sixbirches

25 minutes ago, SteelCityCruiser10 said:

We’ve entered a foggy area.  It’s a really weird mix of sun and fog.

 

Looks like Nantucket weather when the fog rolls in ❤️

Have a great cruise! I was curious about your Jr Suite Gty experience. When did you receive your cabin assignment? We’re doing the Oct 14 Bermuda sail and booked the Jr GTY. Have done plenty of cruises, but never a guarantee. I know there’s no consistent explanation for when rooms are assigned, but we’re still curious. Also, never sailed on Liberty, but have plenty of Anthem experience. So we will definitely be following your review.

Hope you have a great time!  We love Bermuda, but Canada will also be fun too! 

I’m following this chat. The information is very helpful! After sailing quite a few times, (D+) we just booked our first guarantee, a Jr Suite guarantee on Liberty that sails in 9 weeks. All balcony rooms were sold out at this point, and I’m not interested in booking a full suite with the minimal perks offered on this ship. It’s actually adding a bit of suspense we’ve never had before— haha! Excited to get our assignment, even though it will be awhile.
I’m sure we will be happy with any cabin we are assigned.

Thanks to all who have patiently answered many questions I’ve wondered about too! I’m learning a lot.

Newark, no question. LGA is not near Cape Liberty. It’s a HUGE hassle and very expensive to get to the cruise terminal in NJ. And definitely travel a day in advance 

12 minutes ago, orville99 said:

Have sailed in a JS on that class of ship numerous times, and other than the aft facing JS, I don't remember any of them having an obstructed view. As for Internet, you are correct. Free internet is currently only available as a full suite perk on Quantum and Oasis class ships, so the suite perks on Liberty are anemic by comparison.

I agree, which is why we don’t want to pay extra for a suite. It’s cheaper to buy a dining package and internet and the suite lounge isn’t a big deal since we are D+. I really wish RC would standardize a few things for all ships and their suite perks. 

6 minutes ago, RFerrington said:

There are only a couple of JS that would be problematic and even then, most would not consider it a problem.  There are a couple of aft (fantail) JS on Freedom class and those rooms have the ship infrastructure that can be an eyesore to some.  Personally, I don't think it's a problem but some do not like the fantail rooms on Voyager and Freedom class.  The rest of the JS should not have any obstructions.  I am not a fan of the far forward or far aft rooms (of any kind) so I wouldn't want one of those cabins but with a GTY you could be put anywhere there is a room available.  There is a very very slim chance that you could actually end up with a category greater than JS but that is 1 in a million these days.

Thanks for your thoughts. I’m sure we will be fine with the room. There isn’t much left with a balcony (just full suites), so we ended up with the guarantee. It will be a new learning experience for us. But on a 5 night cruise to Bermuda, we will be happy.

We booked a guarantee Junior Suite on Liberty to Bermuda since that was the only Jr Suite offering available and balcony cabins are sold out.

I’ve checked deck plans, and I don’t see any with obstructed balconies, but I could have missed something.
Has anyone booked guarantee Junior suites? if so, any feedback or experiences? We haven’t booked guarantee cabins before. I know it will take some time before we get a room assigned.
Since it’s not Quantum or Oasis class, I’m not thinking a full suite is worth the costs, even though we enjoy them on Anthem and Oasis. Looks like we have to buy an internet package no matter what room we have.

Thanks for any information!

This is a little off topic, but since we’ve never sailed on freedom class before, I am curious. We booked a junior suite guarantee because it was the only Jr choice.  There were no balcony cabins left, and we didn’t want a full suite for a short cruise.

we’ve cruised on Anthem quite a few times and I know there are no bad Jr Suite cabins on that ship. So, what about Liberty? It’s a 5 nighter so, I’m not overly concerned. Experiences?

We usually book Grand Suites, but we are sailing on Liberty in October in a junior suite. The cabin looks great for the price. My feeling is that unless you are on Anthem or Oasis, the perks for a full suite aren’t worth the extra costs. We are Diamond plus, so the suite lounge drinks aren’t a huge deal for us, since we don’t drink that much. I wish RC would standardize the suite perks for all ships. I think it’s annoying that you don’t get internet as a perk in all suites. Plus the missing benefit of having no Coastal Kitchen makes me refuse to pay extra for a full suite. 
We are looking forward to Bermuda and to the Junior Suite. 

