whenismynextcruise

As you are walking back to your ship expect this...

Church!!!

Most cruise lines do have upcharges now.  For example on Carnival's last investor call they stated their greatest source of new revenue is from on board upcharges.  
I have a different perspective on 'nickel & dime'.  As cruise lines have introduced new concepts such as specialty dining or Voom internet there remain guests that don't want or need it.  On my current 19 night B2B I'm quite happy with MDR food for the last 2 weeks.  To make specialty dining free they have to increase base fares, nothing is 'free'.  Why should I pay higher base fares for others who want specialty dining?   Why should people who don't want to be connected pay more so I get 'free' internet?   
You can cruise and have an awesome experience on RCI without buying anything extra.  There are people who want more and people who don't.  
At least RCI hasn't created a totally chaotic boarding process then created a paid program to avoid it like another line has.  
 

There used to be a sports bar just behind the casino on the Radiance class ships but I think those have all been repurposed now.

Interesting but not really for me. One of the benefits for me when I get to my cabin is shutting my cell off, putting it in the safe and not turning it back on until I get back to the home port. The only thing I want to carry around the ship are beverages :)
 

Interesting but not really for me. One of the benefits for me when I get to my cabin is shutting my cell off, putting it in the safe and not turning it back on until I get back to the home port. The only thing I want to carry around the ship are beverages :)
 

As of Thanksgiving week there were no extra gratuities added to Chops on Anthem. We prepaid for 1 lunch and 2 dinners. None of them got charged extra gratuity. We enjoyed lunch very much there so we booked an additional lunch later in the week. No extra gratuity added there either.

Just got off of Anthem yesterday morning. We did the express departure (carry off) and they started to let people off at 6:30 AM. We were on deck 5 at 5:45. The line starts at the elevators just forward past Jamie's Italian where the butterfly art is. We were the 5th party in line and we were through customs and in our car leaving the garage by 6:50.
I hope that helps! 
Good luck!

Just got off of Anthem yesterday morning. We did the express departure (carry off) and they started to let people off at 6:30 AM. We were on deck 5 at 5:45. The line starts at the elevators just forward past Jamie's Italian where the butterfly art is. We were the 5th party in line and we were through customs and in our car leaving the garage by 6:50.
I hope that helps! 
Good luck!

Thumbs up on the disconnect from the world comment.  I think that's one of the best parts of cruising.
Not to hijack the thread, but it's still watch related.   What is it with cruises and watch sales?  Granted it had been awhile for us between cruises but when we were on the Enchantment, ads for watches were everywhere, watch sales abound, etc.  It just puzzled us.  

We had never heard of Invicta.  It does work and has a nice magnified date area.    We did not purchase the internet package on board.  When we went on the cruise, we agree we would lock our phones in the safe.  We wanted to disconnect from the world.  

this may be helpful http://www.cruiseliberty.com/directions_parking.html

I was looking on another website and this was posted.......interesting and informative!  
 
http://www.travelweekly.co.uk/articles/277322/big-interview-michael-bayley-president-and-chief-executive-of-royal-caribbean-international

Yesterday @Matt informed us of a big reveal planned by RCI next week on Nov. 7.  Watching his periscope yesterday and in response to his call for speculation and guessing what could possibly be announced in the big reveal next week, I put my thinking cap on and started making wild guesses.  One guess is that Coco Cay may be making some big news soon.  
This post is purely speculative with no basis in fact or inside knowledge.  It's almost certainly going to be proven wrong next week, but let's have some fun!
What got me thinking last night was Matt's comment about a concept of staying overnight on Coco Cay and possibly arriving on one ship but departing on another as mentioned in this blog.  
Guests on CocoCay may be able to get off the ship and stay there overnight, "we will be adding some private cabana accommodation for Suite Class guests who may want to get off and stay for a few days in total luxury and privacy before hopping on another ship to come home." Coco Cay is also known as Little Stirrup Cay and it is located right beside Great Stirrup Cay (GSC) which is a private destination for Norwegian Cruise Lines.  Last year NCL announced plans to refurbish GSC including a private lagoon retreat for certain suite guests.  I had also heard rumors about a hotel operation on GSC although finding information on that is more difficult. 
On a recent trip to Coco Cay aboard Grandeur of the Seas I spotted construction on GSC. 
In this photo of GSC just right of photo center you can see construction trailers and right of that a row of concrete buildings.  Left of the trailers is the beach that GSC visitors use when visiting there.

Here is a closer photo of the GSC beach area showing row and row of loungers.

Here are those concrete building under construction in an undeveloped area of GSC.

These are presumably building to fulfill the NCL vision of a lagoon retreat but could they also be part of that rumored future overnight hotel operation on GSC? 

