I have been cruising twice in a year for the past few years.  Back in November 2024, a friend and I both went on our first Royal Caribbean cruise.  I really enjoyed it and have been wanting to go on another Royal Caribbean cruise.

A friend and I saw a really good deal on the Quantum of the Seas cruise from Long Beach, California back in July and booked it.  The 3 night cruise stopped at Ensenada, Mexico.  Here is my accessibility review of my experience:

The Ship

Quantum of the Seas had its maiden voyage in 2014 and can accommodate over 4900 guests on 16 decks.  It is the lead ship in the Quantum class vessels.  This will be my 15th cruise overall but second time ever on any Royal Caribbean ship.

Getting There

We were staying at Residence Inn by Marriott Long Beach Downtown, which was about a 12 minute drive and $28.03 usd Uber WAV to LA World Cruise Center in San Pedro.  We initially requested an accessible taxi a day in advance but when we called just before it was supposed to arrive, we were told they weren’t able to find one.

We got to the cruise center right on time for our noon boarding time.  As soon as we got on the ship, we went to our personal safety meeting.  We then went to Sorrento’s Pizza to eat and got our refillable soda bottle which is included with the soda package that was purchased in advance for $9.99 usd/per person/day plus taxes.  Afterwards we went to our cabin.

Cabin Rooms

We had an interior stateroom 10223 on deck 10.  As soon as our sea pass card was swiped to unlock our cabin door, it automatically opened our door too.  The room looked very nice and was bigger than my last Royal Caribbean cruise.

There was only bed at the time, but we got our room attendant to split our beds by night time.  There was a small desk/chair beside a dresser, lighted mirror and TV.  Next to that there was a closet with pull down hangers.  There was also a sofa bed and a virtual balcony with curtains and extra room space.

The bathroom did not have an automatic wheelchair button but the door did prop open.  It was big and bright.  The toilet was a good height for my commode and had 2 grab bars and a phone beside it.

The roll in shower had a flip up shower bench, 2 grab bars, and a handheld removable showerhead.  There was just the one small drain hole in the shower though.  The roll under sink worked for me along with the large bright mirror.

Accessibility

The ship was pretty accessible like any other cruise ship that I have been on.  All the public spaces like hallways, lounges and pool decks were easy to get around.  A wheelchair pool lift was also available at few of the pools and hot tubs.  Elevators were everywhere but can be busy during peak times.

Restaurant tables and buffet areas were all great for my wheelchair.  I was able to get to get under the table enough to feed myself.  Sometimes I did need my friend to lift up my wheelchair arm rest up so I could get under the table though.  There were also private accessible bathrooms around the ship or bigger stalls in the public bathrooms I could get to.

One of our favorite spots on the ship was the Solarium.  It is a glass enclosed climate controlled adults only area.  It is always warm so when it’s really windy or in the evening, I enjoyed hanging out there.  It was quieter since no kids are allowed in this area.  There is a restaurant, bar, and many lounge chairs with a pool and a few hot tubs surrounded by lots of plants.

Port Stops

Our 3 night cruise had only 1 stop: Ensenada, Mexico.  I wrote about it in a separate post here.  Our 1 sea day was spent relaxing and exploring the ship.

Food and Drink

The best part of cruising is all the included food that we get to eat and try.  As soon as we got on the ship, instead of heading to the very busy buffet at Windjammers or a sit down lunch, we got some pizza slices at Sorrento’s Pizza.  It wasn’t crowded at all and the pizza was good.

We also got some soft serve ice cream on the top.  We got this many times throughout the cruise.  We also got some hot dogs at SeaPlex Dog House.  I was glad to buy the soda package as we both got soda or sports drinks non stop everyday.

We initially had the 6.45pm dining time but Chris thought the 5pm would be better and we got switched without any issues. Our main dining room was at Silk on deck 4 – Asian themed decor with the same menu as the other 3 main dining room restaurants.  We ate at Silk for dinner for all 3 nights.

Every night is a different menu and we could order as many appetizers, entrees and desserts as we wanted.  For night 1, I got my favorite escargots, shrimp cocktail, prime rib and key lime pie.  Our waiter even helped cut up my food.  A Shirley Temple drink was included in the soda package, so we both drank that a few times.

