teddie

Thanks for your take. Appreciated!

Our last cruise was way back in 2013. We are sailing on the Anthem out of Bayonne on Feb 4 2023, and after reading through CC for the past few weeks, you guys have gotten me worried. We are sailing our first cruise as Diamonds--and I think the daily drink vouchers are a great perk, But aside from that, I need to hear some good stuff because so far, these are my CC takeaways: Food has gone downhill and is terrible Waitstaff are annoying Anthem is too narrow and too tall and therefore, it (gasp!) rocks too much Coco Cay is a bore Entertainment stinks RCI IT stinks RCI Customer Service stinks C'mon! Tell me something GOOD! Teddie

Very kind of you, but I'll manage 🙂

Haha. I'm in NYC all the time for work. I remain unscathed.

We are new to Diamond and will be sailing as such in February 2023. I am extrememly pleased that we are getting 4 drink vouchers each per day, and have access to the DL. We pay upcharges for the things we really want, and have had great experiences on our cruises. OK; the highest category we have ever sailed are JSs, as we don't typically want to shell out thousands more. What I dislike intensely is the snobbery and entitlement voiced by some posters here. Honestly, you complainers sound like a bunch of resentful cheapskates. Sorry but that's how it comes across. Teddie

Get eggnog without the whisky in it. Buy a rum or whisky on board, neat. Mix your drink. Yum.

Exact same scenario for me--I saved ~ $70 bucks on that internet package and now they are hanging on to my beuatiful money for way too long.

@mjkacmom, can you answer this question regarding your departure time from The Riu? Thank you 🙂

Thank you--I saw this option but it looks like this resort is not fully open at this time. We are booked for the Riu. I will report back after the cruise! 🙂 Teddie

I am wondering if the room attendants' pay is being reduced. If they are working reduced hours due to this change, I would be surprised if they did not get a pay cut. Or, as others have mentioned, are room attendants assigned to other departments on board to make up for the time away from the guest cabins? I also wonder if the room attendants welcome this change or are they cursing it? Teddie

Oh heck no! Horizon schmorizon! LOLOLOL

Nope. The patch has layers that deliver the med in increments over a 3 day period. I wouldn't. Teddie

It may help with the immediate sick stomach, but wouldn't prevent me from getting seasick. Appreciate the ideas, but no.. Teddie

LOL--I'd barf, or maybe just be drunk as I'd need to drink it all day long, but glad it works for some! Teddie

Many people here swear by ginger, but for more severe cases of motion sickness due to middle ear/vestibular problems, it just won't cut it. I use a prescription scoplamine patch for air and sea travel and it is extremely effective, although not everyone tolerates it.

Wouldn’t miss the Acropolis. Needs a visit at least once in a lifetime. teddie

Thanks for your excellent review! I loved the photos ( especially the food, lol). Nice writing, too. teddie

So a vape pen is considered an e-cigarette?

What *I* want to know is HOW ON EARTH did someone smuggle a vape thingy onto the ship? (asking for a friend)... teddie

I'm sure you are. I was last in Jamaica (~ 10 years ago!) and it was $25/bag. Fat chance nowadays! teddie

Italian Line memories...as a child, we sailed on the Marconi and the Rafaello. Great experiences on beautiful ships....

https://bluemountaincoffee.com.jm/products/blue-mountain-coffee-jablum-estate/#:~:text=Typically sells for US%2465,the Jamaica Coffee Industry Board. https://www.amazon.com/Jablum-Jamaica-Mountain-Coffee-Roasted/dp/B0007ZPY18 https://coffeeaffection.com/why-is-jamaican-blue-mountain-coffee-so-expensive/ A few links for reference. It's great coffee for sure! Make sure you buy the Jablum brand. Teddie

So sorry you’ve had tough times. Right after we turned Diamond in 2013, cruising wasn’t part of the picture for a variety of reasons. Then came COVID. We are back on track for 2023. I was extremely pleased to book an 8-day balcony cabin on the Anthem to the Caribbean out of nearby Bayonne earlier this month for less than $1600 total for two. Yes— this was during the 30% off sale and in combination with our Diamond balcony and state resident discounts. Higher prices are the way of the whole world right now, but there are still some deals to be had. I didn’t expect prices to remain unchanged over the past 9 years, but what I WAS shocked about were the up-charges for specialty dining (haha: it was like $20 per person back in 2013), cabanas (utterly ridiculous as we don’t travel with 6 others to divvie up a cabana for 8), and some of the excursions. Finally, the humongous jump in fares from a balcony to a JS and then up to the rest of the suites — ouch. Hope you find a good deal soon! teddie.

Thank you; I appreciate that advice. If I actually do get an upgrade, I will likely be incapacitated with shock LOL.

Hello, I placed 3 Royal Up suite bids last week, but as of today, only one of the bids can be modified. Can someone explain why this is so? Interestingly, my 2/4/2023 Anthem cruise shows all suites are sold out, but I am sure RCI wants to hedge their bets to fill their cabins. Thanks, Teddie