Quantum advice please

[Cruisegirl6]

I saw photos that somebody nicely and generously took on their cruise on the Quantum and I have to say to me it doesn't impress me at all in fact I find the ship totally lacking next to the Allure/Oasis....

 

Can anybody agree or disagree with me and let me know if you prefer the Quantum besides the reason it holds less passengers, what you prefer about it over the Oasis/Allure?

 

The Quantum just doesn't give me any wow what are your thoughts, thank you.

Edited November 11, 2014 by lyndamr

[RoyalDiamond]

I saw photos that somebody nicely and generously took on their cruise on the Quantum and I have to say to me it doesn't impress me at all in fact I find the ship totally lacking next to the Allure/Oasis....

 

Can anybody agree or disagree with me and let me know if you prefer the Quantum besides the reason it holds less passengers, what you prefer about it over the Oasis/Allure?

 

The Quantum just doesn't give me any wow what are your thoughts, thank you.

 

We enjoyed our Quantum transatlantic this past week! The ship is absolutely gorgeous and stunning! The solarium is actually better than Oasis/Allure, as there are more pools (3 infinity pools) for the passengers. I would not hesitate to go on Quantum again...in fact, we're going later this month! There were a few issues, as we completely expected with any maiden voyage. But I'm sure they'll have them worked out quickly. I like that the ship is totally different than others....it gives a different experience and keeps it from being the same thing over and over again!

 

Peter

[ocav]

I saw photos that somebody nicely and generously took on their cruise on the Quantum and I have to say to me it doesn't impress me at all in fact I find the ship totally lacking next to the Allure/Oasis....

 

Can anybody agree or disagree with me and let me know if you prefer the Quantum besides the reason it holds less passengers, what you prefer about it over the Oasis/Allure?

 

The Quantum just doesn't give me any wow what are your thoughts, thank you.

 

What is it about Oasis class that makes them impressive compared to Quantum class in your opinion?

 

Personally I think the Quantum class design is quite impressive, and the features they have added are really intriguing.

[smoosh21]

I saw photos that somebody nicely and generously took on their cruise on the Quantum and I have to say to me it doesn't impress me at all in fact I find the ship totally lacking next to the Allure/Oasis....

 

Can anybody agree or disagree with me and let me know if you prefer the Quantum besides the reason it holds less passengers, what you prefer about it over the Oasis/Allure?

 

The Quantum just doesn't give me any wow what are your thoughts, thank you.

 

Truth be told, I was much less wowed with Quantum than with the Oasis and I thought I would be more wowed.

I was very impressed with Two70 and I think that is going to be the highlight of the ship.

 

I was less impressed with SeaPlex. To me it felt very cold (not Temperature, just aesthetics) It also feels like a lot of the space heading behind Seaplex where RipCord and the FlowRider are, are too far from the rest of 'the action'

 

I didnt like the main theater at all. The sight lines from the balcony are terrible. We could only see half the stage, and everyone around us was also complaining how bad the views were to try and see Mamma Mia.

 

The Robot bar was interesting, but it still has a long way to go to be practical in any way.

 

Northstar was nice, but I was also able to get on the first Ride during the boarding, when most people were still having problems checking in. During the actual sailing, people were standing in line for 2-3 hours for a ride. I really wouldnt want to stand in line that long for the ride.

 

The service at the restaurants also felt off as there wasnt a team of a waiter and an assistant waiter.

 

I didn't like the art on this ship compared to other ships. To me, a lot of it seemed like the kind you would pick up at the Target or the Cost Plus World Mart. A lot of it was that motivational word type art, especially in the hallways by staterooms.

 

I understand that there were lots of glitches due to a new ship and we were compensated for them. However, even discounting for those, the ship still didnt wow me like I was hoping. It may be because I wasn't expecting to like Oasis Class and ended up loving it that I set my expectations too high for this ship class.

[DJ1VIKES]

What is your opinion of the dynamic dining?

[wyldkarma]

What is your opinion of the dynamic dining?

