✦ ALASKA, USA ✦
Hey Strangers, we’re Jake & Georgia. When we boarded Quantum of the Seas in Seattle for our 7 night Alaska cruise, the ship was half the destination. Fourteen passenger decks, a skydiving simulator, bumper cars at sea, and more restaurants than we could get through in a week. Here is what is on each deck, which restaurants are included, the best things to do on board, and the honest notes from our sailing, including the one headline attraction that never moved. If you are deciding whether this is the right ship for Alaska, start here.
Quick verdict
The ship: Royal Caribbean’s Quantum of the Seas, a big, activity packed ship that feels like a destination in itself.
Best for: First time Alaska cruisers who want plenty to do on sea days, and anyone who likes their ship modern.
Skip it if: You want small, quiet and traditional. This is not that ship.
Our sailing: 7 nights, round trip from Seattle, interior cabin, calling at Sitka, Skagway, Juneau and Victoria.
One honest warning: On our sailing the North Star observation capsule was out of action, waiting on a dry dock repair. More on that below, because it is the kind of detail that changes a booking.
Watch: Quantum of the Seas Full Ship Tour
The complete tour, deck by deck, from our Alaska sailing.
- Two70 and the robot bartenders of the Bionic Bar, from 04:55
- The Solarium, and the viewing platform where we spotted orcas on day one, from 12:54
- The North Star, and why it never left the deck, from 18:30
At a glance
| Ship | Quantum of the Seas, Royal Caribbean |
| Passenger decks | 14 |
| Our cruise | 7 nights, Seattle round trip, interior cabin |
| Ports on our sailing | Sitka, Skagway, Juneau (Alaska) and Victoria, BC |
| Included dining | Four main dining rooms, Windjammer buffet, Sorrento’s pizza, Café Promenade, Solarium Bistro |
| Headline activities | SeaPlex (bumper cars), FlowRider surf simulator, RipCord by iFly skydiving, Two70, North Star |
| Good to know | The ship went into dry dock after our sailing; the layout is the same but some details may have changed |
Plan your next adventures
Our Alaska days were built around the excursions: the White Pass Railway in Skagway, kayaking at Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau and whale watching in Victoria. We book attraction tickets and excursions through GetYourGuide:
✦ Or download the GetYourGuide app: https://www.gyg.me/jakeandgeorgia-app
✦ Use our promo code: JAKEANDGEORGIA5 for 5% off your first booking (new users only).
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What is on each deck of Quantum of the Seas?
The ship splits neatly into three zones. Decks 3 to 5 are the social hub, decks 6 to 13 are mostly cabins and quieter lounges, and decks 14 to 16 are where the action is.
Decks 3, 4 and 5, the hub. Deck 3 holds two of the four main dining rooms, Chic and Grande, the Casino Royale and the Music Hall. Deck 4 is the Royal Esplanade: the Royal Theater, the Harp & Horn Pub, Sorrento’s, Café Promenade, Boleros, guest services and the other two dining rooms, American Icon Grill and Silk. Deck 5 is the biggest of the three: Two70 at the back with its wall of glass, the Bionic Bar where robots make your drink, Vintages wine bar, the Schooner Bar, the art gallery, and three of the specialty restaurants.
Decks 6 to 13, the quiet middle. Decks 6 to 10 are staterooms only, so we moved through them quickly. Deck 11 has Adventure Ocean, the kids club, spread over two floors. Deck 12 has the suite lounge, deck 13 a conference centre. On a rough sea day this whole middle of the ship is where you come to escape the weather, even when the ship was moving.
Decks 14, 15 and 16, the action decks. Deck 14 is food and water: the Windjammer buffet, the pools, Splashaway Bay for kids, and the Solarium. Deck 15 is the activity deck: the SeaPlex, the running track, the rock wall, FlowRider and iFly. Deck 16 is the fitness centre.
Which restaurants are on Quantum of the Seas?
More than you can eat in a week, and the included list is generous. The four main dining rooms (Chic, Grande, American Icon Grill and Silk) serve breakfast, lunch and dinner as part of your fare, with the menus shown on screens outside so you can pick your room. The Windjammer Marketplace on deck 14 is the big buffet, with outdoor seating at the back that we used a lot on scenic sailing days. Sorrento’s serves pizza on the Esplanade, Café Promenade covers coffee and snacks, and the Solarium Bistro is the quieter included option inside the adults only Solarium.
