96. Best things to do on a cruise ship. Entertainment and activities on Quantum of the Seas
We are cruising on the Quantum of the Seas in the south pacific.
In this episode we are going to share all about the many food options, the fabulous and not so fabulous shows and entertainers and activities on the ship. Listen as I laugh out loud as Lyle admits to a hilarious counting error. You will hear all about how we crashed (or rather our friend) gate-crashed a karaoke night with Sweet Caroline and the Von Trapp family and what exactly happened at the hypnotist show – as the same friend took to the stage and entertained the whole crowd. Stay listening to hear about what we thought was going to be totally ridiculous, but actually turned out to be our absolute favourite thing to do on the ship. We couldn’t get enough of this crazy fun activity and I would go cruising again just to do this. We finish this week’s podcast with a little singalong with Lyle and I serenading you.
SHOW NOTES AND PICTURES BELOW
The first part of the entertainment on a cruise ship is the Sail Away party. Many of the passengers gather on the top decks, or locations on the ship that offer spectacular views as the massive cruise ship embarks on its voyage.
We headed to deck 15 of Quantum of the Seas as this had the best views of the sun setting as we glided through the shipping channel and out to sea. There is always lots of live music and fun on cruise ships when you set sail.
As we were travelling as a couple, with other couples with no children, the place we enjoyed on the ship was the Solarium on deck 14. It is located at the front of the ship and is an enclosed area for adults only. It still does get a bit noisy once all the cocktails start to kick in around the pool, however, as it is such a large area full of sun lounges and comfy chairs you can usually find a quiet little nook to read, sleep or have your own poolside cocktail.
Also, as part of the Solarium is the small buffet which has a great variety of food for all meal times, and is a welcome change from the loud and often crowded Windjammer buffet.
One of the reasons we were interested in doing a cruise was to be able to go to a show every night. We managed to see several shows. Two of the best - in our opinion - were the Sequins and Feathers cabaret show and the Rat Pack Reloaded song and dance performance. The Sequin and Feather show featured the whole entertainment staff of dancers and wonderful singers. The costumes and lighting effects made the show a joy to watch.
The Rat Pack Reloaded featured three male singers who performed songs from some of the greats like Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jnr. and more contemporary artists like Michael Buble. It was another absolutely fabulous show.
One of the other popular shows in the theatre of the Quantum of the Seas, was the hypnotist show. One of our friends that was cruising with us decided he was going to be part of the show. To this day we still don’t know if he was for real or not, but whatever it made for an hilarious show. The people on stage were transformed into Mick Jagger, prize boxers, snake charmers, world famous conductors, typewriters and even glamorous Miss World contenders. It was an all round feel good show and had our faces aching from laughing so much.
Of course, karaoke contests and shows can be found all over the ship. Make sure you find the one for you as some are very serious, some are more for kids and others are for the people who have had a bit too much to drink.
As I stated in the introduction, I found an activity that I thought I was going to have a laugh at, but turned out I absolutely loved it and can’t wait for the opportunity to do it again. I am talking about silent discos. I know it sounds crazy, and if you see videos, it looks crazy. I have to tell you though when you put your earphones on and the music seems like it is playing only to you, you can’t help but dance and sing and the whole room does the same, but all you can hear is the music in your ears. Of course the DJ plays songs that everyone knows and loves, so it is a fabulous atmosphere. I highly recommend giving silent discos a try if you have the chance.
Another fun entertaining night on the Quantum of the Seas was the 70’s dance party. The crowd was lead by some of the talented entertainment staff in the popular dance moves from the songs. There were many people in the crowd in fancy dress which just added to the overall fun atmosphere. We loved all the disco songs and danced until the end.
There are fun shows and activities that don’t involve dancing. Some of these are the many trivia games which can be fun - or serious. They are held in many bars and theatres around the ship. They are short games and the ones we went to were fun and mostly quite easy for us to get at least 75% of the answers.
Other popular games were Name That Tune. Some of the categories included Abba, 70’s songs, Beatles, Taylor Swift and 90’s songs. These were only 20 songs, a quick excerpt and you had to name the song and artist.
We joined in the Salsa Dance lesson and the Captain’s Corner, where the guests are able to ask the Captain and other high ranking officers questions. We thought it was really interesting and people asked some great questions.
Some other activities that we didn’t do, but were popular are Bingo, napkin folding, towel animals, art auction, rock wall climbing, belly-flop competition, and cooking classes.
There is really something for everyone on the Quantum of the Seas and we had a wonderful fun, danced filled week and will definitely cruise again - but only if the ship has silent discos.
If you want to know all the information about cruising on the Quantum of the Seas and all the entertainment options, plus some hilarious stories, then there is much more info in the podcast player below. Just click on the play button to listen directly from this page.