Just set sail from NJ and......

[ReneFlores]

Nonsense

 

We walked up to Silk to give it another go at 7:45 tonight, straight in and out by 8:30

 

American Icon, no line

 

Chic, no line

 

Grande, no line

 

Jamie's, no line

 

No lines ANYWHERE tonight between 7:30 and 8:30 that we saw and apart from first two nights that is the way it has been all cruise.

 

What people have been guessing is that Quantum currently doesnt have enough restaurant complementary seats when it's at near full capacity (4800+ passangers).

 

We are wondering if they already made the change because Cruise Mates interviewed the "Food & Beverage Manager for Quantum, Director of Dynamic Dining" and he mentioned making Devinly Decadence complementary.

 

Because the Quantum uses Dynamic Dinning, it’s possible (though highly unlikely), that there would be more desirable hours in which people might want to dine, and that this would create lines and people waiting because of not enough seating (at that timeslot).

 

In traditional dinning they already have set hours in which people can go and dine, so people never go at the same time, as they’re already schedule. With no schedule, and people going in restaurants without changing or canceling their reservations, I could see how this could create a difficult experience if quantum was near capacity, as the complementary restaurants can only hold about 1948 passengers, and you have to take in consideration the way reservations work in which they might lock a longer time-span before and after.

 

For example, if my table was reserved at 7:30, and you tried to dine there at 6:30, and the only table available is mine, then there is a high chance that my table will remain empty untill i get there. People would get mad and say "Why arent you seating me if there are empty tables?", well it's because if you were to be seated in my table, then by the time i got to the restaurant you would still be eating, and i would have to wait, literally breaking the reservation system.

 

And that is only accounting for one table, imagine if it was 8-10 tables per timeslot, per restaurant, waiting for the reservation, then that limits how many people can dine at the same time and i bet the real number is probably arround 1500 people at the complementary restaurants at any given time.

[wesp]

Regarding menus for Dynamic Dining most of what is shown on the website is different from what is in the menu on board. We had booked Silk twice based on the online menu and canceled the second reservation after seeing the onboard menu.

 

Devinly Decadence offers a complimentary breakfast buffet and a complimentary a la carte lunch. Dinner requires a reservation for a fee.

 

We have seen Starwater twice. I am glad we did since there is a lot going on during the show. Do not try to figure out a plot or story line. Just enjoy it for what it is, a showcase for 270 and a very talented ensemble of singers and dancers. Definitely WOW.

 

Sonic Odyssey is also WOW and another showcase type production. The drum wall is incredible.

 

Our last dinner is a return to the Grande. It was easy to change reservations and we asked for the same waiter.

 

There is no "farewell" show tonight and no Qwest. With both 270 and the theatre booked for Starwater and Odyssey there is no place to host anything else big.

 

Did anyone on board go to Groovy Town in the music hall? This is the updated version of the Village People show from other ships.

 

 

 

 

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[Hoopster95]

Thank you for the live reporting. There's another live thread ongoing mentioning that there is a line for Northstar. Supposedly there's a sign that says "from here it's 90 minutes". Can you confirm? This doesn't make sense to me.

 

If so that's a departure from the system they used on my sailing where by you go up to the staff member, they write your name and cabin number into a time slot later which is free, and then you come back within 10min of your time... no lines, super easy.

[mw_1970]

Thank you for the live reporting. There's another live thread ongoing mentioning that there is a line for Northstar. Supposedly there's a sign that says "from here it's 90 minutes". Can you confirm? This doesn't make sense to me.

 

If so that's a departure from the system they used on my sailing where by you go up to the staff member, they write your name and cabin number into a time slot later which is free, and then you come back within 10min of your time... no lines, super easy.

 

 

Yes there are signs that say "30/60/90 minutes wait from here" people were queueing well beyond the 90 minute sign some days I have met not one person that said it was worth queueing up for. We'll certainly not for more than 10 minutes. No tickets or booking system in place, just get in line and wait.

[floridaglen]

My cruise planner doesn't even show Devinly Decadence!

[Life is Good Cruising]

My cruise planner doesn't even show Devinly Decadence!

 

Check under Solarium Bistro, it is the same venue as Devinly Decadence.

[floridaglen]

So it is, thanks for that :)

[Thetrail]

I am on the 2/2 sailing and yesterday I saw that they had removed the cover charge for Divinely Decadence, went to the planner and made a reservation and there was no charge.

