RC Quantum of the Seas This ship is aimed solely at the Chinese market. There is no incentive for others to sail. There were large number of chinese personnel and although some are helpful, the level of service is noticeably poorer and disorganised. Food was of poor quality and choice, mainly chinese, all 4 complimentary restaurants served the same menu each night although the RC website states they offer different cuisine. Repetitive food including windjammer, mainly asian and if you wanted more continental choice it was dotted allover and by the time you sat down it was cold. No quality soft fruit, just melon by the bucketload, apple and pear. No premium seafood or different salads apart from lettuce and tomatoes We purchased the drink and beverage package. The choice of premium coffee shop was limited to one, we only used this three times as we had difficulty finding seats with the space taken by chinese, sleeping, sitting with no drinks or a cup of hot water. Unless you are purchasing this would not be allowed on other ships. There were no coffee machines in bars for drinking eg coffee and brandy after dinner. Wine choice was limited and poor in quality. No coffee sachets, black tea or milk in rooms. We were told there were no coffee sachets on board. No laundry for customer use but told you could have laundry done for a charge of course. Even Cunard have a customer laundry, all complimentary. Guest services massive queues and long waits, pushing in of customers Pool areas, no adult only pool, gold card holders only and cost of $50 per person per day, contrary to info Smoking allowed in areas where not normal on any other cruise line Could not and would not use jacuzzi, full of parents and children in flotation aids, this is not only not allowed on other cruise lines it is downright dangerous. Outdoor footwear allowed around pool. Docking times for itinerary poor should be full days, info for ports if you wanted to do it yourself very poor and shore excursions very expensive No guest speakers, everything on board aimed at getting money from you Entertainment, odd shows almost salacious and aimed at chinese market Although we realised this cruise was from shanghai and had spent the previous 8 days in China, we did not expect a cruise ship to be aimed purely at the Chinese. It is an international cruise line and should be aimed at a diverse audience. We were told there were 1000 of other nationalities on board so RC are ignoring the needs of approx 25% of people. We heard the same complaints off many people. This was our first cruise with RC and on this experience, will be our last. We were very disappointed. It is quite obvious that RC ignore the flouting of many things because they make so much money from the gambling and shopping habits of the Chinese. In a competitive market this is at their peril. Read Less

Everything was totally okay for me until I leave the cruise. So I need to register my credit card to make the payment during the trip more convenient. Then my credit card was charged one more time by RCL Quantum after my family finished this trip. Until now, already more than a month and I haven’t received my money back. I tried to call them but couldn’t connect. Emailed them so many times but only received the automatic emails that tell me to wait. I know that system errors may happen but can not just ignore your customer like this!!! Few more things to review about this cruise. - The foods on the cruise is not so good. If you want to eat better food, they have some restaurants there,however don’t expect too much on the food here. - Room service was nice. Staffs on the cruise are friendly and very helpful. Wish the service after trip also like that! - I tried spa there, expensive but not worth it. I tried massage for the first time and body scrub for the next time. They legit just rub my body with the salt for a minute and wrap me, chill for 1-2 minutes then the rest of 90 minutes package are only oil massage. Read Less

As others have stated in reviews of this cruise, it is not your average RCCL cruise. My husband and I were among only a handful of English speaking passengers. We had done our research and knew what to expect, but the cruise still didn't rate an excellent. We arrived in Shanghai 3 days prior to departure to help adjust time zones. The city is very nice, but very very busy. For our trip it was also very cold. It actually snowed one afternoon. We stayed on the Bund and did the hop on hop off bus to see the area. Again do your research, we spent alot of time waiting for buses because it was off season. We were very surprised at how low cost it is to visit Shanghai. Cabs and entrance fees are very reasonable. We used a cab to go to the ship and with the help of the Hotel Bellman we were taken directly to the correct port and dropped at the correct spot. As others have stated, the Chinese travel in large groups and if you pay attention, you can often bypass the long lines. It still took longer than usual to complete the boarding process. This is also were we learned that in addition to not having the same ideas of personal space the Chinese in general talk VERY LOUD! At first we thought they were upset, but we learned that this is just the way it is. To us, they sounded like they were very angry, but it did not change the entire cruise. Because we have status (Diamond Plus) on RCCL we had access to some areas of the ship that allowed us to take a break from the crowds and the noise. I am sure that we would have hated the cruise if we were not able to access the Concierge Lounge and the Very Large Solarium. These areas were only used by a hand full of Suite Guests. The ship while being large, the space is primarily for cabins and shopping. Very few areas for recreation unless you like the basketball courts. Overall we stayed clear of the common areas unless it was to go to dinner or a show. We attended 3 shows. The first was a performance of the Earth Harp that was the best show I have seen in over 33 cruises. The combination of the Harp and the drums made for a fantastic show that I wish they would bring to a ship in the states. The second show was at the 270 area they call a theater. This was just plain weird, but the Chinese appeared to like it. The theme of the show was about taking pictures which is why I think they liked it. The entire cruise the other passengers spent on their phones either watching, reading, or taking selfies. OMG Selfies in every staircase, with every picture and every view. We also noted that the other passengers do not talk at dinner. We sat next to a table of 6 of varying ages who never said a single word, but all were on their phones the entire meal. It became comical. The last show was sequins and feathers. I am sure by the faces, that many of the Chinese men had never seen so much skin in a show. Despite being asked not to take pictures everyone was recording it on video. We had a basic (cheap) inside cabin and our cabin steward was very good at taking care of anything we needed. Not sure if we will ever do another cruise out of Shanghai, but we are glad we experienced it. Read Less

