Live Review: Quantum of the Seas August 15-22, 2022

[CatLadyFemme]

7 hours ago, justKirbo said:

Love the update! My husband grew up in Ballard and we met while at UW. Seattle's a great town, glad you're enjoying it (and I hope you're all rested by tomorrow).

Did your friend name her dog Turbo after the Kraken player? I love him and hope he's able to have a full season this year (the hockey player, not the dog, though I'm sure the dog is lovely).

I cannot imagine they did, as I think they follow even less sports than I do. It is likely a nerdy video game life reference, though of course I always think of the silly snail cartoon. When you said Kraken, I definitely was thinking of our vein of D&D stuff more than hockey 🦑 

[CatLadyFemme]

For those following along, the vegan Thai food from Araya’s was amazing (except my Laad Na did not come with the noodles), and seeing my friend was delightful. I got to see more of the lobby and it really is fun to explore.

[CatLadyFemme]

I love it here so much! Today we went to meet my BFF’s pandemic puppy, got amazing Mexican food that was so good I got teary, stopped by a queer friendly comic book shop, got to meet one of my online students and her wife in person, saw the Freemont troll, hyped up the Chinook salmon going up the salmon ladder at the locks (and saw some seals!!!), and got some fun boba tea (well, I got the purple rice kind, but still), and are now icing various body parts whole noshing on GF Ethiopian food.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Such a great day, but am canceling evening plans to that I can save energy for embarkation tomorrow.

 

[perfect match]

19 hours ago, CatLadyFemme said:

I cannot imagine they did, as I think they follow even less sports than I do. It is likely a nerdy video game life reference, though of course I always think of the silly snail cartoon. When you said Kraken, I definitely was thinking of our vein of D&D stuff more than hockey 🦑 

All I could think of when I heard the term Kraken was the roller coaster by that name at Sea World in Orlando! 😱

 

Actually, I did think of the giant squid that I occasionally hear referred to as Kraken too.

 

I loved the Orca statue riding in the little blue wagon! 😂🤣😂  It seems to me like there a lot of fun and interesting things to see and do in Seattle. Getting there is definitely on my bucket list of US cities I’d like to visit some day.  The problem is that I have a number of different bucket lists and none of them are short lists. I’m checking things off one at a time but it’s going to take a long time for me to get to all of them. They’re my motivation to maintain my health and fitness as much as I can for as long as I can.

[JamesEM]

21 hours ago, Coralc said:

I hope you are doing well, James. 

Doing well, did a b-3-b on the Allure in May/June and I'm doing a b-3-b next month on the Symphony. 

[CatLadyFemme]

59 minutes ago, perfect match said:

All I could think of when I heard the term Kraken was the roller coaster by that name at Sea World in Orlando! 😱

 

Actually, I did think of the giant squid that I occasionally hear referred to as Kraken too.

 

I loved the Orca statue riding in the little blue wagon! 😂🤣😂  It seems to me like there a lot of fun and interesting things to see and do in Seattle. Getting there is definitely on my bucket list of US cities I’d like to visit some day.  The problem is that I have a number of different bucket lists and none of them are short lists. I’m checking things off one at a time but it’s going to take a long time for me to get to all of them. They’re my motivation to maintain my health and fitness as much as I can for as long as I can.

SO many fun things. Other things I have enjoyed on previous trips were a visit to Alki island, visiting San Juan islands, Pikes Place Market, kayaking, Chihuly Gardens, and more. So good! I hope you make it here eventually 💜

[CatLadyFemme]

First ship update! The Wi-Fi (yes, even the surf + stream we upgraded to) is sloooooow. So a good reminder to be present in the moment, to enjoy our time here, to read, to watch the ocean. It also means I will do a text post first, followers by pictures, is it seems to two together crash my small amount of internet juice.

