Quantum & Anthem Photo Review - Food Focus - All Specialty and Dynamic Dining

[megacruiser]

Service was painfully slow. Something is wrong when it takes 45 minutes for a plated cold appetiser to arrive...

 

 

Carpaccio, no complaints but no actual cooking involved...

 

 

Risotto had some good flavour but was tepid and lacked any fresh vibrancy...

 

 

Lamb Shank – very poor. Dried out, lukewarm and tasted like it had been lying around for days...

 

 

 

 

Classic Napoleon – this was actually delicious. Too late to save the overall meal though...

[Overtyme]

Yummo!

[Piazza1979]

Great review! Loving all the pics, as we forgot to take many pics. Love seeing the cruise through another viewpoint!

 

Sadly I missed a lot of this food as I was seasick on the return trip and never got around to eating at Grande (seems like maybe I didn't miss much!).

 

Chic was my favorite, I loved that onion chicken!

 

Erin

[megacruiser]

Great review! Loving all the pics, as we forgot to take many pics. Love seeing the cruise through another viewpoint!

 

Sadly I missed a lot of this food as I was seasick on the return trip and never got around to eating at Grande (seems like maybe I didn't miss much!).

 

Chic was my favorite, I loved that onion chicken!

 

Erin

 

Many thanks for your kind feedback. I also found Chic to be the best of the complimentary venues in terms of food; but the décor was perhaps the least attractive.

 

Kind regards

megacruiser

[CaptData]

Great review. I'm going on Anthem 5/5/16.

[megacruiser]

Starwater is, above all, a spectacular show that was produced to be performed in TWO70, which is in my view the ship’s most amazing feature. This multi-function lounge truly comes into its own when hosting shows such as this. The performance area as a whole extends to the full width of the venue, and hence the ship; the impact reminds me of the huge Cinerama movie theatres in the seventies, where the screen was so wide you had to scan from side-to-side to take in all the action.

 

This venue is on an even grander scale and the staging of the show utilises the various multiple-level stages to great effect; where the focus can switch between these individual areas or bring them all together as one, as the story unfolds. The fact that there is no stage curtain, or backstage area, seems to enhance the presence of the performance. Add to this the aerial-aspect of the show, the huge background scenery projected onto the rear glass, the robotic screens and the state of the art lighting system and the end result is quite dazzling...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[megacruiser]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[megacruiser]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[megacruiser]

View of Labadee from the Windjammer Terrace (rather a nice feature)...

 

 

One of several buffet stations, Dragon’s Rock Cafe....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[megacruiser]

 

 

 

 

 

 

[megacruiser]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[megacruiser]

 

 

 

 

 

 

[megacruiser]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[megacruiser]

Great review. I'm going on Anthem 5/5/16.

 

Many thanks for commenting.

 

Kind regards

megacruiser

[davydanni]

Absolutely the best reviewer on cruise critic thanks

[denatravels]

Absolutely the best reviewer on cruise critic thanks

 

 

I might be partial due to all the yummy food pics, but AGREED!!

[texangal39]

When I originally booked my 11-night Caribbean cruise, Quantum of the Seas was slated to sail year-round from its homeport of Cape Liberty in New Jersey. Meantime, during the construction process, demand for cruising amongst the burgeoning Chinese middle class was exploding and Royal Caribbean set their sights on garnering a lead in that potentially huge market by deploying new-builds in addition to the older vessels that both they and other Western cruise lines had hitherto relied upon. So after a short winter season sailing from Bayonne, Quantum is now repositioning to China; and alterations are being made to increase the gambling facilities on board, so essential to maximise profitability in that lucrative market.

 

 

 

 

 

After a maiden summer-season sailing from the UK, Anthem of the Seas is now scheduled to fulfil the role originally intended for Quantum. I am booked on a 13-night Canary Islands cruise on Anthem at the end of September and I intend to extend this review to incorporate that too. This double review will hopefully serve as a useful panning tool for those considering sailing on Anthem once it has crossed the Atlantic to its new year-round home.

 

 

 

 

 

Prior to joining Quantum on February 2nd 2015, I had spent a week on NCL’s Getaway out of Miami, also in a Studio. If you want to know about that sailing, and the reasons why Royal Caribbean should be worried about the competition, you can read it here.

 

 

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=2171334

 

 

 

 

 

Seems crazy, I know, to fly from sunny Miami to New York’s biting winter weather, only to sail back down to where I had just cruised; but such was my eagerness to experience Royal Caribbean’s latest class of ship, especially after my recent mind-blowing experience of Oasis. I have always felt that Royal Caribbean have the most innovative and amazing ship designs; right from my first experience with them in 1997 on Splendour of the Seas, through the various Voyager and Freedom Class ships and not forgetting the charm of the Radiance Class, that offers possibly the optimum balance between onboard facilities and a more intimate and traditional style of cruising without any sense of crowding.

 

 

 

 

 

Then of course along came Oasis Class. Beyond amazing; and certainly still in a league of its own when it comes to the ship-itself being the destination. You can read my review here:

 

 

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1992376

 

 

 

 

 

Pre-Cruise Stay in New York

 

 

 

From time to time when the East Coast is hit by severe winter weather, scenes of heavy snowfalls appear on our UK news programmes. So I knew that New York could have harsh winter weather but I had been in New York at the same time of year once before when sailing on the NCL Dawn but the weather had been fine. What I had been unprepared for on this visit was just how piercingly cold it can be. I have never felt cold like it; and we supposedly have some cold winters here in Scotland. So for anyone planning a winter trip that includes a stay in New York, here are the essential items I lacked: a hat; gloves; and something to keep your ears warm, like a hood, scarf or earmuffs. I would never travel there in the winter again without these.

