How The Whiners Ruined Dynamic Dining

[Tosara21]

We enjoyed dynamic dining on Quantum, and are looking forward to another great experience on Anthem next month.

 

Hate to go back to the same old boring thing....change is good!!

 

Cathy

Totally agree with you....loved having the choices on Anthem last year...Enjoy your cruise.

[nelblu]

I'm not delusional. There are SO many ways that they could have worked on it to improve it without dumping it entirely.

 

The ship was designed and built for DD. It is going to be a huge CF trying to shoehorn "regular" dining into the spaces.

 

Just be ready for all the complaints after the changeover!

 

Sailed on the Quantum & Anthem and I'm one that loved DD, especially the classic. Maybe they'll close the D lounge & and Music Hall and convert that space into an add'l dining room. Hey they converted the MH into an extension of the casino on the Q for the Chinese market. Then you'll really get complaints. lol

[BillOh]

Whatever. People didn't pick that ship class so they could come back to complain about DD. They came back and complained because of legitimate reasons. The ratings and reviews speak for themselves. Most RCCL ships on this website get an above 75% positive rating, Anthem/Quantum class are in the 50's. Perhaps dumping DD will improve that percentage. You're delusional though if you think DD was working, it clearly was not, and apparently RCCL agrees that it was not.

 

What a rude reply you received. I never tried it either, but that was because it was canceled on Oasis before we got on board. At least you helped her up her post count. I'll shut up now as I know nothing either.

[woodyren]

Add me to those who are sad to see it go. 39 nights on Quantum and enjoyed the DD experience a lot. The vast majority of people I spoke to also liked the concept.

 

We made some bookings prior to our first leg as we had read a few early doom and gloom posts but once on board just cancelled most and did our thing on a daily basis.

 

I predict there will be plenty of complaints once people who expect traditional to be the same as other ships find out there is far less available space for early and late traditional.

 

They will then take up the early or late times in the MTD room and those who expect to be able to just rock up for MTD will miss out all together.

 

Most of the issues with DD were centred around lack pf space in the dinning rooms (far lower seat to pax ratio than all the other ships) and lack of staff to serve them.

 

Unless they turn a few other spaces or fee restaurants into complimentary (not going to happen is it) or find some extra cabins for crew then things may even get worse.

[floatel_lvr]

We are sailing on the Anthem in October. So glad we are getting the opportunity to try DD. We have all of our meal times/locations booked and are anxious to sample all the different options.

[steamboats]

10. In addition to the dining enhancements, will guests notice any other changes while

sailing onboard Anthem of the Seas?

 

To enhance the overall guest experience, we are making adjustments to our daily entertainment schedule to

ensure a more convenient line-up of show times that complement the evening dining options. In addition, to give

more guests the opportunity to experience the revolutionary Ripcord by iFly and North Star attractions, we will be

adding support staff onboard to accommodate expanded hours of operation.

 

:D:D Then I hope they are rethinking their show times on the Harmony too!! We booked Grease at 9 pm with a 6:30 pm Main Seating. They moved it to 8 pm (which would have been an official conflict with our dining time). And great, they scheduled the Captain´s Welcome Aboard Reception for the same time. Even better was the time for the Platinum and above event (former Top Tier Event): 6:30 pm to 7:15 pm at Solarium Bar!! :D:D

 

steamboats

[tallpaul86]

Well I have to admit this is a massive blow to me and my partner - not only would this have been our first time on Anthem of the Seas but also our first time trying something new in terms of Dining

 

Flying a roundtrip of 6,700 miles from Edinburgh to New Jersey to now have the same experience I can get from either UK or European embarkations is a major blow to our choices. Granted we are going to the Caribbean on Anthem in January but St Lucia has also been kicked off the itinerary in favour of Martinique :-(

 

This sounds like proper First World Problems but still expectations are wildly in flux regardless of when you book a cruise with whoever...

[beachnative]

No such thing.

 

1. YOU never tried it, so as far as I am concerned, you have no legitimate input on the subject.

 

2. Not the majority. The LOUDEST complainers.

 

I totally agree with your two statements, especially #1.

 

We sailed on the Quantum twice and Anthem once and enjoyed the variety afforded by Dynamic Dining.

[Jenjer]

I enjoyed DD very much on Quantum and was looking forward to it on Anthem. I loved that I could pick and choose what kind of food I wanted what night and did not feel like I am missing out on something like lobster or prime rib because that's the night we selected a specialty or ate in the buffet.

 

 

Now its just more of the same.

[dbarton02]

6 of one, Half a dozen of the other.

 

We booked this cruise over 390 days out because of the newness of the ship, and the price compared to the Grandeur out of Baltimore.

