Quantum of the Seas 12days departing 7 October 2019

[Newbie]

Are any other English speaking people going on this 12 day cruise departing China 7th October 2019 and ending up in Singapore 19 October?  This is my first time ever cruise.  I received an email from Royal Caribbean to say that this is a cultural enriching cruise, yet my travel agent has been reassured by the cruise wholesaler that it is not.  Having read some of the reviews about cultural enrinching cruises, how bad are they really and what is not included in the package.  We are staying in a balcony stateroom.  Some advice on this would be greatly appreciated. 

Edited September 19, 2019 by Newbie
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[KristiZ]

We’ve been on a number of the culturally enriching cruises in the region and have always enjoyed ourselves. Yes, things will be in multiple languages, but always in English too, so we had no issues. You’ll get some great ports and the ship should be amazing — we will be on her in December. 

There will be a number of English speakers, mostly from Australia and New Zealand, and lots of people who have English as a second language. You will have an easy time chatting with new people you meet. 

Go in with an open mind and enjoy!

[KWofPerth]

I'm sailing on Quantum in January, so let me know how it goes.

This is what I have discovered in my research. all of which came to light long after I booked:

- RipCord is not free

- North Star is not free

- The Solarium is out of bounds unless you are in a suite or Diamond-Plus.

I'm sure a few other surprises await me. However, I am still looking forward to the cruise, because at the end of the day, cruising is fun, regardless of a few bugbears.

[Newbie]

I have read that Quantum of the Seas will be dry docked in Singapore  for a month after we arrive from China on the 19th, and that she will be changing her  home port from China to Singapore.   I have also been reassured by my travel agent and Royal Caribbean that the 12 day cruise i am on is NOT a cultural  immersion cruise and that most of the travellers are from the UK and USA.  Apparently  the email i got from Royal Caribbean giving me the details of boarding etc, was incorrect when it said it was a cultural  immersion cruise.  Uhmm makes me worried.  I dont mind the cultural immersion  because i love asian food, but it would be nice to know  up front.

[Chris-tine]

Hi Newbie

I'm from the UK too & will be on board on the same cruise along with my husband & a couple of friends. We have sailed several times but this will be our first cruise in Asia. After booking we found out the same things that you did...no free activities on board etc 

I just hope I can find something nourishing & satisfying to eat as I don't like Asian food 

 

 

 

 

[Chris970]

Hope you are having a great time on your cruise. I’m looking to book the same type of cruise next year on a nonculturally enriching cruise. I would really like to know your experience. Was it really not culturally enriching? Were there things you did have to pay for? Do you know how much drink and internet packages were? Were you able to do shoes excursions? Hope to talk soon!

[Newbie]

The cruise at the end of the day was NOT a cultural immersion.   The boat is mostly full of British then some Americans and Germans, and the balance are made up of Australian and other parts.  There are more Chinese waiters than any other nationality, but they can generally speak some basic English to understand what you want.  Some speak some really good English.

A serious word of warning.   We were told by our agent that we did not need a visa in China as we would fall under the 144 hour  transient visa.   We did our research and confirmed that that was correct.  When we arrived at Tianjin we were detained at the passport control area for 1.5 hours because we did not have the 144 hour visa to be transient in China. They took our passports off us, left us just before the immigration point on our own in an empty hall for about 30 min.  Numerous people came and questioned us a few times.  Eventually a lady took us somewhere and written on the wall was '144 Visa Application'.  The  person who was obviously in charge and holding our passports did not recognize or accept the documents we had for the cruise ship because he wanted a ticket out of China.  We showed him all the stuff we had printed off, our agents itinerary, plus all the accommodation etc, but still he was not convinced. Eventually we had 9 people involved all looking at our paperwork  passing it around, talking through translators to us.  Someone in a high viz vest arrived who understood the cruise documents and then they took our photos and we filled out some forms.  We were then taken to another area, more forms. Then through immigration.  The lady behind that was not happy with one of the forms. Luckily the high viz man was standing on the other side and then a bit of discussion and pointing.

