Quantum of the Seas 2 Night "Opening Cruise" Live - 1/12/20 - 3/12/20

[Catkarma]

It concerns me that the people in line to check in baggage are in no way following social distantcing guidelines.  Where are the people who should be enforcing this?!?  I guess these people are the crash test dummies for the cruise line.  Good luck!

[Tree_skier]

No

5 minutes ago, Catkarma said:

It concerns me that the people in line to check in baggage are in no way following social distantcing guidelines.  Where are the people who should be enforcing this?!?  I guess these people are the crash test dummies for the cruise line.  Good luck!

No concern for me at all.  Each of these folks has already been tested negative and they are all wearing masks.  Unless you are suggesting that masks don't work and the testing is flawed, why would social distancing be necessary?

[Coralc]

@masteradept You're famous! Your live review and photos are in a Cruise Critic news article. Link: https://www.cruisecritic.com/news/5770/?cache=reset&et_cid=3380728&et_rid=16871332&et_referrer=NULL

 

Thanks again for taking us along! It was fabulous to see a live sailing after all these months at home. 

[stki]

Thanks for the Live. Hoping that Australia will be able to do some Domestic cruising next year

 

Cheers

 

Tanya

[ccpikachu]

Do you get priority disembarking as sky class? 

[carol326]

Thank you so much for spending your limited time on board sharing your experience with us. Really enjoyed the pictures too. CDC is being so difficult, those of us in the US may never get to sail again. They keep throwing up road blocks. We were to cruise Nov. 1 and of course that didn't happen. Now we are booked May 14-23rd. We will see if that one goes. Enjoy your time on board!!

[masteradept]

While I get ready to post about arrival and final thoughts, I think some have been interested to see the Cruise Compasses for this trip so here they are! As noted, they aren’t placed in your cabin by default anymore, but you can ask your stateroom attendant to do that or grab one from guest services when you pass by. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[biff-tannen]

Thanks, masteradept, for bringing us along your trip! 

[Chingyeo]

Thanks for the daily planner... 

[LogicallyLazy]

Thanks Masteradept for bringing us along for the journey. It’s been beyond insightful. 
 

I have a few questions that I would greatly appreciate if you could give some insight on. 
 

1) approx what time was your luggage delivered to your stateroom since sail off was around 9pm. 
 

2) considering you’re in a sky class suite, do you know if room service was still complimentary for this sailing 

 

Thank you

[toad455]

Thank you, thank you, thank you 100 times over for this review. Makes me miss cruising so much more. is the Quantum the only cruise ship sailing from Singapore?

[biff-tannen]

12 minutes ago, toad455 said:

Thank you, thank you, thank you 100 times over for this review. Makes me miss cruising so much more. is the Quantum the only cruise ship sailing from Singapore?

Nope, the other one allowed to sail is the World Dream of Dream cruises by Genting .

 

they started a month earlier in Nov

 

https://www.insider.com/cruise-to-nowhere-singapore-photos-2020-11

 

 

Edited December 3, 2020 by biff-tannen

[Chingyeo]

Can you also please advise the disembarkation process. How long does it take... And do you have to sit and wait for the results and if so where and how long 

[CatsinShow]

Thank you for doing this. I'm supposed to go on Quantum in July. I'm going solo and the people I always end up spending time with are the ones I meet in the hot tubs. Looks like I'll be alone all the time =/

[masteradept]

Well, this should wrap up the report! Not many photos of the disembarkation I’m afraid, had my hands full and also photography is restricted in some parts of the terminal. 
 

Looking down at the aft elevator area 

 

Hash browns at Coastal Kitchen

 

A last look at our room

 

As far as arrivals go, the process was smooth. Departures were called out by tag number, though it didn’t seem to be strictly enforced (on World Dream last week staff would knock on the door at the appointed time and escort us off deck by deck). 
 

At the exit of the ship on deck 5, there’s a bin to drop off the Tracelet wristband. 

 

After disembarking, we went through passport control, followed by the post-cruise swab test. Unlike the one before the cruise (but similar to the one before World Dream), this was not a PCR test but an antigen rapid test. We didn’t have to wait for the results though, but would be contacted for further testing by phone if the results were positive. The last step was customs checks before heading out of the terminal. 
 

Well that’s about it for this report! Thanks so much for following along, and I hope you had as much fun reading it as I did bringing it to you. I also hope that you got a glimpse as to some of the new procedures, and some things that have stayed the same. I’ll be sailing on Quantum a couple more times the next few months, including one in Star class. Although I don’t think I’ll be blogging on those (at least not in so much detail), if anyone is interested l, I’ll be more than happy to post some reports, especially on the Star class experience. 
 

