Member Since: 12/21/2010
Posts: 51,088
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****y and Muggwa's Honeymoon - New Cruise Ship
Quote:
A mechanical arm that lifts guests 300 feet above the water, simulated skydiving, bumper cars, a circus school, and inside staterooms with virtual balconies. These are just some of the cruise firsts that will be onboard Royal Caribbean's newest vessel Quantum of the Seas. Launching in November 2014, the 4,180-passenger Quantum of the Seas will be based from Bayonne, New Jersey and will offer cruises to the Caribbean.
The new ship won't be a mere evolution of what Royal Caribbean has done in the past; it's radically different from anything the line has done yet. Royal Caribbean CEO Adam Goldstein said the design concepts for the new Quantum vessel started right after the launch in 2009 of Oasis of the Seas. He added, "Quantum goes farther with a lot of new wows. It's what people expect of us, and what we expect from ourselves."
On Quantum, firsts at sea include RipCord by iFly and North Star. North Star features a glass capsule at the end of a boom that extends from the top deck. The 14-passenger observation pod will offer guests 360-degree views from 300 feet above the sea. At the stern of the ship, on the Sports Deck, a two-story vertical wind tunnel will be home to RipCord by iFly. The complimentary simulated skydiving experience, which lasts 75 minutes, includes instruction and gear, and culminates in two one-minute "flights" during which passengers will hover in the air. The line says both experiences are complimentary to all passengers.
Royal Caribbean is tweaking areas to become more multipurpose for different activities from day to evening. At the aft of the ship is Two70°, a venue with floor-to-ceiling windows that tower three decks high to provide a 270-degree panoramic view. During the day, the room will be a lounge with casual dining, its upper level offering a library and room for quiet activities, workshops, lectures and demonstrations. However, at night, Two70° becomes an immersive performance space featuring a combination of aerial artists, digital projections, light effects and an ice bar.
Similarly, the midship SeaPlex will transform when the sun sets. During the day, it will feature a full-size basketball court or circus arts training, ringed by a second level of windowed activity rooms featuring table tennis, air hockey and foosball, among other diversions. At night, depending on the theme, the floor may be filled with bumper cars, roller skaters or dancers. Another multi-purpose, two-deck venue will be Music Hall, which features dance classes and workshops during the day and bands or DJs at night.
In all, there are 2,090 staterooms, and the standard stateroom is 9 percent larger than the standard staterooms offered on the Oasis-class ships. Many interior staterooms will feature 80-inch video display monitors offering live feed from cameras on the exterior of the ship, providing what the line is promoting as "virtual balconies." The line is offering new staterooms for families that combines interconnecting rooms configured with multigenerational travel in mind. Additionally there will be 16 studio staterooms onboard (12 with balconies) that will be sold with no single supplement.
The ship will offer a number of the line's standard amenities on Quantum: the rock climbing walls, FlowRider, Vitality Spa and Fitness Center, the H2O Zone, the Solarium, DreamWorks Experience, an outdoor movie screen and nursery for young children. The line promises a Broadway musical, to be announced later.
However, there are a few things missing from the ship that may surprise long standing Royal Caribbean fans: the ice skating rink and the Royal Promenade. Goldstein said with a lot of the new elements onboard having the ice rink in the center of the ship wasn't possible. Additionally he added that while there isn't the usual Royal Promenade there will be "a similar environment" for guests to enjoy.
Its clear Quantum of the Seas is certainly a game changer in an industry that desperately needs some good news lately.
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ggg not them being like "OOPS RAN OUT OF SPACE CAN'T HAVE THE ICE SKATING RINK"
Also - that capsule looks a BIT messy from far away.
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