Day 1: 8 March 2021, Monday

After three weeks of anticipation, the day had finally arrived. We booked a Grab car and reached Marina Bay Cruise Centre Singapore (MBCCS) at 2:20pm. The ship would only sail at 8:00pm but we wanted to maximise our time onboard, so we selected a 3:00pm check-in timeslot. I think the earliest timeslot is 2:00pm but it was already fully taken up when we made our selection.

At 2:30pm, we joined the queue for check-in. The whole process was smooth but we had to go through several stops before we finally cleared Customs. At each stop, there were many staff members guiding us and reminding us to keep a safe distance. It was a bit of a challenge to toggle between the SetSail Pass (the digital boarding pass) and the TraceTogether app on our mobile phones while handling our luggage and passports. We also had to remove our face masks at certain stations for face scanning, but it is nothing worth complaining about.

Before boarding the ship, we were each issued with a Tracelet, a water-resistant device with a rubber strap that you can wear like a watch. You have to keep the Tracelet on at all times while on board, except in your stateroom and when engaging in water activities. The purpose is for contact tracing, similar to a TraceTogether token.

We boarded the ship at 2:50pm and made our way to our stateroom at Deck 12. Our room keys, also known as SeaPass cards, were enclosed in an envelope and placed outside our room door. It is all part of the contactless check-in process to reduce unnecessary physical interaction.

Our Ocean View Balcony room was wonderful. It was very spacious and well-furnished, with lots of cabinets and clothes hangers for our use. The bathroom was also quite large. There were two chairs in the balcony for us to chill and enjoy the sea breeze.

Shortly after, our friendly stateroom attendant, Agung, knocked on our door. He told us about the safety briefing procedure (which you can complete by watching the video on the Royal Caribbean app or on the in-room TV), and asked if I would like to have my sofa bed converted to half-size or full-size (big enough for two persons) for the night. I decided to have it half-size so that there would be enough space to walk around. He would make our beds every morning and evening, and record our temperatures once a day.

After we finished watching the safety videos, we still had to do one more thing to complete the check-in process – report to the assembly station. Our designated assembly station was located at Izumi restaurant in Deck 5. There, we were each given a safety sticker that we had to paste on our respective SeaPass cards. Without the sticker, you will not be able to move around the ship. By the way, the SeaPass card is individualised with your name and you have to carry it wherever you go, as you need the card to tap in and out of certain venues. Once all the administrative tasks were done, we were free to explore the ship!

As my last proper cruise trip was 20 years ago on the Star Cruise Virgo, being on board the Quantum of the Seas was an eye-opening experience indeed. My first thought was that it is huuuuuuge. It is literally a floating hotel. The ship is 1,141 feet (347 metres) long and 136 feet (41 metres) wide. There are 16 decks in total, with 2,090 staterooms. At full capacity, it can carry up to 4,905 guests. I later overheard one of the staff saying that the actual number of guests on our cruise was 1,800, with another 1,200 crew members.

We decided to explore from the top level. Deck 16 is the highest deck but that it only houses the Vitality Fitness Center, RipCord by iFLY (indoor skydiving) and the FlowRider (surf simulator). Decks 14 and 15 are the open decks where you will find most of the star attractions. On Deck 15, the outdoor facilities include a running track, the North Star observation capsule, and a rock climbing wall.

The SeaPlex on Deck 15 is a large indoor active space that houses bumper car rides, a full-size basketball court, table football and table tennis. There are also Xbox consoles and an arcade for the younger ones to indulge in. We then popped in to the SeaPlex Doghouse and grabbed some yummy hotdogs. The SeaPlex Doghouse is one of the complimentary food outlets included in the cruise fare so you can grab as many hotdogs as you can possibly devour.

Deck 14 is perhaps the most popular place on the whole ship, because that is where the swimming pools are located at. There are outdoor pools and indoor pools, so you can be sure of having a splashing good time regardless of the weather. Note that physical distancing measures are in place, and you’ll need to keep your mask on even when you’re suntanning – unless you have a drink in hand. Furthermore, only one group is permitted in the hot tub (jacuzzi) at a time.

