QUANTUM is EPIC FAILURE—2½ STARS!!!

[WhiteSoxFan]

The two hours is probably limited by the battery life of the cars.

I know someone that was on the TA and they said that after a while every time out there would be one or two less cars as the batteries died.

 

While I understand certain subjective dislikes, complaining about long waits, technology that didn't work, etc. is something that should have been expected when you book a sailing on a ship that has been in RC's hands for less than a week. You were the guinea pigs, the tire kickers, the stress testers. Things will improve. Let's give them some time and then see how well it is received.

[JasonV1]

Obviously the bugs need to be worked out. My TA is in NJ to check the ship out before she sails, she will give me her opinion when she returns.

 

I would be curious to see archived reports from the TA Oasis sailing to see how they compare.

 

If changes are needed to make people like the ship, they will be made. Consider the current sailings a dry run ahead of the Anthem, which in reality is the only one that matters since Quantum is heading to China.

 

As to the charges for everything, that will work for the early sailings when everyone wants to try it out but I don't think it can work long term (unless it does, the ship may be wildly successful).

 

Time will tell.

[Panamapresh]

We definitely sailed on Quantum (room 6186) and have nothing but praise for Quantum and RCI. It was our first time with RCI and it won't be our last.

 

We are not novice travellers. We have backpacked around the globe.

We have had land-based holidays, which have varied from no star hostels to the grandest hotels. We were more than pleased with the decor and styling of Quantum.

 

With regard to boarding, yes it was longggggggggggggggggg however the free upgrade from an inside to balcony more than made up for it. Added to that, the $300 obc and 25% off future cruise bookings is something I am sure no other line would do. No centrum - true. However, having sailed on Princess, eclipse, NCL Getaway and MSC Prezsioa was didn't miss this as this is where all the "action" tended to be particularly at night!!

 

We had lots to occupy us and found Compass full of appeal. Typical day - long run, solarium/swim, Zumba, M Jackson dance class, North Star, eating and drinking! We attended a lecture on Two 70, which was very informative.

 

As for no visible high level executives. We constantly bumped into them, in particular Lisa, to the extent she may have thought we were stalking her! The Captain joined in our Zumba class!

 

Staff not well informed? To some extent we concur. Th same question elicit different answers. We just did what we wanted, particularly with making a reservation. Our room attendant, Andy, was superb and couldn't' do enough for us.

 

No B&J but free gelato when we were waiting to board North Star.

 

We found the movie screen to be in a good position when watching "Think Like a Man 2".

 

Re styling of Quantum, we thought it was fine and more than comparable to other ships we have sailed on.

 

I agree that Chic and Grand not too good but found Silk to be the best!

 

No parties? We attended a fab one on the 1st day in Boleros (free drinks). What about the glorious sail in at 05.00am where the free champagne flowed!

 

Overall we had a spectacular time on th Quantum. Maybe we are just easily pleased..............

[cruiserchad]

Here are my thoughts on the TA cruise:

 

The ship looked ok inside, not as grand as most ships, but you normally see this grandeur in the atrium, Quantum doesn't have one. The only place you can see from top to bottom is from the glass fronted aft elevators or the glass bottom floor on deck 13.

 

270 was used as a meeting point, but when this was closed for rehearsals of C&A events, there was nowhere else. If you stood around it felt like you were in the way of passers-by. I was involved in the flash mob and we had to rehearse in the elevator lobbies due to a lack of space elsewhere.

 

Ice cream was available from 2 Mr Whippy machines near the indoor pool. However the lines were usually long as one machine would be either empty or broken.

 

The Bionic Bar had technicians around it everyday. I saw it working once and it has screens on either side showing who has ordered what and how long they were having to wait. the 6th person in the queue was expected to get their drink in around 21 minutes!

 

Boarding was confused but that appeared to be a staff training issue and a lack of organisation. Photos uploaded from home weren't available so had to be retaken.

 

The internet was no better than any other ship until we reached Bayonne where the new system kicked in. Here it was really fast and free, but the speed could have been due to the number of people who had disembarked. However everyone's internet costs were refunded on the last sea day.

 

We couldn't experience dining in Wonderland despite having booked by the Royal IQ app on board. We booked on day 2 to eat on day 4. At lunchtime on day 4 we received a phone call to tell use that our booking could not be fulfilled. There was no other explanation. We avoided The Grande after hearing several stories whilst on board.

