To mention little of the potential causes of hygiene issues onboard, we were advised by medical staff to be quarantined to our rooms after consulting them following our children's vomiting and diarrhoea starting from our second full day aboard. While in-room movies were comped, it wasn't exactly our idea to board a cruise ship only to watch movies in the cabin. We had to miss out on the shows and specialty dining that had been pre-booked and paid for. Room service was only free if ordered from their "Gastrointestinal Diet" menu of broth, gruel, and steamed vegetables, and otherwise chargeable even for adults who had to stay in to care for the sick children. It gave us the feeling that the cruise line was simply trying to keep a lid on potential bugs from spreading, at least until the cruise was over we were off the ship and no longer their problem. IMO they're not doing a great job at that by relying on little more than the affected passengers' sense of public courtesy (to outweigh their desire to enjoy what they paid for) to remain in their cabins. While good value if executed consistently with the concept, our experience with 'The Key' priority service is inconsistent - both embarkation and disembarkation were disrupted either by being directed to normal queues or having our group split halfway despite identifying ourselves as Keyholders. It was also difficult to determine how to access other 'The Key' services. The Royal Caribbean app, while novel, is unreliable as the personal schedule is unable to keep up with the various meals and activities that were signed up for and/or cancelled along the way. Birthday arrangements following dinner arranged through dining reception immediately after boarding as a surprise for particular members of our group fell through as the waiting staff had no idea, despite assurances from reception at the beginning not to worry. The birthday cake that was arranged at the last minute had no names on it and arrived well after dessert was over and after much effort on my part to stall my family from leaving. An embarrassing affair all in all. As for specialty dining Jamie Oliver's Italian and Chops Grille were passable, while Wonderland, despite being one of the pricier venues, was a lot more style than substance. Have been on many cruises before, large and small, but my first and last time on Royal Caribbean. Avoid. Read Less

This was the first cruise our family of four (2 x adults,2 x teenagers) had been on so we didn't know what to expect. I had been reading so-so reviews about Quantum of the Seas and I was apprehensive about what we would find. In summary - we thought the cruise was amazing and are so glad we went! We embarked at Singapore and after a small hiccup were on the ship and eating lunch. After the first afternoon, the crowds thinned out and we had fun exploring all the nooks and crannies. Our kids made friends immediately with others their own age and then they were off doing fun things with their new mates. We saw them once a day (maybe!) and we had to leave messages for them on the door if we needed to communicate! Our friendly room attendant was fantastic and kept us up to date with where the kids were as well as he regularly talked with them as they came and went. We knew cruises had a good reputation with food and Quantum of the Seas didn't disappoint. The kids only ate at Windjammer or Sorrentos but my husband and I ate in the dining rooms mostly. The food was varied and mostly delicious (one steak wasn't great but we loved the Cherries Jubilee!). However, the highlight for us were the activities and we enjoyed trying new things and going to the shows. Trivia quizzes, bingo, dance classes, stretching classes, iFly, Northstar, music shows, competitions, world class entertainment with trapeze shows, tribute bands, comedians etc made this cruise for us. The rooms were spacious, well attended and comfortable. Our room on Deck 8 was quiet and we had no trouble sleeping. We also regularly went to the Solarium for the view and a cocktail (especially when docking at ports) and two70 for relaxation. The ports we visited were Laem Chabang in Thailand and PhuMy in Vietnam. We organised our own tours at these ports and they were brilliant and easy to arrange. The disembarking at these ports was a hot mess as everyone tries to get off at the same time. We also had to collect our passports prior to docking in Thailand as everyone on the ship must disembark for Thai Face to Face Immigration. In an effort to streamline this procedure, each deck had a crew member to hand back passports but the lines for this were snaking past cabins for a long way. There was only one crew member on our deck - this would have been sped up if there were at least two crew to hand back passports. Also, at PhuMy in Vietnam, the lines to get off for the day were ridiculous and not moving at all. There were two gangways off (single lines?) and one was for cruise organised tours, the other for everyone else, hence the problem. Stairwells were blocked and queues at a standstill. Very stressful if you have a private tour waiting for you! This was the only negative during the cruise. There were lots of little touches on the cruise that made it special. We enjoyed the guitar playing musician at lunch who took requests and was joined in enthusiastically by the waiter accompanying the song using spoons to provide a drum beat. The way the railings and windows were kept spotlessly clean, the art work around the ship, the friendliness of the crew and staff, the videos of the cruise director (Gordon) to let you know what was happening, the towel animals on our bed, the crew member who ran around with a blow up whale shouting "Whale, whale, whale" when one was spotted, the head waiter who chatted with us about life as a crew member on a cruise ship. All these things made it feel like much more that a floating hotel. We wouldn't hesitate to go again - once we have saved up!! Read Less

Third cruise overall, third with Royal, first through Asia. The overall experience had pluses and minuses when compared to previous sailings through the South Pacific (on Radiance and Explorer). Pros - the indoor pool was a great space to relax with the kids outside of the harsh SE-Asian sun, with the air-conditioning just right (not too cold, not too hot). The Solarium was a beautiful space when I got the child-free opportunity to spend time there, which was not often. The 270* theatre is a peaceful location by day with gorgeous panoramic views of the sea. And lastly, the Music Hall is a terrific venue not found on other ships. Cons - The central Esplanade is a poor substitute for the Promenade or the Centrum found on other classes of RC ships. It felt like a soulless, exclusive shopping mall. There were very few areas on the ship where I felt like I had a connection to the ocean (in contrast to Radiance class ships where you can't escape sweeping ocean views). The staff service (Stateroom Attendant excepted) was poor to fair. Example - the Adventure Ocean staff were stern, unhelpful and appeared put out that you would even use their services. Bar staff were similar, sadly. I'll just put this down to a symptom of sailing an Asian cruise targeting international clientele, perhaps? I missed the Main Dining Room experience, which on Quantum Class is divided up into separate restaurants. It doesn't quite work, for me. Other observations - the Windjammer was constantly crowded. Bigger ship, bigger crowds I guess. The North Star was interesting, but really just a gimmick. iFly similar - good to try it and say 'I've done it'. Some terrific shows, including Sonic Odyssey and Starwater. Comedian Sam McCool played some gigs and was a standout. Conclusion - A cruise is a cruise and it's hard not to find something or somewhere enjoyable to spend your time. And this was certainly my experience. However for the first time I was not unhappy to disembark at the end. I will likely stick to smaller to mid-size ships in future. Read Less

