Quantum First Cruise - Impressions from Many Reporters

Congratulations to the fortunate group of first cruisers on Quantum.

Many of the onboard guests have taken the time and bore the expense of not only reporting on their experiences, but also sharing some photos.

A number of Cruise Critic regulars have certainly been following their "adventures" with great interest. There are numerous threads sharing information on everything form the onboard dining to the Northstar and IFly features.

Kudos to all those who have shared!

All that said, having followed Quantum since she was born in Germany...there are a number of impressions (which could be wrong of course) about the maiden voyage and the ship in general. This comes from reading literally more than 1000 posts from onboard passengers (so far).

1) Quantum has a lot to offer onboard to the cruise passenger.

2) Dynamic Dining is still in the "experimental stage" - while it is in play, there is still plenty of tweaking going on to get it right.

3) The high tech WIFI still has some kinks in it - refunds were given to a number of folks who bought packages - nice to hear about the proactive refunds but disappointed to hear about the continuing problems - especially on a "high tech ship".

4) Northstar is impressive, but long lines and limited movements and availability (mostly based on weather conditions) seem to make it a niche attraction.

5) IFly's attraction seems to have some good overall reviews, but also reflect only a 1-minute trial (which likely flies by - pun intended) and additional time costs through the nose in price.

6) Not much has been reported about SeaPlex - making those of us not onboard wonder if that large and highly-touted space will bring the amount of cruise passenger interest RCI anticipated.

7) A number of posters have indicated limited access to electrical outlets in numerous onboard locations. Again, for a "high tech ship"...something that simple seems disappointing to hear about in the design.

8) On the plus side - it seems like the staff/crew is working overtime to make all the passengers happy and satisfied - great to hear that, especially since first impressions and reports are important to the adoption of this newest ship.

9) RCI is clearly focused on doing their best to resolve issues and problems on this first cruise. Kudos. However, the flip side is that there are plenty of things to deal with (yet), which appears to be disappointing to a number of the passengers.

10) A number or people indicated the onboard decor was disappointing, drab, or downright boring (including some cabins). Others felt is was impressive. When it comes to something like decor...that doesn't seem surprising - mixed views.

110 Some people reported disappointment with their cabins, in terms of features stated in the online descriptions compared with the actual experience (such as a sofa in a room that wasn't there as advertised for example.

12) It will be interesting to hear from the onboard passengers once Quantum reaches Bayonne and everyone gets home.

For the final observation...the plus side to all this is that the learning experience that comes from these things will help RCI toward the launch and operations of Anthem when it's turn comes up. I have little doubt they'll also get Quantum squared away on a number of these things based on what they've learned on this initial cruise.

A personal thank you to ALL the people who took the time to share their onboard experiences.

Anyone who goes on the ship for the first several cruises should go expecting glitches and readjustments in procedures as RCI works out the kinks on Quantum.

I'm sure that there will be those who want to bitch about everything but I personally would tend to discount those complaints and chalk most of the problems up to growing pains and tend to disregard the complainers.

I agree with your post. I have gotten the impression that DD is still having issues. The menus don't match what is on the RCCL website. That is a big problem. While I understand what many of the posters are saying on that....you don't know what you are going to wish to eat a year from now but if you don't book your reservations you will end up paying which is probably what they are driving for or eating in the windjammer. However...point being that if you have to choose your dining choices today for a cruise many many months away, you ARE looking at the choices on the menu. This is how so so many guests are making their choices. Lobster being a big issue and no one knows if just this sailing that the change is back to the Grande. Who knows right now.

No kids menus until a guest really gets major upset with GS and dining execs....come on...they new how many kids were on this sailing. Too many folks getting told that their problems are solved by going to the Windjammer to dine.

Not good answers. Now many are reporting on this Ripcord or fly thing that there is a charge yet our own cruise critic execs on board are saying no. Who is right? Suppose to be free and second ride or more rides are a charge if same day? Just too many variables.

Have seen several comments on the the seaplex as being underused... some like some don't. This ship hasn't had the greatest sailing weather till the past few days so maybe things are improving. it was amazing to see how many pages the thread went to and it was only a day or so into the sailing. Internet won't improve till it gets here and then what? Guess the techie ship isn't all that techie if you can't plug in.

Thanks for sharing your points....all spot on.

Anyone who goes on the ship for the first several cruises should go expecting glitches and readjustments in procedures as RCI works out the kinks on Quantum.

