FionaMG

Just for future knowledge, next time, save yourself the bother. You can get $1 bills from the casino cashier on board (also at Guest Services, sometimes, if they're in a good mood, although there's usually a queue ).

@Matt just wanted to point out an inaccuracy in your news post on this so you can correct it if you want. You have "Royal Caribbean informed guests on select sailings in December 2024 and January 2025 that their cruises have been cancelled in order for the ship to undergo work." But it's actually November and December 2024. No bookings were ever taken for January 2025, as that month was blocked off from the very outset when Freedom's sailings for this period first went on sale.

I think you've probably hit the nail on the head here. When Freedom's 2024/2025 itineraries went on sale the whole of January and first two weeks of February were blocked from the outset. I reckon that's when they would have been planning the dry dock as, financially, it would make a lot more sense than the period now confirmed.

Good you're able to finally get moving on this @WhoCruiser. I bet it's a huge relief for you finally to know. I absolutely agree with you about the fort in SJ. I love it up there. I would like to be able to visit both of the forts but that would be pushing DH's tolerance level for all things historical. We may end up joining you on Explorer. For the time being, we're switching to the Oasis sailing on the 30th of November while we mull over whether or not we can make Explorer work for us.

I'll have to have a really good think about what to do. The real draw for us on this itinerary was Saint Lucia, which none of the alternatives have. But I have to admit I'm tempted by the southern one on Oasis.

Cancellation e-mail just came in. Very coincidentally (or not) I had just asked my lovely MEI TA @michelle yesterday to see if she could find anything out. They are offering several alternatives with price protection so for those of you have back-up cruises booked, check to see if any of them are on the list. @WhoCruiser, the Explorer December 5th sailing is NOT one of them, unfortunately. Copy of the e-mail below, just in case it doesn't filter through to everyone: Dear Guest, We’re continuously working to improve our ships and the many amenities they have to offer. We’re taking Freedom of the Seas into dry dock for routine maintenance and exciting improvements. Unfortunately, this means your upcoming December 7th, 2024 cruise has been cancelled. The time and effort you took to plan your cruise is important to us, and we apologize for the inconvenience. Every aspect of your time with us should be enjoyable, so we’ve put together some alternate options that we hope will work for you and those in your party. Option 1: Re-book one of the following 2024 or 2025 itineraries departing from Fort Lauderdale, Florida: Freedom of the Seas: October 20th, 2024 | 7-Night Western Caribbean & Perfect Day | sailing to: Perfect Day at CocoCay | Labadee, Haiti| Falmouth, Jamaica | and George Town, Grand Cayman October 27th, 2024 | 7-Night Western Caribbean & Perfect Day | sailing to: Perfect Day at CocoCay | San Juan, Puerto Rico| and Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas February 16th, 2025 | 7-Night Eastern Caribbean | sailing to: Nassau, Bahamas | Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas | and St. Johns, Antigua Oasis of the Seas: November 16th & December 14th in 2024 or January 11th in 2025 | 8-Night Eastern Caribbean & Perfect Day | sailing to: Basseterre, St. Kitts & Nevis | Philipsburg, St. Maarten | Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas | and Perfect Day at CocoCay November 30th & December 28th in 2024 or January 25th in 2025 | 8-Night Southern Caribbean & Perfect Day |sailing to: Oranjestad, Aruba | Willemstad, Curacao | and Perfect Day at CocoCay What you’ll receive: Your original stateroom category price will either be protected at your original cruise fare rate or reduced to the current cruise fare rate (whichever is lower). This excludes taxes, fees, gratuities, and other non-cruise fare items. If your booking was already paid in full and your cruise fare rate decreases, we’ll provide you with a refund for the difference. You can expect to receive your refund to your original form of payment within 14 business days after we move you. Kindly note, refund times may vary depending on your financial institution. And, you’ll also be reimbursed for non-refundable, pre-purchased transportation change fees incurred (such as a flight, train ticket, or rental car). We’ll cover up to $200 USD per guest for Domestic changes, or up to $400 USD per guest for International changes. Please email your receipts and booking information to [email protected] for review and reimbursement. Option 2: Re-book any other Royal Caribbean International sailing If you prefer to re-book another sailing not included in Option 1, we’ll waive any non-refundable deposit change fees. Please know, you’ll be responsible for any difference in pricing for your cruise fare, taxes, fees, gratuities, and other non-cruise fare items. If your booking was already paid in full and your cruise fare rate decreases, we’ll provide you with a refund for the difference. You can expect to receive your refund to your original form of payment within 14 business days after we move you. Kindly note, refund times may vary depending on your financial institution. And, you’ll also be reimbursed for non-refundable, pre-purchased transportation change fees incurred (such as a flight, train ticket, or rental car). We’ll cover up to $200 USD per guest for Domestic changes, or up to $400 USD per guest for International changes. Please email your receipts and booking information to [email protected] for review and reimbursement. Option 3: If you can’t find a new itinerary that works for you and choose to cancel, we’ll be sad to see you go. You’ll receive: A full refund of any paid portion of your cruise fare (including non-refundable deposits) and any pre-paid amenities to the original form of payment, within 14 business days – some international banking and financial institutions may have a processing time of approximately 30 business days. If you used a Future Cruise Credit on this sailing, and you request a refund instead, we’ll refund any NEW funds paid above the certificate amount, and we’ll reinstate your original certificate. If you booked your airfare through Royal Caribbean International, it will be automatically refunded to you. However, if you booked on your own, please contact the service provider directly for your options with them. Please note, if you choose this option, we will not provide additional compensation. There are a lot of moving parts when it comes to rebooking all guests, so we ask for your patience as we work to make this process as easy as possible for you. All moves will be completed by July 12th, 2023, and we’ll send an updated reservation confirmation with your revised details to the email address on file as soon as your reservation has been completely updated with the pricing fully adjusted. If you decide to go with Option 1 or 2, please call us at 888-281-9344 or contact your Travel Advisor by July 12th, 2023 And know, hold times may be longer than usual. If we haven’t heard from you by July 12th, your reservation will be cancelled. If you have any questions, please contact your Travel Advisor immediately or contact us at: 1 888 281 9344 in the U.S. 1800 754 500 in Australia / 0800 102 123 in New Zealand In the UK only, by using our webchat service or by calling 0344 493 4005 All other countries, please visit http://www.royalcaribbean.com/contactus for your local Royal Caribbean International office phone number. Thank you for understanding, and we hope you find another cruise with us. Whether you are celebrating a special occasion or looking to explore, relax, and recharge, we have no doubt your time with us will be nothing short of amazing. Sincerely, Aurora Yera-Rodriguez AVP | Guest Experience Royal Caribbean International

