Photo Review: Quantum of the Seas - 7N Best of Japan Cruise - 23 June 2019

[nekzaadvakil]

16 hours ago, Biker19 said:

Did you ever try texting (or other internet related actions) WITHOUT being logged into VOOM (but connected to WiFi)?

 

Hi Biker19, to be honest, I didn't try this. Before being connected to VOOM, I was connected via my home country's cellular service via roaming. India is the #1 least expensive country for cellular services. I paid approx $75 for unlimited roaming for a month. So I was always connected. VOOM worked really well on the ship, used it extensively on sea days. No problems there. 

 

Cheers!

 

Nick 

[nekzaadvakil]

19 hours ago, Missusdubbya said:

Great review, looking forward to more

 

18 hours ago, Tee & Chilli said:

Fabulous review. Great start 

 

18 hours ago, kernow said:

Lovely to see such a detailed review of the ship, can't wait for more.

 

18 hours ago, Host Clarea said:

Fantastic photos to start!

 

12 hours ago, Lv2sail_18 said:

Wonderful review so far! Thank you for sharing!

 

6 hours ago, TRUEBLUE66 said:

Looking forward to your full review as we are on Quantum next Spring for the first time and just returned from Japan. Spent a few days in Kyoto after the cruise. Great photos!

 

3 hours ago, cadburyguinness said:

Enjoying your review so far, looking forward to the next installment.

We will be on Quantum this December

 

15 hours ago, snaefell said:

We are booked on Quantums' repo cruise from China to Singapore in October(OMG only 12 weeks away,seemed like an eternity when we booked it!),it has been like getting blood out of a stone trying to find out what these cruises are really like from RCI,thanks to posters like this one & Hadley who have taken so much time to give us an idea of what they are really like,can't wait!

 

 

Thanks everyone for your kind words. Snaefell, I couldn't agree more. I've been itching to try the Quantum class ships for years since they came out. I have 2 (Quantum & Ovation) in what is technically my backyard (India and China are neighbours, with very inexpensive flights between our 2 countries). I searched multiple times for detailed reviews of what its like cruising in Asia, and most of the time I had very limited info/reviews and very negative comments. 

 

I'm really glad that we took the plunge, there was seriously nothing to complain about and we met some really friendly people on this cruise. More coming up. 

[nekzaadvakil]

Ok, so we last left off with the first views of Two70. The venue as most people know by now, is at the very back of the ship. And the venue is just stunningly beautiful. On one of the sea days, there was a top tier event for platinum members and higher in Two70. During this event, the cruise director told us that Royal Caribbean paid $2 million more for just this venue, than they paid for their first ship 50 years ago! 

 

 

 

 

The venue spans over 2 decks, so you can imagine how high those floor to ceiling glasses go and what an amazing view it is from here. Even more impressive when the ship is sailing. To the right is a fantastic bar and Cafe Two70 is right next to the entrance. So food and drinks are never too far away. There are these amazing nooks and corners where one can cosy up with a book or your mobile and honestly this was even better than your own balcony. 

 

Inspite of the ship being completely full, we never had a hard time getting seats here. For my western friends, this is the place you want to grab a quick bite as well. Cafe Two70 was excellent and reminded me of the Central Park Cafe in terms of food available. They had the amazing kummelweck sandwiches, being served fresh. Right next to it, they had 6-8 types of rolls and cold sachwiches (The cuban was my favorite, the tuna sandwich a close second). They also had 2 kinds of soups which were pretty good. 

 

Apart from this they had an entire salad bar, which is the best I've had on any ship. I would book another cruise just for some of the food I've had here. I'm a foodie, I hate salads, but the chicken salad, potato salad with all their amazing dressings was top notch. Thanks to this place, we hardly ever went to the Windjammer Marketplace. Oh, and they also have cookies and 9-10 types of dessert here too. All complimentary. The cheesecake here was always fantastic. 

 

We then went about exploring more of this beautiful ship. The next picture is part of the Royal Promenade and we could clearly see how this was also inspired by the Celebrity Cruises S class ships. We felt right at home. Plenty of shops to the right of this. 

 

 

We headed up to the pool deck to check out our first glimpse of the North Star. I remember when the Quantum of the Seas was first introduced, this was the most impressive and futuristic new innovation that we wanted to try. We had 2 time slots, but a quick trip to guest services solved our problem. 

