Quantum of the Seas – November 2014

Our journey to the Big Apple and an inaugural sailing of Royal Caribbean’s new vessel

Quantum of the Seas began with an overnight flight from the West Coast. With only a

few hours to spare Christine and I zipped into Manhattan to walk around Times Square

and do some shopping for the kids. (No luck finding the special shoes for our daughters

but we were successful in snagging some good deals at Macy’s department store).

Up near 50th and Broadway a

large billboard heralding the

Quantum’s introduction to New

York only helped to fuel the ever-

growing enthusiasm of what we

were about to experience.

After making our way down to Penn

Station, we ended up taking a couple

of trains and a taxi out to Cape

Liberty Pier in Bayonne, New Jersey.

We arrived at the pier around 4:30

PM so we didn’t get a chance to see

how busy the pier was when the majority of passenger arrived and, as it was, we were

amongst the last to get onboard.

As we had already completed

our Set Sail pass online in the

days prior (this included

uploading a profile photo; no

need to awkwardly smile at the

little webcam at the pier!) the

check-in lasted less than five

minutes and soon we were on

our way up the escalators and

onto the gangway.

I must admit that every time I go

on a ship (whether it is for a cruise or a simple ship tour) I always feel a tinge of

excitement as I step onto the vessel. When it comes to stepping onboard a Royal

Caribbean vessel my feelings only heighten as this was the cruise line I worked on for

over 2 ½ years back in the late 90’s. The view of the Crown and Anchor symbol all

Greetings from Times Square

View from the taxi

around the ship (but, alas, not the now defunct Crown and Anchor lounge) and the

familiar smell of the Schooner Bar (where does one buy that scent anyway?) always

results in a flood of memories coming back. While working on a vessel in Europe I was

amongst a group of lucky crew members who were able to tour the Voyager of the Seas

in Turku, Finland while the vessel was mostly just a steel shell. That ship was the

largest vessel at the time and years later I was able to cruise an early sailing of the now-

largest-ship Oasis of the Seas. Now the chance to experience the Quantum of the

Seas was present and the ability to see how she sets herself apart from the others in

her fleet.

First stop, naturally, was our stateroom and avoiding the crush of passengers who had

just completed boat drill as we had boarded. One difference with this ship is that a

room key has to be inserted on the wall immediately

after entering one’s room in order for the lights to

turn on. An energy saving gesture to be sure but

one that took getting used to because there wasn’t a

need to bring one’s stateroom key around the ship

as in the past. Why? Introducing the WOWbands

which resemble a kid’s plastic watch. Each

passenger gets one and it can be used for

accessing the stateroom, purchasing items in the

gift shop, etc. A nice idea especially for those times

when you are in the pool and don’t wish to fish for

your room key before sauntering up to the bar.

Off to the pool deck we went to catch some views of

the Manhattan skyline before grabbing a bite to eat in the Windjammer Café. As far as

buffets go these are some of the better designed ones

as there are mini stations located so one doesn’t have

to queue up for every piece of food available and

instead hop from one station to the other. One also

has the option to purchase a beverage cup good for

unlimited soft drinks; these specially designed cups

can be used in a self-serve station and one can choose

from a couple dozen different beverages via a touch

screen system. Now that our stomachs were full and

we watched New York’s gleaming city lights disappear

from view, it was time to explore the ship.

The WOWband

Self serve beverage machine

First stop: the SeaPlex. This area is the first of its kind onboard a ship: a multipurpose

space that can change to accommodate bumper cars, basketball & volleyball games,

roller skating, trapeze flying

activities, etc. Here are some of

the sights we witnessed over the

next three nights. As there were

only so many times the bumpers

cars were running, for example,

one has to be aware of the

operating times and be prepared

for long line-ups. In the case of

the bumper cars, we showed up

with about fifteen minutes to

spare before the end of its two

hour run and didn’t have to wait

nearly as long as folks who had

arrived at the beginning.

Off we went to the activities desk on the pool deck in order to sign up for the highly

anticipated skydiving simulator know as RipCord by IFly; here guests can enjoy a

minute of flying in a wind chamber that resembles the experience of jumping out of an

airplane. Sure enough, the spots were filling up quickly but we were confirmed for the

following afternoon. We signed the waiver release form (this can be done in person or

by accessing one’s shipboard account via the in- stateroom TV screen) which also

covers other activities such as the Flow Rider, Rock Climbing wall, etc.

