Quantum 12 night March 1-13 Review

[FunCruiser59]

Let me start with saying this is my first ever review for CC, but I will try my best to do as well as others I have read:) also please excuse any typos etc as I am doing this on my iPad.

 

We left for our 12 night Southern Carribean journey on March 1st. It started snowing as we arrived at the terminal and it felt great to know that soon we would be leaving the cold for warmer temperatures.

 

Our departure time was booked at 11:15-11:45 and we arrived on time. RCC does stress to try and stick to your scheduled departure time to try and keep things more organized, but of course we got there and many people has much later arrival times and we're waiting to board. At first we were sat in a section where our arrival time was and people on blue vests were checking in people with their iPads. But in our section people had come in with the later assigned times which started messing a bit with the process they tried to enforce. Someone went up to one of the people at check in counters against the wall and we ended up joining them and was quickly signed in and from arrival at the terminal to setting foot on board it was 15 minutes. It would have been quite a bit longer had we remained where we were.

 

Once onboard you are instantly overcome with the beauty and majesty of this beautiful ship. The artwork, the open spacious feel to it and the excitement of starting a new journey ahead.

 

The Royal Esplanade was abuzz with people and ship vendors. The first thing we did was purchase our premium drink package as we had researched that option and found it would be a good fit for us. We wandered around for a bit, first back to 270 since we had heard all about it, and it truly did not disappoint. What a beautiful room and it's just so well decorated and I can see why so many people fall in love with this area.

At 1pm we wandered up to our room which was ready. 1 sea pass card was at the door and we entered to find our second card and WOW bands on the bed. We tried them all and they worked fine. The layout of our room was nice and as others have mentioned there was lots more space to pack clothes away in. The bathroom was great and the shower size is awesome. HUGE improvement for sure:). We had a D8 cabin, balcony on deck 11, room 11120. It was way forward with only one room more forward than ours and no rooms across from us so it was quiet. Although we did get to wave to the captain and crew a few times from our balcony which overlooks the wing that juts out from the front of the ship. LOL

We went on the upper decks and had fun watching some of the staff onboard playing in the snow. Some of them mentioned they had never seen snow before so they were having snowball fights and having fun.

Our first dinner was in the Grande and they relax the rule for formal wear on disembark day. The food was good, but the staff felt a bit rushed. We have no issues with a relaxing meal and we are on vacation so we don't mind a leisurely meal at all. We had no place to be so its all good.

We spent the night roaming the ship exploring all it's wonderful little nooks and crannies. We headed to bed early as it was a long day.

The entire cruise the seas were calm and we slept very very well.

Windjammer for breakfast in the morning and we sat outside in the very back as it was already quite a bit warmer. We liked the feature where you can wash your hands in the sinks before heading in. Food was definitely better than others we have been on, with lots of selections for every taste.

Day 2 was spent riding bumper cars, relaxing and roaming about. Dinner that night was in American Icon. It was our least favorite of all the restaurants for dinner. Food was just okay and not very warm. But we heard many say it was their favorite, so it seems it's hit or miss. We also found the service to be attentive but on the slower side only because it was SOOO busy . Never more than 1.5 hrs for dinner in any restaurants we ate at.

We enjoyed going on Northstar, what a view. Very steady and I am afraid of heights and loved it

We went to see Star Water that night. It was unique and really enjoyable.

We had all our dining and entertainment reservations done months before boarding and it all went off without a hitch. Although on our TV often times we had double or triple bookings for the same Resevation time and restaurant. So we just let them know when we arrived so to free up space should others need it. Not once did we have an issue with any of our reservations for either dinner or entertainment. We never waited more than 5 minutes to be seated. It was all very smoothly run.

The only tiny glitch we found was we were with 2 other couples who made reservations for dinner same time and place And it's hard to Book for 6 together instead of 3 groups of 2, but we always got seats no problem.

Day 3 was way warmer and we were ready to hit the sun and pool for some much needed Vitamin D therapy. Of course it was hard to find a seat right by the pool as they were all reserved by the dreaded chair hogs first thing in the morning. But we got some chairs on the upper deck and enjoyed the sun and piña coladas:)

That night was dinner at Jaimes Italian. Loved loved loved it. Incredible service from our waiter Cosmo , the food outstanding and the Lemon Meringue cheesecake TO DIE FOR!!!

Then off to Mamma Mia....incredible and as good as everyone says it is!

Day 4 was Labadee...hot and sunny and just beautiful spent in the sun and floating in the ocean. Really had a wonderful day there. We ate at the windjammer that night and it was really good. Felt nice after a day In The sun not having to dress up too much.

