calypso17

On 4/8/2019 at 9:59 PM, WaveSplasher said:

 

Quantum Of the Seas in Singapore will follow the normal Sea, Sky and Star Class like the rest of the Quantum Class Ship sailing around the world, so there's no Silver or Gold VIP. I'm hoping Royal introduces the Key on Quantum but I highly doubt they are going to. 

 

Solarium will be open to all, North Star, Bumper Cars, Ifly are all free. Food in the MDR will have a mix of Asian and Western Dishes. Passenger count will be mix between Asian and Western and from all parts of the world. 

 

You will have to check the cruise planner if they do private runs on the North Star. If not then I think you will need to email Royal on this. 

 

You might find Quantum sailings from Singapore somewhat more "enjoyable" then those sailings round trip from China. 

This is THE BEST information for us if it is the case!  We are booked on a Dec 2019 sailing - one in a star class loft suite and the other in a sky class grand suite and it would be fantastic if we had all the included perks (complimentary internet, included specialty dining, genie service etc).  Fingers crossed that this is the case.  We sailed Ovation from Singapore as well and LOVED the Royal Suite Class service.

2 minutes ago, Velvetwater said:

 

Thanks for the replies!

 

Is there a split language in the entertainment at all? Ie trivia done in Cantonese/Mandarin/English?

 

We are big fans many aspects of this holiday but are not in any way good at speaking the languages apart from learning survival symbols (both simplified and not) and key phrases from our Chinese friends. 

 

We stand out in most places anyway as we are pasty skinned Brits. 😄

 

 

I recall that English was the primary language of communication. There might have been a Mandarin / Cantonese karaoke session somewhere but I cannot be sure. I don’t think you’ll run into any problem on the language front on the ship! 🙂

12 hours ago, Biker19 said:

Very likely they will do as Ovation and use the suite class perks. 

Thanks - fingers crossed and really hope they do. It’s a six-month season (so very long!) and we would really appreciate the suite class perks on our cruise. I am hoping they will confirm one way or other so that if it isn’t going to happen, we can start monitoring cruise planner for discounted internet packages etc but knowing RCL, that’s unlikely - we only knew about Ovation having the suite class perks the week before we sailed (this was before the brochures were updated to reflect Australian and Singapore departures were covered by the royal suite class; it had previously referred to only Australian departures and until a certain date!).  

We sailed to Taiwan from Hong Kong on Voyager of the Seas two years ago. Although ostensibly a “cultural immersion” sailing, there was a large number of non-Chinese on that cruise. Food was of a good variety as was entertainment and there was something for everyone. We are Asians but very used to cruising on the usual international lines (and would hesitate to sail out of the mainland Chinese ports) and we did not feel out of place on that cruise. In fact, we quite enjoyed ourselves!

I cannot seem to find anything on this so am trying to see if CC members have heard anything.  Quantum will be leaving China for a short season, sailing out of Singapore.  When Ovation sails in Singapore and Australia, the Royal Suite Class system is in effect rather than China's Golden Suite Class system.  Does anyone know if Quantum will be doing the same?  For us, it makes a huge difference as we are not high rollers and the included internet, drinks etc will be much appreciated.

Thanks!

Do Canyon Ranch hardshell more than Steiner?  I have had quite unpleasant experiences from Steiner regarding this and always thought Canyon Ranch was an "upgrade"! Sorry to hear you were shortchanged but glad you got the refund.

9 hours ago, jelayne said:

Yes Celebrity holds back some speciality restaurant reservation for onboard bookings.

Since you are in a RS you should be contacted by a Shoreside Concierge before your cruise (1-2 weeks).  They will take your speciality dining requests, as well as other requests, eg what spirits do you want for the 2 bottles of liquor, items for the mini-fridge, and special needs.  They will provide this info to the ship and all should be handled before you board.

 

Should something get overlooked just ask your Butler or the MC Concierge.

 

 

Thanks very much - sounds like we will be well looked after then.

Tagging on to this post as it is also about dining on the Edge.  We will be in a RS which includes complimentary specialty dining.  However, if I reserve these in advance on the Cruise Planner, it says I will have to make payment for them.  I would wait till we are onboard but understand that by that time, some specialty dining would have been fully booked.  Is there some kind of compromise for this - does Celebrity keep some tables for onboard reservations?  Also, does Celebrity allow ordering in from the specialty restaurants?  I know Star Class passengers on Royal Caribbean get this privilege but am unsure if this is ported over to RS and above guests who get complimentary specialty dining.  Thanks!