Usually travel po and the old Thompson crushes The food is a lot better on this ship, actual buffet is excellent , entertainment some excellent some not very good A lot of passengers shore excursions all at same time very unorganised feeling like you are behind herded not a nice experience , one tender trip had to queue 50 mins in sweltering heat to get back on board , felt sorry for families with young children. Worst part is bar service never been on a cruise were the service fir the bar has not been on the ball so much so had to hide having a low drink when didn’t want any more offered. This cruise don’t have to worry, queues and waiting is the norm at all the bars , drinks service on the theatre nearly non existent so get your drinks before you go to the shows so give time to go queue somewhere first Think will be back to p and o after this trip . A lot better service even though though food was much better on royal Caribbean Formal nights don’t bother hardly anyone does Read Less

We were all looking forward to this family holiday, Singapore to Singapore cruise and I have to say I am going to stick with Princess Cruise Line. The food was average, the fine dinning was not what I have experienced on the Princess ships, at times the chicken was very dry. One night in the food court the food manager came in for tea and sat next to us, and complained of the dry chicken and we were asked what we had experienced and we said the same, my sister had chocolate pudding and asked for the cream and they told her they did not have any, so the food manager made them get some for her. There are extras that you needed to pay for, like to have a movie in your room was $12.95 US. The smoking area is under cover near the main kids pool, and you had to walk past it to get to the Windjammer food court, as we wanted to keep an eye on the kids in the water you could not sit there due to the smoke, so a lot of the kids used the in door pool, this really has to be a health issue. I was sitting watching the grand kids swimming and wanted a cup of tea, it was 5.10 pm in the afternoon, and I could not get one on deck 14, as the food court and the cafe up there was closed, I was told that I had to go down to deck 4. I could not do this without getting all the kids out of the pool and taking them with me. But if I wanted alcoholic it would not have been a problem, as the bar was right there. We did have an issue one night at karaoke, were a drunken male became very abusive to one of the ladies in our party and it seems RC are happy for this behavior to happen on their ships. The ship was just way to big and to many people for us, in the food court people acted and pushed like the food would run out and they would not get feed, I don’t know if this is coz the food court closes and people get like oh we have eat before it shuts. The ports were all good, expect KL in Malaysia, the ship stops at Port Kelang which is one and half hours from KL itself, and Port Kelang id not the best of stops. We all enjoyed Malacca, Penang and of course the over night stop at Phuket was a hit. We did not use any of the ship shore shore excursions as there were too expensive and all in US dollars, we never missed doing anything. Over all the kids enjoyed themselves, the adults who had never cruise before, said they will never do another cruise, and if I have not cruised with Princess Cruise I would never go on another cruise. Read Less

-smoking area is situated next to swimming pools. Under a roof & not on open deck. Where children & families spend a lot of time. As an asthmatic I found this disgusting & a trigger for my asthma - billing issues , My advice track your spending & keep an eye on your account. Extra charges were put onto accounts such as pool towel usage $100 & alcoholic beverages, supposedly purchased by a non drinker -unable to keep fresh milk Or juices in cabin fridge, fridge cleaned daily & contents thrown out by, I am assuming room staff -a lot of “extras” on board. And extras are expensive e.g. $12 U.S to hire an in-cabin movie. -we had an unfortunate issue on board which I am in the process of going through the correct channels of complaints. RC need to look at and amend the code of conduct policy it seems a young intoxicated male who causes an incident by verbal aggression and harassment towards women gets off with a guarantee from his parents he will behave for the remainder of the cruise. While other men who were provoked by this male were removed from the ship. Read Less

My wife and I just took a 5 day cruise on Quantum of the Seas out of Singapore. I have to admit I was a little apprehensive reading all of the reviews, and was worried that I was spending a lot of money for a trip that I would not be satisfied with. This could not be farther from the truth, in fact I am wondering if I was on the same ship as the people who wrote many of these reviews. Let me preface this by saying I am just a normal guy, so I was not expecting royal treatment and 5 star meals. I was looking for a fun trip, where I was well taken care of, with plenty to do. I was not disappointed. Let me talk about some of the review I read and what I experienced: Food is horrible- The food was fine, windjammer met our needs and the service was great. Loved the roast beef sandwiches at the Two 70 café and the burgers at Harp and Horn. The steaks at Chops were amazing and we ate twice at Jamie’s, incredible. Late night pizza was also a great hit. Can’t get a seat at the restaurants, can’t find a bartender, never a staff member around- We never had a problem finding a seat anywhere. Bars were everywhere and bartenders were eager to get us drinks. At the pool the waiters were around constantly, never had to leave my chair for a drink. Can’t find a chair at the pool- never had a problem, sat right by the pool. I will admit a lot of kids in the pool, but that is probably the case on any cruise. This cruise was amazing in every way. We felt pampered and taken care of the entire time. Loved the shows, especially Starwater, could have watched that over and over. Sequins and Feathers was great too. Did not care for magician. Casino was awesome. Always something to do. My only suggestions would be an adult pool, a little more time between shows. Venues were on opposite ends of the ship, so we were always racing. Advice- drink package was well worth it, keep an eye on the price, it kept going down so we kept cancelling and rebuying. We talked to a lot of people who paid a lot more. Keys package made getting on and off a breeze. Well worth the price. We saw many waiting in line for a long time as we just walked past. This was the absolute trip of a lifetime. We have been on 4 cruises and this was by far our favorite. Simply incredible. Read Less

