Royal Caribbean Quantum of the Seas Sailing August 29, 2022

 Royal Caribbean Sailing Date August 29, 2022 

Please excuse any grammatical and other errors. I'm slowly getting better and not quite up to editing. It's been quite a while since I've blogged and want to get back to it.

Before sailing, it's required to answer questions and do prechecks on the RC app. Your sea pass will be loaded with your muster station and time for arrival. You will upload your covid vaccination, passport and answer health questions. A final email with your travel information will come with luggage tags showing your room number/deck, required to go on your suitcase(s) so they will know which rooms to drop them off.

We opted to pre-pay for parking to the tune of $208! at the terminal (for RC, it's pier 91), since there are only 1,000 spots. A shuttle picked us and our luggage up and dropped us off at the terminal entrance. Our luggage was taken before getting into line.

We went through three check points and then security somewhat similar to airport terminals and you'll be screened, show your ID, passport, negative covid test (done two days prior), and covid vaccination cards.

Once onboard, we went to our muster station (mandatory), to hear a five-minute safety presentation about how to put on our lifejacket. It was hard to hear with the noise, his accent and the crew wore masks. Later in our rooms we found the same presentation on our TV so watched it. No life jackets are in stateroom aboard Royal Caribbean ships. You must go to your muster station to get one if needed.

We went to our room and our luggage was already there. That was a big plus for us. Once we unpacked and settled a bit, we walked around checking out locations, stood in line at customer service, contacted RC about our room was to be two beds (she was extremely rude and condescending), then contacted our attendant and he made our beds into twins (I was with my son.)

The ship is huge. There are many locations to eat "free" onboard and we chose pizza on deck 4 for something quick so we could go up on deck before sailing. My son decided to get a drink package and the employee said we both had to if one did. That cost $180 each! Unless you drink a lot of soda, tea and special coffees, just pay as you go. It's much cheaper. You can get all the regular coffee, juice and tea you want inside the buffet. I wish we knew this at the time.

 Leaving Seattle

Most shops on this ship are high end. Coach, Michael Kors, Dior, Tag Jeuer, Guess, Citizen, Kallati Chocolate jewelry, Bvlgari and art auctions. A couple shops had a few gift items for children, but few. Maybe a plastic ship, stuffed animal ($20), onesie for a baby....

They advertise gold at $2 up an inch but $200 later, my son had my granddaughters each necklace and bracelets. I didn't spend on board.

We noticed a credits on our Royal apps so walked to customer service to inquire. Our ship was not going to sail through the Endicott Arm due to an engine needing repairs and we never received a letter or email about this. We were told we'd get one day's fare refund, but we received $100 each, much less than a day's fare. Other sailing dates before us were given the chance to rebook but we were not informed. I wanted to sail through the glacier so was so disappointed.

Yet, we arrived in the first port ahead of time (and subsequent), so the ship could have sailed through the Endicott.

The night of the 29th, we ate at Solarium, Mediterranean buffet, and it was really good. Nice atmosphere, attentive waiters and delicious healthy food.

August 30th, 2022

Out to sea. It was beautiful out on the water. Skys were a mix of cloud and blue with the water calm and smooth.

Out at sea

August 31, 2022

Arrived in Ketchikan early. We took the Wildlife and Crab Feast excursion. We went to shore early so browsed some shops and hung around the visitors center to get out of the rain.

Soon, we loaded on the bus, walked down several steps to the crab boat, and motored out about 45 minutes to the most beautiful wilderness. I live in a forested part of Oregon, and it can't even compare.

Once stopped, he asked for volunteers to help pull up the pots. He explained how to tell a female from a male, how to put a crab to sleep, and allowed anyone to hold them. Those particular crabs were being released back into the sea and not cooked.

We headed off to the lodge where we feasted on a wonderful mandarin salad, all you can eat crab legs and cheesecake with blueberries. I cracked and ate my first dungeness crab all by myself.

Ketchikan crab boat ride

September 1, 2022

Ported in Sitka and we opted to walk around town in lieu of an excursion. We visited the Russian Bishop's House by the harbor. This house served the Russian Orthodox Bishops from 1843 until 1969. From there we visited St. Michael's Russian Orthodox Cathedral, built in the late nineteenth century, burned down in 1966, and rebuilt.

St Michael's Cathedral

Quantum of the Seas next to a Holland Cruise ship docked in Sitka - to give an idea of the size.

Back on the ship, we went to dinner at our My Time dining at the American Icon. This is a very nice sit-down restaurant and included in the sailing price. It's where we chose to eat the remainder of our cruise. My choice for the night was Mojo marinated grilled pork loin in a savory citrus sauce, paired with sweet potatoes, broccoli and a cumin-citrus reduction.You can see why we opted to dine here in lieu of the main dining hall. (The menu had steak, lobster, shrimp escargot, and more fascinating choices.)

We finished in time to grab a coffee from La Patisserie, RC's version of Starbucks, and head to watch the Jeff Nease comedy show. We were having a good time and towards the end watched a few officers on phones running backstage. Over the speaker we heard "Bravo, Bravo, Bravo, Kilo, Kilo, Kilo" while Jeff mouthed it into his skit but was obviously getting nervous. The show ended and we filed out to see all the aft crew including chefs, waitresses, waiters running to the forward. Some had life jackets on. 

My son and I had already made it from the Royal Theater to the middle of the ship when the steel doors came down trapping several of us. A few crew guided us up the stairs and through a small door on the side. One lady was in a wheelchair and her companion asked how she can get to the forward and was told they didn't know. A few minutes later, another crew member opened a door on the bottom and took her through.

People were not panicking and the restaurants, bars and coffee cafes in this forward kept busy serving people while we waited. Yes, we were nervous, and I eyed which way to head out to the lifeboats. 