 

The tag on the icon does say "Starting at $0.00". It is possible they will be charging ala carte. The current menu does not show any charges, but the way things are going we will have to wait and see.

 

The way it was explained in the post I saw was that because there appeared to be more people who wanted to eat (complimentary) at the peak times than they had seats, they added Izumi and DD to the complimentary list.

 

Sounds good to me. We'll have to see how this plays out.

 

It is a move I would expect a quality organization to make given the current situation. So I take this as a very positive sign that the problem solvers are engaged and working to help us out.

 

There has been enough talk, we need solutions.

Good luck with that fantasy.....:eek:

[wesp]

Someone asked about room service. I will try to give a summary.

 

There is free room service using the breakfast door tag. Selections are limited to cold breakfast items (cereals and rolls) plus bread and coffee.

 

There is a limited room service menu available on the interactive TV system.

 

There is a charge of $4.95 for a burger, salmon, wings and pork sliders.

 

Free items include caesar salad, chicken soup, corn chowder and wraps. There is also a free children's menu and a limited selection of free desserts. Milk, tea and coffee are also free. No pizza on the menu anywhere.

 

Wesley

[mw_1970]

It is ice cold out there today as we head back towards NJ

 

Passengers on top decks in indoor pool and solarium being wowed by the spectacular sea smoke forming over the ocean. Lower decks are packed with people milling about.

 

Had lunch at American Icon. Not bad, the Buffalo Mac and Cheese was nice as was the Philly Steak and Cheese Sandwich.

 

Need to pack later. Have managed to get labels for a 10 am disembarkation as we don't need to be anywhere early as we are staying in Manhattan until late Monday night before flying home.

 

Has been a great cruise, lovely ship, lots of beautiful features, in my opinion not the best food we have eaten on a cruise in fact could be the most average (not worst), I believe that right now NCL food and specialities are superior but maybe if RC stick at Freestyle they may get it right eventually.

 

This ship has many similarities to NCL Epic and therefore Breakaway and Getaway. We have had a great fun time but I believe Epic/Breakaway ships do this style of cruising a lot, lot better.

 

Music Hall has been getting busier and busier late at night as the cruise went on and is a good fun place to end the evening. Other than that in the evening we only found Boleros to be the place for us to hang out and to be honest this is the worst designed Boleros of the three RC ships we have sailed. It's a large rectangular bar whereas on other ships (we have been on) it's usually more compact with a central circular bar where people hang and get to know each other. The schooner bar was like an over 70s club morning until night. Two 70 is good by day but at night we didn't enjoy so much. Other than that, he pub never tickled our fancy, no live music like there usually is in the pub (guitar player etc). In fact on this ship very little live music compared to NCL for example.

 

I would recommend this to anyone that likes both NCL and RC. If you strongly dislike NCL I would say this ship may not be for you. I believe the Anthem will work really well for the UK cruisers, particularly those new to cruising and there are more and more UK travellers trying out cruising year on year.

[mw_1970]

By the way, the bionic bar is clearly a complete waste of space. Quite clever and quirky I suppose but I haven't seen any more than 2 or 3 people there at any time over the last 4 or 5 days. That's an observation and not a moan. I just can't see it catching on. Was very busy on embarkation day but since then numbers have dramatically reduced to the point where no one seems to blink an eye at it now.

[Dave85]

I would recommend this to anyone that likes both NCL and RC. If you strongly dislike NCL I would say this ship may not be for you. I believe the Anthem will work really well for the UK cruisers, particularly those new to cruising and there are more and more UK travellers trying out cruising year on year.

 

 

Sounds like a promising concept for us then. Looking forward to trying Anthem!

 

Sent from my iPhone using Cruise Critic Forums mobile app

Edited January 10, 2015 by Dave85

[Meggsieboo]

Where is the other live thread you mentioned?

[karmacats]

Northstar was indeed a "get in line and wait " affair this week. No reservations taken. We waited 20 min for a sunset ride last night and thought it was worth it, but it certainly didnt make or break our trip, and i wouldn't wait hours for it. Met some lovely people inside the capsule. There are no seats, so everyone was just wandering from window to window taking pix.

 

Fwiw, i really disliked my previous ncl cruise, but love quantum. I even didnt mind dynamic dining, even though i hated ncl freestyle. Go figure.

 

There are definitely still some issues to work out, but overall, ive been very pleased. Heard lots of criticism from others onboard though, so clearly not everyone feels the same. Fwiw, 4 of my party of 6 have declared this their favorite cruise and ship (the other 2 have only been on one other ship so dont have much to compare to ).

