FunCruiser59

You are welcome!

That's the beauty of these boards:)

I learned so much before boarding the Quantum by reading

everything I could, because others took the time to answer

questions! So now it's my turn to pay it forward!!;)

Yes, you get sea pass cards. When you arrive to your room one is

In the outside of the door and you scan it to open your door.

On the bed will be the other card and your WOW wristbands.

On a side note... Use your card in the slot near the door to keep

Your lights on in the room. Actually any card will work you may have:)

We used a hotel loyalty card!

My hubby found the wristband a bit small for him so he used ha card

for everything. I used my wristband 95% of the time except at the

Theater, when I dressed formal for The Grand and of course when you leave the ship you need your card.

Hope that helps :)

The WOW band works at all of the bars, you just scan your wrist over the machine. For the Theater we brought our Seapass card and they took it and brought it back, but never with a receipt. We prepaid all gratuities and at the end of the cruise brought cash to the bartenders whe really gave incredible service.

We got off the Quantum March 13 and we purchased the ultimate drink package never we got on the boat. They had a kiosk set up in the Royal esplanade. It was awesome, and we wouldn't ever think to not purchase it again. We loved that it includes all specialty coffees in the shops and I like a bit of baileys on occasion in mine and that's all included! It was also great to not have to sign all those receipts too! It's on your Seapass card (they give you a sticker) and was on our WOW bands as well!

Awww Marie! How wonderful to hear from you!!

I wouldn't have gotten those chairs had it not

been for you:)

So happy you enjoyed the cruise as much as we did:)

I agree, I hope we meet again one day!!

Lisa

We were on the March 1st -13th sailing on Quantum.

We stopped into the casino for a bit and I saw a woman

sneeze three times right onto the slot machine with visible spray

from her nose and mouth all three times. She never covered

her mouth and it went all over the machine! She then wiped her nose

with her hand and then proceeded to play! OMG I was so disgusted!!!

I politely said "please cover your mouth when you sneeze" and the

look I got could have stopped a moose dead in its tracks! LOL

The disregard for others is mind boggling!

Hello Gail!!!

Sooo wonderful to hear from you!!!

Brian and I very much enjoyed meeting you and Louise

by the pool every day 😄

Happy to hear you made it home safe and sound!! Brian got home safely on the Friday and I leave Rhode Island tomorrow to head back home to Alberta!

Feel free to keep in touch ! Would love to hear from you more!!

I can send you some pictures :)

Lisadd41@hotmail.com

Take care and send our best to Louise!!!

Lisa and Brian

What we found with people who didn't have their reservations is they just went

To

The restaurant during the day and made a reservation.

Their was no need to "wait in line every morning or every night" anywhere because all the

restaurants always had someone there waiting to assist you

most of the day and were more than willing to

help you get a reservation. When you first get onboard look at your

Room TV and your schedule. If something is incorrect fix it right away and be done with it in one fell swoop. It wasn't a huge process unless

of course you decided to go to guest services and wait

in a long line behind people complaining about everything under

the sun. The reservations can be made at the restaurant

Directly, on your Royal IQ App , on your room TV

TV or on any of the numerous iPads available

on the ship. We travelled with a couple with only

Half their dining reservations done. They found out our

Reservations, went to those restaurants

and were immediately given seating with us.

Took them no more than 15 minutes and they were

in their 80's. The process is not as difficult as described

by so many IF you use the onboard options that make it

easier. It most definitely did not ruin their

Trip and they were impressed with how efficiently

they were accommodated !

What we found with people who didn't have their reservations is they just went

To

The restaurant during the day and made a reservation.

Their was no need to "wait in line" anywhere because all the

restaurants always had someone there waiting to assist you

most of the day and were more than willing to

help you get a reservation. It wasn't a huge process unless

of course you decided to go to guest services and wait

in a long line behind people complaining about everything under

the sun. The reservations can be made at the restaurant

Directly, on your Royal IQ App , on your too

TV or on any of the numerous iPads available

on the ship. We travelled with a couple with only

Half their dining reservations done. They found out our

Reservations, went to those restaurants

and were immediately given seating with us.

