After a long hiatus from cruising due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the excitement of booking an extended holiday earlier this year was unparalleled. The countdown on Royal Caribbean’s website, once showing over 300 days, seemed to fly by, bringing us to the end of a year marked by anticipation. My destination: A 6-night Cairns Cruise aboard the Quantum of the Seas, a new ship for me, despite having sailed on its sister ship, Ovation of the Seas, previously.
While the journey encountered some challenges, notably Cyclone Jasper which even before departure had rerouted us to Sydney during a major heatwave, these unforeseen events didn’t completely overshadow the anticipation of heading to the seas, to eat a little… drink a little… and try some new experiences. How did the Quantum of the Seas fare, especially under the circumstances within the cruise line’s control? Continue reading for a detailed account of my voyage.
Before Boarding: The Experience
The anticipation of boarding the Quantum of the Seas, after a wait of over 300 days, was filled with decisions about various add-ons. These ranged from drink and meal packages, accessible for cruises exceeding three days, to shore excursions, and onboard activities both paid and complimentary opportunities.
Regarding the ‘Cairns’ leg of the journey, options varied from $100 shuttle rides to Port Douglas to $700 snorkelling tours of the Great Barrier Reef. While these excursions add to the cost, and can quickly balloon the cost of cruise travel, they are typical for cruise experiences. Of course, with the major travel itinerary, refunds were issued and we never got to experience how good these excursions ultimately would have been.
I tend to find drink packages particularly worth considering. They come in three tiers – Soda, Refreshment, and Deluxe – ranging from approximately $17 to $120 per day. Opting for a package, I enjoyed the freedom of trying various mocktails without worrying about individual charges, without worrying that I may overblow my budget – or that my travel companions who were also linked to my bank card – would do the same thing. If you only drink a couple of glasses a night and know what you like, ordering on-demand would arguably be preferable. In contrast, food packages offer unlimited dining across four specialty restaurants, though dining in the main hall remains a splendid alternative.
My main concern was pre-booking complementary on-board activities early, which for Quantum of the Seas came down to two – the artsy Two70 production of Starwater which never appeared to book out, and the escape room, ‘The Royal Society of Puzzles’ which looked interesting, but pre-sold out seemingly immediately upon being made available, with no additional spots made available post-booking. A few more activities such as laser tag and roller skating became available to book throughout the cruise and felt a bit more fair-game, but otherwise, if you had booked your cruise later, then you would never have had an opportunity to experience something that was a unique advertised aspect of the ship.
One thing I believe catches many out is that this is your only opportunity to book things in Australian Dollars (AUD), with all purchases on the ship, even before you have sailed out of the dock, being priced in United States Dollars (USD). Given the complexities of the exchange rate and calculating it on the fly, coupled with the pre-cruise sales you will get sent every couple of weeks (If ever possible, their Black Friday Sales are pretty sweet), pre-booking where possible is the best option in my opinion.
The Port of Brisbane International Cruise Terminal
While it may not boast the same picturesque views as Sydney’s Circular Quay, the relatively new Port of Brisbane International Cruise Terminal suits the needs of cruisers perfectly, with ample parking, a sizable taxi/ride-share rink, a self-explanatory check-in process and what appears to be enough room for a much larger cruise ship, such as some of Royal Caribbean’s newer flagships, to potentially call Brisbane home in the future (*hint* *hint* anyone from Royal Caribbean reading this).
There were a few downsides, most being out of Royal Caribbean’s circle of influence, but still somewhat souring the start of the cruising experience. Outside of the typical chaos involved with having hundreds of people descending upon the cruise terminal at the same time, security screenings took a bit longer than I would have liked. However, I will counteract that by saying that everyone working us through the check-in process, from the greeter to the one who properly checked us in, and the security team themselves were all incredibly friendly and helpful. More annoyingly, is that despite being located reasonably close to public transportation, getting an Uber from Eagle Function Station to the International Cruise Terminal cost me just shy of $50, for a distance I would typically expect to pay half the price for.