[Jimmers]

By the way, the bionic bar is clearly a complete waste of space. Quite clever and quirky I suppose but I haven't seen any more than 2 or 3 people there at any time over the last 4 or 5 days. That's an observation and not a moan. I just can't see it catching on. Was very busy on embarkation day but since then numbers have dramatically reduced to the point where no one seems to blink an eye at it now.

 

I agree, probably won't last long. Might not even make it to China.:)

When we were on board we were told that the Music Hall and some other areas of the ship were going to be gutted and turned into casino areas for the Chinese.

[megr1125]

Hey all..the app for Android is now available!! Just DLed it!

 

Sent from my Galaxy S5

[mw_1970]

Waiting to Disembark. Have been waiting for a while now. Seems to be (yet agin at this port) a NJ Customs issue.

[karmacats]

Waiting to Disembark. Have been waiting for a while now. Seems to be (yet agin at this port) a NJ Customs issue.

 

Sorry. :( we had the easiest disembarkation ever. Off the ship and thru security/customs in about 10 min. It was not without its issues - no porters to help with luggage, one bag ended up in lost luggage bc the tag came off - but overall was very quick. Probably helped that we went early - we got off the ship before 8 am.

 

Hope your line starts moving quicker ! We always get stuck forever when we leave from florida, so i feel,your pain.

[mw_1970]

Wasn't too bad. Off by 10:30 and back in Manhattan by 11:30. Long line for taxis so chances a ride in an unlicensed cab. Stupid I suppose but we were freezing stood there waiting.

[Dave85]

Thanks for the great review! Just watched Quantum head back out to sea from my roof :D

 

[PortStarSmile]

Just disembarked today as well and had a similar experience to the OP.

 

It was mostly smooth sailing, but there were a couple hiccups. Overall, a delightful trip, my first on RC. But I think I prefer NCL. Will elaborate on that.

 

Visited the Bionic Bar during night 1. Ordered 1 drink and got an error message. Asked the attending waitress if we would be charged, she said no. Ordered another and it was made just fine. Ordered another and also got an error message. Frustrated, we left and went back to the room to find we'd been charged 3x and received 1 drink. Took two phone calls to guest services to have the drinks refunded. Day 3 - two more mysterious Bionic Bar charges show up. We actually thought maybe one of us had lost our sea pass or sea band, but we hadn't. Another call to guest services. Was that enough to ruin a vacation? Absolutely not.

 

I later heard during the Captain's Q&A that both robot arms broke when they both reached for ice at the same time. The Bionic Bar was down for the most of the cruise. The good news, I didn't have any more mystery charges.

 

Another frustration was on a partial port/sea day (all aboard for departure from San Juan was 1:30), only one lunch venue was open - the WJ - and it was overflowing with people - no seats to be found. So we left and went to 270. Problem solved.

 

As others have noted, the ship runs out of things. Never got to try the buttered popcorn cocktail in American Icon. Couldn't find pineapple in the WJ after day 2. Ordered a Greyhound cocktail at the Solarium on Day 2 and went back for another on Day 4, but they had run out of grapefruit juice and bartender didn't realize they were out until after he'd started making it, so asked what I'd like to replace it. I just sat there, baffled, as I'm not a bartender. Luckily the other guy who'd made my drink a couple days before offered up a solution and made a "faux grapefruit" juice using fresh orange, tonic, and a splash of grenadine.

 

The MC of karaoke announced the drink of the day was the Mamma Mia. I ordered it and after the bartender made it, he informed me it was NOT the drink of the day and then charged the full amount.

 

And, as always, the poor behavior of fellow cruisers is inevitable and there's nothing the cruise line can do to prevent it. There were plenty of people coughing without covering their mouths. Families not queuing up or waiting for their turn to board the private island shuttle. Deck chair hogs (though I did observe crew removing towels AND personal items from chairs that sat unoccupied for too long!). Poor elevator etiquette. Unattended children.

 

But here are some positives:

 

Dinners were often about 75 minutes - and that included all 3 courses. The only meal that took too long was a 2-hour lunch at Devinly and the waiter was profusely apologetic about it.

 

We mostly stuck to our dining reservations, but sometimes arrived as early as 45-60 minutes earlier than our res time, but were always seated. Very minimal waiting times. Can't speak to how it is to show up without a reservation. My advice is to just make them as best you can, and then show up in person to see about changing the times. For example, on Day 1, I wanted to change my Day 2 res for American Icon from 8:45 (too late!) to 7:30. She said there were no more reservations available for 7:30, but that she'd make a note that we would arrive early. We were seated right away at our desired time.

