jamesboat

I was on Anthem last month.

Smoked salmon was in the windjammer breakfast every morning, no need to ask.

It was also in 270 every day at the bagel station.

I believe it was also available every day in the MDR breakfast

IMO anything under 10 is fine

There is so little information on this board, I thought I'd help by adding some!

I was on the Anthem of the Seas which stopped in Martinique in January.

Exiting the ship was different than most Caribbean ports. They had some local music, and a few small souvenir huts, but don't expect any of the American chains (Diamonds International etc)

On most Caribbean islands, there are dozens of people ready to take you on tours - $25 for island tour, $10 for beach, $30 for private taxi, etc etc. You can pick and choose what you want.

Not in Martinique. We exited the ship and were not approached by anyone. We walked around a bit looking for taxis. Nope. There was a parking lot with several vans, and numbers, aka, fixed routes...Route 11, Route 31 etc. Great if you're a local, but we wanted to get to Jardin de Balata! Very different from Barbados where you can't walk 2 feet without being asked if you want a taxi.

We asked a couple of people (they spoke zero English) and they pointed us to a van. We stopped by the van and a gentleman approached us. He didn't speak English, so he walked us to a shop where the woman helped translate.

He charged us $6 per person for the trip to the Jardin de Balata. There were 4 other folks in the van, Two locals, and another cruise couple who wanted to go further (the volcano I think?). He waited around 5 minutes before departing.

The drive up to the Jardin was around 20 minutes in a mixture of city and island traffic. Traffic is much more organized than most islands. he dropped us off and continued with the other passengers.

At the Jardin, we were able to purchase our entrance tickets + audio tours with a credit card (Mastercard). The audio tours were available in English, Spanish, French and German. All signage was in French.

Audio tour was a good value. Very informative and expertly translated - audio was by a couple of British folks.

We had a very good time at the Jardin. Very beautiful. Excellent scenery, the aerial bridges were fun, and the audio tour was informative. I recommend it.

At the end we stopped by the gift shop. Purchased some souvenirs and some light snacks. Again paid with credit card. There is a restaurant as well, and clean bathrooms.

So now we want to go back! We walked around the parking lot looking for taxis. Packed with tour buses and vans, but no taxis!

We asked for help and were told where the bus stops. Problem is, nobody knew how much the bus cost or if they took USD!

We looked for other Anthem passengers but couldn't find any. The other ship in port was Costa, and all the tourists at the Jardin were either French or Italian. I guess Americans aren't big on botanical gardens?

Sprint offers free cell service in the Caribbean but the service at the Jardin was not good. I tried to load Uber to see if it existed and information on buses but neither would load.

Fortunately, the lady at the gift shop was nice enough to call up a taxi for us. She then told us to wait in some seats in the shade. I was a bit worried we were about to be hit by a 100+ taxi bill.

About 15 minutes later a taxi arrived and took us back to the ship. There was already 17 euro on the meter, I guess they charge for pickup service.

I was nervous about the cost, but the total ended up being 35 euro. As we neared the ship I asked if he took dollars. He didn't seem too pleased but I gave him $40 and asked if that was ok. At first he said no, then looked at the meter (34.50) and then said yes, yes this good! If he had said no I would have asked him to take us to an ATM. At this point I had cell internet and was able to look up the translation for ATM.

I was ok with the cost of this "tour" overall.

We dropped off items at the ship and then went on a self-guided walking tour of the city. We stopped by the library, the cathedral, and a park. Easy walk, and interesting architecture.

We also stopped by an indoor mall and a pedestrian mall. Shops were a mix of low-cost and European chains. Ie, there was a United Colors of Benetton shop, a shop selling high end French makeup, and a shop selling 3 bras for 10 euro! (Word of advice for the ladies, the French use a different sizing system, so look it up beforehand).

Overall we had a good time. I do not know how the other couple from the van made it back to the ship.

Advice: Have Euros with you!

Advice 2: Pre-download the Google Translate app with the French language package

You can eat on Jamies on land. I mean seriously, its a chain of restaurants. And if you dont live near one, you can find 5,000 other places that offer a similar menu.

You wont find Wonderland anywhere else.

On Anthem we got protein powder added with the Royal Replenish package.

On disembarkation day on the Anthem last month, I took advantage of all the open doors and visited the JS and Suites near our balcony cabin.

