Dave85

Has anybody heard how St. Kitts made out? They're in that same "neighborhood" but I haven't really heard much about them.

Thanks for your review! Really enjoyed reading it. The Skyline situation with the open club in the middle of the casino sounds a little strange... I assume they were going for something and it just didn't work out as planned. Glad to see they're moving back to an enclosed venue on Bliss.

Not sure about minority. Even RCL are continuing that design with the Music Hall on their latest ships dual level.

 

They're just looking for ways to make more revenue out of it. Doesn't make it a bad or unpopular design.

I loved the Music Hall on Anthem and it definitely reminded me of the two-story dance clubs of the past... although it was bigger, more open, and more conducive to hosting other events.

However, IMHO, by far the best venue for a dance club on Anthem was 270... I really enjoyed the nights it was used as a club on my sailing. Not sure if they still use it like that anymore, as I haven't been on since November '15.

Thank you all for your kind responses and input; it seems a ship this large my two options are Solarium and 270 for quiet relaxation! We prefer to lay out in the sun outside in the adults only sun decks.

 

Not sure what we are going to do. We did the Breakaway once and vowed never again; the Anthem seems very similar... as a point of reference we love the Gem.

 

Anyhow, something to think about...

Thank you all once again for taking the time.

Happy Sailing!

Chrissy, I've done both and it's definitely quieter than the Breakaway, which is a very loud and hectic ship (which I happened to love, btw). Only negative similarity is that deck chairs are similarly limited up top around the pool on both ships.

Ultimately though, on these mega ships you can generally find what you want -- quiet areas, or more constant action. Happy sailing!

If you make your reservation on day 1, you should be fine. Bayamo isn't as popular as it should be...probably because of the dress code and upcharge.

Sounds good, thanks for the info.

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Yup, just hoping for fun people and a good DJ. It has been rough on my last couple of Royal sailings.

 

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This is one of the reasons I've trended away from RCI lately... I've run into either great DJs with no crowd to enjoy them (Anthem) or a great crowd with terrible DJs (Oasis / Allure). I've had better luck on Norwegian and just booked Escape for December, hoping for some decent nightlife. RC ripping out their previously awesome two-story dance clubs is another reason... such a bummer; those were great venues and I had some, err, memorable nights in there... Escape may not have a dedicated indoor dance club either, but Spice H20 is pretty awesome.

I do hope to get on Harmony or Symphony next just because Oasis Class ships are amazing and I haven't seen the second generation yet, so I'll have to cross my fingers for good DJs / a decent crowd when I go.

Any sense of how difficult it was to get a reservation at reasonable times (I.e., not 5pm or 9:30pm) at Bayamo? Not 100% sure I want to go but am wondering if it would be a problem to wait until I'm on board to decide.

So just coming off the Breakaway, I can say that my own personal experience is that the Escape's old internet was as fast, if not faster, than what I experienced on the Breakaway last week. Also, if you have a travel internet router for sharing, it may not work. I usually use it so I can use my iPhone and iPad at the same time, and it did work on the Escape last year.. it did not work on the Breakaway.

iConcierge is also as terrible as it ever was, but with a much nicer interface.

-Keith

Internet was absolutely dreadful on both of my Breakaway sailings--to the point of being unusable at times on my second one. Very glad to hear that Escape has newly updated internet and would love to hear more anecdotes from recent cruisers!

It's definitely a "large balcony" by Breakaway standards (where the balconies are generally tiny). If it helps you visualize, my B6 on Breakaway had two loungers facing out, and they took up the entire depth of the balcony. There was room for a table with a couple of traditional chairs on the opposite side.

It isn't as large compared to standard balconies on some other ships, but it's definitely a good choice on BA and I wouldn't hesitate to book it again.

Thanks Rick for a truly epic review! I've been super disappointed with the turn the nightlife on Royal has taken in recent years--and ripping out those awesome Gothic dance clubs on the Voyager and Freedom Classes to boot--that I tried NCL a few years ago (Breakaway) and loved it. I loved Anthem too, but it was a little quiet at night and I haven't felt compelled to rush back.

Escape's been on my short list since it came out and I've basically decided that I'm going to switch my Harmony cruise later this year to Escape. Your review basically cemented that opinion. Thanks again!

I've read some recent reviews about the bars being really crowded, with long lines, etc.

 

 

 

What were your experiences/observations with this? Were some bars less busy than others?

 

 

 

Thanks in advance!

 

 

 

Singerdon

 

Sailing Jan 2017

Got off yesterday and did not have this problem. Only bars that were crowded were the pool deck bars on sea days, but wait was generally no more than 5 minutes.

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So glad to hear that the coffee on X has improved. We were last on in 2013 and it was gross!

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What we hear is not actually music. It's computer generated loops which just keep repeating. This is because Celebrity does not want to pay royalties to the bodies that collect these for real music from established artists which is copyright.

 

 

 

I just wish Celebrity would turn it off. In my view it adds absolutely nothing to anything and is extremely annoying. It is putting me off cruising with Celebrity in the future.

That's your opinion, and we can agree to disagree. I'm in my 30s and happen to enjoy this type of music, which is similar to what you'd hear in a high end lounge in a big city. The good news is we all have many options on choose from in the cruising sector, some of which undoubtedly play music that is more to your taste.

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I'll see if this posts OK. A video I took at 10.30am on a port day on Reflection last month. The idea of a quiet time by the pool whilst the ship was relatively empty, not going to happen.

 

 

 

Thanks for posting this. This music actually sounds great to me -- I hope they still have it on Reflection in 2 weeks!

