miraflores

Not sure, but I do know that the QN-class ships were originally supposed to be Celebrity ships (which is why there is no Viking Crown Lounge and you can still see "X"s in the windows of the Royal Esplanade.) But, during the process, Celebrity decided they didn't want them, so the design got bought by MSC...who then dropped them for the Vista Project design (which is really similar). 

Finally, Royal Caribbean signed on and got the ships built.  It's pretty obvious they're not like other RCL ships...and this is why.

On 7/4/2022 at 1:50 PM, grandgeezer said:

I agree, not many stocks are going up, but not many of them have dropped as much, Ytd

RCL is down 56.34%, down 58.98% in one year, down 69.42% last three years. (pre pandemic)

Compared to the S&P 500 which s a more accurate picture of the stock market since in is comprised of 500 stocks against the 30 used in the DJIA. down 20.25% ytd, down 12.11% in one year, and UP 27.92% in three years, (pre pandemic).

The cruise lines MASSIVELY diluted their stocks during COVID to raise funds. These stocks aren't coming back anytime soon.

3 hours ago, mndity said:

The stop at Victoria??  Sunday night after 5 pm???  I didn't see the reason for it.  We walked around, mainly through a residential area to get to the downtown area.  Back on the boat by 9pm and finished packing.

It's a technical stop, outside the US, to satisfy PVSA (Passenger Vessel Services Act) requirements. This is about the only reason ships ever stop in Victoria, or Ensenada.

The levels haven't increased...but the proximity of venues to guest staterooms has changed A LOT.  The "neighbourhood" concept has also increased the noise throughout the ships. If you looked at older ships (MJ/MN are prime examples) you'd notice that ALL entertainment venues were stacked on top of each other, at the back of the ship (including the crew bar). That was always known (by everyone) as a really solid design, and there were hardly any noise complaints, from anyone. However, these days, the bean counters want guests always walking past shops from venue to venue, so things are all over the place.  On QN class ships, the Music Hall is surrounded by cabins (guest and crew) on 4 sides (left/right/up/down) and there are nightly noise complaints.  Nothing has gotten louder though...it's just that they're putting people closer to venues to make more $$$.

On QN-class ships, I've seen the production cast make and staff a haunted house in the Music Hall. Always really cool. Usually a kid's Halloween movie up by the pool as well.

20 hours ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Im sure there will be a reasonable way to get to Gdansk. 

The train is really quick.

On 6/5/2022 at 12:28 PM, Around_the_globe said:

Hello all.

 

Apologies if this has been asked/answered previously, who is the Hotel Director currently on the Quantum? We are sailing in August and it's always good to know. 

 

Thanks!

It's Phillip Ashcroft. Great HD...he used to work on "The World".

Mike Hunnerup is an AWESOME DJ.  I wonder if he plays for the guests on QN?

You actually have a pretty good chance of seeing whales there. The Gulf of St. Lawrence is a protected area, so ships actually have to slow down around the whales. I've seen whales there.

Yes. Sometimes it's easier to back in than out. But, you can't really bank on a ship going in a certain way. The same ship, in the same port, might sometimes dock bow in...and it might sometimes dock stern in. There are a bunch of factors...cleaning, bunkering, loading/unloading/etc...that come into play.

Looked just like a normal Carnival cruise to me.

On 5/18/2022 at 9:37 AM, Old Fart Cruisers said:

My original hope for the mysterious pearl being an underwater viewing lounge are not looking as likely anymore now that it has been set in place on deck five in the center of the Royal Promenade.  I’ve seen people posting in the other place that it’s starting to look more like just a glorified stairway to get from the mezzanine level down to the Royal Promenade.  However, since the Icon was billed as something that is going to be such an amazing game changer, a fancy staircase doesn’t seem to be flashy enough.

 

Looking at that huge ‘frame’ on the starboard side of the ship, I’m wondering if there might still be a glimmer of hope that it could be an underwater viewing lounge? Just imagine a scenario where the sphere is docked for passengers boarding in the center of the Royal Promenade, then lifted by a giant gantry crane and moved out the ‘window’ before being lowered into position for underwater viewing?

 

I know I may have an overactive imagination, but if this isn’t in the plans, RCI is free to use my idea on the next ship☺️

I've heard, even years ago, that the Icon was going to have an AquaTheatre-style venue...but it was going to be in the middle of the ship, instead of at the back.  The AquaTheatres at the backs of ships often have to close because of weather, and putting it in the middle will make better use of the space.  

I'm wondering if it could end up looking like this shopping mall in Fukuoka, Japan.

22 hours ago, leaveitallbehind said:

What you need is to ask the stateroom attendant and and he will open it if OK'd by the Captain as he has final decision on this. That is the proper protocol, and they should not be opened by the passenger.  Unless it is inclement weather or your staterooms are across a firebreak as indicated by @celoplyr, they will most likely do so.  But there are rare times and situations where the Captain may not permit it.

