No Quest on Quantum

[Sugar*Magnolia]

I wonder if it is just on the shorter cruises? I hope they don't slowly start vanishing, ship by ship. For me, no matter how many times I see them I enjoy them (both the Quest & L&M). They are always different with different people, love 'em!

Edited December 1, 2014 by CruiseDivaNJ

[Dave85]

We did a cruise on the Carribean Princess Nov 10th and they had the Quest it was in a lounge and they structured it with teams of no more then 10.

 

 

Thanks for posting, funny to hear that so many lines now do the Quest, including Viking! I've personally seen it on Carnival and read on CC about it now happening on some NCL cruises. I have a very hard time believing it couldn't be done on Quantum if they actually wanted to do it.

 

In the alternative, if they do actually want to continue holding the Quest but don't have a suitable venue on the Q class then that was a screw up in the design process.

 

 

 

 

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Edited December 1, 2014 by Dave85

[baldercash]

That is not equivilent to entertainment staff doing jobs that don't involve entertaining. Food service personnel serving food in different areas around the ship and cleaners cleaning different areas around the ship is a perfectly logical practice that has been in place on every line I've sailed for as long as I can remember.

 

This is the down fall of the new Mega ship era.

They took Oasis and added more cabins by taking away "under used spaces" Then they converted other areas to new dinning venues.

 

How do they staff these areas and take care of the increased demands of more passengers?

They did not increase the staff head count they cannot as they have no space to add cabins for more crew.

So they must spread staff thinner, if you check the ratio of ship staff to passengers these Mega ships will have a lower which means poorer ratio then smaller ships.

So they added more cabins well existing cabin stewards will just do a few more but service won't be lower?.

 

Does Oasis have double the customer service staff of a 3,000 passenger ship when the bigger size pretty much ensures they will have more passenger complaints.

 

On our return trans Atlantic we could see the reduction in staffing.

Bars that had 4 servers had 2, when we asked where our favorite server had gone we were told he was working in a different bar which had reduced head count as well.

 

Johnny Rocket service had slowed down and often backed up for breakfast when we asked servers we knew why this had changed they said staffing was reduced and when they went into overload they took staff from other venues.

Well not a good plan when eating in the dinning room for breakfast was all ready slow and understaffed and they want you to do the buffet option instead of ordering from the menu.

The Windjammer is understaffed and tables slow in being cleaned. So where do they pull staff?

 

If you think the change to anytime dinning is for your benefit you are mistaken it is being done because they can manage with less staff. We noticed the dinning teams had changed and you would get servers from other areas bring bread, water or tea and coffee. You might get a waiter supply your menu as your waiter was too busy to do it.

 

None of this bodes well for the future of cruising as there is no going back for these mega ships.

Even with a 40% drop in the price of fuel the biggest cost they cannot add better staffing.

Edited December 1, 2014 by baldercash

[Dave85]

This is the down fall of the new Mega ship era.

They took Oasis and added more cabins by taking away "under used spaces" Then they converted other areas to new dinning venues.

 

How do they staff these areas and take care of the increased demands of more passengers?

They did not increase the staff head count they cannot as they have no space to add cabins for more crew.

So they must spread staff thinner, if you check the ratio of ship staff to passengers these Mega ships will have a lower which means poorer ratio then smaller ships.

So they added more cabins well existing cabin stewards will just do a few more but service won't be lower?.

 

 

 

True story. I'll be on Oasis for my 3rd time in May and will be interested to see if I notice a difference from my previous 2 (pre-reno) sailings.

 

 

 

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[Toddcan]

I have friends that got off Liberty this morning. No Quest or Love and Marriage show.

 

Those are two onboard highlights of any Royal cruise that I've been. The on ship experience would be noticeably less enjoyable without them.

[John&LaLa]

This is the down fall of the new Mega ship era.

They took Oasis and added more cabins by taking away "under used spaces" Then they converted other areas to new dinning venues.

 

How do they staff these areas and take care of the increased demands of more passengers?

They did not increase the staff head count they cannot as they have no space to add cabins for more crew.

So they must spread staff thinner, if you check the ratio of ship staff to passengers these Mega ships will have a lower which means poorer ratio then smaller ships.

So they added more cabins well existing cabin stewards will just do a few more but service won't be lower?.

 

Does Oasis have double the customer service staff of a 3,000 passenger ship when the bigger size pretty much ensures they will have more passenger complaints.

 

On our return trans Atlantic we could see the reduction in staffing.

Bars that had 4 servers had 2, when we asked where our favorite server had gone we were told he was working in a different bar which had reduced head count as well.

 

Johnny Rocket service had slowed down and often backed up for breakfast when we asked servers we knew why this had changed they said staffing was reduced and when they went into overload they took staff from other venues.

Well not a good plan when eating in the dinning room for breakfast was all ready slow and understaffed and they want you to do the buffet option instead of ordering from the menu.

The Windjammer is understaffed and tables slow in being cleaned. So where do they pull staff?

 

If you think the change to anytime dinning is for your benefit you are mistaken it is being done because they can manage with less staff. We noticed the dinning teams had changed and you would get servers from other areas bring bread, water or tea and coffee. You might get a waiter supply your menu as your waiter was too busy to do it.

 

None of this bodes well for the future of cruising as there is no going back for these mega ships.

Even with a 40% drop in the price of fuel the biggest cost they cannot add better staffing.

 

Surely there must be some excess capacity for crew quarters because we keep getting reports of less wait staff and less stewards on existing ships. If this is true, what happened to those cabins. As far as the Quest, I preferred horse racing anyway and it went away.

 

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[baldercash]

Our Carribean Princess cruise was a back to back to back so 3 cruises in 14 days.