 

 

Here's another thing that I didn't know about North Star and important for anyone trying this on Asian cruises. So when we booked this online, we had 2 options. Option 1 - $20 per person - 10 minutes. Option 2 - $40 per person - 17 minutes - they just call this the extended North Star activity. 

 

When we booked, there was no slot for 4 people together and only gave us options to book the $20 (10 mins) one for 2 people at a time. We went to guest services as soon as we were on the ship and met a really good guest services manager called Annie. She found us a slot for 4 people together on the 2nd day, 5 PM and we took it. Here's where she helped. She told us that the $20 (10 mins) session only had the North Star pod go up, and back down. 

 

The extended $40 session is the one you want to take, this one goes up, goes to both sides of the ship for some amazing views) and then back down. So we all upgraded to the $40 version. This does get pricey for a family, but the $20 version is a waste. 

 

Walk around to the back of the ship and you see the Polar Bear on the Quantum of the Seas. This really stands out when you see the ship from far and we saw many people taking pictures with it. What they say is true, this ship was built for selfies. 

 

 

  

[nekzaadvakil]

Something that I really liked about this ship was the thought that went into making even the most mundane boring things, look interesting. Back home I head the marketing function for a real estate firm, so I am always fascinated by good design and attention to detail. While you can find funky, innovative art everywhere, something that stood out was the elevators. Most elevators on Royal and Celebrity consist of 2 kinds, the glass ones which overlook the atrium and the boring steel ones. Check out what Quantum has in their elevators. Each elevator had something different. 

 

 

I will intersperse different images as we progress in the review. We also went up to check out the Seaplex. There were tons of kids on this ship, and I think Royal Caribbean knows how to take care of kids. The seaplex on Deck 15 was a huge 2 level sports deck which had bumper cars, ice skating, football, badminton, 4 table tennis tables with the most stunning views, an arcade, air hockey, and an entire section for video games. DW and I are extremely competitive table tennis players and we usually play 10-12 games each day at sea. So we were absolutely thrilled to see this place.  

 

After several games here, it was time to get ready for dinner. Here's a quick pic from our balcony just before heading out for dinner. The view is from Deck 9. 

 

Now here's another important thing to note for Asian cruises. The Quantum class ships had originally planned something called Dynamic Dining which would allow cruises to try a different MDR (Main Dining Room) each day. So there were 4 venues - Chic, Silk, American Icon and Grande. 

 

When we booked we got the 7PM seating and were told that this was the only seating available and we could change it on the ship. Now as Indians, 7 PM is way to early for dinner. We usually are yet at work at 7PM and we usually eat dinner by 9:00 - 9:30 PM. Culturally, we also prefer having drinks first, and then dinner, which is opposite of what many do in even Europe and the US. 

 

We were told that 7PM is the late dinner seating, while 5 PM was the early seating. We didn't have any problems as our waiter kindly informed us that we could enter anytime before 8 PM and we saw many others doing so as well. Infact, the second seating in the MDR (we had CHIC) was never more than 50-60% full and we were even able to move to a table right next to the window for some amazing views of the setting sun. 

 

 

My mum tried the Blue Margarita and she loved it. She said that the size of the drinks on this ship was much larger than she had when she was on the Symphony in Europe last year.  

 

 

The service in the MDR/ Chic was exceptional. One of the best we've ever had. Maybe it was due to the fact that there weren't as many full tables. We never had to ask even once for our water to be refilled, or our drink preference. With regards to the food, there were mixed reviews. DW and I have been on Celebrity for the last 2 years and they are known to have better food than Royal. So I wasn't sure if it was the itinerary that we were doing, or was it because I was used to Celebrity's food, that I found this food average. Maybe average is too harsh a word. 

 

DW absolutely loved it. She's a vegetarian and each day she was served a feast of indian and western vegetarian dishes. She mentioned that she has never eaten this well on any of our 10 previous cruises. And my wife is exactly opposite of me, she is no foodie. We never went hungry, and the desserts were usually top notch. 

 

 

 

 

[nekzaadvakil]

Here are some pictures of our fantastic dessert. DW had the dark chocolate pastry while I had the creme brulee. The chocolate pastry was rich and bitter, and the creme brulee was as good as the one I get on Celebrity. So I was very happy with the dessert. 

