Quantum 18-23 November Review (3 day & 2 day sampler)

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Background:

Laura and Tom from New Jersey

Itinerary:

3 Night Sampler:

Stateroom: 11172, Superior Oceanview with balcony, D2 (bed by door)

2 Night Sampler:

Stateroom 12164, Superior Oceanview with balcony, D2 (bed by door)

Overview:

I will preface this review by saying that comments contained here within are my opinion. When I say the Quantum is drop dead gorgeous, it is my opinion. I realize that others may feel differently, and that is fine. But this review contains my impressions and feelings. I realize I am biased where this lady is concerned. She has gotten me through a very bad time. This trip and watching her “birth” was my life line, while I watched my mom pass away.

Quantum is an amazing and very beautiful ship. I was a bit scared after reading some very negative reviews, but I take things like reviews with a grain of salt. So, despite some not so pleasant reviews from the maiden voyage, I remained extremely excited and optimistic.

And I must say Quantum did not disappoint. Pictures do not do her justice. The minute she came into sight, with Felicia Bear standing proud next to the Sea Plex I knew that any fears were unfounded. She stood majestic and grand next to the new Cape Liberty. She was so beautiful, I screamed and cried and yelled “Hi Felicia, Hi Quantum!” All the while my husband was saying…shhh, calm down.

The décor is very elegant, sleek and carries the futuristic theme well. It is made for relaxation. The brown, blue and silver tones are lovely. The furnishings, a Danish Modern style, also convey the theme. They do not look cheap at all to me. They are not tropical or festive, but that is not what I expected from this ship. Although I can see the Royal connection, it is not like any other Royal ship, so those people that expect such may be disappointed. Quantum…this changes everything…

Things worked very smoothly for us, from embarkation, to dining and show reservations, to on board activities, B2B transfer to disembarkation. That being said, the ship is a technological marvel and still experiencing some growing pains.

We had a few minor problems. And I am listing them so you can see how minor they were. They made no difference at all in our cruise enjoyment.

· WOW bands worked less than more in the shops, although we had no problem with room access

· The B2B switch was a bit confusing and no one seemed to know how it would work, because it changes all the time. BUT it did go relatively smooth even though they put all our cards and bands in the room and none on the door, LOL.

· I like dynamic dining in concept very much but the menus are a bit limited in each venue. I only eat shellfish and not regular fish. There were no shell fish entrees in Chic, American Icon, or Silk and my choices were a bit limited in terms of chicken or vegetarian. I found something every night, but it could be difficult on longer cruises.

· There was no plain cream cheese in Café Two70 and my husband likes a bagel with plain cream cheese for breakfast. He does not do flavors.

· No towel animals, not a one. I love them and missed them.

· No Royal IQ for Android

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We live 35 minutes from the port, so this was really easy and nice not to have to fly.

Cape Liberty is definitely improved. The new terminal is not elegant, but it is functional. The parking deck is not built but parking is convenient right across the street. We took the shuttle when we arrived, but it is just as easy to walk across the street. When we arrived, they did not ask if we wanted to check our luggage and just waived us in the building, so this took us more time as we had to back ourselves through check point and into front of building to check our luggage. It only took us an extra 10 minutes so it was not a big issue. They should ask when you arrive rather than just waive people in. Other than that minor issue, check in was quick and smooth. They have guest service people with tablets to check people in. They do have a few counters but we used an agent that was walking around. It took less than 10 minutes with the agent. We were early so waiting until they called diamond boarding, but that was not long either. It is nice that they you can get right on the ship via escalator and gangway now. All in all embarkation at Cape Liberty is very quick for Quantum.

We arrived at 10:15 and were on the ship by 11:00am. Bravo to the hard working Cape Liberty staff and Royal. This is a new terminal and process and everyone worked hard to make it as pain free as possible.

 

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RoyalIQ:

Not available for android yet, unfortunately. We didn’t use it on the ship since I had all the shows and dining booked before arriving.

