leela14

Just off Anthem and I lived in the Solarium area. Saw so many people asleep there lol - it's that relaxing. Nice and quiet and tranquil, no loud music, no contests, no announcements, just pure relaxation. I'm not a pool person, but I was in and out of the lovely warm whirlpools all the time, relaxed in one of the loungers that are in the water and went into the cascading pools - they were BRRRR but made getting back into the whirlpools that much more enjoyable. Def chair hogs there though, sigh. Seems like they can't be killed.

Still sounds like it will be a nice experience, thanks for the answer. We won't be going until next year, but it's never to early to start the research. :D

Solarium - definitely a bit more peaceful on Anthem. However, I really liked the three level layout on harmony. Curious what you'll think. My wife spent much more time there than I did.

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We just got off Anthem and are considering Harmony as our next cruise (or some Oasis class). We LOVED the Solarium on Anthem - not the pool so much but the whirlpools, no kids and quiet relaxing atmosphere without all the music and activities. Do you find the Solarium on Harmony to be a similar experience to Anthem?

Thanks and have a great time. I miss being on board something awful.

We were on the same cruise - Room 11580 and also had the Costco package. Loved every minute - your pics are great. Love reliving it!!

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We are on the Anthem right now and my husband said he'd gladly pay for a "don't harass me package" which includes a bracelet so no one approaches him on board to try to sell him anything.

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Thank you all so much! I have been completely stressed because 2 of my friends and I are celebrating the big 5-0 and this is our gift to ourselves. The ONLY thing that I wanted to do was this IFly thing. I didn't realize that you could book everything online in advance. I was DEVASTATED to learn that it was all booked up-- to the point that I called what I thought was corporate to see if there was anything they could do to secure a spot. I got 2 different stories: 1. There would be spots available when I board and 2. Whoever told you that there would be spots available doesn't know what they are talking about and they are going to look into who told me that. Too much drama. I was disappointed at the conflicting reports and that both parties worked for Royal Caribbean and two totally different answers. Thank you for reading and trying to assist. I will go immediately upon boarding to the desk to try to secure a spot.

If it was the sailing this Thursday June 8 I'd be more than happy to give you my reservation. Let me know if it is.

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There is no enforcement of dress code...wear what you want...but please..not "shorts" on formal night!

Never! No worries there. I'll be dressed up cause I love it and DH in dress pants and dress shirt.

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We just got off Oasis today. For formal nights my husband wore a dress shirt and tie, no jacket. He felt dressed appropriately. We saw men dressed in everything from shorts to tuxedos.

So to answer your question- no men are not required to wear a jacket.

Have fun and enjoy your cruise!

 

 

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Thanks!!! Good to know. We leave Wednesday to go on Anthem. So excited!!!

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The men I have cruised with have worn chino's and a shirt. Looks far to hot wearing jacket and a tight bow too! Annoyingly it's so much easier for the men!!!!

 

 

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I love dressing up and have had a blast shopping for new dresses and shoes. DH not so much lol, but he does want to be presentable.

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Yes I'm aware of the one million threads on this issue and have spent many an hour being entertained by such but I'm gonna go ahead and ask anyway. [emoji12]

It's been many years since we cruised on RCL (last couple of cruises were Celebrity and NCL).

My husband was hoping to just wear dress pants and a dress shirt, no tie or jacket. Since he would only wear a jacket from the entrance of the dining room to the table it's a waste of good luggage space. Is that going to be OK? I remember the last time we cruised RCL they were pretty strict about jackets if I remember correctly. Or I could be confusing that with an old Seinfeld episode, either way I thought I'd check.

So all that to ask: are men required to wear a jacket to enter the MDR on formal night? Thanks!

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Wow this is fabulous info!! Thanks so much for taking the time, I will be taking a screen shot of this to save to my phone.

Yeah I've gotten in trouble following nav systems before, I will literally drive into the ocean if it tells me to do so. ;p Thankfully my husband and I will be sharing the driving so he should stop me from driving into any bodies of water lol. It's amazing how easy it is to rely solely on tech, well for me anyway.

Yes, Century 21 is at "The Mills at Jersey Gardens" outlet malls - just off the NJ Turnpike, opposite EWR / Newark Int'l Airport. An easy visual / landmark if you are driving along the Turnpike, heading south is the big "Ikea" store, just north of "The Mills"

 

Be advised that GPS/Navigation seemed to get confused in that area, for whatever reasons, typically as you are exiting and/or getting onto the Turnpike & local routes - (Rt. 1/ Rt. 9) - pay close attention to those signs as well as your GPS Mapping app, when in doubt - follow the road signs instead - traffic near the outlet malls are either going to/coming from there - heading back onto the Turnpike and/or toward the airport. Slow it down - there are enough places further up/down to do a legal U-turn or worst, take the next exit on the turnpike & come around.

