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

[nekzaadvakil]

1 hour ago, thompsv said:

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

 

Hi Thompsv, yes you're right. There were no formal nights on this cruise, again a first for us. Infact, we saw many people in shorts in the MDR, although many people were also dressed up smartly. So no one really stood out like a sore thumb. 

 

Royal Caribbean is a lot more informal than Celebrity cruises, the only other cruise line that we have tried. (I don't intend cruising on anything apart from Royal and Celebrity)

[nekzaadvakil]

3 hours ago, bobmacliberty said:

 

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

 

Thanks Bob. Yes you're absolutely right about the Beef on Weck Sandwiches. 

 

[nekzaadvakil]

2 hours 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. 

 

Yup, very similar. The cabins are similar, the stateroom bathrooms are identical. The set up in the Windjammer is exactly the same as the set up in the Oceanview cafe. The indoor pool area on the Quantum is identical to the 'solarium indoor pool' on the S class ships. The central boulevard is also the same. We felt right at home on the Quantum. But it does have a lot of new venues that are much much better. 

[Andy C]

Man I was really looking forward to seeing photos of delicious Asian food.  I have been to Japan twice and the food was spectacular. I am sure there are some great Asian dishes on the ship too.  

[MsBehave]

7 hours ago, snaefell said:

 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!

I know. Hence my question!  Wonderland itself can't have vanished down the rabbit hole. 

Thankfully the OP has advised it's still there for us to try. 

 

 

Edited July 6, 2019 by MsBehave

[snaefell]

I had read that Wonderland is now a Chinese chef inspired restaurant featuring Peking Duck with a cover price of $81,at that price,no matter how much we love Peking Duck we will not be trying it!

[Biker19]

1 hour ago, snaefell said:

I had read that Wonderland is now a Chinese chef inspired restaurant featuring Peking Duck with a cover price of $81,at that price,no matter how much we love Peking Duck we will not be trying it!

The RCI app still lists it as Wonderland with the usual description, though it lists no menu or price and says it’s on deck 11 aft ( which I am pretty sure is wrong). The app deck plan shows it in the regular place. The venue could be changed for just what you mentioned for sailings out of China but unlikely to be that way elsewhere, so it probably depends on the itinerary. 

[snaefell]

Loving the review,2 things I am curious about though,the food in Two70 sounds great,do you have the hours that the food is available there please.

Secondly I was curious also about the comments on the Casino because I had read that half of the Music Hall had been taken over to expand the Casino for the Chinese passengers when it sounds like the opening hours are restricted to outside Chinese waters,did they use it much did you notice?

[Clarea]

1 hour ago, snaefell said:

I had read that Wonderland is now a Chinese chef inspired restaurant featuring Peking Duck with a cover price of $81,at that price,no matter how much we love Peking Duck we will not be trying it!

 

Where did you read this?

[snaefell]

7 minutes ago, Host Clarea said:

 

Where did you read this?

 

A poster signed as xxHadleyxx posted a review of a sailing on Quantum back in March in which she went into detail about dining in Wonderland,there is just the one menu apparently,she did include pictures of the food,broken up over 3 or 4 postings,sorry I'm not computer savvy enough to provide a link like I'm sure some could!

[Clarea]

6 minutes ago, snaefell said:

 

A poster signed as xxHadleyxx posted a review of a sailing on Quantum back in March in which she went into detail about dining in Wonderland,there is just the one menu apparently,she did include pictures of the food,broken up over 3 or 4 postings,sorry I'm not computer savvy enough to provide a link like I'm sure some could!

 

Thanks, I'll do a search.

[nekzaadvakil]

17 hours ago, snaefell said:

Loving the review,2 things I am curious about though,the food in Two70 sounds great,do you have the hours that the food is available there please.

Secondly I was curious also about the comments on the Casino because I had read that half of the Music Hall had been taken over to expand the Casino for the Chinese passengers when it sounds like the opening hours are restricted to outside Chinese waters,did they use it much did you notice?

 

Cafe Two70 served food from around 11 in the morning to around 5:30 PM in the evening. 

 

The Music Hall is a 2 level venue, and the lower/main level it is close to the smoking section of the casino. However there was no extension. Infact I was really surprised to see so few Chinese passengers in the casino. I almost always got a seat at the Roulette table (even though there were only 2). 

