I’ve written rather extensively about Quantum of the Seas. Royal Caribbean’s newest vessel promises to be a game-changer within the industry. The company refers to her as the industry’s first Smart Ship. I tend to agree that they are finally taking technology to the next level for vacations at sea. I’ve heard many veteran cruisers complain that they cruise to “get away from it all” and I can’t disagree. While writing a blog doesn’t lend itself to being totally disconnected, in reality, I can take care of blog business for a set period of time each day and then disconnect. Further, no one is holding a gun to any cruiser’s head and making them use the internet options available at sea. So frankly, the idea of being unable to disconnect on a “connected” ship doesn’t float with me. Sure you can.
However, there is one thing I’m really going to miss – the personal connection with the dining room staff. No question, a big part of cruising is the dining. While I can’t call most of the main dining room dishes 5-star when thousands must be served, I’ve almost always been able to call the service 5-star. A big reason for that is the connection you make with your dining room server team. After a few days they know your wants and desires and you get to know them. It’s not unusual for new cruisers to tell me the stories of their first experiences at sea and the only names they remember will be those of their dining room staff or the people they meet at their dining room table.
With the advent of Dynamic Dining, that connection will be gone. You’ll pick one of many restaurants each night, and perhaps never have the same server twice. I suspect that most of the cruise market is indifferent to this, and in fact, I’m looking forward to giving Dynamic Dining a try. There’s certainly a lot to love about Quantum of the Seas, and I can’t wait to board. But I expect I’ll miss the personal connections made at the dining room table….not just with the service staff, but my fellow cruisers too.
-MJ, October 22, 2014
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It was really nice to meet you at the recent Chicago Seminars, Marshall. I’m also torn about Dynamic Dining. I’m really interested in hearing feedback about it from yourself and others as it rolls out. I like it as an option on the Quantum class ships, but would not want to see them convert all their big ships. I’m hoping they keep it to Oasis and Quantum class only. I wonder if this is a cost-saving measure for them? We’ve had generally good experiences with sharing big tables in the dining room. Since I usually request a location in advance,… Read more »
Likewise, Rene. I’m looking forward to trying Dynamic Dining….. I’ve left a few nights open for my Quantum cruise just to try late booking and see how it works. We’ll see how it goes. We are cruising with family this trip, so that my impact the experience a bit, in that we have dining companions with us most nights.
I have mixed feelings on this. On one hand I like the move to flex times and cuisines. However after three RCL cruises I too have enjoyed the consistent service from waitstaff and to some extent meeting others. First cruise went with extended family so had entire table to ourselves. The waitstaff was incredible and really made the cruise even better. Second was with my gf at the time (now fiance) on enchantment 5 days. Staff was also excellent but out tablemates were no shows the entire trip (8 top no less). On day 4 a nearby table which had… Read more »
Thanks for commenting Jeremy. I tend to agree with you on future expansion of Dynamic Dining. Somewhere along the way, I’ve actually heard the CEO say that he did not envision “cutting up” all the dining spaces on all their ships and turning them into Dynamic Dining. Oasis and Quantum Class vessels, and perhaps Freedom as well, seem almost uniquely suited to it.