firebuck

Yep, the British Colonial Hilton. The liquor store was on Marlborough street. https://maps.me/catalog/shops/shop-alcohol/esquire-liquor-9223372037263075538/

Hey there - welcome to the boards! Yes, the deluxe package includes drinks in any venue onboard including the specialty restaurants. One thing you may want to be aware of is that if you order a drink that costs over $13 on an Oasis class ship, you will be responsible for the overage. It's very rare to find a drink that is over the $13 - (think higher end scotches or more expensive wines by the glass). Also, yes! You can definitely order more than one appetizer. The service is usually spectacular at the specialty restaurants, and the wait staff will usually go above and beyond, so don't be afraid to ask!

Agreed!! I had the cold butterbeer first and was very very disappointed - it was like cream soda with... greasy whipped cream. Not good. The hot butter beer on the other hand was absolutely amazing and can't be missed. I need that recipe haha.

I don't know if it's the same on Labadee as CocoCay or not, but when I purchased the bungalow in the cruise planner, I only needed to select myself. Once you're onboard, they send out a paper that asks the size of your party, list the names and also your lunch choices. In CocoCay you're allowed up to 6 in a bungalow - doesn't matter if you're on the same reservation or not.

Hi - we did the Coco Cay Swimming pig excursion in October. We had a great time, and the crew were all very nice and accommodating. You can read about it in my live blog here:

Just booked Ovation of the Seas for a 7 night Alaskan Glacier cruise September 13th - 20th 2019... wooo!!

Wow! That's some impressive logistics! I'm not sure whether to root for the game win or the loss - quite the conundrum! ?

I have to agree with you there! I do recall the filet at Giovanni's being superior. Hmm.....

Fair enough! I think that my wife and I are more of the "ship is the destination" types. If we wake up somewhere warm with a beach, that's just a bonus! ?

Excellent blog, Joe! It's always nice to take in someone else's perspective of the same ship, and also interesting to see the differences between the two itineraries. Hopefully, we'll both get to experience the third itinerary in 2020 ? I totally agree with this sentiment. We only dined in the MDR once on the Anthem, and we were all underwhelmed. The space seemed really small and closed off. There is definitely something to the grandeur of the open, multilevel dining rooms, and while I haven't sailed on a Freedom class ship, the Explorer's MDR is very similar. Perhaps its just the nostalgia of my first cruise being on Explorer, but I find myself measuring the MDR experience to that one, and so far the rest haven't measured up. The closest that I've come to that first experience so far was on the Oasis. I do have to say though... (even though your flair says that you are an Oasis class denier) if you liked the Anthem, you'd love Oasis class. Sure, it's more people, but I actually found it a LOT less crowded with a much better flow. It's too bad that we can't get an O class ship up here in NJ, that would be the only way I'd sail ?

No credit card required, but unfortunately, you can't send the cash in advance. You may be able to go to guest services and put down a deposit as soon as you board, but I'm not entirely sure... someone else will have to step in for that one. Alternatively, you can stash your cash in the room safe. I've done that every time without issue.

Hi - welcome to the boards! You can definitely specify a cash account when you are checking in online. Unless something has changed recently, you can charge up to $500 before they will cut off your account from making more charges until the account is settled. Once you settle the account, you can resume using your seapass card for charges. You will also need to settle your account in Guest services before disembarking.

I think that'll get you there in the sweet spot... around 10 or 10:30. We may have been a BIT too early at 9:30... especially since @JLMoran confirms that boarding tends to be around 11. I think the further out you arrive past 10, you'll start seeing the traffic pile up to unload.

Yep! We weren't even the first ones there either... I'm not sure when they officially start taking your luggage and letting you in, but it was definitely right around 9:30 when we arrived. The 10:30 time you saw may just be another "suggestion" sort of like the arrival times they print on your set sail pass ?

The port has been much improved since the Explorer days - the addition of the parking garage definitely helps. The terminal waiting area is also much nicer and seems more organized. Does the traffic bad to get into the port? Since it's the weekend, it shouldn't be too bad. It also looks like the weather for Saturday is looking nice as of right now. You'll likely take 1-95 up to NJ and then catch the NJ Turnpike. Barring any congestion from roadwork or accidents, it should be fairly smooth sailing on up. What time do they let you get into the port? We got to the port at 9:30 AM. The port had just opened and there wasn't a big line of cars and we had no issues getting in. I know it'll be an early day coming from Maryland, but I'd definitely recommend getting to the port as early as possible. The line of cars got progressively worse as the day went on, and I heard a LOT of people complaining about the wait. This may be partially due to the bad weather we were having that day. I also heard that there weren't nearly enough porters on hand to take the luggage when dropping it off. I always make sure to try to get as much out of day 1 as I can... I was about 4 drinks in, had lunch, a dip in the pool, had all of our clothes unpacked, showered, and the line of cars were still coming in! What time do they let you onboard the ship? From what I understand the timing sort of varies... I've heard as early as 10:30, but the day we boarded, they started letting us on shortly after 11. Hope that helps, and I hope y'all have a wonderful cruise!

