Quantum of the Seas Review
Hits and Misses on My First (and Only?) Cruise
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Embarkation was an orderly mess. We got to the cruise terminal before 11am, but boarded the ship around 2pm. Boarding was color-coded, and we were surprised that they were calling all the colors except ours -- 10 colors were called ahead of ours, although the terminal had only a few hundred people when we arrived. And Windjammer was full when we went up for lunch, so it probably wasn't FIFO from the terminal.
Debarkation was worse. Quantum wasn't sailing out the day we reached port, as they had an event at Royal Theatre with Shanghai government officials that night (so that's why we needed to get to Baoshan quickly, in spite of fog). The right thing for the hotel dept to have done was allow us to leave the rooms when they called our luggage tag numbers, and not force to crowd 4,239 guests in Royal Theatre and 270. They also closed out the food outlets an hour before we reached port, so Deck 5 public spaces were all crowded with nothing to do and standing room only for a lot of people. Upon reaching the terminal, many people who debarked ahead of us were still there. It was just fortunate that we booked our own Shanghai tour and I was able to update our guide constantly with our arrival info, so we were able to meet up at the offsite parking area in good time, in spite of private vehicles not being allowed to park near the terminal due to the Quantum event that night.
Dynamic Dining (now Dynamic Dining Choice) is good for people who booked together, such as families and friends. It's just like going to a restaurant with reservations. If travelling alone, traditional dining (or Dynamic Dining Classic, for Quantum Class) would definitely be better. All our reservations were there, so I never experienced the "missing reservations" problem that other people had. It's also so much easier to modify reservations on the Royal IQ app than on the RCCL website. Lesson learned -- dine early to get to the shows that don't need reservations, and be at Royal Theatre 15 minutes before a show to avoid pillar obstructions. Windjammer after the show if you get hungry.
Cabin Review
Deluxe Obstructed Ocean View Stateroom with Balcony
It's 50% obstructed from the room, but only 30% obstructed when you're standing on the Balcony.
No toiletries in the toilet, but ask for them from your housekeeper and you'll get them.
Our room had no water boiler, no coffee/tea tray, and unrestocked minibar, but with Cafe Promenade just two decks down, I enjoyed the exercise. We liked the room because Royal Theatre, Royal Esplanade, and the 4 complimentary restaurants were all nearby. In comparison, my sister's inside room (with virtual balcony) was at the rear of deck 12, and only Windjammer was relatively close to her room. I'd have gotten her a Studio with Balcony if it were still available.