 

Because we have always had main dining we never had to worry when and where we would eat. We just booked the Quantum for Dec 1 which is 10 days away and now we just discovered that if you have not booked a restaurant you will be eating in the Windjammer every night, because all the paid and complimentary restaurants are already booked. Not sure I am gonna like this setup much. I called the Crown & Anchor agent to inquire about this and they said you need to book your restaurants months out otherwise you're stuck with very late hours or seeing if there are cancellations when you get on the ship. I think I;m gonna miss the main dining setup.

[ocav]

Because we have always had main dining we never had to worry when and where we would eat. We just booked the Quantum for Dec 1 which is 10 days away and now we just discovered that if you have not booked a restaurant you will be eating in the Windjammer every night, because all the paid and complimentary restaurants are already booked. Not sure I am gonna like this setup much. I called the Crown & Anchor agent to inquire about this and they said you need to book your restaurants months out otherwise you're stuck with very late hours or seeing if there are cancellations when you get on the ship. I think I;m gonna miss the main dining setup.

 

 

People on the TA said that they got a seat in various dining rooms without booking.

 

I'd recommend calling C&A again though, they won't fully book any complimentary restaurant. Speciality is a little different though, they'll be booked up.

[wyldkarma]

People on the TA said that they got a seat in various dining rooms without booking.

 

I'd recommend calling C&A again though, they won't fully book any complimentary restaurant. Specialty is a little different though, they'll be booked up.

 

I hope it not as booked as it appears right now. C&A did look, she spent 20 minutes trying to find openings. They were either after 9pm or fully booked this included both paid venues like chops as well as free ones such as Chic or Grand. Told us to wait till we got on the ship and check with the restaurants for cancellations. Really? We gotta spend the day trying to find where we can eat? We are in our 60's and like early dining options. Eating after 7pm is not for us.

[ocav]

I hope it not as booked as it appears right now. C&A did look, she spent 20 minutes trying to find openings. They were either after 9pm or fully booked this included both paid venues like chops as well as free ones such as Chic or Grand. Told us to wait till we got on the ship and check with the restaurants for cancellations. Really? We gotta spend the day trying to find where we can eat? We are in our 60's and like early dining options. Eating after 7pm is not for us.

 

 

I really wouldn't worry. You'll be able to find somewhere. Just regularly check the cruise planner for available bookings and just turn up to dinner a little earlier than normal and you should be able to get seated.

 

They will not fully book any restaurants onboard because they know that it will cause problems like this

[eel]

From what I have heard you should not worry. You can either try to make reservations immediately after boarding (they should have some slots available) or just show up when you want dinner at the free venue of your choice. However you may have to wait a while, especially between 7-8 PM. If you show up between 5:30-6 PM you probably would have no wait.

 

A lot of people think they will be forced to eat at the Windjammer if they don't have Dynamic Dining reservations but that is just a big myth.

 

That said it is smoother if you have reservations. But I expect people with reservations may be doing a lot of last minute changes anyway.

Edited November 20, 2014 by eel

[BugsyCruiser]

I have to say that I was very impressed by the photos I have seen of Quantum. I look forward to sailing on her in April to experience her firsthand. I'm a glass half full person and would rather make my final judgement about the ship firsthand rather than assume it will be terrible.

 

Lots of people said Oasis and Allure would be terrible too and we see how that worked out. Quantum class was never meant to be like Oasis class anyway.

 

Sent from my SM-T337V using Tapatalk

[lovn2liv]

I am a little apprehensive with changing my cruise plans from the Allure to Quantum.

 

We are changing the ship because our flights to FLL are turning into a higher cost than the cruise almost. Ridiculous.

 

So we really have learned to love the Oasis class ships. Loved that open air where least expected..and having such a different experience with the layout. Initially I was disappointed that there were very few opportunities to view the ocean if you were on the lower decks dining and having a drink....like you would on most other ships we've sailed on.

 

Now we are changing and jumping on the Quantum which I know we will absolutely have a great time...Just hope there is a WOW factor. We were DEFINITELY wowed on Oasis...and we were definitely WOWED on the Crown and Emerald Princess. Very pretty ships.

 

We are gaining 2 more days cruising and we are not flying...we are driving. So what we saved on flight...we used for our Quantum costs $$$$ and gained 2 more days. Overall we are paying close to the same for a 9-day cruise vs. a 7 day if we were paying for flights to boot.

