jannandjohn

We shall be boarding Millennium in Shanghai [baoshan] in 3 weeks on Sunday. We last visited China something like 20 years ago. At that time, there were few Western tourists and fewer Americans.

I have read the current general advice about tipping in the various Asian countries we will visit

We do not wish to offend by either offering or not offering a tip.

Hi Sue, long time no see..:D

We were in China in '13... I remember one taxi driver we tipped that almost kissed us, he was sooooo happy to get a tip.

It was worth every cent to see that happy beaming smile..;)

Aussies dont need visas for HK either, and I know that Canadians and US cits dont need them .

The ships supply for most countries coming into Vietnam, but there are still some countries that need a proper one..check check check.

But, It can be very off putting when told you do need one if you dont.

You should surely need one for China, not many can get out of that one.

You should always check for yourself on the appropriate consular website, or you can make extra stress for yourself by believing others here.

I am more surprised by the number of people that dont ask anyone, and get turned away from boarding because they didnt know they needed one for their trip...what a waste of money , some fly a long way to their cruise departure point, without the right documents...its so easy to double check first( months ahead)

Jackets are required in the Grande so you shouldn't feel out of place with your husband in a tux.

You missed MY point..

on the Quantum website."The Grande Restaurant is a luxuriant nod to a bygone era. When dining was not a task, but a time-honored ritual. When you dressed for a date with an unforgettable dish. At The Grande, every night is formal night, and every night is a special occasion."

on the Quantum website.

Formal Nights

Formal night dress code is the most stringent in terms of formality (hence the name) and Royal Caribbean defines formal clothing as,

"suits and ties or tuxedos for men, cocktail dresses for women."

Formal night clothing is what you would probably wear to a traditional wedding and should be a step up from any other night's clothing. You may see some men wearing tuxedos but a vast majority of men on Royal Caribbean cruises these days opt for a two or three piece suit. For women, it's an opportunity to dress up as much as possible, with gowns, cocktail dresses and lots of accessories.

BUT..

.People are trying their hardest ( its on many threads, this is just another ) to be allowed to "under dress " in the Grande...

do men have to wear a jacket?

do men have to wear a tie?

can women wear dress jeans?

can men wear smart dress shorts?

the list goes on..

why not keep it as it was designed..

I just don't get why everyone wants to change the only formal restaurant, into a smart casual affair / casual restaurant, when there are about 19 other venues to eat " dressed down"...

It doesn't seem fair to those that love to dress up in formal attire , and have husbands who wear a tux, who then are the ones, that are made to feel out of place in a FORMAL "advertised" restaurant...:(

Instead of the other way around...

Hi jannandjohn

 

Yes we are on the quantum but wanted to do our own tour as we will be travelling with a baby and may need to schedule our time around her.

 

The Indian visa I'm not so concerned with as I am British Indian and have gotten an Indian visa a few times before. I was trying to avoid the full cost of a tourist visa but was told a transit visa won't be sufficient. Do you have contact details for your tour operator? I may ask for some private tours. Thanks

our tour guy is LIJO jose, but he is booked out now.

The Indian visas have gotten much harder..lots of rule changes now.

dont leave it too long,;)

you will need a proper tourist visa for this cruise.

Email for Lijo Jose

Mail@muzirisheritagetourism.com

he has told our group that he cannot take anymore for the 4 and 5th June for QUANTUM OF THE SEAS.

he has about 8 small buses and 2 large buses filled.

I think you are on our cruise, there is a LOT of us going with Lijo, for both days in Cochin, but his tours are now full...very full.

Our ship is Quantum of the seas, departing Dubai 29 may...if you are on that , come over to our roll call.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2045256

I am concerned that you are not getting a proper visa for INDIA

I saw your other posts..

You need one for this cruise..time is running out.

We already have ours, as do a lot of others on our rollcall.

And some are having trouble getting theirs..

A TRANSIT VISA WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED..we are not transiting in their eyes..we are stopping there.

NOR will a VISA ON ARRIVAL..be given to you....they are Only for people arriving by plane at Indian Airports, not cruise passengers.

You need a six month visa.

And if you are born in one country, but using a passport issued in a different country, that alone takes 4 weeks longer than normal..as one of our group has discovered..hiswife is an Australian citizen, but born in China.( so its harder for her)

Ours took 2 weeks with no hiccups.

Others have had theirs returned to redo.

Our cruise is stopping off in India for 2 days and I'm wondering if I could use a transit visa?

 

Has anyone done this and had any issues?

 

The trains it visa allows you to be in the country for 72 hours.

 

Anyone who has been to India- what type of customs do you have to pass through when leaving the ship in India?

