JLMoran

I have the same price today for my 5-night 2019 Anthem sailing in October. Had to think long and hard about this, but in the end I'm not going to get it. I already got 2-device VOOM for a very good $17.99/night rate ($90 total), so getting The Key would cost me $110 more than what VOOM by itself cost. With Chops Lunch currently priced at $22 each, that means I'm paying the remaining $66 for the "intangibles". And there were only a couple that were semi-appealing to me:
Private hours at onboard activities -- Since my wife and I can't use the rock wall or flow rider due to various physical issues, getting private hours at iFly and North Star was potentially a good draw Reserved priority seating all shows in the main venues -- well, I've already seen all the shows the last time I sailed her, but it would be nice to not have to show up an hour early to get the great seats we got last time Separate / dedicated breakfast on debarkation day -- To not have to fight against the Windjammer or American Icon Grill crowd would be nice, and the menu @twangster posted in his review includes the things my wife and I both want / like Are private hours at iFly, reserved show seating, and the separate debarkation day breakfast area worth $66? For me, not really. I already watch the Cruise Planner like a hawk, so I know I'll get reservations for the activities and shows that I want to re-watch. And we can always go to Cafe Two70 for debarkation day breakfast if we find the Windjammer is a madhouse. Yeah, this price is a heck of a lot less than it costs to get the same perks in a suite, but I'm deliberately staying on a tighter budget this trip and that extra $110 over the VOOM is money I could put towards my onboard drink purchases (assuming I don't find the Deluxe package on sale before sail-away).

Day 1 - Miami (pt. 2):
At 3:00 I did a meet up when some of the teens I had set up a group chat with before the cruise. I posted on cruise critics for teens to text me and ended up with about 10 teens in the group. It was super nice to already know someone when I got on board.
Then at 4:15 I headed back to the room for the 4:30 muster drill. It was quick and painless. We also had the Carnival Victory sailing away during our muster drill, so that made it much more interesting.

 
After the muster drill we headed up to the pool deck for the sail away party where I caught some awesome pictures on the sunset. 


I tried to also take a time lapse video, but it was far too windy.
We also caught a glimpse of the Norwegian Sky.

At 5:30 we headed down to deck three for dinner. We were seated at a table for 9, but the other 4 never joined us. Our waiter was Seryeo and our assistant waiter was Shiv. So far they both seem awesome.
For our appetizers, all of us got the arugula salad except for me mom. They all loved the arugula salad and although I didn’t think it was bad, it just wasn’t my cup of tea. My mom got the French onion soup which she loved. Then for the main course I got fettucini with marinara (I’m a picky vegetarian so you’ll rarely see exocric food choices from me?) and everyone else got the red snapper. My dad also got the fried chicken to try.
Everyone except for my dad sent the red snapper back. They said it was thick, tough, and tasted very fishy. My mom and grandmother’s friend ordered the steak instead, and my grandmother got the shrimp cocktail. They were all happy with their second choice. My dad said the fried chicken was pretty good also.
Then for the desert I got the royal chocolate cake, my dad espresso mouse, my grandmother’s friend got apple pie, and my mom and grandmother got something that had rum in it (I wasn’t there when they ordered so I have no idea what it was haha). Whatever is was, though, my mom loved it and my grandmother said she wasn’t a fan. My mom said it wasn’t very sweet which she liked. We all loved the rest of our desserts.
After dinner we rushed to the 7:30 tree lighting. I still need to upload the pics from it so I’ll post them tomorrow. The tree lighting really wasn’t much though. Truly all they did was light the tree. Maybe I’m wrong, but last year on the Indy I seem to remember them singing Christmas carols and dancing up on the balcony after the tree was lit.
Then after the tree lighting, we went back to the rooms and our bags were FINALLY there. At this point it was almost 8:00 which was the longest we’ve ever waited to get our bags. We unpacked for a bit then I headed to the teen club for the icebreakers. I met a couple new friends and we planned to meet back up at the hot tub after the welcome aboard show.

The welcome aboard show was awesome. The band started off by playing a couple Christmas songs and we’re really great.