 

Chops Grille was first class as was Divinely Decadence. Jamie's Italian came a close third. Silk was the only place we were offered the chance to share a table and the American Icon service was so quick, we had 2 course done and dusted within 30 minutes!

 

The Windjammer was well laid out with good signposting of the various foods. Seating was hard to find when everyone arrived at the same time at Bayonne. Could be a problem on port days when several excursions leave at the same time.

 

I found our cabin girl to be excellent and all the 'normal' staff to be friendly and efficient, though there were a lack of waiters in most of the bars. There were also a lot of technicians on-board who were no doubt under pressure, but a smile wouldn't have gone amiss now and again.

 

Mamma Mia was a brilliant show, but we didn't bother with the other guest artists as there was nothing to indicate that it would be different performers until the daily Cruise Compass appeared. By that time it was too late to book or to move dinner reservations. We didn't see Starwater though the preview of the cabin TV looked good.

 

The RCCL executives were just posing and pouting around the technology and the rather expensive watch and jewellery shops. The Cruise Director was hardly dynamic, something that surprised me given the rave reviews I've read about him on CC.

 

There were daily dancing lessons, trivia quizzes, lectures (though mostly IT based) and bingo. There was a galley tour and often groups of people on the bridge. There was flow rider, iFly and the north star when the weather allowed. The queue for the north star was ridiculous with some people standing in line for 4 hours with no shelter from the prevailing elements.

 

As for the OBC and future discount, this was offered at the end of Day 2 and the letter referred specifically to the issues around embarkation. To my mind it was offered far too quickly and as a means to try and prevent further complaints as other things went wrong.

 

All that said, it was a maiden cruise and I expected some hiccups. The ocean wasn't kind early on, and I'm sure the captain was testing the limits of the ship by not using the stabilizers. On the second patch of rough weather I didn't get the feeling I was being thrown out of bed.

 

However, I would love to go on the Quantum or indeed the Anthem again, once they have been sailing 3 months or more then I would get a true feeling on whether they had the WoW factor or not.

[Bobal]

Funny, but I didn't see anything in the OPs first post about the OBC that everyone received on board nor the 25% FCC that will be forthcoming. I think that in itself was pretty generous of RCI as a recognition of the problems that pax were encountering.

 

I thought that too.....

 

....and no mention of the free drinks for several days of the cruise, free internet for the last few days (and refunds to those who had bought packages earlier in the cruise), or of the gifts of backpacks/books which were given to all cruisers.

 

My favourite was the bed being made with no sheets. Seriously :eek:

[HeidiAmsterdam]

I was on the same sailing.

 

My stateroom attendant was excessively mediocre, which exceeded most of the restaurant and cafe personnel. Clearly a lot of personnel was lacking training and experience.

 

I did not get an upgrade, and the thermostat was broke, and it took a couple of days for them to get to it, in the meantime, my husband started in on an asthma attack due to the 79 degrees in the room.

 

I was also insulted with the service charges on room service. Also, for the dinner entrees that were complimentary, were not provisioned, and they didn't have a substitute, and offered me the entree's you had to pay for, for the price on the menu, and thought that he was doing me a favor.

 

The ship was flogged with issues as the OP mentioned, the only one I missed was the drunken VP, darn!

 

That said, I would hope the service and construction issues will get solved over time.

[DEIx15x8]

This is déjà vu from most recent newbuild reviews on pretty much every cruise line. When NCL introduced Epic, Carnival introduced Dream, Princess introduced Royal and apparently now Royal introduced Quantum, all suffered from horrible reviews initially, mostly from either very experienced cruisers or TA's who nitpicked the ships first few sailings to death.

 

IMHO, it's too early to say that the Quantum is a failure. When the ship begins regular itineraries with regular passengers, we'll truly find out.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

 

I believe that's true, but I also remember a lot of negativity around Oasis leading up to her delivery. But once she set sail I do not remember seeing very many negative reviews, she was generally received very positively by those who sailed on her starting on day 1. I was expecting the same from Quantum but this is certainly looking more like the NCL's Epic roll out than the Oasis's roll out.

[cruiserchad]

I thought that too.....

 

....and no mention of the free drinks for several days of the cruise, free internet for the last few days (and refunds to those who had bought packages earlier in the cruise), or of the gifts of backpacks/books which were given to all cruisers.