 

Assumed that you are coming from the Ontario area down thru central NY (Syracuse, Rochester, Binghamton, Scranton into NJ via I-80. For an afternoon drive toward your hotel/cruise point - unless real-time traffic navigation is saying otherwise, your easiest & best approach is to take I-287 South @ Exit 43 on I-80 East for Morristown ... along that route before you take the exit for I-78 East is "The Mall at Short Hills" (that's high end & designer shopping, mostly)

 

Otherwise, if traffic is flowing smoothly (most of the PM congestions are outbound, leaving the NYC area for the suburbs, unless ...) - continue to I-78 East, use the Express lanes. Frontage Road is Exit 58B on I-78 East. That's an area just north of Newark Airport with a web of service roadways and turns - this approach would put you just 1/2 mile from the hotel.

 

As noted above, The Mall at Short Hills is great for upscale shoppers vs. Jersey Gardens for bargain & outlet buying.

Which route are you taking to get to the Ramada? I80 to NJ Turnpike south or I78? There will be traffic, but it should be moving inbound unless there is an accident. My impression is that the roads to avoid are I280 and the Garden State Parkway.

 

Jersey Gardens Mall would be a good destination - just one exit from exit 14 to exit 13A on the NJ Turnpike. Please note that if you approach the Ramada from turnpike exit 14, you need to be on the right side of the toll booths because Frontage Road is almost an immediate exit with a small sign and you could miss it if you're not in the right lane. At exit 13A the Jersey Gardens Mall is clearly marked.

Great info - thanks so much!! As for the route, I was just going to go with whatever the nav systems says lol. I'll keep an eye on the ones you said to avoid though.

I saw there was a Century 21 not far from the hotel as well, wouldn't mind checking that out as we don't have them in Canada. Maybe just do that and grab a bite to eat and then rest up for the night. Hmmm, looking at the map, is that Century 21 in the same mall/area as the Jersey Gardens Mall - looks it may be. Awesome.

We will be driving in this coming Wednesday and staying at the Ramada on Frontage Road. Is there anything to do around there (or within a 30 minute drive) on a Wednesday night - such as malls, restaurants? Thanks.

(edit - I just found "The Mills at Jersey Gardens" which looks like a great mall - 15 minute drive)

And is rush hour a really horrible time to arrive? We are driving from Canada and part of the reason this was an attractive option was not having to get up in the middle of the night to get to an airport. We were hoping to leave around 8:00 am which would put us in the area around 5:00 ish - maybe a bit later depending on stops along the way.

Hi there - we are on the same cruise and in Ottawa. :D But we won't be up at 3:00 am - that's half the reason we wanted to drive, so we wouldn't have to get up in the middle of the night lol. But we are going in a day early and staying at a hotel we booked with Trinity Reservations and leaving the car there.

We too are from Ottawa and are driving to Cape Liberty for our June 8th cruise on Anthem. We've driven to the Manhattan terminal twice. So obviously we recommend it. For us the pain and cost of getting to the airport, checking in early for international flight the getting to cruise port isn't worth it to save maybe a couple of hours of time.

 

We plan on leaving June 8th. at 3AM trying to get to port by 10:30-11:00 AM. Leaving at 3AM puts us in Syracuse at 6AM, and Binghamton at around 7:15AM and Scranton PA around 8:15AM.

Just understand to use the freestyle machines you need to use the cups with the chips in them. The cups are part of the package so no extra cost. You will just need to carry the cups to the machines to get and store the water. Not as simple as carrying a bottle off the ship for an excursion but definitely doable if you are prepared.

 

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Even with the Evian package you can't do that with one litre bottles anyway. Wish they wouldn't be so cheap with bottled water and just include it with the cruise fare. [emoji849]

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The coffee card is good for specialty coffees like lattes, mochas, etc. Regular brewed coffee is complimentary, so if you aren't a specialty coffee drinker, you don't need the card either.

I like my lattes [emoji3]

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I agree, the Evian bottles are too big and too expensive.

 

 

 

We get the refreshment package for the specialty coffee, fresh squeezed juice, freestyle machines and the bottled spring and sparkling water.

 

 

 

If you are happy with what comes in the freestyle machine, I would cancel the Evian package. You can also get ice water by the glass from bars and restaurants throughout the ship.

We got the soda package included with our cruise and I bought the coffee card so all I was missing - or so I thought - was water. Def will cancel the Evian package. I don't drink alcohol and don't care much about juice. If they would let us upgrade we would have but they don't.

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No bottled water is included with the classic soda package. Bottled water is in the refreshment package. The freestyle machines on Anthem have the waters that you see in the picture, well at least they did when we sailed in February of this year and September of last year.

Doesn't have to be bottled - as long as I have access to water from these machines I don't need the Evian package. They are 1 litre bottles anyway, not like we will be carrying them around the ship.

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I thought no water was included with the soda package so I ordered the stupid expensive Evian package for the room (around $65 CAD).