They were followed by the singers and dancers who were also pretty good. Then came out our cruise director Rob McNalley from Liverpool, England. He came out singing Sweet Caroline and was honestly almost better than the actual singers. After singing he spouted off a few quick jokes which were very clever and witty. I can already tell it’s going to be a great cruise with him.
He then introduced the officers and after their short introduction sent out the comedian, Landry. He was hilarious!! He had everyone laughing for thirty straight mintutes.
When the show ended, I headed down to the hot tub to meet my friends and we just hung out around the ship the rest of the night.
Some other notes:
•The ship was really rocky for seemingly calm waters. One of my friends said he had heard they didn’t completely fix one of the stabilizers, though, so that could be why.
•The teen club counselors are super lax on this cruise. They truly left the teen club at 11:30 and never came back. Security had to come kick us out.
•Sorry for no pics of the food. I’ve always just kinda found it weird to take pics of food.
•I’ll get a pic of the menu tomorrow. I had to run back to the room to put my phone on airplane mode during dinner, so my parents ordered for me and I never even saw the menu tonight.
 
 

Day 1-Miami
It’s embarkation day!! We arrived at the Port of Miami at 11:30 and were sitting down and eating at the Windjammer by 12. This was by far the quickest we’ve ever made it on a ship, and I can definitely see why everyone says they love the Port of Miami so much. It was very organized which moved everyone through quickly.
The tables at the Windjammer were full like they  usually are on embarkation day, but we were lucky enough to grab one right as another family was leaving. About every 20 minutes during lunch, they played a message asking passengers to leave their table as soon as they were done eating, which although it was annoying to keep hearing, it was much appreciated because it’s always so frustrating to see people taking up tables when they’re not even eating.
At 1:05 they told us over the intercom that our staterooms were ready so my parents went to ours and I went to go help my grandmother and her friend find their’s. They’re staying in stateroom 8614 which was just a run of the mill balcony room. It was good for them though because it was right by the elevator. Then I went down to our stateroom 7688. It’s considered an “obstructed” balcony room, but our balcony is about five times the size of my grandmother’s. And honestly I wouldn’t even consider it obstructed.
There’s a panoramic picture of it, but it still doesn’t do it justice. Just to give you a better idea of the size, though there are 2 lounge chairs, 2 normals chairs with a table, another deck chair with a footrest, and even with all of that there’s still enough room for three people to lay on the ground. It’s 2:15 and we don’t have our luggage yet, so now we’re all just resting in the room.
Some other notes:
•I was pleasantly surprised to see on our sea pass that our dining time had been moved to 5:30. We decided kinda last minute to change to earlier dining, so we called Royal Caribbean and they said they would put us on the waitlist. We still thought it was a long shot, though.
•Food at the Windjammer was a lot better than it was on our last cruise on the Indy. Not that it bad on our last cruise - it was just average. The food at the Navigator Windjammer was awesome, though. The pizza was much better too
Some other pictures from today:

I’ve tended to be just a lurker too lol, but I’ve been reading all these live reports and become a bit envious, so I thought it was time I tried writing one myself. ?

T-1 Day
Almost a year ago, my family booked this cruise. Now we’re less than a day away from boarding the beautiful Navigator of the Seas to embark on our 9 night journey to the Southern Caribbean.
I guess it’s best to start this live trip report by telling everyone a little bit about myself. I’m 17 from Atlanta, Georgia. I know I’m probably quite a bit younger than most of the users on Royal Caribbean Blog, but what can I say - it’s never to early to become obsessed with cruising.
Going on this cruise with me are my mom, dad, elderly grandmother, and her elderly friend. We booked two separate balcony rooms, so my grandmother and her friend will stay in one room and I’ll stay in the other room with my mom and dad. My dad and I both booked the classic soda package and the voom surf voyage package so we can communicate with each other while on the ship. After diligently checking the cruise planner every 3 or so days, I was able to get the voom package for $19.18 a day, which was the cheapest I’ve seen it for the past 6 months.
We chose this cruise strictly for the itinerary. The ABC islands have been on our list for quite some time, and when they offered them at the next cruise desk on our last cruise, we just couldn’t pass it up.
The intertary is as follows:
Day 1: At sea
Day 2: Labadee, Haiti
Day 3: At sea
Day:4 At sea
Day 5: Oranjestad, Aruba
Day 6: Willemstad, Curaçao
Day 7: Kralendijk, Bonaire
Day 8: At Sea
Day 9: At Sea
In Labadee we’re planning to just have a beach day, in Aruba we’re doing a Trikes tour, we’re going to just play it by ear in Curaçao, and in Bonaire we rented a few golf carts.
We got into Miami yesterday night with my dad driving my grandmother and her friend down and my mom and I flying since she had to stay later to work and I had to stay later for finals.
Today in Miami we did a little sight seeing at Little Havana, South Beach, and Bayside. After lunch we ran a few last minute errands to pick up the things we realized we forgot to pack, and all got pedicures (including my dad). He was not a fan of the flip flops lol. At least they had blue. 

Now all that’s left is our last dinner of 2018 on land and then it’s cruise time tomorrow!! 

