Nearly half a century since it was founded, Royal Caribbean has been setting the benchmark for cruising through its magnificent fleet of world-class ships and its continuous focus on creating innovative cruise experiences. With its headquarters in Miami, FL, the company currently operates 25 ships, many of which are among the largest cruise ships in the world, and travels to hundreds of destinations across six continents.

Royal Caribbean operates five distinct classes of cruise ships, each with its own unique personality and suite of offerings for travellers.

• Oasis Class: The three cruise ships built under the Oasis Class are the largest ships in the world, with a maximum capacity of nearly 6,300 passengers.
• Quantum Class: These are only slightly smaller than the Oasis Class ships, with a total passenger capacity of nearly 5000.
• Freedom Class: Before the Oasis Class was launched, the Freedom Class of cruise ships were the largest in the world, with a capacity of about 4,500 passengers.
• Voyager Class: With one launch each year since 1999, the 5 ships under the voyager class were the first in the world to create an ice rink on-board. They also introduced a special feature called the Royal Promenade mall running across the length of the ship.
• Radiance Class: The radiance class of ships are comparatively smaller sized with a passenger capacity of around 2100. The Royal Caribbean operates 4 ships under this class.
• Vision Class: The 5 ships under the Vision Class are among the oldest in the Royal Caribbean fleet, with one of the ships, the Legend of the Seas, scheduled to make its final sailing in 2017.
• Sovereign Class: The two ships under this class were the first megaships to have been constructed.

Given its enormous presence in the cruise industry, its wide spectrum of cruise ships and its history of innovation over the last three decades, it’s no surprise that Royal Caribbean has been voted ‘Best Overall Cruise Line’ by Travel Weekly, for thirteen consecutive years. Royal Caribbean today controls about 17% of the world’s cruise market share. In addition, it also operates other popular fleets like Celebrity Cruises, Azamara Cruises, Pullmantur Cruises and CDF Croisières de France.

While all cruise ships in the Royal Caribbean fleet have the highest standards of luxury, entertainment and innovation, the Quantum Class of ships can easily be considered a notch above. In the Quantum Class, the Quantum of the Seas is one of the best cruise ships that cruises to destinations in South East Asia, with attractive cruise packages from Shanghai, China (home port) to Hong Kong, Malaysia, Japan, Taiwan and Korea.

One of largest ships in the world, the Quantum of the Seas was introduced by Royal Caribbean in November 2014. This magnificent piece of engineering weighs around 170,000 tonnes, and has the ability to hold a maximum of 4,180 passengers across 2,090 staterooms and 16 decks. The ship offers a wide array of technology innovation that is designed to take your cruise experience to the next level. Their focus on bringing the latest technology on-board makes them one of the few ships in the cruise industry that can really be called ‘smart’. Here are some of the unique features that make cruising on the Quantum of the Seas a truly memorable experience:

• The North Star: This suspended capsule is truly a stunning innovation that is available on all Quantum Class ships. The North Star is attached to a 135 foot long arm that takes passengers more than 300 feet above sea-level to get a breathtakingly beautiful view of the sea.
• Endless Fun & Entertainment Options: All Quantum Class ships are equipped with extraordinary first-at-sea facilities for adventure sports. You can try sky-diving on the RipCord or experience simulated surfing on the FloRider. You can also enjoy roller skating or basketball at the Seaplex, try the 30 foot rock-climbing wall and indulge in many relaxation facilities such as indoor pools and whirlpools, fitness centres, full-service spas aboard the Quantum of the Seas. There are some serious entertainment options on-board, including aerial shows, live music, 3D movies, AquaTheater shows, the Boardwalk carousel and the extremely popular Casino Royale.
• For Kids: The ship has a large number of fun activities for kids such as the Adventure Ocean® youth program, Royal Babies® and Royal Tots® program, DreamWorks Experience and the H2O Zone kids' water park.
• Staterooms: The innovation does not end even when you go back to your room. All the interior staterooms have a ‘virtual balcony’, a full-wall HD TV that gives passengers the experience of actual balconies.
• Dynamic Dining: Quantum of the Seas has four primary dining rooms, but you can also dine at many of the casual dining areas and bars at the entertainment zones. Their Dynamic Dining concept breaks away from conventional cruise experiences, allowing passengers to dine at any time or place that they wish.

The Quantum of the Seas starts at Baoshan, one of the world’s largest industrial ports. Baoshan is situated in Shanghai, the largest city in China and one of the major financial centers of the world. Shanghai makes for a great tourist destination. Travellers on the Quantum of the Seas have a great opportunity to spend a few days before or after their cruise and take in the sights and sounds of this vibrant city. Major attractions in Shanghai include the Zhongshan Lu promenade (the Bund), the Shanghai Museum, the Longhua Temple, Nanjing Road, the Oriental Art Center, People’s Square and the Jade Buddha Temple.

With time on their hands, visitors also have the chance to visit a number of historical sites in and around the city, such as the Garden of Natural Beauty, the Aofeng Pagoda and the Xingshengjiano si Ta Pagoda.

As far as cruise options go, the Quantum of the Seas offers an excellent set of cruise packages, covering China, Japan and South Korea, with prices starting from USD 753 per person. Typically the ship offers 4 or 5 days cruises covering a few ports. On cruises to Japan, it covers important ports such as Fukuoka, Nagasaki, Miyazaki, Kumamoto, Sakaiminato, Kochi, Okinawa, Kobe, Aburatsu and Hiroshima. Cruises to South Korea stop at either or both the port cities of Incheon and Busan.

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Author  The author tracks and covers holiday packages and popular tourist places. He has recently forayed into coverage of cruise packages and alternative holiday destinations. In this particular article, he provides his views on Royal Caribbean and the Quantum of the Seas.