A distinct disadvantage for any port of call is the lack of a pier.  That has an impact to daytime visits and lacking a pier it makes the idea of overnight stays from a cruise ship very challenging.   
All too often cruise ship visits to tender ports are called off due to slight seas.  That moment of stepping off a large and stable cruise ship onto a tender bobbing up and down in even a small amount of waves can be very dangerous.  Not only do you need calm seas in the morning but if seas are forecast to become larger later in the day that can also impact a visit to a tender port.   
That soon won't be an issue for Coco Cay, the pier is under construction and scheduled to start receiving ships in June 2018.  A pier will be a game changer for Coco Cay.
Maybe the big reveal next week is going to announce some very big upgrades for Coco Cay.  Will that overnight Coco Cay hotel hinted at earlier this year become a reality?   
Wouldn't that be the ultimate back to back cruise adventure?  Arrive to Coco Cay on one cruise ship, spend a few days and nights on Coco Cay, depart on a different cruise ship! Will we get Crown & Anchor points for Coco Cay?  
Maybe Mariner's post dry-dock relocation to Miami plays a role in this concept.  
What other new and exciting features will Coco Cay receive?
Back in 2013 Matt wrote a blog describing how Carnival would be making some stops at Coco Cay.  What if NCL was to use the Coco Cay pier as a mean to access GSC on less than perfect days?  Both have sheltered harbors were boarding a water taxi can be done safely and it would be a short ride between islands.  What if the cruise lines shared island resources?  Highly unlikely but hey, this is all about wild speculation. 
So let's hear from you.  What wild and crazy ideas can you come up with for the big reveal next week?
Dream on...

You and I both agree that it is indeed sad that a select group of people would choose not to tip at all and that is where, in my opinion, I saw this thread going.
@mworkman     "Comments like yours aren't needed!  What is sad is that there are a select group of people that would chose not to tip at all! " --- My comment was relevant to the post and it doesn't warrant censure by you or anyone else. 
"What i like about this forum, unlike others... members tend to be more relaxed and don't attack other members base on disagreements." -- by telling me that "Comments like yours aren't needed!'" is exactly what you are doing to me.
Does this really bother me? No not really, but I threw no stones at anyone. Please don't throw them at me.
 
 

This is a sad topic. And yes that is my personal opinion.

Us northerners deserve a cool ship too, people!  You southerners can't have them all.   Hmpf. 

I have been on a few Thanksgiving cruises (24 days out from boarding Anthem!) and I have never seen the parade broadcast anywhere on the ships. Set your DVR to watch when you get home! 

I am with WAAAYTOOO on Nassau. Stay on the ship. You wont miss anything. 

The mushroom soup is the BEST !  
Most probably already know this but if you go to a specialty restaurant and want something that is offered in a different specialty restaurant you can ask the waiter to get it from the other restaurant for you.
When we were on Harmony in Sept. we went to 150 Central Park and I asked them to bring me a bowl of cream of mushroom soup from Chops (actually Dan got one, too) and they did.  When we were in the Coastal Kitchen for dinner one night we asked them for the same thing and they brought it to us so you can enjoy your mushroom soup in any of the specialty restaurants even if it is not on their menu !!!

Thank you all so much! So much to digest here.
I am absolutely going to try out the airfare sites that have been recommended. I hadnt heard of most of them. I have only been looking on the airline sites and sites like travelocity and expedia. The search is on!
I feel like a novice traveler because I have checked airfare from local airports in my area (providence, ri & manchester, nh) but for some reason I never thought to expand the airport search in florida. I am going to to work  that into my planning.
This week using the suggestions here I am going to look into our next trip for the Spring (push it out from feb/march to april/may) and see how I do. Skip a massage in the spa @ Thanksgiving to spend some $ in the casino towards those rates. 
Glad to learn I am not cheap and also I learned that I need to put in more research and effort in vacation planning. That doesnt hardly seem to be like hard work to me!!

Along these lines, consider other airports in Florida.  Orlando, Tampa, Daytona, and Fort Myers are all easily driveable to the cruise ports.

If you don’t already gamble in the casino, you could start there. The casino rates would assist you in taking your vacation to the next level. Spending so much time in the casino “might” nix your spa plans exc in favor of giving them your money but the payout could be decent in terms of discounts. We normally cruise 3-4 times per year and since I started playing in the casino the Suites have been more within reach even on the Oasis Class ships. Good luck.

I use kayak.com for flight purposes.  They offer purchase advice (wait, buy now, etc) as well as fare alerts.  I find if you book airfare too far out prices are high as airlines don't know if fuel prices will rise so they hedge and keep fares high.  At the 2-3 month mark they have a better understanding and begin to become competitive.   
I understand the appeal of driving, something that will never happen for me in Denver but I often make it to South Florida for under or around $400.  Consider Southwest too, if they are convenient for you as they can have some cheap fares far out and include checked bags so no additional fees.
Fortunately Anthem of the Seas has some variety in itineraries if you can deal with the North Atlantic seas for the 1st couple sea days.  
As far as cabins, book what works for you.  I've been lucky to enjoy suites but have also gone back to inside cabins on the next cruise and had an equally great time.

Also, going winter to early spring is peak season.  Everything is more expensive.  Consider the fall and you can do better.