BrianB

I’m on this cruise!

I’m on this cruise. Love sailing out of NJ in the winter on the Anthem! Check out the YouTube video Matt posted recently. Anthem of the Seas 2022 Cruise Ship Tour. It’s excellent!

I wonder if b2b sailings have any testing protocols. On the one hand, they’re consecutive 7 night cruises so testing is no longer required…but on the other hand it could be considered a 14 night cruise…or longer.

Yes. Provided your not cruising to Canada or Bermuda from the US.

I guess having fingers crossed really helped!

@deep1 I’m also in Monmouth County. I use CVS. I go on their website, enter my zip code, and have a choice between PCR…or Antigen with Minute Clinic visit…or just a rapid Antigen. There are multiple CVS locations near me offering both PCR and Antigen at Minute Clinic, and one nearby on route 9 with the rapid Antigen. Lots of dates and times available. Hopefully they will still be available for my Sept cruise. Fingers crossed. But then again, fingers crossed that the pre-cruise testing mandate goes away. I also have the eMed tests and have never had a problem with any of them…either the actual test or my WiFi. I even used some of them that were due to expire…I figure it’s good practice…and never had a problem connecting with a monitor or conducting the test. Good luck @deep1and happy cruising!

I always prepare for a change of itinerary during hurricane season. Especially if there is a storm forming a week or so before the departure date. If I have a cruise booked from NJ going south to the Bahamas or even east to Bermuda, I always make sure to pack some warm things in the event the ship’s itinerary is changed to New England/Canada.

Balconies are great pretty much anywhere onboard. But, as commented above, it’s a personal choice. Forward, mid or aft have their own pros and cons. But a major consideration for me is what’s nearby…such as what’s on the deck above. Being directly above, below or alongside a venue where there may be excessive noise…or chair dragging as they set up early morning. I’ve done pretty much all locations. Balconies forward, aft or midship are fine. The only balcony I didn’t like was the ones underneath the ship. A little too damp.

Sailing out of Port Liberty, we usually have coast guard or New York City Police boats nearby. Several times a NYPD helicopter does a low hover alongside the ship as we sail out. Once in a while a New York City Fireboat will put on a display with their water cannons. Even the New Jersey State Police marine unit may be nearby. But, New York harbor is always busy and well protected. There is plenty of boat, barge, tug, container/cargo ship, ferry, personal craft and sailboat activity. It’s a great port to sail from. Going under the Verrazano Bridge is a major highlight.

As for capacity….I think 100% can be interpreted in several ways. 1. The maximum number of passengers as per SOLAS is the highest allowable. 2. Having the full double-occupancy number of passengers onboard can also be considered 100%. 3. Lastly, having every sellable cabin occupied can also be considered 100%…even if many of those cabins are occupied by solos, thus decreasing the number of passengers. Plus (pre Covid-quarantine cabins) I do believe that they keep several cabins in different categories open. This is in the event something happens, such as a plumbing or electrical issue, and passengers must relocate. I have seen this happen several times. I heard of one instance where an officer was relocated to give up his passenger cabin. I also define capacity not only as a number, but a perception. Sometimes I have sailed during periods where, even though capacity was above 100%, it didn’t seem crowded because most passengers were, well…shall I say, not as spry as they once were. Myself included. Other times, particularly during Spring Break…capacity may have been at or less than 100%, but the ship felt overcrowded. Exuberant, excited and happy partygoers enjoying themselves and releasing some pent-up academic stress can make for some lively scenes throughout the day and into the late night. Either way…I’m happy. I’m on a cruise!

Maybe I’m an outlier, but…I like the donuts. However I can not claim to be a donut aficionado…even though my career of over thirty years was the butt of donut jokes. Dunkin’ they’re not! Crispy they’re not! But they are Royal…and me like ‘em!

Also, the shareholder OBC is not combinable with certain offers. For example, most casino promotional cruises. The shareholder benefit request will usually be denied.

I think the pent up demand has made what usually were less-than-full shoulder season sailings more attractive. The fares are usually cheaper, however as demand rises, so will prices. I also agree that there will be times during spring break (which varies by schools and universities) when the ship can seem almost like a summer sailing capacity-wise. Except instead of just families with lots of youngsters, it’s also groups of spring breakers…with access to drink packages. Keeps security busy.