Lastly, we arrived back home to the news that aside from Quantum and Spectrum, cruises up till March were cancelled. I can only imagine how disappointing this must be to all of you out there who can’t wait to board a ship again (certainly my plans to sail an Oasis class are looking further and further into the future as we go on). I’ve also seen many posts by people worrying that the experience will never be the same again, or that the restrictions will take away what they love about cruising. To all of you out there, I just want to say - don’t give up hope that things will get better. I hope that, as they’ve done here, Royal will be able to work with governments and stakeholders in the rest of the world to come up with a system that works, and by using their experience with these cruises they can resume cruising in a safe and enjoyable manner elsewhere. I also think that despite the new regulations and procedures, I didn’t feel that anything was lacking or vastly reduced compared to before, so don’t worry that it’s impossible to have a fun cruise with them in place. Most importantly, the crew are still as friendly, enthusiastic and passionate as ever and I really appreciate the hard work everyone out in to take care of us guests. I hope that for them and all the staff out there still waiting to resume work, this can be the start of the recovery for them. 
 

Once again, thank you for joining me and see you all next time! 
 

[masteradept]

14 hours ago, LogicallyLazy said:

Hi, thanks for the updates. I wonder if complimentary room service is still included in Sky class suites as it’s not indicated in the suite benefits lists

Hi! I didn't try to order room service this time, but I didn't see any indication that we got complimentary room service, and it wasn't listed in the welcome letter, so I assume it's not included.

 

14 hours ago, firefly333 said:

I take it you can smoke in some part of the casino. That's the only picture I saw elsewhere that got everyone upset. Cant smoke on your balcony, only in casino set some people off.

I didn't notice if you could smoke on the balcony, but there was a smoking area on the promenade deck.

 

22 hours ago, yuhaocooper said:

Great to hear that the boarding is super smooth and quick! Definitely makes the cruising experience way better.

 

Btw, are the bars and restaurants strict with the last service of alcohol at 10pm? and were the speciality restaurants open in the afternoon too?

It definitely does! No lines is always a plus, even without any kind of priority for suites. Disembarkation was smooth too.

 

Yes, they're quite strict with this, no sales after 10pm and if I'm not wrong, no public consumption after 10:30pm. This is in line with the current restrictions in Singapore, so I wouldn't expect it to be the same if cruising resumes elsewhere.

 

19 hours ago, Biker19 said:

Did you happen to see the Flowrider open and size of line?

Sorry, didn't manage to pass by the Flowrider this time. I'll drop by on a subsequent cruise and take a look.

 

5 hours ago, Catkarma said:

It concerns me that the people in line to check in baggage are in no way following social distantcing guidelines.  Where are the people who should be enforcing this?!?  I guess these people are the crash test dummies for the cruise line.  Good luck!

There were actually people enforcing distancing, though I guess it doesn't look like it from the picture. The guideline here is 1m though, which is less than 6 feet (or 2m as used on the ship itself), though I do agree it would have been nice to space this line out more.

 

3 hours ago, LogicallyLazy said:

Thanks Masteradept for bringing us along for the journey. It’s been beyond insightful. 
 

I have a few questions that I would greatly appreciate if you could give some insight on. 
 

1) approx what time was your luggage delivered to your stateroom since sail off was around 9pm. 
 

2) considering you’re in a sky class suite, do you know if room service was still complimentary for this sailing 

 

Thank you

1) If I remember correctly it was about half an hour after we got on ourselves (it arrived pretty much as I was taking the stateroom photos to share with you all), so pretty quick.

 

2) As above, didn't look like it was included this time.

 

2 hours ago, Chingyeo said:

Can you also please advise the disembarkation process. How long does it take... And do you have to sit and wait for the results and if so where and how long 

It's a very fast process. Step by step:

1. Head to the gangway when your tag number is called (or even after)

2. Drop the tracelet off in the provided bin

3. Scan the seapass card at the gangway and disembark the ship

4. TraceTogether check in at the cruise center (just scan a QR code or the TraceTogether token)

5. Passport control

6. Antigen rapid swab test - no need to wait for the results, and you'll only be notified of positive results, otherwise no news is good news if you don't hear from them in an hour.

7. Customs check on baggage

8. Exit the terminal to catch a taxi/Grab/MRT/etc.

 

At no time was there a wait at all, it's pretty much just how fast you can walk.

 

2 hours ago, biff-tannen said:

Nope, the other one allowed to sail is the World Dream of Dream cruises by Genting .

