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Not much to really cover from the rest of the cruise. Chatty Alaska moved tables and tried to avoid me every time I saw her. So of course I went up and talked to her every single time Turns out handcuffs was my favorite person on the cruise . She's a casino degenerate and was at over 9000 points for this cruise. Got up early for my drive..was off the ship and ready to go. Now I'm sitting in Playmakers on Independence waiting on service. Managed to miss all the usual traffic I see in South Florida and it was a smooth, easy drive.

I think she was being petty because handcuffs and I became friends and would end up hanging out. Who knows..she would come and invite herself to sit with me in the Crown Lounge for the first half of the cruise but at some point she stopped. Maybe I offended her by asking if she was going to order the fish every night? Or maybe she found this blog After all this is my lanyard...

I know what you mean about missing the shower door. It’s the main thing I disliked about our Radiance cruise. That shower curtain is gross !

My interior room feels smaller on this ship. And you sure miss these doors when you don't have them.

Mine came today at 10 days out from boarding day. @Lovetocruise2002 I used your lucky "8's" trick Sabrina

Server asked me if it was too spicy @OCSC Mike knows.

Wait why was Alaska avoiding you. Also 9000 points is a lot, so definitely a degenerate.

The potato was served to me like this...almost feel like I need to censor it.

I missed this part of the story too! Inquiring minds want to know...

My soulmate and I were on the Antarctic leg of this cruise in January. It was definitely a Royal Caribbean style cruise, but with quite a few differences that made for an even better experience. First your questions: 1). Laundry: Only World Cruisers have access and it was a special (very small) area that was created just for them. It did not cause any confrontations , but the scheduling of time in there was an ongoing “process” each week. I do not know the details, but the World Cruisers (and Royal Caribbean) needed to be totally organized to make the scheduling work. 2). Crew Contracts: They seemed to be just like regular cruises. Crew rotates in and out on normal schedules. Our favourite bartender was going to rotate out and then get back on to Serenade for the last few legs of the World Cruise. One of the senior Food & Beverage Mgrs rotated out just after our leg and should be back on the ship soon. Staggered rotations for everyone (as usual). 3). Provisioning & Port Issues: This is a great question. I did not sense any issues at all, but I did sense a big advantage … variety. The food varied noticeably as we moved from one region to the next. I had the best Filet Mignon at sea while docked (for two days) in Buenos Aires AND I was in the MDR. The entertainment was much more varied and plentiful. More variety of enrichment lecturers and topics. More variety of climates (93+ deg down to 30ish) We seriously looked at another leg, but could not make the timing work. We could never be away for the entire cruise, but would look at other interesting legs if they ever do again. Curt from Canada

EXACTLY! It's a win win... people who want to get off and do beaches or shopping can do that... and it allows people who'd rather be on the ship to go ahead and stay on board and enjoy an emptier ship than they would in a sea day.

Disagree b/c some people will get off in Nassau and leave the ship a bit emptier when you stay on.

…especially with the other bids “expired”.

I would if I could get in

Last year we met a bartender who was starting out on the world cruise, but timed it to have his contract ending in Manila since he's Filipino.

I'm at a two-top tonight and the neighboring tables are no shows, so it may be a much tamer cruise socially this time around.

I thought about doing a blog but these are going to be pretty boring cruises. Maybe I will just do a comments blog…but I guess that’s all a blog is, anyway ! We’ll see…

Pretty darn good. That's usually a sign that you won that bid.

23N B3B? Have a great time! Now THAT would definitely require use of the free laundry. Hopefully you'll share some stuff. I think we're down to @AshleyDillo's blog and she keeps getting caught up in casino and tablemate shenanigans in between tagging me for food and drink porn.

I had to do the health questionnaire (utter waste of time, IMO) today for tomorrow’s EX and was able to do that on the app….but the website has been up and down all day.

