britinbrooklyn

They may have done work to remediate this. Currently on Anthem and there is no bleed from 270 in the loft suites on 8

Yeah, we had her test last night and she was negative - but we had the same concern even though she lives in another state and we haven’t seen her for weeks. For the $2k I would rather lose the money than lose the valuable time for a family vacation.

Thanks @twangster - really helpful. Just wanted to check there was no other secret I could be missing. I suspect not with such a short amount of time before the cruise. good shout on the Genie - will see if Monica has some ideas too.

All set to sail on Anthem tomorrow, 4 of us in a suite and my Mother In Law set to stay in an exterior cabin, on a linked booking. She has come down with Pneumonia and has been advised not to travel. Unfortunately for her, with no travel insurance that would cover it. Given we are within 48 hrs we cannot cancel the Dining package and internet online any longer. I’m aware that the fees paid to Royal for her cruise are forfeited, but is it worth me calling them to see if we can get any taxes and port fees back, or is it not worth it? Would that need to be done on the phone today? for the packages we booked - am I able to get those as OBC to my account even though it was her reservation linked to mine? Or are they lost too? thanks for all the help - still very much looking forward to our first cruise, and first Star class experience!!

For many, the spend is over $1,500 a day, and once I factor in what a Four Seasons and flights would cost as an alternative, it still represents great value. I suspect it is the suites that make this model viable (just like biz and 1st class for airlines).

Does the J&J single dose still exist and count as fully vax’d? If they really want to cruise that could be an option. Otherwise like or loathe the rules - they are what they are and you just have to work with them. The insane loop holes that existed back in 2021 like coming from a Schengen country rather than Europe was just as infuriating. Whilst I hope we are almost at the end of these extra steps , until we are, I doubt RCL would give much leeway as the rules were in place when you booked, I assume?

For an upcoming 11 night on Anthem we saw the price difference between Sky Loft and a Grand Loft was about 10% (i.e. $1,500 more for the cabin in Star vs Sky). Considering that gets the dining, beverage and laundry services for 2 adults and 2 kids it seemed worth the additional spend to us. I guess it depends on the spread between the 2 rates. Additionally we have kids so plan to spend a lot of time in the room - in which case the Genie seemed worth a premium.

We are off on Anthem in a Grand Loft in a few weeks and just received our Genie email (we never received the questionnaire). This is our first Cruise, so lots to learn. I wondered if anyone had experience working with Monica Sosa as their Genie? Her email seemed very organised, but would love to know if there are tips people had on her, including things she likes we could bring as gifts? We are also big wine drinkers, so hoping to get a "few" glasses of wine delivered to the room each evening. Is it frowned upon to tip a portion up front on the cruise to see if that may grease the skids on this kind of ask?

Does anyone know if the freestyle machines offer Vitamin Water Zero? I know they have the full sugar kind, but I am not a fan of that.

Does anyone happen to know when the xmas decorations come down? We are on Anthem leaving on Jan 2nd and would have loved to see them, but suspect we are a little late.

Just off the phone with RC. As of 11/2 you no longer need to provide a negative Covid test result, even when cruising over 10 nights. Obviously some countries do still require a negative test.

We have a GLS and an Ocean View booked for an upcoming cruise on Anthem (5 pax total). We unfortunately couldn't spring the additional $16k (heaven forbid) for another Star Class Suite for MIL, so she is going solo in the Ocean View room. Given we will all be taking a car together to the port, has anyone had experience of RC letting a solo non-star class pax board with those in the SC Suite?

That would be so good. I expect with the kids we will eat there a fair bit.

Thanks for this guys. I was moreseo wondering if the places that sell a regular burger would have the ability to sub in a vegan burger. This is pretty common in NY but I’m guessing may not be the case at sea.

Ha. Anthem. You can tell I’m new around these parts

Does anyone know if there are any restaurants serving vegan or veggie burgers on AOTS? Seems like an Impossible burger would be pretty easy to do these days we have the UDP so anywhere is up for consideration. I assume the hotdog joint is an animal sausage only affair?

I was also wondering about self testing. We are on an 11 nighter - can we really just get away with bringing in a picture of a test we took at home ourselves? Are there any requirements around proving I took the test? I am of course NOT going to cheat the test (also all vaxed and boosted), but it seems people could.

From my research I would totally agree. I’m not sure why I would walk past so many other spots to get to that particular venue. An interior stairwell for Suite guests use would have made much more sense. it’s one of the things that worries me a little with the GLS - it’s a hike to the bar if I want to get a drink (we only drink wine and mixed drinks) and don’t want to be constantly pestering the genie.

Some really awesome points all around. Ha. Nothing missed here. We have 2 kids so we won’t be dining out all that much, it was the reason for us wanting Star Class so we could enjoy more in suite dining. The suites lounge reminds me of a sorry delta lounge somewhere in the Midwest , so I don’t feel we would take much advantage of that space to be honest (no offense to any lovers of delta lounges in the mid west). We would likely do Jamie’s if we went out as we are all vegetarian so many of the other options don’t appeal too much to be honest. The MIL would just be delighted to help us out as it’s our first vacation in years and we are also being kind enough to pay many thousands of dollars to bring her along. The kids will be in camps most of the time - so the time she does get to spend with them she will overjoyed for I’m sure

Thanks for this. Very helpful. I was concerned about her being in our room during the day etc if she didn’t have a drink package. But if that’s not really monitored then it’s a big saving.

Thanks @twangsteri suspected that may be the case. Frustrating. @Templecruiser, we need her to have her own space, so needed to keep the interior. I think if RC blocks the 1 guest 2 rooms then we are out of luck. Anyone have experience of a guest with UBP being allowed to drink in the Suite - I’m assuming the genie would be ok with it.

Thanks to this awesome forum we are all booked for a 11 night cruise in a GLS on anthem, with all the perks of Star Class. My wife and I plus 2 kids (2 and 4) will be sharing the room and Grandma is planning to book an interior cabin too. I suspect that the cost of her UDP and UBP will be significant for an 11 night cruise. I’m reality she will be with us most days helping with the kids in the suite etc, where we expect to dine a fair bit. I had a thought that the cost for me to add her to our room (around $1500 I believe) will be less than her adding all of the extras to her interior cabin. But will RC let you add a guest to your cabin that is already booked in their own cabin? Hopefully that question makes sense.

It’s a done deal - 8724 booked for 2nd Jan. Thanks for all the advice. Now expect even more questions from the noobie. So excited!

Thanks for the feedback - so appreciated. They only have the center suites on 8 left , so hopefully the noise isn’t too much.

Hi there - New to cruising and this site but have our eyes on a GL for an upcoming cruise. We have 2 toddlers who are fairly adventurous. One of the cabins we were looking at comes with the side balconies (10720) - it wasn't clear if those side doors have locks on them, i appreciate the slider does. Watching videos doesn't reveal any? Additionally a lot has been said about an interior GL on 8th such as 8724 vs a corner suite. As we have kids we thought having the extra balconies to escape to whilst they sleep in the main room would be helpful - am i over thinking this and would the bigger room be better? Anyone stayed in 8724 recently and can talk to the noise bleed from 270? I heard there was more insulation going in but not heard any confirmation. With the kids going to bed around 730pm we wanted to be sure it wouldn't be too loud for them, which may force us up to 10th. Thx for all the great resources i have found since browsing this site!