Royal Caribbean announced today it will send its brand new Quantum of the Seas to home port in Shanghai (Baoshan), China in May 2015.

In China, Quantum of the Seas will join Mariner of the Seas and Voyager of the Seas in Asia, increasing the company’s capacity in the region by 66 percent.

The move by Royal Caribbean shows how important the Chinese cruise market is to Royal Caribbean by putting a brand new cruise ship there instead of the usual pattern of older ships going to Asia.

MORE: ANTHEM OF THE SEAS TO REPLACE QUANTUM OF THE SEAS | QUANTUM OF THE SEAS GALLERY

Royal Caribbean COO Adam Goldstein commented on the announcement, "Consumers in China have grown to expect the best the world has to offer, and Quantum of the Seas meets that standard like no other ship.  We are ready to accelerate the growth of this vital market with a ship that will capture the imagination of travelers looking for a one-of-a-kind vacation experience."

"Every trend we are seeing in China tells us we can achieve real long-term competitive advantage and appealing returns on our investments in this fast-growing market by accelerating our presence there,” Goldstein said. “We will have to be nimble, but the ability to move fast is one of our strengths."

To replace Quantum of the Seas once it leaves New York, Liberty of the Seas will sail up and take her place and offer cruises to the Bahamas and Caribbean for the winter of 2015-2016.

Royal Caribbean's newest cruise ship, Quantum of the Seas, was floated out today at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Germany.

Photo by Royal Caribbean International

The 167,800-ton, 4, 180-passenger Quantum of the Seas is the first in the Quantum-class of cruise ships for Royal Caribbean and will have her maiden voyage in November 2014 from Bayonne, New Jersey. She is the first of three Quantum-class cruise ships to be built.

Royal Caribbean has already announced the dining, itineraries and Broadway show for Quantum of the Seas with more information promised soon.

UPDATE: More photos have been released by Royal Caribbean.

Royal Caribbean announced today award-winning Chef Michael Schwartz is the newest Quantum Experience Advisor for culinary.  

Schwartz will influence food and beverage experiences on the Quantum-class cruise ships Quantum of the Seas and Anthem of the Seas.Michael’s new role comes in addition to the latest announcement of the introduction of Michael’s Genuine Pub on Quantum-class ships, the first American gastropubs at sea, announced last week at Royal Caribbean’s culinary reveal in New York City.

Schwartz joins two other celebrity Quantum Experience Advisors athlete and adventurer Dhani Jones, Quantum Experience Advisor for Sports and Fitness and HGTV-star Genevieve Gorder, Quantum Experience Advisor for Design.

Schwartz has created the brand new Michael’s Genuine Pub, and will develope new twists to the Chef’s Table, food and beverage pairings, and programming for guests onboard. Michael is further building on his work with Royal Caribbean, having designed seasonal tasting menus for the cruise line’s Oasis-class fine dining restaurant, 150 Central Park, as well as helped select and integrate fresh, high quality ingredients into 150 Central Park’s supply chain.

 “I’m very pleased to be named a Quantum Experience Advisor and become even more engaged with the Quantum Class,” said Michael. “With the new Michael’s Genuine Pub and other Dynamic Dining options onboard Quantum of the Seas and Anthem of the Seas, there are plenty of opportunities to showcase how good food and good drink can help enhance a Royal Caribbean Quantum-class vacation.”

Ever since Royal Caribbean announced the advent of Dynamic Dining that will be coming to its newest class of cruise ships, the Quantum-class, fans everywhere have been talking about it.  Dynamic Dining promises to be the next evolution in how we have dinner on a cruise ship.

Understandably, there's a lot of intrigue regarding this new kind of dining experience and people want to know what it is exactly and what to expect. We don't know everything quite yet, but here's a listing of all the information on Dynamic Dining that we do know in one place.

What exactly is Dynamic Dining?

The core concept of Dynamic Dining is Royal Caribbean is removing the main dining room completely and instead offering a number of complimentary and specialty (cost extra) restaurants for guests to choose from.

Passengers can book specific times for any of these restaurants in advance, prior to their cruise or opt to book reservations onboard the ship.

Which ships will Dynamic Dining be offered on?

Dynamic Dining will be available on Quantum of the Seas, Anthem of the Seas and the yet-to-be-named third Quantum-class cruise ship.

