Va4fam

We loved our cruise on Anthem last week.  Crew was great, ship was beautiful, everything was great....EXCEPT for the people in the cabin next to ours.
Apologies in advance if this involves anyone on this forum.
There were 2 and sometimes 3 young men staying in the cabin next to ours.  Probably 18-22 years old.   Never heard a peep from their cabin all day but every night at 3 or 4 am, they would come in and proceed to slam doors, move furniture, open/close the balcony door repeatedly, wrestle on the floor, dribble a ball against the wall, and be very, very LOUD.  After about 60-90 minutes of shenanigans, they would go to sleep, or leave.   After waking us up the first two nights, we called guest services to see if there was anything they could do.   They suggested to call them the next time it happened. 
We ran into the father of one of the young men entering the cabin one evening and told him about the issue.  He said he would take care of it. 
The neighbors on the other side of us, and the opposite side of the noisy cabin told us they heard the noises too.
Things improved for one night but got progressively worse the rest of the cruise.
We called guest services two nights in a row and were placed on hold but never got to speak to anyone.
The last night of the cruise, the young men came back to the cabin at 11 pm, seemed to be intoxicated (audio cues only).  One young man indicated he could not wait for the bathroom and was going to "use the balcony" as his personal restroom.   They went out quickly but resumed the noise at 4 am. 
We received an apology from RCI for the incident but are concerned that no additional measures were taken to minimize the disruption to us and our neighbors.  We have never experienced inconsiderate neighbors before and wondering if anyone else has and what you did to resolve.  I detailed the account in the post-cruise survey with RCI but should we pursue it further?
 

Thanks @JLMoran.   We have two cruises booked right now (one w/prepaid grats), but are seriously thinking about booking 4 more to get to Diamond in 2021.   That would be a lot of prepaid gratuities if we pay right now.  

Thanks @JLMoran.   We have two cruises booked right now (one w/prepaid grats), but are seriously thinking about booking 4 more to get to Diamond in 2021.   That would be a lot of prepaid gratuities if we pay right now.  

We take an approach where "post cruise" is not a recognized state of affairs. There are only two  states: pre-cruise and cruise ... when the cruise is over we move directly  back to pre-cruise  mode! ?⚓??

Here are some final thoughts on our first sailing with Royal. It was a great trip and we would definitely sail with Royal again.  Maybe try an Oasis class ship next time but we would also sail on Anthem again. 
Specialty Dining  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Royal excels in specialty dining. Chops, Izumi and Jaime’s offered excellent food quality. CK was good too but it had quite limited menu selections. Johnny Rockets, Sorentos and Sea Plex Doghouse are great alternatives when looking for a faster and more casual alternative.  
In Room Dining ⭐️⭐️⭐️
We placed orders through our genie and 2 out of 3 were incorrect so I couldn’t rate them higher. 
On board activities ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ We tried North Star, I fly, Wave Rider, Bumper Cars, Escape Room. We never had a chance to try climbing wall due to limited hours and weather related closures. Activities were a lot of fun! The only criticism is that not all venues recognized star class preferred access without genie being present. It may have been due to the fact that our genie didn’t accompany us on the initial visit; who knows but eventually we were allowed access.  Zoom WIFI ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
We were impressed with the quality of the connection. Didn’t work great on our deck but otherwise loved it! 
On board Photography ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Evening photography starts at 5 and usually goes till 10. Good selection of backgrounds.  They are set up on decks 3,4 and 5.  You can view and download pictures while on-board through RCCL photo site. It’s great for those wanting to post pictures while on board. If you purchase the unlimited digital package a photo book is 50% off.  They could do a better job of having photographers in specialty restaurants but overall it exceeded expectations.   Thermal suite ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Our experience was a good one. Nothing fancy but it has all the basics.  It was never busy during the times we went.   Entertainment was average. We felt it was better on DCL.  Headliners ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Gift ⭐️ Spectras Cabaret ⭐️ We Will Rock You ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Embarkation/Disembarkation ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This process was smooth and efficient.  Star class benefits are great! Biggest perk was not having to put luggage out the night before and a personalized escort on and off the ship.  Grand Loft Suite 10320 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ We loved the suite, particularly the AFT deck as it was not windy and offered great views. We didn’t mind the smaller suite and split bathroom on main floor as we liked the views from the additional decks. Didn’t like having to walk to and from mid ship to elevators but that was expected going in. Our suite on DCL was on deck 11 or 12 forward where the Spa was located.  The only traffic was other concierge guests. While we missed the reduced traffic and close proximity to the concierge lounge, spa and elevators we still preferred our suite on Royal over the 1 BR family on DCL.  Despite HVAC issues for our first 4 days I treated that as a one off and didn’t factor it in my review. In hindsight I should have requested a meeting with the hotel maintenance manager earlier as once he was made aware of the problem we had a team of HVAC people in our suite finding the problem. I was initially worried about protocol and how that may affect our genie.  Concierge Lounge ⭐️⭐️⭐️ The lounge fell short for us. The hours of concierge staff are very limited, there is no access to beverages such as pop or bottled waters outside of their happy hours. We had lunch delivered there and had to run back to our suite for our beverages. DCL concierge lounge was open from 6am-10pm daily and always staffed by 1-2 concierge staff who could take care of any requests right away. You had access to all non alcoholic beverages during opening hours.  It seemed like an under utilized space the 4 or 5 times we were there.   Tipping in Star Class  This was an area of confusion for us. We weren’t expecting to get zero bills on-board so when we received a zero bill from specialty restaurants it said that an 18% gratuity had been added. I asked our genie about it and he confirmed that 18% gratuity was paid out on whatever the bill would have been. So $200 = $36 tip but that we could tip over and above that for exceptional service if we wanted. In Coastal Kitchen we didn’t get a bill so we had to tip in cash which we rarely carried around with us.  Coming from DCL we assumed the gratuity process at the end of the cruise would be similar and were expecting envelopes to be left in our stateroom the night before disembarkation. It all worked out but we will be more organized next time now that we have figured this out!   Thoughts on Star Class  Highlights were Laundry, Specialty Dining, Embarkation/Disembarkation, WIFI, bridge tour and the on-board activities. Expectations of our genie were met in terms of the basics offered and described on the website. But having seen other genies in action we wish the program was consistent. Our itinerary change and HVAC issues consumed early interactions with our genie so under other circumstances our impressions may have been different. The genie survey now seems like a waste of time. When people invest their time to complete this, there is an expectation that it will be used in some way. Otherwise why are we doing it. We celebrated Lindsay’s 50th on DCL so in comparison my 50th on Royal was a let down. We found that specialty restaurants didn’t make the connection to our beverage package when we provided our stateroom number. On several occasions the waiters were embarrassed after asking us if we had a beverage package, only to find out we were star class. We laughed it off but you could tell the servers felt uncomfortable having asked. The process for star class priority at activities was inconsistent as not all recognized priority access without genie being with us. Our genie said this sailing had a high number of last minute changes so our experience may be a one off but on at least 3 occasions we were in the middle of an activity when our genie messaged us about a time change that required us to be somewhere in 10-15 minutes or lose out on the activity. So at times we felt we were rushing from activity to activity.  But if not for our genie we may have missed out completely! ?‍♀️ It would be great if the Royal app and genie schedule interfaced together as it became difficult to keep track of our schedule and changes. I think next time I would be more organized and input our itinerary in my iPhone with reminders.  Would we do star class again? Yes, absolutely! Because of the program basics that appeal to us that you can’t purchase. Given the set up at the concierge lounge I don’t think Sky Class would be a good fit.  With missing out on our visit to Coco Cay due to the itinerary change and with the FCC it just makes sense to sail with Royal again.  It was a great family vacation and I can’t wait to book our next cruise!       

