Rumors of Anthem moving??

[jaullram]

Someone had mentioned that they heard Anthem will no longer be leaving from NJ sometime in 2019 and will be replaced by two smaller ships.....has anyone else heard this rumor?  I hope it isn't true!

[Matt]

At this point, it's just a rumor.

I certainly have not heard anything regarding Anthem's status that I'd care to repeat.

[JLMoran]

5 hours ago, Matt said:

At this point, it's just a rumor.

I certainly have not heard anything regarding Anthem's status that I'd care to repeat.

Wow, now there's a statement that can be taken a few different (disconcerting) ways! I'll try and stay positive that the ship I'm trying out for the first time late next year and that's all of 45 minutes from my house will still be around in 2019 and 2020 and beyond to take me on those 12-night winter Caribbean getaways when my birthday rolls around each January.

Granted, my desire for this might change dramatically after going on that Bermuda cruise, but I doubt it!! 

[Lovetocruise2002]

11 minutes ago, JLMoran said:

Wow, now there's a statement that can be taken a few different (disconcerting) ways! I'll try and stay positive that the ship I'm trying out for the first time late next year and that's all of 45 minutes from my house will still be around in 2019 and 2020 and beyond to take me on those 12-night winter Caribbean getaways when my birthday rolls around each January.

Granted, my desire for this might change dramatically after going on that Bermuda cruise, but I doubt it!! 

One of my favourite vacations to date was a 12 nighter...Can't think of a better way to celebrate special occasions.  Fingers crossed for you that Anthem stays put.

[rjac]

22 minutes ago, JLMoran said:

the ship I'm trying out for the first time late next year and that's all of 45 minutes from my house will still be around in 2019 and 2020

You are SO lucky, oh wait, you live in Northern NJ......never mind 

[mpoole3_361]

It's time Anthem of the Seas gets down to FL!!  I do think they are having some problem filling this ship, I mean have you seen the rates on this ship?  (Well non-suite rates)

[Lovetocruise2002]

58 minutes ago, mpoole3_361 said:

It's time Anthem of the Seas gets down to FL!!  I do think they are having some problem filling this ship, I mean have you seen the rates on this ship?  (Well non-suite rates)

According to the RC agents on the phone they claim they have zero problems filling the sailings. I questioned them about the same a while back. They claim this ship sails at full capacity every sailing.  I don't believe them though.

What I find interesting though is that for the sailing I'm on (March 9/2018) the ship has maxed it's 3/4 capacity already a while back. I am assuming that they probably have a lot of non-suite cabins booked with a 3rd and 4th passenger.  I've been checking pricing and availability everyday and there are quite a few suites still available. So at this point no families (of more than two people) can book into one stateroom. You would automatically have to book two or more cabins. Non-suite cabin pricing has pretty much stayed quo for a while but suite prices keep climbing even though they are not moving. I'm guessing because most families cannot book 2 or more suites.  This is where I am puzzled and perhaps others can shed some insight.  Wouldn't the logical thing to do be to lower the suite prices and hope that some of your families upgrade thus freeing up more lower rate cabins?  Then it might make more sense (and more affordable) for others still looking to book to book 2 cabins? Or am I looking at this all wrong? 

[FManke]

20 hours ago, rjac said:

You are SO lucky, oh wait, you live in Northern NJ......never mind 

Probably why he's so anxious to get out of town! 

[JLMoran]

13 hours ago, Sabrinaklai said:

What I find interesting though is that for the sailing I'm on (March 9/2018) the ship has maxed it's 3/4 capacity already a while back. I am assuming that they probably have a lot of non-suite cabins booked with a 3rd and 4th passenger.  I've been checking pricing and availability everyday and there are quite a few suites still available.

OK, statements like that bring out the data checker in me. You've been forewarned. 

For my sailing on Oct 13, 2018, there's about a third of the JS level rooms left to book; I was seeing about 15 J4's available, out of the 42 that cruisedeckplans.com says are available (although I'd say those numbers are suspect; CDP says there are four Owners Suites on Anthem, but RCI site shows 5 available to book). Interestingly, the rooms that are listed are different depending on whether you choose a refundable or non-refundable deposit for a JS. Basically, non-refundable gets you an on the hump J4 (deck 7 only), or right next to it; while refundable still has you mid-ship but much closer to the aft or forward sections.

Grand Suites, I'm seeing a bit less than 50% availability -- 8 rooms left out of 20 total.

Everything higher than GS doesn't seem to be sold yet.

So maybe when final payment comes, I'll be able to score an Owners Suite for just a couple hundred more than my current deck 7 J4. 

[Lovetocruise2002]

9 minutes ago, JLMoran said:

OK, statements like that bring out the data checker in me. You've been forewarned. 