Will Dynamic Dining be added to other Royal Caribbean ships?

At this time, Royal Caribbean has no plans to expand Dynamic Dining beyond the Quantum class. 

Royal Caribbean CEO Adam Goldstein said explicitly they have no plans to add Dynamic Dining to other ships but if Dynamic Dining does well perhaps in many years down the line they could look at expanding Dynamic Dining to other ships.

What restaurants are being added to replace the main dining room?

The new complimentary restaurants include

• American Icon Grill, a take on the classic American road trip, pulling together best-loved regional favorites into one comfort-style menu
• Chic, where the height of contemporary cuisine is realized and the freshest ingredients, such as proteins that pack a punch and sauces made from scratch, are evolved for a modern palate
• Silk, a vibrant and exotic destination where the spices of the Far East bring new flavor to adventurous palates through a Pan-Asian menu
• The Grande, a luxuriant nod to a bygone era of classic European ocean liners when dining was a time honored ritual, featuring timeless dishes, and where every night is formal night.
• Coastal Kitchen, a concept created exclusively for suite guests, fusing Mediterranean influences with the unmatched riches of California’s bountiful farmlands.

The new specialty restaurants include

• Wonderland, an elaborate feast for the senses in a setting where Royal Caribbean chefs twist their culinary kaleidoscopes to invent a dreamscape of never-before-seen fare
• Jamie’s Italian, featuring rustic Italian favorites, handmade - using seasonal ingredients and Jamie’s tried-and-tested crowd pleasers
• Michael’s Genuine Pub, the first American gastropub at sea and the next evolution of Royal Caribbean’s relationship with James Beard Award-winning chef Michael Schwartz, offering simply-prepared food and drinks made with quality ingredients from the best artisanal producers
• Devinly Decadence at Solarium Bistro, Royal Caribbean’s fittest dining destination, serving the foods you love all under five-hundred calories, designed by Devin Alexander, media personality, New York Times bestselling author and chef of highly-rated television show, “The Biggest Loser”.

​There will also be other specialty restaurants offered that aren't new to Royal Caribbean, such as Izumi, Johnny Rockets, Chops Grill and the Chef's Table.

The Windjammer is being re-designed (and kept open 24 hours per day).  Royal Caribbean is also adding a food truck, the SeaPlex Dog House.

SEE OUR DYNAMIC DINING RESTAURANT PHOTO GALLERY

​When can I start making reservations for Dynamic Dining?

Royal Caribbean will open up their brand new booking system for Dynamic Dining on May 15.  

There will be a new app to help guests make reservations and manage reservations both prior to their cruise and during it.

How will gratuities be handled with Dynamic Dining?

Gratuities will be the same as they are now.  Royal Caribbean charges an automatic gratuity to each passenger for each day of their cruise and gratuities are then given to the crew automatically.

Passengers can always stop at guest relations on their cruise and have automatic gratuities removed in favor of a different amount.

What if I want to dine with a large group?

Royal Caribbean says Dynamic Dining can accommodate groups up to 16 people.  Reservations will be able to be linked together and while your large group may not be able to sit at the same table, the staff will do their best to seat you at tables near each other.

Royal Caribbean announced as part of its Dynamic Dining options it will offer "food trucks" on its brand new Quantum of the Seas and today we have our first look at what this will look like.

The SeaPlex Dog House is a hot dog "food truck" that will be based in the SeaPlex part of the new ship.  BusinessWeek posted a small write up on the new restaurant as well as the first look we've seen of what this food truck will look like.

The SeaPlex Dog House is the "evolution" of the Dog House cart first deployed on Allure of the Seas.  This new location has a truck facade and will offer hot dogs, bratwurst, and sausages.

The SeaPlex Dog House will be available on the Quantum-class cruise ships Quantum of the Seas, Anthem of the Seas and the third yet-to-be-named Quantum-class ship.

Royal Caribbean announced on Wednesday a brand new dining innovation coming to its newest class of cruise ships, the concept of dynamic dining.

Brand new for Quantum of the Seas, Anthem of the Seas and the yet-to-be-named third Quantum-class ship, the main dining room is being replaced with five complimentary restaurants that offer distinct flavors, cuisines and tastes to choose from.

In fact, there will be 18 restaurants aboard these new ships, with the aim to offer its guests the most variety and choice they've ever had at sea.