I'm sure that there will be those who want to bitch about everything but I personally would tend to discount those complaints and chalk most of the problems up to growing pains and tend to disregard the complainers.

I'm sure some of that is spot on...but with this being a new ship...I suspect RCI will have a great deal of interest in the first cruiser impressions...so that they can perhaps tweak, adjust, adapt, improve things going forward.

Also, when a number of people report the same issue on the same topic, it seems to be more than just a complaint.

No doubt making 4,000+ people 100% happy is a viable goal but not a likely result. Still, the "feedback" from the first cruisers to RCI will likely be very important to them. I've found Royal to welcome feedback on every cruise, and they appear to take it seriously and also have legitimate interest.

Anyone who goes on the ship for the first several cruises should go expecting glitches and readjustments in procedures as RCI works out the kinks on Quantum.

I'm sure that there will be those who want to bitch about everything but I personally would tend to discount those complaints and chalk most of the problems up to growing pains and tend to disregard the complainers.

Exactly. I'm on board and expected to see teething problems. But I did complain about out of date beer. Only a month out but hey, how did it get in a new ship!

Thanks for sharing your points....all spot on.

Thank you for your kind comments and feedback.

It is always interesting to hear from other posters here about their impressions, observations, and experiences. We all learn from those.

I also agree with you that the importance of the "high tech ship" failing to live up to that stature is a problem that needs to be overcome quickly to assure the lasting success of the Quantum class.

RCI made a bold move in many of the things on these ships, and promoted them heavily. Failure is not an option.

I also echo the appreciation for everyone's efforts in bringing us their impressions. I think they were very balanced, possibly in favour of Royal Caribbean but that's not a bad thing. We are glass half full people ourselves.

I will be honest and say that Quantum, or rather Anthem of the Seas as we are based in the UK probably isn't for us having read everything. It's a shame because we get on well with the planned cruise director, have DP status to allow access all areas and were very much looking forward to being wowed. We haven't been on an Oasis class ship.

For me there are 2 things which will put us off:

Sheer volume of passengers. I don't go on holiday to queue for hours or fight for a sunbed. Many of the experiences are a great idea but you simply can't deliver them to so many people. We travel during school holidays so will experience maximum occupancy.

The amount of planning required before you get on board and lack of spontaneity. The whole reason for going on a cruise is that you don't have to book months in advance like you do for many land based experiences. You can pop into a show and see if you like it. sometimes you're pleasantly surprised, other times your decision to stand at the back pays off allowing a quiet escape to something more enjoyable.

Clearly there is significant overlap, you need to marry dining reservations to show times, prioritise one event over another and woe betide you if something like the sea state throws a spanner in the works. You whole master plan is left in tatters. That all seems a bit too much like hard work for someone used to dealing with early or late seating, pre or after dinner show.

Sheer volume of traffic and a rather hostile front of house means dealing with problems is simply too demanding. It's bad enough on a simple cruise without all the cross planning and military schedule, on the larger ships it only seems to take a small nut or bolt to bring the whole machine down, so problems are almost inevitable. Similarly the only way to deal with big numbers is to be firm and not hand out too much authority to the workers. Russian and Chinese governments have probably taught the RCI top brass a thing or two.

I know many will come on and flame me but I post not to antagonise, merely to share a personal opinion. I'm sure many will pile on board. Some will return, many won't. what I'm looking for is a long term sustainable experience and I don't think these large ships offer that.

Henry

I know many will come on and flame me but I post not to antagonise, merely to share a personal opinion. I'm sure many will pile on board. Some will return, many won't. what I'm looking for is a long term sustainable experience and I don't think these large ships offer that.

Thanks Henry.

I actually read your post twice with great interest, and found your observations intriguing on several fronts.

The concept that cruises should offer the chance for relaxation and spontaneous activities (in contrast to rigid schedule and vigorous/regimented planning) is likely shared by many other fellow cruisers.

But we do actually prefer the larger ships in general...because they simply have more options of what to do onboard. We continue to be pleasantly surprised at a lack of waiting in most cases.

What comes into play is that with larger ships, and with the addition of "attractions" is the potential for lines and wait times.

Our experiences on multiple bigger ships is that despite a lot of passengers, long lines aren't that common. There is also the opportunity for plenty of "spontaneity", especially with more and more to do onboard. Even popular activities like Flowrider on INDY earlier this year rendered lines no more than 6-8 people most times we passed by.

