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? 99 days til we go on the cruise! 99 days til we go! Sun goes down and comes back around, 98 days til we go on the cruise! 98 days til we go on the cruise! 98 days til we go! Sun goes down and comes back around, 97 days til we go on the cruise! 97 days til we go on the cruise! 97 days til we go! ... ? ?

Final Thoughts: Where do I begin...? Let’s start with the ship itself. While the weather was a huge improvement from March, I still do not care for Quantum class. It’s not for me. @Matt mentioned yesterday while recording the podcast that it is a big ship with a small ship feel, but yet smaller ships (Voyager and Freedom Class) never feel as crowded as Anthem. My dislikes from my previous Anthem blog still remain. The WJ is a madhouse. The Esplanade does not move crowds. And crowds do not disperse well throughout this ship. While YMMV for motion, both times that I have sailed this ship, I have had to take meds for every sea day. I take zero meds on all OA class sailings. We Will Rock You remains my favourite broadway show that Royal does. Very talented cast both times. I like Spectra but this time it was not Terry LaVell, it was someone else who played Spectra so I felt that something was lacking there. The Gift still remains a mystery. Bermuda is beautiful. We really hope to go back one day. This sailing we dined exclusively in CK for dinner. The menu is your regular 7 night menu across the fleet. They repeated the Night 1 & 2 menu to make up for the 9 night sailing. I have the menus on PDF on the “Dining” section of the message boards. It is the same as Harmony and the rest of the fleet. I will provide the link when I get home. I did learn that CK on Ovation runs a slightly different CK menu for now. The service in CK on Anthem far exceeds OA class. Food the is the same excellent quality. Each night we received multiple check ins from the Maître D’ and the Chef. Stand out service. What really made this sailing was the people. Last night, I was saying to @Matt that what he’s been saying for years is true. On a GC, you can do as much or as little as you want together. It is so much fun to walk around the ship and constantly run into people that you know. Sailing with the group also provided us with the opportunity to do things that we normally would not do on a cruise, like sit in the Pub or play Jenga...well I did not play, but Hubby did. The people on this sailing were fantastic. I cannot even put into words how much I enjoyed meeting everyone in person (finally) and sharing laughs, drinks, and time with them. Even more proud to support and be a part of the Royal Caribbean Blog community now. To the regulars here on the message boards, @Matt, @tiny260, @betatke1480, @CGTLH, @Michael Vitale, @l9dance, @josepena12, meeting you all in person was nothing short of awesome! You are all amazing people! And if you ever sail with @crzycatldy5 you want her on your team for the Crazy Quest! She rocks! If there are any other questions, feel free to ask. If not, thank you for following along. Sorry for not blogging as much this time. And I barely scoped, I left that up to @josepena12 so make sure to check out his scopes for coverage of the GC. Obviously @Matt provided lots of coverage as well @theRCLblog on periscope. Until next time...oh wait! That is in 14 days! ? This must be how @twangster feels ?

I'm not a tub guy, although I am a tubby guy and will appreciate the extra room. Thanks!

True. But don't they have digits?

Bots don’t have fingers OR toes. You can’t fool us !

The #1 problem solved is the fact that most cruises are too short. For someone who has to fly to a cruise a B2B saves airfare compared to taking two distinct cruises. B2B allows you to unpack and unwind. You don't need to take in every show because you can catch one on the next cruise. Cruises are great but if you try to do everything offered in one cruise you may end up exhausted and need a vacation from your vacation. Take Oasis class. It's hard to participate in everything offered during a 7 night cruise. More often than not you have to pick something but miss out on something else. When you go a B2B you can do some things on one cruise and different things on the next. Really enjoyed one show? See it again! B2B also lets you try different things in repeated ports while exposing you to new ports that are not common to both itineraries. One visit you can go to a beach and relax, the repeat visit you can go on an ATV or tubing in a cave or you can stay on the ship and enjoy the ship empty of most guests. B2B solves the FOMO issue while leaving even more time to relax. B2B also means one more week of not doing the dishes, cooking or cleaning. I have a B3B booked. Three cruises in a row on the same ship. B2B is cool, B3B is the next level.

This is a no win situation for Royal. The lawyer may have made what appears to be bizarre statements to those of us who know better, but in the court of public opinion, most people have no idea that those windows are blatantly obvious when open and that it's not in a children's play area. It's not going to look good if Royal fights this family and I believe the lawyer knows exactly what he's doing to extract the biggest payout. I can't help but compare this incident to the family who lost their toddler son to an alligator attack at Disney's Grand Floridian and I have the upmost respect for them and how they handled it. They did not immediately hire a publicity seeking lawyer threatening to sue and demanding answers from Disney through the media. They quietly worked with Disney to reach a settlement and created a foundation to help children and honor their son's memory. A stark difference with how this current tragedy is being handled so far, but we all deal with things differently.