 

Boarding was slightly more hectic than most of the Florida ports and waaaaay more hectic than Copenhagen, but the people at the Seattle port are 100% nicer than anywhere I have ever been, airport, train station, or cruise port. Like, alarmingly nice. It was pretty crowded and a sizeable walk, so I opted for a wheelchair. Everyone was so kind and helpful, and they even had a shorter ramp for boarding for wheelchairs and those using mobility aids. 10/10 on accessibility!

 

Once onboard, we checked in at our muster station, and headed up to WJ to check it out. Even at 11:30, it was SO crowded and overwhelming. MxCatLady grabbed a burger, fries, and some olives, and we headed to the Solaroum, which is STUNNING. Most beautiful one I have been to so far. That being said, the fact that it was all enclosed and over 80 degrees in Seattle made it like a green house and it was super toasty. I grabbed some salad and fruit from the Solarium bistro, and we both kicked of using our refreshment package with some virgin frozen mojitos, followed by mudslides. I didn’t love that they opted not to open the pool until after 1pm, but it was worth the wait. I was the first one in, and my body was so happy in the water (though I wish it was deeper!).
 

Rooms were ready around the same time, so we headed down to our accessible balcony. We had paid for an accessible ocean view, but after the drama with the glacier visit being dropped, a lot of folks cancelled. I had my TA call to see what the cost would be to upgrade to a balcony if there was one….and it was free! It was almost like the upgrade fairy was back!!! I love sitting on the balcony and didn’t have one when MrCatLady and I went to Alaska previously, so it is a special treat.

 

The room, like most of the ship, is lovely. A blend of updates (like a plug by the bed and USB ports), smarter storage (two closets!), and a lovely vintage/classic cruising feel (think more like High Seas than Below Deck). Beds are more comfortable than most RC ships, but we still blew up our travel air mattress pads for extra good sleep. I love that the chairs on the balcony recline a little, and there are foot rests!

 

We didn’t see our steward before dinner, but found our luggage in a room down the hall, so had everything unloaded before heading down to dinner. I should note that outside of eating, we are wearing KN95s any time indoors. Many more people are also masking than on the Allure in April and Voyager in May. It’s really nice not being the odd person out!

 

I had emailed to request a table in the quietest, least crowded two top on the dining room. As I have mentioned, I am autistic (and other flavors of neurodivergent), and can get overstimulated with too much noise, light, people, etc. We are in the Silk dining room on level 4, and in one of the back corners by a window. It’s nice because I can kind of melt into the corner. It was super bright with sun in lots of people’s eyes, but then they lowered the blind and it was perfect!

 

Gonna see if this will post, then will talk about the food. Including the mushroom soup of my dreams!
 

 

 

[CatLadyFemme]

A few pics from the first few hours on board.

[CatLadyFemme]

Gah! It deleted my whole dinner post. What you need to know if they bake GF bread fresh on this ship and it was super yummy, and our head waiter hooked me up with GF vegetarian mushroom soup and it was sooooooo good and I had two servings and also convinced the folks next to me to order some. Polenta was great, MxCatLady’s chicken Waldorf salad and key lime pie were also enjoyed, and as usual, I put in my MDR lunch and dinner order for Day 2 in.

[3yorkies]

I love your writing style and your photos---and and the tats!     Can't wait to follow along until I leave this Friday for my cruise on Allure to the ABCs.

[CatLadyFemme]

2 hours ago, 3yorkies said:

I love your writing style and your photos---and and the tats!     Can't wait to follow along until I leave this Friday for my cruise on Allure to the ABCs.

Thank you! And have fun; we did Allure in April (did a live review then too!) and had a really wonderful time.

[3yorkies]

42 minutes ago, CatLadyFemme said:

Thank you! And have fun; we did Allure in April (did a live review then too!) and had a really wonderful time.

guess there is no way to go back and find that one.  Would LOVE to read it. 

[CatLadyFemme]

53 minutes ago, 3yorkies said:

guess there is no way to go back and find that one.  Would LOVE to read it. 