Thanks - I live outside the USA but my TA is in the US.  RCL US does not want to talk to me - they are making me call their authorised representative in my country - which is actually a TA! My TA says it was RCL who advised her the only way to add the new people would be to cancel and rebook (at no detriment to my deposit but at the expense of my US$50 OBC for booking onboard and at the current price).

We booked a cruise on Quantum of the Seas for December 2019 while onboard Symphony earlier this year.  We booked two suites and were told adding the additional people to the existing booking would not be a problem.  However, now that we have confirmed the other people who are going and want to insert them as 3rd/4th pax in the two suites, my TA says RCL advises that it will be treated as a brand new booking so we will be repriced and lose our onboard OBC.  In any case, it now appears that booking 8 pax into 2 suites is more expensive than just leaving the 2 suite bookings untouched and booking the 4 pax into the cheapest available inside stateroom.  Is this a new policy?  If so, I am wondering why it was not highlighted to us both onboard and via my TA back in June.

Thank you!

If the cost were the same, I would take the Deck 10 GL Suite. I just prefer deck 10 as opposed to deck 8.

Thanks! Yes cost is the same for all GL suites according to my TA.

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We had previously stayed on a Deck 8 GL suite (8324) and are contemplating booking the same category room again for one of our next cruises. There are more choices available this time as some Deck 10 GL suites are available but RCL deck plan seems to suggest that all the GL suites are the same size (both room and balcony), which we know is not the case.

Are the Deck 10 middle GL suites the same size as 8324 or even larger? If you could pick, would you take the Deck 8 middle GL suite, or a Deck 10 middle/side GL suite?

Thanks!

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It will be interesting to see if there are any changes instituted for its 6-month season in Singapore next year. For example, whether they will bring in genies and institute Royal Suite Class or whether they will stick to their system for China cruises.

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Thanks for sharing.

Pleasure!

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About to pack up the last few items and leave for the cruise centre! My next cruise will probably be sometime next year :(

 

 

 

I've already booked those activities a few months back, scheduled to be on iFly later this evening! :) Just a little worried about my dinner timeslots as it shows the "late seating - book onboard" thing in my cruise planner.

Hope everything sorts itself out. Your sailing is apparently v full so arriving early is wise. Would be interesting in hearing your thoughts on your cruise!

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One thing on this 4-nighter was that there wasn't any formal night. The various dining areas maintained their respective Casual / Smart casual dress codes throughout the cruise. Whereas our last Mariner cruise saw folks sauntering into the MDR in racer tank tops and shorts on Formal Night, this cruise had much more appropriately dressed guests in general. We saw a Korean group all decked out in their traditional costumes one night and there were a few long gowns here and there. It was nice to see!

Activities

This being a Quantum class ship AND a short sailing, the was no lack of activities onboard - the problem was a lack of time to try them all. Apart from the iFly, the North Star (the latter only went up and down and not to the side except when it was in port in Phuket), and the activities at the Seaplex, there was always something going on. There were adult colouring classes, origami sessions, napkin fold demos planned throughout the day. I also didn't feel like the hardselling was too bad on this cruise. The gym was crowded in the mornings and it was a shame that the only classes available were a usd35 boot camp and a usd10 yoga class. The cruise compass erroneously printed a TRX session on day 2 but when I asked, the resident fitness professional said it wasn't available. I took to running on the open air track instead which wasn't bad as the weather held. The Seaplex is brilliant - we managed to try bumper cars (they scan the seapass card of every child to make sure they are over 5; turning 5 this year doesn't cut it) and roller skatkng and it was all good fun.

Speaking of cruise compass typos and misinformation, we had a fair number this cruise. For example, the hours for Michael's pub was printed as 11am-1pm and it was only on the last day that I realised this was wrong and they served food throughout the day. An excuse to return to this ship!

We managed to catch Pixels, The Beautiful Dream and two headliner acts. They were very entertaining, with extremely high production values. Beat the shows on Celebrity and the older RCL ships hands down. The two headliner acts were tenor Connor Bogart and balloon artist Syan. Both were great.

Service

We had great service for the most part. The crew always had a ready smile and seemed to genuinely love interacting. They didn't seem too stretched or tired. Our Genie Sunil was fabulous. He really made things happen and followed up on things. If you read the description of what the Royal Genie is supposed to be, you would be describing him to a T. He simplified our vacation by being a single point of contact for everything and it was truly much appreciated.

Other miscellaneous information would be the number of Crown and Anchor members onboard. We had 4000 passengers of which 507 were C&A members. There were 43 platinum members of which 21 would turn emerald after the cruise, 8 emerald of which 3 would become diamond after this cruise, 27 diamonds of which 1 would turn D+ after this cruise, 5 D+ and 3 pinnacle members on board. During the C&A top tier event, the Captain presented tokens to the two pinnacles (each with 840 points!) who had achieved milestones and a bottle of champagne to the top pinnacle onboard (he had something like 900+ points!). It was our first cruise as diamond members and we felt very small indeed LOL. We made use of the diamond promotion for photos and bought 5 photos for $50 together with our two free photos so our new status did come in helpful!

