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

[Joseph2017China]

12 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!

So each person is already tested, and they are wearing masks.  Last I checked, masks are recommended when social distance can't  be achieved.  Thus the line is pretty normal.  Plus what guidelines are you using, the ones in Arizona or the ones in the other country?  But if it is concerning, than a cruise wouldn't be for you anyway because you would be constantly worried about people being too close not to mention, the air travel and other transportation people took, being within 6 feet also.  

 

Plus, many places say 1 meter, which is 3 feet, while some other places say up to 1.5 meters, or 5 feet.  So are they following the local guidelines?  

[Lloyd555]

On 12/1/2020 at 2:43 AM, masteradept said:

 

 

Looks like we do have to watch the video on our apps - shall get that done

 

Thank you for sharing your experience on this Quantum of the Seas cruise with us.

 

Why did you say 'Looks like we do have to watch the video on our apps...' ? Was there an issue with the version of the drill on the TV?

 

[Sail n Snow]

26 minutes ago, Joseph2017China said:

So each person is already tested, and they are wearing masks.  Last I checked, masks are recommended when social distance can't  be achieved.  Thus the line is pretty normal.  Plus what guidelines are you using, the ones in Arizona or the ones in the other country?  But if it is concerning, than a cruise wouldn't be for you anyway because you would be constantly worried about people being too close not to mention, the air travel and other transportation people took, being within 6 feet also.  

 

Plus, many places say 1 meter, which is 3 feet, while some other places say up to 1.5 meters, or 5 feet.  So are they following the local guidelines?  

Both cruise lines are following the Singapore govt. laws and regulations.  As stated previously only those living in Singapore are allowed to cruise and spread in the community  is very low.  Less than 2 cases a week in November. 
 

https://www.stb.gov.sg/content/stb/en/media-centre/media-releases/safe-and-gradual-resumption-of-cruising.html

[boscobeans]

On 12/1/2020 at 2:43 AM, masteradept said:

Just got all settled into the stateroom, it’s a really nice room! 
 

 

They really meant it when they said “large balcony”

 

Looks like we do have to watch the video on our apps - shall get that done

 

Various items - the Tracelet (contact tracing wristband), Seapass cards, C&A masks and sanitizer and the usual other items 

 

Bedroom area

You do have access to the other portion of the LARGER veranda on that Grand Suite.. CORRECT ???

[biff-tannen]

9 hours ago, masteradept said:

 

 

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!

Hi, hopefully you're all back home and fully rested! Oh yes, please, if you have the inclination, do make a comparison between the two. We had both options but my wife says "Let's do RC, sounds better" and I kind of agree. QOS looks classier, and food choices look better. Awaiting your studied response! 

Cheers!

[39august]

How were the elevators handled, please?

[reallyitsmema]

Thank you for your review.  Lots of great information!

[stefndoug]

loved reading your post.  Thank you so much.

 

 

[shorning]

Now I am really excited about my first cruise since Covid.  It will be on the Harmony.  I am taking my two granddaughters to celebrate my 80th birthday but not until August.  I had a March cruise booked on Princess but it was cancelled by the cruise line.  My husband and I were true cruisers but he died in April so I may need to book a cruise before August. 

[masteradept]

Good morning everyone! Day-after-the-cruise-blues, but looking at all the well-wishes and thoughts here really brightens up my day! Let me try to get to a few more of your questions.

 

13 hours ago, RFerrington said:

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

Other than the cruise compasses available only by request, I think it was more or less the same (twice-daily service).

 

11 hours ago, Lloyd555 said:

 

Thank you for sharing your experience on this Quantum of the Seas cruise with us.

 

Why did you say 'Looks like we do have to watch the video on our apps...' ? Was there an issue with the version of the drill on the TV?

 

Ah not at all, actually we didn't try on the TV. I just meant that before I was wondering if opening the briefing on the app was enough without having to actually click "play", but I guess the system is smarter than that. If you do it on the app, each person has to do it individually though, so with a big group in one stateroom it might be quicker to do it on the TV.

 

9 hours ago, boscobeans said:

You do have access to the other portion of the LARGER veranda on that Grand Suite.. CORRECT ???