I just saw these pics posted in another thread - aren't these machines also on Anthem? They seem to have Dasani sparkling and regular water - that's all we need. If these are on Anthem I think I'll cancel the Evian package.

Can anyone confirm?

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If he didn't have this minor medical condition that is aggravated by alcohol, trust me, the drink package would be in order!

As for the upgrade idea - sounds perfectly logical and makes perfect sense, but Royal doesn't allow this. Why not is a mystery to me, we may have just gone ahead and done it, but they won't allow it. That was the very first thing I asked about. I did get the stupid expensive Evian water package, so now we have soda packages (compliments of Costco), and the water and coffee packages so we should be OK. The occasional beer or glass of wine that DH gets we will just pay for as we go.

I'm not sure if it's even an option, but I'm wondering that since your husband has the soda package already couldn't he just "upgrade" to the premium/ultimate whatever it's called now package and just pay the difference? I guess since you're looking at the internet and drinks package that may not be an option, but it's worth a shot. Then the price difference would be even less.

 

We do drink more then it sounds like your husband does, so for us it's a no brainer. I would still say go for it if you think he's on the edge of "breaking even". With out a doubt we drink more on vacation then in normal life (thank goodness....we would not accomplish much in real life if I started my day with a margarita ;p ) That way he won't even think about it if he wants just one more beer by the pool or a glass of wine even after dinner. Not to mention the coffee and water.

No sharing. I have the soda package (and so does he) and I am fine with that as well as the coffee card I bought. I'm not much of a water drinker so the occasional time I want one I'm fine with tap water. I don't drink alcohol and could care less about juice - that's just extra sugar calories I'd rather put towards other stuff lol.

He doubts very much he'd even have that much alcohol. He has a bit of a medical condition right now that is aggravated by alcohol so he might have 2 alcohol drinks a day. So he'll be fine with the soda package and doesn't mind buying the few other things he may want.

So, I did the quick math, based on my cruise this spring, and you would be right on the cusp :) If he for sure did 2 glasses of wine each night and 2 beers, then you'd probably be just over $45. However, if the # of drinks you mention above are for both of you (ie, juice for you, alcohol for him), and since you aren't supposed to share a drink package, you would be better off just paying as you go.

 

 

Drink package pays off for the DH and I, because we EACH get at least the following each day:

- 3 bottles of water

- fancy coffee (ok, well that one is just me ;))

- 2 glasses of wine with dinner

- 3+ fancy mixed drinks per day (at least 3 on port days, probably more like 8 on sea days)

Just use Deet products. The problem is not your individual risk or whether you are of childbearing age.

 

 

 

If you are infected with Zika virus while on vacation, you will bring it back to your home state. The risk is that you are bitten back at home by a mosquito, that may spread it to people that are of child bearing age or their partners.

 

 

 

I agree that it is a rare thing....and it seems to no longer be a news story. :rolleyes: I have more of a problem with no see ums. Major problem.

What are "no see ums" or should I ask lol? (Just googled it, never heard that before, I as thinking it was some sort of joke lol)

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If you aren't pregnant and have no chance of getting pregnant than you have nothing to worry about... Could you get Zika? Of course but besides the minor symptoms you would experience you would have no long term affects (check out the CDC website)

 

 

 

My wife and I cruise a couple times a year and are actively trying to get pregnant. We spoke with her OB about it and she said to not change our lifestyle over the fear of something that "could possibly happen"

 

 

 

I don't want this to turn into a big Zika debate but my wife and I decided to go about our life but to take some preventative action with getting some bug spray that had a high amount of Deet... Which of course has the possibility of causing cancer... but we figure its only for a week so whats the worst that could happen.

 

 

 

https://www.amazon.com/OFF-01849-Deep-Woods-Sportsmen/dp/B0000CBJBD

 

 

 

That's the stuff we bought. Highest DEET content we could find. Never saw or got bit by a bug then entire trip.

 

 

 

Go enjoy your cruise!!!

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I was on a Caribbean cruise in the height of Zika panic last summer. We left from Puerto Rico and spent 4 days there after the cruise including a visit to the rainforest. I bought mosquito repellent wrist bands and super duper insect repellent with Picaridin that I found on line. No bites, only time I ever saw a mosquito was when I stupidly left the hotel room sliding door open with the lights on at night and invited all the bugs in!

We will be on Allure in July, I'll just get the wrist bands and repellent again. I am more concerned about bringing it home in my blood to our hometown mosquitos than getting sick.

 

 

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I'm going to use the highest percentage of DEET I can find but what are these wristbands? Never heard of those before.... ?

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Just shower in DEET every morning and we will be fine lol. I hope that stuff isn't stinky or sticky. Never used it before.

I just got the same thing for the Western Caribbean oasis I sale on June 4. Ugh. I think the chances of contracting Zika. I don't plan on doing anything different.

 

 

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