QUANTUM is EPIC FAILURE—2½ STARS!!!

[insidecabin]

One has to remember that the EPIC was Sabotaged during construction resulting in significant issues(a lot tech due to rewireing required) directly related to the fires.

 

There were significant delays in the construction of some cabins also water plumbing into showers was done wrong for a significant number of cabins requiring repair before they were usable(we were on this one)

 

both built by STX.

 

 

Other NCL ships the last two Jewel class(on both) and the latest two Breakaway class entered service much more succsesfully coming out of Mayer Werft.

 

The breakaway had very few issues we were on that one.

 

other ships that have come from there recently any reports of issue on their first cruises.

 

Celebrity Soltice class ships

2 AIDA.

[K1200S]

I will sail Quantum next March. I take most reviews with some skepticism not knowing anything about the author and I like to make up my own mind. If DW and I don't like Quantum or the direction of RCI as a whole we can always go elsewhere.

[Elizanessie]

When I first heard about this sailing I knew that there was a good chance that there would be some glitches but no way did I think there would so darn many of them.

 

Many things affected how not ready the ship was for us.

 

Ship was 6 weeks late being handed over to the maintenance team ( only heard about this when I was on the ship).

 

The shipyard was two days late delivering the ship.

 

Many crew members were unable to join the ship before we boarded because they were on the Adventure of the Seas and she had noro virus on her for at least 3 sailings so crew could not transfer to Quantum.

 

300 contractors were left in Southampton because there were no cabins for them to stay in.

 

The problems/glitches we had on this sailing will not stop me sailing with Royal Caribbean, but no way will I follow a new build and book a Maiden or Inaugural again (previously done Oasis & Allure Maidens & Inaugurals).

 

For me it is back to my favourite ship and crew - Allure of the Seas Transatlantic in October next year.

[Tutankhamen]

My father told me when I was just a young lad,

 

"Son, you will know when you are old when you look around, scratch you head and say boy, I miss the good old days".

 

I guess I am officially old. I miss cruising of the yesteryears.

[gkbiiii]

A better question may be whether RCI made cruisers aware of the potential for issues as a disclaimer prior to booking. This question is based in total ignorance as I'm not sure whether there was a specialty booking site or whether it could be booked as any other.

 

 

The BIG DEAL TO ME: I was not told 1 1/2 years ago when I booked this cruise, anything about Dynamic dining. I had spent several thousand Dollars for airfare, hotels, Europe transfers & tours; thus I was fully committed by March/April 2014. By the way they chose to hide this, I feel cheated. I would NOT have booked this ship, if I was told about "Freestyle, ie. Dynamic Dining" at booking!!

 

This is a trust issue, as this vessel is not remotely similar, to ANY RCCL vessel I have been on. The NCL Epic is the most similar vessel to the Quantum, I have sailed.

 

If Royal wanted to copy/imitate another line & its ships; why could they not have chosen Disney???

Edited November 16, 2014 by gkbiiii

[OfTheSeasCruiser]

The BIG DEAL TO ME: I was not told 1 1/2 years ago when I booked this cruise, anything about Dynamic dining. I had spent several thousand Dollars for airfare, hotels, Europe transfers & tours; thus I was fully committed by March/April 2014. By the way they chose to hide this, I feel cheated. I would NOT have booked this ship, if I was told about "Freestyle, ie. Dynamic Dining" at booking!!

 

This is a trust issue, as this vessel is not remotely similar, to ANY RCCL vessel I have been on. The NCL Epic is the most similar vessel to the Quantum, I have sailed.

 

If Royal wanted to copy/imitate another line & its ships; why could they not have chosen Disney???

 

I completely understand being upset about this.

 

The fact that Royal is still so secretive regarding implementing dynamic dining on other ships is just so frustrating. This coming year, I want a ship with traditional dining and I would really like Royal to let us know their plans, especially a timeline and ships being affected.

