toad455

Odd since the Anthem was able to dock.

I see the ship is anchored off the harbor in St Kitts today. Anyone know why she didn't dock? Looks like there's two small boats alongside it.

Royal has ample new ships entering their fleet. Time to retire the Grandeur(28 years old). Shortly to follow would be the Rhapsody, Enchantment & Vision. What's sad to think is that the Voyager-class is shortly to follow. All four probably don't get scrapped, but sold elsewhere.

Crown Lounge is good if you want/need a quick breakfast without the crowds(bagel, parfait, muffin). Love the free lattes/cappuccinos. Pre-dinner Horsey Derves are fine some days, otherwise it's just basic, heated finger foods. I've gone in on bad weather days during the day to read because it's quite, but on the Anthem it's right next to the Music Hall. So sometimes it's not that quite.

I don't mind the hot tubs when it's cold outside. But Odyssey will lose two outdoor areas when it's cold and also three bars. The Solarium bar will be jammed during the day when it's cold out. I'll likely hang out up in Playmakers though.

yep, sailed on Explorer in January 2014 with snow on the outside decks. was fun watching it slowly melt on the first sea day.

Agreed about the food in the Windjammer on the Anthem. Was just on her and everything was repeatative. Nothing interesting and their "daily special" was far from special. Zero variety and they had a station at lunch time service breakfast foods. Ate mostly in the Solarium for breakfast and 270 for lunch. Got deals at Chops and Jamie's for lunch as well.

Anthem is coming up on ten years old and heading to dry dock. After just getting off of her, she needs some work done. Johnny Rockets can go away and they can add Playmakers up in the Seaplex. After that, we'll welcome her back out of Bayonne in the Winters.

going on the Odyssey next Jan. Just got off the Anthem but someone that's Diamond+ said the vouchers can be used on pitchers of beer. you just pay the difference. anyone else tried recently?

Currently on the Anthem. The next cruise specialist I talked to said she's fairly certain the Odyssey will return for the Winter sailings of 2025-26.

And it wasn't crowded at all. Anthem is the lone ship at Crown Bay. I believe there's two ships at the other pier.

Stopped at Taphus after having lunch near the pier in Crown Bay. About a 40 minute walk from there. Thanks for the suggestion @Ms411

They headed to Boston for three days which was cold and rainy. IMO, this cruise should have been cancelled if the captain couldn't find a warm weather itinerary to switch to. Majority of the passengers didn't get of the ship at Boston.

With the Jubilee set to debut very soon and the Firenze moving to the Carnival fleet, that would give Carnival 27 ships total by May 2024. There are no new builds set for Carnival currently. The Elation and Paradise are currently 25 years old. Thoughts on when Carnival orders a new build? Or could we see other Costa ships moved into the Carnival brand?

Dug through the bookings for the Islander. Looks like they're doing their schedule based on the Tampa port availability. I believe Tampa can only hold three ships maximum. For the most part, Tampa only has the Carnival Paradise, Carnival Pride(winters only), RCCL Radiance of the Seas & Enchantment of the Seas, NCL Jade(winters only) and Celebrity Constellation(winters only). The majority of the 5-day sailings are Cozumel & Key West. Schedules through September: 4-day cruises: June 14 & 28, July 12 & 26, August 9 & 23, Sept. 6 & 20 5-day cruises(Key West & Cozumel): June 18 & 23, July 7, 21 & 30, August 4, 13, 18 & 27, Sept. 1, 10, 15, 24 & 29 5-day cruises(Key West & Progesso): July 2 5-day cruises(Progresso & Cozumel): July 16

My favorite class from Carnival.

Since Tampa has limited cruises, I think this will be a hit among a younger crowd. Those 5-day cruises to Key West will be very popular with the Parrotheads.

Is Venezia staying out of New York full-time in 2025?

I'm just happy that RCCL clearly advertises these cruises now so those that want to avoid them can. Cruising in January is typically a quiet time for large families to cruise. Most that sail in January due so to avoid having large amounts of kids on board.

They could always move up to Jacksonville. It can't handle the big ships, but would be ideal if MAS moves the Paradise up there and change to 3/4 day cruises. The Carnival Elation is (mostly) the lone ship that sails out of Jacksonville currently.

Their Facebook page says they are closed Sat & Sun.

Grandeur is probably gone by 2025. Enchantment, Rhapsody & Vision are probably right behind them. The Voyager-class turns 30 in 2029. RCCL definitely needs new replacements for these ships that can sail to smaller ports. Also, not everyone is a fan of the Oasis & Quantum-class ships. Icon-class is also in that mega-ship catergory.

It'll take time. I doubt in five years they have more than 3 ships sailing. The Paradise will likely need to be swapped out by then(she turns 33 next year). And I don't see MAS doing anything longer than a 5-day cruise. They could possibly look to get one of Carnival's remaining Fantasy-class ships(Elation or Paradise) or possibly Costa's oldest remaining ship, the Fortuna.

Does Taphus serve food? If not, what's a good place for lunch nearby the Taphus? @Ms411