For my sailing on Oct 13, 2018, there's about a third of the JS level rooms left to book; I was seeing about 15 J4's available, out of the 42 that cruisedeckplans.com says are available (although I'd say those numbers are suspect; CDP says there are four Owners Suites on Anthem, but RCI site shows 5 available to book). Interestingly, the rooms that are listed are different depending on whether you choose a refundable or non-refundable deposit for a JS. Basically, non-refundable gets you an on the hump J4 (deck 7 only), or right next to it; while refundable still has you mid-ship but much closer to the aft or forward sections.

Wow. No other comment. Lol.  I thought I was a bit over the top checking inventory every day but you have a one up on me.  I don't check it against CDP.

Grand Suites, I'm seeing a bit less than 50% availability -- 8 rooms left out of 20 total.

Everything higher than GS doesn't seem to be sold yet.

There are still Sky Loft Suites and Grand Loft Suites (Star Class) available on my sailing and I thought those went almost immediately.

So maybe when final payment comes, I'll be able to score an Owners Suite for just a couple hundred more than my current deck 7 J4. 

That is my hope too Joe.  I am trying to get us into a Royal Family Suite (or 2 Bedroom Grand suite after they change the name of it).  They currently have 2 out of 4 left but with their 3/4 capacity maxed out I am hoping no one will book those with just two to a room.

But this is what I don't understand.  If there are still so many suites available, and not being able to book more than 2 people to a room, why continue increasing prices on them?

 

[rjac]

JL & Sabrina,

How are you check the cabin/suite availability, what is the "data checker" you use?  Not that I'm challenging your data, I would like to check my bookings for next year..Thanks!

[Lovetocruise2002]

29 minutes ago, rjac said:

JL & Sabrina,

How are you check the cabin/suite availability, what is the "data checker" you use?  Not that I'm challenging your data, I would like to check my bookings for next year..Thanks!

This is too funny!  I have no idea about @JLMoran, Joe is on a far more superior level than me but I just go and do a mock booking to see what is available and if I am really curious and I have time I will call them and inquire.

[JLMoran]

@Sabrinaklai, I was only using CDP to get an easy estimate of how many cabins of type X are normally available. Beats going through Royal's deck plans and manually counting! 

4 minutes ago, Sabrinaklai said:

But this is what I don't understand.  If there are still so many suites available, and not being able to book more than 2 people to a room, why continue increasing prices on them?

I guess at least part of this is due to their new price integrity policy, where they can't lower it below the initially offered price. But you'd think that they'd just leave it at the original price from when the itineraries were announced, instead of jacking it up and jacking it up.

But here's the thing -- do we really know what that "original" price was? Just like every other week of the year, a promo was active then. So the "baseline" price could still be some higher number behind the scenes than what we ever see publicly.

33 minutes ago, rjac said:

JL & Sabrina,

How are you check the cabin/suite availability, what is the "data checker" you use?  Not that I'm challenging your data, I would like to check my bookings for next year..Thanks!

I'm just doing mock bookings on a private tab and seeing what's available for the different classes. Honestly, if I hadn't already been checking the current WOW sale to see if my JS was going to drop any in price or net me some OBC, I wouldn't have likely gone to quite all the bother as that. When you pick a room category, Royal shows you on the room selection page how many rooms of that type are available on which decks, so I just tallied it up and compared to the "total cabins of this type" number on cruisedeckplans.com's page for Anthem.

[tonyfsu21]

On 10/17/2017 at 9:01 AM, Matt said:

At this point, it's just a rumor.

I certainly have not heard anything regarding Anthem's status that I'd care to repeat.

Something has to fill that empty berth from Allure at Port Everglades.....

 

[Matt]

13 hours ago, tonyfsu21 said:

Something has to fill that empty berth from Allure at Port Everglades.....

 

Celebrity Edge

[JLMoran]

@Matt, there some separate scuttlebutt over the Celebrity and Azamara forum that Edge might end up home ported in Australia (see the comments from @Boston Babe and @monorailmedic). So not necessarily the Edge taking that berth in Port Everglades, although I'd wager that's an even bigger rumor than Anthem being relocated.

[Matt]

I wont dispute the rumors, @JLMoran, but for what it's worth RC and Port Everglades signed a $42 million deal earlier this year in preparation for Celebrity Edge so I gotta go with that until further notice: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/fl-bz-port-everglades-royal-caribbean-deal-20170315-story.html

[Joan McLaurin]

 

Can't we talk about more positive and interesting subjects? I am sailing on Oasis Nov. 2017. I just discovered the blog and joined.

[Jason.H.]

19 hours ago, Matt said:

I wont dispute the rumors, @JLMoran, but for what it's worth RC and Port Everglades signed a $42 million deal earlier this year in preparation for Celebrity Edge so I gotta go with that until further notice: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/fl-bz-port-everglades-royal-caribbean-deal-20170315-story.html

So when is allure leaving? January for dry dock? Or leaving for a long term schedule overseas? (sorry, haven't checked it's cruise schedule for the future). Celebrity edge won't be there until december next year. 

