QUANTUM Dec 1-11, 2014 REVIEW w/lots of photos

[Hoopster95]

Hey everyone,

 

donovan52, OP of the Jewel review (http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2144344), gave me the ok to post his great photos of Q coming into port docking beside Lady Q here in this review. Thank you donovan52!! Shots were taken from top deck of Jewel.

 

 

 

 

 

And below is the picture where he gets me, second person from the left.... half hidden behind the blue panel, white shorts, bending down a bit with camera through the slats in the glass panel. I needed to zoom in to confirm.

 

 

 

I had originally posted about this photo on his review. I had said that I must've been standing just to the right as I couldn't see myself. And then of course I looked closer at the above photo and there I was

 

 

[Beachcruzer]

That's pretty cool that you actually found yourself in someone else's pictures! :D:D:D

[DONNALAKA]

wonderful review! hung on every word & can't wait for 2/20/15 ! :)

[manonvacation]

Thank you very much, Hoopster95.

 

Your review make me to embrace the cruise vacation more than anything else.

[fish6]

Amazing review....love your positive attitude :)

 

I have a couple of questions.....the pics that are taken by the ship photographer during iFly....are they the same cost as other pics? For example an 8x10 is usually 20$.

 

My other question is we have an iFly session booked from 215-315 the first day. What time was Muster? 330? You probably answered that earlier in the review....I'm being lazy to go and check :D

 

Thanks,

Donna

[Hoopster95]

Amazing review....love your positive attitude :)

 

I have a couple of questions.....the pics that are taken by the ship photographer during iFly....are they the same cost as other pics? For example an 8x10 is usually 20$.

 

This is 100% correct, they're included in your overall photo log at the photo studio (ie. with your formal pictures, etc)

 

My other question is we have an iFly session booked from 215-315 the first day. What time was Muster? 330? You probably answered that earlier in the review....I'm being lazy to go and check

 

Hmmm, I can't remember! This sounds close... my gut's telling me 4pm. Right after muster it was already getting dark'ish with sun going down Dec 1st so that's why I'm thinking 4 (not 3:30)... can anyone else reading this remember (Merion_Mom? Beachcruizer?). Regardless there's no way they'd pre-book you into that time slot if it affects muster as RCL has to suspend/close all public venues at least 1/2 hour before the drill.

 

Have an awesome cruise!! :D

[smoochie]

This review does not demean other cruiser's experiences, especially those who had legitimate problems... all the photos, friends who are replying back to me on this review, daily tips, were all things that happened to me as I went through daily life on Q. Things thankfully were fantastic for me on board Q, in my top 10 cruises for sure.

 

I felt I wished to say, and repeat, a couple of strong opinions I have regarding Quantum:

 

You will not feel at home when you get on this ship.

Not one single experienced RCL cruiser I talked to felt at home right away on this ship. This ship is is unlike anything else in the RCL fleet. If you do not like change, I feel you may not like this ship. I believe this was the biggest factor with most of the complaints, the change was not good for many. I got used to everything within 3-4 days (the flow, finding my room, knowing where everything was, etc) and had an amazing cruise.

 

This ship is made for an active life-style

This ship provides for choices which you have to make.... they are not made for you. If you want the choices made for you, a care free non-thinking more sedate cruiser experience, this ship may not be for you although it has ample space for that (Solarium, indoor pool, Two70 morning & afternoon) but it is truly made to be active and enjoy all of it's amenities. Being more active also means being more in control of other facets including dining, making your own reservations, eating what you want when you want. MDR you can only eat what that single menu provides to you at the exact time you are booked, regardless of your port times or anything else. Other RCL ships are more structured... Q is more non-structured.

 

If you base your cruise experience solely on dining, then please do not book this ship

"Dynamic: (of a process or system) characterized by constant change, activity, or progress"

There had been so much untrue information prior to Quantum even sailing by CC'ers who had never even set foot on-board that it was nauseating. If your dining experience is so VERY VERY important to you that you must at all costs be seated at the same table every night, with the same waiter, with a pre-designated menu that is forced upon you with only 6-7 entrees, there is NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT... I enjoy this too :) But please if it's that important never ever book on a Quantum Class ship so that the rest of us do not have to read so much negativity. Dining was awesome for me ... everything worked. I had choices everyday. It was exciting. And I was able to choose when I didn't like a restaurant so much (Chic) to cancel and book more nights at the venue I loved (The Grande). Try cancelling your MDR on a regular ship today for one night in order to sit at an already filled table with new friends... no way I would've had meals with Merion_Mom and Laura in the old MDR. This is a MASSIVE plus for Dynamic Dining.

