NewSalt

We just got off Anthem this morning on this same itinerary and had a great cruise. Hope yours is as enjoyable.

One of my life mottos is "Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it." On more than one occasion I've handed my printed confirmation to a crew member who then carried it off to his/her supervisor for direction. I'd rather give them a piece of paper then my iPhone.

Just off (this morning) our second cruise with the package. On none of the previous nine cruises did our bar bill come close to the cost of a package, but the combination of a sale and a healthy OBC on our tenth (with a little prodding from DD) convinced us to give it a try. We definite did get our money's worth, even on port days, especially this past cruise with the addition of the specialty coffees and freshly squeezed juice.

A mimosa and/or Irish coffee or cappuccino with breakfast, a couple of G&T's or pina coladas at the pool, some juice and a bottle of water, and you've reached break-even and your pre-dinner drink, two glasses of wine at dinner, an after-dinner cordial, an espresso, a drink at the show, or a nightcap would all be "free." Now, that's more than I had in the past, but there were lots of times that I really would have enjoyed a drink, but the idea of adding to our end-of-cruise bill stopped me. For us, taking the plunge ahead of time made the cruise more enjoyable. That may not be logical, but we are not completely logical creatures. There are psychological factors at work, too.

We always call credit card company with our travel dates. Let them know the day and port or city we will be in and when we return. This way they can stop anything that doesn't look right. We keep different cards for internet and travel.......................RADICAL

Always do this and did it with Amex before our Anthem cruise last summer. Called back a week later and confirmed they had the dates and ports. Hit a sale at Ralph Lauren on my way to CVS in San Juan, and my CC was declined. Fortunately had another CC with me, but I found the experience humiliating and annoying.

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I don't think it would have worked out well at all for you all, you could have been thrown off the ship if it was security doing a sting, or what would happen when they scan your sea pass each time you buy a drink but there was no drink package on your account

 

 

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Why on earth would Royal set up a sting to catch passengers? I can think of a myriad of things the security staff could do to keep themselves occupied that would not alienate paying customers.

Now, setting up a sting to catch dishonest employees would be a different matter.

Not the OP, but thanks for the drying hints, the source for the magnetic hook and the travel clothes line.

Even at my age, I can learn three new things in one day!

We were on Deck 6, 6678 and 6680, IIRC, last summer. Like you, DD and DSIL like to sit out on the balcony when their boys slept. However, our rooms were directly above the smoking patio, which was fully occupied every night and often during the day. Instead of the quiet, relaxing enjoyment of the stars and the dark ocean they had experienced on past cruises, they were surrounded by whiffs of smoke and chatter. I would strongly advise against choosing rooms in that area, unless you are many decks higher.

Thanks! I know she's already done that :)

Just wanted to mention that we sailed on Anthem last summer with my DGS who has multiple food allergies, and the staff were wonderful! Really worked with us to to keep him safe -- and deliciously fed!

The funny thing is, here in NZ where it's made, it's one of those wines that are down the lower end of the price range if ya get what I mean: NZ$10 / US$7 a bottle from the supermarket.

Just for curiosity's sake and price comparisons, what would be an upper level NZ sauvignon blanc?

A couple of years ago, we traveled with several other couples, so there was a plethora of bags, totes, etc., off-loaded from our shuttle, and my laptop case was mistakenly put with the bags we were handing off to the porters. The porter picked up the laptop case, handed it back, and sternly told me NEVER to check any electronics.

I make it a practice to listen to the experts.

Door decorations with legs are usually the result of a prankster, or a gang thereof, moving the decorations to a door other than his/her/their own. Your neighbour, as you've surmised, was probably an innocent party and had no involvement whatsoever. :eek:

I really can't imagine the mind that would consider it funny and a prank to steal (not move) door decorations that were obviously the work of a small child. Someone stole my DGSs' undersea gels that were at the height a two- and four-year-old would place them.

How do you handle tipping with MTD? If you choose different dining times every evening and have a different wait staff, do you offer a tip after every meal or just not tip at all (other than the automatic gratuity)? The only time we had MTD, we requested the same time every night and had the same staff, so it wasn't an issue.

Thanks to all who took the time to reply. I appreciate the information and feel much more comfortable now.

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I find it mildly annoying when people ask questions that have been asked numerous times before and don't do a search for answers, but I'm probably doing that myself. However, four hours of reading posts, a call to RCI, and a couple of searches didn't help, so I'm here asking you knowledgeable people.