It is not a hard and fast rule, more than likely the points will reset on the 1st Friday in April which will be the 5th. Friday is a popular day for when points post in both CR and C&A. The offer will become available usually around 2wks after that. Last year it was the 20th of April. The reps can't help you without an available offer. The offer is good for any 7n or less cruise that sails within the calendar year......in this case probably the earliest of May 2024 to March 31st of 2025. Excluding ships that haven't been in service for more than a year and some summer/holidays.

Quantum, Anthem and Ovation. Spectrum and Odyssey are Quantum Ultra class and do not have outdoor seating for the Windjammer.

Yup..always screen shot that. I make it my lock screen on my phone..helps if I end up misplacing the phone during the cruise (which actually did happen when I had it as the lock screen!) It held up getting into the terminal today since they always look at the SeaPass before they allow you inside. I skipped a lot of folks who couldn't get theirs pulled up. Once you get to the folks with the tablets at check-in they can use room numbers to look up people..but getting in it's a fail.

I disagree. Another sea day>>>Nassau.

So this past Dec we were on Symphony and had a 11:30 am check in, but we were in a suite so we showed up at 10:30 am and still had to stand in line until about 11:00 before the port even opened up. We sat in the suite lounge until about 11:30 before boarding even started. So even if you get an early boarding time you may end up not even getting on the ship until 11:30 or later.

@All4family I uploaded the video to YouTube so that you can see the whole thing. https://youtu.be/s-ci8or__pE

Many of the other potential options can't handle adding an extra ship on short notice. Port schedules are set years in advance for those with limited berthing/anchorage space.

Okay…upon further investigation, I found the nonrefundable note on both of the excursions, the 3 night dining package and the embarkation lunch for my 4-5 EX sailing. Interestingly enough, that note does NOT appear on the purchase of the Hideaway reservations for the second third on our EX B3B (4-14). For anyone else interested in looking, go to your “Order History” and open the reservation. This is where I found the notes. I find it hard to believe that they are going to implement a non-refundable policy on excursions. On their private island experiences? Maybe. I really don’t see how they could enforce a nonrefundable policy without stating that information clearly at the time of purchase, so I think this is a glitch BUT it is a strong hint that this might be coming. Not a fan…

I enjoy Quantum class because they are different. I've sailed four of them and mostly to bucket list destinations like Alaska, Hawaii and New Zealand. Oasis class, until Icon came about, have always been in a league of their own and can't be compared to any other ship class. Oasis and now Icon are very wide ships, much wider than all other classes of ship. It's the extra width that allows things like Central Park and Boardwalk. On any other platform without the extra width it's not practical to install these areas without removing all guest cabins in those areas. Removing guest cabins to add more venues and features isn't practical for any cruise line. Oasis class are much larger ships at 225,000+ GT while Quantum class are around 168,000 GT. That extra 30% of space allows them to put more venues and areas on Oasis class. Why doesn't Radiance class have ice skating rinks and zip lines and central park and boardwalk and aqua theaters and so on? Because Radiance class is one third the size of Oasis class and obviously you can't put the same features and venues on a ship that doesn't have the space for them. The Windjammer on Quantum class is my favorite across the fleet. I really dislike the Windjammer on Oasis class. The food stations are all over the place with some on the side and some around the corner on the back. It's really hard to find seating on Oasis class Windjammers at peak times. Oasis class Windjammers are truly jammers slammed with people. Some Quantum class Windjammers have outdoor seating which I love. The lack of waterslides is known before booking. It appears odd to me to complain they are missing. That's like buying a sedan then complaining it's not a 4x4 pick up truck. Given where most Quantum class are deployed waterslides are impractical. It's okay not to like something but that doesn't justify calling it a dud. Royal's next class of ship, Discovery class, is not going to be a mini Oasis class ship. They too will be much smaller ships that won't have the space for all Oasis class features. Like Quantum class the smaller footprint will allow them to sail into ports that Oasis class can't fit into. That's kind of the point. They will be different too. Different doesn't make them duds. Oasis and Icon class ships are the destination and the ports you visit are less important. If the itinerary is boring it doesn't matter because the ship is as much the destination as the itinerary may be. Other classes of ships can visit more unique ports of call where mega ships can't sail. When visiting these areas the ship isn't the destination as much as the ports of call are the destination. Anthem out of Bayonne was a perfect pairing with two sea days down the coast and two sea days on the way back home in the cold Atlantic ocean where few would be using waterslides most of the time. The indoor family pool means kids are not trying to sneak into the adult only solarium pools on those colder sea days in winter months. What I love best of all my 14 Quantum class cruises are the memories of the destinations. Alaska, Hawaii, Australia and New Zealand for example. Greek islands and Europe for Odyssey is a great summer pairing. I like that Royal's fleet is diverse and not just ships that are variations of the same thing. With research I can choose a ship that fits my needs based on the region I'll be sailing. I suggest doing more research next time and avoid booking a ship that doesn't have features that are important to you.