The cruise was primarily chosen as an add on to a week long holiday in Singapore to get away from U.K. for Christmas and New Year. My only previous cruise experience was 2 longer Med cruises with NCL, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I had always wanted to try Royal Caribbean as their ships looked slightly better than NCL. Comparisons are not easy as this was a short cruise in a different part of the world but I will try drawing a few conclusions despite this. Embarkation is never a great experience with thousands all wanting to get on board quickly and I guess the experience is port related. In Venice I’ve sat in a big warehouse waiting for a ticket number with limited refreshments. In Singapore I joined a very long queue that moved quite quickly but there was multiple stages to get through and despite having completed everything electronically beforehand as requested, they still needed to take pictures of passport and me again and by this stage unknown to me, I was meant to have photocopied my passport too which they did there and then. They had a few people processing us but despite the IT they seemed to have to juggle taking photos and adding passport stickers - they ran out of official ones so carefully placed two blank stickers on passport, manually added a Royal Carribbean stamp before writing on cabin number. A few stages later of showing ticket and/or passport we got to a point the passport was surrendered and finally got on the ship. (My passport is about 8 years old and maybe can’t hold biometric data - it meant despite giving thumb prints I could never get through automatic passport checking and after queuing had to go to a queue for manual checking. This is not RC’s fault). If you’ve cruised before you’ll know food is a big part of the experience. However I had forgotten that choices when you first embark are limited and you have to quickly identify what is open - there was pizza in sorentos but we had hoped for more choice and ended up in Two Seventy with a few cakes, biscuits and cold bites. That’s normal I guess. By luck where we sat to eat was our muster point and the safety part was really well done with a good drama story video to watch explaining everything with humour. All but one of our cases made it to the room - one was held back because of a 4-way power lead which seemed ridiculous and meant more fuss at the end of the cruise to get it back. It was fairly easy to navigate the ship with just two main staircases/lift banks at either end of ship. From memory, the cabins were decks 7-13 with finer dining, entertainment and “shopping” on 4-5, main chow was the Windjammer on 14 with pool and Solarium (which turned out to be a cafe/rest area). The restaurant situation was similar to NCL. A main large buffet area with tons of variety for breakfast, lunch and dinner and different choices each day, some more free smaller niche venues, free more formal restaurants and then the ones you have to pay for. I’ve never used the pay ones because like NCL, the food quality and choice of ones included in cruise price were brilliant. What I found confusing was we had been allocated “My Time” restaurant on our SeaPass - a plastic card room key/ID/on-board charge card you get. There was no restaurant listed with this name - we found out it was two joined places called American Icon and The Grande. You had to book but the food was a notch above Windjammer with table service but obviously less choice than Windjammer. We divided our time about 50/50 between this upmarket a la carte place and the windjammer buffet. The only thing slightly worse than NCL was that they shut the Windjammer between mealtimes whereas I don’t remember that happening with NCL - so often we were waiting for 5.30 to come round so we could eat. I found the staff in all places absolutely second to none. NCL were fantastic too but RC staff have somehow gone a notch higher still. It would be near impossible to get better service. You were meant to know the RC phone app was the key to booking things. We found out at guest services and they booked us into Starwater show in Two Seventy (as in 270 degrees, three quarters of a circle, which the tiered seating area is within). This was easily the best cruise show I have seen. At the end of the show the cruise director, a short, portly chap referred to just as “Ken” made one of many appearances during the cruise, as he clearly still needs to be centre stage. To give him his due, despite this being annoying, he is guilty of putting on great shows and annoyingly too he can sing rather well. We also saw the Sequins and Feathers Show in the Royal Theatre which I really enjoyed too. The only show we didn’t rate was The Aussie Boys. We assumed given the singing talent from those shores that we’d here covers of Bee Gees, INXS, Crowded House, Men at Work, John Farnham etc, but we got The Seekers (some folk band from 1960’s), a song in mandarin and other old middle of the road run of the mill stuff. They spent most of the time talking about Australia and the last song was some dirge “Aussies” are meant to go all weepy and homesick about when they are abroad - it was as annoying as listening to Aussies banging on about themselves and if they get so homesick then spare us all and stay home :) The Royal Esplanade had shops 99% of us would only shop in if we were super rich - Tiffany’s, BVLGARI, Hublot etc. Plus Art Auctions. I have no idea what percentage of passengers use these shops but there was nothing for ordinary folk. It must be a winning formula catering for the few super-rich as this was same as NCL. As with NCL, WiFi is massively expensive and so is drinks package. When you have a drinks package, you have to take every and any opportunity to drink to get your moneys worth. This probably then adds massive cost to providing the package pushing prices up like a vicious cycle. Maybe they should consider just charging a reasonable price for the drinks? The cabins were well laid out, super clean and modern and seemed more spacious than most hotel rooms with ample cupboard and sleeping space for 3 adults. Unfortunately they are not well sound proofed and we had a nightmare family next door allowing a 3-4 year old to stomp up and down corridor past midnight, wailing, having tantrums and ruining any chance of sleep. RC rehoused us when we went to guest services and it was better but still you hear a lot of clanging and even taps running so maybe take ear plugs just in case. The RC excursions were well overpriced so we went with Shore Excursions who used the same tour guide company as RC but far cheaper. All the guides were fantastic. For Port Klang we did Batu caves which were interesting and photo stops, with Petronas Towers being main one - shame they couldn’t organise tickets for us to go up. If I did same cruise again I would stay on ship as much time is on bus. For Penang we went round a wet market, some temples and Botanic Gardens and saw very little of Georgetown itself, if I had my time over I would have just got off at Penang and spent the time in Georgetown which is at the port. With Phuket we did James Bond Island - it was 2 hour bus ride and then 30 mins or more by boat to circle a rock island that looked much the same as others we passed. We then went to Koh Panyee village on stilts which was ok but you won’t get good souvenir prices and like all tours, an hour is wasted eating when the ship provides massive breakfast that can tide you over until dinner. We saw a Budhist cave temple on way back that was like Batu caves at the Kuala Lumpar stop. When we got back to Petong Beach where ship tendered to, there was a few hours left to shop and enjoy beach. If all you do is Petong Beach you will save a lot of time sitting on a coach and get plenty of time to get souvenirs, drink and swim. The extras like North Star, dodgems, Rock wall etc are ok and there is plenty to keep kids happy but this cruise was so short with just one day at sea after 3 consecutive days with excursions that it wasn’t possible to fully exploit all the opportunities on board. In summary I would travel with RC again and clearly I was happy to travel with NCL again. They are both offering similar top quality experience, fantastic food and service. I think 4 full days cruising is too little to enjoy the facilities and I would recommend ones of at least 7 days with at least 2 at sea to feel you have had your money’s worth. Read Less

We chose this cruise to see what it would be like to holiday at the new year and as it was a very good itinerary we really looked forward to it. The ship itself was very good, exceptionally clean with friendly staff. Food was very repetitive in the main dining room, although the speciality restaurants were really good we bought a 3night dining package and were glad we had. We really enjoyed Jamie’s Italian, so good we went twice and Chops Grill was the best we have ever eaten on a cruise. The only down point was there were a lot of teenagers on the ship doing the usual silly things they do, pressing lift buttons and racing up and down the corridors late at night, their parents obviously oblivious to what they were getting up to. Lots of screaming younger children, in the dining room, really annoying, screaming their heads off whilst you were trying to enjoy dinner. Entertainment was hit and miss, Grease was positively boring and many people on our row fell asleep, probably because it was the late show. This was a Asian cruise starting in Singapore so we were their for the New year firework display. We really loved Singapore and the weather was wonderful We visited Raffles and had a Singapore sling. Gardens by the bay, our most beautiful trip was to the cloud forest where the Orchids were numerous, such beautiful colours, we have never seen so many different species, all brilliantly displayed. We spent three days in Singapore before the cruise and a further two after, a full week before the cruise would have been better but that would have meant being away for Christmas and we like to be with the family at this time. We enjoyed our holiday and saw some wonderful places such as Kuala Lumpur, Penang both of which were very good Ports of call, Malacca was boring and the ship asked Guests opinion on this stop not very favourable I would think was the response there was nothing to see.The cruise ended in Phuket Thailand after a overnight stay which we liked very much, we came here for our 25th wedding anniversary and the place had changed so much since then I am sure the Sunami must have been terrible but wonderful to see that tourism is thriving again. We loved Singapore and would certainly return there is so much beauty here and so much to see. Disembarkation was easy and we caught a taxi to Clarke Quay where we stayed for a further two days and visited China Town which was preparing for Chinese New Year so everything was decorated in red and gold it was beautiful.We are now both in our seventies and cruised for many years and visited some wonderful ports of call and we will continue to do so whilst we are able. Read Less