We sailed on Anthem last summer, and liked Dynamic Dining and found it worked well for us. We just booked a March seven-day cruise on Anthem this weekend on the spur of the moment. I understand that DD no longer exists, but there is a "main" DR. Is this true? If so, which DR is it? None of the four seemed large enough to accommodate as many passengers as the MDR's on the other ships we've sailed. Do Silk, Chic, Grande, and AI still exist? We have MTD; can I make reservations ahead of time?

Are there still formal nights? With DD they were the nights you were assigned to Grande, which meant that only a quarter or so of the passengers were doing the portraits on any night. Have they reverted to the second and sixth nights (for a 7-days) as they do on most other ships?

I'd appreciate any information since I'm not a spontaneous person and not booking 9-12 months out has me a little stressed.

On one memorable occasion it took one hour to drive from the parking lot to the road and another 30 minutes to drive the next mile.

The local news had a piece on how long it takes to get through security at ewr, in some instances two hours.

Since it's after midnight, SIX to our first cruise on Anthem!

We'll be in San Juan on Tuesday, July 19, from 7:00 a. m until 1:00 p. m. We'd like to take the Bacardi mixology class, but the first one starts at 10:30, and that seems to be cutting it a little close. (DH made me leave a World Series game in the fifth inning because he was afraid we'd miss the last train home.)

Should we pass this class up for this trip?

When lobster tails were still free in the MDR I'd eat 2 each time they were offered.

 

Now that there is a charge for them in MDR I won't be eating them there.

Which line charges for lobster in the MDR?

We cruised with both our DGSs before they were walking. I guess my DD and DSIL think its a good idea since it's the vacation they choose whenever we ask them what type of trip they'd like to take.

As PPs have said, much depends on the baby. My DD took her first 18-hour car trip when she was four months old, and it was a breeze. I have a nephew who was bothered by the vibrations in a car, so any travel, even to the grocery store, was an ordeal.

But I think a lot depends on the type of parents, too. Any travel with children is a lot of work. My DH and I enjoyed spending a lot of time with DD, as do my DD and DSIL with their boys, so we didn't mind the effort involved. On our first two cruises, DH and I babysat at night so DD and her DH could have some alone time, and we've taken the boys to some of the evening shows, sitting in the back in case the baby didn't fall asleep or got fussy; that never happened. The last few cruises they preferred quiet time on the balcony, with wine and cheese, reading and watching the show the stars put on. It was a nice change from their hectic lives. Some parents need more down time and separation from their child and would miss the adult activities they usually enjoy on vacation.

As far as health issues are concerned, I would never be comfortable leaving a preverbal child while I vacationed.

We've had two medical issues while on land-based vacations; one involved driving miles at night on dark, unfamiliar roads to find an emergency room in a hospital whose quality of care was completely unknown. The other occurred at Disney World when DGS was served a food that contained one of his allergens, even after all of our best efforts to inform WDW of his allergies and their assurances that they would make sure his food would be safe to eat. Despite their reputation for efficiency, they completely mishandled this emergency. We've always felt more secure knowing that medical help is only minutes away on a ship, should it be needed.

If you read the other recent thread about cruising with young children, you probably noticed that the majority of parents who've done have found it to be a positive experience.

They were very lucky. Two male missionaries were brutally killed in a remote part of Jamaica yesterday, Sunday May 1st.

I heard that on the news today, and this thread was the first thing I thought of. The second was the saying about God looking out for fools and drunkards.

I knew I shouldn't have opened this thread! We don't sail until July, and even those first familiar pictures of the approach to the ship got me excited! And now the gorgeous pictures from the ship!

I simply cannot wait.

Thanks for starting the excitement for me.

What's the reason for having to sail Royal? People who aren't happy with the product that's offered by Royal have the freedom to choose other lines, doing that would influence their decision more

I don't know about the PP, but for us, Royal is the only option for cruises longer than seven days unless we board an airplane, which adds about $2,000 to an already expensive cruise and adds the hassle of limited luggage, ground transportation, hotel stays, etc.

I told my DH that the gratuities were going up but that if we prepaid before the rate increase, we could tip at the old rate. He looked at me quizzically and said, "Are we so badly off that we need to save $10 at the expense of those people who are so poor and work their posteriors off to make our trip enjoyable?"

I remembered again why I love him.

Hi

I'm wondering if the lemonade is the same lemonade that we have in the UK.

It's a bit like sprite, clear and fizzy. It's made by Schweppes or any supermarket. I always prefer lemonade to coke when have soft drinks and drink it with southern comfort if I want a stronger drink :D

If so, then I will be very happy and not need to spend very much on drinks at all.

Thanks

Sorry, but you'll have to hit the old piggy bank. It's water with lemon (or "lemon flavor") and sugar.

Thanks for the replies! We're so excited to try the Anthem!