RFID:

There is a card on the door that can be used prior to rooms being opened and then another card and wristbands were in the cabin. The bands are still not perfected. They rarely worked in the shops, and we had to use our cards or if they did not work either they wrote a check. This is one of the few things they we had any consistent issue with. It was not a big issue, just a tiny annoyance. I am sure it will be worked out with time.

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Royal Esplanade/Via:

I liked the look and feel of the Esplanade. It is more intimate feeling than the royal promenade, but have the same character but on two levels rather than one large space. Some old favorites like the Shop (Royal Merch), Port Merchants, Sorrento’s, Guest Relations, Café Promenade. There are more high end shops. For me these were a waste. I don’t go on a cruise to buy expensive jewelry or handbags, or clothes. Not a big deal, we just walked passed them. I would like the Shop to be bigger. It seemed like the most popular shop with the least amount of space.

The Via is gorgeous elegant space. I love the beige and pale green tone, the beautiful sculpture and the comfy chairs along the windows. Very nicely done. I love all the places to relax on Quantum.

Edited November 24, 2014 by transam84

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Two70:

This is fabulous space. There are so many comfortable seating areas with a view to die for. It is nice to be able to get food from the café and sit and relax in Two70 to eat. It is very popular place to hang to out. A definite winner.

 

 

 

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SeaPlex:

A fun place. We loved the bumper cars. We saw people roller skating, playing basket ball, playing ping pong, air hockey and video games. A great, fun indoor space. They have circus school, and we saw them setting up for it, but did not see it in action.

 

 

The Dog House is a neat place to grab a snack while there.

 

 

 

 

 

This indoor entertainment center is packed full of games and activities. If you get bored on this ship there is something wrong. :p

 

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North Star:

One word, incredible. The view was breathtaking. It goes up very smoothly, it was not scary at all for me. It feels very secure. They were having technical issues, I think due the hydraulic fluid not being designed for cold weather. It is just something else that needs to work itself out. We got to go on it and it was great though. Yes, the lines were long due to the issues they were facing, but for us they were very fare. We waited on line and while we were on line it has issues and stopped for the day. They took our names and put us on wait list for the next day. The thing is you have to be willing to wait it out and not walk off if it stops. Wait till they take names. We got on the second run the very next day. I know it was cold and the lines were long, I was cold and tired, but there is a lot of technology here. Give them a break, it is all new stuff. It needs to be beta tested. I’m ok with it. I got on, it was amazing, I’m happy.

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A few more from this incredible ride! :D

 

 

 

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Yes the line was long, but I feel they did their best.

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IFly:

It looked very cool and we signed up for the last day, but under estimated the time for the All Access Tour so missed our slot. People we talked to said it was great fun and not all that hard. You just have to stay relaxed and don’t tense up. It is best to go to Sea Plex and sign up as soon as you board, if you don't sign up ahead. We had no trouble getting the spot we wanted after waiting in line about 10 minutes, but too bad we miss our spot. Guess we have to go back.

Flowrider:

A Royal standard. It was obviously too cold to have it running this trip!

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Solarium:

This is my favorite place on the entire ship. It is drop dead gorgeous. I love the multi-level pools and the huge hot tubs. There are so many lovely areas to sit and relax. It reminds me of Oasis but nicer. Oasis Solarium on steroids! It is just breathtaking when it is lit up at night.

 

 

 

 

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The solarium is absolutely stunning at night. We loved sitting in the hot tub after dinner.

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Indoor:

This is great space. Plenty of chairs and well laid out. Again, love the chairs in the water. It is warm, but not as warm as the solarium. My husband liked to sit in here better since he thought the solarium was a bit too warm.

 

 

 

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Loved the look of the outdoor pools. It was too cold to use them, but they are very well done. I love the main pool that has the chairs in the water. The H2O zone is cool with a zero entry pool and also a current pool. The outdoor movie screen is very cool. I think it looks fine on the side. The area is bigger in person than it looks in pictures.

