Quantum-class cruise ship

Quantum of the Seas on the Elbe River near Wedel in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany
Class overview
Builders:	Meyer Werft, Papenburg, Germany [1]
Operators:	Royal Caribbean International
Preceded by:	Oasis class
Building:	1
Planned:	5
Completed:	2
Active:	2
General characteristics
Type:	Cruise ship
Tonnage:	168,666 GT[2]
Length:	347.1 m (1,139 ft)[2]
Beam:	49.5 m (162 ft) (max)[2] 41.4 m (136 ft) (waterline)[2]
Draught:	8.8 m (29 ft)[2]
Decks:	18[3] (16 passenger-accessible)[4]
Installed power:	2 ×  Wärtsilä 12V46F (2 × 14,400 kW) 2 ×  Wärtsilä 16V46F (2 × 19,200 kW)[2]
Propulsion:	Diesel-electric Two ABB Azipod XO thrusters (2 × 20.5 MW)[5] Four 3,500 kW (4,694 hp) bow thrusters[4]
Speed:	22 knots (41 km/h; 25 mph)[6]
Capacity:	4,180 passengers (double occupancy)[4] 4,905 passengers (maximum occupancy)[4]

Quantum class is a class of cruise ships from Royal Caribbean International, previously known by the code name Project Sunshine. The Quantum-class ships surpass the earlier Freedom-class ships by over 14,000 GT, becoming the second largest class of passenger ships ships behind Royal Caribbean International's Oasis class ships on a gross tonnage basis.^[1] The first two ships of this class, Quantum of the Seas and Anthem of the Seas were delivered in November 2014 and April 2015, respectively. The third ship, Ovation of the Seas, is expected to be delivered in April 2016.^{[1][7][8][9][10]}

Quantum of the Seas spent its inaugural 2014-2015 season sailing from Cape Liberty in Bayonne, New Jersey, United States, before repositioning to China in May 2015. Beginning late June 2015, the ship began sailing three- to eight-night itineraries year-round from Shanghai to Japan and South-Korea. Anthem of the Seas spent its inaugural 2015 season sailing from Southampton, Hampshire, UK, before repositioning to Cape Liberty in November 2015.^[11] Ovation of the Seas will have Sydney as its home port, sailing Australian and New Zealand itineraries in Winter 2016-17.^[12]

History

On February 11, 2011, Royal Caribbean announced that they had ordered the first of a new class of ships from the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany scheduled to be delivered by Fall 2014. At the time, the project was code-named "Project Sunshine".^[13] Later that year, two 20.5-megawatt ABB Azipod XO propulsion units were ordered for that ship.^[5] On February 29, 2012 the company announced that a second "Project Sunshine" ship had been ordered and would be delivered by Spring 2015,^[14] and ordered identical Azipod propulsion units shortly thereafter.^[5] Just under a year later, on January 31, 2013, steel cutting for the first ship began with a silhouette of the ship being cut by laser. The same day, Royal Caribbean announced the official name of the new class of ships, Quantum Class, as well as the names of the first two ships in the class, Quantum of the Seas and Anthem of the Seas.^[1][7] These names were among a series of names that Royal Caribbean had filed for trademarks on in late 2012, including Passion of the Seas, Vantage of the Seas, Ovation of the Seas, and the Pulse of the Seas (these other trademarks were abandoned as of January 2014).^[15] Details on the major features of Quantum of the Seas were announced on April 16, 2013.^[16]

On May 30, 2013, Royal Caribbean announced that they had signed a contract with Meyer Werft for a third Quantum-class ship for delivery mid-2016 and that an option existed for a fourth ship in 2017,^[9] although a decision was made in January 2014 not to exercise the option for the fourth ship.^[17] On September 18, 2014, the name of the third Quantum-class ship was announced to be Ovation of the Seas.^[10]

On May 7th, 2015, Royal Caribbean entered into an agreement with Meyer Werft for a fourth Quantum-class ship for delivery in 2019, subject to financing and other conditions.^[18]

On November 3rd, 2015, Royal Caribbean entered into an agreement with Meyer Werft for a fifth Quantum-class ship for delivery in 2020.^[19]