Welcome to Quantum of the Seas
Finally! Its 6 December 2023. I had just that day prior finished work for the year and am more than ready to get off the grid and completely relax. At this point I had paid for the Uber, gone through the check-in process and finally taken my first step onto the ship. So… what now? A huge improvement thanks to COVID-19 is that Royal Caribbean has been able to refine its safety demonstration process to a series of must-watch online videos and a trip to the muster station. What was once putting a stop to festivities for half an hour as everyone crowded around the ship’s venue for a live demonstration, now was just a stop off at your assigned muster station, a digital confirmation that you watched the required material and bing-bang-boom, done in 3 minutes. This is how it should be done, and I hope this is the standard that all cruise lines adopt from this point onwards.
So for real… what now? Royal Caribbean’s Quantum class of ships fits a comfortable medium, striking a balance between the needs of the family traveller, the young adult traveller and the mature-aged traveller, removing some typical staples and adding some innovations which in my opinion make the ship a much better all-around offering than one might typically expect. Some cruise ship staples such as the water slides and multiple pools are not present and instead are replaced by the likes of a large adults-only Solarium, a two-storey indoor sports complex known as the ‘Seaplex’ which can switch between being a basketball court and a small but very much workable laser skirmish arena very quickly, and many specialty activities including an indoor skydiving simulator (Ripcord by iFly), three side-by-side rock climbing walls and the FlowRider Surfing Simulator – all of which when active were consistently used by cruisers – while at the same time always seeming to have good enough capacity during their complimentary sessions.
Unfortunately, one of the prominent appendages of the ship, the North Star, essentially a crane that lifts a small group of people up above the ship to give them 360-degree views of the ship, port and/or ocean, was down as of our cruise and seemingly may be out for the entirety of the 2023-2024 Australian season.
The ship is big, offering 2,094 staterooms (approximately 3/4’s of which offer balcony viewers overlooking the water), with the capacity to hold 4,905 guests at a maximum (and approximately 1,500 crew) – which sounds like a lot, and on paper it is. However with 14 guest decks featuring a range of differing amenities, bars, restaurants and more – even during major events such as the Sailaway Party around the main pool, it never felt claustrophobic or squishy by any means.
The Deluxe-Balcony Stateroom
I heard this expression so many times while travelling last week… “It doesn’t matter what room you have, you only need to go there to sleep”. While I would be inclined to agree with that expression in many ways, I would also argue that deciding to book a Deluxe Balcony stateroom was a wise decision on my part and can highly recommend it for anyone looking to splash that little bit of extra cash. The rooms are clean and cozy, but also for those travelling as part of a group of more than two, cramped. Opting to go for a Balcony, or even a Deluxe Balcony as I did, came in handy on so many occasions, from getting to enjoy the sail away from the comforts of your own private quarters, to enjoying a quiet breakfast looking over the seas, to a particular luxury of tendering in Sydney, where we got to enjoy some picturesque views of the city – while I was trying my fourth different flavoured virgin Daiquiri to see if it would become my new favourite mocktail (Fun fact: Strawberry won out in the end).
The room I was in featured a ‘Royal King’ sized bed in addition to a fold-out bed which doubled as a couch for the third and fourth guests in a room. Regarding the main bed, these are typically configured together automatically, with it being possible to split them into two single beds by informing the cruise line in advance or contacting your stateroom attendant. The rooms also came with a small but serviceable bathroom with a sink, toilet and stand-up shower for one, there were ample electrical sockets that were a mix of traditional USB, US and EU charging ports – so bring your adapters. Sadly, as with most cruise lines, this ship being in Australia for half the year still doesn’t warrant Australian electrical sockets being added.
On the note of our stateroom attendant, Huang on Deck 12, he was a warm and approachable individual who greeted us almost the moment we got into our room, left us some amazing towel animals, and got his tasks done quickly and effectively – I couldn’t have asked for better service from him. Because we were travelling for a family member’s birthday, small touches by our housekeeping team and the Quantum of the Seas team helped make the special occasion just that little something extra special.
