FionaMG

Just to say, I've not forgotten about posting pics but thought I'd wait till I get home as I'll be able to post comparative photos from our previous cruises on Anthem. The cruise was so amazing we're thinking of going again next year.

Just off Anthem this morning. We ordered the bags just with water, as what we wanted were the bags. They disappeared from the cruise planner a couple of months before the cruise and I was concerned they might be out of stock but they were waiting in the room when we boarded and they are great. We are really pleased with them.

I went to Captain's Corner on Anthem this morning and asked specifically about a possible repo to Singapore and when the Singapore itineraries would be released. It appears there is going to be a repo in mid-October 2024 that will go through the Med and the Suez Canal. The Singapore itineraries will be 3- and 4-nighters. All of these are currently at the final review stage and the Captain expects them to be released very soon.

I wasn't able to get a pic from a similar angle but I can tell you that the scenery in Norway is absolutely stunning. To whet your appetite, these are from the top of the Loen Skylift in Olden. You can Anthem in the first one.

I'm currently on Anthem heading to Norway in large balcony cabin that I won on Royal Up. I will try and remember to post a couple of pics for you tomorrow. That said, having experience of normal balconies too, I personally don't think you gain anything from the large one as far as the view is concerned. In fact, I can't really see more from this one than I could from my previous two rooms on Anthem and they were both classed as obstructed balconies.

My pleasure. I hope you have an amazing time!

I'm boarding Anthem tomorrow to go to the Norwegian Fjords. I'll see if I can get some pics from a similar angle. Not promising though as I'm not the world's best photographer.

I seem to remember Oasis had it at the end of the summer season in Europe but I could just be having a senior moment.

I think that was the original plan for Freedom but she's now going in November/December 2024. There's no TA yet but there are a couple of pointers that there may be one in the offing: a port booking in Funchal showing Lanzarote as the original, and someone on one of the cancelled sailihgs had a deadhead from Lisbon to Cadiz show up in their app. It will be interesting to see if they do put one up for sale.

That's cheaper than I've seen it for a while, other than the Black Friday sale last year. On my upcoming cruise it's gone back and forth between $19.99 and $20.99 a day.

As @Pattycruise says, it's very subjective. If you're able to completely disconnect and don't use the Internet much at home, then potentially it's worth saving your money, as the packages aren't cheap. You can almost certainly find some free WiFi in your ports if you need to just check emails occasionally or make a quick call home. I tried going without once, on a port-intensive Med cruise where I had access to my mobile data in every port but I swore never again. Once the ship was out at sea each evening and I was cut off from the virtual world I almost felt bereft. Having Internet access on board definitely ennhances my cruise experience so I have bitten the bullet ever since.

Score!

Dining times on Med cruises are often a bit later. I'm guessing partly to accommodate long port days with late arrival back to the ship and partly because we tend to eat later over here. One cruise we did years back on Adventure out of Málaga had 7 pm and 9 pm to take into account the large number of Spanish guests as they eat very late.

7th of July on Anthem

Yep. Then you can either get the ferry back or ask the place where you have lunch to call you a cab. The queues and waits for the ferry back to the ship can be quite long in the afternoon and it can be crowded. A cab would not only be quicker but more comfortable and you'd probably still have time to browse the shops in the port area itself. St Martin is one of our favourite ports. I hope you enjoy it.

Well I guess that actually means we won't be in the same boat! Yes, indeed, poor Michelle. You just don't need that kind of added hassle in your life, do you?

I've asked Michelle to switch us over to Oasis on the 30th in the meantime while I see if I can make the Explorer sailing on the 5th work for us and then I'll make a final decision. Pity, it was such a neat little itinerary.

Some of Royal's tours in St Martin will drop you off in town before heading back to the ship. It might be worth asking the guide on the day, unless you particularly want to go back to the ship to freshen up first.

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.