JEH106

Hi, Fiona, We have booked Premier City Center for our two night stay. For dining I am looking the Duke of Wellington and Upton's of Bassett in Southampton for dinners. Lunch, who knows. We may try to get to Winchester for a day trip. Jim

Rest assured, retirement will come. Mine came at age 70. I, too, like transatlantic cruising, east to west so I gain an hour every day while Crossing. Three to five ports before the Crossing are my preference. Since we have to fly to Europe, and who knows if or when we might return, I always look forward to spending 10 days to three weeks traveling before the cruise. This will be number three as a couple. I also did a roundtrip in June 1959 and August 1959 before my freshman year at college. Total trip was 55 days with 16 of them on the 1938 edition of Nieuw Amsterdam and SS Constitution. That is when I decided I liked to cruise (at age 17+) but budget restrictions applied and still do. Jim

Hi, Censored, We like things that deal with history and culture in ports. Sometimes we do ship excursions, sometimes I book private tours (using travel websites such as TripAdvisor) and other times we just do a self-guided walking tour of the main part of the port city. We are definitely NOT beach people. We went to St. Thomas (private bus tour), St. Maarten (self-guided walking), St. Lucia (HAL excursion), St. Kitts (port walking) and Barbados (private tour) in Dec. 2021. We also went to Dominica and stayed on the ship as there were sites/sights that interested us. Private islands/ports do not interest us either. We are both around 80 years old. Our next cruise will be our 4th Transatlantic (second with Royal) in October 2023. All four had some European travel elements before the cruise. Jim

I think you may need to change the year! Jim

We always dine with MTD. I always hand it to each individual, sometimes at the start of a cruise if I know I am sitting at the same table, sometimes in the middle if I realize that I AM sitting at the same table with the same servers. Rarely do I tip at the end. Always cash. Jim

Thank you all for your responses. I have found that the Caribbean Islands are RICH in history, especially if you like to read 18th-19th century naval fiction. I do. Or if you are interested in religious history. I am Jewish and found the Caribbean to be loaded with Jewish history. Or history plain and simple. Did you know that Alexander Hamilton was born on Nevis? Or that George Washington also spent time in the Caribbean? I have snorkeled in the Caribbean, the Bahamas and Hawaii for years when I was younger (now 80+). Now I want to learn history and culture. I try to book cruises that do not include private ports. To me, they are sea days, meant to explore the ship. Jim

Hi, Glenda and Keith, Welcome to retirement (soon). It is wonderful. I have been retired for 11 years, my wife Madie for 20. Going back to my high school graduation year (1959), this will be my fifth transatlantic and second longest. 12 nights on Navigator OTS in 2008. 17 nights on Oosterdam (2016), 8 nights each on Nieuw Amsterdam (1959, ship built in 1938) and S.S. Constitution (1959). Loved them all; all were east to west crossings except for Nieuw Amsterdam.

My wife and I are NOT beach people. We prefer to visit and/or see sites and sights that are either historic and/or cultural. Can somebody explain to me why the excitement over Coco Cay and Labadee?

I have not sailed on Royal since 2008 (November, transatlantic). At that time (Navigator) we had My Time Dining with a requested time of 7 PM. However, we were able to change that time as needed. (75% capacity) We are returning to Royal in Oct. 2023 on Anthem. I again requested My Time Dining but got Traditional which I will change as soon as my travel agent returns from his vacation. As I understand it, there are 4 MDRs on Anthem. Two are traditional (set times) and two are My Time. All four have different decors but offer the same menu. Jim

Great question because I have the same idea. Jim

Thanks to Jenna, I am adding mock Miami Vice to my list of "to do's" on Anthem. Jim

Hi, BlueTroop, You will not go hungry. If you miss your assigned time because of an activity, you may still go to the MDR to the NON-RESERVATION LINE. Jim

Hi, Pattycruise, We start our trip in NYC for a week to visit our brothers and others. Then we will go to Amsterdam for a week. Madie has never been there. I was there in July 1959! From Amsterdam, we go to London for two nights. Does not seem like enough days there but we spent 3 weeks in London and southern England in 2009. Our next stop is Southampton for the last two nights before the cruise. Neither of us has been there. We may go to Winchester for part of a day. Do you want any suggestions for sightseeing? Jim

My wife and I love the ingredients in pina coladas (rum, pineapple and cream of coconut) but we get it without the rum. Jim

We usually do Any Time Dining at whatever venue we choose. We like to dine around 7 PM sea day or not. We have not been on RCL since 2008 preferring HAL. We are on Anthem OTS in October 2023. Breakfast is usually at the buffet around 9 AM after I do my morning exercises (so I CAN EAT). Lunch is usually between 1 PM and 2 PM at a burger or sandwich place. Love Johnny Rockets. First discovered the chain in Salt Lake City about 35 years ago. Jim

Windjammer - think of the breakfast condiment you spread on toast.

Hi, Anthem Transatlantic, Have we met yet? We are Madie and Jim from Sammamish WA. We, too, are excited about this cruise. It is to our 4th transatlantic and 2nd on RCL. This by far the largest ship we have ever been on. Next largest was Navigator OTS sailing at 75% capacity in 2008. Madie and Jim

I recently booked this cruise from Southampton for October of 2023. Is anybody else on this cruise? My wife Madie and I (Jim) are in cabin 8500. Would love to hear from you. Thanks.