Pima1988

Right now the Adventure is 8 nights out of Bayonne for summer of 2019 to the Caribbean. If they go to 9 nights than I would assume they would turn it to be a 5 day to NE. Lady G the last time I looked did 9 nights NE and turned to a 5 day Caribbean. Anthem had to do a 5 night to NE last Sept because of a hurricane that was due to hit Bermuda. She went to Portland and Halifax, thus it is doable to do a 5 night to NE.. I really want a 7 night to Florida/Bahamas/CoCo Cay. Caveat, not if it is to Cape Canaveral or Miami. Key West on the other hand oh yes!

@rothschilda from your lips to God's ears. I will be booking it if it goes to the Caribbean. Did the NE cruise last yr., and we are more beach people. I wonder how quick it will fill up because of course Oasis will be coming out dry dock in 2020 so the ship will be like new. Or at least that is my recollection about her going into dry dock.

@JLMoran I have heard the same rumblings about the lowering of the stacks. Didn't they just apply for a patent regarding their stacks? I did not pay much attention to when I read the article. The other rumblings that I heard was they were going to follow the Anthem's itinerary. 9 nights NE and turn to a 5 night to Bermuda only. However, I also heard they would do a 7 night schedule for Oasis. I am hoping that they would do that, but it doesn't make sense to me because the Adventure does 8 nights to Bermuda/Bahamas/Coco Cay. Hence, to me it would make more sense for Adventure to take over Anthem's routes of 9 and 5, and this way Oasis could do a 7 and 7. It just means you would have 1 less sea day. I would also like a 7 night for Oasis. My Hubby's and my biggest complaint of the Anthem for 5 nights was to do everything we wanted you really need 7 nights. Just when you figured out the ship you were getting off the next day. I really wish they could get a larger ship into Baltimore, but I get it. We did the Enchantment and Lady G is the same size (approx.) It is just too small for us. Enchantment was fine, bc it was port heavy, no sea days.. Adventure is as small as I am willing to go. I love Cape Liberty to sail out of. I am not a huge fan of NCL and combine that with driving into NYC, I will stick with RCCL.

It is rumored to be that the Oasis will replace Anthem after she comes out of her retrofit. I am wondering if this is truly true because I am not sure it can clear the bridge.. Anthem only clears by @20 feet. I remember being on the pool deck and you could see the brand of the car tires as we under the bridge.

I lived in AK for several yrs. right outside of Anchorage, in a town between Anchorage and Wasilla. There is only 1 road to get to Wasilla from Anchorage, it is called Glenn Hwy. There are pics of that road being twisted and torn in the news. The problem I see for the cruise ships are about the excursions come spring time. ~ In AK they call April "Break Up" because that is when we start thawing and you finally see pave top roads again. The point is, it is already snowing in AK. It is not uncommon there to have 2 feet of snow within a week. There is no way they can repair those roads during the winter since it is too cold to pave. Thus, they are really going to have to get on it after break up and the cruise lines will have to hope that it is done in time by May when they start showing up. My heart goes out to everyone in AK. OBTW, for the 1st few months I lived in AK, I would yell at my kids (6,4 and 2)… stop touching the pictures on the walls (hallway/staircase/behind the sofa)! I was fixing them everyday since they just tilted a little. It was only when I complained to my neighbor (AK born) that they said, it's not the kids. It's the tremors and you are too use to it now to realize they happen everyday.

Yes. However, I look at a cruise, cost wise, as the same way I look at a land vacation. In the end, when you add it all up, including the sticker shock of 50 bucks a day or 300 for a 6 night cruise, I find cruising a better option including the excursions that I have to also pay from a cost aspect. The reasons why are simple. I get to see multiple locations ...go to bed at night at 1 beach and wake up the next a.m. at another beach. ~~~ During sea days I have the exact thing a land all inclusive offers too. I have the gym, I have multiple restaurants (free), I have multiple pools, a casino, Great shows (Mama Mia, Hairspray, We Will Rock you and Quest), movies at night by the pool, dance parties, with many of the bigger ships, I also can use Flow Rider, Rock Climbing, basketball, I Fly, ice skating, bumper cars, miniature golf, water slides, ziplines, etc. All of those activities are free. I think if you do the total cost and compare it to Sandals or Resorts, in the end the cost is basically the same with the deluxe beverage package, and Voom. Off topic, but on topic too. The reason many cruisers use a TA is because they also throw in perks. We are not foodies, but using the TA they threw in 2 specialty restaurants and 100 OBC and with the cost of an outside Balcony cheaper than RCCL and SAM's Club. You do not pay for a TA, the cruise line does.

