davy jones

We were schedule to arrive at noon, but got in around 11:30. The captain said that he had to arrive a little early because of port restrictions for a launch at the space center. The launch did not happen. Apparently, it was moved to the next day. Very disappointing for us because our balcony was directly facing the space center and launch pad.

They take orders for the main course and apps and dessert are buffet style.

We are experienced North American cruisers who are considering trying a MSC Caribbean cruise. We have sailed on all of the mainstream US lines in standard cabins. How does MSC compare to them in terms of onboard atmosphere, dining, and entertainment? We prefer my time dining vs. fixed seating.

There is a small MDR breakfast buffet on Anthem. If made to order eggs are not important to you, it is a very relaxing alternative for a quick breafast.

Agree on the MDR service. It has really gone down. At least getting your soup, salad, and appy served at the same time at dinner speeds up the meal. MDR service at breakfast and lunch was horrendous. I thought that the MDR food had improved over our most recent Royal cruise. WJ is always hit and miss, but there is always something good. PC from noon to 8 is pretty much a waste of a port stop, particularly if not docked at terminal 1.

Formal night has gone the way of the VCR and dial phone. A few will dress up formally (suits), but it is mostly shirts and slacks. There are as many baseball shirts and caps in the MDR as there are suits and ties. Silk is one of the MDRs on deck 4 aft. It is across from American Icon.

FYI - our card was credited this morning, so the refund was quite efficient. We never received the emailed final statement, but the refund amount was the same as shown on the stateroom TV prior to departure.

I also liked the DD idea. I do believe that the failure of DD was a combination of the vocal minority and a poorly executed reservation system. I was on Anthem last week. We had made reservations for the same time each night prior to sailing. We did cancel 3 evenings onboard for specialty dining. Three nights we had the same table in American Icon. One night, we were given a table in Chic, and the other night we were seated in Grande. Go figure.

I certainly hope that that is the case. There were many people who had pretty bad experiences.

The intent of the times is to limit the number of people in the terminal to reduce the risk of spreading COVID, flu, or the common cold. At Cape Liberty, it appeared that if there was no line and the numbers inside the terminal were acceptable, you could get in to keep a steady flow of passengers. I imagine that a check in line would cause enforcement of the boarding time.

We were on the cruise. It was a very pleasant cruise. While there were many of very bad experiences that day, our experience was not nearly as bad as many. However, what I did see made me believe that the really bad reports did happen. The short version is that we went on a shore excursion, arrived back at the ship at 1:30 to a line of several thousand irate passengers and did not get back onboard until 2:30. I observed a lot of non chaotic anger and dissatisfaction. The semi order was likely due to the presence of the Miami police. I'd consider our experience more as an inexcusable inconvenience caused by a combination of poor passenger behavior and incompetence by the US immigration, Royal Caribbean, and Miami port operations. I will not discuss the rude passengers who are the root cause of the problem other than to say that their cruise should have ended in Miami. The others should be holding thorough reviews to identify the issues that caused the fiasco and how to avoid them in the future. I will only comment on Royal because this is a Royal forum and discussion of the other agencies is not appropriate here. From my own experiences in this matter. The onboard communication from Royal was inconsistent and contradictory. The day prior to the Miami stop, I went to the shorex desk and specifically asked for guidance on what to do. We were told to go meet the group at the assigned time (9:15 AM) in the theater and everything would be taken care of. Later the same day, documents were delivered to our cabin saying that we were assigned to a mandatory immigration time of 8:15 AM on the pier and would not be able to return to the ship until it was completely cleared. We went back to the shorex desk that evening to clarify this and were told to disembark at 8:15 AM and wait outside to until 9:15 and meet the tour outside the terminal. Based on the final information, we got up an hour early to prepare for the 8:15 departure. The 8:15 announcement began and we left the cabin. At the end of the announcement, it was announced that all shore excursions should follow the meeting time and place on the shore ex ticket (9:15 in the theater). Fortunately, we heard this before disembarking and returned to the cabin to wait. The same announcement said that those not planning to go ashore could wait until the end to disembark. While this makes sense, the wording likely encouraged longer than anticipated stays onboard. Based on our experience, my "advice" to Royal would be to provide consistent, clear communication between internal departments and clear message to the passengers. They certainly have other things to cover and improve during the inquiry. In my mind it is over, but Royal would be wise to take steps to prevent and/or mitigate future events like this.

Thanks for the info. We disembarked yesterday so casino is not an option. We still have not received the emailed final statement. We have a paper preliminary statement, but there were a couple of charges the last night that we verified on the TV. It should not be a big deal to issue a credit on the cruise credit card.

Agreed. Anthem has a more "adult" feel than Oasis class. I think it is because of the lack of a water park or ice rink and the fact that the SeaPlex is indoors and has more varied activities.

Your cruise was the ship docked at terminal 1 that I referenced in my previous post. We were on the Anthem. It appeared to be a long walk on busy looking roads without sidewalks. Most people stayed onboard.

How does Royal handle this? Do they send you a check, or credit it to your credit card?

In addition to the Dukes, there were a couple of appearances by a Bon Jovi tribute band, but I do not recall the name of that band.

Traditional breakfast and lunch in American Icon. I found the service at these meals to be slow. There is also mini buffet breakfast in Silk. We found it to be more relaxing than either WJ or traditional sit down in American Icon.

We sailed on Grandeur during the 2018 World Cup. Games were shown in bars and on stateroom TV.

Last week Anthem docked pretty far away from terminal 1. We were kind of between Disney and Carnival. It would have been a long, hot walk to terminal 1 (another Royal ship was there) There was really nothing to do there when port hours are noon to 8 PM. From the crowds onboard, it was pretty much a sea day while docked.

I was also on that sailing and would like to know. Right now, I believe that they probably received the OBC like everyone else.

The MDR is usually the quiet option at breakfast and lunch. Conversely, the WJ is usually the quiet option at dinner. Some prefer WJ, others prefer MDR. Both options are offered because people want them. Do whatever make you happier.

Or just build an updated Quantum class ship.

Yes, now I recall the IT issues. We sailed with MTD during the DD Classic era. To us, it was the best of both, but the initial IT issues killed it with those who prefer traditional right at the start.

Yes it is. That's why I never say never. Since you brought up Bayonne, I wonder if Icon will fit under the Verrazano bridge.

Spouse and I may have been the only people who liked Dynamic Dining. It was MTD with variety of restaurants and menus. As for Icon, we haven't even sailed Oasis class yet. We are not the target demographic. Perhaps we will sail Oasis / Icon class with grandkids some day.