19 Nights, 10,000+ photos, and way too many videos. A Quantum Review

[DEIx15x8]

Super thanks so much. I saw what I needed to see in that quick video and glad I don't need to take the those toiletries. Was your cabin on deck 13? If so, did you hear noise from above? We will be close to the front on that deck under the solarium.

 

Sorry, we were cabin 10116 which was the first balcony on the port side of deck 10. A rather nice location and not too far from the elevators. The distance from the aft atrium to the back of the ship on the other hand is a huge haul IMO.

 

I've heard a lot of complaints from people on deck 13 about noise from above. Most of the complaints seemed to be from the aft end of the deck though where the Windjammer is above. All night long they are moving food around and cleaning up or prepping different areas of the venue. They constantly have to move large amounts of food and drink supplies around the venue to prepare for the next day since they don't have a chance during the day when it's packed.

 

They tend to clean the ship thoroughly every night starting at about 1am and this includes scrubbing the pool deck down. Not sure if you'll be able to hear that, but beyond the cleaners their isn't much movement in the Solarium and they don't have any carts or other heavy items to move around. Most of the cleaning tends to be on the outside pool deck, they may not clean the Solarium as often, possibly every other night or every couple of nights.

[DEIx15x8]

Royal Caribbean is broadcasting live from the Quantum of the Seas on CNN for New Years Eve. In honor of all the Royal Parties tonight, here is the brand new one onboard the Quantum of the Seas, Groovytown! As I mentioned in a previous post it takes place in Music Hall and is more of a night club vibe with a few entertainment pieces thrown in rather than the traditional show they put on.

 

[YOUTUBE]7WyabkvLUjM[/YOUTUBE]

[roe2ship]

You have some outstanding pictures and videos. Thank you for taking the time sharing them with us.:)

 

In regards to the appeal of the Breakaway, the top deck may look ugly just as the North Star did on Quantum when we first saw it but the water slides and rope course attract many passengers and are lots of fun. IMO, the rope course is challenging and takes some time to complete unlike the bumper cars, IFly and North Star that are practically over within a couple of minutes or so. I'm actually quite surprised that with Royal being such a family friendly cruise line that their ships don't have any slides.

[DEIx15x8]

Today I've got some videos for the kids and families, the four DreamWorks Performances featured on the Quantum of the Seas.

 

Full playlist:

 

Kung Fu Panda

[YOUTUBE]02ZhCF_VLww[/YOUTUBE]

 

Madagascar

[YOUTUBE]gRdPMEyitSE[/YOUTUBE]

 

How to Train Your Dragon

[YOUTUBE]-rbLN8BsCMM[/YOUTUBE]

 

Shrek

[YOUTUBE]6jUfK_clLSk[/YOUTUBE]

 

They take place in the Esplanade on sea days, one per day with each being performed at both 12:30 and 1:30. About 30-60 minutes before the first performance they setup a stage in the middle of the Esplanade as well as some decorations. During the performance the main area of the Esplanade has to be cleared so that everyone on deck 4 is behind the vertical beams to allow room for the performers. Each performance features a different Dreamworks franchise as well as performers from the Royal Theater and Two70º casts and is hosted by one of the main actors/actresses from Mamma Mia!. With a 2.5 hour play to put on I expected the leads to not have many other duties so I was surprised to see them so prominent in Sonic Odyssey and really surprised to see them also doing these skits. The performances each last about 10-15 minutes and are certainly geared towards the kids but should be enjoyable for anyone that likes the characters. These four events are also the only time that they fully utilize the capabilities of the Esplanade with the sound, lighting, and aerial rigs being used.

[DEIx15x8]

Day 8a: November 29, 2014

Day 8 photos: https://picasaweb.google.com/115365916503583655211/QuantumOfTheSeasNovember302014DayAtSea

 

This was the last day of the 8 night Inaugural and it was a fairly standard day. It was starting to get cold but we had blue skies and fairly smooth seas.