 

Thanks in advance

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

I have looked at some of your other posts, it seems you are on our cruise?

Quantum of the seas..?

You need a proper visa...

Come over to our rollcall if you are doing the cruise..departs Dubai 29 May.

I have to agree, it would be nearly impossible to get a visa in time. Maybe an expeditor could pull it off.

 

Another possibility would be to skip the first 10 days of the cruise, fly directly to Mumbai and join the ship there. That way she could get the "Tourist Visa on Arrival" (https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa/tvoa.html). Maybe it would be better to miss 1/3 of the cruise instead of the whole thing.

I guess we will never know...she is not a prolific poster....(dontcha hate that when you don't know what happened)

its probably too late to change air, hotels, etc..

and it may appear that she just didnt turn up if not at Singapore for boarding.

for those wondering what 2 reference addresses to put on their VISA form,

we put the cruise line's address and phone number from our area,( eg RCI in Sydney head office)

and the Port address and phone number for our Indian port of Cochin...so look up your addresses .

and ours has been approved.

Is there any possibility that you could apply for an expedited visa once you are in Singapore?

Boy, I Couldnt see that happening, the cruise departs Singapore on Tues 3rd.

With a weekend in between, it would not happen there either...especially if she was from a different country.

I am curious where guidinggirl is travelling from, I sure hope its not from the States, and she has not checked all this first..how sad for her if she finds out at the dock.:(

Wish she would let us know what happened.:confused:

RCL have sent out an email in the past 24 hours stating that they will not be allowing boarding to people on the relevant cruise without the necessary visa for India.

They are also requiring 4 photocopies of the passport. Would assume this was standard for all cruise lines.

Linda, we are going in May, so not yet received the info about 4 copies from RCL ..but thanks to you, I will be ready for it.:D

We are sailing in a few days on Holland America's Rotterdam out of Singapore, Does anyone know if you can board the ship without purchasing the India visa and NOT get off the ship when it gets to Port in Mumbai?

Unless you are an exempt type, of which there are not too many countries, You wont be boarding without an Indian Visa..there is an emergency type,

( I saw it last week when applying for ours..we sent ours a week ago , still waiting for the return..even if we had gone to the embassy it takes 5 days...)

but even for the emergency type I think you are too late now..

omg for you..:eek::eek:

for those asking about reference address ..they want one from your home country, and one for India

us as Aussies used the Royal Caribbean office in Sydney( or whatever cruiseline office you would use)

and the PORT address in India

pdf below is a screen shot of the reference section on the form after it was finished,its what we DID put on our visa( which HAS been processed)

ref adds.pdf

Actually, quantum spelled backwards is "mutnauq", which is Scandanavian for "who gives a rat's behind what they call it.":p

That goes along with what I was about to say..

Omg...Who cares!!

Perhaps you should have got up, walked over, and said something. That would be my advice.

 

Not sure why you do absolutely nothing and then come here to Cruise Critic and post about it. What is it that you are expecting us to do or say?

THATS definitely what we would have done..especially my husband...look out kids!!

Hi were are British so normally we would need a visa but just wondering if there's a cheaper option.

 

Does it make any difference that it's a large interior?

I have no idea about cheaper options, but think you would have to pay the right price whatever that is, but if you go through an agent its always dearer.

I have never stayed in an an inside cabin, but I dont think there is much difference in their sizes..I hope I am wrong.

The Visa needs depend on where you are from...this link below was sent to me by our INDIAN guide for the same cruise you are doing.

http://www.vfsglobal.com

This is your link to the one for UK.

http://in.vfsglobal.co.uk.

The USA citizens only need to get an "online visa on arrival" type

Australians need to go to the consulate in person and obtain a biometric visa( eye measurements, facial and fingerprints) which annoys us, but without it, we couldnt board.

I do not know what UK. Residents need, so you need to check it out properly.

Why not join our rollcall and be one of us.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2045256

There is a Quantum spreadsheet under my signature with lots of info.

Ps..saw your comments about having 3 adults and a baby in an inside cabin...that would be very hard to bear in my opinion.( I would never try)

..I cant imagine how you could fit you all in there!

George,

Having recently completed the maiden voyage of Quantum, I will insist next time on her (march 1) that my life jackets are IN MY CABIN!

At the moment, they are stored at the muster station.

Forgive me, but in an emergency, I do not want to fight for my jacket!

I also want tissues and waste baskets in the bathroom, also, a pen & paper would be nice touch too!