Thanks for the interesting and helpful comparison @JeffB. Suites are not in our budget and in any case our inclination is always to go for the "cheapest with a window". Also, like @WAAAYTOOO, we are not ready to stray from Royal just yet, although our target is the much lowlier D+ (I will be 2 points away by mid-July!). But those two factors aside and barring a big lottery win in the immediate future (I wish), I think Princess may well be on our not-too-distant horizon. I happened to be browsing west-coast USA cruises just the other day and noticed some fabulous itineraries that leave Royal's snoresville 3-4-7 night rotations on Navigator literally dead in the water.

Hi @Olafur I have had issues with card payments over the last year or so and it appears to be linked to the additional security measures implemented by the EU. I don't know if that would affect you in Iceland as part of the EEA, rather than the EU, but these days I need to create an electronic card that is linked to my physical card account in order to make online payments, and that's to anyone, not just Royal. I also had an issue when I sailed on Odyssey last May. I had set up my onboard account using my physical credit card number and then when Guest Services processed the initial hold electronically at the start of the cruise it was refused. I had to go there with another card which strangely worked even though it was linked to the same account. The problem was aggravated by the fact that they had no physical payment terminals that you could enter a PIN into as that would have resolved the onboard issue immediately. Another possible work-around might be if you have access to international accounts such as Wise or Revolut? I don't know if you have those or similar in Iceland? I use Wise and although it's not 100% ideal (what ever is?) because it's a debit card rather than a credit card, it lets me hold money in various currencies and make payments in whichever of them is most appropriate. To be honest, I don't know if any of the above will actually help you but just throwing it out there in case it does.

Me too. I take them all home in a folder too, as a souvenir! But the good news is you can still get paper compasses. You can ask for them at Guest Services - just tell them you're technologically challenged (even if you're not ) and also tell your stateroom attendant, just in case the message doesn't filter through to them from GS. And there is also (oddly enough) a place on the app where you can request them. If you click on the bar on the first page of the app that says "Welcome aboard! Hints and tips as we set sail" and then scroll down, you'll see a section that says "Stateroom requests are just a tap away". Click on the little "See more" at the bottom of the section and it opens up a list of things that you can request, one of them being precisely "Paper compass". In full disclosure I have not had the chance to try this function on the app yet but I fully intend to when I board Anthem on Friday of next week (yay!), as supposedly it only works when you're connected to the ship's WiFi. We will see...

There will be a QR code posted publicly near Guest Services and you will probably also get one in your room. It updates daily so just rescan it each day and by the end of the cruise you'll have all of them.

I'm keeping my eyes peeled for a potential repo from Europe to Singapore... probably won't be able to make the dates work even if there is one but hope springs eternal, as they say.

Posted a couple of hours ago over on CC (credit: Jumping Cruiser) "Just from Captains Corner on Anthem about her repositioning. It looks like she is going on quite the world tour! Summer 24 - Southampton, UK Winter 24/25 - Singapore March 25 - Dry Dock Summer 25 - Alaska Winter 25/26 - Australia"

It depends on the tablet. I have it on my Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e and it works fine but I have seen posts from others on another forum who have previously had it on a tablet but are then unable to get it on a new tablet. One work-around mentioned was something called (I think) "side loading". Also, my tablet has a sim slot so I don’t know if that makes a difference.