 

They scheduled the premiere of the new Penguins of Madagascar movie for that evening late at night due to the Royal Theater still being off limits, but in the morning announced that it would be moved up to mid day.

It was a good movie and the venue is great for watching them, but scheduling it for this day meant that the Earth Harp strings put lines through the movie.

 

I didn't stick around until the end of the movie unfortunately because it conflicted with the 1pm start for the Captain's Corner. Hopefully you've already watched the video I posted earlier.

If not here it is again:

[YOUTUBE]bHgWGSMdmB8[/YOUTUBE]

As I said before it was a rather poor showing for Royal Caribbean that really emphasized the lack of concern for the guests attitude they had shown leading up to the cruise, and have continued to show ever since. It's the only captain's corner that I've left rather angry and offended by the comments made. They may not come across as being so bad to those not onboard, but having been on the ship and personally heard people's expectations and annoyances with what was delivered. They felt very patronizing and insulting to me.

Edited January 3, 2015 by DEIx15x8

[DEIx15x8]

That night with the just slightly rough seas and the clear skies we got a beautiful orange sunset.

 

Now that their was finally an attempt at offering a cruise they once again had an evening game. This time the Battle of the Sexes held in Music Hall. It was still at a poor time though in the middle of shows and dinner so it was unfortunately poorly attended, but it was still what you would expect from that event.

[DEIx15x8]

Since it was the last night the ship was extremely quiet after the nights shows. Everyone had to put their luggage out and most turned in for the night.

It was a great opportunity to enjoy the ship without all the crowds and of course watch for the lights to show up on the horizon. We also met the Norwegian Gem to head on our way in.

 

If you stay up late enough though you'll get to see them start preparing for the debarkation process on deck 5 of the Esplanade between Wonderland and the Next Cruise desk. It basically consists of them hooking up two of the new SeaPass podiums, but it takes a surprisingly long time, several hours to get done.

BTW, if your wondering they are run by a Mac Mini that I believe is located in that locked box in the base. That is why they have an Apple Keyboard and mouse, but the software they use requires them to actually be running Windows on them instead of OS X.

[karen1821]

Thanks so much for posting your videos. I am going on Quantum in March. Now I can figure out what I want to see and not to see as far as entertainment.

I have been on the Grandeur and Enchantment many times, and IMO the 70's disco night is far better on them. I can't believe they did not have The Village People on the Quantum Groovy night. WOW! I think they make up the whole show. What a disappointment. I won't be going to that. Thanks again

[DEIx15x8]

Thanks so much for posting your videos. I am going on Quantum in March. Now I can figure out what I want to see and not to see as far as entertainment.

I have been on the Grandeur and Enchantment many times, and IMO the 70's disco night is far better on them. I can't believe they did not have The Village People on the Quantum Groovy night. WOW! I think they make up the whole show. What a disappointment. I won't be going to that. Thanks again

 

They did it once on the Inaugural and twice on the 11 night Southern Caribbean sailing. I went to the entire first one but stopped into the other two, they were all identical except for Sophie's improvised comments while walking around the dance floor.

 

They claim that they intentionally removed the Village People because it had become such an iconic thing and they wanted this to be distinctly new and different from the old show. Like you, I personally preferred the old show since I go to watch and not participate.

[DEIx15x8]

I have 6 North Star videos to share today! The first two are from the Inaugural sailing. North Star was broken nearly the entire sailing so getting on twice was rather lucky and took way too much work IMO, but I did enjoy both rides.

 

Playlist:

 

11/23/14 in Bayonne, NJ

[YOUTUBE]ehFePhR_05g[/YOUTUBE]

This one is a complete unedited ride from our embarkation day for the Inaugural offering views of NYC, the Verrazano Narrows Bridge, and of course the new Cape Liberty Cruise Port.