Restaurants and Bars
From the included dining options to the specialty offerings for those looking for something a little extra fancy, it is pretty much impossible to go hungry on the Quantum of the Seas. While I was unable to visit every restaurant and specialty option during my six-night cruise, from what I experienced the quality was exceptional, and as I had hoped, was a fabulous opportunity to try foods I might never have been able to experience.
The Main Dining Room
An institution on virtually every cruise ship, Quantum of the Seas does its main dining room a little bit differently. Instead of having one large room in which everyone dines, the aft of the ship on Decks 3 and 4 is home to four separate restaurants which you are randomly assigned – American Icon Grill, Chic, Grande and Silk. While these were purportedly four separate main dining restaurants in the early days of the ship, they now all offer the same menu and are merely different scenery which may or may not change based on where you are randomly assigned in subsequent cruises. We were located in the Asian-themed main dining room Silk and ate from different themed menus on five of the six nights (the other, was dedicated to our specialty restaurant booking for the cruise). Examples of the menus we enjoyed, from ‘Welcome Aboard’ to ‘A Taste of Asia’ to ‘The Royal Night’ can be found below. Sadly, none of these nights had the free lobster tail I heard so much about on other cruising sites.:
While I have heard mixed reception about the new dining room menu items, and there were a couple of misses at least according to my taste palette, the food in the Main Dining Room proved to be of a good standard, with my only critique being that they could have added a couple more unique items to each menu – as there were a few familiar faces such as the Caesar Salad, Escargot and Grilled Chicken Breast which, while the latter was very delicious and clearly there as an option for more picky eaters – would have been nice to see them adapted a bit more so they still instilled the theme of the night in some way. The highlight? Easily the braised lamb on the final night. Despite what I just said, probably for the best they reserve that for the last evening, as I would have ordered it every night otherwise…
Scroll down to see a few photos of what the chefs of Quantum of the Seas plated up for us across the six nights:
Personal preference of course, but Royal Caribbean offers both set-time dining and My Time Dining – dine at a set time every night or line up every night and dine at a time of your choice. Personally, I think set-time dining is the better option, purely for being able to enjoy the same table each night and, in turn, getting to know your head waiter and assistant waiter. At table 463 my family was served by Harry and Jaka, exemplary staff who got to know me and my family well, and who I felt comfortable asking for recommendations, and it was genuinely sad bidding farewell to them on the final night. If you guys ever read this, thank you for taking such good care of us!
The Windjammer Buffet
The buffet is an institution of every Cruise Ship, and the Windjammer Buffet is the Royal Caribbean’s main buffet brand which takes up a full section of Deck 14. Even if you are a bit of a scrooge around eating at a buffet, and I get’cha on that, there is very likely something you can find at The Windjammer Buffet. I typically dined here for breakfast and a couple of times for lunch, and after the customary washy-washy which the staff take to the next level (Maybe it is because you don’t want to disappoint the staff that you didn’t wash your hands properly?), you are offered a good selection of food, from omelettes made on-demand at breakfast time, to a carvery station to some delectable but reasonably sized pastries and other desserts that you don’t feel too guilty for filling up your plate with such delectable morsels…. after all… they are only tiny morsels of deliciousness… Turnaround times were also pretty good, so if there was a tray of something you were craving missing, typically by the time you had done a loop of the buffet, a new tray of what you were looking for was available to choose from.
The easy highlight of The Windjammer was its selection of fruit, especially the fresh cuts of pineapple and watermelon that were juicy, flavoursome and at peak ripeness. Even when I didn’t feel up to having a proper lunch, I would typically make a daily pilgrimage up to the Windjammer to nab a fruit plate, as yes, the fruit was just. so. damn. good. With this being the ‘buffet’, there is a bit more chaos than other dining venues, from children running about to a few folks cutting in line, but with almost a 180-degree view of the ship, getting a window seat offered some amazing vistas during our tender in Sydney.
