Poor Member Ratings for Anthem/Quantum

[direptor]

Understood - was just pointing out that there is inherent variety for most passengers, unless you're really a frequent cruiser.

 

 

Spot on. As above, there is a threshold where they do change the menu after x days (I think it's around 7-8 days), but that menu stays the same each night while in place. That means 1 or 2 menus per restaurant per cruise.

 

When i was on the Quantum, the menu changed after the 3rd night and 6th night so we had 3 different menus to across the 9N cruise. However, the new 3rd menu was a menu more focused on the Asian market with new asian dishes added.

[The_Big_M]

When i was on the Quantum, the menu changed after the 3rd night and 6th night so we had 3 different menus to across the 9N cruise. However, the new 3rd menu was a menu more focused on the Asian market with new asian dishes added.

 

Was just off a 6 nighter on Quantum last month and the menu stayed the same throughout. Asked the servers and they said they only change the menu on longer cruises.

[direptor]

Was just off a 6 nighter on Quantum last month and the menu stayed the same throughout. Asked the servers and they said they only change the menu on longer cruises.

 

Maybe that changed when the ship went to China.

[Merion_Mom]

Maybe Carol can tell us what they do on Anthem. I believe she spent a good amount of time on the ship recently.

 

On the 10 nighter, the menus changed halfway through.

[The_Big_M]

Maybe that changed when the ship went to China.

 

Not sure why it would. Especially as a 3 night menu means you couldn't even get to try all the restaurants with each menu. It's overkill.

 

As you mentioned you had 3 menus with one partially Asian it sounds like yours was on the way to Asia. Maybe you had 2 as per normal for the extended length of your cruise, and then they introduced the third to prepare for China. Sounds like a one-off.

[DJLDRUMS]

We were on the Anthem in January and were told that "Miami" was considering going back to the Traditional dining rooms instead of having multiple restaurants to go to in rotation each night. There's been more people that are not pleased with how it's now being done.(so we were told by our Head Waiter)

Has anyone else picked up on this as yet and heard anything else that's been on a Quantum Class ship the past couple of months?

Thanks to those who reply, Don

[cruisenfever]

We were on the Anthem in January and were told that "Miami" was considering going back to the Traditional dining rooms instead of having multiple restaurants to go to in rotation each night. There's been more people that are not pleased with how it's now being done.(so we were told by our Head Waiter)

Has anyone else picked up on this as yet and heard anything else that's been on a Quantum Class ship the past couple of months?

Thanks to those who reply, Don

We are boarding Anthem March 26 and have not heard anything yet.

 

I do hope they leave it alone as we do DD Choice and really enjoy rotating among the restaurants that we want to dine at, on the nights that we want and at a specific reserved time that we do prior to boarding.

[Merion_Mom]

We were on the Anthem in January and were told that "Miami" was considering going back to the Traditional dining rooms instead of having multiple restaurants to go to in rotation each night. There's been more people that are not pleased with how it's now being done.(so we were told by our Head Waiter)

Has anyone else picked up on this as yet and heard anything else that's been on a Quantum Class ship the past couple of months?

Thanks to those who reply, Don

 

The Executive Chef for the FLEET was on board with me in January. There is no such plan.

[DJLDRUMS]

Sometime in April would be when the change could take place, is was what we were told.

[The_Big_M]

We were on the Anthem in January and were told that "Miami" was considering going back to the Traditional dining rooms instead of having multiple restaurants to go to in rotation each night. There's been more people that are not pleased with how it's now being done.(so we were told by our Head Waiter)

Has anyone else picked up on this as yet and heard anything else that's been on a Quantum Class ship the past couple of months?

Thanks to those who reply, Don

 

No suggestion of changes in that respect on Quantum either.

[Biker19]

We were on the Anthem in January and were told that "Miami" was considering going back to the Traditional dining rooms instead of having multiple restaurants to go to in rotation each night.

 

That won't work. You have to rotate otherwise you will have the same menu at least 4 nights in a row. And there can't be traditional dining on Quantum class ships since there's not enough seating capacity for only the traditional early/late seating. There might be future tweaks (there was no DD Classic when Quantum came out) but the design of the ship limits what can be done.

[The_Big_M]

That won't work. You have to rotate otherwise you will have the same menu at least 4 nights in a row. And there can't be traditional dining on Quantum class ships since there's not enough seating capacity for only the traditional early/late seating. There might be future tweaks (there was no DD Classic when Quantum came out) but the design of the ship limits what can be done.

 

They actually could, if it came down to it.

 

A number of ships, e.g. Princess and P&O run the same menu in multiple restaurants. If the desire was there to do it, they could just run the same traditional menu in each of the restaurants. Just revamp the themes of course, but RCL have done that many times before.

[denatravels]

On the 10 nighter, the menus changed halfway through.

 

 

Same thing on 8 day.

 

 

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[LoneStarJeffe]

Why the low rating? As many have focused on, it is the dining experience. It is not about the menu only, the service only, the reservations system only but is instead that all of these add up to you can never be sure if you will have a good dining experience that night. THat is the problem. It is not a reliable experience.

