BrianB

On my first visit to the casino, I usually go to the host desk to see if there are any rewards promotions posted for the cruise…and to check the current points reward levels. They very rarely change, but I like to make sure. Plus, I like to say Hi to the host on duty. Always a pleasure! I usually do slots. This is the easiest way to keep track of my points. Five dollars in equals one point. Sometimes I am lucky enough to spend quite a bit of time at a machine without having to put in much money. Win some, lose some…balance goes up, balance goes down…but I accumulate points every time I press that button. If the machine doesn’t give me much play for my money, I’ll move on to another. Plus, there’s always the possibility of getting a nice win each time I spin. I like the entertainment and the anticipation. I usually just charge to my room (credit card on file) on the slot machine’s keypad because there is no fee either from Royal or my credit card. Sometimes when I get a nice payout, I go to guest services and apply my winnings back to my room account. I always make sure my card is registered and my play is accumulating. It seems sometimes during a long bonus play or free spin period, the card times out. At the end of my play time, I check my points before leaving the machine. Occasionally, prior to leaving the casino, I’ll go to the host desk and confirm my points have registered. Usually, a certificate will be delivered to my cabin offering money off my next cruise. Sometimes, I’ll just check my offers online when I get home. Either way, I never had a problem applying the certificates to any new or existing reservation. Good luck!

I’m on team #closetoelevator! Love the convenience and never had an issue with noise. Don’t hear the elevator bell nor people talking as they wait.

It sounds to me like your concern includes what other people might think. I have been on a lot of cruises since the restart...many without the mask mandate. There were always people who were masked. It's not an unusual thing. I have never seen nor heard anyone commenting about someone else masking up. It's just accepted as an individual choice...as it should be. For me, even though there's mask-wearing everywhere, masks are barely noticeable anymore. It's just a part of life. Do whatever makes you feel safe. Everybody else does. Enjoy your cruise!

I have an annual Allianz policy. I cruise often so the price of insurance per cruise would be very high as opposed to having the annual. There are limits on the annual and I know should I ever make a claim, it’s likely I would need to purchase another policy. I do not have the Cancel For Any Reason coverage, but my covered reasons are pretty good. The medical treatment and evacuation coverages are important to me, as is the Covid Rider.

I always wait until the first full day and ask at guest services or with the concierge. They have the ‘final count’ on their computers. They can also give the C&A breakdown.

I get concerned with the necessity of bringing my physical card each and every time I cruise. I have been lucky enough to be able to do 17 cruises since the restart. Each time I have to upload my card onto the app…then bring the card with me to the port so it can be examined. Sometimes they even take another photo of the card at the port. I’m always afraid that one day I may lose the card and then have to deal with an alternative document and hope it gets accepted as proof of vaccination. Hey! You’ve seen my card 17 times already! I know it’s asking a lot…but can’t they make some sort of notation on my account that I am fully vaccinated as required! If additional boosters become required, then I can present the card again showing I’ve been boosted and it can be added to my account. I figure they consider this card requirement a temporary issue and don’t want to go through the hassle of creating a new entry to everyone’s account…but it’s been a pretty long temporary period! Okay…rant over.

Port Liberty doesn’t have pre-bookings for the garage. First come/first serve. But, they guarantee parking will be available. Either in the garage, or the open lot. Both are steps away from the terminal. The price is the same whether in the garage or the lot.

I have had day beds where the bed was assigned prior to arriving at the island. I couldn’t pick one. I also had them where it was first come, first serve. But I learned that for me, the second row was better. There is a bit more privacy as there’s nobody walking past the front of the bed. The front row is closer to the shoreline. I saw many instances where the person on the day bed had to tell people that the two chairs in front are not available…that they are part of the day bed package. I had beds on Breezy Bay and also on South Beach. South Beach was much more private as it’s the furthest beach area. Either way, there were bars, restrooms and snack shacks near all the beds.

Here’s a couple of photos onboard the Anthem during the Christmas season… The officers and entertainment cast members led us in singing holiday carols in the Esplanade…Santa and his elves made an appearance…there were several gingerbread villages…lots of holiday decorations all around the ship…a large Christmas tree by the pub…and there was an additional Christmas show in the theater which was pretty amazing, with great costumes, songs and choreography put on by the entertainment cast. It was a very good production.

I cancelled my cruise on the Adventure this past May due to testing positive. I made the non-refundable reservation prior to March 2022, and the sail date was before Sept 2022 so it was covered by Cruise With Confidence. I called on May 8th, four days prior to the sail date. No problem. When I asked where I needed to send my positive test result, I was told it wasn’t necessary because it was more than forty-eight hours before the cruise, and CWC allows for cancellations for any reason. If it was less than forty-eight hours, then I would need to submit the test result. Cruise cancelled and I received a full refund, deposit included, back to my credit card on May 25th. I’m in New Jersey.

I have had very good results with the Voom Surf and Stream onboard Anthem and Oasis from NJ. Emails and texting have been pretty reliable, although sometimes there is a delay. I stream Netflix, Prime and Hulu and rarely had an issue connecting. Only during stormy weather. During those times, I access shows and movies that I pre-downloaded onto my iPad before boarding. Messenger video calls and FaceTime have been pretty successful. Also, my Verizon has an option where I can purchase unlimited cellular and texting on Caribbean islands for a daily flat fee…usually ten dollars for a twenty-four hour period. If I want, I can time each purchase to cover two islands over the twenty-four hour period. Check your carrier’s website for International Travel options.

