Royal Caribbean CEO Adam Goldstein posted a new question and answer post on his blog and not surprisingly, many questions were about Quantum of the Seas.  We haven't heard much in the way of new details about this brand new class of cruise ships, but today we got a few more tidbits.

One guest asked Goldstein what was the the biggest motivating factor behind Quantum of the Seas.  

Goldstein responded, "With every new ship class our focus is on providing an enriched guest experience. In addition to that, the Quantum class of ships gave us an opportunity to introduce major advancements in ship design. Our internal teams have worked hard to integrate many diverse experiences into a comfortable and exciting cruise vacation. The newbuild design process has been a fundamental building block of our culture as I discussed in a blog article earlier this year."

Another question was posed about if the Schooner Bar will exist on Quantum of the Seas.  Fans of this fun bar will be happy to know Goldstein confirmed that the Schooner Bar will indeed be onboard Quantum of the Seas.

Royal Caribbean prides itself for being a family cruise line and families often include kids that are still very young.  Royal Caribbean has been rolling out its Royal Babies & Tots Nursery across its fleet of ships as part of the Royal Advantage program and we had a chance on a recent cruise to check out the Royal Babies & Tots Nursery for ourselves (well, my daughter anyway).

Description

For families cruising on Royal Caribbean cruise ships with children age 6 months through 36 months, the Royal Babies & Tots Nursery is the place to have supervised care of your kids throughout the day.  The nursery is staffed by trained professionals who are available day and night.

On our cruise aboard Freedom of the Seas, there was an open house the first day of the cruise, so the nursery is not open for business, but it is open for parents and kids alike to check the place out and get an idea of what to expect.  In addition, this is your first opportunity to make reservations for later in the cruise.  The nursery has a limited staff and they are mandated to only be able to accommodate a certain amount of children per staff member (1:3 ratio for children 6-18 months; 1:4 ratio for 19-36 months). Reservations can be canceled if you change your mind, but it's best to reserve times you think you will need.

The nursery is split up into a two main rooms.  The main room is the play room, where there is a television that plays various kid friendly films.  Most of the room is comprised of being a play area, with cushioned obstacles for kids to climb as well as toddler toys all around.  The kids are not segregated by age so the 2 year olds will be with the 6 month olds, which may sound like a problem but the staff is usually on top of keeping the kids from bothering each other.

The other room is for kids to nap in and is made up of a few cribs.  As you may have guessed, this is where the kids go when they need to lay down for a bit and not be bothered by the other kids who aren't ready for sleep.

The Royal Babies & Tots Nursery costs $8 per hour, which we found to be a real bargain for what you get.  The fee does include meals, although you can certainly bring whatever food you want for your child with you.  You also need to provide your own diapers.

When you drop your child off, you fill out a quick form to tell the staff how your child is doing and what he/she may need during their time there.  In addition, the staff provides you with a wireless phone that they can use to call you in case something happens or for you to call them if you want to check up on things.

Experience

There were not a lot of young kids on our cruise, so the nursery was usually available every night we went.  The nights we did see the most kids was on formal nights, with the first formal night the staff only accepting reservations.  Otherwise, the other nights we were able to drop off our 2 year old daughter without incident.  We made reservations after picking her up each evening for the next night.  In all ,we probably dropped her off 4 out of the 7 nights of our cruise.

My daughter loved her time in the Royal Babies & Tots Nursery (which she called "camp").  She had been going to day care back home so she was used to the experience of it, which may or may not be an issue for non-day care kids.  The staff was very attentive and by the second night there, my daughter was well known by the staff who really liked having her there. 

From a parent's perspective, the nursery was well run and they seemed like they were on top of everything.  I never felt concerned that the staff on duty were unfit or oblivious to what was going on.  Moreover, having that wireless phone really put our concerns at ease that if there was a problem, it would be easy for them to contact us.  On a side note, having the wireless phone allows you to call anyone and anywhere on the ship, which was useful for even non-nursery calls, such as staying in contact with friends onboard the ship.  Definitely not what it was intended for but it's worth mentioning since I am likely not the first person to discover this.

Given my daughter's desire to keep going back and the inexpensive price, we found the Royal Babies & Tots Nursery to be well worth every dollar we paid for it.  Considering in-room babysitting runs about $20 per hour, the $8 nursery option is much cheaper and gave us some alone time to go see shows or the casino while my daughter was able to have a great time playing in the nursery.

For parents looking for affordable supervision for their toddlers, it's really hard to go wrong with the Royal Babies & Tots Nursery.  The service was excellent and another added value for cruising with Royal Caribbean.

