PRebecca

Did anyone ever figure out the trick? Resizing didn't seem to help and hoping Matt doesn't have to manually deal with each one that tries uploading.

So just a heads up to anyone to check your cruise planner. This showed up for my Wonder of the Seas cruise for Thanksgiving this year. I have not seen this price in forever! Has to be a glitch I feel like.

By after lunch it was up to 20'C which is tanning weather for us so we enjoyed a few beverages and some sunshine! No pictures sorry!
TOnight was formal night and our servers had learned so quickly about our family. They are the best we have had in any cruise we have been on!!! We can not say enough 🙂 If you are in American Silk as for them!!!
Tonight our son had his usual and even posed for pictures which is a rarity.

I had the UDP.  They prepared a "birthday plate" for me at each venue.  
  
  

Before all the posts complaining about this start, think about this for a moment.  The cruise lines (including RCCL) are a multi-billion dollar industry.  Is it realistic that they would almost all follow the same protocols based on some political agenda or outdated information?  They are blindly following the CDC, otherwise they would not be sailing.  These are the protocols developed by people with far more knowledge and resources than any of us.  They were actually developed by the CILA before anything was required by the CDC.  We all have our opinions on the subject, some want stricter protocells, or at least stricter enforcement (like me), others want no protocols.  However, I have realized that what they are doing is working, so even without the strict enforcement I would like to see (which involves expecting people to follow rules even when they don't like them as much as any safety concern) what they are doing is working.  So I really have no basis to argue that I know more than they do, but neither does anyone else here.  Whether or not to cruise under these conditions is an absolutely personal decision, but it's more than a little arrogant to assume we know more than they do.

I don't get why the DBP is being labeled as a "highway robbery."  I always thought a highway robbery carried with it the idea of being forced to pay for something way over its usual price because one is in the middle of nowhere having no other choice. Maybe I'm mixing up the concepts of price gouging and extortion with this.  If the price of the DBP is exorbitant in one's view, why not just pay by the drink?

We've a friendly wager on his accent origin

Hiya! Welcome! We are 25 days away from our long awaited family adventure on this ship and itinerary. Way back in June 2019 we decided to take our family on a cruise for a big vacation. We normally don't take large trips as a family for several reasons - budget, schedules, sports, etc. - but we have done 1 trip each to Disney World and Disneyland as well as some spouse getaways without the kiddos to Europe and Hawaii. Otherwise we stick to our local staycations to ski areas in the northeast and Jersey shore beaches. The opportunity came up to take the family on a vacation during President's week 2021, so I worked on booking it super fast. We had booked a balcony for my husband and me and the teens across the hall in an interior virtual balcony cabin. We all know what happened next. We tried to rebook twice only to be canceled, lifted and shifted, FCC, you name it. We waited two years and finally decided to try again once the restart had been going for a while and we knew we would feel comfortable with the current protocols and requirements. So I called my TA and we booked this sailing. The price was really good at the time and we got some discounts through promotions so we decided to bring the kids over to our side and got 2 connecting balcony cabins on deck 8. 
Researching and reading the trip reports on RCB have been fun and a great way to take a look at the ship and what it has to offer. This community is super knowledgeable! But I noticed the vast majority of them are in suite class and above, which is not our bag. If it's yours, great. Live your best life! But there isn't much from other perspectives out there. As I mention in the title, this will be a report about regular people taking a cruise. No stars, no skies, no Genies - just two good old rooms without much fanfare. No Coastal Kitchen, UDP, no Beach Club. Just some fun extras on Coco Cay and a couple beverage packages. There will much Main Dining and Windjammer food appearances, and all the shows and entertainment we can handle.
So here's who we are:
Me! I'm Nikki. Wife to J (aka Husband) and step-mom to SK1 and SK2. I work at a university and love all things Disney, ballet, figure skating, cooking, books, and beaches. I thrive in hot weather so I hope to catch some really warm days this week. The northeast is bitterly cold right now! This will be my second cruise with RCC and first time on a huge ship like Anthem. J (aka Husband). Dad to SK1 and SK2. Works in IT. Loves all things winter and snow sports. Very kindly allows me to drag him to hot places occasionally. This is also his second cruise with RCC and first time on a huge ship like Anthem. SK1 (step-kid 1). 16 year old girl, loves all things theatre & dance. Super extroverted, can't wait to meet other kids on this trip and be lifelong SnapChat friends. Never been on a vacation like this before. SK2 (step-kid 2). 14 year old guy, obsessed with sports. Baseball is life. Also excels at basketball and is eager to play pickup games at any time. Looking forward to eating a lot of pizza and going to the gym. Never been on a vacation like this before. Here's what we have planned:
Driving from home to the port in Bayonne. I'll already be in NYC for an unrelated trip so I'll meet Husband and the kiddos there. We have a 1 p.m. checkin time. Day 2 - cruising. We will explore the ship and scope out opportunities for fun in the SeaPlex, see shows, do trivia, relax in pools and Solarium, etc. Day 3 - Port Canaveral. We are leaving Bayonne later than 3 p.m. so this pushes back our arrival time in Florida to 3 p.m. this day. Have Space Center Shuttle and free time booked through Royal. As of now they are saying the excursion will still happen but remains to be seen. If the Space Center is only open until 5 p.m. I don't see how this can still be feasible. Husband had been looking forward to this so we may have to save it for another trip. Day 4 - Coco Cay. We did splurge a little here and took advantage of Black Friday sales. We booked a Day Bed at Breezy Bay and Thrill Waterpark tickets for all 4 of us.  Day 5 - Nassau. We have the Reef Snorkel excursion booked through Royal. Days 6-7 cruising. Much of a day 2 repeat here, nothing special booked except doing what we want. Day 8 - debarkation and driving home. We will be in no hurry to leave and will request the highest luggage tag numbers possible. Best way to avoid a 4 hour drive with cranky, sleep deprived teens. Other stuff:
Husband and I have deluxe beverage package, kiddos have Refreshment. I ordered champagne and strawberries for our room to celebrate surviving one heck of a time these past 2 years as well as celebrate all the things we achieved personally and professionally that we had to keep low-key at home in 2020 and 2021. I also hope to book at Next Cruise a trip for my 40th birthday in summer 2023 while onboard. 
We are all checked in and at-home tests arrived a couple weeks ago (so glad I ordered them early!). Now all we need is to stay healthy for the next 3.5 weeks, God willing. Hope to post some other updates as we approach the final countdown later. Please feel free to comment away and give your best tips for cruising with fickle teens, husbands who don't like temperatures north of 65 degrees, and any Port Canaveral backups in case KSC won't work out. We are in port from 3pm-9 pm. Staying on the ship or getting off just long enough to connect back to data plans (because we are evil parents and only bought internet for us and no we are NOT sharing the password with teens - get off your phone!) might be all we need anyway.
Thanks for reading!

