Pima1988

6 minutes ago, twangster said:

not so many Cabs or Pinots

Same is true for Malbecs.  My husband drinks Malbec and he usually has to pay the same amount for a good one.  I hate red wine, so for me I have no problem getting a good Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio with no upcharge.

I actually feel that just like any "chain" steak house like Mc Cormick and Schmidts or Capital Grille, it can vary by location and design of the interior.  

I feel that on the smaller ships it always seems better service and quality.  We felt the food was phenomenal on Adventure, along with the service.  I have seen many posters also say the same when they go on a smaller ship like Lady G, however, when they go to an Oasis or Quantum class it loses that edge.

4 hours ago, Scooter6251 said:

And at $50 plus 18%, extremely overpriced

I would agree that at 50 it is too high, but if you do the 3 night, you can usually pick it up for as low as 79 or up to 90.  Right now you could get on my sailing unlimited for 8 nights for 179 pp.  When you even break it down to the 3 night the 30 pp + 18% = 35 bucks pp it is well worth it as a meal.  However, I am a huge fan of 3 items on Chops menu that you will not get in the MDR. Item 1.  Goat cheese salad.  Item 2. Branzino (crazy to order fish, but I do)  Item 3. Red Velvet cake.  OBTW I love the bleu cheese wedge salad, but I have learned on night 1 in the MDR tell the staff you want it tomorrow night and they will bring it to you in the MDR even if it is not on the menu.

I am not an anti MDR person.  As I stated earlier with RCL pushing the unlimited dining, I find the MDR less crowded now than prior to the UDP.  We only purchased the 3 night for 79 bucks on our Symphony cruise (5/2021) because we are in a suite and can access Coastal Kitchen.  

I have to agree with @WAAAYTOOO  I have never had to pay an additional fee on any cruise for any drink, be it specialty with a "call  name"  or getting a specialty coffee, such as an ice coffee with a double shot of espresso. 

My husband and I drink either Bulleit Bourbon or Gentlemen Jack and never paid an additional cost.

My BIL drinks Patron, I believe he did pay a $3 buck more charge, but it wasn't because it was Patron, he called the higher level Patron.  I don't drink Patron, but I am sure those that do know there are different levels, just like you can request Johnnie Walker, and I bet Red, and Black (or maybe it is gold, don't drink it), but if you order Blue than you are going to pay the difference from the 13 marker.  

Lastly, if you order their specialty drink in their specialty souvenir cup (typically at the pool) you will pay the difference.

1 hour ago, cruisellama said:

(I knew because I had to sign, which normally on Celeb, you don't have to sign on the premium package)

On every one of my RCL cruises you have to sign the bill at the bars even with the DBP, that includes at Coco Cay or Labadee.   The only time I cannot recall signing for a drink was in the dining room.  In the dining rooms we just gave them our sea pass card and they delivered it to us.  Caveat, in the specialty restaurants we were required to sign at the end of the meal.  Hubby always takes care of this, but I seem to think that the sign off was more about giving a tip for the server than our drink orders, but again I won't swear on that.  I  am just saying he always turns to me and says...I am going to tip them X amount, I never look at the paper receipt.  The receipt might just be our drink bill.  We tip in cash.

I have always had paid for duplicates when my children were born.  Our children are 30, 28 and 26.  We were a military family for decades and knowing that we would move often, we were told to do this by the legal advisers.  1 we kept with us.  1 was given to my Mom, in case it got lost during a move.  The lawyers not only advised us to do that, but also during his active duty career my Mom had an official copy of our marriage certificate, living wills and last will and testaments.  

Once we retired and grown kids, I got the birth certificates back from my Mom.  My kids have their original in their home, and I have an official in my home.

Point being it is smart investment to do so for the just in case.

4 hours ago, L454S said:

" Oh no, the toilet won't flush!"..........Press the button...nothing. Let it sit a few minutes, press, nothing. Call maintenance, they came pretty soon and told us it might be a while

That happened to us on our Adventure cruise last yr.  The access was though in the hall right outside of our cabin.  It took them hours to fix it.  Came to find out that several decks above us a passenger in their cabin decided to flush feminine products down the toilet, a big no no and posted in every bathroom throughout the ship, which in turn clogged the pipes.  They were snaking it all night because they had to keep pushing it down deck levels.

