China is new home for royal caribbean international's quantum of the seas

[Royalty X]

I find it humorous when Australians say they are happy that QUANTUM will be so much closer to them. It's still a 10 hour flight from Sydney to Shanghai! I hardly call that close but by Australia standards I guess so. LOL I often forget just how remote Australia is.

I find it humorous that some Americans seem to be taking the news (that Quantum is off to China) so personally. Why is it such a big deal that Quantum won't be moving down to FLL? There is already about a million other cruise ships that leave from there. Anthem will replace Quantum in NY, so if anyone should be annoyed, I would think the Brits have more right to be angry than anyone in the US. All of these people crying that they feel betrayed and that they're going to try other cruise lines, need to dial down the drama queen behaviour.

 

Regardless of whether it was Anthem in Southampton or Quantum in NY, it would take around 24 hours (or more) of travel for Aussies to get there. 10 hours is nothing! And it only takes around 13 hours from LA to Shanghai, so let's consider it an even playing field. :)

[nelblu]

For a geography lesson, let's get one thing straight it's New Jersey and not New York. It's bad enough that's the New York Giants and Jets play in the Meadowlands, NJ, but yet keep the NY moniker----BAAAH!

[CRUISEFAN0001]

I find it humorous that some Americans seem to be taking the news (that Quantum is off to China) so personally.

I suspect that if RCI promoted the dickens out of Quantum sailing from Sydney for a year or more in the press and advertising...and then all of a sudden they announced it was sailing from London instead...Australians might "get the picture" on why theres so much negativity surrounding what Royal Caribbean has recent done with their ship-changing announcements.

 

It's not about where the new destinations are themselves...it's not about the musical-ship-port changes...it's about people being told one thing for a year...planning accordingly...only to be told "forget what we've been telling you for a year - everything's changed and you're outta luck".

 

In reality...many thousands of people's plans will have been "personally" impacted by the recent announcement, including cancellations of current and future bookings.

 

Had these new plans been announced in the first place...there would not have been the outcry of "betrayal" after originally promoting/hyping the Quantum class ships in the U.S. for a year. Considering the logistics and costs involved in advertising and ship support...the fact that it took this long to suddenly change all these ship ports makes one really question what is going on at the top of RCI.

 

P.S. It's great that your part of the world is getting another ship closer to home - we've always found Australians on our cruises to be some of the most wonderful fellow cruisers onboard, and Australia and the Pacific Rim deserves it. Gooday.

Edited April 20, 2014 by CRUISEFAN0001

[Royalty X]

But Quantum is still sailing out of NY (or NJ or wherever). And when it's done, Anthem will replace it. No sailings had gone on sail for Quantum out of FLL, so no sailings have been cancelled. If people had made plans that far in advance, when itineraries hadn't even been released or gone on sale, then those people are silly for making plans for something that technically didn't exist.

The people that live in FLL who are upset that Quantum won't be sailing from there still have the option to fly two and a half hours up to NJ to go on Anthem. If RCI moved a ship from Sydney to London (as per your example) with no comparable replacement in reach, it's a 24 hour flight (to London). Then I can understand people being angry. But Anthem, being identical to Quantum, is still a viable option, as is the plethora of other ships on offer from Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Galveston, Cape Canaveral, etc.

[Dave85]

If people had made plans that far in advance, when itineraries hadn't even been released or gone on sale, then those people are silly for making plans for something that technically didn't exist.

 

 

And that's where your argument falls apart. We were all led to believe by RCI that Quantum was Bayonne, NJ's ship moving forward. Period. Many people, myself included, held off booking Quantum's inaugural Winter season with the understanding that we would be able to book her for the following Spring and Summer, during which we were led to believe Quantum would still be in Bayonne, NJ. That didn't happen, and I'm so sorry that you think those of us who planned that way are "silly." Also, this planning we were all doing that you contend is soooo unreasonably far in advance was for a season that begins just about 1 year from now... So yeah, that doesn't work out either.