 

Quantum made me a major fan of dinner at the Windjammer. That was the first time I heavily used the Windjammer for dinner. I didn't have to wait on myself for service. :) We had a table to ourselves and always could find seating immediately (no reservation needed), and the food and selection was good enough. In short, the Windjammer was the most reliable and consistent dinner experience onboard unless you want to pay for premium dining.

 

One other point on the dining. With traditional you always had dining and main shows in sync in terms of timings. With Quantum, you either must prioritize dinner seating time over the show or the show over dinner seating time. With the wait times both for seasting and service, you could not always be sure you could finish one to be ontime for the other.

 

Once you get past the dining experience, I really loved the Quantum class. I would sail that class again with no concerns. The bumper cars were amazing to watch and do. Everyone was smiling. This class has great potential once they fine tune the dining. But you either have to really, really plan ahead on events and dining times before you sail (and hope your reservations and all that planning are not lost within a computer glitch), or else be very flexible and go with the flow once onboard by prioritizing each day which was more important.

 

It is a cruise! Have fun!

[Turtle05]

Can someone articulate the exact dining difference on Quantum class ships? I am not fully understanding the difference. It seems like traditional MDR dining is not there and has been replaced by complementary restaurants. Is that the case? Something interesting that people who aren't really familiar with RCI might not know is that Quantum ships are actually smaller than Oasis ships. I love that RCI is mixing it up. I love love love Oasis class ships, but I am dying to try a Quantum class ship as well! I enjoy good food, but dining is not at the tip top of my list when cruising. It's probably more towards the middle.

[Turtle05]

Ok forget my question I poked around the RCI website and read the reviews. It seems like the reviews I read were mostly negative due to the cultural differences of being in China. I am personally sad to see these ships are in Asia and Jersey. I do not desire to cruise Asia, and I am much closer to FL ports than NJ. I hope one of these ships moves to FL in the next year or so!

[LoneStarJeffe]

Can someone articulate the exact dining difference on Quantum class ships? I am not fully understanding the difference. It seems like traditional MDR dining is not there and has been replaced by complementary restaurants. Is that the case? Something interesting that people who aren't really familiar with RCI might not know is that Quantum ships are actually smaller than Oasis ships. I love that RCI is mixing it up. I love love love Oasis class ships, but I am dying to try a Quantum class ship as well! I enjoy good food, but dining is not at the tip top of my list when cruising. It's probably more towards the middle.

 

Dining on Quatum class is you must choose a venue each night. There are many complimentary and additional fee based dining choices. All together they add up to the size of a traditional main dining room. The problem comes in when too many people want the same venue which might only seat 500 people on a ship with 4000 passengers. You then get lines. Add to that the waitstaff might be just getting initial drinks for one table while getting desserts for another and taking the dinner order for another table. If somebody takes too long for discussing their orders, the other people wait to get their food. By and large it works most of the time. But it is not smooth enough to be reliable. You can have a great experience one night and a completely different one the next. I also prefer different menus each night versus 4 complimentary dining choices with the same menu since we choose to eat complimentary almost every night. If you do not mind paying the additional fees, the extra dining venues might provide a better experience for you then it did us.

Edited March 5, 2016 by LoneStarJeffe

[denatravels]

Dining on Quatum class is you must choose a venue each night. There are many complimentary and additional fee based dining choices. All together they add up to the size of a traditional main dining room. The problem comes in when too many people want the same venue which might only seat 500 people on a ship with 4000 passengers. You then get lines.

 

KIND OF LIKE MTD?

 

 

 

Add to that the waitstaff might be just getting initial drinks for one table while getting desserts for another and taking the dinner order for another table. If somebody takes too long for discussing their orders, the other people wait to get their food. By and large it works most of the time. But it is not smooth enough to be reliable. You can have a great experience one night and a completely different one the next.

 

 

AGAIN, KIND OF LIKE MTD

 

 

 

I also prefer different menus each night versus 4 complimentary dining choices with the same menu since we choose to eat complimentary almost every night. If you do not mind paying the additional fees, the extra dining venues might provide a better experience for you then it did us.

 

MENUS ALTERNATE EVERY 4 DAYS AND EACH RESTAURANT HAS TWO. I ATE ONLY COMPLEMENTARY FOR 8 DAYS WITHOUT EVER REPEATING A MENU.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Edited March 6, 2016 by denatravels

[pjnj40]

I like the anthem. The problem is really that people can't accept the new changes.

 

 

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[cruisenfever]

Can someone articulate the exact dining difference on Quantum class ships? I am not fully understanding the difference. It seems like traditional MDR dining is not there and has been replaced by complementary restaurants. Is that the case? Something interesting that people who aren't really familiar with RCI might not know is that Quantum ships are actually smaller than Oasis ships. I love that RCI is mixing it up. I love love love Oasis class ships, but I am dying to try a Quantum class ship as well! I enjoy good food, but dining is not at the tip top of my list when cruising. It's probably more towards the middle.

There are 2 types of dining to chose from:

 

Dynamic Dining Classic is where you rotate among 4 restaurants throughout your cruise with the same waitstaff and table mates. There will be either an early seating or a late seating that you can select at the time of booking. The restaurants are Chic, Silk, American Icon Grill and The Grande which is the only formal dining room on the ship and men are required to wear jackets (except on the first and last nights.) Rotation schedule will be available in your cabin on the day you board.