 

 

 

 

With out bellies full, we went up to Two70 to catch their StarWater show. You need reservations for this show, but we managed to get in since it was not 100% full. However I recommend that you get reservations (through the app/ guest services) for this show. The show was in English and it was the best show I've seen (after Mamma Mia on the Allure). Two70 really transformed into a different venue at night and the performers were so up close to where we were seated.  

 

 

After the show, we decided to retire to bed. I usually spend 2 hours late at night in the casino (11 PM to 1 AM) at the roulette table. On the first night, the casino was shut, as well as all the shops. Apparently we were yet in Chinese waters which is why they could not open till 8 AM the next day. This was our first cruise where the casino and shops were not open an hour after sailing out. 

 

 

 

 

 

[snaefell]

3 hours ago, nekzaadvakil said:

 

Inspite of the ship being completely full, we never had a hard time getting seats here. For my western friends, this is the place you want to grab a quick bite as well. Cafe Two70 was excellent and reminded me of the Central Park Cafe in terms of food available. They had the amazing kummelweck sandwiches, being served fresh. Right next to it, they had 6-8 types of rolls and cold sachwiches (The cuban was my favorite, the tuna sandwich a close second). They also had 2 kinds of soups which were pretty good. 

 

Apart from this they had an entire salad bar, which is the best I've had on any ship. I would book another cruise just for some of the food I've had here. I'm a foodie, I hate salads, but the chicken salad, potato salad with all their amazing dressings was top notch. Thanks to this place, we hardly ever went to the Windjammer Marketplace. Oh, and they also have cookies and 9-10 types of dessert here too. All complimentary. The cheesecake here was always fantastic. 

 

 

Thanks again,firstly  a cruise TV channel in the UK broadcast a programme about the Quantum class ships some time ago & mentioned a surprise in every lift but refused to expand on that,now I know!

Secondly,eating in Two70 sounds great but what is a kummelweck sandwich?

I did try to get menus out of RCI but they act like they have no idea what goes on on board Quantum!

Edited July 6, 2019 by snaefell

[nekzaadvakil]

24 minutes ago, snaefell said:

Thanks again,firstly  a cruise TV channel in the UK broadcast a programme about the Quantum class ships some time ago & mentioned a surprise in every lift but refused to expand on that,now I know!

Secondly,eating in Two70 sounds great but what is a kummelweck sandwich?

I did try to get menus out of RCI but they act like they have no idea what goes on on board Quantum!

 

The Kummelweck sandwich is a Royal Caribbean signature sandwich which started on the Oasis of the Seas in the Park Cafe. Its strips of beef in a little roundish bun, with some sauce on the side. Its apparently pretty famous and I always saw 4-5 people in line to grab this on the Quantum of the Seas too. 

[snaefell]

Now that sounds nice!

[Clarea]

Enjoying the beautiful photos.🙂

[nekzaadvakil]

Monday, 24th June 2019 - Sea Day

 

After a good night's sleep, we woke up feeling refreshed. I love Sea days. Even though this cruise was on 7 nights, I was thrilled to have 3 sea days. Starting with a Sea day is also great, especially when you're trying a new cruise ship class for the first time. It allows you to really explore the ship and know what is situated where, so that you can plan the rest of your cruise and where you want to be accordingly. 

 

Before we went about exploring, first some breakfast. We went to the windjammer for our first breakfast of the cruise and since we went late, it was very easy getting a place to sit. The breakfast was the single most disappointing thing on this cruise. Again, it may be the itinerary, due to which majority of the food was aligned to Chinese taste buds. I really used to enjoy the breakfast on Celebrity, and would usually pack in quite a bit. 

 

They had plenty of fruits. There was a live egg station but nowhere close to what we get on Med/ Caribbean cruises. The bacon strips were not crisp. There was hardly any cheese, no croissants (how I love those chocolate ones), no hash browns. It was very basic. Now this is a first world problem. I cannot complain too much about this since this was the only thing that, sort of, was below expectations. 

 

Would I not consider another cruise in this part of the world because of the breakfast? Nope, I certainly would. Would I dissuade any of you to reconsider? Nope. There are plenty of other things to eat. I found some nice things to munch on at Cafe Two70, Sorrentos and in Cafe Promenade. Infact the pizzas were so good at Sorrentos, that I would gladly give up breakfast for those pepperoni pizzas at Sorrentos. 