 

My favourite was the bed being made with no sheets. Seriously :eek:

 

Free drinks were on Day 1 and into Day 2 only because the purchasing system wasn't working. If they hadn't have been free, no one would have been able to drink...then there would have been a riot :D

[salchi-chimi]

QUANTUM is EPIC FAILURE—2½ STARS!!!

This is my 5th transatlantic cruise, out of 15 cruises and my second maiden transatlantic, from this route. This ship has many similarities with my maiden voyage with the NCL Epic (2-Star vessel/voyage). In short this ship is much more an NCL vessel than a ship within the RCCL fleet. This ship is a complete disgrace and not representative in any way, shape, or form; with any Royal vessel in existence.

Below is a list of key areas to consider, followed by a summary of my experience.

The ship seems cheaply built inside, while costing a staggering 6.5 billion Dollars. There is no similarity in the few public rooms, with any other spaces, throughout the fleet.

There is no Ben & Jerry’s (or any other) ice cream offered on the ship.

There is no central meeting place, as is there is no Centrum or true Royal Promenade, as seen on other RCCL vessels.

The technology aboard the ship is a complete failure, as are the many “enhancements”.

The Bionic Bar, is a complete failure, which many NEVER work, due to its design.

The drunken exploits, of the woman RCCL Vice-President, at the Bionic Bar; is a complete disgrace to RCCL, its passengers, & its employees!!!!

The bumper cars, have very limited hours, which are during dinner hours, odd???

All dining is not equal to the quality offered fleet-wide!!!!

There are significant room service surcharges, on items which are free on other RCCL ships.

The 3½-4 hour dinner at Wonderland, is excessive due to the poor service!

The service at The Grand, was the worst of the 4 free venues.

The Silk & Chic had the most mediocre meals onboard.

There are no items in the “Royal Cookbook” offered on this vessel.

The dining at “the Pub” is nothing impressive and should be free, for what is offered.

The drink prices aboard are outrageous!!!

The two hour boarding process is the second worst (1st being NCL Epic, Maiden Voyage) I have done and their new boarding process is pathetic!

The employees & managers are poorly trained and not well motivated.

My cabin attendant was the worst I have had, on any cruise: refusing to change sheets, then making my bed without sheets???

Very poor service throughout, dining had constantly the worst service I have experienced, on ANY RCCL ship and generally equal to that of, the NCL Epic.

The internet offered did not work and my never, due to its complexities.

Very boring crossing, with no lectures, cooking demonstrations, tier level tours: just noting but complete rest and boredom.

A 15% gratuity on a prepackaged 8 piece French Macaroons; let me to refuse the sail and never to return to the retail store again. The stupid manager, tried to argue that, “retail purchases, count as bar purchases, thus are subject to mandatory 15% gratuity”. What a load of crap!!!!

There is now WOW factor, other than corporate propaganda and lies told to the public. This ship is a complete betrayal of the proud history of the line and its loyal passengers!

Parts of the ship, such as the steel elevator deck are ugly as are the bizarre pictures in the elevators themselves.

The Purple Polar Bear does not belong on a RCCL vessel.

The Guest Services, Port Excursions, and Future Cruises rooms were the worst laid out spaces, I have seen, in all my time cruising!!!

The position of the outdoor TV screen is complexly misplaced and thus unusable.

There were NO onboard Ship-Wide Maiden Voyage Parties and the High Level Executives, were hidden from the passengers. NO grad buffets, dances, or anything based on this special occasion.

On a bright side, the cabins are the most, well designed on any Royal ship. The bathrooms are outstanding, as are the large flat screen TVs in the cabins.

I will never set forth on the Quantum/Epic again and am seriously reconsidering my loyalty to Royal. It was my first Diamond cruise and now I will start to explore other lines such as, Cunard & Holland America Line. These lines both respect tradition, but also serve to protect it, as well. They respect their loyal passengers and are not in the process of changing their line; to suit a younger land based, travel demographic. As such I am deeply concerned with the direction of the company and if I was a stockholder, I would sell my shares.

I feel cheated, as this is not the product that I purchased, 1½ years ago; when I put my deposit on what I thought, would be a true RCCL ship. We were lied to, as the 1150 Diamond/above who were on this ship: as this was not the experience we were promised (based on the lines past reputation/ships/onboard experience.) If I wanted to fly Southwest/Spirit I would fly them: if I wanted NCL and it’s “freestyle Cruising” and type of ships, I would book them. I sadly chose Royal and got someone else’s poor product in return.