I understand Royal is working with a mortgage company and will begin offering 5 and 15 year mortgages for the overwater cabanas.

I just found this information in FAQ

You bet!

With as many cruises as you take, it doesn't seem like you have too! ?

I can't count beyond my fingers and toes.

Ha ha! You beat me to it @FManke ! 650 days til we go on a cruise... uggghhh!

With a booked B2B on Empress my ports don't repeat. With a booked B2B on Navigator my ports repeat, a double dip to CocoCay and Nassau. With a booked Oasis class B3B I'll do Eastern Caribbean, Western Caribbean and then Eastern Caribbean again. This includes three visits to their private destination. I've been to all the ports before so it doesn't matter. Pricing was good, reduced solo supplement so 21 days on a ship. Why not? I also have a side-to-side or S2S booked. Take a cruise, debark and move to another ship the same day. If I'm spending money on an airplane ticket I might as well do two cruises. The best part of a B2B is seeing this... ...and knowing you don't have to pack.

Show off! ???

I usually establish a relationship with key bartenders early in the cruise by offering a single with my SeaPass card when ordering drinks with DX. Pool bars for example. They get to know you and remember your drink orders. At busy times this can work in your advantage. I was on Navigator in December. Shortly after the ship went into dry dock and months later I was back on in March. Bartenders not only remembered my name but also my drink preferences. The very moment I walked up on boarding they they welcomed me by name with a smile on their face months later. A extra tip, a smile and patience when they are slammed goes a long way. You don't have to tip above the 18% you have already paid. PS - I still remember his name too - Edgardo, a great bartender. Then there was Zoltan in the Bamboo Room, then...

Ooooohhhhh...I'm officially Platinum now!!!!! So asking for my robe on vision! Jane

Next cruise will be the first in a Jr suite and I was just curious if the tubs are standard size? It will be nice to move around and not have to take a shower in a phone booth! Although I would gladly shower ever day in one if it meant I was cruising! For all you youngsters out there that are asking, what is a phone booth? It's where we used to go to make a private phone call in public before they invented cell phones. Go ask your parents or grandparents. ?

Hello all. In Newark airport, waiting for flight to Edinburgh. Hate 757's, hate United and REALLY hate overnight flights, so wish me luck! Went against advice and took trip to NYC. Time was tight and we got 2 hours for lunch (John's Pizzeria in Times Square - highly recommended) and a bit of shopping. Managed 3 states in one day! ?

@Lovetocruise2002 Love your signature quote! And thanks for explaining the list requirements...

Hi all! Just a friendly reminder that in order for me to add you to the Master Member Cruise List, I am going to need 3 pieces of info from you: 1. Your handle (that one is easy) 2. Sail date (including the year) 3. Ship name If I gave you a reaction on your post, that means I recorded it. If I did not give you a reaction, that means that you are missing something and it was not recorded. Thanks!

I’m in. No idea if it’s just me or not...since I started traveling solo friends and family have been getting envious and keep saying they want to go with me. Love everyone but not holding my breath. This appeals to me on a few levels, it’s still solo but since you all are going to be there there are more options to be with people. I loved my solo cruise in October but I realized after my land tour last month I like the combo of solo and other people. I’m excited to meet you guys and looking forward to it. Snagged a balcony which is fun.

Hi Im Andy, I'm from the UK and along with my two teenage children will be on our first ever cruise next month on Symphony. We are all very excited and I am grateful to have recently found these forums.

Dan and I will be there.

Keeping this on my radar screen but trying to put a serious dent on my cruise bucket list so not committing just yet. Plus all the SC is gone so there's that too.

I personally thought that Mitch was great. Full of energy and great sense of humour. I was impressed because we were his last sailing before his break. Also @Matt can probably chime in as well because I know that he had a couple of conversations with Mitch. The only thing that I did not like was that Mitch did not lead the Crazy Quest. He let the AM do it. She was pretty good too but I wanted to see him lead it. Same thing happened on Harmony in March, Ricky let his AM handle it as well. Exactly! Everyone has their favourite and while Anthem is not mine, I still had great time. And I would never totally rule it out for the future. Hubby did say that he would not mind trying out Star Class on Quantum class....you know what that means..lol Btw, I had a Lemon Drop Martini every day thanks to you ? Thank you for following!