 

After Breakfast we went to the Music hall for a fun activity - Bean bag toss. There was a nice crowd there and 90% Chinese. Inspite of this, the activities managers always spoke in English first and then in Mandarin. So we never felt out of place, infact they made even more of an effort to get us involved and so did our fellow cruisers. 

 

 

After this we headed to play some Table tennis in the Sea Plex. Just look at those views of the beautiful blue sea. 

 

 

Speaking of views, we had to head back to Two70 to check out the view while sailing. I'll let these pictures speak for themselves. 
 

 

 

We also grabbed some desserts from Cafe Two70. Their caramel cheesecake was brilliant, as were their cupcakes. I certainly had more than 2. 

 

 

We then headed back out to check out the pool deck. Even the walk to and from Two70 is just stunning. Someone really spent alot of time thinking of ways to make this part of the ship look and feel extra-ordinary. We were definitely WOWed by it. 

 

[nekzaadvakil]

Some more pictures of the amazing elevators!

 

 

The pool deck on the Quantum of the Seas is huge. They have a large outdoor pool with a gigantic TV screen. They have an indoor pool area, exactly like the ones on the S class ships. And then they have a Solarium which on Asian cruises, is reserved exclusively for suite guests.

 

There were plenty of empty deck chairs on all sea days in the outdoor and indoor pool areas. Plenty of families with kids in the kids pool section. The only thing that I found different on this sailing was that there was no adults only area. The indoor pool on Celebrity's S class ships are for adults only. On this ship we saw even more kids in the indoor pool. Also the indoor pool has a very strong smell of chlorine which usually gave me a headache so I tried to stay clear of the indoor pool area. 

 

 

 

Something that also caught my eye was the sheer number of lifeguards (dressed in red) who were really attentive. Every pool area had at least one and they were like hawks, constantly keeping an eye out for kids in the pool. 

 

No cruise of mine starts without my favorite drink - the blue lagoon. Its basically blue curacao liquor, a bit of vodka, topped with sprite and alot of (crushed) ice. I call this my cruise drink. So I had one. DW and I do not drink too much, maybe 2 drinks a day at most, so we did not take any package. DW usually had a glass of Pinot Grigio or Moscato (both white wines) and they usually cost $10 each. My cocktails/mocktails were around $8-10 each. 

 

 

We met someone in the elevator who was also enjoying his martini in the middle of the day, so I didn't feel like an alcoholic at all. 

 

Before we knew it, it was time for us to try out the North Star. We were all pretty excited. This is something we were waiting to try out since 2014, when the Quantum of the Seas first came out. We reached 10 minutes before time and were asked to wait near the North Star Bar. We later spent a lot of time at this bar, it sure has some amazing vantage points.  

 

 

There's a spiral staircase that one needs to climb to get to the pod, and my dad would have difficulty climbing that. So we requested the staff present if we could use the elevator which they have for people with mobility issues. And as usual, they were absolutely understanding and made a quick call to get someone to operate it. We didn't have more than 10 people on the pod, so we had enough space inside to walk around and everyone got some good pictures and views. 

 

  

[nekzaadvakil]

Getting ready to enter the pod...

 

And here are some pictures of the gorgeous Quantum of the Seas from the pod. The ride up was very smooth and we didn't feel any motion sickness. The pod was air conditioned so we were all very comfortable. Taking pictures was a bit of a task since the reflection could be seen.

 

 

But it was yet a very good experience and I would do it again in a heartbeat. To get this kind of view of your ship, in the middle of the sea, is just priceless. 

 

 

The entire thing took 30 minutes and we were done by 5:30 PM. I can only imagine what the views from here would be like in Alaska, or Norway or New Zealand! No wonder they're sending the Ovation of the Seas to Alaska. 

 

We had some time to spare before dinner so we checked out the indoor pool. Again, thanks to the Chlorine smell, we didn't stay in here too long. But it is a beautifully designed place. 

 

 

We headed back to the room, but since the casino was open, we decided to spend 15 minutes there and try our luck at roulette. There were only 2 roulette tables on this ship, 1 in the smoking section, and 1 in the non smoking section. I played for 5 minutes and walked away with winnings of $175 ! Absolutely shocking since I have the worst luck in gambling. I would later, lose this back to the casino during the cruise 😥 

 

 

The views from our balcony were amazing. I would spend some time here each evening while DW got ready for dinner. 

