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You and your husband sounds exactly like me and my husband! My husband is so calm and laid back, and I’m the obsessive planner. He leaves the vacation planning up to me, and he’s happy as long as costs are reasonable for our budget which I always make sure they are. He loves doing new things, and he knows that I know what he will enjoy...even more than HE knows about himself! :')

Seriously, he didn’t even want to book this cruise on Anthem that we’re going on in April when I first brought it up to him. You see, he works sooooo much...a lot of extra stuff at his school (he’s a high school Health Education teacher but also the athletic director in charge of 19 sports teams!). Then after a few days of thinking about it, he was all for it. That was a few weeks ago. The other day, he thanked me and said to me that he really needs this to relax, especially in the middle of the spring sports season. He coaches lacrosse at his school and usually he will go in for practice 3 days out of our spring break but this time we will be away cruising instead! We have the internet package for one device and he said he is not hooking it up to his phone because then he will get work email notifications and he will instead completely disconnect. I’m so happy to hear him say that! We will just use my phone for the internet package to video chat with the kids each day, the only reason we got the package in the first place anyway!

Anyway I’m rambling on and on. Our cruise is still over 200 days away and I’ve already begun researching our two ports Bermuda and Boston, so I know what you mean by looking ahead! Can’t wait to read more, and yay only a few more days and then you’ll be cruising!

Chai Tea Latte with a shot of Spiced Rum. You can't get the shot at Latte-tudes but there is always a bar nearby.

Now this sounds terrific! :D

I have seen them use soy milk for specialty coffee.

Terrific, thank you!

Hi everyone. For everyone still following along...stay tuned! I have had a busy weekend at work but have a day off tomorrow to binge write the rest of my pre-cruise musings. They'd only 5 more work days until my live review.

Looking forward to more pre-cruise stories to read, and then of course your actual cruise and comparison!

No problem. Plus, if your hairdryer can use 220V (many appliances now have this capability), you can use a US to Euro adapter and take advantage of the Euro power outlet. My wife does that with her hair straightener..

Thanks! No 220V capability on my hair dryer. I don’t always blow dry my hair, but I definitely will need it for the formal nights!

After cabins open around 1:00 or 1:30, the Windjammer clears out.

Sounds good, maybe at that point we will check it out and take a look. We plan to board as early as possible so by 1pm we should be finished eating already. But maybe we will head there for some dessert.

Has anyone had these coffee drinks with soy milk, almond milk or lactose free milk? I’m lactose intolerant so I’m wondering. I do carry lactase drops with me just in case, but I prefer to just avoid lactose whenever there is an alternative. I had contacted Royal about this and they said they have all 3 of these milks onboard the ship, but I know that sometimes they give inaccurate information.

Signing for drinks when you have the package is hit and miss. I would give cash, however if you want to sign, just mention to the bar server that you would like a receipt when you give them yiou SeaPass card.

Thank you!

Yes, specialty coffees are included, and they will see you have the package when you give them your SeaPass card

Do we still have to sign for drinks if we have the deluxe drink package? Is there a way to give an extra tip on the sea pass if a bartender gives extra good service or if we have the same bartender many times throughout the cruise? Or should we just give extra tips in cash?

I prefer to bring my own hair dryer on cruises. But on the last cruise we took, on NCL’s Breakaway in 2015, I couldn’t use my hair dryer because it kept blowing the circuit breaker. I tried it twice and both times that happened, and then the cabin steward advised me to use the one in the cabin. Luckily it was a good one on that cruise.

Anyone have power issues on a Royal ship when using their own hairdryer? Mine is 1875 watts if that makes a difference. We are going on Anthem in April.

270 and Solarium Bistro are better options than the Windjammer. Not crowded, easier to find tables, and 270 has the added bonus of the roast beef sandwiches. Great way to start a cruise.

 

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We always go to Sorrentos and enjoy a couple of slices of pizza. Never crowded and we can sit, talk and enjoy our lunch.

Great tips, thanks!

These all sound so good! I’m so excited to have the deluxe drink package so we can try new things. I usually spend money on cappuccino at breakfast in the MDR on a cruise so it’s awesome that it’s included in the package. My hubby loves coffee with Baileys after dinner, but he also loves a double espresso in the morning.

How about the specialty teas? I also love tea!

To all my fellow coffee lovers...

What are some of your favorite premium coffee drinks on Royal Caribbean? We’re going on the Anthem OTS in April and we bought the deluxe beverage package. We plan to have premium coffee every morning and afternoon.

Children are allowed in the solarium Bistro. It’s only the solarium that they are not allowed in however they may pass through.

Gotcha, thanks!

Not usually, Solarium is usually pretty quiet especially on embarkation day!

Solarium Bistro not nearly as crowded as Windjammer, even on embarkation day. Smaller selection and smaller in size than Windjammer, but very calm and peaceful.

