theCruiseView Daily Quantum Info Vlog Series

Time for theCruiseView! I hope everyone has been following my video/photo review thread:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2137565

If you actually managed to watch all 42 videos (nearly 20 hours of Quantum coverage!) all I've got to say is wow. But if that and 11,500+ pictures wasn't enough Quantum coverage for you I've got another 19 video series for you to enjoy! Unlike my other videos that are designed around feeling like your onboard the Quantum, theCruiseView is about showing you life onboard. It is a daily information vlog series that was filmed during the inaugural and 11 night southern Caribbean sailings from 11/23 to 12/12. It features a series of segments within a hosted episode format. Each day I show where we are, what the weather is like, and review the compass (with a complete listing of the entire compass) with videos of some of the highlights. I also have three more produced segments that I add into the show. The first is the Daily Dine. If you watched my Grandeur beta run of the series you know that I reviewed the menu each day. Quantum does not have daily menus but it does have 18 dinning venues (19 if you count La Patisserie) which works out perfect to look at one each day. This time around rather than me trying to tell you what it's all about though, I went around to each of the sit down service venues and had the manager themselves or someone they felt was more qualified in their staff explain their venues concept and features. I think you will really enjoy this new format and it should be more informative. I also have a daily venue tour. Unlike the complete Quantum Tour video, this one is more detailed on a specific venue each episode with information provided. The third segment that I'm really proud to have added for the new series is Interviews! I was able to work with the Royal Caribbean PR department to get media credentials to allow for extra filming while onboard, but it also allowed me to arrange for interviews with the crew, officers, and entertainers. Those will start on day 10 and I have a total of 10 interviews. I’ve already edited the first 4 episodes and it is very clear that this series does something that no review can. It is a capture of the mood onboard each day. I can see that on day 1 I was frustrated by the technology and disappointed by the lack of inaugural festivities. I had hope though that it was only day 1 and things would change. By day 4 I just plain gave up any hope. That in the moment opinion of how bad or good things are, and where things could go in the future, is something you cannot get from a review written after the cruise. You cannot capture that instant reaction like you can by filming a review of each day at the end of the day. When we hit days 8 and 9 I think you will really see just how dramatic a shift it was from the inaugural to the second sailing. It was not a subtle improvement in things working or mood change in the new passengers. It was a genuine shift in the entire way the ship operated as a whole and is very obvious when watching. I hope everyone enjoys the series and stay tuned as the episodes will keep coming and I'll give some behind the scenes information about what went into each episode. To give you a preview though here is the schedule:

Day 1

Date: 11/23/14

Location: Bayonne, NJ

Dine: American Icon Grill

Venue: Quantum Class Timeline

Day 2

Date: 11/24/14

Location: At Sea

Dine: Silk

Venue: FlowRider & Rock Wall

Day 3

Date: 11/25/14

Location: At Sea

Dine: The Grande

Venue: RipCord by iFly

Day 4

Date: 11/26/14

Location: Port Canaveral, FL

Dine: SeaPlex Dog House

Venue: SeaPlex

Day 5

Date: 11/27/14

Location: Nassau, Bahamas

Dine: Devinly Decadence

Venue: Adult Solarium

Day 6

Date: 11/28/14

Location: CocoCay, Bahamas (Attempt)

Dine: Johnny Rockets

Venue: Outdoor Pool Deck (pool, H20 Zone, Movie Screen)

Day 7

Date: 11/29/14

Location: At Sea

Dine: Chic

Venue: Indoor Pool (pool and sky bar)

Day 8

Date 11/30/14

Location: At Sea

Dine: Coastal Kitchen

Venue: Quantum Class Timeline

Day 9

Date 12/1/14

Location: Bayonne, NJ

Dine: Chops Grill

Venue: Guest Amenities (guest services, shore excursions, next cruise, focus photo gallery)

Day 10

Date 12/2/14

Location: At Sea

Dine: Izumi

Venue: Vitality at Sea Spa and Fitness Center

Interview: Cruise Director Jimmy Rhodes

Day 11

Date: 12/3/14

Location: At Sea

Dine: Jamie’s Italian

Venue: Clubs (concierge, diamond, conference center)

Interview: Loyalty & Cruise Sales Manager Emma Laycock

Day 12

Date: 12/4/14

Location: San Juan, Puerto Rico

Dine: Michael’s Genuine Pub

Venue: Bars (Schooner, Bionic, Boleros, Vintages)

