Had you invited me for a cruise during the pre-pandemic era, I never would have joined because I had this impression that travel cannot be maximized. Honestly, I was hesitant at first to book a cruise, but after experiencing it, I can’t stop thinking when the next would be.

Why choose Royal Caribbean?

In Singapore, you might come across different cruise lines, but if you want to opt for the best in everything, there is no doubt that its Royal Caribbean (it has been voted as Best Cruise Line Overall for 19 consecutive years). I’ve heard from friends who tried other cruise lines that RC is no doubt the most impressive one.

Cruise to Nowhere (Quantum of the Seas)

First time I heard about this, it sounded weird for me — why would I go for a cruise with no destination? Funny how your perspective changes when you get to hear other people share good experiences of Cruise to Nowhere. With all the hassle and requirements of international travel, I’d say that this is our best experience without entering another country. It made me realize that cruise is similar to a staycation but with much more value included, because the moment you set foot on board, the food, activities, and entertainment are free, if not everything, at least most of it.

Room Booking

We booked the cheapest available — guarantee stateroom (interior) for 4 days & 3 nights cruise which costs S$449.37 for January 2022. It was on 50% sale back then but there are even cheaper rates on later months. We eventually got upgraded to Ocean View Balcony at 13th floor (which is the highest for staterooms).

The room is quite spacious — there’s a couch where you can hang out with friends and a relaxing ocean view you’d definitely enjoy while sipping your morning coffee or just when you want to relax and sip a beer. The housekeeping did a great job of always keeping the room tidy even if we go out for a short while. Our room attendant always surprises us with a different fancy folded towel animals every time our room is cleaned.

Preparations

When you are a first-timer doing a cruise like me, it can be very confusing and overwhelming (I had a million questions) plus the fact that it’s still pandemic which made it more complicated. The best advice I could give is to always read the newest emails sent by Royal Caribbean (they will regularly send you the latest protocol so that you will be updated with the latest changes or requirements before your sailing date).

I don’t recommend to rely on friends who previously went for a cruise or even from blogs because protocols keep changing all the time, e.g. sometime last year PCR was required but since most of the people are fully vaccinated nowadays, we were only required to do Antigen Rapid Test.

a. Online Check-in

Do not ignore how important this is — the minute you receive an email from Royal Caribbean, download the Royal Caribbean app and check-in after you have installed it. We booked immediately as soon as it was available and as by doing so, we were able to get the earliest check-in time (2pm). I recommend that you choose the earliest available so you can avoid the long queue for the health screening and check in. Even though the ship departs at 8:30pm on the first night and shows start in the evening, food is already served in the afternoon. After settling in, we went straight to Sorrento’s for pizza and pastries, and a bit of exploring the main deck.

b. Rapid Antigen Test

About 2 weeks before we onboarded, we received an email about registering for the ART test which includes unique reference ID (if you do not receive this ID, send an email to RC). Registration needs to be done prior to boarding day.

The ART cost is inclusive of what was paid for and is held at Raffles City Convention Centre. We went for testing an hour before our boarding and waited for the result before we proceeded to Marina Bay Cruise Centre. You can go by MRT (nearest station is Marina South Pier but you have to walk ~800m to the cruise centre) or book a cab/phv to get there.

Food

One of the main indulgences you’ll have at the cruise is FOOD. Having said that, I wonder if there’s anyone who didn’t have weight gain after going for a cruise.

a. Main Dining Room (Complimentary)

You do not need to pay for the food that is served here. There is a fixed breakfast menu while lunch and dinner menus (three-course meals) are changing daily. The three sit down restaurants for Quantum of the Seas are American Icon Grill, Silk and The Grande. They serve the same kind of food so the difference is just the restaurant theme. We personally prefer to dine at American Icon as we get the best service there.

The first appetizer I tried was the crispy coconut shrimp which was really amazing. For the mains, my favourites were the roasted Atlantic cod and herb-crusted salmon while the desserts were mostly too sweet for me. I’d recommend corned beef hash for breakfast; was not too happy with the French toast despite the IG worthy presentation. Some of the meals are hit-or-miss, but one thing’s for sure: what you paid for is so worth it especially when you think about all the food options you have.

