19 Nights, 10,000+ photos, and way too many videos. A Quantum Review

 

 

 

That night we passed another NCL ship. It may have been the Norwegian Pearl but from what I’ve been able to find I don’t think she would have been in the area at that time.

 

 

If anyone know who it was please let me know.

Looks like Norwegian Gem, Derek. You can kind of make out the name under the NCL funnel. Makes sense too, since Gem has been doing some longer Eastern/Southern Caribbean cruises out of NYC.

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I heard that some seats in 270 are not great to say the least for watching shows. I am wondering if you would be kind enough to tell us if you experienced issues and if so, which ones are particularly bad. I always seem to find the worst seat in the house!

Great question - would have loved to have known this before we went on the cruise. We couldn't see half of Star Water because of our seats. The venue definitely isn't set up so that you can see really well from everywhere, which is unfortunate. We arrived 30 minutes before the show instead of the recommended 45, and were all the way in the back, which meant our view was blocked by dividers and lots of other stuff. Our show may have been more crowded than usual because they had combined 2 audiences together (one show was cancelled because of rough seas), but there weren't any closer seats that fit our group when we got there. In order to see the live performances, it looked like you had to be much closer to the front or maybe on the upper level.

Looks like Norwegian Gem, Derek. You can kind of make out the name under the NCL funnel. Makes sense too, since Gem has been doing some longer Eastern/Southern Caribbean cruises out of NYC.

 

 

 

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Your right, good catch didn't even realize the name was lit up there. It is definitely a three letter name so the Gem makes sense. Seems like we could never get away from her. Were with her from the 1st to the 4th as we traveled from NYC to Puerto Rico and now I guess we met her again on the evening of the 7th all the way down in Barbados. What are the odds of that.

Thanks for that wonderful review! I bet it took you ages!

 

I heard that some seats in 270 are not great to say the least for watching shows. I am wondering if you would be kind enough to tell us if you experienced issues and if so, which ones are particularly bad. I always seem to find the worst seat in the house! Thanks in advance. Suz

Which seat is best is something everyone has their own opinion on, it's about as varied as asking what the best DD venue is. I saw it 7 times, loved it every time, sat in a different place every time, and can say it was a different experience every time. Some places were certainly better than others though.

Show 1: Balcony (11/25)

A lot of people love the balcony. In fact I would say I've seen more people argue in favor of sitting in the balcony than any other place. I personally disagree, but I'll get to that in a moment. The balcony is the best place to appreciate the vistaramas. You can see the entire venue, fully appreciate the vistaramas, and not miss a thing. It is actually the only place you can see everything. It was a great place to see what Starwater looks like but IMO it felt like I was watching a show. That could be why people love it so much, but I personally thought the overwhelming feeling Starwater gives by sitting in the middle of it all is what makes it special.

Show 2: Bottom Level, 2nd row left side isle (11/28)

This was the moment I fell in love with Starwater. This was our actual reservation for Starwater which meant that I could get there extra early. I believe I was there about 75-90 minutes early to get good seats, and yes it is that important. Unlike other venues they do not kick everyone out and then open it up. Instead they stop the doors, sweep the venue and check for reservations. If you have one you can stay where you are, if not you must leave. This means that while the doors may officially open 45 minutes before the show, if you want to get good seats you have to be there much much earlier. I absolutely loved these seats. I felt like I was in the middle of the action and had a clear view of everything happening on the floor. I completely forgot the vistaramas even existed though. The location means that the sheet, dancers, and other elements kind of cover or distract you from the vistaramas. The dancing happens in front of you but some of the aerialists (if they started them again, they stopped due to a mechanical/safety failure) actually happen behind you so you really have to be looking all around. The venue also has sound built into the ceiling so from this location you also have sound happening in every direction rather than just in front. Some people find that overwhelming and feel you miss parts of the show (you do, like i said the balcony is the only place you won’t), but I loved that feeling and fell like it’s the only place you can properly experience Starwater.

