Trainman52

WOW! Filet and crab legs. Maybe I won't mess with the headache of making dining reservations and just go to the Windjammer.

They didn't have that on the 12/12 sailing. Maybe too many people ended up in the Windjammer and they had to up the ante.

Its my understanding that there are over 1000 diamond members on this sailing. There were "only" 400 on the 8day I took last week and it was crowded-over flowing into the music hall a bit as well!

The 12/12 had mid 700s for Diamond. The first night was packed, after that it eased up. The also put 3 drinks on your Seapass card that can be used at select bars around the ship between 5:00 and 8:30. That came in handy many evenings. I just LOVED the espresso machine and the walnut strudel at breakfast.

George in NY -- we had similar experience. Not 63 cruises under our belt buy probably 15 across multiple cruise lines.

 

I really like RCCL for their kids activities, and the did not disappoint me there. BUt there is only so much bread you can eat to validate the $$ you pay for this cruise.

 

IMHO, if they want to roll out dynamic dining they should not have cut the wait staff yet, but rather rolled out the concept. Made it marginally successful. Then cut back the staff. The really made a mess by trying to do both at once.

A number of the crew who shall remain nameless were not particularly happy with the DD situation. It also impacts on their tips as many people add an additional gratuity to the fixed amount that RCI puts on your bill.

Cruising used to be an experience, an adventure. Now it is a week at anything ranging from the Motel 6 to a Holidome water park.

The reviews of the Quantum on CC have been less than glowing.

My feeling is that if you aren't happy, let them know. Silence means consent.

Happy New Year to all.

That was very much my opinion too. However, I am concerned by the continuing number of posts I am reading talking about the lack of organized activities. I am worried that this might be another cost cutting measure.

I want a ship with plenty of cruise staff

They seemed to have plenty of cruise staff. Trivia was by far the most prevalent activity. Almost every hour on the hour. I like trivia, but...

I will be sailing on the Quantum Jan 3 and hope to have a good trip not what I wanted to do I like a lot of islands to stop and explore but wife wanted to experience a big ship. I am to understand that there are quite a few things people usually expect to have ie shampoo/conditioner in the shower automatically. Johnny Rockets cover fee but meal is free except milkshakes now ala-carte? fee for character breakfast????? All of these kinda things should be posted up front and real clear too so everybody knows the rules of the game before you play the game. The planing for this trip was difficult from the beginning dinners, shows, shows being cancelled, ports being cancelled, a day in PR during the feast of the three kings come on poor planning to say the least. not enough information from the start and my cruise planner will take about a dozen sheets of paper to print when one would be plenty. Have no problem ripping them if the cruise sucks and there are plenty of others o take their place they just have to hear it from anybody whom is unhappy. Here's to nothing!

The milkshakes on Johnny Rockets were $4.50. We had a Diamond "coupon" for a buy one get one free. Everything else there regardless of the cost on land was $2.50, including hot dogs and all the burgers.

We did the character breakfast. It was no charge when we first reserved it, but appeared in the Cruise Compass as an additional charge item. We were not billed. It was great for the kids (which we don't have).

They also had various Dreamworks events in the Esplanade. At one point they had a circus there. I stumbled onto it purely by accident. There is actually a "ringmasters" both on the forward side of deck six if you look up.

Focus groups are not only useful for pre-planning, they also help you to evaluate the success of your implementation.

I'm sure the bean counters at RCI did their homework, including focus groups, before giving the green light to spend millions changing over to DD.

 

That's why it's puzzling to me that the vast majority of cruisers seem so dead set against it. And it doesn't seem to be just due to roll out problems. Even in our group of 10 where the DD experience went fairly smoothly, 8 people either disliked or hated DD and the other 2 (us) were neutral on it.

 

Did the bean counters get it that wrong?

I worked for the Government for 33 years. Certain things were "deemed successes". It is kind of like a shoe salesman fitting a size 10 foot into a size 9.5 shoe.

The point here is that if RCI thinks that Dynamic Dining was such a huge success, it is only a matter of time before it becomes the more dominant dining experience.

The WOW bands are also an egress into the world of "pay as you go". I have no idea if RCI has this in mind, but it is just a quick jump to charging for shows, venues etc. They scan you WOW band and bill your shipboard account. I can foresee the day when you will be sailing a la carte. Everything beyond your cabin and the buffet will be an extra charge item. I hope not.

I do have to say that they crew on board the ship was very friendly and helpful.