 

I started to read the reviews AFTER booking this, and honestly, was a bit worried given the unusual amounts of negative reviews compared to the other ships we've been on and read about.

 

After thinking about it for a while, logic set in as to why (IMO) there were so many.

 

New Ship, New Technology, and a New Way of doing things. We've been on other ships where its 2 dining times, and you're free to do what you want when you want to without having to make any reservantions (unless you're doing a spa day or something like that)

 

So my take is that there are plenty of cruisers out there that like things a certain way, and this was sort of a system shock to them to have a new experience that they're not used to.

It's OK not to like it - I'm good with that - It's not everyone's cup of tea.

 

BUT - for every person that hates it, I'm sure there's someone else that loves it. It's all on how you experience it, I guess.

 

Sort of bummed out they changed it. I was looking forward to trying something new, but there's plenty new to experience for us that I won't cancel.

 

Sorry to those that are changing the booking! I hope they tweak and find a happy medium somewhere.

 

...wonder how ours will go in a year!

[MADflyer]

I fully agree with Marion Mom on this topic.

 

My best evidence of this was on the third night of the maiden voyage out of Southampton where I joined a large 12 top shared table at Silk.

 

All 8 of the solos seated so far were discussing our 'wonderful' experiences from the nights prior, where I had enjoyed the premier evening at Wonderland and then had a fantastic Coastal Kitchen meal the night prior. Others had tried almost every dining venue onboard among us and were sharing recommendations.

 

Well, then appeared a dark cloud, as 2 couples were seated with us. They immediately started complaining about this and about that and changed the entire 'tone' of our table.

 

It was clear that these four were truly 'annoyed' that we could possibly be enjoying this sailing and DD.

 

Thankfully they left early to keep to their 'rigid' schedule and we were able to close on a high note and I would go on to meet each of the 8 at one moment or another throughout the cruise.

Edited September 12, 2016 by MADflyer

[davy jones]

Before I start, here are the disclaimers.

1. I like MTD and freestyle dining.

2. I have not sailed Anthem, but will next month with Dynamic Choice dining.

3. Because of the upcoming sailing, I have read pretty much every Anthem review and decided to sail anyway to judge for myself (with a few concerns).

4. I made dining reservations months in advance. for every evening of the cruise.

The opinions that follow are based on my take of the reviews.

 

Here is my take.

 

1. When Royal announced Dynamic Dining on Quantum class, many fans of traditional dining were upset and voiced their opinions loudly. Many of the traditional fans have high C&A status, so Royal was listening.

2. The initial problems with DD, for whatever reason, gave additional fodder to the traditional holdouts, who gained allies because of the problems. To them, it was because DD was just a terrible idea from the start.

3. DD choice was rolled out to attempt to please traditional dining fans. It created a new set of complaints in service in DD Classic and with reservation issues in DD choice. If booked late, or preferred to come when you wish, getting into restaurants was a difficult, if not impossible process. Therefore, more complaints.

4. These problems created constant long lines at guest services. Therefore, more complaints.

5. Parts of the much ballyhooed technology on the ship, particularly in the reservation side, weren't working as promised. Therefore, lost and changed reservations occurred. Therefore, more complaints.

6. Many people like the spontaneity of cruising and do not want to plan everything in advance. It's a cruise, not Disney World.

 

Result - Many negative comments and polarized reviews are damaging the reputation of an otherwise spectacular ship.

 

Solution - Make Anthem dining and shows like the other ships.

 

I'm still going. I have reservations. Hopefully, the upcoming transition will not cause issues on the remaining cruises with DD.

[Desert Cruizers]

My husband & I have not sailed on the ships that were offering DD so had not formed an opinion yet but I was willing to give it a try to compare to the traditional dining we are used to. I have read the numerous opinions both good & bad. I will admit I was a little concerned about having to make reservations for each night as we do for MTD but willing to give it a try. My husband & I go with the flow and form our own opinions. It now appears we may not be able to ever know if we liked DD or not.

[jaspercat]

I had to cancel my Quantum cruise and the chance to try out DD. Am considering Anthem for next year and was very much looking forward to trying it out and the different menu each night. Drats :(

[johnjen]

We tried DD. It truly sucked. Stuck at a table for two the entire cruise, that we didn't want PERIOD, RUSHED THROUGH our meals each time, noticed the menus were merely rotating, giving people the false impression "look at this, isn't this awesome, we are eating in different restaurants every night" meanwhile watching the hostess and reservation desk try and seat people. It was like watching two monkeys trying to figure out a football. Mass confusion. The entire concept didn't work.

 

Except for the Asian cuisine, Silk, whose entrees were salty. Even Chops was overrated. The food sat on a shelf too long, the steaks were dry and overdone. Just thinking we paid extra cash for that. Never again. I liked Jamie's though. Keep that one at least.