It was unnerving to see several crew with lifejackets on.  They didn't tell us the location our temporary muster station since D1 was closed off with the steel door.) When I asked the employee holding a sign for C1 where D1 was setting up (we had looked all over), he rudely said, "I don't know. Just go find it."

About an hour later, we were told the fire was out and we could go to our cabins. Everyone was calm for the most part and I was happy not to see a lot of panic. If you google the fire, you will see various reports about it, some that are questionable.

September 2, 2022

We arrive in Juneau and again no excursion planned. A visitor booth told us we could take the city bus for $2 each and ride it close to the Mendenhall glacier so Jake and I headed over to the bus stop. We were lucky to get seats since the first stop overcrowded the bus. The bus took us through several areas of town, and we were not impressed. The people were rude and two ladies got on fighting. Another chewed the bus driver out for missing a stop (he never told the driver to stop.) Once up near the glacier, we were told we'd have to walk over a mile to get to it. The bus had already taken over an hour just to get there so we rode it back to the terminal and got off. After a few shops, (very touristy there), we had a fish meal on the wharf, then back to the ship.

That night, we went to sea and the winds were very high and the boat was rocky. Our balcony door stayed shut to be safe. It was very hard to sleep and by the morning, both of us were exhausted. 

September 3, 2022

Still at sea after a stormy night. I'm amazed how that ship could stay upright. I wasn't feeling well and even after coffee, I wasn't hungry. I don't get seasick so was concerned and chalked it up to being overtired. After a quick salad, I laid down thinking a 30-minute rest would help and slept three hours. My son had gone out exploring and came back finding me still in bed. I rarely take naps. 

We had a reservation at the American Icon so I quickly showered and headed over but still wasn't feeling right. I ordered the baked chicken and only ate half, not really tasting. Yeah, you probably guessed where this will end in the story.

After dinner, we went back to the room to relax and watch 20/20. My son wanted to work on his job editing. The Wi-Fi kept having issues throughout the cruise and they even acknowledged it in a Cruise Compass. It was worse than dial up plus constantly disconnecting. (Cost $195 for seven days.) Today, they still have not return calls or email inquiries. 

September 4, 2022

Victoria, British Columbia. OK the only way I can say this nicely is the tour sucked. It was a march with Jason (think that was his name), and I was constantly falling behind. Even others had to practically run to keep up. It was maybe ten minutes when he stopped to explain something and saw me coming up later. I told him I'm disabled and can't walk that fast (nowhere in the excursion did it say fast paced.)

It was about 30 minutes in walking we stopped at a small cafe, sat in wobbly chairs with wobbly tables in a dirt area and a few chairs had to be scouted for all could sit. We were given water and half a crepe with blueberries. The lady came out and talked to us and then we were marched (yep, that word again), to the wharf. We had to "steal" photo opts. He was not allowing time to take photos of interesting and beautiful places.

We were put on a little boat and ferried up to town.

Water taxi

Once off the boat, again we were walked heavily until we reached a pub called Swan's Brew Pub. We were served seasoned smoked seafood dip with ample bread and it was very delicious. I was given a sample that had Kalua, vodka and forgot what else but it was strong and tasty. The atmosphere was fun and the manager was very friendly. My son ordered one of their ales and had just received it when our tour guide said we had to go. He drank that fast not really getting to enjoy. We plan to return to Swan's in the future.

When we left, he walked us up a steep hill and took us to China Town. No shops were open, and the tour was boring walking through a passage and out into an area that didn't seem very safe. While walking, a lady tripped and fell. A few of us hung back checking on her. The guide? Kept on walking.

We came out to Government Street and he took us down to see the Empress Hotel and where Parliament convenes. It was a side-walk view. He handed out candy (Roger's was closed), the sun was setting, and we were trying to capture photos, but he was rushing us back. One lady asked if we could get on a bus near us. He said no, we had to walk back up the hill to another. 

Once we got back up the hill, he left us at the bus. The bus driver said he was the last bus to get us back to the ship terminal and on the way, we learned more in ten minutes about Victoria and other interesting sites then we did on that three-hour walking tour. 

The Impress Hotel

We were hungry. The excursion made it sound like we'd sample some different fares but only had the two stops and they were more of a snack. The excursion was not worth the money, not even if it was free. Too much walking, no time to photograph unless we fell behind, boring areas and a guide not paying attention to his group. We got back on the ship close to 9:30 pm and went to the American Icon for a late meal. 

September 5, 2022

We opted to carry our luggage off the ship instead of having it out to be taken for us. Word of advice, keep it light. Our time for departure was 8 am. Shuttles are long so carrying your luggage out can get you on one quicker than waiting for your number to be called to get your luggage. 

By the time we arrived at my son's, he was feeling sick, nose congested, raspy voice so out came the covid test. You guessed it earlier. We got covid. 

We had to do antigen test (costing $128), two days before boarding the ship. What a waste. 

Things to think about: 

No laundry but they will wash pajamas, one pair of socks, shorts, swimwear, T-Shirts and underwear for $34.99 and only what fits into the bag they leave for you. It's a regular size hotel bag. You won't get much in it so carry extras and avoid the cost. 

The best restaurant onboard the QOTS is he American Icon, deck 4, and when booking your cruise, ask for "My Time" at the American Icon. Hopefully you will get Sheila as your waitress. She is amazing. You don't have to adhere to just there. You can still go to the buffet. 

The La Patisserie, deck 4, is like a Starbucks but much better and friendly staff. 

3:30 am - 5 am, they fog bow to stern for sanitization and want passengers to stay in their rooms. 

Your attendant will clean your room twice a day and even make cute animals out of towels. 

Read your daily CRUISE COMPASS you receive nightly. It will have current information for the next day from ports, excursions, food, dress code, to sales, shows etc.