Show 3: Main level at a table on the right side (11/30)

This offered a great view of the roboscreens. It’s about even with many of their movements so that you can really appreciate every subtle movement they make. You are at a poor angle from the dancers though. Every person in front of you is basically perfectly aligned to ensure that you can’t see any of the dancers when they aren’t elevated. Being towards the right also meant that the vistarama on the right was out of view. I could clearly see the most of the aerials though.

Show 4: Bottom level, row 4 center. (12/6)

This was actually a great place for the overall experience. It’s still low that you can see nearly everything up close. It’s not as overwhelming an experience (like I said overwhelming was something I actually liked though), but still an encompassing one. This level actually has the benefit that the angles seem to line up perfectly for the Vistarama extended stage effect. The seats in the lower level are also very steep so you don’t have much to worry about as far as someone blocking your view even though your a few rows back.

Show 5: Right side by bar (12/8)

Sorry, didn’t take any photos from here, I was actually there early for our reservation and there was an earlier show so I just sat near the bar to watch that (nearly the entire show, missed vogue) while I waited. It was far to off center to really appreciate anything. You couldn’t see the vistarama well, the robots were a bad angle, and the performance is really strait on, and 45º to either side so part of the performance actually felt like you were behind it. It was enjoyable as always, but I would never recommend sitting on the extreme sides.

Show 6: Bottom level, front row center (12/8)

Since I was there so early, as soon as the first show ended I got front and center. Didn’t expect much difference from last time when I had second row, but I was wrong. That one row was a completely different experience. Being in front meant that our feet were on the same floor as the performers. During the one dance as the performer was thrown across the floor she actually kicked me as she slid by. You cannot get anymore in the performance than this. You can feel the wind off the dancers, hear the squeaks on the floor, and during many of the routines they even swing their fans and dresses right around you. It was the most incredible experience I’ve had in a show anywhere, and it was the 6th time I was seeing it so that says something. Being that close though as I mentioned before you do miss out on some of the aerialists since they are behind you (they weren’t happening for safety reasons so we didn’t miss them this performance) and you are so distracted that you forget about the vistaramas. This spot is really all about the performers.

Show 7: Left side, back by understate entrance (12/11)

Since this was my last chance to see the show I made sure I saw my favorite part from a new angle. I love the aerial scene with the couple, but part of it happens behind a curtain so all you see is the shadows creating a neat effect. This extreme side location allowed me to finally see behind the curtain. Unfortunately just like being near the bar the extreme angle makes it impossible to see the vistaramas properly, the roboscreens are a poor angle, and as I mentioned you are behind some of the performance. So I would never recommend this location.

So my recommendation, if you want to see the entire performance sit in the balcony and you’ll be able to really appreciate the vistaramas. If you want to appreciate the roboscreens sit somewhere on the main level where you even with them. If you at the tables and sit towards the center you can still see most of the performance but off to the sides things start to block your view. If you want to be in the performance though you have to sit in the lower section where your practically on stage and can appreciate the dancing but you miss out on some of the elements. It’s really a choice of what do you want to appreciate most when watching. You really can’t pick a spot and get the full experience. I listed 7 shows I found while going through my photos but I know there was an eight because I also say in the comfy large chairs on in front of the tables for one performance and found that very difficult to see the dance floor from. So I actually saw 8 performances total. Thinking I must not have taken any pictures during that performance for some reason. I remember there being a rather rude older guy in that performance filming the whole thing and even standing in the middle of it to get better shots. I had a media pass which allowed me to take photos and short video clips, but I never filmed any full performances and I always used a view finder with it held at chest level or in front of my face to not distract or bother anyone else around me. I think I probably didn't do anything out of principle because of him. Hope that helps you make some decisions. The key places for reservations are the lower level and front of the balcony. The main level can usually be grabbed as a walk in and obviously the sides are typically open. You can see where I say, the front and second row were with reservation. The fourth I got after an interview with a cast member, and the rest were all standby.

Thank you so much for that very informative and detailed response!! I appreciate it a lot! If I ever see you I will buy you a large drink xxx :)

Thanks again

Suzanne

Some great pictures, thank you for sharing. I can't wait to get on board and snap away with my Nikon!:)

Big news, theCruiseView is coming today! Keep an eye out for the thread to appear.