Design

Staterooms

Quantum-class ships have 16 passenger-accessible decks, 8 of which feature balcony staterooms overlooking the ocean. Like the Celebrity Solstice class, those staterooms above the life boats are recessed into the superstructure and don't look down directly at the ocean. There are a total of 2,090 staterooms: 1,570 balcony staterooms, 147 ocean-view staterooms, and 373 inside staterooms. Of those staterooms, 34 are wheelchair accessible and 28 are studio staterooms for single travelers (including 12 studio staterooms with balconies). All aft-facing staterooms are 2-story "loft" suites. Expanding on the "Virtual Porthole" concept introduced by Disney Cruise Line on the Disney Dream, all the interior staterooms feature a floor-to-ceiling 80-inch high-definition TV screen showing live views from the outside of the ship, which Royal Caribbean calls a "Virtual Balcony". On average, staterooms on the Quantum class are 9 percent larger than those on the preceding Oasis class.^{[4][20][21][22]}

Activities and Entertainment

Like the earlier Freedom and Oasis-class ships, the "Sports Court" on deck 15 aft features a Wave Loch Flowrider surf simulator and a rock-climbing wall.^[23] A new feature on the Quantum-class is "RipCord by iFLY", a skydiving simulator set in a recirculating indoor recreational vertical wind tunnel.^[24] Reservations for RipCord are able to be made online in advance of the cruise. All the features of the Sports deck are complimentary, although Royal Caribbean charges for pictures and videos taken of RipCord participants.^[22]

The "NorthStar" observation tower, located at the forward end of the top deck, uses a 7.1-tonne (7.8-short-ton) glass-walled capsule on the end of a 41-meter-long (135 ft) crane arm to lift groups of up to 14 guests up and over the edge of the ship, reaching heights of up to 300 feet above sea level. Rides on the NorthStar are complimentary, with the exception of sunrise, sunset, and private trips which have a charge, and can be reserved online in advance.^[22][25][26]

Anthem of the Seas is the first cruise ship to offer an on-board live room escape game, Puzzle Break's "Escape from the Future."^[27]

Deck 14 features an outdoor pool with a large video screen, an indoor pool with a retractable roof, an indoor "Solarium" with an adults-only pool, the "H2O Zone" kids' water park featuring the first wave pool on a cruise ship,^[28] and at least 4 whirlpools.^[3][21] Other included features that have become standard on recent Royal Caribbean ships include a Spa and Fitness Center on decks 15 and 16, the "Adventure Ocean" kids club on decks 11 and 12, a Broadway-style "The Royal Theater" on decks 3-5, and a Casino on deck 3. Unlike the earlier Voyager, Freedom, and Oasis class, Quantum-class ships do not feature a Viking Crown Lounge or ice skating rink, and the Royal Promenade mall down the center of the ship is replaced with the two-story "Royal Esplanade".^[21][22][29]

The ships also feature a number of multi-purpose venues:^[3]

The Royal Theater

The Royal Theater is a Broadway-style theater on decks 3-5.^[21] It is home to Broadway musicals, original stage productions, headliner acts, 3D movies, and other entertainment.^[21]

Two70°

Two70° is a lounge on decks 5-6 at the stern of the ship, which features three-story-high 270-degree panoramic ocean views, a café, and the largest bar on the ship. Automatic window shades can cover the windows to limit the amount of sunlight entering, and a 18-projector projection mapping system can project visual imagery in 12k resolution onto the Vistarama screens.^[30] At night, movable furniture and retractable dividers and chandeliers allow the space to be reconfigured to be used as a performance venue for a nouveau-cirque-style show or as a disco.^[31] Both nighttime uses will take advantage of the projection system and 6 robotically controlled 100-inch LCD LCD screens to provide digital visuals.^[21][32]

SeaPlex

Located at the middle of deck 15, the SeaPlex is a large indoor gym with a full-size basketball court that can be converted into a dance floor, a flying trapeze school, a roller-skating arena, or a bumper cars ride.^[23] The "SeaPlex" also features the SeaPlex Dog House food truck and table tennis, air hockey and foosball tables on a second-level mezzanine.^[22]

The Music Hall

The Music Hall is a 2-story lounge on decks 3 and 4 that also serves as a nightclub and small music performance venue.^[3] The Music Hall features the self-leveling pool tables first seen on the Radiance-class ships.^[33]

Dining

Unlike previous Royal Caribbean ships, Quantum-class ships do not have a main dining room.^[34] Instead, these ships use a Dynamic Dining concept similar to the Freestyle concept used on Norwegian Cruise Line, with guests being required to make reservations for their choice of restaurant for each night in advance.^[35] Each venue will maintain the same menu and staff throughout the cruise.^[36] Starting in April 2015 on Anthem of the Seas, a "classic" option will be added to dynamic dining where guests will rotate between restaurants but keep the same tablemates, waiter, and assistant waiter from night to night (similar to Disney Cruise Line).^[37]

