Lovetocruise2002

3 minutes ago, Matt said:

I am so glad you booked this cruise (and did not cancel it like a certain photographer)!! It will be great getting to finally meet you after years of knowing you online.  

I think you made the right call moving your pre-cruise hotel to Manhattan. I think you summed up the pros/cons of Jersey vs NYC (minus the smell) but having easy access to the city will be fantastic.

I know right! Having the bot would have been epic! Now you are just stuck with the Lulubot.

And D12 is so excited for staying in Manhattan (more than the cruise itself) that we feel like we made the right choice. 

17 minutes ago, JLMoran said:

Have a great cruise! Not sure I can make it to the pre-cruise meetup, I've already booked up all my vacation time and with work the way it is, doubt I could leave early. But I'll see if I can pull a miracle out.

1 hour ago, tiny260 said:

I will be following, oh wait I'll be on board with you, lol.

@twangster I don't think @Lovetocruise2002 , could handle you and Matt together on the same cruise ship, it would be like the OK Corral.

That could have happened!  Too bad someone cancelled 

And it would have been beyond greatness!

Yum! You better post pics! 

Who’s Going?

The usual crew:  Hubby, our 2 girls, D10 & D12 (a month shy of 11 &13), and myself.

Flight

Our plan is to fly from DTW to EWR two days before.  Since it is our summer vacation and we are not pressed for time, we are taking an extra day to take our girls around Manhattan the day before the cruise.

Pre-Cruise Stay

I tossed around the idea of staying in Manhattan because the pre-cruise meet up is there but then we decided to book Embassy Suites again in Elizabeth, NJ.  A few friends from our group cruise are also staying there.  At the last minute, and by that, I mean only 3 weeks ago, it dawned on me that I overlooked a very important point.  We booked a one-day tour with Viator for NYC that leaves from Times Square.  I realized that going into NYC on a Wednesday morning from NJ would be a bit of a problem with rush hour.  Not wanting to stress about being stuck in traffic or risk missing our tour, we went ahead, and canceled Embassy Suites and our stay now is at... 

the Intercontinental New York Times Square! 

We realize that this adds a bit more cost and travel time on embarkation morning, but our girls are so excited to stay in Manhattan and we are steps away from the pre-cruise meet up and our tour pick up point.  The advantages far outweigh the disadvantages.

Itinerary

This 9-night sailing takes us to Bermuda, St. Maarten, San Juan, and Labadee.  We have no real plans for this sailing other than relaxing.  June was such a busy month for all of us.  I am simply burnt out and looking forward to sitting and staring out at the open waters. 

In Bermuda, we booked the Bermuda Island Drive By Minibus Tour through Royal.  In San Juan, we plan to walk around for a bit on our own.  Lastly, for St. Maarten and Labadee, we may not even get off the ship.  Hubby and I will be back at these same ports (minus Bermuda) in a few weeks on Symphony and it’s better to visit “That Yoda Guy” without the kids.

Cabin

We are booked in the exact same cabin category as last cruise.  Formerly a Family Junior Suite (FJ), it has now been re-categorized as a J3.  This cabin makes the most sense for our family as it has the pullman bed and 1 ½ bath.  This time around, we grabbed one on Deck 8 instead of 9 in hopes that it might be slightly better for motion.  Not sure if it will make much of a difference.  See my 2018 live blog for pics of this cabin. 

Pre-Cruise thoughts

-    First Group Cruise!  So excited!  Need I say more?!

-    Because it is a Group Cruise and our kids have started venturing out on their own, we grabbed the VOOM for 3 devices plan this time.  This way, we will be able to contact D12 anytime if needed, especially if we split up from them for group activities.

-    This is also my way of giving Anthem a second chance.  As noted in my previous Anthem blog, there were two things I really did not enjoy about the previous cruise.  One was that crowds did not flow well throughout the ship.  The second was that I vowed to never sail from NJ again in the colder months as it was not enjoyable for us.  We will see if sailing in July makes a difference.

-    Finally, my disclaimer is that this blog may not follow my usual style.  I can’t even promise how “live” it will be this time around.  And there will be many things I may not post to avoid being redundant from my last one.

