I was recently invited to a "Seminar at Sea" hosted by Royal Caribbean onboard Quantum of the Seas.
What a beautiful ship she is, and so much space!
There were 9 travel agents representing their brands, together with 2 key account managers. We laughed a lot, learnt heaps, and shared many memorable experiences.
The Quantum class vessels are a multi-generational destination at sea. They are great for solo travellers, couples, friends, groups, events, seminars and families.
The Accommodation
My home for the next 8 days was an Oceanview cabin (11508) on deck 11 forward. In fact, it was so far forward I had an uninterrupted view through the huge window.
The cabin had everything you need for a comfortable stay at sea. The bathroom was quite spacious, as was the shower cubicle. There was plenty of hanging and shelf space in the 2 wardrobes, a safe for your valuables, a 3-seater lounge, a comfortable bed which your suitcase fitted under, plus tea/coffee making facilities and a desk.
 |  |  |  |
With very smooth seas for the entire sailing, I am pleased to say that I only ever felt the gentle sway of the ship. In heavier seas, I imagine anyone prone to motion sickness might be better off booking a mid-ship cabin.
In terms of cabin location, please be aware that most of the main dining venues are aft (at the back of the ship). If you have a forward cabin, you will certainly give your Fitbit a workout by the end of the cruise without even trying!
North Star Bar Sail Away Party
As with every sailing, the top deck was the place to be as the ship departed port. It was a lovely warm evening with a perfect sunset. I met the others at the North Star Bar for a couple of drinks and to get to know each other.
 |  |  |  |
Dining onboard Quantum of the Seas
Most nights we had our evening meal at the Main Restaurant. The restaurant is split over deck 3 and 4 aft. Our assigned table was in Chic Restaurant. We had the same wait staff each night, so they got to know our preferences and any special requirements. The menu changed each night, offering a wide range of entrées, main course and dessert. It was great to see that each round had a vegan option and that the wait staff were more than happy to vary an item on the menu to suit your needs (if possible). They were also careful to check for any allergies (e.g. nuts) and to seek advice from the chef when necessary.
The food was delicious. We often ordered a few extra dishes for the centre of the table so that we could all try different things. Below is my meal for the first night. I was certainly not left wanting more!
 Chic Restaurant |  Roasted Tomato Soup |  Southern Fried Chicken |  Key Lime Pie |
Breakfast is also served in the main dining room, along with other venues such as Windjammer, Café @ Two70, Café Promenade, Solarium Bistro & room service.
My favourite venue for breakfast & lunch was Café @ Two70. They made reasonable espresso coffee, offered a mix of pastries for breakfast and a great fresh salad bar for lunch. Two70 is a great space for sitting & watching the world go by from the back of the ship. It had floor-to-ceiling windows stretching over multiple levels. The venue is used for live dance classes, morning exercise routines, trivia, and other activities, so it can be a bit noisy at times.
Others chose dining venues such as the Solarium Bistro or Sorrento's Pizza for lunch.
Speciality Dining
There are a number of speciality restaurants onboard including Chop's Grille, Jamie's Italian Bistro, Izumi, Wonderland and Chef's Table. Each has a different 'cover charge' and should be pre-booked through the Royal Caribbean Cruise Planner App or via their website. We were disappointed not to be able to get into Jamie's Italian but did manage both Chop's Grille and Wonderland.
 Chop's Grille |  Izumi |  Jamie's Italian |  Wonderland |
Chop's Grille
Chop's Grille offers melt-in-the-mouth steaks, amazing Grilled Atlantic salmon, side dishes such as Mac & Cheese, Gruyere Cheese Tata tots, and scrumptious desserts. The chocolate cake was THE best mud/lava cake I have ever had. I'm sure Alex was upset she offered to share it with me at the time of ordering!
Chop's Grille Sample Menu
Jamie's Italian Sample Menu
Wonderland Sample Menu
Wonderland
For an amazing food journey, you can't go past Wonderland!
"Dishes are designed to tantalise your taste buds and present a visual feast. Find crispy crab cones topped with fluffy avocado mousse, gazpacho served with pepper spheres and bread foam, and dreamy desserts that will take your breath away."
Our shared entrées consisted of baby vegetables in the garden soil and pebbles, reconstructed Caprese salad with liquid olive, ricotta powder, and basil, a Mushroom risotto inverse sphere of wild mushrooms, white pearls of Parmesan and truffle oil, a crispy cone filled with a tomato salsa topped with avocado mousse and devilled eggs on a basket of fried noodles.
We got to select our main course, which for me was "The Chicken and the Egg", the Crispy skin chicken was served with a tasty gravy. The egg was made from a cauliflower purée, while the yolk was made from a butternut squash purée. It was yummy. Others chose the pork belly with crackling, branzino in crispy bread, short rib in red wine sauce, and the liquid lobster.
The desserts consisted of a mushroom garden (pistachio pound cake with red icing and a fresh sorbet) and a melted chocolate ball with caramel ice cream centre.
We had a great night of food entertainment!
 |  |  |  |
 |  |  |  |
 |  |  |  |
Sushi Making Class
We got hands-on at Izumi and participated in a sushi-making class.
We made 3 types of sushi: Nigiri, Temaki and Uramaki. It was a lot of fun following the Chef as we made creations we later got to eat. Due to safety onboard, we weren't allowed to use the sharp knives to chop the sushi up. The chef soon obliged, and we were all shortly sitting down eating.
 |  |  |  |
Onboard Décor
The ship has much to offer and has a modern, bright, airy feel to the public spaces.
