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HI,
I just booked Harmony for November 21-28, 2021.  ?  Hopefully...

HI,
I just booked Harmony for November 21-28, 2021.  ?  Hopefully...

Just booked Oasis For 8/16/2020. Woohoo! 

Just booked Oasis For 8/16/2020. Woohoo! 

Just booked Oasis For 8/16/2020. Woohoo! 

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 ?

Who’s Going?
The usual crew:  Hubby, our 2 girls, D10 & D12 (a month shy of 11 &13), and myself.
Flight
Our plan is to fly from DTW to EWR two days before.  Since it is our summer vacation and we are not pressed for time, we are taking an extra day to take our girls around Manhattan the day before the cruise.
Pre-Cruise Stay
I tossed around the idea of staying in Manhattan because the pre-cruise meet up is there but then we decided to book Embassy Suites again in Elizabeth, NJ.  A few friends from our group cruise are also staying there.  At the last minute, and by that, I mean only 3 weeks ago, it dawned on me that I overlooked a very important point.  We booked a one-day tour with Viator for NYC that leaves from Times Square.  I realized that going into NYC on a Wednesday morning from NJ would be a bit of a problem with rush hour.  Not wanting to stress about being stuck in traffic or risk missing our tour, we went ahead, and canceled Embassy Suites and our stay now is at... 

the Intercontinental New York Times Square! 
We realize that this adds a bit more cost and travel time on embarkation morning, but our girls are so excited to stay in Manhattan and we are steps away from the pre-cruise meet up and our tour pick up point.  The advantages far outweigh the disadvantages.
Itinerary
This 9-night sailing takes us to Bermuda, St. Maarten, San Juan, and Labadee.  We have no real plans for this sailing other than relaxing.  June was such a busy month for all of us.  I am simply burnt out and looking forward to sitting and staring out at the open waters. 
In Bermuda, we booked the Bermuda Island Drive By Minibus Tour through Royal.  In San Juan, we plan to walk around for a bit on our own.  Lastly, for St. Maarten and Labadee, we may not even get off the ship.  Hubby and I will be back at these same ports (minus Bermuda) in a few weeks on Symphony and it’s better to visit “That Yoda Guy” without the kids.
Cabin
We are booked in the exact same cabin category as last cruise.  Formerly a Family Junior Suite (FJ), it has now been re-categorized as a J3.  This cabin makes the most sense for our family as it has the pullman bed and 1 ½ bath.  This time around, we grabbed one on Deck 8 instead of 9 in hopes that it might be slightly better for motion.  Not sure if it will make much of a difference.  See my 2018 live blog for pics of this cabin. 
Pre-Cruise thoughts
-    First Group Cruise!  So excited!  Need I say more?!
-    Because it is a Group Cruise and our kids have started venturing out on their own, we grabbed the VOOM for 3 devices plan this time.  This way, we will be able to contact D12 anytime if needed, especially if we split up from them for group activities.
-    This is also my way of giving Anthem a second chance.  As noted in my previous Anthem blog, there were two things I really did not enjoy about the previous cruise.  One was that crowds did not flow well throughout the ship.  The second was that I vowed to never sail from NJ again in the colder months as it was not enjoyable for us.  We will see if sailing in July makes a difference.
-    Finally, my disclaimer is that this blog may not follow my usual style.  I can’t even promise how “live” it will be this time around.  And there will be many things I may not post to avoid being redundant from my last one.

-    Once again, in the spirit of a live blog, please do not hesitate to ask any questions.  I will do my best to find out whatever I can for you.

-    When responding to a post with a series of pictures, please do not include the pictures in your reply.  It just makes for easier scrolling.

-    Lastly, I will do my best to bring the cruise to you LIVE through Periscope – you can follow me @LoveToCruise2002.
 

I would recommend doing the any time dining.   We have tried to have a set time for dinner, but after the first couple of nights the kids really wanted to be out on their own.   They decided not to join us for Wonderland or Chef's table since they met friends they would rather hang out with.   Our kids are 12 (son) and 14 (daughter).  Or son is more into the different activities, while our daughter just wants to hang out with new friends and be on her phone #DontGetMeStarted.    So, we have just told them to check in every now and then and their curfew is midnight.   Also, they are not allowed to go to anyone's room or have anyone in our suite unless we are there. 
I will say, there are some activites they thought were lame and hardly anyone showed up. .. so they activities may be limited with participation.  I think it may depend also on how outgoing your kids are .... 
But, you may want to go with the idea of dinner being the parents and maybe the kids will join .. heh

We found if we wanted our daughter to eat with us, we had to do my time or early seating.  This last Oasis cruise was more flexible (she's 16 and more people had specially dining to work around) but usually they would meet around 8.  Usually they didn't do the events but roamed around the ship, especially as she gets older.  At 12 she did alot of them, or they would do one and then leave.  The first night you definitely want them to be there at 8 for the meet and greet.  Jane