We reviewed the Royal Babies & Tots Nursery aboard Freedom of the Seas.

Cost: $8 per child, per hour

Ships available: Oasis of the Seas, Allure of the Seas, Freedom of the Seas, Liberty of the Seas, Radiance of the Seas, Splendour of the Seas, Rhapsody of the Seas, Mariner of the Seas, Grandeur of the Seas, Serenade of the Seas, Enchantment of the Seas, Legend of the Seas, Independence of the Seas, & Brilliance of the Seas

We're still over a year away from Royal Caribbean's newest cruise ship, Quantum of the Seas, sailing on her inaugural journey but already there's a lot to talk about.  And when it comes to new cruise ships, Royal Caribbean's mission is to "wow" its customers and we've found the top five ways Royal Caribbean is going to do just that once Quantum of the Seas starts sailing.

Virtual Balconies

Until now, inside staterooms were always regarded as the least-desirable accommodations for a cruise because, among other reasons, there was no view to enjoy.  On Quantum of the Seas, Royal Caribbean is adding 80-inch LCD screens to some inside staterooms that will display images from outside the ship and give passengers the feel of having a view.

The screens will be broadcasting real time images of the ocean or port so passengers can feel like they are experiencing what their fellow passengers in balcony staterooms do as well.  In addition, the room will feel a little bigger with the optical illusion of the virtual balcony.  All that's missing is the ocean breeze!

North Star

Just looking at Quantum of the Seas, one of the first things everyone notices is the large pod attached to a giant arm on top of the cruise ship.  This observation pod, known as North Star, will allow passengers to go up in the sky above the cruise ship 300 feet above the sea.

First, North Star is something we've never seen on any other cruise ship, Royal Caribbean or otherwise.  Second, being able to survey the area around your ship, especially in port, will really add another dimension of fun to your vacation.  From now on, no set of vacation photos will be complete without the obligatory photos from high atop North Star.

Bumper Cars

When it comes to doing things on a cruise ship you never thought possible, riding on bumper cars was probably one of them.  Well, Royal Caribbean is taking care of that by offering bumper car rides in their new entertainment complex known as SeaPlex onboard Quantum of the Seas.

In addition to roller skating and sports throughout the day, bumper cars will be the highlight activity available to passengers who want to try something new on a cruise ship.  While bumper cars on land are fun, riding bumper cars at sea is bound to be even more fun just because it's something new.

RipCord

Speaking of things you never thought were going to be possible on a cruise ship, how about sky diving?  Since I would never have the guts to try the real thing (airplanes are for flying, not jumping out of), the new RipCord skydiving simulator sounds like the perfect way to experience the sensation of skydiving without the risk.

Powered by iFly, RipCord promises to let the rest of us feel like we're 10,000 feet in the air.   Following the success of the surf simulator known as FlowRider, RipCord will add another sports thrill for guests to try out and I'm really looking forward to taking the plunge.

Two70

When Royal Caribbean announced their multi-purpose venue called Two70, I imagined a meeting of ideas for what to add to Quantum of the Seas and the two best ideas were a great lounge with a beautiful view and the other was an onboard entertainment show that we've never seen before but there was only space for one. So the idea for Two70 was born; during the day, it's a hip lounge with great views of the ocean while at night, it transforms into a stage for some great acrobatic entertainment.

Transforming one space to offer two very different forms of entertainment is pretty darn cool and if you look at the concept art for Two70, this area is not going to be just another room onboard Quantum of the Seas.  It looks beautiful during the day and night and it also looks quite massive.  I'm excited already to have a drink in the afternoon here and then plan on returning at night to see the show.

Royal Loft with Balcony

They say a picture is worth a thousand words and after seeing concept art for the Royal Loft on Quantum of the Seas, I'm ready to start saving my pennies for a chance to stay here.  The loft stateroom was first introduced on Oasis and Allure of the Seas and now we're seeing just how amazing a loft idea can be.

There's something to be said about having a stateroom with multiple floors, a massive window and a really large balcony.  I'm not a one-percenter by any means, but I could really get used to cruising in a cabin like this because, well, it just looks amazing.  I guess the only problem with staying in a Royal Loft suite is you'd be tempted to never leave your room!

Experience it with us!

These cool additions to Quantum of the Seas sound pretty cool, right?  Why not experience them for yourself aboard Quantum of the Seas with the Royal Caribbean group cruise aboard Quantum of the Seas!  We're planning a special sailing on March 21, 2015 and we're inviting you to join us.  Get more information right here and see all these cool things for yourself!