We found this out because the passenger in the cabin got fined several hundred dollars and were bemoaning this fact in the casino that night.  They basically said they did indeed flush the item, but it was RCL's fault for building ships with too small of plumbing pipes to handle it and felt they should not have been fined.  I heard them and said well I am here gambling on free $$$ because my toilet would not work, due to that they gave me a $50 OBC for my toilet being out of use from midnight to 7 a.m.  I also told them that when I was in the line at the guest relations desk was 20 people deep complaining about no toilets working, plus  we heard them snaking the pipes all night, and we were all on different decks.  

I recall how their attitude immediately changed because all of the sudden they realized that their action impacted passengers on decks below them.  They went from indignant to oh my bad.

OBTW their toilet worked the entire time.  They were shocked when RCL staff knocked on their door to address this issue.  They couldn't figure out how they knew it was their cabin.  I was told that somehow by them that they were informed that RCL can track it back to the actual cabin due to pipe design, not sure if that is true or not, but in this scenario it did turn out to be true.

@SteveinSC

I will not lie, we had fun at the 70's party, BUT a lot comes down to the cruise director.  You need them to create the vibe.  I also think it has a lot to do with location, just like The Quest.

The Quest on Anthem is great because of the location.  It is not as good impo on a ship that has it in Studio B (ice rink) due to sitting up higher and further way from the audience.

Flip side I like the 70s party on ships where they do it on the Promenade. 

OBTW, you can always find that loyal to Royal guest because they dress up in 70s outfits or at least don't bat an eye when they see those guests dressed up.  

@JonathanColton I forgot to add 3 more unique things about Anthem.

1. The WJ has outdoor seating.  It is so nice to sit out in the open air.  Just keep walking through the WJ and eventually you will get there.  Many people, including myself do not realize they have this option when going to the WJ.  Most will look for tables close to the food, thus, they miss this little hidden gem.  

2. Can't recall exactly where it is at in location from the WJ, but there is a lucite cut out in the floor.  It is not in the WJ, and if memory serves me, you turn left off the elevator.   It allows you to look down many decks.   Someone else can tell you exactly where it is located.

3. Loyal to Royal know the washy washy song, but for me RCL shows how much they believe in handwashing with their newer ships.  To enter the WJ on Anthem you are forced into a hand washing station and they have attendants watching you to make sure you did wash your hands.  From a covid issue it should make you feel safer for entering their buffet stations.

We were on Anthem 2 yrs ago.  The ship has some amazing aspects, to me the best is the Solarium.  I would rank it as the best in the fleet. 

I also feel that due to the location, The Quest is the best because it is in the 270 and that allows more interaction than compared to other ships when they hold it in locations like Studio B.

The 70s party is fun and a must do on any ship.

Make sure you are on the pool deck for sail away because Anthem only clears the bottom of the Verazzano bridge by @ 30 feet.  You can hear the tires whiz over you.  When you get to the port you will also be able to see the tear drop memorial.  It is for 9/11 gifted from Russia.  It is truly a beautiful sculpture.  The captain may or may not sail around the Statue of Liberty, but you will be able to see it.

A hidden gem is the Dog house, they have hot dogs, brats, sausages, etc..  It is located in the back of the bumper cars area.  270 is where you get the famous Kummelwreck.

Of course there is the NorthStar and I Fly to try.  To me it is a 1x and done experience.  When we were on Anthem the NorthStar did not swing over the side of the ship.  Not sure if it does now.  It basically goes up like a hot air balloon ride.

I have done the Bahamas cruise out of Bayonne.  Anthem typically gets the covered parking lot which you will be happy for since it can snow in NJ that time of the yr.

Hope that helps.

19 hours ago, gregorykicks said:

I've never used my TA to book cruise planner purchases, would she be able to use the OBC? 

Yes, your TA will be able to book it and use your OBC.  We have used our TA on various sailings for the big planner items, such as cabanas or beach beds with OBC.   

19 hours ago, gregorykicks said:

Can I still book two cabanas, one under my name and one under my wife's? 

I can't see why not.  We do this method for price drops since they are limited in quantity when not wanting to bother our TA.  Instead of taking the chance of losing the cabana between the time we cancel and rebook, we book the new one on the other's reservation number and it has always worked.   In essence, for a few minutes we have 2 cabanas until we go back and cancel the higher price cabana.

19 hours ago, gregorykicks said:

On the cruise planner you now have to link all the people who are going to be in your cabana. Has anyone skipped this by booking the cabana for one and then changing the assigned number of people once onboard or upon arrival at the cabana? 