QUANTUM OF THE SEAS We traveled on Quantum of the Seas from the 12th-17th November,2018. We boarded in Shanghai and cruised to Fukuoka and Nagasaki in Japan before returning back to Shanghai to fly to Australia. Embarcation was good. The tourist guide dropped us at the Cruise Terminal and made sure we were at the right spot. The desembarcation was even better. There was a Free Shuttle bus to the Train Station and from there we caught the train to HONGQI Airport, for ¥6 each (AU$1.20~) I know of people that paid AU$45 to get to the airport by taxi. A China cruise is very different to any other cruise. There were more than 4.000 Chinese passengers and less than 200 International passengers, most of them had a horrible time, getting on long queues, didn’t like the food or activities. On the contrary, we had a great time!!! Probably because we were Diamond tier. Our concierges were excellent helping us in any way, breakfast was at the Solarium Bistro, so no queues and the food was OK. Also we could use the Solarium for the use of Jacuzzi, happy hour,etc. I like getting involved in lots of activities, so I made friends with lots of Chinese people (I like practicing my Chinese as well,he,he). We like dancing so we did so and the Asians liked us participating as well. I went to the Ladies Pamper Party and it was excellent : cleansing, exfoliation, mask, eye treatment, serum and moisturiser. (Most Ships don’t do Exfoliation or Masks). My husband said that this was his best trip ever (we have done 35 cruises so far). For me I still like Celebrity , or P&O Arcadia as my best trip. Read Less

I chose this cruise as a package including 8 days of touring cities in China. It was offered by Cruise 1st at a good price and fitted in with my plans. My wife and I are Diamond level and everyone was very nice and accommodating for the entire cruise. There were over 4,000 Chinese on board but this wasn't a problem. They seemed to enjoy our joining in with competitions and activities. The entertainment staff were all very nice and enthusiastic. Dining in the Windjammer looked very chaotic so we were lucky enough to be able to have our daily breakfast and lunch at the Solarium Bistro and our evening meals in one of the Dining rooms. I found the Quantum of the Seas to be a beautiful ship throughout. Our cabin was only an Inside but it was the best cabin layout I have seen and we had a 'virtual balcony' which I found great. I loved everything about this cruise but as I said my wife and I did have some advantages being Diamond level. All up we have done 35 cruises on various ships. Read Less

We had a good time but many western guests will find this cruise difficult. The Chinese guests all like to do the same thing at the same time which causes poblems on a 5000 guest ship. To have the best time, we learned to adjust our schedule accordingly. There are lots of reviews about difficulties at boarding do we boarded late at 1:45. No line and got right on. The Chinese like to eat meals right when the dinning halls open so we either got there 10 minutes early to grab a table before they or filled up or waited until 2 hours after the buffet opened. If you try to go in between it is very hard to get a table. Our kids loved the activities. Rock climbing, bumper cars, roller skating, glow rider, trapeze. All crew speak English well. Komomoto and Fukuoka were not the most interesting cities. One of the other itineraries would be better. Disembarkation took a while. You can stay in your room until 9am. I would wait in a common area until about 10 and then get off to avoid the line. Read Less