I agree that the ones at Thrill (waterpark) look more like a tent or a palapa, but than again I think what they are showing are artist renditions. I also think that they may tend to end up looking like the rendition. IMPO, each part of the NEW Coco Cay areas are aimed to specific types of clients/passengers. Thrill has no thrill to me. I am 53 and did that with my kids, decades ago. I have a grandbaby and maybe in 5 yrs when we take them with us I will book that cabana for the grandbaby to enjoy the day at the waterpark/pool. Oasis looks cool to me, but for my hubby and I we like the feeling of sand in our toes, and that appears to feel more like it is artificial/landlocked from the artists rendition. I also think that it is more for the 30's generation. I like the Chill bc it feels exactly like that. Out of the way, laying on a lounger and hearing the water lap up against the beach as I see nothing but the beautiful water in front of me.. FYI, when I booked back in Oct. all 3 were the same price, cost was not an issue. It all came down to what we wanted to do the most during our day at Coco Cay.

Our decision also comes down to how many times we have been there and if we are traveling with a group or by ourselves. That and how long you are in port. IE our cruise in July, I splurged on the cabana (Chill Island) because my SIL will burn even if she wore 1000 SPF. My BIL wants to scuba so we booked the Catamaran with RCL...don't want to risk a problem with the Catamaran and not getting back on time in Bermuda since we leave at 5. Bahamas we have already done the dolphins, and also the sting rays, so this time we will just walk into Graycliffs by ourselves instead of using RCCL. My BIL wants to do the swim with dolphins, so they are going on their own and chancing it with an outside company. Remember if you book it with RCCL they will hold the ship for you, or so I have been told if the tour group has issues getting back to the ship on time. I have seen not only on this site, but also on FB pics/stories of people running to the ship bc they did a 3rd party operator. One poster was angry bc the ship actually left without them. It occurred bc the poster did not think about the time change. They saw 3 hr tour... and booked it for the afternoon, never realizing that the time change meant they were coming back an hr after the ship left.

I just looked at the details of my cabana (Chill Island) It states jet ski and snorkel excursions are nearby. Nothing about the mats either. It states the same regarding towels, sofa, chaise lounge, usb port with speakers for music, attendant and chill gill, plus also a self serve beer station (if you have the bev pkg). Maybe they have changed it for 2019 sailings especially since they now have the Oasis and Thrill cabanas. I am just glad we booked the cabana as soon as we booked the cruise back in Oct. bc we got it for 449, and even on Black Friday/Cyber Monday it is at 674. I have seen it go as high as 1249, and hovering at 849 for weeks now. Coco Cay is our favorite stop. The water is gorgeous. If RCCL ever opened a hotel there as an all inclusive I would do it in a heartbeat. My only complaint is I wish they would stay until 6 or 7, but my guess is it has to do either with the tides, or those that work on the island.

That is for both. IOWS, 1 of you books it on their planner and the other just shows up with them at the spa.

This is our 1st time doing the cabana. We also have the dining package. Thus, if I am reading your post correctly as soon as we board the ship, I will need to go to shore excursions while my hubby at the same time will need to hit Chops so we can get the best (cabana and dining times). How long of a line is it for the Shore Excursions when you get on board? I know it depends on the time and the ship, let's say 11:00 embarkation. The ship is Adventure in July. So if I show up at noon, will I get the very last one since I have been told there are only 14 for Chill Island ?

I got some good deals, but had to laugh at some of the sales. We booked the Chill Island Cabana for 449 the day we booked the cruise a few months ago. The sale for the cabana was 674. My guess is that they have a few left, and due to that fact they upped the price.

