Royal Caribbean Quantum of the Seas Bahamas Cruise Review – Day 4: November 26, 2014

It’s Thanksgiving Day onboard the beautiful Quantum of the Seas and I’ve already seen one guy walking around with a plush turkey on his head.

The Pilgrims would be proud.

Not wanting to be left out of a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, I rearranged dining reservations for tonight so I can hit up the American Grill where they serve, get this, a turkey dinner every night. I originally had Silk booked, but I figured Asian fusion isn’t really the way to celebrate the slaughter of millions of birds who end up having bread shoved up their body cavity.

I’ve been told that each of the 17 dining venues tonight will have “some” type of Thanksgiving fare. As long as that “fare” doesn’t include shipping in my clan of fighting family members, I’ll be thankful.

Quantum made her maiden call at Port Canaveral yesterday where we docked at the Carnival Cruise Line terminal. Pretty ironic considering these brands are bitter rivals, just check out Carnival’s latest television commercial where they make fun of Quantum’s Bionic Bar (which is functioning again but is as popular as a leper at Club Med).

There really isn’t anything going on at Port Canaveral unless you signed up for the Kennedy Space Center tour or wanted to take an hour-and-a-half bus ride to Disney World, which many did based on the number of Disney shopping bags I saw being carried on the ship later in the day.

I only had two reasons for getting on the ship here, one was to have dinner with friends I haven’t seen in a long time and the second was to take a picture of the ship. The dinner went off as planned at Rusty’s Seafood which is a short $8 taxi ride from the port. The picture of the ship was a bust. Instead of hauling out the gangway, the sky bridges from the terminal were attached to the ship leaving no access to anything but the terminal building which did not allow for optimal viewing of the ship.

However, I did manage to grab this screenshot from PortCanaveralWebcam.com which shows this magnificent vessel lit up while in port.

It was another cold, windy, rainy day until about 5pm when the sky started to clear, however by then it was too late to take advantage of the many outdoor areas onboard. A brisk walk around the ship mid-day saw the North Star closed for repairs, the outdoor pool too cold to use, a drained FlowRider, and a not a soul in sight around iFly, as it was closed too.

Inside the ship, people were basking in the greenhouse-like atmosphere at both of the ship’s inside pools while a game of basketball was being played in the SeaPlex. The Royal Esplanade was busy as people were downing the craft beers at Michael’s Genuine Pub followed by a couple of slices of pizza at Sorrento’s.

Speaking of the pizza…. I did try a slice of the pepperoni. It’s not New York Style as they claim, but it’s not that bad for a shipboard pizza joint. Slices are small, but the place is busy throughout the day and night.

At the aft end of the ship, Two70 was buzzing as people sipped coffee ala Starbucks-style and hung out eating sandwiches pretending they were at Barnes and Noble. Honestly, the area makes me feel like I’m in those two places.

By the way, those who have sailed on Allure of the Seas or Oasis of the Seas and rave about the Kummelweck sandwich those ships made famous. If you like it, you’ll be happy to know that it’s available at Cafe Two70 onboard Quantum.

When I was on Allure, I tried the much talked about sandwich which is nothing more than a fatty piece of thick sliced roast beef, dipped in au jus and thrown on a bun.

I’ll take the McRib any day.

After spending time outside walking around the open decks and listening to blazingly loud music by the empty pool area, I headed inside to warm up to a hot bowl of soup in the Windjammer Cafe. It was then that I realized something was amiss.

Drinks are not free on cruises. That includes soda. You either pay by the drink or purchase a beverage plan starting at $19 that is just for coffee, tea, water, OJ, non-alcoholic drinks, and fountain soda to the $55 package that includes just about everything you drink on board. Each plan entitles you to unlimited beverages, although if you drink more than your share of “unlimited” in one day, you’re limited.

Each plan comes with a travel cup that has a chip in the bottom of it that turns on the Coca-Cola Freestyle machines that are placed around the ship. It’s here where you can take your favorite Coke products and concoct your custom pop from an endless variety of options. The machine will only work when one of these cups with the chip in the bottom is placed on it.

However, the Freestyle machines have been wide open for the entire cruise so far allowing anyone – whether they purchased a beverage plan or not – to get a soda. In fact, regular plastic tumblers are piled next to them so anyone can grab one and get a drink.

The reason? I’ve been told the cups were not loaded on the ship before it left Bayonne, therefore those with a beverage package were not given one, so the machines are wide open. This strikes a nerve with me, as I bought the $49 per day beverage package which includes the use of the Freestyle machines. Those who didn’t purchase a package are getting a free ride. While I think a bit of a price adjustment is in order due to this, as well as not receiving my souvenir mug which I planned on putting on my mantle, I won’t waste my time going down to Guest Services to voice my complaint. Instead, I’ll send this post over to the hotshots at corporate in Miami and see what they have to say. After all the front desk staff is just trained to smile, say “I understand,” and “sorry” and then send you on your way.