Interview: Food & Beverage Manager Catalin Buta

Day 13

Date: 12/5/14

Location: Philipsburg, St. Martin

Dine: Sorrento's

Venue: Royal Esplanade Shopping and The Via

Interview: Hotel Director Darren Budden

Day 14

Date: 12/6/14

Location: Fort De France, Martinique

Dine: Windjammer Marketplace

Venue: Jogging Track and Promenade Deck (life boat deck)

Interview: Activities Manager Zach Stratford

Day 15

Date: 12/7/14

Location: Bridgetown, Barbados

Dine: Cafe Promenade

Venue: North Star & North Star Bar

Interview: Environmental Officer Ernst Andersen

Day 16

Date: 12/8/14

Location: Basseterre, St. Kitts

Dine: Cafe@Two70

Venue: Two70

Interview: Lead Aerialist in Starwater Jane Edwards

Day 17

Date: 12/9/14

Location: At Sea

Dine: Chef’s Table

Venue: Music Hall

Interview: Sophie in Mamma Mia! Danielle Black

Day 18

Date: 12/10/14

Location: At Sea

Dine: Wonderland

Venue: The Royal Theatre

Interview: Creator of Sonic Odyssey William Close

Day 19

Date: 12/11/14

Location: At Sea

Dine: La Patisserie

Venue: Ship Review

Interview: Captain Srecko Ban

If your interested in the challenge,

Here are the videos:

Here are the photos: https://picasaweb.google.com/dmpicone

Here is the previous Grandeur series thread: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2023151

Here we go, day 1, the start of theCruiseView's first official sailing!

Date: 11/23/14

Location: Bayonne, NJ

Dine: American Icon Grill

Venue: Quantum Class Timeline

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This was a very tricky one to film. What you are actually seeing here is the fourth filming of the episode. I film late at night and look for somewhere quiet and empty to record. I then move the camera to a different angle and film the intro. Each episode is filmed in a single take without getting up and then retakes are accomplished by editing out the parts where I repeat. The Quantum is a loud ship. There is music playing everywhere onboard so it was tough to find a good spot. I settled on the spot you see in the video located at the one end of the Bionic Bar. About 3/4 of the way through though a cleaning crew showed up and started vaccuming so I had to stop. I moved to the other end of the Esplanade with and started again (I believe I may have used this spot on day 3). Once again a cleaning crew showed up about 1/3 of the way in and I had to move. I went to the Via and sat in a chair. What do you know a cleaning crew showed up again. I eventually ended up back where I started at the end of the Bionic Bar since by this time the cleaning crew in there was gone. In all I filmed this episode about 4 times over a 3 hour period. By the time I filmed this last run through I couldn't remember what I had or had not said during which take and it was so late after a long day I could barely even think strait to begin with. Somehow though, I managed to pull it off and I think it turned out great. I've never claimed to be an on camera person, the editing is my specialty and I think the timeline really shows that. The yellow bar is pixel accurate to represent the time that passed from the start of Project Sunshine to the start of the Inaugural sailing and every date in between.

As always leave your feedback below. I am always monitoring my threads. Everything is filmed so I can't change the filming but I can look into tweaking the editing style based on feedback.

Thank you for the great information, is there somewhere I can subscribe to this series of videos? Thanks!

Thank you for the great information, is there somewhere I can subscribe to this series of videos? Thanks!

Glad you enjoyed it. If you subscribe to this thread I will be making a post with some behind the scenes information about the filming of the episode as well as the video and a link to the video.

You can also subscribe to my Youtube channel and it should show up on your main screen as they are posted: https://youtube.com/deix15x8

I've never tried this before, but this link may subscribe you to my channel by simply clicking it: Subscribe

Time for day 2!

Date: 11/24/14

Location: At Sea

Dine: Silk

Venue: FlowRider & Rock Wall

[YOUTUBE]sO7meSMWBbk[/YOUTUBE]

This episode takes a look at a rather stormy day onboard the Quantum of the Seas. One where she held up surprisingly well against the rain in some areas and fell apart in other unexpected areas. It was also the first night that I saw Mamma Mia! onboard for my evening show.