We asked about the number of activities as it was just constant and we were told by the CD they try to compress 7 days of activities into 5 days if possible.

If we could not attend one activity it was not a big deal we just prioritized it for the next leg.

 

We walked off Oasis trans Atlantic Oct 27th onto Princess the same day and we were actually stunned by the offerings on Princess compared to what was offered on Oasis.

Not saying Princess was overall better then Oasis we did enjoy both cruise lines it was just a surprise on the differences.

[cjdixon4]

Love and Marriage gone too? I wonder what is going on?

 

I know, Bob, right?!? Clearly RCI's Activities team has lost their minds!

[CRUISEBOY305]

Love and Marriage gone too? I wonder what is going on?

 

maybe a pending lawsuit ????? i could understand Quest but Love and Marriage?

[Wilda]

This doesn't surprise me with Quantum. They are changing all the rules with this class of ships... Wonder what new activities they are offering?

[bob brown]

I was hoping to see the Quest on my Quantum cruise (12 Dec)....

I read somewhere on these boards that Ken Rush was on board the Quantum, to assist the CD for the first few cruises. I believe he is in charge of all the RCI CD's, so I will seek him out, and ask about this.

 

I recall my cruise on the Mariner of the Seas in 2003, when Ken Rush was the Cruise Director, and conducted the Quest....polka dot shorts, and all....:D

[Arzeena]

"No venue is large enough for us to hold it."

 

 

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That seems to be a lame excuse!

 

On the other hand, they may be coming up with "smart" games for "smart" ships!:D;) Perhaps a tablet version of Quest.

[Carib210]

Just off Quantum and no Quest, Love and Marriage show or karaoke. I guess all these shows are gone just like the horse races, passenger talent show and crew talent shows. Last day at sea, must have been 4 or 5 trivia sessions. These are not activities in my book.

 

 

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[Ocean Boy]

That seems to be a lame excuse!

 

On the other hand, they may be coming up with "smart" games for "smart" ships!:D;) Perhaps a tablet version of Quest.

 

Or maybe with all of the "connectivity" on this smart ship they expect everyone to bring their own smart phones and other devices and entertain themselves for the duration of the cruise.

[bandith007]

Or maybe with all of the "connectivity" on this smart ship they expect everyone to bring their own smart phones and other devices and entertain themselves for the duration of the cruise.

 

 

Honestly the Internet was no faster than on normal cruises. You have to pay more for the "faster" internet, but it isn't really any faster. Still takes a minute or so to load yahoo.com.

 

Anyways the smart ship is just a buzz word for marketing. I hope they figure this ship out as I love Royal, but I'm extremely disappointed in QOTS and I'm avoiding this class in the future.

 

 

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[bob brown]

Anyways the smart ship is just a buzz word for marketing. I hope they figure this ship out as I love Royal, but I'm extremely disappointed in QOTS and I'm avoiding this class in the future.

 

Time will tell how others perceive this ship and many of its innovations...you still can choose other RCI ships, but what proves popular, (or profitable) on this ship will eventually be adopted fleetwide, as each goes in for its drydocking. Apparently the Oasis is already going to Dynamic Dining. Just the start....;)

[Retired LEO]

What's next? Give all passengers a coloring book and a box of crayolas?

[yj2cute]

Just off Quantum and no Quest, Love and Marriage show or karaoke. I guess all these shows are gone just like the horse races, passenger talent show and crew talent shows. Last day at sea, must have been 4 or 5 trivia sessions. These are not activities in my book.

 

 

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No Karaoke either? Were you on the 8 day? We had none of these activities on the 11/21 sailing but I chalked that up to it being a short sailing. This is extremely disappointing.

 

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[LMaxwell]

What's next? Give all passengers a coloring book and a box of crayolas?

You can't get a pen in a cabin you think they will give crayons

[Retired LEO]

You can't get a pen in a cabin you think they will give crayons

 

Was was I thinking? You are so right. :)

[seeshore]

Just off the Nov. 23rd Inaugural (what a joke) and I knew as soon as I saw the venues that there would be no Quest. The Music Hall wasn't big enough for our Meet and Mingle. Guests were sitting outside the venue and standing in the doorways.

 

270 was great for relaxing during the day but for Starwater the seating was not optimum. High backed sofas blocked the view of the performance which for lack of a better word partially down in a pit. If you don't get there extremely early and grab the lowest or highest seats you are just out of luck. We arrived a half hour early and all the good seating was gone. Royal,please take another look at your design before completing Anthem.

[John Reid]

If I were to hazard a guess (and I'd consider a wager on this one!), I would think that someone has decided that Quest, Love & Marriage, and karaoke are not "sophisticated" enough for the Quantum experience.

[Dave85]

Folks, are we sure Ken Rush is actually on board working behind the scenes? This simply doesn't sound like a Ken Rush ship. Like his style or not, he's the consummate professional CD who has been running top notch entertainment programs on top notch RCI ships for over a decade... This just doesn't sound like a Ken Rush entertainment program at all. I'm really surprised.

Edited December 2, 2014 by Dave85

[Retired LEO]

If I were to hazard a guess (and I'd consider a wager on this one!), I would think that someone has decided that Quest, Love & Marriage, and karaoke are not "sophisticated" enough for the Quantum experience.

 

But bumper cars are? :D

[Dave85]

No Karaoke either? Were you on the 8 day? We had none of these activities on the 11/21 sailing but I chalked that up to it being a short sailing. This is extremely disappointing.

 

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Agreed. I'm really starting to wonder about our Anthem 12-nighter... I will consider other options if this is truly indicative of the Quantum Class entertainment experience. I hope RCI will read the early comments and step up their game in the interim... Especially with all those sea days...