Hope you had a great week (maybe one week closer to your next Royal Caribbean cruise?) and you had a chance to keep up with what's new with Royal Caribbean this week. But if not, here's a roundup of this week's news.

Royal Caribbean News

Here's what happened in the world of Royal Caribbean this week

• The travel agency putting together a Paula Deen themed cruise announced they've added a second cruise due to overwhelming demand.
• Have you been to St. Thomas?  We reviewed Magens Bay beach, known around the world for being one of the most beautiful beaches.
• You missed it by now, but did you hear about the one-day sale Royal Caribbean held yesterday?
• J.D. Power released their first cruise line satisfaction survey and Royal Caribbean finished second.
• Do you enjoy a drink (or two) onboard a Royal Caribbean cruise?  We shared our favorite ten bars and lounges across Royal Caribbean's fleet.

Join us for the first ever Royal Caribbean Blog Cruise!

We're so excited to announce the first ever group cruise for readers and staff of RoyalCaribbeanBlog.com aboard Quantum of the Seas!  This is an exclusive group where we are inviting you, our readers, to join us on one of the first Quantum of the Seas sailings on an 8-night cruise to the Caribbean.

This Royal Caribbean Blog group cruise is all about enjoying this brand new ship with other fans who are big fans of Royal Caribbean.  Don't miss this opportunity to check out the brand new cruise ship as well as be a part of exclusive events for those that book with our group!

For more details on booking the cruise, the itinerary and prices, check out the Royal Caribbean Blog group cruise page and if you have any questions, email me!

Royal Caribbean Around the Internet

FIUSM is reporting Royal Caribbean is in the final stages to lease land at Florida International University for the purpose of house their on-board performers.

CruizeCast has released a new podcast episode talking about how to enjoy Greek cruise ports.

CruiseCritic has 13 things they think are worth splurging for onboard your next cruise.

Kuki has a fun blog post looking at the pitfalls in cruise booking.

When it comes to going on a Royal Caribbean cruise, enjoying a cold drink at a bar is a real highlight for lots of vacationers.  Forgetting your worries and indulging in a drink or two while at sea has become tradition for many people that sail Royal Caribbean and across their fleet of ships, there are a lot of great places to enjoy a cocktail.  

Today, we're listing our favorite ten bars and lounges across Royal Caribbean's fleet to spend happy hour at.

Viking Crown Lounge

For many Royal Caribbean fans, especially the ones that have been cruising with Royal Caribbean for years, the Viking Crown Lounge is an integral part of what makes a Royal Caribbean cruise.  Located high above the action in the upper most tower of many Royal Caribbean ships, the Viking Crown Lounge offers a great vantage point of the ship and the horizon around you.  

The Viking Crown Lounge offers your favorite drinks along with that scenic view that you really can't get anywhere else onboard.  And given that it's usually on a deck not near many staterooms, the Viking Crown Lounge can often be less crowded than other venues onboard and the perfect place to sit in one of the comfy couches, take in the scenery and have a drink.

R Bar

The R Bar is a relatively new bar that is located in recently refurbished Royal Caribbean ships' Centrum area.  While it may not have been around as long as other bars on this list, it's already making a name for itself as a great place to have a drink.

R Bar is all about martinis and for fans of this "shaken, not stirred" cocktail, R bar is the place to be.  Of course, there's more here than just a place to drink.  R Bar is meant to be a throwback to the bars of the 1960s that serve classic cocktails with a modern twist. What we really like about R bar is that the drinks are hand-crafted and it's different than your usual bar.  And of course, being in the Centrum, that means there's plenty of entertainment around you to enjoy with your drink.

Vintages Wine Bar

For wine lovers that want more than just the "house red", Vintages is a great choice for an evening drink.  First introduced on Voyager class ships, Vintages Wine Bar has been rolled out to many other Royal Caribbean ships and it's become a big hit.

In addition to ordering glasses or bottles of wine, Vintages regularly hosts wine tasting events where passengers can try something new or indulge in a series of wines that may be a favorite.  Of course, Vintages also has a lot of wines to try and when you're in the mood for a glass of red or white, Vintages is the place to go.

Rising Tide Bar

Okay, so we're suckers for bars with unique elements to them and the Rising Tide Bar is your basic bar but what makes it cool is the fact it actually moves between decks!  Rising Tide is proof where you drink can be more important than what you drink and everyone onboard seems to want to drink here at least once.

We've also noticed because Rising Tide is so centrally located and its often what passengers passing by are looking at, it's often the place to be onboard to be seen. There's just something very cool about being on a bar that moves through the air and with a drink in hand, it's a great place to watch all those people that are watching you.