Day 5 was San Juan. I didn't get off the ship as I was starting with a bit of a cold. Hubby went in to explore and I relaxed in the room. We ate at Chic and it was good, food was really enjoyable and service was great. After dinner we looked at shore excursions to see if anything looked appealing. One thing we found is your room TV is great to check schedules, account info etc, but it would be nice if you could book shore excursions. You can't from your tv but you can from your Royal IQ APP if you have it downloaded. You can also go to shore excursions directly or to guest services to use one of the iPads to book as well.

We booked 2 excursions. Catamaran sail on St Maarten and a Beach extravaganza on St Kitts. Many others were sold out, but we were fine with that, we don't like to schedule too much on vacation and prefer to take it day by day and see where the wind takes us.

In Barbados we got off the ship and just asked some locals about a good beach and we went via taxi to Carlisle bay. $4/person one way. Once at the beach we rented 2 chairs and umbrella for $15 and it had a beach bar and grill. Taxis are available always for the return trip. Very cheap day, $35 for the 2 of us (not including a couple beverages and DHL had lunch). Some people booked it as an excursion and paid wayyyy more:)

On St Maarten we did a Catamaran Sail. The more popular seemed to be the boat Mirabella,but we booked the Golden Eagle Sail away. The boat holds 86 but only about 30 were onboard. BEST excursion ever!!! Staff was incredible, rum punches were flowing freely, lunch was yummy and we went to a gorgeous beach. It's a must do, if you have the opportunity!!

Martinique was just as expected from reading other reviews. It just seems as if they are not quite ready for the cruise ships, but I am glad to have gotten off and strolled around town a bit. It's quite pretty really but the language barrier and not every place accepting the US currency just made it a it more challenging than other ports.

We ate at Silk and the night prior at the Grande. We loved Silk and service and food were awesome. The Grande was good and service a bit better. It seemed "most" people knew it was formal attire but still some tried to get in without jackets etc, so they had to put on ones the restaurant lent to them I started calling them "the jackets of shame" because they looked like they had been worn by lounge entertainers in a previous life LOL

St Kitts was beautiful....we did another beach day. Loved it! By the time we left I decided I wanted a pet green monkey.....Sooo cute!

We went to Jaimes again for dinner, again outstanding!! We also ate at Chops Grille one evening to celebrate our anniversary and my sisters birthday. Schubert our waiter, phenomenal, food exceptional.....group of 12 very loud, intoxicated people sitting behind us sharing stories of sexual exploits, drunken tales of cruises past...not so fun. We were a bit disappointed that the Maitre D' didn't address the situation and we were mid meal when they arrived. One of our party members shot a glance or two their direction and once politely asked them to please keep it down, but To no avail. Sad part was on the other side of us was a beautiful family with two kids about ages 10 and 12 all dressed beautifully and acting appropriately. It was hard seeing these adults all over the age of 60 act so poorly and with total disregard for other diners.

The last few days were at sea. The weather was perfect and hot and sunny. Of course as we got closer to Bayonne, finding a chair was harder around the pool. The second to last day I was up early and I, for the first time ever in 4 cruises, put out 2 towels by the pool. We ran off and grabbed food from the windjammer and came right out(not to be demed a chair hog lol) . We were gone 15 minutes tops to come back to two ladies sitting on our chairs, on the towels we had put down ! We decided to to say anything, and I grabbed 2 more towels and stood by the pool looking for more chairs. It was around 9 am. Right in front of the pool was 4 chairs with towels and towel clips on them. 2 ladies in the pool said to me " those chairs were reserved at 7am and no one has touched them since, you should let the pool attendant know! Well,I did just that and it was hilarious. He came and removed all 4 towels in front of everyone around the pool on BOTH decks and a huge round of applause went up in the crowd! I had like ten people come over saying they were tired of the chair hogs and was happy I did something about it. So DH and I sat down waiting anxiously of course for the original owners to arrive. Lo and behold TWO hours later they showed up! Well,they were not at all happy with us, but the crowd around us all came close to us and I just explained politely the rules of reserving chairs and how the pool attendant had removed their towels and clips. Their was a language issue as they were from a European country, but they understood and walked away disgruntled. The woman went to complain to a pool attendant, to no avail. They ended up having to sit up top deck for the last day of sun, just like we did the first 11 days *wink* . We went to Izumi, and it was outstanding! Again highly recommend it.

Overall, we had an incredible cruise and would sail it again in a heartbeat. We loved Dynamic Dining, the ship is gorgeous, the staff were very kind and friendly.our room steward Nicole was just lovely.