Day 8b: December 8, 2014

Day 16 photos: https://picasaweb.google.com/115365916503583655211/QuantumOfTheSeasDecember82014BassettiereStKitts

The final port of call. This was our St. Kitts day and once again it was a Royal visit. We had beautiful weather (one of the few days it never rained!) and were in port with the Insignia, Celebrity Summit, and Jewel of the Seas (my next cruise, and the closest I’ve ever been to a Radiance class!). We, like every port it seems, were once again the last to arrive though and it was another silent arrival. No salute between any of the Royal ships.

Being along side the Jewel of the Seas was impressive. The pool deck was higher than the Viking Crown Lounge (think about that when saying the loss of it means no views from above).

It was actually a bit amusing just how much larger we were than her. She is the same size as the Celebrity ship we docked next to but she just looked so much lower.

Seeing them side by side I have to say I was surprised just how little they resembled one another. As I said before the Celebrity Century had a very clear genetic link to Quantum and knowing the connection between Century and Jewel I expected her to look even more alike. Weirdly though their was no connection at all. You really would be hard pressed to find any way to make a claim the two were related. I think that thoroughly confirms that Quantum really is a Solstice class ship in Royal paint. She is far more like the Century class than any other ship we saw (wish I could compare her to Solstice itself but never had the chance).

It’s like Magic, you can make the Jewel disappear, lol.

For our excursion we did the rail and sail. It was very enjoyable, a fun boat ride around to the other side of the island with some incredible views along the way, and then we boarded the train to head back around the other half of the island.

St. Kitts is absolutely beautiful!

And if you take a lap around the island and spin around three times the Jewel reappears! lol

As we were coming back the Summit was already departing.

I did get back (and just back, had to run up to deck 15) in time to see the Jewel of the Seas leave. It was a beautiful departure with the sun setting once again.

The reflections on the windows of the indoor pool looks absolutely beautiful. It was an incredibly orange sunset.

We then left a few hours later. It was a later departure but we still used our horn to wake the city on our way out!

[YOUTUBE]5GkrVqeaGL4[/YOUTUBE]

As we were sailing away, after dinner I spotted a ship and went out to look. It was another Royal Caribbean ship, the Horizon sailing for CDF.

That night was my StarWater showing with a reservation so it was front row center seat!

You are literally eye level with the sheet, it’s incredible!

This was our last port of call so it was back towards the cold northeast afterwards.

Stay tuned for more updates, i will continue to post my daily entries when I get a chance and theCruiseView episode 1 will be up today. I am going to put that in it’s own thread so it doesn’t get lost and will be sharing more behind the scenes information on what it took to film each episode there. This thread will remain my review thread.

For our excursion we did the rail and sail. It was very enjoyable, a fun boat ride around to the other side of the island with some incredible views along the way, and then we boarded the train to head back around the other half of the island.

 

 

St. Kitts is absolutely beautiful!

 

Wow, perhaps things have changed. We were in St Kitts a few years back and took the train tour (no boat though). We still laughingly call it our "junkyard tour" since that's what stood out most to us. Dozens of spots with nothing but abandoned junk and some really impoverished looking areas. The people glared at us like we were trying to steal from them. One of the worst tours we were ever on. Not to mention the awful and smelly exhaust coming off the train engine. Oh...plus there was some local religious singing group on the train with us. :eek: Guess it was supposed to give us a taste of their culture, but it felt like I was in church with a really crummy choir!. That's about all we saw of St. Kitts and have never wanted to go back again. Glad you had a good time. Maybe we'll give it another try someday (though I think I would still avoid the train ;) )

Wow, perhaps things have changed. We were in St Kitts a few years back and took the train tour (no boat though). We still laughingly call it our "junkyard tour" since that's what stood out most to us. Dozens of spots with nothing but abandoned junk and some really impoverished looking areas. The people glared at us like we were trying to steal from them. One of the worst tours we were ever on. Not to mention the awful and smelly exhaust coming off the train engine. Oh...plus there was some local religious singing group on the train with us. :eek: Guess it was supposed to give us a taste of their culture, but it felt like I was in church with a really crummy choir!. That's about all we saw of St. Kitts and have never wanted to go back again. Glad you had a good time. Maybe we'll give it another try someday (though I think I would still avoid the train ;) )

There was certainly a lot of that still, especially at the end when it winds through a quary area. I love taking photos of nature and the ocean though so being on the train and having that continuously changing atmosphere to everything as we rotated around the island made it fun for me. Seemed to always be something to take a picture of. We also smelled the train a few times but it wasn't too bad, we were the third car I believe. I'm sure the car your in effects how much the exhaust impacts you and it was likely much worse in the first car.