Yep that's right, we could access both portions of the veranda, and also close it off when we didn't want to use the larger portion. Pro-tip, if you're sailing Quantum class, please wear clothes on the veranda, as while we were enjoying the sunrise on the full sea day from that portion, someone decided to show up on their balcony... without that. It's unfortunately quite visible from the larger veranda (and vice-versa, it's not so private on that section of the balcony) so it was good that it could be closed off.

 

7 hours ago, 39august said:

How were the elevators handled, please?

There wasn't any special handling of the elevators this time, but because the guest count was so low it was quite rare that we even had to share the elevators with another group (even during boarding and disembarkation). If they increase capacity from 30% to 50% I can see them managing the elevators more strictly though. Same with the pool, I suppose.

 

2 hours ago, shorning said:

Now I am really excited about my first cruise since Covid.  It will be on the Harmony.  I am taking my two granddaughters to celebrate my 80th birthday but not until August.  I had a March cruise booked on Princess but it was cancelled by the cruise line.  My husband and I were true cruisers but he died in April so I may need to book a cruise before August. 

Really sorry to hear about your loss. I hope you manage to have a wonderful birthday celebration on Harmony!

[masteradept]

10 hours ago, biff-tannen said:

Hi, hopefully you're all back home and fully rested! Oh yes, please, if you have the inclination, do make a comparison between the two. We had both options but my wife says "Let's do RC, sounds better" and I kind of agree. QOS looks classier, and food choices look better. Awaiting your studied response! 

Cheers!

 

Let me try to do a rundown of how I felt about both ships (but bear in mind I was in a regular room on World Dream and a suite on Quantum, but will try to compare like for like). Hopefully for all of us here in Singapore this helps you to pick one that's best for you!

 

Check-in/Pre-cruise

Booking on Dream Cruises is similar to Royal, however, at least for this time (I'm not sure if it applies all the time, as that was my first time on Dream), only guarantees were available and we couldn't pick our cabin. We did get a credit card promotional upgrade to balcony deluxe, but couldn't pick the room.

 

The Dream cruises pre-cruise planner is kind of terrible, I have to say. You have to sign up to their loyalty program to even access it, and despite there being links to pre-purchase drinks packages and dining, none of them actually worked.

 

A big difference between Dream and Royal for this period is the method of pre-cruise coronavirus testing. Dream does antigen rapid tests at the port itself, while Royal does PCR testing some days before. This has upsides and downsides - with Royal, you need to make a trip down for the test, but with Dream, because the test slot is assigned, you can't freely pick a check-in timing and the boarding process also takes longer, leaving less time to enjoy the ship. Both will do the same antigen test after disembarkation, so no difference here.

 

Stateroom

We had a balcony deluxe cabin on Dream. I can't compare it to a Quantum-class balcony, but it was slightly more spacious than a typical balcony on Voyager-class ships, though the balcony itself was smaller than on Navigator/Mariner. Otherwise it was a great cabin, modern and comfortable. I will definitely say that Dream has the better bathrooms than Royal so far, especially the shower. World Dream had a powerful shower, as well as additional water jets along the sides of the shower cubicle you could turn on for even more spray. On the other hand, even on the GS, Quantum's shower was slightly disappointing, not much water pressure to speak of. I think both cruise lines have great cabins in this regard.

 

Dining

This is probably the area where the lines differ the most. Dream's main dining rooms offer only a single set (appetizer + main + dessert) rather than the order-anything-you-like of Royal, so keep that in mind. Similarly, the specialty restaurants on World Dream were a-la-carte pricing instead of a single cover charge. This could work out if you just wanted a few items, but I think I prefer Royal's system.

 

The buffet on Dream is alright quality-wise but Windjammer on Quantum definitely beats it out for variety, as there wasn't much choice on Dream. Also, it was a bit annoying that the buffet closed so early on embarkation day, especially given the later boarding time. Windjammer is closed for dinner on Royal, but the MDRs and other venus were still open till late, at least.

 

Before cruising, I had the suspicion that the Asian food would be better on Dream than Royal, while the Western food would be better than Royal. I think this was accurate, the sushi/sashimi on World Dream was much better than Izumi on Quantum, and Silk Road (the Chinese specialty restaurant) was great too. On the other hand, for western food, you can't really beat Coastal Kitchen or Chops Grille on Quantum.

 

Overall, this one comes down to personal preference I think, though as a whole, Royal definitely wins. On the other hand, beverages are cheaper on Dream (S$3 for a soft drink, $8 for a mocktail), but the Royal drink packages are cheaper if you think you'll be having a lot.

