WannaCruise

Enjoying your review as we were on Anthem in March...and with it's US port out of NY, I can see us going on her again. Really enjoy that ship. Your "obstructed" balcony looks like a great option. I assume it's just that small white part that is the obstruction? Not bad at all. Anthem has really nice balcony rooms...very deep and plenty of space and storage locations. I found Spectra's Cabaret "interesting", but a little odd. Not sure what it was about although it has some nice visuals. DD and I saw it by accident in practice (we were in the 270 in the day and they were "performing" something informally and didn't realize until the end what it was). and then we all saw the real show. Interested in your thoughts on The Gift if you saw it. It hadn't started up yet when we went in March. Looking forward to hearing more.

Thanks for sharing your room experience! I know what you mean...love the over the bed cupboards on Anthem. Such a smart way for Royal to create additional storage space. We booked connecting virtual interior rooms on Odyssey. Look forward to trying those (even if not a real balcony). Wow...and I thought I was organized. Very impressed...amazing with the all the daily ziplock bags for your kids! So smart too with the duffle bag for dirty laundry and then of course the magnets work well for additional items. The bed setup looks good and can see how it would work for 3 kids and 2 adults. We've stayed in a boardwalk balcony but with all our cancellations have yet to try the Central Park one. They do seem nice too. Have heard that warning too about deck 12. Hope you're having a wonderful cruise!

Great review. It's challenging travelling with kids and the focus is doing things for them, but it's so wonderful having these holidays together and creating lasting memories. Thanks for posting the room picture. Curious what you prefer.. 2 connecting interiors or 1 CP balcony room? We had a similar one booked but never got to try the central park one due to covid. We often go through the same dilemma of 2 interior vs 1 balcony...esp cruises these days with prices going up. Also interested in your cruise as we'll be on Oasis is March.

Thanks! Will check it out.

Looking forward to hearing about your trip. The Anthem title got my attention as I remember your posts from your last cruise (and you were helpful when we were planning our Anthem cruise), but then saw you meant Oasis. Interested in hearing how you find they compare. Btw...I love the photoshop idea. I often have great pictures to post of my kids and us, but I don't like putting pictures of them on public sites so just skip those photos. That's a great way to still be able to post something but keeping your privacy. Have a wonderful cruise!

Thanks for noting. We just paid final payment on our Liberty cruise for December and was wondering if they were back to how it was where final payment is your final price. I guess the price drop to the end was just a covid thing.

Interesting, no freestyle machines? We're sailing in December and DH got the soda package. He'll be disappointed if no freestyle. Hope you're having a great cruise!

Looking forward to hearing about your cruise. Dh and I are on Liberty in December for the first time. Have a wonderful time! P.S. Also from Toronto but Liberty will be in Fort Lauderdale when we go.

Love love love your sense of humor and writing. Btw...we do the mixed luggage thing too, and even for an upcoming trip where we are only doing carry on (in case we have to end up checking something). Looking forward to hearing about your cruise. Have an amazing time!

Following. Have both these ships booked in the future. Sounds like an amazing summer!

You can book refundable when Canadian funds. Go through the mock booking and enter in the details for the passengers. A refundable check box shows on the same page where you add gratuities. Also as a note, I've had a few bookings where my stateroom was only offered as refundable. You can check if this is your scenarios by selecting the 'view cancellation policy' hyperlink with the pricing. The pop up window will show if it is "Non-Refundable Deposit" or "Refundable Deposit".

Happy anniversary! What a special one! Glad you spoiled yourselves with that amazing stateroom, and must have been a great few days away to relax!

Is there an "excursion" for Disney transportation . That was our plan a couple years ago (which didn't happen due to covid). We were going to just take the transportation and spend the day at Disney Springs and/or resort hopping. To pricey for paying for the parks but still was a way to get a Disney fix.

Loving this double cruise report! We were on Anthem in March. Really enjoyed her....It's exciting reading through both your experiences! Is the cruise director still Joff Eaton? He's pretty good (although we only had him for 2/3 of our cruise as he disappeared near the end of our cruise due to the nasty C). Hope you're both having an amazing time!

Wow...that Harry Potter exhibit looks amazing! Like you are really in the movies! So glad you made it safe and sound, negative tests, etc! Looking forward to following along with your Anthem cruise. I know it's not your favorite ship (DH feels the same about Anthem, but DD and I really enjoyed her)....but seems this one isn't about the ship. What an incredible vacation...and your cruise hasn't even started yet.

Cool! We almost booked the week prior, but it will be our son's first year of university and not knowing where he'll be and his last exam, we booked this week instead. Never been on a New Year's cruise before.

That's great. Thanks for confirming.

Another question about the coffee card. Can you use it in the MDR for a coffee after dinner? Or is it only at the coffee shops (e.g. Cafe Promenade, WIndjammer)?

Just noticed my currently booked cruises aren't on the master list: Liberty - Dec 19, 2022 Oasis - Mar 12, 2023 Odyssey - Dec 31, 2023 Wonder - Mar 10, 2024 Thanks.

Question....does that mean that the card is specific for the ship?

That's funny. I don't really know who she is....except that she was a regular guest star on The Love Boat (which is the show that got me into cruising).

I found there were some neat visuals in Spectra's Cabaret...but my main thought was "very weird".

I'm biased as Mamma Mia is my favorite musical all around...it's just so fun and upbeat. Have seen it 25x to date (with one of those times on Allure). But I would have to say that We Will Rock You on Anthem was amazing...done really well and was able to go twice during the cruise. It's my DD's favorite. I also really enjoyed Hairspray on Symphony and Grease on Independence was good. Gonna guess Cats will be my least favorite but haven't seen it yet. For production shows...the one on Navigator wasn't my favorite as it felt like old cheezy Vegas show (even though the performers were talented).

We were on Anthem in March and it was not running. They had a "puzzle break" activity that I suppose they were trying to mimic that was open to everyone run in the Music Hall (different puzzles/things to solve)

I assume the card is left in your stateroom when you arrive? Drink packages are very pricey now but am considering the coffee card for our next cruise.