Hello ladies and gentlemen,
I arrived home around 1 am on Monday, December 17th and slept nearly the morning away. (Needless to say, I was extremely grateful that I had booked this day off work LOL.) Still catching up with IRL work and other commitments, but I am planning to finish this review ? 
Thank you for your patience!
Christine

I think I've solved the mystery.  You are all likely correct.  @melski94 and @WAAAYTOOO you are referring to Terminal 18 at PE right?  To my knowledge, there is separate suites entrance there.  However, @JLMoran left from Terminal 29 at PE and perhaps there really is no separate entrance there.  I have never been to T29, so I cannot say first hand.  But I'll give Joe the benefit of the doubt. ?

I think you may have missed it.  There was a Suites entrance with a large changeable message sign that said "Suites" for my Independence sailing in November out of Port Everglades.  

Well, at least when I went in April we all got herded through only one door into the warehouse terminal building, and that in turn fed into a single long security line with about 4 or 5 metal detectors and carry-on x-ray machines at the end; but it's possible I missed a door off to the side that was dedicated to suites and Pinnacle guests. I was kind of awestruck seeing Freedom for the first time, and being all caught up in the experience of first-ever cruise. ?

Ohhhh , Day 7  ?
The problematic day 7 unless you are on your  first back 2 back or on a 10 + days cruise ? .
I could not complained too much about this day as it was my spouse birthday ( I really tried to convince RC to add several days to this cruise , strange they refused for some unknown reasons). we finally got up late (as usual one day before our  flight  back,  our jet lag was gone) and started a slow day in the WJ (nothing changed , still no vegetables beside decorations), we took one last time the surprise  poached eggs , why surprise ? because some time you are getting really good poached egg and some time you are just getting a fancy boiled egg. Post breakfast we went to the captain corner , I was interesting in some of the new futures they are going to offer on Allure and well it is always interesting and fun to hear the officers  (the chief was very funny, some of the audience suggested he will replace the comedian in the club for tonight) , many question were asked (I brought the most interesting answer on previous post) and time past very fast.


we went back to the room and decide to open the champagne  we got in our room (I guess we lost enough on the previous days ? ) and drink it on the balcony , sadly the day was very cloudy so not really suitable for the pool. I am sure some of the cruiser will complain about the sea day weather, if not in the survey than at least in CC. We went to visit the Casino again and watch some of the funny slot tournament (its really fun to watch people trying to break the machine) + contributing some more to RC finances, by the way I found out the new certificate level equal only to 1250 $ (if you do not want to take one of the offered cruises).We went to catch some rest and get ready for our birthday dinner in the hibachi section of Izumi. The hibachi, which is part dinner and part show includes a salad , edamame, main entry to choose from  - Shrimp , lobster,  chicken  or beef (you can mix) and dessert.

As any hibachi table the chef is the show , not much differences  than a  land hibachi restaurant but still fun. it ends with possible picture with the chef , a Japanese chef all the way from the Philippians and rice based dessert. We brought our last bottle of wine (no fee was asked) so it contributed to the atmosphere. 


As it was the last day we went to do one last tour of the ship and decided to go back and complete the packing. next time we need a longer cruise ?
 

We depart Baltimore, and trip includes St.Kitts, St.Croix, Sint Maarten, St.Johns Antigua, St.Lucia.   Wahoo.   Here we come sunshine.

As @JLMoran mentions we've got quite a bit of coverage on the podcast (and the blog), plus more to come covering specific topics and venues.  Overall we loved it and can't wait to go back in 25 days!

I seen this on that other site and had a chuckle out of it.  Enjoy ?
 
For immediate release.
 
DEAR VALUED GUEST,
 
As part of our ongoing mission to provide you with the best entertainment on the high seas we are pleased to announce the following change to your entertainment lineup.
 
The Broadway show a Cats has been replaced with our new in house production show featuring all new stars every week.
 
Come immerse yourselves as we feature a Battle Royale of epic proportions as we pit our pinnacle guests against our suite guests in the battle for control over the suite lounge.

