Revolutionary dining for Quantum of the Seas; Majesty of the Seas photos

Adam Goldstein, CEO and President of Royal Caribbean International, unveils Dynamic Dining

 Last week Royal Caribbean unveiled a revolutionary new dining system for its Quantum class ships - - the forthcoming Quantum of the Seas, Anthem of the Seas and a ship to be named later. The presentation quite impressed me because the new system, which Royal Caribbean is calling “Dynamic Dining” is so different than what anyone - - including Royal Caribbean - - are presently doing.

Traditionally, cruise ship passengers were assigned to a specific table in the ship's main dining room for their meals. On larger ships where the main dining room could not accommodate all of the passengers at the same time, each passenger was assigned to either the early or the late seating.

In the 1990s, this began to change as ships developed buffet restaurants that became a viable alternative for breakfast and lunch. However, for dinner, passengers continued to be assigned to a specific table at one of the two seatings on most ships. Some ships began to add a specialty restaurant where you could dine for an extra charge.

Early this century, Norwegian Cruise Line developed Freestyle dining. Its ships have more than one main dining room plus an array of specialty restaurants. Guests could eat in any of the main dining rooms or in any of the specialty restaurants when they wanted. No assigned tables, no assigned dining times.

In response, almost all of the other major cruise lines have added flexible dining options. Usually, one part of the main dining room follows the traditional system while another part has a system that allows guests to come when they chose. On ships that have multiple dining rooms, typically, one dining room is devoted to the traditional system while the other(s) have flexible dining. The menus used in all the dining rooms are the same. These lines have also added more specialty restaurants as time has passed to give the guests more alternatives.

With Dynamic Dining, Royal Caribbean is doing away completely with the traditional dining system. Instead of one main dining room, there will be five complimentary dining rooms as well as an array of extra tariff specialty restaurants. It is up to the guest to decide where and when to dine.

Dynamic Dining differs from Freestyle dining chiefly in that each of the complimentary dining rooms will be different with a unique theme and a unique menu. One will be American favorites, one will be a grand formal restaurant, one will be very hip and cutting edge, one will be Asian-inspired and one will be a California-style venue.

In addition, each of the complimentary restaurants is a relatively small venue and each has its own galley. (On most ships with multiple dining rooms, all of the food is prepared in the same galley). Thus, the chefs will be able to give more time and attention to each meal. This should enable them to make more sophisticated dishes.

To prevent more passengers than a particular restaurant can handle all arriving at the same time, Royal Caribbean is instituting a reservations system. Making reservations for cruise ship specialty restaurants is something passengers are used to but it is a rare exception for complimentary dining rooms. In any event, Royal Caribbean has developed an app that will enable guests to make reservations before they board and while on ship. There will also be other more traditional means of making reservations.

Dynamic Dining is a bold move. It promises to offer more choice and variety in cruise dining. At the same time, there are risks. For example, the traditional dining system lends itself to getting to know your fellow passengers. Over the course of the cruise, you often become friends with the people that dine at your table each night. This is particularly important to solo travelers.

There is also the question of how passengers will react to having to make reservations for dinner. Requiring reservations could dampen the feeling of being able to decide at the spur of the moment where and when to dine. Also, will people who purchase their cruises near the sailing date be disadvantaged because people who booked the cruise earlier have taken all the choice spots.

I tend to think such concerns can be dealt with using a little creative thinking. Thus, I look forward to seeing this concept in action. Moreover, the food samples served at the unveiling event in New York were excellent.

I spoke with several Royal Caribbean executives including Adam Goldstein, Presidenmt and CEO of Royal Caribbean International, about Dynamic Dining. That article is at http://www.beyondships2.com/quantum-of-the-seas-dining.html The article also covers the new specialty restaurant offerings on Quantum including venues developed in partnership with celebrity chefs Jamie Oliver, Michael Schwartz and Devin Alexander.