Sorry, I thought this was CruiseCritic I was posting to. I was unaware people on this site followed shipboard rules, haha.

28 minutes ago, EdandMary said:

We had a deck 13 balcony for the shakedown cruise and the balcony doors on that deck could be opened. I cannot speak if that is tgrue on other decks.

The walls between balconies on all decks can be opened. That's how the blue boys clean balconies. You'll need something with a square end on it to unlock the latch.

20 hours ago, Tazzybear14 said:

Anyone know who the CD is on the Ovation right now?

Chris Brown

3 hours ago, DocNDo said:

Is there an Escape Room on Quantum of the Seas? Also was roller skating an offered activity in the Seaplex? I see them both listed as features on the Quantum, but didn't see them on the cruise planner.

There is an escape room right beside the port side entrance to the SeaPlex (in between the door and the entrance to Fuel). It's not always open though.

On Quantum, it's the HARP & HORN.

40 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

 

 I did not know that.  Thanks for that bit of information.  

 

@twangster

 I would be very interested in hearing how the food and service is in Coastal Kitchen.  We have had great meals and service on our Oasis and Allure sailing pre-COVID and hope standards have been kept up. 

 

The only time you lose signal on the OV Alaska run is when the ship goes into Tracy Arm. Other than that, even the TV satellites stay on the whole way up. It does degrade, but there is signal.

The library on the OV is small. It's up on Deck 6, on the port side of Two70. There are a few cases of books and games, but not much.  There are some iMacs up there too.  Not a whole lot to choose from though.

1 hour ago, crzndeb said:

I had Sprint back in 2012 when I was here, and there were a couple of places it didn’t work, and Alaska was the 49th state then too. 🙄

Thankfully, cell sites have been much improved in the last several years.

AT&T is the way to go up in Alaska. They have the best coverage up there.

On 4/11/2022 at 7:37 PM, fsjosh said:

An on ship infinity pool waterfall would be a nice "first at sea"

Viking Ocean Ships have those. Link

1 hour ago, SCruiseFam said:

Any shallow areas at the West Bay for snorkeling? Several people in the group I’m going with can’t swim but are really wanting to snorkel. 

Yes! You can swim out right from the beach. Everything is so close to shore there. It's truly an amazing place.

8 minutes ago, PTC DAWG said:

Get out of the walled in area..Mahahual is a pretty neat little town…

 

Some folks like to visit the Pharmacies in the area…

That is actually good advice. That's what the crew does there.

Usually (before COVID), up in Alaska, the OV (sister ship) would have 2 Royal Theatre production shows and one Two70 show. All shows usually have 2 performances, but the Two70 show is shown on multiple nights, as the capacity is less.  On QN, the Royal Theatre shows are Sonic Odyssey and Sequins & Feathers. Sonic is one of the best shows I've seen on ships, and the most "musical", by far. The Earth Harp is worth checking out. Takes an entire day to set up. The music is the focus of that show, not the dancing, and it's amazing to see the musicians get some respect for a change.

The other show, Sequins & Feathers, is something the guys will REALLY like. Lots of front desk complaints about the show from wives though, who weren't happy their husbands got such a "show" (seriously, there was a line of angry old ladies at Guest Services after every show). During the OV Alaska season, there were weeks they had to cancel their version of Sequins & Feathers (Live, Love, Legs), because the demographic was too conservative to handle the show.  The weeks without that show actually had higher entertainment ratings than the weeks with the show, if that says anything. So, S&F may be shown, but it may not. If it is...go, but don't take the kids...unless you want them to grow up to become Megan Thee Stallion or Doja Cat (very NSFW if you feel like googling them, BTW).

The Two70 show is Starwater, and it's magical. It's the best Two70 show RCL has, by far.  You have to book the Two70 shows in advance, because the capacity is lower. The Quantum is the first Quantum-class ship, so it got all the bells and whistles the other ships didn't get, and it shows. The shows are better and the venues are more sophisticated. They really went all-out for Quantum, scaled things back a bit for Anthem, a bit more for Ovation, and really cut a lot out of Spectrum and Odyssey. I'm willing to bet if they made another Quantum-class ship, they'd just have a bluetooth speaker and a flatscreen TV for tech in the Theatres...haha.

On 4/14/2022 at 11:16 PM, Coralc said:

Gosh. I would love to see Dan Whitney again. I have a glorious photo of him in a pink leotard, balloon chest and tutu from Song of America.  I will definitely bring a copy if we are on a ship with him as the CD. 

Ah...the old "Sea Sketch" that got banned from Royal Caribbean ships (for obvious reasons). I think Disney still does a toned-down version of it, but wow...that was a staple back in the day during the Farewell Shows. "Waterfalls" was another great old sketch, that USPH put an end to.  I guess they didn't like crew spitting water into each other's mouths. Go figure!