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lor74

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    Live from the Anthem of the wavy seas - Sept 3rd, 5 nights

    in Royal Caribbean International

    Posted

    After muster, Ro went to lounge by the main pool, and I watched the sail away from our balcony. I then went to the gym. I ran for 20 minutes on the treadmill and did some weights. Ro joined me shortly after I started, then we had just enough time to shower before dinner. We ate at the American Icon Grill. We started with salmon tartar, crispy shrimp, Caesar salads, and onion soup. The tartar & shrimps both went back. The waiter told us a little later that they apologized for the shrimps which were a little off. Our mains were pesto tagliatelle, and vegetarian pot pie. The pasta was ok, and the pot pie was good. Dessert was cheesecake for her, apple pie for me, and powdered beignets for both. She liked her cake, the apple pie was ok, and the beignets were very good. Following dinner, we walked around and had a look at all the shops. We eventually made our way up to see what was being served in the solarium. The selection looked good, and while having enough will power not to have more hot food, another plate of dessert made its way into my mouth....baklava, honey ball, chocolate hazelnut cake. Oh God, what did I do! I had way too many sweets today!!! I think tomorrow I will need to double today's 15,000 steps. I might need the earplugs tonight, as the walls seem thin....I can hear the tv and voices through the wall. Also quite a bit of noise in the hallway.

     

    Day 1 is in the books, keeping fingers crossed for tomorrow.

     

     

    Sent from my iPhone using Forums

    Live from the Anthem of the wavy seas - Sept 3rd, 5 nights

    in Royal Caribbean International

    Posted

    We had muster at 3:30 and have just sailed under the bridge (4.15pm). The captain said we would go North East to get around the bad weather on our way to Bermuda. He said to expect rough seas tomorrow. I am thinking of going to the gym now. We have 6:30pm reservations at the American Icon Grill.

     

    Please excuse all typos, as this is coming from my iPhone.

     

     

    Sent from my iPhone using Forums

    Live from the Anthem of the wavy seas - Sept 3rd, 5 nights

    in Royal Caribbean International

    Posted · Edited by lor74

    We boarded at 11am. We headed straight to the theatre, and made reservations for Ifly & Northstar. We then went to the solarium to get some food....I am so looking forward to eating this week! I had salad & potatoes, and sampled the chocolate desserts. The chocolate chip cookie has been identified as my go to for the week....and ME SO HUNGRY FOR COOKIE! After eating, we started exploring. After checking out the pools, we walked through the Windjammer. The Allure left a real bad taste in our mouths for this venue, so we will avoid it as best we could. We sampled the pizza while passing through...feh!, all dough, no taste. We then made our way to decks 4 & 5. We had some samples while exploring: punch, frappacino, sushi. I has a look at Sorentos, and it looks like the same lousy pizza that was in the buffet [emoji22]. We went to the dinning room area, and made a reservation for Grande. I did not pack a jacket, but they said one would be provided to walk to the table. We made our way to 720. There was a long line for sandwiches. Ro got a scone, and I got a brownie. Both were good, and the server was surprised when we actually said please when ordering.....that saddens me, as these guys work so hard! Next was to the Internet area to get my pre-purchase activated. I had said in my original post that it was a 20% discount, but it was actually 30%. They advertise it as the fastest at sea, but so far I am hardly impressed. I have the streaming package for the week, and I am not even getting 4mb. At least the ship coverage seems pretty good, including our cabin. We have an aft section balcony on deck 8. We went in around 12:30pm, and the bags and cards were waiting for us. The cabin looks comfortable enough, with plenty of storage. The balcony is completely covered, and has an "obstruction" beneath, which is the roof from whatever is below us. We already had some crew standing on it......I opened the door and yelled for them to get off my lawn....they didn't hear me...good thing I had close on at the time. We are now relaxing in the solarium. I had a dip in the pool (heavily chlorinated), and took advantage of the opportunity to have a hot tub to myself.....my sore back needed that!

     

    As of now we have a good impression of the ship. It feels very different than when we were on the Allure. I hope for more good things to come....

     

    I have started posting random pictures to my Flicr. They are currently out of order and some need to be rotated, which will be done when I get back home.

     

     

     

    Sent from my iPhone using Forums

    Live from the Anthem of the wavy seas - Sept 3rd, 5 nights

    in Royal Caribbean International

    Posted · Edited by lor74

    The Internet package has already been paid for by the office (20% off advanced purchase) so I will probably do some live reporting from the ship. This will only be our (Lor & Ro) 2nd RCCL cruise, after the Allure last year. We originally had the NCL Getaway booked for October, but some unforeseen scheduling conflicts came up at work, and we had to cancel. Thankfully it was before final payment, and I was able to transfer my flight for my January trip. The Anthem seemed like a good replacement, as the price was right, and we could drive down from Montreal.

     

    We left at 6am this morning. The drive went very smooth (except for the back spasms), and we arrived at our destination around noon.

     

    We are spending the night at the Courtyard Marriott Edgewater. This hotel is newish, and the address will not even show on the map. It is on the NJ side of river facing Manhattan. They offer free parking, wifi, and shuttle service to the ferry. I booked the night by using 25,000 Marriott points. We will be coming back here for a night after the cruise as well. That night is via a free room certificate. I highly recommend the Marriott Visa card for anyone who can take advantage of hotel points. You can get up to 80,000 bonus points for the US card, and 50,000 points in Canada.