 

they started a month earlier in Nov

 

https://www.insider.com/cruise-to-nowhere-singapore-photos-2020-11

 

I did have the opportunity to sail World Dream last week (it was a last-min replacement from a Hong Kong trip, and it was fortunate I didn't go to Hong Kong as Royal announced passengers travelling overseas within 14 days wouldn't be allowed on). I see a lot of fellow Singapore-based cruisers here so if anyone's interested in that cruise, or on a comparison between Dream and Royal on these nowhere-cruises, I can do that as well!

[tonynbf]

1 hour ago, masteradept said:

Well, this should wrap up the report! Not many photos of the disembarkation I’m afraid, had my hands full and also photography is restricted in some parts of the terminal. 
 

Looking down at the aft elevator area 

 

Hash browns at Coastal Kitchen

 

A last look at our room

 

As far as arrivals go, the process was smooth. Departures were called out by tag number, though it didn’t seem to be strictly enforced (on World Dream last week staff would knock on the door at the appointed time and escort us off deck by deck). 
 

At the exit of the ship on deck 5, there’s a bin to drop off the Tracelet wristband. 

 

After disembarking, we went through passport control, followed by the post-cruise swab test. Unlike the one before the cruise (but similar to the one before World Dream), this was not a PCR test but an antigen rapid test. We didn’t have to wait for the results though, but would be contacted for further testing by phone if the results were positive. The last step was customs checks before heading out of the terminal. 
 

Well that’s about it for this report! Thanks so much for following along, and I hope you had as much fun reading it as I did bringing it to you. I also hope that you got a glimpse as to some of the new procedures, and some things that have stayed the same. I’ll be sailing on Quantum a couple more times the next few months, including one in Star class. Although I don’t think I’ll be blogging on those (at least not in so much detail), if anyone is interested l, I’ll be more than happy to post some reports, especially on the Star class experience. 
 

Lastly, we arrived back home to the news that aside from Quantum and Spectrum, cruises up till March were cancelled. I can only imagine how disappointing this must be to all of you out there who can’t wait to board a ship again (certainly my plans to sail an Oasis class are looking further and further into the future as we go on). I’ve also seen many posts by people worrying that the experience will never be the same again, or that the restrictions will take away what they love about cruising. To all of you out there, I just want to say - don’t give up hope that things will get better. I hope that, as they’ve done here, Royal will be able to work with governments and stakeholders in the rest of the world to come up with a system that works, and by using their experience with these cruises they can resume cruising in a safe and enjoyable manner elsewhere. I also think that despite the new regulations and procedures, I didn’t feel that anything was lacking or vastly reduced compared to before, so don’t worry that it’s impossible to have a fun cruise with them in place. Most importantly, the crew are still as friendly, enthusiastic and passionate as ever and I really appreciate the hard work everyone out in to take care of us guests. I hope that for them and all the staff out there still waiting to resume work, this can be the start of the recovery for them. 
 

Once again, thank you for joining me and see you all next time! 
 

thank you so much for all the information...looking forward to my trip on 10th dec....

 

stay safe

[masteradept]

23 hours ago, yuhaocooper said:

Great to hear that the boarding is super smooth and quick! Definitely makes the cruising experience way better.

 

Btw, are the bars and restaurants strict with the last service of alcohol at 10pm? and were the speciality restaurants open in the afternoon too?

Ah sorry, I missed out your other question, but as for specialty restaurants only Chops was open for lunch. The others were open around 5pm for dinner.

[taznremmy]

@masteradept  Thank you so much for taking the time out of your short cruise to post so much information and to answer questions for those of us that are starved for a cruise.  I hope you enjoyed , relaxed, and are ready to sail again.  Be safe.

[little britain]

@masteradept thank you for providing so much information about the “new norm”! 

 

 

Edited December 3, 2020 by little britain

[FionaMG]

@masteradept Thanks so much for your trip report. I've really enjoyed following along. 

[denatravels]

9 hours ago, carol326 said:

Thank you so much for spending your limited time on board sharing your experience with us. Really enjoyed the pictures too. CDC is being so difficult, those of us in the US may never get to sail again. They keep throwing up road blocks. We were to cruise Nov. 1 and of course that didn't happen. Now we are booked May 14-23rd. We will see if that one goes. Enjoy your time on board!!

Singapore has very low community spread. Maybe it’s not the “CDC being difficult”. It might have something to do with the fact that we have a million new cases every week. 

[denatravels]

Thanks so much for spending your limited time with us!

[yuhaocooper]

Thank you for sharing this experience with us!

[RFerrington]

@masteradept, was the room steward service the same as pre-COVID or was it reduced ?