USCG Teacher

100% this.  Based on your description, you'll already be dressed more "formally" than many of your fellow passengers.  If anyone has an issue with what you choose to wear, that's their problem, not yours!  ? You're on vacation, do right by you!

Even with most one post wonders, I can understand coming into a place to "vent" where others may have experienced something similar and/or can relate.  But having already made up their minds about the company, and then lurk around the boards waiting for that one specific post that coincides with their experience, makes no sense.  I already spend way too much time online looking up stuff I'm interested in.....definitely don't have time to troll.

I don’t disagree that for the cost of Star Class this is not really an unreasonable request and is truly viable for some guest as you mentioned.  
My comment, jokingly, was that it doesn’t seem terribly helpful for most.  I don’t care what they touch and yes laundry gets done so they are touching everything anyway.  If the OP wanted it done so they can go do something else, the problem is they have to orient themselves to where things were placed.  I may like certain things together (socks and underclothes) or in a top drawer vs bottom drawer so aside from just finding things does it make sense to me.  Not a big deal for me, or most people, but could be frustrating. 

Personally, I’d never want some random stranger to unpack and put my stuff away.  I could see if it were your own personal butler at home who does that stuff for you all the time and knows how and where you like things, but I can’t see how a stranger putting your stuff where they think is good would be convenient.  I’d be going crazy after trying to figure out where everything was.
 

“Good morning Reyno,  can you tell me where I might find my underpants?”
 

I've seen plenty of them tagged and being given to the porters. Not much of a big deal since they weigh less than 99% of the bags they have to handle.

100% this.  Based on your description, you'll already be dressed more "formally" than many of your fellow passengers.  If anyone has an issue with what you choose to wear, that's their problem, not yours!  ? You're on vacation, do right by you!

Sorry, I was just trying to get home.  I really need to use the bathroom...

Sorry, I was just trying to get home.  I really need to use the bathroom...

Wear whatever is comfortable and don’t worry about what others are doing or wearing. Nobody cares !  Enjoy yourself and be comfortable. 

Balki!

Don't miss the Grand Marnier Souffle for dessert.  Oh-so good.

If you take your own bags off you can leave the ship with them whenever you like.  They do want you out of the cabins by 8am usually so the stewards can clean them so that means you are hanging out with your luggage in a lounge until you walk yourself off.
They will page people over and over again that haven't dinged off the ship.  It delays them from officially clearing the ship so they can begin the reboarding process.  I've been one of those people on a different cruise line and it is embarrassing ?? 

What could go wrong? 
 

I have been to Coco Cay multiple times, old with the tenders and Perfect.  I had read the negative comments about how the island lost that unique feel, the amusement park feel, etc.  
We did a cabana, but even if we didn't I will tell you on Chill Island there was no different feel from the old and the Perfect, if anything the Perfect is better in every aspect, and that starts from the bathrooms to the food to the tourist trap straw market location to the sand upkeep.  
 People talk about mobility issues, the old Coco Cay was much worse.  Now you have trams, and the beach wheelchairs.  Trying to get on a tender is much harder with mobility issues than walking 5 minutes to the end of the pier and getting a beach wheelchair.  They let us off @ 8:45 a.m.  We walked to the cabana, my SIL has mobility issues, and took the tram.  She got on the tram before us, and we made it there walking at a leisurely pace faster than her.  During that time you saw them with golf cart type equipment with sand rakes, raking out the sand.    There was absolute noise we could hear on Chill from South Beach, Oasis or Thrill.  Pet peeve for us was that the location of the Kayak station.  it is roped off like an alley between the cabanas and the open area.  The problem with the ropes are they get filled with seaweed and if you are on a floating mat you might find yourself by that rope and touching the seaweed as you paddle yourslf away.  The food selection is not only larger, but sooooo much better.  Old Coco Cay it was like going to the WJ at the end of their service hrs because due to their limitations for keeping food hot it just impo was food to fill my stomach, no 2nds thank you very much.  The Gulls were worse because it was more of a picnic style, less coverage.    You get off the pier and basically you turn left for the beach, just like you did with the tenders.  We could see Dare Devils, from the ship and the pier, but once you get on the beach, the only thing you MAY see is the Balloon, may because if the wind is not cooperating it will not go up.  We took the tram back to the ship since we were too tired to walk back, and that is when we saw Thrill and the kids water zone.   Gotta love that tram!  OBTW we were tired because we either snorkeled all day or laid on the float mats in the sun.   When we did the old Coco Cay, we always remarked how the straw market really felt like a tourist trap and because of the location we had to walk through them.  Not with Perfect Day.  Favorite thing about Perfect Day, which is kitchy is when you walk down the pier they have dancers and musicians playing Caribbean dance music to just set you in the mood of how fun this is going to be today.  They are there doing the same thing when you leave.  I have to say everybody as soon as they hear the music starts to dance and smile! We were the only ship docked in July, 4400 passengers.  I will tell you that we did pop over to the Lagoon.  The bar was crowded, but less crowded than the pool bar on the ship.  There were multiple loungers in the water that were empty.  The pool itself was busy, but unlike the ship, you didn't have to navigate around people.  The cabanas were fully booked on Chill.  Yet, if you walked up and down the beach you could find loungers everywhere, including if you needed them in a group of 6 +.  The swim up bar was not crowded or packed either.  I see the swim up bar like the Bionic Bar on Anthem, you have to do it just to say you did it, but you are not going to spend your entire day on the bar stool like you would at Schooners.
You are going in Feb.  South beach will be open.  The thing is look also at the 2 ships in port.  My guess because Anthem does not have the water slides on the ship,  they will probably have more passengers hitting Thrill, than let's say Mariner.  Additionally, my guess is they will not arrive in port at the same time, nor leave at the same time.  Yes, during peak hrs they will both be there, but my bet is if you are the 2nd to come into port, the 1st will leave an hr or 2 prior and you will get that smaller feel, or vise a verse if you are the 1st to arrive.
Sorry for the novella, but I would not want to go back to the old Coco Cay, no way, no how.  If anyone feels that way I have a suggestion for them, book NCL.  You can see their ship tendering to their island from the RCL ship.  

I dont see why you couldn't give it to a porter. Keep in mind it could get knocked around (in case it's a nicer stroller).

Thank you, @StephanieH.  Now I know why most members here swear by the advantages of having a TA.

Apparently MEI agents work 24/7.

There's also other issues such as a ship's wake's effect on local sea life, shorelines, etc. that have nothing to do with fuel consumption that can have environmental effects close to shore.  There's no one magic equation that can result in an ocean-wide "most environmentally efficient" speed, but to say that a ship's speed (particularly a ship the size of a modern cruise ship or ULCC) has no environmental impact is wildly inaccurate. 

Super jealous!  ? Have a great vacation!

Headed to the port of Galveston within the next few hours to board Enchantment of the Seas!  Today is finally here, can’t wait to get this vacation started!!

Last time I tried Sorrento's pizza was the first and only time I've tried it, last year when I sailed on Freedom pre-revised recipe. I'm on Anthem in 16 days, will have to try a slice. You know, in the name of research...
I'm a fellow pizza snob (I'm from NJ, after all), and at least pre-update the pizza on Freedom was not horrible but not good by any stretch.

Here's a benefit from MEI. I canceled my June 2020 cruise for the inaugural November 2020 and all I had to do is email @michelle from MEI. She did all of the fun canceling and re booking. I would not have had the patience for all of that.

Bummer. We have a no fee card, which is a good thing because we do not have a bank in our town anymore. We rely heavily on ATMs. It's not our fault most of them are in bars. ?