This was probably the easiest episode of theCruiseView I have filmed out of the 29 episodes. Jamie's was a perfect venue with great lighting, soft music, and it was off the main area enough that traffic was not a concern. They also cleaned it the night before so I had no cleaning crews to worry about. On the Quantum they seem to clean all the major areas nightly, but secondary areas only get a thorough (beyond the wait staff) cleaning about every other night. It was a quick 30 minutes to setup, film, and tear down. Unfortunately I stuck with my rule of trying not to repeat venues unless I had no choice, so this was the only night filmed here.

Thank you for another informative video!

Thank you Derek these are great. Can't wait for the next episode.

Thank you Derek these are great. Can't wait for the next episode.

Glad you enjoyed it. Time for the next episode, day 3!

Date: 11/25/14

Location: At Sea

Dine: The Grande

Venue: RipCord by iFly

[YOUTUBE]D_njoaMW5TI[/YOUTUBE]

On today's episode the seas give up their fight but the rains decide to give the Quantum an even bigger challenge to deal with. I also have my first comments on Starwater as a stumbled upon a showing that evening. The biggest thing though, our featured venue is RipCord! My entire first ride is included with a timer to show that it truly is just one minute even though it feels so long. I didn't film my second or third tries since I was alone for those, but they were even better. Got to go even higher the second time and then try maneuvering during my third run. As I mentioned the key to success is relaxing, and those rag dolled people were not relaxed. It makes more of a difference than any other element, including age and size.

This episode was filmed on the deck 6 atrium bridge, such a beautiful place to kill some time. It reminds me of the bridge between the elevator lobbies above the entrance to the Boardwalk on the Oasis class. You can see in the video that behind me is The Via, but on the other side you can look down at the Royal Esplanade as well. It's a neat place that really shows off some of the large areas of the ship from a different perspective looking down on them. Being over such a public area did have a downside as some groups would occasionally walk under me so I'd have to pause, but surprisingly that was rare during the filming.

Great stuff. I feel like I am binge watching a Netflix series.

Day 4, the Quantum of the Seas' first ever port of call as she visits Port Canaveral, Florida.

Date: 11/26/14

Location: Port Canaveral, FL

Dine: SeaPlex Dog House

Venue: SeaPlex

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Today was a neat episode, one where the atmosphere determined the filming location rather than the locations filming qualities. This was the first night that the Vistaramas were functional during our cruise, so of course when I saw the Impossible City I had to setup in he balcony with that beautiful backdrop behind me. Unfortunately that means that while it's light at some points the room does transition through day and night cycles so at times I get harder to see. I can say I tested fixing it in final cut pro and was able to easily do it, but I felt you lost some of the realism in the Vistarama so I left it as originally filmed to preserve the quality and experience. I personally hate touching up any clip unless it absolutely must be done, I believe providing an authentic view is most important. In this case though I think providing better quality of the view people care about more is more important, lol.

We also take a look at the SeaPlex and SeaPlex Dog House in this episode. I typically try to film when places are empty, unfortunately that is never when it comes to the SeaPlex. That is the most active place on the ship at any time of the day or night unless it's closed. The SeaPlex Dog House on the other hand was actually empty when I showed up and during the course of filming it suddenly became the hot place to be! It only took about 5 minutes to setup and film (2 takes), but it suddenly got packed. Which brings me to an interesting point. I filmed on the Grandeur and never had any big issues, but I did notice that people would walk through the shot and I'd have to reset a section. During both of these sailings though, that never happened. People were incredibly gracious, if they saw the camera they would walk around it, most would get quiet, and some would wait for permission to pass through if there was no way. This was more noticeable with filming the SeaPlex Dog House than any other as if you've been onboard you know the door to get outside is located right there. This was not some off to the side corner, but truly right in the middle of everything in the middle of the day and nobody disturbed the shot.

I have one question for day 6, and I can't promise either way, but I would like to know if the effort would be appreciated or actually a negative. Day 6 was our canceled CocoCay stop. As a result we had a compass given the night before and a new one issued that morning after the cancellation. I would like to show both versions. I have considered doing the original followed by the new but I think it could be long and people may miss the fact that their are two. I am thinking about merging them instead with the original compass items in red, the new ones in green, and the ones that remained unchanged between the two in white. Would this make sense or should I just list them separately?

Time for day 5 of theCruiseView. This is the episode where Royal Caribbean and the Quantum hit rock bottom IMO.