 

You're also completely wrong in your characterization that Anthem will immediately replace Quantum for those of us who held off on booking her inaugural Winter sailing. You do realize that it will be Liberty of the Seas, a ship from two classes ago, sailing Summer '15 out of Bayonne, NJ, do you not? So yes, everyone who relied on RCI's representations that Quantum would be Bayonne, NJ's ship and waited to book her for the summer loses out on Quantum Class cruising for that trip. End of the world? Of course not, but it's perfectly reasonable for people to feel misled by RCI and you seem to be one of the few who doesn't think so.

 

Ah, but I guess we're all just "silly!" Got it.

 

 

 

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Edited April 20, 2014 by Dave85

[nelblu]

Yes, it is nice that the Anthem will cruise out of Bayonne, the big question is FOR HOW LONG before it disappears to ??????????. Just frustrating as one cannot make proper future cruise plans. As a shareholder I applaud the move, but if the Anthem disappears, I and others will feel stabbed in the back.

Edited April 20, 2014 by nelblu
shareholder

[A&L_Ont]

And that's where your argument falls apart. We were all led to believe by RCI that Quantum was Bayonne, NJ's ship moving forward. Period. Many people, myself included, held off booking Quantum's inaugural Winter season with the understanding that we would be able to book her for the following Spring and Summer, during which we were led to believe Quantum would still be in Bayonne, NJ. That didn't happen, and I'm so sorry that you think those of us who planned that way are "silly." Also, this planning we were all doing that you contend is soooo unreasonably far in advance was for a season that begins just about 1 year from now... So yeah, that doesn't work out either.

 

You're also completely wrong in your characterization that Anthem will immediately replace Quantum for those of us who held off on booking her inaugural Winter sailing. You do realize that it will be Liberty of the Seas, a ship from two classes ago, sailing Summer '15 out of Bayonne, NJ, do you not? So yes, everyone who relied on RCI's representations that Quantum would be Bayonne, NJ's ship and waited to book her for the summer loses out on Quantum Class cruising for that trip. End of the world? Of course not, but it's perfectly reasonable for people to feel misled by RCI and you seem to be one of the few who doesn't think so.

 

Ah, but I guess we're all just "silly!" Got it.

 

 

 

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I see and understand you 100%.

 

We were thinking Quantum May of 2015, but were more realistically thinking Anthem when she arrived in Florida. NY is a half days travel and Florida is a full day of travel from our house door. It is no where near as far as Australia but not still not a simple drive to the port as we live in Canada. We book 6-12 months in advance because we want specific cabins on specific dates. We can't wait until we are retired and can sail whenever we want.

 

RC changed their game plans either due to delays in embarkation infrastructure, dredging issues , or heck maybe the push back from the dining style. It didn't have to be moved for lack of cabin sales, as that appears to going smoothly. Then it was time for business spin. Let's go to new market place and charge a premium there. Next move a few ships around and then double the price of cabins for Bayonne.

 

I would never have expected an Alaska cruise to be cheaper than a Caribbean out NYC. The Royal suite for Alaska on the Jewel is almost 10,000 cheaper than the RS out of NYC on Liberty. Yes, not the same class of ship, but no where near reasonable in pricing comparison.

 

They intrigued cruisers with a new ship with its home port of NY/NJ. Turns out that their autocorrect was wrong and IT didn't catch the mistake. It turns out that their autocorrect really wanted to say Shanghai for Quantum and they also missed the spelling of Bayonne and it came out as Fort Lauderdale for Anthem.

 

I said it before and and saying it again. Royal got a better date for the prom and dropped their first date like a rock. However, they hooked NY area up with another date, only she is older and higher maintenance. Oh and wait for it... RC also forgot to mention that the new date will cost twice as much.

 

It is realistic that some cruisers would be upset, and others that will be excited about a new ship getting closer to them. Me personally I am disappointed with how it all came out. I have to travel no matter what, but it would have been nicer if it had been announced differently.

 

This announcement is like pulling off a band aid. Either way of removal it hurts, quick or slow pull.

