smoochie

I love Carambola. Just found out they are closed for s private party when we are there.

 

 

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When are you going that they will be closed for the private party? We are going in September and that is where we were going to go.

New show on Quantum of the Seas? Called Name that Tune... Saw it on instagram. What is up with this?!

It's one of the new production shows that they are testing out on the Quantum. They first debuted it on the 01/23/2015 sailing on the last day of the cruise. I know this because I was actually in it as one of the first round of contestants to participate! it was a lot of fun! It was like the old Name That Tune show where contestants were picked and would have to name that tune. On the quantum they have a few rounds and the singers and dancers all participate. For some rounds the singers would sing parts of the songs and the contestants would have to guess the name and for other rounds the dancers would also do numbers along with the songs.

There is also another part where they do a little something using the audience which is also very funny. I don't want to give it all away! It was a lot of fun and I think anyone who sees it will enjoy it!

We were on the Jan 23rd sailing and Ken Rush was the CD. We also had him on our Oasis cruise a few years ago. He did a great job then and now on our Quantum cruise last week, as there were plenty of activities to do on board and during the evening. Although I did hear through the grapevine that he was heard telling his staff that there were venues being unused and for the staff to get some more activities going! Also the production shows, Mama Mia, Ron Luccas, and the rest of the entertainment was amazing! Kuddos to you Ken! A great job as usual! Had a great time on board the Quantum!

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

Hey smoochie,

 

I forget which thread, but recently I read that no one was asked to be weighed. Maybe the staff just sized people up as they came in, everyone looked good, so that particular cruiser says they didn't even see a scale.

 

But the scale is definitely there. On my sailing, everyone was weighed (I was weighed all three times). SO unless something has changed since Dec 1, you'll likely be weighed in and they'll have to make a call.

 

I recommend you go up there asap when boarding. On our sailing (and I understand the sailing before and after this one), the opened at 12 noon for reservations. At least you'd know right away.

 

Have a great cruise no matter what! :D

Guess I'll try and see what happens. One of things I really wanted to do on this cruise though....Guess I had big dreams on trying to lose enough weight before my cruise to be able to do it.... but either way I intend to have a GREAT cruise!!!

Thanks again!

Nancy

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.

 

Hi.

What is the name of this tour you were on in St. Maartin? It looks great! Especially the place with the Iguana's. Can you give me the name and a link so I can look into booking it. We are going Jan 23rd! Thanks!

Nancy

We were docked so I went back to my cabin to get my backpack ready to head out for the day. The ship was cleared and it was easy debarkation this morning. I was able to take the following two great shots of the Quantum aft, whereby you can really differentiate the various decks from Two70, the 2 level Grand Loft suites decks 8 and 10, the CL deck 12, Conference Center deck 13, the open Windjammer seating are deck 14 and finally the open seating area facing IFly on deck 15

 

 

 

 

And here's the Azura and Adventure again from this angle on land

 

 

 

For those of you who have never ported in St. Maarten, it's a nice size reception area with plenty of shops, etc and easy to find your way around with clear signage to taxi's, the excursion buses, anything you need. I found my way through port no problem at all in easily less than 5 minutes and out to the main gates alongside many others who were walking to town

 

 

 

I was booked for a private excursion with Soualiga & Capt. Bob. I had been to Maho beach to watch the planes land at Princess Julianna twice before so I wanted to try a more all inclusive total island experience this time. Pulling up Tripadvisor, these guys were the #1 rated so I read a few reviews of their tour and booked. Capt Bob got back to me personally very quickly by email to confirm everything... all was good. There is a very clear map and explanation how to find his boats at the Marina on line, it was max a 15 min walk from the ship to the Marina just down the street from the main entrance of the pier. For reference, here's the Marina point looking back at Quantum so you can see how far it is... as a straight walk it would've been maybe 10 blocks tops.

 

 

 

And here's Capt Bob himself registering everyone and dividing up groups into several boats. Note our boat only had 9 people, max was 10. Lots of space and personal attention, very nice sized group. The Capt and group leader of our boat was the young guy with the white glasses, Radek from Czechoslovakia

 

Thanks again for the great review! Can you tell me how far Maho beach is from where the Quantum is docked? Would I have time to go there first in the morning to see this, for lets say an hour or so, if I have another excursion planned for the early afternoon? Do you know how much it is to take a cab there and if it would be easy to get a cab back from there to the boat? Thanks for the info!

