Anthem Questions

[MaryCS62]

NorthStar is 13 people. It 'can' sway but I never experienced that. I would say that a claustrophobe may have issues. But it's only a nine minute "ride".

 

iFly - you watch a video and listen to instructions and get a chance to ask questions. I felt very prepared.

 

We're currently booked for Anthem Jan 2019-- do you know if Northstar has a weight limit (per person) in addition to the people limit? Also -- do you have to climb stairs to get to it? I am on the large size :o, and have issues with my knees (I'm VERY slow with stairs), but would love to do this.

[reallyitsmema]

We're currently booked for Anthem Jan 2019-- do you know if Northstar has a weight limit (per person) in addition to the people limit? Also -- do you have to climb stairs to get to it? I am on the large size :o, and have issues with my knees (I'm VERY slow with stairs), but would love to do this.

 

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/cruise-activities/north-star

 

The weight limit is 300 lbs. There are spiral stairs to get to North Star but there is also an elevator if you can not make the stairs. The elevator was broken on one of our sailings but was working on our other sailings. If you click the link, you can see the top of the elevator on the left and also the stairs to go up by the elevator and the stairs you go down on the opposite side.

[nonnie&dgd]

Not sure about the weight limit. They have a small elevator to take you up if you have mobility issues.

[gaylemh]

There is a 300 pound weight limit, due to the harness that would be needed for an emergency evacuation.

[MaryCS62]

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/cruise-activities/north-star

 

The weight limit is 300 lbs. There are spiral stairs to get to North Star but there is also an elevator if you can not make the stairs. The elevator was broken on one of our sailings but was working on our other sailings. If you click the link, you can see the top of the elevator on the left and also the stairs to go up by the elevator and the stairs you go down on the opposite side.

Thanks for the link -- I looked on RCI website but couldn't find. I also have a daughter who uses a wheelchair who might like it-- she can transfer, so no problems there. Won't have DH coming with us-- he is not good with heights/movement, etc...

[reallyitsmema]

Thanks for the link -- I looked on RCI website but couldn't find. I also have a daughter who uses a wheelchair who might like it-- she can transfer, so no problems there. Won't have DH coming with us-- he is not good with heights/movement, etc...

 

There is a wheelchair that they will have your daughter transfer to as it is narrower and fits over the bridge that connects to the NorthStar. I am also bad with heights and movement but was able to do NorthStar. Our first time we had a great crew member who talked us through the whole process and said the only noise or bump will be when we unlock from the deck and timed it to when we unlocked, ending with "well, that was it, enjoy your ride". It is a very smooth ride and you really don't feel the motion. I just hold on and try to keep away from others which can be difficult in such a small space.

[Floating Lanai]

My kids (11 and 15) love the Anthem! The bumper cars, roller skating, circus school, rock wall, IFly, Northstar, escape room etc. offers plenty to do.

 

The Anthem has an escape room?

[Merion_Mom]

The Anthem has an escape room?

Yes.

 

And there is still no charge.

[julielouhoo]

OACAggie, thanks for the feedback. Good tip about iFly and videos. And great to hear that you can get on more than once. I can see my kids loving this.

 

In terms of Disney...we're just like you. And even for the March we booked the Anthem, I'm still debating between keeping the cruise or just going to WDW (or even mixing it with shorter Mariner cruise). Our itinerary has us in Orlando form 12pm to 9pm. Not sure the excursion bus time (as we'd just take the bus rather than renting), so our time would be quite short...but how do we not go to Disney when we are right there? Question...were you able to book FastPasses...or does this not work for the one day trip ? When we went before, we pre-booked as we stayed onsite for 6 nights. I'm assumign for a cruise, you buy your ticket at the gate so am guessing FP+ doesn't work.

 

One thing to keep in mind when planning your stop in Disney is the timing/crowd size. We sailed from NJ to Port Canaveral during Easter week, a few years back and by the time we docked at 11:30 am, Disney was so crowded that they weren't admitting anyone else in the Magic Kingdom. We were planning to go to Epcot, so it didn't affect us, but a number of people were disappointed that they couldn't get into the Magic Kingdom.

[LuCruise]

One thing to keep in mind when planning your stop in Disney is the timing/crowd size. We sailed from NJ to Port Canaveral during Easter week, a few years back and by the time we docked at 11:30 am, Disney was so crowded that they weren't admitting anyone else in the Magic Kingdom. We were planning to go to Epcot, so it didn't affect us, but a number of people were disappointed that they couldn't get into the Magic Kingdom.

 

Thank you for sharing and the warning! Definitely something to consider. The excursion isn't listed yet (assuming that it's even offered), so not sure the bus timings but unfortunately we are only in Orlando from 12-9:30pm. So guessing we wouldn't get to WDW until 2pm? It is Ontario March Break so I expect the parks to be quite busy (not sure to the point where they close the gate?). That would be so upsetting ....and then what happens if we pre-purchase our tickets so we could get FastPass+ beforehand? Good thing you had Epcot planned. Feels like such a shame not to get to Disney World when soooo close, but seems like it might not make sense. :')Hmm..will need to see.

[reallyitsmema]

Thank you for sharing and the warning! Definitely something to consider. The excursion isn't listed yet (assuming that it's even offered), so not sure the bus timings but unfortunately we are only in Orlando from 12-9:30pm. So guessing we wouldn't get to WDW until 2pm? It is Ontario March Break so I expect the parks to be quite busy (not sure to the point where they close the gate?). That would be so upsetting ....and then what happens if we pre-purchase our tickets so we could get FastPass+ beforehand? Good thing you had Epcot planned. Feels like such a shame not to get to Disney World when soooo close, but seems like it might not make sense. :')Hmm..will need to see.

 

Do a search in this forum on Anthem and Disney, you will find lots of discussion about how early the bus leaves Disney when Anthem is in port from 12-9:30. It leaves around 5-5:30 which gives you very little time in the park and we did not feel it was worth the cost on our Anthem sailings. On one of our sailings, they cancelled the bus excursion and then reintroduced it at a higher price about a month prior to sailing.

[LuCruise]

Do a search in this forum on Anthem and Disney, you will find lots of discussion about how early the bus leaves Disney when Anthem is in port from 12-9:30. It leaves around 5-5:30 which gives you very little time in the park and we did not feel it was worth the cost on our Anthem sailings. On one of our sailings, they cancelled the bus excursion and then reintroduced it at a higher price about a month prior to sailing.

 

So you would get around 3-h hrs? Unless money is no issue, then yeah, not worth it...especially with march crowds :-(

Strange too they would cancel the excursion and then re-add it at a higher cost. Very sneaky. :mad:

[Floating Lanai]

How far out does the planner usually open?

[Clarea]

How far out does the planner usually open?

There's no "usually", it can open at any time.

[dpostman]

How far out does the planner usually open?

 

Like Bob said. With RCI there aren't many "Usuals" in their planning. My next cruise is on Brilliance in 430 days. The Beverage packages just opened up last week, the internet packages opened up about 10 days ago. The Dining packages 20 days ago and the spa and some port excursions were available since booking time that was 462 days out.

 

This will vary greatly depending on Ship and itinerary.

 

dp