Asian Cruise on Quantum of the Seas

[ScottC4746]

DH has been wanting to do an Asian cruise but I haven't been convinced yet.  I found a January 2020 7 night on the above ship Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam RT.

 

Pros and cons?  Will we be the only Americans on this cruise?  How is the ship?

[Biker19]

She'll be fresh out of dry dock. Probably few Americans on it. 

[SamKB]

We are also interested in this cruise.  Our agent has suggested we should be aware of the fact that the food is geared towards the Asian market, and that the casino's will be packed with big drinking gamblers.   Not sure thats enough to put us off booking.  Giving it serious consideration before the Royal Carribbean sale is over next week.

[ScottC4746]

My TA reminded me that is close to Chinese New Year and a big major holiday for the region.

[Ashland]

We've done an RCI (Mariner) cruise out of Singapore (itinerary was China, Hong Kong & Vietnam) but it wasn't specified to be "culturally enriching cruise" . We found the same food that we have always had on an RCI ship (perhaps a few more Asian offerings). And while there were many Asian's onboard there were also a lot of Aussie's...we had no trouble being in the minority. I would certainly consider an Asian cruise again and am waiting to see when the next schedule opens what's available. These cruises definitely have their pro's & con's.

[TonRin]

Scott,

I will try to shed some light on Asian cruising for you guys as My wife (Filipino) and I (Australian) have done 4 now.

 

We did Mariner of the Seas out of Singapore firstly for a 3 night jaunt to Kuala Lumpur and then 7 nights to Thailand & Vietnam in February, 2014. For the 7 night cruise, there were a lot of Westerners on it. We have made some life long friends from it. Mariner being a bit smaller was a great ship for Asia as it wasn't too big. They are right in saying the casino is always full and I can add the buffet to that list aswell. The bars & the pools on the other hand were nearly always empty. Chinese New Year was amazing wherever you went as there was always something happening.

 

We also have done 2 cruisers back to back on the Quantum of the Seas for 13 nights out of Shanghai to Japan & South Korea. This was a totally different experience as you are really fighting with 5000 Chinese people to do anything on the ship. We were definitely a minority with only about 60+ Westerners on this cruise. There are some pros and cons with this. Pros are the staff will absolutely love you. They will bend over backwards to make sure you are having a good time because not a lot of the Chinese will speak to them unless they are Chinese themselves. Don't get me wrong, we had a blast and met some amazing Chinese families who were lovely, but I will say their respect for anything Western is definitely on the low side! Some Chinese have no regard for anyone else at all which brings us to the cons. You will need to push your way out of the lifts as they will just barge right in before the doors finish opening. They will push in front of you in the buffet without hesitation, even if you have been patiently waiting for someone to finish. The shopping sales on the ship are like a war zone. Best place to watch it is up above the Saloon looking down on the promenade. Getting of the ship in ports are fun. Whilst the crew try their best to make it orderly, some people have a chip on their shoulders and believe they have a right to do whatever the hell they like. 

 

After saying all this, we had a blast. Being married to an Asian certainly helped me and I had no issues with the way it all went down. Just learn to push back. they won't be offended at all as they are used to it. Like my wife says of her childhood days in the Philippines, if you had a bowl of rice on the table for dinner and 10 people about to dig in, you learn very quickly to be the aggressive one and push in. It's life!

 

I will say, if your cruise is going to Ho Chi Minh city, I would highly suggest you look up the tour guide called 'Zoom' there. Try and get a bus load of people from your Roll Call and do an excursion with him. Very knowledgable and a good laugh. We had a bus of about 30 people all up and we had an amazing time for the day we were there. 

 

There were some Westerners on our cruisers who complained no end about everything after they got off the ship because they compared it to every other cruise they have had to the Caribbean. Its not Westernised at all. Thats why you go there!

Don't try to compare it.

 

Quantum is an amazing ship. Its big! We are going on its sister ship this September, (Ovation of the Seas) to Alaska. Can't wait. I am sure there will be some pushy people on that one too albeit a different race! 

 

Hope this helps a little. You will have a great time and see some pretty awesome places I can attest to that!.

 

Drop me a line if you need to know anything else!

 

Cheers

Tony

 

 

 

[ScottC4746]

So you are saying the smaller the ship the better the larger the ship the worst?

[Joseph2017China]

On ‎2‎/‎7‎/‎2019 at 9:28 AM, ScottC4746 said:

DH has been wanting to do an Asian cruise but I haven't been convinced yet.  I found a January 2020 7 night on the above ship Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam RT.

 

Pros and cons?  Will we be the only Americans on this cruise?  How is the ship?

First, let me ask why you aren't convinced?  Singapore is a great little country, that is highly modern and looks amazing.  (I'm going in 3 months).  If you aren't sure, watch the movie "Crazy Rich Asians" to see what I mean.  Vietnam is really a historical stop, for history.  As far as Thailand, I don't know, but I can't imagine it being anything less than spectacular to visit.  Ships in the Caribbean are about fun in the sun, but ships in Europe and Asia are about culture, and history, and the ship, is not the destination like in the Caribbean.  If you go to Asia, you must embrace Asia.  The ship, the culture, the food, the tours, the type of beer on the ship, will be geared to the culture experience of the trip.  Another poster gave a good description between Singapore, or mainland China.  I highly encourage you to go.

[TonRin]

6 hours ago, ScottC4746 said:

So you are saying the smaller the ship the better the larger the ship the worst?