The new complimentary restaurants include

• American Icon Grill, a take on the classic American road trip, pulling together best-loved regional favorites into one comfort-style menu

• Chic, where the height of contemporary cuisine is realized and the freshest ingredients, such as proteins that pack a punch and sauces made from scratch, are evolved for a modern palate

• Silk, a vibrant and exotic destination where the spices of the Far East bring new flavor to adventurous palates through a Pan-Asian menu

• The Grande, a luxuriant nod to a bygone era of classic European ocean liners when dining was a time honored ritual, featuring timeless dishes, and where every night is formal night.

• Coastal Kitchen, a concept created exclusively for suite guests, fusing Mediterranean influences with the unmatched riches of California’s bountiful farmlands.

In addition, Royal Caribbean is adding several new specialty resurants that offer more choice for an additional cost.

• Wonderland, an elaborate feast for the senses in a setting where Royal Caribbean chefs twist their culinary kaleidoscopes to invent a dreamscape of never-before-seen fare

• Jamie’s Italian, featuring rustic Italian favorites, handmade - using seasonal ingredients and Jamie’s tried-and-tested crowd pleasers

• Michael’s Genuine Pub, the first American gastropub at sea and the next evolution of Royal Caribbean’s relationship with James Beard Award-winning chef Michael Schwartz, offering simply-prepared food and drinks made with quality ingredients from the best artisanal producers

• Devinly Decadence at Solarium Bistro, Royal Caribbean’s fittest dining destination, serving the foods you love all under five-hundred calories, designed by Devin Alexander, media personality, New York Times bestselling author and chef of highly-rated television show, “The Biggest Loser”

​Royal Caribbean will also offer well known specialty restaurants on the Quantum-class of ships, such as Chops Grille, Izumi, Johnny Rockets and Chef's Table.

There will also be more complimentary restaurants that Royal Caribbean fans will recognize in the Windjammer Marketplace, The Cafe @ Two70 and SeaPlex Dog House.

To make the dining experience easier and simpler, Royal Caribbean is offering dining reservations well in advance with lots of options to book. Using a special new online booking tool, guests can make reservations starting May 15, 2014 and compare restaurants and book reservations.  Guests will still have the option of booking restaurants onboard the ship or opting for a walk-up table.

We're hosting LIVE coverage of Royal Caribbean's Quantum of the Seas dining announcement event that will begin on Wednesday, March 26 at 6pm eastern. We will post live blog coverage in this post.

A member from Cruise Critic posted a screenshot of what could be Royal Caribbean's strategy for dining aboard its Quantum-class cruise ships, Quantum of the Seas and Anthem of the Seas, called Dynamic Dining.

Here's the description from Royal Caribbean: 

Dynamic Dining, a new world of culinary exploration onboard Quantum of the Seas and Anthem of the Seas has been selected for this reservation.  It's dining at sea reimagined - to give you more distinct options plus total flexibility to shape your own delectable journey.  There are no set dining times, no assigned seats, no required formal nights.  Instead, let your appetite be the guide, as 18 tantalizing possibilities lay before you.  Daily reservations can be made for select restaurants on-line up to 4 days prior to departure at www.RoyalCaribbean.com/PreCruisePlanner.  Reservations can also be made or amended onboard.  Pre-cruise reservations are strong recommended to confirm your desired dining time at your restaurant of choice and ensure reduced wait times.  Dynamic Dining does not guarantee multiple tables together for parties of over 16 guests.  

Dynamic Dining also seems to confirm the earlier list of new restaurants on Anthem of the Seas that was leaked online as well.  

This change will eliminate the main dining room all together and offer a number of restaurants for passengers to choose and further reduce the formality of set dining times as well as relax dress codes.

Royal Caribbean is expected to make the formal announcement about Dynamic Dining and other dining options onboard its Quantum-class cruise ships later tonight.  Royal Caribbean Blog will provide live coverage of the event.

Here's a quick video looking at Royal Caribbean's newest ship, Quantum of the Seas, under construction at Meyer Werft Shipyard in Papenburg, Germany. A precise, efficient process ensures that Royal Caribbean’s Quantum of the Seas will be delivered on time and ready to WOW guests.

Blog reader Niclas Jakob had the opportunity recently to check out construction progress of Royal Caribbean's newest cruise ship, Quantum of the Seas, at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Germany.

He took a few photos to share. Enjoy!