We had no problem with the site, but like SpeedNoodles we did it later in the day, @6 p.m. On our planner the clock is going to end at 11:59 Sunday night. Hoping that on Cyber Monday it will drop some more on the DBP, but if it doesn't we still got it @ $55 including the grats. or about $160 less for the cruise compared to the cost on Weds.

Which again I think why the cruise was that way. Living in Europe is cheaper to fly to the port in Italy with a family of 5, than if, let's say you are coming from Kansas. Hence, why I also said the reason the age was so high impo comes down to most Americans with kids would opt not to go that route, instead do the Caribbean and maybe Disney later on for the exact same cost as a European Cruise. I am sorry if I offended you. that was not my attempt. My attempt was to say for the OP, I really thought your experience is the extreme since it is Europe. Just like I would say to them that if they attempt to go on a NE/Canada cruise for 9 days in Sept on Lady G that the demographics would be older, much older.

Coco Cay Chill Island has only 14 cabanas, or so I have been told. They are all beach front. You take a golf cart to get there. They are thatched roof with sofas/chairs and usb connections to play your own music.. They come with lounge chairs by the cabana too. From what the site says, they also include your own attendant for the day, private bar and grill, plus a cooler filled with water and of course towels. You can still use the bars that are on the island or go to the buffet for lunch. It is in a more secluded area. Depending on how many ships will be docked that day, it can be crowded. 1st time we went to Coco Cay back in 2016, Enchantment and Empress were there. Enchantment arrived 1st. Pick of loungers...sun or shade, by the water or closer to the bar areas. By Noon, well it was slim pickings. My SIL is very fair skin, she needs shade. My Hubby and I like the idea of the seclusion and comfy sofas to lounge on during the day. We have done the excursions --- swimming with dolphins and sting rays, para sailing. This for us is the big splurge. The pier was not there yet, so everyone had to tender. Hence, getting back to the ship for lunch, which makes no sense since they offer a nice buffet, and going back to the island would eat up too much time. I do not know what it will be like with the pier, but again, there are bars all over the place. Lunch will be set up for X amt of time. FWIW, go to the WJ in the a.m. and get some goodies to go when you take your beach bag. IE fruit, muffins to hold you over. Or go the night before and get some cookies or deli meats, just place in your mini fridge aka cooler. Whatever strikes your fancy. Back on topic. I am someone that is also a proponent for the MDR. Here's why. They have an amazing menu, and if you are there every night, the wait staff will still want to make you happy. IE, I love the wedge salad, our waiter knew this, and offered me that option even if it wasn't on the menu. I never had a bad meal in the MDR. Only doing it this time bc we are in a group and my SIL wants to do specialty. Our TA gave us 100 OBC, so I will use it to appease the group we are traveling with. Did Anthem last yr with a group of 10. We ate every night in the MDR. Not one bad meal or service. I think bc we did eat every night compared to those that popped in for dinner since they purchased a 3 or 4 night, we probably had a better meal. The wait staff knew us, and were ready for our unique desires. 1 member only ate fish, 1 member only drank Bud Light, I have a stomach of a hummingbird, so they would make a plate to take back to our room. We also enjoyed the cruise more bc the table next to us also was there every night...we became family with strangers. You don't have that impo if 1/2 of the time you are going to specialty restaurants. I also have to say, my hubby and I are foodies, we have no problem dropping 200 for the 2 of us on a great meal, not including drinks. I just don't feel the need to do it on a cruise unless it is Chef's table or Mystery dinner. I would rather spend my money on a hot stone massage at the spa on a sea day. No offense to anyone, that is just my opinion from someone with a limited budget.

Forgive me, but this is a 2 prong question (excursion and spa) I know you can book at the higher price and then cancel and rebook at lower. However, let's say all of the cabanas are officially booked. IE Chill Island only has 14 cabanas. I purchased at 649. The price is now 449. If I cancel the 649, at the same time Joe Schmoo tries to book at 449, does Joe Schmoo get the cabana bc while I am trying to rebook they beat me to SUBMIT? My assumption is yes. If that is the case, 2nd prong, I want a spa day, but all of the times are booked at the 99, so I just hover/lurk the website to jump when Joe Schmoo tries to rebook at a lower cost. FYI. I got my cabana at 449, and don't expect it to drop on Black Friday, but if it does, even to 349 I don't want to lose it if that is how RCCL works. If I know that I can keep 1 of those 14 cabanas at a lower price, I will rebook.