Took them no more than 15 minutes and they were

in their 80's. The process is not as difficult as described

by so many IF you use the onboard options that make it

easier. It most definitely did not ruin their

Trip and they were impressed with how efficiently

they were accommodated !

Graham

I am glad you enjoyed yourself too.!!!

It's so cool how everyone's dining thoughts are

Unique to each person. That's what I loved most

About Dynamic dining and all the options of different

Cuisines to try!

We LOVED that show, what an incredible

Entertainer . I believe his name was Finis Henderson;)

It's a must see if he's on your sailing!

Thank you as well Hal. I think what's so intriguing about the restaurants is everyone's food tastes are so unique.

How many times has someone recommended a restaurant to us, raved about it sideways and we go and are not that excited as they were. We loved American Icon for the breakfast and eggs Benedict, but didn't enjoy the dinner. Others raved about it.

I can't think of any restaurant on land or at sea that will please 100 percent of the people 100 percent of the time. BUT as you say, the staff tried very hard and were always wonderful and kind to us. We were so impressed with our service, it was top notch. But then again a smile and a thank you go a long way:)

I am glad you had fun, just like us!!!

I honestly have to agree with klitch here. We just got off the Quantum last Friday. We were a bit worried because some of our dinner reservations were not showing up on my online reservation. I made few calls to RCC prior to boarding and they assured me they would all be in p,ve once on the ship. Voila, never we arrived we checked our TV and lo and behold every reservation for dining and entertainment was in place.

We travelled with another couple who only made half a weeks reservations and another couple with all the same as us. Every night the older couple came along they tagged along with us 4 and were very politely seated with us with not one hassle. We often saw people with no reservations just show up to restaurants and get in no problems. You may also go to each restaurant after looking at menus and deciding if you want to eat there, or change because it doesn't sound appealing.

In all seriousness the way some folks were Sooo stressed over this process was really intriguing to us.

We found the process painless,the staff more than accommodating and we ate exactly when and where we decided prior to boarding:)

One night we even cancelled a restaurant and ate in the windjammer and was very impressed with the upgrade in the quality of food there.

The biggest thing we found is the number of complaints about dynamic dining. I believe at this stage of the game with allllll the information out there about it, and you are truly a fan of the main dining room/same waiter experience and don't see yourself ever delving off that pattern of cruising , my suggestion would be stay away and let the cruisers who enjoy different dining experiences and cuisines enjoy this new way of eating on a ship. We found the complaints about the dining and it not being "the old way" , and the way some of the staff in the restaurants were treated because of things beyond their control ....well it was embarrassing . To almost have a stroke because your bread didn't arrive on time seems a bit extreme in my book :)

Relax folks....its vacation:)

You are very welcome:) we really are glad we went and everyone in our group loved it just as much . BTW our group ranged in ages from 50-80 so it was nice it appealed to the whole gang.

Best part of cruising is, it is what YOU make it. The older couple didn't do everything we did and vice versa, but that's fine and we all came out enjoying ourselves which is ultimately the hope and dream of any holiday.

Let me start with saying this is my first ever review for CC, but I will try my best to do as well as others I have read:) also please excuse any typos etc as I am doing this on my iPad.

We left for our 12 night Southern Carribean journey on March 1st. It started snowing as we arrived at the terminal and it felt great to know that soon we would be leaving the cold for warmer temperatures.

Our departure time was booked at 11:15-11:45 and we arrived on time. RCC does stress to try and stick to your scheduled departure time to try and keep things more organized, but of course we got there and many people has much later arrival times and we're waiting to board. At first we were sat in a section where our arrival time was and people on blue vests were checking in people with their iPads. But in our section people had come in with the later assigned times which started messing a bit with the process they tried to enforce. Someone went up to one of the people at check in counters against the wall and we ended up joining them and was quickly signed in and from arrival at the terminal to setting foot on board it was 15 minutes. It would have been quite a bit longer had we remained where we were.

