LetsTryThisPlace

If anyone is visiting Grand Cayman and wants to know, where to eat, what to do, the better beaches. I am here for you as I #livewhereyouvisit lol. I can recommend some places for the best bang for your buck. So if you're not sure what to do yet or just plan to try something local I should be able to recommend a few things :).

Actually, Delta was very accommodating as well.  When my sister notified them at the gate of the allergies, they made an announcement prior to boarding that no nuts would be served and also asked for everyone's cooperation to not eat nuts.

Try again now. I think I found the code that checks the logic on that.

I'm beginning to think that I don't want to cruise anymore.....or any less. Damn the norovirus, wash my hands often, use the hand sanitizer, use the hell out of my drink package and CRUISE ON!

It is much easier then I would say a couple years ago. I'm gluten intolerant and on many of the gluten-free brands, they are also dairy and nut free. I am guessing if you are already doing one it works out better to do them all and to be honest they taste just as good for the most part. But yea it would be difficult. (hopefully not affected by smell that would be really hard now too, look at planes)

I'll take a reduced risk. Hell, I'll take a placebo effect.

If anyone is visiting Grand Cayman and wants to know, where to eat, what to do, the better beaches. I am here for you as I #livewhereyouvisit lol. I can recommend some places for the best bang for your buck. So if you're not sure what to do yet or just plan to try something local I should be able to recommend a few things :).

There's a few. You can search norovirus on amazon and some will come up. I'm getting the Clorox brand though because its cheaper and we are on a budget lol

I would start with the sanitizer in your cabin when you board. door knobs, remotes bathroom fixtures etc.  I am OCD when it comes to this as I've been a victim of it (on land). I also don't touch ketchup, salt and pepper shakers any condiments on tables. I wash my hands after handling menus too. I don't understand people not wanting to prevent as best they can not to get others sick.   (I guess I am really OCD! )LOL

@LetsTryThisTech Disney has one of the best Kid's program at sea.  However, my kids did not care for it lol.  Go figure.  There is never a time on a Disney cruise where there is not an activity for a kid.  It's all Disney focused though.  So all their crafts, computer programs, games, etc. all revolve around the brand.  As my brother in law put it, the whole ship is an advertisement for Disney.  Don't get me wrong, I still believe that Disney does it best for the little ones.  They think of everything, right down to little toilets and sinks in each washroom so that kids can reach.  Their shows are full out Broadway productions, totally elaborate, just like you would see on a Magic Kingdom stage or anywhere else in Disney World.  But you are paying a huge premium for it.  Is it worth it?  Only you can decide that.
I can't comment on Adventure Ocean yet because this March will be the first RC cruise we will take the kids on.  But my kids are going (it's mandatory for them lol) and I'll let you know when I get back.
As far as the allergies go, I cannot comment first hand on RC because, thankfully, we do not have any food allergies to deal with.  But everything I have heard up to this point is that they are wonderful in dealing with it.  Perhaps someone else can give their first hand experience.
As far as Disney goes, our last cruise in December we traveled with my sister and my nephew.  They both have life threatening allergies.  My sister to peanuts and my nephew to wheat, diary, and peanuts.  Needless to say, the handling of food allergies was a major concern for all of us.  Disney was wonderful in handling it.  My sister filled out paperwork prior to sailing and on the day of embarkation she headed straight to the MDR.  There she met with the head waiter and they assured her that they have a separate kitchen for cooking everything.  They asked that she stick to the MDR for meals.  After that, for every meal, she pre-ordered the food ahead of time the day before.  Bread and non-diary types of milk were always brought out for her to look at prior to serving.  Everything was made fresh for him.  Before each meal was served, the head waiter came to check in.  A few days into the cruise, my nephew accidentally received a dessert that had cream on it.  We set it aside before he ate it.  After we informed the head waiter of the mistake, he personally brought out each meal from that point on. 
About halfway through the cruise, my sister was informed by the head waiter that they could actually accommodate my nephew upstairs in the buffet as well.  Same thing as MDR, she would place the order for breakfast/lunch the day before and it was cooked separately for him in the buffet.  On days where the head waiter was working the buffet rotation, he would personally check up on them as well.  My sister was quite nervous prior to going, but if you ask her now, she would tell you that she feels quite comfortable bringing her son on a Disney ship.  She felt they handled it wonderfully and professionally.  I have been trying to send her info on RC and what I've read about their handling of food allergies so we can cruise together again, but not on Disney ?

