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We have sailed from Bayonne over New Year's, weather was chilly leaving NYC, and rainy on the way back. No issues, and if you are on Anthem like we were, the ship is well designed and has an abundance of indoor space and activities. We are sailing on Oasis in a couple of weeks and Anthem again in January, both from Bayonne. We will drive or take the train, the airlines are a little unpredictable right now. It's super easy to make dining reservations, just do it as soon as you get on board. There will be multiple people waiting at the promenade/esplanade area that can take your reservations. If for some reason you don't get the reservations you wanted, you can always go to Guest Services and have them cancel the package for you. Several years ago we had a 3 nt dining package and decided after a couple of days we weren't going to use it more than once. Guest Services cancelled for us so that might be another option for you. You should be able to make other reservations in the App. The calendar will show you times and availability once you get on the ship.

We were on Symphony last week and we wore our masks in all indoor spaces when required and frequently even if we weren't (example: theater shows). Getting on and off the ship, check in for excursions and through security at the ship or the ports was also a mask wearing event. Just remember "Masky, Masky!" and you'll be fine.

I don't remember if I read it here or actually witnessed it a few years ago on Freedom, but it went something like this.... 4 young adults were wearing the Burger King paper "crowns" on their heads at various times during the cruise. Multiple people asked them where they went to BK and they said that there was a special BK in the top deck lounge. According to them, it was a pop-up store and only open an hour each day and the hours of operation were top secret. Pretty humorous watching multiple people on the top deck trying to find the hidden Burger King on Freedom of the Seas.

We collect the sea pass cards, Christmas mini-ship ornaments, and try to get an ornament when it is our first stop at a new port. Decorating the tree brings back all the memories of our trips!

Definitely learn how to use the machines and maintain your Casino rewards account. My wife and I rarely play slots but had a few minutes to kill before the comedy show and put in $20 each. Not really winning or losing but when it was time to leave we logged out thinking the money went back to our account. Nope, the money was still showing as credits on each machine and a sweet elderly couple immediately pounced on the machines and started playing with "free" money. To make it worse, the lady hit for about $25 on her third try. So I guess that's a fun story.....for them. My preference is table games and the crew does a great job with the "learn to play" sessions.

Thank you for clarifying. Corner AFT is what we should be looking for. Was there a large price difference between that one and the other JS?

We just booked a JS on Rhapsody for a Greek Isles Cruise. One of the cabin locations still available was a JS Aft Cabin with balcony. The balcony looks HUGE! Has anyone stayed AFT before and can share the pros and cons? I imagine there's a great view of the wake, but is it noisy, smoky, or harder to see the scenery compared to a starboard or port balcony?

That's the amount she said she paid for the class. Is that a lot? She will probably do the unlimited fitness classes on our next cruise.

No reservations needed for our cruise last week on Symphony. I got on a bike and treadmill with no waiting. But you did have to make a reservation for the fitness classes. My wife did a 45 minute spin class that cost $23. One other person attended the class.

We were just at CocoCay on Friday on Symphony and another ship arrived later in the morning. Plenty of room to spread out and enjoy the beach and the Oasis pool. Great drink service and food was nearby. We would like to try the Beach Club when the prices aren't so high. Otherwise we will continue to use it as a relaxing beach day and pay for beach clubs at other port stops.

Just got back from our Symphony cruise........AMAZING!!! Never got an official capacity number but several crew told us that there were between 2000-2200 passengers for our cruise. Except for terminal check in, never felt crowded all week. Our cabin attendant told us that he had 9 rooms last week, 12 during our cruise, and scheduled for 15 cabins this week.

Thank you for your Symphony review. Very helpful as we are sailing on Symphony this Saturday! Hopefully capacity will still be less than 50%. We did a minimum Royal Up bid from a JS to a Star class suite but not optimistic we'll get it. JS will be fine. Our first time on an Oasis class ship and excited beyond description and happy to be cruising again.

This Han Solo quote might be more on point right now................"I've got a bad feeling about this."

Timely topic.....we are ready to pull the trigger on a 7 night January Navigator sailing from L.A. which happens to be the same exact week as our 11 night Anthem cruise from Bayonne. The Anthem cruise might happen but probably not for 11 nights or the original destinations we booked. BUT...I am also considering booking a 2nd Navigator L.A. cruise in March just in case..............how far would that move me up the "crazy" rankings? Would anyone else consider this?

The lack of a real-time usable app that you can use pre-cruise and during cruise for reservations, id/room key, map, drink package, menus, wifi etc. Being able to track my account balance on the app would be better than the in room tv.

Wow, definitely jealous of those of you with double digit bookings! We have four booked right now: Sept 26th- Symphony Oct 24th- Oasis Jan '22- Anthem (11 nights) Feb '22- Oasis Hoping to book the L.A./Navigator, Greek Islands, and Alaska cruises in 2022 and 2023.

I agree with the math used by @Lovetocruise2002...... 7 point for the sailing 7 points for solo equals 14 points DOUBLE the points and you are at 28 points. Think about what would happen if you did a JS Solo 7 night cruise right now......I think all the double points would make you Infinity Pinnacle!!

We may not be on the first West Coast cruise on Navigator, but we are definitely going to book this trip! It will be "Love Boat" Royal Caribbean style.

We are on a similar booking January 2022 on Anthem as our 11 nighter (and Diamond status) was pushed back from this year. I am seriously considering booking a 7 nighter out of Florida for the same week just to cover my bases. But those prices..........oh no !!!

Thanks Matt, that's what I assumed was my best option. Even with the higher cruise fares, it would be nice to get back out there.

What are the latest options for rescheduling cruises that are already booked? We have 4 cruises booked and already moved 3 of them via L & S last year. The remaining cruise was moved to a different month because the L & S would have been the same day. The cruises are 7 nights, 7 nights, 11 nights, and 7 nights on either Oasis class or Quantum class ships. The new cruise dates are Sept '21, Oct '21, Jan '22, and Feb '22. What happens if these get cancelled? The rates for new bookings in JS cabins is significantly higher than our current rates and our 11 day cruise in January most likely won't sail. Can we L & S again, do we take FCC and have to pony up the extra fare for a future cruise, or should we just cancel the bookings? What do you think is going to happen with shore excursions? We haven't done a lot of ship sponsored excursions and are more comfortable with our own exploring or relaxing at Mr. Sanchos's, sightseeing in town, or similar. Will these just be a casualty of the current restrictions or do you think exploring will be a possibility, if not now......soon?

I'm cautiously optimistic that I will make my end of Sept and Oct. cruises this year, not so much for my 11 day cruise in January. Gotta get this show on the road before this drags on much longer.

No. From Empress to Anthem, we've liked each ship so far. They all offer something different and unique. Since I am sitting home instead of sailing on our 11 night cruise that was originally scheduled for RIGHT NOW, I will double down on my first statement.

We did the Western Med cruise in 2017 on Freedom. We did nearly the identical port-heavy itinerary that you are looking at. Some of the days it was a "race" to get to the port and see everything we wanted to, but we did it. Florence and Pisa in one day, Vatican and Rome one day, Pompeii and Naples one day, plus stops in Marseille and Nice. We did private tours for all of the Italy ports and our guides and drivers were very cognizant of getting us back to the ship on time. We decided we may never get back to the Western Med and tried to see everything we could. It was fun but understand the pace may not be for everyone.