Just back from Quantum sailing from Shanghai August 16, 2017

I booked a family junior suite for me and my father on the Quantum leaving from Shanghai on August 16, 2017. We had a fantastic vacation.

The taxi from our hotel on the Bund cost us a little under $30 USD and took about an hour. On arrival at the terminal, many signs and announcements were in Chinese and there were the usual crowds, which seemed a bit intimidating. However, RCCL staff must have recognized that as westerners we'd likely have difficulty negotiating the crowds in an unfamiliar environment and language, so they escorted us through the VIP check-in line. We were onboard within about 20 minutes. I had checked us in online and printed all the necessary documentation, so that helped. NOTE: It's necessary to bring a photocopy of your passport as this will be needed to exit the ship when stopping in port. I had read this on a forum, though I didn't see any info on the website. Knowing this information saved us valuable time. The staff was helpful and friendly and made the boarding process extremely easy.

We were among the only westerners on board as about 98% of the other passengers were from mainland China. As both my father and I enjoy travel and interacting with new people from other cultures, this only enhanced the trip for us, though it might not be a plus for everyone depending on their life experience and where they're from. I enjoyed using the few words of Mandarin I know to break the ice with the fellow passengers.

CABIN: The family junior suite was well configured and quite comfortable for two adults (by cruise ship standards). The additional bathroom was a helpful touch. The cabin was clean, comfortable, quiet, and modern. One of the nicer cruise cabins I've seen.

SPA: I went to the spa twice. Once for a haircut and the other time for a shave with facial. The staff in the spa was welcoming, helpful, and friendly and the services were excellent. Pricing was quite reasonable and not too far off from what I'd pay back home in NYC.

GYM: The gym was well appointed, though I do with there were kettlebells. However, I appreciated the open layout, nice view, and the cleanliness. The vending machine was broken the entire cruise, so whenever I needed bottled water for my workout I had to make a trip to the pool bar. I'm sure it's just an anomaly, though it was a minor inconvenience. The facility was never crowded and it was easy to find space to do my workout.

ENTERTAINMENT: We only attended one show, which was the Starwater show in the two70 lounge. I wasn't crazy about it. Seemed like a good concept, but was somewhat rambling without any sort of a thru-line or cohesion. The performers did an excellent job and I don't mean to take away from their efforts. Unfortunately, they just weren't given quality material to work with.

FOOD: We ate in the Windjammer for lunch the first day. The food was fine, though it was extremely crowded. For dinner we ate at the Coastal Kitchen. We were told we could dine at the Coastal Kitchen anytime for breakfast or dinner, though my father was able to eat there for lunch on the last day. It was a bit vague what the rules are for entry into the Coastal Kitchen, and I get the impression that for the family junior suite, the policy is dinner only, but other meals are at the discretion of the staff depending upon the crowds. The food and service in the Coastal Kitchen were both excellent, and some of the best I've experienced on any cruise line. We dined at the Chef's Table one night and at Chops another night. The Chef's Table was excellent. Our server/host did a brilliant job of conducting the evening in both English and Mandarin, and encouraged the Chinese guests to be welcoming of me and my father given how far we travelled. And of course I got a photo with the chef at the end. Chops was excellent too, with both excellent food and service. We probably would have been very happy dining at the Coastal Kitchen again except that part of our deal when purchasing the cruise was that we received a free meal in a specialty restaurant.

SHORE EXCURSIONS: We took the shore excursions to Hiroshima and Highlights of Kochi. The tours were well arranged and the guides were knowledgeable. We found ourselves with a group from southern India on the shore excursions and had a wonderful cultural exchange. We enjoyed learning about each other and it was fun to share the experience with people from another part of the world. I felt that I could have planned my own shore excursions independent of the cruise line, but my father enjoys the pre-packaged tours, so I went along. In the end, it was a relaxing way to see the sights. It was also very helpful to have a knowledgeable guide who could answer my many questions.

DISEMBARKATION: The process went about as smoothly as it could given the number of passengers. Getting off the ship went quite quickly and most of the time was spent going through immigration and customs. All parts related to RCCL ran very efficiently.

SUMMARY: I felt the cruise was an excellent value and very relaxing and enjoyable. For any westerner cruising on RCCL in an Asian market, expect to be in a small minority amongst many Chinese (if leaving from Shanghai). Though on the surface you'll see a lot of behavior that runs contrary to western sensibilities, I found everyone to be incredibly friendly. It also made for some fun exchanges. For example, the Chinese man who took a picture with my father because he thought that my father looked like a western version of his brother. Sometimes the little kids would stare at us, likely because they weren't accustomed to see westerners. It was fun to smile and say hello. It was also fun to try out the few words of Mandarin I know. Also, the crew seemed to go out of their way to help us feel welcome and comfortable. Instead of feeling horribly out of place, the experience was more of a wonderful cultural exchange.

CRITICISM: My only criticism for RCCL would be to find a more efficient way to conduct the safety drill to be more inclusive of us westerners. Though the quirky safety video was appreciated, it would have been more helpful to offer clear and concise instructions in both Mandarin and English in a bullet point format.

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Does RCCL change their crew for the sailings out of Shanghai, to be mostly Chinese or Asian, or do they maintain the regular contracts, so crew will be from all over the world?

Does RCCL change their crew for the sailings out of Shanghai, to be mostly Chinese or Asian, or do they maintain the regular contracts, so crew will be from all over the world?

My last Asia re positioning cruise from Australia was like a hand over to Chinese speaking crew including part of the casino being closed with favored Chinese table games being installed. I suppose they need Chinese speaking staff and not many of the regular crew can speak Chinese well enough.

Does RCCL change their crew for the sailings out of Shanghai, to be mostly Chinese or Asian, or do they maintain the regular contracts, so crew will be from all over the world?

As a previous response indicated, the crew has a higher percentage of Chinese than on cruises in other areas, though everyone on the crew with whom we interacted spoke excellent English. And though there was a higher percentage of Chinese crew members, the crew was still very international in general.

I found everyone on the crew to be incredibly helpful and they offered gracious hospitality. In fact, I would say that the crew on this sailing exceeded my expectations. If you enjoy languages and meeting people from other cultures, I'd recommend learning a few basic greetings in Mandarin. It was a great way to break the ice and helped make the cruise even more enjoyable.

Does RCCL change their crew for the sailings out of Shanghai, to be mostly Chinese or Asian, or do they maintain the regular contracts, so crew will be from all over the world?

Both - they have locally based crew for the majority of their passengers, plus international crew for their international guests. Senior staff e.g. Concierge staff may cater for both.

Passengers are guided to the right areas as needed e.g. having an international line, staffed by international crew at guest services.

For some international staff, it's not a great gig due to the limited number of international guests and interaction usually occurring.

However, RCL manage this aspect for their passengers very well.