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Just returned from 2/6 Odyssey sailing and couldn't be happier with this cruise. First time back since Covid. There were 2,811 passengers onboard about 1,000 more than prior week, so looks like cruisers are coming back! Capacity is 4,300 with crew of 1,550. A few things I hope RCL keeps when Covid protocols end. Appointment boarding times really were great if you adhere to boarding appointments. Very smooth process. Servers in Windjammer is a major advance. Service with a smile (behind those masks). Keeps things flowing. Disembarkation is a major improvement. Rather than vacating your room and going to a designated holding area to wait for number to be called, you now go enjoy breakfast and return to your room to wait for your time slot. No hassles or crowded departure lines - - onboard or in the terminal. And easy to get an elevator As I said, I hope these changes remain. Did I miss anything?

So, last evening we stayed at the Fairfield Inn & Suites. Definitely a bare bones hotel with a good location. From our room we could see the Hard Rock Cafe Hotel & Casino in the distance. If you want a bed and a basic complimentary breakfast it will do nicely. Day 1: Embarkation Day For some strange reason, the first shuttle to the port left at 10:45am which was a little too close to our 11:00am check-in window. Instead, we just took an Uber which cost about the same for the the three of us (our friend’s husband was not able to join us this time). We arrived at the port a little before 10:30am. Checked the bags at the curb and headed to the terminal. Since we had the Key, they led us to another entrance just to the right of the main entrance where folks were lining up based on their check-in times. For some reason, they did not seem to care about our check-in window and just let us in! As we entered the terminal we could see people were still disembarking the ship. Our line was pretty short and the main line snaked around to our left. After a brief delay we went through security, completed the second checkpoint (check-in and negative Covid test verification, etc.), and then into the Key waiting area of the terminal right next to the suite folks. Only 15 minutes or so from entering the terminal to the boarding waiting area. Glad we did not have to wait for the 11:00am check-in and wait on that long, snaking line! There was another short delay which gave us the opportunity to start and complete most of the muster/safety drill. Suite folks lined up to board and we followed immediately behind them. I can say the Key was very helpful this time as we actually boarded the ship before our scheduled check-in window. We headed right to the MDR to check-in with the Key desk and drop off our carry-ons for delivery to our cabin. We then stayed for our embarkation day Chops Grille menu lunch. We were all pleasantly surprised how well it turned out in the MDR. Since we had the Key lunch actually in Chops back in 2019 on Allure, we did not know what to expect this time around. Everything was excellent! Excellent way to start the cruise! Heading to bed now before my wife kills me (it’s 1:16am)! I’ll wrap up embarkation day tomorrow! Goodnight!

All to ourselves.

Yep. $10 per bag usually insures your bag makes it to your stateroom pretty quick.

Above all - remember to tip the individual who checks your luggage curbside! In addition to the right thing to do, there are too many stories of bags not showing up on the ship or being misdirected due to 'lost' luggage tags(usually after the porter has been "stiffed").

DH got up at 3:30 this morning, only an hour before his usual. He said DD came downstairs at 4:30 completely dressed and ready to go. I was up by 5 and DS came down, also completely dressed, at 5:30. I guess we were all too excited to sleep in! We took our time finishing up the packing, and when we opened the garage door at 10am, there were a few flurries in the air. We thought, "wow, I don't remember weather guy mentioning that," and put it out of our minds as they stopped before we were out of our neighborhood. We dropped the dogs at the kennel by 10:30. Time to hit the road! In 5-ish hours, we'll be at the hotel! ...or maybe not. We got a couple hours into the drive and made a quick stop. Noticed there was ice on the road signs. Hmm...I certainly don't remember any mention of ice or snow. But we sure found it! A few minutes after getting back in the car, we were hit with big, fat snowflakes! Traffic came to a stop a couple times and there were several wrecks. The weather finally changed to rain and then stopped. Our usual 5 hour drive took 7, and we were all ready to just be done with the car. We decided to just have something gourmet delivered because neither DH nor I was going anywhere. Here's what was left of our first night of vacation dinner. The important thing is we're here, the kids have showered, and they've been given a dose of Benadryl for good measure. Time to do our night before the cruise tradition - open a bottle of red and put the luggage tags on all the bags. Tomorrow's cruise day, y'all!