Nancy

Hi smoochie.

 

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/customersupport/faq/details.do?pagename=frequently_asked_questions&pnav=5&pnav=2&faqType=faq&faqSubjectId=319&faqSubjectName=Ships+&faqId=5847

"RipCord by iFLY will be complimentary for guests and likely mirror land-based guidelines: Flyers may be as young as three years of age. There is no upper age limit. All flyers must be in good health and physical condition. Those less than 6 feet tall must weigh less than 230 lbs, and those over 6 feet must weigh less than 250 lbs. Children under 18 years of age need to have a parent or guardian to sign their waiver. If you have a prior shoulder dislocation or back or neck problems you should not fly"

 

 

Have a great cruise! :D

Hi. Thanks for the above info. I was just looking to see if they actually did weigh people as I am over the weight requirement but really want to do this! I hope I can get away with doing it!

Looking forward to the cruise!

Nancy

They weighed me and I don't think they were concerned that I might exceed the weight limit. Some people have posted that they were not weighed but it was done so discreetly that I believe that they may not have even realized it was being done.

Thanks - I am over the weight limit so I hope they still let me go and do it.

While I was the first one out to the aft area for lunch, it actually quickly started to get used by other cruisers. I snapped this shot before going up those stairs in this photo... remember these stairs as they can help you later

 

 

 

Up these stairs you find this... gorgeous seating area behind the Florider with unobstructed views, perfect for sailaways, sunsets, lunch when the seating below is full (hint hint), and easy access up to Seaplex. Gotta love that Manhattan skyline in the background!

 

 

 

Turning towards the front of the ship, there was a line forming of about 15 people at IFly/Ripcord. They were all from the previous cruise and knew that you had to pre-book time slots else you won't get on! I know of many who waited until the last 3 sea days to book and didn't end up experiencing this. For the record I did it 3 times over the course of this cruise, IFly is a 110% MUST-DO activity. I got in line right away and waited for them to open, spot on right at 12 noon as promised. I was booked for the next day after our M&M and cabin crawl... all good! But before taking any pics of IFly I was drawn forward by the iconic "Felicia" the Pink Bear... actually this art pieced is called "From Afar"

 

 

 

 

And it's pretty damn big, bigger than I thought! (I'm 5'11")

 

Hi. I heard there is a weight limit for the IFly - sorry if someone already asked you this (as I just started reading your review) but do they actually weigh you before you do it or do they take you word for it?

thanks!

Yes there is a fee of $10 per person, I think. I signed up in advance, but for this cruise it was not crowded so I am sure you could have just walked up. I would think at busy times like spring break and summer it might be a different story. I really liked it. We go to Disney all the time and did go a lot when my son was young. We did our share of Disney Character Breakfasts. While they are cool, I felt them overwhelming. Sometimes the characters stopped at our table sometimes not. We sometimes had to chase them. Not so here. It was very personal. I got all the time I wanted with my Puss N Boots. The kids were having a blast. They got plenty of character time and everyone was happy.

Great! thanks for the info! I think I will sign us up to do the breakfast.

I am also a Disney fanatic and go there at least once a year. Looks like it will be a lot of fun! Glad you had a great time!

Dreamworks Character Breakfast:

We did this the second day and it was great fun, even without children. We were seated with a big family with two young children. After a brief awkwardness we all relaxed and had a blast. Royal does a nice job with the Dreamworks experience in my opinion. For the breakfast each character comes out, does a little dance and then everyone gets to have a picture with each. We had three, Shrek, Fiona and PussNBoots (my favorite so I was a happy camper). There were also Characters in the Esplanade frequently. They are there but not intrusive. Very nicely done.

 

 

 

Do you have to pay for the Dreamworks Character Breakfast and do you have to sign up for this?

Thanks for your great review!!

I think one of the final reveals will be that Kristin Chenoweth will be singing the lead in Mama Mia when QOTS comes outs. I'm thinking rccl doesn't want to reveal a card like that until the very end when all of the other chips are in the pot.... Just my hope and thinking! It would be a real WOW moment.

 

 

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My husband and I are booked on the Quantum for January of next year and I agree, that would be a great reveal if Kristin Chenoweth will be singing the lead in Mama Mia! I would totally love that!