Introduction
The Anthem of the Seas and Ovation of the Seas are the newest cruise ships of Royal Caribbean International (RCI) Quantum-class.
Unlike many other new ships, the promo campaign of the Quantum/Anthem/Ovation is massive production. It is focused on the design features and innovations that provide the new ship with the promotional logo of a “smart ship”.
Unlike many other ships, some details were kept secret until the very last moment or still remain out of focus of the advertising campaign and mass media “reviews”.
In this review I will pay due respect to the “smart features”, but first of all - to the ship itself.
I have had a privilege to participate in the Quantum maiden voyage from Southampton to New York .
Please note that I am a paying passenger and not a member of numerous promo brigades on board. I am a cruise critic.
The ship suffered many small or not so small technical issues during the maiden voyage that was not a problem for us at all.
I had been fully aware of potential problems before we boarded the ship.
That was a brand new ship – just a few days fresh from the shipyard.
Our trip followed the route of glorious ocean liners of years past.
Our journey from Southampton to New York was an adventure, an excursion, and a great time on the stormy Atlantic – everything we were looking for.
Where to start a pre-cruise trip if you are going to be on the Quantum maiden voyage?
At Meyer Werft in Papenburg!
Yes, of course.
Seeing the Anthem of the Seas under construction was a beautiful introduction to the Quantum maiden voyage – both technically and emotionally.
So, the Quantum maiden voyage was a part of a great adventure.
Can I say that I did not like it? Never.
It was marvelous.
The tour of Meyer Werft was unforgettable.
The weather in London and Southampton was better that one could expect. The only exception was a couple of hours of terrible wind and rain when people gathered in Mayflower Park in Southampton at 6 a.m. to see the Quantum docking.
When we got inside the ship…
The ship smelled like a new car.
Everything was clean and new…
All that crafted a very special atmosphere of the maiden voyage.
In the review you will see some maiden voyage issues mentioned (and illustrated!).
Don’t consider these as complaints – from the most chaotic check in ever to the pools flooding the upper deck – this is just a travel report.
All those things are things that happen. I don’t include it in my ship assessment.
The internet is full of critical reports about the maiden voyage: “something did not work, personnel were not trained, technology failed, dining failed, worst cruise ever”….
I don’t belong to that group of reporters.
I really did like the maiden voyage.
Other reports declare it “unbelievable/outstanding/5*/best ship ever” – I don’t share that outlook either as it is quite an exaggeration (to say the least).
This remarkable ship is spectacular and cleverly designed for a particular kind of cruising (particular “business model”), but considering some obvious design flaws and omissions, it is hard to call it “best ever”.
Now let’s take a closer look at the magnificent Quantum of the Seas / Anthem of the Seas / Ovation of the Seas.
This is a review of the Quantum-class cruise ships: design, amenities, dining, entertainment, cabin guide with pictures and video
Some necessary statistics and terminology
Gross Tonnage – 168,000 GT
Length – 1,141 ft
Max. Beam – 136 ft
Draft – 28ft
Cruising speed – 22 knots
Capacity - 4180 guests double occupancy (4905 total)
Crew - 1500
Gross Tonnage is frequently confused with ships weight or displacement.
One Gross Ton is equal to 100 cubic feet of internal (enclosed) volume.
So it is about volume, not weight.
Ship’s weight (equal to ship’s displacement) is measured in metric tons.
The heaviest passenger ships afloat are three RCI Oasis class ships (the Oasis, the Allure, and the Harmony - about 100,000 tons).
RMS Queen Mary 2 ocean liner is the fourth (close to 80,000 tons).
General notes on the Quantum/Anthem/Ovation of the Seas design and planning
This is an overview.
All the details with photos and video will follow.
From the first glance it’s clearly seen that the Quantum/Anthem/Ovation is an enlarged and in many ways improved Celebrity Solstice.
The most noticeable improvement over Celebrity ships is the use of divided engine uptakes that utilizes advantages of axial planning. This is a luxury (smart!) feature in cruise ship design that has been a tradition for Royal Caribbean ships since the Voyager class, but lacking on Celebrity ships.
Another area of significant improvement over Celebrity is balcony cabins design.
Like on the Solstice class ships, standard balcony cabins on the Quantum/Anthem/Ovation are made smaller in width (about 8 inches less than standard) in order to fit more cabins in the ship length.
But it’s done much more cleverly on the Quantum ships.
That’s a really smart improvement over Celebrity.
I will pay a special attention to that smart improvement later in the review.
Unfortunately the Quantum/Anthem/Ovation have inherited some major design flaws from their Celebrity predecessor.
