Repeat destination? 🏝️ Traveling for merch? Lost, damaged? Tell us What you're owed ✈️
CRUISE LOG
Quantum of the Seas

Kung Fu Panda: First a movie, now a cruise ship restaurant

Gene Sloan
USA TODAY
The Kung Fu Panda eatery on Royal Caribbean's Quantum of the Seas.

Forget celebrity chefs. The latest star to get a restaurant on a cruise ship is a make-believe panda.

Royal Caribbean on Thursday unveiled the first restaurant on land or sea themed around Kung Fu Panda, the DreamWorks Animation flick about a panda named Po who aspires to be a kung fu master.

Added to Royal Caribbean's eight-month-old Quantum of the Seas, the Kung Fu Panda Noodle Shop serves dim sum, noodle bowls and traditional Chinese desserts in a family-style setting. Items are priced a la carte at $2 to $5 a plate.

The eatery debuts as Quantum of the Seas transitions to a vessel aimed primarily at the Chinese market. After an initial season of sailings out of the New York area, it has spent the last two months sailing around the globe to Shanghai, where it arrived this week.

Quantum now will be based in Shanghai year-round offering three- to eight- night itineraries to Japan and Korea.

At 168,666 tons, Quantum is the third largest cruise ship ever built and boasts such groundbreaking features as a deck-top ride into the sky and a bar with robot bartenders. It can hold nearly 5,000 passengers.

USA TODAY Cruise reported live from Quantum's maiden voyage from Southampton to New York. Click through the carousel at the top of this story for a deck-by-deck look at the vessel's public areas. The gallery below offers a glimpse at some of its swankiest suites. For more of our coverage of the ship's debut, including nearly a dozen videos, follow the links at the bottom of this page.

Live from Quantum of the Seas
Five things to love about the new Quantum of the Seas 
Video: First look at Quantum's two70 lounge
Love craft beers? This new ship is for you
Video: Michael's Genuine Pub brings artisanal flavors to sea
Bumper cars on a cruise ship? This one has them
Video: Bumper car fun on a cruise ship
Latest gee-whiz cruise attraction: skydiving
New giant cruise ship sets sail on maiden voyage
Living large: New cruise ship's swanky mega-suites
Video: The coolness of 'virtual balconies' on Quantum of the Seas
Video: The epic mega-suites of Quantum of the Seas
Photos: Inside the super suites on Quantum of the Seas
First look: Inside the year's hottest new cruise ship
Photos: Inside our exclusive first ride on North Star
Video: Jamie Oliver brings 'neighborhood Italian' to Quantum
Robot bartenders? This cruise ship has them
Video: Quantum's Bionic Bar mixes perfect drinks
Video: Time-lapse view as Quantum of the Sea sets sail
Video: Soaring on Quantum's skydiving ride
Video: Watch Quantum's Bionic Bar mix a drink
Photos: First look at Quantum of the Seas
Video: Experience Quantum's North Star in 60 seconds
Exclusive: Inside the hottest new ride at sea 
Video: Quantum's North Star gives sky-high views

Featured Weekly Ad