Once onboard you are instantly overcome with the beauty and majesty of this beautiful ship. The artwork, the open spacious feel to it and the excitement of starting a new journey ahead.

The Royal Esplanade was abuzz with people and ship vendors. The first thing we did was purchase our premium drink package as we had researched that option and found it would be a good fit for us. We wandered around for a bit, first back to 270 since we had heard all about it, and it truly did not disappoint. What a beautiful room and it's just so well decorated and I can see why so many people fall in love with this area.

At 1pm we wandered up to our room which was ready. 1 sea pass card was at the door and we entered to find our second card and WOW bands on the bed. We tried them all and they worked fine. The layout of our room was nice and as others have mentioned there was lots more space to pack clothes away in. The bathroom was great and the shower size is awesome. HUGE improvement for sure:). We had a D8 cabin, balcony on deck 11, room 11120. It was way forward with only one room more forward than ours and no rooms across from us so it was quiet. Although we did get to wave to the captain and crew a few times from our balcony which overlooks the wing that juts out from the front of the ship. LOL

We went on the upper decks and had fun watching some of the staff onboard playing in the snow. Some of them mentioned they had never seen snow before so they were having snowball fights and having fun.

Our first dinner was in the Grande and they relax the rule for formal wear on disembark day. The food was good, but the staff felt a bit rushed. We have no issues with a relaxing meal and we are on vacation so we don't mind a leisurely meal at all. We had no place to be so its all good.

We spent the night roaming the ship exploring all it's wonderful little nooks and crannies. We headed to bed early as it was a long day.

The entire cruise the seas were calm and we slept very very well.

Windjammer for breakfast in the morning and we sat outside in the very back as it was already quite a bit warmer. We liked the feature where you can wash your hands in the sinks before heading in. Food was definitely better than others we have been on, with lots of selections for every taste.

Day 2 was spent riding bumper cars, relaxing and roaming about. Dinner that night was in American Icon. It was our least favorite of all the restaurants for dinner. Food was just okay and not very warm. But we heard many say it was their favorite, so it seems it's hit or miss. We also found the service to be attentive but on the slower side only because it was SOOO busy . Never more than 1.5 hrs for dinner in any restaurants we ate at.

We enjoyed going on Northstar, what a view. Very steady and I am afraid of heights and loved it

We went to see Star Water that night. It was unique and really enjoyable.

We had all our dining and entertainment reservations done months before boarding and it all went off without a hitch. Although on our TV often times we had double or triple bookings for the same Resevation time and restaurant. So we just let them know when we arrived so to free up space should others need it. Not once did we have an issue with any of our reservations for either dinner or entertainment. We never waited more than 5 minutes to be seated. It was all very smoothly run.

The only tiny glitch we found was we were with 2 other couples who made reservations for dinner same time and place And it's hard to Book for 6 together instead of 3 groups of 2, but we always got seats no problem.

Day 3 was way warmer and we were ready to hit the sun and pool for some much needed Vitamin D therapy. Of course it was hard to find a seat right by the pool as they were all reserved by the dreaded chair hogs first thing in the morning. But we got some chairs on the upper deck and enjoyed the sun and piña coladas:)

That night was dinner at Jaimes Italian. Loved loved loved it. Incredible service from our waiter Cosmo , the food outstanding and the Lemon Meringue cheesecake TO DIE FOR!!!

Then off to Mamma Mia....incredible and as good as everyone says it is!

Day 4 was Labadee...hot and sunny and just beautiful spent in the sun and floating in the ocean. Really had a wonderful day there. We ate at the windjammer that night and it was really good. Felt nice after a day In The sun not having to dress up too much.