I think them handing the LIFE VESTS out AT the muster station in emergency, is way quicker than thousands of passengers, a lot of them incapacitated, racing all over the ship,trying to get back to their cabins, possibly in darkness, and trying to find their jackets in a blind panic.

It would be a much more civilised sinking.....:rolleyes:

Lot's of whining from both sides of the coin. Personally, I hope I never have to share a ship with any of you.

Best post so far!!

CC stands for Cruising Complainers ....

We have renamed the "Quantum of the Seas", the "Nightmare of the Seas" run by a "Ship of Fools".

 

While this is a brand new ship with many new and wonderful innovations, their failure rate was too high to be acceptable and the "Dour" attitude

 

of the majority of the crew resulted in my "Title".

 

This is a very "COLD" ship!!!!!

 

We are "Diamond" members, having said that, we have achieved enough experience to know what defines a the difference between a "Good/Bad"

 

cruise. This has been, easily the worst cruise of all the lines and vessels we have sailed on, dating back to the early 90's.

 

The idea of "Dynamic Dining" that RCCL has foisted on their unsuspecting passengers is a real "Nightmare". Firstly, RCCL has seen fit to remove

 

the position of the "Busboy" which inevitably doubles the work of the waiter. Secondly, the waiters now have to use an infernal "IPAD" type

 

device to enter one's order which seems endless and, heaven forbid, if one asks for a deviation from the norm, more so. As a result, it takes

 

much longer to complete a meal and more often than not, the meal arrives lukewarm or cold. This means that if it is accepted , as is, or sent

 

back and the cycle restarts again.

 

All the new technology has not been thoroughly tested and periodically fails at the most inopportune moment.

 

The squirrelly way that the schedules are setup and are somewhat different than what one is used to in "Normal" cruising. unfortunately, it sets

 

one up to miss a lot. Since the "Quantum" is a "Paperless" ship, one has to rely on the computer screens to find out what is going on and where.

 

There is a daily sheet, however, defining what is going on and where, but it is very generic and must be consulted continuously.

 

What talking to the crew/asking something/wanting to know why something is not there/working, the answer was more often than not, "It is NOT my

 

position/station" and then walked off. Questions put to the managers result in some of the most inane answers that one wonders what they are

 

thinking. One store manager was asked why there were not any(article) on board. Answer: "Our order hasn't arrived yet". This is the 7th sailing

 

of this ship. Surely, RCCL could have delivered a dozen or so of said article branded with the "RCCL Crown & Anchor" logo on them to the ship. A

 

better answer would have been, "Sorry, we are all sold out" and that would have ended it right there. The worst that we would have thought was

 

that they should have stocked more. A manager in the "Windjammer, when told one of the juice dispensing machines was not mixing its portions

 

correctly, said that it was a new type of dispenser and could not be repaired as there was nobody on the ship who was trained to do it. Also,

 

there were no spare parts on the ship anyway. ?????????

 

What was advertized on the RCCL web site featuring the "WOW", in some cases, has been surreptitiously changed, much to the dismay of the

 

travelers, especially the restaurant menus. BTW: Each specific restaurant's menu is the SAME for the ENTIRE cruise.

 

No amount of complaining will help. The managers of various venues/restaurants will dutifully take down your comments/room information and tell

 

you that they will investigate the situation and get back to you. In 11 days, that followup has NEVER happened. Only once, in "Chops" after a

 

fiasco where the waiter brought the wrong entree, which it went steeply downhill from there, did we get refunded for one $35.00 restaurant fee.

 

However, the stress and grief caused by the waiter's misdelivery and the resulting chaos, ruined the meal for both of us.

 

Before one boards, one is encouraged/FORCED to set up dining/show reservations which are more often than not, not adhered to. You will also meet

 

fellow travelers who have received invitations to places that they are not entitled to, however, no amount of pleading to anybody will get you

 

the same amenity.

 

In the merchandise department, you are in the land of watches & jewelry. The rest of the normal branded merchandise, minimal at best.

 

Please be aware that one cannot flush the public washroom toilets. One has to move away from the toilet and almost to the door for the automatic

 

device to do a flush. if you are not finished then you have to repeat the entire procedure again for every succeeding flush.

 

I will not bore with a litany of failures and disappointments that befell us on this cruise but you can be sure that we will NEVER sail on this

 

class of ship again. Unfortunately, the "Oasis & Allure" are to be setup with the same sort of system as the "Quantum" thus destroying them for

 

the future travelers. RCCL has really shot themselves in the foot, this time. Their striving for the "Almighty Dollar" has driven back them to

 

"Square One" and beyond.

 

We however have been fortunate to get a sailing on the "Allure" before that fiasco happens.

