RW_MI

Are there expected dates for the chat feature to go live on specific ships?

10 hours ago, alexpfsu said:

If it is only 2 or 3 flow rider sessions in a 7 night trip it isn't worth it to me anymore.

I agree - may cancel mine since there often are only a few.

On 4/16/2019 at 4:25 PM, Host Clarea said:

Cooler does not get as cold as a fridge, though I read that the coolers on the newer ships do better.

The cooler/fridge is in a cabinet (at least in the cabins I've had), and if you leave the cabinet door ajar, it will help keep the fridge colder.  I should clarify that I read to do that, tried it and it seemed to work very well, but I didn't have any way to measure a before and after temp.  

4 hours ago, Ashland said:

A spreadsheet for your cash...oh my 

Yep, my personal preference, but I don't expect everyone to find value in it.  As a woman traveling solo, I prefer to bring as little cash as I can while still being confident I have plenty.  The amount I need varies by hundreds depending on shore excursions/activities.  So this works for me and only takes a couple minutes.

8 hours ago, Sparkmeister said:

does anyone know how to scan your passport using the App? I cannot seem to get it to work.

Where did you find the option to scan your passport?  I looked under "Complete your account info" and don't see it there, or anywhere else that I checked. 

I have a spreadsheet with my packing list, and use a separate tab to estimate cash for each cruise. It also helps to estimate how many singles I want to bring for various smaller tips.  It can vary quite a bit from cruise to cruise.  

I list out each port and what I might need for excursions, food, taxis, etc.  For the ship I list room attendant, and room service tips (but I usually don't use room service).  I have lines for porters, taxis and airport food.  I'm not a big souvenir shopper, but of course list that too, especially if you might be buying from beach vendors.

2 minutes ago, Gatordad815 said:

Obviously if you plan to eat and drink a LOT an all-inclusive may be better suited for you, but if you want a moderate amount, Blue Kay was a great value!

That's super helpful - thank you!  I'm not a big eater or drinker, and like your wife, I usually avoid sugar.  (I like her water/Absolut idea!)

21 hours ago, Gatordad815 said:

I would highly recommend Blue Kay if you are in Costa Maya – everything about it was great!

Great and helpful review!

I'm just in the process of choosing between Blue Kay and Jaime's on the Blue Reef (AI).  There have been so many conflicting reports about the beach setup, cost, etc. at Blue Kay that I've been leaning toward Jaime's, but now?  Maybe not!  Those pictures look great!  Were the drinks decent at Blue Kay?   I'm not a big drinker, so two is plenty if they're good!

Also, Jaime's is less than a mile down the beach, has gotten really good reviews, and is $50 pp for the all inclusive.  How does that sound compared with what you spent per adult at Blue Kay?

On 3/25/2019 at 1:04 PM, lifes-a-beach said:

That setup, along with 2 bottles of water, was $41 American.  Very reasonable I think.  

I'm trying to decide between Blue Kay and Jaime's on the reef. 

Blue Kay cost you $12 each for chair + 2 drinks, plus ~$20 each for lunch, right? 

Some people have posted that they've enjoyed the snorkeling at Blue Kay, even though it's not fantastic.  That makes me lean toward Blue Kay.  I like the AI idea, though, even though I'm not a big drinker.  I like being able to try a few different foods when I'm there.

Jaime's is $50 AI and all the reviews I read were extremely positive.  No snorkeling, but apparently you can take a reasonably-priced boat out to the reef.  It doesn't look far if I wanted to walk down by Blue Kay and try the snorkeling.

The nice part is that I'm sure I'll have a great time no matter where I end up!

16 hours ago, c-leg5 said:

If you are talking about Blue Kay, Mitsugirly has photo reviews of snorkeling there in her signature.

Thanks, and yes, I've read those.  I actually was going back and forth between this and another review (for another location) and lost my place!

On 3/24/2019 at 9:52 PM, lifes-a-beach said:

If anyone has any questions I’ll try to answer.

Thanks for the pictures.  Did you by chance snorkel?  

5 hours ago, Biker19 said:

Anthem uses a different app (Royal IQ) than what is discussed in this thread. If you have an iPhone you can simply use iMessage without any VOOM package, just connect to the ship's WiFi and text away. If you have Android, you'll need to use an app like Google Voice or similar.

Are you saying that you can use Google Voice without a VOOM package?  If so, is this specific to Anthem?

21 minutes ago, h20skibum said:

Not on Navigator yet. If you open the app and look at a sample sailing for your ship, the cloud bubble will be in the upper right if it has the chat feature.

Thanks for the update.  Not what I hoped for, but good to know.  I can't download the app right now because my phone's not compatible.  I have a new one coming that will be.

On 3/23/2019 at 5:56 AM, TvCon said:

On Navigator currently,

Would love to know how the chat feature is working.  (It's on the spreadsheet as a Navigator feature.)

On 3/7/2019 at 8:31 PM, soremekun said:

Feel free to update the spreadsheet.   Community effort.