Just a few things to note:

We were a bit disheartened by some of the cruisers who were constant complainers. One lady said she took the inaugural cruise and hated it and she hated this one too just as much! Seriously?? LOL We also saw quite a few people giving restaurant staff a hard time, one night almost bringing a young gal to tears because their bread didn't arrive quickly enough. It made me sad and embarrassed at times to see how some cruisers treated staff.

On another note (and my final rant ), my DH smokes. He prides himself on being polite as possible about his habit at all times. The ship is 98 percent smoke free. I was amazed at the number of people who walk through the smoking side of the pool deck, making rude comments, covering their mouths, saying "now I need to shower" etc etc. seriously folks, a simple walk to the other side, clearly knowing where the smokers are would easily rectify your distaste for this habit.

Surely we can all get along :) I agree the casino should have been set up better for smokers/ non smokers and DH agreed it wasn't an agreeable setup for those who prefer a smoke free environment. One lady walked through the casino and took my DH's ashtray away from him mid use and called him disgusting! I was shocked. Good thing he's so tolerant and a lesser person woulda decked her LOL

He just told me " I was raised to respect my elders" LOL

If you are on the fence about cruising the Quantum....take the leap, she's a beauty and we loved every minute:)

[jmrothermel]

Wonderful review! We are on this same itinerary next month so I'm glad to hear you had a good time!

[FunCruiser59]

You are very welcome:) we really are glad we went and everyone in our group loved it just as much . BTW our group ranged in ages from 50-80 so it was nice it appealed to the whole gang.

Best part of cruising is, it is what YOU make it. The older couple didn't do everything we did and vice versa, but that's fine and we all came out enjoying ourselves which is ultimately the hope and dream of any holiday.

[cruiserhal]

Thanks for your review. We were on the same cruise and enjoyed it more than any other Royal cruise in many, many years. Our dinner experiences were a little different but mostly due to individual food taste (I did not like Jamie's at all - I'm hanging my head in shame). :)

 

I have to agree with you about all the complaining. I can't tell you how many times I heard "On the Explorer they did/had/whatever...". It seemed some people just want to complain all the time.

 

Our favorite restaurants were Costal Kitchen many evenings and breakfasts, Chops twice, and Grande three times. We went to Chic twice - once OK the other time fine.

 

The staff bent over backwards to help arrange show and dinner times for people. And, always with a smile (at least for us). Setting up tables the first two full days for changes really helped also besides going to the individual restaurants.

 

We can't wait to sail on this class ship again.

 

Anyway, thanks for your review.

 

Hal

[FunCruiser59]

Thank you as well Hal. I think what's so intriguing about the restaurants is everyone's food tastes are so unique.

How many times has someone recommended a restaurant to us, raved about it sideways and we go and are not that excited as they were. We loved American Icon for the breakfast and eggs Benedict, but didn't enjoy the dinner. Others raved about it.

I can't think of any restaurant on land or at sea that will please 100 percent of the people 100 percent of the time. BUT as you say, the staff tried very hard and were always wonderful and kind to us. We were so impressed with our service, it was top notch. But then again a smile and a thank you go a long way:)

I am glad you had fun, just like us!!!

[GRAHAM20]

THANK YOU FUNCRUISER59, I WAS ON THE SAME CRUISE. IT WAS MY FIRST ROYAL CARIBBEAN. I USUALLY USE NORWEGIAN CRUISE LINE.

LOVED MAMA MIA... I HAVE A QUESTION FOR YOU, DO YOU REMEMBER THE SINGER WHOSE FATHER WAS FRIENDS WITH SAMMY DAVIS JR. HAD A SONG ON MOTOWN LABEL.

ALL THE PORTS WERE GREAT, BUT MARTINIQUE NEEDS TO HAVE A BIT MORE TO OFFER.

IT WAS A WONDERFUL 12 DAYS.

JUST ONE THING I DID NOT CARE FOR SILK, I DID ENJOY USING THE CHOPSTICKS THOUGH....:)

BAYONNE IS 15 MINUTES FROM MY HOUSE... GOING HOME TOOK TWO HOURS BAYONNE BRIDGE WAS CLOSED.:eek:

Edited March 16, 2015 by GRAHAM20

[Hoopster95]

Great to hear you had such a good time. Thank you for your review :D

[FunCruiser59]

Graham

I am glad you enjoyed yourself too.!!!

It's so cool how everyone's dining thoughts are

Unique to each person. That's what I loved most

About Dynamic dining and all the options of different

Cuisines to try!