Very good point.

Last time I stayed in Miami we use Hampton Brickell which we found to be fine for a couple of nights pre-cruise stay. Convenient location and a decent included breakfast. However, this was back in 2019 and I've heard that prices have gone up a lot in that area so I don't know if it's still reasonably priced. If by any chance you have some sort of affiliation to a sports club, such as being an athlete (don't have to be a pro), a board member or a coach, you can use Hilton's mvp programme which can get you some pretty significant discounts at some of their hotels. You don't have to pay in advance and can cancel with no penalty up to a couple of days before. You do need to be able to show proof of your sports affiliation at check-in otherwise they charge front desk rates. You also have to be signed up for their loyalty programme to use this. Not all of the hotels will offer the special rate and will instead offer alternatives such as "Honors Discount" so you need to watch out for that. It might still be a bit too early for next May but you can check out the special website here: https://www.hilton.com/en/preferred-rates/mvp/

Voyager class used to, right at the entrance to the gym, but I don't know if any of them still do. I seem to remember the gym on Navigator being shifted when they vamped it, so not sure if the changing rooms survived that move.

I don't think there even are locker rooms. I don't remember seeing any and I was in there every day. I only remember there being a single unisex+able+disable toilet on the landing outside the entrance to the gym. I remember thinking what poor design that is. People working out, drinking to stay hydrated and no proper toilet facilities. Unless there's something in the spa on the floor below, which I always bypassed.

Very possible, at least for a couple of hours a day. They did that on our very first cruise years ago on Splendour. I can't remember exactly but I think it was maybe a two hour time slot around lunchtime or early afternoon. I took our kids, then aged 12 and 4, to the pool on the couple of days it was offered. As soon as the weather warmed up, it reverted to a 100% adults only space.

Great pic!

If you let us know which ports some of us might be able to give you some suggestions. If this is the itinerary from Southampton that calls at Bordeaux (La Rochelle), Bilbao, La Coruña and Paris (Le Havre), I'm doing that itinerary next year and have no intention of booking any excursions. Here are a couple of links from my very early-stage research: For "Bordeaux" (note that Bordeaux is actually nowhere near La Rochelle) the town itself is very visitable without an excursion. See this link: https://www.thetravel.com/why-visit-la-rochelle-on-the-west-coast-of-france/ For Bilbao, if you've never been there before the Guggenheim Museum is on pretty much everyone's must-do list. I believe the old town is also worth seeing and you can try some tapas (they're called "pintxos" here). In La Coruña, you can walk tp the Tower of Hercules and go up inside it if you're reasonably able-bodied. If you prefer not to walk, you can get a taxi. Note that going inside the Tower is not doable if you can't manage stairs and if you do want to go inside you need to get tickets from the booth at the bottom of the hill before heading up to the tower entrance. Here are some pics: Once you're done at the tower you can continue walking along the seafront and it will eventually bring you back into town by the town beach, which is lovely. For Le Havre (if you don't want to go to Paris, which personally I wouldn't really recommend unless it's an all-time bucket-list destination that you're unlikely to get another chance to visit) you can also simply explore the town or go somewhere a bit closer than Paris. Here's a link to a website run by some locals with lots of ideas: https://normandielovers.fr/en/best-things-to-do-le-havre-normandy/ Also, you might want to take a look at RCB's Jenna DeLaurentis' live blog from June last year on this particular itinerary. Below is the link to the last page. I've linked that one because it has the links to all the previous pages right at the bottom, so you can read the whole thing. https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2022/06/24/anthem-of-the-seas-live-blog-day-7-le-havre-paris-france Hope this helps. Even if it's not the exact same itinerary as yours, maybe some of the ports will be the same.

Loved Saint Lucia. One of my all-time favourite cruise stops and I am determined to get back there one day. We did the full day tour with Cosol tours and thoroughly enjoyed it. They do pack a lot into it so it can seem a bit rushed at times but we definitely thought it was worth it. I'm not entirely sure it will fit your bill but you can certainly check them out here: https://www.cosol-tours.com/our-tours/

Anthem's menus will vary considerably over the next few months while she is in Europe since the itineraries themselves vary in terms of both destinations and duration.

In full disclosure, I haven't done an Alaska cruise but the Canadian government website says the eTA is for visa-exempt individuals (which includes British citizens) flying to or transiting through a Canadian airport but that these individuals do not require an eTA if arriving by car, bus, train or boat (including a cruise ship). See: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/visit-canada/eta/facts.html So, whether or not you need the eTA will depend on where your cruise starts and how you are getting there. However, you WILL need an ESTA, which is the US equivalent of Canada's eTA. Past experience of cruising from US ports tells me that you WILL be asked for this, even if your cruise departs from a US port and you would have had to have it to even get there in the first place.

You actually don't have to upload a photo at all. Of course you can if you want to but, if you don't (or if the technology mucks you about and you can't), they'll take one at the port and it will add about 10 seconds to the check-in process there.

I was just recently wondering the same thing as I have two other couples interested in joining us.