In closing, this was a wonderful cruise and a lovely introduction to the Quantum class ship as well as Star Class. If the price is right, we would absolutely book Star Class again - as it is, we are booked on the Symphony next year in Star Class and cannot wait.

I hope this has been useful for those of us who will be on the Ovation - it's a great ship that we don't get to hear much of on this boards and we are privileged to have her ply our waters.

Happy sailing all!

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A note of the cultural difference between the west (USA) and east (Singapore\) is the tipping policy.

 

Singapore tourist promotion board says tipping is illegal in Changi Airport and in the 5 star hotel tipping is not recommended as it is already in the service charge.

This is interesting - could you point me to where it says tipping is illegal in Singapore? It is the first I have heard of it, even though I do agree that people in Singapore do not tend to tip over and above the service charge and there is no need to do so. This article here even mentions the STB saying tipping is welcomed for good service so I am a little confused by what you've just said. http://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/to-tip-or-not-to-tip-when-you-go-on-holiday

P.S. I see now that it is in Changi Airport where the staff are prohibited from accepting tips. I can see where that is coming from but I am not certain restaurants in Changi are bound to the same rules.

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did I miss something - what is Golden Suite Class?

One liner from RCL FAQ:

There is not much information about it. All I know is onboard the Ovation, 4 concierges replace the Genies + lone concierge in taking care of all suite passengers during the China season. There are no complimentary amenities for the upper category suites such as included internet, beverage packages and speciality dining. I am not sure how it differs from the usual suite programme rolled out across the fleet on non Oasis and Quantum class ships.

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Actually, Suzyluvs2cruise, I am not sure if Ovation in 2018 will have the RSC. Sorry I read wrongly and thought you were sailing this season. I won't ask you to check with RCL at this juncture because that's what I did for my cruise and was given lots of confusing contradictory answers (FAQ suggested yes, RCL booking page said royal suite class on Ovation would end after 27 Jan 2017 (it still does) and RCL agents gave both yes and no). Even the genies were initially told no before being informed otherwise. I am glad they reinstated it for the 2017 season and hope they do so next year as well.

Things to do in Singapore - gardens by the bay, eating local food, night safari, river hongbao (?) etc. We also have the trickeye museum, a large aquarium and Universal Studios all located within Resorts World at the edge of Sentosa. Have fun planning!

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Your posts are making me look forward even more (not sure how that is even possible) to my cruise on the Ovation tomorrow morning!

 

How/where did you get the kummelweck beef without the buns from? I'm a huge carnivore so the extra beef wouldn't faze me... :D

Enjoy your cruise!! We are sad to be getting off and not sure when we will next return. Our next cruise is a long four months away on the Voyager. If you haven't booked iFly and North Star via the Cruise Planner, do so immediately upon boarding. Lots of people didn't have a chance to do either.

I just asked the server if I could have the kummelweck without the bun. He most willingly obliged:)

Thanks for the review. We're on Ovation April 2018 RT Singapore and Singapore to Tianjin.

 

I'm curious about Golden Suite Class. Can you share details on how it's different from Royal Suite Class? We plan to spend 2-3 nights in Singapore pre-cruise and would appreciate suggestions on Must Sees and areas to stay. We're looking to book a hotel by month's end.

I don't know much about it. All I know is there are no genies; 4 concierges take care of all the suite guests. There are also no Sky class (free internet) and Star class (almost all inclusive) perks - everything has to be paid for. But in your case, you will not be affected as they start from RT Tianjin cruises proper. There is only a one liner in the RCL FAQ:

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Ok re the noise filtering to our cabin, that's from 270 - just looked at the deck plans again and realised the last floor of 270 sits just below us. That explains it.

Food

On this very short cruise, we ate once at Windjammer (lunch...it was ok, not bad but not great), had two breakfasts and two dinners at Coastal Kitchen and also dined at Chops, Wonderland and Jamie's Italian. We also obtained our chocolate fixes from Le Patissier and tried the Kummelweck sans bun from Cafe 270.

Food was one of the more enjoyable we have had in recent memory. Our thoughts for CK was that the quality of the products was not as high as that used in Luminae on our recent Celebrity cruise but the execution of the dishes and the use of seasoning were less loud and in your face. I hesitate to use the word refined as I do think Luminae has more refined cuisine - I just felt the chefs onboard Ovation did a very good job drawing the best out of the ingredients.