Before you know it you'll be looking to book the next one ?
 

As if ?
I would be miserable planning trips and not being able to go!

So my wife and I were thinking if we went bigger which ship we would try. After seeing this I think the quantum class might be better with all this. Thanks @twangster .

I thought I would provide a post-cruise recap for those who are curious about experiences with both Disney (DCL) and Royal Caribbean (RCI).
We sailed on DCL three times (Fantasy 2013, Wonder 2015, Dream 2016) and our Oasis of the Seas Christmas 2017 cruise was our first on RCI. Here is a quick, high-level comparison between DCL and RCI based upon on our experiences. Of course, this is only our experience and others may vary ?
Websites -
Overall: DCL is much better
RCI's site is notorious for being glitchy; they need some work in their IT department :). That being said, I always had excellent service when I called to follow up on anything that I did online (because I didn't trust that my changes online had been captured correctly)
Embarkation process -
Overall: RCI slightly better
Both were comparable with regards to luggage drop off, parking and security. Both have online check in options which save a ton of time and effort at the port.
{Sidebar for my fellow US Citizens: Please take the advice that so many have shared here before: bite the bullet and get a passport for you and your kids. It will make your life so much easier and safer in the event you need it in a foreign location situation. It makes check in simpler as well, as you don't have to carry multiple pieces of information. Times have changed, doesn't matter what the cruise line websites say, everyone should have a passport. End sidebar}
On each trip with DCL we had some long lines and waits before we boarded. On RCI (Terminal 1, Port Canaveral) once through the quick security stop around 10:30AM, we went up the escalator, turned left and a quick right, and walked up to an empty queue with about 30 agents waiting to assist us! Because we had passports and all online check in completed, printed and signed, we had our Sea Pass cards in about 7 minutes and headed to the chairs to wait. They began calling for all the specialty boarding around 11AM (all Crown and Anchor levels, special assistance, etc.) and our boarding group (3) was called to board by 11:30. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy!
Dining food variety and quality -
Overall: Slightly better with DCL
We found the food (main buffet and formal dining rooms) to be comparable for both cruise lines. On RCI we did My Time Dining and liked being able to pick different dining times depending upon our daily plans.
We had breakfast at Johnny Rockets and in the Park Cafe (both included in price of the cruise) a couple of times because it was closer to our room and quicker to get off the ship and both were ok.
Kid Feedback:
On DCL, the "free" soft serve ice cream was open from around 10am-midnight and there was always plenty. On RCI, it was only open from 11:00am - 7:00pm and many times the machines were not really frozen and/or out of order completely. They ran out of chocolate a lot! This was a BIG downer for our kids who LOVED getting a couple (ok, really more like 4+) ice creams a day, especially that last one right before midnight. Also, the kids really missed the variety of theme-ing and activities/interactions offered on DCL.
Dining food allergy concerns -
Overall: Both were exceptional
Our son has a severe tree nut allergy. Disney was great with this and a chef came out to talk to us almost every day to reassure us that his meals would be without contamination.
On Oasis OTS, our Head Waiter (Mariel) and server (Darcey) were WONDERFUL. They were extremely attentive to his allergy concerns. Each night after dinner they brought him the next day's menu where he could pick out what he would have the next evening. This way they could be sure to prepare his meal in the nut free area to ensure no cross contamination. If you are a food allergy parent, you know how wonderful it is to have food service take this issue seriously and alleviate some major worries. Plus, our son thought he was quite special with all the extra attention
Staterooms -
Overall: About the same experience
On Disney, we had a single, ocean view cabin for the 4 of us. On Oasis we had 2 adjoining inside cabins...and it was STILL cheaper than DCL (we'll get to cost later). Cabin layout, cleanliness, etc. are comparable between the two cruise lines.
Stateroom attendants on both were exceptional and they really do make you feel so pampered and relaxed on a cruise vacation. Janice on Oasis was a doll and made sure we had everything we needed, any time of day. Our son spent the last full sea day of our cruise in his bed with a fever (poor thing!) and she continually asked if he needed anything.
The only thing we really missed from DCL stateroom-wise was hearing Disney songs playing in all the corridors!
Entertainment -
Overall: About the same experience
We thought the quality of the shows (headliners, stage productions, comedians) were better on Disney.
But then again, Disney did not have the Oasis of Dreams water/diving show or the Frozen in Time ice skating, both of which were spectacular!
Come Fly With Me in the Opal Theater was a neat production as well, but we missed a lot of it because of where we were seated and due to the big fight – I mean screaming fight - that broke out among several guests seated behind us. After about 10 minutes, my husband got up and asked someone to call security. That was not something we experienced on a Disney ship. Not saying is doesn’t happen but we had not seen that before.
Also, we don’t gamble or smoke, so the one short-cut trip we made through the Casino was a mistake – the smell was pretty awful.
We missed the movie theater on DCL ships as well – it was fun to watch first run Disney movies while at sea.
Pools/Hot Tubs –
Overall: RCI was better
DCLs adult only lounging area was much smaller, even on their “mega ships” like Fantasy and Dream. On RCI we LOVED the Solarium area. I never had trouble finding a chair or lounger somewhere, despite being one of over 6,000 passengers. There was always room in a pool or hot tub, somewhere on deck 15. Lots of lifeguards around.
“Nightlife”
Overall – RCI was slightly better
The sheer variety of venues, from the Champaign bar, to the jazz club, to Vintages wine bar – so much to choose from and all had their own vibe. We had fun dancing on the Royal Promenade during the 70s and 80s dance parties. They venues were more spread out on RCI than what you have on DCL, but it helped you get your steps in for the day!
Cruise Line App-
Overall: DCL’s is better, but the new RCI one is getting closer
The newest RCI App is getting better with every revision. However, we found it was not kept up to date so the kids were disappointed when they missed something because they looked it up on the app and the information was wrong. The details on the Cruise Compasses were correct, but they didn’t carry that in their pockets like they did their phones.
The biggest issue was that we didn’t pay for wireless for the kids so it was hard to keep with them and/or our friends who were also on the ship.
On DCL, anyone can text anyone on the ship if they have the app on their phones – at no charge. So on DCL we could catch up easily, plan to meet, etc. On RCI, we constantly wondered where the kids and our friends were and missed out on doing things together because we didn’t know where everyone was. I do not like the idea of walkies, so next time, if they have not added the free texting feature in the RCI app, we will budget Voom for everyone so we can communicate better.  DCL also has wave phones to communicate and RCI did not have that as an option.
Disembarkation –
Overall: Both equally awesome
Walked off the ship, luggage found and loaded with porter and through customs - total time = 10 minutes at the most, no exaggeration. It’s a well-oiled machine on both cruise lines, mostly because it has to be.
Price/Value
Overall: RCI is the clear winner
A DCL cruise for the same type of cabin, the same number of days and the same ports is more than DOUBLE the cost of RCI.
Whew. That was a lot. Happy to answer any questions or provide feedback on areas I have not already.
We are very much looking forward to our next cruise on RCI (no kids this time!) in Sept 2018 - Anthem of the Seas New England/Nova Scotia to celebrate our 25th anniversary!