 

11/27/14 in Nassau at night (broken all day)

[YOUTUBE]jhttQW06_4Y[/YOUTUBE]

This was a fun ride. You don't realize how big Nassau actually is until your high above it looking out at lights that seem to just keep going. It too an insane amount of time to get on it though because North Star was broken all day and they wouldn't inform any of the guests as I mentioned in my Nassau post earlier.

 

I'll be back in a few hours when the 4 videos from the 11 night Southern Caribbean are ready and give my North Star review.

[karen1821]

They did it once on the Inaugural and twice on the 11 night Southern Caribbean sailing. I went to the entire first one but stopped into the other two, they were all identical except for Sophie's improvised comments while walking around the dance floor.

 

They claim that they intentionally removed the Village People because it had become such an iconic thing and they wanted this to be distinctly new and different from the old show. Like you, I personally preferred the old show since I go to watch and not participate.

 

I see we are tentatively on the Jewel in September. To go on the Quantum in March, is it worth seeing compared to the west coast? I could go on the Jewel another time I guess.

[DEIx15x8]

I see we are tentatively on the Jewel in September. To go on the Quantum in March, is it worth seeing compared to the west coast? I could go on the Jewel another time I guess.

 

I have never been west of Pittsburgh so I'm looking forward to it. I've also never seen a Radiance class ship so that's another big motivator for me. There is one mixed point in it though, it will be 6 months before she's Oasisized. In one way I'm disappointed I won't get to see another Centrum Wow (loved it on Grandeur), but at the same time I'll get a chance to see the last Seaview Cafe before it's removed. The Quantum's main highlight for me was the entertainment. Anthem will be coming to Bayonne next year with all the same features but the shows will be different. If you do not sail Quantum now you will likely never get to see her shows as they will be tweaked for the Chinese audience and never be the same. I think between the two choices it's a decision of a Pacific Coastal cruise or Quantum's Entertainment lineup. All the other details can be done in other ways.

[DEIx15x8]

Here is the North Star for the second sailing.

 

12/5/14 in St. Maarten

[YOUTUBE]_5IwngKwm9k[/YOUTUBE]

This was an incredible one for me. I was really disappointed on the inaugural that the North Star was broken the entire time we were in port with the Norwegian Breakaway and Carnival Magic. This didn't make up for it, but came close as we were in port with the Celebrity Constellation, P&O Azura, and Adventure of the Seas.

 

12/6/14 in Barbados

[YOUTUBE]7luNOHgqgXw[/YOUTUBE]

This one I hadn't planned on, just happened to be walking by when they opened and no one was in line. They didn't even wait to fill the ride. That's the benefit of a late excursion, everyone else rushes off the ship leaving North Star empty.

 

12/9/14 at Sea and a Time-lapse

[YOUTUBE]KFsUK9SCAQ4[/YOUTUBE]

It took 17 days but I finally managed to get a reservation for the North Star while at sea. My previous ones were each canceled because it was broken or bad weather. It took over an hour in line just to get but it's a unique experience to see the side of your own ship sailing through the ocean. Since we were at sea and my GoPro wasn't tied up for the port arrival/departure I set that up for this video as well.

 

12/11/14 at Sea in high winds

[YOUTUBE]PxOxajmANj0[/YOUTUBE]

This was my final and absolute favorite ride on the North Star. It was in the afternoon on the last sea day while off the Chesapeake Bay. I happened to walk outside to get a view. It was cold and extremely windy so it was empty. I noticed 2 people in the North Star so I walked over and asked if it was running. Never expected them to say yes under these conditions but they did and said I could go right up. It was the first ride of the afternoon, and possibly even the day. We only had I believe 6 people willing to give it a try but it was worth it. When they locked everything up and went to start though, nothing would happen. It took a good 10 or more minutes of back and forth before we got going. The system was detecting high winds and automatically forcing a lock on the arm for safety reasons. They had to do a manual override of the safety system to get the arm released and run. The previous week it was broken nearly every day all day, now they were intentionally pushing it beyond the conditions deemed safe for it to operate. As soon as the arm released us the whole gondola started shaking. If you watch the video I placed the camera on the gondola railing a few times to show the shaking. You can also see throughout that the video seems smooth and the arm is smooth but the glass is moving, thats the gondola shaking in the wind. I think they may have only done one more ride before shutting down for the day.