We wanted to see Japan and this cruise appeared to tick the box. Like most western passengers we too had a very disappointing cruise. As Diamond members, we had express boarding. Over 2 hours we queued, Royal Carribean can't really be blamed for this. However in the high humidity, water should have been available. While RCI, where not to blame for the boarding, they are to blame for everything else that was wrong with cruise. To reiterate, what other passengers have said the food was geared to the Chinese passengers. Even the emailed survey from RCI asked how authentic was the Chinese food. Why ask me I'm from Scotland. First night in the restaurant, not Windjammer, we waited an hour before our first course arrived. Next day in the same restaurant it took 44 minutes ( I timed it) to get me cold poached eggs. At that point I complained to the Head waiter, no visible improvement. Service The bars had no waiters until about day 4. This did not improve service, the computer system for billing took the staff longer to enter the details than it did to pour the drinks. The first night I got a $244 bill, quite a shock as I had a drink package. At $244 a stomach pump would have been required. At a Diamond event I complained to the Captain, with again little noticeable improvement, a theme is developing. When home I gave negative feedback on the RCI emailed questionnaire, no contact from RCI Finally I emailed RCI customer services outlining the issues we experienced , theme continues, no contact from RCI. Either they don't care or they are overwhelmed by the number of complaints. RCI are in danger of losing their loyal customer base. While I understand the Chinese market could be a lucrative one, they should only offer these cruises to that market sector. If you are from the Western world do not book this cruise. Read Less

This was one of the worst cruise I have been on with Royal Caribbean. From the time we arrived at the port. We had to stand for a long period of time in the hot sun before we got to immigration. when it was eventually our turn after about 2 hours waiting, there seemed to be a problem with the visa we were told to get via email from royal Caribbean from the Chinese embassy and no one at the desk seemed to know what they were doing. After about three quarters of an hour we were finished, only to be met with the same problem a little way down the line. I felt no one knew what they were doing. Cabin was really nice at was the stateroom attendant. (best part of this cruise). We went to the Windjammer this was a bad idea to many people and nowhere to sit. food was cold and they seemed to have the same menu every time we went in. A lot of the food was Asian so if you didn't like Asian food there was very little choice. We went to the dinning room service was slow and when we did eventually get our food it was cold. We did not go to breakfast on a few occasions as it was not worth the hassle to try and find a table to sit at. When we did order room service they forgot half the food. Could not book some of the tours as they were booked out. the two tours we did book we spent much of the time on a coach and then in a shopping area. You also had to reserve your shows we saw no shows as again they were booked out. Only available if you paid for them. entertainment was not very good with the exception of two shows. Needless to say I would not do this cruise again and i would definitely not recommend it to anyone. Read Less

We wanted to see china and japan ,this was the easy option. it took two hours thirty minutes to get on ship ,as people where jumping queues and removing barriers,we where literally pushed out of way, food was rubbish ,we eat off classic menu every night for eight days. windjammer was a no go area ,as chinese would again push you out of the way ,tables not cleared ,nowhere at all to sit. coughing up phlegm was a everyday scenario , with some even spitting on carpeted floors. smoking on balconies and throwing cigarette buts into sea a norm , casino was a no go area i have never seen so much smoke ,the smell was unbelievable using toilets and not washing hands was also a norm entertainment was also rubbish if you could not understand chinese embarkation was also a free for all,with barriers being moved,and a mad dash for free shuttle buses ,amazed nobody got hurt in the rush. overall this was the worst cruise we have ever been on in last twenty years,spoilt by bad mannered ,people with disgusting habits,bad service ,bad food,bad entertainment.and even the CAPTAIN OF THE SHIP calling for calm and asking people to respect each other . and other races on board.. Read Less