That said...in the case of Quantum...almost everything is new...so lines are expectedly longer. A year or two from now, once the newness of Ripcord and Northstar wears off a bit, and the staff's experience grows, access will likely be quicker and more open.

But in the end, your overall main point is well taken.

I also echo the appreciation for everyone's efforts in bringing us their impressions. I think they were very balanced, possibly in favour of Royal Caribbean but that's not a bad thing. We are glass half full people ourselves.

 

I will be honest and say that Quantum, or rather Anthem of the Seas as we are based in the UK probably isn't for us having read everything. It's a shame because we get on well with the planned cruise director, have DP status to allow access all areas and were very much looking forward to being wowed. We haven't been on an Oasis class ship.

 

For me there are 2 things which will put us off:

 

Sheer volume of passengers. I don't go on holiday to queue for hours or fight for a sunbed. Many of the experiences are a great idea but you simply can't deliver them to so many people. We travel during school holidays so will experience maximum occupancy.

 

The amount of planning required before you get on board and lack of spontaneity. The whole reason for going on a cruise is that you don't have to book months in advance like you do for many land based experiences. You can pop into a show and see if you like it. sometimes you're pleasantly surprised, other times your decision to stand at the back pays off allowing a quiet escape to something more enjoyable.

 

Clearly there is significant overlap, you need to marry dining reservations to show times, prioritise one event over another and woe betide you if something like the sea state throws a spanner in the works. You whole master plan is left in tatters. That all seems a bit too much like hard work for someone used to dealing with early or late seating, pre or after dinner show.

 

Sheer volume of traffic and a rather hostile front of house means dealing with problems is simply too demanding. It's bad enough on a simple cruise without all the cross planning and military schedule, on the larger ships it only seems to take a small nut or bolt to bring the whole machine down, so problems are almost inevitable. Similarly the only way to deal with big numbers is to be firm and not hand out too much authority to the workers. Russian and Chinese governments have probably taught the RCI top brass a thing or two.

 

I know many will come on and flame me but I post not to antagonise, merely to share a personal opinion. I'm sure many will pile on board. Some will return, many won't. what I'm looking for is a long term sustainable experience and I don't think these large ships offer that.

 

Henry

I will not flame you. I agree with you.

I don't have any feeling of being crowded on this ship, it's extra size matches the extra people.

The lines for north star are a symptom of 2 things - the weather on the Atlantic which has closed it down every second day and simply not giving people a ticket with a number so you can take a ticket, judge the wait and wander around and come back.

Or a simple reservation system like iFly.

3) The high tech WIFI still has some kinks in it - refunds were given to a number of folks who bought packages - nice to hear about the proactive refunds but disappointed to hear about the continuing problems - especially on a "high tech ship".

4) Northstar is impressive, but long lines and limited movements and availability (mostly based on weather conditions) seem to make it a niche attraction.

These two have been explained.

3) O3B is not available in Europe, the earth is round and as such the signal cannot reach the ship. Currently they are using the existing SATNet services that service other ships. They cannot fix the problems as their technically isn't a problem.

4) North Star was closed for 2 days at the beginning of the cruise due to weather in the Eastern Atlantic, as such, when it reopened, people rushed to be on it just incase it has to close again leaving them no opportunity to experience it.

On routes with port days it will be a lot easier to access unless you are in the middle of a hurricane

In fact, heres the O3B coverage map, as you can see, the crew will have only just had the opportunity to first connect to it as the ship has yet to sail into a coverage area.

These two have been explained.

 

3) O3B is not available in Europe, the earth is round and as such the signal cannot reach the ship. Currently they are using the existing SATNet services that service other ships. They cannot fix the problems as their technically isn't a problem.

 

4) North Star was closed for 2 days at the beginning of the cruise due to weather in the Eastern Atlantic, as such, when it reopened, people rushed to be on it just incase it has to close again leaving them no opportunity to experience it.

On routes with port days it will be a lot easier to access unless you are in the middle of a hurricane

Thanks for your added insights. It's always good to get more information.

As of O3b...this was touted by the provider as a global service based on their constellation of satellites. Even Africa has service in play, which otherwise has limited technology. We know that more sats still need to be launched to make it truly global. But promoting a "high tech ship" featuring it and then backtracking to say it's not ready or only has limited location availability seems a bit misleading at minimum.

As for Northstar, having weather impact its use comes as little surprise of course, however, it points to this being a limited "attraction" for availability. Again...promoting the daylights out of it and then having it for sporadic access is misleading marketing. Perhaps they'll have some weather disclaimers in the future.

