Day 2 – Cruising the Atlantic Ocean

A Quantum Day at Sea

Aaron Saunders, reporting for Avid Cruiser

November 13, 2014

My first full day aboard Royal Caribbean’s new Quantum of the Seas was jam-packed with activities. There was so much to see and do aboard the massive new ship and, with the clock ticking down, I armed myself with a deck plan and set out to cram as much as I possibly could into my day.

As it turns out, I managed to do a lot. I explored nearly every nook and cranny, walked every deck and climbed every staircase. Over the course of 15 hours of activities, both scheduled and unscheduled, I ended up with more than 600 photographs to sort through – yet I still barely scratched the surface.

Because there is so much to talk about when it comes to Quantum of the Seas, I’m going to begin with a broad overview of some of the public spaces and technological features of the ship today and then delve into more in-depth articles on the ship’s technological achievements and dining options later this week.

What truly surprised me was that many of the most heavily promoted features of Quantum of the Seas were really only well-designed footnotes. What I mean by that is that as a ship Quantum of the Seas would have been a winner without the SeaPlex. Or the Bionic Bar. Or perhaps even the RipCord by iFly. These things are cool, but you’ll probably only do them once during your voyage, tick it off your list, and move on.

More significant than the gee-whiz features is how well she’s designed. Quantum of the Seas isn’t a direct evolution of the Voyager and Freedom class; she’s a radically different vessel. She shares more similarities with Celebrity Cruises’ Solstice-Class than she does with her Royal Caribbean predecessors. This was particularly apparent as I walked along the forward section of Deck 4, which featured ceilings that extended to Deck 5 and windows that filled the promenade with natural light. It was a far more elegant ship than Royal Caribbean has built in the past, with the possible exception of the still-gorgeous Radiance Class.

Quantum of the Seas also does a number of things differently. For example, as on Oasis and Allure of the Seas, you won’t find lifejackets in your stateroom closets. Standard-issue on nearly every cruise ship, the thought was that it makes more sense to provide lifejackets at your muster stations. In the event of an emergency, you would be heading to your muster station anyway.

The Bionic Bar, Enhanced Internet & Smart Apps

At a press conference held in the Music Hall, Royal Caribbean’s Executive Vice President of Operations, Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, revealed that the Bionic Bar was an idea that only came to fruition this past April. Royal Caribbean execs had seen a robot demoed at a technology conference in Las Vegas, discussed the concept, then flew to Italy to meet with the manufacturer. Fast-forward six months and the two robots were installed in their new home in the Bionic Bar. Featuring a DJ at nights, the Bar works far better than I had expected with regard to how well it fits with the flow and design of the ship.

I liked and appreciated the frankness with which Lutoff-Perlo, Chairman Richard D. Fain, and Executive Vice President, Marine, Harri Kulovarra spoke with journalists. When asked about the inclusion of wi-fi onboard and why it was so critical to offer enhanced connectivity, Fain drew a parallel to ATM machines. Twenty or thirty years ago, they were scarce, he said. If you wanted to get cash out, you had to go to your bank. Of course, nowadays we couldn’t live without an ATM. Fain views shipboard enhanced internet connectivity in that same light: something we’re finding we can’t live without.

I have to admit that the Royal iQ app was handy for making reservations without having to queue up. In that respect, it’s a home-run. The downside, though, was that I was clipped by four people who were walking down the corridor, staring like zombies at their iPhones. I’ve never had that happen on a cruise ship before. Yet, I still caught myself checking my email – and more often than not, I had fun posting photos of my journey to Twitter. Maybe that’s a good way for people to share their vacations? Time will tell.

A Walk Around Quantum Of The Seas

One of the best uses of technology onboard has to be in Quantum of the Seas’ dining venues: waiters all used handheld Windows tablets to place orders, which were transmitted digitally to the galley. Moreover, these handheld tablets tracked guests’ allergies and dietary needs across all venues. As someone who’s allergic to all nuts, that feature alone was worth its weight in gold – and could possibly save someone’s life. At each venue I went to, my nut allergy was treated with the utmost respect and each dish came out with the phrase “no nuts” attached to it. For those without allergies this may seem like overkill, but for someone with allergies – particularly severe ones – it gives them what they need most: peace of mind. Stunning use of technology.

I would have loved to have heard more from Kulovarra, who has been a driving force for the design and features of Royal Caribbean’s ships since he joined the company in 1995. Before he came to Royal Caribbean, Kulovarra was Executive Vice President & COO for Silja Line, one of Scandinavia’s largest cruiseferry operators. If you ever get to sail aboard Silja Serenade, you’ll get to see an early example of the Royal Promenade (and the Royal Esplanade) – Harri Kulovarra designed a horizontal, multi-deck interior promenade space for Silja back in the late 1980s.

So, without further ado, let’s have a walk around Quantum of the Seas:

Of course, these photos barely scratch the surface of what Quantum of the Seas has to offer. In my next post, I’ll explore her multitude of dining options in-depth, and the following day look to learn more about her technical and engineering spaces and explore why some of the ship’s smartest features will never be seen by her passengers.

I came to New York two days ago to experience Quantum of the Seas – to make my mind up about a ship that I just didn’t know if I would appreciate. I didn’t see the point to having a robotic bar, or bumper cars, or the ability to play Xbox. Out of all the buzz surrounding Quantum of the Seas’ most talk-about features, there’s one message that I feel got lost in the shuffle: These features are only the icing on the cake.

At her heart, Quantum of the Seas typifies the new Royal Caribbean. It’s cruising, evolved.

The full report, both here and onboard:

Quantum of the Seas Preview