Anthem 1/9/22- LIVE!

[Biker19]

1 minute ago, leen50 said:

Does the Promenade Cafe still have the disposable, lided, coffee cups.

Yes.

[LisaandRob]

On 1/9/2022 at 8:26 PM, Zeashore said:

Thanks for doing this! We will be on board 2-11, got the suitcases out today. And more importantly, tried on my bathing suit!  🤪

We are booked for 2/11 as well

[VernRDH]

We are also booked on the 2/11 sailing. Curious about ports since at the moment San Juan is out and they haven't been to Labadee for a while. That only leaves us with St. Maarten, and while we don't care a lick if we even get off the ship, wondering if they will substitute other ports?

Started packing today. 

[sammylou]

1 hour ago, VernRDH said:

We are also booked on the 2/11 sailing. Curious about ports since at the moment San Juan is out and they haven't been to Labadee for a while. That only leaves us with St. Maarten, and while we don't care a lick if we even get off the ship, wondering if they will substitute other ports?

Started packing today. 

I’ve had no notification that San Juan is cancelled for the 31st January cruise and if they don’t stop at St Kitts either I’ll be fuming. Ive booked this cruise because of the particular

places

[sammylou]

Have they changed the ports of call since you embarked the ship?

I’m worrying now as booked on the 31 January cruise. I understand things can change but we’re learning to live with Covid now and it’s fine if they change it before you go and you can cancel but once you’re on it, you can’t. I’ve seen posts on this thread saying San Juan is out but I’ve had an email from RCI saying we arrive an hour later there, Also posts saying St Kitts is out. All these places are why I’ve booked the cruise 😳

 

also can you find out what the projected occupancy % is for the 31st Jan cruise please 🙏 

Edited January 16, 2022 by sammylou

[VernRDH]

No San Juan due to testing requirements, I really think Royal is hoping things will improve and they will be able to stop there. May have to just wait and see.

 

[ticketsunlimited]

38 minutes ago, sammylou said:

Have they changed the ports of call since you embarked the ship?

I’m worrying now as booked on the 31 January cruise. I understand things can change but we’re learning to live with Covid now and it’s fine if they change it before you go and you can cancel but once you’re on it, you can’t. I’ve seen posts on this thread saying San Juan is out but I’ve had an email from RCI saying we arrive an hour later there, Also posts saying St Kitts is out. All these places are why I’ve booked the cruise 😳

 

also can you find out what the projected occupancy % is for the 31st Jan cruise please 🙏 

11 day cruise with 3 Stops St. Maarten, Antigua, and Barbados, the rest sea days.  Our friends from Canada are on this cruise and they are having a blast.  Everything has been pretty much a go on board.  They did the Unlimited Dining Plan and said its been great so far.  The ship is booked at 38% capacity they were told.

[sammylou]

15 minutes ago, ticketsunlimited said:

11 day cruise with 3 Stops St. Maarten, Antigua, and Barbados, the rest sea days.  Our friends from Canada are on this cruise and they are having a blast.  Everything has been pretty much a go on board.  They did the Unlimited Dining Plan and said its been great so far.  The ship is booked at 38% capacity they were told.

31st is 5 stops 

 PUERTO RICO,, ST. MAARTEN , ANTIGUA , ST. LUCIA, ST KITTS & NEVIS 

If we lose more than one port I won’t be happy because that will spoil the cruise for us as coming all the way from U.K. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[sammylou]

31 minutes ago, VernRDH said:

No San Juan due to testing requirements, I really think Royal is hoping things will improve and they will be able to stop there. May have to just wait and see.

 

But I haven’t been notified of this 

? 

[Biker19]

1 minute ago, sammylou said:

If we lose more than one port I won’t be happy because that will spoil the cruise for us as coming all the way from U.K. 

How about you look forward to 3 stops and be very pleasantly surprised if you get more?

[ticketsunlimited]

1 minute ago, Biker19 said:

How about you look forward to 3 stops and be very pleasantly surprised if you get more?

I would agree with BIKER.  While things are pivoting in the right direction and RCL doing a remarkable job of trying to stay around the 1% water mark it would'nt take much for a port to be bagged.  Go with an open mind for sure.  If you set the bar to high you will be miserable.

[ticketsunlimited]

8 minutes ago, sammylou said:

But I haven’t been notified of this 

? 