You’re in luck! I am an academic so have no qualms searching for random things. Found it:

 

 

[CatLadyFemme]

Last night, we went to the LGBTQIA mixer for a bit, spent some time hiding ducks, and ended up back in the room, listening to the waves and an audio book. I slept like a baby, as I usually do on cruises. Oh! And we ran into @gowensricksand her lovely family is well.

 

today, we had a quick continental breakfast from room service, and headed over to the Top Tier event in Two70. Captain Kristoff is surprisingly hilarious. For those interested:

 

1611 C&A members total

 

913 Gold

275 platinum 

112 Emerald 

229 Diamond 

70 Diamond plus 

12 Pinnacle 

 

Following this, stopped by La Patisserie for hot cocoa (I got chai syrup in mine while MxCatLady got cinnamon white chocolate in theirs), bought a hoodie with onboard credit to replace the one lost at SEATAC, and checked out the pool deck. It was SO crowded and surprisingly warm, so back to the room to enjoy our hot cocoa and the waves. Then down to lunch in the MDR. I have NEVER seen it this crowded; as a table of two, it took us 20 minutes to get sat. We arrived at noon, and when I left MxCatLady at 1pm, they still hadn’t gotten dessert. Compared to the 30 minute MDR lunches I am used to, quite a surprise.

 

 

[perfect match]

Love your cabin! 🤩  Great layout.

Really love 💗 your unicorn ducks! If I found one I’d keep it. 😁

Even better that you’ve been able not only to get foods that meet your dietary needs, but that taste really good as well! 😋

[3yorkies]

2 hours ago, CatLadyFemme said:

You’re in luck! I am an academic so have no qualms searching for random things. Found it:

 

 

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!   I so enjoyed reading your adventures on the Allure and it has made me even more excited for my Saturday boarding to Aruba and Curacao,    I've done both of those Roatan excursions and will be doing them again in December for my birthday cruise on the Allure when she moves to Galveston.     Happy cruising and let me know if you guys ever come to Tucson and I will find a gluten free place to take you!

[CatLadyFemme]

Lunch in the MDR was…meh. I usually love Day 2 MDR lunch; I get mashed potatoes, the sides from the cod (spinach and cauliflower with a caper vinegarette), and butternut squash risotto. I ordered the same thing last night for today. Firstly, even once sat, it took 10 minutes to get water poured, and another 5 for MxCatLady to order (cheese sticks, potato soup, steak frites, and key lime pie). I didn’t have my food brought until 12:50, and we had showed up at noon! And then, it was an odd looking butternut squash risotto, and a huge plate of cauliflower and sautéed spinach with no seasoning or vinegarette. Also no mashed potatoes. Womp womp. When I asked, they said the vinegarette could not be made free of cross contamination (despite ordering yesterday), and brought me a side of plain capers.
 

MxCatLady’s cheese sticks were good, but NOT mozzarella, so don’t be shocked. They said everything was tasty,  it nothing was amazing. I will say my veggies were fine but boring, and something was off about the risotto. The cubes of squash were shrunken almost like they were dehydrated, and the rice was yellow. I only ate a few bites, and then headed out to the duck scavenger hunt.

 

 

Someone from our [other online platform] group put together a whole scavenger hunt around the ship, ending with you getting a large duck. I met some nice folks and we did the hunt together, and I ended up with the “nerd” duck, aka Poinduckster.

 

 

I was so hot and over heated after the scavenger hunt. Despite last night being nice and cool outside, today, everything was warm and humid, indoors and out. Our AC won’t go below 68, and I don’t know if that actually works, or if they have switched it to heat only, because our room didn’t really cool all day. I opted for a shower to cool off, and then at 4:20, we went to try out North Star.

 

Given our extra onboard credit we got because of the change in schedule, I sprung for the extended trip. I am scared of heights, but it was actually quite nice. Worth it once, but be probably won’t spring for it again. I did appreciate they had an elevator up, and that North Star *is* wheelchair accessible (though not power chair accessible, FYI).