The specialty restaurants, the extra cost treats, cluster on deck 5: Jamie’s Italian, Wonderland, and Izumi for sushi. There is also a Starbucks on the Esplanade for your usual order. Our own specialty splurge on this sailing was Chops Grille, the steakhouse.
What are the best things to do on board?
Start with the SeaPlex on deck 15, the largest indoor activity space at sea when this class launched: bumper cars, roller skating, sports courts and an arcade, plus the Dog House for hot dogs between rounds. It is the room we kept drifting back to on sea days. Around it on the same deck are the outdoor headlines: the FlowRider surf simulator, RipCord by iFly (a skydiving tube, at sea, which still sounds made up), and the rock climbing wall.
For evenings, Two70 on deck 5 is the ship’s showpiece, a lounge by day with panoramic glass and a café, and a show venue by night with the screens and aerial performances. And then there is the North Star, the glass capsule that is supposed to lift you 300 feet above the ship. On our sailing it was broken, parked, and waiting for a dry dock repair, which the crew were completely upfront about. It is the first thing we would check before booking a sailing where it is your headline reason to choose this ship.
Is Quantum of the Seas a good ship for Alaska?
For a cold water itinerary, the design helps more than we expected. The Solarium on deck 14 is adults only, fully enclosed, warm, with its own pools and hot tubs, and it has an outdoor viewing platform where we spotted orcas on our very first day. There is a proper indoor pool as well as the outdoor one, which matters, because on our sailing the outdoor pool was drained in the bad weather. Alaska does that. The big windows in Two70 and the Windjammer’s outdoor seating earn their keep on glacier and Inside Passage days too.
Two honest notes. There is a glass floor section on deck 14 that neither of us enjoyed walking over, and a ship this size cannot get everywhere the small expedition ships go, so if your Alaska is about tiny ports and quiet decks, this is the wrong tool. If your Alaska is a first cruise with big scenery and you want the ship to be part of the holiday, it fits very well.
What should you know before you book?
Three things from our sailing. First, the ship went into dry dock straight after our cruise, so some venues may have been refreshed or changed since our sailing. The deck layout is the same, but check the North Star’s status and the current restaurant list before you book, rather than taking our 2024 sailing as gospel.
Second, an interior cabin is the budget friendly way to do this ship, and we would do it again on an itinerary where the scenery is outside and the ship is the evening entertainment. Our full interior cabin tour is linked below if you want to see exactly what you get.
Third, book the ship for the itinerary plus the activities, in that order. The ports on our sailing (Sitka on our own, the White Pass Railway in Skagway, kayaking in Juneau, whale watching in Victoria) were the highlights of the week; the SeaPlex and Two70 were what made the sea days between them feel like part of the trip instead of travel days.
Frequently asked questions
How many decks does Quantum of the Seas have?
14 passenger decks. Decks 3 to 5 hold most of the restaurants, bars and the theatre, decks 6 to 13 are mostly cabins, and decks 14 to 16 hold the pools and activities.
Does Quantum of the Seas have an indoor pool?
Yes, plus the enclosed adults only Solarium with its own pools and hot tubs. On an Alaska sailing you will be glad of both; the outdoor pool on our cruise was drained during bad weather.
Is the North Star worth it on Quantum of the Seas?
We cannot tell you, and that is the honest answer: it was out of action for our entire sailing, awaiting a dry dock repair. The ship has been refitted since, so check its current status before you count on it.
What food is included on Quantum of the Seas?
The four main dining rooms, the Windjammer buffet, Sorrento’s pizza, Café Promenade and the Solarium Bistro are included in your fare. The specialty restaurants on deck 5, Jamie’s Italian, Wonderland and Izumi, cost extra.
Where does Quantum of the Seas sail in Alaska?
Our cruise was 7 nights round trip from Seattle, calling at Sitka, Skagway and Juneau in Alaska, with a final stop in Victoria, BC. Alaska season itineraries follow the same pattern.
Watch next
We go places, try experiences, and tell you what’s actually worth doing. If this helped you decide on a ship, the best way to follow along is on YouTube, where the full trips behind everything we write about live.
Sailed on Quantum, or thinking about it? Tell us in the comments, we read every one.
We’re Jake & Georgia, a British couple living in Kelowna, BC, filming the trips we take so you can decide what’s actually worth doing. More about us: https://jakeandgeorgia.com/about-us/
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