michigal

Our renewal experience (non-expedited) was exactly the same as that of the original poster.  We mailed our renewal requests on April 1 and received our passports June 28.

Thank you all for your responses!  I wanted to circle back and report what we ended up doing.  Guest Services on Freedom provided me a link to Miami Dade testing locations, and indicated we could use the one right at the Terminal at Port of Miami.  Before disembarking, I registered us online.  We disembarked at Terminal A and had to drive to Terminal E.  Nomi Health (a certified testing agency) administered the tests in a small tent on the sidewalk.  They offered us the PCR or the Rapid Antigen, or Both.  We took both; we received the rapid results in about 15 minutes, and the PCR results in about 7 hours.  We were not charged for the tests. 

Thank you for the link!  Much appreciated.  I knew there was an option there, but had heard it was a little pricey.  But, it certainly gives us a plan to ensure timely testing.  Thanks again.

Hi. We’re currently on Freedom, disembarking Friday Jan. 14 in Miami and boarding the Allure on Sunday Jan. 16 in Port Everglades.  Guest Services, while very helpful, stated they can't offer onboard testing for us because it would occur on January 13, falling outside the 2-calendar day rule.  I need to schedule a location either in Miami or Fort Lauderdale on Jan 14 or 15, which should be easy.  However, we had a bad experience last week when we got tested at a CVS in Florida at 9:00 a.m. 2 days prior to our Freedom cruise, and didn’t receive our results (via email) until 2:00 a.m. the morning of embarkation, which was cutting it way too close for me.  We ended up using our self-test kits (ordered as backup) at 10:00 p.m. in our hotel room the night before our cruise.  So, we ended up having 2 sets of results, but it used up the kits I had ordered for our next cruise.

So, I’m reaching out to Floridians familiar with this area for recommendations on the best place to try to book tests.  Most CVS and Walgreens are completely booked.  Will a rapid antigen test be acceptable?  I’m a little leery of a PCR test unless they can guarantee same-day results. Thank you for your help with this request!

p.s., we had originally booked Allure for January 22, which would have given us plenty of time for testing.  We added the January 16 sailing today onboard to take advantage of some great perks, which has caused this timing issue regarding testing.

It’s been ages since I purchased a Voom plan and I don’t recall the cost.  I just need a single device plan (for a January cruise). Currently, the Voom Surf & Stream package for 1 device is $14.89/day, which doesn’t sound bad to me. However, I would love to hear back from more recent users of this service whether the price is reasonable. Thanks!

Hi all,

Coming off the Indy on a Thursday, we need to book a rental car from Enterprise (only this company so I can use my points). It’s been a while since we’ve cruised from Ft.Lauderdale and I’m having a little trouble with the Enterprise locations. Should we just go back to the airport (FLL), or is there a closer location we should consider?

Second the Hotel Arlecchino recommendation. I stayed there both before and after a cruise and while the rooms were typical European sized the service was top notch. It's easy to get to from the airport, easy to get to the cruise port and easy walking to pretty much anywhere in Venice.

We're also recommending the Hotel Arlecchino. Easy to get there from the airport; easy to get to the cruise ship. Enjoy your trip!

Thanks for sharing your trip report! I picked up some helpful tips for our upcoming trip.

We loved the 9-day New England/Canada cruise on Grandeur. We've also cruised on the Anthem and think it would probably be a better choice for the kids in terms of activities. Either way, enjoy!

Tipping is a very personal decision. We tip $1.00 per bag wherever someone handles our bags.

We’ve used Choice Air twice to book one-way airfare to Europe (both times to London). The first time we booked 6 months ahead; the second time we booked 3 months ahead. Both times I felt we got a very good price, although I admit I did not go back and check airfares after I booked it. I agree with others posting here that there is benefit in booking early if you want to reserve the “extra leg room” seats. Overall, we were very satisfied with our Choice Air airfares.

Ship – Anthem of the Seas

Deck - 6

Stateroom # - 6274

Stateroom Category: DO; Deluxe Ocean View with a partially obstructed balcony view (due to lifeboats & their supporting davits).

Starboard or Port Side: Port side, slightly aft.

Quiet Stateroom (With comments on problems)? No. For several days (and more frustratingly, nights) of our transatlantic cruise, we heard a constant thumping/banging noise, thinking it was a door that wasn't latched, or something that came loose between the panels that separate the cabins (we've had that before, which was easily fixed after we reported it). On this cruise, we had Maintenance visit our cabin twice to diagnose the problem. They indicated that it was simply the noise of waves hitting the ship (an issue we've never experienced before in 15 cruises). They indicated that passengers on certain (but not all) decks were complaining of the same issue.