 

 

MxCatLady wanted to try the crab Rangoon at the Splash Away Cafe (former Dim Sun, former Johnny Rockets), so we got them an order. Big thumbs up here!

[Lionesss]

Congratulations on your marriage and glad you are able to celebrate on the cruise.

 

Looking forward to following your adventures.

 

Be safe, but have fun.

 

 

[CatLadyFemme]

It’s been a pain in the butt to get enough internet signal to properly write and post, so apologies for being behind.

 

Dinner night two was good in some ways, challenging in others. My tomato gazpacho was like a cold tomato purée (skip!) while the spinach ricotta stuffed mushroom (without bread crumbs because celiac) was delightful and something I haven’t gotten to try on board. Winner for sure. Also Sahil had them make me a version of the peach thing on the desert menu with not gluten or gelatin (a big issue with many of the desserts on board; watch out vegetarians!) and that was lovely. MxCatLady had the calamari, tenderloin, and the soufflé, and reports that they were all tasty. We also have a beverage person now, and asked her to surprise us with mocktails. I got a yummy virgin blueberry  mojito (and then another!) while MxCatLady got a mango lava flow. Service was good but slooooooooow. And listen, I actually like having slower, drawn out meals. I am not a WJ style person…but it shouldn’t take almost 2 hours for a 3 course meal 🤷🏻‍♀️.

 

after that, I had planned to see both the Starwater and Goddess shows, but 1) we heard they were both packed (and indoors) and 2) I was low on spoons and high on pain from the duck scavenger hunt, so we decided to listen to our audio book and spend time on our balcony before turning in for the night.

 

pics to follow!

[CatLadyFemme]

Pics from night two dinner and post dinner towel animal 💜

[CatLadyFemme]

Next up, we have Day 3, and Ketchikan! This was a last minute addition when they changed the stops around, and I have never been here, so it was pretty cool. Despite not being early risers, we got our butts up early, grabbed some hot cocoa for me and coffee for MxCatLady, and headed into town for the Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show. Obviously, I wore my Buffalo plaid dress. It’s a bit spendy ($37/adult), but they kindly gave me an educator discount (also have them for military and veterans, and health care workers/EMTs, just FYI), which I thought was nice. I bought day of but if you know you want to go, you can buy online in advance.
 

 The person selling us our tickets (and a flannel for MxCatLady, who already has real lumberjack vibes) was a young queer person. I compliment their nail polish, they said they liked my lanyard (rainbow), as we did the dance of establishing whether we were family. They said how nice it was to be able to see queer folks, as it felt kind of lonely here. We got a similar response from a teen on board who always lights up when we come across each other. I forget sometimes how important it is for young folks to see queer and trans folks being am happy and successful, despite all the policies and social stigma contributing to minority stress. It was really sweet.

 

The show was fun and funny. A few jokes had misogynistic undertones, so a grimace here and there, but overall, fun and well done. Definitely kid friendly. Front rom is both accessible, so we sat there, and it is also the splash zone for the pool related events, so be forewarned.

 

show is slightly under an hour, and worth seeing.
 

hope it is going to let me upload pictures here: 

[CatLadyFemme]

After this, MxCatLady bought a fleece lined rain jacket (MrCatLady ALSO ignored my suggestion to bring a rain jacket back in 2018. Clearly, I have type! 🙄), then we checked in for our tour. As a late addition, Royal didn’t have much in the way of excursions, so we bought this separately. We took a trolly over to a (side of the road, real casual) wildlife viewing area, where we saw salmon jumping, lots of gulls, several bald eagles and two bald eagle nests, and some some very neat plants. No bears, sadly. Then we want to the Saxan Village totem park to learn more on the history of totems, and watch people carving them. Plus we got to enjoy a little time in the forest (nature therapy for sure), and I found a little patch of moss which was perfect post for Stimming and grounded. PNW forests just hit different. So soothing. I also loved the shop there, with lots of things from local indigenous artists. I got a pair of earrings for me, a hat for MrCatLady, a magnet for our fridge, and a few other gifts.
 