 

 

 

I went through all my 27 cruises last night (22 on RCL) and really thought about the importance of my criteria while basing my rating on each cruise....

• Quantum came in at #7 all-time with an 8.5 rating
  

( I can show you my list, I have quite a few 5's and 6's so I'm not totally a cheerleader once I really thought about each specific cruise :))

 

 

Again, thank you so much for those who have said kind words, not just at the end but throughout the review, really really nice of everyone to do that. I hope this review has helped out a few people who are sailing in the next few months to possibly be better prepared and enjoy Q rather than be upset with her. I actually think my Serenade review from Sept is better (extremely port intensive vs. ship intensive), so if any of you are thinking about a Mediterranean/Adriatic cruise, check that review out. Take care everybody :D

 

Thanks so much for the great review. I have finally finished the entire thing! I can't wait to get on board next Friday and start my vacation!

Thanks again also for the link to your tour in St. Martin. I emailed Capt. Bob and booked the tour!

 

Also I wanted to tell you I just loved the pictures you took of New York!

I live in Staten Island and work in the city everyday but I never get sick of all the great views of the city! I myself am lucky enough to have an office window that looks out over the Hudson River and the three bridges! In fact I think you even got a picture of my office building in one of your shots!! LOL!!!

 

Thanks again for the great review!!!

 

Nancy

[Hoopster95]

I emailed Capt. Bob and booked the tour! Thanks again for the great review!!!

Nancy

 

You're so welcome!!! Get out there, go to every show, eat at every restaurant, do everything... you're going to have a BLAST! :D:D:D

Edited January 14, 2015 by Hoopster95

[Beachcruzer]

This is 100% correct, they're included in your overall photo log at the photo studio (ie. with your formal pictures, etc)

 

 

 

Hmmm, I can't remember! This sounds close... my gut's telling me 4pm. Right after muster it was already getting dark'ish with sun going down Dec 1st so that's why I'm thinking 4 (not 3:30)... can anyone else reading this remember (Merion_Mom? Beachcruizer?). Regardless there's no way they'd pre-book you into that time slot if it affects muster as RCL has to suspend/close all public venues at least 1/2 hour before the drill.

 

Have an awesome cruise!! :D

 

I think it was 4. We had our I fly appointment right after the muster drill. :)

[DM_KidAtHeart]

Love the review. Thanks so much for your positive outlook.

 

 

Sent from iPhone using Cruise Critic App

[deladane]

Wow, what a fantastic review! I have never sailed on RCI, but I'm becoming increasingly curious about these mega-ships so it was really interesting to read your review and get a feel of the Q from your eyes. I'm a native New Yorker and I lived in Manhattan for several years, so it was impressive to see how much you did there on your brief pre- and post-cruise days! You sure do know how to pack a lot of touring into a short amount of time haha Very impressive!! Now I'm going to go read your Mediterranean review :) I did a Med cruise in 2013 and went to many of the same ports so I can't wait to see what you did each day! Thanks again :)

[Hoopster95]

Wow, what a fantastic review! I have never sailed on RCI, but I'm becoming increasingly curious about these mega-ships so it was really interesting to read your review and get a feel of the Q from your eyes. I'm a native New Yorker and I lived in Manhattan for several years, so it was impressive to see how much you did there on your brief pre- and post-cruise days! You sure do know how to pack a lot of touring into a short amount of time haha Very impressive!! Now I'm going to go read your Mediterranean review :) I did a Med cruise in 2013 and went to many of the same ports so I can't wait to see what you did each day! Thanks again :)

 

Nice words... thank you! :) Yes, it's been commented before by others reading my reviews that I do get around on my port days :p Love, love,love Manhattan! And this winter stop was really special for me, it was beautiful.