 

 

 

 

 

[nekzaadvakil]

So off to dinner we went. Back to Chic. 

 

 

Dinner was much better on the 2nd day. It had one of my favorite dishes, Parmesan Chicken with spaghetti. It was really good and tasted a lot better than the presentation. 

 

 

DW got some spicy Indian curry dish and she absolutely loved it. I tried it and it was really good, better than some of the stuff that we get back home. Our head waiter Stephanie told us that there are 2 Indian chefs in the kitchen and many of the other guests who tried this Indian dish also complimented them. 

 

 

 

My folks tried the drink of the day and a Margarita and they both loved their drinks. 

 

 

After dinner, we spent some time in Two70 which had a dance party going on. Lots of English and Chinese songs and everyone seemed to be having a really good time letting their hair down. The activities staff did a really good job getting people involved. 

 

 

Finally we headed back to our room. We had a pretty long day coming up in Fukuoka so we wanted to be well rested. We found this rather cute towel animal on our bed and its a really nice touch. Royal Caribbean really knows how to put a smile on your face even when you're about to retire for the night. 

 

 

Next up: Our long (and far away) excursion in Fukuoka 

 

 

 

 

[MsBehave]

Thanks again for your updates. 

 

What was the situation with Wonderland pls? I know it has an Asian theme to it, but it isn't visible on our October sailing from Beijing to Singapore cruise planner. 

[nekzaadvakil]

25th June 2019: Fukuoka, Japan

 

Ok, our first port in Japan. If any of you guys have read my previous cruise reviews, you will know that DW and I are pretty adventurous & confident going out on our own. Infact we prefer it. When we were doing our research on things to do and see in Fukuoka, nothing really seemed all that interesting. We looked at places close by and saw that it was entirely possible to do a quick trip to Hiroshima ! It was going to be close, but we knew that if we missed the ship, we could make our way the next day to Sakaiminato which was pretty close by. So we planned for this day, and for us to visit Hiroshima. And boy, were we glad we did.

 

Here's the view from our balcony, approaching Japan. 

 

We woke up pretty late since the ship didn't dock in Hiroshima till 10 AM. The previous day, we were asked to come and collect tickets which had a time slot for you to get off the ship and get into immigration. They also asked you to carry an A4 sized copy of your passport. We went early and got the 10:00 AM slot itself. My dad decided to spend the day on the ship, so today it was going to be 3 of us venturing out.

 

The ship docked at 10:00 and we were asked to assemble in Boleros. We were escorted off the ship at 10:15 and the line for immigration was pretty long. This was quickly eating into the time that we had but this is part and parcel of traveling. The immigration officers took your passport and attached a sticker to the back of the passport copy (the A4 size printout) which we were supposed to return to the cruiseship in Kyoto (before leaving Japan on day 5). 

 

 

We got out and took a cab to the Hakata Station. From there we quickly bought tickets on the Shinkansen Bullet Train at around 11:36 am. The Japanese really know how to run on time.   

 

 

Directions were in English and it wasn't difficult making our way to the train. 

 

We were finally able to tick another thing off our bucket list. These bullet trains were amazing.  

 

We reached Hiroshima station at 12:40 PM from where we took another local train to Miyajimaguchi station at 1:00 PM. Half an hour later we reached Miyajimaguchi station from where we took a quick boat ride to the Itsukushima Shrine and Floating Tori Gate. This place sure was a trek away from our port, but we were so glad we did it. 

 

 

Here's what we were traveling to see....

 

 

[nekzaadvakil]

The boat ride to the island is really scenic. Mountains on all sides covered in green. Clear blue water. Really amazing and serene. 

 

 

The island is amazing. Its like an old town, not too crowded. Plenty of shops to buy souveniers, plenty of local food stalls. I really loved this place.  Also plenty of deer which were really friendly. My wife loves animals and she's sort of like an animal whisperer, the deer were very happy being pet by her.

 

 

 

I am a big fan of Japanese currency notes. No I mean it, literally. 

 

 

And the floating Tori Gate..... I really just wanted to put 1 picture up here, as I don't want to spoil it for someone who will be visiting. Pictures really do not do justice to this place. During low tide, you can apparently walk right up to the Tori Gate. 