We in essence paid to be on a training cruise, while others (travel agents on free cruises) continue to pretend that the ship, its staff, & operation, are acceptable??? The paid shills on this board, including those who submit fake reviews, should be shown for what they are.

This sad experience was nothing more than a 2½ Star experience at best: it is a sad departure, for a once truly innovative & promising Cruise Line!!!

 

 

WOW! people are negative in this world, it was the ships fort sailing with passengers and it is incredibly sad too see someone with that much luck of being one of the fort to experience the ship, and then too see that they only have eyes to see negativity about something that should be enjoyable. It is disappointing to read how everyone loved the voyage and how they had POSITIVE eyes to see what was happening since the ship was still in shakedown mode, when they gave $300 in OBC and they even refunded the internet packages because they know that everything was not perfect and that the ships first time with passengers there may be errors!

[Missus Makkem]

WOW! people are negative in this world, it was the ships fort sailing with passengers and it is incredibly sad too see someone with that much luck of being one of the fort to experience the ship, and then too see that they only have eyes to see negativity about something that should be enjoyable. It is disappointing to read how everyone loved the voyage and how they had POSITIVE eyes to see what was happening since the ship was still in shakedown mode, when they gave $300 in OBC and they even refunded the internet packages because they know that everything was not perfect and that the ships first time with passengers there may be errors!

 

And you were on this cruise?

[voyager70]

Thank you. :) I hope I'm wrong, but something tells me my Celebrity points are going to start raising at a little faster rate. :(

 

Same with me. I love Royal but am not happy with the direction they're going.

[gkbiiii]

WOW! people are negative in this world, it was the ships fort sailing with passengers and it is incredibly sad too see someone with that much luck of being one of the fort to experience the ship, and then too see that they only have eyes to see negativity about something that should be enjoyable. It is disappointing to read how everyone loved the voyage and how they had POSITIVE eyes to see what was happening since the ship was still in shakedown mode, when they gave $300 in OBC and they even refunded the internet packages because they know that everything was not perfect and that the ships first time with passengers there may be errors!

 

 

 

I did not have an internet package and the cost of the trip to Europe was 2X++ the price of the cruise. The main problem was that RCCL did this transatlantic crossing, when they had never done this before, with their new builds.

 

They were being greedy (using us as unpaid test subjects) : they bet much on un-tried technology, an untrained crew, a new system of dining, check-in, Guest relations, etc., and they Crashed & Burned, as a direct result.

 

Their prior corporate standards were bypassed, to save money and truly invent everything from scratch; while not using the tried and true methods, that work on their ships, fleet-wide.

 

Royal's customers were not clamoring for "freestyle dining", enhanced boarding methods, a bizarre, new Guest Relations experience. The new technology was not needed: however improved food & service was!!

 

Much like the NCL Epic, even when the kinks are worked out, it will remain an Expensive White Elephant, in the Royal Fleet.

[Sparkle 123]

We were on the maiden transatlantic of the Quantum and would like to offer a different perspective.

We actually loved the design of the ship, maybe that's because we love the Celebrity Solstice class which I would describe Quantum as Solstice on steroids!

The dynamic dining concept worked well for us as we are so done with sharing large tables with strangers and listening to their gripes which can detract from the dining experience.

Our party was always accommodated and when we wanted to change pre booked reservations we could easily do so.

We thought the food was definitely a cut above the usual main dining room fare. Stand out dishes were the beef tenderloin in the Grande and pistachio crusted salmon in American Icon. Devinley Decadence was also a highlight.

We had a great cabin steward with 11 years experience so we're well looked after.

We enjoyed the North Star and felt privileged to be amongst the first people to experience such an amazing thrill of being lifted 300ft above the Atlantic ocean. Who would ever have thought that would be possible? Not to mention sky diving at sea.

The Mamma Mia show was as good as the West end show, trust me I have seen it 5 times in London!

Yes there were technical glitches and unfinished areas but the compensation received more than made up for it.

As for the Vice President Lisa Lutoff Perlo we found her to be very down to earth and approachable. She even stood in line with the rest of us at guest relations to split some dollars and apologised to the rep for bothering them.

The icing on the cake was the sail into New York where we were treated to a once in a lifetime deck party.

We wouldn't have missed it for the world!