Applied the first week of December. A few new applicants, a few renewals. Had them before Christmas. About 3 weeks. No expedited service no expedited shipping. Time frame varies by post office. Do a little research on town social media websites. This was my process and I went to a post office that people commented had fast turn around times. Nothing is a guarantee, but it worked for us.

FEBRUARY 13 - 6:00AM EST - Wonder is in the Atlantic Ocean, 7 days away from her ETA in Fort Lauderdale

I didn't get destroyed too bad but in switching fiance back to sharing room with me somehow they removed her C+A status... Spent hours fixing that. But it is fixed...

The CDC and government needs to stay out of our lives. The past 2 years has been a perfect example of an overreach of power and the people worldwide are fed up with all of it.

After reading many reviews on Oasis of the Seas, it seems that most dislike the show Cats and they say many people walk out of the show. Some stick it out into the second half, but IMO this show just simply drags on. Maybe its because Ive seen it so many times? Like many cruisers, the entertainment is one of the reasons I like Royal. But I do think its time to switch up a few shows. Looking forward to what's on Wonder of the Seas!

So happy to see on the news this morning that Canada is getting rid of pcr test requirement for returning fully vaxxed Canadian travellers at the end of this month. A rapid antigen test is so much cheaper and faster results for those of us that have booked earlier flights on disembarkation day. It will be a great stress reliever for me.

My wife and I applied jan 10th, and had them Jan 28.

You can move it with the same reservation number. No need to cancel/rebook. John will know how to do that!

Wait til you get his bill....

I moved my Serenade sailing (booked under double points) to Quantum. The booking number is the same, so @michelle thought that I may still get double points, but she couldn't confirm.

They called us to board just after I clicked submit on my last post. To the Windjammer! We met Amit, the suite concierge in the elevator after we did our muster check-in and he told us we could wait in the suite lounge until rooms open.

Day 1: Embarkation Day (Cont.) During lunch we started reviewing the Royal app and the entertainment schedule. As mentioned in recent blogs, no reservations were required for any of the shows in the Royal Theater or Two70. The only show that required a reservation was The Book (Two70). What really annoyed us was that none of the major productions in the Royal Theater were on the entertainment schedule for this cruise. I spoke to a couple of crew members in Two70 and at Guest Services later that evening and they explained that the contracts of the original cast of both Showgirls! and The Effectors has ended and the new cast in in rehearsals still. They did not know know when these productions would be back on the regular schedule. I did notice there is some abbreviated “Special Preview” of The Effectors on the final evening of the cruise. I doubt we’ll be able to catch it. After we wandered around a bit and then headed to our cabin to unpack. Our carry-ons were in the cabin awaiting us. Here are some random shots we took before sail away. Elevator tower (aft) artwork… Two70… Solarium pool and one of the hot tubs… love the multi-tiered pools! Also love the two double hot tubs. Without a doubt, the tiered pool and double hot tubs on Odyssey/Quantum class are much nicer than those on Oasis class! Smaller, but nicer solarium IMHO for the water lovers. More pics to come. That playful cat! Aft main pool… Forward pool… generally less crowded so far… The Regal Princess, Celebrity Reflection, and Celebrity Apex were among the ships in port… We stayed on the glass walkway that wraps around the Sky Pad and extends over the ship… freaky if you have a fear of heights… Goodbye Ft. Lauderdale!