 

 

 

 

After spending some time here, we started our trek back, via boat, then a local train ride to Hiroshima Station and then the bullet train back to Hakata Station. We did plan on visiting the Atom Bomb Shrine but we had just run out of time completely. We knew that we would be back soon (in fact as I type this review, we have started planning a land trip to Japan in December this year), so we didn't rush things. At Hakata station we got into a cab which brought us back to the port, with just 15 minutes to go before our check in time. 

 

 

This was easily our best day in Japan. 

[nekzaadvakil]

Here are some more pictures of this lovely island. I just could not resist.

 

 

 

 

Back on the ship, it was time for some dinner. We quickly headed to the stateroom to get ready. Another amazing sunset view from our balcony.

 

 

 

 

Dinner was forgettable, but the desserts were outstanding. The cheesecake was brilliant, as was the ice cream cookie cake!

 

 

 

 

After dinner, I decided to spend some time in the Casino but no one was playing roulette (at the non smoking table). 

After 

 

So I decided to grab a slice of pizza and head back to the room. I cannot praise the pizzas at sorrentos enough. Even the plain cheese pizza was excellent. 

 

 

 

Next up: An easy day in Sakaiminato, Japan

 

[bobmacliberty]

5 hours ago, nekzaadvakil said:

 

The Kummelweck sandwich is a Royal Caribbean signature sandwich which started on the Oasis of the Seas in the Park Cafe. Its strips of beef in a little roundish bun, with some sauce on the side. Its apparently pretty famous and I always saw 4-5 people in line to grab this on the Quantum of the Seas too. 

 

This an absolutely fantastic review!  I would love to copy your trip to Hiroshima.  Can't wait to see the rest of your Japan pictures.

 

As a native of Buffalo in New York State, I need to set the record straight on the kummelweck sandwiches.  They were originally created In Buffalo and are called "Beef on Weck" there.  The Royal Caribbean version is good, but they cut the meat in thick slabs (probably easier for large numbers of passengers) rather than using thin slices found in Buffalo.  I prefer the thin sliced version.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beef_on_weck

[kernow]

I'm really loving your review. I had no idea that Quantum is similar to the S class ships on Celebrity in many ways. We liked Eclipse very much so now are even more excited to try Quantum next Feb. 

[Clarea]

48 minutes ago, kernow said:

I'm really loving your review. I had no idea that Quantum is similar to the S class ships on Celebrity in many ways. We liked Eclipse very much so now are even more excited to try Quantum next Feb. 

 

I've always said that Quantum class is like Solstice with carnival rides.😊

[kernow]

2 minutes ago, Host Clarea said:

 

I've always said that Quantum class is like Solstice with carnival rides.😊

Bob, one on the reasons we decided to book the Quantum cruise was because you told us you thought we would like this class, maybe you did say something about S class but I'd forgotten that bit😄

[PCWalton1]

Thank you for taking the time to do a detailed review. Your pictures are terrific. 

[snaefell]

3 hours ago, MsBehave said:

 

 

What was the situation with Wonderland pls? I know it has an Asian theme to it, but it isn't visible on our October sailing from Beijing to Singapore cruise planner. 

 Wonderland was on the cruise planner for our cruise origionally,in fact all restaurants & their menus were as per any RCI cruise but the more questions I asked the more changed on the cruise planner until Wonderland itself vanished!

As you can tell from this (& Hadleys') excellent reviews these cruises are very different but RCI seemed to be ignoring that fact for some reason!

[Thompsb]

Thanks so much for the review.  You did excellent, I will be on the Ship on October 7th.

Is it true, there are no formal nights?  all casual?

Thanks

Edited July 6, 2019 by thompsv
notification

[nekzaadvakil]

5 hours ago, MsBehave said:

Thanks again for your updates. 

 

What was the situation with Wonderland pls? I know it has an Asian theme to it, but it isn't visible on our October sailing from Beijing to Singapore cruise planner. 

 

MsBehave good point. Wonderland was something we wanted to try as well. My parents were on Symphony in Europe last year and they tried Wonderland. They said it was all about fancy presentations, while the food was average. I couldn't book this place online, and once we were on board, we kind of gave it a miss. But its definitely there on the ship.