 

Dynamic Dining Choice is where you can pick and chose where you want to eat and when. You can either reserve your time prior to boarding, once on board or just show up. Wait times can vary depending on when you want to eat.

Edited March 6, 2016 by cruisenfever

[The_Big_M]

On my cruise same menu day 1 as day 6.

[The_Big_M]

Why the low rating? As many have focused on, it is the dining experience. It is not about the menu only, the service only, the reservations system only but is instead that all of these add up to you can never be sure if you will have a good dining experience that night. THat is the problem. It is not a reliable experience.

 

Quantum made me a major fan of dinner at the Windjammer. That was the first time I heavily used the Windjammer for dinner. I didn't have to wait on myself for service. :) We had a table to ourselves and always could find seating immediately (no reservation needed), and the food and selection was good enough. In short, the Windjammer was the most reliable and consistent dinner experience onboard unless you want to pay for premium dining.

 

One other point on the dining. With traditional you always had dining and main shows in sync in terms of timings. With Quantum, you either must prioritize dinner seating time over the show or the show over dinner seating time. With the wait times both for seasting and service, you could not always be sure you could finish one to be ontime for the other.

 

Once you get past the dining experience, I really loved the Quantum class. I would sail that class again with no concerns. The bumper cars were amazing to watch and do. Everyone was smiling. This class has great potential once they fine tune the dining. But you either have to really, really plan ahead on events and dining times before you sail (and hope your reservations and all that planning are not lost within a computer glitch), or else be very flexible and go with the flow once onboard by prioritizing each day which was more important.

 

It is a cruise! Have fun!

 

Good points.

 

I'd say one additional issue from the above on Chinese cruises is, for Westerners that the buffet is not the same and I found it a place to be avoided.

 

The greatest issue was the much limited range of food choices, given half the range is Asian food (but not 'Western' Asian). This is more than fair enough of course, but if you're thinking of traditional food choices they're just not there.

 

Adding to that is that the food is sourced locally and not of the same standard/type as elsewhere. What it boiled down to was about a quarter of the food stuffs that you might traditionally enjoy, so is quite limited.

 

There were some other service and passenger issues there that may also affect ratings by traditional Western cruisers.

[denatravels]

Good points.

 

 

 

I'd say one additional issue from the above on Chinese cruises is, for Westerners that the buffet is not the same and I found it a place to be avoided.

 

 

 

The greatest issue was the much limited range of food choices, given half the range is Asian food (but not 'Western' Asian). This is more than fair enough of course, but if you're thinking of traditional food choices they're just not there.

 

 

 

Adding to that is that the food is sourced locally and not of the same standard/type as elsewhere. What it boiled down to was about a quarter of the food stuffs that you might traditionally enjoy, so is quite limited.

 

 

 

There were some other service and passenger issues there that may also affect ratings by traditional Western cruisers.

 

 

When I went to China, I ate "non-western Asian" food. Japan, too. In China, I used eastern toilets. I don't expect them to cater to my "western ways". If I didn't want to experience China, I wouldn't have gone.

I remember at one restaurant, an American tourist was screaming at the waitstaff because they didn't have ketchup and that was so outrageous to her!! It's been around 18 years and that's always stuck with me and certainly made me understand through future travels why foreigners often despise Americans.

China is different-- people that don't want different should cruise from the US.

 

 

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[caribbean sailor]

On that topic, I think that it does. They want everything to be just like what they are used to: Standard traditional dining.

 

They were/are not willing to be flexible, to roll with the punches. Any little hiccup makes them say, "See? This stinks. I want my old ship back!"

 

:)

 

I just did back to back on Anthem. First cruise, traditional rotational dining. (Dynamic Dining Classic 1). Second cruise, My Time Dining. (Dynamic Dining Choice). {note: I don't know why they don't use MY descriptions; much better, IMO ;))

 

(I have also been on Quantum for 22 nights, when there was only Dynamic Dining)

 

I can appreciate both styles of dining. Each has things that appeal. But I enjoyed both!

 

It's like the old candy commercial. "Sometimes you feel like a nut; sometimes you don't."

 

:D :D

 

The good thing about spending your own money,you don't have to spend it on something you don't like.Or do you have to roll with the punches.You can leave your money in the bank and spend it when you see something you want.:D

[champagne123]

Ok forget my question I poked around the RCI website and read the reviews. It seems like the reviews I read were mostly negative due to the cultural differences of being in China. I am personally sad to see these ships are in Asia and Jersey. I do not desire to cruise Asia, and I am much closer to FL ports than NJ. I hope one of these ships moves to FL in the next year or so!

 

You are GREEDY, GREEDY, GREEDY. :D

Tampa

Port Canaveral

Ft. Lauderdale

Miami

Jacksonville

 

FIVE PORTS...omg....and how many ships? I wonder if anyone knows that fact.

You give us the Harmony after you pay for the Verazano Bridge being raised and you can have the Anthem (AFTER my cruise in October, of course). hahahah:):):)