[9] On 11 February 2011, Royal Caribbean announced that they had ordered the first of a new class of ships from Meyer Werft, scheduled to be delivered by Fall 2014.

[15] Beginning late June 2015, the ship began sailing three- to eight-night itineraries year-round from Shanghai to Japan and South Korea.

[20] The ship was originally planned to homeport in Tianjin to sail in Asia,[20] but moved to Sydney in June 2016 to begin cruising in Oceania seasonally.

[23] On 7 May 2015, Royal Caribbean entered into an agreement with Meyer Werft for a fourth Quantum-class ship for delivery in 2019, subject to financing and other conditions.

All interior staterooms feature a floor-to-ceiling, 80-inch high-definition TV screen showing live views from the outside of the ship, which Royal Caribbean calls a "Virtual Balcony".

[6] A new feature on the Quantum class is "RipCord by iFLY", a skydiving simulator set in a recirculating indoor recreational vertical wind tunnel.

Another innovation on the Quantum class is the "North Star" observation tower, located at the forward end of the top deck.

"[34] Spectrum of the Seas was the first Quantum-class ship to install Sky Pad, a virtual reality experience with a trampoline and bungee ropes for guests to undergo different simulations and play interactive games.

[35] Like the earlier Freedom- and Oasis-class ships, the "Sports Court" on the aft of deck 15 features a complimentary Wave Loch Flowrider surf simulator and a rock-climbing wall.

[40] Quantum-class ships use an air lubrication system (ALS) to reduce the friction in the water in order to improve the performance of the vessel during cruising.