meadowlander

I was confused about the new voucher hours, since corrected but I am confused on this statement. If day 8 is not the departure day for guests, when do you get off the ship? On day 7 as the ship is heading back to port of origin yet still at sea???

Hope you are correct Mac. You know how to express yourself intelligently. Will miss Aqua 80's on Oasis when replaced by Oasis.

Really? Those on boarding day who were able to use their vouchers as early as they boarded and now have to wait until 5 pm, not a thing has changed for them? I enjoy a beverage at lunch just as much as those who need booze after midnight which they were able to get using a voucher previously.

There are a few, a very few 9 night Caribbean itineraries from NJ in the summer months. I agree with you, wish there were more choices than the Bahamas, Bermuda, Canada runs. Carnival's new ship has a 15 night southern Carib cruise in September or October 2023. from NY. Liberty could replicate the ports Carnival is sailing to.

No one has to drag me by the nose to sail on Symphony but I will miss Aqua 80 on Oasis.

Newark Liberty International airport (EWR) is the closest airport to Cape Liberty in Bayonne NJ. If you fly into EWR pre cruise for an overnight prior to departure, look at airport area hotels in Elizabeth NJ on International Dr which have more dining options than Newark airport area hotels. All hotel shuttles meet guests at Airtrain station P4. Airtrain is the monorail servicing EWR. If you fly into JFK, Carmel Limo & Dial 7 (as already posted) are recommended car services. Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island can both be visited from New Jersey, in Liberty State Park Jersey City, or from lower Manhattan. Ellis Island details the story of immigrants arriving in the US, can spend hours here if your kids like history. Statue City Cruises is the only authorized ticket seller. Liberty State Park also has Liberty Science Center. If your kids like sports, the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford NJ is home to the Giants & Jets of the NFL. The NJ Devils play in Newark. Both locations are close to Bayonne. The NBA Knicks (Madison Square Garden) & Nets (Barclays Center) both play in NY as do the Yankees & Mets of MLB. Arranging car service from Cape Liberty to Manhattan post cruise is the easiest transport. There is a public transportation option but it would involve a taxi ride from the cruise port & 2 different trains into NYC, with transportation then needed to your hotel.

Out of curiosity, I asked on Anthem this week. Can of soda was $4.30.

NJTP to exit 14A. At exit 14A stay to your left at the toll booths. Go up the ramp, follow signs for 440/Chosin Few Way. Stay in right lane. Ignore the small sign pointing to Cape Liberty via 440. Turn right onto Chosin Few Way at the split with 440. Chosin Few Way to the end which is Goldsborough Dr. Turn left. It is 2 miles to the terminal. Part of Goldsborough Dr. was recently repaved but the majority of the 1 lane road is in poor condition.... drive slow. As you approach the terminal, the 1 lane becomes 2. The luggage drop zone is first, the terminal can be walked to easily from the luggage zone, maybe 30 yards. I have never looked for a wheelchair cut out in front of the terminal but there has to be one. I know there is one before the luggage zone with room for a vehicle to pull over without impacting traffic. I would not recommend using it though as there has to be a wheelchair cut in front of the terminal.

I will be on Anthem soon and can update as to what time self assist starts though I think it begins at 7 am. What you are not taking in account is the weather. It only happened on my first winter cruise out of Bayonne but we were delayed by more than an hour returning and this was in December. Your February return date could be impacted by snow, increasing the travel time to JFK. I would not be comfortable with a 10:15 flight out of JFK.

Correct. There is no 'upstairs' at the terminal, not that it matters.😀

I arrived at Cape Liberty in October at 9:30 with a 10:30 boarding time. There was no enforcement of boarding times. Cruisers were allowed into the terminal and directed to seating areas after checking in. Boarding the ship, which started about 10:25, was not done by appointment time but by the row you were sitting in. There are some benches outside the terminal building with no protection form the weather. The best place to wait, to be protected from the weather, would be at the Starbucks on Goldsborough Dr. It is 2 miles away and across from Costco. You would need taxi or Uber back to the terminal.

Air2Sea had outstanding price on my one way flight to EWR from Amsterdam in 2019. I called Air2Sea earlier this year for the same or similar flight in 2023. I was surprised that the prices they quoted were higher than I found online

Glad you know that c-19 is airborne and can be transferred despite not being in close proximity to others. I am all for people doing what they feel will keep them save whether it actually does or not. I certainly wont ridicule people for their feelings and actions however extreme unlike too many who are bothered by others wearing face masks, motivated out of fear they will have to wear one as well despite that not being true.

You do not have to be in a packed or crowded situation, shoulder to shoulder or making physical contact with others to catch the virus. You can catch a virus from those sitting at the table next to yours in the dining room or 2 tables over or from those sitting in the row behind or before you in the theater or from those in the same row a few seats away.

Agree but I would allow one final chance. Round up those who ignore visiting the muster station, take them by their nose and don't tell them why. Then, if needed, remove them from the ship. 😄

Yes, e-muster was part of the healthy sail program. Also part of that program was eligible cruisers being vaccinated. Negative test results & proof of vaccination being provided to board the ship. Mask wearing onboard the ship. DIstancing while on the ship, one example being the number of passengers on an elevator. Royal has eliminated those practices. You want to keep e-muster, not out of personal convenience, so as to reduce a 'super spreader' despite all other congested ship activities yet are okay with unvaccinated boarding the ship and other health protocols for safety being ceased. Interesting.

Certainly because the passengers who may have been infected before boarding could in no way spread the virus to you anywhere else on the ship. Only at the muster station are you concerned of a virus spreading. 😂

As of this week, Quest is back on Wonder according to tweet by cruise director Mike.

Certainly not at South Beach, which has a basketball court, or at Breezy Bay which had volleyball courts & other games. Not at Oasis lagoon poll either.

South Beach is not for 'crew only', it is the only area on Coco Cay that crew members can visit & they get their by walking from the ship as they are not allowed to use any of the trams. I also disagree with your statement that the water at South Beach is quite treachery and has a steep drop off 2 feet in (from another post). Yes, as one goes further out from the shore line it does get deeper but I would not classify it as steep. It also gets shallower past that deeper area as I found out when I swam towards the swim bar. Having Snack Shack (the only food venue) on South Beach is a positive, imo. Having the bar at the opposite end of the tram stop was the biggest inconvenience for me.

You have it exactly correct. First time I sailed out of MCT, the traffic at the light to turn left failed to move for too many light changes that we exited the vehicle and walked to the terminal. Next trip to MCT we used 10th Ave., no traffic issues.

14 days on Oasis in October. I used my vouchers on coffee only from Cafe Promenade, and I got the majority of my beverages there. I had much OBC the first week and I was tipping via receipt, which I asked for so as to tip. One barista at CP told me besides the 4 baristas at CP , tips were shared with those at Starbucks and Park Cafe totaling 11. The barista serving me received 9 cents out of my tip after divided 11 ways. After his comment, I tipped using cash. Of the 4 baristas at CP, I never saw 1 of them in my 14 days. The one who made the comment, I saw with much too much frequency. He took care of me, not the ones at the Starbucks kiosk which I never frequented. I appreciated his service & his comment and however he wanted to share the cash I gave him was fine with me.

Nice to see Royal is learning.

Did Royal explain to passengers what was happening or did they lead the passengers by the nose off Anthem without stating why? Wouldn't be the first time.