We never had to link them to our cabana or our beach bed or even a couple's spa.  IE it is just 1 person.  This includes or May 2021.  It even says 1 person, so my fear would be that if yo link all of the people you will be charged that cabana price for every single person.

However, if this is the new way, I would not worry about whom is in which cabana.  Once in that area they will give you a wrist band.  The attendants don't care that you linked Jane to 1 cabana, but in the end she wanted be in the other cabana.  They will originally walk her to that linked cabana, but after that they will just look at the fact that she has a wrist band on.  

The only problem you might have is that they assign the location of the cabana.  You no longer, at least at Coco Cay   There are not many of them,  but you might find them next to each other.  They are assigned by the time of purchase.  So if you book yours and by the time you finish and start the 2nd, and than 2 other passengers book during between those times, the cabanas will be separated by 2.  Which goes back to why you might ask your TA or RCL directly so those numbers can be right next to each other.

I second the lamb shank.

I agree with @FManke.  We enjoy them, but I would not place them at a 5 star level.  I would not place them as low as Out Back or Olive Garden either.

However, that being said we do specialty restaurants because we enjoy the ambiance at each one and the unique items offered.    IE I am the biggest fan of the goat cheese salad which you will never find in the MDR, you can't request it, but you can request the wedge salad.  Same is true for the grilled octopus...ain't happening.  Heck, the MDR will offer beef carpaccio as a specialty on their MDR menu, but impo it is not as good as the specialties.  FWIW I still love the MDR on the night they offer the lamb shank.  Their prime rib is pretty good too, but it can be a hit or miss.

I think that the specialties will become even more popular once we get back to sailing.  My reason behind this is that a big selling point for the specialties is you don't feel as cramped compared to the MDR.  AKA social distancing.  

That being stated, I have also seen in the past 2 yrs or so that the MDR is less crowded, so it could be once we get back to sailing it will be 50-50. 

We do traditional late seating (8 pm) Reason why is that these specialties have become very popular.  1 cruise we did on Anthem with my family we only did late dining. We were a party of 10.  The waitstaff had only us in the MDR.  They were absolutely, positively the best service I ever experienced including 5 star restaurants.  They had other tables, but how it works for traditional is that is your table for MDR, if you pay for specialty, that is still your table even if you don't show.  Thus, tables around us were empty since those people purchased the specialty.  On that cruise we never did specialty. The staff knew we would be entering and by night 2 they had our drinks down in their memory...they always asked 1st if we would like that drink again.  My cousin only eats fish due to a medical condition, they brought out every fish appetizer for him.  They discussed that night would he would like off the menu.  My body does not appear it, but I eat very little.  They thought I did not enjoy the food, they kept bringing out more.  It got to a point that my husband had to say, she doesn't eat a lot, all you are now doing is making me spend more time in the gym to burn off the calories she is forcing me to eat not to offend you!

Did the late seating on Adventure with a group of 5 for an 8 night cruise.  We had 5 specialty nights ( 3 nights purchased, TA gifted 1 night and 1 Chef's table).  Same deal as Anthem.  1st night was chaotic, but thetip 3 nights our staff only had us and 1 table. 

I think they were so bored that to keep them busy they just kept bringing out food.  The lobster aka formal night they brought out every single dessert on the menu.  Didn't even ask what we would like.  We were moving plates to find room on the table.  Let's be honest, they also work for an additional tip, hence why they are now working 2x as hard.

FYI, those MDR waiters also work in the WJ or the MDR for lunch too.  They have long work days.

@CJS2766  I would say that if you come from an Italian family, especially one from the NY/NJ area, Giovannis maybe a bit of a let down. We live in VA, but originally from NJ. We have gone there several times on different ships, it was always, eh! However, we place it on the fact, to us, we have a high bar for them to reach due to our background. Last yr we traveled with my husbands family (NY/NJ Italians), originally we had 1 night in Chops, 2 nights at Giovannis.   We went to Chops the 1st night and Giovannis the next.  As soon as we were done with the meal at Giovannis, we went to Chops and had them cancel our 2nd reservation for Giovannis and reserve a 2nd night at Chops.

We actually prefer the carpaccio at Chops over Giovannis.  I have had the branzino at both.  No, I am not crazy eating fish at a steakhouse, I just get tired of having heavy meals and always find the branzino good.  Again, I preferred the Chops over Giovannis, not that Giovannis was bad, just that Chops always seems to be better.  At Chops our wait staff has always brought out to our table the spicy shrimp (entrée) for us to share without us ever asking.

