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Are you doing traditional dining or My Time Dining?

1 hour ago, tewkewl said:

We would like to eat between 5 and 6.  Will that work for those times?

A party of 4 should have no trouble being seated early without reservations.  I would suggest that you plan on being at the MTD dining room when it opens.  Stay relaxed on that first night - it can feel like controlled chaos - process if much smoother for the rest of the trip.  As others have said, if you like the table/staff, ask if you can just reserve the table for the rest of the cruise - we have never been refused - even with a party of 8.   

Try the Lavender Daiquiri in the Schooner.  Yum!

That was an awesome read!  Thank you.

BTW - Mrs. Winks rocks! 🍹

31 minutes ago, tewkewl said:

Anywhoo, please let me k is if there is one formal night out of the two where you've noticed ed that people are going more all out.  

The first formal night is the one I have seen more people get really dressed up.

1 hour ago, Ivana Cruise said:

We boarded first on Anthem yesterday. Before anyone else. 

Thanks for posting a copy of the priority debarkation letter.  I have been curious about that.

What time did you get to the port?  Did you have long to wait before being called to board?

2 hours ago, PCWalton1 said:

 

8

Marie, a woman after my own heart.  

Nice pictures on the balcony.  Good to see you out from behind the camera.  Love the big smiles!  Have fun!

Loved following your Ovation trip - looking forward to following along this time too.

One of the first questions that popped into my head was "I wonder how many pairs of shoes Marie brought on this trip?" 

Have a great time!  Happy Birthday to you!

That was a great recap of your trip!

Loved your note about Air Force guy knowing nautical terms.

from a Navy wife 😉

1 hour ago, popcicle said:

Also sis in law is on oxygen, can she have a tank in her room, or how it that handled? Thanks

My FIL rented a portable oxygen concentrator at home (always get extra batteries) for flying to port and around the ship.  He also rented a concentrator for the room that was waiting for him when he got to his cabin. 

1 minute ago, Host Clarea said:

 

Oh, so the cabin mate already had a Refreshment package.  I understand now.

 

From your previous post, I thought you were saying that they let you purchase a Deluxe package and your cabin mate had no package.

Sorry - I should have clarified - yes they both had the Refresh package prior to cruise.  I see know that what I wrote could be taken as they had NO package prior to the cruise.

Sorry for any confusion I may have caused.

12 minutes ago, Host Clarea said:

When was the last time you were able to buy only one package on board?

Last week - travelling companion just asked a member of bar staff in the theater how to upgrade her package from Refresh to Deluxe - he took her card and came back with receipt for her to sign.  She paid about $3 more per day than I did buying the Deluxe before the cruise.

Her cabin mate was not forced to buy it, but finally decided to upgrade as well.

4 hours ago, kag19 said:

You can get some great deals on spa services on port days but I am not sure about for a couples massage. 

Since last week was a NYE cruise, there were some things offered that I had never seen during a non-holiday cruise. YMMV

1 hour ago, hotrock said:

Did you find that guests were more "dressed up" for NYE or was it just a typical formal night?

IMO, it was just a regular formal night on NYE.

The one difference I noticed was that there were lots of families/large parties travelling together and seemed to dress for the occasion to have group shots done.  We helped many families on both formal nights take family photos on the Centrum stairs.

Just off the NYE cruise on Rhapsody.....

Yes - formal night was moved to NYE - Night 2 became a casual dress night.

One other tip if your cabin mate is a little groggy before coffee - as soon as I hang the room service menu on the door, I put my tip money in the little card holder that has the "do not disturb/please make up room" cards.  Makes for an easy exchange with the crew member in the morning no matter which of you answers the door.

Loving your review.  Your pictures are great!

If you are not wedded to a particular day and time, spa services on port days can be a deal.

Last week, friends were able to move the Manager's couple's massage deal offered during the spa tour on Day 1 to a port day.  They spent the morning wandering the port, got back on the ship for a 2 pm appointment and had plenty of time to get ready for early dinner seating.

They were a little flexible on timing and, with a few please & thank yous, it all worked out.  They loved it!

The room service menu for breakfast is pretty easy to use - the items that will cost extra are in a shaded area on the menu.

When I want a particular item - like Earl Grey tea - I actually list a separate check box and am very specific even with which color sweetener I would prefer.  I try to make their job a bit easier.

Two of the dining rooms on Anthem are for fixed dining times and the other two are for My Time Dining.

All four dining rooms offer the exact same menu each night.

1 hour ago, John&LaLa said:

Around 60 Keys this week. 90+ last week.

Just curious,

Do these numbers reflect # of people with Key or # of cabins with Key?

Sometimes you can find Gatorade or Powerade in the same cart being pushed around the Windjammer with the makings for mimosas and Bloody Marys or even at the entrance to the buffet in the mornings.

On 12/31/2018 at 9:36 AM, cruisinfromtampa said:

 

Sidebar...Our head waiter Maria...in all of the cruises we’ve been on, we have NEVER seen one work the way she does. She is canstantly bouncing from table to table refilling glassss, clearing dishes, and making sure we have everything we need. Our waiter and assistant waiter are doing a great job, but Maria is beyond anything we’ve experienced. I’ve never even considered tipping a head waiter. She’ll get just as much as the waiter. 

We were on the NYE cruise with you.  Sat in Maria's MDR section the first night - she will also answer to Sexy Maria - maybe she prefers that?!  She is amazing.....didn't realize at first that she was the Head Waiter.....I had to hold on to my water glass so she would stop refilling it after each sip.  

We hit a small snag in the MDR - somehow 1 cabin out of 4 was unlinked so we were assigned a table for 6 rather than a table for 8 and I didn't catch it before dinner.  Got the ok to have 7 at the 6 top for night 1 and we were assigned a different table in a different section for the rest of the cruise.

Saw Maria again during breakfast in MDR and she was tickled that we basically shouted "Good morning Sexy Maria" in unison to her as she worked the tables.  She is an asset to RC and will be mentioned in the survey even for our limited encounters with her.

Looking forward to the rest of your thoughts on the cruise.

On 1/4/2019 at 12:31 PM, jerrib said:

Would anyone know the open hours for the bars in the Viking Crown Lounge and the Shall We Dance lounge?  Or are they only open during scheduled events?  Thank you.

Just off the NYE Rhapsody cruise.....

The only time I saw the Viking Crown Lounge bar open was when there was a DJ/dancing scheduled, however, since Izumi is also up there, there might/should/could be bar service while the restaurant is serving.  This is only a guess - never made it to Izumi for a meal.

The bar in the Shall We Dance Lounge was open right before/during events scheduled there - even Bingo.   But if you just like to hang out in that lounge during off hours, the Schooner bar is just a short wobble away.

Cheers! 🍹

We have found that even with filling out the special needs form and getting a confirmation email back, items are not always waiting for us in the room.  Never worry about it - eventually everything arrives.

Just off Rhapsody - requested distilled water, extension cord and medical fridge prior to cruise - nothing was in room.  Met "Ninja John" our steward and handed him an index card of needs (CPAP needs) and would likes (split beds, extra pillows/towels) and he worked his way through the index card.  Expected a small table top medical fridge, but ended up with a dorm sized fridge (fit under the vanity) that we kept a single dose of medicine and about 10 bottles of water that we would collect during our on-board bar hops.

Don't fret, it will all work out.