spfar

3 hours ago, drumexpert510 said:

 

We will be getting on after you get off.  I'm looking forward to your observations.  Particularly interested in your shore excursions and how smoothly the port stops go.  Hope you have a wonderful cruise!

50 minutes ago, davencl said:

Yes I doubt the news article was accurate.  There is no way a guest didn't know. 

 

I just found the article.  It was a RC ship, not NCL.  https://www.wftv.com/news/trending/coronavirus-unvaccinated-passengers-barred-entry-over-royal-caribbean-covid-19-protocols/EIZDMVVA4RGVBGLODKHS6WF2LE/

15 minutes ago, roger001 said:

Until this morning, I didn't know RCL was requiring all guests to be vaccinated, mostly, except. And this is where it gets more tricky, fully vaccinated when sailing out of US ports, except Florida, unless the countries visited from Florida require vaccinations, then that cruise must be fully vaccinated.  The news article I was reading said they left some guests behind at Seattle who didn't know about the fully vaccinated requirement.....out of Seattle.  

I don't know how they could have not known.  Besides several emails clearly stating the vaccine requirement, you must sign an attestation as part of check in stating that you are fully vaxxed.

4 hours ago, Oceansaway17 said:

thanks as I never heard of it.

 

Now all I need to do is decide if I want to cancel my cruise since I just discovered manditory testing even for us who are vaccinated.   

Mandatory testing ensures that our cruise experience won't be disrupted by vaxxed folks that might unknowingly have breakthrough virus.  I'm good with any and all precautions that keep us safe.

The porters put on the tag to enable that feature.

Yes, the porters put the tag on, but they no longer have the feature enabled. We were on Anthem 2 weeks ago and my luggage had arrived when the room was available, but not DH's. I tried to find the feature on the app, and on the TV to no avail. Finally went to Guest Services where we were told they no longer have the tracking feature. They have until 8PM to deliver your luggage.

Two70 - and the frozen ones are especially yummy!

We were on Anthem 2 weeks ago and there was a large group of special needs adults on our cruise. It was awesome to see the crew interacting with them. They really went out of their way to make the cruise a great experience.

Hi guys, this will be our first time on the Anthem and OMG does she look HUGE and a bit overwhelming. What shows are a must see? Also, activities and anything else you think we should do or try while onboard?

 

Thanks

Big as she is, you'll know your way around after the first day.

As others have said, don't miss We Will Rock You and Spectra's. You should reserve them ahead, although they let people in without reservations 15 minutes before the show. Neither were completely full when we were there. Many of the other shows change. We enjoyed the comedian at the Welcome Aboard show, but missed the other one. The Rock the Boat band was fantastic and we followed them to several venues. Do Northstar. I am afraid of heights, but it didn't scare me at all.

So what was your problem?:confused: I've been telling this to posters for months, just make reservations!! We had 9:30 reservations every night for a 12 night cruise and ate whenever we wanted to. Sorry to see DD go.

 

Thank you for proving me correct :)

Not our experience. We showed up a half hour early one night and were told to come back in half an hour. Our original reservation was for 9 and we showed up at 8:30. (We had come from a show and had hoped they would seat us.) We were a party of two so it shouldn't have been a problem.

I'm curious about cruiser's experiences with DD on Anthem since they announced the upcoming end of DD. We will be sailing next month and have DD choice.

 

How was the food? How was the service? Were you able to get reservations?

We were on the 9/17 cruise. We booked late, so had very little choice for reservations and ended up with all late seating. The food was good at 3 out of 4 restaurants, but we weren't thrilled with Silk. The service was fine, but we felt rushed at Chic and American Icon. Grande was the best of the four.

We had a conversation with one of the Head Waiters. It seems the staff are thrilled that DD is going away. He said he always enjoyed getting to know people and their likes and dislikes. I'm sure it hurts the extra tips as well. We never had the same wait staff more than once, so didn't tip anyone extra.

We always liked classic dining and would have chosen it if we could have.

We also just returned from the Bermuda cruise. I can second what was posted above. Horseshoe beach is soft sand, snorkel beach is rocky. We Will Rock You is an awesome show. You should make reservations, but they do accept walk ins 15 minutes before show time.

The Journey tribute band was there last week, although we did not see them. Rock the Boat is an outstanding cover band and we followed them from venue to venue.

Enjoy Anthem. It's a fantastic ship with lots to do.

I'm pretty sure it was Oykos. And yes, plain and one flavor each day.