[podgeandrodge]

The executives were given comped bottles of Champagne and this lady got into a verbally abusive spat with one of the engineers of the robotic company. She was even on a microphone and said publically that the reason they could not get this to work, as she instructed; was due to the sexism of the male technicians.

 

As you can tell, this "Lady VP" was a real class act!!:p:eek:

 

I think she was joking actually. But some people don't see a joke.

 

When I read your review now, it reminded me of something I posted elsewhere. Did you visit guest services at all?

 

 

 

I thought most of us expected that these sort of things were going to occur on a first voyage. As reported by many others prior to this sailing, maidens are prone to a bit of shaking down.

 

I think Royal were very fair in giving a future 25% discount and $300 spending onboard to make up for it.

 

Oh, and refunding the internet package, which, while not great, worked and was.certainly great for free.

 

Seeing some of the whining about little things by passengers in guest services was disappointing, made me feel for the poor staff who had to endure what was, quite frankly, pure rudeness.

[Elizanessie]

Embarkation - nearly 3 hours sitting in hot stuffy packed terminal. When the lady came to do my check in finally I said, "please can you do my friends before me as they are Pinnacle and in a Grand Suite and really they should have been on the ship hours ago". (I am only Dplus)

 

When I had entered the terminal the lady at the door asked me "why do you not have an arrival appointment on your Set Sail ?"

I explained that if you have a transfer or flight booked with Royal Caribbean you are not given an Arrival Appointment and that is actually explained on the second page of the Set Sail Pass paperwork. She thanked me for this information that she had not been given.

 

Alternative Menu - Went to Chic, I asked for sirloin steak from Alternative/Everyday Menu. Server said she would need to go and ask about that.

Then a waiter came over and said " I am sorry but this restaurant is a new one to the fleet with special items on the menu and you cannot get sirloin steak"

I said that is rather strange because since the first Dynamic Dining Reveal by Adam Goldstein and on all the FAQS and Live Chats and further discussions regarding DD, Adam said that the alternative menu would be available so that then families and friends could still eat together in the various complimentary restaurants and not worry about having to choose from that restaurants actual menu.

Waiter replied - "Well Adam Goldstein is wrong !"

I was flabbergasted.

After apologising to my room mate and table mates I excused myself and went to speak to Guest Services. Restaurant Manger came to speak with me and he said I was correct there is an alternative menu and honestly he was at a loss for words that a waiter had said the COO of the company was wrong.

 

Cabin Steward - I requested duvets on the two beds, I cannot sleep with just a blanket on my bed. I was told that the Stewards were only allocated 6 duvets per area and that his allocation were already on other beds. After some further discussion he said he would try to find two duvets somewhere.

Thankfully he somehow managed to find two.

 

Just 3 examples of my experiences on Quantum, although I could probably write a long list similar to the OP.:(

 

The ship is stunning looking. But for me it was the fabulous people I met with and had fun with that made this cruise memorable.

[Cruising Ginger]

QUANTUM is EPIC FAILURE—2½ STARS!!!

This is my 5th transatlantic cruise, out of 15 cruises and my second maiden transatlantic, from this route. This ship has many similarities with my maiden voyage with the NCL Epic (2-Star vessel/voyage). In short this ship is much more an NCL vessel than a ship within the RCCL fleet. This ship is a complete disgrace and not representative in any way, shape, or form; with any Royal vessel in existence.

Below is a list of key areas to consider, followed by a summary of my experience.

The ship seems cheaply built inside, while costing a staggering 6.5 billion Dollars. There is no similarity in the few public rooms, with any other spaces, throughout the fleet.

There is no Ben & Jerry’s (or any other) ice cream offered on the ship.

There is no central meeting place, as is there is no Centrum or true Royal Promenade, as seen on other RCCL vessels.

The technology aboard the ship is a complete failure, as are the many “enhancements”.

The Bionic Bar, is a complete failure, which many NEVER work, due to its design.

The drunken exploits, of the woman RCCL Vice-President, at the Bionic Bar; is a complete disgrace to RCCL, its passengers, & its employees!!!!

The bumper cars, have very limited hours, which are during dinner hours, odd???

All dining is not equal to the quality offered fleet-wide!!!!

There are significant room service surcharges, on items which are free on other RCCL ships.

The 3½-4 hour dinner at Wonderland, is excessive due to the poor service!

The service at The Grand, was the worst of the 4 free venues.

The Silk & Chic had the most mediocre meals onboard.