You can have your grats included in your cruise price at the same time that you book your cruise.  We always do this immediately so that the grats are already included when we pay off the cruise.
We usually give our room attendant an extra $50 for a 7 night....just a round number.  Sometimes more, sometimes less.  We rarely ever have a bad one, but they do pop up from time-to-time.

I sail in 2 days!!!
I'm flying tomorrow the day before sail date just in case anything happens I would have some buffer. (A tip given to me by this community)
Just wanted to thank this entire community for answering all of my questions and concerns, providing tips/advice/suggestions which were all amazing
I'm going to experience my very first flight and cruise ever in my life! Thanks to everyone here i'm going in well prepared from airport to ship dock!
Grateful that this platform was created and the wonderful people who were able to gather and genuinely help each other out!
See everyone next week and a happy new year! 

Most ships have a tailor and he will come to your room to measure for a Tux.  Let your stateroom attendant know he will give you the number or call for you.
 

Your travel agent can specify this in your reservation.  Not to worry, worst case your stateroom attendant can fix it on the first day.
How to pre-pay gratuities on a Royal Caribbean cruise
 

unfortunately I have many times put in my bed preference before hand and they never listen and I have to tell the stateroom attendant anyway so plan on having to do that.. 

Labadee 
As you guys know this is our first time cruising with Royal so following the itinerary change from Coco Cay to Labadee I had no expectations. We didn’t really explore the island so my review is limited to the suites area. The over water cabana was great! Weather could not have been better.  The suites area was nice. Lunch was ok; hotdogs were very good.  I found the buffet selection a bit limited compared to Disney’s Castaway. It was also a bit strange that every time you ordered any type of beverage they had to take your sea pass with them. And you couldn’t use 1 sea pass for the 3 of us. Only 1 drink per person at a time. 
Andres met us on island and stayed with us until we reached the cabana. I was actually surprised that we didn’t see him again for any sort of check in throughout the day to see how our day was going. I think the one notable difference between Labadee and Disney’s Castaway was that the on board concierge take care of you while at your cabana. I didn’t realize how much we liked this personal touch until today when we had no check ins except from our cabana host who lives on the island.  Here are some pics of our cabana and the eating area. 
 



 
 

Daily/Evening Cruise Planners for those interested. 

