loving2cruise

Thank you everyone for all your responses.

Can anyone please tell me what hotels are the closet to the Cape Liberty Cruise Terminal in NJ? Would prefer not to be in NYC though.  Thinking of going a day ahead of time before cruise.

Thank you in advance.

Why is reality a bitter take? It seems perfectly normal that in a conversation starting with the idea of thanking royal for life guards ends up with others pointing out they were late to the game and only did it because people died and they were sued. Royal didn’t do it to be nice. It is quite the opposite. Just because people know better and point out they don’t deserve praise for this doesn’t make them bitter.

 

Not everyone needs to see warm and fuzzy nonsense to still be happy. A person can be informed and bliss at the same time you know.

 

I’m glad they have life guards now and could care less about the extra 10 cents per week per passenger (or whatever it costs). But make no mistake, they didn’t have them before to save a small amount of money. This isn’t a bitter take. It is reality.

Yes, I do think they are important. There have been drownings on other ships/cruise lines, and they still do not have lifeguards at their pools!

So, I am still saying "Thank You Royal Caribbean" for now having lifeguards.

I wish they all did...

How dare you post such positive thoughts! ;) :D

 

Sadly however, the negative comments will outweigh. Too many Cruise Critic members think lifeguards only save the lives of children. Now sit back & watch them drown themselves in the typical narrow minded babysitter debate.

 

#StayPositive

 

.

Thank You! :D

Not the only cruise line to have lifeguards. Disney was first, followed by Royal on all ships, and NCL on their 4 largest ships.

Glad to hear Disney has them too (never been on a Disney cruise)

Which NCL ships have lifeguards? I have been on the Gem, Jade and Breakaway, and none had lifeguards when I cruised on them, unless they added lifeguards recently. IMO..I think all the cruise ships should have them.

Thanks

Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines has always been my favorite cruise line, and to know they now have lifeguards present at their pools makes my heart really happy :D It's the only cruise line (that I know of anyway) that does!

So...I just want to say "Thank You So Much" Royal Caribbean!! :D

This is the only thing left I have been waiting for a sale on. Got great deals on drinks, internet and excursions. So far nothing on spa services and I check everyday.

Thanks for your reply. I check for spa sales everyday as well, and have found nothing.

If It happens, I will post it here. :)

Hello :)

I have seen the packages for the beverage, dining, internet, and excursions go on sale pre-cruise, but have never seen the spa packages go on sale.

Do they ever offer reduced prices for the spa packages pre-cruise, or only while onboard the ship?

Thanks in advance

Yes, the internet (VOOM) can be purchased as a separate package.

Thanks Bob :D

VOOM is a marketing term for Internet on RCI. Surf, Stream are the two tiers of service offered, with stream having about 10x the potential download speed of Surf (for many uses the download speed diff does not translate to any appreciable performance diff in real life).

 

You can still go through your carrier if you only need a few texts/calls made, but many have set up their phones with WiFi calling and use VOOM to text/make calls instead.

Thank you for answering my question. :D

I will only be wanting to use my phone for a few calls/texts/email checking. I don't plan on using alot of social media websites like Facebook, Youtube...etc. I just want to be connected to "Home".

I am also interested in texting back and forth with those I am cruising with, and hoping they get the cell package too.

We are also covered on the internet. I don't do drink packages, and my wife will decide once onboard. The TA is nice that way in that you can buy the package for the last 5 days if you like.

I usually don't bother with that Package or internet while cruising. The last time I bought the internet (when they used to charge by the minute...not that long ago) it was very hard to connect on the ship and it was very frustrating, so I haven't bothered to even look into these packages after that.

After reading all the posts here, I'm confused as to what these packages are. Can you please explain what the Voom Surf....Stream is.

Bob, you also mentioned you are "covered" for the "Internet". Is that a separate package solo?

When cruising with others on a previous cruise, they went through their cell phone carriers. Do you still need to buy the package? Please educate on all this...as I am not aware about any of it...lol...thank you so much! :-)

Anthem has La Patisserie that serves espresso based specialty coffees made with Starbucks beans. You can also get specialty coffee in Café 270 and the coffee bar in the WJ. These coffees are covered by the deluxe beverage package, refreshment package and coffee card.

