Royal Caribbean’s innovative Dynamic Dining concept, which was due to make its debut in Australian waters on Ovation of the Seas upon the ship’s Sydney arrival in December will now be shelved in favour of a more traditional fixed and flexible dinner time format.

The idea behind Dynamic Dining, which was set to replace the Traditional fixed time system, sees passengers allocated the same seating time for each night of their cruise, albeit in a different restaurant each evening.

In line with the traditional format, guests opting for this style of service would be served in each restaurant by the same wait staff, continuing the long-held cruise tradition of guests having the personal comfort and familiarity of having the same waiters over the course of a voyage – while still being able to rotate among a selection of the ship’s main and specialty dining options.

Dynamic Dining was due to run alongside the My Time format, which limits guests to the Main Dining Room but retains the flexibility of reserving a table for their preferred time or simply turning up when they choose and being seated if space permitted. This latter format will now run alongside the Traditional Fixed Time system where guests will continue to enjoy their dinner in the Main Dining Room each evening unless making alternative arrangements.

It is understood passenger feedback is the reason for the decision to abandon the Dynamic concept, which was dropped from Ovation‘s preceding sister ships Quantum of the Seas last year and will soon do so from Anthem of the Seas, effective at the end of November 2016. With each restaurant requiring different dress codes, passengers were reportedly expressing discomfort with the idea that formal evenings would effectively be held on different dates, somewhat diluting the glamour and regalia of seeing the entire guest contingent dressed up all on the same night.

Plans to introduce the Dynamic Dining concept on Royal Caribbean’s largest ships Oasis of the Seas, Allure of the Seas and Harmony of the Seas have also been delayed but at this stage, the idea has not been abandoned altogether and may be installed down the track.

Australian guests booked on Ovation of the Seas during its maiden season in local waters will now be assigned to one of four restaurants onboard, depending on their preferred seating system. Those choosing Traditional will enjoy their dinner in Chic or The Grande restaurants, while guests opting for My Time will have either Silk or American Icon allocated to them. Each of the four restaurants will feature the same menu, but this will change each evening.

Formal nights will continue to take place on all three ships, with the exact number dependent on the length of each particular voyage.