 

Bring back the traditional dining where we're all eating in the MDR again at either EARLY or LATE dining. Yes!!!!

Edited September 12, 2016 by johnjen

[johnjen]

I had to cancel my Quantum cruise and the chance to try out DD. Am considering Anthem for next year and was very much looking forward to trying it out and the different menu each night. Drats :(

 

Feel very fortunate. You didn't miss anything but confusion, a foray of errors, and FAILURE of a dining program that didn't work out.

[BillOh]

Well, I guess I'll never get to try it. The reading I have been doing showed a lot of conflict with scheduling shows, but I've had the same issue with some shows and traditional dining. I've read so many times people schedule shows then they get email, or in my case don't get an email and the time has changed.

[johnjen]

We are sailing on the Anthem in October. So glad we are getting the opportunity to try DD. We have all of our meal times/locations booked and are anxious to sample all the different options.

 

You'll just make the cut. It ends fleet wide in November, hope you enjoy it. Some do, some don't. I respect either opinions. We hated it.

[tlatrice]

I, too, was looking forward to trying it one day. Oh well. :( I always found it funny that people would say they don't want to have to plan where they would eat in advance but then would look over the MDR menus in advance and pick something months before their cruise or would decide to skip the MDR on those nights that nothing on the MDR menu appealed to them. I agree with the others who said that some people just don't like change.

 

6. Many people like the spontaneity of cruising and do not want to plan everything in advance.

 

What's spontaneous about eating in the same restaurant at the same time every night? :confused: LOL!!!

[hansolosmom]

This seems to be a very polarizing topic - kind of like tips and the dress code ;)

 

I for one am glad we get to try DD - I don't understand all the naysayers because it's a combo of traditional, with the DD classic sitting times and MTD with the DD choice where you pick your restaurant and time.

 

We've done DCL which does rotational dining so you eat in their 3 different dining rooms on certain days. To me this is basically what RCL was offering with DD. It was also a nod to freestyle with the choice and different dining rooms. So I personally thought this is a great combination.

 

As I have said before the Quantum class ships were supposed to be so cool and different and now they are becoming sanitized to match the rest of the fleet. Yes they still have North Star, Ripcord and the Sea Plex but gone are both WOW bands and Dynamic Dining due to most likely poor design and implementation.

 

We're on Anthem in Oct and see how it goes. I'll be interested to see if there is any impact on our dining due to the impending changes. Depending on how this trip goes will determine who we sail in April. I have both Anthem and Breakaway booked and we'll see what happens.

[Debde]

Well let me be quite clear:

5. If I wanted "freestyle NCL", I would book NCL!!!!!

 

Loved it!! Another reason why I now look first at NCL!!

[Thetrail]

I've spent over 70 nights on Quantum and Anthem. Loved DD, I made my reservations before I boarded, some were changed onboard, and I never had a problem with lines or the food. If I didn't like something I was always able to get something else. As you can see from my signature, I was looking forward to many more meals with DD. Sorry to see it end.

Have sailed Anthem and Quantum and the reason I am happy about going back to traditional dining is that the crew was very stressed out IMHO. I never had a change nor did the waiters, asst. waiters, and head waiter ever really have the time for even a few minutes to interact with us. They always seem to be rushed and stressed.....K.O.

[kwazi07]

Why doesn't Royal do what DCL does, or a completely DD classic? They can just rotate through the dining rooms with their respective different menus and themes.

 

For example these could be the rotations for a hypothetical 4 night cruise:

Traditional Group A:

Silk

Grande

Chic

AI

 

Traditional Group B:

AI

Silk

Grande

Chic

 

MTD Group A:

Chic

AI

Silk

Grande

 

MTD Group B:

Grande

Chic

AI

Silk

 

This way, you don't have to eat in the same atmosphere with the enhanced menu. And half of the restaurants are still available for MTD like the new system will be.

 

Sorry if I'm confusing, but y'all know what I mean?

 

I used my phone to type this, excuse any typos please!

Edited September 12, 2016 by kwazi07
typo

[Turtles06]

Have sailed Anthem and Quantum and the reason I am happy about going back to traditional dining is that the crew was very stressed out IMHO. I never had a change nor did the waiters, asst. waiters, and head waiter ever really have the time for even a few minutes to interact with us. They always seem to be rushed and stressed.....K.O.

 

I share your observation that the servers were harried. But I don't believe this is a function of the concept of DD, it's the result of not having a sufficient number of staff.

[dahirsh]

Add me to the list who have experienced DD (twice so far, once more next month) and are very disapointed that the vocal minority won this