[A&L_Ont]

Yes, it is nice that the Anthem will cruise out of Bayonne, the big question is FOR HOW LONG before it disappears to ??????????. Just frustrating as one cannot make proper future cruise plans. As a shareholder I applaud the move, but if the Anthem disappears, I and others will feel stabbed in the back.

 

My thoughts as well. Since I sold my stock, I tend to go with disappointed feeling. However, as a business owner I understand the business stand point as well.

[Dave85]

I see and understand you 100%.

 

 

 

. . .

 

 

I said it before and and saying it again. Royal got a better date for the prom and dropped their first date like a rock. However, they hooked NY area up with another date, only she is older and higher maintenance. Oh and wait for it... RC also forgot to mention that the new date will cost twice as much.

 

 

 

 

 

LOL I love that analogy Andrew :D

 

 

 

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[caribbean sailor]

And that's where your argument falls apart. We were all led to believe by RCI that Quantum was Bayonne, NJ's ship moving forward. Period. Many people, myself included, held off booking Quantum's inaugural Winter season with the understanding that we would be able to book her for the following Spring and Summer, during which we were led to believe Quantum would still be in Bayonne, NJ. That didn't happen, and I'm so sorry that you think those of us who planned that way are "silly." Also, this planning we were all doing that you contend is soooo unreasonably far in advance was for a season that begins just about 1 year from now... So yeah, that doesn't work out either.

 

You're also completely wrong in your characterization that Anthem will immediately replace Quantum for those of us who held off on booking her inaugural Winter sailing. You do realize that it will be Liberty of the Seas, a ship from two classes ago, sailing Summer '15 out of Bayonne, NJ, do you not? So yes, everyone who relied on RCI's representations that Quantum would be Bayonne, NJ's ship and waited to book her for the summer loses out on Quantum Class cruising for that trip. End of the world? Of course not, but it's perfectly reasonable for people to feel misled by RCI and you seem to be one of the few who doesn't think so.

 

Ah, but I guess we're all just "silly!" Got it.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Cruise Critic Forums mobile app

 

I personally would rather sail on the Liberty then Quantum from New Jersey.When the prices go down. :)

[FIRELT5]

Yes, it is nice that the Anthem will cruise out of Bayonne, the big question is FOR HOW LONG before it disappears to ??????????. Just frustrating as one cannot make proper future cruise plans. As a shareholder I applaud the move, but if the Anthem disappears, I and others will feel stabbed in the back.

 

Anthem will be seasonal in Cape Liberty and will depart to The UK in Mid-April 2016. Liberty will return to Cape Liberty for the Summer/Fall 2016. This is what was explained to us on the EXOS During the deployment announcement. Take it for what it's worth. Lol. Welcome to the WOW factor :)

[Dave85]

I personally would rather sail on the Liberty then Quantum from New Jersey.When the prices go down. :)

 

Haha my first thought when I heard the announcement was, well, at least I'll get to save a few bucks on my May 2015 9-night cruise on Liberty... LOL well that didn't quite come to pass. :p

[nelblu]

Anthem will be seasonal in Cape Liberty and will depart to The UK in Mid-April 2016. Liberty will return to Cape Liberty for the Summer/Fall 2016. This is what was explained to us on the EXOS During the deployment announcement. Take it for what it's worth. Lol. Welcome to the WOW factor :)

 

I guess we will all be re-assured when the final 2015/2016 cruise itineraries are published.

[London-Calling]

I would have though that many of Quantum's dining options were designed for American tastes and certainly the western world. I would have though that the Chinese market would expect more Chinese options.

 

I suppose menu's can be changes, but it sounds like quite a paradigm shift. Langue and entertainment will also need to re-structured to suit the Asian market.

[icat2000]

But Quantum is still sailing out of NY (or NJ or wherever). And when it's done, Anthem will replace it. No sailings had gone on sail for Quantum out of FLL, so no sailings have been cancelled. If people had made plans that far in advance, when itineraries hadn't even been released or gone on sale, then those people are silly for making plans for something that technically didn't exist.