 

Maybe they have changed this on the Spectrum (Quantum ultra class).  

[nekzaadvakil]

Wednesday, 26th June 2019: Sakaiminato, Japan

 

We did plenty of research before the cruise on things to see and do in Sakaiminato. We were really wondering why in the world would Royal Caribbean keep this as a port. I would have loved an overnight in Fukuoka or Kyoto instead. Anyway, we were on a cruise holiday and we intended to make the most of it. 

 

We woke up without an alarm as we knew we were in no rush.

 

 

We just planned to walk along the "famous" street filled with statues of cartoon characters called the Mizuki Shigeru Road. This place really resembled an old town in Europe, or Skagway in Alaska. We first had to take a shuttle bus which was for 400 Yen (one way) and we had to pay on the bus after the trip was done. Don't worry about change, there was a nice change machine near the driver and he was very helpful in breaking larger currency notes. 

 

As soon as you got down near the Train Station, there was a clear board informing passengers what time the buses go back to the Ship. 

 

 

 

The late morning and early afternoon was spent walking along this road. There were shops selling merchandise and souvenirs on both sides of the road. On the road there were tons of statues of comical/ mystical characters. It was fun at first but it can get mundane/ repetitive pretty fast. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It just seemed that we were in an old town on Halloween instead of someplace in Japan. I can imagine that many people used this day as half a sea day. 

 

 

 

 

 

[nekzaadvakil]

Here are some more pictures of the street.

 

 

 

 

After around 3 hours we had seen enough so we decided to make our way back towards the shuttle bus. Before that, a large ice cream to beat the heat. It was excellent!

 

 

 

I really wish Royal Caribbean would re-think this port. Not much to do here at all. Its a nice easy day but when you want to see Japan, another port or another day in Fukuoka or Kyoto would have been most welcome. 

 

We headed back to the ship in the afternoon and spent some time on the pool deck. 

 

 

 

Edited July 8, 2019 by nekzaadvakil

[nekzaadvakil]

So since the port outside the ship was ordinary, we decided to explore more things inside the ship. Have I mentioned just how beautiful this ship is from inside? Its very easy to miss the amazing art and decor of many places.

 

 

This was our #1, favorite place on the ship. Its at the back of Two70 and you can get some amazing views of the wake while sailing. Very cosy corner

 

 

 

 

We got ready for an early dinner, we loved coming back to our cabin which was always kept spotlessly clean at all times. Our cabin attendant Yanjun was excellent throughout the cruise. 

 

 

We had a new towel animal every alternate day. 

 

The dinner on this day more than made up for the poor port. In the MDR we were told that there was a chef's special, chicken tikka masala or butter chicken. Our head waiter told us that many other guests had already complimented the dish in the first seating, but since we were Indians, and this is kind of our staple food, we may be better judges. We decided to go with it and try it out. 

 

Now this is a dish which we have maybe once a week back home. Many restaurants in Northern India are rated depending on this 1 dish. I have to admit that this dish was in the top 3 that we've ever tried, including many fancy restaurants back home. Outstanding stuff. 

 

 

I stuffed myself silly and this was the first time that I actually was glad to leave continental food aside for some good old Indian cuisine. But there is ALWAYS place for some dessert. The black forest was light and perfect. The perfect meal on this cruise. 

 

 

After dinner I decided to try my luck in the casino. After 10 years of cruising, I finally had some luck in the casino. Got up with winnings of over $250 ($200 was my original input). So I was pretty happy with the way the day ended. 

 

 

We headed to bed early as we had an early start, and a long day in Kyoto the next day.

 

Next up: Kyoto, Japan and alot of rain. 

 

 

 

 

[nekzaadvakil]

Thursday, 27th June 2019: Maizuru(Kyoto), Japan

 

We were pretty excited about this port from the start. Kyoto was the biggest city we were seeing in Japan and we initially wanted to do this on our own. Since the port of Maizuru is pretty far from the city centre of Kyoto, we decided to take an independent tour, especially since the next 2 days were Sea days and missing the ship would have meant the end of our cruise holiday. 

 

We booked a tour (not via Royal Caribbean) and we had approx 20 other cruisers from our ship with us. Most of us assembled at the dock on time (we were supposed to get off the ship by 8 AM). 