@AllenW I think I understand your main issue…..customer relations. As most responses have pointed out, the individual issues of port chaos, cabin selection and your anniversary are what brought you to interact with guest services. However, that interaction (both onboard and since) has not gone as well as it could have. Sometimes just having an experienced, well trained and sympathetic person listen and empathize goes a long way. I feel having someone who is interested in what I have to say, giving me the time to express my dissatisfaction…and then calmly, clearly and honestly making an attempt to set things right…even if I am not completely satisfied…is all I can ask for and expect. But, at least I have the feeling of being heard and understood. I’m sorry you have yet to find that special person. I hope you eventually do.

I’m thinking rather than making a lot of changes all at once…cruise lines may decide to drift away from the current mandates and not make an enormous splash. Test the waters, so to speak. See what floats the boats of their guests. Seriously, I think it would make sense for them to go slow and make incremental changes. They have to look at how their customers react to each change. The sentiment is real that some cruisers may opt to take their business elsewhere if the mandates are less restrictive on another line. There are also cruisers who may want some requirements that make them feel safer, and may opt to cruise on a line that has pre-cruise testing as a mandate. I also think many cruisers are tired of the negative rap cruising has been getting in most press stories over the past few years. Especially after the restart, where the changes put in place have shown to be effective in providing safe cruising. No ship has been shut down since the restart…nor had a real ‘outbreak’ of cases requiring medical intervention. The sky was not falling. I think with cruises seemingly being at or near full capacity, with all ships back in service, there is now a very high demand. So there is no need for them to make drastic changes just yet. But that could change. If one line drops mandates and sees higher bookings while another line loses bookings, it would make business sense for the other line to do the same. There can also be a business value in highlighting their ‘safer’ ships due to still maintaining mandates. But, that could backfire if a line without mandates proves to have similar infection rates…which I think would be the case. Either way, I do believe we are finally over the hump and on the way to eventually eliminating all mandates. And it’s about time.

I would self-test prior to embarkation. Though I may not be altruistic in doing it to protect others. I would want to know if I am infected…and think about if my infection may cause me to subsequently suffer complications which may require medical intervention. I would definitely prefer being on land, at home, should this occur. Rather than having to rely on the medical facilities and staff onboard. And the possibility of being quarantined…or worse. Being disembarked in another port and having to seek medical attention in another country…and having to abide by their quarantine procedures. Then trying to get back home.

My experience has been either being excused for those particular dates, or they will just schedule the Grand Jury service for another period of time. Petit Jury also can be rescheduled. The point is you’re not looking to get out of serving, as many people try to do…and the excuses are so imaginative and seemingly unique. But the judges and clerks have pretty much heard it all! Just show your reservation confirmation and they should reschedule. *note; I saw one person who tried to show a reservation for a trip…but the clerk noted that the reservation was made after the jury service notification was received. She got called out for trying to escape service. Don’t know the final result. Good luck!

I usually pay only the deposit at the time of booking, and then schedule my final payment for at least ten days prior to the final payment due date. I do not use a TA and take responsibility for my own payments. By making the final payment more than a week in advance, I’m making sure the payment clears with plenty of cushion (got to consider weekends and holidays). On another note, I have seen prices drop after I had made my final payment and before the final payment due date. When I called and had the price adjusted…the difference was always credited back to my credit card within a week. Even if the date it was credited was after the final due date. I never had a problem with refund versus OBC. Several times I re-priced after final due date and had OBC applied. For me, it worked as expected. Good luck!

If you keep checking the status of your bid..and it changes from ‘pending’ to ‘processing’…that’s the earliest notice I’ve seen. Sometimes I know when I get the text from Amex that the charge went through. Then I’ll get an email shortly after advising me of my new cabin number. But, as noted above, it can be as late as the sail date. Mysterious are the ways of RoyalUp! Good luck!

You may want to look at the beach beds….they are on different areas over the island. The prices are usually similar. They’re great to use as a meet-up spot. Big and very comfortable with a cooler. They have a top for shade and curtains for a little privacy. Also includes 2 loungers and floats.

Keep in mind on some port days, the ship takes the opportunity to do their crew drills. So, some bars and services may be closed during those times due to lack of manpower. Also, on some ships, they will close a pool while in port to train the crew on life raft operations (which is pretty interesting to watch). As posted above, your best bet is to check the Cruise Compass section for previous cruises for your ship to get an idea of what’s open and the hours. Enjoy!

Me too! I like the plush loungers closer to the entry doors. Some people come along and open the window to look out…and then just walk away leaving the window open. So every time the doors open, a blast of air comes through the window. And I’m not just getting old…I’m there!

I’ll do it onboard when I know exactly what ship, date and cabin I want. The price is the same…but I’ll only have to pay a reduced deposit at the time. Plus I’ll get the OBC. As others have posted…the price may drop over time if the cruise date is further out, and I’ll make the calculation on the benefit of changing the price versus the loss of the OBC. Usually I have saved quite a bit repricing…even with the loss of OBC. So the only real benefit for me has been locking in the cruise and cabin along with the cheaper deposit at time of booking. I also don’t use a TA nor go through the casino, so I have full control over my booking. However, if I didn’t have the time to constantly monitor my bookings, I would definitely use a good TA.

I have been on the Anthem 23 (had to go count) times since 2016. I have never seen the roof open.

Nope. Means it’s still being considered. When pending changes to processing…that means you got it.

As a multi-b2ber…I always treat each cruise as it’s own. As posted above, you never know if the first gets cancelled. But, I also commend you for being a courteous, respectful person. Wish there were more…

Muster, restaurant reservations…CELEBRATE!