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The higher-fee credit cards can come with some really good travel insurance, which can offset the cost of the fee (often $450). I'm particularly impressed with the new Chase Sapphire Reserve card which includes 100k emergency evac, 10k trip cancellation, and 1M accidental death. (You may still want to purchase medical insurance). However, the really, really cool feature about the card is that you get a $300 credit against travel costs each year! So your net cost is only $150 and you can easily make that up in benefits.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve benefits are really fantastic -- I jumped at this card as soon as it was released!

We're very fortune to have excellent employer provided insurance that has extensive coverage overseas for medical and evacuation. That, combined with some of the other travel insurance benefits of the Reserve, leave me feeling confident that we've adequately covered when we travel.

We will probably be in the minority, but we did not have the greatest fun on the Oasis compared to the Allure.

 

Now yea it was starting to show its age and we sailed after the dry dock.

 

But, the crew -----well, they do not compare to the friendliness as those that work on the Allure.

 

It is what we observed, but hope others had better experiences.

 

Just saying.

 

Safe travels.

This was actually my experience too across 3 Oasis sailings...

We were on the ship twice pre-refub and once post-refub, and the ship was beautiful and in excellent shape all three times. Absolutely nothing to worry about there. With the exception of our dining staff, which were outstanding all three times, I found the rest of the crew on Oasis to be less motivated, less attentive to detail, and less friendly.

That said, still enjoyed all three cruises on an amazing ship -- and I will note that the first time on an Oasis Class ship is truly breathtaking. Have a great time!

This ship seems to get a lot better reviews in the off-peak season.

 

Sailing on this ship at full capacity (like in the summer) may produce a more stressful experience. More lines, more wait lists for the featured attractions, less free dining availability at desired times, more competition for pool lounges, etc. Just too many people onboard when ship is fully loaded.

I think this is spot on. I was fortunate enough to be on her first Caribbean cruise last November when her passenger load was manageable, and had a fantastic experience. I felt less crowded than I had on any of my 4 Oasis Class sailings, and although there were predictable lines at times (like for the bumper cars when they first open), I was able to do everything I wanted when I wanted.

I would be very hesitant to sail either Anthem or NCL Breakaway (talking to my fellow greater NYC-area cruisers here) on a prime time family week as I think the experience would be very different. If I had to travel at such a time, I would probably fly and take an Oasis Class ship, which I think would handle the capacity crowds a little better (especially with the expansive pool deck setup).

Can't recommend this event highly enough -- both for dancers and observers! We did it on RC's Anthem of the Seas last year and had a blast dancing. Others who were watching were also clearly having a good time. I hope they have it on my upcoming Reflection cruise!

Just want to note that these room photos have been wrong -- not just wrong but hilariously wrong -- for quite a while now. I noticed an Oasis Class JS photo posted on the RCI website as a "superior ocean view" over a year ago, if not closer to two years. Completely unacceptable. I knew better, but a first time cruiser would not.

The descriptions are also unreliable sometimes. Slightly more excusable since it was a brand new class of ship, but they were advertising a couch in the E balconies on the Q class for over 6 months after the ship entered service without a couch in the E balconies. We were pissed and complained to our TA, who complained to RCI, and they basically did not care and offered us $25 OBC. Right, thanks... They did eventually fix the description. This is way more egregious though since it's an actual photo!

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We're sick of traditional dining and really enjoyed DD on Anthem. In fact, it was one of the highlights of our 12-night cruise, and made the dining experience much less redundant. Some people just don't like change... I get it. Particularly true in the structured world of cruise ship dining, where things have been done the same way forever and ever.

Oh well... :(

General comparisons between the two ships are abundant already on CC. I will just add, having been on Anthem once and Breakaway twice, that I would be very concerned about crowding on a Breakaway holiday sailing, especially in cold weather. I enjoyed the ship, but it's fairly crowded even under the best conditions because there's limited indoor and pool deck space. I personally would feel more comfortable booking Anthem for a cold weather holiday cruise.

This of course says nothing as to the price differences... that's up to you to decide.

An S class can't dock at Kings Wharf. (likely Edge can't either, but that I don't know) S would have to dock at Heritage Wharf. So Breakaway would have to leave Bermuda. I don't see that happening. So it is going to have to be a Millennium Class ship for the forseable future unless the Kings Wharf berth is modified or Breakaway leaves.

Are you sure an S class ship couldn't fit? I recall sailing the larger Explorer of the Seas into Kings Wharf in 2010. I just checked my pictures and confirmed... the smaller NCL ship was behind it at Heritage Wharf, where Breakaway currently docks.

I have explain and say a very firm 'no' at least three times to each server! It's almost to the point I don't want to order a drink!

Unacceptable -- you should not be put in that position on vacation, and you definitely do not owe any bartender an explanation!

Sorry to hear about the hard sales tactics. We were last on X in 2013 for our honeymoon and I was really put off by it. Interestingly, that cruise was in the midst of four consecutive cruises on four different lines, and X was by far the worst in that respect. NCL, ironically, was the least pushy.

We'll be back on X (Reflection) for a family cruise later this year and as much as I will try not to be, I will be annoyed if I'm harassed the entire first day with upsell pitches. Totally not "Modern Luxury."

I think I have to agree. If the reports of 2 in Miami are correct, I see 1 in PC, 1 in PE, and 2 in Miami (with 1 going to the Med every summer). If that happens, I hope it paves the way for Quantum 4 to go to PE.

 

And Oasis 5 to Asia.

I know I'm not alone in this, but I really hope a Quantum Class ship eventually takes over the Navigator 9 night / 5 night rotation. I'd book that in a heartbeat!