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Quantum of the Seas – November 2014
Our journey to the Big Apple and an inaugural sailing of Royal Caribbean’s new vessel
Quantum of the Seas began with an overnight flight from the West Coast. With only a
few hours to spare Christine and I zipped into Manhattan to walk around Times Square
and do some shopping for the kids. (No luck finding the special shoes for our daughters
but we were successful in snagging some good deals at Macy’s department store).
Up near 50th and Broadway a
large billboard heralding the
Quantum’s introduction to New
York only helped to fuel the ever-
growing enthusiasm of what we
were about to experience.
After making our way down to Penn
Station, we ended up taking a couple
of trains and a taxi out to Cape
Liberty Pier in Bayonne, New Jersey.
We arrived at the pier around 4:30
PM so we didn’t get a chance to see
how busy the pier was when the majority of passenger arrived and, as it was, we were
amongst the last to get onboard.
As we had already completed
our Set Sail pass online in the
days prior (this included
uploading a profile photo; no
need to awkwardly smile at the
little webcam at the pier!) the
check-in lasted less than five
minutes and soon we were on
our way up the escalators and
onto the gangway.
I must admit that every time I go
on a ship (whether it is for a cruise or a simple ship tour) I always feel a tinge of
excitement as I step onto the vessel. When it comes to stepping onboard a Royal
Caribbean vessel my feelings only heighten as this was the cruise line I worked on for
over 2 ½ years back in the late 90’s. The view of the Crown and Anchor symbol all
Greetings from Times Square
View from the taxi
around the ship (but, alas, not the now defunct Crown and Anchor lounge) and the
familiar smell of the Schooner Bar (where does one buy that scent anyway?) always
results in a flood of memories coming back. While working on a vessel in Europe I was
amongst a group of lucky crew members who were able to tour the Voyager of the Seas
in Turku, Finland while the vessel was mostly just a steel shell. That ship was the
largest vessel at the time and years later I was able to cruise an early sailing of the now-
largest-ship Oasis of the Seas. Now the chance to experience the Quantum of the
Seas was present and the ability to see how she sets herself apart from the others in
her fleet.
First stop, naturally, was our stateroom and avoiding the crush of passengers who had
just completed boat drill as we had boarded. One difference with this ship is that a
room key has to be inserted on the wall immediately
after entering one’s room in order for the lights to
turn on. An energy saving gesture to be sure but
one that took getting used to because there wasn’t a
need to bring one’s stateroom key around the ship
as in the past. Why? Introducing the WOWbands
which resemble a kid’s plastic watch. Each
passenger gets one and it can be used for
accessing the stateroom, purchasing items in the
gift shop, etc. A nice idea especially for those times
when you are in the pool and don’t wish to fish for
your room key before sauntering up to the bar.
Off to the pool deck we went to catch some views of
the Manhattan skyline before grabbing a bite to eat in the Windjammer Café. As far as
buffets go these are some of the better designed ones
as there are mini stations located so one doesn’t have
to queue up for every piece of food available and
instead hop from one station to the other. One also
has the option to purchase a beverage cup good for
unlimited soft drinks; these specially designed cups
can be used in a self-serve station and one can choose
from a couple dozen different beverages via a touch
screen system. Now that our stomachs were full and
we watched New York’s gleaming city lights disappear
from view, it was time to explore the ship.
The WOWband
Self serve beverage machine
First stop: the SeaPlex. This area is the first of its kind onboard a ship: a multipurpose
space that can change to accommodate bumper cars, basketball & volleyball games,
roller skating, trapeze flying
activities, etc. Here are some of
the sights we witnessed over the
next three nights. As there were
only so many times the bumpers
cars were running, for example,
one has to be aware of the
operating times and be prepared
for long line-ups. In the case of
the bumper cars, we showed up
with about fifteen minutes to
spare before the end of its two
hour run and didn’t have to wait
nearly as long as folks who had
arrived at the beginning.
Off we went to the activities desk on the pool deck in order to sign up for the highly
anticipated skydiving simulator know as RipCord by IFly; here guests can enjoy a
minute of flying in a wind chamber that resembles the experience of jumping out of an
airplane. Sure enough, the spots were filling up quickly but we were confirmed for the
following afternoon. We signed the waiver release form (this can be done in person or
by accessing one’s shipboard account via the in- stateroom TV screen) which also
covers other activities such as the Flow Rider, Rock Climbing wall, etc.