Being on Mariner of the cruise a couple of times with amazing experience , we opted for quantum of the seas (having seen it being advertised 4 years ago) for our maiden sailing experience with our extended family . Pros : -Quantum is beautifully built , she’s majestic , stylish , modern , clean and well maintained - Staterooms were comfortable and well designed with good use of space - Wonderland specialty restaurant was a nice surprise - its menu comprising of deconstructed food served in western Omakase style -No stinging on food . For the price you’re paying , you can get a flavour of some pretty decent quality steak , though standards vary across restaurants . -Selected staff were very friendly and went out of the way to make passengers feel at home . Examples include the head waiter of my time dining , our stateroom organiser , waiters of specialty restaurant - Good line up of musical acts ( piano , guitar , jazz band , pub Singer Carlo etc ) - pleasant onboarding experience typical of our other RCI holidays -swift and smooth , on time delivery of luggage -North Star was a nice experience , well allocated with no need for queuing . Memorable birds eye view of the majestic ocean. Cons : - very poor crowd management . Despite the big ship, it feels very crowded all the time with fellow passengers scrambling for literally everything ( free pizza , water , shows) - Poor allocation of crowd to allow passengers to have a flavour of most activities on board : Bumper car has a snaking queue , royal theatre is always packed with some shameless fellow passengers reserving rows of seats for phantom friends ( who never appeared ), everywhere felt like a market place . Sorentos pizza , cafe promenade , windjammer perpetually filled with hungry souls with very limited seats -Not family friendly . Not sure if dreamworks is no longer a partner but there were very little activities catered for kids . ( instead there was a random LGBTQ party ) . Extremely difficult to get around with a pram due to the crowd and the throngs of able bodied adults fighting for the lift. A segmented priority lift / ramp will be most helpful . - only a few areas to refill water , a water dispenser at every stateroom level will make it more convenient and less crowded to obtain this necessity . - Pre-allocated ‘My time dining’ but only allowed to book a slot from 845 pm onwards , otherwise the other option is to join the snaking queue . Never experienced this with my time dining before , we were told to pre book one year ahead of time in order to get earlier slots (?!) . It’s either a very poorly set up booking system or a main dining hall operating over capacity not befitting of its passenger volume . - Key entertainments were so so . Peng Fei magician , Starwater were the only shows worth watching. Aussie boys was cringe worthy with their twisted rendition of old Chinese pop songs , sonic odyssey was a mix mash of Bollywood / can can / drums , sparklers and feathers was an out of fashion broadway theme singing show with little wow factor . -Had to queue immediately once on board to book the Starwater show and some activities . Not sure what’s the purpose of booking as the show hall was packed despite the booking . Some of us had no seats . -Poor announcement of activities . No formal night for the first time ( maybe there’s one but it was Super unclear when it was held) -You have to pay to take a picture with the captain! iPhones not allowed . - Service was sub-par to say the least. This was the main killing factor . except for the few staff mentioned above under pros , most staff appeared listless, irritated and condescending . The Chinese staff spoke very little English and behaved in a rowdy manner as though they work at the fish market, some of them more keen on watching their fingernails grow than to smile and greet customers . I had one Chinese staff who tried to pressurize us to purchase a dining package , likening the price of it to a few packet of cigarettes ! Indian staff at two 70 was perpetually angry , irritated and threw our sailpass card on the table when we made payment . Staff appeared to be obviously overworked , underpaid (perhaps) and badly trained - and it’s evident . There’s also very little attention to client’s needs such as helping parents with toddler ( eg I was trying to get warm water to make milk but was told to wait in the queue after a fire drill has ended , though I had no intention to dine). Perhaps my expectations were too high after seeing ad shots of this ship or drawing too much positive experience from mariner of the seas , quantum overall, fell flat and was average at best . Read Less

We chose this itinerary as part of a Balinese Delights package which included stays in both Seminyak, Bali and Singapore. Having read reviews of this ship but not this journey we were prepared for an Asian cruise with a very different clientele and cuisine but happy to embrace a new culture. What we did not expect was to be fleeced at every single opportunity by this cruise line. Everything from bottled water in the cabins to the internet service was at extra cost and some of the fees were extortionate. For example $29 for a single days surf and stream internet access! The gratuities policy was also staggering,around $16 dollars per day per person for the cabin, plus 18% automatic service charge for any drinks bought in the bars or food bought in the specialty restaurants! The shore excursions were also expensive, but we were happy with the service provided by the guide who was both knowledgeable and helpful. The tour Kuala Lumpur on your Own was however too short in duration to really allow anyone much time to do anything other than shop. for the other ports we chose to hire a driver for the day at a fraction of the cost of a cruise line excursion. The large cabin was an internal with a Virtual Balcony which was a complete waste of time and did not work at all for the first two days. The layout was also poor as you could not watch TV in bed. One good feature was the provision of USB sockets in the room for charging phones etc but this was necessary as the charging station we brought from the UK was confiscated as we boarded. They also confiscated a litre of gin which we were bringing aboard. In summary we would not cruise with Royal Caribbean again as we felt we were there to be milked by the cruise line. Read Less