After a warming bowl of Seafood Vegetable Soup, which turned out to be just a big pot of chicken broth, I headed back to my stateroom where I found two cans of Pringles, a bag of M&M’s Peanut, and a pack of Oreo cookies on my desk. I assumed these were not gifts so I was afraid to touch them for fear that if I did, my SeaPass card would be whacked $37 for potato chips. I’ve also resisted taking a bottle of water or soda out of the mini-bar because prices aren’t posted anywhere in the room and beverages consumed from the mini-bar aren’t part of your beverage package.

It’s the hospitality industry’s way of raping the traveler under the guise of convenience.

(On a side note, as I sit here in the Windjammer Cafe sipping Mimosas and eating a loaded-up plate of bacon, I can see Nassau straight ahead.)

After a quick shower and I left the ship and took a cab over to Rusty’s Seafood for pre-dinner dinner. Cabs are easy to get at Port Canaveral. When I asked how I get one, the polite terminal guide told me, “walk through the tunnel.” Last time I heard that I was given anesthesia to start oral surgery.

Back on board, I headed off to the Schooner Bar, the name for the piano bar on all Royal Caribbean ships. As I sipped a few glasses of bubbly, the piano player made way for a passenger named Leo, to take a spot tickling the ivory. I got a little nervous, as visions of bad karaoke and an even worse band went through my head. As Leo began playing some Mozart, the room went silent. People walking through the Royal Esplanade stopped to marvel at this classical pianist who was… ONLY 17.

At least 100 people gathered in a room that previously only had about 30 in it and after each piece, “Encore! Encore!” was shouted. He played for around 20 minutes in a performance that amazed everyone who witnessed it, including me, who isn’t into that long-haired type of music.

Suddenly 9pm rolled around and it was time for me to head over to Chic, one of Quantum of the Seas 17 restaurants. Billed as contemporary cuisine where the freshest ingredients are evolved for a modern pallet, this free restaurant (as opposed to one with a surcharge) offers what they call “stylish cuisine” that “never tasted so good.”

One of the larger dining venues on board, its décor is a little less flashy and quite plain compared to the other restaurants I’ve been in so far. I arrived at my appointed time and was whisked away to perhaps the worst table in the restaurant.

Six and one-half inches away on my right was a middle-aged woman facing me, and six and one-half inches away on my left was a couple from Brazil. Here I was in the middle of these two bookends. I looked around to see if there were any other open tables I could be asked to be moved to, but there weren’t any.

So I sucked it up.

Reluctantly.

Being so close to the other tables, I actually touched elbows with the gentlemen to my left, I heard every intimate detail of the conversation. The woman on my right spent a good ten minutes complaining to the dining room manager about the late-night room service surcharge as well as the $3.95 surcharge for room-service pancakes. The couple to my right, obviously amorously in love and more excited about returning to their stateroom than the “stylish cuisine,” spoke not a word of English, but their body language was easy to interpret.

Using hand gestures they asked if I would take their picture. I said, “say cheese” they didn’t know what I meant. “Gracias,” they said. I said you’re welcome in their native tongue, “no fumar en el baño.”

Having just eaten a pound of peel-and-eat shrimp over at Rusty’s, I’m happy I chose Chic for dinner, as the menu was very limited. My server recommended the Grilled Catalan Shrimp (yeah more freaking shrimp, I said to myself) which was served with soppressata, pickled peppers, and a cilantro emulsion. Again this vile weed made its appearance, the three shrimp were served warm and the dish was quite delightful.

For my main course, I took the server’s recommendation once again and ordered the Roasted Beef Rib Eye which was served with creamed spinach and roasted corn salsa. I asked for my beef to be cooked rare. It came out anything but and was quite tough. This version of prime rib had a texture I could only compare to a compressed meat type of lunchmeat that was just sliced thicker than normal. It was served with brown gravy that tasted as it came from a can. My entree did not impress me at all.

For dessert I took the manager’s recommendation and went for the Yogurt Panna Cotta, a dollop of gelatinized yogurt served with berries in a sugary sauce along the lines of what is left when you defrost frozen strawberries.

Overall, I was not a fan of Chic.

After dinner it was another walk around the ship, inside and out, to see what was going on. Christmas decorations began to appear throughout the ship, including a giant tree in the Esplanade outside Michael’s Genuine Pub. After watching kids try to pluck the balls off the fake evergreen, I ended up at the Schooner Bar once again for a nightcap. Or two. Or three. I kind of lost count as I saw Thanksgiving arrive with a Disaronno in my hand.

The sun is finally out and we’re about to dock in Nassau where two other ships are in port – Carnival and NCL – which may just be enough stimuli to get me to walk off, take some pictures and quickly head back onboard before I’m kidnapped, murdered or raped in this town known more for its crime rate than it’s cheap trinkets in the Straw Market.

As I said earlier, dinner tonight is in the American Icon restaurant followed by a 10:15pm show, which I’m hoping doesn’t turn out to be a turkey.

From onboard the Quantum of the Seas, I hope you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

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Photo Tour of the Quantum of the Seas: