5 Favorites Aboard Quantum of the Seas

Over the years I’ve spent a lot of time traveling and have been given the opportunity to see some pretty exciting destinations and cruise ships. A cruise has always been the ultimate form of vacation for me.

When Royal Caribbean announced Quantum of the Seas a couple years ago, my first thought was all theses features and attractions were gimmicks. Last week I was given the opportunity to preview said ship and I admit, I’ve officially put my foot in my mouth. No gimmicks found, all real.

Here are my top five favorite features:

 

1. RipCord by iFly

Having been sky diving five times in the past few years, I can tell you that this is just as exciting without the intensive training, airplane ride to 14,000 feet or the exorbitant rates to jump out of a perfectly good airplane.

Here you jump into a wind tunnel with an instructor and you get 60 seconds of free fall time, which is actually 15 seconds longer than real skydiving. The simulator operates daily and reservations are recommended. By the way, this is free.

2. Seaplex

This venue located on deck 15 and 16 aft is an all-purpose venue. There are so many activities that can be done here from bumper cars, basketball, roller skating and even a circus school trapeze lessons!

We had a chance to do the bumper cars. In fact, they were so fun that after everyone left we did it a couple more times – closing down the court. This is free too.

3. Northstar

Imagine the Space Needle in Seattle, but perched on top of a cruise ship, with a hydraulic arm, and you’ll get the idea. This space-like pod is perched on top of the ship and takes you 300’ above sea level.

At first look I thought this pod only went up and down but it actually swings out over the side of the ship to give you unrestricted views. Being 300’ in the air is really cool at sea but imagine the views you’ll be able to get of your favorite cruise pier when docked or sailing in or out. Another freebie.

4. Dynamic Dining

I really like this new Royal Caribbean dining concept because we can say so long to the main dining rooms on cruise ships by saying hello to smaller more intimate dining rooms – that are still complimentary, but reservations are required.

Complimentary restaurants:

• Chic, contemporary cuisine with made from scratch sauces
• Silk, pan-Asian fare
• American Icon, road trip and comfort foods
• Grande, a more upscale dining experience with timeless dishes

You’ll also find your standard dining venues with a charge like a steakhouse, an Italian eatery, and sushi.

5. Bionic bar

This isn’t your typical bartender, in fact, the only thing terrestrial about this bartender is that it makes your drinks. You order your drink on a tablet, pay for the beverage and watch the magic happen.

The bottles of liquor are suspended from the bar’s ceiling and the mixers are in typical stainless soda fountains. Once completed, in typical bartender fashion the robot will slide the drink down to you.

We could talk to hours about all the features on Quantum of the Seas like the expedited pier-to-ship times, how the ship is all digital and all the new innovations on board but the only real way to experience it all is to sail.

Are the machines in control? Not hardly, but Quantum of the Seas is hands down a smart ship, if not the smartest ships at sea.

You can see our Quantum of the Seas photo gallery on our Cruise Radio Facebook page.

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