There are plenty of exceptions to this for most lines.  While it's not common at all as you go up-market, you do see exceptions with contemporary lines as well - but I get your point that it's common to see 7/7 or 3/4.  The 7/7 is simple in that weekend embarkations make sense for guests who can use the leading Sat or training Sun (as the case may be) to go to or from the port of embarkation, plus I'd wager it's probably an easier psychological "sell" for folks to take a seven night sailing requiring just five days of vacation across a calendar week.
The 3/4 pattern allows lines to offer weekend sailings (appealing to those local to the port for sure) as well as four nighters in between for those who aren't concerned with vacation time.  Even in cases where the net of the 3/4 night revenue is less than some of that lines seven night sailings, it may be that the line doesn't think the demand is there for that particular ship running seven nights, plus, not everyone is looking to sail for that long - so it becomes an alternative offering for those who may not have otherwise sailed.  This is especially true of first timers who may be apprehensive about longer cruises.  In fact, that's why you saw RCI put so much money into Mariner, so they could offer a great experience on those shorter sailings and lure first timers in.
For the sake of mentioning some "regular" exceptions in the contemporary space, and sticking with the Caribbean (obviously sailings out of the NE and in the Med are a different ballgame), Carnival Conquest alternates b/w six and eight night sailings (eight nights allows them to get to the ABCs), and Independence of the Seas is operating four and five night sailings, and Navigator often sails nine nights to get to the ABCs.  
Interestingly, there was one ship that used to occasionally sail seven night sailings from South Florida and visit the Southern Caribbean: Cunard's QE2.  Her service speed was 28.5 knots, compared to Navigator's service speed of 22 knots.  QE2 top speed?  34 knots, or 39MPH.  She was the only passenger ship capable of those speeds that regularly visited the Caribbean.

All cocktails are pretty much locked at $12 for non-Quantum / Oasis class ships, and $13 on Quantum and Oasis class. By default, that will get you the "well brand" of whatever alcohol the drink takes, but most of the time you can ask for a better brand and you won't get an upcharge. For example, I always ask for a reposado tequila (Patron Silver, 1800, etc.) when I get a margarita, and it's the same $12 / $13 as if I just got low-end Jose Cuervo. If Vodka is your spirit of choice, you can get Grey Goose for the same price as Smirnoff. Even venues like Boleros that may use a really premium liquor in their specialty cocktails still charge the same price.
The only time you'll find the price go above that if you ask for a shot of some super-premium liquor, like some of the high end whiskeys that @monorailmedic is known to sip. IIRC, the bartender will always tell you up front what the price will be for those situations, so you shouldn't get any nasty surprises.
The drink of the day is typically priced below $12, unless it comes in some kind of souvenir cup or a hollowed out pineapple; then you'll be looking at an up-charge unless you explicitly ask to have it served in a regular glass.
Wines, like @jticarruthers said, are all over the map; but you can expect that any halfway decent wine (bearing in mind that I'm a bit of a wine snob, so my definition of "halfway decent" may be very different from yours) will be at least $12 or $13 a glass, and often a few dollars more; once you get to more high-end wines (which are well out of my price range), you're looking at  $30+ per glass. If you have the drink package, you'll just pay the overage on your Sea Pass card. I'll say that if you're a wine drinker, and you're on a Freedom class or smaller ship, Vintages will have your best selection of wines that fall within the price of the drink package, or just a couple of dollars over. I found on Anthem that Vintages had nothing that was at or below the drink package limit, and only a few offerings that were less than $20 a glass.
 

Listen to the latest two episodes of the Cruise Habit podcast -- that gives their full review. ? 

On our 5-night Anthem sailing, which left in early October, we sailed out in 40-degree weather and had to wear our jackets while standing on our balcony during sailaway. By the time we woke up on the first sea day it was still a little chilly, but I was still roaming the ship in shorts and a t-shirt. Was definitely brisk on deck, especially all the way forward where the wind was crazy strong with how fast the ship was going, but not at all a problem inside.
The solarium is fully enclosed on Anthem, as she was designed for cold weather sailings. It's quite large -- there's a 3-tier waterfall-style pool inside, with two hot tubs on each side. Lots of loungers throughout, including a bunch right up by the windows if you want to enjoy the view. And it's always a very balmy 80-ish degrees in there; no problem being in your bathing suit or shorts and a t-shirt in there! This YouTube video from Jim Zimmerlin gives a great overview of the Solarium:
My wife and I spent an hour in the Solarium late at night on our last sea day, at which time the seas were rough and it was cold and rainy outside (it had been raining lightly in the morning, got progressively worse and colder as the day wore on). We were dry and toasty the whole time in the Solarium, and while we felt the ship moving with the waves they still had the hot tubs open (though the pool was closed, I think more because it was 10 PM than because of the motion in the ocean).
I agree with @melski94, do the April 27th sailing to Bermuda and Boston. For starters, it's Bermuda -- you will LOVE it there, and you get two days to enjoy the island before heading to Boston. Second, the weather will definitely be more bearable on embarkation day and while in Boston. The Bahamas trip could be good, but you might find that you need the entire first sea day before it gets appreciably warm, and might also spend the entire last sea day indoors.