Basketball...
Bumper Cars...
And Blading... Oh, My!
Before we headed to the main theatre for tonight’s performance, we explored the Royal
Esplanade with its choice of gift shops, cafes, lounges, etc. The ship boasts a number
of wide-open spaces along with a
buzz of activity in the higher traffic
areas near the shore excursion and
front desks.
Into the Royal Theatre we went for
the night’s performance, an a
capella group of five men known as
Mo5aic. Later in the cruise, we
watched a performance of the
Broadway hit Mamma Mia. Although truncated
versions of shows have been performed on
other ships in recent years, this is the full 2 ½
hour production complete with an intermission.
The other welcome feature is a live orchestra
playing in “the pit” at the front of the stage.
Over the years many cruise lines have moved
towards using more and more recorded track
music for their revue shows but this is not the
case here.
The Royal Esplanade
The Royal Theatre
As far as production shows go, arguably
the most anticipated production of the
cruise does not take place in the main
show lounge but rather in an area known
as Two70 located at the back of the
vessel. Another multi-use space, during
the day this is a wide-open area with large
windows offering (you guessed it) 270⁰
panoramic views, ideal for relaxing and
viewing the scenery outside and by night it
is transformed into a performance center.
On this night the venue was used for
a performance by Sante Fe and the
Fat City Horns, a rocking ensemble
from Las Vegas. With how the stage
was arranged, some passengers sat
in front and others behind the band.
The next evening was the marquee production of Starwater which was created with this
venue in mind; with six large digital screens manipulated by robotic arms, state-of-the-
art lighting and other gizmos in order to showcase a Cirque de Soleil type atmosphere
this is unlike any other show on the high seas. We were not successful in reserving a
seat at this show ahead of time so had to wait in a long stand-by line. Listening to other
passengers, some mentioned that they believed they had made reservations only to
learn later they were no longer confirmed. Apparently some bugs still need to be
Two70 by day...
And Two70 by night
Starwater
worked out on that end. A word to the wise: try to plan as many of these events (plus
dinner reservations) online and then reconfirm these reservations soon after boarding.
In speaking with other passengers too, many suggested not grabbing a seat at the very
front as some of the visuals are obscured; best to sit a ways back in order to take in the
entire spectacle.
On the subject of reservations, I
digress to speak about the Dynamic
Dining option offered on this vessel.
Here Royal Caribbean allows one to
arrange their dining online ahead of
boarding. A nice feature in that one
can pre-arrange their meals and
coordinate them with the evening's
entertainment. In theory that works
fine but, for example, in the case of
the Starwater show starting later to
accommodate all the guests, we (and
a number of others) were late for our
assigned reservation time in Le Grande restaurant. In the end this was not an issue
and the restaurant staff was able to accommodate us a few minutes after we arrived.
That said, we found that the dietary request
we had indicated ahead of time (specifically
gluten-free and lactose intolerance for my
wife) were only noted on the restaurant’s
computers as a “dietary request”. Again,
hopefully a bug that will be worked out for
future sailings. When we clarified the
request to our waiter on all occasions the
Head Waiter visited our table and
went through the menu highlighting
which items would be suitable or
could be prepared in an alternate
way.
Chic Restaurant
Silk Restaurant
The highlight of our first full day at sea was the chance to try the RipCord in the
afternoon. I won’t go on to describe in detail exactly what it felt like (so as not to spoil
the surprise!) but I will make some
general comments for anyone who
gets a chance to try this on the
Quantum or (eventually) on the
Anthem of the Seas:
1) If you plan to do the RipCord
with your travel companion you won’t
be able to take any photographs of
each other so consider speaking with
other folks who are watching as
bystanders and are willing to take
some shots or perhaps sign up at
different times so that one person can
document the event. (Apparently the cruise line is planning to install their own
cameras to take pictures and record the events as most participants agree this
would be a slam-dunk purchase in the photo shop).
2) When asking if we could sign up again later in the cruise we were told the
confirmed spots were full but it was suggested we arrive around dinnertime in
hopes that people do not
show up. Sure enough,
we came by the following
evening and both of us
were able to “fly” again.
My class had so many
“no shows” that there
were only four of us (out
of a maximum of ten); I
guess that is the
unfortunate side-effect of
offering such activities for
free in that many forget to
show up for their
scheduled time.
