Just off Quantum, who has questions?

We got off the Quantum 3 nighter this morning, and I'm happy to answer any questions that I can.

Meanwhile, here are my initial thoughts:

Decor: The ship is beautiful, new cabin decor is very sleek and contemporary. No annoying coffee table getting in the way, dresser has USB ports, shower seems a little bigger with a door that opens/closes, rather than a sliding door, lots of storage. Pool loungers have a nice solid mesh material instead of the icky vinyl slats. Also saw a few child-sized loungers here and there, which were cute. In addition to the hand sanitizer station, they have added actual hand-washing sinks by the Windjammer entrance, and also the Solarium. Solarium is very nice. Really enjoyed 270 also. Some really pretty art around the ship.

Technology: Lots of glitches. North Star, Bionic Bartenders and iFly all had periods of time where they were out of service. Wristbands didn't always work. The Royal iQ app had issues. It would show our dinner reservation for that particular night, but would never show our full calendar. Got the internet package though and it was indeed good, high speed internet. Didn't see any way to pull up our account on the TV in the room, which seemed odd. Lots of ipads set up just outside the Schooner Bar; didn't use these but heard you could use them to make reservations among other things??? Can't comment on the computer terminals where you view your photos because we didn't have any taken!

Check in: We arrived about 12:30 and didn't have to wait, but the idea of floating check-in reps may not be the most practical. Since they aren't at a desk/counter, they are trying to hold an ipad which they use to check you in, while also holding/handling your passport and your Set Sail Pass. Poor girl checking us in needed 3 hands. And her scanner didn't work so she had to key a lot of stuff into the ipad. Can't see where it really saved any time.

Food/Beverage: We had ultimate package pre-ordered, but it wasn't indicated on our Sea Passes. One of the bartenders later put stickers on for us. Refillable soda fountain cups were waiting for us in our cabin, which we hadn't expected so that was a fun surprise. (Never got those with the drink package before) Unfortunately, many bars were out of many things. Michael's Pub did not have any of the first 4 beers we asked for (which were on their menu.) Another bar didn't have either of the 2 hard ciders they listed. One night I went to 3 bars before I found one that actually had bottled water. The Sunshine Bar in the Solarium did not have what was needed to make 2 of their signature cocktails. Later they ran out of blueberries needed for another. Nearly impossible to get an Irish Coffee the day we boarded. Asked at Cafe Promenade where to get one and they sent me across to La Patisserie. La Patisserie doesn't have a bar set up though, so they referred me to "next to Michael's Pub." Huh?! There isn't a bar "next to" the pub, so asked at the pub but they didn't have coffee. Finally got one at Cafe 270.

We had dinner rez at Wonderland, American Icon Grill, and Jamie's. Really enjoyed Wonderland, although the food came out in rapid succession, so we barely had time to finish one thing before something else appeared. Loved our server, Oliver, though. American Icon menu has changed a bit from what's been published previously, and a number of the dishes left a bit to be desired. Not terrible by any means, but not quite what we'd hoped. Everything we tried at Jamie's was delish. Cafe 270 is basically the Park Cafe, with a few differences. Same delicious roast beef sandwiches though. Johnny Rockets is very different. No more entertainment (fine with me), it's just counter service and took 20 min to get food. Not a lot of seating right in the counter area, and tables went un-bussed for quite a while. It's in the corner of the pool deck, so cannot imagine what it will be like in warm weather when the pool deck is in full use. Yikes! Peeked into both the D lounge and the Concierge Lounge but didn't really spend any time in either.

Shows/Entertainment/Casino: Didn't see any shows, other than a bit of the Led Zeppelin tribute band in the Music Hall one night, so can't comment on Starwater, Mamma Mia, etc. Did iFly and it's harder than it looks. Took a spin in the bumper cars, but did not roller skate. Didn't visit the spa or fitness center either. Casino.... oh my. I don't think I've ever seen a cruise ship casino that was SO crowded, and SO smokey!! Probably made worse by the extremely cold weather that drove smokers in from whatever exterior area was designed for smokers, so lots of people not gambling, just using the room as a smoking lounge. It was absolutely horrible.

Overall we enjoyed it. We are not booked on Anthem, but look forward to hearing what Ovation's itineraries will be.

Probably forgetting some things, so again- ask any questions and I'll do my best to answer!