 

 

Our Tour (from www.shoreexcursions.asia) was supposed to cover the following: 

1. The Kinkakuji Temple and the Golden Pavillion

2. Nijo-jo castle

3. The Arashiyama Area (The Bamboo forest and the Togetsu-Kyo Bridge)

 

It was a pretty overcast day in Maizuru and we were all on the bus by 8:30 AM. Our guide Ms. Suzoko informed us that the ride to our first stop would take approximately 90 minutes. We had a short stop mid-way, where we managed to buy some umbrellas as it started pouring. 

 

Our first stop, the Kinkakuji temple was beautiful. However it was really crowded and with all umbrellas up, it was even worse. We felt really rushed and we spent less than 30-45 minutes at this place. 

 

 

 

From there it was back onto the bus to our next stop. Our guide made no effort to tell us anything about the places, she was there to just set the pace and ensure we walked through the spots and ticked it off our list. 

 

We were then rushed to our second spot, the Nijo-jo castle where we just walked around the castle and stopped for a quick bite. We tried the macha ice cream and it was horrible. 

 

 

 

 

From there we were put back on the bus and rushed to Arashiyama and the Bamboo Forest. We were already told on the way that we were running behind schedule and that we would not be stopping at the bridge. I was talking to the other American couples and they were also pretty upset at the pace of this tour. 

 

We reached the Arashiyama area and the downpour continued. I quickly bought some rain ponchos, so we were protected from the rain. From here, we walked 15 minutes to the Bamboo Forest (and this was like a march, no stopping on the way, no entering any shops).   

 

 

Once we reached the Bamboo forest entrance, we walked inside (which took another 5-7 minutes) without stopping to even take a picture. Once we were in the middle of the bamboo forest, our guide told us that we have some free time. Those who wanted to go further were free to do so, those who wanted to get back and grab some lunch could do so, the only thing was that we have exactly 30 minutes to do so!. 30 minutes was how long it took us to just get here. This was crazy. By now the rest of our group had had enough and they immediately turned back. 

 

We explored for a quick 5-10 minutes, knowing that we would just grab something to eat on the bus.

 

 

 

 

 

This place was really lovely, and even the rain was not a problem. However this pace was just crazy and re-enforced our belief that we should just explore independently. 

 

 

 

We got back on the bus in time, many of our fellow passengers were really upset about the tour. We were dropped back to the ship at 5 PM (our ship didn't leave before 7 PM) so we had a lot of time to spare. DW and I are planning another trip to Japan at the end of this year and we definitely plan on doing this on our own at our pace.  

 

 

As we set sail and bid adieu to Japan, we realized that this itinerary really does no justice to Japan. For us this was a quick getaway and an introduction to Japan, so we were not too bummed about it. 

 

At dinner, my dad decided to try the Lobster tail for dinner in the MDR which was an additional $20 fee. He said it was good. 

 

 

For once, the dessert was a let down, perhaps the only time on the cruise. 

 

 

 

Edited July 8, 2019 by nekzaadvakil

[vpat48]

What an amazing TR of an area of the world and ship that is not covered often. I would love to do a Singapore cruise but seeing as we are on the other side of the world, just the planning itself seems intimidating.

 

Even though we rarely go out for Indian food (we get plenty of it at home), i always try RC's specials because they put many restaurants to shame. The Fish curry i had on Oasis last year still has no match anywhere; land or sea.

 

On a side note as another person of Indian descent we don't often see many cruising or even more specifically here at CC, your reports and especially your pics are too good.

[nekzaadvakil]

11 hours ago, vpat48 said:

What an amazing TR of an area of the world and ship that is not covered often. I would love to do a Singapore cruise but seeing as we are on the other side of the world, just the planning itself seems intimidating.

 

Even though we rarely go out for Indian food (we get plenty of it at home), i always try RC's specials because they put many restaurants to shame. The Fish curry i had on Oasis last year still has no match anywhere; land or sea.

 

On a side note as another person of Indian descent we don't often see many cruising or even more specifically here at CC, your reports and especially your pics are too good.

 

Thanks vpat48 for your kind words. Singapore is a lot more westernised so a cruise from Singapore will be much easier to plan. I seriously don't know why I waited so long to go on an Asian cruise. Maybe it was because I had zero expectations and expected the worse, but we had an excellent time. Already looking at cruises from Shanghai on the Spectrum of the Seas since its so close. 