[Jason.H.]

I would love to go on a quantum class ship but have no desire to leave out of new jersey just for travel reasons and weather conditions. Port canaveral needs a quantum class ship! 

[Matt]

52 minutes ago, Jason.H. said:

So when is allure leaving? January for dry dock? Or leaving for a long term schedule overseas? (sorry, haven't checked it's cruise schedule for the future). Celebrity edge won't be there until december next year. 

Allure is just moving to the new terminal in Miami with Symphony.

[twangster]

Ah, the dance of the cruise ships.   I like when they move them around, some ports are easier and cheaper to fly into than others and it gives local residents a different ship to explore.

[mbk999]

2 hours ago, Matt said:

Allure is just moving to the new terminal in Miami with Symphony.

When is that move?   I'm booked on an Oct 18 sailing on the Allure.  Not that it's a huge distance between Miami and FLL but it would definitely alter travel and hotel plans.  

[twangster]

25 minutes ago, mbk999 said:

When is that move?   I'm booked on an Oct 18 sailing on the Allure.  Not that it's a huge distance between Miami and FLL but it would definitely alter travel and hotel plans.  

Seems like October 2018 sailings remain in Ft Lauderdale.  November 5 2018 she sails from Miami for the first time. 

The last Ft Lauderdale sailing returns to Ft Lauderdale on Nov 4.  Her next sailing departs Miami the next day, Nov 5 as a 6 night.  She then returns to the regular 7 night Sunday departures from Miami.  So they are not changing arrival and departure ports during the cruise, they have a night off to move to Miami.  Most likely to keep it a closed loop cruise, otherwise there are implications to having different embarkation and debarkation ports for a cruise.

[mbk999]

2 hours ago, twangster said:

Seems like October 2018 sailings remain in Ft Lauderdale.  November 5 2018 she sails from Miami for the first time. 

The last Ft Lauderdale sailing returns to Ft Lauderdale on Nov 4.  Her next sailing departs Miami the next day, Nov 5 as a 6 night.  She then returns to the regular 7 night Sunday departures from Miami.  So they are not changing arrival and departure ports during the cruise, they have a night off to move to Miami.  Most likely to keep it a closed loop cruise, otherwise there are implications to having different embarkation and debarkation ports for a cruise.

Thanks for the info.  Sorry to make you search, I should have looked at the schedule from the start.  Since we'll be flying Southwest or Jet Blue, it's a lot simpler going in and out of FLL than it is Miami.    

[twangster]

6 minutes ago, mbk999 said:

  ... it's a lot simpler going in and out of FLL than it is Miami.    

FLL is a breeze.  Suggest a window seat on the left side of the plane after the cruise.  This was Allure after our cruise in May as we climbed out of FLL.

[mbk999]

Pretty nice pictures.  Even when I have business in Miami I try to fly to FLL, hate the Miami airport...

[whenismynextcruise]

On 10/24/2017 at 8:51 AM, Jason.H. said:

I would love to go on a quantum class ship but have no desire to leave out of new jersey just for travel reasons and weather conditions. Port canaveral needs a quantum class ship! 

Anthem's fist stop in Port Canaveral. you could board there! :)

[KathyC]

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

[tonyfsu21]

On 10/24/2017 at 2:37 PM, mbk999 said:

Thanks for the info.  Sorry to make you search, I should have looked at the schedule from the start.  Since we'll be flying Southwest or Jet Blue, it's a lot simpler going in and out of FLL than it is Miami.    

Regardless of airline it’s ALWAYS simpler to go in and out of FLL and avoid MIA like the plague 

[WAAAYTOOO]

20 hours ago, tonyfsu21 said:

Regardless of airline it’s ALWAYS simpler to go in and out of FLL and avoid MIA like the plague 

Unfortunately, not for us.  We fly American and there are no nonstop flights to FLL from DCA. If we were willing to fly Jet Blue (which I do like, BTW) we could nonstop but both itin and price are much better to Miami than FLL.  It used to be the opposite but now MIA is cheaper than FLL

[mbk999]

On 10/29/2017 at 1:17 PM, WAAAYTOOO said:

Unfortunately, not for us.  We fly American and there are no nonstop flights to FLL from DCA. If we were willing to fly Jet Blue (which I do like, BTW) we could nonstop but both itin and price are much better to Miami than FLL.  It used to be the opposite but now MIA is cheaper than FLL

I can see the American to MIA.  I used to fly United a lot out of IAD but got so fed up with the prices that I switched to Southwest even for business trips.   Between BWI and IAD, that works well for us.   I do like Jet Blue out of DCA into Orlando or Lauderdale.