Well be at Cococay Sunday, it's going to be chilly! 
When we went in January 2020 (Mariner) we weren't able to dock at all due to wind so I'll be happy to step foot on the island and bundle up in a cabana for the day. 
Going back in May and expecting warmer weather then. 
Nothings getting us down for our getaway! I hope everyone else sailing in winter has better weather luck 😃

It’s 10 degrees in New Hampshire right now, getting down to -2 tonight.  My kids (and I to be honest) wear sweatshirts outside.  60 degrees would be shorts weather for me right now and they would be in the water park.  I bet you’ll be able to guess who’s from up north. 

Technically, you're not supposed to modify this gratuity amount unless you're unsatisfied with the services onboard.
"In the unlikely event that a guest onboard being charged the daily automatic gratuity does not receive satisfactory service, the guest may request to modify the daily amount at their discretion by visiting Guest Services onboard and will be able to do so until the morning of their departure."
https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/onboard-service-gratuity-expense

If you have ANY concerns about where you may end up, I say skip the Royal Up program.  

Floridians are not allowed to have opinions on what is considered "cold" in winter 😀

You are insane. 71 is almost freezing. 70 degrees and I have to have a jacket on. That is NOT beach weather!

Howdy folks, I was reading through this discussion and I felt compelled to join just to share what I know about Atlantis and this event.  I have been on 10 Atlantis cruises through the years, my first being in 2001.    I haven't sailed with Atlantis in almost a decade, as the parties became increasingly more wild, and frankly I got tired of all the medical emergencies.   I was on Allure of The Seas when she was just months old, and the crowd on board basically trashed the ship.    I will never forget the amount of times we heard "Alpha Alpha Alpha" on board, and before our first stop, hearing the Captain come on the PA system to tell us of the numerous drug overdoses on board.    He was furious, and said anyone caught with drugs would be disembarked at the next port.    Atlantis staff asked passengers not to dance on planters because they had destroyed everything in the Solarium.    What a horrible trip.    Then one day after getting back from St. Thomas, we were boarded by ATF with German Sheppard's and there was a huge drug bust.    22 people were arrested.    I did one more Atlantis cruise after that and called it quits... I couldn't believe what I was seeing.   
In regards to having parties outdoors, etc., what many people seem to forget is that this is a gay cruise, and that means personal boundaries barely exist or are ignored completely by others.  I have done podcasts and blog posts about this kind of interpersonal activity with gay men... as a member of the community, it's something that happens such regularity, it's very normal.   With that being said, a gay cruise is much much more than people dancing on a dance floor... many are under the influence of drugs and alcohol, and so forget about social distancing... it's a very "intimate" experience for almost everyone on board.   I'll leave it at that.    So there's basically no such thing as social distancing... none.    
The photos you're seeing of the dance floor are in fact real, and current, and they are tame compared to what's being shared on Twitter.   Yes, Atlantis basically takes over guest relations, and kind of runs the ship.    Say goodbye to the customer service standards you would associate with RCCL, this people have attitudes.   I was literally woken up and asked to move from my lounge chair during a photo shoot for Atlantis, where a very pretentious photographer pleaded with his friend to find him some hot guys for a brochure photo.    When I became visibly upset because "I was on vacation and they were being paid.."  I was told "If it makes you feel better, this is for the Atlantis brochure..."   No, that actually made it worse.   
Atlantis cruises sell the same amount of alcohol as a "standard cruise" usually by Tuesday, and once we even ran out of bottled water.    The event is a HUGE money maker for RCCL, and I've been told that employees have to bid to be on the ship because the tip money is outrageous.    I have seen RCCL crew members cry the last night of the cruise, because apparently we treat them with respect, say "please" and "thank you" and know how to enjoy life.    There are some aspects of these cruises that are truly amazing, however they have slowly been overshadowed by everything bad, and that just became too much for me to handle.