Turning from Royal Caribbean's newest ships to the grand dame of the fleet, we have a photo feature showing Majesty of the Seas as she traveled on one of her short Bahamas cruises. http://www.beyondships2.com/majesty-of-the-seas-in-the-bahamas.html There is also a video of Majesty at sea. http://www.beyondships2.com/majesty-at-sea.html All of this augments our profile of Majesty of the Seas. http://beyondships.com/RCI-MJOS-Profile.html

Cruise ship dining - reviews and articles

The days are past when the only thing to do on a cruise was eat. However, when you tell people you have been on a cruise, one of the most frequent questions is “How was the food?” Thus, dining is still an important part of the cruise experience. In addition, cruise ships have so many dining options these days that it is helpful to have some guidance on what all the dining venues on the ships are about. Accordingly, this week focuses on dining on three of the ships that we have been covering recently.

First, there are three restaurant reviews. We have the fine dining experience of the Murano Restaurant on Celebrity Century. http://www.beyondships.com/Celebrity-Century-review-Murano.html Then we have the sophisticated but informal Cagney’s Steakhouse on Norwegian Gem. http://www.beyondships.com/NCLGem-Cagneys-Review.html Finally, there is the family style Italian restaurant Giovanni’s Table on Allure of the Seas. http://www.beyondships.com/RCI-ALOS-review-Giovannis.html

All three restaurants are quite different experiences. My hope is that these reviews will not only inform you about the specific experiences I encountered but that they will also provide an indication of the range of dining experiences that one can have on a ship.

Speaking of the range of options that one has on a ship, we have two new dining guides. Food and Beverage Director Ivo Belev provides commentary on the many different dining venues that guests have to chose from on Norwegian Gem. http://www.beyondships.com/NCLGem-dining.html Along the same lines, Executive Chef Claudio De Carlo discusses dining on Celebrity Century. http://www.beyondships.com/Celebrity-Century-Chef.html (Our guide to dining on Allure of the Seas with Food and Beverage Director Joao Mendoca was published earlier and is posted at http://www.beyondships.com/RCI-ALOS-art-FB.html ).

Allure of the Seas - - Dining

Gone are the days when all there was to do during a cruise was eat. Nonetheless, food remains a big part of the cruise experience and indeed, of travel in general. Just consider how many travel programs on television are really about food.

As is to be expected from the world’s largest cruise ship, the dining options on Allure of the Seas are not limited to the main dining room and a buffet. In fact, if a guest were to confine himself to just three meals a day, he would not be able to dine in all of the dining venues on Allure during one of her seven day cruises.

Beyond numbers, Allure offers variety. The options range from comfort food to fine dining with many gradations in between.. There is Asian food, Italian food, Brazilian food, Mexican food and various types of American cooking. One venue offers hot dogs from around the world while another features healthy smoothies, wraps and fresh fruit.

Facing so many options can be a bit daunting. Therefore, in order to give us some guidance about the various dining options on Allure, I sat down with her Food and Beverage Director Joao Mendoca and asked him to give us some insights into what each of these options are about. Not only is Mr. Mendoca is in charge of all of the dining venues but he was part of the team that developed the dining concepts for Allure and her sister ship Oasis of the Seas. This tour of Allure’s dining venues is posted at http://www.beyondships.com/RCI-ALOS-art-FB.html

From a fine dining viewpoint, perhaps the most exciting venue on Allure is 150 Central Park. Here, in an elegant, intimate setting, Allure is offering a sophisticated tasting menu. Unlike other sea-going fine dining venues, the menus at 150 Central Park were not drawn up by the line’s corporate headquarters or by a celebrity chef who only visits the ship occasionally. Instead, the menus are the product of the restaurant’s chef de cuisine who is responsible for cooking the meals as well. Thus, the restaurant is unique and reflects that chef’s creativity.

With the success of the top of the line dining venue on its newest ship at stake, Royal Caribbean had to find a truly exceptional chef. An established celebrity chef would have been ideal but it would have been impractical for a number of reasons. Instead, Royal Caribbean went out looking for a person that could well become a celebrity chef. With the help of the Culinary Institute of America, they found that person in Maureen “Molly” Brandt.