Well, hi everyone....first, let's say that this is our 5th trip to Bermuda via vessel.....4 have been with RCCL....Anthem - how is she?

The getting to Bayonne is okay, but the arrival at the pier leaves something to think about....they only let 2 lanes of everyone (cars/taxi/bus/private motorcoach) in at a time, which means you sit in traffic for close to an hour if you arrive around 11:30AM or so...plan accordingly.

Anthem is large, and beautiful....lot's of walking....dining venues/entertainment are at each end of ship....plenty of elevators, didn't wait very long at all for any of them....we had balcony stateroom, aft, on Deck 13.

Some have complained about the lack of seating at the pool....so happens that the pool deck isn't flush with the pools, it is raised, and probably only holds about 100 chairs around the four sides. Plenty of new loungers up on Deck 15....Solarium is double the size from the smaller ships in fleet....a nice addition...

We had traditional classic dining...never had an issue....set time at 8:30PM and rotated restaurants with same table mates and wait staff. I can see why they are abandoning the Dynamic portion as it seems contrived.

Entertainment is plentiful, venues are gorgeous and overall not a problem getting seats for anything, with our without a reservation.

Windjammer is good. Plenty of selection, with some staples every day like pasta, salad bar, hamburgers/hot dogs....if anyone complains about this place or the food, they need to maybe start cruising on the QE2 or something. Never a problem getting a seat, and many folks just sit right near the food buffets and never venture far back in the dining room....there is outside dining at the extreme back and it was never crowded.

Didn't partake in any of the sports items offered so can't review any of those options.

Casino is larger than others in the fleet. Looks like they took the idea of the open back from the Allure class ships and closed it in....hence, Two70....just maximizing space. Also, like the Promenade on the Voyager class, if you stand at one end you can see how they refined this area also....doesn't go up the full 4/5 stories, and off the side of those floors are some other restaurants, the bionic bar, etc. Another good use of space.

I want to finish by saying that this sailing was not full....overheard they were down about 1000 guests. All suite and balcony cabins were sold out, just alot of interior rooms not booked. Guess that made for not feeling overwhelmed with persons anywhere.

Weather was perfect, seas were calm, and the Dockyard has grown and changed over the years, and is a perfect place to spend the day.

Didn't know what to expect after reading some not so great reviews, but after sailing, am convinced that some people just have to complain to validate themselves. Would we sail her again? Most definitely.

We just got off as well. Review to follow, but I agree with everything you stated. What a great cruise!

And we'll see how this goes from there! I'm starting this with the intention of following through to a complete "review" or walk-through of our vacation, but we have a lot going on besides the cruise right now so please be patient and forgive me if I have to quit before I'm done! :eek:

 

Today marks just 11 days to embarkation! The anticipation of cruising is *almost* as fun as the cruise itself, and this one is no exception, but we have a big move happening before & after this vacation, so my brain is going crazy! We can't wait to board Anthem at Cape Liberty next Thursday and RELAX after what I know is going to prove to be a stressful couple of weeks.

 

My family is DH (30), me (27), and DS (1.5), and we are traveling with my mom and dad (not posting their ages out of respect :p). We try to do a vacation each year with them, but haven't done a cruise for a few years because we got a little tired of the same Caribbean ports. We actually booked this cruise right after our last vacation together in northern California about a year ago, and are really looking forward to the NE and Canadian ports. My parents will be staying in a Grand Loft Suite and we will be a few doors down in a balcony room on the 8th floor. It'll be interesting to hear what their thoughts are of the genie and other Star Class perks. And to see how we, as their traveling companions, are affected by them (if at all). I should mention, we begin with no expectations that we will see any benefits at all from their genie, since we are not Star Class, other than ease of confirming reservations for dinners that are with them. Just being together and not cooking or cleaning makes an enjoyable vacation for us!

 

We have booked everything in advance... well, kind of. iFly, North Star, Puzzle Room, and all 3 bookable shows are reserved. We also have the 4-Night Dining Package. My parents have booked reservations for specialty dining through RCL Dining for themselves (Wonderland on Day 1, then Chops once, and Jamie's twice later in the cruise). Once we get onboard, they will ask their genie to add us to their reservations for each of those 4 nights. We will not have any drinks packages, as we aren't big drinkers, and this is our first cruise as Diamond members, so we plan to use the lounge for specialty coffees, and happy hour for drinks. Beyond that we don't mind paying for maybe one additional special drink each day for DH and I.

