James Beard award-winning Chef and Royal Caribbean Quantum Experience Advisor Michael Schwartz is not only serving up good food but authentic local brews. Chef Schwartz travels to Alabama where his signature Michael Genuine Home Brew is crafted that will be served up onboard Quantum of the Seas.
In the past few days, Royal Caribbean released an updated Quantum of the Seas cutaway and also announced its art collection for the ship. Putting both together, we can now get a better idea of what to expect on the ship.
Blog reader Victor Sacal analyzed the new cutaway to look for what's new and the art work featured in the cutaway stood out.
In total, there are 10 art pieces you can now spot in the Quantum of the Seas cutaway.
The Via Corridor, and The Via Rotunda is the space between the Aft elevators and two70.
Royal Caribbean has updated its Quantum of the Seas ship cutaway, which shows off many venues on the ship and gives a good indication of where everything is relative to ship.
Thanks to Victor Sacal for sending us a copy of this. Among other new things the giant magenta bear has been added so this cutaway is as up-to-date as we have.
The full cutout is 8 megabytes (!) in size so you can download it here if you wish to see it in all its glory.
We're counting down the days until Quantum of the Seas debuts later this year with our 99 days of Quantum blog series. Each day we will post something about Quantum of the Seas to share with all of you!
Royal Caribbean's onboard entertainment has always been a strength and on Quantum of the Seas we will get a brand new show called Sonic Odyssey that will be unlike anything else we've ever seen at sea.
Set in the Royal Theater, the show is inspired by William Close, an amazing musician and innovator who is best known for his many one-of-a-kind instruments. There's the Drum Cloud, Violin Dress and Royal Gong just to name a few of these new creations.
Sonic Odyssey is centered around an Earth Harp, which is the largest stringed instrument on the planet. The body of the instrument rests on the stage and the strings travel out over the audience attaching to the back of the theater, turning the theater into the instrument.
The show itself will include a nine-piece orchestra, singers, dancers, aerialists and gymnasts to perform in and around the audience. Royal Caribbean designed Sonic Odyssey to not be conventional but instead be something special guests have likely never experienced before.
Stay tuned for tomorrow's post as we celebrate 99 days of Quantum!
To countdown the launch of Royal Caribbean's newest cruise ship, Quantum of the Seas, we're blogging about one aspect of the ship each day for 99 days. Check back each day for something exciting to read about this new ship.
Most people were expecting some new restaurants for Quantum of the Seas but I'm not sure anyone was fully prepared for Wonderland.
Royal Caribbean describes Wonderland as, "an elaborate feast for the senses in a setting where Royal Caribbean chefs twist their culinary kaleidoscopes to invent a dreamscape of never-before-seen fare". When I try to describe Wonderland to someone, I basically say take everything you know about a restaurant and turn it upside down because Wonderland bends the realities of what a restaurant is.
Wonderland is named after the place Alice visits from the tale of Alice in Wonderland. Just like in the book, guests enter a place where nothing is what it seems and the chefs have taken time to create a gastronomic experience that is inventive and elaborate.
The creativity with Wonderland is what caught my eye during a Quantum of the Seas dining event in New York City earlier this year. Royal Caribbean has really tried to create something completely unique and the result was a restaurant I cannot wait to visit over and over again.
Before you even sample a morsel of food, you will be dazzled by the room itself. It's odd in an eccentric kind of way but the experience of eating here is an adventure in itself. Royal Caribbean is using color, sclae and reflection to really create something original.
In terms of food, it's bleeding-edge modern cooking that is categorized by theme rather than course. Wonderland features a variety of flavors, textures, temperatures and portion sizes, each presented in a non-traditional, progressive and creative fashion. Did I mention this place is different?
Stay tuned for tomorrow's post as we celebrate 99 days of Quantum!
Royal Caribbean's newest cruise ship, Quantum of the Seas, succesfully floated out of Meyer Werft shipyard building after a few weather delays.
Check out our photo gallery below of the float out. Images are provided by and copyright Alamy Live News.
Royal Caribbean's Quantum of the Seas will be floated out this morning at around midnight eastern.
Watch the live stream right here when it begins
Royal Caribbean announced today that its newest cruise ship, Quantum of the Seas, will include a multi-million dollar art collection themed “What Makes Life Worth Living”.
It's hard to miss the 30-foot-tall magenta polar bear situated prominently on the exterior deck of the ship. The bear isa sculpture created by Denver-based artist Lawrence Argent. It's titled "From Afar" and is comprised of 1,340 stainless steel triangles, weighs approximately eight-tons and is intended to incite wonder among guests, encouraging them to admire the bear from afar, as well as interact with it on a more intimate, yet whimsical level.
Other works of art including a monumental installation called “Crossing” which encompasses a wall of 210 butterflies representing 30 species, each made of aluminum, stainless steel, acrylic and enamel by Paul Villinski. There's also a sprawling, undulating structure titled “Waves of Light,” which explores the light’s potential as a structural element by Soo Sunny Park.
Sister cruise ship Anthem of the Seas artwork will uncover the tangible aspects of the theme such as adventure, entertainment and nature.
Pieces by these artists and others span size, art forms and mediums, and can be enjoyed both inside and outside the ship.
We're counting down the days until Royal Caribbean's next cruise ship debuts, Quantum of the Seas, with our 99 days of Quantum countdown. Each day we will post something about this amazing new ship.
Cruisers love balconies on their Royal Caribbean cruise for the fantastic views but sometimes the price is just a little too high. Royal Caribbean came up with a way to bring the balcony experience to inside staterooms for a fraction of the cost of a real balcony stateroom.
Virtual balconies are inside staterooms with an 80-inch high definition LED screen attached to a wall that delivers views outside of the ship, just like a real balcony stateroom.
The screen stretches from floor to ceiling and will show you exactly what you would see if you had a real balcony. Using high definition cameras, these virtual balconies give you a glimpse of what's outside.
Guests can turn the virtual balcony off at any time, especially at night when sleeping but it's available anytime they want.
There's even natual sounds that are piped into your stateroom to provide as authentic an experience as possible.
Stay tuned for tomorrow's post as we celebrate 99 days of Quantum!
Royal Caribbean is counting down the days until its brand new Quantum of the Seas debuts and as of today, there are 99 days until that happens, so for the next 99 days we will be posting something every day about this amazing new ship.
Royal Caribbean has been pushing the envelope for years in terms of what a cruise ship can include and North Star is another example of "they can put that on a cruise ship?".
Northstar is an observation pod that is attached to a giant arm on top of Quantum of the Seas. North Star will allow passengers to go up in the sky above the cruise ship 300 feet above the sea.
For the the first time ever, guests can get an amazing view around their cruise ship and take what is sure to become amazing photos of the scenery.
Imagine the view from North Star of the port you're in and the feeling of being able to see it all from the safety of North Star. What may have required an expensive helicopter ride before now allows for a complimentary experience that is found on no other cruise ship.
Stay tuned for tomorrow's post as we celebrate 99 days of Quantum!