While I never dined here for dinner proper, each evening has a particular themed night which may or may not align with what was offered in the main dining room. I did make an effort to come up here during the ‘A Taste of Asia’ night for its more limited themed ‘Taste of China’ night and found a mix of traditional buffet dinner fare and a few specialty offerings, including some delicious soup that I may have had two portions offer despite the already filling dinner…
Chops Grille
Cruising on a bit more of a budget than my previous 2019 cruise, I opted to forgo the Unlimited Dining Package. But with birthday celebrations taking place during the cruise, we opted to go with arguably my favourite specialty dining restaurant on-board, Chops Grille. Another establishment across many Royal Caribbean ships, this is a steak house offering fine cuts of meat, some tantalizing soups and desserts, and easily my favourite entrée of any offered on-board – Grilled Black Pepper Bacon which I can highly recommend to anyone ever dining at this restaurant.
While I felt comfortable wearing my normal clothes, Chops Grille is much more upmarket than anywhere else on the ship, so expect to be surrounded by folks wearing suits and looking their best. Service was also exceptional and prompt, although perhaps a bit more discreet than one would expect in the main dining room. While I had already picked out the items in each course I wished to dine, the waiter we were assigned took us through the entire menu, and even enabled an ad-hoc chuckling and delightful conversation between us and the table directly next to us. A fine and pleasant evening all around, with all five courses (Bread, Appetizer, Soup or Salad, Main and Dessert all being top-notch. You can see photos of all menu items I ordered below, including the Chops Grille Baked Bread, Grilled Black Pepper Bacon, Wild Mushroom Soup, Prime Bone-in Ribeye and Chocolate Cake. All of which was amazing. My advice… skip lunch on that day.
Other Specialty Dining Offerings
While I won’t go into too much detail about the other specialty dining offerings on this cruise ship as I didn’t dine at any others, I have dined at them all on the Ovation of the Seas, and a quick summary of my thoughts on each (based on 2019 experiences are below)
Wonderland: Not for those who would consider themselves “picky eaters”, Wonderland focuses on “imaginative” cuisine with science-driven and creative-inspired ways of presenting dishes – initially in small portions as you travel through ‘Sun’ and ‘Ice’, before finally dining in your choice of poultry or seafood themed dish. I loved it, but my pickier dining counterparts barely touched anything but their main. Their desserts, on the other hand, are delicious and totally next level!
Izumi Sushi: A sushi restaurant that offers a range of Japanese dishes. Unfortunately, it seems like they have since scaled back their menu to focus more on sushi and simpler Japanese dishes, their Tonkotsu Ramen in particular being one that I hope they will bring back – as it was downright delicious.
Jamie’s Italian: It seems like many Royal Caribbean ships go with either Giovanni’s Table or Jamie’s Italian, with Quantum of the Seas going with the latter. It is a really nice dining experience which, obviously given its name, is heavily aligned with Italian dishes. I remember being very impressed with the freshness and flavour of my meal there in 2019, and honestly, who can say no to some good ol’ garlic bread?
Special Mention: The Noodle Shop
One of the unique differentiators between Quantum of the Seas and its sister ship, Ovation of the Seas, is its pool deck extra-cost restaurant, with Quantum offering a noodle shop. I don’t like spicy food, but on a whim, I purchased a couple of chicken satay skewers (and a chocolate chip cookie to make up for my loss should I dislike it), I was surprised how flavoursome and mild they were, with a sweet dipping sauce which complemented the chicken well. I ended up dining there for a quick snack three times during the cruise. It is a shame that most people seemed to skip over this restaurant, as even for the minuscule extra cost, I thought it was worth it.