My Time Dining vs Traditional Dining

You will be asked to choose between these two while booking for the cruise. For traditional dining, you’ll have a specific time and table for dinner (which is the same for the rest of the nights), whereas as my time dining simply means you can go for dinner at whichever time you like. We chose the latter because it gave us the flexibility to adjust our schedule according to the evening shows that we’re watching.

b. Sorrento’s Pizza, Windjammer and Dog House (Complimentary)

These three are the other food options where you don’t have to pay for anything. Sorrento’s Pizza, for me, is just ok — you can also drop by this restaurant for midnight cravings as it’s open until around 2AM. Seaplex Dog House is a food truck which is located on the upper deck — strategic venue where you can indulge in gourmet hotdogs after enjoying some activities. Windjammer is where you can have the buffet option (if you like to have lots of choices), didn’t get the chance to try this as I prefer to try the ever-changing meals at MDR.

c. Chops Grille

This restaurant is highly recommended, among all the other restaurants, and I’d have to say that this is the highlight of our gastronomic experience here. You have an option to book it separately S$74.79 (for 4-course meal for dinner) per person or buy the unlimited dining package for about S$148 per person. Not exaggerating, but there was nothing we tried here that did not taste good. For the appetizers, we ordered the colossal shrimp cocktail and jumbo lump crab cake (my favorite!) while wild mushroom soup and lobster bisque (the best I’ve had) for the soup.

For the mains, I tried that Prime NY strip (12-oz. fully flavored USDA Prime cut) while my husband had Filet (tender cut of lean, midwestern beef). By having this, it felt as if this has set our steak standard and we haven’t tasted a better steak after dining at Chops Grille. Too bad the Prime Bone-in Ribeye was not available as this was also highly recommended. We had Gruyere Cheese Tater Tots, ,Mac & Cheese, Grilled Jumbo Asparagus and Truffled french fries for the sides. I had to make space for dessert after all these and despite diminishing marginal utility kicking in to my system, the chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream and berry compote just blew my mind. I can still vividly remember (as of writing) how it tasted sooo good and melted into my mouth.

d. Other Specialty Restaurants

Jamie’s Italian, Izumi and Wonderland are the other specialty restaurants which you have to pay extra if you opt to dine in any of these. We only got the chance to try Chops Grille among the specialty restaurants, but this was a must for us since most of the reviews rave that it is the best.

Shows and activities

As soon as you board the ship, make sure to book the shows and activities as soon as possible so you can choose your preferred time and day. From our experience, Flowrider was fully booked quite early for the whole trip and was not able to accommodate everyone who wanted to try it.

a. Evening performances

The nightly shows are also what we look forward to at the cruise. On the first night, we’ve seen Sequins & Feathers — a musical show that boasts its dazzling choreography and amazing costumes. Ensure to have your dinner early as shows like this do not accept latecomers. On our last night, we were impressed by the acrobatic performance by Duo du Soleil. We were able to witness the only act in the world performing blindfolded handbalancing by performers Alan and Yulia Reva, who are also real life couple.

b. Activities
Complimentary

The most famous activity would be Flowrider, which is surf simulator that let’s you catch a wave. As mentioned earlier, this needs to be booked quite early. Everyone’s favorite has to be the bumper cars — note that you are only allowed to try this once per trip (to give chance to all guests); this needs to be booked via the RC app too. Another fun activity is the wall-climbing and the good thing is you do not need to book for this — just show up at the time displayed in the app. Oh, and for the risk takers, the ship also has Casino Royale, which may not be as huge as what you may normally expect, nevertheless, it’s awesome that the ship caters countless activities for everybody.

Activities with Extra Charge

You can enjoy the RipCord by iFly for around S$54 and though it’s not complimentary, it’s way way cheaper than Sentosa’s iFly. Another attraction is the North Star, an observation capsule that gives you stunning 360-degree views for about S$27.

c. Trivia and Games

This is the exciting part for the competitive players. Royal Caribbean offers vast range of topics for their games — travel, music, sports, Harry Potter, Disney and our favorite -Sudoku! It was nice to know that the games were curated for all types of individuals. Note that you do not have to book this from the RC app, just add it to your calendar so you’ll be prompted to come at the designated venue.

Amenities

Do you feel like bathing in the sun or totally hate a tan? Don’t fret because RC is big enough to have both indoor and outdoor pools. The glass-canopied Solarium pool is open for guests 16 years old and above which also has jacuzzi and can accommodate five persons at a time. Oh, and if you feel guilty with the non-stop eating, go visit the gym or jogging track on Deck 15.

Verdict

I’ve never heard of anyone who didn’t rave nor was unimpressed with the Royal Caribbean experience (because this is the trip for everyone — the foodie, the traveler, the sporty and even the arts-fartsy . If you want an ultimate indulgence, go for this cruise that opens you to another world of adventure.