Yesterday Royal Caribbean officially announced its brand new dining concept for its Quantum-class of cruise ships and Royal Caribbean fans near and far started voicing their opinions, with many concerned about the change and some downright angry.
I'd like to at this point recall what the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy prominently (and famously) writes on the cover of the book: don't panic.
When we posted the first leaked elements of dynamic dining based on deck plans and some screenshots that were found, I have to admit I was concerned.
I love traditional dining and I love having the same wait staff each night in the main dining room to remember that I like to have two savory bites each night along with a glass of wine. Heck, I like formal nights too because when else do I get to dress up?
So the information I was reading prior to the announcement did not sit well with me. It seemed like Royal Caribbean was completely changing the entire premise of dining that I had come to enjoy.
Then I went to the announcement event where I got some context with the information. I got to see what dynamic dining was about and how it would work. With more of the details being filled in, I started to get it and what dynamic dining is really about is choice and variety.
As passengers, the more choices we have leads to a better experience in my opinion.
When I sailed on Navigator of the Seas and had five specialty restaurants thanks to the refurbishment instead of the original three, it made a huge difference in the sense of having options to pick from. Likewise, on Oasis of the Seas the staggering amount of restaurants there made deciding on dinner more liberating because I had so much to choose from.
What I'm getting from dynamic dining is that this will offer us more food, a greater variety of food and more choice in when we get to eat.
The four complimentary restaurants replacing the main dining room (I'm omitting the suite only restaurant since it's too exclusive to really count) expand the menu options from just the dozen or so items on the main dining room menu to dozens of items to choose from now.
On top of that there's a number of specialty restaurants to choose from and prior to dynamic dining we always ate at least one specialty restaurant, if not more, so again more choice here.
The "My Time Dining style" of booking reservations for dining is going to take some getting used to but this new system will benefit those that are online and like to plan their cruises in advance (which is basically anyone reading this blog more than likely). If you book ahead, there's no reason why you can't eat at 6:30pm every night just like you did before with traditional dining. And we, the people who track everything Royal Caribbean online were always "ahead of the game" to begin with, so we will be the ones to reap the rewards of planning ahead.
What dynamic dining is all about is moving ahead. Royal Caribbean has built itself on pushing the envelope in the last dozen or so years. From new ship designs to new onboard amenities to now dining.
I hate to say it but traditional dining is a relic of the old style of cruising from way back when. I knew that even before dynamic dining and while I happened to enjoy it, the fact is the majority of cruisers today do not. And while big changes are never easy, focusing on the benefits and improvements of change helps make it easier.
I think what you have to understand is dynamic dining is about giving more choices and to me that is liberating. If you have wished every night was lobster night, then you can make it happen. If on day three of your cruise you're having a great time by the pool and figure you can eat later, why not wait until 8 or 9pm and stop by American Icon Grill after you're done and then on day four go back to eating closer to 6pm.
The more I saw the concept, the more I started to "get it" and, well, like it. The entire dining premise on Quantum-class is changing, from the bottom up. Even the Windjammer is getting a complete makeover that sounds exciting, including 24 hour service (finally!). As I look at dynamic dining now, I see the benefits outweighing the drawbacks.
My advice to anyone who is against the change to dynamic dining is don't look at it like an attack on traditional dining or what you enjoy. Rather, look at is something completely new and just a different way to have your meals on a Royal Caribbean ship. Just like it's hard to imagine going on a cruise without a rock wall or FlowRider, dynamic dining will become a Royal Caribbean staple that the cruise line defines as its own.
It behooves us all to wait until Quantum of the Seas debuts and we get to really see how dynamic dining works "in the wild" but in the last 12 hours or so, I've come around to embracing the change and looking forward to seeing what it brings us.
