BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, December 3rd 2014 (CUOPM) – Royal Caribbean International Quantum of the Seas makes it inaugural call to St. Kitts on Monday 8th December.
The 4,905-passenger vessel, the first ship of the Quantum class is scheduled to dock at Port Zante at 11 a.m. and depart at 7 p.m.
It will make five other calls to St. Kitts’ Port Zante on January 19th and 28th; February 8th; March 9th and April 20th 2015. It will be repositioned late June 2015.
The Quantum of the Saes surpasses the earlier Freedom-class ships by over 14,000 Gross Tonnes, becoming the second largest class of passenger ships behind Royal Caribbean International's Oasis class ships on a gross tonnage basis.
Quantum of the Seas was delivered to Royal Caribbean on October 28, 2014 and set sail from Cape Liberty Cruise Port to the Caribbean including St. Kitts.
Quantum of the Seas has 16 passenger-accessible decks, 8 of which feature balcony staterooms overlooking the ocean.
Like the Celebrity Solstice class, those staterooms above the life boats are recessed into the superstructure and don't look down directly at the ocean. There are a total of 2,090 staterooms: 1,570 balcony staterooms, 147 ocean-view staterooms, and 373 inside staterooms. Of those staterooms, 34 are wheelchair accessible and 28 are studio staterooms for single travelers (including 12 studio staterooms with balconies).
All aft-facing staterooms are 2-story "loft" suites. Expanding on the "Virtual Porthole" concept introduced by Disney Cruise Line on the Disney Dream, all the interior staterooms feature a floor-to-ceiling 80-inch high-definition TV screen showing live views from the outside of the ship, which Royal Caribbean calls a “Virtual Balcony,” On average, staterooms on the Quantum class are 9 percent larger than those on the preceding Oasis class.
The Quantum of the Seas with crane and hinged glass capsule. Like the earlier Freedom and Oasis-class ships, the "Sports Court" on deck 15 aft features a Wave Loch Flowrider surf simulator and a rock-climbing wall.
A new feature on the Quantum of the Seas is “RipCord by iFLY,” a skydiving simulator set in a recirculating indoor recreational vertical wind tunnel. Reservations for RipCord are able to be made online in advance of the cruise. All the features of the Sports deck are complimentary, although Royal Caribbean charges for pictures and videos taken of RipCord participants.
The "NorthStar" observation tower, located at the forward end of the top deck, uses a 7.1-tonne (7.8-short-ton) glass-walled capsule on the end of a 41-meter-long (135 ft) crane arm to lift groups of up to 14 guests up and over the edge of the ship, reaching heights of up to 300 feet above sea level. Rides on the NorthStar are complimentary, with the exception of sunrise, sunset, and private trips which have a charge, and can be reserved online in advance.
Deck 14 features an outdoor pool with a large video screen, an indoor pool with a retractable roof, an indoor "Solarium" with an adults-only pool, the "H2O Zone" kids' water park featuring the first wave pool on a cruise ship, and at least 4 whirlpools. Other included features that have become standard on recent Royal Caribbean ships include a Spa and Fitness Center on decks 15 and 16, the "Adventure Ocean" kids club on decks 11 and 12, a Broadway-style "The Royal Theater" on decks 3-5, and a Casino on deck 3. Unlike the earlier Voyager, Freedom, and Oasis class, Quantum of the Seas does not feature a Viking Crown Lounge or ice skating rink, and the Royal Promenade mall down the center of the ship is replaced with the two-story “Royal Esplanade.”
The ships also feature a number of multi-purpose venues: Two70° is a lounge on decks 5-7 at the stern of the ship, which features three-story-high 270-degree panoramic ocean views, a café, and an ice bar. Automatic window shades can cover the windows to limit the amount of sunlight entering, and a 13-projector projection mapping system can project live views from outside the ship and other imagery onto those screens. At night, movable furniture and retractable dividers and chandeliers allow the space to be reconfigured to be used as a performance venue for a nouveau-cirque-style show or as a disco. Both nighttime uses will take advantage of the projection system and 5 robotically controlled 100-inch LCD television screens to provide digital backdrops.
Located at the middle of deck 15, the SeaPlex is a large indoor gym with a full-size basketball court that can be converted into a dance floor, a flying trapeze school, a roller-skating arena, or a bumper cars ride. The "SeaPlex" also features the SeaPlex Dog House food truck and table tennis, air hockey and foosball tables on a second-level mezzanine.
The Music Hall is a 2-story lounge on decks 3 and 4 that also serves as a nightclub and small music performance venue. The Music Hall features the self-levelling pool tables first seen on the Radiance-class ships.
Unlike previous Royal Caribbean ships, Quantum of the Seas does not have a main dining room, nor does it have an option for traditional cruise dinners where passengers have the same table and servers each night. Instead, the ship uses a Dynamic Dining concept similar to the Freestyle concept used on Norwegian Cruise Line, with guests being required to make reservations for their choice of restaurant for each night in advance. Each venue will maintain the same menu and staff throughout the cruise.
There are five complimentary main restaurants (four of which are available to all passengers.
Quantum of the Seas includes numerous bars and lounges, including the Royal Caribbean signature Schooner Bar, the Ice Bar located in Two70°, Michael's Genuine Pub, and the Bionic Bar which features robotic bartenders from Makr Shakr.
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