Cafe Latte-tudes' machine seemed to always be down during my sailing on Anthem. It's a shame - I hate carrying cash around (onboard and anywhere else for that matter) and I always tip on the printed receipt. There were a lot of times I couldn't do that on this sailing. It was also interesting to note that they no longer print receipts as default. I had to constantly ask the bartenders to print a receipt for me to sign.

Agreed - you should be fine in September. We usually cruise towards the end of September, and it's always been shorts weather when we leave. Our last cruise on the Anthem was at the end of October and it was cold and rainy - even then, by day 2 I was shirtless on my balcony the following morning.

Ha - no. I'm a pretty big dude so I was a little over the 250 pound weight limit. I'm definitely going to try it out on land though - there, the weight limit is 300 lbs. As long as they have a flight suit that is tall enough to fit me ?

Loving the pictures, Joe! It's funny - on our sailing, Wonderland was ALWAYS available. I saw the poor guy in his purple coat walking around every night trying to drum up business. After reading your experience, it makes me wish that we were brave enough to try it instead of going to Chops twice. It really sounds like Ilver went above and beyond to make it worth the upcharge. Thanks for your review... it'll give me courage for next time ?

Vintages offers a few glasses of wine that would be included in the Deluxe drink package. Anything under $12 (Or $13 on Quantum and Oasis class) will be covered. If there's a glass you want that is more than that, you can pay the difference in cost. The bar is also stocked with most of the standard liquors you'll find at any other bar that should be covered under the drink package.

Day 7 Much of the morning was spent in the high-back chairs of the 270 lounge watching the gray skies and waiting for Cafe 270 to open so I could grab a final kummelweck sandwich. While I was in getting my sandwich, my wife said that a fighter jet flew low and right across the aft of the ship. Several other people were also commenting that they saw it fly by - guess I missed the air show! I met up with my Brother-in-law on the way to the rooms and we decided to head to the Schooner bar for awhile for some final day Johnnie Walker Double Blacks. It's been our tradition to enjoy a glass of Blue label on the final night and have a cuban cigar that we find on a port of call, but none of the bars carry Blue Label any longer. We asked the bartender why that was, and he explained that too many guests thought it was somehow included in the drink package, so they stopped stocking it in the bars. I think in the past it was about a $20 upcharge per glass which wasn't horrible for Blue label. After a bit, I decided to head down to the casinos, and somehow I turned $20 into $45. (I usually donate $20 to the slots and stop). * side note - this gentleman in the casino bar was the absolute fastest bartender I have seen. He powered through people's orders like a champ. Tonight was dinner in Chops again, but we couldn't get reservations until 8:30. I decided to try the NY strip this time rather than the filet - I think I definitely prefer the filet. The ladies got the filet, and G had the prime rib. We all enjoyed our last meal onboard at chops. Dinner lasted until around 10:00 that night and we were running out of time. G and I grabbed a glass of Double Black neat and headed off to the smoking area in deck 5 to continue our tradition. Coming back to the room, I found that my wife had most of our stuff packed (she's awesome like that). We all opted to do the self carry option at 6:30 AM the next day. And just like that, our 7 night cruise was coming to a close. Day 8 We woke up around 5:45 AM and got ready and put the final items into the bags. We headed down to deck 5 around 6:10 AM which was very shortly after the ship had docked. There were already over 100 or so people queued up with lots more on the way. By the time we cleared customs around 6:50, the line stretched all the way from the midship elevators down into 270 and back up again. I think most people had the same idea! There was also another departure line near the Royal Theater, but I'm not sure how long that was. Once we started moving, it went super fast. Clearing customs was nothing but a camera that you stood in front of and if you were good to go, a green light would appear on the top. We didn't even need to have our passports out, declaration forms... nothing. I'm sure there were random spot checks, but I didn't see any. Either way, I'm glad that this process has been even further streamlined. We met up with the others outside and headed out to the parking garage where we had no issues whatsoever getting out. Including a stop at Wawa, we went from stepping foot off of the ship at close to 7:00AM to home at 9:30 AM - not bad at all! Now we are in dry dock until next year. Right now we are really thinking about an Alaskan cruise and hoping for a good Black Friday sale. Thanks so much for reading my live(ish) blog!

I wish it were a 9 nighter! Tonight is the final night. We are sitting in 270 taking in the gray skies and coming to terms with the realities of November in New Jersey.