Was stateroom a connecting stateroom? Yes.

Balcony View - Give comments on view, noting if location of any obstructions was an issue. We looked directly out at the tall slender davit that held the lifeboat. Looking to the left, we looked directly at the top of a lifeboat. Our view was only partially obstructed. This was an 8-night Transatlantic crossing (obviously with no ports of call); therefore there really wasn't much to "see" other than ocean, so the partially obstructed view was not an issue for us. I still sat on the balcony on three separate days and enjoyed it. Had this been a port-intensive cruise, I would have found the partially obstructed view to be a major inconvenience.

Balcony Size? Normal or oversized for class? Normal for this stateroom category. Included two loungers, two foot stools and one small side table.

Was wind a problem? Yes. We had wind and high seas for 4 days. There was constant "creaking" and "whistling" coming from our balcony door. On those nights, we left the balcony door open 2-3 inches which somewhat alleviated the issue. On the worst night, we actually left our cabin door open a crack (yikes!) in order to create a flow of air which also helped lessen the noise. We heard from other passengers that Maintenance came and replaced the rubber(?) seals around their balcony doors to alleviate/eliminate the noise.

If an aft cabin, was soot a problem? N/A.

Any specific problems with this cabin? As noted above. Also, some of the tables in the outside seating area of Jamie's Italian Restaurant on deck 5 have a clear view of the balcony in this cabin. I found this out the hard way while standiing on the balcony in my "jammies" ;-o

Any other comments? In this cabin, the bed was nearest the cabin door, with the sofa and desk nearest the balcony door. We viewed several cabins in this class, and some were configured oppositely. Both layouts seemed fine to us. The bathroom had a curved glass shower door as opposed to a curtain, which suited us just fine. Instead of a retractable clothes line in the shower, there was a two-pronged hook mounted inside the shower. There were two separate closets located on either side of the bed. We found there was ample closet and drawer space for two passengers, but it would have been a challenge for three passengers, in our opinion.

Hi, quick question, hope someone can help me.

 

How much should you tip your stateroom attendant? We prepaid tips but he has done a great job so we would like to acknowledge this additionally but are not sure of the etiquette on this.

Thank you again for this excellent blog! It has been such a pleasure to follow along, and also to meet you both on this cruise.

Regarding tipping, it is a very subjective topic, which usually results in a wide range of answers. We were very happy with our cabin steward for two reasons: 1) our room was one of the very first he cleaned each morning/evening, and 2) we requested extra ice, which he provided every day. We've given him $25 in addition to our prepaid gratuities.

So there is a fee for room service meals? We have never done it. We always said we were going to try it, to have breakfast on the balcony, but never did. I had always been told it was complementary, you just had to tip the delivery person. Not the case anymore???

 

I guess we really won't be trying it now.....

Hi,

I'm looking at the "In Room Dining Guide" right now...it indicates that a $4.95 late-night delivery fee will be applied between 11:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. We've ordered room service a couple of times this week, and were charged the $4.95 delivery fee for the one time that we ordered late (after 11:00 p.m.).

Also, as covered earlier in this blog, there is now a fee for certain room service items, whereas, previously, they were free (minus alcoholic beverages and sodas). You can still order a limited selection of items for "free." However, many items now come with a fee (plus the $4.95 delivery fee if ordered after 11:00 p.m.).

As it's Halloween we have dressed up.

 

On our way up the stairs tonight, we were quite amused. A little boy asked his mum what she was wearing for Halloween and she said its only kids who dress up. Don't think she was expecting my Mrs to come round the corner of the stairs and say no it's not with her red wig and spider on her head.

 

 

We are dressed up too! I don't have a photo to post, but look for the sailor girl and a "Blues Brother"!!

We have friends on the 12/12 sailing. Question on your "classic" dining. Do your waiters rotate with you and do you have an assigned table in each dining room. Do you just arrive at your stated time and wait to be seated.

Hi,

Our wait staff is rotating with us. We have the same table number in each of the 4 dining rooms. At each dining room, there is one line for guests who do not have "classic dining". Guests with classic dining are directed to another line and are seated as soon as they arrive for dinner (at their allotted time).

