Pandemic cruising: Quantum of The Seas
Note: While this is out first cruise in a pandemic, it is our third cruise with Royal Caribbean and our fifth cruise overall. Any comparisons in the article is made in relation to our experience before the pandemic.
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Major outbreak aboard the Diamond Princess, the headlines read several months ago. Hundreds sick.
Our holiday seemed doomed right from the beginning.
But as I stood on the topmost deck of one of the world’s biggest cruise ships looking out onto the glittering expanse of the South China Sea, I cast my doubts into its deepest depths, embracing instead the feeling of freedom that comes with being dwarfed by nature and the larger-than-life surroundings.
Quantum of the Seas is a floating city, with 14 restaurants and cafes and several signature attractions, including indoor skydiving; the Flowrider, a surf simulator; bumper cars and a rather pointless 3-storey high magenta polar bear, supposedly built for selfie-obsessed passengers.
It’s supposed to be more technologically advanced and expensive than its predecessors — from the USD$2 million dollar high-tech paint job to the $30 million state-of-the-art theatre.
But here’s where it gets interesting: the Quantum is also the only ship — out of 24 ocean liners currently owned by Royal Caribbean — that’s sailing in the middle of the pandemic.
Yes, this is a pilot cruise and we paid to be the guinea pigs.
There’s something inherently exciting about being the first to embark on an adventure as the world watches with bated breath. On the previous departure, an elderly passenger falsely tested positive for COVID-19 on the ship’s last day at sea. Self-restrained individuals who have never been inside a mall or dined out since the start of the pandemic tut-tutted and muttered “What did you expect?” as the passengers on the ill-fated cruise retreated into their rooms for a 24-hour quarantine, showing us how easily the whole affair could spiral into disaster at a moment’s notice.
But as Nina Simone and then Michael Bublé says, it’s a new dawn, it’s a new day, it’s a new life.
Here’s what to know if you plan to board a ship in the coming months:
You will be swabbed — twice.
About a week before your cruise, all guests regardless of their age will receive an individual email to schedule an appointment for their rtPCR test. It is an extremely efficient process the involves little to no wait so be sure to show up on time and bring your ID along. On the day itself, you will be assigned to one of the many temporary booths set up for testing purposes — together with your child, if you have any.
Perhaps the biggest challenge once you’re sitting on a chair with your head tilted slightly back is to forget about all the horror stories you’ve read about nasal swabbing. The actual process, however, is quick and painless, though not entirely comfortable. Most of us will involuntarily sneeze, tear up or flinch — but try avoiding the latter unless you fancy spending a night in ER with a Q-tip lodged up your nose.
Kids are mercifully spared from this intrusive nasal probe — a quick daub to the outer part of the nostril (my son has likened it to picking his nose), a few encouraging words and they’re sent off on their way. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.
This whole process repeats itself when you disembark from your cruise. The swabs, however, do not go as deep the second time around for the adults. If you still suffer from anxiety, think of the crew members, who have to swabbed EACH TIME the ship pulls into port.
You will receive your rtPCR test results within 24 hours. An ambulance will be promptly sent to your home if you do test positive, so no news is always good news.
They’ve taken extra precautions.
The safety measures do not stop there. On the day you check in (also a smooth and relatively hassle free process), you will be issued with a Seapass card and a WOWband, a blue silicone bracelet to track your whereabouts. It is imperative to have these with you at ALL times, even if it makes you feel like a prisoner out on parole.
Guests are required to tap in with their Seapass cards and have their temperatures screened each time they enter or exit a public space. They will also be subjected to random health checks — so your stateroom attendant isn’t trying to hit on you if he suddenly shows up outside your door armed with a digital thermometer.
Gone are the days of a fully packed theatre and buffet lines. You can still watch a live performance and go on a no-holds-barred all-you-can-eat marathon — but there will be staggered showtimes and seatings, as well as dour-faced government-employed safe distancing ambassadors making their rounds on each cruise to keep a close eye on all passengers.
The ship itself is supposedly outfitted with an advanced air filtration system that “continuously scrubs the air of pathogens” and “supplies 100% fresh air from outdoors to all indoor spaces…up to 12 times an hour in staterooms, and about 15 changes an hour in large public spaces.”
These measures can seem over-the-top and overbearing at times. But the world is watching, and Royal Caribbean cannot afford to mess up.
Each child is allotted a maximum number of hours at the kid’s club.
You could drop your kid’s off at the ship’s supervised kid’s club in the morning and leave them there till 10pm and not be accused of child neglect…..once upon a time.
