The Fun Researcher

Deck 9 (and deck 8 less so), has to be the most frequently booked deck for our family across all the ships we've sailed. Having at least a couple of floors of cabins above and below you help keep things quiet. We also tend to be in the forward section. That generally limits our closeness to food but that only matters really for us in the morning for coffee, but that's a quick elevator or stairs down or up to the cafe promenade or solarium bistro (depending on ship) to resolve. 🙂

We like early traditional but it is too early now, agreed. I didn't realize they changed MTD to this process. Makes sense now that I think back. On the Anthem in March we had early seating, and a couple of times I left the MDR to use the bathroom, only to find HUGE throngs of other cruises waiting for a table. Normally by the time we left dinner the crowds were gone (we must take a long time dining)

Just chiming in to say that's a pretty smart way to use your vouchers. Also a smart way to only pay, IMO, the exorbitant price of one drink package.

On the Anthem in March, we were told anything past 30 minutes late and they would give it away. We showed up 15 minutes "late" every night. Not really on purpose. We didn't realize until the last night that the actual time we were supposed to show up was 15 minutes earlier than we thought. LOL 15 minutes won't impact anyone at all for traditional seating. We had our own table of 5

That's fair. Sounds like you've had bad luck. We've always had clear(ish) water. Not crystal clear but not murky We haven't had noise either It is a long way there, agreed There is a tram that takes you all the way, but I agree it can maybe be a hassle finding the right one We've been there 5 times or more and so far we've had great experiences. Bummer yours wasn't so great. Maybe next time... Reminds me of how we raved about Megens Bay in St. Thomas to our friends. They went and didn't like it much at all. The difference? Their day was misty and cloudy overcast, which made everything a struggle and the water just looked dark and dreary. We went on a beautiful sunny day, so the sand was sparkling white and the water was amazing hues of blue. Add to that the lush greenery to the sides of the cove and it just felt amazing.

Thank you. Bummer that my Daughters missed out. They are 21 and 19 now, but have 46 points on their own and will get another 7 in July so they are on their way... 🙂

FYI, I'm circling back to tell you what did end up working, which was a 7 night cruise in two interior cabins. As of March 2023 these were our points: Myself: 68 points Wife: 68 points Son 15 yrs old: 46 points My wife, son and I took a 7 night cruise on the Anthem in two connecting inside cabins. I was solo in one, and my wife and son were booked in the connecting cabin. So I got 14 points since I was solo, and my wife and son got 7 points each. Now, after the cruise all three of us are Diamond. Our actual points are shown below. Myself: 82 points Wife: 75 points Son 16 yrs old: 53 points Not sure if this helps anyone or not but just thought I would share.

We've done deck 8 or 9 interiors multiple times on that class of ship. We have zero problems with those rooms. Sleep great with the nice dark cabins (day or night if you like). Having two full bathrooms is very nice for getting ready in the morning or showering before dinner etc... We typically get connecting cabins, but they sell out more quickly. Adjacent cabins would also be fine. We use the room to sleep and nap, not much more. We love being out on the ship in all the awesome venues or taking in views of the ocean

I do agree about Harvest Cay. Not even food is included, and the drinks were $$$ and watered down in our experience. What made Columbus Cove so bad?

Hah, I could have written your post verbatim as we are looking for the same thing coming up! For our Alaska cruise in July we are also a family group of 16 across 6 balcony cabins, all linked, looking to be placed together in the MDR (2-3 tables). Hope your request goes well! Also thanks to the other poster who gave the mgutierrez@rccl.com email contact!

Decades

I like the quiet laid back feel of Labadee better. I like the food better on Coco Cay. Between the two I would choose Labadee. Love the beach and loungers at Columbus cove with the ship as the backdrop. Love them both though. Always a very nice relaxing day in tropical “paradise”

Here’s my poll results for the same question a few months ago

I did find the answer to my own question. Looks like there is a green gondola and a red gondola. The green is free and takes you between ship port locations. The red is the one that takes you up the hill and can be booked onsite for around $50 plus tax. You can also book through the cruise ship ahead of time if they offer it. There is no guarantee that you can use the walking trails at the top of the "mountain" if bears have been sighted. Still, the view going up, and at the top look like it's well worth it to me.

I wonder how many people complained about the very same issues with the old menus? There will always be people complaining about the food. There were those before that compared it to cafeteria food. Based on our experience on the Anthem in March the food was excellent, just as good as before. I just missed some of my favorite items.

We've been there on the Anthem with a similar other ship in port. CocoCay is busy but not oppressively so. If you look at a map, we've had the most luck getting loungers in between the Chill Island and Breezy Bay areas. I wouldn't let it make or break your decision to do the cruise or not.

That's good to remember. I always have a hard time choosing apps because I like so many of them. Maybe next time I'll just say "screw it" and just focus on those. I can't eat large volumes of food anyway, just makes me feel miserable. Maybe 3-4 apps instead of my typical 2 plus entrée. (I rarely ever get dessert)

One of the best cruise food reviews I’ve read in a long time. Thank you!!!

I see that there is a tram that take you up roughly 1800 ft in ISP. Sounds fun. Can you book this once onshore, or do you have to book it ahead of time through the cruise line or other website? Thank you.

Yeah, I don't like walking back into a humid warm room after being on the balcony. The times we've booked balcony cabins, they all seem to have shut the A/C off when the door is open. Must have been new enough ships. Thanks OP for the reminder about some of the doors and the inadvertent opportunity to get shut out.

Really enjoyed following along. Thanks for all the effort to post!

Yeah, I'm not keeping my hopes up for ISP having any decent excursions relative to what we had with Skagway. ISP is such a small locally owned port stop. By my research, it appears pretty unspoiled and not commercialized, but that also correlates to less options. BTW, still zero excursions for ISP on our July 10 sailing. 😡

It's now 5 full days since they told us we were not going to Skagway, and stopping at Icy Straight Point instead. There are still zero excursions offered in the cruise planner.

You know, you can never get enough chemistry. LOL 😁😆😂