Cruise to Alaska on Royal Caribbean’s Quantum of the Seas

 

If you haven’t taken a family cruise vacation, what are you waiting for? Many people think cruising is not for them, but a family cruise has so much to offer everyone that you should give it a try before you make up your mind. We’ve been on shorter cruises with a Caribbean itinerary before, but this summer we took a round-trip Seattle cruise to Alaska on Royal Caribbean’s Quantum of the Seas.  We had a blast, and there was something for everyone from grandparents to teens. Most of all, we were able to make this trip happen for our family thanks to the value of cruising.  Here is a trip report from stem to stern:

Pre-Cruise- We arrived in Seattle two days ahead of time and spent a short time in the city plus a full day hiking in beautiful Mount Ranier National Park. Despite beautiful weather at home and in Seattle, we still had travel delays on our departure day and missed almost all of our first day. Because air travel is so unpredictable, I can’t recommend enough to arrive the day or two before a cruise. We were so glad we did! We took the Link Light Rail from the airport to downtown and picked up our rental car from the downtown location. It was so easy and only $3 per person. We heard while we were in line at the car rental office that the line at the car rental desk at the airport was hours long so we were thrilled that we averted that mess. The car rental was for our Mount Ranier day an easy day trip from Seattle. The hikes and scenery are breathtaking and well worth a trip. It was a wonderful addition to our cruise itinerary.

 

Embarkation - We dropped off the rental car the morning of our cruise departure and had the hotel call us a car to get to the port- $10 per person for our family of six. It was about the same for an Uber, but we could all go in one car so it was perfect. The embarkation ran smoothly, thanks to the check-in on the Royal Caribbean app. We all have passports and I also think that added to the ease of our arrival. Within minutes we were on the ship. Arrival day is crowded since not everything is open. We had a short check-list of things we needed to do upon arrival – get duplicate stateroom keys, add a second restaurant to our pre-booked specialty restaurant package, and check to see if we could make reservations for the Flow Rider surf simulator (we couldn’t – the reservations for each day are made at 8 p.m. the previous day using the app. We did easily make reservations that way during our cruise.) After running through the list, we headed to the Windjammer buffet for lunch. The kids used the Windjammer a few times for lunch, but we only went on arrival day. We much preferred eating in the main dining room and other options throughout the ship. More about that in the dining section.

Stateroom – We had a balcony room, and our kids had ocean-view rooms. The space was about the same, and the kids liked sitting on the seat in front of their window, so it was perfect for them. We used the balcony and loved looking out with coffee in the morning or in the evening after dinner. We found the staterooms to be ample in terms of space and storage. We’ve read about people bringing magnets etc. but we didn’t need them because of the many cubbies and storage spots. One tip is that there is a deep enough space under the bed to stow the suitcases – that made a big difference to get those out of the way. I bought a $10 bunch of flowers from Seattle’s Pike Place Market and loved having them in my stateroom all week. The shower water was always hot for us, but my parents as well as the kids complained about having cold water on and off throughout the week. My parents notified their stateroom attendant and said the next shower was scalding hot. However, our temp was just right without any issues. We were on deck 10, and it was quiet and peaceful. The kids were on deck 3. It was convenient for them to get to decks 4 and 5 to access the main promenade, and their rooms were not far from the Music Hall. But that did make their deck a little nosier than up on deck 10.

 

Entertainment – The live music was great. We loved all of the bands and artists we heard. The variety was amazing – rock, instrumental piano, pop, singer/songwriter style. We never lacked for music and we loved that. The themed dance nights were also some of our favorites. We danced the night away to both the 70s and the 80s theme nights and the Silent Disco parties, and the cast made the events so fun by dancing on stage with moved to follow.  The 270-theater space is a fantastic space at the back of the ship with three stories of windows so by day the view is stunning and at night its an amazing spot for dancing or watching the fun. We were not overly impressed with the shows – whether it was a Royal Caribbean production or the outside acts.