The photos below were taken on my sailing which had approx. 4500 guests onboard. Where are they all? Except for a few places such as Windjammer, the pool deck, and the theatre, I never felt like it was overcrowded. Even on port days, we didn't experience any lengthy delays in boarding the tenders. From feedback I've received from other cruisers, this is not always the case. I guess the best advice I can offer is to plan ahead. Tendering is by ticket number groups. If you get your tickets before you go for breakfast, then the delay won't seem so long.
The Royal Esplanade runs along 2 levels, the lower level featuring shops and Guest Services and the upper level houses the Shore Excursions desk, the Bionic Bar and Wonderland. It is also the main concourse to reach Jamie's Italian restaurant, Vintages and Two70 at the aft of the ship.
 |  |  |  |
Activities & Aft Views
Amongst the many things to do on the Quantum of the Seas is the Flowrider and Ripcord by iFly. These are both located on deck 16 aft. As you can see from the images below, Flowrider is a "surf simulator that gives everyone a chance to catch a wave right onboard". You can also find Ripcord by iFly, that "allows guests to feel what it's like to fly, floating on air within the safe confines of this groundbreaking simulator".
We enjoyed catching some rays and watching the wake of the ship. Look at those calm seas!
 Flowrider |  Ripcord by iFly |  The ship's wake |  Enjoying the sunshine |
On deck 15 aft, you will find the rock climbing wall and Seaplex, "the largest indoor active space at sea, SeaPlex on Royal Caribbean's Quantum of the Seas is a distinctive sporting venue" offering a full-size basketball court that transforms into a roller skating rink and dodgem car track, together with ping pong tables, laser tag and numerous other activities.
Entertainment onboard Quantum of the Seas
There is so much to do onboard if you want to! In addition to those activities previously mentioned, there are multiple trivia games played across many venues each day and presentations by guest speakers on various subjects such as the future of electric cars. There are also evening theatre performances, a running (or walking) track around the entire deck 15, the adults-only Solarium retreat, the thermal suite and fitness centre, to name just a few highlights.
 Dodgem Cars |  Captain's Corner |  Thermal Suite |  Solarium |
Theatre and Entertainment
We saw some great live shows while onboard, including Sequins and Feathers, Sonic Odyssey, a hypnotist, and Liam Cooper.
Liam performed hits from Elton John and Billy Joel onboard Quantum of Seas. We really enjoyed his show. You can catch his new King of the Keys tour in regional Australia in 2023.
North Star
The North Star is a gondola attached to a mechanical arm that can raise the capsule some 300 feet (90 metres) above sea level and turn 360 degrees to get a birds-eye view of the ship. As you can see from the photos, the seas were perfectly calm and it was a lovely sunny day, which all made for the perfect viewing day.
 |  |  |  |
 |  |  |  |
Shore Days & Excursions
As with most port days, you can pre-book tours through the Royal Caribbean Shore Excursions team. You can also find tour operators ashore who offer a range of activities. Just be mindful that if you book something onshore that you are guaranteed to be returned to port before the time that you need to be back on the ship. The ship will not wait for you!
Mystery Island
Our first port of call was Mystery Island, Vanuatu. The photos below show just how big (or small) Mystery Island is. A couple of our group walked around the entire Island in 45 minutes! Instead, I decided to make the most of the crystal clear water and took a quick dip before relaxing in the shade of a tree. It was a lovely place to spend some time, but hunger called, so I headed back to the ship for lunch. The tenders took about 100 passengers at a time, and at the time I wanted to head back to the ship, there were 3 tenders waiting at the wharf, so the wait time wasn't too long and the entire process took about 20-30mins before I was onboard.
 |  |  |  |
Noumea
Our second port was Noumea. I have been there before, so when Alex and Asthika said they were going ashore at around 10am just to look at the markets and have a bit of a look around for a couple of hours, I jumped at the chance of some company while I did the same.
For those who haven't been Noumea before, I highly recommend a visit to the Aquarium.
Our day in Noumea wound up being a lot of fun. We found a patisserie just off the main road where the bus dropped us off called Les Petits Choux. The choices seemed endless. Some had custard tarts, while others had fruit tarts and macaroons.
After tastes was satiated, we decided to book the Tchou Tchou train for a guided tour around Noumea. This was a fun way to see the sights without having to expend too much energy in the heat of the day. The only negative was having to wait in the hot sun for almost 15 minutes prior to departure. There were older guests and young children left standing in the sun. There was no gazebo or shade to be had. We did attempt to board the train to be undercover but were rudely told to "get off" by the driver. Not more than 5 minutes went by before the driver let us all on again! What was the point of that? It was totally unnecessary. Score -1 for customer service.
 Les Petits Choux |  Noumea Aquarium |  Tchou Tchou Train |  Ouen Toro park view |
Groups / Meetings
Royal Caribbean can easily cater for groups, whether it be multi-generational families, weddings, reunions, birthday milestones, or corporate events. Meeting rooms are available on request that can be divided based on the size required.
 |  |
And just like that, it was all over! My shipmates had become friends and it was sad to say goodbye to them all.
I would like to say a special thanks to Alex and Asthika from Royal Caribbean for being wonderful hosts. This was an amazing opportunity to experience and learn more about Royal Caribbean and the beautiful Quantum class vessels.
Where can I get help to plan and book a Royal Caribbean cruise?
I am a Cruise Line International Association (CLIA) accredited travel and cruise agent. I have attained the highest level of certification offered by CLIA (Master) and have developed extensive cruise industry knowledge through highly professional training programs, cruise line product training and personal experience. Feel free to contact me for assistance with your cruise.
 |  |  |