447 days til we go on a cruise 447 days til we go sun goes down, comes back around 446 days til we go on a cruise ? too many days left!

Wow!... Well, I'm looking (maybe?) to reserve an overwater cabana for a May 2020 sailing on Oasis... Given the discussions, I'm guessing I should start a gofundme right now! ?

8 September 19, Harmony...

You can walk the length of the ship from Two70° forward to the upper level of the main theater on deck 5. In the middle of the ship remaining on deck 5 allows you to bypass the Esplanade crowds. Once in the forward elevator bank you can take the stairs down one level to the deck 4 primary main theater entrance.

Hoping not too many group cruisers were staying in NYC after the cruise. There's been a power outage for part of the city, still at this time 10s of thousands without power.

sometimes i can just catch the end of breakfast on one side of windjammer and snag a few bacon's to make my bacon cheese burger with

More connected to the sea than Oasis, less than Radiance. Two70° offers fantastic views of the sea. Upstairs and to the sides of Two70° are seating areas to watch the sea go by in air conditioning. Two70°'s bar offers indoor air conditioned views of the sea. Venues like the music hall upstairs and the Diamond Lounge have large round windows to the sea. There are seating areas on both sides of the outdoor areas on deck 5 as well as the forward areas of deck 5 to feel the sea versus only the aft part of the jogging track on Oasis. North Star offers unequaled views of the sea. North Star bar offers outdoor bar views of the sea. Quantum class are ocean view balcony ships. Highest ratio of ocean facing balconies in the fleet (Oasis may claim more balconies, but many are interior facing). The indoor family pool area out of the sun is like a solarium for families great for inclement weather. Raining all day? Throw the kids in the indoor pool. Sunny? Throw the kids in the outdoor pool. The outdoor pool has a TV by the pool for those family movie nights by the pool absent on Oasis. Keep in mind Anthem periodically does cruises deeper into the Caribbean, down to Barbados for example. It's warm there, that's not a chilly destination. In fact all of Anthem's destinations are warm destinations, it just starts in a cooler climate. Anthem goes to Bermuda, Nassau, CocoCay, Labadee, San Juan, St Thomas, St Maarten, St. Kitts, St Lucia, Barbados, Martinique and Antigua to name a few warm weather destinations. Missing are Western Caribbean destinations because of the distance from Bayonne and that is what Odyssey will bring to the equation. Quantum class is suited to cooler destination but that doesn't mean it only does cooler climates. Australia in the summer is not a cool climate.

Allure ️ Takeover!! 03/14/21 Now we just need Shane ?

If you have cruised the line before, you probably only have to ask. Bribing your cabin steward may not be the best idea. If we are going to tip extra (which we usually do), we tip toward the end. Same with MDR staff and favorite bartenders. Some people tip at the beginning, thinking they will get better service. Maybe they do but service on the ship is usually very good anyway. If you are one of those that wants to tip in advance, that is fine. I just wouldn't do it to try and get him to break the rules.

Goes to show how different people can like different things. I like Quantum class. I rarely have issues with the WJ compared to Oasis class which is my least favorite WJ. I actually like Quantum class WJ and consider it the best all of the fleet. The outside aft seating area is icing on that cake. The Esplanade is my only disappointment with Quantum class. The poor traffic flow is by design to get you to slow down and browse the sea of kiosks and tables of cruise items for sale. I tend to avoid it and traverse fore or aft VIA the Bionic bar area one deck up. The constant Esplanade sale events also impact specialty dining in Wonderland and Izumi since the sounds of the Esplanade invade these venues. That's really my only complaint with Quantum class. Voyager and Freedom class Promenade also become very busy during events there like 70's or 80's nights - it's hard to walk from one end to the other. During sale events it too is a choke point. I wish Quantum class had a suite lounge. The Concierge lounge is very nice but lacks 11am to 11pm drinks that the suite lounge on Oasis class provides. in fact Oasis is the only class of ship that provides complimentary suite drinks in the suite lounge (beyond Diamond Happy Hour drinks early evening). Two70° and the VIA create almost a neighborhood in concept from Oasis secreting away scores of guests from other areas. So does the SeaPlex and Solarium which is also one the best in the fleet. I also like the pubs on Quantum class then there is the music hall which is another favorite yet well isolated if your are not into that sort of thing. The North Star bar is a great hangout with views of the sea. I wouldn't want every ship to be Quantum class but I wouldn't want every ship to be Oasis class either. Quantum class differences are what draw me back. If every ship was more or less the same that would be very boring. I've got six more Quantum class bookings and I'm eagerly waiting Odyssey bookings to open up to add a seventh.

