Service history
Quantum of the Seas spent her inaugural 2014–2015 season sailing from Cape Liberty on 7-to-12-night itineraries to the Caribbean and Bahamas before she was re-deployed to China.[25] She embarked on her 53-day eastward re-positioning cruise from Cape Liberty to Shanghai in May 2015.[26] In June 2015, the ship commenced operating cruises from Shanghai on 3-to-8-night itineraries to Japan and South Korea year-round until moving to Tianjin upon the arrival of Spectrum of the Seas in Shanghai in mid-2019.[27] Beginning in November 2019, Quantum of the Seas was scheduled to operate seasonally in Southeast Asia from Singapore for six months each year until 2024 and rotate between homeporting in Tianjin and Singapore year-round.[27][28] However, in March 2020, Royal Caribbean announced a re-deployment of Quantum of the Seas to Alaska for summer 2021, sailing week-long itineraries from Seattle, marking her debut in the Western United States.[29]
In 2020, due to the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, sailings were suspended, on various dates in the various regions, by all cruise lines. As of 12 January 2021, a report indicated that all Royal Caribbean sailings had been suspended until 30 April, except for Quantum of the Seas. This vessel had resumed sailing in Singapore in December 2020, "with the local government's CruiseSafe Certification ... [that meets] the comprehensive health and safety requirements developed by the Singapore government".[30]
Through 2022, 2023, and 2024 the Quantum alternates between Alaska (based in Seattle) and Australia (based in Brisbane). Australian cruises include South Pacific, New Zealand, and North Queensland itineraries with some shorter cruises between Brisbane and Sydney.
On April 26, 2023, an Australian man fell from the ship when it was in the Pacific Ocean, 1400km south of Hawaii. The US Coast Guard searched for hours but eventually called off the rescue mission.[31]