Date: 11/27/14

Location: Nassau, Bahamas

Dine: Devinly Decadence

Venue: Adult Solarium

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This was the Thanksgiving episode and to go along with that we had a morning to enjoy the ship and watch the Thanksgiving parade before arriving in Nassau. If you watched my Grandeur of the Seas series of theCruiseView you know that this was the biggest day out of the 19 for me. All the way back in January when I was promoting how great I expected Quantum to be this was the day I expected her to really shine and for Royal to pull into Nassau and put the best that both Carnival (Carnival Magic) and Norwegian (Norwegian Breakaway) have to shame. Unfortunately as you'll see it was the exact opposite. It really was a shameful showing for Royal, one that could have been avoided by once again, simply communicating with the guests and making things special. When the Breakaway considers a routine stop in Nassau to be a bigger deal than Royal considers the Quantum's inaugural stop you know things aren't right. Luckily I can honestly say that our failed stop at CocoCay tomorrow was the start of the ships turnaround. One that came very slowly on this sailing but changed like night and day between the two sailings. Anytime that a missed port of call is not considered the most disappointing day of a cruise though, you know somebody didn't do something right.

This episode was filmed in The Via. I tried for this spot a few other nights but this was the first time it was empty enough to actually use. I believe since we had CocoCay in the morning most people went to bed early.

I currently have days 6 and 7 in a state of editing. When I started out I had 2 complete and 2 in progress and slowly my published videos have caught up to my editing. I think next week I may only get 2 out unfortunately. Once I have a video done there is a minimum of 48 hours until it can be published if everything goes right the first time.

Fantastic. Are you recording these with your MacBook built in camera or a Go Pro or something else?

And for audio are you wearing a lav mic that is connected to your computer?

Fantastic. Are you recording these with your MacBook built in camera or a Go Pro or something else?

 

And for audio are you wearing a lav mic that is connected to your computer?

I had a large collection of equipment to film everything, some of it was for redundancies and a few items didn't work out but it was a big set. I have a Sony HDR-XR500v that I purchased for my Oasis of the Seas cruise in January 2010. That has a built in 120GB HDD that's typically good for 2 weeks (far less this time so I had to back it up to an external HDD and then copy that backup to a second for redundancy in case one failed). I use a tripod to position it in front of me, have to set the shot up, flip the screen, get in position where I want to be and try to see if it looks good (typically 5-10 feet away). Then I go back and hit record. For the audio last January I talked directly into my iPhone and had a second iPhone for my notes. This time I used a lapel mic connected to my iPhone and then open my notes on the same iPhone. I could run the mic to the camera, but I prefer having more control of the channels separately. It allows me to adjust the room volume so it's not dominating but still keep it present for background sound. For the interviews I have multiple iPhones and lapel mics as well as note cards instead of reading the iPhone. I also attempted to use my GoPro (how I get the port timelapses) for a second angle but hated it. The GoPro has such a wide angle that it was impossible to position it for a solo shot during the interviews so I had to stick with my single camera. I didn't trust it enough to be my primary and the wide shot has to be the primary. In total I had:

Sony HDR-XR500v

lapel mic x3

iPhone 4, 5, & 6

tripod

GoPro

GoPro water proof housing

GoPro skeleton housing (glad I bought it, the waterproof one actually caused it to overheat in Martinique!)

GoPro suction cup mount

GoPro tripod mount

Joby magnetic mini tripod

iPhone tripod mount

64GB SD Card x 6

WD 1.5TB external HDD x2

MacBook Pro

I actually had enough redundancy that if my camera failed I could swap in the GoPro and then as a last resort an iPhone and still have two more iPhones to hook the lapel mics up for interviews. I didn't want to take any chances with so much filming over nearly 3 weeks and no way to replace anything. Luckily though I never had to use the magnetic mount (as I mentioned the GoPro didn't workout for the interviews) or the iPhone and GoPro tripod mounts.

It sounds like a lot but it was surprisingly simple. I carried my camera bag around with me at all times which included my video camera, a second iPhone (first was in my pocket at all times), my interview notes, and three lapel mics. After my evening show I would just stop at my cabin and grab my tripod to carry around the rest of the night. Since the GoPro didn't work out I never carried that around after the first time and my iPhone tripod mount was in a side pocket of my camera bag just in case. Typically I would write out all my notes of what to discuss while waiting for the show to start each night so I would just have a few more items to add before filming.