Day 6 Today was a lazy morning - mostly spent in the stateroom or on the balcony. I wasn't really in the mood for breakfast, so I didn't go. Despite my willing it away, and washing my hands like 50 times a day, I was developing a sore throat since maybe day 4. Today, I pretty much lost my voice and with it, my ability to order drinks. It's a little bit better today, but I sound like a squeaky frog when I try to enunciate haha. I had my heart set on lunch at the Brass and Bock pub for lunch - my mission: try the poutine. I'll have to say, @Lovetocruise2002 it was pretty good. The fries were nice and crispy, the gravy was on point... BUT They didn't have real cheese curds! It was more like some melted cheddar on top... had it offered the proper curds, I would have given it at solid A... but unfortunately this lack of curds dropped the grade down to a C. I still enjoyed it, but I was expecting some nice "squeak on your teeth" cheese curds to bite into. I also had the beer cheese soup which was absolutely amazing. It was really spicy too. My wife got the nachos... they were ok, but more like a thick fried flour tortilla than corn chips. We had reservations to see We Will Rock You at 2:30 today, so we made our way to the main theater to get good seats. After 6 days of attending shows and events, we've learned that you need to get there at LEAST 30 minutes early on Anthem if you'd like to have a good seat. The show started on time, but very shortly after, the lights came back on and it was announced that they were having technical difficulties... after about another 30 minutes, the cruise director came out and said that the issue was with a health issue with one of the performers, but thankfully she was ok, and the show resumed. We all thought it was the best show of the three main shows offered. Great band and good singers. After the show I did some walking around and tried to go to some spots I haven't visited much on this cruise. Next, I found myself sitting at the solarium bar for a bit this afternoon and squeaked out my orders for kraken lava flows and other various drinks. Tonight was karaoke in the music hall, and we all decided to go down to the windjammer for dinner. It was formal night, and I wasn't feeling like getting out of my t-shirt and shorts. The Windjammer was a really good decision because they were featuring Indian food. I'll tell ya - the butter chicken was next level good. Tonight was karaoke in the Music hall, so we staked out some good seats for that. After Karaoke, the band "The Royal Swedes" performed. They were really good. Tonight was also the Hush dance party. Watching people silently dance to different music is always entertaining, but there was an adult comedy show in the royal theater coming up soon. I went back to my stateroom to try to sleep this silly cold off while the ladies went to the comedy show which they said was really funny (I don't know what happened to G!) Hush dance party I'm feeling a bit better today. My voice is still froggy but I've been sipping on tea and lemon hoping that helps! * side note - Voom isn't as... Voomy on day 7.

The 10 drink card was finally offered today - day 6 of 7 @Susie It was $79 for 10 drinks.

Day 5 continued We hopped off the ship around 11:30 and walked around the port area a bit. Pirate Republic Brewing company is just a short walk down the street, right before the straw market. They offer a 3 beer flight for 8 dollars (You can only choose from the first 4 beers). I had the Captain Kidd’s Kolsch, the Gold & Haze of Piracy and the Island Pirate Ale - all were very good. Afterwards, I had a pint of the coconut porter which I remember from last time we visited was my favorite, and it certainly didn’t disappoint this time. A little more walking around, and we were ready to get back on the ship and hop in the Solarium pool which thankfully wasn’t very crowded. After the pool, my wife and I had Johnny Rockets for lunch - it was very good, and the milkshakes included in the refreshment package and above were a nice treat. Dinner tonight was in Jamie’s Italian. The food and service was excellent! The waiter suggested that he bring out all the appetizers including a hybrid veggie and meat board for all of us to share. For entrees, the ladies both had the lasagna, I had the carbonara and G had the salmon. The waiter even brought out an additional pasta entree for us to try. There was no way we were possibly finishing everything, especially since we knew dessert was coming. Again, the waiter brought out a board filled with everything, and again everything was out of this world delicious. We couldn’t possibly finish it all, and the waiter boxed up my wife’s favorite, the cheesecake with meringue for her to take back to the room. After dinner, I put my halloween costume on, and we headed down to the haunted house that they had set up in the Music hall. The crew did a great job - they got a jump and little scream out of my wife, so job well done! The halloween party was in 270 at 10 PM so we made our way over. They had a halloween themed projection on the screens at 270 which was really cool. The party started out with a costume contest with three categories - scariest (which I entered), most creative, and funniest costumes. So many people dressed up for tonight, I was surprised to see so much participation. I was a finalist in the costume contest, so that was pretty cool! My costume was a take on the plague doctor. It was starting to get super crowded, so I decided to head up to the room change clothes and find a bar that was still open and not crowded. G and I ended up at the Schooner bar until they closed. We then found that the party had moved to the Music Hall where a DJ was performing club music. G and I hung around there until about 3 in the morning getting the most out of our drink packages - ahh vacation. Today is the first of two sea days, so I'm thinking we're just going to take it easy and relax.