Other Dining Options
The other more specific dining options on Quantum of the Seas include Sorrento’s Pizza, Cafe Promenade, the coffee shop La Patisserie (Branded as a Starbucks outside of Australia) and the Seaplex Dog House. Outside of a Day 1 pizza run to Sorrento’s Pizza (pretty good cheese pizza) and a Day 5 chocolate éclair fix (delicious but a bit “too much”), I never really found myself needing to eat outside the designated meal times. This is probably something I took away from my last cruise with Royal Caribbean where I focused exclusively on specialty dining… it is far too easy to overeat from all the options.
Room Service
I want to preface this by saying that I ordered room service on the second last night because I ended up in a Diabetic Hypoglycemic episode. While I had some Jelly Beans which I had brought with me, not expecting to be devoid of food options, I had gone without any other food in my stateroom. So, I called for room service at 1.30 am in the morning and was told there would be an approximately 60-minute wait.
Kind of dead to the world at the time, I still ended up ordering the food and haphazardly explained my predicament… what seemed like 10-15 minutes later they arrived with the Royal Burger and a Chocolate Cake. Fun fact about hypoglycemia… all food tends to taste mouth-watering delicious when experiencing it. So let’s just say that was one of the nicest and most delicious meals I had all cruise!
In all seriousness though, if something was done to push through my order a little quicker as I was experiencing the episode, I sincerely appreciate it!
Bars
I am not the best equipped to speak about the quality of the drinks served at the bars, as I don’t drink alcohol and am therefore limited to non-alcoholic beverages. From my perspective, here were my takeaways:
1. Strawberry Daiquiris from virtually any bar on the ship were amazing. In general, the other mocktails I knew about and ordered were good. However, I would love to have seen some of the bars offer mocktail-specific menus, providing a proper list of recommended beverages designed to take the lack of alcohol into account. Otherwise, I recommend doing some planning before you cruise, so you know what beverages you might like to try using a drinks package.
2. I tried to find a solid Virgin Mudslide, and given that the bars made it with ice instead of ice cream, none of them were particularly fantastic. The best however was at Boleros, worst was on the pool deck, with some apprehension about making it in some of the other Deck 3-5 bars. Bring back the ice cream drinks, at least in a bar or two!
3. The Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice in the morning is delicious and refreshing, but can sometimes be a bit too pulpy if you don’t like that. The standard orange juice is downright delicious, and I found myself ordering it almost every night for dinner.
4. While there are four Freestyle Soft Drink Machines on the ship, two in the pizzeria and two in the SeaPlex, I would recommend forgoing the cups and instead requesting cans of soft drinks where available (FYI – this is a coca cola ship). So much nicer at times than the post-mix you can sometimes get, especially compared to the Freestyle Soft Drink machines late at night.
5. Ask for recommendations, if a bar isn’t crowded then I found the staff tended to be more than helpful if you had something in mind.
6. The bionic bar is an interesting gimmick for sure, and definitely check it out for a couple of drinks, but typically it will be faster getting your drinks made by an actual person. Plus it does seem to break down on occasion.
Events and Shows
The Cruise Director can greatly define the experiences that those on the cruise ship will enjoy, and on this cruise, the role was filled by John Grantham, who from his meme-worthy quotes in the theatre every night to in-depth morning shows over the television to clear love of 70s era entertainment ultimately delivered a program of events that was fresh and insightful alongside his team of entertainment specialists. Of particular note around him specifically, is his background as a stuntman in Hollywood, which he discussed in-depth during a dedicated session in the Two70 lounge – a session that was unfortunately somewhat ruined by folks spotting dolphins and finding them more interesting. But thankfully he stuck around for photos and provided some amazing 1:1 responses to questions from those who had assembled.
There were three main shows on board, two of which took place in the Royal Theatre and another show that took place in the Two70 lounge and showcased the technological innovation that goes into that space. The shows are more music-driven than story-driven, and a bit more artsy which may or may not appeal to some – unfortunately we don’t get the Broadway-style musicals that are performed on some of Royal Caribbean’s US ships. But, easily my favourite show was Sonic Odyssey, for which it was that specific cast’s Closing Night, and you could definitely tell they were going out with one massive finale. Great cast, great music and great performances all around. On the other hand, maybe because it was the second night of the cruise and we were all tired, but couldn’t get into Sequins & Feathers, although I can appreciate its choreography, stagecraft and abilities of its performers. I feel this is a show that could use more of a running verbal narrative. Same for Starwater, in which you can appreciate the technological ingenuity and ability of the cast that went into it, but it just drags on a bit too long. Would definitely see Sonic Odyssey again, but would personally be open to different shows being on offer next cruise.
