Quantum of the Seas dining question

[XLVIII]

Looking at a 2020 Asia cruise aboard the Quantum of the Seas. When I get to the dining choice in the booking process, I'm given two options: Cosmopolitan Dining or a blank option (which I can check). Cosmopolitan dining is described as "Cosmopolitan Dining lets you choose between two dining times and sit on a first come, first serve basis in any of our main restaurants." So I have to show up at either 5:30 or 8:00? Can I get a table for 2? Has anyone had this and how did it work for you. Also, any idea what the unlabeled choice is? 

 

Here's a screenshot:

 

 

[snaefell]

 If you think you are just booking a normal RCI cruise on Quantum out East think again,pretty much everything is different,no Johnny Rockets,no Wonderland,Hot Pots where Solarium Bistro should be,Chinese specials in the pub,menus & prices that are not only totally different to a normal RCI cruise but almost impossible to get info about from the cruise line.

We are sailing on Quantum in October on it's repo cruise from China to Singapore,finding out pretty much anything about what life is like on board has been like getting blood out of a stone,made easier by some very helpful posters,these are very different cruises!

[kernow]

We are booked on Quantum next Feb from Singapore, I don't think we will know all the details until Quantum starts sailing from there at the end of the year. We are just looking at it as something different and we will go with the flow and enjoy the change. We are booked through a TA and we have said we will go with the 2nd seating and see how it works. We are in a JS and thought we would be able to use Coastal Kitchen for dinner but apparently that is not the case on the current China cruises so we will have to see. 

 

We're really looking forward to the experience.

[Biker19]

5 hours ago, XLVIII said:

" So I have to show up at either 5:30 or 8:00? Can I get a table for 2? Has anyone had this and how did it work for you. Also, any idea what the unlabeled choice is? 

The dry dock later this year may change that but the unlabeled choice is probably MTD. Yes you should be able to get a table for two. The first choice sounds like traditional with another name. 

[snaefell]

When it came to booking the 'free' restaurants on the cruise planner I was only given the option of only one time slot,6.45pm,when I look at the calendar on the cruise planner now it has 'at leisure' against the time!

Coastal Kitchen does come up on the cruise planner but doesn't seem to allow booking.

Edited June 8, 2019 by snaefell

[Biker19]

26 minutes ago, snaefell said:

When it came to booking the 'free' restaurants on the cruise planner I was only given the option of only one time slot,6.45pm,when I look at the calendar on the cruise planner now it has 'at leisure' against the time!

"At leisure" is code word for MTD.

[kernow]

41 minutes ago, snaefell said:

When it came to booking the 'free' restaurants on the cruise planner I was only given the option of only one time slot,6.45pm,when I look at the calendar on the cruise planner now it has 'at leisure' against the time!

Coastal Kitchen does come up on the cruise planner but doesn't seem to allow booking.

There are no 'free' restaurants on our planner only pay ones, Solarium Bistro comes up but it is £22.33, there is also Jamies, Chops, Izumi and Chefs Table.

[LeeW]

4 hours ago, snaefell said:

When it came to booking the 'free' restaurants on the cruise planner I was only given the option of only one time slot,6.45pm,when I look at the calendar on the cruise planner now it has 'at leisure' against the time!

Coastal Kitchen does come up on the cruise planner but doesn't seem to allow booking.

 

On all the large ships MyTime dining shows up as "at leisure" in the calendar.  If you want to see your actual time look in the Order History at the top of the page.  Known website feature.

[snaefell]

On 6/8/2019 at 12:35 PM, kernow said:

There are no 'free' restaurants on our planner only pay ones, Solarium Bistro comes up but it is £22.33, there is also Jamies, Chops, Izumi and Chefs Table.

Silk & The Grande are still showing on my planner BUT today I have recieved an email from RCI confirming my cancellation of all my dining reservations,(all at the complimentary restaurants I might add),no explanation,now what on earth is that all about!?!?

[Pencruise]

On 6/8/2019 at 3:38 AM, snaefell said:

 If you think you are just booking a normal RCI cruise on Quantum out East think again,pretty much everything is different,no Johnny Rockets,no Wonderland,Hot Pots where Solarium Bistro should be,Chinese specials in the pub,menus & prices that are not only totally different to a normal RCI cruise but almost impossible to get info about from the cruise line.

We are sailing on Quantum in October on it's repo cruise from China to Singapore,finding out pretty much anything about what life is like on board has been like getting blood out of a stone,made easier by some very helpful posters,these are very different cruises!

We are also on this repo cruise with you and the one before around Japan - it’s going to be interesting!!

[Joseph2017China]

On ‎6‎/‎8‎/‎2019 at 1:11 AM, XLVIII said:

Looking at a 2020 Asia cruise aboard the Quantum of the Seas. When I get to the dining choice in the booking process, I'm given two options: Cosmopolitan Dining or a blank option (which I can check). Cosmopolitan dining is described as "Cosmopolitan Dining lets you choose between two dining times and sit on a first come, first serve basis in any of our main restaurants." So I have to show up at either 5:30 or 8:00? Can I get a table for 2? Has anyone had this and how did it work for you. Also, any idea what the unlabeled choice is? 

 

Here's a screenshot:

 

 

On Asian cruises, instead of assigned tables, you have two dining slots.  You will get to sit at a table, and enjoy dinner every night.  As a foreigner, they usually have a section of the dining room for English speakers where they only allow foreigners to sit.  As far as a table for two, it depends if you arrive early, get in line before the doors open, and charge for the table, than a table for 2 will be open.  If not, you will have the choice of sharing a table with foreigners such as yourself, or at a Chinese table.