Thanks for putting this together!

4 hours ago, CazV said:

It looked fairly well equipped for weight training in the brief video walkthrough I saw.

 Do you happen to have a link for that?

2 hours ago, VictorSinclair said:

it is in their interest to wait until the last possible moment for them to make as much as possible from private bookings before turning loose the remaining slots that were not booked to the KEY

I get this.  But for The Key be profitable and marketable long term, they'll be subject to how consumers perceive the value. If  we're expected to pay a fixed price for whatever they have leftover, fewer people may decide the program has value.  Hard to say, as everyone buys it for different reasons.  

19 minutes ago, blueridgemama said:

If your primary reason for purchasing the Key is for flowrider hours, why not just reserve a private hour session on the flowrider instead of investing extra money in the Key?

Because one private session is $345, and the incremental cost for The Key over a one device internet package (I travel solo) is $56 for the week and will hopefully offer multiple flowrider times that are less crowded than normal.

6 hours ago, VictorSinclair said:

It would appear that the KEY reserved activities hours vary vastly between ships. I have a cruise booked on Mariner in May and I hope I can draw the conclusion that the hours for the KEY will be the same across ship classes (Navigator and Mariner both being Voyager Class ships), but that's just conjecture on my part. Buyer Beware.

I have The Key booked on two upcoming cruises (Navigator and Allure), but if the scheduling is this random, I may cancel.  I'm booking mostly for the Flowrider, so if hours are very limited or in the middle of a port day, it's not worth the $ to me.  I realize that RCI is still figuring this out, but it seems like they could post a schedule within a couple weeks of sailing.

As a solo cruiser, it does seem a little unfair that different rules apply if you have a chair buddy.  

I did the Iguana Mama 12 falls excursion a few weeks ago.  The highest jump (about 25 feet) is included in the 12 falls and 27 falls, but not in the 6 or 7 falls.  I did the jump, but one man and one woman in our group passed, feeling like it was too high.  There's a ladder to go around.  You wear both a helmet and a life jacket and I think there are good reasons for both.

It was a unique excursion and I'm glad I did it.  After reading the suggestion online, I took and wore old tennis shoes I could leave there when done.  They'll find a new home, and you don't have to worry about dealing with soaking wet shoes when you're done.  People in my group also rented shoes at the falls, and said they were OK.

I've always done day of travel due to work and other issues.  I book flights through the cruise company -- have done this with Royal, Carnival, and Holland.  I do this because they'll assist when there are flight issues and try to get you to the next port if you miss departure.

I had to use Royal's Air2Sea assistance once.  Had a connecting flight, and the first airport we were flying into had fog and we couldn't take off.  Called Air2Sea and they got us on a flight with a totally different airline within minutes (while we were in line waiting to speak to a Delta rep), no cost for changes, etc.

Now I only book nonstop out and leave as early as possible in the a.m.  I also don't stray far from the gate after arriving so I hear about delays or cancellations as soon as possible.  

2 hours ago, nicstress said:

We had decent snorkeling. To the right and out towards the dock at the next beach club there was a good spot but the wind and current was very strong. My son and I had to be rescued by the lifeguard on the dock. 😲 To the left of the beach area once you go over all of the sea grass you will find small coral heads here and there with pretty fish. We saw sea urchin as well. The sea grass also attracts pretty fish. You will find big schools of fish everywhere.

Thanks for the report and pictures - very helpful!  Your rescue incident sounds scary.

22 minutes ago, Trickie Dickie said:

Yes it was in the morning and to the left of the tenders.  Life vests were mandatory and I had to rent one before going out.

Thanks.  A nice beach with decent snorkeling is one of the things I enjoy most when cruising, so I hope it's still there!  

2 hours ago, Trickie Dickie said:

Here’s a video I took in 2011 of the snorkelling area at Coco Cay it would be a shame if it’s gone

Great video!  What time of day did you snorkel?  I read a review elsewhere that said to go early, and it sounds like the area was just a little to the left as you walked off the boat.  It was an old post, so I assume the "boat" was the tender.  Does that sound like where you were?

On 3/15/2019 at 9:21 PM, zqvol said:

 

Just got off a couple of weeks ago, we are in our mid 60's and we felt like weren't old enough to be on the ship.

Ditto this.  Mid-sixties, was on the Koningsdam, and felt the same.  It seems to cater to older people who want a nice, quiet, relaxing cruise.  I was on a 10 day, so that may have increased the average age a little.

If you're looking for "fun" or something a little high energy, you might want to consider a different line, or at least go into it understanding what it is.  I loved the ship, the food and the staff, but the entertainment wasn't at all what I'd prefer.  I met a number of couples in their mid to late 70's who felt the same - they need to liven things up a bit or at least offer more choices.  OTOH, they probably know their market, and I assume the majority of their clientele like it the way it is.  

17 hours ago, c-leg5 said:

Have you read the review from Mitsugirly about snorkeling at Blue Kay?

I hadn't, but I did. Thanks for the reminder to check that!