I’m preparing a full review of my recent Quantum of the Seas cruise. As I was working through some of my notes, the idea of a “one thing I liked and one thing I didn’t like” post popped into my mind. The idea was made all the more interesting to me after some thought because the answer to both questions is the same – the internet.
Like – The internet. Quantum of the Seas’ internet is still a work in progress, but it is light years beyond what I’d become accustomed to on Royal Caribbean. Speeds ranged from about 1mbps to just over 2mbps. Not blistering, not as fast as I think I was expecting given the hype, but almost always reliable. I accomplished things I would never previously try, including video uploads to YouTube. Wi-fi is pervasive around the ship, and I found myself Tweeting like mad, posting things to Facebook about the cruise, responding to questions about the ship, and just generally living the same digital life I do on land. Best of all, I was able to do this for one flat rate for the entire 11-night cruise. Worked out to about $220.
Dislike – The internet. Yes, I get the dichotomy here. How can a like and dislike be the same? For all its advantages, the solidly reliable internet aboard Quantum of the Seas stood between me and relaxation. Who am I kidding? I stood between me and relaxation by letting the widely available wi-fi dictate the terms of my vacation. In reality, that was a choice I made because I wanted to post things about the cruise experience on the blog and to the Twitterverse. It was my call. If I had it to do over I would have declared certain days as digital detox days, especially towards the end of the cruise. I did do a better job of that as the cruise went on, but not at a level I should have.
Recognizing that many, if not most of us now live in a world where getting completely detached from everything is simply not feasible, a few days of downtime is not a bad thing. My advice for your Quantum of the Seas cruise – use the internet if you need to, but find a way to carve out true downtime. A little digital detox is a good thing.
-MJ, December 18, 2014
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Perhaps my take is a little different. For me, ‘vacation’ is supposed to be escape time, a time to disconnect from the world of electronic signals and where necessary, so inform your important contacts that you are Turned Off until x-date. (I know, not everyone has that option, but…) and paying $220 for access over an 11-day cruise will happen over my dead body. While I appreciate that Mega-Boat cruising is the cat’s meow for some, two otherwise good, upscale cruises left me bewildered and feeling seriously abused. Why? Less than clean cabins, 95% ‘junk’ food (regular and value-added) and… Read more »
@Cook,
Quantum of the Seas was a lot cleaner than the last Motel 6 I stayed in, thankfully. đŸ™‚