JS did not seem worth the price at all.

No. It has only trashed the NCL brand.

I disagree. Does it hurt NCL the most? Of course.

But Australia and NZ are an "emerging market" when it comes to cruising, compared to Caribbean and Mediterranean. As such, there are a lot more people who have never experienced a cruise, or know of people who have.

So when they turn on the news and see "major cruise ship floating at sea without power - tugs on the way" followed by "the ship has missed a dozen ports in the past month due to engine issues" they say "thats not a vacation I want a part of".

Again, the poop cruise hurt the entire industry. No, this is nowhere near as bad as the poop cruise, but its the same media issue at play. Nobody wants to be stuck at sea and miss ports.

Glad you put "tens of millions" in quotes, as neither you nor I know how much compensation they have paid out because of the Star. It could be "tens of millions", and it could be a couple of million, unless you are on NCL's board you wouldn't know. Are NCL's bookings suffering? According to their 3rd quarter 2016 statement, advanced bookings for the first half of 2017 are ahead of 2016's record bookings. We will see what effect the latest Star problems have for NCL.

The Carnival "poop cruise" disaster depressed cruise ship bookings across the entire industry for a year.

I can see this incident heavily affecting the willingness for Australia and NZ residents to book a cruise (any cruise) in the near future.

OK so do I get to choose the starters? I guess they will explain it to me when I go? Do you find it to be a good value for the price? Seems cheap to me! Also - same thing for the Italian restaurant by Jamie Oliver? Thanks!

At Jamies you can order everything on the menu if youd like. Note that pastas are available in a smaller size if you want to try multiple pastas without waste.

If you go to the shop and the price of a tin of beans goes down between this week and next week, do you go back and demand the difference the following week?

Yes? In the US, most businesses will refund the amount paid if the price drops within a certain period - 7, 14 or 30 days depending on the retailer and product.

However a cruise isnt a product. Airlines and such dont refund you the difference.

Chops and Giovanni are on more ships, so more discussion

What I don't understand, however, is the "paying what you would pay at a land restaurant" argument (against specialty)... that's ridiculous - and to those who keep spouting that, PLEASE tell me what upscale steakhouse will serve you *multiple* appetizers, *multiple entrees* and *multiple desserts* for $35/pp. Please tell me - as every nice steakhouse DH & I have ever been to, anywhere, has cost us bare minimum $70 per person for ONE of each course....

 

So, yeah.. maybe if you have zero appetite and aren't a foodie, then obviously paying for a specialty restaurant doesn't make sense for you... but surely you realize that many people aren't like that? :confused:

Sure, theyre called Churrascarias

We booked and were given Chops and Jamies. We wanted Jamies and Wonderland. Jameis was not available on Day 1 so we ended up doing Wonderland then Jamies.

So you do have to have some flexibility.

If 8:30 is truly the only time available, they will seat you if you arrive at 8:15

So did you book your Cuban cruise yet? This was an announcement that the booking are open, and those that book, are aware of the risk. Everyone that books this cruise, will know, that it is a risk. No need to let us know. It's not a big deal for those that book it.

You do not speak for everyone. Period.

Heres how I see it:

Part of the cruise value is the all-inclusive food, part of your fare.

So one reason I think it is silly to pay for specialty is you have already paid for the food.

Say you choose to dine at Izumi and pay $50 for 2. Well, youve given up on your MDR option, which is an opportunity cost I would value around $15 per person.

So in reality you just paid $80 for your meal.

Why would I pay $80 for frozen sushi on a ship when I can get higher quality food for less on land? Especially when the folks on land are gettng paid more and have more overhead to cover.

Same deal with the Italian options. I can find better quality Italian for less on land.

Then you have the "premium" reasoning.

Undoubtedly, the steak in Chops is of superior quality than the steak in the MDR. But....

many feel like RCI is intentionally lowering the quality of the MDR food to steer you into a specialty restaurant. It's manipulation. On our last 2 RCI cruises in 2016, both on the same ship, but 6 months apart, there was a distinct difference in MDR food. Not only had many items been removed, but what they replaced those items with was of lower quality. It was very surprising that the food could change that much in 6 months.

Part of what makes it superior quality is that the free (ie, pre-paid) option keeps getting cheaper and cheaper.