 

Activities/Entertainment

Both lines had more than enough to do on board. While Quantum's claims to fame are well known (Northstar, iFly, Flowrider etc), my favourite part of World Dream was the VR experience lab, where they had multiple experiences to try out (at an additional cost). I tried the VR maze (a maze you walk through while wearing a HTC Vive VR set with a choice of different programs like Rabbids or Assassin's Creed ) and found this to be well worth it.

 

World Dream's highlight show, however, was pretty much adults-only. As far as I could tell, it was called "Dream Boys" and featured a troupe of dancers in what I can only describe as a strip show. Apparently this was really popular though, so it must have been good, I just wouldn't bring kids in.

 

Most importantly for us locals, World Dream features mahjong (the proper kind, not the stack-tiles-and-match one that some people think of). It's a $18 fee for a few hours, and they have those fancy automatic shuffling tables. I'm not sure if Quantum had mahjong, I vaguely remember Voyager having it back then, but I know this can absolutely be a deal-breaker for some groups of Singaporeans.

 

 

Overall, both lines are good! You probably wouldn't go wrong picking either one, though Royal wins out overall, I think. Final word though - Dream is really expensive for weekend cruises compared to Royal, and their trips tend to be 2-night, so I would definitely pick Royal if all else is equal.

 

Hope this helps anyone looking to make a choice! I do have pictures from World Dream, but I don't think they fit here, so feel free to PM me and I could send you some. Also, as I mentioned above, my travelling partner at https://www.instagram.com/saxoftheseas/  put up the World Dream pictures as well so feel free to take a look there.

 

 

 

 

 

[miraflores]

51 minutes ago, masteradept said:

World Dream's highlight show, however, was pretty much adults-only. As far as I could tell, it was called "Dream Boys" and featured a troupe of dancers in what I can only describe as a strip show. Apparently this was really popular though, so it must have been good, I just wouldn't bring kids in.

 

Most importantly for us locals, World Dream features mahjong (the proper kind, not the stack-tiles-and-match one that some people think of). It's a $18 fee for a few hours, and they have those fancy automatic shuffling tables. I'm not sure if Quantum had mahjong, I vaguely remember Voyager having it back then, but I know this can absolutely be a deal-breaker for some groups of Singaporeans.

 

I work for Royal Caribbean, on the sister-ship Ovation, and I used to work on Quantum.  When I was there, in China, the whole second level of the Music Hall was pretty much exclusively reserved for people playing Mahjong.  Not there now, but I assume they probably made it available.

 

Interesting fact about Quantum...when the ship was being built, the Music Hall was originally named "Rock Rebellion" and there was an adults-only show, like "Dream Boys" planned for the venue.  But, they nixed it and went in a more live-music direction for the space.  But, on all the plans and electrical diagrams of the ship, Music Hall is shown as Rock Rebellion.

[direptor]

22 minutes ago, miraflores said:

 

I work for Royal Caribbean, on the sister-ship Ovation, and I used to work on Quantum.  When I was there, in China, the whole second level of the Music Hall was pretty much exclusively reserved for people playing Mahjong.  Not there now, but I assume they probably made it available.

 

Interesting fact about Quantum...when the ship was being built, the Music Hall was originally named "Rock Rebellion" and there was an adults-only show, like "Dream Boys" planned for the venue.  But, they nixed it and went in a more live-music direction for the space.  But, on all the plans and electrical diagrams of the ship, Music Hall is shown as Rock Rebellion.

 

I did recall seeing automated mahjong tables on either Quantum or Ovation before at Music Hall Deck 4 but they were not operating at that time. I did see people playing mahjong there before though using the normal tiles so i assume it can be rented from Guest Service or something.

[biff-tannen]

1 hour ago, masteradept said:

 

 

Overall, both lines are good! You probably wouldn't go wrong picking either one, though Royal wins out overall, I think. Final word though - Dream is really expensive for weekend cruises compared to Royal, and their trips tend to be 2-night, so I would definitely pick Royal if all else is equal.

 

Hope this helps anyone looking to make a choice! I do have pictures from World Dream, but I don't think they fit here, so feel free to PM me and I could send you some. Also, as I mentioned above, my travelling partner at https://www.instagram.com/saxoftheseas/  put up the World Dream pictures as well so feel free to take a look there.