 

If I book a ship (for example, Freedom) and they decide to implement DD during her dry dock in Jan and not tell us about until during the dry dock (like they did with Oasis) I will be pretty upset with Royal…

[podgeandrodge]

Negative comments aside, most passengers I met onboard were having a whale of a time and didn't let these glitches affect their mood. I tell you, when we were partying in the music hall to great live music, or watching that fantastic show Starwater in Two70, everyone was very happy. Seems to me that some people are very easily disappointed! Geez, some people on here take life too seriously! Again, MOST passengers enjoyed this cruise, that was abundantly clear while onboard. And Royal providing an extra $300 and free Internet was a very fair acknowledgment of the glitches, none of which prevented anyone having a great time, if they wanted to.

[hallasm]

Negative comments aside, most passengers I met onboard were having a whale of a time and didn't let these glitches affect their mood. I tell you, when we were partying in the music hall to great live music, or watching that fantastic show Starwater in Two70, everyone was very happy. Seems to me that some people are very easily disappointed! Geez, some people on here take life too seriously! Again, MOST passengers enjoyed this cruise, that was abundantly clear while onboard. And Royal providing an extra $300 and free Internet was a very fair acknowledgment of the glitches, none of which prevented anyone having a great time, if they wanted to.

I do fully agree with podgeandrodge. Also, for me Dynamic Dining was not that differebt from My Time Dining - except more restaurants to choose from.

Grande was almost like MDR and Silk was a nice surpiice. Also Jamie's Italin and Chops Grill were excellent choices.

[mamagina]

The BIG DEAL TO ME: I was not told 1 1/2 years ago when I booked this cruise, anything about Dynamic dining. I had spent several thousand Dollars for airfare, hotels, Europe transfers & tours; thus I was fully committed by March/April 2014. By the way they chose to hide this, I feel cheated. I would NOT have booked this ship, if I was told about "Freestyle, ie. Dynamic Dining" at booking!!

 

 

 

This is a trust issue, as this vessel is not remotely similar, to ANY RCCL vessel I have been on. The NCL Epic is the most similar vessel to the Quantum, I have sailed.

 

 

 

If Royal wanted to copy/imitate another line & its ships; why could they not have chosen Disney???

 

 

I think you hit the nail on the head with why you and many others were disappointed. Besides the extra glitches caused by being a new ship, some were caught off guard by the new style of dining which is not new at all. NCL has had it for years and it is a choice the passenger has the right to make when they book, commit and pay. We booked our upcoming cruises in may of 2013 choosing what we thought were going to be traditional "old fashioned" cruising. We go on all the lines and we know what "freestyle" is and when the price is right and we are in the mood for Freestyle, we take an NCL cruise. In fact if not for these boards, I probably would not have heard that RCL was going freestyle. I never got an email or any info advising me to make reservations for dining and shows for either cruise.

 

Our March cruise on the quantum is costing us $5000 in an obstructed balcony. We are splurging for our 30th anniversary. We will try it out on the 3 day this week. If it doesn't work out, I'll cancel and look for something else to celebrate on, probably for a lot less money. The Breakaway or we will fly to Florida.

 

At least we have the ability to choose. The problem was that people had to commit before they knew what they were getting into.

 

I do think that the obc was appropriate for the problems and was probably appreciated by most. But it could not make up for the dining surprise.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Static events]

You seriously need to get a life since you said the following "There are no items in the “Royal Cookbook” offered on this vessel."

 

You also said you will consider Cunard, please sail on a cunard ship and see how rubbish they are. Worst cruise ever and full of moaners like you.

 

Enjoy Cunard. :D

[podgeandrodge]

You seriously need to get a life since you said the following "There are no items in the “Royal Cookbook” offered on this vessel."

 

You also said you will consider Cunard, please sail on a cunard ship and see how rubbish they are. Worst cruise ever and full of moaners like you.

