QUANTUM is EPIC FAILURE—2½ STARS!!!

[cruisenfever]

The quantum is a better ship than Epic and Royal's handling of this whole affair, was far better than NCL. My best cruise on Royal would be Adventure's first transatlantic crossing (after 10 years in San Juan), the ship is stunning and the crew were outstanding!!

 

A few comments from the first page of this through to the end:

 

1. Is the food in the main dining room worse? Yes, sadly it is.

2. The lack of Ice Cream for purchase and the overall quality of deserts (through paid venues and otherwise) was disappointing.

3. The overall interior look of the ship, functionality, public spaces; are not even near to the level of the Navigator & Freedom Class Vessels in the RCCL Fleet!!!!

4. The time and attention to detail shown in the above mentioned is not shown with this vessel. Money/cost aside, the Quantum does not have the high caliber feel of these other vessel classes.

5. The quality of the meals, their offerings, and staff training in different dining venues was lacking.

6. It should be noted that the menus never change, in ANY venue; so the 45 day journey, will be a long one!!

7. Royal did a nice job expanding the Diamond Lounge to three rooms!!

8. My stateroom steward did not make my bed, with the proper sheets, which were on the bed originally. It was scratchy and nothing like before, I do know the difference.

9. Royal should invest in more ships like the Jewel: you know, ships people really like to travel on!

10. The Epic has not been a success for NCL, it never had a premium price, compared to ships like Oasis/Allure. Time will tell, if this occurs with Quantum.

1. Quantum has no Main Dining Room. They have many dining venues.

 

6. Each dining has its own menu unique to that restaurant. There are 17 dining venues on Quantum, 9 of which are complimentary with each having their own menu.

 

7. I thought that the Diamond Club was one room on Deck 4. When did they convert it to 3 rooms?

 

9. We are in total agreement on this one. Radiance class ships are by far the best in the fleet.:D

[eroller]

The quantum is a better ship than Epic and Royal's handling of this whole affair, was far better than NCL. My best cruise on Royal would be Adventure's first transatlantic crossing (after 10 years in San Juan), the ship is stunning and the crew were outstanding!!

 

A few comments from the first page of this through to the end:

 

1. Is the food in the main dining room worse? Yes, sadly it is.

2. The lack of Ice Cream for purchase and the overall quality of deserts (through paid venues and otherwise) was disappointing.

3. The overall interior look of the ship, functionality, public spaces; are not even near to the level of the Navigator & Freedom Class Vessels in the RCCL Fleet!!!!

4. The time and attention to detail shown in the above mentioned is not shown with this vessel. Money/cost aside, the Quantum does not have the high caliber feel of these other vessel classes.

5. The quality of the meals, their offerings, and staff training in different dining venues was lacking.

6. It should be noted that the menus never change, in ANY venue; so the 45 day journey, will be a long one!!

7. Royal did a nice job expanding the Diamond Lounge to three rooms!!

8. My stateroom steward did not make my bed, with the proper sheets, which were on the bed originally. It was scratchy and nothing like before, I do know the difference.

9. Royal should invest in more ships like the Jewel: you know, ships people really like to travel on!

10. The Epic has not been a success for NCL, it never had a premium price, compared to ships like Oasis/Allure. Time will tell, if this occurs with Quantum.

 

 

Thanks for your opinions. It's interesting how different people have different perceptions. Doesn't make it right or wrong, just different. Everyone that cruises on QUANTUM will have to decide for themselves.

 

Food of course is subjective as is most everything else on this list. Just don't want to confuse fact with opinion. I found the food on QUANTUM to be the best I've ever experienced on Royal Caribbean. Loved the idea of four included dining rooms and each had a menu diverse enough I could dine in each multiple times with no issues or repetition. Loved it so much more than one dining room where lately on RCI the food and service has been mediocre at best IMO. Seems the one main dining room has pretty much run its course, at least on the mass-market lines. The masses that cruise today want variety, freedom, and choice which a single MDR doesn't offer. Dynamic Dining addresses this, and provides a dining style more in line with an upscale land based resort.