We are on board Anthem right now as well. My only problem with the little white tubes is that they all look the same. :)

Agreed! LOL

Hi,

We are on Anthem right now. Our balcony cabin is stocked with the 1.35 oz. white tubes that you can see in the previous poster's photo. It includes shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, and body lotion. They fit nicely in the slotted metal soap dishes in the shower. However, the small round bars of soap fall through the slots. This was resolved by placing the plastic soap dish from the sink in the metal soap dish in the shower!

Thank you for this excellent blog! We are also currently on the Anthem. It is unfortunate that the outdoor and other motion-related activities (Cabaret show, bumper cars) have been canceled or postponed due to weather, but we knew this was a possibility when we booked this TA cruise, so we were prepared for it. We are having a great time! However, because of so many canceled activities, it is sometimes challenging to get a seat at the indoor events (trivia, music events, etc.). Again, it's not a surprise, just a bit frustrating. You have to arrive early to get a seat!

Someone asked about bringing your wine into the dining rooms. We brought our two allotted bottles on board along with a corkscrew. We've been carrying a glass into the dining room, and no one has seemed to have a problem with it.

Regarding lobster, we ate in the Grande (formal restaurant) on day two, and were served lobster tail (at no charge) with a light sauce (instead of butter). It was tasty. My favorite meal so far has been the Surf & Turf in American Icon. The beef was extremely tender, and in my opinion, cooked to perfection (which is sometimes tricky for me because I like it medium well).

We signed up for "classic" dining, which involves being rotated through the four dining rooms (which we will repeat as this is an 8-night cruise). Our rotation is Chic, Grande, Silk, then American Icon. I have reviewed the menus, and it appears that we will receive a slightly different menu than the one we received on the first night in each restaurant, although there are several items that are repeated.

Thanks again for blogging. It's been fun following along.

Last November we stayed at the DoubleTree directly across the street from Victoria Station for two nights; it was close enough that we could roll our luggage to and from the train station. We were within easy walking distance to HOHO locations, and within walking distance to certain landmarks.

The DoubleTree had all of the same amenities that are offered at their U.S. locations. We arrived at 9:00 a.m., and they let us check into our room immediately, which was a major plus!

We are going to stay at the Hampton Waterloo in a couple of weeks; I'll report back on our experience there.

St. Martin is one of our favorite places. We’ve been there many times on cruises, and also spent a week there in the Maho Beach area.

My suggestion is to check the major airlines (especially KLM) for their flights into St. Martin on the day you will be there. Then, if you can book a tour through Bernard’s that coincides with the landing of the jumbo jets (737, 747, etc), go for it!

We were there in February. We took a cab (shared with other people from the ship) to Maho Beach, and watched a KLM 747 land…awesome! We went to the Sunset Bar & Grill which is located at the end of the runway.

On our cruise on the Adventure from San Juan Feb. 22 – Mar. 1, Diamond and above were invited to breakfast in the MDR in an area separate from the rest, but with the same breakfast menu that was available in the MDR. We partook several times, as it was quiet and offered very quick service. I was able to get my eggs benedict, and we were able to choose a table for two instead of being seated at a large table (which is typical for the “normal” MDR breakfast experience). On disembarkation day, we chose to be seated with two other couples, and had a leisurely breakfast and shared our cruise experiences. Very nice!

My DH is 6'6" and has never had issues with ceiling height in the shower or any other area of the ship on any of the Royal Caribbean ships we've sailed. Enjoy your cruise!

We took our first European cruise in November 2014. Research on Cruise Critic indicated that a Barcelona departure was considered the “easiest” in terms of travel arrangements. We chose Venice (on the Splendour) because of the itinerary (I specifically wanted to visit Santorini). We chose a late fall cruise for three reasons: 1) cooler weather, 2) fewer crowds at major attractions, 3) lower prices.

DH loves the Radiance class ships; I prefer a larger ship. But, we were very happy with this ship, and for our two days at sea, we found plenty of activities to keep us occupied!

We loved the ports of call! Dubrovnik, Ephesus, Santorini, and Katakalon (Olympia) were simply amazing. (Let me know if you’d like more info on our port excursions.)

We spent two pre-cruise and one post-cruise night in Venice. This is strictly my opinion (others may differ)…I felt that 3 days in Venice was plenty to see what I wanted to see and enjoy what that great city had to offer.

If you chose a Venice departure in the summer, be prepared for large crowds at your ports of call. Check the websites that track the number of ships in port and use that as a guide. Whatever you decide, have fun and happy cruising!!

As far as cruise pricing goes, I have a price per person per day amount that I will pay. I just multiply it out and if the total is more than that price, I pass. If it is that price or lower, I book. Simple. No need to worry about a sale or not.

We use the same strategy.