 

Enjoy Cunard. :D

[emoji1]

[Static events]

[emoji1]

 

I am serious. I would never sail on Cunard again. Royal do everything better than Cunard IMO.

[cot427]

You seriously need to get a life since you said the following "There are no items in the “Royal Cookbook” offered on this vessel."

 

You also said you will consider Cunard, please sail on a cunard ship and see how rubbish they are. Worst cruise ever and full of moaners like you.

 

Enjoy Cunard. :D

 

I wish Cruise Critic had a "like" or "favorite" button. :)

[Cruisercl]

The BIG DEAL TO ME: I was not told 1 1/2 years ago when I booked this cruise, anything about Dynamic dining. I had spent several thousand Dollars for airfare, hotels, Europe transfers & tours; thus I was fully committed by March/April 2014. By the way they chose to hide this, I feel cheated. I would NOT have booked this ship, if I was told about "Freestyle, ie. Dynamic Dining" at booking!!

 

This is a trust issue, as this vessel is not remotely similar, to ANY RCCL vessel I have been on. The NCL Epic is the most similar vessel to the Quantum, I have sailed.

 

If Royal wanted to copy/imitate another line & its ships; why could they not have chosen Disney???

 

 

I remember when RCI came out with the announcement/press release of the Quantum's godmother they also gave out information about the Dynamic dining. The reason I remember this is because I looked into it a bit because I had cruised with RCI before and it was a different set up with no big main dining rooms.

 

Did you book before the press releases? Were people able to book before that time? I don't know of the timing so that is why I am asking. There seemed to be a lot of press releases telling all about the new things and information on the Quantum.

[OfTheSeasCruiser]

I remember when RCI came out with the announcement/press release of the Quantum's godmother they also gave out information about the Dynamic dining. The reason I remember this is because I looked into it a bit because I had cruised with RCI before and it was a different set up with no big main dining rooms.

 

Did you book before the press releases? Were people able to book before that time? I don't know of the timing so that is why I am asking. There seemed to be a lot of press releases telling all about the new things and information on the Quantum.

 

The news about the godmother and innovations were put on a long while before the announcement of Dynamic Dining. Cruises were definitely available for booking before the announcement because I remember people saying that at first they were able to get early/late seating, but then all of sudden it just switched to dynamic dining.

[DEIx15x8]

The thing that people need to remember is that RCCL has built itself up to be a premier brand and people hold them to that standard. They have shown themselves to be the top line for bringing new ships out and have a track record of the very first paid sailing going smoothly unlike their competitors. They have never taken a ship from delivery directly into a paid sailing before. Even the day she was being delivered we didn't know when she would be delivered, seriously, we were told one day and that afternoon were told it was delayed another day while crew onboard reported it happened. There is no way 1.5 years earlier anyone could have guessed that Royal would be selling a sailing without any shake down cruises first. I did not expect the TA to be perfect as they still had a shake down gap in NYC, but I expected a minimum of 1 week of special sailings out of the UK and maybe even Spain prior to the TA. Everything they've done in the past would lead people to believe this. But as Royal keeps saying, "This Changes Everything" as many found out the hard way. There are a lot of parts of Quantum that nobody would have predicted and nobody was given proper warning about, that's just the way Royal seems to operate now and I'm sure they won't be finding so many blind followers in the future like they have in the past.

Edited November 16, 2014 by DEIx15x8

[gkbiiii]

Royal has traditionally set the standard of its industry. Many of the new ships have not been well received, throughout the industry; because of things such as small baloneys, poor layout, fewer public spaces/passenger ratio, inferior food and the like.

 

Royal knew better; yet decided on their own, to through caution to the wind and role the dice. They knew it was a gamble and they lost. There was really no reason to undo their past protocols, other than cost savings/compete greed.

Edited November 17, 2014 by gkbiiii

[gkbiiii]

I thought that Cunard, was supposed to be world class???

