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11 minutes ago, RobInMN said:

Thanks for posting this.

I am interested in watching this (sometime later), but seriously, vertical videos may be fine for TikToks and Instagram, but for a 1.5 hour YouTube video? I think I might just have to listen and not attempt to watch.

Totally agree, and that’s what I did for the majority of it. 

Just echoing Hoopster, I love the Central Park interior room, especially that little seat at the window. 
 

We also much prefer Central Park balconies to Boardwalk, much quieter. Instead of screaming loud noise until midnight you get peaceful live music, and it ends by 9:30 most nights. 

Courtesy of Tam & Bobbi Adventures

Lots of thanks to the crew and RCI team, but also some interesting info sprinkled throughout. 

20 minutes ago, mashisback said:

We will be on the same sailing 🙂  but we are flying back to UK Heathrow.

Awesome! My wife and I will be traveling with our 5 year old (who is an expert traveler). We don't have a very active roll call here on cruise critic, but there is a somewhat more active page on Facebook.

I asked this same question on the Asia Ports board, and was told it shouldn't be a problem as long as we are off the ship early.

We are sailing on Anthem Feb 19- 24, flying the non-stop to JFK. When are you sailing?

Find Galveston Saltwater Moms on Facebook and send them a message. 
 

Super easy to work with, they are ready waiting for you as soon as you get out of the airport, and are able to do any extra stops you might need (we needed to do a curbside pickup at target on the way to Galveston and a stop at a Buc-cees on the way back)

On 7/26/2024 at 12:53 PM, Phamer55 said:

Hello...Wondering if Anthem/Ovation will tender to Patong Beach (during high season Dec - Apr) or dock at the deep water cruise terminal when she arrives in Phuket.  Anyone know or have recent experience with a Royal Caribbean ship?  Really hoping it tenders as this affects my private shore excursion (won't be able to get picked up at the dock).

Wondering the same thing. We will be visiting in February on Anthem. 

Welcome to cruising with kids! My wife and I find it to be the best way to travel with a little one. 
 

Our daughter has been cruising since she was 2 (on one of the first cruises after the Covid Pause), and has been on 5 cruises in the last 3 years. We have been able to travel all over the world, including the British Isles (via Amsterdam), and a really cool southern Caribbean island hop that left out of Barbados and visited 7 different islands in 7 days. And next February we will be traveling to Singapore for 5 days before boarding a cruise that goes to Malaysia and Thailand. 

I agree with what others have said above about Refreshment package. Get it for yourself. While drink sharing is frowned upon it is slightly more understood when it is a young kid sharing with their parent. 
 

When it comes to the photo package, if you like having pictures of your family together, GET IT! We usually get one of the smaller packages, so that we can have some nice pictures of the 3 of us, and a few of our daughter (sometimes we even get one of just my wife and I).  It is a blast to get your picture taken everywhere you can, and then spend a little bit of time checking them out (and now that you can see them on the app it is super convenient). 
 

I know you didn’t mention the kids club, but Adventure Ocean is wonderful. For our first two cruises our daughter only spent a small amount of time there, and wasn’t a big fan. But since starting preschool she LOVES being with a group doing some fun activities. Our last cruise we had decided (with her) that we would drop her off for a little bit after dinner (early seating) every night. The first night we went to get her after 2 hours and she yelled at us from across the room when we walked in “GO AWAY!!! I AM PLAYING WITH MY FRIENDS!” It ended up being like that most nights, and on every sea days she asked if she could spend some time there without us asking. 
 

Finally, check out the family activities that Adventure Ocean has, where parents can join the kids. They usually happen I. The late afternoon. Arts and Crafts, Science Experiments, Kid-Friendly Bingo, etc. 

Please feel free to ask any other questions you might have. 

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!

3 hours ago, soremekun said:

Can someone please post a link to some of the pics?

1 hour ago, harryfat1 said:

A couple of months ago, RCI asked me to participate in one of their surveys and they asked how many sea days I would prefer on a 7-night cruise and I answered “1”.  I doubt I will ever be on a transatlantic/transpacific sailing.  Too many sea days…

 

Someday after my kids are done with school, we will go to the European cruises as those are better fit with our preferences in having numerous port days.  

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!

9 minutes ago, mil76 said:

We did the same cruise as the OP the week before Christmas, and then spent a week in Singapore.  For a 5 year old you will find more for her to do in Singapore.  We did Go City passes, and went to just about everything.

 

 

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!

23 hours ago, smokeybandit said:

Babysitting was discontinued after the restart.

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). 

1 hour ago, S.A.M.J.R. said:

Thank you!

 

Do you remember how long the tour was?

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. 

We were on in March (review linked below), and the ship was awesome. Yes, it is older, and it does not have all the bells and whistles, but there are definite bonuses to cruising on the smaller ships. You actually get to meet people cruising with you, and the crew really gets to know you.  If you have any specific questions feel free to ask.

Echoing what was said above, do private or small group tours for most of your stops in the Mediterranean!

When we went back in 2017 we used ItalyTours.eu for both Rome and Florence/Pisa. There were a total of 6 people on each tour, plus a guide and driver. We were able to get a truly personal tour, see EVERYTHING (including with skip the line passes), and feel confident we would make it back to the ship on time. AND it was only a touch more expensive than the giant group tours Royal offered. 

41 minutes ago, easyqueasy said:

 

edit: I’m only talking about on the ship, not an excursion if that’s what you’re asking. 

Yes, I’m talking about on the ship.