Since this was Anthem's first visit to Miami I went overboard taking pictures.  Go figure, me taking pictures.  Here are some of them:
























And with that it was time to leave...

I stayed on the ship today and that decision would pay dividends for me.  In my last live blog I talked about a venue that is unique to Quantum class ships - Two70°. 
Here is the Two70° venue on Anthem of the Seas during its first ever visit to the Port of Miami with Miami as a backdrop:

With Royal Caribbean's Headquarters right here they took an opportunity to introduce this Quantum class ship to many HQ employees and local travel agents who may not have had an opportunity to set foot on board one before since the other two in this class, Quantum and Ovation, are not based in North America.   Walking around the ship I saw numerous employees taking it all in.  Just before noon our cruise director announced that none other than Nick Weir would be doing a presentation in Two70° and guests were welcome to attend.  
For those that don't know Nick Weir, he is the Vice President of Entertainment for Royal Caribbean.  If you've seen a show on a Royal ship lately, you've likely experienced the work of Nick Weir and his team.  I follow him on twitter @NickWeirShowbiz where he occasionally leaks tidbits about the new entertainment coming to Symphony of the Seas.  For those that saw Project Atlantis, the RCTV production about the last time Allure went to the Freeport dry dock - that was Nick Weir hosting it.
Walking into Two70° today the room was rotating through some background scenes.  The room was filling up, my daily KümmelWeck from Café270 would have to wait. 