 

So what do I think of the North Star? It is not a gimmick. I enjoyed every one of my rides, but it is a one time thing for at sea. It's a cool experience to see off the side of your ship, but how many times can you do that and still enjoy it. Their is also such a hassle involved in getting a time slot and hoping it doesn't break along with so many other people wanting a ride that unless you see it sitting empty and can walk up you really shouldn't even try for a second ride.

 

When in port on the other hand it's a new experience every time. It may not go over the side but depending on what's around it's often even more exciting. While in port since everyone rushes to land when we dock and that's usually when it opens, you can typically just walk right on. It is much easier to experience on port morning and a better ride, but not something you can't do on land.

 

So if you go on Quantum I think North Star at sea is something everyone must do once. Go as many times as you can on land, but once at sea if not just to say you've done it. I don't think we'll ever see this level of demand go away. The repeat cruisers won't go on again, but their are so many people and such little time at sea that its tough to get everyone on. When in port it's wide open but the experience is so unique to each port that those who stay back will want to go every port. So with the exception of poor days when nobody knows it's operating, I think for the life of the Quantum the North Star will remain a very popular experience, and not a short term gimmick.

[karen1821]

Thanks for your input. It's going to be a tough decision. I was on Radiance last May to Alaska. Loved that class ship. Village people included. The reason I might change, a friend of mine has a daughter and her family in England and are sailing on the Quantum the end of March. He very rarely gets to see her and this way he could spend a week with her. He is getting up in years, maybe his last chance to see her. He asked me to go along that way he doesn't have to pay double.

For me being that I am traveling solo on the Jewel, it's expensive for me because of double occupancy and airfare, but I have an aft balcony, which I also had in Alaska. They say once you go aft you never want anything else. Well it was great and so true.

A couple of years ago the person who asked me to go with in March, helped me out by sailing with me so I wouldn't have to pay double since my significant other passed four years ago. In all fairness I should probably go with him. I can always scope out another cruise on the Jewel.

Thanks so much for your great review. You never know, maybe we will be on the same cruise another time. After all Kutztown isn't that far from York. I sail on the Grandeur more than any other.

[sparkx]

 

 

This was my final and absolute favorite ride on the North Star. It was in the afternoon on the last sea day while off the Chesapeake Bay. I happened to walk outside to get a view. It was cold and extremely windy so it was empty. I noticed 2 people in the North Star so I walked over and asked if it was running. Never expected them to say yes under these conditions but they did and said I could go right up. It was the first ride of the afternoon, and possibly even the day. We only had I believe 6 people willing to give it a try but it was worth it. When they locked everything up and went to start though, nothing would happen. It took a good 10 or more minutes of back and forth before we got going. The system was detecting high winds and automatically forcing a lock on the arm for safety reasons. They had to do a manual override of the safety system to get the arm released and run. The previous week it was broken nearly every day all day, now they were intentionally pushing it beyond the conditions deemed safe for it to operate. As soon as the arm released us the whole gondola started shaking. If you watch the video I placed the camera on the gondola railing a few times to show the shaking. You can also see throughout that the video seems smooth and the arm is smooth but the glass is moving, thats the gondola shaking in the wind. I think they may have only done one more ride before shutting down for the day.

 

 

 

So what do I think of the North Star? It is not a gimmick. I enjoyed every one of my rides, but it is a one time thing for at sea. It's a cool experience to see off the side of your ship, but how many times can you do that and still enjoy it. Their is also such a hassle involved in getting a time slot and hoping it doesn't break along with so many other people wanting a ride that unless you see it sitting empty and can walk up you really shouldn't even try for a second ride.

