mets07

Hi, I was on the November 10 Anthem cruise. Did not experience the breakfast and had no children with us, however I can comment that it did seem that almost every day there were DreamWorks character appearances and they were listed in the Compass / Daily Planner.

Really? Drying your hair at the vanity makes so much more sense. I think that is was a good decision not to put a regular outlet in the bathroom.

 

1. They have to have special grounded outlets in a bathroom. Better not to worry about that. (why do you think that the razor outlet is way up high?)

 

2. Get out of the bathroom and let others use it. ;) :D

 

3. Get out of the moisture of the bathroom to dry your hair!

 

4. The vanity has a HUGE mirror, its own lighting.......perfect place for hair drying.

 

:)

It took me until the 5th day of our recent Anthem cruise to realize the mirror had that light!! The switch was below the mirror on the desk/table.

:):):)

Hi - we did the 3 night package as well ... on Anthem. We did not book it until on ship. I think you will get times close to what you want if you reserve the other two early in the cruise.

All of this is so subjective. We did Jamie's, Chops, and Wonderland. We are pretty picky eaters, so if we did it over would probably do Jamie's or Chops twice instead of Wonderland. But at least we experienced it.

Enjoy! :)

Yes, have been on Anthem. No extra charge for these.

Anthem currently has draw the line which is a tribute band to Aerosmith

Just got off Anthem and we did not have this. Perhaps a change with sailing from US.

That is true, on Breakaway you cannot avoid the casino to go various places. However the smoke didn't bother us all that much. It was nice on Anthem to never see the casino though! The layout was fine to me, had no trouble getting around and thought it was similar to Anthem in that there are two main spaces instead of one big one. Nothing can compare to the North Star, but again, nothing can compare to the Waterfront either, it's quite nice to see and enjoy the ocean so much on a cruise while eating, drinking, and listening to music (rather than a boring old promenade deck). Anthem keeps you locked inside until the pool deck except for Jamie's which has a very small outdoor dining area. Both are awesome, at the end of the day!

I have been on both Breakaway and Anthem and loved both. There are many special things about Anthem, but I totally agree with your comments about Waterfront on Breakaway. We really enjoyed the bar there and outdoor restaurant areas. Missed the ability to walk totally around the ship outside other than on the jogging track on Anthem.

NEWS FLASH!

 

 

The Anthem of the Seas is backing up to our dock and will tie up next to us!

 

 

A Good looking Ship! Photos later...

I have been making my way through your postings and saw this .... was on that Anthem cruise and could have waved over. :) Enjoying your pics and comments.

Thanks - it is a good option' date=' less crowds to deal with inside terminal waiting. Any idea how many levels are in the parking lot? I understand the elevators are pretty large. I have heard about some people getting there at 9am and getting checked in early. We have a 10:30 check-in time, but want to get there earlier if possible. Just wondering if at that early time, the off-loading passengers are still coming out of the parking lot, which could cause backups.[/quote']

 

There are at least 3 levels with many spots. We also had a 10:30AM check-in time. We arrived about 10AM and checked in immediately by walking up to one of these check-in people in the terminal (no lines). We then walked right to the ship.

This is the first I am hearing about the possibility of doing cruise checking-in at the parking garage. I may be more interested in doing that. I take it then that after doing that' date=' there is a way to get to the ship directly from the garage?[/quote']

 

Basically some persons with tablets (same as inside) were available on Level 1 of the parking area (basically where you had to exit the parking area to walk to the terminal). You still have to walk outside and through the same area to get to the ship. However, the outside walk is quite brief. I don't think it makes much difference if you do one or the other.

Glad to hear you had a great time. We are less than 4 weeks away from our holiday cruise.

 

Question about boarding...this is the first time when doing my on line check in that I was asked to select a boarding time. Did you have to do that and what was your experience? We have iFly booked for the boys at 1 PM boarding day, but our boarding time is 11:30-12:00. I've never boarded that late and was wondering if you kept to your selected boarding time or if you went and boarded earlier.

 

I'd like to make sure we're on and have a bite of lunch before I take the kids to iFly.

 

Also, if you drove and parked, how was your experience parking in the new deck and making your way to the terminal? My mom has a handicap placard so we'll be using that as well. I'd like to drop her, the boys and the luggage off at the terminal, then park and walk back over.

Hello Janet, I can answer the parking question. We were on the same cruise. We dropped our luggage off and went straight ahead to the new parking facility, parked easily on Level 2 (you pay as you enter), and walked back to check-in. (You actually could check-in right in the parking area if you wanted to, although in your case you will be going back to join your family.) We just walked back the brief distance and checked in inside. It was quick and painless. Enjoy!

