First it was farewell to the buffet, and now the dining room
NewsFirst it was farewell to the buffet, now it could be farewell to the dining room, as more cruise lines breakaway from traditional forms of ocean dining.
This week, Royal Caribbean revealed it will remove the old-style dining room aboard two ships – Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas.
Traditionally lines had one large dining rooms and guests were allotted a dining time and table seat for their entire cruise.
Instead, Royal Caribbean’s two largest vessels will have three distinct complimentary venues with individual menus.
Dubbed ‘Dynamic Dining’, the multi-option form of dining will also be available on Quantum of the Seas when she launches in November and Anthem of the Seas next year.
The three venues that will replace the main dining hall are the American Grill – serving America road trip style dishes such as fried chicken and gumbo; The Grande – a formal venue where every night guests can experience high end dining; and Silk – an Asian-fusion restaurant.
Royal Caribbean isn’t the first to do-away with traditional dining. Back in 2012, Norwegian Cruise Lines broke the feasting norms with ‘Freestyle Dining’, where the line replaced one vast room with three dining rooms, each offering their own menus.
For many cruisers the new style of dining has its pros. It offers a variety of food options, allowing guests to fill their cravings at sea.
There’s no set eating times, so you can eat where you want, when you want.
And there is no allocated seating, which means you won’t have to sit next to the same people for almost every onboard meal.
It also meets the requirements of ‘new cruiser’ who are looking for more options while cruising.
Last month, P&O made a similar move, revealing it will banish the buffet on its two new ships. Instead, Pacific Eden and Pacific Aria will have The Pantry, a food court style venue with individual space for different foods.
