AndyPandy

Agreed I have sailed the Anthem, and loved Norway with an inside pool, and 12 nights Canaries. I like the speciality restaurants Wonderland- Jamie’s, ( aware Chops usually around). I like Coastal Kitchen for Breakfast Lunch and Dinner. Two70 is great. The Independence is older than the Anthem, and so for 2025 I gave it a miss, and looking today, I will give 2026 a miss. Not sure why the U.K. was downgraded. ( imho).

Port arrival times are there and booked for a reason. They should be observed.

I cruise Disney and RCCL, and wear clothing from Disney on RCCL, and seen many do it. As others posted some cruise across multiple brands. I even wear my nice Disney lanyards as RCCL do not give them out for free. The “cruise police” are rarely around, in all my itineraries I had one woman who was loyal to Royal make a comment, that if you like Disney so much you should be on Disney and not here. But that was the exception.

Very sorry to the original poster.

I agree. Even having cruised before when you swap itineraries, length of cruise, ship, things change, and even on the same ship things change. The most asked questions in our Itinerary group is What are the theme nights? Almost asked daily. Now you can swap the RCCL App from your booked itinerary to the ones just before to get an idea, but even then, things like different sea days change things. Entertainment like the big productions should be posted say a couple of months before, not a week or so before. Even at online check in, an email to say, there will be a white night, Caribbean shirt night and a formal night. At this time of year “sales” in shops start and people may wish to purchase in preparation for a cruise rather than the last minute.

Did online check in last week. opens at 45 days, the itinerary home port time. Needs ID such as passport. Paying credit card. Photos for ID all people. Took circa 5 minutes to complete

It’s very interesting to add to the debate, my upcoming cruise is completely “sold out” bar one available Junior Suite. But, Royal up is offering potential upgrades to all categories even the sold out Star class. Now I would assume they were paid in full long ago, as we have just undertaken online check in at 45 days. So Royal up is just lining up potential upgrades “if” someone cancels within the next 40 days now.

Just going to round this off with the conclusion if anyone in the future has the same question and uses search. check in was midnight- U.K. time as the ship departs Southampton U.K. It was at 45 days. APP for us in the U.K. showed the incorrect date, ie 24th not 25th. As APP shows USA time, so check in opened there 5pm ( Eastern) which was 24th, and equals U.K. Midnight. Check in popped up a few minutes after midnight.

For all dinning, including the speciality restaurants, particularly on a set meal, not say buffet. If you have got allergies, have you had any unexpected, or good substitutes for course? ie Sea food and Fish.

Possible

Thank you, would be nice for “ one date and time” clearly stated on App and Website

Thank you, my thoughts, and my recall from last year. But a back to back cruiser booking Cruise1 before mine said it was 5am ( uk) that’s midnight USA. But departs Southampton. ( uk).

With thanks to prior responses. We are still getting different answers. A reminder- in the U.K., and two dates for Online check in. 24th on the APP 25th on the website reservation. Now I recall last year it opened up at midnight UK time as it sailed from the U.K. A poster on a prior cruise ( back to back) said 5am UK as it always opens on USA time? I understand the OLCI opened up on the local port departure time? Is it all now Eastern USA? It may seem not a lot to worry about, but now we have options. Midnight either 24 or 25th 5 am either 24 or 25th. All 45 day calculations show Thursday 25! Anymore advice? Thanks in advance.

Depends on the ship. I found for example Anthem, only Spectra's was pre bookable, everything else was just turn up.

Thank you.

OK that sounds random!

It’s fine, but that’s the confusion that it’s showing two dates, but same time zones.

Thanks, yes that’s my thinking at the moment. Thank you both.

Thanks for a reply, but local time zone and Home port time zone, are both exactly the same, both U.K. both BST, British summer time, but two different dates. My question was, which one is actually correct.

First apologies in advance this may have been asked before but “search” doesn’t help with this. We are having a debate in our Itinerary group and different opinions. So the cruise is the Anthem from Southampton U.K. Check in is this week. Website says 25th, the RCCL App quotes 24th. I believe this is a common known issue but confusing. I myself from past experience think it’s the 25th, ie overnight between 24/25 at Midnight BST (British summer time) the local time to Southampton embarkation. 25th is exactly 45 days pre cruise. Others feel the APP is correct it shows 24, and so implies midnight 23-24. Others feel it’s USA time, ie Eastern USA time midnight and that’s 5am U.K. Now it may not matter to most, but it’s the potential of getting up two nights in a row and the first being wrong. I think the APP is on US time hence it flags up 24th, which would be correct as the time difference is the 5 hours. Just would like this question to be answered please, not anything more re Port arrival times, etc. So I think overnight 24/25; which is exactly 45 days? It’s what I seem to recall from last year and APP is best? Thank you.

I have had two RCCL cruises out of Southampton recently, both on the Anthem, a great ship. But whilst they deploy the Independence there, I am sailing another cruise line.

It was open about 10am when we went in September

Things to change. 1- Have a sail away deck party, and CD there in person not a screen. 2- Introduce each main show, be there start and end, now if this wasn’t possible, then have an assistant deputise. 3- Mingle, be circulating on the ship. My experience, bar one time, we didn’t see the CD in person, they were recorded on screen. Main shows started without introduction and some like “ The gift” we’re confusing without an introduction and even with reading the APP. The CD felt rather “ distant”.

Unfortunately not for me, so will not consider summer 2025.

Never had any issues and a light sleeper.