There are no items in the “Royal Cookbook” offered on this vessel.

The dining at “the Pub” is nothing impressive and should be free, for what is offered.

The drink prices aboard are outrageous!!!

The two hour boarding process is the second worst (1st being NCL Epic, Maiden Voyage) I have done and their new boarding process is pathetic!

The employees & managers are poorly trained and not well motivated.

My cabin attendant was the worst I have had, on any cruise: refusing to change sheets, then making my bed without sheets???

Very poor service throughout, dining had constantly the worst service I have experienced, on ANY RCCL ship and generally equal to that of, the NCL Epic.

The internet offered did not work and my never, due to its complexities.

Very boring crossing, with no lectures, cooking demonstrations, tier level tours: just noting but complete rest and boredom.

A 15% gratuity on a prepackaged 8 piece French Macaroons; let me to refuse the sail and never to return to the retail store again. The stupid manager, tried to argue that, “retail purchases, count as bar purchases, thus are subject to mandatory 15% gratuity”. What a load of crap!!!!

There is now WOW factor, other than corporate propaganda and lies told to the public. This ship is a complete betrayal of the proud history of the line and its loyal passengers!

Parts of the ship, such as the steel elevator deck are ugly as are the bizarre pictures in the elevators themselves.

The Purple Polar Bear does not belong on a RCCL vessel.

The Guest Services, Port Excursions, and Future Cruises rooms were the worst laid out spaces, I have seen, in all my time cruising!!!

The position of the outdoor TV screen is complexly misplaced and thus unusable.

There were NO onboard Ship-Wide Maiden Voyage Parties and the High Level Executives, were hidden from the passengers. NO grad buffets, dances, or anything based on this special occasion.

On a bright side, the cabins are the most, well designed on any Royal ship. The bathrooms are outstanding, as are the large flat screen TVs in the cabins.

I will never set forth on the Quantum/Epic again and am seriously reconsidering my loyalty to Royal. It was my first Diamond cruise and now I will start to explore other lines such as, Cunard & Holland America Line. These lines both respect tradition, but also serve to protect it, as well. They respect their loyal passengers and are not in the process of changing their line; to suit a younger land based, travel demographic. As such I am deeply concerned with the direction of the company and if I was a stockholder, I would sell my shares.

I feel cheated, as this is not the product that I purchased, 1½ years ago; when I put my deposit on what I thought, would be a true RCCL ship. We were lied to, as the 1150 Diamond/above who were on this ship: as this was not the experience we were promised (based on the lines past reputation/ships/onboard experience.) If I wanted to fly Southwest/Spirit I would fly them: if I wanted NCL and it’s “freestyle Cruising” and type of ships, I would book them. I sadly chose Royal and got someone else’s poor product in return.

We in essence paid to be on a training cruise, while others (travel agents on free cruises) continue to pretend that the ship, its staff, & operation, are acceptable??? The paid shills on this board, including those who submit fake reviews, should be shown for what they are.

This sad experience was nothing more than a 2½ Star experience at best: it is a sad departure, for a once truly innovative & promising Cruise Line!!!

 

I, too, was on the Quantum TA and I also agree with just about everything you said. In fact, I think you were too generous giving the cruise 2 stars. I gave it one star in my Cruise Critic Review. I absolutely hated the entine Dynamic Dining concept and service in all dining rooms was the worst and slowest ever, especially since the waiters in all of the venues no longer have assistants. I will NEVER sail another Royal Caribbean ship that offers Dynamic Dining. My cabin stewardess was also terrible. And I am surprised that you did not comment on how hot the cabins were and how the cabin thermostats we locked at 71.2 and could not be lowered to a more comfortable temp.

 

I just turned Diamond after I exited the ship, but will be looking elsewhere for future cruises. I also was on the Epic's maiden transatlantic and even though I was not impressed, NCL generally is not as highly rated as RCI. My experiece from this cruise is that Royal is alienating their older and loyal Crown and Anchor members and it is a big mistake.

[pcur]

The executives were given comped bottles of Champagne and this lady got into a verbally abusive spat with one of the engineers of the robotic company. She was even on a microphone and said publically that the reason they could not get this to work, as she instructed; was due to the sexism of the male technicians.

 

COOL!!! She'd probably been working with a bunch of sexist tools for 2 years with this ship, and had just HAD IT with them! I can relate. I wonder if they were from the UK. Worst experience I ever had was with a UK software saleman that told me to be quiet in a meeting, and I was with the people BUYING his product!!!