I was originally supposed to have a second video camera, and actually purchased 2 different ones but both had poorer quality video than my current camera even though they cost more than that one did. I was hoping to have two angles for all filming, but I think I'm glad it didn't work out as it would have been hard to carry all that stuff, a second camera, and a second tripod around. Even if I just used it for the interviews it would have been impossible to pull off since those were crammed in all over the place so I often had to carry my tripod to dinner and even a RipCord session (sports staff were great and kept it behind the desk).

In the end I ended up with roughly 400GB of video by the time I was done just from my camera. My time-lapse filming used roughly 2.5 of my 64GB SD cards. I also had 11,500+ photos (not counting time-lapse).

All this stuff (hard to get to a ship on a plane) and the fact that it's a port intensive itinerary is why I'm rethinking how to do theCruiseView on my next cruise.

Day 6, the first not bad day of the sailing, and the first port of call I've ever missed. Something about those two statements being about the same day should tell you something about this sailing.

Date: 11/28/14

Location: CocoCay, Bahamas (Attempt)

Dine: Johnny Rockets

Venue: Outdoor Pool Deck (pool, H20 Zone, Movie Screen)

[YOUTUBE]2hHpWa3r4hw[/YOUTUBE]

This was by far the longest episode to export. I blended the compasses together so that the original compass items are in red, the new compass items are in green, and the ones that appeared on both are in the typical white. Somehow this layering caused the video to take over 11 hours to export rather than the usual 3-5 hours. I think it’s a rather informative piece of information though. It’s interesting to see how much is added to sea days and the kinds of things removed from the port day (mainly seemed to be time changes). Even though we didn't make it to CocoCay (somewhere I've never been), it was still an enjoyable day, one that as you'll see during the compass summary ended with my first reserved Starwater showing. Today’s episode was filmed on the second level of the Royal Esplanade near the entrance to Wonderland. I loved this location for filming, it's another one I tried a few times before but never could use. It's a bit loud, but has a beautiful background, nice lighting, and surprisingly I only had to pause for people passing by once.

For your Jewel cruise you should just bring your Macbook, a Logitech camera and turtle beach type of microphone.

Otherwise you will have a ton of stuff to lug to and from the airport.

For your Jewel cruise you should just bring your Macbook, a Logitech camera and turtle beach type of microphone.

 

Otherwise you will have a ton of stuff to lug to and from the airport.

I need my video camera and GoPro no matter what. Usually I carry my camera in it's bag. Everything else I actually fit in my Scottevest jacket (ironically a winter jacket loaded with electronics in November at EWR got questioned, but a winter jacket loaded with electronics in December at FLL was perfectly normal). The tripod is the main thing that differs between my normal coverage and theCruiseView. The other thing is time, with such a port intensive itinerary I'm not sure how much time I'll have to cover the venues. I know I won't have time for interviews during this sailing since their is only one sea day. It sounds like the ship is dead at night since the itineraries are so port intensive which would give me recording time, but I'm not sure what segments I could do since the compass will likely be empty with everyone in port each day. It would really have to focus on the ports more. If you have any thoughts on the content for it, please let me know. I would love to do it for every sailing, it's just a matter of figuring out what the segments would be and how to get it done.

Day 7, almost done with the inaugural!

Date: 11/29/14

Location: At Sea

Dine: Chic

Venue: Indoor Pool

[YOUTUBE]JIzkKu9eZ3k[/YOUTUBE]

This was another fuller day for the compass, complete with the Two70º Technology Tour and Groovytown. It was also the premiere of Sonic Odyssey! Later on in the series I'll have an interview with William Close all about it. On this day I filmed in the deck 4 dynamic dining lobby between Silk and American Icon. I personally love that art installation in the staircase and think it made a beautiful backdrop.

Day 8, the end of the inaugural sailing.

Date 11/30/14

Location: At Sea

Dine: Coastal Kitchen

Venue: Adventure Ocean (Decks 11 & 12, Fuel Teen Disco, The Living Room)

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I think this is the episode where the series starts to really shine. Things started to get into a routine and I start showcasing some of the crew more. This episode features a full 10 minute tour and explanation of Adventure Ocean, Fuel Teen Disco, and The Living Room by the Assistant Adventure Ocean manager. If your sailing on Quantum, or even any other Royal Caribbean ship with children this is a good one to watch!