 

I loved North Star the two times I was on during the 12/1/14 sailing - it's certainly not a gimmick and very enjoyable. I agree, they need to work out the queueing system when it's busy. And to ensure there is more shelter given the climates the class may encounter.

 

And that was me in the couple on North Star on the last day! I was very fortunate to be allowed to propose to my partner on NS, the first proposal on it since the ship launched :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[DEIx15x8]

Finished exporting the last of the videos overnight, there still in a very slow upload though. The Complete Ship Tour will be available tomorrow morning though! I'll post it here as well as its own dedicated thread on the main page.

 

The port arrivals and departure videos should be available throughout the rest of the week. They are each 30-60 minutes long with the exception of St. Maarten. That one is 90 minutes. I tried to cut it down but their wasn't much to cut. It was lengthy arrival and two other ships departing along with three horn battles. I considered making it two videos but I think a lot of people skip through these so I left it as one. It hasn't been uploaded yet so if you think otherwise let me know and I'll consider making it two videos.

 

I also have a bonus video of the funnel retracting. Not sure why, but they lower it in every port. It's incredibly loud and slow. Took me a few days to realize that when I heard the noise the funnel was moving. That'll be the last I upload.

 

I'll be starting theCruiseView now. I'm still working through my review so stay tuned!

[MJonTravel]

We were on the 12/1 sailing with you. Thank you for putting together such a comprehensive review. While not glitch free, I rather enjoyed the cruise and the ship. Heck, I even liked Dynamic Dining.

[Shocked91]

I have loved your reviews and videos.Thank very much for taking the time to upload all your videos.I'm booked on Anthem this June and seeing your videos I can't wait to go on the ship.How many people does the North Star hold?I'm going with 4 people and would like to go in it with just the family on my birthday.

Edited January 4, 2015 by Shocked91

[Hoopster95]

Hey DEIx15x8, superb videos. Thank you!!! I quoted your Capt Corner video in my review, hope you don't mind. I think the videos are super awesome. I hope you didn't think I was ignoring your review as I've been following but I've been so very busy trying to finish up my review through the busy holidays (as you likely know!).

 

Thanks again :D

[Dave85]

Derek, out of curiosity, how was the climate control (assuming there was any) on the North Star? Your windy video was giving me chills -- are they able to effectively cool / heat the pod?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Cruise Critic Forums mobile app

[DEIx15x8]

We were on the 12/1 sailing with you. Thank you for putting together such a comprehensive review. While not glitch free, I rather enjoyed the cruise and the ship. Heck, I even liked Dynamic Dining.

I thought that was a great cruise as well. The 11/23 was a mess but 12/1 was like a completely different ship. I also enjoyed Dynamic Dining, my main issue has been with the lack of menus rather than the actual concept.

 

I have loved your reviews and videos.Thank very much for taking the time to upload all your videos.I'm booked on Anthem this June and seeing your videos I can't wait to go on the ship.How many people does the North Star hold?I'm going with 4 people and would like to go in it with just the family on my birthday.

The North Star has a max capacity of 14 passengers (usually 13 guests and a crew member). At this point they are struggling to keep up with demand so they aren't doing any private for fee rides yet and the way things are going I'm doubtful they will anytime soon. On port days it is rather empty. If your birthday falls on a port day you may be able to ask them and get a more private ride. I was able to go with as few as 6 people on port days and that was just who showed up to ride.

 

Hey DEIx15x8, superb videos. Thank you!!! I quoted your Capt Corner video in my review, hope you don't mind. I think the videos are super awesome. I hope you didn't think I was ignoring your review as I've been following but I've been so very busy trying to finish up my review through the busy holidays (as you likely know!).