Thanks so much for doing this great Live Blog!  I'm looking forward to our identical cruise in a few weeks on the RC group cruise!  I really appreciate you posting the teen schedule as I have a son (12) and daughter (15)  that are looking forward to it.  We have the late seating scheduled, but now we are debating changing to either My Time or the earlier seating because of the activities for the kids that happen from 8:00-10:00 at night.  Are you or your kids noticing, in general, if those events are must do for teens?
Enjoy the rest of your cruise, and I look forward to the rest of your blog posts!
Chris

Hi,
This is the USB hub we took on Liberty in April.  When i went through security, the agent that inspected my bag took it out and looked at it, but let me keep it.  She said that the policy may be changing where they do not allow them in the future, but she was not specific as to when.

I did have something like this confiscated.  I didn't plan on using it, and had forgotten it was in my bag.  It does not have a surge suppressor in it, so I was curious as to why - the only answer she gave me was that it was against the policy.

Hi,
I’m Chris, I'm a database programmer in the direct marketing industry. My family & I are from Connecticut and have somewhat recently re-caught the cruising bug. Our kids are 12 and 14, and up until the last few years we've spent most of our vacation time in Disney World. Before we had children my wife, Dawn, and I were cruisers, starting with our honeymoon back in 1999 on the then, somewhat new, Grandeur of the Seas. We have been on NCL and Princess, but we have found that although they are good cruise lines, RCCL seems to do most things better. We would love to try Disney, but the costs for a cruise with them is just too crazy to consider - we could book two (or more) cruises with RCCL for the price of one with Disney.  Our last cruise was this past April, on the Liberty sailing out of Galveston and we all loved it!  I have also been on the Explorer, and the Serenade.  This week I just booked two cabins for the group cruise next July 4th on Anthem.  We are all super excited!
 
Chris  

Welcome Chris!  Looking forward to meeting you next July!  I have a 12 year old who needs a friend in the Living Room ?

Hi,
I’m Chris, I'm a database programmer in the direct marketing industry. My family & I are from Connecticut and have somewhat recently re-caught the cruising bug. Our kids are 12 and 14, and up until the last few years we've spent most of our vacation time in Disney World. Before we had children my wife, Dawn, and I were cruisers, starting with our honeymoon back in 1999 on the then, somewhat new, Grandeur of the Seas. We have been on NCL and Princess, but we have found that although they are good cruise lines, RCCL seems to do most things better. We would love to try Disney, but the costs for a cruise with them is just too crazy to consider - we could book two (or more) cruises with RCCL for the price of one with Disney.  Our last cruise was this past April, on the Liberty sailing out of Galveston and we all loved it!  I have also been on the Explorer, and the Serenade.  This week I just booked two cabins for the group cruise next July 4th on Anthem.  We are all super excited!
 
Chris  

July 4 - Anthem of the Seas, Royal Caribbean Blog group cruise

Hi,
I’m Chris, I'm a database programmer in the direct marketing industry. My family & I are from Connecticut and have somewhat recently re-caught the cruising bug. Our kids are 12 and 14, and up until the last few years we've spent most of our vacation time in Disney World. Before we had children my wife, Dawn, and I were cruisers, starting with our honeymoon back in 1999 on the then, somewhat new, Grandeur of the Seas. We have been on NCL and Princess, but we have found that although they are good cruise lines, RCCL seems to do most things better. We would love to try Disney, but the costs for a cruise with them is just too crazy to consider - we could book two (or more) cruises with RCCL for the price of one with Disney.  Our last cruise was this past April, on the Liberty sailing out of Galveston and we all loved it!  I have also been on the Explorer, and the Serenade.  This week I just booked two cabins for the group cruise next July 4th on Anthem.  We are all super excited!
 
Chris  

Hi,
I’m Chris, I'm a database programmer in the direct marketing industry. My family & I are from Connecticut and have somewhat recently re-caught the cruising bug. Our kids are 12 and 14, and up until the last few years we've spent most of our vacation time in Disney World. Before we had children my wife, Dawn, and I were cruisers, starting with our honeymoon back in 1999 on the then, somewhat new, Grandeur of the Seas. We have been on NCL and Princess, but we have found that although they are good cruise lines, RCCL seems to do most things better. We would love to try Disney, but the costs for a cruise with them is just too crazy to consider - we could book two (or more) cruises with RCCL for the price of one with Disney.  Our last cruise was this past April, on the Liberty sailing out of Galveston and we all loved it!  I have also been on the Explorer, and the Serenade.  This week I just booked two cabins for the group cruise next July 4th on Anthem.  We are all super excited!
 
Chris