 

 

 

I had two nights in Manhattan before Quantum sailed. I intended to make my own way to Bayonne from Manhattan by rail. So I chose a hotel close to the 33rd Street PATH station, which provides easy access to Hoboken and onward connection to Bayonne, and I will illustrate the route for those considering this interesting and inexpensive option.

 

 

 

As always, I used Tripadvisor to weigh up the options for my accommodation. I settled on the Eventi, a Kimpton Hotel, located on Sixth Avenue at 30th Street. I paid for a Deluxe Corner Room and requested a high floor with a view along Sixth Ave. I was more than delighted with the room allocated. Four-star hotels in Manhattan are expensive but, as this was low season, the price was within my reach and almost half the rate it sells for at peak times.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you for taking the time to post such great reviews. The info provided is so very helpful as well as entertaining. I found your Oasis review quite enlightening and am now strongly considering an RCI cruise on the Anthem -- the May 2016 Bermuda sailing.

 

I've cruised RCI, but it was quite a while ago -- in 2000 on the Splendour. I'm sure the RCI experience is not anything like it was back then, so I really feel like a RCI newbie.

 

I'm also facing a bit of a challenge because my family loved the last NCL cruise we sailed on, the Epic. We are booked on the NCL Escape in November and I think a hard sell might be required to get them on another line -- I am only loyal to my desire to do and try different things -- not any particular cruise line!

 

We are mid-40's with a tween girl and usually cruise with my very young at heart mid-60's mother who is always the life of the party. She enjoys the single cabin and solo cruise culture NCL offers.

 

So, my questions are:

1. In your opinion, just how different are RCI and NCL these days?

 

2. What kind of ship culture can we expect on the Quantum Class of ships? (Elderly focused, Snobby, Party boat, Not kid friendly, etc)

 

3. I've noticed a quite few reviews where people say their kids (tweens & younger) were bored on RCI, but that older teens enjoyed it. So, I am concerned about whether the Anthem be exciting and fun enough for my tween kid. I know you cruised solo, so anyone else who has experience with tweens on RCI, please chime in. (Sorry, if it sounds like I'm trying to hijack your thread; I'm just dying for tips and hints before I put $$ down).

 

Any help and insight you can give is greatly appreciated!

Edited May 31, 2015 by texangal39

[BlueSkiesTX]

Great review!

[megacruiser]

Absolutely the best reviewer on cruise critic thanks

 

Many thanks for the flattering comment. It really helps to know when my review is of interest.

 

Kind regards

megacruiser

[megacruiser]

I might be partial due to all the yummy food pics, but AGREED!!

 

You are too kind. Lots of food photos coming momentarily...

 

Cheers

megacruiser

[megacruiser]

Thank you for taking the time to post such great reviews. The info provided is so very helpful as well as entertaining. I found your Oasis review quite enlightening and am now strongly considering an RCI cruise on the Anthem -- the May 2016 Bermuda sailing.

 

I've cruised RCI, but it was quite a while ago -- in 2000 on the Splendour. I'm sure the RCI experience is not anything like it was back then, so I really feel like a RCI newbie.

 

I'm also facing a bit of a challenge because my family loved the last NCL cruise we sailed on, the Epic. We are booked on the NCL Escape in November and I think a hard sell might be required to get them on another line -- I am only loyal to my desire to do and try different things -- not any particular cruise line!

 

We are mid-40's with a tween girl and usually cruise with my very young at heart mid-60's mother who is always the life of the party. She enjoys the single cabin and solo cruise culture NCL offers.

 

So, my questions are:

1. In your opinion, just how different are RCI and NCL these days?

 

2. What kind of ship culture can we expect on the Quantum Class of ships? (Elderly focused, Snobby, Party boat, Not kid friendly, etc)

 

3. I've noticed a quite few reviews where people say their kids (tweens & younger) were bored on RCI, but that older teens enjoyed it. So, I am concerned about whether the Anthem be exciting and fun enough for my tween kid. I know you cruised solo, so anyone else who has experience with tweens on RCI, please chime in. (Sorry, if it sounds like I'm trying to hijack your thread; I'm just dying for tips and hints before I put $$ down).

 

Any help and insight you can give is greatly appreciated!

 

Hello and thanks for commenting.

 

1. I lost interest in NCL in the mid noughties. Their ships did not compare to RCI and the food was disappointing. The difference between the onboard experience of RCI and NCL new ships is much smaller than it was a decade ago; and in many respects NCL continues to innovate and it now gives RCI a run for its money.

 

2. Epic and Getaway have a wonderful lively buzz about them in the evening. Not rowdy or raucous; just alive and stimulating. Comparatively speaking, the evening vibe on Quantum was more sedate and, to my taste, NCL wins overall on entertainment.

 

3. Sorry, I can't really comment regarding the child facilities.

 

Kind regards

megacruiser

[megacruiser]

Great review!

 

Many thanks!

 

megacruiser

[megacruiser]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[megacruiser]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[megacruiser]