Schooner Bar

For fans of trivia onboard their Royal Caribbean cruise, the Schooner Bar is the place to put your wits to the test.  In addition to a beautiful lounge area that is themed to classic wooden nautical vessels, the Schooner Bar regularly hosts trivia events of all kinds.

It's hard to not pass by the Schooner Bar in the evening and not see it packed with other guests who are taking in a post-dinner drink while they try to remember which Elton John song clip was just played.  And when there aren't trivia events going on, it's a great choice for comfortable chairs near the window or talkative bartenders. 

On Air Karaoke Bar

Karaoke isn't for everyone but it's hard to deny the great drink choices here.  Plus, while you may not have the courage to go up on stage and sing your favorite Stevie Nicks song, it's a lot of fun watching others give it a try while you kick bar with a few drinks. After a few drinks, they all do start to sound better.

On some ships, we've found the best deals on drinks onboard, with two-for-one margaritas often served during happy hour on Freedom of the Seas.  Are you a fan of karaoke now?

Champagne Bar

We love to meet up with everyone in our group for a pre-dinner drink and the Champagne Bar is usually a good choice for drinks and maybe even some entertainment.  Since the Champagne Bar is often near the Main Dining Room, it's a great spot for catching up on everyone's day and getting the evening started with a good drink.

After dinner, the Champagne Bar often features live music and it's one of those places that seems to always have a good crowd hanging out in.  

Globe & Atlas Pub/Hoof & Claw/Bear & Bull Pub

I dare you to not have a good time in an Irish pub and Royal Caribbean's versions are usually right on the money.  From the authentic Irish, British and European beers on tap to the live music in the evening, a stop in the pub onboard is often where we go to wind down the night.  The dark interiors with wooden tables really does make it feel like your local Irish pub down the street.

Whether you prefer Guinness or Stella or Newcastle, these pubs usually hit the spot and like so many other bars on this list, the evening entertainment is great for singing along to some classic bar songs.

Boleros

If you're a fan of mojitos or margaritas, the Boleros is the place for you.  This Latin infused lounge serves up some of the best tequila and rum onboard a Royal Caribbean ship.  Like other themed bars, Boleros offers a lot more selection of mojitos and margaritas as well as tequilas than anywhere else.

Of course, no Latin bar is complete without some salsa or meringue music playing live and some dancing if you choose.  Whether it's pre- or post-dinner drinks, Boleros is muy bueno.

Sky Bar

I've noticed onboard Royal Caribbean there's usually a set of cruisers that seem to always be near the pool for most of the cruise and by far, the "cool people" are hanging out at the Sky Bar.  Located at the top of the pool decks, Sky Bar offers a great vantage point to see what's going on in the pool and around the area.  Since Sky Bar is outdoors, there's usually a great breeze and plenty of sun to take in.  

What I really like about Sky Bar is it's one of the best outdoor bars if you're feeling social.  It's kind of like the Cheers of Royal Caribbean, where if you hang out long enough, everyone will know your name (especially if you're buying).

J.D. Power released their inaugural J.D. Power 2013 Cruise Line Satisfaction Report and Royal Caribbean ranked second among all cruise lines.

The inaugural report measures cruise line customer satisfaction based on seven key factors (in order of importance): service; stateroom; food; embark/debark; entertainment; cost; and excursions.

In the survey, Disney Cruise Line ranked first with a score of 871 (out of 1,000) with Royal Caribbean just behind them with a score of 838.  Royal Caribbean ranked particularly well for their service.

Other key findings of the survey were respondents ranked price (53%) and experience with the brand (38%) as the two main reasons why they select a particular cruise line.  Also, the average price paid for one person is $1,628 and $2,330 for a group of two to four.

Rounding out the top 5 were Holland America, Celebrity Cruises (sister company to Royal Caribbean) and Princess Cruises.

"Many cruise lines in the report have very high levels of passenger satisfaction, well above the report average; however, for more than a year, the overall industry has been dealing with a lot of negative news affecting customer perceptions, expectations and trust," said Ramez Faza, senior account manager of the global travel and hospitality practice at J.D. Power. "To raise the bar, the industry must focus on meeting the needs of the nearly 20 percent of passengers who experience a problem with their cruise line experience. Cruise lines need to understand the causes of customer dissatisfaction and determine what will motivate them to come back."

The 2013 Cruise Line Satisfaction Report is based on responses from 3,003 customers who traveled on a cruise line in the past 12 months. The study was fielded from May 29, 2013, through June 14, 2013.