[Doc Rick]

Same with me. I love Royal but am not happy with the direction they're going.

 

Christmas cruise on Quantum was cancelled and we're doing Independence instead for $3600 less. Royal Caribean stock has been sold. I started a thread a couple of weeks ago asking if CC members thought RC was heading in the wrong direction - I believe it is...

 

I cannot give an honest opinion of the ship, because I have not been on her yet, but have read far more negative experiences than positive. We'll give her some time to work out the kinks before we give opinion.

[nelblu]

I, too, was on the Quantum TA and I also agree with just about everything you said. In fact, I think you were too generous giving the cruise 2 stars. I gave it one star in my Cruise Critic Review. I absolutely hated the entine Dynamic Dining concept and service in all dining rooms was the worst and slowest ever, especially since the waiters in all of the venues no longer have assistants. I will NEVER sail another Royal Caribbean ship that offers Dynamic Dining. My cabin stewardess was also terrible. And I am surprised that you did not comment on how hot the cabins were and how the cabin thermostats we locked at 71.2 and could not be lowered to a more comfortable temp.

 

I just turned Diamond after I exited the ship, but will be looking elsewhere for future cruises. I also was on the Epic's maiden transatlantic and even though I was not impressed, NCL generally is not as highly rated as RCI. My experiece from this cruise is that Royal is alienating their older and loyal Crown and Anchor members and it is a big mistake.

 

You'll probably will never cruise RCL as the entire fleet will eventually go to a DD concept.

[HeidiAmsterdam]

I was told that DD will only be on the Quantum series and the Allure series when they go to get refitted, the rest will stay traditional...

 

so maybe a bit of hope for those who like traditional Royal Carribean

[spectroman]

Don't Let the Gangway door hit you on the way off!!!!

 

QUANTUM is EPIC FAILURE—2½ STARS!!!

This is my 5th transatlantic cruise, out of 15 cruises and my second maiden transatlantic, from this route. This ship has many similarities with my maiden voyage with the NCL Epic (2-Star vessel/voyage). In short this ship is much more an NCL vessel than a ship within the RCCL fleet. This ship is a complete disgrace and not representative in any way, shape, or form; with any Royal vessel in existence.

Below is a list of key areas to consider, followed by a summary of my experience.

The ship seems cheaply built inside, while costing a staggering 6.5 billion Dollars. There is no similarity in the few public rooms, with any other spaces, throughout the fleet.

There is no Ben & Jerry’s (or any other) ice cream offered on the ship.

There is no central meeting place, as is there is no Centrum or true Royal Promenade, as seen on other RCCL vessels.

The technology aboard the ship is a complete failure, as are the many “enhancements”.

The Bionic Bar, is a complete failure, which many NEVER work, due to its design.

The drunken exploits, of the woman RCCL Vice-President, at the Bionic Bar; is a complete disgrace to RCCL, its passengers, & its employees!!!!

The bumper cars, have very limited hours, which are during dinner hours, odd???

All dining is not equal to the quality offered fleet-wide!!!!

There are significant room service surcharges, on items which are free on other RCCL ships.

The 3½-4 hour dinner at Wonderland, is excessive due to the poor service!

The service at The Grand, was the worst of the 4 free venues.

The Silk & Chic had the most mediocre meals onboard.

There are no items in the “Royal Cookbook” offered on this vessel.

The dining at “the Pub” is nothing impressive and should be free, for what is offered.

The drink prices aboard are outrageous!!!

The two hour boarding process is the second worst (1st being NCL Epic, Maiden Voyage) I have done and their new boarding process is pathetic!

The employees & managers are poorly trained and not well motivated.

My cabin attendant was the worst I have had, on any cruise: refusing to change sheets, then making my bed without sheets???

Very poor service throughout, dining had constantly the worst service I have experienced, on ANY RCCL ship and generally equal to that of, the NCL Epic.

The internet offered did not work and my never, due to its complexities.

Very boring crossing, with no lectures, cooking demonstrations, tier level tours: just noting but complete rest and boredom.

A 15% gratuity on a prepackaged 8 piece French Macaroons; let me to refuse the sail and never to return to the retail store again. The stupid manager, tried to argue that, “retail purchases, count as bar purchases, thus are subject to mandatory 15% gratuity”. What a load of crap!!!!