Thanks for sharing, @Lovetocruise2002 and @CGTLH! I really wish I could have done this with you all, but the timing just didn't work out. It will happen some day! At least you're coming back to some nice weather here in NJ. ?

Anthem of the Seas 9N NE & Canada on October 24, 2019. We just came off the 9N Anthem which sailed on June 6th. It was our 40th High School Reunion Cruise. We like Anthem - this will be our 3rd time cruising her... [ I forgot to mention when we "YOLO booked" the Anthem. @Matt ]

November 24. Oasis of the Seas. Right after upgrade. Wife can't wait!! She shows me the countdown every day.

Calling all B2B's! For those of us that have only dreamed about taking a b2b cruise, what are the plus or misses, if any, of taking a b2b cruise?

Yippee !! We will have some pre-cruise recon intel. Awesome !

You know that just made my day! And keep an eye out because I bet some of those SC suites will open back up. It is early still. I will look for you too. @tiny260 look who's coming!

We have been all over the Caribbean and this is my personal list of “stay on/ get off” ports: 1. Nassau- stay on the ship. Mostly dumpy with few exceptions at the mega resorts for day passes. 2. Cozumel- Get off. Lots to see and do. Great snorkeling, diving, beaches and a safe downtown. Also- rent a Jeep and tour the island perimeter road stopping at light house. 3. Falmouth- stay on the ship. Not safe, dumpy, constantly hassled for tip money. Dunn’s river falls just not worth the BS. 4. San Juan- get off. Great walking downtown and shopping. Fort is pretty neat to check out. 5. Labadee- get off. Great beach day. Dragon line zip line is great! Safe & fun. 6. Coco Cay- get off. Our personal favorite so far. Lots to do, awesome pool! 7. St Maarten- get off. Nice walk to the downtown shopping from ship. Nice beach and bars/food service located on beach! Maho beach is an experience and a drink at the sunset bar is a must. 8. St Thomas- get off. Bus to fabulous Meagan’s bay beach!! 9. Costa Maya- get off. Pool area right off pier makes for a nice day. Never left that area so can’t comment on the rest of the port. Mainland Yucatán is always a roll of the dice though IMHO.

There is an Evian water bottle package for $39 (+ gratuities) for 12 one liter bottles of Evian that is delivered to your room. I think you can also get 24 bottles for $69 (+ gratuities). The smaller size bottled water is included with the Deluxe Beverage Package and the Refreshment Package and those are available at the bars. But I believe you can also get the smaller size bottled water individually from the bars and have it charged to your account. I don't know how much those cost though individually.

I booked this one but will have to slum it in an Owners Suite. Unlikely SC will open with all you SC hogs on there ! ???

Welcome to the message boards! Most US based cell plans for Apple Watch don't include roaming internationally so the cellular features won't work outside of the US. The Apple Watch was designed originally to be tethered to an iPhone. It obtained all of it's connectivity through the phone. Newer Apple watches running newer software can connect to wifi when the phone isn't nearby. It still prefers to use the phone's connection but can fall back to wifi when the phone isn't present. An Apple watch can connect to wifi that doesn't require logging in to the wifi. At home for example an Apple Watch will learn of your home wifi from your phone and connect to your home wifi when your phone isn't within range. Voom requires you log in. For this reason it doesn't work with an Apple Watch. However if your son's phone is connected to Voom with a paid Voom plan, the Apple Watch will function normally as long as his phone is with him.

No Promenade, in it's place is an Esplanade. Towards one end of the Esplanade there is guests services, then food or beverage venues with kiosks and display cabinets in the middle then towards the other end of the Esplanade are stores. The length of the Esplanade has a dog leg in it at the Pub. The kiosks and display cases are used to display items for various items for sale. In that sense the Esplanade is similar to the Promenade found on some other classes of ships. Slightly more narrow in places with a dog leg. You can walk the length of The Esplanade inside. You can also walk the length of it one deck up where you'll find Izumi, Wonderland, Shore Excursions, the Bionic Bar and completely forward the Schooner Bar. That is one advantage of Quantum class - the ability to bypass the Esplanade one deck up overlooking the Esplanade for it's entire length. I think it's the dog leg that causes congestion in the Esplanade. That forces events like 2 for $20 sales or the Captain's address to be compressed in a sub-section of the overall space.

Thank you @Lovetocruise2002 for blogging again! Wish they would move up spring break 2021 so I could join you guys! It looks like you had an amazing trip!!!!!! Jane

Welcome, Art !

Serenade of the Seas, 31/03/2021 From Sydney to the South Pacfic for 8 days.