 

Wonderland is NOT TO BE MISSED for the adventurous diner. It's a very fun experience. Waiter generously offered to give us a "best of" menu, selecting the most popular and favorite menu items for us since we were a bit overwhelmed by the choices. We each ordered one dessert and he brought a surprise 3rd dessert because he said it was one of his favorites.

 

Jamie's Italians is another one that is well worth the cover charge. They use their own exclusive, fresh ingredients and you can taste the difference. As a NY'er with access to the best Italian restaurants on land, I would not normally dine Italian outside of the tri-state are or Italy. I'm glad I made an exception this one time.

 

Breakfasts and lunches in American Icon were very nice. We didn't do it every day, but it provided a nice peaceful haven away from the chaos of the WJ. By Day 8 I was dying for a pancake that didn't taste like a hockey puck and found it at American Icon. In addition to the breakfast menu, they offer a small buffet of bacon, eggs, hash browns, cereal, pastries and fruit.

 

Entertainment is top notch! Mamma Mia was exactly as I'd seen it on Broadway. The only difference I noted was a slightly different set. That was it. Otherwise, same costumes, songs, scenes, etc. I thought the entertainment was very modern. It's nice to say diversity in the entertainers as well. It's nice to see more than just young women in cheap costumes dancing on a stage.

 

I blew the fuse using my fancy blow dryer 2x in one night before I realized the room was not equipped to handle it. Maintenance arrived promptly both times.

 

I asked our room steward if there were bathrobes available. She explained they were reserved for Diamond guests, but she would see what she could do. I said it was no problem, just figured I'd asked. That night, two robes were delivered to the room. I was so pleased, I left a tip, and she left some extra shampoo and conditioner in the room. Very happy with that. And I'm stickler for cleanliness in hotel rooms. The room was very clean.

 

During the overnight in Puerto Rico, Rondell Sheridan performed 2 stand up shows. Now, if you don't know who he is, you'd probably recognize his face. The show was hilarious. It was worth staying on board to see, but I figured with him being a noted comedian, he'd have more shows during the trip. But he didn't! I was shocked they'd have this great comedian only perform 2 shows and while in port. Also, they misspelled his name in the Compass.

 

Did North Star during sunset in Puerto Rico. Waited 60 minutes (I timed it on my watch) and it was worth the wait. Doing NS in Port is fun since you have something to look at. Because the pod doesn't go side to side in port, they take you higher into the air than they do at sea. They put signs up that say "60 min from this point" "30 min from this point". Those signs are accurate. Bring your phone or a magazine or something if you think you'll get bored.

 

Finally, I was dying to do iFly. It was one of the main reasons I booked this ship, so you can imagine my disappointment when I was unable to pre-book a reservation and when I tried on board, they said all the "free" flights were booked. I woke up early on a rocky sea day and was able to get in no problem on standby. It was definitely a highlight of the trip. The instructor said that during the morning flights, people do tend to not show up.

 

In summary, I've been on 8 cruises. 4 have been with NCL over the past 4 years. This was my first RC experience. Considering the overall cost of the cruise fare, what's included, on board expenses, and overall experience, I prefer NCL. Having just sailed in a balcony room on the Breakaway in April of 2014 for a lot less than I paid for an inside room on QOS, I was expecting a little more for my money, but I just didn't see it. While I acknowledge RC has a bit more of an elegant vibe, NCL has more to offer. I missed the $15 wine/beer/martini tastings on sea days. QOS had a $39/pp wine tasting on Day 7 - which I found to be overpriced. There was no pier party when getting back on the ship in port. There was no late night Second City comedy, no outdoor nightclub experience. The rigidity of dining reservations caused me pre-cruise stress. NCL still allows you to show up at the complimentary restaurants when you feel like it, and if there's a wait, they hand you a pager so you can go to a bar and not wait in line. Like the OP said, NCL has "dynamic/freestyle" dining down.

 

Anyway, this is WAY longer than I intended it to be, but I hope this was helpful to future QOS cruisers.

[shaun07]

How soon after you leave port in Nj does the north star starting doing trips ?

[wesp]

We used the self checkout option to disembark. All went well until we got to the customs line where there were only three agents to process a growing line of passengers. The helpers made it more confusing by taking people from the single queue and lining us up at each agent station. Go figure. Still, we were at the car and one the road by 8:00 am.