The people that live in FLL who are upset that Quantum won't be sailing from there still have the option to fly two and a half hours up to NJ to go on Anthem. If RCI moved a ship from Sydney to London (as per your example) with no comparable replacement in reach, it's a 24 hour flight (to London). Then I can understand people being angry. But Anthem, being identical to Quantum, is still a viable option, as is the plethora of other ships on offer from Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Galveston, Cape Canaveral, etc.

 

Exactly. This is why I can't understand why some are soooo upset. You would think that they are not getting the opportunity to cruise on the ship at all. If that was the case I could understand and be there pitchforks and all. But it's not the case. They are getting the ship. I guess its a case of being spoilt for too long by getting all the new toys while other regions have be left with the used hand me down toys.

 

Australians are just happy to have any ship that isn't over five years. We have had to cruise in some pretty old ships. Pretty sure Australians will fly up to China to try this ship out. I cant wait to see the itineraries to see if I can work something in.

 

As you say its not like they had released the interaries and people had booked and had to cancel those bookings. If that was the case I could again understand the disappointment.

Edited April 20, 2014 by icat2000

[Pushka]

I've read here where cruises have been chartered 12 months out and CC'ers have posted that the cruise line contacted them and cancelled their booking and asked to reschedule with OBC as a result. Pretty much they were told to suck it up as they'd been given 12 months notice of cancellation. Those people I feel sorry for.

[PugDaddy69]

As a loyal person to Royal I am greatly disappointed they are choosing to to take their newest best ship and send it to a new market and not with those that have shown loyalty to them. I think this shows they believe they have the NY/NJ market in the bag and do not have to worry about keeping us happy by providing the newest and best. I think it shows how loyal they are to us. As a share holder I am glad they are opening a new market but really believe they should have considered the negative impact on the NJ/NY market before they made this disappointing choice. The Liberty should have been based in China and Quantum with those who have shown loyalty. The NY/NJ market is one of the most loyal with the most repeat cruiser and I believe they are counting on that. Sad to see its about the numbers not really keeping loyal cruisers happy.:mad::confused:

[Pushka]

I guess they believe they repay the loyalty by all the perks they give. But guaranteeing a new ship isn't one of the perks. They must do those things that earn them the revenue to continue their business. They believe China and Asia offers that opportunity. It's a business decision.

[Cutesy Pie Lover]

Some photos from the event held in China - Royal Caribbean International's April 17, 2014 announcement of Quantum of the Seas' new deployment.

 

 

 

 

[Yorkvillain]

As a loyal person to Royal I am greatly disappointed they are choosing to to take their newest best ship and send it to a new market and not with those that have shown loyalty to them. I think this shows they believe they have the NY/NJ market in the bag and do not have to worry about keeping us happy by providing the newest and best. I think it shows how loyal they are to us. As a share holder I am glad they are opening a new market but really believe they should have considered the negative impact on the NJ/NY market before they made this disappointing choice. The Liberty should have been based in China and Quantum with those who have shown loyalty. The NY/NJ market is one of the most loyal with the most repeat cruiser and I believe they are counting on that. Sad to see its about the numbers not really keeping loyal cruisers happy.:mad::confused:

 

I know, it's terrible. I can't believe they are taking the Quantum away from us and giving us that clunky old Anthem in 2015.

[timtam2]

I note that the hoarding says 2015 Asia & China STRATEGY - and not 'band aid' or '2nd best option because Bermuda is a PITA'

 

this move has been planned for quite some time (if you Google around and bother to read some of the press releases over the past few months in China re the development of Wusongkou port you will see it has been leading up to this) and is not some knee jerk, last minute decision.

 

Obviously from this long thread, some cruisers seem to feel slighted as they weren't kept in the loop or even consulted by RCI before this change was announced and have a hard time accepting that the company would dare 'take the ship away from THEM' - sense of entitlement much?

 

The world is a big place , RCI is an international company and why should they not choose to move their assets to where they see the biggest potential in market growth. And they don't need to go ,cap in hand, to anyone to 'explain' or 'apologise' this decision

 

Oh, and believe it or not, the Chinese will and do eat 'Western' food :rolleyes:

[Royalty X]

I note that the hoarding says 2015 Asia & China STRATEGY - and not 'band aid' or '2nd best option because Bermuda is a PITA'

 

 

 

this move has been planned for quite some time (if you Google around and bother to read some of the press releases over the past few months in China re the development of Wusongkou port you will see it has been leading up to this) and is not some knee jerk, last minute decision.

