

 

Luke,

Your point is well taken....Dynamic Dining was to be implemented on Oasis class ship but was cancelled because of the negative feed back the cruise line was receiving.

We have had the enjoyment of 5 cruise vacations on Quantum class ships. I enjoy the change of scenery and different menu offerings.

I find the menu of Prime Rib 1st night........repetitive and would get boring after so many cruises...but that is my opinion.

Dynamic Dining gave us many more options and variety.

 

gc