 

 

 

 

 

Wow, thanks for such a detailed comparison! We've actually decided on RC last month, it's our New Year holiday as we've been stuck on the island for a year (fancy that - it's been almost a year of covid, dang!) I'd think RC vs Dream is similar to MBS vs Resorts world. Have had a look at the pics on Dream, overall decor and etc looks a bit kitschy but then again, most of us locals in this region are pretty familiar with the Genting brand. Since this is our couple-only vacation, we decided on RC as it sounds more upmarket. But if I were to go solo and hit the casino often, I think I would go for Dream (I always seem to have a bit better luck in RWS vs MBS). 

 

Oh, the other thing I realised was that RC's customer service and their apps seem to be very professionally done. I half expected Dream's processes to be slightly chaotic (as mentioned, we do know Genting well), and you more or less confirmed it for us in your writeup!) 🙂

 

 

Again, thanks for all the time you spent updating everyone, and enjoy the rest of your future cruises!

 

Edited December 4, 2020 by biff-tannen

[johnt83]

Excellent review! Thank you so much for doing this LIVE blog, and I must say, for your first one, you did a superb job! I know it had to feel different/weird onboard with all the new restrictions and measures, but I know many people would love to just get on a cruise ship again after so long. Here's to staying healthy and more future cruising. I am onboard Quantum of the Seas in July 2021 to Alaska, but will only be going if these measures/restrictions are lifted. If they aren't maybe in 2022!

[perfect match]

Thanks again, @masteradept! I have really enjoyed your live review! 

[Ocean Boy]

The Windjammer was closed for dinner?

[Joseph2017China]

22 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

The Windjammer was closed for dinner?

Most buffets are closed now......because of a bigger risk.  But plenty of food on the ship, you won't go hungry

 

[masteradept]

27 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

The Windjammer was closed for dinner?

 

Yes it was closed for dinner, but it was open for breakfast and lunch, so not to worry there.

 

5 minutes ago, Joseph2017China said:

Most buffets are closed now......because of a bigger risk.  But plenty of food on the ship, you won't go hungry

 

 

Currently on the ship (and on land) buffets are still open, but are no longer self service. Crew members are stationed at the various food areas to serve you, so you just tell them what you'd like and they'll give it to you. This also applied to the Suite Lounge, incidentally.

[livingonthebeach]

9 hours ago, direptor said:

I did recall seeing automated mahjong tables on either Quantum or Ovation before at Music Hall Deck 4 but they were not operating at that time. I did see people playing mahjong there before though using the normal tiles so i assume it can be rented from Guest Service or something.

I suppose it was the Chinese version of Mah Jongg?  We play the American version here.  I tried to look for sets when I was in China last year but didn’t find any.  

[livingonthebeach]

Thanks so much @masteradept for this informative review.  Much appreciated!

[Milwaukee Eight]

16 minutes ago, masteradept said:

 

Yes it was closed for dinner, but it was open for breakfast and lunch, so not to worry there.

Some of us just don’t like the formality of eating in the MDR. We haven’t been to the MDR for dinner in years. It would be very disappointing if only available food was MDR.  @Ocean Boy

 

M8

[Ocean Boy]

46 minutes ago, Joseph2017China said:

Most buffets are closed now......because of a bigger risk.  But plenty of food on the ship, you won't go hungry

 

I am not worried about going hungry. And if they can operate a buffet for breakfast and lunch then "risk" obviously is not the issue for dinner.

[twangster]

36 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

I am not worried about going hungry. And if they can operate a buffet for breakfast and lunch then "risk" obviously is not the issue for dinner.

 

Probably a crewing issue.  All those servers in the WJ are needed in the MDR for dinner service or something to that effect.

 

I do most of my meals in the WJ so the lack of dinner there is also a disappointment for me.  Another reason to defer cruising until pandemic protocols are gone.

[Milwaukee Eight]

26 minutes ago, twangster said:

I do most of my meals in the WJ so the lack of dinner there is also a disappointment for me.  Another reason to defer cruising until pandemic protocols are gone.

We are not interested in a ship (other than Oasis Class with CK) without WJ for dinner. Exception might be when sailing with friends as long as they don’t look at me eating dinner with long pants and collared shirt. Don’t do suits and ties anymore.