DonnaK

We've been on many Anthem cruises.  We have never experienced any of the negative things mentioned in this post.  The ship has always been clean, food was good, service excellent, entertainment fabulous!  The Diamond club was never overly crowded on our sailings, even during the summer season.

The only place we saw wear was in the Schooner Bar.  The table around the piano was broken, and the chairs were not in good shape  (some had even been removed, leaving only 1-2 chairs around the piano).  I assume these will be repaired/replaced .

About 10-12 years ago, we had  a waiter named Mauricio from Mexico (Cancun) on several different sailings.   He was exceptional!  I wonder if he is still with Royal.

2 hours ago, ZiggaZagga17 said:

How true this is I don't know, but someone once told me that St Maarten is their 'go to' choice for fuel! Maybe they're planning ahead/getting a better price? - It does sound a little far fetched, but it may explain the extra stop?

The Oasis class ships that rotate through the Med before/after their refits do 6 stops for every 7 night itinerary. 

I remember hearing this at a Captain's talk onboard.  St. Maarten is where they refuel and restock.

6 hours ago, Blue Eyed Belfast Belle said:

Random question!

 

When there was nothing on telly at the weekend, I re-watched Dry Dock:A Cruise Ship Reborn on YouTube about Sovereign of the Seas Dry Dock in 2006(?).

 

My question is what ever happened to Keith Williams the Cruise Director?  He seemed very nice and it was a shame he didn't get to see the end of the revitalization.

 

I see from a previous post that he had been ill but had recovered but he had not been assigned a ship...any word on what he is doing now?

 

 

According to his LinkedIn Profile, he is currently based in Las Vegas, and he lists himself as a "former cruise director at Royal Caribbean International", and he lists his dates of employments as  2002 – Oct 2018 16 years.  He does not list anything more recent, except for a certification in Creative Bootcamp January 2019

On 12/14/2019 at 10:55 AM, HuliHuli said:

My review of this cruise is available at http://click.email.cruisecritic.com/?qs=ce58d6a4e7b088018fefbee0878572a654d5f02840c9d9c83dccdf70d8fb09fab8e2c48a85c68eb8ecaf6ae56ead386934d19f19ccc4d5365be2da17eff91f7e.

I will look at what others have posted and offer further comment.

We were also on this sailing, and had a very similar experience as you.  We were terribly disappointed with food, menus, the buffet, poor overall service, long waiting times and long lines.  Although the entertainment was outstanding, it was very difficult to get reservations so we weren't able to see everything we wanted to.

It was our first NCL cruise, and definitely our last.

OP:  Oasis is also coming to Bayonne in May 2020.  Have you checked its sailings to see if any are suitable for you?  

On 10/24/2019 at 9:39 AM, patticakes40 said:

Glad to hear that you soon is doing better.  We will be sailing on the Majesty in December and was wondering if you could tell me who is playing in the Schooner Piano Bar on your cruise.

I believe Girl Named Jake is on Majesty now = I follow her on social media, and she recently posted that she's on MJ for a few weeks, and then moving over to Indy.  She's been on several of our cruises, and we love her!

We've been on Anthem 6 times, and wouldn't hesitate to go on her again.  Best solarium in the fleet.  Love this ship!!!

Anthem also has Spectra's Cabaret

On our last cruise (not NCL), I was sitting on my balcony reading a book when I suddenly felt something warm and wet on my foot.  At first glance, it appeared that bird poop landed on me, however upon further inspection, it was snot-filling sputum.  Someone from a balcony above us spit a chuck of phlegm overboard, and it landed inside my balcony on my foot.  I was so grossed out!  Couldn't stop cleaning my foot and flip-flop with the Clorox wipes I brought.

OP - thank you for sharing your experience with us.  I, for one, am very interested in the answers you receive from the cruiseline/agent regarding how this happened, and how to prevent it from happening in the future.  Just ignore the negativity and criticisms - if they are not interested, then they can choose not to read your post instead.  

Please update us on the resolution!