That seems like a spiteful thing to say...why would you wish failure on Royal Caribbean? We were on Quantum and had a wonderful cruise--not everyone feels that the experience was "so far downhill." In my opinion she can only get better as they concentrate on ironing out all the details and making everything work as intended. Sorry you don't feel that way apparently.

I would call our cruise "enjoyable". Was it the best that we have taken, not by a long shot; nor was it the worse. The ship is a "work in progress". I don't agree with RCI's decision to put it into service without having it completed. Everyday there were contractors on board working on installations. Yes, it was driven by economics. Dynamic Dining was far from a WOW. For some it was more like an Oy!. I have never seen a Windjammer as packed at dinner time as it was on this ship. That has to say something.

Having just returned from the 12/12 sailing of the Quantum, I think that RCI may want to consider having a passenger focus group to evaluate their experiences, particularly with dynamic dining. I, for one, would be more than happy to participate one if held in NYC.

We did it on the Explorer in 2008 for our 35th anniversary. Unfortunately the seas were the roughest that we had ever encountered. They tell me that the promenade was great but that people were rocking and rolling everywhere (we were in our cabin praying). I will not go into any more detail. Yes, hats (which I still have) and maybe noisemakers. Have a great time.

Thanks!!

Thanks. I've found a couple reviews outside Cruise Critic. After reading them, I've sent them several emails but no response.

I haven't gotten a response either. Doesn't give you that warm and fuzzy feeling.

I just sent another. If I don't get an answer, time to move on.

I'm also interested in this one. It seems to have more stops and is cheaper than the ones the cruise line offers.

Found one substantial review http://www.igougo.com/attractions-reviews-b89515-St._Croix-Sweenys_St._Croix_Safari_Tour.html

When do reservations open for the galley tour on the QM2? This is probably one of the best kept secrets on the ship.

Best to take a cab into downtown, its a flat rate per person - can't remember the cost but its not much. there is a central drop off point at the start of the shopping district. from that point its about a 10 minute walk through the downtown, then you hang a left and go through a couple of side streets to the synagogue (just ask where to turn). The walk from the pier to the downtown area isn't all that interesting and you would just be wasting time.

 

larry

The only problem with this scenario is that he wants a few sites besides the synagogue.

Ronnie Carrington is a Barbados native and does photography tours. Drop him an email, maybe he can recommend someone to you.

ronnie@carrington-barbados-images.com

Has anyone been to this Synagogue and Museum? From Google earth it appears to be about 1.5 miles from the cruise pier. Is it walking distance from the cruise pier or is a taxi recommended due to either distance, hills or safety considerations? Any recommendations for other things to do in Bridgetown especially nice areas to walk through?

1.5 miles is about right. It is walkable from the pier. Follow the path along the right side coming out of the terminal. This will take you along the water and give you some nice scenic views. Downtown Bridgetown is like any other large city in the Caribbean; all sorts of stores and lots of business people. There a loads of taxis which will offer to take you anywhere on the island.

Have fun!!

I guess I should clarify on the coffee quality question - is the coffee that's included, real brewed coffee or is it some kind of instant?

It is indeed real brewed coffee. Many lines use a syrup concoction. I just happened to be in the King's Court when the coffee machine was being serviced. They actually do use real coffee grounds.

We took our first of 13 cruises on the Oceanic in 1976. My father had just passed away and we really needed something relaxing. My in-laws had been on the ship so they were the "experts". Reserve your deck chairs, make dining room reservations and so on. Everyone told us that you spent so little time in the cabin that location didn't matter. We booked A9 which I still remember as the "Victory at Sea" suite. The first night out the ride was a little choppy. In the middle of the night, I dreamt that I was on a roller coaster. Without a window to see out of, it was very disconcerting. I awoke as sick as a dog. While heading for the bathroom, the ship rolled to one side making the effort quite an uphill climb. On the return roll I was running into the bathroom, gravity as my aid. Eventually I got myself together and went up on deck. I sat there looking at the horizon wondering what madness possessed me to take this trip. Eventually I got a seasick shot and was fine. My wife who started out fine, got seasick during the day. I still have pictures of her with a green tinge. It wasn't until after dinner that I convinced her to get the shot. By midnight, she was eatting like food was going out of style. :-)

That was one classy ship. The midnight buffets were magnificent as was the service and food in the dining room. We still have the menus. Something new every night.

While the current crop of cruisers wonder about soda cards, rock climbing walls and the like, I still fondly remember our cruise on the Oceanic.