Have you noticed how the color of the house lights change based on the content that is being displayed?  Also note this was at noon during full daylight outside.  Consider my first photo above and how this room has transformed since, in the middle of the day.  Cool stuff here.
Nick took the stage and began his presentation.



Today Nick would be showcasing the incredible Two70° venue to an audience that consisted mostly of Miami employees and local agents - there were only a handful of ship guests other than myself in attendance.  The room cost an estimated $27M per ship plus the cost of content.  He discussed not only the evolution of these Quantum class rooms but the need to create content for them.  With eighteen individual projectors synchronized to produce the 'Vista Display' as it's called, it amounts to a 12k screen with a 5:1 aspect ratio (if you thought 4k was impressive, ha!).  The problem is no one has content for this screen size or resolution so Royal Caribbean Entertainment had to create it from scratch.        

During Top Tier events I've seen the virtual fleet presented before.  Nick explained this was created for a Royal Caribbean Board of Directors meeting that took place on Ovation a few years ago.  Since it was such a hit, they have kept using it and made it part of the Crown and Anchor Society Top Tier event.

During the presentation more and more of the fleet, old and new are brought to life on the screen sailing virtually behind us. 

Nick stepped us through various pieces that were produced for this venue some of which simply don't photograph well since they combine both the Vista Display and six robotic screens that move and are choreographed with content on the Vista Display and each other.
One piece that stands out is called 'Dance In A Box'.

They literally made two boxes the size of two robot screens and recorded dancers in a studio constrained to dance within those dimensions.  The robot screens move and rotate, separate and come together in three dimensions all choreographed to music.  This had never been done before.  It's one thing to make a robot that can build a car on an assembly line but Nick explained frankly it's quite boring watching a robot repeat the same move over and over all day long.  They needed to make the robotic screens performers themselves and that is what they have done. 

I've seen many of these productions before on previous Anthem cruises but hearing their origins and how Nick and his team produced them brought new respect for each show.
I'm really not doing the entire presentation justice in this blog.  It's something you have to experience which is the magic of this room.  It's not just a video played on a big screen, it's the manner in which the technology of the room is used to immerse the audience into the production.  In the interest of brevity I'm skipping several pieces of great entertainment but Nick brought it to a close with a virtual fireworks show his team created for New Years Eve one year that was so popular they play it on all Quantum class cruises now.  Watch your cruise compass for it when you sail on one.

 
Our Miami visitors had a lunch to get to in the dining room so the few guests like myself that attended then saw the virtual symphony orchestra on the Vista Display.

I had an opportunity to meet Nick after the event and talk briefly with him.  Nick if you ever read this, I decided to spare you from displaying how you showcased the rotating stage using yourself as a prop in the process.  Well done sir!

After Epic Chocolate Brownie I need to wait a few days before loading up on more sugar.  I'm still convulsing...

This is the exact thing that pops up

Count me in too. 

Me too. I scour the internet (really need to come up with a bot for this )

me too  but I will still give my <3 still lol
 
We will need to meet up then. Was hoping someone from here would be onboard lol.

Well as someone who doesn't have kids yet but plan to soon it would be nice to see what they are like from a parents perspective to be honest. 
 
 
We are on the 8 day Freedom on March 3rd from Fort Lauderdale. (just over a month so freaking excited to be back on a boat)

I bought the non-alcoholic package and plan to pay for the alcohol only for some mixed drinks (if I want them) works out a little cheaper as my wife will by no means come close to the needed break-even point. The deluxe does not seem worth it to me anymore.

I thought about that too.  That's why I'm considering doing one even though you have covered Anthem 3 times already.  I will likely be blogging from the "Mom" perspective.  Not sure if that's good or bad.   It might be quite boring.  WJ, pool, WJ, pool, ice cream, dinner lol.  And I feel that we all learn so much from one another I want to contribute back.

I strongly encourage anyone to live blog their cruise right here on RoyalCaribbeanblog.com.  After all...
(stolen from my previous Anthem live blog)

Seriously I enjoy reading other live blogs because they cover things I don't cover or think about.  I cruise differently which is what is great about cruising and it's nice to see things from another perspective.