These days, it’s much more complex.
Royal Caribbean’s complimentary Adventure Ocean program is divided into different age group — the Aquanauts (3 to 5-years old), Explorers (6 to 8) and Voyagers (9 to 11) — that spans across two decks. These clubs are now divided into the morning (9am to noon), afternoon (2pm to 5pm) and evening slots (7pm to 10pm) and can accommodate a maximum of 15 children at any given time.
This means that, especially during peak sailing periods like school holidays, parents will have to register their children and book for the slots in advance. You can do all three hours in one go, or split it up. It’s inconvenient, but the kids had fun — and so did the adults.
Plan with military precision to maximize your day.
This was my least favorite part of cruising during COVID-19. After all, isn’t a cruise all about doing what you want, when you want?
Apparently, not anymore!
First off, I recommend downloading the Royal Caribbean International app. It contains a daily schedule and allows you to book some specialty restaurants, activities and headlining shows. There are a surprising number of things to do onboard and — unless you’re happy just to kick back with a book — you need to prioritise and plan because spaces can fill up quickly.
Unfortunately, my first evening was spent jostling for space with what seemed like hundreds of other equally frustrated passengers and furiously clicking on the ‘Book Now’ button as the app repeatedly crashed. We were all trying to book seats for the evening performances, and people were behaving like animals despite being reassured time and again by staff that there will be space for everyone. I finally succeeded in getting seats for the shows after getting help from a less-than-amicable Guest Services officer.
Thankfully though, the app works most of the time.
If you plan on going indoor skydiving or on the North Star, be sure to reserve in advance. The kids managed to wrangle a slot for the former, but we paid dearly — about SGD40 for less than a minute for each child / adult — for it.
For other activities like rock climbing, surfing, dance classes, game nights or even a dip in the hot tub, just show up (the earlier, the better) but be prepared to join Singaporeans in their favorite pastime…lining up!
It’s cheaper than a staycation.
Several activities like skydiving AND wifi cost an arm and a leg, but these were more of an exception to the rule. With a cruise, you pay one price for food, lodging, and activities — and the Quantum comes with extra perks like surfing and bumper cars. It’s a bit like Club Med, but with better food and far better stage shows.
Thank goodness the pandemic changed none of that.
Even though the drinks are not included (but you can buy a drink package for a reasonable price), you can eat well for free. There are several free restaurants onboard including Sorrento’s, a cute pizza joint which was an absolute hit with our kids.
We also like the Windjammer, a casual buffet-style self-serve restaurant, for its variety. If you prefer a more formal, sit-down meal, there’s the main dining room with a lunch and dinner menu that changes daily, although perennial family favourites like the escargot and steak frites found their way to our table almost every night.
On Christmas Day however, we paid extra to dine in several of the ship’s specialty restaurants (price for adults vary, while kids 6 and above are charged SGD10). I chose Wonderland, because it is all about “pushing the culinary envelope” — at least according to Royal Caribbean’s website. However, the only thing the restaurant was pushing was sugar — the kids had cotton candy in their fruit salad entree (go figure) AND dessert.
The food turned out to be mediocre, and I wish I never came across some sponsored blog post extolling the many virtues of this specific restaurant, which seemed to be a training ground for young, confused chefs who were not — and will never be — Ferran Adrià.
We also had lunch in Jamie’s Italian, which was a failsafe choice since it is owned by Jamie Oliver. We preferred the actual Jamie’s Italian restaurant on land, but the food — even from the kid’s menu — was still incredibly decent.
All in all, however, we spent less than what we usually do on an average land-based vacation. And we had a great wifi-less time.
Tip (generously) if you can.
Word is is that tens of thousands of Royal Caribbean staff have lost their jobs worldwide since cruises were suspended on account of COVID-19. Thanks to this pilot cruise however, a handful of them were able to return to their jobs — 8 months later. We met many crew members aboard the Quantum who expressed their gratitude in being able to work again because there were simply no jobs for them back home.
However, since the ship has to cut its passenger capacity by half, the staff now earns much less than they used to. Tips are included in your fare, but we preferred to tip extra anyway.
After all, the real success of a cruise depends on its people.
And these hardworking men and women— from our stateroom attendant Argus, who gave my kids a private towel folding lesson, to our waiters, Sutoyo and Ari, who accommodated our every request (and fidgety children) with a smile, as well as Rudolph (yes, that’s his real name), who cheered us up on Christmas morning — were the ones who made our cruise special.
I dedicate this post to them.