As frequent travelers staying in many hotels locally here in the Philippines and hotel abroad in different countries, my wife and I tried to experience to cruise onboard which is Quantum of the seas. Every traveled that we planned, we always rely to read the comments and reviews to all hotels that we stayed in. This time, we decided to experience to choose to get onboard the cruise ship. At first, I was hesitant to choose Royal Caribbean Cruise- Quantum of the Seas because of majority negative reviews that we read, but to my surprised it turns out to be a remarkable experienced cruising at this luxury vessel. We travel Singapore cruise from November 30 to December 5, 2019, 5 days cruise from Singapore-Malaysia- Thailand-Singapore. We stayed in hotel in Singapore since we arrived on the 28th of November. Using our tourist pass which we bought at Changi airport for S$26 for three days is such a big savings using it unlimited at MRT lines and buses by simply tapping the tourist pass card as our ingress and egress on trains and buses. We took the advantage of using the tourist pass card visiting tourist places in Singapore. We observed that if you travel from station to another station it will cost you a minimum of S$0.83 –S$ 2.08 so having this tourist pass card is indeed a great savings. Quantum of the seas is remarkably a huge luxury vessel with superb facilities from cabins, classic restaurants, production show venues, swimming pools and entertainment venues. The Food and beverages staff went out beyond and above extraordinary services, kudos to Head Waiter ONUR from Turkey, Waiters Fely and Frederick both from India of SILK restaurant, Jidong from housekeeping, Bartender Mike of Sky Bar, Alvin of Sorrento, Regie of Solarium, Bar server KURL of Boleros, they all deserved to be commended for the excellent services they have rendered during our 5 days cruise. The cruise entertainment team is very active from the varieties of shows for the cruise led by Cruise Director Ken and Manager Troy. The Captain of the ship and the Hotel Director are always visible from embarkations to debarkations. Singapore embarkation process are very smooth and organized. Singaporean are also well- commended for their disciplined behaviors from dining to queuing on any events or entertainment production shows considering they are about 2,500 Singaporeans who was with us. Though we only stayed on inside cabin but the virtual balcony appears to be like you are staying in a real balcony cabin. The food that we have is so delicious from all the restaurants that we have dined. On our 1st day, we made a reservation to watch the STARWATER production show which is a Broadway’s presentations featuring world class musical show at deck 4 Two 7 venue. It is also recommended to watch SEQUINS and Feathers, another world class production show where reservation is not anymore needed. There is so much fun as in no dull moments from varieties of activities and unlimited dining experiences on board the Quantum of the seas. Over-all we really enjoyed our cruise and the money that we spent is worthwhile for the remarkable experiences that we had at Quantum of the seas. We will highly recommend this ship for our family and friends for them to experience what we have experienced. I would recommend to complete your online departure for Singapore immigration for a seamless process and avoid the long queues of passengers during debarkations. In about 20 mins we are already completed the immigration and down to Cruise terminal picking out of our luggage. Read Less

The ship indeed is a technological marvel. The advanced features such as the virtual balcony, SeaPlex (which transformed into a bumper car arena, laser tag course, basketball court, badminton court, etc.), North Star, iFly simulator, Ripcord and many others were truly an experience. The swimming pools were rather small and there were no water slides nor much play area for children. The food however could have been much better. We were already bored of the food at Windjammers (buffet) by the second day. The Chinese, Japanese and Italian food served lacked taste and were subpar in my opinion. The only type of cuisine that was good was the Indian food and burgers. We also dined at the main dining hall, Solarium, etc. but all were not much different. We had a specialty dining at Jamie’s Italian and that lived up to expectations. Nevertheless, our experience were marred by a norovirus infection (which ended up affecting all our family). We noticed there were other cases of it when we went to the Medical Centre. One can only guess how many people were actually affected. Despite being very careful and constantly washing our hands as well as sanitizing them, we all still ended up contracting it. Read Less

Ship brilliant wonderland experience a disaster only good thing are the chairs and tables no wonderland ambience in this restaurant. Put some teacups and saucers on the wall dress someone up in a white rabbit suit all bit boring. Our food served cold and sweet disappointed. Will not sail will Royal Carribbean ever again billed for 50 dollars for towels we never had. Phone call after phone call still no refund and it cost a fortune to call them , always check your bills people. Paid full service charges, even though service was lousy apart from the open deck bar staff. The windjammer is a nightmare overcrowded tables, loads tables full dirty dishes. Entertainment definitely for the Asian and Indian passengers. Singer was awful. Magician had few good tricks but took far too long with boring information bits. Food on the boat not great mostly geared up for Chinese and Asian passengers. Sausage bacon very poor quality not much choice breads. Read Less

Great for first time cruise travellers .We booked from official RCI wholesaler in India -Antilog Vacations website & got a steal deal of 45% . On board there were lots of shows at extra pricing which was steep.excursions to sea halt ports were a little expensive . One tip is to never ever book a DC cabin.Take balcony.Ship is good and hospitable staff welcomes u with smile.At night the ship would shudder and being the first timer it was a bit awkward for us to adjust.Sea sickness is not an issue during the day but for elderly its a major issue & needs to be taken care of. For veg travellers its a bit of nightmare as food is mostly east asian & south asian with non veg thrown around and limited tasteless veg options but still for all its money its definitely a steal . I have heard that its far better than genting & star cruises. Dining has different areas.One can dine at the deck or the restaurants .Majority is non vegetarian food .There are 2-3 indian dishes like dal,roti,pulao as well.Activities happen mainly in form of shows like dance troops & magic for which one has to pay . Service is a tad slow so i would give it a 2/5 rating . better go for things in the house than ala carte ordering Read Less

I would have given a 5 rating if not for the following reasons: 1. Error in billing and very difficult to get help post-sailing 2. We missed a key show because of lack of information on reservation 3. Information on the app are sometimes different from the daily newsletter or the Compass. The app is difficult to use in the first place Other than the above, the good news: 1. Excellent programs 2. Fantastic crew at the American Icon and Music Hall 3. Staff were generally friendly and passionate about their jobs 4. Ship was squeaky clean and well maintained 5. Gym was impressively equipped and had a awesome view 6. Solarium is an interesting concept but probably a tad too warm for Southeast Asia weather 7. Food is generally above average 8. Checking in and out was a breeze 9. Kids club was well equipped and staffed Overall a great ship for families Read Less