For the second night, I had the beef carpaccio, New York strip steak, and the Italian chocolate hazelnut cake.  Starting that night, we would decline having the bread basket as we didn’t want to fill up on any bread or waste it.

On the last night, I had the coconut crispy jumbo shrimp, baked french onion soup, garlic herb buttered tiger shrimp, and pineapple sunshine cake.  Staff even brought us each a creme brulee dessert as my friend mentioned craving it the night before.

We did check out the dinner buffet after our regular dinner to see if there was anything good that we may have missed.  There wasn’t anything that stood out except for a few dessert bites.  Breakfast and lunch at Windjammers always have a large selection and does not disappoint.  We also had few snacks at Cafe Promenade.

Since our cruise was only 3 nights, we did not visit any of the specialty restaurants.  There was just so much included food in such a short time frame.  Quantum of the Seas did have the standard Chops Grille, Jamie’s Italian by Jamie Oliver, Izumi Sushi, The Noodle Shop, La Patisserie, and Starbucks.

Entertainment

Entertainment on cruise ships is always one of the main things that I research beforehand to see if there is some show or activity I might like when booking a cruise.  When it was time for the cruise ship to leave the port after embarkation, Royal had the usual very fun Sail Away Party on the top deck.  There was no Anchors Aweigh Parade that takes place because the Royal Promenade is not wide enough like some of the other ships. 

The first night’s main entertainment was at the Royal Theater.  It was called Sequins and Feathers.  There were a couple shows of this performed that night, but I saw the 7.30 PM show.  I had to go in the back areas and use an elevator lift to get to the front area on the theater and just park anywhere for the show.  It was 45 minutes long and featured massive costume changes, feather headdresses, and a soundtrack of mixed pop classics.  I saw this show alone as my friend was not interested.

On the second night, we both saw Starwater at Two70 Lounge.  This 50 minute show had to be booked in advance as we arrived 45 minutes early for our 8:30 PM show.  There was no dedicated wheelchair spot and were told to just go anywhere.  We stayed at a booth on the main level and couldn’t get anywhere closer due to stairs.  This performance includes live dancers, singers, and musicians against a backdrop of nature and space inspired themes.  We both thought the show was just ok.

For the last night, it was back at Royal Theater for Sonic Odyssey at 7:30 PM.  This 50 minute show features a giant signature Earth Harp that stretches across the theater, a 136 drum wall, a vocal percussion jacket, and a violin dress.  This show was pretty good and we both enjoyed as our last show.

We didn’t really check out any lounges, piano bars, karaoke, bingo or trivia as we were already busy with the main shows, dinners and exploring the ship.  We did get to check out the North Star observation pod.  It goes up 300 feet in the air and gives guests a 360 degree panoramic views. Prices range from free to $50 depending on the day and time.

We got a free 10 minute time slot at noon during Nassau day. I had to transfer to the ship’s manual wheelchair since we were told it had to be tied down during the experience. It was really cool getting high up but the pod did not sway to the side of the ship during the free experience. Still worth going though.

Disembarkation

As with other cruise lines, on the night before disembarkation, we had to have all our checked luggage tagged and left outside our room before 10 PM.  Our departure flight wasn’t until 3 PM on disembarkation day, so we decided to have a sit down breakfast at American Icon Grill before the cut off entry of 8:15 AM.

The menu is limited and served quick so people can get off the ship faster.  We ordered a bunch of food and shared some including omelettes, french toast, smoked salmon, hash browns and some mini danish pastries.  We were really full by the time we left.

We then got off the ship to collect our checked luggage at the cruise terminal.  At the bus transfers area, the lady in charge told us she would get us a private accessible taxi to get us to the airport.  The next accessible bus would have taken a while to come.  I booked transfers in advance weeks ago at a cost of $35 usd per person.

Final Thoughts

It was another great experience with Royal Caribbean cruises.  Prices were more affordable than Disney cruises and I do plan on cruising more with Royal Caribbean really soon.  I do want to go on one of the newer mega ships.