When we boarded the ship, we had heard that about 300 people, who were booked on the cruise, were turned away at Xian and Beijing airports because they didn't have visas and were relying on the 72 or 144 hour transient Visa.  Some went back home while others changed their flights to Japan and joined the cruise in Japan.  We thought it was an elaborate story until we actually ended up at a shared dinner table with 2 couples who were affected. My agent has also confirmed this as true becuase it was on the  news in Australia and New Zealand. The one couple were rejected for no reason at Xian and the other couple were split up.  They let the wife in and not the husband.  When asked why they were refused entry, they were told they didn't have to give a reason and that the computer says no entry.  They told us that 2 entire plane loads of people where turned around at Beijing airport.  Apparently the one was Emirates and the other a Turkish airline.

We also met a couple who went through what we did at Beijing, except they were not alone.  Just about everyone on their plane who was on the cruise didn't have visas, and they were all ushered around a corner to apply for visas.  Some of the people who were in the visa que were also refused visas and had to make other plans.  They would not allow people to buy tickets on planes leaving from a different terminal - they could only book flights departing from that terminal.  The only flights leaving from that terminal were to Seoul. Some had already booked tickets departing from other terminals, and had to book another flight via Seoul to end up in Japan.  Some went back home.  Passengers were not allowed to leave the area were everyone was been detained until they could produce boarding passes on their phones.  There was one Scottish man whose phone would not connect with the Wifi and he could not book his ticket.  Another couple paid for his ticket just so that he could leave.  He was very stressed out by it all and was not well at the end of it.  

Apparently the cruise is short of about 120 passengers who decided to go back home.  From what I gather, they were from various places around the world, not just one country.

The food has been all Western food. I must admit i am a little dissapointed because Asian food would have been wondeful.  A strong recommendation - you have to eat at Wonderland on the boat.  Go hungry.   It is something like Hestons style food.  It was the most incredible  evening and allow for 2 hours to eat.

All the activities are free, the Solarium was open to all, Northstar and Ripcord just needed booking at Guest Services, but free. You could not book Northstar or Ripcord through the app because it was still set for the short Asian cruises and was going to charge you.  Apparently on the short Asian tours, which is for the Asian market, they have to pay for a lot of things.

As we dont drink a lot of alcohol,  we did not get an alcohol package.  But a word of warning, alcohol is very very expensive.  The only drinks that you dont have to pay for are water, tea, coffee out of a urn (not barrister coffee), juice cordial mixed with water.  He rest costs money.   If you want fresh juice or barrister coffee, then that costs.  We drink tea, so we did not see the need to purchase a package either.  They have a hot dog and ice cream stand by the pool, which is free.  The one thing that is open from early till 3am is a place that makes really nice pizza.  There are always the best cookies around as well.

Our room had a kettle, cups, tea, cofee, milk etc in the room.  

With regards to shore excursions,  we tend to always do our own thing as we are not into looking at old buildings and museums, and all big cities look the same.   For us it is about finding the nearest food court or street food and eat local, having lived in Thailand and China before.  The good thing about doing the 'On Your Own' shore excursions that the cruise offers,  was that they wait for you if the bus is late. I found this to be important especially if you are traveling at peak traffic hours. Our shore excursion was cancelled in Hong Kong due to safety issues with the demonstrations which i fully understand and appreciated,  so we got off the boat and were told by the local tourism people who were answering questions at the port,  that we could catch bus 22 outside the door and get off at the end of the route at a shopping mall, then later catch the same bus back.  It only cost us Hong Kong  $5 each.  Much cheaper than a shore excursion.  In Taipei we went into town with cruise 'On Your Own' excursion and were dropped off at Taipei 101 - tallest building (peak traffic time). Did not get off at Japan. Da Nang - had not planned to get off plus it was bucketing down,  so between the downpours we walked around the wharf as there were some hawkers selling stuff.  We would have liked to have walked to the village which was about 25min walk away, but did not want to get that wet.  Am planning on doing the 'On Your Own' in Saigon.

We bought the basic Vroom package for internet. It was worth it. Easy and quick internet. Could live stream to family,  watch Netflix.  I did not see the need the buy the one where you can make calls because we use Whatsapp. 

The weather is hot and muggy. I struggle to understand how people can lie in the sun all day in this weather.  My insides would cook.  So we spent a lot of time in our cabin which was cool - resting on our balcony.  The shows and entertainment were wonderful.  A different one every night. For those that like to party and drink, it is all go.  