[nekzaadvakil]

Friday, 28th June 2019: At Sea

 

So after we were done with visiting Japan, we settled in for the ride back to home base - Tianjin (Beijing). I love ending a cruise with 2 sea days, we really get to enjoy the ship as well. Just look at this view!

 

 

We were invited to a Crown & Anchor top tier event (we're only Platinum members but we got an invite as well) which was being held in Two70. There were some nice fingerfood and drinks being served and access was only being given to those who brought along their invites. The captain and the cruise director addressed the crowd and introduced us to the senior staff members. 

 

 

 

 

After the event ended, we spent some time on the pool deck where we saw the belly flop competition which was good fun. However the sun was really beating down on us today and it was difficult to stand in a place which didn't have some shade. 

 

 

 

We spent most of the afternoon in the Seaplex where we played alot of games of Table Tennis with other co-passengers. I mentioned earlier that DW and I play quite a bit, so it felt good to leave unbeaten after 2-3 hours of play. 

 

 

 

 

We also spent some time in the royal promenade checking out the various sales as well as at Sorrentos for their amazing pizzas. I really enjoy the complimentary burgers on Celebrity Cruises at the Mast Bar and Grill. However I think I'd give the edge to Royal Caribbean and Sorrentos for their pizzas. The pizzas in the Windjammer were so bad as compared to these pizzas in Sorrentos. On this cruise, Sorrentos was an absolute life saver since the Windjammer was sub par. 

 

 

 

 

We then decided to spend some time in our stateroom Balcony. The weather was absolutely perfect. Armed with our drinks, pizzas and phones, we spent a leisurely afternoon-evening staring at the beautiful sea. On of our favorite times on the ship and one of the main reasons I love balcony staterooms. 

 

 

 

 

An important thing to note here is about using the balcony. The minute you open the door, you can hear the cabin's air conditioning switch off. We like sitting on the balcony, but when it gets warm, we like popping into the cold cabin. If you're like us, ensure you close the door once you're on the balcony and lock it. That way the AC turns on again. I think most of the newer ships have this feature, which makes sense since it conserves power. 

 

[nekzaadvakil]

Something that had really bothered us about this cruise was that the Solarium was off limits for non suite guests. I understand that suite guests pay more and hence need to have some special features. But we used the Solarium on the Allure of the Seas and had absolutely loved that venue. It was really bugging us that we would not even be able to see what this looked like on the Quantum. So we went to Guest Services and politely asked if it would be possible to at least see the Solarium (not use it) on any of the sea days. We didn't want to simply walk in behind some suite guests and preferred to ask. 

 

We were thrilled when we were called and told that we could go up and check it out. Luckily we were in our room when the call came. So we quickly headed up to the Solarium. This was another amazing venue and if we were allowed in here, we would have easily spent a couple of hours each day here. 

 

Please note: We did ask on day 1 for access to the Solarium and we were told that it would cost $50 per person per day, however one would need to take it for the entire cruise, which meant an additional spends of $350 per person, and $700 for the 2 of us. I refused to spend this kind of money for access to the pool.

 

Here are some pictures of the amazing Solarium on the Quantum.

 

 

 

 

The solarium was not crowded at all, but there were kids allowed inside, something which wasn't allowed in other Solariums. 

 

 

 

 

The Solarium also had access to this little bridge which protruded outside the ship which allowed for some amazing views. It was pretty windy here too, but thoroughly enjoyable. 

 

 

After spending around an hour in the Solarium we headed towards Two70. Two70 looks amazing in the evenings as the entire decor and lighting changes. 

 

 

On the same deck as Two70, there's a very nice lounge set up for smokers. DW and I both can't stand the smell of smoke, so we didn't spend too much time here. But I'm sure smokers would really enjoy this place. It was covered to ensure the balcony cabins directly above this lounge don't get any smoke smell.

 

 

After sunset it was time for dinner. Dinner in the MDR was pretty good. I had some spring rolls and a really cheesy dish (I can't remember the name, but it was really good)

 

 

 

 

We spent some time in the Music Hall and Casino before heading back to bed. 

 

 

 There were definitely a lot less activities on this cruise, but we know how to keep busy and enjoy ourselves. I really missed playing Bingo (although I have never won). But yet another amazing sea day. 