We did a Yugoslavia, Greece and Italy cruise (our 1st cruise) I would agree that age wise they were much older than us. However, I think that has more to do with the costs than when the cruise occurred (May). Flying from the US to Europe is expensive, paying for airfare, cruise, dining options and excursions in my opinion, would be in the ten thousand marker at least for my family of 5. Whereas, I could do an 8 night Caribbean for my family @5K since I live on the east coast and could drive to Cape Liberty, Baltimore, Miami, or even fly to San Juan. Don't get me wrong Auto we took our kids to Europe for 1 of my bucket lists...Winter Olympics in Italy. Kids were 11, 13 and 15. I am just saying cost wise as an American that is a really expensive trip for the avg family, thus, I am not shocked at the age demographics. We did our European cruise when we were in our late 20's and I swear at 9 p.m. we were the only ones in the bar, on the deck, etc, bc most were in their 70s. That was decades ago, and it seems it still holds true today. My In-laws did the RCCL Greek cruise for their 50th wedding anniversary 10 yrs ago (they were in their 70s). My sister in law just did NCL last summer, she is 59. My close friends just did Princess 2 yrs ago, and they are early 50s. Just saying, impo as an American, those cruises are more bucket lists later in life. I want to do a river cruise, but everyone my age (53) says NO, wait until you are at least 60 bc even at 60 you would be considered a baby age wise.

The day I saw it 1249 I said to my Hubby I just saved us 800 books, and his response was HOW? My guess is that they probably had 1 cabana left and somebody was going to be willing to purchase it and rebook it later. No way in Hades would I be willing to pay that cost, nor at 849. 649 would have been on the fence decision. Not to go off more topic, but my regret is not booking my spa day at the same time.

Not going on Symphony, but on Adventure in July. A few weeks back I picked up the 3 night for 60, now it is at 75. Like CruisinUngs if I wanted just Chops it would be 42 for one time dinner or 22 for lunch. I would suggest you hover on the RCCL site daily planner and pounce if you see the price goes lower on Black Friday or Cyber Monday. Off topic, but I would also say watch the cabana sales. We are going to Coco Cay. Knowing they are limited in numbers I booked it the same day as I booked the cruise for 449. I have seen it go all over the place depending on the day. Everywhere from 499 to 649 to 849 and even 1249.

I think it will depend on multiple aspects, such as the size of the ship, the dates of the cruise and how long. We sailed on Anthem for 5 nights in Sept. It left on a Sat. and returned on Thurs. I would not say there were a lot of kids, like there probably would be in Mar or April when there are many schools on spring break, but I would say everywhere you turned you would see kids. However, remember Anthem is not a small ship compared to say Enchantment or Lady G and that could also impact how many kids will be on the cruise. For Example we sailed Enchantment (4 nt) during Nov. leaving on a Mon, ret. Fri. kids were far and few between. I also think that it had to do with the ship itself since the Enchantment really does not have the bells and whistles. Don't get me wrong it was a great cruise, because of Enchantment's size it was port intensive, no sea days, which also might be another reason why there were few kids.

I have done the Anthem, but not Lady G. I see Lady G on the same level as Enchantment which I have sailed. JMPO, but with the group you are sailing with I would not even think about Lady G. My biggest reason why, is the cruise is not port intensive. We typically go with smaller ships when it is port intensive...in other words, no sea days, all port days, thus you don't need the things like North Star, I Fly, bumper cars, 3 different pools, etc. Port intensive you are spending your day off the ship and only back on for dinner and shows at night, hence the shiny bobbles/attractions really mean very little. I am a Jersey girl, that went to college in Philly. I am 53 yo. Personally, as I said before with your demographics for the group I would do Anthem all the way, no 2nd thought. Anthem is harder to navigate at 1st compared to Lady G due to its size. However, I would have no problem getting lost on the Anthem just because of the Solarium on that ship compared to Lady G. The Solarium on Anthem is an Oasis. It has hot tubs, swings to lounge on, lounge beds like the cabanas, bar, restaurant attached, and the peek a boo walk out deck. Never had a problem finding a lounge chair, table, etc. Never found the pool or bar crowded. Hope that helps. One other reason to go Anthem...270 lounge which offers the Kummelwreck. No offense to Lady G.

