Video: Royal Caribbean naming ceremony celebrates historic maritime tradition
In:Quantum of the Seas' naming ceremony featured godmother Kristin Chenoweth and rth Harp musician, William Close.
Quantum of the Seas' naming ceremony featured godmother Kristin Chenoweth and rth Harp musician, William Close.
Royal Caribbean revealed prices for its new Wi-Fi aboard Quantum of the Seas that promises to deliver the same kind of speed you would find on land.
On a recent 8-night sailing, cruiser Emily Schaffer took notice of the internet packages that were available.
The internet packages are broken down into three tiers for the duration of your cruise:
Here are the prices for this particular cruise:
Photos by Emily Schaffer
Royal Caribbean does offer discounts to Crown and Anchor Society members that are automatically applied to any package purchased.
The new internet speeds are made possible by a partnership with O3b, which have low-orbitting satellites that provide targeted internet directly at each ship, rathern than blanketing an area with access.
Royal Caribbean's brand new Quantum of the Seas is the home of celebrity chef Jamie Oliver's newest restaurant, Jamie's Italian.
From the restaurants signature planks of Italian antipasti to delicate handmade pasta, this new restaurant is a must try for foodies.
Royal Caribbean's Quantum of the Seas made her first visit ever to Nassau, Bahamas on Thanksgiving Day last week.
Photo by The Bahamas Weekly
To commemorate the occasion, a special ceremony was held on the ship.
Director General of Tourism Joy Jibrilu commented on the long history between The Bahamas and Royal Caribbea, "Royal Caribbean has been docking out shores for 44 years, beginning in 1970 with the Song of Norway just six years following the establishment of Tourism as the primary industry for economic development within The Bahamas."
“As time progressed, The Bahamas became the model and leader in the Western Hemisphere, and Royal Caribbean has stayed with us throughout these years. Our Tourism sector has grown by leaps and bounds and similarly, so have you – your first ship, the Song of Norway at 18,000 tons in 1970 and now the Quantum of the Seas weighing in at 169,000 tons, a mere increase of 151,000 tons."
"The expanse and the vested interest Royal Caribbean has maintained in The Bahamas assures that Royal Caribbean has its place in The Bahamas Tourism archives and we are happy that you are our friend and partner."
The ship’s master Captain Srecko Ban said officials of the ship are very proud to bring the unique to Nassau.
“We thank you for your great hospitality,” he said. “We will be coming to your fine port throughout the winter until May. We look forward to a successful partnership in the future,” he said.
Royal Caribbean's Quantum of the Seas made her first visit to Port Canaveral today as part of its Bahamas cruise.
The ship arrived early this morning and will leave Cape Canaveral at 10pm.
Many thanks to blog reader Mike Eads for providing these photos.
One of Royal Caribbean's biggest competitors is Carnival Cruise Line and they recently kicked off a multi-brand promotion that is taking aim at Royal Caribbean.
Carnival is asking its web site visitors to view some new TV commercials, one of which is entitled, "No Robots", where the video talks about how robots aren't something you want on your cruise vacation.
The robots on a cruise they the ad alludes to is a pretty clear reference to Quantum of the Seas, which recently launched with a number of new innovations, including robot bartenders and robot screens.
If you're going on Royal Caribbean's Quantum of the Seas, there's a lot to see and do.
We found our list of the best hidden secrets that can be easily overlooked on Quantum of the Seas.
I love eating on a Royal Caribbean cruise and I'd be remiss if I did not mention a Royal Caribbean classic food, the roast beef sandwich.
The roast beef sandwich originated in Park Cafe on Oasis of the Seas and has spread to other ships too. On Quantum of the Seas, you can get a Roast Beef sandwich from Cafe @ Two70 and it's well worth your time. And it's free!
Anyone can sit in a chair or bench in the amazing new Two70 but swings are where it's at!
Off on the side of Two70, you can find these special little swings where you can sit, rock, and enjoy the view or a show. After you find the swing, no other form of sitting will suffice!
Quantum of the Seas features a lot of access to seeing the ocean from all over the ship, but by far the best place to see the ocean and the outside of Quantum of the Seas is found just outside the Solarium.
If you walk into the Solarium and then proceed all the way forward, you will find doors on opposite sides of the ship that offer small wings for guests to go outside and get unobstructed views of the ocean and even the ship herself. Great photo opportunities here!
Sometimes it's easy to forget Quantum of the Seas is a pretty tall ship in addition to being large in other respects. If you want a good reminder, check out the "glass floor" view.
Okay, it's not really made of glass (it's plastic) but this small panel allows you to look down about 10 decks to the Royal Esplanade. Bring your camera with you!
I'm no art critic but it's my understanding art is meant to evoke a reaction to the person looking at it and on Quantum of the Seas, there's a lot of art onboard. I really found the art in the stairways and elevators to really be interesting to see.
It's not to say the art is amazing or the best I've seen, but every time I found a new one, I would look at it to get the idea. Some are pretty, some have a message and some are just funny (don't miss the money with lipstick).