 

We have not booked any excursions or tours through RC or otherwise, but we do have vague plans in mind for each port. Scratch that, we've reserved 4 bikes and a bike trailer in Halifax, but otherwise we plan on doing our own thing, which I will tell you about afterward.

 

Last week we did a lot of cruise shopping, and this weekend we've been trying to get our house purged and packed up. We have furniture being picked up for donation later this week, and our 2 U-Boxes being delivered on Thursday! Tomorrow I'll start doing laundry, and by Wednesday I hope to have all of our cruise suitcases packed up (so nothing for the cruise gets accidentally put in storage!). So exciting! ...Better go now, I'm supposed to be working on packing up the kitchen today, the worst room to pack!

We will be getting off on Thursday when you are getting on. We'll keep her ship shape for you!

Would anyone know how much a RCI transfer to the airport would cost and roughly how long.

 

We are stopping at WDW after our cruise but our hotel the Dolphin although Disney isn't official Disney so doesn't have the Magical Express.

 

I was thinking it might make financial sense to get to the airport on the transfer and then from there book transport.

 

I've done some digging around on the internet and a booked transfer to the hotel is roughly $80 dollars from the airport for the three of us or $175 from the Port.

 

As I'm from across the pond I dont fancy driving so any tips/info any locals may have would be very much appreciated.

 

 

 

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I'm surprised that the Magical Express doesn't go to the Dolphin. I would think Swan/Dolphin would be the same as any other resort. An alternative would be to take DME to the Yacht Club. It's the next resort over and an easy walk if you don't have a ton of luggage.

Thanks, everyone. I had assumed I'd have to wait in the guest services line on board. I appreciate the quick responses!

After completing our on-line check in, we had a credit card breach and need to use a different card. I went in under "edit" and attempted to change it. It allowed me to change husband's, but not mine. After several tries, I called the customer service number and descended into CS hell. "Gary" who answered the phone did not speak English well, and every question I asked was followed by a long silence which I'm thinking might have been running my question through a translator. He never really seemed to understand what I was asking, and kept insisting that there was no problem. I asked him if he could wipe out the current information and let me start over, or if he could verify the last four digits of the number for me, and the answer to both questions was "no, mam". I finally asked to speak to a supervisor and got no response. I asked if he was still there and got no response. Eventually I hung up in frustration.

I know we can do this on board, but I'd rather spend the time dealing with it beforehand. I'm about to call again. Does anyone have any ideas for getting a knowledgeable CS rep? I didn't realize they had an overseas call center, but this appears to be the case. Any help would be appreciated.

Yes, details please!!

I sort of feel that way. I wouldn't want anyone to be unhappy for me. They should have a drink that I had a good life. I died doing what I loved to do. Cremate me and sprinkle my ashes overboard. That is our wish anyway. Nothing morbid about it, unfortunately it is a fact of life.

 

For the others who make comments about people worrying over drink packages and other trivial things, what are people supposed to do, worry about death and dying? :rolleyes:

Exactly!

So I just told DH that if I happen to die on board, please quietly put me on ice somewhere and allow the other cruisers to enjoy the rest of their cruise. Seriously, how cool to die doing something as enjoyable as a cruise. No disrespect meant to the deceased in this situation.

Have been wanting to cruise out of New York for the scenery and cannot find any cruises that appeal to me. Like the Explorer itinerary leaving from New Jersey. Will I be able to see the NY skyline, statue of Liberty, etc. Hope this is not a dumb question. Have cruised a lot. But mostly from Florida, Calif. and Europe.

You can see the statue and the skyline of lower Manhattan from the ship while still in port.

Experienced travelers just bring a water-filter pitcher. That way, you have unlimited water, at a much lower cost (and better for the environment too). But those that check bottled water also have luck. It just depends on whether you want lower cost/environmentally friendly, or more expensive/less environmentally friendly.

Actually, the water on board is just fine. It's already very much filtered. We bring bottled for excursions. The Evian bottles on board are big and expensive. We also bring Pepsi because they have Coke on board which we don't care for.

We just returned from Explorer out of Port Liberty on 1/6. We had a six pack of soda and an eight pack of water in a cooler which we checked. No problem at all.

I'm working on a scrapbook for my mom who has alzheimers and came across a picture of mom and some friends on the seaescape Scandanavian Sky. The date on the photo is 1986. Anyone have an idea of where they might have gone?