This is also the episode where I review the sadly long list of issues from the inaugural sailing. Unfortunately no matter how you look at this sailing it was defined by the issues and lack of inaugural festivities since there really wasn't anything else to talk about. But this is the final episode of the inaugural sailing. The next episode starts the 11 night southern Caribbean sailing with a completely different feel and more positive vibe since the cruise experience actually exists and the issues for the most part don't.

Day 9, a new beginning!

Date 12/1/14

Location: Bayonne, NJ

Dine: Chops Grill

Venue: Guest Amenities (guest services, shore excursions, next cruise, focus photo gallery)

[YOUTUBE]PPNMMycDdDU[/YOUTUBE]

Today's episode takes us back to Bayonne to restart the whole Quantum experience, something that was way overdue and I could not wait for by this point. In just this first day, roughly 12 hours into the new sailing I'm sure you'll be able to see the clear change in this sailings and my frustrations onboard. It is amazing how night and day these two sailings are and this new functional, enjoyable sailing style continued through to the end of the sailing.

Today's episode was filmed in the Next Cruise area behind the desk, a setup that after watching is obvious that I'm clearly more comfortable behind a desk than just in front of the camera. On day 11 (I believe) I am behind a desk again at Guest Services. This is a slightly longer episode again at 40 minutes but we cover a lot of content including passing under the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge twice in one day, something that required running through the ship at 5:30am in my PJs while it's freezing out to accomplish. The sight as always though was worth it. Hope everyone enjoys, hopefully Friday will bring the next episode and the first of the interviews!

Derek:

Thank you so much for your in-depth vlogs and videos aboard the Quantum! I have been watching them since inception as my husband and I are going aboard her on the May 2 Transatlantic to Barcelona. I look almost every day on You Tube for you uploaded videos and really look forward to watching them. I feel you have much more information and commentary than just a video could provide and really appreciate them very much. One can only hope that RCCL is also watching them for improvements.

Any chance you will be onboard the transatlantic in May???

Keep up the fabulous work..can't wait for the next one!

:):):):)

Derek:

 

Thank you so much for your in-depth vlogs and videos aboard the Quantum! I have been watching them since inception as my husband and I are going aboard her on the May 2 Transatlantic to Barcelona. I look almost every day on You Tube for you uploaded videos and really look forward to watching them. I feel you have much more information and commentary than just a video could provide and really appreciate them very much. One can only hope that RCCL is also watching them for improvements.

 

Any chance you will be onboard the transatlantic in May???

 

Keep up the fabulous work..can't wait for the next one!

:):):):)

Thanks for watching! Your going to have a great cruise, possibly the last great cruise for this ship. I would love to join you, but unfortunately it's not in the budget. My November 2012 transatlantic is still my favorite cruise, and the Azores are still my favorite island so you'll have a great time. That sailing will likely be the last for the Royal Theatre cast and as a result Mamma Mia in general. They have a mid May departure date which would match when your sailing ends. With the way the slowly had to build up the additional shows and events I doubt a new cast would be able to come in and have everything operating the same in the first week. I've heard mixed things from the Starwater cast, I thought they were saying mid may as well but since sailing a few have mentioned April. That may be when they find out new contracts though and not necessarily when they depart. Starwater is staying though so you could have the last for the original cast or one of the first for the new cast, either way it should be a good show.

Now I've got some bad news, I was hoping to have the next episode out today. It was exported and uploaded all ready to go, then when I went to take photos of the day 3 compass to type up for the next episode I realized I took photos of day 3a and not 3b. When I looked at my listing that was published on today's episode it too was day 2a and not 2b. So unfortunately I had to retype the compass and export it again (ran last night). I still have to upload it which kills my Internet for the duration (about 12 hours for this video) so I won't be able to do it until late tonight when I go to bed. Sadly that means that it will not be ready until late Saturday or early Sunday. I've done some video on Saturdays before, but I never release videos on Sunday since people tend to have other things to do, so the next episode featuring our first interview will have to wait until Monday. Sorry for the delay, luckily it means that Wednesday's episode is basically done already and Friday's is already started so things should be smooth next week.

Sorry you had issues with your video..but will be looking forward to whenever you get them uploaded. One quick question, do you think the internet package during the transatlantic will actually be working? Having just plopped around the Caribbean for years, I have no idea if it even is available to work during a transatlantic...