 

Thanks again :D

Thanks, glad you like them. I know it's been tough getting through this with the holidays so close to this trip. Please share the videos as much as you want. I post them so that others on the sailing can relive the memories and those planning or booked for the future can get an idea of what it's like.

 

Derek, out of curiosity, how was the climate control (assuming there was any) on the North Star? Your windy video was giving me chills -- are they able to effectively cool / heat the pod?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Cruise Critic Forums mobile app

The North Star does have full air conditioning and heating. It's a small space so it is easily controlled and adjusts in a few seconds. The doors do take up 1/8 of the wall though so every time they open between rides it immediately changes to the outside temperature and remains that way until they close the door. It then changes in about 30 seconds. That ride while windy was very comfortable once they got going. I only had one very hot ride in Barbados and they turned the air conditioner up half way through and it was better.

[DEIx15x8]

Here it finally is, it took a lot of battling to get it available but it's finally ready. It's split in two parts, the lower decks and the upper decks, so that it's easier to watch rather than a single video. It is a lengthy one, but the Quantum is a huge ship. Hope everyone enjoys it. I'll be posting a dedicated thread for it on the main Royal Caribbean site, but I think it's relevant to this thread too.

 

Complete Ship Tour Playlist:

 

If you don't want to use the playlist here are the individual parts.

Part 1: Lower Decks and Life Boat Deck

6kAqPXWin7U

 

Part 2: Upper Decks, Outside, and Main Elevators

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[DEIx15x8]

Day 1b: December 1, 2014

Day 9 photos: https://picasaweb.google.com/115365916503583655211/QuantumOfTheSeasDecember12014TurnaroundDay

 

This was the turnaround day, the first I’ve ever experienced having never done a back to back before. I had some discussions with the loyalty manager on the Grandeur about it in January as well as on the phone during my prep call before leaving so I felt fairly comfortable with the process. The day before we received a letter in our cabin in the afternoon informing us of an important meeting to attend for information that morning. So we obviously couldn’t attend that which added a little bit of stress to the process, but in the end it went very smoothly and was nothing to think about. Certainly not as involved as I was expecting. I’ll get back to that when I reach mid day though.

 

So my day started extra early. Normally we have to get ready to leave the ship so I never get to enjoy the arrival to our home port. In all my cruises I have never missed an arrival or departure from a port of call, but have also never seen an arrival back home. So this time I made sure I saw it. I set my alarm for 5:30AM, woke up went on the balcony and the Verrazano was right there. So I quickly turned set my GoPro up on the balcony for the time-lapse video and in my pajama pants and a t-shirt ran up to deck 15 and across the pool deck to the SeaPlex to get to deck 16. The place was empty and it was freezing, certainly wasn’t dressed for it by any means, but I got to watch our arrival!

[DEIx15x8]

Once we were back at the pier I headed back to our room and watched the sunrise from the balcony. It was a beautiful sunrise, one of the few I saw since I normally stayed out ill 4am and would get up with the sun except for port arrivals.

 

I then took a short nap and got ready for the day. My absolute least favorite time of a cruise is the breakfast on the last day. I’ve done tried the MDR, but it’s never felt any better than the Windjammer. It always has a feeling of chaos and depression. No matter how good or bad a cruise is everyone is sad on the last morning and with all the luggage people have to drag around it’s always packed. So I took advantage of the lunch I knew would be coming and stayed in our cabin until almost 9:30 when almost everyone else should be off the ship. I then enjoyed the empty ship and checked into our location in Boleros to get my new key and wow band.

[DEIx15x8]

Our Wow Bands were different this time. The first one had our muster station listed and used a metal buckle. The new one had less written on it, was more of a stretchy rubber, and had nobs that snapped into the wholes in order to secure it. It was incredibly difficult to get on for the first few days until it got worn in, but it fit much more securely than the other. I never felt like it was going to fall off and never had the annoying excess strap come out of the clip since it was all snapped together. I hated it at first but after few days definitely preferred it over the first.