     

    After dropping off our luggage, we drove to the Newport Mall in Jersey City. It took less than 30 minutes to get there. The GPS in my Altima worked beautifully today! We were both starving at this point, and went to the Cheesecake Factory. This meal did not go well! Ro ordered eggplant parm, and I got a burger and fries. I should mention, that I have been on a path to better health, and had not had a burger or fries since our last cruise in January! If anyone happened to follow any of my previous "live froms", I am now down 80lbs [emoji106]🏻. I had ordered my burger medium. When our food arrived, I cut it down the middle, and it was barely medium rare. I sent it back. It took around 10 minutes for another plate to arrive, and it was the same burger, which was now a piece of leather. That went back and I awaited a new burger. During this time Ro is very slowly eating her food, while waiting for me to actually have something in front of me. It took so long for the 3rd attempt, that I got very frustrated and asked for a manager. He was very apologetic, and besides not charging us, asked what he could do for us. Ro got a fresh bowl of pasta, and by the time my burger came back, it had been 30 minutes from the time the original order came to the table. This new burger was still more medium rare than medium, but I ate and enjoyed it as much I could under the circumstances. We left without any cheesecake [emoji22], and did some shopping before heading back to the hotel.

     

    It has been a very long day, and we are in for the night. With Hermine, we have no clue what to expect from this cruise...besides rough seas. I can only hope for the best!

     

     

    Sent from my iPhone using Forums

    Very Unhappy with Princess pricing

    in Princess Cruises

    Posted

    I was looking into a Royal Princess cruise this morning, but was too busy at work to actually decide to book it.....I finally have a chance to get on the computer this evening, and the price has gone up $340......I am so upset right now!

     

    If only I had the time earlier to even put a hold on it......I am sad....:(

    Another "new to MSC" thread...

    in MSC Cruises

    Posted

    Hello

     

    I unfortunately had to cancel my upcoming Oct. cruise on NCL, and am now looking for something different in Sept. I have a few questions in regards to MSC and the Divina:

     

    Looking for the best rate, is it recommended to go through a TA or to call MSC direct?

     

    The Bella vs Fantastica, is it recommended to choose one over the other, and if going with Fantastica, how much more is it worth paying? I am looking at an inside or oceanview cabin.

     

    I filled out the status match form today. How long should I expect to wait for a response back?

     

    Can someone login and tell me if the Sept 3rd sailing applies for more than a 5% discount?

     

    Can you carry on wine or anything other liquids during boarding?

     

    What are the specialty restaurants? Are they a la cart or is there a cover charge? I saw a picture of a steakhouse? that didn't look very inviting with see through chairs and very basic tables...is this really a "steakhouse"?

     

    Thanks in advance.... [emoji3]

    Help needed for my next booking...

    in Princess Cruises

    Posted

    Hello fellow Princess cruisers,

     

    Planning my trip for January 2017. I have 2 port options, Florida or LA. I have sailed the Caribbean MANY times, but have never sailed from the West coast (besides Alaska). I am looking for opinions from those of you who have sailed from both coasts, and your thoughts of one specific western itinerary vs. the Caribbean. Here is the itinerary info and my pros & cons from my perspective:

     

    Ruby Princess, B2B, 11 nights,

     

    Los Angeles (San Pedro), CA

    4:00pm

    Santa Barbara, CA

    7:00am

    6:00pm

    At Sea

    Ensenada, Mexico

    8:00am

    5:00pm

    Los Angeles (San Pedro), CA

    7:00am

    Los Angeles (San Pedro), CA

    4:00pm

    At Sea

    At Sea

    Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

    10:00am

    8:00pm

    Mazatlan, Mexico

    7:00am

    5:00pm

    Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

    7:00am

    2:00pm

    At Sea

    Los Angeles (San Pedro), CA

    7:00am

     

    Pros:

     

    Princess (Elite perks)

    Aside from ship, everything about this cruise would be new to us

    10 business days (flying in at least 1 day early)

    Price – Can get same balcony for both legs, within budget.

     

    Cons:

     

    Flight

    Longer

    More expensive

    Only one option for a direct flight to LAX

    11:55am return flight – is this enough time to get back to LAX from port?

    11 nights – would prefer 14

     

    Unknowns:

     

    Travel between LAX & port

    The port itself

    Quality of the itinerary/stops

    Pacific coast vs. Caribbean – motion?

    Typical weather. Rain – more/less/equal ?

    Current state of the Ruby. We used to love her, but will she still be a gem after having been on the Regal for our last 2 Princess cruises (which we loved)?

     

     

    Caribbean, any ship, any line, any port, maximum 14 nights/10 working days.

     

    Pros:

     

    Flights – more options, cheaper, shorter

    Florida – many options: port, stops, ships, brands, nights

     

    Cons:

     

    Been to most islands many times

    Currently a balcony on the cruises I am looking at are too expensive (Canadian exchange rate :eek:)

     

    Thoughts?

     

    Thanks in advance!

     

    :)

    !!! NORWEGIAN ESCAPE !!! ^_^ The Ultimate Review and Complete Pictorial Guide

    in Norwegian Cruise Line

    Posted · Edited by lor74

    Finally made it to the end! Gambee, thanks for another incredible review!!! Like all the others have said, I feel like I was on there with you [emoji41]. I am curious if you are aware of your before & after weight? I will be on the Getaway in Oct, and I am afraid of what the drink package might do to my waistline!

     

    On to your Oasis page [emoji924]

     

    +1 for the Dominion War [emoji1590]

    Any word on new promos?

    in Norwegian Cruise Line

    Posted

    Promos change regularly. You don't see people posting here that they got on the ship and were screwed because they had a different promo than others who booked at other times. There are always people booking with different promos. So I am not sure why there is a feeling in this thread like ya'll think NCL is purposefully going to try to screw you over and you'd better watch out. There is no basis in reality for that kind of bizarre, paranoid thinking.

     

     

    It isn't about being purposely screwed, but mistakes happen. On my last cruise on the getaway, I was missing $800 in obc, and having the paperwork available made it easier and faster to get it corrected.

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