Lady Hudson

Great but cold day in southeastern PA. Prayers for all in need. Celebrating birthday today with twin sister. Planning on a quiet dinner tonight and seeing kids on Sunday. Also starting to at least think about packing for back to back on Anthem of the Seas starting 11/6 and Enchantment of the Seas starting 12/1. What was I thinking — with Thanksgiving between the two?? Have Zoom meeting today with DH’s long term care folks. Pain in the neck but necessary to keep home health care coming to help out. Have a great day, everyone. Katherine

Thank you for your review. Great job. We are on Anthem for 14 days starting on 11/6 so I am enjoying reading and looking for any Anthem changes. I see none — which is good. Anthem is a great ship. Katherine

Oops. Missed the part that the OP is Diamond. Sorry.

I am surprised by these responses. I thought suite guides had access to only the suite lounge but not the Diamond lounge. Doesn’t this add to the overcrowding in the DL? Just a thought. Katherine

Great job, as usual, John. Looks like lots of fun. How was the “Cheers with an Officer”? I am always amazed at the different menus per ship. Katherine

Thank you for doing this review! Hope you have a fabulous time. We always try to book the accessible cabins on deck 3 because of the location — casino and dining rooms. And Anthem has the added advantage of the easy open automatic doors for those who need them. We will be sailing Anthem on 11/6 and 11/13 so really looking forward to your review. Have fun. 😀 Katherine

Love your reviews, John, thank you. I have started reading the world cruise roll call just for the heck of it. Have you decided who is watching Bell? Have a great time in Bermuda.

Thanks to all who post — especially Rich and Roy. Been a few interesting months around here with AC needing to be replaced, water heater had a leak and needed repair, 20+ year old gun safe (which is not used for guns) combination goes on the blink and nearly impossible to find a repair person and finally ADT system goes on the blink — going off at 3 am and scaring me to death! Whew — no more repairs, please. DH is doing ok and working with therapist to try to strengthen his legs. We are leaving on 11/6 for 2 weeks on Anthem of the Seas and I would like to see him do more walking. Fingers crossed. Prayers for all on our prayer list and for all the hurricane and gun violence victims. Katherine

Thanks for posting!! Will follow along. 😀

From your lips to God’s ears! Former NJ girl here — Mets were always on the TV - starting in 1962!! Katherine

Thank you Andrew and Lisa. Great job — it really helps us who are staying on land for a bit.. Katherine

Thank you for another great review, Andrew. How is Owen doing at home? Miss his smiling face in your review! Katherine

Wow — Owen — what a handsome young man. Glad to see you and Lisa sailing again and look forward to your review. Have fun! Katherine

Checking in. We have been away for a few days with DH’s family. Some family members flew in from CA for a mini family reunion. Nephew wanted to see family before joining the Space Force! They only take in 500 a year so a very select group. Prayers for all on the care list and for those in the direct path of Ian. May his strength decrease and no loss of life for all impacted. Covid starting again here in PA. In last 2 weeks four friends have contracted the virus — all fully vaccinated and very careful where they go — basically staying home unless absolutely necessary. One friend is hospitalized. Crazy! Covid needs to end — NOW. Katherine

Thanks for the lists! Still looking for missing captains Patrik Jukes and Ante Cavala. Anyone have any information? Two of my favorite captains!

Thanks, Mark, for posting. Just an FYI — last year when on Oasis for 2 weeks there was a similar problem with the Aqua show. No shows the first week but a few shows the second. For the first show invitations were issued for D+ and Pinnacles. Two separate lines to check in. So possibly be on the look out for that. Katherine

Praise for all caregivers. It is a difficult job. I am DH’s caregiver for just about everything. I try to schedule a time each week for a little bit of me time - I think that is important for all caregivers. Glad to have avoided a rail strike. I was not looking forward to more shortages. DH and I should be on Anthem of the Seas on Election Day so I need to get working on our mail in ballots. Have a great day! Katherine

I was in the library with one of my classes doing research on 9/11. The librarian came up to me and whispered that we had been attacked. My school principal immediately shut down all internet and staff was told to not turn on any tvs in classrooms. Our district was close enough to NYC that students could feasibly have had relatives working in the towers. At the end of the day we had a statement to read to students before they returned home. Thinking to today, with many students having their own phones, we could never keep news like that a secret all day. Prayers for all families affected by that horrible day. Katherine

May Her Majesty the Queen RIP.

Since we do not go to a lot of the entertainment the “sameness” doesn’t bother us. We like being at sea for the rest and relaxation. But really like the NJ and Baltimore ports because of “no flying” for us. To each his own. If the “sameness” bothers you just try another line. Problem solved. But really — I think Royal had and still has more to worry about than changing up entertainment. Katherine

Trying to make sense of the vaccination/testing information and just wanted some perspective from fellow cruisers. If I read Royals website correctly I believe I read you do not need testing if you have had 2 doses of a vaccine or one of J and J. No mention of boosters. So I read this as no matter when you got your first shot(s) you would be good to go. Any clarification on that — especially from recent cruisers? Our next trips are in November and just want to be prepared. Thanks. Katherine

Good morning, all. Special thanks to Rich and Roy for all they do keeping this special thread going. Prayers for all in need. I came here to Holland at the beginning of the pandemic to see how folks were getting home. I’ve never left! We are enjoying these last days of summer while being very grateful for AC. Our new unit has been successfully installed now for several weeks and is working well. Hoping that this more “energy efficient” model helps with the electric bills. I have started to clean out some closets as well as dealing with DH’s office files and “stuff” we no longer need. Can’t believe how fast paper files add up. All of this in preparation for what I hope will be a busy fall travel schedule and preparation for the holidays. Have a great day, everyone. Katherine

Last 3 ships I have been on recently — Anthem, Oasis, and Enchantment — all had the new biodegradable straws. They were great. True story — my first trip back on Oasis I met up with a passenger with whom I had sailed on Grandeur. His first words — I remember you and your sister bringing your own straws! 🍹🥤

Good morning to all. Very rainy day here in PA. Good day to stay inside. Four years now living in a townhouse. Time to start reorganizing closets and donating clothes we will never wear again — because of either style or size! Wonder why I continue to hold onto the formal dresses that most cruise lines are no longer encouraging? And the shoes!! Some need to go. Thanks to Rich, Roy and all who contribute to this thread. I do not post often but I check in everyday. Hope to meet some of you on a ship some day. We are in a bit of a lull and not sailing again until November. Continued prayers for all in need. Katherine

Royal already figured out the “only so many” can fit in the lounges - - now there are vouchers. Prior to vouchers we would go to a lounge just for a drink or two — even if the drink was a bottle of water or a Coke. On our last 10 trips we never went into a lounge — unless it was for a morning coffee or for just a quiet place to sit during the day. No happy hour for us. The benefits for Diamond, Diamond + and Pinnacle are far superior on Royal than other lines, IMHO. We enjoy the private breakfast, early on, early off, officer luncheon (which the last few have included filet and lobster) and of course the internet - which use to access my home tv provider. About wearing the pins - I don’t see the need (for me) on embarkation day but I do wear it on the Crown and Anchor day and for the Officer luncheon. DH never wears his — he is just not a jewelry person. For those who wear their pins all the time — good for them. My pin is the most expensive piece of jewelry I own so if I feel like wearing it I will. I do agree that some Pinnacles and other levels are aging out. I know a number of frequent cruisers who are no longer sailing.