Guest performers are par for the course with cruising, and Quantum of the Seas brought aboard three performers – a comedian, an illusionist and a Freddie Mercury impersonator who performed two different shows on separate evenings. While none were say, household names as you might expect, all of them were talented in what they did and were great showmen who worked the crowd, especially the illusionist who gave off a first impression that this would be a run-of-the-mill show, but by the end was, among the group, one of our favourites. Also, just saying, the Quantum of the Seas house band is pretty good!
On the note of the Royal Theatre where many of these events take place, it’s a nice venue overall, technology-rich and is the perfect side for the calibre of shows they put on. However, while the stalls seating is pretty much perfect, sightlines are a major issue when sitting in the balcony. If a show you are seeing has a second, later session and all you have left in the first session are side balcony seats, I will recommend waiting. Sometimes you can get away with it, but with variables such as other people and the layout of the production, you can easily be left unable to see anything.
Quantum of the Seas is big on theme nights, and while some will typically just be about the fashion choice, from Hawaiian night to ‘Dress-to-Impress’ night, the ship’s 70s night was probably the highlight of the whole cruise. Even though we were sans 70s attire, the night culminated in 70s disco dancing lessons by the activities team to a selection of songs such as Boogie Wonderland and YMCA, followed by the Disco Inferno dance party, a solid hour of hit songs of the era, dancing, the Cruise Director on the stage dancing the whole night, and showcasing they could have used a venue with double the capacity to get everyone on the dance floor. Given this was the evening we ate a 4-course meal at Chops Grille, I felt like I had burned some of those gained calories even not on the main dance floor, and had a ripper of a time doing so.
There was a good amount of activities available via the Cruise Planner and Cruise Compass, from different sporting and collaborative events in the SeaPlex to quizzes in the music hall and schooner lounge, sing-alongs, game shows, the all-important bingo, art events, poolside activities and much more. Honestly, my advice is to pick what you want to do in advance but keep in mind that some activities will vanish, get rescheduled or get added throughout the cruise, and also that it can be stressful keeping to a rigorous itinerary. Early on I sort of just ignored the pings from my phone about what I had scheduled, and favoured doing those must-dos, and then just going with the flow.
Quizzes were one of the big things I found myself doing to take a reprieve from the heat upstairs, and I found that those major quizzes that made it to Two70 or even the Schooner Lounge were typically much better run than the ones in the Music Hall. I should preface this by saying that the quiz hosts did their best with what they were working with, and kept the room engaged, but some of the quiz slides they were working with are well overdue for a refresh, or a complete redesign. Additionally, a lot of the Music Hall quizzes drew in large crowds that the downstairs section of the venue struggled to accommodate, particularly with some groups staying put most of the day. Not an easy problem to solve, but moving a few more of those big-draw quizzes such as Wizarding World to Two70 might be a solid option. Another particular highlight I only caught in passing was the Abba Sing-Along in the Schooner Bar on what I think was the second last evening. I am adding more of those sorts of events to my itinerary next time.
One surprising omission from the calendar, which I originally thought might have just been the mistake, was the lack of a proper farewell party. There were certainly events going on throughout the ship, but I would have thought there would be some big fanfare about celebrating the memories made and coming together as a ship to celebrate… or mourn our departure that following morning.