 

Asian cruises are not the same as all the other cruises you have been on.  It's a new adventure, so enjoy it, and be open about it.

[snaefell]

Ever since we booked last year I have been finding out how different these cruises are despite RCI giving very few,if any,clues to that fact.

I do wonder why they have allowed me to go through making the reservations,which I did some time ago,& then just cancelling them,or rather confirming that I have cancelled them with no explanation,they really do invite criticism with their lack of communication IMO.

[Biker19]

2 hours ago, snaefell said:

they really do invite criticism with their lack of communication IMO.

RCI gets lots of criticism for their lack of communications (and crappy IT) - you don't need an invitation. Just accept that fact and move on - or in your case, make new MTD reservations.

Edited June 11, 2019 by Biker19

[Joseph2017China]

3 hours ago, snaefell said:

Ever since we booked last year I have been finding out how different these cruises are despite RCI giving very few,if any,clues to that fact.

I do wonder why they have allowed me to go through making the reservations,which I did some time ago,& then just cancelling them,or rather confirming that I have cancelled them with no explanation,they really do invite criticism with their lack of communication IMO.

When you booked the cruise, did it say "culturally enriching cruise" before you booked?  Cruises in Asia are very unique trips, and you have to be ready for changes, including, food, entertainment, signage, announcements and the way everything is handled on the ship.  Nothing is the same.  These cruises are not just a "window" to look out at Asia, but rather a cruise, where you are immersed in the Asian culture.  Both on the ship, and off the ship.  Hope you are ready to enjoy it.

[Garyjames220]

On anthem of the seas with the unlimited dinning package is there any places you get other snacks included 

 

I no they don’t have a play makers but you could have got wings etc if they did. Do they have anything like that on anthem ?

[Biker19]

10 minutes ago, Garyjames220 said:

I no they don’t have a play makers but you could have got wings etc if they did. Do they have anything like that on anthem ?

Room service menu has wings, but that costs. WJ may have wings.

[Garyjames220]

8 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

Room service menu has wings, but that costs. WJ may have wings.

 

I was meaning more are there any other places apart from the restaurants that the unlimited dinning package gets

 

so I no u got playmakers on some ships. Is there other bars or places that is included in it 

[Biker19]

10 minutes ago, Garyjames220 said:

 Is there other bars or places that is included in it 

Don’t think so. 

[snaefell]

16 hours ago, Joseph2017China said:

When you booked the cruise, did it say "culturally enriching cruise" before you booked?  Cruises in Asia are very unique trips, and you have to be ready for changes, including, food, entertainment, signage, announcements and the way everything is handled on the ship.  Nothing is the same.  These cruises are not just a "window" to look out at Asia, but rather a cruise, where you are immersed in the Asian culture.  Both on the ship, and off the ship.  Hope you are ready to enjoy it.

 No,we have spent years travelling to the USA which we loved,always planning to head out to the Orient but time flies by & we hadn't got around to it.

As I retired a couple of years ago we were looking at a way to redress that &,after missing out on part of P&O Arcadia's round the World cruise which called at so many places we wanted to see noticed an ad for this cruise on Quantum,absolutely no idea at the time that she was based out there,we again thought it was part of a round the World cruise,it was only after booking that I read so many bad reviews & began to dig & find out more,which isn't easy,since then I have read on forums how RCI have started to send notices to people booked directly with them about how different these cruises are,my Wife works in an hotel where the magagement are horrified if anything negative about them appears on the likes of TA,no matter how daft it seems,when such things seem to matter so much to companies I can't understand why RCI make it so hard to find out what is happening,almost as if they don't know what is happening on Quantum out East,they even replied to one email saying that they had no details of menus or prices for the likes of the replacement for Wonderland,really strange if that were to be true IMO.

[Joseph2017China]

7 hours ago, snaefell said:

 No,we have spent years travelling to the USA which we loved,always planning to head out to the Orient but time flies by & we hadn't got around to it.

As I retired a couple of years ago we were looking at a way to redress that &,after missing out on part of P&O Arcadia's round the World cruise which called at so many places we wanted to see noticed an ad for this cruise on Quantum,absolutely no idea at the time that she was based out there,we again thought it was part of a round the World cruise,it was only after booking that I read so many bad reviews & began to dig & find out more,which isn't easy,since then I have read on forums how RCI have started to send notices to people booked directly with them about how different these cruises are,my Wife works in an hotel where the magagement are horrified if anything negative about them appears on the likes of TA,no matter how daft it seems,when such things seem to matter so much to companies I can't understand why RCI make it so hard to find out what is happening,almost as if they don't know what is happening on Quantum out East,they even replied to one email saying that they had no details of menus or prices for the likes of the replacement for Wonderland,really strange if that were to be true IMO.

The management of the ship is different, so if you call the Miami office, or the call center, they will not really know. Most review of the ship are based on people expecting to look out the window at Asia, when in fact they are immersed in Asia, on the ship.

[snaefell]

On 6/11/2019 at 4:02 PM, Biker19 said:

RCI gets lots of criticism for their lack of communications (and crappy IT) - you don't need an invitation. Just accept that fact and move on - or in your case, make new MTD reservations.

 Interesting reply from RCI when I asked why they had cancelled my reservations,they claim that they can't trace my making the reservations in the first place even though they have listed them all in the cancellation confirmation,the mind boggles!

[Thorben-Hendrik]

On 6/11/2019 at 2:04 PM, Joseph2017China said:

As far as a table for two, it depends if you arrive early, get in line before the doors open, and charge for the table, than a table for 2 will be open.

OMG 😱👎