There is now WOW factor, other than corporate propaganda and lies told to the public. This ship is a complete betrayal of the proud history of the line and its loyal passengers!

Parts of the ship, such as the steel elevator deck are ugly as are the bizarre pictures in the elevators themselves.

The Purple Polar Bear does not belong on a RCCL vessel.

The Guest Services, Port Excursions, and Future Cruises rooms were the worst laid out spaces, I have seen, in all my time cruising!!!

The position of the outdoor TV screen is complexly misplaced and thus unusable.

There were NO onboard Ship-Wide Maiden Voyage Parties and the High Level Executives, were hidden from the passengers. NO grad buffets, dances, or anything based on this special occasion.

On a bright side, the cabins are the most, well designed on any Royal ship. The bathrooms are outstanding, as are the large flat screen TVs in the cabins.

I will never set forth on the Quantum/Epic again and am seriously reconsidering my loyalty to Royal. It was my first Diamond cruise and now I will start to explore other lines such as, Cunard & Holland America Line. These lines both respect tradition, but also serve to protect it, as well. They respect their loyal passengers and are not in the process of changing their line; to suit a younger land based, travel demographic. As such I am deeply concerned with the direction of the company and if I was a stockholder, I would sell my shares.

I feel cheated, as this is not the product that I purchased, 1½ years ago; when I put my deposit on what I thought, would be a true RCCL ship. We were lied to, as the 1150 Diamond/above who were on this ship: as this was not the experience we were promised (based on the lines past reputation/ships/onboard experience.) If I wanted to fly Southwest/Spirit I would fly them: if I wanted NCL and it’s “freestyle Cruising” and type of ships, I would book them. I sadly chose Royal and got someone else’s poor product in return.

We in essence paid to be on a training cruise, while others (travel agents on free cruises) continue to pretend that the ship, its staff, & operation, are acceptable??? The paid shills on this board, including those who submit fake reviews, should be shown for what they are.

This sad experience was nothing more than a 2½ Star experience at best: it is a sad departure, for a once truly innovative & promising Cruise Line!!!

[cruisenfever]

Of the complaints being posted, not one of those posts acknowledged the OBC/25% FCC given.:(

Edited November 14, 2014 by cruisenfever

[gkbiiii]

I, too, was on the Quantum TA and I also agree with just about everything you said. In fact, I think you were too generous giving the cruise 2 stars. I gave it one star in my Cruise Critic Review. I absolutely hated the entine Dynamic Dining concept and service in all dining rooms was the worst and slowest ever, especially since the waiters in all of the venues no longer have assistants. I will NEVER sail another Royal Caribbean ship that offers Dynamic Dining. My cabin stewardess was also terrible. And I am surprised that you did not comment on how hot the cabins were and how the cabin thermostats we locked at 71.2 and could not be lowered to a more comfortable temp.

 

I just turned Diamond after I exited the ship, but will be looking elsewhere for future cruises. I also was on the Epic's maiden transatlantic and even though I was not impressed, NCL generally is not as highly rated as RCI. My experiece from this cruise is that Royal is alienating their older and loyal Crown and Anchor members and it is a big mistake.

 

 

I completely agree with your comments: I think this new ship would be the best Flag Ship of the NCL line. I had an extensive talk with the RCCL executives and they are wanting to expand the brand to free spending land based Millennials; while loosing long time cruisers. They want them to leave, as they don't spend the money $$$$ the new cruisers do. My cabin was hot as well, yes I forgot a few things in my post.

 

Unlike NCL, it is true that we were given a 25% future cruise credit (based on stateroom price) & a $300 OBC.

 

I will be looking into both Cunard & Holland America Line: also I have a Crystal Serenity Transatlantic booked for December 2015. There is more to life than Crown & Anchor and Royal Caribbean International: like they (RCCL) say, "it's a big world out there, go and explore it!!!

[Mich455]

I was told that DD will only be on the Quantum series and the Allure series when they go to get refitted, the rest will stay traditional...

 

 

 

so maybe a bit of hope for those who like traditional Royal Carribean

 

 

Already announced that voyager will be changing to dynamic dining. It would seem that Quantum is really dividing opinions. People seem to love it or hate it. Personally I can't wait to sail on Anthem next year

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[Guest maddycat]

WOW, should I cancel our upcoming b2b?:D

 

No, please don't. I've come to respect your opinion and am looking forward to your review of the Quantum.