3) Make sure you leave all
watches, jewelry, glasses,
etc behind in your stateroom as
you will invariably be asked to remove them when you arrive.
4) And, finally, relax and keep your chin up!
Suiting Up for RipCord
Wu Hoo!!
The other marquee activity onboard is the chance to ride in the North Star, an enclosed
capsule on the pool deck that ascends over 300 feet above sea level for some unique
views of the ship and her surroundings. On the first day at sea the North Star did not
fully run as planned (technical glitches, natch!) so the majority of folks lined up on the
second sea day to
get a chance.
Thankfully the
weather was
warmer than the
day prior (though
that was not
saying much!) so
the line-up was not
too hard to bear. I
chatted with other
folks in line and
we all agreed to
take turns leaving
and coming back so we did not
have to stay in line for the full 2 ½
hours. Yes, that is how long it
took as each cycle of getting on
and off the capsule took about 13
minutes and the line-up stretched
down the pool deck. Again, this
is where one hopes that the
cruise line will adopt a more
efficient way to handle the crowds
by assigning a specific time or
issuing passes to show up later
on. Ah, those ever-present bugs
of new vessels and new features!
North Star
Eventually we got onboard the capsule and enjoyed seeing the ship from this different
perspective. The ride up and
down is very smooth. As we
were out to sea with no land in
sight the views were limited to,
well, the ship itself but it was
breathtaking nonetheless. Word
on the street is that the cruise
line will begin charging a fee to
go onboard the North Star during
certain times (i.e. sunset) but that
hadn’t been adopted as of yet.
As we were not set to watch the matinee
of Mamma Mia for a few hours we
decided to try the Flow Rider, a wave
machine at the back of the ship. Yes,
the temperature was only a few
degrees above freezing but, hey, why
not? Surprise, surprise, there wasn’t a
line-up at all, just a couple of young
kids having the time of their life boogie
boarding in the cold water. I was most
impressed with my wife trying this
activity as water is not her favorite
friend (!)
Boogie Boarding on the Flow Rider
A trip to the hot tub followed soon after in order to warm our chilly bones and to explore
the Solarium. Located at the front of the ship, this lovely tranquil area is ideal for such
cold weather itineraries. After watching Mamma Mia we did more wandering around
the ship. Alas, we didn’t get a chance to see any of the Inside staterooms that have the
digital balconies giving one the ability to watch real time video of what is happening
outside. We did have time to grab some food at Sorrento’s Pizzeria (a gluten-free
pizza was made to order to Christine’s delight) and then some souvenir shopping at the
gift shops. We also stuck our nose in at the Music Hall to watch a mini magic show; by
night this venue showcases a couple of tribute bands.
Prior to heading to dinner we decided
to order drinks from the first robot
bartenders at sea at the Bionic Bar.
Naturally this is little more than a
novelty but an enjoyable one to watch
nonetheless. Passengers have the
option to order from a wide variety of
drinks or to create one themselves;
neither of us was in the mood for
mixing a mystery concoction so stuck
to some standards. Regretfully, I
neglected to see if an automatic
gratuity was added on to the bar
tab… hmmm…
Our reservations for that evening were
for the Silk restaurant, an Asian fusion
restaurant that offered some tasty treats.
Again, the brevity of this cruise meant
that we did not get to try the majority of
restaurants onboard. Before turning in
for the night we checked in online for our
flights; on that note, the Quantum
The Bionic Bar
certainly boasts the best internet connection of any ship I have been on, with speeds
comparable to those on land. In fact, we were able to do video calling with family back
home and the quality was terrific.
We woke up bright
and early to see the
sunrise with the Statue
of Liberty in the
distance. After
snapping some last
minute photographs
and enjoying a quick
meal at the
Windjammer Café we
were on the shuttle bus and headed back to
Newark airport for our flight home.
I would certainly return to this ship again as
there is a myriad of activities, venues and
dining options to explore even for the most
experienced cruiser. Quantum of the Seas is
certainly an example of a ship that is a
destination in itself.
Please feel free to contact me with questions about this or any other cruise!
Rob Stover
Toll Free: 1-877-417-2077 extension 2248
Direct: 778-398-2010
Email: [email protected]
Waking up to the Big Apple...