That is quite interesting about the Grande. We absolutely hated it! They couldn't find our table in the dining room so we wandered about with the hostess for a few minutes. Sat us down and were clearly annoyed we wanted to order cocktails, which were delivered after appetizers were half eaten. I got the lobster which was harder than chicken (so was the lady's next to me). The waiter proceeded to shell it on my plate in front of me and deposit the shells on my bread plate, leaving them there for the entire meal. I've never had such a bad experience anywhere! But it didn't ruin our cruise, we laughed about it afterwards and never went back.

We were on the same cruise and had a most excellent time overall. However, we also did not have the best experience at the Grande, finding the place a bit of a zoo. The waiters seemed crazed, harried, and slow to deliver food.

Gustavia, St. Barts / St. Barts / St. Barthelemy

 

10:00am - 7:00pm. All ports except St. Barts had piers. We anchored in Gustavia Bay and took tenders to Port de Pleasance in Gustavia (which is located directly across from Sunset Hotel on Rue De La Republique on the left side of the harbor. The tender procedure was slow, primarily due to regulations in St. Barts limiting the tender speeds to 3 MPH in the harbor. We were on a 10am tender and got to shore about 10:30am.

 

Upon arrival we set out on a 35 minute walk across the island to visit the airport and Saint Jean Beach (Baie de St. Jean). To get there, walk to your right (facing the island) until you get to the first cross street (Rue De La Suede) and turn left. Turn left again on the next street (Rue August Nyman). Keep right at each fork. The second intersection is a roundabout with an awesome bronze Indian statue of “Savaku” the Arawak spirit. Turn right here as well. This area is the highpoint of your walk and offers breathtaking views of the airport and west side of Saint Jean Beach. Commuter aircraft (puddle jumpers) begin their landing just 50 feet above your head and must land on a very short looking runway that ends in the ocean. It's lots of fun to watch planes land. They also come in off the ocean but those flights are more fun to watch from St. Jean Beach.

 

Continue down the road parallelling the airport. Just across from the airport terminal (which has free, clean, modern restrooms on the northern end of the terminal) are a couple of strip malls. The second strip mall has a grocery store where we purchased litres of cold water for 1.35 Euros (about $1.50 US) and a 16-inch sandwich made on an awesome local baguette for 4.75 Euros (about $5.50 US). These prices are 25% to 50% of what you would pay in town. You'll find the sandwiches near the small deli counter in the rear of the store. The sandwiches are very popular and may sell out at lunchtime. The store will take US currency and give you change in Euros.

 

At the end of the airstrip (about a block past the shops) is an entrance alley to St. Jean Beach. St. Jean Beach is actually 2 beaches separated by Eden Rock, upon which sits a hotel with restaurant and attached "Sand Bar". St Jean is a very pretty beach, with several shops, bars and restaurants, where you can watch planes flying over surfers while landing or taking off at an airport whose runway spills out into the ocean. Don't bother renting chairs and umbrellas here as these command $50 to $100 for a set!

 

Head back to the ship the same way you came, making a left at the Indian Statue and keeping left at the next intersection. (You'll still get to the port if you make a right at the second intersection --- it'll jut take you a little longer. This same intersection (which has a dialysis/medical center on the corner) is the entrance to the lighthouse and the smaller of two forts guarding the harbor. A very short uphill walk to the fort/lighthouse will reward you with picture-worthy views of the ship, harbor and surrounding area.

 

Continue down the road, make a right at Rue De La Suede, and you'll find yourself back in Gustavia. From here we meandered through the shops and worked our way to Shell Beach (aka Anse de Grand Galet), the closest beach to the ship and a very easy 10 minute walk --- longer if you linger in the stores. Shell Beach is so named because the beach is covered in small and medium-sized shells. It's a good idea to wear water shoes. The further from the entrance you get, the less crowded you'll find the beach and the more large rocks you'll find where you can leave your towels and "claim your territory". Other than the bar and grill, there is very little shade here.

 

Notes: 1. The walk to the airport is along a fairly narrow road and can be uneven at times. There are sidewalks from the airport to Saint Jean Beach. Although we never felt in danger you should definitely stay alert to traffic and road conditions. 2. Taxi service from the port to Saint Jean Beach runs $30 to $50 each way. 3. Some passengers rented a car and enjoyed a beautiful day exploring the island and her 14 beaches. 4. Most of the shops, bars and restaurants in town are outrageously expensive and close from 1pm to 3pm. 5. While we enjoyed our visit to this beautiful island, I heard from Celebrity personnel that they may not return due to the logistics and passenger complaints about tendering and absurdly high prices for almost everything from beer to t-shirts.

 

For pictures of all of the ports please see:

http://www.lavasurfer.com/info/constellation2.html

Thank you for the thorough directions! We followed them to get to and from St. Jean's Beach, including a stop at the super market.