We got dropped off right next to the ship, but had plenty of time. MxCatLady got some fresh fish and chips (cod), and I got a Thai iced tea bubble tea. After this, we shopped a bit. I always suggest going back a block or two, away from the big (and often franchise) stores to find more actual local stuff and better deals, plus nice people to talk to. We wound up at Bill’s something or other (BBB), and bought a ton of local jellies (fireweed, salal, salmon berry, spruce tips), fireweed honey, some devil’s club salve, and MxCatLady bought be a lovely blingy (for me) ring with a Northern Lights stone and manufactured blue opal. It looks beautiful and happens to go well with my current nails too!

[CatLadyFemme]

Almost caught up!!!

 

We got back on the ship at about 3pm. Longest line to board I have ever seen! Apparently something to do with the tides making certain gangways too steep and not useable? Unclear. 
 

we got up to our room to take meds, put on more pain patches, ice my knees and head, and heat my back. I definitely am overdoing it on some of these things, but knowing I may not get to really go anywhere for another year or so depending on how these dual pandemics go means I want to get in as much as I can, as safely as I can. 
 

Around 4pm, I realized I hadn’t eaten all day, since we left the ship after breakfast but before lunch. And at 3pm, almost all the places a celiac person can safely eat (MDR, solarium bistro, and WJ) were closed. I had an orange in my room, and looked forward not only to our MDR time at 5:15, but our time in the Solarium Bistro at 8:30 as well. I jokingly call this second dinner, but in this case, I was viewing MDR as my first meal of the day, and the Solarium Bistro as my main dinner. It was SO hard to get a reservation there (it is free), as I had booked it a year out, then like 7 months ago, they canceled them. But then they opened them again, and I booked it twice. I have a never been a ship with one, and almost all of their appetizers are veggie and GF, so I was really looking forward to it. I booked both times at 8:30, so that it would be less crowded, as we did for all of our UDP reservations last April on Allure.  I know this is a lot of back story, but it is important for later.

 

Dinner again was fine. Like…the food for sure is not bad, and the service is solid. I have definitely had MUCH worse. However, compared to some ships, it’s just fine. They check in once per meal to see if it is fine, but like last night, the tortilla soup was very tasty and also very spicy. I finished my blueberry mojito (MxCatLady was surprised with a mango/strawberry smoothie) and my glass of water, and it took 20 min for either to be refilled. Despite asking most days, I haven’t gotten a lemon wedge, and when I do ask for GF bread. It usually shows up right before or at the same time as desert. So nothing horrible at all, just not the same service we experienced on Voyager this May, for example.

 

I had the vegan tortilla soup (so spicy that I asked for some sour cream though!) and MxCatLady started with the oft debated (on the boards) Poblano soup, which they really enjoyed. For a main, I had the mushroom risotto (FAR better than the lunch time squash risotto of the previous day) and they had the short rib (favorite thing they have eaten on board this far!), finishing with a chocolate mud pie (them), and some mediocre chocolate pudding (me). Our head waiter gave me some GF bread on request to take to the Solarium Bistro, to make sure I had something to dip in my hummus, baba ganoush, etc.

 

Welp, we took a nap, got up and got redressed, and left our room at 8:20 to go to our 8:30 reservation. Between elevators taking forever, and two do the three doors being closed (including the one I had gone in Day 1), which made us walk around the whole Solarium, we finally found the entrance and walked in at 8:36pm.  I hate being late, but figured they would understand. It was just two of us, they seat people late for stuff all the time, we had a reservation.