Thanks again for blogging your Edge cruise. We have never been on Celebrity but had 3 cruises on Celebrity moved from 2020 to now 2022. You sure gave us a very good overview and important information on Celebrity along with great pics as always! We are Diamond Plus with Royal so will be going on as Elite. We are going on a 6 night in July in the Retreat on Equinox and an 8 night in the Aqua Class in August. The Edge wasn't available at that time of year. The price at the time of our booking for the 6 night was less in the Retreat with the all the onboard credit and premium included than the Aqua Class. That will never happen again I'm sure. I'm just realistic not pessimistic. So we definitely pulled the trigger! We are more balcony people with an unlimited dining package couple! We both love to go on as many cruises as possible with limited vacation time. Retirement can't come soon enough. Now if we won the lottery we would explore other options too I'm sure! I love all the great adventures and activities people do. I love to try many new things that people share! Please keep sharing all your great experiences Twangster! Much appreciated!

Boo boo boo. It’s so hard to face the end of SC B2B. It feels SO great at the end of the first leg but so awful at the end of leg #2. Safe trip home. Try not to cry all the way.

Yeah, but they can delay your bags from getting to those who DO deliver your bags. Many years ago we sailed out of Bayonne. I have metal tags with a very strong metal attaching wire. I always tip the porters (particularly in NJ as those guys are longshoremen) and I did that time, too….but when my bags finally got to my room, those metal tags were missing. They had to have been cut. No way they just “fell off”. I will never know who cut them but my suspicion has always been with the curbside handlers. I guess they thought I should have tipped more. We tip $2 per bags. Still do.

How does tipping the port side porter get your bags to your room faster? Those guys aren't the ones delivering to the cabin

Leaving Oasis today. This was our 6th time to be on and see Cats. I am a cats fan. But due to them changing it and cutting a lot of scenes it’s not good anymore. In fact we left at the beginning of show because it wasn’t the same and too hard to follow now. I think it’s time for a change.

I've read that when they first showed Cats on the Oasis, they showed it in full with intermission. But somewhere down the line, they worked with Andrew Lloyd Webber's company to cut out some scenes and do away with the intermission.

I work midnights, so the day that check in opened I logged in right at midnight and got a 10:30 am spot! I expected noon or so, but not 10:30!

Decor Extended answer: At one point in history Royal has introduced a concept known as Dynamic Dining on Quantum when it entered service in 2014. The goal was to have several small dining rooms that guests could pick and choose where to dine. At the time traditional dining times were still being held on to by many. During this period Oasis and Allure during their dry docks had the main dining rooms separated in name and décor to match what restaurant they'd eventually become. The actual separation of menus never occurred as the deployment was canceled. Come 2016 after several attempts to gain attraction the plug was pulled on the program. When Oasis was Amped the dining room was once again unified. Allure with getting Amped delayed never got the unified dining room make over during dry dock. Sure this is somewhat butchered, just the way I remember things. More reading about Dynamic Dining: https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/category/category/dynamic-dining

A new friend

This is great news! I'm waiting for them to remove return testing all together...or at the very least, permit those who test positive re-entry and quarantine at their home without a threat of a fine. If we test positive, we are more than willing to quarantine at home for 10 days.

