KenCP

@frank
 
https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2020/01/21/video-why-you-dont-need-buy-royal-caribbeans-the-key
 
I had the Key on Vision of the seas and it was not worth it.
 

This guy mainly reports on all the negative material he hears about cruising.  If had seen his videos before I started watching @Matt videos and channel I would may never of cruised.  When we see him show up on our feed at home we always say "what has Doom & Gloom have to say now".  LOL

i found on my last cruise that I tipped the bartenders at the start of the cruise and I always got more than one shot without asking for it to be strong shot.

@David Bennett Water Taxi is the easiest.  Trying to navigate with your bags and all the crowds in May is crazy.  4 People sharing a water taxi would be civilized.

I dont recommend looking for a hotel with shuttle. Instead, find a great hotel at a price you're comfortable with and use Lyft to get to the port.

I’m with @KenCP being a creature of habit myself, I know the bars I will be frequenting and always treat the bartenders in those location(s) well earlier in the cruise and have a conversation with them. Afteralll, they are humans - not to hijack the topic, or get on a soapbox - it’s good to remember.  
 
I would also say not to forget the non-alcoholic perks of the unlimited package the fresh juice in the morning, the premium coffees, and always add a water to your drink order. I extras can be taken back to the room or on excursions 

i found on my last cruise that I tipped the bartenders at the start of the cruise and I always got more than one shot without asking for it to be strong shot.

i found on my last cruise that I tipped the bartenders at the start of the cruise and I always got more than one shot without asking for it to be strong shot.

I suggest bringing in a drink with you as sometimes it does take a little while to get your drinks from your server.  

I suggest bringing in a drink with you as sometimes it does take a little while to get your drinks from your server.  

I suggest bringing in a drink with you as sometimes it does take a little while to get your drinks from your server.  

That more personal experience definitely appeals to me as does the not being in a mad rush. I’m on vacation, it don’t want it to feel stressful. 
The cruise I’m looking at has 3 sea days, but spread out so maybe that would be ok. I guess it’s time to go through videos of the ship with her and see if she’d like it. Thanks for your input!

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@Cam044 I really enjoyed Vision of the Seas.  I was a bit apprehensive at first but the ship was fantastic and we had a great time.  The staff were great and because it was a smaller ship you got to see many of the same passengers over and over.  After 5 days I felt like we were in a small town, people saying hello, no one i a mad rush to get anywhere.  I felt I knew the ship very well and even the staff.
I had thought after 5 days I could do a transatlantic on her but, after a few days of sea days at the end of a 12 night cruise, I decided I could not do 11 sea days because I could only relax so much.  The ship was great for port intensive cruise like the med, as well other destinations.  If you have anymore that 2 seadays in a row you do need a ship that does offer a little more.  I have been looking for other Itineraries on the Vision that I can do because I really did like the ship.  Possibly looking at Rhapsody as well.
The staff really made the ship and the staff seem to like her smaller size as well. 
If you are in ports just about everyday then your teens may be ok with the ship.  The ship does not have water slides and some of the stuff other bigger ships have it may be a hard sell to them.  I guess it depends what they like to do.

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Ugh..that's sucks....friends on that cruise will be disappointed!
Jim Van Fleet says high winds are staying in the area till at least Sunday..hope their last stop isn't cancelled..would make for 9 seas days on a 11 day cruise...

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I had the 2 night Booked on Anthem and that was great. I am sailing on Anthem again and have the 3 night booked. I would say 5 night package would be great as well on a 12 night.

@KenCP, while there are four separate dining rooms on Anthem, all four serve the same menu each night and there are no room-specific specials or other variations. You will be assigned to one of them based on whether you are in traditional or My Time dining, and cannot move around.
You've got 4 specialty dining venues on Anthem, so if you don't mind repeating one of them then a 5-night dining plan isn't a bad idea on a 12-night cruise. Gives you a chance to mix it up from night to night.
In addition to the specialty venues, Anthem has the Solarium Bistro as a complimentary dining option; reservations are required for dinner, but it is open access for breakfast and lunch and a good secondary option to the Windjammer. It has a mix of buffet and menu options, with a Mediterranean-style focus in the offerings. So with a 5-night dining package, you can get six nights outside the MDR if you go with Solarium Bistro.
 

We did the UDP on Anthem 9 night cruise and loved it. Gave us an opportunity to try all of the things we wanted to at all restaurants without over indulging because we knew we would be back in a few nights. 

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I found an interesting blog post by Arthur Frommer (author of many guide books) where he wrote about Royal Caribbean's Quantum of the Seas' entertainment innovations being essentially bad ideas.
 
 
Obviously I don't agree with Mr. Frommer and having listened to his weekly radio show often, I know he's a bit of a troglodyte when it comes to new trends in travel (especially cruises).  
I really feel that while not everyone may absolutely want to go roller skating or go to circus school everyday, I do think offering more choices is always a good thing for us (consumers).  Plus the fact Royal Caribbean (and the cruise industry) continue to push the envelope in terms of what can be on a cruise ship is always a good thing for us.

@berkeleykel Europe in October is great.  I did Vision last season and the weather was great.  Crowds are not as big in a lot of the cities, great time of the year to go.  Some days the weather in some ports hit 98f or 38c.  A great trip.  Allure would be a great trip in the Med as well.

I started a Cruise list on Amazon and added each one of these items. THANKS!!! 

Anthem frequent cruisers have the same thoughts on We Will Rock You despite it being a fantastic show.
It's quite common for 50% to 60% of a ship to be new, never cruised Royal before.  So while it's "boring" for return guests, there are still thousands on each sailing that haven't seen any show.
It's not just the licensing fees.  Once they have a show up and running it's much cheaper to keep it going compared to developing a new show and having to cast for a new show.  At any given moment the Royal entertainment studios have hundreds and hundreds of cast getting ready to be moved to a ship. 
With twenty six ships and more coming there is constant crew changes and the entertainment casts are the only onboard positions that come and leave together as a team.  Some don't come back, some get injured, some get pregnant.  It's a huge effort scouring the world for the right cast for each role.  
When you throw a new production into the equation its massively disruptive to that workflow.  It's a lot easier to cast for a show that's well known and predictable.