[Mythbuster]

I really don't understand the issue about not having enough notice about the Dynamic Dining. Royal announced the concept and posted the descriptions and menus (examples) for all the restaurants in early spring. Since Royal requires your non-refundable payment 70 days before sailing, the 11/2 sailing commitment date would have been around September 23rd. Therefore anyone on the TA sailing would have had 6 months to read about and decide if this is what they wanted before the commitment date. It really is irrelevant how long ago you booked because you can cancel and get all payments refunded up to 70 days before sailing.

 

I realize some people had to make non-refundable airline reservations in advance but most airlines don't even post schedules more than 11 months in advanced and many schedules will change more than 6 month out so it is not wise to book non-refundable ticket more than 6 months out. Even if you have non-refundable tickets you can always change the date and destinations for a $75-$150 change fee. It may not be preferred but much better than paying for a $5000 cruise you don't want.

Edited November 17, 2014 by Mythbuster

[iheartbda]

Royal has traditionally set the standard of its industry. Many of the new ships have not been well received, throughout the industry; because of things such as small baloneys, poor layout, fewer public spaces/passenger ratio, inferior food and the like.

 

Royal knew better; yet decided on their own, to through caution to the wind and role the dice. They knew it was a gamble and they lost. There was really no reason to undo their past protocols, other than cost savings/compete greed.

Maybe you need to have a sit down with them and tell them how things should really be done. At this point in time, they have lost in your mind but, it remains to be seen how the Quantum eventually fares.

[gkbiiii]

I met a Canadian Chinese couple, who really believed the ship would have more difficulty in the Shanghai market, than Royal thinks. This really is a gamble, as China is about to go through a real estate meltdown: this real estate crisis, may very well be much bigger than our own.

[rubrrick]

WOW, should I cancel our upcoming b2b?:D

 

 

Patty and Jim.........I just got off of the "Naming Pre Inaugural" and the answer is a resounding..............NO!!

 

I believe you two will love what Royal Caribbean has produced. It's a step away from what they have done in the past........but they definitely delivered the WOW on this ship.

 

And you know us.......we are picky!!

 

Rick

[Static events]

I thought that Cunard, was supposed to be world class???

 

Well maybe so but I have been to some world class hotels and holidays in my time and Cunard fell short of my very basic expectations.

[dln929]

The thing that people need to remember is that RCCL has built itself up to be a premier brand and people hold them to that standard. They have shown themselves to be the top line for bringing new ships out and have a track record of the very first paid sailing going smoothly unlike their competitors. They have never taken a ship from delivery directly into a paid sailing before. Even the day she was being delivered we didn't know when she would be delivered, seriously, we were told one day and that afternoon were told it was delayed another day while crew onboard reported it happened. There is no way 1.5 years earlier anyone could have guessed that Royal would be selling a sailing without any shake down cruises first. I did not expect the TA to be perfect as they still had a shake down gap in NYC, but I expected a minimum of 1 week of special sailings out of the UK and maybe even Spain prior to the TA. Everything they've done in the past would lead people to believe this. But as Royal keeps saying, "This Changes Everything" as many found out the hard way. There are a lot of parts of Quantum that nobody would have predicted and nobody was given proper warning about, that's just the way Royal seems to operate now and I'm sure they won't be finding so many blind followers in the future like they have in the past.

 

I certainly hope they won't attract so many "blind followers" as you call them. They're the ones who can't see the forest for the trees. No sense of adventure! Royal delivers a ship that is a marvel of modern engineering and all some people can see is that their set dining habits have been tampered with? C'mon now. Put some big boy panties on and embrace the future. :rolleyes:

[AtlantaCruiser72]

I certainly hope they won't attract so many "blind followers" as you call them. They're the ones who can't see the forest for the trees. No sense of adventure! Royal delivers a ship that is a marvel of modern engineering and all some people can see is that their set dining habits have been tampered with? C'mon now. Put some big boy panties on and embrace the future. :rolleyes:

 

Where oh where is that CC "like" button when you need it! :D