 

 

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Dynamic Dining

I actually like the concept very much. It feels more like an elegant hotel than a cruise banquet. I can see people that like the banquet idea and having the same wait staff for the entire cruise, not liking it as much, but for me the concept worked. We asked for a table for two every night, but most nights ended up chatting with our neighbors. We socialized more with dynamic dining than on a traditional dining cruise. On traditional cruises we always asked for a big table and ended up a alone. This time we ended up talking to our neighbors most nights. People just seemed more sociable. I feel like the social experience is not as forced and people are more relaxed and talkative.

The only thing I was not totally happy with was the entrée selection in the “free” restaurants. I felt they were limited. I eat mostly shell fish, chicken and vegetarian. I don’t eat regular fish. Every “free” restaurant offered 2-3 regular fish dishes, chicken, beef and vegetarian. No shell fish entrée at all. So every night I was stuck with only 2 selections and if I did not care for the way chicken or pasta was prepared it left me wanting. The food all tasted excellent, it is just the limited selection that concerns me. I know there are alternative menus in all venues, but I have never before had to resort to asking for one and this is my 11th cruise with RCI.

Silk:

We ate in Silk the first night. It is PanAsian cuisine. The décor is lovely and exotic. I really liked it. My husband is traditionalist so it was a stretch for him. I loved the crispy noodles they start with! The appetizers were also outstanding. I had a shrimp appetizer that was amazing. My chicken dish was Indian and very delicious too. My husband had Hibachi Steak that was good too.

[roe2ship]

Excellent pictures and details....thanks for sharing.:)

 

Sorry about your Mom.:(

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American Icon:

We ate in American Icon the second night. I like the décor and general theme of the restaurant. The appetizers were excellent. I had the Ruben turnover and my husband had the clam chowder and we both loved our choices. I did find the entrée selection lacking in this venue. I don’t eat fish so I was left with fried chicken (which I don’t care for), turkey (which is not my favorite) or fettuccini (a bit heavy for me). I went with fettuccini, and it was tasty, but I felt like I was forced it into it, by lack of choice. My husband had turkey and it was good. The desserts were excellent. We did not return here for dinner due to lack of entrée choice. We did eat breakfast here one day. It is important to note they stop serving breakfast at 9:30am.

 

 

 

This was good but too rich for me.

 

My husband liked the turkey, but it is not something I would order whey I am at a restaurant, it is more of an at home meal for me.

 

[PhilNDebbieAtSea]

Great pictures!! Great review!!! So glad you had a wonderful time. Thank you for your review!

 

So sorry for your loss... [emoji17]

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[transam84]

Great pictures!! Great review!!! So glad you had a wonderful time. Thank you for your review!

 

So sorry for your loss... [emoji17]

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

Thank you. More to come tomorrow. Stay tuned.,

[cruisedancemom]

Love your review. So glad the Quantum was able to help you get you through a tough time in your life:)

[transam84]

Love your review. So glad the Quantum was able to help you get you through a tough time in your life:)

 

Thanks. :)

[heatherb1958]

Great review and fab pictures.

 

All the lounge chairs in the pool water were not on the TA , or at least not at the start.

One thing I am surprised at is the lounge chairs in the shallow pool in the indoor/outdoor pool. Someone posted in their review about the great kids pool in the covered indoor/outdoor pool. I think the reviewer will be shocked to see those, after all it is supposed to be a family area.

[Thetrail]

Thanks. :)

Thanks for your insight, can't wait to sail her in April.....K.O.:)

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Chic:

My favorite of the three “free” restaurants that we ate at. The décor is light and pleasant. I loved the crab cake appetizer and the chicken dish and prime rib were outstanding. For me it had the best selection of entrées

 

 

 

 

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As noted Chic was favorite restaurant. Loved the food and selection.

 

 

Johnny Rockets:

Johnny Rockets has changed its concept for the Quantum of the Seas.

It is now an 'a la carte' take away restaurant. While they still have table seating, they do not offer table service. Orders are placed at the counter and taken by the guest, cafeteria style.

Although I missed the table service a bit, I honestly felt it was a better dining alternative for us.

The only thing I did not like was the open-air seating; since it was cold we could not use it.

The place almost never had anyone in it. I'm not sure people are liking the new concept and not having completely enclosed seating was a not making this place popular.