The Solarium is also located on Deck 14, though we wouldn’t discover it until the second day. The Solarium is an indoor-outdoor retreat with swimming pools, whirlpools and lounge areas. Best of all, it is open to adults only, so it is the perfect place to escape from screaming children and enjoy a nice, chill afternoon.

We then headed to Deck 4 to check out the shops and restaurants at the main concourse area called the Royal Esplanade. This is where you can do some shopping, though all the boutiques are pretty high-end, with brands like Coach, Michael Kors, Salvatore Ferragamo and luxury watch brands. Of more interest are the two complimentary food outlets here – Sorrento’s Pizza and Café Promenade, which is open 24 hours.

Another important place at Deck 4 is Guest Services. Here, you can get assistance on any queries you may have. This is also where you can pick up a physical copy of the Cruise Compass, a newsletter that lists out all the daily activities. Granted, you can already find most of the information on the excellent Royal Caribbean app, but it is just so much easier to have all the activity timings and locations listed in one handy guide. The Cruise Compass is published daily so you will need to come here to pick up a fresh copy each day.

The friendly staff at Guest Services handed us a sheet of paper listing the Shows and asked us to quickly make reservations for them. There are four main shows and they are staged at two performance venues. The Royal Theatre at Deck 4 is the venue for Production Showtime: Sequins & Feathers, and the Headliner Showtime starring Magic Master John Taylor. Two70° at Deck 5 is the venue for Starwater featuring Viktoria Stryzhak, and the Headliner Showtime starring Comedy Juggler Steve Rawlings.

There are multiple sessions for each show so you should have a chance to catch them over the course of three days. However, with physical distancing measures in place, the seating capacities of the venues are greatly reduced. Therefore, it is still better to make the reservations as soon as possible on the first day so that you can pick your preferred timeslots, which will better help you plan your schedules for the rest of the days. After booking the shows, we headed back to our stateroom to freshen up for the rest of the evening.

Dinner is included in the cruise fare and there are two seatings available – the main seating at 6:00pm and the second seating at 8:15pm. When we booked our cruise three weeks ago, we were asked to pick our preferred timing and we chose the main seating. Your chosen timing and assigned table number are printed on your SeaPass cards.

The main dining room is located at Deck 4 and it will be at one of the two restaurants – Silk or American Icon Grill. Both restaurants serve the same food so the only difference is the décor and ambience. Our assigned table was at Silk restaurant. In line with safe distancing measures, adjacent tables were kept empty. There were also no physical menus so we had to access the menu via the Royal Caribbean app.

Dinner was a 3-course affair, with a good selection of appetisers, entrées and desserts. I picked Baked Potato Soup, Beef Stroganoff and a Traditional English trifle for my meal. Mum chose the Seafood Puff Pastry, Moroccon-Spiced Ahi Tuna and Bananas Foster for dessert. Dad had the Caeser Salad, Mojo-Marinated Grilled Pork Chop and Apple Blossom à la Mode.

As we placed our order, our waiter pre-empted us that the pork chop might be a little tough, so he would instruct the chef to cook it more tenderly. As it turned out, the pork chop was indeed very tough. The waiter noticed dad struggling with it and came over. He offered to replace the pork chop and said he would instruct the chef again to cook it so that it won’t be so hard. The replacement pork chop was slightly better, but it still wasn’t very tender.

It led us to think that the pork chop probably wasn’t very fresh, or perhaps other diners had already complained about it before. If that was the case, why couldn’t the waiter have told the chef at the first instance to cook it more tenderly, instead of having to go through it twice? Anyway, pork chop aside, the rest of the dishes were pretty good by my standard. But I must say that I am not a fussy eater so I have quite a low bar when it comes to food. Note that the portions of all the entrées are very large.

After dinner, we headed to the Royal Theatre for our first show, Sequins & Feathers. When we entered the theatre at 7:20pm, there were just a handful of guests inside. As such, we were ushered to a good seat by the side of the stage, where we had an unobstructed view. A quick glance across the theatre indicated that there were many more blocked seats than available seats. Therefore, it is advisable to arrive at least 20 minutes before the show begins in order to secure good seats.