We booked the cruise for some rest and relaxation,  and it has been good.  12 days is just enough - put on far too much weight with all the food. 

I would recommend the longer cruises if you dont want a cultural immersion.  We have been told by the crew, that the short cruises around Asia are the cultural immersion ones.

Wow, that was a long reply

[KWofPerth]

What an epic post! I'm glad you managed to clear immigration, I would have been hyperventilating, stressing, angsting, you name it. But all's well that ends well (for you, anyway).

I must say I am surprised to hear that the Solarium was open to all and activities were free. That bodes well for my cruise in January.

One more thing. How busy exactly was the pool area? I've heard that in Asia it tends to be much quieter than cruises from other parts.

[Newbie]

As i said, the passengers are mostly British (probably as much as 85%) so the outside pools are full and deck chairs are all occupied.  The Solarium was basically empty on most days. I supppse the water was too hot inside. 

[Newbie]

As i said, the passengers are mostly British (probably as much as 85%) so the outside pools are full and deck chairs are all occupied.  The Solarium was basically empty on most days. I supppse the water was too hot inside. 

Some links to articles  about the debacle over the visa issue

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7554359/Couple-miss-4-500-cruise-officials-refuse-entry-China.html

https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1188687/cruise-ship-chaos-royal-caribbean-cruise-china-jail

 

[JLMoran]

How horrible that so many were treated in such an awful manner by Chinese customs authorities! Glad that you were able to successfully thread their needle and make it to the ship, and that you had a nice and relaxing trip.

[Noonstar]

Thanks for your epic post! What an adventure you had. I don’t think I would have managed to do as well as you did. Having just returned from Beijing 3 weeks ago, I think China, especially Beijing, has tighter controls on travellers this October due to their 70th anniversary celebration. The decade celebrations (e.g. 60th, 70th, 80th) are especially significant to the Chinese.

Quantum will be home porting in Singapore for the next few months until 2020 when it arrives on 19 Oct and will be running shorter Asia cruises then. I will be on board for one from 30th November  to 5th December. Really looking forward to it! 

So far, I have been on 2 other Royal Caribbean cruises around Asia (sails from Singapore) and they were not cultural immersion cruises. English was the main language used and all the service staff were proficient in English. I also did not have to pay for any of the activities. Hope this will still be the same for my upcoming cruise.

Lastly, you are absolutely right to say that alcohol is expensive on board Asian cruises. 

 

[Chris970]

Thank you SO MUCH for replying to my comment and in as much detail as you did. This is exactly what I was looking for. That’s horrible to hear the situation about the visas. So glad you were able to get on the cruise. I would have been furious if turned away.

Do you feel like you were able to see what you wanted with the amount of time at each port and anything you suggest is an absolute must do?

Again thanks for the reply because you just made my mind up with how we are going to explore Asia.

 

[KWofPerth]

18 hours ago, Newbie said:

As i said, the passengers are mostly British (probably as much as 85%) so the outside pools are full and deck chairs are all occupied.  The Solarium was basically empty on most days. I supppse the water was too hot inside. 

Some links to articles  about the debacle over the visa issue

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7554359/Couple-miss-4-500-cruise-officials-refuse-entry-China.html

https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1188687/cruise-ship-chaos-royal-caribbean-cruise-china-jail

 

Did you happen to keep copies of the Cruise Compass, Newb? If so, I'd be eternally grateful if you posted it on here.

[Newbie]

Chris970 - as I said we are not into the normal tourist things like temples, old buildings and museums.  It is all about the food for us lol. We eat where the Asians eat, food courts and street food. So I am probably the wrong person to ask about 'must see and do'. 

Did Saigon today and headed for the Ben Thanh market. Street food in market was awful. They dropped us off at Bitexco, a 10 min walk to the market.  The food court on the 5th floor of Bitexco was amazing - so would recommend eating there rather. Ben Thanh is like any market in Bangkok. Lots of the same shops selling the same thing. What surprised me was a few lanes of the most amazing fabric. Hand painted and hand embroidered stuff.  We had 6 hours to spend in Saigon.

KWofPerth - my husband has a thing about paper. He throws stuff away. I will attach today's one for you.

2nd last night on cruise tonight. Have enjoyed the rest and relaxation. Next problem is getting rid of gained weight. I did find the gym on board, but chose to walk past it lol.