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jdarch

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Posts posted by jdarch

    Anthem eliminates Dynamic Dining

    in Royal Caribbean International

    Posted

    I wrote an e-mail to RCCL because of our sailing on Anthem 01-14-2017. She confirmed the change and explained to me that there will be

    - Classic 1

    - Classic 2 and

    - MTD

    in one of the complimentary restaurants.

     

    I was also a bit disappointed like others because we were looking forward to try out dynamic dining. But we are so excited because of the caribbean islands and we like Royal Caribbean. So I think it would be a great cruise and I've always liked dining in the MDR. We booked the second seating (Classic 2). Let's see :)

     

    did you book your dining online or with the person on the phone from Royal Caribbean? I've tried to do it in our reservations and we sail before you...it only shows the specialty dining...thanks

    Thenford Grey Tours vs. St. Kitts Island Paradise Tours?

    in St. Kitts & Nevis

    Posted

    I think you might find that few people have done BOTH tours and who could give you a comparison between the two. We toured with Thenford Grey and were very pleased. Vehicle was comfortable, the stops were very interesting, Thenford Grey was a very knowledgeable and professional guide, and the drive was scenic --- St. Kitts is a beautiful island. Perhaps you could arrange a later pick-up from the beach --- ask both tour companies about that and see what they say? Taxi might also be an option, but the beaches that are mentioned on Grey's tour are quite a distance from the cruise port so taxi might be expensive and might have to be arranged in advance. We had about an hour and a half at Cockleshell Beach, and we found that to be enough as we were feeling a bit tired after spending a few hours touring the island in the heat. Love St. Kitts though and hope to return some day.

     

    This is a silly question, but I wanted to ask someone who has actually taken this tour because you seem to be in the vehicle for a while...do they give you bathroom breaks? Because some stops seem like looking at the beautiful scenery and walking around on the grounds. thank you....

    Help Please!!! RCL Anthem or NCL Breakaway?

    in Ask a Cruise Question

    Posted

    Here's the dilemma-

     

    We currently have both cruises booked because we can't make up our minds.

     

    They are both for April 2018. Same itinerary except different private islands so that's a wash. Anthem is out of Bayonne, Breakaway out NYC. We do find Bayonne is a bit easier. We have about the same category of balcony booked on each so that's a wash.

     

    Here's the difference. The NCL has the ultimate drink package and gratuities included! If we add those both to the Anthem it will cost approx $400 more than the Breakaway.

     

    Is it worth it? We do like RCL a bit better but $400 better? Not sure.

     

    Please, I need an opinion!! We have never been on either ship.

     

    Thanks!

    Jill

     

    I'll apologize right off the bat if this doesn't help:) We have been on the Anthem and the Breakaway...Loved both cruises...Ok....

     

    Breakaway...loved all the entertainment venues..there was a blues singer my dh and I loved, but probably not still on..loved all the dining options..they played a lot of games in the atrium and people would sit there from early morning so I never got to play any games...ship felt crowded...the casino opens up through 3 different floors and so the smoke comes up through the stairs reaching the restaurants...

     

    Anthem...loved all the dining venues...the rotating between the 4 free restaurants took some getting used to..but ended up liking it...love love love 270...most of the entertainment wasn't my favorite(personal)loved the Music Hall......LOVED the layout of the cabin...casino was on a lower deck and kind of separate...all the stores were high end stores...so no shopping...the one shop that wasn't a high end store like for souvenirs and things was about 5 ft. by 3ft...tiny...

     

    I hope this helps a little...

    I need help please

    in St. Kitts & Nevis

    Posted

    I was there a couple of weeks ago on my first cruise. If you're familiar and comfortable with the Caribbean Islands then I would say you can try it, only of the driver comes recommended by someone who used them. I went on a RCCL tour called "Essential St. Kitts." The tour took us to Brimstone Fortress and Romney Manor. It was a nice introduction to the island as the driver narrated. The problem with the tour was the operator, Caribbean Journey Masters (CJM). The bus was dirty and the AC was not working. I told this to RCCL and they refunded me 20%. FWIW, the tours I took with Foster-Ince on other islands were excellent and used clean buses.

     

    If I were to do it all over again I would use a reputable private company on St. Kitts. I'm sure this forum and of course tripadvisor has lots of them. Their buses will be better maintained and the quality of the tour will likely be higher. The reason why I didn't use a private operator this first time was because I just wanted the extra comfort level using a ship excursion. But next time, now knowing "the drill" and what to expect at the port, I'll be more confident in using a private company.