We LOVED that show, what an incredible

Entertainer . I believe his name was Finis Henderson;)

 

It's a must see if he's on your sailing!

Edited March 17, 2015 by FunCruiser59
Spelling error

[klitch]

We were on the same sailing and had a similarly wonderful time.

 

I think I remember talking to the same curmudgeon you did about how terrible everything was/is.

 

We liked every restaurant we went to, our favorites were Izumi, Silk, Chic, and Grande. Jaime's we thought was just OK but that probably boils down to taste. My wife really liked Wonderland and I'll say this about it, If you can get through the first 4 or so courses the entree's are astoundingly good the Beef terrier is amazing.

 

For anyone who is waiting to get on board, you MUST go to Michaels Pub and get the wings, they're $4.00/plate but worth every penny, I had them at least 4 times they are out of this world good.

[GRAHAM20]

Thank you Fundcrusiert59 for you help.

I tried looking him up as Finis. Guess I needed a last name.:)

I was on the sailing with you March 1-13.

Graham20

[take time]

Graham 20.... the singer on Quantum was Finest Henderson...he was going onto the Liberty of the Seas next....we were on the same cruise (3/1)...i loved everything about it...Silk was not my favorite...first nite was fun and different...but second night just didnt do it...we had lunch at Jamie's....enjoyed that...a lot of food...never felt crowded on ship...Mama Mia was wonderful....we thought 12 days would be a little too long and cruising 3 days would be boring...not at all...and we had a inside room....next time i would do WiFi in the beginning of cruise...did it the last 2 days...too long for me to be out of touch with family and business....but not hubby...loved the ship....i do like the Oasis and Allure a little better with the boardwalk and central park..but like going out of NJ...45 minute ride...and happy we only live 45 min away cuz we forgot one of our suitcases at terminal....we had 2 other couples with us and putting everything in our van didnt miss it til we got home...call RC and said maybe if we went back we could get or would be shipped to us....so we drove back and got it....and it didnt ruin our vacation at all....so if you can book a cruise and if you can 12 days is awesome...

[GRAHAM20]

Taketime.....thank you for the information on Finis Henderson.

As i had said this was my first RCC cruise.

I also thought the twelve days would be to long to stay away from home, but as it got closer to going home i wanted to stay.

I am in Staten Island five minutes from the Bayonne bridge.

Only last Friday the bridge was closed..

It turned into an almost two hour trip.

I caught all the shows that they had to offer.

My room was inside also.

Loved the virtual window. The only thing it didn't have was fresh air.

Graham 20 Diedre :)

Edited March 21, 2015 by GRAHAM20
You un capitalized names and places

[cathykb]

Thanks for taking the time to share your review. We were also on this cruise and I loved Dynamic Dining! This came close to being my favorite of 30 cruises.

 

Cathy

[Comet Cruiser]

Hi FunCruiser!!!

 

We were also on this cruise with you!! :)

 

Lisa and Brian.....It's me Gail :) Me and Louise met you on the pool deck and we were soooo happy how you dealt with those chair hogs !

 

I remember the applause you got!!

 

It was a great cruise for sure and it was super meeting you fellow Canadians.

 

Our drive home wasn't too bad, the weather was great and we pulled in the driveway at 6.

 

This was a great review Lisa......happy to have met you and Brian, please say hi for me :)

 

Take care

Gail

[FunCruiser59]

Hello Gail!!!

Sooo wonderful to hear from you!!!

Brian and I very much enjoyed meeting you and Louise

by the pool every day 😄

 

Happy to hear you made it home safe and sound!! Brian got home safely on the Friday and I leave Rhode Island tomorrow to head back home to Alberta!

 

Feel free to keep in touch ! Would love to hear from you more!!

I can send you some pictures :)

 

Lisadd41@hotmail.com

 

Take care and send our best to Louise!!!

Lisa and Brian

[spiedieone]

Hello!! we also loved this cruise!! and we were the ones that told you to take the chairs at the pool!! What a fun day that was. Great ship and great crew!!! I hope our paths meet again.

Marie

[FunCruiser59]

Awww Marie! How wonderful to hear from you!!

I wouldn't have gotten those chairs had it not

been for you:)

So happy you enjoyed the cruise as much as we did:)

 

I agree, I hope we meet again one day!!

Lisa

[RenaeG]

Thanks for the review. Can I ask if there was any difference in times with ship time v shore time? I am doing this cruise in Anthem in January 2016 and looking to book excursions but I don't know what time to book. Thanks in advance

[cruiserking]

Thanks for your review FunCruiser59. We loved Quantum and can't wait to sail Anthem next February.

 

Jonathan