Sounds like this is perfect for us on embarkation day! No children allowed in there, right? Maybe that is why it would be less crowded. We’re going Easter week so I know the ship will be full!

Here’s a cruise compass. You can see the lunch options on day 1.

 

https://issuu.com/hochmania/docs/skm_c45818040907580/1?ff&e=2025714/60125289

On our August 23rd Anthem sail, we ate at 2X70 and enjoyed the wonderful roast beef sandwiches. Also, open in addition to the WJ, was Solarium Bistro and Jamie's (pay restaurant) and Coastal Kitchen (Suite only).

Thank you! Not staying in a suite so can’t go to Coastal Kitchen. Maybe we will go to Solarium Bistro or 270. Does Solarium Bistro get as crowded as the Windjammer?

On the Anthem OTS, what other options are there for lunch other than the Windjammer? If the Windjammer is crazy crowded like the lunch buffets on embarkation day on some cruises we’ve been on, we would rather avoid it if we can. It will just be me and my husband and we go in April. Thanks in advance!

Great review! We’re going on Anthem in April, just my husband and I. Our two sons are staying with my parents. First big vacation without the boys since we became parents! Can’t wait for this cruise!

We got the BOGO on Anthem for $20 pp last year. If that sale pops up again, I would not wait, it was only on for a very short time.

During Black Friday sales last year BOGO went down by $10 & I wrongly assumed it would go on sale again. Watch for a sale & get it as once you are 72 hours from sailing, you cannot get it, it is not available to buy on ship. I’ll never make that mistake again. You Thanks

 

 

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Wow, thank you both for the tips! I’ll definitely keep my eye on it! Black Friday might actually work out time wise for Hanukkah so that he doesn’t see it on the credit card bill beforehand. Hanukkah is early this year!

Any suggestions as to what I can tell him in case there’s a deal and I grab it earlier, and he sees it on the credit card? What can I tell him? We already got the drink package and the internet package, and there’s nothing else we are planning to buy (we’re not doing shore excursions; we prefer to do Bermuda on our own, as we’ve done before).

Does the price of the BOGO tend to fluctuate on the website? I check everyday and it’s been the same $40 per person since we booked the cruise. I’m not buying this until December because I don’t want my husband to see Royal Caribbean on the credit card bill before I give this to him as a gift. I was planning to print something out from the website and place it into his Hanukkah card, but purchase that day or the day before so that he doesn’t see it on the credit card before getting his gift. Don’t want to ruin the surprise.

Exactly! How could anyone else know if a person needs internet for 5 minutes a day or for 24 hours a day?

Yes! It really varies person to person. Some cannot be disconnected from their job while away and need to check email, or be in a conference call, or just be available at the drop of a hat. Some need to check in with family, like we are doing. And many more reasons.

I'm a bit confused by your question. Why is it ever necessary? Only each individual can answer that for themselves.

I agree with you. We usually disconnect when we go on cruises and we’ve never gotten an internet package before, but our upcoming cruise in April on Anthem is our first one without the kids. They’re staying with my parents, and we will FaceTime or use Facebook video messenger with them each day (it’s our spring break...hubby and I are teachers and the boys are in middle school). For this, we got the internet package (surf & Stream).

I am on 11 night on Serenade in December 2018, and I was able to get it for $39 a night plus gratuity! That's the best it has been. And now it's back up to $45 a night. Crazy how it fluctuates, but I'm pretty happy with the $39. I check all the time too.

 

I hope you all have more luck as your cruise gets closer.

I keep checking daily for our April cruise on Anthem, although I have a feeling it won’t go any lower than the $44 per day we paid. It’s now at $52 per day.

Whats most interesting is the difference across the ships, at the same time having different prices.

 

I just booked a 7 nite nov 2018 cruise on anthem, drink price $45, while my 12 nite grandeur april 2019 drink price is $50.

Are they serving better burbon on grandeur??

 

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We paid $44 per person per day for our April 2019 Anthem cruise. It is now up to $52 per person per day. Glad we bought it when we did. At $44 we will either break even or (more likely) come out slightly ahead. At $52, RCI would most likely come out ahead.

I am obsessed with planning too! For any vacation, I find out as much as I can and plan, book, reserve as much as I can. My husband and kids make fun of me sometimes for it and we laugh together, but they always thank me for my obsessiveness! I like to know as much as possible before I go so that once there, I can just relax and enjoy it without the worry. We go to Disney World every two years, since the boys were very little, and I plan each and every day in the theme parks so that we maximize our time with minima, wait. With two kids in school and my husband and I both being teachers, we have to vacation when it is more crowded. Planning helps maximize the fun and minimize the stress!

I look at “food porn” too! I also search for the restaurant menus and read them over and over again, “study” the deck plans and now I will start looking for You Tube videos as well. Our cruise is just about 7 months away but to me it’s never too soon to start planning.

Can’t wait to read more, and I love how you always end with “next up...”! :D