Now sure, we were heading into Sydney during one of its major summer heatwaves for the year with temperatures well above 40, but that doesn’t mean that there wasn’t activity taking place on-ship throughout the cruise. From water aerobics and swimming to the running track to enjoying an early-morning spa in the otherwise almost empty surrounds of the Solarium – there are many of the typical staples of cruising to keep oneself fit and healthy after sneaking an extra slice of pizza or second dessert the night before. However many of Quantum of the Seas’ unique points of difference are within this space, starting with the SeaPlex. This two-deck sporting complex comprises of a large arena on the first floor, followed by multiple dedicated breakout spaces offering the likes of Xbox Gaming (Interestingly with Fortnite being prevalent on the screens), Table Tennis, Air Hockey and a range of other activities for those of all ages.
Now I am not the sportiest of people, that should come as not much of a shock to anyone, but despite this, I found several unique opportunities to engage with the Seaplex throughout the last few days in particular, albeit with a few caveats. I found myself trying Roller-Skating which was something added onto the Royal App a couple of nights into the cruise almost suddenly, and seemingly booked out pretty quickly, and also returning on the second last evening to dive into their themed laser skirmish challenge which was also a real hoot, and particularly nostalgic since they used the same guns that Gold Coast’s DreamWorld previously used when they did their multi-year stint of offering laser skirmish to park-goers (I was a little bit addicted to it). The events were run well, and their staff were friendly and helpful, especially regarding the roller-skating where I fell a few too many times, but it was here I felt there were missed opportunities, namely:
1. They did it with Pickleball, but I feel if they are going to offer opportunities like roller skating where a lot of newcomers are going to give it a try, I think there is a case to offer beginner classes for a fee so the staff don’t end up going into free-ride and mixing beginners with those who can skate.
2. The booking and reservation system seemed a bit haphazard, I feel like they should make it clearer if and when bookable activities are being made available via the Royal App, so people can book in first-in best-dressed, and mitigating people turning up randomly in hopes of getting a spot, only to be let down because the event is at capacity.
Of course, on top of all that you have the rock climbing walls, FlowRider and iFly, none of which I did on this cruise so I cannot attest to the experience, but having done iFly back in 2019, it is most certainly an experience that I suggest everyone who can, give it a try at least once during the numerous free experience opportunities during the cruise.
All-Access Behind-the-Scenes Tour
As a bit of an impulse buy, on the first day of our cruising, I purchased an all-access behind-the-scenes tour on the final day of cruising, granting a small group of 12 people a tour of the behind-the-scenes areas that keeps the Quantum of the Seas going every minute of every day pretty much all year. With the obvious exception of the personal crew quarters, and only a few no-photography zones (again, all of which were understandable), the tour took my group into some fascinating “backstage” areas of the ship including the galley, procurement, waste disposal, the engine control room, the giant Deck 0 laundry rooms and onto the bridge. A sad exception was the backstage of the Royal Theatre, as it was being used by the brand new cast of Sonic Odyssey who would be commencing on the cruise currently underway on Quantum of the Seas.
Our tour guide was very knowledgeable about everything we saw, and we got to meet and hear presentations from some of those who make “the magic happen”, with the lecture given in the Engine Control Room being an easy highlight. Arguably the one disappointment was that our tour seemed to conflict with a Captain’s conversation event in Two70 at the same time, and felt we were a little bit second fiddle on the all-important stop at the bridge. But again, our tour guide bridged that gap and gave us a comprehensive look at one of the two stations located on each side of the bridge.
Coming at somewhere between two and a half and three hours in length, we certainly got our money’s worth in my opinion. Just to flag a few things that came up when originally researching the tour online on our first day:
1. Outside of a (rather nice) lanyard, there were no gifts given out.
2. There are indeed some tight and narrow stairways that you need to navigate, but I didn’t feel that the tour was too physically intensive – at least the one I went on – making use of lifts where possible. However, I would emphasise that non-slip footwear is beneficial when wandering the galley.
3. Earpieces are provided so you can hear the tour guide at all times. They are the over-the-ear type, which means if you have big ears like me, they can start to hurt or get uncomfortable, and by the end of the run a couple of us were struggling a bit. Be prepared to switch ears every so often..