 

WOW us Quantum. WOW US!!!

[kahliasmom]

My mom and dad, 77 and 79 years old, just got off the Quantum three day sampler and have already cancelled their Quantum cruise in April. It was too different for them. They prefer traditional dining. My mother prefers the bigger promenade to the esplanade. I'll admit my mother is hard to please and is quick to focus on the negative but she just did not care enough for the Quantum to go on her again.

[rstout]

I think that the Quantum class was meant to be different, as others have said, and you shouldn't go into the cruise expecting it to be like the Oasis class. The ship was designed with a lot of interior spaces to sail out of a cold weather port, which I think will be great for the NY/NJ area. And things will only improve once they fix the technological issues. Although it would be great if RCCL rolled the ship out with no issues, people need to expect that there will be glitches at first, and to give things a chance to get ironed out.

[ocav]

The other problem is a think a lot of people are booking and boarding with negatives in their heads.

If you think dynamic dining is gonna be pants before you board, you'll think it's pants when you are onboard.

If you think the cruise is gonna be pants before you board, you will think it's pants when you are onboard

[ocav]

Also I don't know if pants has the same meaning with Americans, so I'm basically saying rubbish.

[Guest maddycat]

Also I don't know if pants has the same meaning with Americans, so I'm basically saying rubbish.

 

 

Thanks for the translation. I had no idea what you meant.

[Life is Good Cruising]

I hope it not as booked as it appears right now. C&A did look, she spent 20 minutes trying to find openings. They were either after 9pm or fully booked this included both paid venues like chops as well as free ones such as Chic or Grand. Told us to wait till we got on the ship and check with the restaurants for cancellations. Really? We gotta spend the day trying to find where we can eat? We are in our 60's and like early dining options. Eating after 7pm is not for us.

 

From our experience on the 3 night sampler, there were many open reservations for 5:45 pm in the complimentary restaurants, so hopefully, you should have no problem eating early. Somehow Royal cancancelled all our prior dinner reservations. We ate at the WJ first night then Coastal Kitchen, the Grande and Jaime's for lunch. Loved the Grande so much, we booked it again for 3 nights on both our January & April sailing.

 

Jaime's does not take reservations for lunch, only dinner. They open daily at noon and close at 1:30 pm. If interested in lunch, which is $15 pp, I would advise to arrive at around 11:15-11:30 am to ensure getting a table as they only filled up half the restaurant at lunch time. Overheard them telling passengers their kitchen was too small to accommodate everyone at once and many people were turned away. They also refused passengers at 1:10 pm indicating they close at 1:30 pm. I'm sure things will get better each sailing and hopefully they could stay open longer for lunch.

[travelgalnyc]

Booked this cruise at the last minute so was only able to make dinner reservations once we got on board. Only openings were around 8pm or later every night, but we usually showed up 1/2 hour earlier than our reservation time and were always accommodated.

[allready]

Going on the Quantum in 30 days. I am so looking forward to seeing a new ship... thouhg I have to say I have been totally frustrated with this Dynamic Dining option. We are a group of 8, and basically even 4-5 months out, had a hell-ish time booking restaurants. Literally spent 4 hours on the phone with RCCL trying to sort it out. My favorite part of cruising is the dining, specifically not having to think about it. I like showing up to my same table with my same waiter so that I don't have to go over my same allergies every single night.

 

It also took way too much time planning and fighting for reservations that were not 9 pm at night (we are diabetic and have kids, that just wont do). That being said, they finally accommodated us with a lot of ranting about how their current reservation system is not adequate to book for the Quantum and dynamic dining (like its my fault RCCL did not invest in a better reservation system).

 

I really hope that the work out some of their issues before we board.