 

 

 

Obviously from this long thread, some cruisers seem to feel slighted as they weren't kept in the loop or even consulted by RCI before this change was announced and have a hard time accepting that the company would dare 'take the ship away from THEM' - sense of entitlement much?

 

 

 

The world is a big place , RCI is an international company and why should they not choose to move their assets to where they see the biggest potential in market growth. And they don't need to go ,cap in hand, to anyone to 'explain' or 'apologise' this decision

 

 

 

Oh, and believe it or not, the Chinese will and do eat 'Western' food :rolleyes:

I guess the rest of us should just get it into our thick skulls that everything in the world revolves around the U.S. Poor hard done-by North Americans with so few options when it comes to cruising. A lot of them were planning on sailing on the ship in 2020 and I can't believe the audacity of RCI to not have the ship available for the weekend they'd planned to cruise. Don't they realise that my sister was thinking about getting married in 2025 and wanted to sail on Quantum for her honeymoon!? I can't believe RCI would deliberately ruin her wedding AND her honeymoon!! Everything is ruined! Everything! :rolleyes: :D Edited April 21, 2014 by Royalty X

[Pushka]

The world has tilted a little on its axis and it's a case of adapt survive or perish.

[BugsyCruiser]

I'm not sure where anyone has stated on this thread that everything revolves around the U.S. I must have missed something there.... :rolleyes:

 

I actually am one of the minority that doesn't have a problem with what they done, just an issue with how it was done. It had been touted for a long time that Quantum was going to sail year round from Cape Liberty and that Anthem was going to sail the winter months from Fort Lauderdale. If it was never their intent to do that(which now obviously is the case) they could have just come out and said that from the beginning and I'm pretty sure there wouldn't have been even close to the anger and frustration that is being stated on this thread.

 

A little honesty never hurts I always say

Edited April 21, 2014 by Bugsy4271

[DEIx15x8]

I'm not sure where anyone has stated on this thread that everything revolves around the U.S. I must have missed something there.... :rolleyes:

 

I actually am one of the minority that doesn't have a problem with what they done, just an issue with how it was done. It had been touted for a long time that Quantum was going to sail year round from Cape Liberty and that Anthem was going to sail the winter months from Fort Lauderdale. If it was never their intent to do that(which now obviously is the case) they could have just come out and said that from the beginning and I'm pretty sure there wouldn't have been even close to the anger and frustration that is being stated on this thread.

 

A little honesty never hurts I always say

 

I have yet to see anything to say that Royal Caribbean had not intended to keep Quantum in Cape Liberty year round for the forceable future. The only thing that we know for sure is that in the fall after Royal Caribbean had made their Quantum Cape Liberty announcement, Bermuda made an announcement that Quantum would not be allowed to sail in their channel due to safety concerns over the amount of water beneath the keel. An announcement that was made even though Quantum is barely larger than the NCL Breakaway that had been making port of calls already. This then led to a lengthy battle over what changes had to be done and who would pay for them all leading up the the recent final hour acknowledgement that under no circumstance would the Quantum be able to call on Bermuda in 2015. This led to the change. Nothing involving some secret plot to screw the US and send Quantum to China. Quantum 3 on the other hand has always been in discussions for that.

 

I really don't understand how people are struggling so much to see the facts. The even more shocking ones are the supposed share holders who are siding with their personal vacation over the company they claim to be supporting. Royal Caribbean did nothing that didn't have to be done and I'm sure they did not want to make these changes. But in the end by the time the entire Quantum class is delivered as long as Bermuda is ready things should settle to how they were originally intended, just with each ship in a different location.

 

If Royal Caribbean really had this planned for years then what benefit did they gain from selling an Anthem of the Seas transatlantic to Fort Lauderdale?