My sister just talked to someone who was on the 11/18 3 day. He categorized the food as "terrible". Knowing that food tastes are very subjective, I would still like to know what you would say. Thank you.

Thanks for the report. I know you touched on Food but few questions nevertheless....

*Any meals at Windjammer Cafe? If so how was the organization and crowd flow? The food?

*Room service - same questions.

*How was the food at Johnny Rockets?

Sorry to hear about the casino!!! I hate smoke smell *but* i'm not one of these anti-smoking zealots. I just wish they'd have better air circulation or non-smoking sections and tables! Casino is one of my favorite things in cruising but if it's too smokey - I won't play and I usually play every night for hours. I really wonder why cruise lines wouldn't make some accommodation for non-smokers in casinos.

Because of the dynamic dining concept are there changes to the restaurants open for lunch and breakfast?

...Casino.... oh my. I don't think I've ever seen a cruise ship casino that was SO crowded, and SO smokey!!...

Oh my goodness, I cannot believe this. So sorry to hear this, I mean - wow. You would think they'd have state-of-the-art ventilation systems going full blast in the casino, especially. Disappointing.

Thank you for the review. :)

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My sister just talked to someone who was on the 11/18 3 day. He categorized the food as "terrible". Knowing that food tastes are very subjective, I would still like to know what you would say. Thank you.

We were also on the 3 day cruise. The food was wonderful! Not just acceptable. Even in the Windjammer. Everything was fresh, tasty and served at the proper temperature. I don't get the complaints and negativity at all.

My sister just talked to someone who was on the 11/18 3 day. He categorized the food as "terrible". Knowing that food tastes are very subjective, I would still like to know what you would say. Thank you.

Personally, I pay zero attention to anyone's opinion that uses such words as "terrible" and "inedible" when it comes to food on a cruise ship.

Personally, I pay zero attention to anyone's opinion that uses such words as "terrible" and "inedible" when it comes to food on a cruise ship.

Good Point! Some dishes are better than others - so you order something else...until your happy! That's the benefit of cruising - trying something you would normally order.

I have not seen a huge difference between ships ... or even cruise lines. So the scrambled eggs are not great in the buffets/windjammer.... get something made to order in the MDR etc.

I've never seen anyone "missing any meals" on a cruise due to lack of edible food.

Did they have Coca-Coca Freestyle?

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Did they have Coca-Coca Freestyle?

Quantum has Freestyle machines.

Did they have Coca-Coca Freestyle?

 

 

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There are supposed to be 7 Freestyle machines onboard. This could be updated by current passengers.

They are built in at Sorrento's and Windjammer and not freestanding.

2 are in Windjammer with 24 hour access. (1 on each side)

2 are in Sorrento's with 24 hour access.

1 next to the SeaPlex Dog House (not operational on TA)

1 in Fuel (confirmed only by crew as it was not yet open on TA)

1 still TBA *might be in Arcade, but not installed on TA

Knowing that food tastes are very subjective, I would still like to know what you would say. Thank you.

Breakfast:

We tried 270, which I mentioned is like Park Cafe. I enjoyed a mini bacon egg and cheese croissant and a mini caprese croissant. They also had breakfast burritos, egg McMuffin type sandwiches, cereal, yogurt and oatmeal I think. Had a raspberry croissant one day at La Patisserie. It was fine. Not OMG Wow, but perfectly fine to enjoy with my latte. Went to American Icon one morning. I had the New York Bodega breakfast...bacon egg and cheese on a kaiser roll and enjoyed it. Mr. Waterbug had eggs benedict, which I noticed were made with "country ham" instead of Canadian bacon, only it didn't really look like country ham to me, looked more like thin sliced deli ham. Didn't take a bite so can't really comment. We did not eat in the Windjammer or get room service.

Lunch: We had the roast beef sandwiches at 270 on 2 different days. Also shared a hot dog at Sea Plex dog house. The hot dog was fine, but this southern girl wants chili on her hot dog and they didn't have that. Appeared to have most other typical hot dog toppings though. Ate at JR's one day and it was fine. Onion rings weren't really hot when we finally got them, but weren't ice cold. Burger was good.

