Quantum 11/23 Inaugural Review - WOW, So Not Impressed

[seeshore]

Another thing that I haven't seen mentioned on these boards, the rooms seem very room. Then I realized, they have done away with any sort of a "coffee table." We actually were quite alright with this, but it is a departure.

 

I liked the fact the the desk was movable and we could place it at the sofa for room service breakfast.

[roe2ship]

did you get an OBC on the 11/23 sailing? We didn't get anything.

I believe that poster meant the onboard credits that were given on the maiden voyage (11/2).

[gaylemh]

Sounds like we had a very similar experience.

 

One complaint that I haven't seen online yet and i really hope is "fixed," no facial tissues in the bathrooms of the cabins (didn't check public restrooms). Maybe they just hadn't arrived, or something. I think this is a big mistake if they are trying to promote being sanitary while on board. It would be nice to have a tissue to sneeze into.

 

Another thing that I haven't seen mentioned on these boards, the rooms seem very room. Then I realized, they have done away with any sort of a "coffee table." We actually were quite alright with this, but it is a departure.

 

There were tissues in the top drawer of the dresser in the cabin along with the hairdryer. I also thought, at first, there were no tissues.

[regg1216]

Sounds like we had a very similar experience.

 

One complaint that I haven't seen online yet and i really hope is "fixed," no facial tissues in the bathrooms of the cabins (didn't check public restrooms). Maybe they just hadn't arrived, or something. I think this is a big mistake if they are trying to promote being sanitary while on board. It would be nice to have a tissue to sneeze into.

 

Another thing that I haven't seen mentioned on these boards, the rooms seem very room. Then I realized, they have done away with any sort of a "coffee table." We actually were quite alright with this, but it is a departure.

 

We had tissues in our bathroom

[RoyalDiamond]

On the Maiden Voyage (11/2) we had a FJ (Family Junior Suite) and on the Inaugural (11/23) we had a SJ (Spa Junior Suite). Neither of these cabins have trash cans in the bathroom! We had to beg our stateroom attendant for trash cans for our bathrooms! The tissues were in the drawer in the cabin, which we moved to the bathroom. The SJ cabin restroom layout is very inconvenient, and has NO counter space.

 

We, too, found the "inaugural" quite disappointing. They certainly charged us a premium amount, but didn't deliver a premium experience. The same performers were in the theater on nights 3 and 4, and then the next performers were the same on nights 5 and 6. GEEZ. This was an inaugural? It's certainly a beautiful, gorgeous ship. But a boring ship.

 

Peter

[HiCSailor]

I've just completed my survey and I suppose I should turn it into a letter though it's so close to hawks026's experience that I may be accused of plagiarism.

 

Like most have said, I loved the ship and felt it was a large and beautiful work of art from stem to stern. While it had a few bugs to be worked out, the big disappointment for me was the lack of service, activities, and coherent information from the officers, staff, and crew. I'll even go so far as to say DD should be awesome once the Denny's reception catches up to the 5-star decor and menus.

 

Honestly, the tech was cool, but really the same thing RCI has become known for -- taking something old from ashore and taking it to sea (face it, bumper cars, a skydiving simulator, a crane ride, and high-speed internet are not rocket surgery). They seem to have gotten so wrapped up in the "new" that they forgot to order cups and strawberry shakes. Once they are no longer blinded by their own marketing polish, I'm looking forward to watching how RCI turns their "this changes everything" motto for Q into a positive.

[Froedrick]

Loved the ship design, especially the forward solarium and the bumper cars, but the complete lack of customer-facing systems validation was unacceptable. Additionally, when asked about these issues, the seemingly standard answer of "no" was not what I was expecting based on our history with Explorer, where it was almost always "we can't do that, but here's what we can do".

In addition to what others have mentioned, we were never able to use our cards or bands at the Bionic Bar (unable to connect was our mantra during the week). I was also stunned that they must not have stress tested the photo system because on the last two days it was so slow as to be unusable. We were told to return four separate times and finally got the disc about 15 minutes before departure. They were reduced to one person on a laptop dragging files to a plugged in disc burner one at a time.

 

Personally, I thought the food overall was of much better quality than on Explorer, but I am not a fan of Dynamic Dining. System crashes and long lines aside, I like getting to know the waiter and assistant waiter and them getting to know us. Constantly moving from one place to another and going through the same motions every time is not for me (admittedly a vanilla vs chocolate type choice, but it's my choice).

 

I did, however, get a good laugh when the robots broke a bunch of the overhead bottles and, just a little while later, a fire sprinkler went off in the cafe. Mean, yes, but true.

 

At one point Jimmy Rhodes shouted "How 'bout this beautiful ship?!?" and I really wanted to reply "Bring back Explorer!".

[jptsr1]

We were on this trip as well and although I had a great time the ship just didn't appear ready for paying passengers. We jokingly renamed it "Sorry for the inconvenience of the seas" due to the number of out of order signs and the length of lines for activities. My wife and I have been on a few cruises so we were able to make lemonade from the lemons but many of our group of over 20 were on their 1st cruise and vowed never to cruise again. I don't blame RC for the weather and missing COCO CAY but the fact that they didn't have a backup port that could accommodate the ship was a great disappointment. I don't really care for the dining setup but the food was OK. The shows were outstanding! The cruise director was awful.

 

IMG_8940Cruise by Gordon Gartrell, on Flickr

 

 

IMG_8968Cruise by Gordon Gartrell, on Flickr

 

 

IMG_9520Cruise by Gordon Gartrell, on Flickr

Edited December 9, 2014 by jptsr1
Added pictures

[DM_KidAtHeart]

there will be no Quest on that ship due to "lack of venue" per Jimmy.

 

 

I don't get this. From the pictures of it, it seems 270 could be a fine venue for Quest.

 

 

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[HiCSailor]

I don't get this. From the pictures of it, it seems 270 could be a fine venue for Quest.

 

 

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I know Explorer used the ice rink, Studio B, but the Seaplex has no seating and not much standing room. I didn't know what Quest was and missed it, but I gather it's a goofy game show type experience... So Two sounds like it might be a great venue for it.

 

I wonder if CD personality plays a part in deciding to stage Quest? The CD on Explorer during my cruise had a comedic background , while the CD on Quantum started as a dancer and does not attempt to be humorous. Or is the demise of Quest a part of the "this changes everything" initiative?

[wyldkarma]

What is AGS office? Wish to file complaints too.

 

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[Chawoobie]

I, too, was disappointed with the "Inaugural" cruise. I expected some kind of send-off - champagne, fire boats, etc to mark this special event, but there was nothing - other than a hat, an art book, and a printed certificate.

 

The elevators were horrible - always seemed at leas one in each bank was out of service, and the floor announcement for "Deck 'laven" rather than deck eleven was the joke of many fellow passenger on the elevator. I joked that I would get off at Deck 10 or 12 just to avoid hearing "Deck 'laven" again!

 

Rooms were nicely done, but we paid for virtual balcony. Picture was super - very nice feature, but no sound the entire week! As other noted, TV reservation system didn't work, and showed I had not spent anything on the cruise just a day before debarkation. Cost of Royal WIFI ($$00 for the week for top speed) was nonsense.

 

I, too, got stuck in North Star on last day (actually that was kind of nice - got more time to enjoy the view), but others noted that the elevator to take disabled to North Star broke early in the cruise and was inoperable.

 

Am writing letter to RCL now. Overall, VERY disappointed!!