BrianB

You won’t lose your deposit. But you will be charged the change fee. Every time I have done the change, my credit card was charged the $100 change fee…and the original $250 deposit was transferred to the new booking. But, there have been times where I wanted a change fully expecting the fee…only to have the agent put me on hold while she ‘checked with her colleague’ and then come back on and tell me the fee has been waived. I never asked for an explanation as I didn’t want to ‘rock the boat’.

@RCIfan1912 @John Nelson I cruise from NJ over the winter…Sept through May…I love the Anthem because it’s a great cold-weather ship. The fully enclosed and heated Solarium and family pool, hot tubs…the Two70 venue, the SeaPlex. Lots of things to do for the first day and a half until we round Cape Hatteras and get into warmer temps and can hang out outside. For me, the real first sign of sailing into summer is when the International Belly Flop Competition is held as we sail into Port Canaveral. I just did an eight day last week with a stop at Miami. It was interesting sailing into the port. I’ve never been there. I didn’t have anything planned so I stayed aboard and enjoyed the amenities on the ship with lots less people. I’ll also be on your eight day sailing in February. The majority of the Anthem winter cruises are the seven day Port Canaveral, CocoCay and Nassau itinerary. Except for three eleven night Caribbean cruises in January. So I’ve been to CocoCay many times over the winter. I have found that the Bahamas are still comfortably warm, the water is beautiful and the weather has that ‘summer’ feel. I can not recall a visit where it was too cool to sunbathe or go in the water. The ocean may be a little bit cooler than it typically is during the summer months…but the air temperature is still summer-like. Of course, there can be days where a cool front may dip all the way down to the Bahamas…but so far, for me, it hasn’t happened during my visits. So the odds are good that we will have another perfect day!

Good question. I do the same thing. I love the specialty dining and the CK and very rarely, if at all, eat in the MDR. I tip the servers who serve me individually with cash…usually after each meal. I don’t know how the auto gratuities are distributed and I don’t think anyone here can really say with much accuracy how it’s done, so I just think of it as part of my cruise fare. But it’s pretty much common knowledge that the auto gratuities are shared among lots of other crew members beside the restaurant servers…including those behind the scenes. I’m one of those who feel I wouldn’t want to take any benefit away from the crew so I don’t mind if I happen to be double tipping, as it were. Just my opinion.

If you know you want the cruise….book it! If the price drops before final payment, you can call and re-price for the lower price. As already posted, the benefit of booking onboard is the lower deposit and an OBC depending on cruise and stateroom category. Otherwise, it’s pretty much the same price as listed on the website. But, sometimes I’m just are in the right place at the right time. I was onboard when I saw the Jewel round trip cruise to Greenland from NJ and I jumped on it. It quickly rose in price due to demand and now it’s virtually sold out. So I booked a great bucket-list cruise at a great price and got some OBC.

On the Anthem now. Coming up the east coast after leaving Nassau the day before yesterday. Heavy cloud cover. Speeds have been all over the place this cruise. Maybe they’re still tweaking it. Usually download speeds have been between 3 and 8. Sometimes in the teens and twenties. No problem streaming HD movies on Prime, Netflix and YouTube in my room on deck 7 mid. Then….this. I’m sitting just outside Sorrento’s at 7:51 Christmas morning.

The numbers have been all over the scale so far this cruise. Maybe they’re still fiddling with it. I’ve seen average download speeds of between 3 and 5 all over the ship. But then, suddenly there are pretty wild spikes. I’ve been streaming HD movies from Prime, Netflix and YouTube without any issues in my room on deck 7 mid. The lowest I’ve seen was just below 3 while seated in the first row of the theater. But after the show it was back to 8. Then this! We are at sea after leaving Nassau the day before yesterday. Coming up the east coast back to NJ. There is heavy cloud cover. I’m sitting at the entrance to Sorrento’s at 7:51 Christmas morning.

