I have been on a total of twenty cruise vacations with different cruise lines aboard different cruise ships with my wife of twenty years and I’ve experienced massive Royal Caribbean ships to much smaller Regent Seven Seas, and most in between. I have been all over the Caribbean, eastern Canada New England, have experienced eastern and western Mediterranean. As I grow more mature, I’ve come to the point in my life where I’m looking for less versus more, and at the same time more versus less. We have a few chefs in the family and learned that the more intimate the setting or number of people involved, the less watered down the quality of the food really is, meaning more flavor. As much as I’d like to say that I’m ready for a Crystal Cruise, the fact of the matter is, I’m really not. I’m also not ready to call it the night at 11pm while on my vacation. That’s not to say that my style of vacation works for everyone either. In fact, some define vacation as laying on a hammock, while others define a vacation as exploring. The experiential is a very big part for me, but so is meeting people, and experiencing great conversation over good food & libations. I’m not a gambling man, but it doesn’t mean you won’t catch me at the Blackjack Tables every now and then.
Not only has Royal Caribbean International gone out of their way to add more massive ships to their lineup, they’ve also subtracted their massive dining rooms as well. In order to provide travelers with a culinary experience without having to pay extra for the intimate setting, RCCL has introduced Dynamic Dining, which officially began aboard the Quantum of the Seas, and has trickled down to Allure and Oasis of the Seas. Similar to NCL’s “Freestyle Dining” concept, which encompasses a total of 22 restaurants, RCCL has placed a total of 18 restaurants aboard their ship. In addition to the casual spots aboard the Quantum (Including: Windjammer, Café Promenade, Sorrento’s, etc…), There are four particular restaurants that take the place of the main dining rooms and they are: The Grande, Chic, Silk, and American Icon Grille…
- The Grande: First and foremost, every night is formal night at The Grande. It is the only one of the four restaurants where guests are dressed to impress. The restaurant’s scheme is elegantly decorated with cream, gold, and black color pallets. The menu, which is as elegant as the décor includes Lobster Tail Thermidor, lobster bisque, sole almondine, chicken a l’orange, and beef carpaccio. The Grande is where you’ll find delectable dessert items such as Molten Lava Cake and Red Velvet Cheesecake. The Grande Restaurant is located on Deck 3 and open from 5:30pm until 9pm.
- Chic: Three words spring to mind when describing Chic’s décor and food… Contemporary, Mediterranean, and Savory! From the moment you step in, the gold and explicit white take you to a Hip Mediterranean spot in Ibiza or Greece. The tables lined in white and the chairs adorned with gold tassels. The menu includes Mint-Crusted Lamb Chops, Grilled Catalan Shrimp, Potato-Encrusted Icelandic Black Cod, Mediterranean Sea Bass, and Salmon Strudel. You may want to stay a while and ask for the dessert menu to sample the Dark Chocolate Torte and Milk Chocolate Gelato. Chic is located on Deck 3 across the hall from The Grande and is opened from 5:30pm until 9pm.
- Silk: From the moment you step into Silk, you are greeted with the largest table in the house decorated in stylish Asian. In fact, the entire restaurant is decorated in stylish Asian and Red Reigns and curtains are utilized throughout to soften the space. Appetizers include Shrimp Shumai, Crab Rangoon, Coconut-Crusted Prawns, and Vietnamese Tacos (A Must!) Entrees include: Hibachi Steak, Sake-Glazed Salmon, and Chicken Masala. Silk is located on Deck 4 and is open from 5:30pm until 9:30pm.
- American Icon Grill: The American Icon Grill takes the most popular dishes from one coast of the United States to the other and serves them all in one restaurant! The eclectic menu includes New England Clam Chowder, Southern Fried Chicken battered in Buttermilk, New York City Reuben Sandwich topped with sauerkraut, New Orleans Shrimp Po Boy & or Gumbo, Cola Braised Ribs… The list goes on and on! Unlike the other three restaurants, American Icon Grill is open for breakfast (Sea Days from: 7:30am until 9:30am / Port Days: 8am until 10am), Lunch (From: 12 Noon until 1:30pm on Sea Days), and Dinner (5:30pm until 9:30pm). The American Icon Grill is located on Deck 4.
To make reservations at any one of these restaurants, you can either make them online prior to cruising or onboard via the ship’s IQ Service. In addition to the changes made as it pertains to switching from standard dining rooms to walk-in restaurants, as technology evolves, so does the manner in which orders are taken. In fact, the wait staff can take all of your dietary restrictions and once it’s saved on their tablets, the information will circulate through all the restaurants through a network making the information accessible to all wait staff everywhere.
Lifestyles change, sometimes faster than we think especially with technology evolving as fast as it has. For some, they go unaffected by the software and hardware, while others like myself embrace it and appreciate it where ever we go. I don’t necessarily require to sail aboard a smaller vessel, I enjoy staying busy, and especially when you have so much going on aboard a ship such as the Quantum of the Seas. One of my favorite amenities available aboard Quantum is its Smart Connect. Smart Connect not only provides fast Wi-Fi Internet connection, it provides signal anywhere on the ship via satellite. The signal streaming from the satellite travels over the ship no matter where it sails, making it accessible anywhere aboard Quantum. In fact, the same signal feeds the eight (8) Xbox One machines located in one of the four sea pods in SeaPlex. With the amount of bandwidth and ultra-fast wireless signal these game consoles require for guests to play flawlessly online is enormous, which gives you an idea of the type of signal your smartphone, tablet, and/or laptop will be receiving for it to work.
Technology brings things to life, and boy does it ever with Quantum! Beginning with North Star, once you depart, get ready to be taken on a 360 degree trip 300 feet above sea level. I’m not too crazy about sharing the space with a dozen or so people, but there is an option to have dinner for 2.
For those of you who have yet to experience a sky diving simulator or let alone hear of one being on a ship, look no further! iFly, the good people who brought us all the “Indoor Skydiving Experience”, simulators that create real free fall conditions, have brought the same experience on A SHIP NO LESS! There is so much more that goes into doing what the instructors do. It may seem easy, but boy oh boy is there a lot involved. One small insignificant movement with your wrist can cause your body to turn wildly. Take it from me, I know.
As you can see, cruise lines today know who their primary customers are… Whether you’re interested in the Latest & Largest (with Royal Caribbean), or the More Intimate Smaller Ships (with Regent, Oceania, Azamara, or Seabourn) who in some cases reward with included drink packages/excursions and in others more nights in port, or everything in between (Celebrity, Holland, or Princess), there’s most definitely a cruise for everyone, and for every phase of their lives.