My only points are that why there are viable reasons for both topics, setting passengers up for disappointment after heavy promotional advertising seems like a risky marketing strategy. Just an observation.

looking forward to cruising on Quantum

once prices ease

Thanks for your added insights. It's always good to get more information.

 

As of O3b...this was touted by the provider as a global service based on their constellation of satellites. Even Africa has service in play, which otherwise has limited technology. We know that more sats still need to be launched to make it truly global. But promoting a "high tech ship" featuring it and then backtracking to say it's not ready or only has limited location availability seems a bit misleading at minimum.

 

As for Northstar, having weather impact its use comes as little surprise of course, however, it points to this being a limited "attraction" for availability. Again...promoting the daylights out of it and then having it for sporadic access is misleading marketing. Perhaps they'll have some weather disclaimers in the future.

 

My only points are that why there are viable reasons for both topics, setting passengers up for disappointment after heavy promotional advertising seems like a risky marketing strategy. Just an observation.

I personally believe these are only side-effects of the first cruise. And I believe that anyone who booked this cruise probably knew there was going to be problems. Once the ship gets into routine cruises out of Bayonne, I think everything will work out.

I personally believe these are only side-effects of the first cruise. And I believe that anyone who booked this cruise probably knew there was going to be problems. Once the ship gets into routine cruises out of Bayonne, I think everything will work out.

Agree the first cruise would have expected "bumps in the road".

But the high speed internet issues may take some time to cure.

Thanks for your added insights. It's always good to get more information.

 

As of O3b...this was touted by the provider as a global service based on their constellation of satellites. Even Africa has service in play, which otherwise has limited technology. We know that more sats still need to be launched to make it truly global. But promoting a "high tech ship" featuring it and then backtracking to say it's not ready or only has limited location availability seems a bit misleading at minimum.

 

As for Northstar, having weather impact its use comes as little surprise of course, however, it points to this being a limited "attraction" for availability. Again...promoting the daylights out of it and then having it for sporadic access is misleading marketing. Perhaps they'll have some weather disclaimers in the future.

 

My only points are that why there are viable reasons for both topics, setting passengers up for disappointment after heavy promotional advertising seems like a risky marketing strategy. Just an observation.

Well as you can see by the coverage map I posted, it is a worldwide service, but is very limited in northern and southern regions. As the Quantum will not likely do the Norwegian Fjords or Alaska the only time it will be an issue is when Anthem sails out of the UK, but the O3B will be back on once they've passed the Bay of Biscay.

Regards leaving a disclaimer, I don't think many people would want to be on it in a storm or during high winds, its not as if they are choosing to close it, they are doing it for health and safety reasons.

No wonder we have to have a warning label on an Iron saying "Do not iron clothes while wearing them"

Well as you can see by the coverage map I posted, it is a worldwide service, but is very limited in northern and southern regions. As the Quantum will not likely do the Norwegian Fjords or Alaska the only time it will be an issue is when Anthem sails out of the UK, but the O3B will be back on once they've passed the Bay of Biscay.

 

Regards leaving a disclaimer, I don't think many people would want to be on it in a storm or during high winds, its not as if they are choosing to close it, they are doing it for health and safety reasons.

 

No wonder we have to have a warning label on an Iron saying "Do not iron clothes while wearing them"

I was think something more like "North Star will be unavailable during severe weather or windy conditions over x miles per hour"...

I was think something more like "North Star will be unavailable during severe weather or windy conditions over x miles per hour"...

Do they have that on the Flowrider of Climbing Wall? Cause those were closed at the same time as the North Star

Do they have that on the Flowrider of Climbing Wall? Cause those were closed at the same time as the North Star

We have seen the Flowrider and climbing wall closed due to weather.

We have seen the Flowrider and climbing wall closed due to weather.

And did they have warning to say that? (Which was my original question)

I was think something more like "North Star will be unavailable during severe weather or windy conditions over x miles per hour"...

Anyone with any sense should be able to determine that for themselves.

Anyone with any sense should be able to determine that for themselves.

Thank you!

Anyone with any sense should be able to determine that for themselves.

In theory yes...but most folks don't carry wind meters in their pockets. :rolleyes:

In theory yes...but most folks don't carry wind meters in their pockets. :rolleyes:

1. Is it windy out?

Yes - Proceed to 2

No - North Star likely to be open

2. Is it strong?

Yes - North Star not likely to be open

No - North Star may be open