Royal Caribbean extends Quantum of the Seas Cruises to Nowhere till June 2021

Royal Caribbean has been offering cruises to nowhere on Quantum of the Seas since December 2020, and having sailed on one recently, I must say they’re a whole lot of fun. The food, the entertainment and the activities are superb, and being on a ship offers the kind of “out of Singapore” escapism that staycations simply can’t provide. 

The cruising schedule was originally scheduled to run till the end of March 2021, after which Quantum was rostered for sailings out of Japan. That was always an optimistic projection, and Royal Caribbean has now extended cruises to nowhere till the end of June 2021. 

Royal Caribbean Cruise to Nowhere

Royal Caribbean Cruise to Nowhere: April to June schedule

Royal Caribbean’s website doesn’t have the most intuitive way of displaying choices. For example, it’d be so much simpler if they listed all the 2-night cruise options under one section, but instead for whatever reason, they have four different ones. 

This means you’ll need to click on all four options if you want to see the range of dates available for cruises of a given duration. 

To save you the clicking, here’s the cruise schedule from April to June:

The April schedule is surprisingly scarce, which probably means there’s some maintenance going on. It also hints that Royal Caribbean sees April as a low season, so if you want to avoid the crowds, April may be your best shot. Otherwise, May and June look completely full, with cruises departing one after the other. 

How can I get a discount?

Royal Caribbean is currently offering a 50% off sale for CNY, but I’ve seen a 50% discount banner on the Royal Caribbean website so often I’ve concluded it’s evergreen. 

There are two further discounts you can leverage, however: HSBC and AIA Vitality. I emailed Royal Caribbean to ask about both, and they told me that with HSBC you can’t pre-select your stateroom, while with AIA Vitality you can. Why that should be the case I have no idea, but if you’re particular about location (see this post for more details on choosing a cabin), take note. 

HSBC: 5% off

HSBC is offering 5% off the 1st and 2nd guests on any Balcony and Deluxe stateroom bookings. To take advantage of this offer, you’ll need to book via walk-in (Royal’s offices at at 3 Anson Road, #130-2 Springleaf Tower), phone or email (salessg@rcclapac.com); you will not be able to enjoy this discount on the website. 

The obvious card of choice will be the HSBC Revolution, which will earn 4 mpd on cruise transactions, up to S$1,000 per month. 

AIA Vitality: Up to 50% off

This is one of those things that seems too good to be true, but AIA Vitality members will enjoy up to a 50% discount on Royal Caribbean cruise fares. This benefit can be enjoyed a maximum of once per year, and given that the baseline Vitality discount is 10%, it even makes sense to sign up for just one month (S$8) just to use the discount (you can cancel in the subsequent month). 

Just like the HSBC discount, you’ll need to email salessg@rcclapac.com to make your booking.  

Conclusion

Quantum of the Seas and World Dream represent the only two cruise ships in operation anywhere in the world now, and if you want to get out of Singapore without serving a SHN, this is pretty much the only option. 

I just returned from a World Dream sailing, and while it had its moments (waterslides are always fun), I can safely say that Quantum was my favourite by far. I’ll pen some further thoughts on that in the days ahead, so keep an eye out.