 

I don't know how you feel about the Med, but I see many cruisers who have been on 20-30-40 cruises and never been to Europe... they sail for the ship and stay on board on port days cause they've been to Nassau/Cozumel/etc a thousand times. Wow are they missing the boat (pun intended:p). My most vivid memories for ports and things I have seen/excursions are all in the Med, just outstanding. I'm booked on Legend (Southern Carib again) coming up strictly for the BOGOHO deal from last year, as well as Hawaii, but in the next couple of years I will be focusing more on exotic I think... and not RCL unless they can match pricing and benefits (ie. Celebrity's triple play). The memories are so much more vivid and incredible when I look back on Greece, Turkey, Italy, Spain, etc... I can't remember what I did in Cozumel the 1st time I was there.

 

I'm interested to see how you like my Med review and if you did some of things I ended doing... very port oriented. Thanks again for the kind words and happy cruising :D

[baltchavez]

At what time does the basketball court open? Is this the only court in the ship?

[Hoopster95]

At what time does the basketball court open? Is this the only court in the ship?

 

Yes, the Seaplex is the only hoops court. It's open all day long as long as there is no other event.... so when bumper cars, roller skating, etc are on you can't play. However when trapeze school is on, half court is available. I also assume that when there are more kids on board Adventure Ocean will likely have things reserved at Seaplex for the kids as well as they do on other ships on the sports court. I was able to shoot a few hoops almost every sea day at various times.

[flames]

Turning the corner right at the boat/map in the picture above, you see probably about 30-40 Iguana's right there and all around!

 

 

 

These little critters weren't scared of anything, and obviously knowing they get fed every once in a while. They come and go, more come out of the bushes and down from the rocks as others leave. Personally I've never seen so many all in one spot.

 

 

 

The bunch of us there played around with these guys for a long time as everyone was taking pictures. It's too bad we didn't have anything to feed them. More and more Iguana's started coming out of the bushes from the hiding spots or homes I gather, but a few of us noticed right away this behemoth as he made his way down!!

 

 

 

What a suck! Everyone oooh'd and aaah'd at this thing as other Iguana's moved to the side making a path for him (or her). So we all gathered to check it out and the first brave soul tried to get close.. after it twitched a bit, the petting started, and he closed his eyes to enjoy the massage just like a cat lol! What a hoot

 

 

 

 

Time was running very short and I wanted to get at least glimpse of what else was offered here... very little. It's strictly an extremely quiet beach with excellent swimming. There's a small bar on the other side and another strip of loungers/beach as shown below facing the boats we had come on. Bit now it was time to move on so away I went.

 

 

I love these picture...

 

Carol

[ucfalli]

Enjoyed your review!!! Quantum looks like an amazing ship. Going to go back and catch up on some of your other reviews :D

[NYGirl1002]

Thank you so much for such a wonderful review. You hit all aspects of the ship and cruise in a delightful manner, especially with your fabulous pictures.

[cruises42]

Do you know if you can stand in the back and watch a show (if you can't get in)?

[Hoopster95]

Do you know if you can stand in the back and watch a show (if you can't get in)?

 

Thank you for the kinds words everyone :D

 

Regarding this question, do you mean Starwater in Two70? If so, yes. I think you could pretty much. I would head to top balcony as many times there's seats available, especially the stool type seats at the top where I sat and showed my photos from in this review.

[edjny]

Do you know if you can stand in the back and watch a show (if you can't get in)?

 

I assume you are talking about StarWater. We watched the show four times. We had a reservation for one show and just went in on Stand-By for the other three. In all cases, there was not much trouble finding a seat. On the stand-by shows, we sat in the balcony. The show is spread out and we found that we could see it better when we were in the balcony.

[cruises42]

Thank you for the kinds words everyone :D

 

Regarding this question, do you mean Starwater in Two70? If so, yes. I think you could pretty much. I would head to top balcony as many times there's seats available, especially the stool type seats at the top where I sat and showed my photos from in this review.

 

I assume you are talking about StarWater. We watched the show four times. We had a reservation for one show and just went in on Stand-By for the other three. In all cases, there was not much trouble finding a seat. On the stand-by shows, we sat in the balcony. The show is spread out and we found that we could see it better when we were in the balcony.

 

It was both guest entertainers that we couldn't book.

[Hoopster95]

It was both guest entertainers that we couldn't book.