I was but now I am not I was going to write about my thoughts this morning but the boarding on the ship was so amazing I forgot everything else. I got up this morning after a great night's sleep in a bed better than what I have at home. I really liked my Airbnb in Miami and the best part it was only $80. I sent for a Lyft car (cheaper than Uber) and headed to the port. The Miami Cruise port is on an island and is very large. My driver did not speak English, but I was able to pull out my Google Translate app (get it if you don't have it). He had not been to the port before and both of us learned something important. Halfway down the port the road curves to the left and if you do not take the left curve you go to where the trucks are getting containers. It is one way, and you cannot get out. We had to make a U-Turn and drive the wrong way on a one-way street. The amazing thing is we passed 5 cars doing the same thing. As soon as we pulled up to the curve there was a porter there to grab my bag (have your tip ready). I went down to go in the building and got in the wrong like with 20 of my closest new friends. Noone was sure so I went to the front of the line and checked to see what it was, Suites and important guests. Me and my new friends left that line just in time for them to open a new line for us. Very Important... have your proof of immunization and proof of covid test in your hand. They will ask for it multiple times. I went upstairs and was sent to a young man just standing at a podium to check in. He just checked the immunization, test and room number. Because I did everything online, we were done. If you want to save time while you are doing the online check-in, take the picture of your passport. Once I was done there, they sent me upstairs to a holding area. After about 5 minutes (maybe because I was one of the last to fill the room) they told us to move onto the ship. The total experience from getting out of my car to being on the ship was about 20 minutes. once upon a dream Ship I have the Ultimate Dinning Package (one price for all specialty restaurants). I knew I wanted to book my times as soon as possible so that is the first thing I tried to do. When you get on the ship you are placed right in the middle of deck 5 the Royal Promenade. It was packed with people and lots of people in lines waiting to be helped. I knew I did not want to be there, so I grabbed an elevator and went up to the pool deck (it was quiet). I got connected to the internet, it knew I had an package. When I went to book my specialty restaurants it did not show me what I had for the first night and when I tried to book the first night it looked like it was going to charge me again. I realized this computer programmer was confused and over my head; I went to find help. I looked and the went to the specialty restaurant that would be away from crowds. I went to deck 16 to the Hooked restaurant. I found a very nice girl that helped me get everything booked. She understood that I was solo and was not picky. We were able to set all my dinners around 6 pm and I hit all the specialty restaurants. She gave me recommendations and made sure I hit everything important. The best thing she did is find me a place to eat on Valentine's Day and not feel like an outcast. People that are not single forget or do not know what it is like to be alone on these types of days. Feed the Addiction On the first of December I started a quest to lose 2 lbs. a week for one year. The first thing I did was drop all Diet Sodas, there is no calories, but it does make a difference. Until that point, I would drink 2 or 3 on most days. I had not eaten for the day, and I was on the Sympathy of the Seas. I thought of all of my options and decided low carbs at Playmakers. The first thing I did was get a Diet Coke on my Soda package; followed by 5 more and 2 glasses of water. I stayed away from carbs and ordered a 10 pack of Buffalo Hot Wings. I got the medium heat and that was just a little more timid that I like (I like hot things). The wings were very good. For those that do not know Playmakers it is a Sports Bar that is not free. You have to purchase food or have the UDP (dining package). At 11 am it was very quiet but now at 1 pm it is very loud with people, music and games. To finish my lunch, I ordered a plate of celery sticks (not on the menu). Lunch ended up being 744 calories out of my 1880 for the day. Now it is time to go see my room and explore the ship.

Back when the MDR had "real" dress codes, even embarkation day was a "wear whatever" due to people not necessarily getting luggage before dinner

Great news, and long overdue. I will do a happy dance once they make the official announcement next week. We are booked March break, so figured the Gov would change it after just to make our lives stressful and deter travel.

The cruise lines can't accept this. It's actually MORE strict than the old CSO. I don't know what NCL was thinking in opting in but they've made a lot of blunders throughout the pandemic.

We took a different "spin" on The Stowaway's "Elevator Music" on Harmony once. As we were passing by the elevators on a lower deck we saw him a few decks above. We joined him in the elevator (only 3 people with him). He started playing Crocodile Rock and we started the tightest Swing Dance we could fit. I think we cleared the elevator (oooooops). Had a great time singing and dancing with a piano player in an elevator ... not a normal land vacation occurrence. If a "Stowaway" is on a ship, we are always on the lookout. Curt from Canada

Hahaha, 3 people is amateur hour. We had 7 in with it once, lol.