As far as COVID goes, we all know how transmissible it is, even if you are vaccinated and boosted.  We know that these folks are going to take whatever they caught back home with them, and we also know that passengers weren't tested before re-entering the US.     There was a similar cruise the week before with a charter company called "Vacaya" on Celebrity Millennium, and 19 passengers were tested positive with COVID after some developed symptoms and contact tracing was conducted.   My friend was on that ship, and he said you can't compare the party atmosphere on Atlantis... as he is also a former customer of theirs... in fact it's where I met him.   So it's a complete mystery as to how many contracted this disease that I almost died from before vaccines were available.   I do want to point out that Atlantis also discourages people from seeking any kind of drug related medical help from RCCL, and brings their own team on board, complete with a cabin number to call in the event you see an overdose.    This is because RCCL has a zero tolerance policy for drug use on board and people don't want to be sent home.    This of course creates a kind of "don't tell RCCL anything" mentality when it comes to feeling sick, etc. 
So yeah, everything you're seeing on social media is true, and is actually worse.    Atlantis is known in the community for being over the top, and markets to the "circuit crowd" (rave party scene).    There is also great tension within our community about this cruise, and what it means for a community that was almost wiped out by HIV only a few decades ago.    There are many arguments on Twitter, many people like me that feel it's incredibly irresponsible for our community to be ignoring such an obvious health issue.    I hope this sheds some light when thinking of this cruise in terms of a standard cruise, which it is far from.   

I think the cruise planner closes 48 hours before you sail. 

Dude. 😄 

Disembarkation was fast, just like my Indy sailing most of the numbers were called way earlier than anticipated. We were scheduled to leave at 8:30 with our luggage and Genie. Of course, the porter was there before Alexa; I forgot 2 Genies were doing the job of 3 and this was the one time we felt it. The process was smooth, to me, and we were in the car back to the hotel in no time. We hadn't eaten breakfast and I was able to check in and partake of Hampton Inns free breakfast.
I would say that Ashley, her brother and mother are sweet, kind people who I enjoyed. While as a whole our adventure might not have been spicy enough to get picked up for a full season, Ashley's mom would get her own spin-off 😝
My final thoughts on the middle-leg star class sailing are........
It truly depends on the type of person you are. I could truly go either way. I felt some type of way asking the Genie to do things for me. At the same time, you HAVE to ask the Genie for what you want. I don't like attention and Star class is all attention. I feel uncomfortable when performers can make eye contact with me. Or when the restaurant staff apologize when they see the card. I would do it again with Star-class loving people but not something I would seek as my own. I can't get into the mind frame of asking someone to do something I could easily do for myself. With all the protocols, low capacity, restrictions and lack of shows, it felt overtly bougie.
On Harmony Chops has the better filet, sorry @Lovetocruise2002. CK filet won on Allure, but it was way too salty on Harmony. We also had to make a few trips to the WJ while in star class. .... such sacrilege I know!
 
Up next.......Mariner of the Seas
I had a wonderful 11am check-in time for Mariner but received the dreaded "please arrive 90 min later" email and will catch the 11:15 hotel shuttle. Let's hope for smooth sailing....

Day 8 Sunset
I spotted a cruise ship on the horizon near the sun.


I imagine it's a lot hotter over on that ship.


That Captain better be careful, it's heading straight for them.

The clouds save the day.



 
Added bonus:
Balcony sunset 360 photo featuring a guest appearance from the North Star

Yes we split the beds in a grand suite but not in an owners suite

The finger crossing must have worked.  I received notice this morning that my bid was accepted.  Moving from an OV Balcony to a Grand suite on Oasis. We are still 23 days from sailing so very early it seems.

Crossing fingers for all those waiting! I'm on pins and needles myself, many on our sailing have received their RU confirmations. My offers are all pending and editable😔.  If it's a strategy it's working because I increased all my offers 😅
I enjoy the anticipation but will really be happy to be in the JS we booked. But I'm hoping!

Damn...I was gonna ask you to be my daddy.  😇

Lovely wife and I just finished making an offer on a new home on the Space Coast due to job changes!!  Yay!!  We are so looking forward to moving to Sunshine and long weekends at Coco Cay!  @WAAAYTOOO story inspired us to make the change!!  Thanks, and excited to call FL home!  #independenceismynewweekendgetaway

I understand you're only charged for the 1st two people in the room for the Royal Up