jacobtsf

Question about getting back to the airport after the cruise. We will be sailing on Anthem of the Seas next February. We are supposed to arrive back in Singapore at 7, but obviously it will take time before we can depart. There is a 12:35 flight that works perfectly for us, is making that flight realistic?

I absolutely love Central Park balconies, especially if you are on a lower floor. At night it is lovely out, with calm live music playing in the park until 9:30 or so. Yes, you can hear noise from the pool deck during the day, but it usually isn't bad. Boardwalk balconies can be quite loud pretty late at night if there are events in the aqua theatre.

Do a private or small group tour. It will be about the same amount of money, and you will get a much better experience. You will have a guide for your small group as opposed to 1 guide for a bus full (or more) of people, you will get in and out of places quicker (the vans can get much closer to the sites than the busses), and you will get more time where you want.

Kids Sail Free has been awesome for us, with just one child who started cruising at age 2 and has cruises booked through next year when she will be 5. Because booking 2 rooms isn’t an option in our case Kids Sail Free really does save a good amount of money. The biggest example I can think of, we took a 12 night British Isles cruise out of Amsterdam in 2022. When we first booked it there was no Kids Sail Free promotion, and the total for our room was around $4300. A few months after we booked Kids Sail Free went live and I called. I said “ I know this is supposed to be for new bookings but can you apply it?” And they said sure. The new total was under 3000. When I opened the invoice the itemized totals for my wife and I were exactly the same as they originally were, and the only costs left for my daughter were gratuities and taxes/port fees.

Super excited to be following along. Our family (my wife and I and our (by then) 5 year old daughter) will be going on a cruise on Anthem out of Singapore, visiting Malaysia and Thailand, next February.

Thanks for this! My wife and I will be in Harmony in just a few weeks with our 4 year old (it will be her 5th cruise). we are also going to Paradise beach and we also have a day bed (but ours is closer to the ocean). Did you use Adventure Ocean, and if so how did you (and your kid) like the staff?

Thank you for this report. My wife, 4 year old daughter, and I will be boarding 2/25, first time on Harmony and first time sailing out of Galveston!

Last February/March we did a 7 day Island Hop on Rhapsody. Left out of Barbados, and visited 7 different islands in 7 days. It was exhausting (especially since we had our then 3 year old with us) but so so awesome!

oh my god your post is incredible, thank you so much!!!

Just booked Anthem out of Singapore for February 2025, includes 7 hours in Penang and then 36 hours in Phuket. The only thing we know we definitely want is an elephant experience, but this thread is really helping me start to get some other ideas! We will be taking our daughter (who will be 5 at that point) so any suggestions from anyone on kid friendly things to do would be appreciated!

I think Smokey is talking about the in room babysitting, that has not come back. The late night kids club does still exist, but it has an upcharge (but honestly not that much).

I don't sorry, I feel like the whole experience (welcome, tour and brunch) was maybe a little over 2 hours.

Yes, the room has a little more space than the typical interior, and the bench space by the window is lovely. There usually is not much sound from Central Park, maybe a little bit of the jazz music leaks through at night, but it is a truly nice room.

My wife and I did this on Freedom of the Seas during a Mediterranean cruise before Covid and we had a blast. We started in the upper dining room, greeted with tables full of champagne and mimosas. After a few glasses a few important crew members, including the head chef, were introduced. These crew members gave an overview of just how much the kitchens do, and what to expect during our tour (including all of the rules). After that we broke into 2 or 3 smaller groups, and started the tour. My wife and I are foodies who both worked in the food industry when we were younger, so we loved seeing just how they were able to manage all of the food in such a relatively small space. Yes, it can be cramped, and yes, it can be hard to hear (especially since the kitchens are in full work mode getting ready for both your brunch and lunch for the rest of the ship), but we got a pretty good look at most of the areas in the galley, a chance to talk to various members of the crew, and our guide was able and willing to answer tons of questions, both about the kitchens and life living on a ship in general. After the tour we ended up in the lower dining room and got to have a lovely brunch, with more drinks, and a live musician. It was the typical quality we have come to expect from the main dining room, not super elegant, but not disappointing.