My wife and I have been cruising with a group of friends (three professional couples) for about six years now, but some of us used to be in the cruise business, so we have an insider's perspective. We also know as passengers that there are good and bad in every cruise (put 4,000 in a small space - try to feed them and keep them entertained for a week or more - not so simple). So this should not be considered a nit-picky review. But holy moly, the Quantum of the Seas was not ready to sail. We spoke with many passengers, and some of them started a conversation by causally asking "So, how do you like the ship?" Not wanting to be overtly negative, I would respond with something like "It's not my favorite," at which point they would inevitably spill their guts about the long litany of the same problems we were all experiencing. In some strange way, it was bonding. But I would have preferred a different camaraderie. I will format this review in a daily log approach, which I hope will capture the feel of this experience the best.

Day 1 - embarkation - we drove as a group to the port and parked on site. Very convenient if you're within driving distance, and much cheaper than a limo ($20/day - short walk to the ship). We were early, so we had to wait a bit, but nothing unusual. Check-in was fairly smooth, although some of the technology wasn't working on the automatic scanners, so when they opened for boarding, there were lines. It was an omen - "the most technologically advanced ship at sea" didn't have working scanners. The fun begins...

We all booked relatively late (two weeks before the cruise), so our first order of business was to make reservations for shows and meals. Ship staff at the gangway were yelling to "download the app!" and "make reservations!" Not sure what some of the folks who aren't tech savvy were supposed to do, but we all had cell phones, so we stood in the passage outside the elevator on our deck to get a jump on things. WiFi was strong, but the app was a complete disaster. First, they only have an iPhone version (not Android), so some in our party couldn't use it. Second, it was VERY cumbersome to use. You had to enter and re-enter the same info over and over again, and if you were trying to coordinate with other passenger's schedules, it was longer still. But the biggest problem was that the darned thing just didn't work. We made 1 or 2 reservations in 20 minutes, but then it stopped working altogether. Since the ship was chock-a-block full, we started to get nervous that there would not be any convenient times available for either shows or meals, so I went on a mission to book in person. I started with dining. Read more