The superstructure is tall (8 balcony decks – compare to 5 balcony decks on RCI Freedom class) with “humps” and “recessed in” areas that resulted in a promenade deck that has been ruined by lifeboats, obstructed or spoiled views from a significant number of balconies, huge overhang supported by struts placed right on the balconies. The promenade deck is not wrap-around – just two separate strips on both sides of the ship.
Some Celebrity Solstice features have been lost or modified.
The feature that has been lost is the forward observation deck. This is an obvious loss in comparison with Celebrity Solstice class ships and there is no reason to justify that.
Two tiny rudimentary open areas over the bridge wings (views are spoiled by the glass screens) do not compensate for the loss.
Other upper deck areas have been modified in accordance with the Quantum/Anthem/Ovation new concept of enclosed upper decks with the addition of some very unusual entertaining activities.
The Solarium took the place of the Sky Lounge (a principal lounge – forward observation lounge).
The Gym moved up and took the place of the sports court and formerly open forward sun deck (“Solstice Deck”).
The covered pool remains where it was on the Solstice. The difference: the glass dome is now equipped with sliding windows, so it can be partially opened to allow some fresh air.
Covered pool on the Quantum of the Seas
The new feature – “North star” (an observation capsule on the crane) – sits on the roof of the covered pool.
The open pool remains where it was on the Solstice.
The Grass Lawn has been replaced with a covered multi-purpose sports court, “SeaPlex”.
The aft part of the upper deck houses the traditional RCI Flowrider and a new entertaining feature the RipCord by iFly.
One deck below – the general buffet or “Windjammer” – is principally a copy of the Celebrity Solstice buffet by design and layout with an open area on the stern.
Internal public areas – “major landmarks” of the ship from bow to stern
The Theater is where it was on the Solstice.
Former Celebrity Central (a “second stage” for smaller scale performances) is now the Music Hall. The venue has grown two decks high (it took space from the deck below) and extended transverse taking up space of the former “Entertainment Court ” – a small two deck high atrium.
Celebrity Central and the Entertainment Court on a Solstice Class ship
Music Hall on the Quantum of the Seas
The lowest passenger deck (deck 3 where two strips of window cabins are placed along the sides of the ship) has been revised.
The lines of cabins are now all the way from the theater to main dining rooms along the sides, so the public rooms on deck 3 do not extend from board to board.
Instead, the space on deck 3 forward between the cabin strips is now used for public rooms: the lower deck of the Music Hall and the casino.
The lateral shopping passage (port side) from the theater to the Grand Foyer on the Solstice class (“shops on the Boulevard”) remains the same on the Quantum/Anthem.
The former Grand Foyer on the Celebrity Solstice is now reshaped to resemble a portion of traditional RCI Royal Promenade. Sorrento ’s pizza and a tiny corner of Café Promenade will remind you that you are on a Royal Caribbean ship.
The Esplanade on the Quantum of the Seas
Thanks to divided engine uptakes, the Solstice Grand Foyer (now called “Royal Esplanade”) has received a new extension called “The Via” that gives Quantum/Anthem interiors a much classier look.
The Via on the Quantum of the Seas
A familiar starboard lateral passage (“Ensemble Lounge”) that goes from the Grand Foyer aft to the specialty restaurants area – the area behind a very noticeable tinted glass belt around the stern on Celebrity ships - now leads from The Via to the new public area – a huge multi-purpose lounge called “Two70”.
The tinted glass belt around the stern of Celebrity has grown dramatically on the Quantum/Anthem and is almost three decks high now.
An adjacent dining area where Celebrity Solstice passengers would find The Blu (a separate dining room for “Aqua Class” price category and suites guests) is now
“Café @ Two70” - an equivalent of the “Park Café” on the Oasis class ships.
Specialty restaurants have been moved to deck 5 (starboard) where the Galleria Boutiques used to be on Celebrity ships.
MDR (Main Dining Room)
The formerly 2 deck high board-to-board wide main dining room space on the Celebrity Solstice has been split into four separate one deck high and half ship wide dining rooms.
Each dining room offers its own fixed menu and differ in ambiance.
Capacity: about 430 each.
All four restaurants are complimentary “any time dining”.
However reservation in advance is required.
RCI calls this system “Dynamic Dining”.
Update
This system has been reviewed recently.
"The reason for the change is feedback from guests indicated a preference for a dining program that combines traditional seating with the option for flexibility".
Update
This system has been reviewed recently.
"The reason for the change is feedback from guests indicated a preference for a dining program that combines traditional seating with the option for flexibility".
“Coastal Kitchen” – a 130 seat complimentary dining room is reserved exclusively for Grand Suites and some other privileged guests. This venue is located on deck 14 next to the Windjammer buffet.
Too bad the The Esplanade on the Quantum/Anthem of the Seas is ruined by the constant hawking of cheap trinkets & T-Shirts. So much so that it's difficult to get across.
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