Inaugural Band:

11 Night Southern Band:

 

The only reason I could think of is that the first band has the muster station and may have been registered and organized within each area since they had to be a certain print of them. All of the B2B people had the new bands and none of the new guests did. The B2B bands were all together and would have needed band preprinted with all different muster stations so it may have just been simpler to use these blank ones. No idea which design is the new one and which is the old.

 

When we finally got off the ship it was a rather smooth process. Things seemed to move along quickly and without issue but it was a long walk between each step of the process. Traveling with someone that has mobility issues this is something that we’re going to have to be more aware of next time because it was an issue. When we got to the station to scan our new seepass card to get on the ship they had to take pictures for both of my parents but not me. Prior to boarding when doing the online checkin the second sailing was not working. Attempting to save was causing all sorts of data corruption and overwriting. A result of that reservation being corrupt but them not being able to fix it without charging $2,000+ dollars to do so. I was assured though that it would not matter because everything from the first sailing including the photos would transfer. That was obviously not true since my photo was the only one I could get submitted for the second sailing. It also seemed like nearly everyone else needed a photo as well, all of whom were on the previous sailing and had to have a photo. It was only about 10 seconds per person, but it was more just annoying that it was another thing they were wrong about.

 

When we got back onboard the ship they were already allowing new guests onboard and we were mixed in with the crowd. Boarding for the inaugural we simply walked on the ship and that was it. This time like every other cruise I’ve been on they had cruise director’s staff standing their welcoming everyone onboard, and in a moment that really kind of set the mood for the new sailing they were continuously switching that wording so that when they greeted us they welcomed us back. It’s not a major thing, but the fact that they recognized us from as being among the 3,500 guests that were on the previous sailing has some value. This was the start of a very different sailing.

 

We then had a short amount of time before our B2B luncheon at American Icon Grill. So we all pulled out our phones and disconnected our previous sailing and added our new one. The previous week it didn’t work until day 2 and we couldn’t use any of the Royal iQ stations for the same reasons. This time it worked immediately. Everything seemed to be linked and working properly onboard. It seemed obvious at this point that the inaugural had a major failure on day 1 that resulted in our accounts not properly coming over to the ship and their systems simply could never recover from it.

 

We then headed to the luncheon. I have heard a lot about these on other ships featuring special menus and wine or champagne. This was my first one so I was excited to go. Unfortunately it didn’t live up to the expectations, and I actually wish I had not gone and would recommend anyone else doing a B2B to not go either. There was no wine or champagne, really nothing special at all. The main reason to avoid it though, the menu wasn’t even special, it was simply a limit selection of items from the normal American Icon Grill. I really cannot understand how anyone in Royal Caribbean thought this made sense. These are the people who have more nights onboard than anyone else and are going to be more tired of these menus than anyone else and they made us eat from it again. We had 6 nights at American Icon Grill so a seventh certainly wasn’t what I had wanted. I was really hoping for something new and different to eat after so many nights with the same 4 menus. On the Independence of the Seas they did a C&A luncheon on a sea day and had a special menu made entirely of items that later found their was on the new menus but none of which were offered any other time or location on the sailing. Something similar would have been much appreciated here.

 

Afterwards we went to the sports desk to take care of our RipCord reservation. It was much emptier this time around and much smoother. Not sure if it was the timing, but I’m pretty sure it was simply the lack of kids onboard. We also got on the bumper cars which were empty.

 

The muster drill was about as typical as they come, nothing really special to mention. Afterwards I started my GoPro and headed to the bridge wing to watch the departure. Unfortunately or fortunately depending on how you look at it we were late to leave. At 4pm the pier was still filled with crates needing to be loaded on the ship. We didn’t leave until 5pm and had a nice night time departure. Of course right when we were about to leave it started to rain, but it held off just enough to stay out all the way to the Verrazano.