Thank you for your reply :D

I've not traveled to Disney as a guest, but my DD was crew on Oasis last year, and I would pick her up at 7am and drive to the parks. It took at least an hour, on a Sunday am to get to the parking lot, weekdays may take longer. Driving back to the ship we always allowed 2.5 hours, because it always seemed to take an hour from inside the park to the highway. We usually got to spent 4-5 hours, she had to be back onboard by 3pm as this was Oasis home port turn around day. For us as passholders it was worth it, being local (well, except when she's onboard lol) we go whenever we want. Doing it as a one day excursion is an expensive, short day for a bit of magic.

Wow, 2 1/2 hours allowance back to the ship. I will keep your tips in mind.

Thank you!

Doing that as an excursion isn't worth the money. Disney needs MUCH more time than you will have during a day stop. It's about 1 hour to Disney, then about another 30 mins. until you actually get IN the park.... Then, you must figure in "wait time" in lines, of which EVERY attraction/ride will have.

Disney is best done as a land vacation....you will need 2 full days just for the Magic Kingdom, not to mention any of the other parks you'd like to experience!

Thank you, that's what I thought. Not enough time.

The group I am traveling with just want to go to Disney, and already purchased tickets.

My concern is that when you do an excursion on your own, and don't arrive back in time, the cruise ship does NOT have to wait...unless it's an excursion that you purchased from them.

Stressing out already..lol

It's difficult to determine how much time you will have at Disney when we don't know when the ship is scheduled to arrive and depart.

Hi Bob

Ship arrives at the port at noon and leaves at 9:30 pm

Thanks

Can anyone who has traveled to Disney from the Port Canaveral stop please provide feedback...both pros and cons? I would greatly appreciate it.

I am really concerned about the amount of travel time it takes to/from Disney.

Will there much time to spend at the park?

Also, is Uber, bus, taxi or rent a car recommended since Anthem is not offering the Disney trip as an excursion?

Thank you. :D

Hello :-)

Is there a Starbucks onboard the Anthem of The Seas Ship?

If so, is it included in the beverage package or the specialty coffee card?

Thanks in advance

I'm really looking forward to the Anthem being replaced in NJ by the 5th Quantum build -- .

Which ship is the Anthem going to be being replaced with...in Bayonne?

that is crazy ans a waste of time. Why would they cancel the Disney shuttle and keep the universal one.

I wonder why also. Seems they did away with the Disney excursion, and only offer the Universal excursion on the Anthem.

Thank you for the replies, actually looking at Adventure. Now the next question - is the closet/storage space that much smaller than a typical balcony cabin or would you even notice the difference? I know my wife always worries about enough closet space.

We recently stayed in connecting cabins in a promenade cabin on the Adventure. I have never stayed in an "inside" so to speak cabin, so I was concerned about feeling claustrophobic in that cabin....lol.

Honestly, it wasn't bad at all. I think the bay window helped not feeling all closed in. All of those cabins have been recently renovated and had new furniture/carpeting which was nice also.

The closet space was small, but between the closet and drawer space, we managed to fit it all.

Enjoy!

http://www.royalonboardsales.com/content/assets/2015/05/FAQ-Trade-New-NextCruise-Offer-August-2017.pdf

Thanks Bob for that link. I always wondered how the next cruise program works. :D

We sailed this itinerary on Anthem over Christmas (though it was eight nights). In my signature below, there is a link to my review.

Thank You!

I enjoyed reading your review :-) sounds like you had a fantastic time!!

(Congrats on your daughter's engagement)

Is the itinerary the one that goes to CocoCay, Nassau, and Port Canaveral? Because if so then I do have one. They are from March 2017 but I don't think anything should be significantly different.

Yes, that is the itinerary...thank you!! :D

Try Google: "anthem cruise compass" and the first hit is the 7-night Bahamas.

Fantastic, I got it!!!

Thanks so much!! :D

Hi

 

I have sailed on Anthem several times although not the Florida /Bahamas itinerary. My sailings were either Caribbean or Bermuda.

 

I have reviews with links in my signature for most of them including pictures of the daily compass.

 

I hope this helps.

 

Happy to answer any questions if you have them too

 

Noreen

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Thank you Noreen! :)