Day 5 was San Juan. I didn't get off the ship as I was starting with a bit of a cold. Hubby went in to explore and I relaxed in the room. We ate at Chic and it was good, food was really enjoyable and service was great. After dinner we looked at shore excursions to see if anything looked appealing. One thing we found is your room TV is great to check schedules, account info etc, but it would be nice if you could book shore excursions. You can't from your tv but you can from your Royal IQ APP if you have it downloaded. You can also go to shore excursions directly or to guest services to use one of the iPads to book as well.

We booked 2 excursions. Catamaran sail on St Maarten and a Beach extravaganza on St Kitts. Many others were sold out, but we were fine with that, we don't like to schedule too much on vacation and prefer to take it day by day and see where the wind takes us.

In Barbados we got off the ship and just asked some locals about a good beach and we went via taxi to Carlisle bay. $4/person one way. Once at the beach we rented 2 chairs and umbrella for $15 and it had a beach bar and grill. Taxis are available always for the return trip. Very cheap day, $35 for the 2 of us (not including a couple beverages and DHL had lunch). Some people booked it as an excursion and paid wayyyy more:)

On St Maarten we did a Catamaran Sail. The more popular seemed to be the boat Mirabella,but we booked the Golden Eagle Sail away. The boat holds 86 but only about 30 were onboard. BEST excursion ever!!! Staff was incredible, rum punches were flowing freely, lunch was yummy and we went to a gorgeous beach. It's a must do, if you have the opportunity!!

Martinique was just as expected from reading other reviews. It just seems as if they are not quite ready for the cruise ships, but I am glad to have gotten off and strolled around town a bit. It's quite pretty really but the language barrier and not every place accepting the US currency just made it a it more challenging than other ports.

We ate at Silk and the night prior at the Grande. We loved Silk and service and food were awesome. The Grande was good and service a bit better. It seemed "most" people knew it was formal attire but still some tried to get in without jackets etc, so they had to put on ones the restaurant lent to them I started calling them "the jackets of shame" because they looked like they had been worn by lounge entertainers in a previous life LOL

St Kitts was beautiful....we did another beach day. Loved it! By the time we left I decided I wanted a pet green monkey.....Sooo cute!

We went to Jaimes again for dinner, again outstanding!! We also ate at Chops Grille one evening to celebrate our anniversary and my sisters birthday. Schubert our waiter, phenomenal, food exceptional.....group of 12 very loud, intoxicated people sitting behind us sharing stories of sexual exploits, drunken tales of cruises past...not so fun. We were a bit disappointed that the Maitre D' didn't address the situation and we were mid meal when they arrived. One of our party members shot a glance or two their direction and once politely asked them to please keep it down, but To no avail. Sad part was on the other side of us was a beautiful family with two kids about ages 10 and 12 all dressed beautifully and acting appropriately. It was hard seeing these adults all over the age of 60 act so poorly and with total disregard for other diners.

The last few days were at sea. The weather was perfect and hot and sunny. Of course as we got closer to Bayonne, finding a chair was harder around the pool. The second to last day I was up early and I, for the first time ever in 4 cruises, put out 2 towels by the pool. We ran off and grabbed food from the windjammer and came right out(not to be demed a chair hog lol) . We were gone 15 minutes tops to come back to two ladies sitting on our chairs, on the towels we had put down ! We decided to to say anything, and I grabbed 2 more towels and stood by the pool looking for more chairs. It was around 9 am. Right in front of the pool was 4 chairs with towels and towel clips on them. 2 ladies in the pool said to me " those chairs were reserved at 7am and no one has touched them since, you should let the pool attendant know! Well,I did just that and it was hilarious. He came and removed all 4 towels in front of everyone around the pool on BOTH decks and a huge round of applause went up in the crowd! I had like ten people come over saying they were tired of the chair hogs and was happy I did something about it. So DH and I sat down waiting anxiously of course for the original owners to arrive. Lo and behold TWO hours later they showed up! Well,they were not at all happy with us, but the crowd around us all came close to us and I just explained politely the rules of reserving chairs and how the pool attendant had removed their towels and clips. Their was a language issue as they were from a European country, but they understood and walked away disgruntled. The woman went to complain to a pool attendant, to no avail. They ended up having to sit up top deck for the last day of sun, just like we did the first 11 days *wink* . We went to Izumi, and it was outstanding! Again highly recommend it.