You have a wonderfully positive attitude. Next time I'll try to follow your example and look past the junk to see the beauty. :)

How did you see the show so many times? Did you make reservations? We were only able to book it once on our upcoming 12 day cruise. Due to dinner times we are not able to book 2 shows. Do you know if we can stand in the back and watch the shows?

How did you see the show so many times? Did you make reservations? We were only able to book it once on our upcoming 12 day cruise. Due to dinner times we are not able to book 2 shows. Do you know if we can stand in the back and watch the shows?

We were only allowed to make reservations for one show per sailing (2 total). I stumbled upon it once when it wasn't in the compass, was simply looking to see if anything was happening in Two70º and ended up standing in the balcony right at the top of the stairs (no where decent to sit that I could find). The other times I stopped by when we had nothing going on, sometimes after our Royal Theatre show for the night, and once even between dinner and our reserved show. All those times I had to wait in the standby line in order to get in. They let you in about 10 minutes before it starts (sadly that is actually the same time the pre show starts). My parents only attended the scheduled shows so the standby ones were a bit easier to find a seat since I was alone than if I needed three. By that time though, even then any good seats are usually taken. That's why those shows I sat farther back and had more obstructed views while the ones I had reservations for I showed up long in advance and got great front section seats. As long as you don't block anyone's view you can stand to watch when their are no more seats. Usually the best places for standing are right at the top of the stairs in the Balcony or right when you enter Two70º. You can also stand around the outside on the left or right as well as above the seats in the balcony. You can't really stand in the middle on the bottom level because their are some seats behind the walking isle.

Thanks for the information. So you think it's OK to stand in the back for all shows (we couldn't book the guest entertainers)?

Thanks for the information. So you think it's OK to stand in the back for all shows (we couldn't book the guest entertainers)?

Mamma Mia and Starwater get packed. It's hard to get a spot for more than one person on standby, though possible. Sonic Odyssey is not as bad but still pretty bad. The guest entertainers on the other hand may have a full show during a peak time, but typically have seats open until the show starts, sometimes even after that. I stood in the back of the lower level for one of the showings of Mamma Mia without a problem, many others were standing back there as well. I was also standing in the back in the balcony for a showing of Sonic Odyssey without a problem. As long as the isles are kept clear and your not standing in front of someone, you are free to stand where ever you find space. If it's only the guest entertainers though that you don't have reservations for, I'd recommend getting their 15 minutes early so you can be in the standby line and you'll likely get a seat when they let you in at 10 minutes prior to the show. I never saw any of the guest entertainers twice so I can't speak from personal experience on that one, but from in the theater I believe you'd be fine.

Mamma Mia and Starwater get packed. It's hard to get a spot for more than one person on standby, though possible. Sonic Odyssey is not as bad but still pretty bad. The guest entertainers on the other hand may have a full show during a peak time, but typically have seats open until the show starts, sometimes even after that. I stood in the back of the lower level for one of the showings of Mamma Mia without a problem, many others were standing back there as well. I was also standing in the back in the balcony for a showing of Sonic Odyssey without a problem. As long as the isles are kept clear and your not standing in front of someone, you are free to stand where ever you find space. If it's only the guest entertainers though that you don't have reservations for, I'd recommend getting their 15 minutes early so you can be in the standby line and you'll likely get a seat when they let you in at 10 minutes prior to the show. I never saw any of the guest entertainers twice so I can't speak from personal experience on that one, but from in the theater I believe you'd be fine.

Thanks again for all your help.