I have seen a situation where a port security worker/supervisor was adamant about not allowing a certain multi-port device to go through security. The passenger very nicely requested a RC representative. I saw them later and she said a ship’s officer came to security and approved the device.

On the ship on disembarkation day…….wanting to stretch the time onboard as long as possible! In the terminal on embarkation day…….wanting those onboard to get the heck off so we can start boarding!

Checked in at midnight last night…got the 10am boarding time again! This check in was different. The questions about the vaccine, type and date of each shot, were gone. So was the need to upload a copy of the vaccination card. But the advisory about bringing the card and negative test is still prominently displayed.

I checked in via the app for my Sept 18 cruise last week at midnight. There were no changes to the vaccination information questions and uploading a photo of the card. I check in tonight at midnight for the Sept 25 cruise. I’ll see if the process is changed. I hope so, as this would definitely be a good indicator that they’re dropping more requirements.

Every time I checked in at the terminal, I’ve never had one of the port agents do any type of medical evaluation. They just confirmed my paperwork, photo and made sure I didn’t answer ‘yes’ to any question on the health form. As long as you have a negative test result…you’re okay to board. But for me, if I have any sign of allergy or cold-like symptom after I get the negative test result, I always do a quick at home test before leaving for the port…just in case. If I do get the virus, I definitely would rather be home than on a ship.

Not familiar with Miami…but in NJ, I pull my car up to the terminal where the porters are waiting. They take my luggage, I give them a tip. The next time I see that bag is outside my room later that afternoon. Then I get back in my car and pull into the parking garage, and then walk with my carry-on rolly bag to the terminal entrance which is steps away. There are always lines and groups of people clustered about. Most of them are people who, for whatever reason, arrived before their times and have to wait. If I am on time, I walk to the front, show my boarding pass, and am waved into the terminal. Then comes the security line…then check in with a worker where my paperwork is examined (I always bring paper copies of everything…don’t have to worry about showing essential documents on my device). Then I board and do pretty much what you described. Then I celebrate!

I have found that the cruise planner items appear on day one. But, as already noted, things can change…and they frequently do. Many times there have been cancellations of entire shows due to someone in the production getting Covid. Then the entire production team, including the performers, may have to quarantine. Or, in the case of the Aqua Theater shows, bad weather can cause cancellations and rescheduling. But they always manage to provide some replacement. Some guest performers will pick up the slack and fill in with shows which include them expanding their song choices. Or the comedian/s will do more routines different from their usual offerings. Sometimes if the headline show has been cancelled, but not all of the performers are quarantined, they’ll put together a showcase act. When these things happen, they try to update the cruise planner app as soon as possible to show the changes. Also, the Cruise Director will make an announcement…usually more than once. That’s one of the main reasons that I really try to not miss any of the announcements. In the past, they were mostly reminders about upcoming events and sales…but during these particular times, the announcements can include entertainment changes that I would really want to know about. I also refresh my app frequently. Due diligence!

When I’m on the ship and have to leave…I may feel the urge to ‘linger’…. When I’m off the ship waiting for a zero count before we can board…I get upset at the ‘lingerers’!

I’m in NJ…I ordered a six pack on July 28. EMed sent an email within minutes that the order was received. Later that day, another email that my order was shipped. I received the package on July 30. Hope it goes as easily for you, too.

Maybe I’m misunderstanding…but if you were reimbursed by Royal, then the insurance would not be applicable. From what I understand, the travel insurance only kicks in if you did not receive a refund from Royal, and if the cancellation is for a covered reason listed in the insurance policy. The insurance is secondary. Allianz would communicate with Royal to determine if you did receive a refund and if so, they would deny the claim. Someone please correct me if I’m wrong.

I always do Johnny Rockets on the Oasis on embarkation day. As long as the weather is nice, there are plenty of seats available outside. My second go-to is Playmakers. Finally, if all else fails, I’ll just grab a couple of slices at Sorrentos to hold me over. Don’t let the line discourage you…it moves quick.

It may be just me, but……that’s my biggest complaint about every cruise I take; Regardless of how many days….it’s just too darn short!