Basketball...

Bumper Cars...

And Blading... Oh, My!

Before we headed to the main theatre for tonight’s performance, we explored the Royal

Esplanade with its choice of gift shops, cafes, lounges, etc. The ship boasts a number

of wide-open spaces along with a

buzz of activity in the higher traffic

areas near the shore excursion and

front desks.

Into the Royal Theatre we went for

the night’s performance, an a

capella group of five men known as

Mo5aic. Later in the cruise, we

watched a performance of the

Broadway hit Mamma Mia. Although truncated

versions of shows have been performed on

other ships in recent years, this is the full 2 ½

hour production complete with an intermission.

The other welcome feature is a live orchestra

playing in “the pit” at the front of the stage.

Over the years many cruise lines have moved

towards using more and more recorded track

music for their revue shows but this is not the

case here.

The Royal Esplanade

The Royal Theatre

As far as production shows go, arguably

the most anticipated production of the

cruise does not take place in the main

show lounge but rather in an area known

as Two70 located at the back of the

vessel. Another multi-use space, during

the day this is a wide-open area with large

windows offering (you guessed it) 270⁰

panoramic views, ideal for relaxing and

viewing the scenery outside and by night it

is transformed into a performance center.

On this night the venue was used for

a performance by Sante Fe and the

Fat City Horns, a rocking ensemble

from Las Vegas. With how the stage

was arranged, some passengers sat

in front and others behind the band.

The next evening was the marquee production of Starwater which was created with this

venue in mind; with six large digital screens manipulated by robotic arms, state-of-the-

art lighting and other gizmos in order to showcase a Cirque de Soleil type atmosphere

this is unlike any other show on the high seas. We were not successful in reserving a

seat at this show ahead of time so had to wait in a long stand-by line. Listening to other

passengers, some mentioned that they believed they had made reservations only to

learn later they were no longer confirmed. Apparently some bugs still need to be

Two70 by day...

And Two70 by night

Starwater

worked out on that end. A word to the wise: try to plan as many of these events (plus

dinner reservations) online and then reconfirm these reservations soon after boarding.

In speaking with other passengers too, many suggested not grabbing a seat at the very

front as some of the visuals are obscured; best to sit a ways back in order to take in the

entire spectacle.

On the subject of reservations, I

digress to speak about the Dynamic

Dining option offered on this vessel.

Here Royal Caribbean allows one to

arrange their dining online ahead of

boarding. A nice feature in that one

can pre-arrange their meals and

coordinate them with the evening's

entertainment. In theory that works

fine but, for example, in the case of

the Starwater show starting later to

accommodate all the guests, we (and

a number of others) were late for our

assigned reservation time in Le Grande restaurant. In the end this was not an issue

and the restaurant staff was able to accommodate us a few minutes after we arrived.

That said, we found that the dietary request

we had indicated ahead of time (specifically

gluten-free and lactose intolerance for my

wife) were only noted on the restaurant’s

computers as a “dietary request”. Again,

hopefully a bug that will be worked out for

future sailings. When we clarified the

request to our waiter on all occasions the

Head Waiter visited our table and

went through the menu highlighting

which items would be suitable or

could be prepared in an alternate

way.

Chic Restaurant

Silk Restaurant

The highlight of our first full day at sea was the chance to try the RipCord in the

afternoon. I won’t go on to describe in detail exactly what it felt like (so as not to spoil

the surprise!) but I will make some

general comments for anyone who

gets a chance to try this on the

Quantum or (eventually) on the

Anthem of the Seas:

1) If you plan to do the RipCord

with your travel companion you won’t

be able to take any photographs of

each other so consider speaking with

other folks who are watching as

bystanders and are willing to take

some shots or perhaps sign up at

different times so that one person can

document the event. (Apparently the cruise line is planning to install their own

cameras to take pictures and record the events as most participants agree this

would be a slam-dunk purchase in the photo shop).

2) When asking if we could sign up again later in the cruise we were told the

confirmed spots were full but it was suggested we arrive around dinnertime in

hopes that people do not

show up. Sure enough,

we came by the following

evening and both of us

were able to “fly” again.

My class had so many

“no shows” that there

were only four of us (out

of a maximum of ten); I

guess that is the

unfortunate side-effect of

offering such activities for

free in that many forget to

show up for their

scheduled time.