It's probably not surprising to find another food-related entry in this list, but if you tried one of the freshly baked cookies from the Windjammer, you'd know why it makes this list.
I'm probably not breaking any new ground by telling you freshly baked cookies taste really, really good. But I can't ever recall finding freshly baked cookies available on a Royal Caribbean ship. Until now!
In the breads section of the Windjammer, you will find crew members putting out their latest creations but you really need to ask them for some fresh cookies because they are absolutely amazing. Like beat your own grandmother to get one amazing.
At one point in my cruise, my friends asked, "Hey, did you see the muppets drawing stuff?" and I had no idea what they were talking about.
Located on Deck 5 near the Schooner Bar, are three screens that have characters that do bear a resemblance to Muppets and will draw things on the screen you're looking at, erase it, and then draw something else. It's pretty neat to watch even if I have no idea what the message is behind them.
Royal Caribbean says this is the first wave pool at sea and for kids (heck, I'm going in once the weather warms up) there's a fun time waiting for them up on the pool deck.
The wave pool is just another really cool aspect of this ship that you have to see. I know my daughter will never want to leave!
The first two times I walked by this display I didn't really pay much attention but when I saw people watching it and laughing, I stopped to check it out and I'm glad I did.
You'll find a large plastic yellow car on the wall with the driver's window and an LCD screen that shows a guy just driving around. What makes it amusing is what you will see as this guy drives. Elephants, dinosaurs, fish, chickens, sideways driving and more. There's always something happening in the background and it's worth a minute or two to catch it all.
If you're looking for the best place to relax on Quantum of the Seas, how about these chairs in the Solarium that are in the pool?
You know how it's great at the ocean to drag your chair to the edge of the ocean surf so you can stay cooled down but remain sitting? Royal Caribbean has done that with the pool and I can only imagine how tough it will be to grab one of these chairs on a regular cruise when the weather is warmer. I cannot think of a better place to sit back, have a drink, and enjoy the experience.
Buying something to commemorate your Royal Caribbean cruise is always a popular idea and with Quantum of the Seas, it's brand new to the fleet and Royal Caribbean is commemorating it's inaugural year with a line of merchandise available to purchase.
The merchandise listed here was available on our recent Quantum of the Seas cruise and we've heard the inaugural merchandise will be available for the first year the ship is in service (translation: you still have time to buy it).
Inaugural Season Quantum of the Seas shirt
Quantum of the Seas inaugural season tumbler
Quantum of the Seas long sleeve shirts. These aren't inaugural but they are a Royal Caribbean tradition.
Quantum of the Seas Inaugural Season t-shirt
Kids "I love Quantum of the Seas" shirt
Men's Quantum of the Seas "Cruising King" t-shirt
Women's Quantum of the Seas "Cruising Queen" t-shirt
I’m back from Royal Caribbean’s newest cruise ship, Quantum of the Seas, and there’s so much to talk about this week that I’ve invited a few friends who joined me on the cruise to come on the podcast this week to discuss our thoughts on everything we experienced on this amazing new ship. It’s our first-hand review of Quantum of the Seas and what parts of the ship are not to be missed.
Share with me your thoughts, questions and comments via...
If I may quote an under-appreciated Dutch eurodance group from the late 1990s, "We like, we like to party". If those lyrics strike a chord with you, then this blog post is for you.
Finding a good party on Royal Caribbean is something a lot of people look to do and hey, who doesn't want to have a good time while at sea?
Perhaps you want to meet someone special or just get your groove on (do people actually say that still?) and get down and the good news is, there are places on Quantum of the Seas to dance, sing and just plain party on this brand new cruise ship.
If you want to jump into a crowd of people and raise your hands into the air like you just don't care, then Music Hall is for you.
This hip spot features live music in the evenings to get things started and that gets a crowd in of itself. But after the band is done, the DJ comes out and then Music Hall really comes alive.
We've seen crowds on Royal Caribbean cruise ships before at various dance locations but Music Hall really gets the people going. So if you want to dance to your favorite dance hits, Music Hall is the place to go.
Honorable mention: Bionic Bar & SeaPlex
If you love great bar music and you even like joining in singing from time to time, then check out the Schooner Bar on Quantum of the Seas.
The Schooner Bar has been a staple of Royal Caribbean cruise ships for a while and on Quantum of the Seas, there's a prominent piano where live music is played and it always draws a good crowd.
Unlike the Music Hall, people are usually sitting at the tables, booths and the bar and it's calmer but there's still a great time to be had here. We loved hearing "Piano Man", "Sweet Caroline" and other classics and after a few drinks, who doesn't feel like singing along too?
Like the Schnooner Bar, Boleros has become a fan favorite on Royal Caribbean ships. This latin-themed lounge is the perfect place for a live band to play some toe-tapping tunes.
There's something about latin music that just appeals to everyone. Maybe it's the smooth melodies or the intoxicating will to dance but Boleros is always full and always a good spot for an evening drink while you enjoy the band play.
Yo amo Boleros!