On the Anthem now…holiday cruise…lots and lots of families! I eat breakfast and lunch virtually every day at the Solarium Bistro. It’s a fantastic venue hidden away and I have never found it crowded. The food choices are definitely not as varied as the Windjammer, but for me…the choices are great, the food is fresh and the presentation very nice. I think not having as much variety as the Windjammer is one of the main reasons I don’t see many…if any…families with youngsters. I’m guessing they would rather have the larger venue with more seating, more choices and better views. Also, this is day seven of an eight day Holiday cruise and I have not seen any youngsters hanging out in the Solarium itself. To be fair, if I was a kid I certainly wouldn’t want to be hanging out in some quiet, boooooooring place full of geezers when I could be in the family pool area with other kids, the whirlpool, the kid’s splash zone and the soft serve ice cream cone service!

Docked in Nassau. Wow! Highest rate I've ever seen on any ship! Anthem has the throttle wide open! That's 110.0 download!

Besides the Cruise Planner……… When you can access your eDocs, the itinerary will be on page 3 or 4. If too early for eDocs, you can see the itinerary on your vacation confirmation receipt. If you need another one, just call and ask the automated system to email you another confirmation receipt. No need to wait for an agent. Just need your reservation/booking number. But, if you have a TA, just call or email them to send you an itinerary for your cruise. Just make sure you let them know you want the arrival and departure times included, and not just the days.

I’ve never experienced a missing port…but have experienced port changes that are different depending on where the itinerary is viewed. For instance…on a seven night out of New Jersey, on the original booking page and on my cruise docs, it will show Nassau as the last port after CocoCay. But then, on the app they will be reversed with CocoCay the last port after Nassau. Or the app will show the initial itinerary, but the first indication that it’s been reversed is when I’m onboard and I get the printed entertainment schedule. Only after refreshing the app will it show the correct itinerary. If I scheduled any shore excursions, they just carry over to the correct date…but that can force me to change my specialty dining plans. I’m guessing sometimes scheduling can change at the last minute depending on the port…especially one like Nassau that can host up to six ships at once…so I always make sure to check the schedule as soon as I board just in case I need to reschedule a specialty dining…or excursion. Whenever I needed to do that, I always got the same…or better…price.

Onboard Anthem right now. We left CocoCay at 5pm and on our way to Nassau.

Onboard the Anthem right now. At sea. Left CocCay at 5pm on our way to Nassau.

Checked in just after midnight. Got the 10-1030…..

At Port Liberty….since they did away with the vaccine requirement, I haven’t been asked to show my card. They just asked if I was vaccinated…I think that’s just so they can keep count of what percentage of passengers are vaccinated. I keep my card with me…just in case. Necessary documents were the SetSail Pass (either paper copy, or on my device…as long as the bar code can be scanned) and my passport. The passport must be valid up to six months from the end of the cruise…so check your expiration date. Check the Royal website to see what documentation is required at the terminal for your particular cruise. *There are some who choose not to use a passport (depending on the cruise itinerary) and opt to use another form of accepted identification, but that’s a pretty risky endeavor as you can end up temporarily stranded in a foreign country should something happen that requires you to get yourself home. Always make sure you check the current protocols on the website before your cruise date. Things can change. Including at your ports of call that may require proof of vaccination to disembark…or local masking policies. Stay informed! Enjoy your cruise.

Doing a b2b on the Anthem from Port Liberty NJ. So far, it looks like we’ll miss the drop in Florida temps as we will be sailing up and down the coast during that time. However, it looks like there’s a chance of us getting caught up in a Nor'easter at sea…or the dreaded Bomb Cyclone. Hopefully we’ll be on the tail end of it as it comes up the coast and can avoid the worst. If the timing is bad, then I feel sorry for all the families on board…and there sure are a lot…especially those who may be effected by ‘Mal de Mer’. Hopefully it won’t be too bad and the festivities and entertainment can continue. Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and Happy Holidays everyone!

@CruiseKid You can bring as much as you want…even in your carry on bag. They just may ask to take a quick look at it when you go through screening because some enterprising individuals have tried sneaking alcoholic beverages through disguised as large bottles of soap/shampoo. If you do bring large bottles I would suggest keeping them in a separate bag that they can easily look at…rather than having to open your carry on. I always bring smaller bottles in my carry on just to get me through the cruise.