Quantum of the Seas from Shanghai September 2018 We booked a six night tour of China, followed by an eight night cruise to Japan on Quantum of the Seas. The first part of the tour with Wendy Wu Tours was excellent. The problems with the cruise started even before boarding the ship. I don't like to be negative, but there are things about this holiday that shouldn't be overlooked, if you are thinking of cruising with Royal Caribbean from Shanghai. This is not a vacation for the faint hearted! After a very busy week in China, we were all looking forward to a relaxing cruise, with two restful days at sea. How wrong could we be?! Embarkation took over three hours. It was extremely hot, everyone was pushing and shoving, as we needed to keep changing queues for some unknown reason. Once we boarded, we found our cabin, which was absolutely fine, and decided to go and find food. I can only describe the Windjammer Restaurant, as bedlam, with far too many people, all pushing and shoving, and nowhere to sit. I had read negative reviews, but thought other people were being over critical. After all, you can't expect to get on a ship in Shanghai, where most of the passengers are Chinese, and be served roast beef and Yorkshire pudding. However, a lot of the food was alien to us and had a strange overall taste. On the first day, all that we recognised, was pizza, hot dogs and burgers. The strange overall taste was the same every day in The Windjammer. My partner and I are open to eating different cuisine, but this was just a step too far. We changed our early dinner sitting for the latest, at 7-7.45pm, still early for us. The first night, we sat with two Australian guests, who were aware that there was a classic menu, which hadn't been offered to us, which was the same all week, as well as the Chinese one, that changed every day. We ordered a bottle of wine, which took an hour to arrive, the starter arrived shortly after, as we had asked where it was. We waited another half hour for the main course. All the hot food was cool, and not at all like the standard we've come to expect from Royal Caribbean. The steaks, usually excellent, were inedible. I had to ask for vegetables, but no potato or carbohydrate was served. The meal took almost three hours, so the first show was missed. At breakfast next morning, we tried a different restaurant, but the situation didn't change. We sat with a couple who were Diamond members, we are Platinum. Ordered breakfast. After an hour, we asked where it was. It arrived, stone cold. The Diamond member was furious, extremely annoyed that he'd missed the quiz that he was looking forward to, and stormed off. Staff were upset they'd annoyed a Diamond member, they completely ignored us and left us with inedible food. Eventually, my partner, found the head waiter, who was very apologetic, and advised he would personally arrange for him to have a slice of toast with a hot poached egg. Instead, a cool full breakfast was delivered. Very poor quality, with what looked like pieces of grey bacon, and again, inedible. We queued an hour to complain on the first morning, we certainly weren't the only people complaining, only to have to join the same queue for another 45mins to get tickets for the show! By now, we've decided to get by on pieces of melon, and Royal Caribbean cookies, which are still excellent by the way, and order continental breakfast to the room. Sometimes we got what we ordered, sometimes we didn't. The staff didn't seem to understand, you need milk with cereal. Royal Caribbean have built their reputation on providing excellent food which we have always enjoyed and one of the main reasons for travelling with them. We object to the word complimentary food being used in the daily cruise newsletter, we had actually paid for food in the price of the cruise and would expect the food to be of the high standard Royal Caribbean have set, without having to use other restaurants on the ship that are to be paid extra for. Later in the week, when queuing at Customer Services, to try and rearrange our 4pm collection from the ship, when it needed to be 10am, (not Royal Caribbean’s fault), they asked if we were happy with the cruise. We advised them of our problems with the restaurant. Another Head Waiter, was summoned. He was very helpful, advised they were aware of the problem, the chef wasn't used to cooking for Westerners. He said to ask for him in the restaurant that evening, and he would make sure our food was good and cooked properly. He, and his staff, bent over backwards for us, so much so, that it was embarrassing at times, but there were many other guests in our position, and the food improved. However, we had no choice, and were given, what the Head Waiter described, as a 'surprise' for our main course, whether we wanted lamb chops/steak or not. The food was the worst cruise ship food we have ever experienced, and certainly don't expect this from Royal Caribbean. The entertainment was badly timed, and we missed quite a few shows. Many people thought the entertainment wasn't up to the usual standard. The worst, being a Taiwanese magician, whose best trick was making the audience disappear in their droves! Be aware, that the Chinese use this cruise as a shopping trip to Japan. It felt very much like the booze cruise over to France, that we British used to do in the 80's, but without the booze. Nobody dresses up for dinner or acts as if they're on holiday. We didn't fill in a health questionnaire when boarding the ship, sanitiser was not always available when returning, and when it was, we saw gold and silver members going to front of the queues, and not sanitising their hands. No wonder so many people were really ill with a flu type virus, one of our party was diagnosed with pneumonia by the ship's doctor, and my partner became ill on his return home. The response I have received from Royal Caribbean seems to be a list of humble apologies and blame on members of staff. I think they are doing their best in an impossible situation. They also stated that they look forward to us joining them again in the near future!! They have clearly not read and understood our e-mails. If Royal Caribbean can't cope with this number of passengers from different cultures, then they shouldn't be taking the bookings. Read Less