Assuming you are a US citizen taking a closed loop cruise from a US port, you can use a birth certificate and a government issued photo ID such as a driver's license.  Married women need a bridging document such as a marriage license to connect the names on the BC and the ID if they are different (many people report not being asked for the bridging document, but the cruiseline guidelines say that you need it, and do you really want to risk not being able to board if you cannot bridge or connect the names on your documents).  It doesn't matter what date the BC was issued - it does not expire.

Thank you.  I think we will do the minisuite guarantee!

Thank you.  So I should avoid deck 8?  That makes a guarantee risky, because they seem to include deck 8

Thank you Hallux - very helpful info

Are there any obstructed view midship mini-suites or other bad locations?  Only guarantees are available in the category we want.

Or, any issues with regular balconies on deck 10?

We are experienced cruisers, usually on Royal Caribbean.  We are planning to book Norwegian Bliss, 7 day sailing out of NY, just to mix it up and try something new.  I've been reading reviews and trying to gather information, but that became a bit overwhelming and doesn't give clarity to the things I am cloudy on.

Specifically, we are debating between a balcony and a minisuite, and between the sail-away guarantee cabin and the "take all four" options.   I can't find information about whether or not there are "bad" or obstructed view" cabins, as the sailaway rate is for a guarantee.

 Also, I am a bit confused about exactly what the four options include.  (How many specialty meals?  Dinners or lunches?  Are all venues included?  How much internet time is included?  How does the shore excursion credit work - must we use $50 on an excursion in each port, or can we combine the credit and use it all in one port?  Is this all per person, or per cabin?  Etc)  Since we are not big drinkers or foodies, and we usually do the ports on our own rather than book excursions, we are trying to figure out if this is a good deal for us.  

Are there any other basic helpful hints you can provide? 

I had trouble entering my credit card, and when I called, they advised that I change my internet browser.  I was using chrome, and when I changed to explorer, it worked!

1 hour ago, marci22 said:

I understand; I'm a pharmacist. Just figure it's easier if name/instructions/doctor is on it to avoid confusion with whomever is scanning the luggage. Maybe it's the same person who saw my cabin tag and lock on my luggage and still broke it off because another cruiser thought it was theirs.

Marci, I didn't know that you're a pharmacist.  So am I!

1 minute ago, DonnaK said:

delete - double post

 

4 minutes ago, letscutitout said:

We are sailing on Royal Caribbean. How / where do I catch the water taxi from there? Do you recall the price? Is there a schedule posted for return times?

When you walk off the ship, you will see the entrance to the water taxi a little further down the dock promenade, on the left side.  It is hard to miss, and you can always ask someone to point you in the right direction.  I don't recall if there is a precise schedule, but the taxis run regularly, so we've always just hopped on the next one.

We like to take the water taxi into town, and go to the beach there on Great South Bay.

12 minutes ago, lovescats5 said:

That is not really fair to the under 18 Diamonds.  They sailed to get the status and get no reward unless someone feels like being nice.  And, yes, my granddaughter knows all about the status of being Diamond because she knows what it is to have Star Class.  Maybe we need to start a campaign to impliment better policies for the under 18 D and above.

 

Since children under 18s "inherit" their parent's status, not all under 18 diamonds have sailed to get the status.

But I agree they they should be entitled to soft drinks, bottled water, etc.  It doesn't cost the cruiseline much.

6 hours ago, Slainte! said:

I heard Graham Seymour has left the company. 

Cheers!

Did you hear this recently?  A while back, he announced that he was retiring from ship life, but his retirement was short-lived as it wasn't long before he appeared back on the schedule for regular contracts.

We loved Mamma Mia on Allure (but that might change after drydock)

I would rather stick pins in my eyes than see Cats (Oasis)

What show is on Symphony?

Do you prefer a Saturday departure, or a Sunday departure?

I've sailed out of NY/NJ numerous times over the years, in all seasons including the dead of winter, and have never experienced rough seas.  That doesn't mean it never happens, and I've probably been lucky, but I wouldn't worry too much about it.  Seas in the Caribbean can be rough too, sometimes, if there is a hurricane brewing thousands of miles away.