After sailing on Mariner of the Seas and Voyager of the seas I had sort of sworn off large ships. Just too big, too many passengers, etc. When this cruise on Quantum of the Seas came up, I was intrigued though and so, after convincing 3 other friends, we signed up. We all had single cabins and to start with. 2 had interior cabins and 2 had balconies, all near each other. I had an interior but as the cruise drew near I saw a balcony cabin open up so I called my TA and snagged it for the same price as my interior! It also had a huge balcony, over 100 sq ft. We arrived at the cruise terminal in Singapore about noon. There were zillions of people around as both Quantum and Voyager were sailing the same day. I was not sure how long it would take to get on the ship. Luckily, after security, 20 minutes, the check in was painless and we were on the ship in another 10 minutes. Fabulous! The cabins were ready since this was the first cruise out of dry dock. I was pleased with my cabin and blown away by the huge balcony, almost as large as the cabin. We headed up to the buffet for lunch and as usual it was mobbed. Not a table anywhere. I decided to check out the solarium cafe. It was almost empty and although it had a smaller selection, it was fine. The following are my observations of the ship. Cabin The studio balcony cabin was fine but I did miss having a place to sit besides the bed. I could sit on the balcony though. The bathroom was lovely and big enough. There was plenty of storage for one person. Dining We ate in the Silk dining room every night since it was easier to coordinate. The first night it took an hour to get our drinks and first course. After complaining, the service was excellent the rest of the cruise. The food was hit and miss but generally good. I ate breakfast in the Solarium cafe every morning and never once ate in the buffet, it was always wildly crowded. We had pizza in the promenade area once and a nice lunch in Two70 one day. Entertainment I thought the bands and singers around the ship to be quite good as were the venues. Two70 was amazing and a great place to hang out day and night. The show in Two70 was hard to get tickets to and though impressive on many levels, it lacked a common theme and continuity. Worth seeing though. I only saw a few minutes of a juggler in the main theatre and it was dreadful. In general I loved this ship! It’s gorgeous and has lots to do. I spent most of my days in the Solarium which was so beautiful and calm with no children. Lovely padded loungers and air conditioning! It was delightful. I never even saw the bumper cars or the sky diving. We did go up in the North Star while in Phuket and that was worth it. I am booked on this ship for a 9 night cruise next year and looking forward to having more time on this incredible ship! Read Less

Having previously read bad reviews before travelling, we feel it is only right to set the record straight regarding this particular sailing. Like may others reading the poor reviews regarding the ship, we were very apprehensive before travelling but these turned out to be unfounded. We started on a 9 day land tour of China with Wendy Wu tours which was fabulous. (see separate review) Upon arrival at Tianjin Cruise terminal along with 1000’s of other guests the whole process was fairly smooth and within 45 minutes we were on the ship. Sadly this cannot be said for some guests travelling on 72 hour visa’s where entry to China was refused from 2 days before up to sailing day with no valid reason given. Many flew home and some flew to the next port awaiting the arrival of the ship. This was very distressing for all concerned. To date, no explanation has been provided. Once on, what a total surprise. We have sailed on most of the different class of Royal ship’s and this was different again. It was spotlessly clean, light and airy and totally ready for 1000’s of Western cruisers. In fact the captain’s stats declared we had less than 100 Chinese travellers. Totally the opposite to the reviews we had read. Before we boarded, the ship had a total overhaul of staff, menu’s, restaurant names and Cruise Director (Ken totally nailed it) and entertainment staff. This was a 12 day repositioning cruise to Singapore before going to dry dock for 1 month then spending the winter season in this area. Many ports had not seen a ship this large and bravo to the Captain on being able to get into the ports. These included Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Vietnam (2 ports) and Singapore. Originally our time slot for Hong Kong was 7am til 2am the following morning but sadly this was cut short to 5pm due to the continuing protests. The shuttle stop provided by Royal Caribbean was at one of the MRT stations which closed at 4pm due to ongoing protest so making it back to the ship became quite hairy! We just made it with 10 mins to spare. However on the plus side, we sailed out of Hong Kong as it got dark which really was a sight to see from a ship. The best view in our opinion. The rest of the ports lived up to expectations and the excursions with Royal that we did do were well organised and fabulous. Our cabin was perfect size for the little amount of time we spent there. All the restaurants were easily booked and seemed to improve as the week went on. Mostly the entertainment was great particularly the INXS tribute band. Sun beds on sea days was difficult if you did not get up by 8am to grab one,However, crew were going around and removing towels if no-one had been back to the beds within the hour. We were lucky enough to witness a terrific storm at sea at 4am on the way to Hong Kong and we have never seen rain like it in Vietnam but this, because it was so hot, just made it more of a memory. So the moral of the story is to not believe everything you read, go with an open mind and do some research before you sail. On a final note, the icing on the cake for this sailing was our captain. Captain Sindre. What a star. He was to be seen everywhere on the ship, not shy with the cameras and spending time with all guests. The land tour and then the cruise really made this a trip of a lifetime! Read Less

We sailed on Quantum of the seas on a repositioning cruise from Tianjin Beijing to Singapore on 7th Oct 19. the ship is huge but well laid out and we didn’t get lost once. We spent 2 nights in Beijing then 2 hour taxi to Tianjin Port. Boarding was smooth enough though and room keys were in the room. We had a junior suite so plenty of room and a large balcony with loungers on it. All the staff were as you would expect cheery and very helpful. We don’t use the main dining rooms as it’s not our thing and prefer the informality and time flexibility of the windjammer. Food in the windjammer was very repetitive with the same dishes most nights and temperature varied from cold to warm but never hot. Breakfast was pandemonium as all the tables were usually taken with folk sitting to keep the table while their companion went to the buffet. I once had my cornflakes while leaning against the bar.The toast arrangement needs a rethink as you order what you want and the server puts it on the grill for you. (why not build up a bit of a stock when quieter as it works with other ships) A lot of excursions came back about 4 just as the windjammer closed and so everyone ended up in the 270 café which is tiny. As the ship is so huge it has to dock in commercial ports miles outside of town and busses have to be used most of the time. Prices of drinks were astronomical, a bottle of corona was $7 plus the tip of course = $8.50 which means you would have to have nearly 6 a day, every day to break even on the $48 a day inc tip drinks package price. For me not worth it. They also ran out of Fosters cans on the 4th day. As usual bar service was very slow as the bar tenders were usually busy mixing cocktails or waiting on people reading the list before deciding which cocktail to have. There are not nearly enough sun loungers or enough space to put more of them so causes mayhem on sea days with some being reserved from 7am and nobody on them most of the day. Entertainment was ok. The two bands were excellent, Daren Day was very talented, the theatre shows were all good except for the Australian comedian who was not even amusing. This was our first RCI cruise for 5 years and we enjoyed out holiday but won’t rush back. Read Less