Several times I received the email that my bid was unsuccessful on the evening of embarkation day. Usually while sitting in the theater during the Welcome Aboard show. I guess they keep bids open as long as there is a possibility that a bid category opens up. I was surprised to hear that there are quite a few instances where people just don’t show up. Either due to travel issues, sickness or other reasons…and they don’t notify Royal. Or they do….but Royal waits until after sailing just to make sure. I also heard that they get an idea of possible no shows when people don’t do the online check in…so they wait until embarkation. Either way, once I’m already in my cabin…unpacked and set up…I don’t think I’d like to repack everything, move, and then do it all over again. But, if the bid is successful, I guess there’s no choice…as per the agreement. Especially if the room I’m vacating has also been awarded to a bidder. I don’t think Guest Services would be able to help at that point…but wouldn’t hurt to try.

@twangsterOnly your text came through. No image. I was on Oasis when they were installing the antennas two months ago. Starlink ‘should’ be fully functional by now. Hopefully they’re not limiting it……..but I guess that’s obvious if you can’t even get a simple image out.

@Jack Blaze @twangster @RCIfan1912 I’m on the Anthem now. So far….internet has been pretty good. Streaming HD Netflix and Prime without any issues. I spoke with the Internet Manager and he said Starlink is not yet fully operational. Even though Speedtest shows Starlink as the service. They started experimenting with the service after the installation last week. He explained my experience two weeks ago of the service being very sporadic was due to frequent outages while they were working on it. Many passengers on that cruise had their internet purchase partially refunded. They tried a test period this past week with the crew areas and it went very well. They are still installing additional equipment throughout the ship and upgrading their entire system. He believes the full rollout will be sometime next week. Hopefully they can avoid many interruptions in the service until then. I’m here next week too, so I’ll wait and see.

If you cruise a lot, the best thing to do IMO is purchase a good annual policy. It will save you loads of money by not paying for each individual trip, which can certainly add up, and still gives you peace of mind. Especially if you follow the advice of those on this forum who have experience dealing with claims and refunds. I have an annual policy, but have been fortunate not to have ever needed to file a claim…knocking on wood…but I feel very comfortable knowing others have the same policy and are satisfied with the service. **Another great reason to be on these boards. The information sharing is priceless!

@PattycruiseHmmm……Internet person going off duty?

@twangsterThanks! Makes sense. Don’t know if anyone here is onboard now and can post how it is, but…I’m going back tomorrow and I’ll see if they made any tweaks to the new service. Last week lots of people were complaining. Hopefully they can throttle ‘up’ for a change!

@ScottDelawareWelcome to the boards! Sorry, but have never used off-site. I drive in the morning of the cruise because I’m only forty minutes away. Can’t beat the convenience of parking in the garage steps away from the terminal. Currently the price is $25 per night. There was talk in the past about the price going up…but so far it has remained the same. Very easy during disembarkation. I do the self assist walk off early in the morning and it’s easy to just roll my bag into the garage. I’m usually in my car and on the way home by 7.

I was on the Anthem last week when they switched over to Starlink. I knew this because I saw them finishing the install of the antennas and then when I ran a Speedtest later in the week, it showed Starlink as the service provider. As you can see in the screenshot, service wasn’t much improved. In fact, I did notice a difference from my last few cruises. It was worse. In the past, both pre- and post-Covid, service and connectivity was pretty reliable. I was able to stream Netflix and Prime without much difficulty…except the usual drop off during storms and heavy cloud cover. I don’t know if they throttled back during the initial post-Covid cruises when capacity was reduced, but the service was still very good. Last week, service was spotty…sometimes it was fine just browsing the web, but difficult streaming. Usually service would just stop…even on clear days…and then restore minutes later. Over and over again. I don’t know if this was an effect during the changeover period, but it was pretty annoying. This happened on both of my devices…an Android smartphone and my new iPad. I did Speedtests in my room (deck 9 midship), on the Esplanade, and while in the Via. This one was the best…it was while on the Esplanade on disembarkation morning last Sunday. I’m hoping it’s better when I board this Sunday.

The agent at the port checking you in may ask several wellness questions. Do you have a fever? Cough? Have you been in contact with a Covid positive person? Are you pregnant so many months?…etc. As long as your honest answers are no, you’re good to go! However, the last few cruises out of Port Liberty, I wasn’t asked any questions. YMMV. Enjoy your cruise!