Well done Royal Caribbean – a swift response to passenger feedback.

One of the major groundbreaking new features on Royal Caribbean’s two ‘smartships’ was to be Dynamic Dining. Not set dining times, no main dining room but four freestyle dining venues that clients could pre-book or just arrive at, any time to suit them. Following feedback from passengers who have cruised on Quantum since her launch back in November last year Royal Caribbean have not ditched the concept completely, rather tweaked it to make the system more efficient.

Feedback has been damning. Pre-booked tables turned out to not be pre-booked, difficulty getting a table at peak times, passengers being turned away and struggling to find a table in any restaurant etc etc. Rather than scrap the system altogether and revert completely to traditional set dining, Royal Caribbean have put some thought into their next move and come up with the Classic option. It seems to be really well thought out, giving some structure to dining options whilst ensuring that passengers will have the chance to enjoy the four main dining venues during their cruise.

It will be launched along with Anthem in April this year. Here is Royal Caribbeans statement:

“You already know that Dynamic Dining is one of the most exciting features on board our new ship, Anthem of the Seas, but what you may not know is that we are now expanding on the Dynamic Dining concept offering a new “Classic” option on board Anthem of the Seas℠, which debuts in April 2015. The Classic option is ideal for guests who love the traditional style of cruise dining and will be available for prebooking from early March 2015.

The new Classic option will allow guests to:
• Dine with the same group every evening
• Choose between two set dining times – early or late
• Enjoy the personalised service of an assigned waiter every night
• Rotate through each of the four full-service complimentary restaurants”

So not great U-turn, not that we would expect that from Royal Caribbean, but forward moving thinking. Well done Royal Caribbean for listening to your guests and acting as swiftly as you have to ensure client satisfaction. If more cruise lines acted on passenger feedback what a happy place the world would be!

And don’t forget, in addition to these four main dining venues on Anthem and Quantum, you can also dine in many other venues – Jamie’s Kitchen, Izumi, Wonderland, Sorrento’s and Michael’s Pub to name but a few.

If you would like more information on Royal Caribbean cruises, especially their exciting new ex-UK ship Anthem of the Seas, just give me a call on 0330 303 8184. I will be delighted to help you.