[wyldkarma]

Dec 1st Cruise is now over. Well, we were only able to snag three reservations. American Icon, Chic, and Grand. We only got the Grand on day 10 due to a cancellation by someone else. It felt like a scavenger hunt just getting those 3. Several hrs spent running back and forth between restaurants trying to get in without a res. Didn't work for us. Most evening meals were in WJ. Also, Don't expect to dine at the same time each evening unless you use WJ. You can use American Icon for breakfast or lunch w/o reservations. But if you show for breakfast after 9 am expect to wait. Dynamic Dining is a deal breaker for us. Refils on Coffee, water, bread, etc is very slow to non-existent due to lack of assistant waiters. For us, the food selections were limited and not as good as other RCL ships we sailed on. The Chic had ribeye steak on the menu but instead they served a very dry prime rib. When I questioned the waitress she said the chef didn't know the difference between a ribeye and prime rib as many other guest also complained. Really? When I asked her how many tables she is waiting on she said 10. No wonder service is slow. No more DD for us, the only reservation we want to make from now on is early or late dining in a MAIN dining room.

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Forums mobile app

[iceburg1]

Dec 1st Cruise is now over. Well, we were only able to snag three reservations. American Icon, Chic, and Grand. We only got the Grand on day 10 due to a cancellation by someone else. It felt like a scavenger hunt just getting those 3. Several hrs spent running back and forth between restaurants trying to get in without a res. Didn't work for us. Most evening meals were in WJ. Also, Don't expect to dine at the same time each evening unless you use WJ. You can use American Icon for breakfast or lunch w/o reservations. But if you show for breakfast after 9 am expect to wait. Dynamic Dining is a deal breaker for us. Refils on Coffee, water, bread, etc is very slow to non-existent due to lack of assistant waiters. For us, the food selections were limited and not as good as other RCL ships we sailed on. The Chic had ribeye steak on the menu but instead they served a very dry prime rib. When I questioned the waitress she said the chef didn't know the difference between a ribeye and prime rib as many other guest also complained. Really? When I asked her how many tables she is waiting on she said 10. No wonder service is slow. No more DD for us, the only reservation we want to make from now on is early or late dining in a MAIN dining room.

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Forums mobile app

 

How was the food at WindJammer for dinner? Were there lots of choices? Was ice cream available in WJ or just soft serve on the pool deck?

 

Thanks.

[Jimmers]

I saw photos that somebody nicely and generously took on their cruise on the Quantum and I have to say to me it doesn't impress me at all in fact I find the ship totally lacking next to the Allure/Oasis....

 

Can anybody agree or disagree with me and let me know if you prefer the Quantum besides the reason it holds less passengers, what you prefer about it over the Oasis/Allure?

 

The Quantum just doesn't give me any wow what are your thoughts, thank you.

 

Can't say there's much about the Quantum that we saw as a significant improvement over any RCI ship above the Radiance class. The rooms have better storage, the shower is bigger, and we felt the DD food was a cut above the typical RCI fare. The techy stuff didn't do anything for us.

 

Although we have no regrets about ignoring the negative reviews and trying her out and would encourage others to do the same, it's not likely that we will sail on any future Quantum Class ships. Once was enough for us.

 

The short version is we just don't like the design of the ship which we feel made us feel too closed in and cut off from the connection with the ocean.

 

In fact we've cancelled our Anthem cruise and can't wait to get back on the Oasis in April.

[wyldkarma]

How was the food at WindJammer for dinner? Were there lots of choices? Was ice cream available in WJ or just soft serve on the pool deck?

 

Thanks.

 

No Ice Cream in the Windjammer, (at least we did not see or find any) just soft serve near the pool deck. Only one machine and looooongggg lines. We never did get any as it seemed to be closed most times we were near there.

 

The Windjammer has a nice clean new look and you can sit out back on the balcony area and enjoy the open air while dining which is very nice. The Windjammer design has changed a bit. For one, they now have sinks and soap at all entryways or you can still do the antibacterial squirt like all the other ships...washy washy.

 

Overall food was good. Not better or worse than other RCL ships. Design flow has some flaws. Fresh baked bread / cookies right when you walk in, then you go to the numerous serving stations and fill up your plates now if you did not grab your bread on the way in you need to fight the flow of the crowd and go back. Also, they do not fill juice, tea, or water glasses. You get just the glass and have to stand in line at the juice, tea, or water / ice machine. Created a backlog every meal just waiting to get something to drink. (TIP: skip the juice / water bar and head toward the back of the ship after you fill your plates, there are machines there also and no wait time.)

 

There is also a separate desert bar that was very nice. We like it as well as the fresh baked cookies during lunch and dinner. Those were awesome cookies right out of ovens.