The new basic showers on Wonder have me spoiled. Never had a problem with that phone booth, space tube, whatever... but the actual glass doors that swing open are certainly an upgrade.

That's what mine is this go around. I cruise much differently solo than I do with my mother..I also am a creature of habit and working a little so the days are rinse and repeat.

So more time for food and drink porn, got it!

Much like life, it's all good until the next time it's not.

That’s good news. We are headed out of NJ in July and plan to be at the port early regardless.

I still do too.

Apparently it's down. Everyone is having issues boarding Indy since they can't pull up their SetSail. I printed mine The app is working for me on the ship's wifi. I didn't try it before, though.

Test loads are up ahead of next week's release.

Ugh... I am on symphony in 2 weeks and have an 1130 board (the earliest available). I check out of my hotel at 10, so plan to be at the cruise port around 1030. Sitting in the terminal with a 15, 13 and 11 yr old telling me they are board doesn't sound fun. But it is what it is, hopefully it will just build the excitement to get on the ship.

Nassau has not been removed from any itineraries. It's fine. It's better than another sea day like some are getting.

Yup….No Name…No Game!

So jealous of that inaugural WJ spread. Hope you all enjoy! You know I love the Mason Jar brunch but not as much as steak and lobster and everything else at no additional cost.

Yes, diapered kids are allowed in CocoCay pools. Rules different on land vs sea.

Welcome to the message boards! You'll need to be out of the cabin by 8, and then you can definitely go up to the Windjammer for breakfast or Main Dining Room (depending on what time they stop serving). 10:15am pickup is late, I bet you'll be sitting around the terminal waiting. If I were you, I'd ask for a pick up closer to 9am.

Mason Jar brunch is only on Day 1. I am going to the Windjammer for that awesome seafood brunch.

I’m with you…I had vowed to never again step off the ship while in Nassau. Also, the original itinerary for this 8 night cruise was only 2 stops…CocoCay and Labadee! Ha…I thought I was getting away with it easy and cheaply! We had already decided Port Canaveral would be a stay on ship day. However, this upcoming cruise includes 3 sets of parents (each of them have a son who is ‘besties’ with my younger grandson) who seem to be unable to “stay put” so to speak. They are planning some crazy fun activities for all of us! Also…it made no sense to stay on the ship for 7 of the 8 days…hence…finding something to do in Nassau! We shall see!

I’ll be there May 21st…stay tuned!

We ended up booking Margaritaville. I look forward letting you know my thoughts about this excursion.

Same here. Vacation starts at 11am on boarding day and ends at 7:00am on debarkation day. We are usually in the car and well on our way home by 7:15am.

"While repairs for the technical issue that we encountered on one of our previous sailings were completed, during routine testing, we discovered that we’re going to need some extra time to get the ship ready for you" Translated, while we fixed the original issue, we broke something else.

I feel like this is not new to Anthem, I sailed on her the end of February and many times the slot would turn green but say “hello guest”. Thankfully I paid attention and kept rescanning. Until I saw my name. What a pain!