 

If you decide to sail on the "Quantum of the Seas", please make sure that you are aware of what you are getting. If possible, get it in WRITING.

 

Happy Sailing.

 

As an addendum, the RCCL terminal provides the final outrage of the voyage. Whoever designed the "Traffic Flow" to and from this terminal should be, forever, subjected to their creation. The passengers "Embarking" any ship have to do it at posts "1 to 8" and the passengers "Debarking" any ship have to do it at posts "9 to 15'. The resulting confusion of 6,000 or so passengers doing this on a 3 lane road which, most of the time is clogged with stopped vehicles, is horrendous. It took our limo over 1 hour to get to the terminal and as we were leaving, we saw the incoming traffic lineup on the 1 lane road into the terminal, backed up almost to the turn off for the "Bayonne - Cape Liberty" pier. On Friday, December 12th 2014 at around 10:15 am, it was around 34 degrees with a 25 mile per hour wind blowing. Wait till it is 10 degrees with a 30 mile per hour blizzard howling and you will then truly know what the word "CHAOS" stands for!!!!!

so you didnt like it?

If someone is not an adventurous eater, are there things from the Wonderland menu that you would recommend as more safe choices than others? My daughter and I are quite adventurous, not sure about my son. (They are both teenagers.)

Here is a link to the menu..have your teens read it, and tell them that it will cost you 45 a head even if they don't eat anything...and remember that what is written, may look nothing like what arrives on the plate....lol

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/quantumoftheseas/dining/restaurants/wonderland/

Anyone tried Wonderland and what are your views?

 

Also, are well-behaved children (mine are 7 and 8), welcome?

just my thoughts..

I can't imagine it would be a suitable restaurant for children.;)

I certainly wouldn't take any there myself., regardless of the name.

Qsine on Celebrity is the same, we found it too overwhelming for us 6 adults to "take in" .... let alone kids.

and at $45 each its not cheap to take 2 kids who probably won't eat anything they bring out.

Just curious. Are there any designated Formal Nights on Quantum or are Formal Nights now a thing of the past? Has the Captains table for 10 that was usually utilized on Formal Nights also been discontinued? Does the Captain (or some other senior officer) still assemble a table for 10 two to three nights a cruise or has that tradition also been discontinued? How about Tuxedos and Formal Dresses - are these worn on Quantum or do you just look out of place?

supposed to be only the Grande restaurant, as formal always, every night,

this on the website..

"The ship's true formal restaurant.

(Rather than having formal nights, Quantum will have only 1 formal restaurant.)

The menu is inspired by classic dishes once served on European liners.

Options include chateaubriand wellington & chicken a l'orange.

The Grande will offer timeless dishes to diners clad in elegant evening wear.

Lobster lovers take note: the popular crustacean will be available every night"

but if people are allowed in wearing tshirts and jeans,:mad: why do they even bother..

Thanks Woody.,

we are glad we have booked our dinners now your question has been answered.

I couldn't quote this as normal, because the guy who answered changed your op. in his answer

Originally Posted by woodyren

View Post

I have a few questions because we are now contemplating 3 of the legs on the Barcelona to Shanghai repositioning in May-June next year.

We would only be planning to eat in all of the complimentary restaurants.

Will we be allocated early or late dinning as normal?

No traditional dining is available, Dynamic Dining is the only option.

If so do we need to book before hand or just book on board? This would be our preference as we can eat more often in the ones that we like once we have tried them all.

It is recommended for availability reasons that you book the second you can in order to get good times. Waiting for the ship may work for a day or two you cannot get but is not advisable for every night or you could be stuck eating 9pm each day.

If we selected early dining and there is n available table at 6pm in our restaurant of choice that night is it possible that we could get a table, subject to availability, later in the evening?

Your free to change your dining time at any moment including the day of, but all is based on availability at the moment you check.

Will each restaurant except for the MDR have the same menu each night?

There is no MDR. Their are only the 4 complimentary venues and the specialty restaurants. All have a single set menu regardless of sailing length. The Windjammer is the only venue with a variable menu.

On Quantum I thought Coastal Kitchen was available to guests in a JS and above regardless of C&A status and all those with a Gold Card.

 

Are you saying this has changed :confused:

Sue, we are in a Family Junior suite, and were able to book the Coastal Kitchen with our cruise planner link on the website, surely if we are not eligible it would not have gone through when we booked it ..

anyway, guess when we turn up with our official printed reservation, they wont be able to refuse us...they accepted us..they have to let us in.:)

So if I wear sportscoat you consider that formal? Some people on the board want to redefine formal to what they want to wear.

who said a sportscoat was formal?

i don't see that anywhere....