The lobster in Chops was superb. We would typically not have ordered it as there is an upcharge but being in Star Class, everything was included so we tried it and were well pleased. It made the lobster at Coastal Kitchen pale in comparison.

Wonderland. This was our second time, following the first on Harmony. One thing we noticed was that they've changed the menu to make it less cryptic; one now knows what each dish is compared to a year ago when everything was a total mystery. The food was still interesting but our thoughts remain unchanged in that it's great to try it once but once is enough. I was amused that our waiter tried to temper expectations by saying that since the cuisine is "imaginative", not everything would be to our tastes. We liked the liquid lobster, beef, pork and yoghurt lollipop. The whole place reminds me of a Johnny Depp movie (like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory). Doubt we will return.

I was hesitant to try Jamie's as I have had it twice in Singapore and had written it off with the uninspiring food. I was glad DH really had a craving for Italian food. It turned out to be the speciality restaurant we most enjoyed this cruise. We had the most wonderful waiter and the food was all-round excellent. Pasta dishes were all nicely al dente, the calamari was crispy and you didn't feel the oiliness of the dish, the kids enjoyed their fish fingers, chicken lollies and spaghetti bolognese. The desserts were all very good as well and the lemonade hit the right notes in balancing tartness and sweetness.

The candies at Le Patissier were good - I particularly liked the milk chocolate tablet and the chocolate eclair but everything on display was good. The fabled kummelweck roast beef was awesome but I had too huge a serving. The waiter obviously wanted to start carving a new slab so loaded my plate with all that was left over. I had wanted to try the roast beef at Michael's Genuine Pub but this left me with beef overload and I just couldn't do it. Maybe next time.

We didn't eat at the MDR this time round but I saw from Royal IQ that prime rib was available! This contrasted with our Mariner cruises last year when prime rib did not make any appearance at all throughout the respective voyages.

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You are very lucky to have Sunil. We will be on the Ovation in May but he will be on vacation

 

at that time.

Yes he is truly a gem. Enjoy your cruise from

Tianjin! You will not get the Royal Suite Class programme and would be interested to know how the Golden Suite Class works.

Going back to topic, I can't see if this is the thread for Loyalty Ambassadors but Lucia Reynaud is the LA currently onboard the Ovation.

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Our cabin was superbly appointed and very spacious, bed and pillows were extremely comfortable. Our group of 5 needed the two bathrooms so that was a big plus. The only negative was the master bath. No it wasn't that there was no bath tub - we aren't bath people per se so the shower suited us. The shower area was fantastic, with two shower heads, both with good pressure, and large bottles of L'occitane amenities.

However, what disappointed was what we perceived to be a simple design flaw - there was only a single sink.

One would have thought it obvious that the sense and utility of having two sinks would have made its inclusion a given on the final bathroom layout. Sadly that was not the case. Also, the sink/tap combination that they used was not great. The sink was shallow and tap was high, resulting in a wet floor each time we washed our hands or brushed our teeth. Our conclusion was the master bathroom was a true case of form over substance.

That was a small detraction but for completeness, I think it should be mentioned. Hopefully the newer vessels will fix this (although this being the third Quantum ship, there would have been opportunity aplenty to do so already).

One point about the location - I was initially disappointed that we had to take the deck 8 suites as those on deck 10 were unavailable with the exception of the much smaller corner grand loft. We ended up loving the location. It made going down to 270, the theatre and the Esplanade and specialty restaurants so much easier and also made the stairs a true viable alternative whether up or down. I think if we had been in deck 10 or on our original deck 11, the urge to use the stairs would be much much less. So yay for having moved to deck 8! A puzzling thing though was the noise filtering through. I had thought we weren't near to any pub/band/disco as we are sandwiched between stateroom decks but there was a fair amount of noise each night. It must be somewhere with live music (going on now as I type) but we haven't been able to figure out where it is coming from.

I will next touch on the food, service and activities of this ship. Feeling post-cruise withdrawal symptoms already even though there is still a whole night to go!

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Stepping on the ship, we took a collective gasp at the decor and ambience of the Royal Esplanade. It was modern and sophisticated without being cold and aloof.

Throughout our cruise, the colour theme of this ship would stand out with its chic - I wouldn't mind if my house were designed along similar lines lol.

Our genie brought us to our grand loft suite on deck 8, which we liked very much...ok that was an understatement; we loved our cabin.

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I gotta ask - you tried to bring a loaf of bread onboard?:confused:

Lol not a loaf! Because we were boarding late and would be missing lunch, I had bought some buns for my kids just in case they were hungry (DD elder finished school at 1230 and didn't have lunch). They didn't eat them however so I was left with them at check-in.

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