Tyler80

What exactly do the formal nights entail? Dressing up, a special dinner (or not?), anything else?

 

Is it something you suggest we try at least once? (first cruise)

 

How many formal nights are there? (we will be on a 7 night FOS sailing)

 

We chose my-time dining, does that make a difference?

 

Thanks! :D

 

(I realize everyone's opinion may be different, but that's what I'm looking for, opinions! :) )

In my opinion, I would recommend you try formal night on your cruise. There will be 2 formal nights on your 7 night cruise. You can dress up as much as you like. Also before or after dinner formal photos are taken. You get in line at a photographers station and they snap a few photos. You can go to as many photography stations as you like. The photos are free to get them taken. You can decide later after seeing the photo whether or not you want to purchase prints.

It does not matter what dining room or schedule you have. You can even participate in formal nights if you are dining in a specialty (pay) restaurant. You may notice a lot of people dress up for formal night. Most of the staff on the ship will be in their formal outfits. There usually is a Captain's Gala Reception in the Royal Promenade on the first formal night. It's a special time that you should experience at least once.

The formal night photos make for nice memory keepsakes. Enjoy!

Meat Plank and hamburger? I thought Jamie's was an Italian restaurant. Did you try any Italian dishes?

I was thinking the same thing. Why on earth would you go to an Italian restaurant and order a hamburger?

I am unable to reserve show tickets online for a couple shows because they are "sold out". I called RC and they said to check once we get onboard. We really want to see Blue Planet. Is it likely there will be seats available once we get on the ship? I know they release tickets right before the shows for ticketholders that don't show up but I really want to make sure we see this show above all the others. Any advice?

In 5 cruises with Royal Caribbean I have never seen the main theater filled to capacity. Either book shows once you board the ship or wait in the standby line. You will get in. Enjoy!

I am new to Cruise Critic. Starting reading about Quantum prior to our Dec 27 cruise. We were concerned by all the negative reviews. However we went with an open mind and ready to enjoy ourselves. We were on vacation! We loved the cruise. The ship was beautiful. We booked dining prior to our cruise and had no problems. Never had to wait. We were in and out of each restaurant within an hour and 15 minutes. Service was great. We enjoyed ourselves so much that we booked on Anthem for March 2016.

The key is to go with an open mind. Thank you for reporting back that Quantum is great. I'm so glad you had a wonderful vacation.

We are just off of our 25th Anniversary cruise aboard the beautiful Serenade. And - like always, we are already trying to figure out where our next cruise will be!!!

 

I think we are ready to try out the Royal Promenade shopping and restaurant area down the middle of the ship. Would the Navigator be a good place to experience that? It sails from Galveston - that's nice and close to home. :)

While the Royal Promenade is a grand space onboard the Voyager Class of Ships (Navigator), the Royal Promenade is much larger and even more grand on the Oasis Class (Oasis and Allure). Also have you heard of the new Royal Esplanade? It is featured on Quantum (currently sailing from Bayonne, NJ) and Anthem of the Seas (out this spring). Maybe you should try out Quantum of the Seas as seeing you are from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. Quantum's Godmother is Kristin Chenoweth and she's also from Broken Arrow. ;)

If you can afford to cruise, you can afford to tip. End of story.

I think tips should be tacked on to the total owed when you pay for the cruise in full. That way there is no further discussion on tips.

In which Oasis restaurants can you truly eat outdoors (such as the outdoor Windjammer area on the Jewel)?

Johnny Rockets, Sabor Modern Mexican, Giovanni's Table, Chops Grille, and Park Cafe. The Solarium Bistro is open to the Solarium, but when I was on Oasis there were not any tables to eat at in the Solarium.

Do you have any thoughts on why Quantum's reviews are so widely opposite?

 

Psychologically, I'm curious if anyone sees some resemblances or demographics in the love / hate of this ship.

Psychologically speaking, people don't like change. And there is lies the extreme likes or dislikes about the ship.

I took my first ever cruise on the Oasis in July 2014. It was amazing! Needless to say, I've become a cruise addict. I am in the process of planning my next cruise- I would love to cruise on the Oasis again, but am looking for something a little less expensive this time around.

 

I have spent hours searching cruises/reviews and my brain has turned to mush! I would love the input of more experienced cruisers :)

 

I've pretty much narrowed our choices down to the Independence of the Seas (Eastern itinerary), Freedom of the Seas (Eastern) or Carnival Breeze (Southern itinerary) or Carnival Conquest (Eastern).

 

I guess I should mention that I am a 27 year old female and will be traveling with my boyfriend. We thoroughly enjoyed the drink package on the Oasis- I'm not sure if Carnival offers something similar, but that's a biggie for us! I've read less than stellar reviews on all the mentioned ships (especially to Conquest...but the itinerary looks awesome!!)

 

I know there are tons of RCCL vs. CCL reviews (I've read them all), but it would be wonderful to get input a little more specific for me!

 

Thank you so much to those who reply!!! :)

 

 

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Oh dear, Oasis was your very first cruise? Well that is going to be a hard one to break. I suggest you try out other Royal Caribbean ships, Allure, Quantum, or a Freedom class ship. They are all fun, and still look brand new (Quantum is brand new!). Just remember, nothing compares to Oasis, so don't jump to another line expecting the same experience. Planning your next cruise is half the fun. Enjoy!

I KNOW I won't be able to get my daughter and granddaughter to eat dinner in the MDR. I doubt if I'll get them there for breakfast or lunch either.

 

My question is - Should I notify someone that we will not be eating in the MDR? If so, whom do I ask?

 

And did I also read that you don't tip the bartenders anymore?? :eek:

Hi Neighbor! If you don't notify a dining official chances are they will call your stateroom during your cruise to see if something is wrong, since they will know you are not attending dinner. Don't feel that you have to go to the MDR, you may dine anywhere you choose onboard.