At 7:45pm, the curtains were raised and the show began. I didn’t really know what to expect so I was pleasantly surprised when I heard a male voice singing live. The show opened with an energetic performance of Chris Brown and Benny Benassi’s Beautiful People. After that, it was 45 minutes of non-stop music and choreography.

The numbers comprised mainly of contemporary pop songs as well as some classic tunes. I was pleased that three Michael Jackson songs were featured – The Way You Make Me Feel, Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ and Man In The Mirror. MJ will never be cancelled!

Overall, the stage, lights and sound system were impressive, as were the costumes of the dancers, which had plenty of sequins and feathers, as promised. I felt like I was watching a real concert again, a feeling I had not experienced for a while since Covid-19 happened.

Following that, we headed over to the Music Hall at Deck 3 to catch more live music by the Tropical Band. The Music Hall is quite large. There is a dance floor in front of the stage, which I imagine would be quite happening during normal times. However, with safe distancing measures in place, the dance floor was filled with sofa seats in clusters of twos, threes or fours.

The bar was also not open so we couldn’t have drinks, which was good in a way, because we weren’t obliged to spend money on drinks. However, the atmosphere wasn’t as great because of the physical distancing and the lack of drinks.

The Tropical Band were a three-piece outfit with bass guitar, electric guitar and keyboards. It was a pity there was no drummer because the pre-programmed drum beats on the synthesizer turned out to be rather cheesy. The songs were nice though, and the vocalist was very good. They sang a few oldies from the Eagles, Bob Marley and Stevie Wonder, to name a few. We left halfway through their set and went back to our stateroom to have our showers.

At 9:45pm, we went to Two70° at Deck 5 aft for our second show of the evening, the Headliner Showtime starring Comedy Juggler Steve Rawlings. Doors open 30 minutes before showtime. We were second in the queue, and we got the best seats in the house, directly facing the main stage. Compared to the Royal Theatre, which is a conventional theatre venue, Two70° has a more relaxed feel and a nightclub setting. I have to say that the venues on the Quantum of the Seas are very impressive.

The show began promptly at 10:15pm with a stunning visual display called Dance In A Box, where a male street dancer and a female ballerina danced on video screens above the stage. What made it so amazing was the fact that the multiple video screens maneuvered in sync with the dancers’ movements as they interplayed with each other, tilting and twisting in perfect harmony. Apparently, the robot screens system cost a cool $7 million.

After that great opening video performance, it was time for the main show. Steve Rawlings is a comedy juggler from the UK. He has performed on over 100 TV shows worldwide and on the Royal Variety Show for Her Majesty the Queen and Prince Philip. Over the course of 40 minutes, he showcased his impressive juggling and balancing skills on a variety of objects. He tried his best to liven up the crowd with his typical British sense of humour, but with the reduced capacity and audience members seated far apart, the energy was hard to muster at times.

After the show ended at 11:00pm, I was a bit hungry, so we headed to Café Promenade for some sandwiches and coffee. The café is open 24 hours and the food and drinks there are complimentary. The coffee wasn’t great but the sandwiches were pretty good.

Next, we checked out Casino Royale at Deck 3. As it was the first night, the casino was super crowded. All the slot machines were occupied and the tables were doing a roaring trade as well. The casino wasn’t very big and it was packed with people so we didn’t stay for long.

At 11:35pm, we went back to the Music Hall to catch the Aura Band. As it was already 20 minutes into their performance, all the seats on Deck 3 were taken up so we had to go to the balcony on Deck 4 instead. The view from Deck 4 wasn’t so good because it was further away from the stage and there were glass panels acting as safety barriers.

The Aura Band were also a three-piece outfit, with electric guitar, keyboards and drums. Having a live drummer made a whole lot of difference to the energy and the sound. The female vocalist was also excellent. The band had a more contemporary pop and rock repertoire, performing songs by Adele, Ricky Martin, Madonna and more. We left at midnight, bringing an end to a great first day on the cruise. Much more to experience tomorrow!