 

I think both ships have their merits! We broke our cruising virginity (so to say) on the Mariner and when we first got onboard we couldn't believe how big and spacious it was. There was never a dull moment on that cruise and we had a great time. When we boarded Quantum (2 years later), that level of excitement went up another notch. Its even bigger but we also knew what to expect with the people as we had just spent 10 days doing a road trip through Beijing and Shanghai. I am sure a Quantum class ship cruise to the Caribbean is very different than a Quantum class ship cruise in China just because of the other passengers. You don't talk to people no where near as much as a Westernised cruise I would say, but it's still fun and exciting. 

 

Cheers

[irene2000]

My husband and I have booked the Ultimate South East Asia cruise leaving on 5th January 2020 and we are very excited about the prospect of visiting Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia. We are also exited about cruising on Quantum as we have already cruised on both Anthem and Ovation and found them to be great ships with lots of exciting features.

A couple of great friends from Ireland will also be sailing with us

Is anyone else out there joining us?

[Biker19]

1 minute ago, irene2000 said:

 

Is anyone else out there joining us?

You may want to post this on the Roll Call thread for the sailing. 

[Clarea]

6 minutes ago, irene2000 said:

My husband and I have booked the Ultimate South East Asia cruise leaving on 5th January 2020 and we are very excited about the prospect of visiting Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia. We are also exited about cruising on Quantum as we have already cruised on both Anthem and Ovation and found them to be great ships with lots of exciting features.

A couple of great friends from Ireland will also be sailing with us

Is anyone else out there joining us?

 

I see Quantum cruises for Jan 2 and Jan 9 2020, but none leaving in Jan 5th.  Are you sure the date and ship name are correct?

[xxHadleyxx]

On 2/15/2019 at 10:51 PM, tincoll said:

Scott,

I will try to shed some light on Asian cruising for you guys as My wife (Filipino) and I (Australian) have done 4 now.

 

We did Mariner of the Seas out of Singapore firstly for a 3 night jaunt to Kuala Lumpur and then 7 nights to Thailand & Vietnam in February, 2014. For the 7 night cruise, there were a lot of Westerners on it. We have made some life long friends from it. Mariner being a bit smaller was a great ship for Asia as it wasn't too big. They are right in saying the casino is always full and I can add the buffet to that list aswell. The bars & the pools on the other hand were nearly always empty. Chinese New Year was amazing wherever you went as there was always something happening.

 

We also have done 2 cruisers back to back on the Quantum of the Seas for 13 nights out of Shanghai to Japan & South Korea. This was a totally different experience as you are really fighting with 5000 Chinese people to do anything on the ship. We were definitely a minority with only about 60+ Westerners on this cruise. There are some pros and cons with this. Pros are the staff will absolutely love you. They will bend over backwards to make sure you are having a good time because not a lot of the Chinese will speak to them unless they are Chinese themselves. Don't get me wrong, we had a blast and met some amazing Chinese families who were lovely, but I will say their respect for anything Western is definitely on the low side! Some Chinese have no regard for anyone else at all which brings us to the cons. You will need to push your way out of the lifts as they will just barge right in before the doors finish opening. They will push in front of you in the buffet without hesitation, even if you have been patiently waiting for someone to finish. The shopping sales on the ship are like a war zone. Best place to watch it is up above the Saloon looking down on the promenade. Getting of the ship in ports are fun. Whilst the crew try their best to make it orderly, some people have a chip on their shoulders and believe they have a right to do whatever the hell they like. 

 

After saying all this, we had a blast. Being married to an Asian certainly helped me and I had no issues with the way it all went down. Just learn to push back. they won't be offended at all as they are used to it. Like my wife says of her childhood days in the Philippines, if you had a bowl of rice on the table for dinner and 10 people about to dig in, you learn very quickly to be the aggressive one and push in. It's life!

 

I will say, if your cruise is going to Ho Chi Minh city, I would highly suggest you look up the tour guide called 'Zoom' there. Try and get a bus load of people from your Roll Call and do an excursion with him. Very knowledgable and a good laugh. We had a bus of about 30 people all up and we had an amazing time for the day we were there. 

 

There were some Westerners on our cruisers who complained no end about everything after they got off the ship because they compared it to every other cruise they have had to the Caribbean. Its not Westernised at all. Thats why you go there!

Don't try to compare it.

 

Quantum is an amazing ship. Its big! We are going on its sister ship this September, (Ovation of the Seas) to Alaska. Can't wait. I am sure there will be some pushy people on that one too albeit a different race! 

 

Hope this helps a little. You will have a great time and see some pretty awesome places I can attest to that!.

 

Drop me a line if you need to know anything else!

 

Cheers

Tony

 

 

 

thanks for such good information Tony.  We will be on Quantum out of Shanghai to Japan in just a couple of weeks.

Do you recall if the Ultimate Dining Plan was offered onboard?  It has not been available to book online (it shows up with a price, but is impossible to get into the cart---even when calling.  Others on the roll call have the same issue).

Thanks

[irene2000]

25 minutes ago, Host Clarea said:

 

I see Quantum cruises for Jan 2 and Jan 9 2020, but none leaving in Jan 5th.  Are you sure the date and ship name are correct?

Sorry the cruise leaves Singapore on 9th January but we fly out for a 3 night stay beforehand

[irene2000]

33 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

You may want to post this on the Roll Call thread for the sailing. 

Have just found the roll call and posted on it