48 minutes ago, jencruzin said:

We have always done Chef's Table on a sea day and usually book before boarding.

 

On our previous sailing on Adventure, it was rather disappointing, they held it in the middle of the stairs in the MDR. There was no cozy private room for us, just out in the open, so we are hoping this is not the case on our upcoming Anthem sailing for a 12-night.

Overall, what a fantastic wine pairing dinner!

I’m pretty sure there is a dedicated room for Chef’s Table on Anthem. It’s inside Chops. I also saw this on the deck plans for Anthem. I’m pretty sure I recall seeing it in the past when we’ve dined in Chops. 

We decided to book it for our March cruise on Anthem. We didn’t want to wait to book until onboard, so we could plan around other evening activities and shows. The cruise planner is offering a 15% discount, so that basically covered the gratuity. The food looks delicious and I’m sure we will enjoy it, especially since we haven’t tried it before.

Does anyone have a review of the Chef’s Table on Anthem? We are sailing in about a month and are considering booking it.  We’ve sailed many times, but have never done this before. 
Thanks.

Does anyone know if they are providing them with suites? They did in the past. 
Hopefully I will  be able to find our old ones.

Thank you to everyone who has replied. It completely answered our questions!

I have a question regarding the Diamond + Bogo benefit to dine in the specialty restaurants. We’ve never used this benefit before since we enjoy Coastal Kitchen, and we’re wondering if there is any flexibility on the nights we prefer to use this benefit?  I read that it’s to be used Day 1 or 2, but is this strictly enforced? Since we are sailing in a suite, can the Concierge make a reservation for the nights we prefer with this benefit?
Thanks for your answers and experiences using this benefit.

I haven’t been on CC for awhile, so this was a nice surprise to read. Sounds great to me!

Does anyone know if there are menu changes in Coastal Kitchen as well? thanks.

Great news. If you can go to theme parks, concerts, sporting events, school and work without needing a  negative test prior, then you can cruise too…

We went on 2 cruises with the testing protocols and it was a bit stressful until we got on the ship. it’s nice to avoid that now.

This is a very entertaining thread!

Great review. We love Anthem too, and were in Bayonne back in October.

So sorry to hear they are making passengers wait outside in the cold and snow to check in! Seems if airlines can fly a plane full of passengers sitting next to each other, Royal could figure out a way to check in passengers inside that huge building in the winter. 

On 1/19/2022 at 7:01 AM, A&L_Ont said:

One reason I can think of is, the wifi isn’t as “Zoomie” as Oasis Class and Quantum Class. With the RS on Radiance we had a router in the bedroom and connections were near impossible at times. 

I understand the signal/connection isn’t as good, but that’s an even better reason it should just be included. Maybe customers would be less annoyed about having to pay extra for the weak WiFi. Oh well, I know it’s really a money thing, but overall, there should be more consistency in what is included in a Suite, fleet wide, because there is a significant difference in what you receive in the Quantum and Oasis class as compared to all the other ships and the prices aren’t all that much less on older ships. Seems fair, logical and definitely more understandable to cruisers looking to book a Suite. My rant, for what it’s worth…

Why doesn’t Royal at least add in WiFi for suites in other classes other than quantum and oasis class? I know it’s a small thing, but, really? 

Either way, it’s one of the best beach excursions we’ve ever done. The food was outstanding and the beach area was great.

Enjoy!

7 minutes ago, flyingandcruising said:

Trying to decide if we should do anthem out of NJ this March. What is there for kids to do other than AO, Ages 2-6? Can kids use the solarium pool for the first couple days while it’s cold outside?

 

Pretty sure the Solarium  has always been Adults only regardless of the weather. 

We easily got bottled  water from the Suite lounge on Ovation back in August. I realize Ovation isn’t currently doing any sailings now.

We also asked for bottled water on Oasis in October and they generously gave us 2 each without asking for extra. 

When we were on Ovation this past August, my husband walked down the hallway to the Suite Lounge,  from our Grand Suite on deck 12 (convenient), and brought us cognacs to enjoy on our balcony after dinner. We did this all week and thoroughly enjoyed it.