mrp4352

Thanks Mods for the fast work on this one! I came on line to report it this morning after getting the email overnight and it was already dealt with!!

Thank you both!!!

Hi!

We have decided to cruise to the Baltic in 2023, but those cruises aren't available yet for booking.  Does anyone know when they would normally become available? (I understand things are strange right now and past history may not prove true, but if I shouldn't be checking until December, that would be nice to know.  )

Thanks!!

Just be prepared to allow extra time to get to the port.  When we cruised out of there last year, the traffic was horrific. I believe it took us 20 minutes to make it down the final half mile or so to the port.   It's hard to sit patiently in traffic when your ship is in view. 

Also, we booked a sunset cruise for the evening before debarkation through Viator on the Ohana 2. Your group sounds like it would just about fill the ship and it was absolutely one of the highlights of our vacation! https://www.viator.com/tours/San-Juan/San-Juan-Sunset-Sail/d903-11949P2

I would rather wear a mask and get to go on vacation than stay at home!  If wearing a mask helps keep others safe, then it's a small price to pay - and it won't change the view of the sunset at sea!

I volunteered. I'm in the travel industry (a separate branch from cruising) and have family in the amusement park industry.  The sooner we can find ways for people to safely enjoy these activities again the better. And I desperately need to see the "line where the sky meets the sea".

Unless you see something that is a really exciting alternative for you, I think I'd wait another month or so.  We had booked back up vacations for all our trips through Jan, but we're waiting a bit longer on our July trip. I think/hope/pray things will feel less murky in a couple of months and at that point we'll feel better prepared to make a decision for something that far out.

I agree with longer is always better! For my first cruise, we went on a 3-night because I was worried about whether I would enjoy cruising.  They literally had to pry my hands from the hull as I was disembarking because I didn't want to leave!   There are different aspects to larger vs smaller - and as the others have posted - that article is a great place to get you started thinking about what's important to you and how you like to vacation.

Thank you! Just saved $25 each on our excursion in Victoria!

We cruised the Freedom to the ABC islands last October.  My favorite memory was the day we spent at the Renaissance Aruba on their private island!  I hand fed flamingos and when we were at lunch, we were entertained by the tiny birds helping themselves to the fruit garnishes left on drink glasses after guests left nearby tables.

23 hours ago, mikeyg1479 said:

I actually don't think lift and shift is an option for us, as our cruise is 8 nights and the majority of Anthem cruises in 2021 (including the cruises in November 2021) are actually 7 night cruises instead.  The same ports of call, just one less day at sea.  But to my understanding, the itinerary  must be identical in order to lift and shift.  They had an 8 night cruise in February 2021 we could probably shift to, but I don't think that's out enough for the COVID situation to really change much with cruising and I'd probably be in the exact same position just three months later...

We're on the 8-night Anthem cruise with that itinerary that departs NY on 10/30/21 next year if that helps any.

4 minutes ago, YOLO said:

But, I must say - as much as we loved everything about the UDP, we feel that the 3N-DP is better for us.  The UDP is just way to much food and we just can't say no.  

We talked about this and I have been threatened with bodily harm if my Mom doesn't get to eat in the buffet (in whatever form it's taking in the new world) at least 3 times.:  I like the Solarium Bistro, too - so we'll make sure we enjoy that a meal or two.  However, we weren't thrilled with the MDR, so having this plan will be a great option for us!

Ours isn't quite that low - we're on the Anthem Oct '21 and got it for $199 - but when you figure it's an 8-night cruise it's less than $25/day!

Thank you both! Between the lunches and the dessert suggestions, we've decided to YOLO Book it!  

Thanks! I thought that might be the case, but couldn't find anything that said so clearly.  hmmm.. back to the pros/cons list for us. That was the point that bumped us over from the 3-night package to the unlimited financially. 

I appreciate the info!

Hi all!

I've tried to confirm this, but I"m not asking search the right way...  If I purchase the unlimited dining package for my anthem cruise, does the $35 a la carte credit cover things like the upcharge desserts at La Patisserie?

Thanks!!

mp

We booked a room at the Aruba Renaissance to have access to their private island for the day.  They'll still allow you to go to the island even if your room isn't ready. The island is beautiful and the flamingos are very friendly. 

We rented a car in St John's and Halifax. St. John's was fantastic! We took a beautiful drive out to St. Andrew's, had a lovely lunch and got to walk on the sea floor (we saw about a 25 foot tide difference in the couple hours we spent there.

FWIW, we didn't like Peggy's Cove. We were among the first off the ship, got our car and headed straight there. We still were unable to park and saw several busses that had beaten us there.  it was so crowded we couldn't even enjoy driving through the little village.  Next time, I think we'll wander around Halifax itself - there seemed to be plenty to do there

If you're not doing self-assist, I wouldn't book before 3pm out of Hobby. Last year our boarding group was about 1/3 of the way through and we didn't get through Customs until noon. Unfortunately, if there are other ships in port, the Customs officers are split up and they probably won't have a full complement available for your cruise.  (Oh, and no fog issues on our return.)

On 10/25/2019 at 7:41 PM, Lovestotravel said:

That is a good idea.  We did like the idea of seeing the Flamingos, so weren't sure how to do that without an "excursion". 

If you love flamingos, you might consider getting a room at the Renaissance Aruba right by the port.  They have a private island available to guests that has a small (5-7) flock of wild flamingos who have figured out that living the rock star life on that island is very, very good for them. LOL!  They are very comfortable near people and the island is absolutely amazing!!  This isn't my site - but it's one that I used while researching our day there.  https://www.myfoodandhappiness.com/5-reasons-to-visit-flamingo-beach-aruba/

They do offer day-of day passes, but only if the resort occupancy is below some magic number (they want to ensure the island is not crowded and crazy). For us, we decided it was worth reserving a room for the night to ensure we had access.  We noted on the reservation that we were arriving around 9am via cruise ship.  it was a pleasant surprise that the room was ready for us (although if it hadn't been, it would not have been an issue, all we had was our standard beach day bag.

Another benefit - our room was ready when we were done at the island, so we all stopped and used the full-size, normal shower. which was such a treat after the tiny ship-board shower!

We got off the ship and the local taxi company was offering a 2-hour tour for $25/person. We chose the south island option that took us to the salt flats, the slave houses, the light house, past flamingos and wild donkeys and included an option for time at the beach to extend the tour with no additional cost.  We had a sweet driver and really enjoyed the tour.

On 10/18/2019 at 12:39 PM, Ray said:

we used Uber in San Juan last year, Uber from hotel to airport was half the price of taxi from airport to hotel 

yes!  The 'fixed rate' from the airport to our hotel that we could see from the runway was the same as our 15 minute taxi ride from the hotel to the pier (which was twice the rate of our Uber from the pier back to the hotel!) So frustrating to be forced to pay whatever they choose.

Love packing cubes! I use them for clean clothes, then use compression travel bags for dirty clothes on the way home - which gives me more room for souvenirs!

On 7/29/2019 at 11:46 PM, BunnyHutt said:

Was the pole an issue? We’ve booked 10-510 for our 2020 Anthem cruise. 

There is no pole in 9510. 

We love 9510 - it's a spacious oceanview (no balcony), but it's a forward corner stateroom, so the room is well over 300 square feet.  It also has a table under the mirror that can be moved under the porthole if you want to play games in the stateroom - or enjoy dinner with a view!