We will not write too much about the horrible Immigration to China on 4th of October. We needed 7 hours after a long distance flight from Europe to get the 144 hours Visa and to find the luggagev( which was elsewhere) and then getting a shuttle to our hotel to start the 2 days program in Beijing before cruise started on October 7th. It was not a good entrance policy of China to send so many people home. Ur was really like a nightmare to experience the weeping and horrifying people who were prevented from entering without giving any reason, even though they had booked hotel proof and cruise.. Certainly not a dsplomatic and certainly even promising future method of China to promote for Chinese tourism But now the cruise: we wrote the very bad reviews before we started. We can say, we experienced the Quantum very differently. Mostly British, Germans, Americans and Australiens we're onboard. A very small group of Chinese travellers. The service was always very good. The crew members were very friendly, helpfully and kind and attentively. We stopped the visit if Windjammer at once. It was always full and loud, tried the some mornings having breakfast in one of the main restaurants. That was good but needed more time to get all orders completed. Not good for days worth excursions. So we just did not enjoy the small Solarium Bistro restaurant. That was perfect. Omelette or eggs over easy were brought to the table and other staff could found in the buffet. Tee, coffee, Juice werde served as well but also in self-service. In the Grande Restaurant we had our dinner, first course. Wonderfully because mostly less then 40% guests.. very good service. Our waiter was the lovely Guiyan with her second waiter Kevin. Both brilliant, full if energy, always attentively. We enjoyed the good variety of offers in meals well arranged and hit served. Very good. Our Cabin attendant was perfect. Thanks Man( cabine number 11612. The cabin was good maintained. Room enough for us. Good balcony often used. We are early riser. So we always found layers in the solarium deck. Wonderfully and quiet.But it is a bad habit to lay out towels and block couches without using them. We normally go our personal way with excursions. This time we booked for Taipei, Hongkong, Hue and Saigon. . All Tours organised from RCL where perfect. Good guides, good busses and driver, water, raincoats and mass of informations.. The tours were worth the money. Fukuoka we did alone. For us in walking distance to make a sightstiour around the temples. In Singapore as well we made our one tour with MRT and bus. Wonderful town. The time in Hongkong was too short. iIt was the captain's decision not to risk anything because of the demonstrations that started again in the evening. After all, we saw the Hong Kong skyline leaving at night. Hopefully we can come back in an open and peaceful Hongkong! We can only feel positive. Only the drinks packages are unreasonably expensive and correspondingly just individual drinks .. This is a pity and with celebrity ider my ship erhebluch better regulated.. The entertainment program was absolutely brilliant. Inkx, Aussie Boys, Darren Day, Barricade Boys- all 10 points. The lectures of Andrew Gregson a Must for us. interesting and witty with wit and knowledge Read Less

We chose this particular cruise for the ports of call, none of which we have been to before and also the chance to see the sights around Beijing before the cruise. It all started out so normally. An Emirates flight from Dublin to Dubai and onto Beijing Capital airport, arriving mid afternoon on what became a date written in infamy.....October 4th. After landing in Beijing, I was able, through a VPN to access Facebook (banned in China like a lot of things). There is a dedicated page for the October 7th cruise and it advised that Chinese Immigration was randomly refusing entry to travellers who were applying for the 144 Hour Transit visa. As our party of four was hoping to enter China this way, it was a very worrying time. After completing the fingerprint process we lined up at the Transit Visa desk and witnessed what can only be described as the start of a nightmare for the unfortunates who were refused entry, with no reason being given. After more than 2 hours we reached the desk and all of us were granted the visa. It was a pure lottery. On the ship later we heard stories of families being split up. some allowed entry with the rest refused and given till midnight to leave China or face arrest. Many intrepids managed to fly to Japan to join the ship two days late in Fukuoka , at great cost, as the airlines raised the prices astronomically. Others just gave up and flew home. Heartbreaking. After seeing the sights of Beijing, Great Wall. Forbidden City etc, we took the Bullet train to Tianjin West on the morning of the cruise, then a taxi. The Cruise port at Tianjin is modern and well laid out. Embarkation was quick and painless and we were onboard within 30 minutes of arrival. For the past few months, Quantum has been doing Round trip cruises from Tianjin to Japan with a mainly Chinese/Asian clientel. This cruise had 2500 from the UK, 500 from Germany, 300 from USA and about 600 from everywhere else. All the signs on the ship are in English and Chinese and the majority of the crew were also Chinese. Having cruised on the sister ship, Anthem of the Seas last year, we knew our way around. The cabins and public areas were in good condition as you would expect. Diamond members and above were well catered for in the Music Hall. Dining.... I dont want to appear to be critical but overall, the quality of food at Dinner in the MDR (We were Second sitting in Chic) was not near the standard of previous cruises. Indeed on the second night ,in conjunction with our table mates from the UK, we called for the Maitre D and complained about the food quality and the fact that dinner did not end till 1030 on that particular night. It was obvious the restaurant was understaffed. In all fairness, the service improved dramatically, as did the food on occassion, but it was still not what it should be, Entertainment.... 7/10 would be generous. A distinct lack of 'killer' shows, A couple of decent acts like Darren Day and a good Beatles tribute act. Some decent music in Boleros from the house bands. The CD, Ken Jones was ok. Probably the most entertaining spot was the Destination Lectures by an Australian Barrister called Andrew Gregson, who drew great crowds to the theatre each time he appeared. His wife also gave very interesting talks in 270 on a variety of subjects such as the History of Champagne and Henry VIII. Ports of Call.. Fukuoka , Japan... Lovely city with friendly natives. Tapei. Taiwan. Modern , affluent, and the 101 Tower. Hong Kong. Visit cut short by 8 hours due to unrest, Fascinating city. Not enough time there; Chan May (Da Nang) Vietnam. Port in the middle of nowhere, Torrential mosoon weather should have curtailed our excursion here. It was physically dangerous. Phu My ( Ho Chi Minh) Totally bonkers place with thousand s of mopedfs. Crossing the road an unforgettable experience. Did the Cu Chi tunnels which were fascinating. Singapore. Hot. humid, expensive. This cruise probably deserves a 3.5 rather than a 4. The crew seemed inexperienced and lacked guidance. Read Less

If you and read this, this cruise is probably not for you. We take Royal for their brand consistency and attention to detail. This one fails. IF YOU PLAN AN EXCURSION IN ENGLISH it will be cancelled and you wont find out until you get there. After questioning staff we are told most are cancelled as there is insufficient English speaking passengers on the ship signing up. On ours there were probably no more than 3 or 4 passengers on the ship with English as a primary language. If we knew we had zero chance of an excursion we could have found something else. They call this a "Cultural Cruise" but who knows what that means. Royal needs to be up front that this cruise is not your normal cruise (even staff admit it). The bars are empty. I do mean empty. One bartender could not even make a rum and coke. I had to tell her what bottles were rum. The ship is for a Chinese audience. Even the Irish Bar serves Chinese food. The specialty restaurants were good but expect nothing but Chinese food in the rest of the dinning areas. The food is nowhere near as good as any other Royal cruise we have been on. Staff is nice but the normal Royal International staff is much less prevalent and Chinese staff seem a bit untrained. All staff is polite and mostly helpful so nor problems with the staff and as for the excursion desk, their hands are tied by Royal Corporate. Do yourself a favor and save your money. Royal should not be offering this cruise to an English speaking market. Its not up to their brand expectations and you will be left frustrated. Read Less