I spoke with Chef Brandt while I was on Allure about 150 Central Park and her cooking philosophy. We also chatted about her career and how she became 150’s Chef de Cuisine. The resulting article is posted at http://www.beyondships.com/RCI-ALOS-art-Brandt.html

As an added extra this week, I have also posted a new photo essay on Allure’s sister ship Oasis of the Seas. Like Allure, Oasis’ homeport is Port Everglades (Fort Lauderdale) Florida. Port Everglades is a busy cruise port and there can be some eight cruise ships in port on the same day in a relatively small area. As a result, it is amazing that a ship the size of Oasis can maneuver with such seeming ease in these confined waters. That is the subject of the photo essay. It is posted at http://www.beyondships.com/RCI-OOS-Photos-1.html

Queen Mary 2's Todd English Restaurant

Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 is a unique ship. She is the only ship sailing for a major cruise line that was designed as an ocean liner as opposed to a cruise ship and is the only ship that sails across the Atlantic on a regular basis Moreover, she carries on in the elegant tradition of the great liners in the lifestyle onboard.

This elegant lifestyle extends to the dining. As a nod to the modern age, the ship does have a buffet and some casual eateries but the main dining experience is fine dining. All of the main dining rooms present high quality food, professional service and a sophisticated atmosphere.

On many cruise ships, the role of the specialty restaurant is to offer guests a fine dining alternative. However, since this role is already filled on QM2 by the main dining rooms, the specialty restaurant must have a different role. Therefore, I decided to take an in-depth look at the specialty restaurant on QM2 - - the Todd English restaurant.

Todd English is an American celebrity chef who also owns several restaurants. His unique style of cooking has won him numerous awards. However, how is he able to transplant that style onto a ship that is at sea most of the time. Is it just his name on the door?

To help answer these questions, I spoke with QM2’s Executive Chef Mark Oldroyd who not only supervises the ship’s Todd English restaurant but also all of the other dining venues on QM2. Our conversation is posted at http://www.beyondships.com/QM2-review-Todd-English.html


In addition Chef Oldroyd selected several items off the menu at the Todd English for a pictorial in which he discusses those items. http://www.beyondships.com/QM2-review-Todd-English-3.html

Finally, I have prepared a review in which I discuss my experience at both a lunch and a dinner in the Todd English. http://www.beyondships.com/QM2-review-Todd-English-2.html

The Chef's Table on Caribbean Princess

I am always looking out for activities, features and programs on cruise ships that are out of the ordinary. The goal is to be able to look back and say that was something special that made that cruise memorable. One such program I found was The Chef’s Table on Caribbean Princess.

Under this program, small groups of guests are taken behind the scenes into the ship’s galley, not between meals when it is empty, but at dinner time when it is a hive of activity. Then, after champagne and special treats in the galley, the guests are seated in one of the main dining rooms for a multi-course gourmet meal. All of this is done under the personal supervision of Executive Chef Antonio Cereda and Maitre d’ Hotel Angelo Balbiani.

I am not a chef and have no particular interest in cooking. Nonetheless, it was fascinating to see Chef Cereda and his staff at work preparing dinner for literally thousands of people. Moreover, we were able to talk with Mr. Cereda and Mr. Balbiani about how it is done and how they maintain such a high level of quality in the food that they serve. It also should be noted that Messrs. Cereda and Balbiani have such a rapore that they are able to inject humor and conviality into the tour.

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Then, still in the galley, there was the champagne and one specially prepared appetizer after another, each one better than its delicious predecessor.

Adjourning to the dining room, the group was seated at a large table. More excellent courses, each paired with a wine selected by Mr. Balbiani. In addition, conversation flowed amongst the group, most of whom had been strangers beforehand.

It was indeed a memorable evening. My article about it, along with some photos and a copy of the menu are at http://www.beyondships.com/Princess-CB-ChefsTable-2.html.

I have also posted this week more from my interview with James Deering, Passenger Services Director on Caribbean Princess. This time, Mr. Deering talks about how managing the hotel operation on a cruise ship has changed over the years and gives some interesting insights into tipping on cruise ships. The article is posted at : http://www.beyondships.com/Princess-CB-Deering-2.html