Activities – The Seaplex area of the Quantum was fantastic and a hub for our 14- and 17-year-olds. They did it all: Bumper Cars, Rock Wall, Flow Rider (surf simulator), Ripcord by iFly (skydiving simulator), ping-pong, cornhole tournament and I’m sure there’s more I’m not thinking of. They didn’t roller skate only because they didn’t want to. This spot drew teens of course, but it is big enough to disperse everyone to different areas. My kids opted out of participating in events in The Living Room, where the ships teen club was centered, but the Seaplex offered endless options for them. I think our son climbed the rock wall more than a dozen times!

 

Drinks – We debated about the drink package and ultimately, spent for three people (myself, my husband, and my 23-year-old daughter) the equivalent of the cost of 2 drink packages. So, we still think we came out ahead. The drinks are about $12 each, but beer and wine are $8 on average. As Crown and Anchor members, we got discounts on beer and wine, making them an even better deal. If I’d had more beer/wine instead of cocktails, we would have spent less. But the cocktails are really good and we loved getting the Drink of the Day.

Dining – We had specialty dining meals at Chops Grille, Wonderland, and Jamie’s Italian. The chops were amazing – a truly fabulous meal. For the price, it is an absolute bargain. I would definitely go there again in a heartbeat. We liked the experience of Wonderland, but the food was hit-and-miss. Some things were really good, but others not so much. The Alice in Wonderland theme was fun, and I’m glad we did it as a family but I’d likely not do it again. Jamie’s was delicious and I will definitely go there again! The main dining room was mostly good, better for dinner than breakfast or lunch. Our service was amazing, and we ate everything we got except for one night when we weren’t wowed. The food was always hot, and overall, we enjoyed our nights in the main dining room every single time. Some people have complained about the food on this particular ship, but we found it to be really good – and we are from New Orleans, spoiled by the best restaurants and cuisine in the world. Tip for those on My Time dining: on the first night we requested the same table for the duration of the trip. So we never had to stand in line for a table after the first night.

Excursions – Unfortunately our Juneau canoeing excursion was canceled because of weather, so we opted to take a city tour that basically was narrated info on Alaska on the way to the Mendenhall Glacier. It was amazing – we hiked to Nugget Falls and waded in the ice-cold, glacier-fed water. We were disappointed that we couldn’t go out in the canoe, but Alaska is so beautiful it is hard to be upset. In Ketchikan, we visited the Southeast Alaska Discovery Center, shopped downtown, visited the Salmon Ladder, and stopped at the Bawden Street Brewery. In Sitka, we rented bikes and rode to the Sitka National Historical Park and the Fortress of the Bear. We had an amazing lunch of deliciously thin and crispy wood-fired pizzas at Harbor Mountain Brewing. The views on the bike ride were spectacular. The ship’s sail through the Endicott Arm of the Dawes Glacier was a wonderful experience and view, although the warm weather meant we didn’t see as much of the glacier as we’d hoped. Still, it was worth getting up at 5 a.m. for! It was the only day I wore a jacket heavier than just a lightweight windbreaker. Didn’t wear the sweater or sweatshirts I packed.

Service – The staff went above and beyond to help, and we found the service to be top-notch. Even at guest services when there was a line, they sent crew members down the line to keep things moving quickly. The dining staff was the absolute best, and our stateroom attendants were responsive and personable. All crew members were smiling and friendly, always willing to help. We felt well taken care of, even pampered. The amazing crew was one of the best parts of the cruise.

 

Wi-Fi – We had one Voom Wi-Fi package and it worked well for the most part. The free chat and ship app was glitchy. It popped us off multiple times a day and you have to sign in again. Still, it is nice that there is a free feature to keep in touch with everyone.

Overall – We never would have been able to take this trip without the value of the cruise. The food, activities, and entertainment included made it affordable but also offered something for everyone. We could do different things according to our interests, but we had plenty of family time and had so much fun being together, truly unplugged and enjoying each other’s company.  One thing I noticed is that many families brought cards or small games that they would play at tables throughout the ship. We brought cards ourselves and liked being in the library above the 270 for some quiet space. I even saw families at restaurants throughout Alaska playing cards together. It was so refreshing to see and I loved watching families having fun together in that way. Making memories and bonding as a family is what vacations are all about. We will forever cherish our trip to Alaska aboard the Quantum of the Seas!