My husband was not impressed with the gnocchi.  We had gnocchi one day for lunch in the MDR and it was amazing, thus he figured since it was a specialty restaurant it would be much better.  WRONG.  In the MDR it was light and airy, theirs were mushy and heavy.  The waiter noticed that he was not pleased.  He came back and offered him a 2nd entrée of his choice. He did the carbonara.  He enjoyed it, but it was still not OMG I can't stop eating although my stomach is full.

I will say the grilled octopus at Giovannis is amazing.

When it comes to ambiance I do prefer Giovannis, mainly due to the fact that Chops is that old style steakhouse design, dimly lit and dark wood/colors.  It is hard not to feel like you need to go to sleep after eating such a heavy meal.

.It is 50 per person.  If they are offering the 3 night specialty I would do that over just 1.  I got ours for 85 per person.

Chops is comparable to Ruth Chris or McComick and Schmidts steak houses.  Just like in the MDR  you can order multiple appetizers, but only 1 entrée per person.  Albeit, sometimes the waitstaff will bring out an additional entrée for the table to share.

We enjoy Chops, I especially enjoy their goat cheese salad as an appetizer.  The steaks are great and the ambiance is nice.  @WAAAYTOOO will tell you that her favorite item on their menu is the Red Velvet cake!

20 hours ago, crisgold52 said:

Plus in this day and age with talk of reduced load factors one would assume that should any bumping occur its be those without assigned cabins.

That would be my number 1 fear of booking a gty right now.

It has not returned to Symphony.  I have a sailing in May 2021 and my TA said Symphony never has and most likely never will have the Chef's table.

I am probably like @WAAAYTOOO not too picky, but I am not adventurous as my husband.  Let's put it this way...snails....I'll pass on it everyday of the week and twice on Sunday.  Same with sushi!  Now if you offered me any Indian dish, including goat and I am good to go!  

The 1st time we did the Chef's table and I looked at the menu I swore I was only going to like maybe 3 items.  I decided I would at least take 1 bite.  To my surprise I enjoyed every single item they served.  After that we have always done it on any ship that offers this option.

To me I think they try to push the envelope just a tad.  For example, the soup was a smoke tomato bisque with parmesan croutons.  The scallops were served as shaved carpaccio with some type of vinegarette.    The fish was branzino with parsnip puree.  The steak course was a filet with asparagus (can't recall how it was created).   As you can see it is not too far out there, just enough to make you feel like you are getting a meal that can't be found anywhere else on the ship.

The Chef's that come out to meet you are typically the Executive from 1 of the Specialty restaurants.  They are usually the highest end restaurant.  IE.  On Adventure Chops is their highest end, so that was our chef.  On Anthem,, we had the Wonderland chef since they classify that as the highest end.

I am for it.  I have a JS balcony, thus I have no problem lounging on my balcony.  Only exception would be that long walk to a car to get my drink.  

To me the issue I am seeing is the "chair hogs"  It is bad enough already with chairs slammed up right next to each other to the point you have to shimmy in to the lounger.  Imagine now if they reduce those chairs by even 25%.  What time in the a.m. will you have to be there to get a lounger at the pool?  4;30 in the a.m.?  

The upshot of this maybe RCL pool attendants might become more pro-active removing towels.  Before they didn't want to upset passengers that "hogged" the chair.  I would think now if they reduce the chairs, the non-hoggers will be pointing out to attendants at a higher rate and demanding the attendants remove the towels.  

14 hours ago, YOLO said:

They accounted for over 2200 passengers on that sailing.  I would have never booked that cruise had I known and now always check (as best as possible) to make sure I am not booking a partial chartered cruise

LMAO on this comment in total agreement.  

Our 1st cruise (10 night Med) was the exact opposite.  We were 27/28 yrs old.  It was the size of Enchantment.  They sold 50% of it to AARP.  It was the strangest feeling ever.  It actually felt like you were on your own personal yacht.  9 pm and the bars/dance venues were just a handful of passengers.  However, since this was back in the 90s, at 11:30 they all came back out again for the midnight buffet to take pics.  12:15 and the ship was silent again.  

I would never do it again even though it felt like my own yacht.  It just had the wrong vibe. OBTW I am now eligible for AARP.