We traveled on Anthem last September, Sept 23-28th, we were in our bathing suits at the sail away party. Wore shorts, deck pool was filled with people the entire trip. It is not uncommon for it to be in the low-mid 80s in NJ for the better part of the month of Sept. NJ is really not very north, born, bred and lived there for my 1st 25 yrs, I now live in VA, have lived in NC for 8 yrs prior to moving to VA. I would say that the temp difference between NC, VA and NJ at that time of year might be 3-5 degrees. IE today in NC it will be a high of 51. In NJ it will be 47. Think of NJ weather in Sept. like the weather in NJ in May. JMPO, the temp would not be my concern for Sept. Hurricanes would be my concern regarding booking out of NJ in Sept. As I stated earlier I did the Anthem in Sept. 48 hrs prior to our cruise that was suppose to go to Bermuda, we were informed we would be going to NE/Canada because of a hurricane coming through the Atlantic. RCCL did good by us. They said if we didn't cancel, they would give back on our credit card 50% of the cost paid, plus, 250 pp in OBC, or would refund the entire trip and give us 50% off for our next cruise if we sailed within a yr. We sailed.

I am also interested in knowing, not only from a wine perspective, but the alcoholic beverages too. So far I have yet to read anywhere if they are increasing the prices. It would make a difference to me deciding whether or not I purchase the DBP.

I was born and raised In Middlesex county NJ (East Brunswick) My Hubby came from the same town. Old Bridge is next door. That being said, even the crappiest place in Italy, will make you go OMG when it comes to gelato. Same with prosciutto. Prosciutto is very unique. You want it sliced fresh bc it will be soft and tender, not salty

Our last night in Rome we went to what in NYC/NJ would call a deli/butcher. We purchased meats/cheeses, breads and pastries to take back to our hotel room bc we had a long day of doing touristy things, including a large lunch on the patio at the Museum in Rome (Ocean 12 Movie). We just wanted to decompress and get ready to take the early train to Milan the next day (packing). Kids were happy bc we let them get gelato while we walked back to the hotel. My Hubby is Italian, and trust me even in NYC Prosciutto is nothing like you will get in Italy. Coliseum, Pantheon, Vatican should be on your list, but also go to a deli. We went to one near the Spanish steps. OBTW I was not a fan of this site. It was just a bunch of stairs. Nothing in the OMG look at that view realm. More of OKAY, seen it, checked the box, can we move on now? I felt the same with Trevi fountain. I was more impressed with the church around the corner (see earlier posts regarding placards). I also didn't like these places bc every time I turned around someone was trying to sell me a rose pushing it in my face.. I agree Europe has a much better transit system than the US. That being said, if you have a TA or use the concierge with your credit card to see if they offer deals. Many people think doing it on their own is the best option, not realizing you do not pay for a travel agent and they can hook you up for better deals. Which brings us back on topic regarding cruising. I got an amazing deal on Adventure using a TA. This will be our 3rd cruise within 2 yrs. 1st time we used a TA. The deal was outside Balcony deck 7. 2 specialty dinners and 100 OBC for 2800 (2 people) for 8 nights out of Cape Liberty. I keep looking (fake booking) to see if I could get it cheaper...NOPE! They beat the price of Costco or the RCCL website. I am not paying them to book the cruise/vacation. RCCL is! Just like if you use your credit card concierge. FWIW, we planned that Italian vacations a yr out, and used AMEX concierge. I paid everything on our AMEX to get points. Gas, groceries. food, cell phone, etc.. I just thought of AMEX like a debit card and deducted it from my checking account. We had so many points that my entire family flew 1st class (5 of us) to Italy from NYC and back at the cost of economy. We were also allowed to use their private lounges while we waited for our flights,, aka Delta Crown Room as AMEX card holders. I don't know about Visa or MC, but I would strongly suggest looking into the benefits your credit card offers when it comes to traveling, including early or late check out