jamesboat

I am at a loss as to what the d word is

Your comparison is very much appreciated! Very helpful.

2 hours ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

I can not tell from Google Earth the exact date of the image which is weird.

 

In Google Earth, on the top bar, there is a clock with a green arrow pointing back.

Click that, and you get a slider to see the area over time. Drag it left, and then to the right again, and you can see the date of the most recent image.

On 12/12/2018 at 6:32 PM, gaylemh said:

Where are you finding balcony cabins for the January 6, 2019 cruise? I have check 6 different websites and there are none showing.  I have the January 6th booked solo in a 2D balcony cabin for $1503 with $300 OBC. I don't think you can beat that price.  I don't think I'm doing it wrong.  Is the $1400 per person without taxes and port charges?  My friend has also be trying to book the 2/3/19 for months in a balcony cabin.  They have been sold out for months and when one did show up it was over $3000 solo.

I cant provide direct links due to forum rules..

But I browse a website that shows a ticker for departures in the next 90 days. I then go to a website where agencies compete on cruise quotes.

Looks like you did well with the $300 OBC for the Jan 6 cruise, Im just noting balconies are still available, although without such a generous OBC.

The first few pages of this thread are an absolute goldmine of experts getting it wrong!

On 12/10/2018 at 12:27 PM, gaylemh said:

I have sailed on almost every 12 night cruise out of Cape Liberty.  I watch the prices of the cruise from the time I book, usually the first day they are released.  I book balcony cabins, and on just about all the cruises the balcony cabins are sold out months before the cruise sails. There are a few that may pop up with a cancellation.   The prices of the cabins has never gone down from what I paid within 6 months of the cruise date, when most people book. It has always gone higher.  Sometimes by double. On the 2 of 12 night sailings this coming year on Anthem. Balcony cabins have been sold out months before, prices have doubled and sometimes almost tripled before they were actually gone.  The one 12 night cruise in March that still has some balcony cabins available has balcony cabins for $4000+ for 2.  I have never seen a 7 night Bahamas cruise sell for anywhere near that.

This is false. We cruised 12 nights on Anthem for $1,150 per person on a balcony (excluding gratuity) in 2017.

If youre looking only at RC website pricing, youre doing it wrong!

Right now on the Jan 6 twelve night you can get a balcony for ~$1,400, so its certainly not sold out, and thats just 3 weeks away!

Great review! I agree with everything you said.

One tiny detail that caught my eye: the cheese platter.

If I had to pick the one horrible thing about Anthem, it would be the absolute joke of a cheese platter. Can't believe they haven't fixed it.

This pricing is insane

Your 12 year old will love the Anthem

I would just read Anthem reviews

When I was on the Anthem, JR was always, always, always empty.

I remember when JR was new to RC and it was free, and then like $2.50

Not a fan. if I wanted to go to a theme park, I'd go to one. I go on a Caribbean cruise for the beach.

Great review! That elevator "feature" sounds pretty horrible though

I think the big German cruise line is buffet only for included meals.

Sailing on Anthem in 60 days!

 

1) My 9 year old loves basketball, in looking at some of the recent schedules, it doesn't look like there is a specific time for it in n Seaplex. Do I assume that basketball is available whenever there is not something else going on like bumper cars etc?

Yes. When there arent activities scheduled, you just grab a ball and get on the court.

The exception is when there is some kind of crew activity (not on cruise planner), and I believe it does close at some point at night.

During trapeze school, half the court is available for basketball or soccer.

Same reason the San Juan ships dont leave until 11pm, the planes

Cool, Thats right in line with what we got. The two teens were a 100$ deal each. We totaled out to just over 3200$. The next closest matching package we found for our date/area was the Carnival Glory at 4800$.

 

Im very happy with what we have. :D

And I hope you have a great time!

I have never cruised MSC but I have been following Seaside very closely because of the ship design.

I hate how all the new RCL, Princess, and NCL ships are so insulated from the ocean. I was especially upset when the newest Princess ships completely destroyed the traditional promenade on the 4th or 5th floor. Want to see the ocean? I guess you can catch a view from floor 14!

So the design of the Seaside really appealed to me. Bringing us back to the water.

However, since I have never cruised MSC, I decided to wait for reviews. Unfortunately, the way they're handling the entertainment on board is not appealing to me, so I am glad I waited to book.

I hope MSC changes their mind. I'm ok with a premium option or two. But everything?

The price for billiards, IMO, is a gross insult.

Ifly on anthem is only free the first go and $25 a minute there after. Just saying [emoji4]

Are you sure? We went twice for no extra cost and had booked a 3rd free go that was cancelled due to weather

I completely agree with the power of perception when it comes to "free". But, in my humble opinion and when I do research on vacations I quickly find out that NOTHING is free.

 

The RC Anthem for the same week that I am on the seaside is 5950$ for a comparable set up. Without getting into the merits of ship quality/reviews, that is a huge $$$ difference. Its a 2600$ difference. Why? Because every single person on that ship, whether they use those "free" activities are paying their share.

 

Again, just my opinion, but at least MSC lets me get on the ship for a very reasonable price and lets me choose if I want to spend extra on things.

My fare was $1258 (per person) for a 12 day sailing on a balcony cabin on the Anthem (after all taxes) and received a $175 cabin credit. This was for last January.

That's about $100 a day. Isn't that about what MSC is charging? Im seeing $889 for the 3rd class balcony experience on Seaside for 7 days. That's $127 a day, before the final taxes and fees.

It seems like MSC is attempting to charge more for less.

Cruiselines do these types of things not for revenue but for crowd control. You can't compare the two lines as that isn't a major attraction on Oasis Class.

You can do crowd control with reservations or tickets.

Seaside: 5,179 passengers

RC Anthem: 4,905 passengers

Skydiving: Free (reserve time slot before cruise, can repeat if available)

Flowrider: Free (stand in line)

Bumper Cars: Free (stand in line)

Trapeze School: Free (stand in line)

Roller skating: Free (stand in line)

Rock climbing: Free (stand in line)

Escape Room: Free (reserve slot before cruise)

Billiards: Free (wait your turn)

Major design flaw.... The Seaside is same size (length) as the Carnival Vista and holds 1100 more passengers!! Gross tonnage is 155,000 vs Vistas 133,000... All this tells me is the extra weight is dedicated to an additional floor or 2 for the increase passenger count. Having to use the buffet area as a annex dining room is a disgrace. And if its true they are seating Bella passengers in this area... MSC is heading back to the 3 class designation (used on the early trans-atlantic sailings) at least for dining!!

I noticed this during construction which is why I have been waiting for reviews to book.

I think Ill keep waiting

I don't know if they are even having this cruise. Supposedly the special event people tonight get off tomorrow morning at 9 am. There isn't enough time fro the ship to leave on friday, stop in Bimini, and be back saturday morning

Theyre not traveling between two US ports, I dont think they need to stop anywhere else.

These prices are silly high. Maybe to limit parties bc can’t truly accommodate EVERYONE...

They could use a reservation system to control crowds....

Im still reeling at $10 for 15 minutes of billiards! $1 per game is standard at bars.

On RCL, billiards (on the same type of stabilizing tables) is simply free.

I had issues with Uber due to poor cell reception at the dock

$10 for billiards?

Are they insane?