     

    The only time I used taxis was when we went to the beach. It was easy and cost effective. But for touring, I would only use a bonafide tour company because you don't know what you're getting with taxi drivers. It just isn't worth the risk to me when the overall cost is such a small part of the vacation and you only have that one day.

     

    Thank you...that does help

    I need help please

    in St. Kitts & Nevis

    Posted

    I was just wondering if someone who has been to St. Kitts could tell me if it's a good idea just to get off the ship and find a taxi? I was thinking to just do an island tour this way. That way we can go where we want on our own time frame. Wasn't sure if taxis just take you from point A to point B or if they would do an island tour for us not prebooked. Do you think it's safe and a good idea?

     

    Thank you

    Must do in St. Kitts

    in St. Kitts & Nevis

    Posted

    I was just wondering if someone who has been to St. Kitts could tell me if they think it's a good idea just to get off the ship and find a taxi? I was thinking to just do an island tour this way. That way we can get where we want on our own time frame. Wasn't sure is taxis just take you from point a to point b or if they will do an island tour for us not prebooked? Do you think it's safe and a good idea?

     

    Thank you

    Anthem questions

    in Royal Caribbean International

    Posted · Edited by jdarch

    We also drive from Adams County (hi Genteel Arts!), the day before to stay in Jersey.

    Having seen over the years what can happen on the NJTP (not to mention brand new cars stuck on the side of the highway...) frankly I would leave much earlier than 10:00 am.

    Maybe that's just us though: when we are five miles away from the ship, we stress about getting there on time...

    Why Anthem might just be my favorite ship!

    in Royal Caribbean International

    Posted

    Was this your first Royal Caribbean cruise? If so, What are your thoughts? I thought it was quite different from other RCCL ships so it didn't give a true feel of the overall brand. Also...Boarding was a highly unusual experience!

     

    The Anthem of the Seas different? Absolutely. Having also taken the NCL Breakaway, the cruise lines definitely make some necessary compromises on these mega-ships. DW generally likes the larger ships, I am "meh" about them because of some of those compromises. We loved the NCL Dawn, but the Breakaway was not typical of the line. We loved the RC Explorer (the Liberty not as much), but the Anthem was different from either. That said, we loved our trip to Bermuda on AotS (short as it was).

    - Unlike the OP, our AotS embarkation was the smoothest of any ship we've been on. We arrived at 11:00 am or so, and with the staff carrying tablets around to check you in, we were on the by 12:00 pm. (However, I can see where if the "technical glitch" was computer related, check-in would be a train wreck).

    - We had tried to pre-book ressies at Jamie's online, but the site said there were no times available. Bah. We went right up on boarding and found they had pretty much any time we wanted. Go figure. (Incidentally, our meal there was very good).

    - One first day issue: they announced the cabins were all ready at 1:00 pm. Wow, that's great!

    Except they weren't. The hallway doors were opened and... many rooms in our section were not finished. Oops. But no worries - we've seen a couple of times where previous pax lingered and put the cleaning staff behind schedule. Unfortunately our attendant was *way* behind (only one person per section, no assistants as with other lines). As our cabin was almost done except vacuuming, we put our carry-ons down and relaxed on the balcony until he got around to us. Not surprisingly, our fellow did seem over-whelmed...but frankly, we found later somewhat under-fast (other RCCL staff have been great). Either way, we are relatively low maintenance and we adapted.

    - Considering the number of pax on the Anthem, we never really felt crowded. Well, except the solarium...it was gorgeous and unique, but also a madhouse most of the sea days.

    - Deck chair hogs were out in full force but they were monitored, and we never want to sit right by the pool anyway, so really no problems finding loungers.

    - Windjammer breakfasts on the Anthem were very busy as others have said, but we found the same to be true on the Explorer. We have the table finding / buffet breakfast process down to a science, so few problems there (When we couldn't find a free table, we were always welcomed to share). Nice.

    - I do wish the Anthem had a longer itinerary to Bermuda, not only because we love Bermuda (um...see below) but also because I think a ship this size, with lots to do and see, would be wonderful on a longer cruise.

    So. As you can see below, we enjoyed the Anthem so much we're going to forego Bermuda for next cruise (sniff...), and take the Anthem's 12-day to the Caribbean in January. Yay!

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