Dinner: We really liked Wonderland, but if you're an unadventurous meat and potatoes type, you will probably not like it as much. American Icon, as mentioned before, just left us wanting a little more in terms of execution. Great ideas, but the execution falls short. I had the Thanksgiving dinner which was good, but we ordered a plate of the chicken and biscuits to share (between 4 of us, as a side) and the biscuit was more of a roll, or a Pillsbury canned biscuit type of biscuit. It was NOT a southern style, buttermilk biscuit which I found disappointing. If you are billing something as an iconic dish of the south, you really need to make it in the style it's made in the south. For that matter, the gravy should have been southern style white gravy, not the WAY oversalted brown gravy that was served. Likewise, if you're going to call something a New Orleans style beignet, then it better be a beignet, not a cakey doughtnut stick. The espresso sauce with that dessert was a nice idea, but would have been way better if served hot. It was ice cold.

We loved Jamie's, and the pasta is made in house each day. I had the tagliatelle Bolognese. A friend also had it, and was disappointed that it wasn't dripping in sauce, but whenever I've had authentic Italian Bolognese dishes it was light on sauce as this was, so I enjoyed it. Mr. Waterbug had the truffled tagliatelle which was fabulous. The meat plank appetizer was good, as were the arancini (rice balls).

Thanks for the report. I know you touched on Food but few questions nevertheless....

 

*Any meals at Windjammer Cafe? If so how was the organization and crowd flow? The food?

 

*Room service - same questions.

 

*How was the food at Johnny Rockets?

 

We walked through the Windjammer but did not eat there. At a quick glance, it appeared to be the usual food stations. Did not order room service. Sorry that I can't be more specific on those. :(

See above for Johnny Rockets. Food was standard fare for JR's, albeit slow service.

Because of the dynamic dining concept are there changes to the restaurants open for lunch and breakfast?

Well, as always you can get breakfast in the Windjammer and room service. They have the usual pastries at La Patisserie that you'd find at whatever "special coffee" place is on board. Didn't stop by Cafe Promenade but I assume likewise there. 270 had similar breakfast offerings as Park Cafe. No MDR, so it appears American Icon Grill is filling the role of table service restaurant for breakfast. Places like Silk and Wonderland do not serve breakfast, but I'm not sure about Grande or Coastal Kitchen. Maybe they do?? Jamie's is open for lunch, $10. Not sure of other specialties.

We were also on the 3 day cruise. The food was wonderful! Not just acceptable. Even in the Windjammer. Everything was fresh, tasty and served at the proper temperature. I don't get the complaints and negativity at all.

Well, all I can say is that there is clearly some inconsistency, which is not really unusual. I'm glad your food was all wonderful. We had a lot of good food, but the fact is we were a little disappointed here and there. I'm just trying to share our experience, in the hope that others can adjust their expectations if necessary. I think if you'll re-read what I wrote, I tried to be as factual as possible, rather than just post a "oh it was horrible we'll never eat there again" type thing. :)

Personally, I pay zero attention to anyone's opinion that uses such words as "terrible" and "inedible" when it comes to food on a cruise ship.

I don't believe I used either of those words, so I'm not sure who that's directed toward. :confused:

Did they have Coca-Coca Freestyle?

Yes they did. And a little secret... a friend got grape soda once and I was surprised because I didn't see that anywhere on the list of sodas on the machine. She said when she pressed "Fanta" (which appeared to be Fanta orange) a whole sub-menu came up with more Fanta options that included grape. Maybe that's standard for these machines, but I've only ever used one once, in the Atlanta airport, and never got around to trying them onboard, so I'm not sure.

The Freestyle Machines create Cherry Coke that is not accurate. It's coke with cherry flavoring, yes - but not Cherry Coke.

This is taking the Nectar of the Gods and tarnishing it so for that reason I consider the Freestyle machines my enemy for ruining Cherry Coke - a pillar of America right after our Constitution and the Flag.

If I take over the ship as dictator and rename it the RCCl Jedi-Stan, I will outlaw such machines.

My sister just talked to someone who was on the 11/18 3 day. He categorized the food as "terrible". Knowing that food tastes are very subjective, I would still like to know what you would say. Thank you.

We were on the 3 day cruise too. In our opinion, the food was great. So much to eat and so much variety, spread all over the ship.

Personally, I pay zero attention to anyone's opinion that uses such words as "terrible" and "inedible" when it comes to food on a cruise ship.

:D

Personally I felt there was food at every corner! Quite hard to find something that one doesn't like at all.

I wonder if some of the issues such as slow service at JR - are symptoms of a big huge ship that is brand new and therefore has some kinks in the system - kinks that will improve themselves as time goes on.