This cruise and the experience was amazing. As 4 of only a limited number of English speaking guests on board, we were treated a bit differently from the other passengers. The staff from the stateroom (Ya Mei) to the Dining Room (Heri, William and others) to the bartenders and others on the ship went out of their way to make us comfortable. Given the limited number of English speakers on board, English activities such as Trivia games, Karaoke ...etc. allowed for participation whenever we wanted. The shows were not that great (kinda boring) but the talent was pretty amazing. The casino was the place for people to smoke so we didn't gamble too much. Most of the shops on board we for higher end goods. Don't expect the regular T-Shirts and such. The ports in Japan and Tianjin in China were amazing. The choice of shore excursions are limited so English speaking guests may want to do research and venture out on their own (like we did). The one exception was Kyoto. The city is 2 hours away from the port by train so you may want to consider this option. The dining was great with both Chinese and International options. A daily menu of steak, chicken, mashed and fries and french onion soup will help those who are "meat and potato eaters." Embarkation was quick and easy and debarkation was the same. As a frequent cruiser and traveler, I would advise everyone who wants to have an awesome time to do some research, watch some videos, get your visa and GO! If you understand that you are going to experience a new culture, this will be the trip of a lifetime! Read Less

This was the worst cruise I have ever been on. There was no formal nights, no theme nights, no special fun things, horrible entertainment and horrible food. There were three ship days and nothing to do! It was a low budget, poor entertainment and option cruise and we didn't have to fly around the world for this experience. My family planned this trip all year and flew from the US to China for this cruise. I always cruise Norwegian and Disney and heard amazing things about Royal Caribbean. I have never left a bad review in my life, but this was a horrible shame and an experience that I can't get back for my family. The worst part was that my family spent over $400 on an excursion "Kyoto On Your Own." We were dropped off at the Kyoto Station (insanely huge) and we couldn't find the bus returning from our day. We were supposed to be back at 2:30pm. At 2:09pm, went to the police station at Kyoto Station when we couldn't locate the bus. We found three other English-speaking families that couldn't find their buses! We all stuck together and called Royal Caribbean. We were told that our tour would be contacted and would come to get us. We were told that we wouldn't be left behind. We called three or four more times checking in over the next two hours! The bus never was contacted or came to get us. Other families on the bus were worried about us and told us that the tour was told to LEAVE WITHOUT US!!!!! We didn't even have our passports as Royal Caribbean took them from us when we first boarded and held them until the last day. This has never been our experience on an international cruise. We were in a country with our two kids and no passports! Shame on them for lying to us and telling us they would get us. After two hours of waiting, someone holding a Royal Caribbean sign came to meet our family and the other two families and didn't bring transportation!!!! They told us we had to take the public train about two hour to our ship and pay ourselves (over $100 more!) Also, we had 15 minutes to catch the last train to the ship!!! This was unprofessional and cruel. Shame on them. A bunch of families met and talked to the excursion department on the cruise ship. Even families who found the buses had struggles and frustration as there was POOR INFORMATION given for us to find the buses and NO PHONE NUMBER given to us for emergencies. We were told by the cruise staff that they would contact us and leave a message at our stateroom. No surprises that they still haven't contacted us. This was a horrible and scary situation and handled so poorly by this company. Read Less

Chose this cruise because if the Japan itinerary. Having been on a total of five RCCL/Celebrity cruises in the past, we felt comfortable knowing that seeing a completely different part of the world would be met by the familiarity of a brand we knew well. Boy were we wrong! These ships should be branded for the Chinese market and western cruisers should be notified that certain things are unavailable on these cruises. We had absolutely zero problem with the cultural nuances, this is partly why we chose this cruise, but when things like the Solarium are unavailable to adults and only reserved for suite guests I have a problem... there was absolutely no escaping little kids anywhere on the ship. Of course an inquiry to officers on the ship basically amounted to a “too bad it was buried somewhere in the fine print.” Also normal food and beverage was unavailable. Things like an Aperol, a very basic beverage was nowhere to be found and met a “sorry the market doesn’t support it” even though many others were requesting the same... the ports were all great even though there were basically zero excursions offered by RCCL. Total joke. What saved the cruise from being a complete disaster was the service from the line level staff; it was the best we’ve ever received on a RCCL cruise. Overall condition and cleanliness of the ship - No issue here whatsoever. The ship actually felt cleaner and better maintained than the newer Anthem of the Seas despite being an older ship! I can't comment on the Solarium because we weren't allowed in as previously stated. Stateroom - perfect!!! Service - Absolutely spectacular from the line-level staff. We were greeted by absolutely everyone! We have never received friendlier service from any ship on any line. The officer staff was absolutely not present anywhere on the ship. The one leader who was wonderful was Bing in the main dining rooms. She deserves a huge shout-out! Bartenders, servers and our stateroom attendant were absolutely fantastic and salvaged this cruise for us. Food Quality - poor. There were very, very few western selections on the main dining room menus and were prepared with zero imagination. Onion soup was watery, steaks were overcooked and cold, etc. One day we were four minutes late for lunch in the main dining room and the maitre d' would't let us in. Elevators were slow and packed and the clocks on the ship were wrong but that didn't seem to matter. At this point the only option was the Windjammer (not an option - see other reviews of this ship and you'll know why) or options with a surcharge. Poor, poor, poor... Bars - hard to find one that was open at times and liquor selections were completely unacceptable. They basically cleared the shelves because "the Chinese market doesn't drink." The robot bar was an option but I wonder how the robots spend the automatically assessed gratuity? Ports and Shore Excursions - We did our own thing because there were basically no shore excursions offered. I think just one in each port. We did do the disembarkation excursion to the Great Wall and it was awesome! Great tour guide who made the long bus ride enjoyable. As I mentioned previously we had absolutely no issue with all the cultural nuances associated with this cruise. We expected it and actually learned a bit of Mandarin along the way. We engaged with the other passengers whenever possible and truly enjoyed learning more about this wonderful culture. Our issue is with RCCL and their dismissive attitude about the lack of Solarium access and the bars and restaurants. Basically told us "too bad it was in the fine print." Will never again sail with RCCL and just cancelled a Celebrity Summit cruise we were booked on in February, 2020. It was that bad... Read Less