Hiya! Welcome! We are 25 days away from our long awaited family adventure on this ship and itinerary. Way back in June 2019 we decided to take our family on a cruise for a big vacation. We normally don't take large trips as a family for several reasons - budget, schedules, sports, etc. - but we have done 1 trip each to Disney World and Disneyland as well as some spouse getaways without the kiddos to Europe and Hawaii. Otherwise we stick to our local staycations to ski areas in the northeast and Jersey shore beaches. The opportunity came up to take the family on a vacation during President's week 2021, so I worked on booking it super fast. We had booked a balcony for my husband and me and the teens across the hall in an interior virtual balcony cabin. We all know what happened next. We tried to rebook twice only to be canceled, lifted and shifted, FCC, you name it. We waited two years and finally decided to try again once the restart had been going for a while and we knew we would feel comfortable with the current protocols and requirements. So I called my TA and we booked this sailing. The price was really good at the time and we got some discounts through promotions so we decided to bring the kids over to our side and got 2 connecting balcony cabins on deck 8. Researching and reading the trip reports on RCB have been fun and a great way to take a look at the ship and what it has to offer. This community is super knowledgeable! But I noticed the vast majority of them are in suite class and above, which is not our bag. If it's yours, great. Live your best life! But there isn't much from other perspectives out there. As I mention in the title, this will be a report about regular people taking a cruise. No stars, no skies, no Genies - just two good old rooms without much fanfare. No Coastal Kitchen, UDP, no Beach Club. Just some fun extras on Coco Cay and a couple beverage packages. There will much Main Dining and Windjammer food appearances, and all the shows and entertainment we can handle. So here's who we are: Me! I'm Nikki. Wife to J (aka Husband) and step-mom to SK1 and SK2. I work at a university and love all things Disney, ballet, figure skating, cooking, books, and beaches. I thrive in hot weather so I hope to catch some really warm days this week. The northeast is bitterly cold right now! This will be my second cruise with RCC and first time on a huge ship like Anthem. J (aka Husband). Dad to SK1 and SK2. Works in IT. Loves all things winter and snow sports. Very kindly allows me to drag him to hot places occasionally. This is also his second cruise with RCC and first time on a huge ship like Anthem. SK1 (step-kid 1). 16 year old girl, loves all things theatre & dance. Super extroverted, can't wait to meet other kids on this trip and be lifelong SnapChat friends. Never been on a vacation like this before. SK2 (step-kid 2). 14 year old guy, obsessed with sports. Baseball is life. Also excels at basketball and is eager to play pickup games at any time. Looking forward to eating a lot of pizza and going to the gym. Never been on a vacation like this before. Here's what we have planned: Driving from home to the port in Bayonne. I'll already be in NYC for an unrelated trip so I'll meet Husband and the kiddos there. We have a 1 p.m. checkin time. Day 2 - cruising. We will explore the ship and scope out opportunities for fun in the SeaPlex, see shows, do trivia, relax in pools and Solarium, etc. Day 3 - Port Canaveral. We are leaving Bayonne later than 3 p.m. so this pushes back our arrival time in Florida to 3 p.m. this day. Have Space Center Shuttle and free time booked through Royal. As of now they are saying the excursion will still happen but remains to be seen. If the Space Center is only open until 5 p.m. I don't see how this can still be feasible. Husband had been looking forward to this so we may have to save it for another trip. Day 4 - Coco Cay. We did splurge a little here and took advantage of Black Friday sales. We booked a Day Bed at Breezy Bay and Thrill Waterpark tickets for all 4 of us. Day 5 - Nassau. We have the Reef Snorkel excursion booked through Royal. Days 6-7 cruising. Much of a day 2 repeat here, nothing special booked except doing what we want. Day 8 - debarkation and driving home. We will be in no hurry to leave and will request the highest luggage tag numbers possible. Best way to avoid a 4 hour drive with cranky, sleep deprived teens. Other stuff: Husband and I have deluxe beverage package, kiddos have Refreshment. I ordered champagne and strawberries for our room to celebrate surviving one heck of a time these past 2 years as well as celebrate all the things we achieved personally and professionally that we had to keep low-key at home in 2020 and 2021. I also hope to book at Next Cruise a trip for my 40th birthday in summer 2023 while onboard. We are all checked in and at-home tests arrived a couple weeks ago (so glad I ordered them early!). Now all we need is to stay healthy for the next 3.5 weeks, God willing. Hope to post some other updates as we approach the final countdown later. Please feel free to comment away and give your best tips for cruising with fickle teens, husbands who don't like temperatures north of 65 degrees, and any Port Canaveral backups in case KSC won't work out. We are in port from 3pm-9 pm. Staying on the ship or getting off just long enough to connect back to data plans (because we are evil parents and only bought internet for us and no we are NOT sharing the password with teens - get off your phone!) might be all we need anyway. Thanks for reading!