A friend of mine has had their sons do something like this on Liberty (country music sailing).  They have done it now for 3 yrs running.  Their fan base has increased ALOT from this exposure!  This past yr they were invited to sing at the Grand Ole Opry (prior to Covid).  

Just like anything else in life, people get curious about anything tied to "special" events.   Passengers will talk at Schooners, WJ, Solarium, etc. about the "special" show and meet/greets.  Other passengers will wonder how they got that opportunity and about the band.  Many passengers have Voom.  They will than look them up on line.  Hence, even if they are not seeing their show, their social media exposure will increase.   

18 hours ago, MichelleB1234 said:

the philosophies regarding reopening are different in Florida and Texas than in NY.

The thing is Cape Liberty is not in NY, it actually is in Bayonne, NJ.  NCL sails out of NY.  NJ governor has been moving along with re-openings.  I believe they moved into Phase 3 this week.  (My family lives in NJ, we live in VA)

31 minutes ago, ellcee said:

At this point, because of proximity, the only place I'd want to leave if cruises resumed this year would be Cape Liberty. Don't know when I'll be comfortable flying again.

This is also one of the reasons I can see RCL opening it up when they come back.  People can easily drive from as far west as OH, as far south as NC and as far North as Maine and do it in 8 hrs of driving.  

Another reason is they have said multiple times that it would be the larger ships that they roll out 1st due to various reasons.  Liberty has both Oasis and Quantum.  Also remember Celebrity sails out of Bayonne too.  

Finally, although you may not feel safe flying, many Europeans like sailing out of Liberty due to its proximity to NYC.  They can fly into Newark and be at the port within 30-45 mins.  You do not have that option if you fly into Texas regarding the distance to the port.

I agree with Twangster.  Many of the residents in Venice have been protesting and demanding that the cruise lines leave Venice forever.  They want fewer tourist in the city, and the biggest way is to halt cruising.  

12 hours ago, cruisinnewbie said:

(the cabana is $1049 right now for my cruise)

I am actually shocked that excursions have already popped up. 

My May 2021 cruise on Symphony did not have any excursions pop up until about 400 days out.  We jumped on the Coco beach pass the day it came up.  It is only 2 of us, so that was the best option for us, we too are like @Ogilthorpe, usually like Chill Island cabana when in a group.  When we purchased the pass in late April, the only other Coco Cay excursion on the planner was the beach bed.  Mid May the over water and Chill cabana came on line.  It was only a week or two ago that Thrill came on line.  Oasis cabanas came on line that day too.

If I knew I was going in a group I would jump on that price, especially with children since the cabanas have a water slide attached.  I could see doing the water park since you are on Anthem.  If you said to me you were on Oasis, I probably would have said that the water park is not worth it since the ship has water slides.  I get Thrill has a bigger slide, but to me, even when I was a kid, a large slide like on the ship is a large slide.  The only thing that would sway me is the fact that I am a beach girl and love jumping waves.  I could live all day in a wave pool.

FWIW, if you do not know this, if the cabana price drops (I highly doubt since that is such a low price), purchase the new cabana at the lower price and than go back and cancel the higher price one.  There are limited numbers of cabanas, however, unlimited number of people looking on the planner.  They could have only 1 left.  By the time you cancel and come back to rebook at the lower price it can sell out.  I have seen this occur multiple times.

~ The way my husband and I have done this is:  1st purchase would be under his name.  2nd purchase (re-pricing) would go under my name.  Went back in and cancelled his purchase. We do this so we don't mistakenly cancel the cheaper cabana.  

11 hours ago, cruisellama said:

Anyone taken the balloon?

I agree with @ehw51  both times I have been there the balloon did not go up.  It has a wind restriction.  

One time we were there they sent it for a test run, and it never went back up.  The other time it never went up at all. 

2 hours ago, dandi799 said:

Very tempting, and something to think about! 

Trust me.  You will not be disappointed.

Rarely, if ever do I read a negative review regarding a cabana.  I will admit, I don't like the look of the Thrill cabana, but I would do it for the shade and attendant service. 

Hope this posted/

Seriously,  I see this is like a ski lift ticket.

It states in fine print the liabilities,.

If you don't want to sail, than OK.  However, I do want to sail.

I remember a sociology course I took in undergrad.  When does the good of 1 outweigh the means of many?

You have the inevitable right not to sail, so why don't I have the right to sail?  

FWIW, I lost my Dad (57 yo) to Adult Leukemia.  I know the difference.