A new era of dining

Royal Caribbean Cruise Line have finally announced their plans for dining arrangements on their Quantum Class ships Quantum of the Seas and Anthem of the Seas.

There will be no fixed time dining and no formal evenings.

Instead there will be the option to dine in 5 different restaurants all of which are included in the cruise fare. There will then also be the option of choosing their speciality restaurants for a cover charge or the windjammer buffet.

The 5 main restaurants are as follows:

Grand – main dining room offering traditional menu cuisine such as Beef Wellington etc – formal

Coastal Kitchen – suite guests only – formal

Silk Asian Cuisine – smart casual

Chic – Rib Eye, Seabass etc – smart/casual

American Icon Grill – smart/casual

I guess it was only a matter of time as Norwegian Cruise Line have been doing this for some time now.

Overall it is very popular because more and more people now want more flexibility and freedom to dine when they choose and with whom they choose.

The main difference between the two is that Royal Caribbean will still have strict dress codes in their more formal restaurants so there will not be the embarrassment of arriving for dinner in your cocktail dress only to be surrounded by others in their jeans.

Personally I like this idea especially as now days I travel with children so the idea of pleasing myself is much more appealing that having to be ready for dinner at the same every evening.

However this will not appeal to everyone because cruising has for a long time been about meeting fellow passengers and forming new friendships. On a fixed time sitting you would have the same waiter each evening and get to know them personally as they would get to know you.

They will know what you do and don’t like and will make sure you are completely satisfied.

Some people even keep in touch with their waiters when they return via facebook etc and request them again on their next cruise.

So if you prefer a more traditional cruise you may be better to look at other ships but if you like to idea of this flexibility this would be an ideal choice.

What do you think ?