 

For me the interior look and layout of QUANTUM is awesome. It's a class act, more elegant and stunning than any other prior RCI ship. Easy to get around and I never heard of anyone getting lost. I also didn't encounter bottlenecks which to me is a sign of a great design. This is an area I feel RCI really excels at and QUANTUM didn't disappoint for me.

 

I agree the Radiance Class ships are lovely, but are they the RCI ships most people like to travel on? I certainly can't validate that statement but considering that more have not been built suggests the answer is no. The market essentially dictates what gets built and what amenities are included in future designs. Loyalists at Carnival say the same thing about Carnival's Spirit Class. There are only 4. Great ships but no more were ever built.

 

I don't think it's fair to say EPIC has not been a success just because she hasn't garnered Oasis Class per diems. Very few mass-market ships on the 7-day Caribbean run get the yields that OASIS and ALLURE do but that doesn't make them failures. I believe only Disney equals or exceeds the Oasis Class in this specific metric. Plenty of other successful ships within NCL (including EPIC), Princess, Celebrity, Carnival, etc. and even RCI that are very successful even with lower yields.

 

So at the end of the day QUANTUM wasn't for you. Fair enough. Thankfully there are plenty of other cruise lines and ships to choose from. That is what makes the cruise industry so great. Variety! Personally I feel the Quantum Class will be a huge success and a $$ maker for RCI. I would not be surprised to see more ordered beyond the three we know about for sure. We know that these are very efficient ships from an operational standpoint, and I think they are people pleasers as well with plenty of revenue opportunities onboard. In addition they have all the bells & whistles that RCI is known for which will help to keep yields high. Of course no one can predict the future but it seems like a pretty good formula to me.

[eroller]

 

7. I thought that the Diamond Club was one room on Deck 4. When did they convert it to 3 rooms?

 

 

 

There were so many Diamond and above passengers on the crossing that the Diamond Club was expanded into The Music Hall during the free cocktail hours to accommodate everyone. Personally I never went because I was able to get free drinks at just about any bar between 5:30-8:30pm just by showing my SeaPass card that showed Diamond on it. I think the Bionic Bar was the only bar this didn't apply at.

[gkbiiii]

1. Quantum has no Main Dining Room. They have many dining venues.

 

6. Each dining has its own menu unique to that restaurant. There are 17 dining venues on Quantum, 9 of which are complimentary with each having their own menu.

 

7. I thought that the Diamond Club was one room on Deck 4. When did they convert it to 3 rooms?

 

9. We are in total agreement on this one. Radiance class ships are by far the best in the fleet.:D

 

 

Several guests mentioned this to me aboard, the 17 dining venues is a misnomer, being that they count everything with any type of food, like the hotdog stand as a venue. So really there is the buffet, 4 themed rooms, and 4 specialty, 1 pay tavern, & Chef's Table.

 

7. They used the two sections of the Music Hall venue next to the Diamond Lounge for the overfill. There were over 1150 Diamond and above on the ship; including 50 Pinnacle, which 5 were given their status on this voyage.

[eroller]

Several guests mentioned this to me aboard, the 17 dining venues is a misnomer, being that they count everything with any type of food, like the hotdog stand as a venue. So really there is the buffet, 4 themed rooms, and 4 specialty, 1 pay tavern, & Chef's Table.

 

 

 

 

Yes this is true. It's the same for all cruise lines. For instance NCL includes the ice cream counter as a restaurant and even room service in their dining options figures. It's all good for marketing.

[JAMESCC]

A complete disgrace, really? Cheaply made, again REALLY? When I read the 6.5 billion figure I knew the rest would be complete BS. Either its competition or someone that just cannot be pleased and only looks for the bad.

[Host Kewlguy]

I'll be on the Quantum pre-inaugural beginning tomorrow. I'm looking forward to experiencing this ship for myself and will post my opinions when I return. Of course a pre-inaugural cruise will be a much different cruise experience than a regular revenue cruise. It should be quite an interesting event.

[Elizanessie]

I'll be on the Quantum pre-inaugural beginning tomorrow. I'm looking forward to experiencing this ship for myself and will post my opinions when I return. Of course a pre-inaugural cruise will be a much different cruise experience than a regular revenue cruise. It should be quite an interesting event.

