This cruise was what I expected. Vancouver is one of my favorite port cities along with Barcelona & Honolulu. Sea days do not bother me at all on a big ship like Quantum. This itinerary had 5 of them - but we visited 3 ports along the way and had overnights in Lahaina & Honolulu. The crew was friendly, the ship was beautiful & clean, the ports were great. Food was good for days 1-7, dinner at Windjammer so-so for days 8-10. My lowest grade on this trip - tenders at Lahaina, My highest grade - disembarkation operation in Honolulu - unbelievably quick & easy. Overall, A+ (I mean, C’mon - I was on a cruise to Honolulu instead of at work!)
Embarkation
4 out of 5
The embarkation took place at Canada Place right in beautiful downtown Vancouver BC. I was staying at a nearby hotel so I walked out of my hotel with my rolling suitcase and tote - and was at the port in ten minutes by foot. It probably took about 45 minutes to board at my arrival time of 1 PM. The process was fairly smooth but I still think they could stagger the times better to avoid crowding. My luggage was at my cabin door not long after I boarded.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
I only ate at Windjammer. I know I could organize the buffet better as it consists of service islands scattered across the floor with various entree’s here, bread way over there, desserts elsewhere etc. The haphazard layout causes diners to criss cross the floor with plates in hand. When it’s not very crowded, it’s no big deal but when it’s busy, it’s total chaos. Every Windjammer seems set up this way and this is not unique to Quantum. The food was good for the first 7 nights and then kind of went downhill. Breakfast was always good but the quality of the dinner selections diminished over time.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
On this trip, I visited the Fitness Center, the North Star, and a few of the bars/nightclubs. Everything was good. The fitness center had quite a few broken resistance machines that were offline for repair but there was plenty of cardio equipment. The North Star was a unique experience & I really enjoyed it! I would post some pictures I took but this app. is not currently letting me access my photos. The bars/nightclubs were fine - although when I’m in the ones with no windows, I feel like I might be missing some good scenery. :)
Entertainment
4 out of 5
DJ’s were ok. I sailed on Celebrity a couple times and they always seemed to have interesting speakers but nothing like that caught my attention on this cruise - it might just be that I missed it. I never felt bored - but to me the people & the ship itself were a great source of entertainment. I work in customer service so spending time up on deck away from everyone and looking out at the sea was absolutely wonderful on many occasions during the trip. Lol
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Everyone was very nice and I witnessed just a couple rude guests that were handled very graciously by the ship’s personnel. They all seemed very willing to engage in conversation and to accommodate each guest. I especially liked the staff at the Starbucks. They treated me exceptionally well. My cabin steward was friendly and always kept my cabin neat and tried to accommodate my schedule which varied from day to day.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
The ship is spectacular. On Royal Caribbean, I had only sailed on Radiance Class ships before - and Majesty of the Seas from decades ago. I missed the huge atrium feature of Radiance Class ships and would love to see that incorporated on the line’s bigger ships. Quantum Class was very nice over all though and as I mentioned earlier in the review, I very much enjoyed the North Star feature of Quantum Class ships. I hope to have the opportunity to sail on Oasis Class soon!
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
I had the solo cruiser studio cabin with large balcony. It was really very comfortable and I loved the huge balcony. I wanted to book that cabin again for next year but it is priced too high for some reason - more than a regular cabin with large balcony do it did not make much sense for next year’s cruise. However, on this cruise it was priced right and I’m glad I got to try it out. I’m a solo cruiser (usually) so it was perfect for a single guy. I’m pretty sure my bathroom was a standard bathroom size even though the cabin was smaller. My cabin was clean and everything was in good working order. I had no problems with storage space at all - and kept my gym clothes and shoes out on the large balcony after my workouts.
Ship tip
Be sure to experience the North Star cause I don’t know of any other ships outside of Quantum Class that have something like that. Also, I found the Windjammer to much more pleasant for dining at night than during the busy breakfast rush. Please don’t get mad when they yell washy-washy at you. They are just doing their job and trying to keep the dining areas clean for everyone. Go wash your hands and then enjoy your meal! If you like to get naked on your private balcony - great! Just make sure you do not become a photo op for guests on the North Star as it goes over the side of the ship. Some otherwise private balconies are in full view from the North Star when it makes its orbit over the ship. Lol
This city is beautiful and one of my favorites to visit in the summer & early fall. I did not book any excursions through the cruise line but did enjoy some on my own. I did a speedboat tour of the bay and a seaplane ride over Vancouver. The weather was spectacular. It’s a great walking city too. I love Vancouver! I would love to see an Oasis Class ship at Vancouver - but I’m not sure it good get under the bridge - so Quantum Class may just be the largest ship that Canada Place can accommodate.
I love Honolulu. Anyone who tells you to avoid Oahu on your trip to Hawaii is giving you terrible advice. Each Island is different. They are all beautiful and distinct from each other with their own identity. Oahu’s distinction is this - no where else in the Aloha State are you going to find wide open beaches & crowded beaches, historic & contemporary attractions, rural stretches of road to explore, hiking, surfing competitions, iconic Hawaiian attractions you’ll recognize from television & movies - and a 24/7 American metropolis offering all the conveniences of mainland urban centers - and all on one island. Oahu has it all!
This was my third visit to Lahaina. I have to comment on the tender operation the cruise line used here. It reminded me of those human smuggling operations you see on the news that happen in the Mediterranean. I’m pretty sure there was some unusual problem on this trip because on previous visits to Lahaina, the tender operation was far better - and on the same cruise line. Our tender broadsided Quantum three times before it finally came to a stop on our return from the port. They were crowded and slowed down by activity in the transit channels. Not good. Lahaina was great though & I started my visit at Captain Jack’s across from the port. We had beautiful weather both days as we had an overnight there which was awesome.
I had been to Victoria in 2016 and was glad it was included on our itinerary. I thought it was great to have a North American port of call enroute to Hawaii as many times once you leave the West Coast, that’s it until you arrive in Hawaii. I did a river gorge excursion that I found on my own, not through the cruise line. The guide made it very interesting since he was an older man that had lived in the area his whole life and he had some funny stories to share. It took about 90 minutes so I had plenty of time to walk around and explore on my own which I really enjoy. Victoria is a very walkable, and clean provincial capitol.
Well, here I can give Royal Caribbean an absolutely excellent review! I walked out of my cabin and into the port in Honolulu in about 10 minutes. I needed no assistance so just packed up and left. I got an Uber to my hotel quickly and was in my hotel room about 45 minutes after I walked out of my cabin - that includes check-in at the hotel. To date, that was the easiest disembarkation I have experienced after a cruise. I should point out that we had an overnight in Honolulu the night before disembarkation so perhaps many people left early - but on the day of disembarkation, the process could not have been easier.
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