Tips are automatically added to bar bills, so you don't have to provide an additional tip, unless you feel that it is necessary.

I am in the process of scanning the compass' for the cruise we just got off and read on one piece of paper the following:

 

In Royal Caribbean's continued effort to save the Waves, we are no longer delivering the Guest Satisfaction surveys to guest staterooms.

 

While I applaud them for this, the continue to add 3 to 4 pages of ads to the compass' every day for sales, massages, etc on the ship . Lots of wasted paper.

 

They should use the Imessage function on the TV's on ships that have this feature at least to further Save the Waves.

 

Bill

Unused Cruise Compass material is recycled. For some, it is a souvenir. Many take them home. I'm sure someday it will mainly be digital, but something will always need to be printed.

I wouldn't define Celebrity as traditional cruising.

 

The EDGE class ships are closer to S-class than Radiance. Bottom line is that in general, the bigger the ship, the more cost effective.

 

Perhaps the ports will build infrastructure to draw larger ships.

You are right Kevin. San Juan just spent almost 10M to make changes to their port to accommodate larger vessels. And since Quantum is a mix (per Fain) of the best of Oasis and Solstice Class, wouldn't surprise me to see some Celebrity Edge prototype designed ships sailing for Royal Caribbean someday.

DW and I will be on the Quantum in January 2015 and are wondering if laundry service is offered. We are packing light and would like to send our dirty clothing to the laundry during the cruise. Anyone have any info on this question.

As MADflyer said, laundry service is available to anyone on any Royal Caribbean vessel you sail on.

Remember the laundry facility onboard has an enormous amount of laundry to do each day (table lines, napkins, crew uniforms, stateroom linens, etc.) so there might be a delay when you get your items back.

I had one crew member refer to La Patisserie as 'Starbucks' and they seemed to have Starbucks cups there and I never really figured out the connection.

There is no Starbucks stand alone kiosk on Quantum but Starbucks is available in La Patisserie. That is the Starbucks connection to La Patisserie.

La Patisserie is Quantum's equivalent to the Cupcake Cupboard and is probably Royal Caribbean's answer to other high end candy and coffee shops found on other lines.

I am just wondering if anyone on the maiden voyage paid for any of the pastries that they had for sale at the la patisserie. They seemed to be very similar to the pastries given for free at other locations, so I am not sure why anyone would pay

I wouldn't say the pastries and other items available in La Patisserie are exactly the same as available from other venues on the ship. La Patisserie has items like French Macarons, Petit Fours, Chocolate Truffles, etc.

When I saw the words "Tragedy at Sea" I thought someone had died and then wondered why Royal Caribbean would be offering refunds. Being "stuck" on a ship with ongoing construction, closed venues, crowding, bad weather, etc. hardly merits a tragedy.

You should check with some folks who have experienced a real tragedy. :rolleyes:

A few folks posted that while on Quantum there has been no kids menu in the restaurants. They were told kids should order off the main menu or utilize the Windjammer. This is very unfortunate and potential deal breaker that might cause me to cancel my upcoming Quantum cruise. My kids are picky and always enjoyed the kids options in the MDR. Adam had even indicated in the Dynamic Dining launch event during Q&A that there would be a kids menu as well as a alternate adult entrée menu for each restaurant which is like what they have in the other ships MDR. I really hope this changes and is a temporary for the Transatlantic that will be rectified for future sailings. If anyone else has any further updated information, please share.

If I'm potentially spending thousands on a cruise vacation for my family, my children will learn to eat something other than spaghetti, macaroni and cheese, or pizza. :)

I'm referring to the soft-serve ice cream machines that are typically on the pool deck. Has anyone heard anything about these being included on the Quantum?

Yes soft serve is available by the pool on Quantum of the Seas.

Quantum of the Seas Johnny Rocket's Menu Prices

We are contemplating going on the Oasis or Freedom next year with family. Can you please post some websites or online reviews where I can get some information to make the decision process easier? I have seen numerous reviews on here but I am sure there are other comprehensive sites out there that I am missing.

 

Thanks!

I have sailed on both ships and each has their own personality. Both were great cruises.

Oasis of the Seas

http://www.beyondships.com/RCI-OOS-1-tour.html

https://www.flickr.com/search/?q=Oasis+of+the+Seas

Freedom of the Seas

http://www.beyondships.com/FOStour.html

https://www.flickr.com/search/?q=Freedom+of+the+Seas

It is a total nightmare getting off the ship this morning. The lines are huge and we have been standing for an hour in line and haven't even made it off the ship yet. This is very unusual.

 

 

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Had this experience with Freedom in 2010. Almost missed my 11:30am flight out of MCO! Was told it was Customs & Boarder Control problem.

Not worried about pollution?

You do realize the US has 254 million registered vehicles, right? They all produce pollution. Your home produces pollution.

What happens to the people who are at dinner?

Good point! What is your boarding time? If everyone is to be on the ship by 5pm, then your Guest Assembly Drill will be shortly after. I do not know what the "all aboard" time is for your sailing.

What time would muster be for a sailing that leaves at 8pm? My 3 night sampler leaves at that time, and most people will be going to dinner from 5 on.

I think all aboard is at 6.

The Guest Assembly Drill (Muster) is usually 30 minutes prior to departure. So if your cruise is scheduled to leave the dock at 8pm, your drill would be at 7:30pm. That is my guess.

As far as I can tell, they actually hold fewer passengers than Oasis class even though they are larger? So is the big difference that there is more to do and see? It seems that way from what I can tell. That's great with me I just was wondering! :D

Do some research. There are lots of differences between Oasis and Quantum class. ;)