The 1869 New Jersey vs. Rutgers football game occurred between the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University) and Rutgers College. It was played on November 6, 1869. The rules governing play were based on the London Football Association's 1863 rules that disallowed carrying or throwing the ball. For spectators, therefore, the game more closely resembled soccer[1] than gridiron football.

On the occasion that our bags were not delivered until late, our party of five adults and two young kids were all in shorts and sweaty shirts (some without collars) in the MDR for dinner the first night. Then again, you'll see that on other nights too.

I can't see them changing any time soon. The cost of buying rights (or developing an origional show), creating sets, costumes, training performers, musicans etc etc is probably something they aren;t keen on doing at the moment. As for Cats.... While it was a great show to perform in (It took me ages not to get tongue tied in Jellicle Cats) it certainly isn't my favourite musical but I wouldn't say I hate it. I certainly wouldn't walk out on it and always love to see how shows are interpreted by different casts etc.

Nope! Spectrum's "suite enclave" was Royal's first exclusive area/neighborhood only for suite guests. It seems like the Asian cruise market likes these private areas only for suite guests. Many cruise lines that operate out of Asia seem to have this concept as well. The solarium on Spectrum also isn't adults-only but rather suite-only. https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2018/06/12/royal-caribbean-announces-features-coming-spectrum-of-the-seas#:~:text=Private Suite Enclave

Often times I have been able to walk down the hall (50-100 feet or so) and see them staged in a line and grab mine during the process of delivering.

Speaking of that, we're seeing the basis of a potential legal challenge to the Voluntary program from CLIA here: https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/26770-clia-blasts-new-cdc-cruise-program-as-discriminatory.html Cliff Notes: it's discriminatory. See my discussion of this above in the post I made earlier.

I'm not going in with high hopes either. More or less I'm glad it is something different.

Don't let tipping anxiety get in the way of having fun. If you've prepaid the gratuities or choose have them charged daily while you're on board you're good to go. You can keep some cash handy to reward any individual crew member that you feel went above and beyond for you. It is not expected but will be appreciated.

I wish they'd add another veggie side. Mac & Cheese, Tater Tots, French Fries, Mashed Potato, & Baked Potato are all STARCH!1 Asparagus & Cream Spinach are the only Veggies

You would need to contact the Special Needs department at Royal to discuss this. It is listed on the Special Needs form, but they request you contact them. https://www.royalcaribbean.com/resources/guest-special-needs

Soooo close! .... and YES! We all tested negative! Woo hoo! Time to finish packing... the dogs are probably not thrilled that they are heading to my sister's house tonight for the next 11 days! "Are you serious? Leaving us again!" - Jake "Enough of this cruising stuff!" - Bella

If you are in the star class Facebook group....I recommend staying away from the page when the 30 days approaches because people may post how they got their genie assignment while you are still waiting for yours......creating unimaginable FOMO.......not that I know from personal experience.......

For Diamond and Diamond Plus families with younger kids that can't or don't use Voom take note on the youth letter about the youth Voom "special value" offer. I talked with the Loyalty Ambassador and he confirmed that youth get the same Voom offer that adults at that tier get. A Diamond family of four will get a total of (4) day passes of Surf (one person person) and a Diamond Plus family of four will get a total of (8) day passes of Surf (two per person). If your kids don't use theirs, that gives the adults that much more free Voom.