Geoff P

They can print them for you at the port if needed.

I was actually surprised with how long the paper straws held up for...then again, I didn’t tend to let a drink sit around for too long either 🙂

Not sure what the pricing is for your cruise, but with our recent cruise the cost of the refreshment package was just slightly more than the $13 a cocktail costs without the DBP.  If you think about it like that, and you plan on using the DBP “to the max” as you said, you could purchase the DBP for you and the refreshment package for your mother, and more likely than not still save money and come out ahead, plus anything she uses her package for would be a bonus on top of that.  Depending on the cost of the DBP per day, you probably only have to order 4-5 cocktails a day to break even, not to mention coffees, bottled water etc.

I was actually surprised with how long the paper straws held up for...then again, I didn’t tend to let a drink sit around for too long either 🙂

I was actually surprised with how long the paper straws held up for...then again, I didn’t tend to let a drink sit around for too long either 🙂

I was actually surprised with how long the paper straws held up for...then again, I didn’t tend to let a drink sit around for too long either 🙂

I would caution that many here find the amount of food that comes with the ultimate dining package to be almost overwhelming. Since it's your first cruise and you haven't yet had a chance to try out the main dining room, you might consider stepping down from the UDP to maybe a 3 or 4 night dining package, leaving yourself a few nights to experience the main dining room and decide how you like the food and experience vs the specialty venues.
Many of us here are quite satisfied with the MDR, and are happy to have all but one or two dinners there. Only way to find out if you and your wife are in that group or the "all specialty, all the time" crowd is to try out both. 🙂 

We got an email from Royal as we were pulling into the cruise port this morning, it was kind of a little unorganized at the port with employees not really knowing a whole lot of details, but they’ve got us in a hotel for the night, we’ll be boarding tomorrow with a little bit of OBC for some drinks :)...it’s not ideal but what can you do?

We got an email from Royal as we were pulling into the cruise port this morning, it was kind of a little unorganized at the port with employees not really knowing a whole lot of details, but they’ve got us in a hotel for the night, we’ll be boarding tomorrow with a little bit of OBC for some drinks :)...it’s not ideal but what can you do?

We got an email from Royal as we were pulling into the cruise port this morning, it was kind of a little unorganized at the port with employees not really knowing a whole lot of details, but they’ve got us in a hotel for the night, we’ll be boarding tomorrow with a little bit of OBC for some drinks :)...it’s not ideal but what can you do?

With the most recent change, Port Canaveral and Coco Cay are set at the originally planned times, Nassau has been cancelled 

That's a fabulous attitude to have!  I hope you have a wonderful cruise!

We got an email from Royal as we were pulling into the cruise port this morning, it was kind of a little unorganized at the port with employees not really knowing a whole lot of details, but they’ve got us in a hotel for the night, we’ll be boarding tomorrow with a little bit of OBC for some drinks :)...it’s not ideal but what can you do?

We got an email from Royal as we were pulling into the cruise port this morning, it was kind of a little unorganized at the port with employees not really knowing a whole lot of details, but they’ve got us in a hotel for the night, we’ll be boarding tomorrow with a little bit of OBC for some drinks :)...it’s not ideal but what can you do?

I'm on this same cruise (getting excited)...I don't remember where i saw it, but I'm pretty sure the formal nights are day 2 and 7...with Broiled Lobster Tails on the menu for day 7.

Past cruise compasses here:
https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/cruise-compass
They will list open times for all venues.

Yes, it is.  We ate there a few times on our B2B there last Feb.  It was not open on embarkation day and it was closed the last sea day b/c they were holding the sushi making class there.  But other sea days it is open.  It is not open on port days as far as I can remember....but then neither are any of the other specialty restaurants.  Jamie's and Chops were both open on embarkation day but they also host the Key people so it can be crowded at both/either.

Would LA or West Coast in general make sense being that the ship is LNG powered with California's regulations?  If they are truly re-doing the port over there to make a couple spots for cruise ships, RC could make a little splash with a new ship...although, being from the northeast US I would also (selfishly) like to see it be in NJ 🙂

I completely understand why you’re upset...that said, I don’t think RCCL is targeting a specific group or discriminating against anyone with this pricing strategy.  They’re simply doing what is best for their bottom line, which as a publicly traded company, they’re supposed to do.  Do I like that choosing my own room is more expensive than letting Royal choose it for me?  Nope.  But I completely understand why it benefits RCCL to make the GTY reservations less expensive and allows them the flexibility to fill cabins as they see the need.  As some people have noted on this site, it has worked out very well for them with upgrades.  Again, I understand your  frustration, but I don’t see an intentional discrimination here.

We are super impressed with the very fast refund on a cancelled excursion today. 
 
We are in Labadee and our 1pm snorkeling excursion was cancelled due to rough water conditions. 
 
We walked back to the ship and by the time we got there, the refund was showing in our folio. 
 
I figured a good story would offset the few complaints we see here as well as reassure people who are concerned about their excursions being cancelled. 

Sorry you feel your 50th birthday and honeymoon is "ruined." I can understand the disappointment of reality missing the mark of expectations. That being said, try to keep a positive attitude?! Just saying "we are going to make the best of a disappointing situation" can go a long way in turning things around....that and a few drinks at the bar. Hope it gets better for you. Control what you can control.... 

Overall very good.  Speed above is typical for Anthem.  Couple of outages in heavy rain down in the Caribbean.  Fortunately the rain moved out 10 minutes later and Voom came back. 
Anthem uses the newer O3b technology so it feels faster compared to an older ship.  Anytime you see ping times <300ms it's O3b.  When ping time is >600ms it's using legacy satellites.  
I have had some issues with WiFi in cabins on Anthem.  This is my 4th time on her.  This happens on all ships though so it all depends where the access point is in the hallway relative to your cabin.  

We were on Enchantment in 2018 for our honeymoon, didn’t hate it but didn’t love it either.  She is definitely showing her age and lacks the restaurant choices some of the other ships have as there is only Chops Grille for specialty (I believe Vision has Chops and Giovannis) and then the MDR and WJ.  All of these ships are smaller than Explorer, with Vision and Enchantment being roughly the same size and are in the same class, Empress is the smallest in the fleet.  We enjoyed the entertainment on Enchantment but we also didn’t go into the trip hoping for great broadway shows either.  We enjoyed the pool deck and solarium.  The staff we interacted with were great.  I guess it really depends on what is important to you with the trip, we were only on a short 4 night cruise on Enchantment and I don’t know that I would want to do a longer 7+ night trip on her, but that’s just me.

I’ve never been on Vision, but it is on the smaller side, I’d wait until some of the more seasoned cruisers weigh in with their insights.  Even on the smaller ships there is a lot to do, maybe just not as much as Explorer.

We did MTD for our cruise coming up in February 2020 and we were able to select whether we pre-paid the gratuities or not (I hope I'm understanding what you're asking correctly)...we chose to pre-pay just to get it paid up-front, but at least we had the option.  Not sure if this is new for 2021?