-    Once again, in the spirit of a live blog, please do not hesitate to ask any questions.  I will do my best to find out whatever I can for you.

-    When responding to a post with a series of pictures, please do not include the pictures in your reply.  It just makes for easier scrolling.

-    Lastly, I will do my best to bring the cruise to you LIVE through Periscope – you can follow me @LoveToCruise2002.
 

Cruising with Greatness – Anthem Group Cruise – July 4-13, 2019

Anthem of the Seas the Reboot (aka Anthem, The Lite Edition).

For those of you who have been around for a while, you know that we cruised Anthem back in 2018.  For a more in-depth blog of Anthem, check out my blog from March 2018.

This is going to be the “Lite Edition” for several reasons.  I wasn’t even going to blog this cruise as I am not sure how much more I can add to it that would be different from my previous one or the ones that @twangster, @JLMoran, @SweetPea, or @TheHobbys have done.  And…it’s my first Group Cruise!  I might be just a tad busier than usual.  However, the conclusion that I came to is that it would be irresponsible and inconsiderate of me to not blog it because it was the blogs and scopes from last year’s Royal Caribbean Blog Alaska GC that finally pushed me into booking this one.  Again, the best part of live blogs is learning from each other and to pay it forward.

Let’s back up the story a bit on how this cruise came about for us.  I saw this GC as soon as @Matt announced it back in the Fall of 2017.  The itinerary stood out right away for me as it was 9-night sailing that goes to Bermuda (we have never been).  To make it even better, the dates for this GC landed on dates that were actually doable for me.  However, during that time, I was more focused on securing my Symphony July 2019 booking and with both cruises in July, only weeks apart, I decided it wasn’t going to be possible for Anthem. 

In March 2018, we sailed Anthem, and I had very mixed feelings on that sailing with the ship itself.  I usually enjoy most cruises we go on, but Anthem did not sit well with me.  You can see my initial thoughts of Anthem in my previous Anthem blog. 

Fast forward to June 2018, the RC Blog gang went to Alaska, and it looked like so much fun that I truly wanted to try out a GC myself.  Many of you know that I am teacher and my vacation dates are not flexible.  To have the Anthem GC fall over our summer break was an opportunity that I felt I could not let pass.

Booking this cruise was essentially embracing the true YOLO spirit.  As far as our (I mean Hubby’s) bank account goes, booking this one and Symphony to sail in the same month was not wise and made for a very expensive April!  On the bright side, this is going to be our shortest dry dock ever between cruises!  This is the cruise that we probably should not have booked but could not turn it down for the reasons already listed and the best reason of all…Who can possibly turn down an opportunity to meet “Mr. YOLO Book It!” himself?  True Greatness?  Our Fearless Leader? Obviously not us!  So here it goes…

CK hands down.  MDR is no comparison whatsoever!  CK even rivals specialty dining.  The menu, quality of food, service and views are far superior.  Lunch is the weak spot but even that is good.  The only reason why I consider it weak spot is because they only rotate two menus for lunch.  Dinner is rotated nightly on a 7 night cruise.

2 hours ago, CraftyCat05 said:

Thanks! Hope you're enjoying Anthem!

Not on yet. Will be on July 4-13th. This time Anthem is for the people, not the ship

4 hours ago, lenny833 said:

I heard some where that Dru Pavalo is no longer with Royal is this true

Yes.  He left rather abruptly a few months ago.  @Joe01 would know more.

Will be doing my best to follow from Anthem!  Have a great cruise!

8 hours ago, Matt said:

She cheated and started early. There will always be an asterisk next to her name.

8 hours ago, Skid said:

Hmmm...I started early also, as have others. But IIRC, wasn't it you that started this trend? We just followed the leader! Asterisks for all!

Thank you!  I am glad someone finally remembers who started it all! lol

1 hour ago, Bob_KY said:

If there was a MVP Blog section (MOST VALUABLE POSTER), this would be in the hall of fame.  

Thanks but I cannot take credit. I have only learned from the best...

@twangster

@FManke beat me to it but yes, that is the one.  Also, it's a good idea to head to the MDR once you get on board to double check and make sure that they honoured your request.  If you are in a suite, you can also make this request to the suite concierge when they email you one week out.