 

Ah, the guest entertainers in the theatre... no, not much standing room at all. The theatre is much like all other larger ships in the fleet with very little standing room as you enter from the entry hallway.

 

On our sailing, the same entertainer was booked on 2 different nights... so you would book the entertainer on one night, and then book Starwater or do something else the next night. That theatre must hold a couple thousand people easy so I can't see you not being able to get a seat, even on the standby line. By the way, they let the standby line go in at about 15 min before showtime and I am willing to bet not all reserved cruisers get there on time. I always saw people coming in within a minute or two of the show and getting a seat, especially at the sides. Hope that works for you.

 

Have an awesome cruise! :D

[cruises42]

Ah, the guest entertainers in the theatre... no, not much standing room at all. The theatre is much like all other larger ships in the fleet with very little standing room as you enter from the entry hallway.

 

On our sailing, the same entertainer was booked on 2 different nights... so you would book the entertainer on one night, and then book Starwater or do something else the next night. That theatre must hold a couple thousand people easy so I can't see you not being able to get a seat, even on the standby line. By the way, they let the standby line go in at about 15 min before showtime and I am willing to bet not all reserved cruisers get there on time. I always saw people coming in within a minute or two of the show and getting a seat, especially at the sides. Hope that works for you.

 

Have an awesome cruise! :D

 

Thanks again! We might be able to get in the first night. Since they block dinner for 2 hours (dinner at 8, show at 9:30), I'm hoping it doesn't take that long and we are able to get to the theater and get in with the standby line.

[p24296]

Loved your review and photos, looking forward to seeing the similarities on Anthem

[Davorah]

Great review! Funny thing is that I was at the same basketball game as you! It was my first live NBA game! It was fun and I enjoyed it. We had done the Empire State Building before the game! Enjoying the review.

 

 

 

I had tickets to the Knicks vs. Heat, my very first visit to MSG ever!!! I was stoked... Carmelo was back in the line-up and hopefully I would see a decent game. But first, what is a visit to NYC without at least a walk through Times Square??? So from my hotel is a direct 5 block walk down 45th Street to 7th Ave and all the bright lights.

 

 

 

After about a 1/2 hour walking around, watching the street entertainers and people watching big time, I walked down 7th Ave to get to MSG. I had pre-purchased seats on-line, 3rd row 200 level as I did not feel like spending the $300-$700 per seat needed to be in the lower levels in decent seats! Here is my view of the game. Cindy Lauper sang the anthem and she was incredibly (and surprisingly to me) excellent.

 

 

 

 

The game was utterly horrible! LOL!! As per my screen name, I'm an ex hoops player & coach. Check out the final stats below, specifically the Knick's FG% and 3PT%... unbelievable. Horrible horrible game, but I tell you I still had fun talking with a few New Yoika's around me, eating MSG food and just plain having a good time.

 

 

 

After the game my intention was to walk back directly to the hotel to get to bed by strolling up 33rd Street to the Empire State Building and taking a few photos from street level, then heading directly up 5th Ave to get to my hotel to get to bed. Approaching the entrance to Empire at about 11pm I noticed there were still a few people milling about, so I entered. I asked the guard attendant if the observation decks were open and he said "Yes, until 2am"... WOW! What the hell, I took out my wallet and up I went. I had been to both Empire and The Rock in daylight, but I had never seen Manhattan before in the darkness of night with all the lights so now I was catching a second wind and getting very excited. There was maybe 15-20 people alongside me going up. Zero line-up at floor 80 where the museum is and the normally huge "Disneyland style" winding line-ups. I did read and look through a few of the exhibits that caught my eye. I also head the audio tour headset which is also very good here, and then went up the 2nd elevator to the 86th floor on the observation deck. NYC is gorgeous at night, and without professional equipment my photos just do not do the view justice.

 

 

 

 

If you decide to visit Empire this late at night in December, bring lots of warm clothing! I was prepared with toque & scarf anyways, wearing layered clothing during the day as it was very cold. The wind up cold up there was chilling, you had to go inside a couple of times to get warm, and then brave the wind again when stepping out. Totally worth the cost and cold... a superb end to a great 1st day visiting this awesome city. It was time to go and get some sleep. I got back to the hotel just after 12:30am and went straight to bed... It's Quantum time tomorrow!!