Thanks Derek..

Day 10, double digits!

Date 12/2/14

Location: At Sea

Dine: Izumi

Venue: Vitality at Sea Spa and Fitness Center

Interview: Cruise Director Jimmy Rhodes

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Today is a big day for theCruiseView! Not only are we entering double digits for this sailing (technically episode 20 overall if you count the beta sailing), but we are starting the interview series. To get things started right the very first interview is with the Quantum of the Seas' Cruise Director Jimmy Rhodes. Find out how he got into this role, what it was like being a part of the first three CD take out of a ship, and what the future holds for her. He also discusses the new An Evening With and Name That Tune shows that are now taking place during each sailing.

In addition to our first interview we also have our second guided tour as we go through the Vitality Fitness Spa and Fitness Center with the managers explaining everything that is offered. As always though we also have our daily dine, featuring Izumi today as well as the cruise compass summary.

As I said at the start I want to give some insight into what it took to pull all this off and this is an example of a lengthy episode. For the daily dine segments an email went out to all the managers notifying them that I would be stopping by and what I was trying to do. That allowed me to visit each venue on my own and try to plan a time that worked with the appropriate people. For the Interviews though, it was handled by the group coordinator. It's kind of interesting, but Jimmy was the first to personally tell me yes, and he was the final of the 10 interviews that I did. I think we scheduled him about 4 times during the sailing, but conference calls with Miami and other items kept popping up on his schedule. It is crazy how much he has to do when he's not in front of the guests. These interviews took place throughout the ship, often in places relevant to the person, Jimmy's took place right in his office on deck 3 by Music Hall. I hope everyone enjoys and learns something, I'll keep providing more insight into the process with each day.

Sorry you had issues with your video..but will be looking forward to whenever you get them uploaded. One quick question, do you think the internet package during the transatlantic will actually be working? Having just plopped around the Caribbean for years, I have no idea if it even is available to work during a transatlantic...

 

Thanks Derek..

Sorry for the delay in responding. I hope that the internet will be up and running, they need to support both NYC and Southampton by that time so it should be. During the last transatlantic there was no coverage over Europe yet which is why they didn't have any high speed Internet until they neared the USA. When the O3B satellites fail though it is supposed to fall over to some legacy systems. I would recommend not buying the top package, at least that way if it falls over to the legacy system your still at a comparable speed to what you paid for. When I went on my transatlantic in 2012 we were going from Southampton to Ft. Lauderdale but even then we had a few days where the internet and TV were out for a couple hours at a time. With the way this new system is designed it's hard to say if it will be different. It's a direct beam to the ship so in theory it should be more reliable as long as the satellites are there. Like I said it has to be working at both ends of the trip, so I'm hopeful it may be better all the way across but would not put faith in having it for sure.

Day 11, and DreamWorks take over the Esplanade!

Date: 12/3/14

Location: At Sea

Dine: Jamie’s Italian

Venue: Clubs (concierge, diamond, conference center)

Interview: Loyalty & Cruise Sales Manager Emma Laycock

[YOUTUBE]JkAWuILuYq4[/YOUTUBE]

Today's was the the first DreamWorks performance while I was onboard. I know they had some on the transatlantic (not sure which ones, only saw the Shrek one mentioned though). They were geared towards the kids, but so were all the parades and the production value was far better than any parade.

Today's Daily Dine is Jamie's Italian, this was the second daily dine that I got filmed and IMO it was the best by a huge margin. I told every single person the same thing, if somebody were to call you up and say they saw your venue, what is it, how would you answer? Basically explain the concept, the menu, and it's location. The manager of Jamie's Italian clearly knew his venue giving an entire back story on Jamie Oliver and everything. It is a really interesting piece and for anyone that has eaten there or booked it in the future be sure to watch.

We also have our second interview, this one with the Loyalty and Cruise Sales Manager, Emma Laycock. I've actually sailed with her on the Indy before. This was a fun interview that was squeezed in between a port departure and dinner one night.

Our venues are the clubs and conference center. I film these segments separately from the episodes and this was one where that fell apart. I had visited the Conference Center and seen it during the first sailing. It was a very rough construction site that was being used for material prep work and staging onboard. I did not return to film until after this episode and it was complete. I honestly can't believe how quickly they turned it around.