 

Hope you have a wonderful time on her Tony, she really is stunning inside.

 

The artwork is amazing and Mamma Mia is brilliant....and hey if you get time try out the IFly :eek: :D

 

Please let us know if the Bionic Bar is working yet.

[DirtyDawg]

I have read the posts on this thread and it makes me smile.

 

It is well known in the cruise industry that the first cruise on a brand new cruise ship is a shake down cruise; what this means is that they are doing a test cruise really. This means they test everything from the logistics to the physical build of the ship to the training of the crew, staff and dining to the different processes it takes to put on a cruise. This way the cruise line finds out things that aren't working.

 

I'm sure glad my favorite airline isn't run like that. I might be too particular but I expect a brand new plane to be able to fly, not decompress, have enough inedible food, and have a crew who knows if those doors are for the exit or for the lavatory.

 

Hey I like cruising but for the maiden voyage of next new ship RCL will have to pay me!:D

Edited November 16, 2014 by DirtyDawg

[sparkx]

I'm sure glad my favorite airline isn't run like that. I might be too particular but I expect a brand new plane to be able to fly, not decompress, have enough inedible food, and have a crew who knows if those doors are for the exit or for the lavatory.

 

Hey I like cruising but for the maiden voyage of next new ship RCL will have to pay me!:D

 

 

The added element here is that she is also the prototype with a lot of unknown elements, which means a shake down is a lot more necessary - anthem will be a lot more polished product from day one because they'll have learnt a lot through the process. Development of a plane is a totally different process given they're potentially a lot more dangerous, the manufacturer spends years working out the kinks in the off-the-shelf design (including large parts of the hospitality side) before they'll hand it over, with effectively only cosmetic elements are sorted out through the plane order.

 

Equally I understand you don't want to spend a fortune for something that's potentially sub-par but it's always going to be the risk with a complex new product like a ship

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[Thetrail]

Well, I'm not so sure about that one. We were also on the Quantum, in a SGS and we didn't have a top sheet, only a duvet cover. I thought that it was odd but I experienced the same thing last year on a princess ship.

As far as the ship goes, I think that it is a beautiful ship that wasn't quite ready for the 3400 passenger booked. There were issues, no toilet paper in the bathroom, no working phones, no literature telling of room service or suite benefits and no communication from the concierges, that I feel were Royals issues. One minor thing that really bugged me was the CDs daily report on the tv. Most days it wasn't there at all or it was the wrong day, ( like day two report on day five). I was depending on that because the daily planner was often wrong because of issues with the sea or the ship. That's something that I feel like they could have figured out since there were two CDs and plenty of video guys onboard.

We had a great time on the ship despite the problems and we felt that the compensation was adaquate. We received $900 back for being in a suite and the 25% future cruise credit. There were people on the ship the I believe just came on to complain about everything.

Right after we boarded the ship, we were treated to a lady wearing her pinnacle pin demanding to have reservations changed and being so ugly to crew members that we were embarrassed. She was saying " I am pinnacle and you will change it!" I felt so badly for them because this system was brand new to them too. We decided then that we would stay away from complainers during the cruise and enjoy our time, and we did.

My sentiments also, sometimes I wonder how the crew can put up with such ignorance and entitlement issues that folks sometimes have!....K.O...That being said glad you enjoyed yourselves.:)

[Thetrail]

The quantum is a better ship than Epic and Royal's handling of this whole affair, was far better than NCL. My best cruise on Royal would be Adventure's first transatlantic crossing (after 10 years in San Juan), the ship is stunning and the crew were outstanding!!

 

A few comments from the first page of this through to the end:

 

1. Is the food in the main dining room worse? Yes, sadly it is.

2. The lack of Ice Cream for purchase and the overall quality of deserts (through paid venues and otherwise) was disappointing.

3. The overall interior look of the ship, functionality, public spaces; are not even near to the level of the Navigator & Freedom Class Vessels in the RCCL Fleet!!!!

4. The time and attention to detail shown in the above mentioned is not shown with this vessel. Money/cost aside, the Quantum does not have the high caliber feel of these other vessel classes.