3) Make sure you leave all

watches, jewelry, glasses,

etc behind in your stateroom as

you will invariably be asked to remove them when you arrive.

4) And, finally, relax and keep your chin up!

Suiting Up for RipCord

Wu Hoo!!

The other marquee activity onboard is the chance to ride in the North Star, an enclosed

capsule on the pool deck that ascends over 300 feet above sea level for some unique

views of the ship and her surroundings. On the first day at sea the North Star did not

fully run as planned (technical glitches, natch!) so the majority of folks lined up on the

second sea day to

get a chance.

Thankfully the

weather was

warmer than the

day prior (though

that was not

saying much!) so

the line-up was not

too hard to bear. I

chatted with other

folks in line and

we all agreed to

take turns leaving

and coming back so we did not

have to stay in line for the full 2 ½

hours. Yes, that is how long it

took as each cycle of getting on

and off the capsule took about 13

minutes and the line-up stretched

down the pool deck. Again, this

is where one hopes that the

cruise line will adopt a more

efficient way to handle the crowds

by assigning a specific time or

issuing passes to show up later

on. Ah, those ever-present bugs

of new vessels and new features!

North Star

Eventually we got onboard the capsule and enjoyed seeing the ship from this different

perspective. The ride up and

down is very smooth. As we

were out to sea with no land in

sight the views were limited to,

well, the ship itself but it was

breathtaking nonetheless. Word

on the street is that the cruise

line will begin charging a fee to

go onboard the North Star during

certain times (i.e. sunset) but that

hadn’t been adopted as of yet.

As we were not set to watch the matinee

of Mamma Mia for a few hours we

decided to try the Flow Rider, a wave

machine at the back of the ship. Yes,

the temperature was only a few

degrees above freezing but, hey, why

not? Surprise, surprise, there wasn’t a

line-up at all, just a couple of young

kids having the time of their life boogie

boarding in the cold water. I was most

impressed with my wife trying this

activity as water is not her favorite

friend (!)

Boogie Boarding on the Flow Rider

A trip to the hot tub followed soon after in order to warm our chilly bones and to explore

the Solarium. Located at the front of the ship, this lovely tranquil area is ideal for such

cold weather itineraries. After watching Mamma Mia we did more wandering around

the ship. Alas, we didn’t get a chance to see any of the Inside staterooms that have the

digital balconies giving one the ability to watch real time video of what is happening

outside. We did have time to grab some food at Sorrento’s Pizzeria (a gluten-free

pizza was made to order to Christine’s delight) and then some souvenir shopping at the

gift shops. We also stuck our nose in at the Music Hall to watch a mini magic show; by

night this venue showcases a couple of tribute bands.

Prior to heading to dinner we decided

to order drinks from the first robot

bartenders at sea at the Bionic Bar.

Naturally this is little more than a

novelty but an enjoyable one to watch

nonetheless. Passengers have the

option to order from a wide variety of

drinks or to create one themselves;

neither of us was in the mood for

mixing a mystery concoction so stuck

to some standards. Regretfully, I

neglected to see if an automatic

gratuity was added on to the bar

tab… hmmm…

Our reservations for that evening were

for the Silk restaurant, an Asian fusion

restaurant that offered some tasty treats.

Again, the brevity of this cruise meant

that we did not get to try the majority of

restaurants onboard. Before turning in

for the night we checked in online for our

flights; on that note, the Quantum

The Bionic Bar

certainly boasts the best internet connection of any ship I have been on, with speeds

comparable to those on land. In fact, we were able to do video calling with family back

home and the quality was terrific.

We woke up bright

and early to see the

sunrise with the Statue

of Liberty in the

distance. After

snapping some last

minute photographs

and enjoying a quick

meal at the

Windjammer Café we

were on the shuttle bus and headed back to

Newark airport for our flight home.

I would certainly return to this ship again as

there is a myriad of activities, venues and

dining options to explore even for the most

experienced cruiser. Quantum of the Seas is

certainly an example of a ship that is a

destination in itself.

Please feel free to contact me with questions about this or any other cruise!

Rob Stover

Toll Free: 1-877-417-2077 extension 2248

Direct: 778-398-2010

Email: robs@uniglobeone.com

Waking up to the Big Apple...