By Beatriz Pascual Macias
New York, Nov 18 (IANS/EFE): Robot bartenders able to shake a cocktail every two minutes were on board Royal Caribbean's Quantum of the Seas when the first "smartship" sailed from New York on its maiden voyage last week.
On "new cruiser" experiences "eating is no longer a ceremony and becomes something easy and fun", Brian Abel, food and beverage director on the ship, told Efe news agency.
The old, Titanic-style pomp and rigidity has been replaced by "dynamic dining", which allows guests "to decide when to eat, with whom and what to eat", Abel said.
New cruisers have thrown overboard the concept of the great dining hall where passengers would come in at set times -- usually at 6 p.m. and at 8 p.m. -- to sit at the same tables mingling with fellow passengers.
Royal Caribbean has divided the great dining hall into four theme restaurants that cover the vast US gastronomical landscape from coast to coast, and an Oriental eatery where one can, almost, hear crickets under the paper-screen lamps.
Strings of onions hanging on the wall and tomatoes sliced on wood blocks complement chef Jamie Oliver's kitchen of television fame in shows such as "Naked Chef," "Jamie's Kitchen" and "Jamie's Ministry of Food".
Multihued French macaroons display a rainbow at the patisserie, while at the "Boleros" bar, mojitos speak Spanish along with spicy snacks as Salsa beats and the sun goes down.
"Wonderland", another of the ship's themed restaurants, offers entertainment and shows with candlelight as patrons venture into Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves' cave, where a magic liquid reveals a menu printed with invisible ink.
Innovations include the newest R2-D2 and C-3PO, the "Star Wars" robots that, this time, linger at the bar and choose cocktails before confronting giant meteorites or fighting the Force's dark side.
The world's first two robotic barmen, P1L and N1C -- one is male the other is female -- mix and shake on this cruise ship's traditional cocktails and new ones such as "The Bionic" and "The Robotic".