 

And here is where my poor little autistic break started its’ meltdown. The manager looked at us surprised, wondering why we were there. I explained we had a reservations for 8:30 pm and gave me name. He pointed out the food area that had been totally cleared of all of the appetizers I had been so looking forward to. We were so late, he claimed, that after waiting 5 (Five!) minutes for us, they decided to close everything down…despite many 8:30pm reservation options. We both have worked in the restaurant industry, and I have NEVER worked at or visited a restaurant that would turn you away for being 5 minutes late, none the less choose to close their kitchens 5 minutes past their reservation time. Like…what if we had been on time. That would have given us 5 minutes to be seated, order drinks, look at the menu, get appetizers and then boom, no more options to eat (they don’t have a vegetarian main dish). Worse yet, we had another 8:30 reservation on Day 6, so now this man, who was quite rude and a bit mean (to the point I had to try not to cry until I got back into the elevator bay), would do this whole bloody spiel with us when we came back. My whole body was activated in fight or flight, and I know some of it was being hungry and some of it was pain, but oof. Plus, now at 8:45pm, post arguement, I was stuck again with the only available option for me to be an GF pizza. Which I had already done the night before, and I don’t even like GF pizza much.

 

We took down the elevator to guest services, to tell them to fix their app. If they want people to not eat at 8:30, that’s fine, but then make the last reservation 8:15. If a restaurant closes at 9pm, I usually would never show up randomly at 9pm, but if they offered me a 9pm reservation, I would assume I would be able to access the same food and quality of service as someone sat at 8pm. I explained to the woman at guest services that I wasn’t mad at her, but really wanted IT to fix this on the app. To get there, we had to wade through a crowd of people to get through the esplanade, which is a huge trigger for me. Her solution was to want to call manager and have him come down to talk. By now, I was shaking and trying to explain how he had been quite mean and I really didn’t want to talk to him again. We left, and again, crowded lobby by the elevator. I tried to hold it together, but was shaking and had tears streaming down my cheeks. By the time we got off on our deck, I was having a full blown panic attack and a sobbing meltdown. Likely a combo of All the Things (tm), but definitely activated by this experience.

 

My love, for whom I am so thankful, got me to our room as I shook and sobbed, and got me tucked into bed before they went to get me a pizza and hot coca. We had hoped to see the Northern Lights last night, but it was so cloudy.

 

This morning, the man from Solarium Bistro has called twice: once to ask when we wanted to rebook last night and then to ask if we wanted to cancel our Saturday reservation. Thankful to MxCatLady for fielding those calls. I don’t think I want to go back there, because I am afraid he will be mean to us again. I don’t know what a good solution it…but wanted to be transparent for folks reading along that while Royal says they are great at working folks with autism, what they mean is autistic kids, not adults. Last night’s interactions (and today’s follow up) didn’t have to go like that, and if they truly wanted to welcome all autistic folks, they need to try their staff not to chastise us. Rejection sensitive dysphoria is a real thing and hits so hard. No one has asked if I am ok (I am not) or what I would like to happen,  nor have they listened when I said I didn’t want to speak with this particular person. So definitely an area for growth.

[3yorkies]

I am so sorry this experience has dampened your cruise.  How insensitive of the restaurant staff.   I know in the MDR you can be 30 minutes late and they are fine with it.   If they are going to close 5 minutes after your reservation time it needs to be clearly stated in bold print on the app where you reserve it.   Sheesh!!!   Hope this next day is MUCH better.    And I love the poblano soup!   That and the mushroom are my 2 favorites on the ships.   Tell your partner that they are so right about it!  

[Oceansaway17]

On 8/16/2022 at 10:18 PM, CatLadyFemme said:

. I did appreciate they had an elevator up, and that North Star *is* wheelchair accessible (though not power chair accessible, FYI).

 

 

 

 

Regarding Northstart, when did you make the reservation for the longer ride? was it immediately when you go on board?

Also how are they handling the free rides in port?  Are they doing reservations each morning on the app making for early morning mad dash to the app?

 

And lastly what is the number of people they are allowing in Northstar?   Last fall on Anthem I never got on the paid ride due to bad weather every other day as well as maintenance.   And of course, the free rides were magically gone by mid morning.

 

Have a nice trip.  I will be on in two weeks.  I did the Ovation and got on Northstar many times in 2019