5. The quality of the meals, their offerings, and staff training in different dining venues was lacking.

6. It should be noted that the menus never change, in ANY venue; so the 45 day journey, will be a long one!!

7. Royal did a nice job expanding the Diamond Lounge to three rooms!!

8. My stateroom steward did not make my bed, with the proper sheets, which were on the bed originally. It was scratchy and nothing like before, I do know the difference.

9. Royal should invest in more ships like the Jewel: you know, ships people really like to travel on!

10. The Epic has not been a success for NCL, it never had a premium price, compared to ships like Oasis/Allure. Time will tell, if this occurs with Quantum.

And you know what they say about opinions:)....Everyone has one....and my opinion regarding your opinions, can't say here on CC....:D

[Thetrail]

I'll be on the Quantum pre-inaugural beginning tomorrow. I'm looking forward to experiencing this ship for myself and will post my opinions when I return. Of course a pre-inaugural cruise will be a much different cruise experience than a regular revenue cruise. It should be quite an interesting event.

So thank you and enjoy!....K.O.:)

[aurelius180]

And you know what they say about opinions:)....Everyone has one....and my opinion regarding your opinions, can't say here on CC....:D

 

If not a forum to post one's opinions, then what is the purpose of Cruise Critic?

[Wanderlost]

If not a forum to post one's opinions, then what is the purpose of Cruise Critic?

I agree with you. This was one person's opinion about a TA inaugural sailing which had a lot of problems. I returned from this cruise wanting to post a review but after reading all the ugly comments (grammar???) posted by cruise critic members who also discounted (were they on this cruise??) what the OP said, I don't plan to. The negatives outweighed the positives on the Quantam on this particular cruise and yes, I realize it was the first, but I felt cheated. Please don't flame me if I put in too many commas.

[beachnative]

I agree with you. This was one person's opinion about a TA inaugural sailing which had a lot of problems. I returned from this cruise wanting to post a review but after reading all the ugly comments (grammar???) posted by cruise critic members who also discounted (were they on this cruise??) what the OP said, I don't plan to. The negatives outweighed the positives on the Quantam on this particular cruise and yes, I realize it was the first, but I felt cheated. Please don't flame me if I put in too many commas.

 

PLEASE, PLEASE do not take this as flaming.

 

I'm simply curious.

 

When you booked this cruise, knowing that the ship was just coming out of construction, did you realize that there was a big chance that glitches would be popping up in both systems and crew?

 

Seriously, that's something I've wanted to ask each person writing a review with a list of problems. You sound reasonable therefore I'm asking you (hopefully in a pleasant way).

Edited November 16, 2014 by beachnative

[Host Kewlguy]

I agree with you. This was one person's opinion about a TA inaugural sailing which had a lot of problems. I returned from this cruise wanting to post a review but after reading all the ugly comments (grammar???) posted by cruise critic members who also discounted (were they on this cruise??) what the OP said, I don't plan to. The negatives outweighed the positives on the Quantam on this particular cruise and yes, I realize it was the first, but I felt cheated. Please don't flame me if I put in too many commas.

Correcting someones grammar is against the guidelines and any post doing so will be removed. Also when you see rude posts you need to hit the little red triangle above the post in question and it will be removed. Everyone is entitled to express an opinion without fear of being personally attacked for doing so. Members who continue to violate the guidelines will eventually lose their posting privileges.

Edited November 16, 2014 by Host Kewlguy

[aurelius180]

PLEASE, PLEASE do not take this as flaming.

 

I'm simply curious.

 

When you booked this cruise, knowing that the ship was just coming out of construction, did you realize that there was a big chance that glitches would be popping up in both systems and crew?

 

Seriously, that's something I've wanted to ask each person writing a negative review. You sound reasonable therefore I'm asking you (hopefully in a pleasant way).

 

 

A better question may be whether RCI made cruisers aware of the potential for issues as a disclaimer prior to booking. This question is based in total ignorance as I'm not sure whether there was a specialty booking site or whether it could be booked as any other.

[beachnative]

A better question may be whether RCI made cruisers aware of the potential for issues as a disclaimer prior to booking. This question is based in total ignorance as I'm not sure whether there was a specialty booking site or whether it could be booked as any other.