You could try to call back and speak to a different agent. Or better yet, call the C&A line. Most reps on the main line have no clue. 

Few rules that we follow:

- book early and watch prices

- usually the BOGO 60 or 30% off sale yields the best price. (That promo usually alternates with the current one)

- KSF if you qualify also yields a pretty good deal. 

- instant savings come and go so those are not a big deal

4 minutes ago, Paige said:

So, like you, I was curious about this suite, but on Symphony. So a few weeks ago, I called RC and spoke with a very helpful man named Craig. We spent almost an hour on the phone, mainly trying to find a sailing where the Villa was available. He finally found one for October 3, 2020. I told him we had eight people, and while he checked on the price, I braced myself. So when he told me $17,331.80, you can imagine my excitement. For each of us, it was only $2,166.76! Apparently, I lucked into a combination of a sale (50% fare for second passenger, and reduced fares for the rest) and low-season.

Craig told me that I could cancel within 24 hours with no penalty, so I put the deposit down without even consulting our friends (with whom we often cruise). He was so helpful and told me that he'd never booked this cabin before and he was a bit excited, too. 

We had already planned to have dinner and play cards with our friends that evening, so when I was telling them all about what I'd found, they were saying 'yes' before I'd even finished asking if they wanted to go. 

I'm so excited that I've got a countdown on my phone. Only 469 days, to go. 

We lucked out too.  We booked this suite on Harmony for December 2020 for about $1100pp!  

17 hours ago, mom2mybugs said:

Ok I had a whole post I thought was submitted with my La Bamba pictures!  Ugh.....   I gave a big shout out to @Lovetocruise2002 for sending me there.... Food was amazing, drinks were amazing and everything was, well, amazing!!!   Have

Happy to hear that it lived up to the expectations!  I cannot wait to go back there myself.

35 minutes ago, Kathleen said:

Is there a Coastal Kitchen or Suite Dining Room on Explorer of the Seas or is there one planned after it is revamped?

No CK but they dedicate one speciality restaurant for breakfast for guests staying in a GS or higher. It’s usually Chops or Giovanni’s I think. No suite restaurant for lunch or dinner though.

1 hour ago, Joe01 said:

1 week & 11 hours until it all begins!

Just checked the flights - got a 6 hour layover in EWR on debarkation day. Do you think we would have enough time to go to Manhattan for lunch?

From my research lately on trips from EWR to Manhattan, I would say that it is not worth it.  You would have to deal with traffic first and foremost.  And then it can be quite costly to even get into the city.  Unless you plan to take public transit like the NJ transit system or PATH train.  But that would still be some travel time and 6 hours is not that much time really by the time you go back and forth.

3 hours ago, Andrew72681 said:

We all are well aware of your hatred of coastal kitchen. Too bad there’s not a tattoo parlor on board the group cruise, @Lovetocruise2002 Would hold you down and make you get a #TeamCK tattoo. 

I would have to find Shotsberg for that to happen. 

2 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

SO agree with you re: Suites sun deck and Concierge Club.  Complete waste of real estate and so much better on O Class.

+1 on that one!

@PamCurtisDavey between the message boards, Insiders group, FB roll call and Periscope, I can count at least 5 other families who are staying at Embassy Suites in Elizabeth, NJ.  It would have been at least 6 but we just cancelled last week (the hotel, not the cruise lol).

All me.  Every cruise, vacation, everything.  Hubby has no clue where we are going most times.  He cannot keep track 

And to you too @Skid!

21 hours ago, Traveler said:

We just went out from Cats (first act) we said we will give a try maybe we were two tired during the first time but I guess not. It was funny and sad to see so many people actually fall asleep after the firs 15 minutes. Feel sorry for the all the people that work at that production. I think such a play is not the best choice for a cruise which need something more happy ? Less darker maybe ?  I wish they change it in the coming refurbish.

21 hours ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

This is probably my greatest disappointment with the advertised changes coming in the fall.  I can't believe that they are keeping Cats as UNpopular as it is.  I was also hoping they would add Hooked but it looks like Oasis is getting a barbecue place instead.  Oh well... something different, I suppose.  But please CHANGE Cats !

I agree.  Biggest surprise and disappointment that they are not changing this show!