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!

Royal Caribbean and Meyer Werft have joined forces again to build Quantum of the Seas & Anthem of the Seas. This collaborative partnership has led to new levels in shipbuilding.

Royal Caribbean Executive Vice President of Operations Lisa Lutoff-Perlo hinted in a blog post a couple of dining options making their debut first on Navigator of the Seas that we can expect to see on Royal Caribbean's brand new ship, Quantum of the Seas.

Lutoff-Perlo writes, "Meanwhile, Navigator of the Seas’ guests will be the first to get a sneak peek of some of the dining options making their debut on Quantum of the Seas this fall.  Guests on board Navigator will be among the first to enjoy the fully revamped Chops Grille: The New American Steakhouse, featuring traditional steakhouse offerings with a contemporary flair.  Chops Grille on Navigator of the Seas will showcase brand new selections, such as the Veal Chop Parmesan and a Slow-braised Short Rib of Beef with Bordelaise sauce."

Royal Caribbean has been quiet regarding the dining choices coming to Quantum of the Seas and this is the first indication that we will likely see Chops Grille onboard and its new menu.  

Chops Grille has been a staple of Royal Caribbean cruise ships fleetwide, so it's inclusion on Quantum of the Seas is hardly a surprise but one more piece in the puzzle for guests trying to get a sense of everything that will be on the new ship.

Quantum of the Seas adviser Dhani Jones has a new video out today that shows him exploring activities to bring aboard Royal Caribbean's next cruise ship, Quantum of the Seas.

When Royal Caribbean's Navigator of the Seas emerges from dry dock next week, among the new changes onboard the ship will be virtual balcony staterooms that feature an 80 inch high definition LCD screen in select inside staterooms.

Fox News interviewed Ronnie Farzad, Royal Caribbean’s head of entertainment technology, and he says the new screens stretch from nearly floor to ceiling and wall to wall, complete with the sound of the seas in real-time from the camera location. Royal Caribbean is also included a banister for a feeling of safety.

Why a banister?  Well, Royal Caribbean told Fox News that they tested a simulated virtual balcony with 30 to 40 people at Royal Caribbean headquarters, and many of the testers complained that an open ocean view is a little scary because there was nothing to keep passengers from “falling in,” especially if the ship is moving in high seas, Farzad said.  

While Navigator of the Seas only has about 80 staterooms with virtual balconies, there will be a virtual balcony in every interior cabin on Quantum of the Seas. There will even be smaller virtual balconies in the studio staterooms that accomodate solo cruisers on Quamtum of the Seas.

Charlie Miller of Control Systems, the concept design company behind the virtual balconies, spoke to Fox News about several of the challenges in creating an authentic feel to Royal Caribbean’s virtual balconies. 

Another challenge was making it all look the way designers envisioned, as Fox News reports, "Designers wanted to create virtual banisters and even balusters, the vertical poles that hold the banisters in place. But the banister had to appear to be outside the window, like on a real balcony. And that created a whole new set of visual challenges, because the look of a real banister changes all the time as the sun and the ship change directions. The answer was to incorporate sun movement charts and powerful GPS data to add “real” shadows and highlights to the virtual banisters. At the same time, they decided not to put virtual glass between the balusters."

Last week plans for construction to begin on the renovations of Cape Liberty's cruise terminal were halted after the construction plans impacted a September 11th memorial.  The renovation plans are back on track now after the Port Authority has come up with a plan for ensuring the 9/11 memorial is not destroyed.

NJ.com is reporting the small group of memorial pavers that encircle the 9/11 Teardrop Memorial at the south end of the Peninsula at Bayonne Harbor will be temporarily removed when repair work at the site begins.

The renovation work on the terminal is necessary to allow the port to accomodate Royal Caribbean's newest cruise ship Quantum of the Seas for her November 2014 arrival.

“The start of the construction is contingent on the city of Bayonne’s approval,” said Port Authority spokesman, Steve Coleman.

Coleman estimates the pavers will be out of the 9/11 memorial ground for roughly three to five months.

“These pavers will be restored to their original locations when the work is finished,” said Coleman.

Preliminary construction of the new cruise port facility in Bayonne, New Jersey was halted on Friday after it was discovered plans for the port makeover included the removal of hundreds of memorial pavers that surround the September 11 "teardrop" memorial.

Residents were "outraged" according to NJ.com, after learning the $50 million project would include the "temporary" removal of about 300 pavers.

Frank Perrucci, chairman of the Sept. 11 Bayonne Remembers Committee, said he was told by workers at the site that the construction project would cut through a portion of Harborview Park -- where the "To the Struggle Against World Terrorism" memorial is located --  and would mean the "temporary" removal of about 300 pavers.

The memorial will not be affected and workers indicated that the pavers would be put back into place when the construction is complete in May.

The cruise port makeover includes a new Cape Liberty Cruise Port terminal building, a parking garage, an overflow paved parking area and berth improvements on land owned by Port Authority.

During the roll out of Quantum of the Seas, Royal Caribbean's newest cruise ship, it will be involved in a music concert in Papenburg, Germany as a backdrop.

The event, "NDR 2 Papenburg Festival: The yard is calling!", will be held on September 6 at the Meyer Werft shipyard with "the imposing backdrop of the luxury liner Quantum Of The Seas."

There's no indication how much the new ship will be involved in the event.  It may just be a coincidence that Quantum of the Seas will be outside when the concert is scheduled or perhaps Royal Caribbean is deliberately using the event to market the new ship.