OR - does it mean the ship is understaffed to keep expenses low, and the kinks will be a permanent part of the cruise/

Was there ice tea and lemonade available on this cruise? I read somewhere that on the Transatlantic there was not. Also can you still buy soda in the can?

Are the pools covered on this ship. Thanks for the review.

I wonder if some of the issues such as slow service at JR - are symptoms of a big huge ship that is brand new and therefore has some kinks in the system - kinks that will improve themselves as time goes on.

 

OR - does it mean the ship is understaffed to keep expenses low, and the kinks will be a permanent part of the cruise/

As for JR's, the problem as far as I could tell is that despite it being lunchtime, and a line continuously forming to order, they simply were not planning ahead. If orders are in for 8 burgers, and there are 7 more people in line, and the first in line orders 2 burgers, don't just put 2 burgers on. Throw another 6 or 8 or 10 on the grill!

As for the missing inventory, we didn't experience it at all on the Oasis and Allure inaugurals. This ship already did a TA and couple of 1 night travel agent cruises (I think). i.e. it's been in Bayonne long enough that things should be stocked. We did, however, talk to a bartender who implied that they may have implemented some kind of new inventory control system, and that it's a big ordeal for staff to re-stock and therefore takes more time.

As for staffing, we spoke to member of the Vintages staff who indicated that there are now 6 people employed to do what 8 or 10 (I can't forget which) used to do. This person said they have paid so much for the entertainment, that they've cut back on staff to cover the costs. I have no idea if that's true or not (entertainment cost), but I trust that a person realizes when their department staffing has been cut by 25 or 40%, especially if they are in a more specialized position than, say, cabin steward.

Was there ice tea and lemonade available on this cruise? I read somewhere that on the Transatlantic there was not. Also can you still buy soda in the can?

I'm sorry, but I don't know. I never drink either tea or lemonade on a cruise. Other than an occasional diet coke, I generally only drink water, coffee and assorted alcoholic beverages. Once or twice I got a diet coke, but we had the ultimate package which means you get fountain soda when you order. So I don't know if cans were available for those paying a la carte or not. Sorry I can't be more help on this one.

Are the pools covered on this ship. Thanks for the review.

2 are covered. Out on the main pool deck there is the kiddie splash pool, and then the main pool, both uncovered, along with 2 (I think) hot tubs. Then there's a covered area with another pool (and I think some hot tubs), and then the Solarium which is also covered. In the Solarium there is a really cool "stair step" pool. By that I mean that it's 3 or 4 different levels that I think cascaded one into the next. I put my hand in and it was heated but not hot like a hot tub. There are also hot tubs there.

At first I assumed that the covered pool in between the outdoor pool and the Solarium was part of the Solarium, but it doesn't say that on the deck plans so I'm not positive if it's adults only or not.

I don't believe I used either of those words, so I'm not sure who that's directed toward. :confused:

 

 

 

Yes they did. And a little secret... a friend got grape soda once and I was surprised because I didn't see that anywhere on the list of sodas on the machine. She said when she pressed "Fanta" (which appeared to be Fanta orange) a whole sub-menu came up with more Fanta options that included grape. Maybe that's standard for these machines, but I've only ever used one once, in the Atlanta airport, and never got around to trying them onboard, so I'm not sure.

No, sorry, you didn't say that. If you look at my post, I said someone who just got off the ship used the word terrible to describe the food. I was asking your opinion. We board on 1/3 and my DH is what is called a "fussy" eater. So just interest on my part (and I can eat anything)! Thank you for taking the time to write your review. :)

No, sorry, you didn't say that. If you look at my post, I said someone who just got off the ship used the word terrible to describe the food. I was asking your opinion. We board on 1/3 and my DH is what is called a "fussy" eater. So just interest on my part (and I can eat anything)! Thank you for taking the time to write your review. :)

Oh, sorry, I see that now. And you're welcome... happy to help provide any info I can. Unfortunately I'm a pretty laid back cruiser who doesn't partake of all that's offered, so there are clearly some gaps in the topics I can share about (like shows, for instance)

We board on 1/3 and my DH is what is called a "fussy" eater. So just interest on my part (and I can eat anything)! Thank you for taking the time to write your review. :)

We are Both very fussy eaters, so hoping in time they can have plainer fare for those that are not into fancy. Or it will be Hold this and Hold that when we order.:D