SpeedNoodles

I hope it stays that way. The only time we go into the casino now is to cash out our “non refundable” OBC 😂 

I am happy they banned smoking in the casinos! I hope this rule sticks!

Worst cruise ever?
I'm sure the former passengers of the Costa Concordia and the Achille Lauro would disagree, but, ok.

This is the sticker on the box.  I assume the 2022-11-20 is the exp date.  I could be wrong.  Also, the box design is a little different from other box pictures for the same test.  That kind of scared me when I got it but they are the correct test.

I didn't think they made any with that far of an expiration date.

I ordered mine last week.  They expire Nov 2022.  I'm glad I got them before this latest freak out.

@SpeedNoodles  living in a home with high ceilings and 2nd story foyer also, I felt claustrophobic in the ATS  and other 1 story suites.  I would trade awkward hallways and wasted spaces anyday for the bright open feeling of any loft on 17.   The layout w/ 2 bathrooms + upper and lower level affords personal space for dressing and toiletries— def the best way to go if you’re used to separate bathrooms/dressing area/closet spaces at home. We were Deck !7 dwellers long before SC rolled out.  IMO, you still can’t beat the level of service on Deck 17 and CK.  Sometimes we just want a laid back sailing without thinking about genie interactions.  

You can check a recent Cruise Compass for events on Symphony.
https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/cruise-compass?ship=1167

And it was the busiest place on the ship when we sailed, even the last night. 😂
I figure it’s because of the ‘I’m smoking and can’t wear my mask while I smoke’ ploy.  Similar to the ‘I have this drink to my mouth constantly while I’m moving from venue to venue’ ploy. 😂 
Gosh I would hate to have to enforce any masking rules, but the ‘no smoking’ rule? You couldn’t pay me enough to do THAT job. 😳 I would have to drink on the job to get thru the day. 

I thought the same thing. 😂 
OP, welcome to Royal Caribbean Blog.  If you return, I’m sorry you are disappointed. Sailing during a pandemic means we have to be flexible. There are smoking areas on the ship.

I think every passenger who chooses to cruise during this time of transition, change and uncertainty…must know and expect that there are ‘remote possibilities’ that you may experience your ‘worse cruise ever’. From being infected..or quarantined…or itineraries changed…or mask wearing issues…or shows cancelled.
Anything can happen and you should be prepared for it. Even if you never, ever expect it. Or you can choose not to cruise now. Either way…it’s your choice.

Ive heard of worse cruises.  There's several movies about them.  They often involve ships named after oceanic gods or names bragging about their size.  

We're really then?

We're really then?

I agree.  I hope this is the start of banning indoor smoking completely.  We go to a land based casino in Ohio that is smoke free and it is doing well, so i don't think smokers would avoid the casino on the ship.  

We booked both of these and took them last week (well, Bodden's on Roatan last week, and the ATV tour with Splash in the Sun the week before);  both were fantastic!!  We'd not hesitate to use either of them again.  The ATVs were a blast, and getting to see Roatan on a private excursion was great!  Highly recommend!!

Is it bad that I never feel awful about eating at Johnny Rockets ?

Smitha sent us the link to book our PCR test for the last day before our sailing ends. Easy to do in less than 5 mins. She will also meet us there that morning to ensure a smooth process for us. 🙂

It’s like that now on the Anthem. Everyone just seems to be doing what they’re supposed to. I don’t see anyone flaunting the mask rule either. Plus, I saw many instances where people would rather wait for another elevator because of the six people rule. Not all the time, but a lot. It seems most people are just satisfied being on a cruise and are enjoying themselves.
I did have one embarrassing moment…I left a venue and was walking the Royal Esplanade when I saw someone with their mask hanging under their chin. I thought to myself ‘how selfish!’…and when I reached to make sure my mask was on properly, I suddenly realized I forgot to put it on! Oops!

YES!!!!!!!! FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I find the price alerts to be useless.  They alert to when the price has dropped relative to the last check, not to what you paid, which, to me, is useless.  I gave up on them.

On the Anthem...day 8 of a 12 day cruise...
Although the Cruise Compass for today still has the original mask policy...'Vaccinated may remove masks in vaccinated-only venues'...today the pre-show announcements have changed. Now all guests are to remain masked during the shows. Also, as we pulled out of St. Lucia, the captain told us that we must remember to wear our masks whenever we are indoors. I'll check the casino...after the show!
Also, I haven't noticed passengers going around unmasked. If there are, then they're few and far between. I appreciate when people follow the rules that they agreed to follow. But then again, on this cruise, I noticed quite a few people who remained masked even when they didn't have to. Most seem to just take it in stride and are enjoying their cruise. Me too!
Update; Still optional mask wearing in the Casino…and other venues. So far it seems only Two70 changed. I guess they’re doing it slowly…or just waiting until after this cruise.
 

I find the price alerts to be useless.  They alert to when the price has dropped relative to the last check, not to what you paid, which, to me, is useless.  I gave up on them.

When I got my RoyalUp email last week all suites were gone.  I bid anyway.  With yesterday's announcement on change of protocol, a bunch opened up.  So you never know.  Plus a lot more people may be testing positive right before the cruise with how transmissible the new variant is, so I figure it's worth a shot.

We’ve never been able to stay awake late enough to attend the adult shows.