So, we've arrived in Miami to rain of almost biblical volumes. We've been told that it only rains heavily for about 11 days of the year here. Unfortunately, it looks like 3 of those are the 3 days that we're here before our cruise!
Oh well, you can't do anything to control the weather so we're going to make the most of it, and the effects of the jet lag, by getting up early tomorrow and heading to Cape Canaveral for the day. Not somewhere that I thought I'd ever get to see and the boys (and when I say 'boys', you must remember that those to whom I refer are aged 40 and 46) are particularly excited about it. 
Tonight we've just checked into our hotel, where we were pleasantly surprised to receive vouchers for a free drink each in the bar and even more pleasantly surprised to find that cocktails were included. Then we went for dinner at a Cuban place around the corner called Bella Cuba. The drinks service was a little slow but the food came out pretty quickly and was really flavourful and pretty healthy. 

We sailed on Freedom a couple of summers ago.  The balconies are "semi-private" at best but we enjoyed ours.   We didn't really see a lot of people unless we were right on the rail, but very easy to hear people as noise seems to travel from neighboring balconies (even the ones above or below you).   

Stateroom #10320 Grand Lift Suite 
After lunch at Chops Andres took us to our stateroom at 1pm.  Timing wasn’t the best as the rooms were just opened to other guests. Because we are aft we had to navigate many people and luggage as we made our way to our room. But in the scheme of things not a big deal. We now realize we are going to make the walk from aft to midship elevators/stairs many times each day! If only Andres could grant my wish for elevators/stairs aft.  ?
Room didn’t disappoint: pictures below. 
Laundry: Filled 2 bags already. This is a new feature so I will let you know how it goes.  Complimentary for star class guests. 

I honestly don’t know where to start....today has been a whirlwind. But in a really good way!! 
So many firsts:  getting to know the layout of Anthem, establishing rapport with Andres, unpacking and eating has kept us busy!! 

Transportation to Cruise Terminal
Very impressed with Dial 7.  Driver arrived 30 minutes early. Our pickup was set for 9:20am. Arrived at terminal within 30 minutes. Clean SUV.  Driver drove safe. A big shout out to @WAAAYTOOOfor her advice on cruise terminal arrival and luggage. Our driver was stopped and redirected but I insisted that we were not leaving the SUV until we reached Zone 6.  It worked!! We went on to Zone 6 and went directly into the terminal and met with the Star Class attendant   The luggage was a bit strange as we were required to put our luggage through security screening device (We received an apology from the star class attendant; it sounds like they were short staffed and this isn’t the norm). 
Andres met us within 10 minutes or so, stayed with us until we boarded at around 10:30am. He toured us around the ship eventually leaving us at Chops for lunch. He picked us up at 1pm and took us to our stateroom.  
 
Sea Pass card and Wow bands 
Sea Pass cards for Star Class are purple and Wow bands are black. Wow bands complimentary.  No lanyards included. We forgot our plastic pouches and had to buy the lanyard with pouch. 2 for $20. I think Royal could splurge for a couple lanyards for star class guests but that’s probably me comparing them to DCL Concierge. 
Lunch at Chops
Our first experience at Chops was outstanding!! Alberta has some of the best beef and our standards are high but Chops didn’t disappoint.  We had the Dry aged steak burger ?. Unfortunately for you guys I had eaten my Caesar salad and burger before realizing I hadn’t taken any pictures  ?‍♀️ I will try to do better!
 

Enjoy the cruise but take good care of Anthem.   We are sailing her next week.
 
 

Going on the Oasis on January 12th and got the following goodies in the mail from my MEI Travel Agent.  Thanks @StephanieH
Water Bottle, Zipper pouch, pen and 2 luggage tags.
Anyone looking for a great TA...her info is attached in the pic ?

I had the same issue when booking shows between two rooms.  Then I realized after adding the other two from our connecting room, that I didn't complete the steps.  You need to select the checkout button and the page where you enter your name and email.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions.   @Matt, I have done the "add guests" and it worked for some of our activities but not for others   
Not a huge deal, we can get it sorted out on board.

You should be able to do it via the site with the other guests reservation number and last name.
After you enter their info and their names show up in the booking process, be sure to select each person and click add guests.

Get onboard, go directly to any specialty restaurant and make all your reservations for every restaurant, for everyone there at one spot.

I can answer this one.  By purchasing the package you have to wait until you are on board to make your reservations.  As long as you make all your reservations on the first day you should be able to dine where and when you want.  If you wait until later in the cruise to make your reservations, you will have to be flexible as times and locations do fill up.  To absolutely guarantee dining at a specific restaurant at a specific time, you have to pay full price.  That's the trade off for the cheaper price of the package.

In addition to our Anthem of the Seas sailing on 12/28/19 with our teenagers
we have added Empress of the Seas Feb 23, 2020 (no kids)!
 
Still waiting for Alaska 2023 bookings to open up!!!
 

In addition to our Anthem of the Seas sailing on 12/28/19 with our teenagers
we have added Empress of the Seas Feb 23, 2020 (no kids)!
 
Still waiting for Alaska 2023 bookings to open up!!!