Regular Balcony Cabins




Quantum on the Seas cabins have a pleasant modern look.
The main contribution to that are simple large details, bold colors, a large flat screen TV on the wall and the fact that walls zigzags are hidden.

Well, I can say that the interior decor is a bit dark, and this is related to the ship hallways and public rooms as well.









Above is a "bed closer to the balcony" layout that is considered preferable by many (myself included). The sofa is a regular one, not a sofa bed. This cabin sleeps two.





Below is an alternated layout with a "bed near the door".
The sofa bed is unfolded. This cabin sleeps three. It's quite obvious that this layout is not as good as "bed near the window".
















































More views of the preferable "bed near the balcony" layout.


































































Storage Space

I would rate storage space as pretty adequate for two persons.
Walls zigzags that are hidden in closets is a smart idea for the cabin appearance, but not so smart for closets storage space.

Closets are rather awkward inside with firmly fixated shelves.
I have seen smarter closets with flexible shelves and larger storage space.

Additional storage space is provided above the bed - same way as it is done on the Solstice class.

Quantum cabins feature very small safes - not smart.

















The shelves are highlighted in yellow to reveal the wall zigzag inside the closet.




Additional storage space above the bed






























A Smart Table


A smart table has replaced a usual desk in the Quantum cabins.
It's movable. You can place it where you want, even in the balcony.
There is no coffee table in the cabin, so the smart table can be used instead of it.

The chair has fallen victim of stylism - with the seat back cut off so that it "nicely" fits under the table...

Smart: the table
Not smart: the chair.


























































TV


Quantum cabins are equipped with 40" LCD TVs.
RCI continue to prefer Samsung products.

This is Samsung "Hospitality" series TV for hotels and other public places.
The TV is a notable part of the cabin decor that suggests more space and modern look.
Image quality is typical for an uncalibrated LCD TV with somewhat extended color gamut (overly vivid colors) and shifted colors if you watch from an angle.
For more stable image quality we'll need a plasma TV or LCD panel with a special polariser, but the former will be too heavy and the latter will be too expensive.

I have no complaints about the TV at all.
On a cruise, we normally watch cruise log channel (weather, speed, ship's position) and occasionally look up our cruise account. That's it.
By the way, cruise account option was not available during maiden voyage.
Vivid colors are good for kids' channels.














Balcony


A "standard" (most typical) balcony on the Quantum / Anthem of the Seas is close to 51 sq ft (Source: Quantum of the Seas - measured).
It's not as wide as normal (note squeezed cabins) but deep enough to provide comfortable space.













Pay attention to the handle position when use a balcony. Do not lock yourself.





Bathroom

The bathroom is as compact as possible yet functional, with night light.
The glass shower stall has a large door that takes a lot of space when open.
I had no problem with the bathroom design, however, a large person might have some (shower door, small sink).
Two things were missing: soap/shampoo dispenser and facial tissues.
The box with facial tissues was actually in a drawer in the cabin.



























Small Items






There is no stationary, no pens in the cabin.

Ice is available upon request.




A card reader has replaced a usual card slot we use to enter the cabin.



To switch electricity on put your seapass card in the slot  near the door (you can use any credit card size card for that purpose - like those you get with junk mail).







Passengers are provided with a novelty - a wrist band with an electronic chip that is supposed to be used the same way as a traditional seapass card. It's called "WOWband".
There were a lot of complaints about the WOWband reliability.
I did not have problems with this novelty.
I put it in the safe right away and took it home as a nice souvenir.
The less you mess with marketing gimmicks the less problems you have.







6 comments:

  1. How do you get the preferable layout? On NCL I an see the difference on the desk plans. Not so for RCI. For example, looking at BC (which is likely a D3 or D8). Is D3 or D8 any clue?

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  2. Each pair of standard balcony cabins (doors together on deck plans) typically has layouts ae follows: Left hand side cabin has the bed near balcony, Right hand side cabin has the bed near bathroom.

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    Replies
    1. Stupid question for you- when you say left hand side, is that left hand side if you're facing the front of the ship or facing the ear of the ship?
      Also, any recommendations for connecting balcony rooms? We want to get 2 connecting rooms for our family.

      Delete
    2. Rear of ship, not ear of ship. Ugh.

      Delete
  3. Can anyone share a picture of the sofa bed folded open?

    ReplyDelete
  4. IMHO "bed near the door" is the preferred layout with only 2-passengers using the stateroom. You can more easily just walk in/out of the balcony w/o dodging the bed if the sofa is by the balcony.

    ReplyDelete