End result:

As people support paid options, more ship space is dedicated to them. As more space is dedicated to them, RCL must do more to fill them. That means steering people to them by making the free options unappetizing.

So one reason people HATE paid dining is that even trying them is "voting with your wallet" and validating RCLs decision to devote more and more space to them and decrease the quality of food elsewhere.

Disclaimer: The one and only time I paid for specialty food was Wonderland. Why? That is truly a unique experience that as far as I know, cannot be replicated on land.

It depends on the ship.

On my recent Anthem trip, everyone was supposed to be out by 9am, but we werent called until 9:30am.

We left our room at 8:50am and appeared to be the last people in our area to do so

So? Most people are smart enough to realize booking a cruise to Cuba is risky? Unless someone is completely blocks out all news and does not realize we have a new President, and that travel to certain Countries can change any day and at any time. Cuba, being a much higher risk than some other countries in recent history that RCCL changed the ports to.

 

I booked the trip, full well knowing that it is a risk. I know it can change. This will be my second cruise in 2017 that has a risk factor in it. It's a much higher risk factor.

 

My other cruise, tons of people would say, Did you Know? Are you aware? Of course I'm aware of where I'm going and I certainly always know the risk factors. So if someone books this cruise, and are in a complete news blackout, and it gets canceled, than they might want to check the news more often, but I see no need to randomly tell people what they already should know.

I dont think you understand where you are.

This is a discussion forum where people share information and advice.

We are all very happy for you that you are "fully aware" of anything and everything. Great!

So simply keep scrolling and move right along.

Think if 20/20 or Dateline got ahold of the story...

Email Consumer Reports

I also noticed on Anthem that Izumi was usually empty.

Perhaps RCL can take a page out of the Princess book and combine the wine bar with the sushi bar.

That would open up space for a new concept location, or an expansion of an existing popular location.

So? Drive to Tampa, hop on ship, go to Cuba. Something happens, trip is cancelled, put on sad face, and book another cruise someplace else. No big deal

You realize many, if not most people fly as part of their cruise vacation right? Especially when only one port is offering the Havana itinerary.

Thanks guys the website is a big help.

 

Couple more: I can't remember is Quantum class the ship where connecting cabins have a shared door in the hallway or is that on celeb?

9200 & 8602 are available but both are connecting

 

 

11318 is also open... all the way aft, corner. Do the balconies curve there or no?

My connecting door was inside the room

Keep in mind you may want a backup plan to any Cuba plans.

The Trump administration is in the midst "of a full review of all U.S. policies towards Cuba," with a focus on its human rights policies, as part of a commitment to such rights for citizens throughout the world, a White House spokesman said on Friday.

 

 

White House spokesman Sean Spicer made the comment during a press conference in response to a question about whether the administration of President Donald Trump planned any policy changes toward Cuba.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-cuba-idUSKBN15I2LM

Governor Rick Scott of Florida, appears to be following Donald Trump’s example of dictating policy by Twitter, with potentially far-reaching impacts for the future of US-Cuba relations.

 

In three simple tweets, Scott threatened to choke state funding from any Florida port that worked with Cuba. Almost immediately, two of them, Port Everglades and the Port of Palm Beach, cancelled the signing of memorandums of understanding with visiting Cuban trade officials.

 

 

...

Analysts suggest that Scott, who was conspicuously quiet last year when Florida’s airports resumed direct flights to Cuba for the first time in half a century, feels emboldened by Trump’s election, and is aligning himself with what is likely to be a tougher approach by the White House to relations with Havana.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/feb/03/governor-rick-scott-florida-ports-cuba-ties-trump

That was my biggest takeaway from Anthem.

Maybe 3 people in there at any given time.

The current belief is that this is less of a "glitch" than an easy way to make $13 per cabin extra. It seems to be pretty frequent, and it's been going on for a while. Best policy is to watch the credit card the accounts are attached to, or keep a cash only account.

The quickest solution is to contact Consumer Reports with proof.

They write an article and BOOM, problem solved forever.

I was NOT charged on my Anthem cruise last week, so I cant complain

Tampa, Florida • Cruising • Cozumel, MexicoBelize City, Belize • Cruising • Havana, Cuba

Cruising • Tampa, Florida

This looks like the best itinerary but theyre only doing it once :(

Even better if it was 8 days with a Havana overnight