Overall, we had an incredible cruise and would sail it again in a heartbeat. We loved Dynamic Dining, the ship is gorgeous, the staff were very kind and friendly.our room steward Nicole was just lovely.

Just a few things to note:

We were a bit disheartened by some of the cruisers who were constant complainers. One lady said she took the inaugural cruise and hated it and she hated this one too just as much! Seriously?? LOL We also saw quite a few people giving restaurant staff a hard time, one night almost bringing a young gal to tears because their bread didn't arrive quickly enough. It made me sad and embarrassed at times to see how some cruisers treated staff.

On another note (and my final rant ), my DH smokes. He prides himself on being polite as possible about his habit at all times. The ship is 98 percent smoke free. I was amazed at the number of people who walk through the smoking side of the pool deck, making rude comments, covering their mouths, saying "now I need to shower" etc etc. seriously folks, a simple walk to the other side, clearly knowing where the smokers are would easily rectify your distaste for this habit.

Surely we can all get along :) I agree the casino should have been set up better for smokers/ non smokers and DH agreed it wasn't an agreeable setup for those who prefer a smoke free environment. One lady walked through the casino and took my DH's ashtray away from him mid use and called him disgusting! I was shocked. Good thing he's so tolerant and a lesser person woulda decked her LOL

He just told me " I was raised to respect my elders" LOL

If you are on the fence about cruising the Quantum....take the leap, she's a beauty and we loved every minute:)

We just got off the Quantum on Friday from

A 12 night cruise. We had a few tiny blips

With our sea pass card but it was quickly

Rectified at guest services. Other than that it

was perfect. Loved the ship and the entire

experience was wonderful ! Highly recommend it ;)

actually, we got free cruises for life. And a leg lamp.

hilarious!!!! Lol

Noreen,

Thank you so much for taking the time to share your trip with us. First off let me say how happy I am to hear you have Scott now to enjoy your time with. My life story is very similar to yours and I will be cruising with my 2nd hubby who never dreamed he would enjoy cruising. We actually ended up getting married on a RCC while docked in St Thomas in March of 2007, and we will be celebrating our anniversary next week on the Quantum.

It sounds like you had a wonderful time. It's greatly appreciated when someone takes the time to write something so detailed for all of us to share.

I hope when we return I can write as nice a review as yours:)

Thanks again, it was an enjoyable read!

We are sailing March 1st on Quantum, so I have been reading the posts on every facet of the ship. My understanding from other posters is, on embarkation day they relax the "formal" rules for the Grande. And they allow for smart casual that evening.

Most important thing is getting reservations for that evening way ahead of time if you want to have a chance at eating there that night and the time you desire.

Enjoy your cruise:)

Lisa

Sounds fun!! Thanks for the info:)

Being a bit of a cruising "rookie" , can I ask please what is The Quest?

Thanks!

Thanks for posting the video! Great job:)

May I ask what bar you were at wearing the balloons on your head? Looks right up our alley LOL

Thanks yet again for the reviews/pictures. We will be in Labadee next Wednesday! You just made my day by showing us the view!

Enjoy your day in paradise:)

We get onboard the day you disembark......cant wait to have the kind of fun you are having :)

And yes, as someone else stated, the weather looks amazing! We will be happy to get away from the snow and cold in Canada!!!

Thanks again for all the time spent doing this for us all! You guys Rock!!!

Lisa

Thanks Linda! I guess they want you to have to actually walk to get your bevvies :) LOL

Appreciate the info!

Lisa

I have a question please re: the mini fridge .

If we purchase the ultimate drink package, is the stock that is in the fridge for alcohol included in that package? Or no?

Thanks!