Complimentary

There are five complimentary main restaurants (four of which are available to all passengers):^[34]

• American Icon Grill — American comfort food (Smart Casual, open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner).^[38]
• Chic — Contemporary cuisine (Smart Casual, dinner only).^[39]
• Coastal Kitchen* — California Mediterranean fusion (Smart Casual, open for breakfast, lunch and dinner). *Restaurant available only to guests staying in junior-suite-level staterooms and above.^[40]
• The Grande Restaurant — Continental cuisine (Formal, dinner only).^[41]
• Silk — Pan-Asian fusion, served family style (Smart Casual, dinner only).^[42]

Other smaller complimentary dining venues include:^[34]

• The Café @ Two70° — Made-to-order sandwiches and salads, similar to the Park Café on other Royal Caribbean ships (breakfast, lunch, and dinner).^[43]
• Café Promenade — Sandwiches and pastries (breakfast, lunch, and dinner).^[44]
• SeaPlex Dog House — Hot dogs and sausages, similar to the Boardwalk Dog House on other Royal Caribbean ships (lunch and dinner).^[45]
• Devinly Decadence at Solarium Bistro — Spa cuisine by Devin Alexander (breakfast, lunch and dinner).^[46][47]
• Sorrentos Pizza (lunch and dinner)^[48]
• Windjammer Marketplace — Complimentary buffet (breakfast, lunch, and dinner). Includes a new The Grill area, which is open 24 hours and features all-day breakfast, cheese steak sandwiches, rotisserie chicken, and other food items.^[49]

Additional fee

There are several smaller dining concepts debuting on the Quantum class that are available to passengers for an additional fee:^[34]

• Jamie’s Italian by Jamie Oliver (lunch and dinner)^[50]
• Michael's Genuine Pub — À la carte gastropub from chef Michael Schwartz (lunch and dinner).^[51]
• Wonderland Imaginative Cuisine (dinner only)^[52]

Other additional-fee restaurants available on the Quantum class that are also offered on previous Royal Caribbean ships are:^[34]

• Chef's Table (dinner only)^[53]
• Chops Grille — Steakhouse (dinner only).^[54]
• Izumi Japanese Cuisine — À la carte sushi and Japanese food (lunch and dinner).^[55]
• Johnny Rockets — À la carte location of the restaurant chain (lunch and dinner).^[56]

Ships

Ship	Status	Entered service with Royal Caribbean	Gross tonnage	Home Port	Notes	Image
Quantum of the Seas	In Service	October 31, 2014	168,666[4]	Shanghai[57]	Will sail year-round from China starting in May 2015.[58]
Anthem of the Seas	In Service	April 20, 2015	168,666[4]	Cape Liberty Cruise Port, Bayonne, New Jersey[57]
Ovation of the Seas	Under Construction (second section launched 14 August 2015)[59]	Spring 2016 (planned)[59][60]	168,666[4]	Tianjin, China[61] and Sydney, Australia[62]	Will sail from Sydney in Australia's summer 2016-17
Quantum IV	Ordered[63]	2019 (planned)	168,666[4]	TBA
Quantum V	Ordered[64]	2020 (planned)	168,666[4]	TBA

References

External links

• Meyer Werft Ship Yard official website.
• Royal Caribbean official website.

Royal Caribbean International fleet Sovereign class Majesty of the Seas Vision class Legend of the Seas Splendour of the Seas Grandeur of the Seas Rhapsody of the Seas Enchantment of the Seas Vision of the Seas Voyager class Voyager of the Seas Explorer of the Seas Adventure of the Seas Navigator of the Seas Mariner of the Seas Radiance class Radiance of the Seas Brilliance of the Seas Serenade of the Seas Jewel of the Seas Freedom class Freedom of the Seas Liberty of the Seas Independence of the Seas Oasis class Oasis of the Seas Allure of the Seas Harmony of the Seas (2016) TBA (2018) Quantum class Quantum of the Seas Anthem of the Seas Ovation of the Seas (2016) TBA (2019) TBA (2020) Empress class Empress of the Seas (2016) Former ships Song of Norway Nordic Prince Sun Viking Song of America Viking Serenade Sovereign of the Seas Monarch of the Seas