 

OK, you prefer not to answer my question. I wasn't asking for a better question.

 

As a person who is a reader of Cruise Critic, I would be expecting a cruise such as this one to have issues with a variety of things. It's just the nature of the beast and has been described here regarding ships coming out of dry dock, inaugural cruises, etc. I don't need McDonald's to warn me that my coffee is hot, the city to warn me that there might be ice on the roads on a freezing day, or other common sense things.

 

Glitches on this TransAtlantic probably would not have been expected by a novice.

[aurelius180]

OK, you prefer not to answer my question. I wasn't asking for a better question.

 

As a person who is a reader of Cruise Critic, I would be expecting a cruise such as this one to have issues with a variety of things. It's just the nature of the beast and has been described here regarding ships coming out of dry dock, inaugural cruises, etc. I don't need McDonald's to warn me that my coffee is hot, the city to warn me that there might be ice on the roads on a freezing day, or other common sense things.

 

Glitches on this TransAtlantic probably would not have been expected by a novice.

 

 

There is nothing for me to answer.

 

Those examples you listed are truly common sense things as they don't require the reading of niche website to figure out.

 

Regardless of what website they read, customers should not expect to pay for substandard service without warning. In this case, as you're proposing, CC readers should have known which means RCI certainly should have known there was a high potential for issues.

[daisy-mae]

I'll be on the Quantum pre-inaugural beginning tomorrow. I'm looking forward to experiencing this ship for myself and will post my opinions when I return. Of course a pre-inaugural cruise will be a much different cruise experience than a regular revenue cruise. It should be quite an interesting event.

 

So when, exactly, will it be inaugurated?

[beachnative]

There is nothing for me to answer.

 

Those examples you listed are truly common sense things as they don't require the reading of niche website to figure out.

 

Regardless of what website they read, customers should not expect to pay for substandard service without warning. In this case, as you're proposing, CC readers should have known which means RCI certainly should have known there was a high potential for issues.

 

OK, ….so you did expect glitches but you just don't want to admit it.;):)

 

I do get your point but your way (and some others) is just not my way of thinking.

[Wanderlost]

PLEASE, PLEASE do not take this as flaming.

 

I'm simply curious.

 

When you booked this cruise, knowing that the ship was just coming out of construction, did you realize that there was a big chance that glitches would be popping up in both systems and crew?

 

Seriously, that's something I've wanted to ask each person writing a review with a list of problems. You sound reasonable therefore I'm asking you (hopefully in a pleasant way).

We booked this cruise because it was an 8 day TA and we have always wanted to do one but did not want to board our dog more than 10 days (she is old and tired of our travels). It was on a Tuesday special, within final payment so I grabbed it for a great price. We are diamond members on RCL and had never cruised on one of their large ships. Prior to booking, I read this was the Quantam's maiden TA. I knew there would be contractors working on the ship and was fully prepared to share this cruise with them. In my opinion, RCL should have brought this ship over with non-paying passengers due to a multitude of problems which have been fully explained by others. Had this been my first cruise with RCL, I would have to think twice about ever cruising with them again. I am loyal to RCL and Celebrity so I will continue cruising with them, just not on the Quantam.

[aurelius180]

Or I didn't answer because I wasn't on the cruise and there truly isn't anything to answer. ;)

 

I just don't see why people are harassed when they post a review that could be considered negative to RCI.

 

I don't disagree with your line of thinking and would not, personally, book a cruise such as this. But I'm just not sure why the onus is on the cruiser to research why they may receive substandard service on a particular cruise. I'm also not sure why this prior knowledge should prevent someone from conveying their experience on a cruise. If they don't then how will others know what to expect on such a cruise....vicious circle.

[Biker19]

If it it wasn't obvious before it should be by now - don't book a maiden (or post dry-dock) cruise if you expect a routine sailing. Be pleasantly surprised if you do get a glitch free sailing.

 

RCI decided 1.5 years ago this would be a revenue sailing - to cancel it a few weeks before the sailing (due to the ship not being totally ready) would have brought even more bad press than it is getting currently. :2cents: