powelweb

We sailed on Oasis last fall and played pickleball during the open play mornings. It was a show up and play approach, no reservations.

I think the closest you could get to a reservation would be to sign up for their clinic with a charge.

On oasis this week, and movie trivia had a small "Oscar-like" trophy for winners, but only 1 for the team. Never seen it before.

When our son was young, we developed a nap habit as part of his schedule, but we've kept our afternoon siesta ever since. It helps us attend more nightlife events.

51 minutes ago, Dewaldcruiser said:

Is the toiletry bag a new item?  Haven't seen it before.

I don't know what the current toiletry bags look like, but we received this one on Jewel in 2004. It's wonderful as you can hang it on the door handle.

I can highly recommend "Rome in Limo" to book tours at any ports in Italy.

We used them in Livorno to take us to the Tower of Pisa and then onto the town of Lucca where my DH and son played a round of disc golf on a local course overlooking the scenery. We finished the day with lunch at a local restaurant in Lucca before heading back to port.

We also used them in Rome and in Naples. In Naples, we arranged for a tour guide at Pompeii which added so much to our experience- she had a 3 ring binder to show us comparison pictures to understand what each building was like back in the day. We also toured Positano and the Amalfi coast with our driver- spectacular.

They do an amazing job customizing your day to fit your interests and stay ahead/away from the crowds. Our party consisted of myself, DH and our 12 yr old son, and we were able to take breaks throughout the days to grab gelato and drinks as we pleased.

16 hours ago, princeton123211 said:

Just make sure they are actually electric-- those city bikes are massively heavy and it would be miserable biking with a non electric one of those in the swelteringly humid heat of mid summer in Bermuda. 

Looking on their App, you can see the bikes available at the various locations on the island, including how much charge they have in km. Seems like they are electric based on that information.

Anyone try Pink yet? This is Bermuda's bike sharing program similar to those in many big cities (like the blue bikes here in Boston).

You can rent these electric bikes with helmets included for a $4 unlock fee + .25 per minute. You can also pause your rental for .15 per minute (to keep your bike assigned to you) while you grab lunch or visit a tourist attraction, and then continue your bike ride.

I'm really excited about this option and interested to hear if anyone has tried it yet. I downloaded the app, and it has a terrific map of the island which shows all the Pink locations you can access and return bikes.

https://www.royalgazette.com/local-business/business/article/20220928/scooter-mart-launches-electric-bike-sharing/

We're coming back to Celebrity after sailing on RCL for several years, and we're in the same boat concerning the new rule about everyone 21+ in the same cabin must upgrade to the same drink package.

We currently have classic, but the premium list is really where DH's preferences are while I don't drink at all. 

Any chance X will shift to RCL's policy that only requires some level of drink package for all 21+ pax in the same cabin? 

Our cruise isn't until 2024, so I'm hopeful for time will help on this. 

I highly recommend watching the Coco Cay review on RCL's blog- it's a great 20-minute video review when Perfect Day at Coco Cay launched that shows all the island areas, things to do and food stops.

We still have toiletry bags from C&A that we received on a Jewel sailing in 2004 that we use on every cruise. I would love to get more if they are back.

Loving your review, and can't wait for more!

When we did a Med cruise in 2015, we chose a 12-night Vision cruise over a newer ship as we planned long excursion days and early to bed evenings. Didn't want to spend $$$ on private excursions only to be dragging all day because we were out too late enjoying all the activities onboard. 

We prefer to sail the newer ships for TAs or Caribbean sailings when the focus is the focus.

Good luck with your choice!

We are also on Anthen the first week of Dec, and Spectra's Cabaret is available in our planner to reserve.

We reserved Day 3 (orlando) at 9:15pm. There are shows on Days 1, 3, 4 and 6 but the system won't let me see the times for each show since we've already booked.

In addition to having Thanksgiving at sea (where I was the only one of our party who ordered the traditional turkey dinner), we stopped at St. Thomas for Black Friday shopping and were able to make a significant dent in our holiday shopping.

Do the balconies open on anthem? we have 3 families sailing side by side, and would love to have this additional access if possible.

We did one 4 day Disney cruise 10+ years ago when our kid was young, even though we usually cruise Royal. What I remember most beyond just so many kids everywhere was that there seemed to be more "me and my kid first" attitude which I attributed to the pricing level- people who didn't usually cruise were on board because it was Disney, and they wanted to get their money's worth.

I had said we would only do a 7 night or longer if we did Disney again, but we haven't.

I did love the shows- they were magical for sure.

Back in 2002, DH and I were flying with another couple from Boston to FLL for a week-long cruise, and we flew down on day of departure.

We had a 6am non-stop flight from Boston that was scheduled to land in FLL at 9am for a 4pm cruise departure.

The plane had a mechanical delay and we didn't leave Boston until 9:30 am, and I spent the entire time sitting on the tarmac worrying that we would miss our ship. We made it, but it was way too close for me.

That was the last time I flew in on the day of departure. OP- feel free to share with your friends.

DH did chef's table on Anthem last December and loved it! I have a limited menu that I enjoy and I also do not drink, so we decided he should attend on his own, and he was able to enjoy the company of several other couples and singles our age. 

He is looking forward to attending his next one when we're back on board again.

53 minutes ago, happyshelly said:

We also had to cancel for our trip today to Bermuda on the Enhantment and forgot about the 80 dollars. Damn Rona got both of us. Oh well we will just have to book another trip maybe not to Bermuda

 

Michele

Sorry to hear about your cancellation! Hope you're able to rebook on another cruise soon.

47 minutes ago, Mrsberri0909 said:

Thanks all.  @Sunshine3601 The Big Box TA did call me back with a RCCL rep on the phone with her.  She stated that RCCL would give us a refund since my daughter tested negative. I still didn't hear clarity from them on their Traveling Party policy.  They wanted to be sent  a printout of my daughter's test result to receive a (cash) refund.  I didn't commit to cancelling at that moment as I had to discuss it with my husband.  The rep said RCCL noted my file.  The TA stated the refund would take approx 30 days.

Ironically, our traveling companion's husband tested positive for Covid yesterday.  My friend immediately called the same TA, spent hours on the phone, and just got a verbal confirmation that they would cancel their cruise and issue a refund.  The TA did send a cancellation confirmation but did not ask for any proof of testing. 

My husband and I are testing again today and tomorrow. We have tested every day for the past 4 days and came up negative. My daughter has been feeling better and just has symptoms of a cold.  She will test again tomorrow and if negative, she can cease quarantine as it will have been 5 days+.  We are all fully vaccinated and boostered.

I certainly do not want to get others sick and do not want to get sick on the cruise.  It is a hard call.  Alaska was not our first, second or third choice for a cruise and our friends, who can't go now, talked us into it.  I think ultimately we would love it and certainly could use a break (it will be our 27th wedding anniversary). 

Alaska is amazing but I also understand if you had been looking forward to your friends' company onboard.

If your daughter is doing better and you continue to test negative, you may want to consider still going. Please keep us posted on your decision, and give your daughter best wishes for a speedy recovery.

17 minutes ago, not-enough-cruising said:

If the person testing positive wasn’t sailing; why are you cancelling?

 It was our 18-year-old son who tested positive. He's wrapping up his senior year in high school, so we didn't want to leave him on his own should his symptoms worsen. We had booked this cruise to sail with family, and they also canceled last minute due to a positive covid test.

Having to cancel our 5/13 NCL Bermuda cruise yesterday due to a household member's positive test who wasn't even sailing, I forgot to include this $40 Bermuda non-refundable fee in our travel insured costs.

If you are currently purchasing travel insurance for a Bermuda cruise, don't forget to add in that $40 fee per cruise passenger to your cruise fare and other costs when determining your insurance needs.

15 hours ago, Mrsberri0909 said:

On the phone with our Big Box TA (can't wait to end this relationship after 3 years)... They said if we have been 'exposed', we can get a cash refund.  I'm like "okay... so if I go to a movie, and say I was exposed, how do I prove that and get a full cash refund?" - I'm on hold again.  I think they like to be unclear just to prolong the agony of this relationship.  My husband has fears that we will test negative on Sunday, get on the cruise, and then get Covid.  I can tell he just wants out of this.  We have avoided Covid this whole pandemic..

I'm so sorry to hear about your daughter's test result and its impact on your cruise plans. I hope she is experiencing mild symptoms and recovers quickly.

We had a similar experience yesterday as DH and I were booked on NCL's Pearl sailing to Bermuda out of Boston when our 18- year-old son who lives with us but wasn't sailing tested positive at 8am. He then went to an urgent care site for a lab test that would satisfy our 3rd party insurance requirements which also came back positive ( he does have mild symptoms). Since this was to be our 1st NCL sailing with family (some of whom also tested positive), we opted to cancel outright with NCL and file the claim with the insurance company instead of accepting an FCC. 

I made multiple calls to NCL, insurance company and my travel agent over a few critical hours yesterday to clarify our situation and reach our decision , so I can relate to your experience.

Based on RCCL's refund and cancellation policy dated 5/3/22 online, it indicates that you would be able to receive a refund or optional FCC credit for cruise fare paid provided you meet the documentation requirements. The policy indicates that by default, FCC will be issued unless and until you request a refund in lieu of the FCC. 

Again, sorry covid has interrupted your sailing plans, and I hope your family gets back to good health soon.

Hi,

I wanted to give another favorable recommendation for Rome in Limo. We used them in Livorno, Rome, and Naples. On the Naples stop, we headed to Pompeii where we had also arranged for a private guide through Rome in Limo to help us make the most of that experience. She met us in the parking lot, swiftly got us past the long waiting lines and in through a special tour guide line and walked us all around the various ruins with excellent explanations of what life was like back in the day supported by illustrations in a 3 ring binder. We also had a great day in Livorno as we had arranged for our Rome in Limo guide to take us to the town of Lucca after visiting Pisa so our family could enjoy a round of disc golf on the hillside of what was formerly an olive tree farm with spectacular views. 

Enjoy your cruise.

Wendy

We used these tests in Nov for our Anthem cruise and they were super easy. 

We're now booked on our first NCL cruise to Bermuda and I'm inclined to order the kits from RCL's site again. However, for the Bermuda Travel Authorization that went into effect in March, the test results need to have your contact info (address, phone number), do the current Navica test results include this information? Our prior test results only provided patient name and date of birth.

Thanks!