If you didn't see theCruiseView thread is available here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2158075

Now onto the first sea day back north¡ (that ! is intentionally upside down, lol).

Day 9b: December 8, 2014

Day 17 photos: https://picasaweb.google.com/115365916503583655211/QuantumOfTheSeasDecember92014DayAtSea

This was a day of changing weather, in a hurry. It was nice weather all day. The seas were smooth in the morning.

They were smooth in the evening.

They even seemed smooth at night.

Yet somehow the pool that night looked like this.

There were times when it was actually reaching the height of North Star. Standing on deck 15 I saw the water shoot up to that height at least once and saw it almost reach that height twice from deck 14. It had to be the wind. It was a fairly windy night, but the seas did not seem bad. At the same time though from our balcony I could see...I couldn't see waves...but could see water breaking off the bow and soaring not only past our balcony but eventually dissipating into a cloud of water onto the top deck. I believe the pools were effected by the wind, but at the same time wind doesn't send water that high on it's own. I still feel like the bow was not designed right. It seems like the angle some how matches up perfectly to the waves far more than it should and that's what keeps causing these massive shutters and sends the water flying even in relatively calm conditions.

But away from the seas, they did have a Christmas shopping event in the esplanade. I personally hate all the shopping events, they don't really bother me, but I would never waste time shopping while on vacation. This event though was rather fun in general. They had christmas music playing (they had been doing about 1/3 of the songs as christmas since the tree went up, but this was 100%), along with mulled cider available to purchase. They had a Santa by the tree to take photos, though since we didn't have many kids on board he was rather lonely most of the time. They even had Puss in Boots there which was fun. Normally they have the characters scheduled for a spot and setup to take pictures, this time he was just walking around taking pictures with people that wanted and playing with the different store items and guests. It was entertaining just to watch him and was another great example of how the DreamWorks experience didn't take anything away, but added some extra enjoyment to everyones trip. They really were fun to just have on the ship.

Since we were back to Sea days we had more DreamWorks performances. This day was the one for How To Train Your Dragon. It was probably my least favorite out of the four, but at the same time I have never seen the movie so I didn't know any of the characters or the plot which I'm sure effected my ability to enjoy it.

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I had to get up early and wait in line for nearly an hour to get a pass to do it, but this day was also the first time that I successfully managed to get on North Star while at sea. It was once again broken down for a short period this day prior to my time slot but they didn't have a backup of the line, people were still going at their scheduled allotment, but any openings were being filled by people coming back with tickets from the downtime. It was a fun experience, and while the ship was rocking it was a smooth one in there. I was really surprised by that, having done it many times in port I was expecting it to feel different, but it really doesn't feel much different. It is certainly cool to go off the side of the ship though, and a sight you rarely get to enjoy while onboard a ship.

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That evening in addition to the seas changing slightly we also had an orange sunset.

There wasn't much to mention this day, it was a typical nice sea day, but it was a very busy one for me with a lot of filming going on for theCruiseView's interviews.

It’s been far to long since I’ve had a chance to continue this thread. I’ve been busy working through theCruiseView episodes so all my free time has been spent doing that and when I was waiting I was taking the time to type up the compasses for future episodes. But I do finally have a moment to come back here.

Day 10b: December 10, 2014

Day 18 photos: https://picasaweb.google.com/115365916503583655211/QuantumOfTheSeasDecember102014DayAtSea

This was of course another one of our sea days headed back north. Yesterday was a nice day out and today was not great but still decent. It was warm, but the skies were partly cloudy and we had passing showers throughout the day.

The seas were not horrible, but the ship was moving and the sea spray was flying.

We started out early again with our DreamWorks breakfast for this sailing.

I’ve heard some bad things about the milk shakes not being good, but I took a chance this time and it was delicious!

Our DreamWorks fun didn’t end there though, the fourth and final DreamWorks performance took place on this day, the Shrek Dance Party. Out of the four it was the most unique. The first three really seemed to tell a story or have some kind of plot where this one felt more like it was just about being a Shrek party.

[YOUTUBE]6jUfK_clLSk[/YOUTUBE]