San Juan could change in the next hour.  The hopes right now is you are going.  It is not the Island so much that is refusing the ships its the ships not going because of the high amount of cases on the island.  You will find out when they are 100%, that might be when you are parked at the dock.

[sammylou]

Just now, ticketsunlimited said:

I would agree with BIKER.  While things are pivoting in the right direction and RCL doing a remarkable job of trying to stay around the 1% water mark it would'nt take much for a port to be bagged.  Go with an open mind for sure.  If you set the bar to high you will be miserable.

Well I’m not setting the bar too high, I’m trying to get what I’ve paid for. It’s costing thousands to come from U.K. and I’d rather not lose 2/5 of why I’ve booked the cruise. It’s not like I can just pop back again! I get the difficulties but I’d rather postpone if that’s going to happen but it’s not straightforward as I’ve got a holiday in NY before the cruise so am wondering whether I should have just booked another Caribbean holiday instead of cruise 

[Biker19]

1 minute ago, sammylou said:

I get the difficulties but I’d rather postpone if that’s going to happen

You can get a full refund, just don't mention fear of losing ports as your reason.

[ticketsunlimited]

2 minutes ago, sammylou said:

Well I’m not setting the bar too high, I’m trying to get what I’ve paid for. It’s costing thousands to come from U.K. and I’d rather not lose 2/5 of why I’ve booked the cruise. It’s not like I can just pop back again! I get the difficulties but I’d rather postpone if that’s going to happen but it’s not straightforward as I’ve got a holiday in NY before the cruise so am wondering whether I should have just booked another Caribbean holiday instead of cruise 

Damned if you do, damned you you dont, right?  I dont know your cruising history, not sure if you been on a Quantum class ship or even sailed RCI in the past.  I can say that my September cruise out of Bayonne on Oasis was spectacular.  Different time and different ship but the low capacity was a game changer that you will be able to experience.  Its like a whole different vacation by itself.  We have sailed Anthem twice and will be on again in March.  We are doing Odyssey in two weeks and know that it could be 8 sea days in the blink of an eye.

In saying that we are going with attitude,  expect the unexpected and hope for the best.  These are the times we are in for this small window of our lives.  Roll with that philosophy, drink a little more, eat a little more, and then drink even more.  You will love the ship and will have a spectacular vacation if you want a spectacular vacation.  Praying for the best vacation ever for you and please let us know how it all plays out for you.

[VernRDH]

Like others have said, try to roll with it.  Ports are never guaranteed. We missed Labadee the last time we were supposed to be there because of the earthquake. So there's that. 

Our philosophy is a bit different, we go not for the ports so much as to "disconnect and reconnect". So while we may have only 1 stop on our 9 night cruise, we take it in stride. 

Like they say in Jamaica "no problem, only situation" 

[BND]

1 hour ago, sammylou said:

I’ve had no notification that San Juan is cancelled for the 31st January cruise and if they don’t stop at St Kitts either I’ll be fuming. Ive booked this cruise because of the particular

places

Even before Covid, no one should ever book a cruise for a particular port.  They can and have changed many times for all kinds of reasons.  You can fume all you want, but we all pretty much know there is no guarantee and you agreed to that in the cruise contract.

Edited January 17, 2022 by BND

[xtremegk]

13 hours ago, sammylou said:

Well I’m not setting the bar too high, I’m trying to get what I’ve paid for. It’s costing thousands to come from U.K. and I’d rather not lose 2/5 of why I’ve booked the cruise. It’s not like I can just pop back again! I get the difficulties but I’d rather postpone if that’s going to happen but it’s not straightforward as I’ve got a holiday in NY before the cruise so am wondering whether I should have just booked another Caribbean holiday instead of cruise 

 

You can see the risks, as described by many on various threads on this site. If it is such an absolute dealbreaker that you make the ports on the original itinerary, my best recommendation to you is to cancel. Sailing right now without a significant level of flexibility will have you posting how miserable your vacation was and how ripped off you feel.

[AstoriaPreppy]

14 hours ago, sammylou said:

Well I’m not setting the bar too high, I’m trying to get what I’ve paid for. It’s costing thousands to come from U.K. and I’d rather not lose 2/5 of why I’ve booked the cruise. It’s not like I can just pop back again! I get the difficulties but I’d rather postpone if that’s going to happen but it’s not straightforward as I’ve got a holiday in NY before the cruise so am wondering whether I should have just booked another Caribbean holiday instead of cruise 

I’m sailing on the Anthem in February, but it’s also a good point to reiterate the importance for foreigners of having good travel insurance right now. A number of Canadians on our roll call hadn’t really thought through the testing and quarantine requirements currently in place, especially if Royal is changing their policies. 