:):):)

We just did this excursion on Anthem of the Seas. I was a little concerned the excursion would be too short, but they did give us a full four hours on St. Bart's (in our case it was from 10am to 2pm). Be sure to be on time for the meet-up and to have your passport (we had two people miss the excursion as they did not bring their passports from the ship and there was not sufficient time for them to get the passports and rejoin the group before the departure).

The high speed ferry ride to St. Bart's was a bit rough, but no one in our group got ill. However, I recommend taking Bonine or the like which we do regularly on the cruise anyway. The return ride was much more comfortable and smooth.

We followed the excellent walking directions provided in a separate thread and walked to St. Jean's Beach. This is at least a 30 minute walk. We were able to stay at the beach two hours and had purchased lunch at a supermarket on the way. Our only disappointment was when we returned to town some of the stores were closed for lunch ... but this was not a huge deal for us.

St. Bart's is beautiful! We had already been to St. Maarten several times, so were very glad we did this excursion.

I called yesterday on this same subject and was told the packages would be available on board. I do not know if only the first day......

I think these are relatively new (or re-introduced), but I do think a better explanation needs to be provided in the online write-up.

I agree that if you attempt to reserve these dining packages in advance of the cruise that the explanation/description given is quite lacking. I started the reservation process and it wanted me to pick day 1 or 2 and a time, however it was not clear what restaurant it was. It seems after you get on board you make the other two (or three or four) specific reservations (?)

Anyway, the times it was showing for me were not that great.

I did give RC a call and the guy on the phone could not add too much information. He did tell me we could get the same deal on board so I'm just going to wait.

This happens to me after every cruise. For me, it has lasted from 3 to 10 days. I continue to take Bonine (as I do on the ship) for at least a few days post-cruise.

Not a fun feeling while staring at a computer for work.

Annoying, but the cruise is worth it. :)

We take Bonine, one a day, on every cruise we go on. No tiredness, no nothing, and pleased with the results. Buy in pretty much any US drug store / pharmacy / and often super market.

Of course, do what you are comfortable with....

Enjoy.

As a family, it was looking for an alternative type of vacation to take with our sons, post a few DisneyWorld trips. We got hooked.

I had also been on one cruise as a teenager out of NYC with my parents many moons ago. We did have a wicked storm the first night, but it was fun overall.

General love of the ocean!

... and I can't leave out my husband's fondness for drinking Mai Tais in warm Caribbean climes.

:):):)

Thanks for all the replies. We have the funds to buy new clothes if we wanted but i just don't want to go buy a bunch of clothes to please people ill never see again. I feel great in my dark jeans and a blouse. I also have dresses to wear on the nicer nights. Resort wear would feel goofy- like I'm dressing up like someone I'm not. And my flowy black pants feel like I'm heading to work. Does that make sense ?

Yes, it makes complete sense and you will be fine in what you plan to wear!

Have a great time.

My understanding is that quantum class ships don't have a MDR or traditional dining.

Hi, although there is no MDR, as Biker19 above indicates there is now a type of Dynamic Dining called "Classic" which is similar to the traditional dining with two different time options. The difference is one rotates among the complimentary dining restaurants.

The other type of Dining is called "Choice" and you select where and when you eat each evening. In this case, reservations are optional.

Definitely check out the Ports of Call section of Cruise Critic for many ideas for each Caribbean island.

For St. Kitts, we really enjoyed Cockleshell Beach.

Have fun!

While we've only gone (several times) to Nevis by the sailing catamaran offered by the ship, it was worth it to us. The beaches in Nevis are beautiful! :)

At Pinney Beach we always feel as if we are walking around on a Post Card! :)

 

LuLu

Hi LuLu, considering the RCCL Cat & Nevis beach getaway. Is it really 90 minutes each way? Total time of excursion is 4hrs 30 min. Thanks.

Well, until Royal either goes back to offering packages of minutes that can be spread out, or significantly drops their price for access for the entire cruise, I'll have to manage with access only while I'm in port and can use my phone. :(

Concur. If you just wanted this for a few minutes a day for peace of mind to check for any communications from family, this was a simple and affordable way to do it. So I will look for other means w/o RCCL.

We have been on Gem and Breakaway and have a reservation on Anthem. :)

If your finances can handle it, I would do Breakaway or Anthem. Loved the newness and beauty of Breakaway, the Waterfront for outdoor dining and bar areas, slides, fireworks, etc. I am certain we are going to really enjoy Anthem as well, as it is new and different.

Personally the ports on Breakaway look more appealing to me and would be different for you from your previous.

Whatever you choose, have a great time!!

We made an 11:25AM flight out of Tampa with hours to spare.

Have fun on your cruise.