Cruise ships are known for live music. On Quantum of the Seas, there are plenty of venues and genres of music from which to choose. From Latin dance music in Boleros, to standards and classic bar tunes on the piano at the Schooner Bar, travelers familiar with Royal Caribbean ships will feel right at home at some of these popular venues.
New to everyone, including the loyal Royal cruisers, is the Quantum of the Seas’ Music Hall. This two story mecca to music, located on decks 3 and 4, ushers in a new era in cruise entertainment.
Rocking Out at Quantum of the Seas’ Music Hall
On deck three of the Music Hall is a huge stage, which comes alive with various entertainment each night. In front of this stage is a good sized dance floor for you to dance the night away to your favorite tunes.
On the back, starboard side of the Music Hall, is a bar that seemed a bit small for this venue. It was often packed, so getting a drink from this bar proved difficult at times. During some events, there were bar service staff making the rounds, at least on deck 3. There was also another bar on deck 4 which often seemed a lot less crowded, presumably because it was more difficult to seem the action on the main floor stage.
Do whatever you need to do to get bar service as the drinks at the Music Hall were some of our favorite cocktails (see all of the bar menus from Quantum of the Seas). The Music Hall’s cocktail menu is unique as many of the drinks are named after musical acts, and they are arranged by music genre, like rap and rock. The Princess loved the Metalliquor; whereas, I would rotate between the Starwater or the Gatsby.
The seating throughout this venue was very lush with a variety of chairs and even some couches. There were also plenty of bar stools and bar height tables, especially in the balcony right above the stage (deck 4).
During the day time, the Music Hall was used for a variety of activities including bingo, private functions, art auctions, etc. On deck 4, all the way aft of the ship, the Music Hall also had self-leveling pool tables. While not a great pool player, I would have happily challenged the Princess to a game, but we never got around to it. These tables were usually empty in both day and night, so it seemed like other fellow cruisers never found the time for a game either.
The Music of the Tribute Bands in the Music Hall
The cocktails are great, but the real feature of the Music Hall is, well, the music. During the first few nights of our recent cruise on Quantum of the Seas, we had the pleasure of going back to the 80’s, 90’s, and even the 2000’s with the tribute band Wanted, a Bon Jovi cover band.
Of all the great entertainment on the ship, Tribute events in the Music Hall really stand out. The bands do rotate with the recent buzz online reporting cover bands paying tribute to other well known bands such as Journey, The Police, and U2. So, depending on your taste in music, you may be in luck or disappointed as you have no idea which band(s) will be on your itinerary.
Lucky for us, we both love Bon Jovi! In fact, the first concert we attended together was a Bon Jovi concert with Nickelback as an opener. Wanted did a great job and played all of the hits you would expect; although, the Princess was disappointed that they did not play Bed of Roses or Always.
The sets were always the same for each show, but the music was dead on. The singer was solid, and the lead guitarist, their very own Richie Sambora, was outstanding. We made sure to pop in and catch some of their act on three of the four nights they played. Who can pass up a chance to belt out Living on a Prayer with a bunch of fellow cruisers?
Aside from the Tribute Band, Wanted, the Music Hall also offered rock music by the house band Horizons at various times throughout the cruise. We actually saw this band on Independence of the Seas back in 2014 and think they are a good house band. At least once on our cruise they did a “rock-a-rokie” competition, which is karaoke with a live band. Did I go up there and belt out some AC/DC? Unfortunately, the Princess wouldn’t let me!
As you can tell, the Music Hall is another happening venue on Quantum of the Seas, so you do have to pay attention to the cruise compass.
Perhaps the biggest party of the entire cruised happened on night 7 in the Music Hall. This, of course, is the 1970’s Groovy Town party. Instead of the traditional 1970’s disco party that happens in the Promenade on other ships, Quantum of the Seas’ Music Hall hosts this interactive dance party, complete with DJs, live music, and singers and dancers interacting with the guests.
Getting to this party late, we were not able to get a seat for the first hour or so, but we were able to snag our favorite chairs later on in the night. The “mayor” of Groovy Town is the very likeable Jimmy Rhodes, our cruise director for this sailing. Jimmy played the part well, wearing a big afro wig and outlandish 1970’s clothing. He engaged the audience and other cruise staff, and the crowd loved it.
We did miss some of the other antics of the 1970’s disco parties, like the Village People parading around the Promenade, but Groovy Town was a nice departure and definitely a high energy show worthy of the Music Hall.
On the last night of our sailing, there was also a battle of the bands. Surprisingly, the Music Hall was not too busy for this event. Even though it was a bit different than we expected, we did get to listen to some of the different bands onboard the ship, including the orchestra from the main theater. While enjoying our last few cocktails, it was a relaxing end to an otherwise high intensity week in the Music Hall.
When sailing on Quantum of the Seas, or her sister ship Anthem of the Seas, be sure to grab your glow sticks, get ready to let loose on the dance floor, and head on over to the Music Hall for a great time.
Comments
What’s the music venue you frequent the most when on a cruise ship? Do you prefer live music or a DJ? Drop us an anchor below to tell us about your nighttime hangout spots onboard your favorite cruise ships. Watch out, as this could get a bit loud!