 

I’m not sure what sort of coverage there is for COVID, but at the very least, you want something that ensures you’re not getting tangled up in the US healthcare system if you test positive and need medical care. 

[Jerseygirl1416]

14 hours ago, sammylou said:

Well I’m not setting the bar too high, I’m trying to get what I’ve paid for. It’s costing thousands to come from U.K. and I’d rather not lose 2/5 of why I’ve booked the cruise. It’s not like I can just pop back again! I get the difficulties but I’d rather postpone if that’s going to happen but it’s not straightforward as I’ve got a holiday in NY before the cruise so am wondering whether I should have just booked another Caribbean holiday instead of cruise 

If you’re trying to get what you paid for unfortunately that is setting the bar too high in these Covid/Omicron times. Most cruises are being interrupted whether it be ports, entertainment as well as dining options. People are also getting quarantined because of contact tracing and catching Covid.
 

 I live an hour from the NYC and wouldn’t go there for pleasure right now. Too many restrictions, cancellations and high crime. If I were you I’d cancel and do an all inclusive at a Caribbean resort. Good luck with whatever you choose.

Edited January 17, 2022 by Jerseygirl1416

[sammylou]

22 hours ago, ticketsunlimited said:

Damned if you do, damned you you dont, right?  I dont know your cruising history, not sure if you been on a Quantum class ship or even sailed RCI in the past.  I can say that my September cruise out of Bayonne on Oasis was spectacular.  Different time and different ship but the low capacity was a game changer that you will be able to experience.  Its like a whole different vacation by itself.  We have sailed Anthem twice and will be on again in March.  We are doing Odyssey in two weeks and know that it could be 8 sea days in the blink of an eye.

In saying that we are going with attitude,  expect the unexpected and hope for the best.  These are the times we are in for this small window of our lives.  Roll with that philosophy, drink a little more, eat a little more, and then drink even more.  You will love the ship and will have a spectacular vacation if you want a spectacular vacation.  Praying for the best vacation ever for you and please let us know how it all plays out for you.

Thanks, I have cruised 5 or more times and have done RCI twice before. I guess I’ll have to go with the flow but sometimes you want what you’ve paid for and it easy to feel disheartened by all this Covid c*ap

[sammylou]

22 hours ago, BND said:

Even before Covid, no one should ever book a cruise for a particular port.  They can and have changed many times for all kinds of reasons.  You can fume all you want, but we all pretty much know there is no guarantee and you agreed to that in the cruise contract.

Well I did book it for the ports, not just one but many of them -as most people do. I wouldn’t go on a cruise where I didn’t want to visit the places, that’s the point of cruising! I skip past many cruises when researching if the ports don’t interest me. If you’re one of these people who aren’t interested in getting off the ship, then fair enough but that’s pointless to me. Pre Covid,  port changes would have been very rare and quoting cruise contracts at me is not constructive. My post was asking for info as I’ve not been informed of anything by RCI

[sammylou]

7 hours ago, Jerseygirl1416 said:

If you’re trying to get what you paid for unfortunately that is setting the bar too high in these Covid/Omicron times. Most cruises are being interrupted whether it be ports, entertainment as well as dining options. People are also getting quarantined because of contact tracing and catching Covid.
 

 I live an hour from the NYC and wouldn’t go there for pleasure right now. Too many restrictions, cancellations and high crime. If I were you I’d cancel and do an all inclusive at a Caribbean resort. Good luck with whatever you choose.

And the NYC bit was the part I wasn’t worried about 😳

[sandycruzr]

23 hours ago, sammylou said:

31st is 5 stops 

 PUERTO RICO,, ST. MAARTEN , ANTIGUA , ST. LUCIA, ST KITTS & NEVIS 

If we lose more than one port I won’t be happy because that will spoil the cruise for us as coming all the way from U.K. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It seems very unlikely that you will be stopping in St Lucia and San Juan.. you may

want to reschedule. 

[sammylou]

11 hours ago, sandycruzr said:

It seems very unlikely that you will be stopping in St Lucia and San Juan.. you may

want to reschedule. 

Where have you got St Lucia from? That wasn’t even on my radar for being an issue ?