I fixed it for you..no need to thank me..? Thats what you meant to say right?

On our 5-night Anthem sailing, which left in early October, we sailed out in 40-degree weather and had to wear our jackets while standing on our balcony during sailaway. By the time we woke up on the first sea day it was still a little chilly, but I was still roaming the ship in shorts and a t-shirt. Was definitely brisk on deck, especially all the way forward where the wind was crazy strong with how fast the ship was going, but not at all a problem inside.
The solarium is fully enclosed on Anthem, as she was designed for cold weather sailings. It's quite large -- there's a 3-tier waterfall-style pool inside, with two hot tubs on each side. Lots of loungers throughout, including a bunch right up by the windows if you want to enjoy the view. And it's always a very balmy 80-ish degrees in there; no problem being in your bathing suit or shorts and a t-shirt in there! This YouTube video from Jim Zimmerlin gives a great overview of the Solarium:
My wife and I spent an hour in the Solarium late at night on our last sea day, at which time the seas were rough and it was cold and rainy outside (it had been raining lightly in the morning, got progressively worse and colder as the day wore on). We were dry and toasty the whole time in the Solarium, and while we felt the ship moving with the waves they still had the hot tubs open (though the pool was closed, I think more because it was 10 PM than because of the motion in the ocean).
I agree with @melski94, do the April 27th sailing to Bermuda and Boston. For starters, it's Bermuda -- you will LOVE it there, and you get two days to enjoy the island before heading to Boston. Second, the weather will definitely be more bearable on embarkation day and while in Boston. The Bahamas trip could be good, but you might find that you need the entire first sea day before it gets appreciably warm, and might also spend the entire last sea day indoors.

So we are on day three. I’ll get the few negatives out of the way now before I forget because they already feel like a distant memory. ? I was SO scared of a ship this size but it’s been amazing. Well except muster drill. Worst one ever but that’s okay. They play a video that made it feel like it took forever. Our muster station was next to the gangway in front of rising tides bar. It was hot and uncomfortable with three small kids. The littlest fell asleep ? No real lines that we’ve experienced except guest services is always really busy and windjammer is a design mess. Worst windjammer set up we’ve ever seen. The food stations are small and there is not much room to walk. Tables are easy to find though. We’ve been frequenting the park cafe and sorrentos ( kids) instead. 
 
The crew has been some of the best we’ve ever sailed with. With the exception of the diamond lounge concierge ?she wasn’t pleasant. Adventure ocean staff is amazing. 
 
We we haven’t been to the dining room yet. 
Suite lounge is SO quiet during the day. Haven’t come up yet at night. Maybe tonight. We FINALLY got the 4 yr old to go to Adventure Ocean so our nights are looking a little more adult focused from this point on ? last night was the first formal night. I was pretty surprised to see pretty much the majority of people dressed similar to when we started cruising about 15 years ago. Might have just been where we were on the ship though ? the captain did a tree lighting at 8pm. It was really cool to experience.
Some random thoughts....
park cafe grilled cheese is way better than the roast beef IMO. 
Champagne bar has great bar servers. So fun and pleasant. 
We’ve met some great people. Passengers are all friendly so far. 
Ship never feels full. Lots of empty pool chairs around.  
Lifeguards are happier than normal ?
Ocean Aria was awesome! 
I’ll type more as I think of it ??

That's by design. They purposefully limit work while ships are there to prevent an impact on guests.

2021 RC Blog group cruise (haha)

@Matt gets the award of the month for best idea (even if it happened almost a year ago, I just found it). I am the bargain shopper, the coupon user (except with groceries LOL), I feel better when I get a deal... and this freebie way to add value is fabulous (and many of us would never have looked for it or found it since we either aren’t on FB or aren’t online game players). Good job on asking @Jeepgeek to post (and Russ shares the award for his willingness to provide the info here!).   ☺️
Lynn
 

We did a cruise out of Galveston in December 2017 that stopped at Progreso.   We did an excursion thru RCL that included a stop at Mayapan Mayan Ruins for several hours and then swimming/tubing in a Cenote (Underground sinkhole/cave).   
 
Mayapan is called 'Little Chichen Itza' and was only 45-60m drive from the ship.  You can climb on these ruins and the tour guides did a great job explaining significance of each building type and overall Mayan History.  Wasn't crowded at all..
 
Might consider this as an alternative...
 
(one day I'll finish my write-up on this cruise and post it...)
 

I had asked about this a while back, and the consensus seemed to be that it really doesn’t matter. When the ship is at sea, she’s too far from land to make anything out. It’s not like Alaska where you have land close by on both sides.