 

 

[snaefell]

Thanks again for an oustanding report,& for taking time to answer questions,only 11 weeks to our cruise now(hard to believe it seemed so far away when we booked last year!) & really looking forward to it,although I know it will be somewhat different as she is moving to Singapore.

Just this morning I found a YouTube video about a Shanghai-Japan cruise where the poster wasn't quite so impressed,for one they claim the the cast in Two70 were rehearsing every day so the blinds were closed so no view,just to make things worse the night show in Two70 had a technical meltdown the night they had booked for,also ther Bionic Bar was out of order for most of the trip & the weather closed in so all outside decks & attractions were closed down,not a lucky cruise!

Like you he felt that the cruise was not kind as representative of Japan,more just a tour of shopping malls sadly,we had a documentary about Japan with Joanna Lumley on TV last year that was quite beautiful IMO,really given me a taste for the place!

 

[nekzaadvakil]

Saturday, 29th June 2019: At Sea

 

So we had another full sea day ahead of us, before our cruise ended. It was another nice sunny day and apart from the rainy day in Kyoto, we really were fortunate when it came to the weather.

 

 

 

Our day consisted more of our favorite stuff. Playing Table tennis in the Seaplex. Spending some time lazing around on the pool deck. Grabbing some of our favorite food - from Sorrentos Pizzas to some desserts in the Windjammer and Two70. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We spent some time at the North Star bar which was the perfect spot. Overlooked the pool deck and had a nice shade. 

 

We spent some time in the Casino and I walked out with winnings of approx $200 at roulette. At first I was going to keep the casino chips and play with them at night. On the way out I decided to cash them. It was a good thing I did, as we realized while going for dinner that the Casino and many shops shut in the early evening since we were entering Chinese waters again. I was disappointed that I wouldn't be able to play in the Casino, I usually play till pretty late on the last night, but I would have probably lost some more money so it was fine. 

 

 

We went up and packed our bags. We were informed that we could leave our bags out before 11 PM, which was the latest we had seen. On all our previous cruises we were always asked to leave our bags out by 8 PM. 

 

 

We placed our bags out and headed for our last dinner of this cruise. We ended with a nice celebratory cake since Royal Caribbean was turning 50 years old. We said goodbye to our MDR staff who had been absolutely brilliant on this cruise and turned in for the night. 

 

 

 

[nekzaadvakil]

Sunday, 30th June 2019: Cruise ends

 

This cruise surpassed all our expectations, and it was another excellent holiday. The ship is absolutely gorgeous, and it does have several venues better than Celebrity cruises. We were really concerned since our cruise last year (2018 on the Celebrity Eclipse) was our best cruise till date, and we were wondering how this would ever match up. But it did not disappoint. 

 

It was good to finally try the Quantum Class ships. With the Spectrum sailing from Shanghai and the Ovation sailing from Australia, and now the Anthem sailing from Europe next year, I won't be surprised if we find ourselves trying all these ships in the next 5 years. 

 

For people who are yet in 2 minds about cruising in this part of the world, I'd say go for it. As long as you prepare for some things, you will have a good time. I yet don't think the itinerary was great, but for a quick break, this cruise was perfect. 

 

Royal Caribbean continues to impress with their ships, and more importantly their staff. I cannot stress enough on how much effort they must put into training their staff, customer delight really runs through their veins and it makes me envious that companies back home can't match this level of customer service. Which is why I will continue to cruise with them (and their sister concern Celebrity Cruises).

 

We can't wait to cruise again. Time to plan our next adventure. 

 

Nick

[snaefell]

Really glad to hear that you were so impressed with the service on board,we are very much hoping for the same as due to what has happened with RCI's Customer service on land has pretty much left us hating them before we have set foot on board one of their ships!

[nekzaadvakil]

43 minutes ago, snaefell said:

Really glad to hear that you were so impressed with the service on board,we are very much hoping for the same as due to what has happened with RCI's Customer service on land has pretty much left us hating them before we have set foot on board one of their ships!

 

Its funny you mentioned it. RCCL's land based service has been awful. If their ships and on board staff were not so good, they would have lost my business a long time ago. We had a horrible experience, where we had booked our future cruises on board, and were told that we could change them anytime, but could not cancel them since they gave us onboard credit. The land staff refused to honour this and I ended up losing 4-5 bookings. 

 

I stopped entering the future cruise section on the cruiseship after that.