Was this tour worth it? It was a fascinating and in-depth look at some of the working parts that make the Quantum of the Seas tick and something I could recommend if you have the extra money to do so (although it is on the pricey side). Would I do it again? Probably not, but were another cruise ship come to Brisbane waters, most certainly.
Relaxation and Where Royal Caribbean Sits Among Australia’s Cruise Offerings
I can review this cruise for various elements and factors, and there are sites out there that will do that. For me, however, at the end of the day, it all comes down to whether the reason you booked the cruise has been met. For me, it has been a strenuous year, including coming off the medications and kicking work goals that have been in the works for years. I booked this cruise knowing much of this was going to be the case, and I wanted to just be able to get out to see, get well rested and be able to enter the Christmas season and ultimately the new year ready to kick goals once more. Did I manage to accomplish this? I think so, although next time I would be aiming for a longer trip…
Especially with the likes of Disney Cruises and Virgin Cruises both entering the market this year, which granted I have not travelled on, where does Quantum of the Seas and Royal Caribbean as a whole stand within the more crowded Australian market than 12 months ago? As mentioned much earlier in this extended review, it stands as a sort of comfortable middle ground, for those diverse groups that are looking for a bit of both relaxation and adventure, for quality but nothing overly formal, for someone who wants to jump in and enjoy the teething pains that all ships would understandably have at first, and I think most importantly, it is a ship that younger and older guests alike can both come aboard and find something of interest for them to do.
Will it suit everyone? Probably not. Every person would have their likes, dislikes and experiences in mind when choosing a cruise ship, but on this occasion, I went aboard seeking relaxation, and relaxation I certainly got.
A Few Final Thoughts and Notes
1. Again, I would like to acknowledge the many small touches that our room attendant Huang and our main dining room waiters Harry and Jaka did to make our stay extra special, especially given the special occasion we were enjoying while on board.
2. Probably one of the bigger letdowns of the cruise was the wi-fi connectivity, with with regards to the VOOM Package we purchased that was almost impossible to use whilst in our stateroom due to constant disconnecting, and using it to connect to the Royal App on my phone, for which I spent a day and a half with no events listed in my calendar – including those I had booked.
3. As alluded to above, this was meant to be a 6-night Cairns Cruise departing from Brisbane and going to Airlie Beach (Day 3) and Cairns (Day 4). Instead, the cyclone solution was to redirect us to Sydney for an overnight stay with tenders to shore offered during both days. It was a bit patchy during the evening of Day 3 where water conditions meant they might be unable to offer tenders back to the ship safely, but fortunately, this didn’t eventuate, although it meant I cancelled my plans to see Wicked at the Sydney Lyric Theatre that evening – lest I become trapped on land overnight. Some cruisers were more annoyed about this than others, but ultimately, it is understandable that the safety of passengers and the vessel is first and foremost the priority… although can also appreciate being miffed if your holiday was a cruise back home to Sydney.
4. Despite being an introvert, I had the pleasure of meeting and speaking with several people during the trip, particularly around the cameras I carried with me. While you won’t know if it was me you were talking to, for those that I did, thanks for being a bright point of the trip!
5. Thank you for reading this review, it is the first review of this scale I have ever done! While it has nothing to compare against on TOS at the moment, I would love to eventually get reviews out on the new Disney and Virgin offerings, and keep the content fresh wherever possible. Of course, it is a bit challenging to do more than one cruise a year given my work schedule and budget, but let’s see what happens. This is also the start of the new The Stage (Life Experiences) section on The Otaku’s Study which will commence rolling out in Early 2024, with another review based on an experience I had in Sydney to go live soon.
6. Everything covered in this review was paid for and arranged by me, with no financial inducements or perks offered by Royal Caribbean to publish this review. This is me discussing my thoughts on my summer holiday at sea.
For more information on how to book cruises with Royal Caribbean, visit their official website.
All imagery in this article is © The Otaku’s Study
