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Anthem Lingering Questions


Koz

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Good morning to the ever helpful memebers of the board.  I have just a few lingering questions as our embarkation day nears in early November.

1)  Bracelets in lieu of sea pass cards for everyday use on ship ( I realize that they can't be used for purposes of disembarkation as we hit the various ports).  Can these be pre-ordered so that they are waiting for you in the stateroom?

2)  Bed rails- my youngest still needs them. Is it just a matter of making the request to the cabin attendant?

3)  Need to try and grab a day bed or bungalow in lieu of the 4 loungers with clam shells that we presently have for coco cay.  I've been told by RC reps that even though it shows no inventory online, that they actually hold back a certain amount of inventory for sale onboard.  Are we assured that if we are the first to board and make a beeline for the appropriate desk, that we should be able to make the change?  We are a group of 5. 2 adults, 3 kids. Is a daybed or bungalow preferable? Does one have an advantage in terms of physical location over the other, or amenities offered for that matter?  

4) When needing to make a change to an excursion like the one above do we head to the excursion desk or guest relations?

5)  What time do you think would be the earliest we'd expect to board the ship in NJ?  I'm always big on arriving early and being the first to board, just because you don't get caught up in all of the chaos.

6)  For a sail-away in the fall is everything still organized outside as we leave NJ if the only issue is seasonably cold weather?

Thanks as always!

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1) Not that I am aware of

2) I don't have kids - not sure.

3) Are you assured you'll get something?  Nothing is a guarantee.  I've heard many people that were waitlisted or tried whe nthey first boarded were successful, but your mileage may vary.  A day bed is a large bed with sheer fabric providing shade.  A bungallow is a bit larger and more private and will likely be far more comfortable for a your group - you can read more about them here.  The beach beds and bungalows are at different locations (beds near Adreneline Beach, bungalows by Columbus Cove).  

4) Excursions desk.

5) During Matt's last Anthem sailing he didn't get there until noon, but I believe he'd arrived around 1000 on other trips.  He'll chime in.

6) I live in South Florida - what is this "fall" you speak of?

Check out Matt's live blog from Anthem in March, it may help with a few things: https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/category/category/anthem-of-the-seas-live-blog

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1 hour ago, Koz said:

1)  Bracelets in lieu of sea pass cards for everyday use on ship ( I realize that they can't be used for purposes of disembarkation as we hit the various ports).  Can these be pre-ordered so that they are waiting for you in the stateroom?

No you cannot.

1 hour ago, Koz said:

5)  What time do you think would be the earliest we'd expect to board the ship in NJ?  I'm always big on arriving early and being the first to board, just because you don't get caught up in all of the chaos.

Boarding times will vary, but usually boarding begins in the 11:00 hour.  11:30-12 is a safe bet.

You can check-in earlier than that.  Easily by 10am they will start letting you in.

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2) I'm almost 100% sure that bed rails are available.  Yes, ask the attendant.

6) Yes.  The sail away is outside.  Just don't expect too many there if it's REALLY COLD.  Solarium is a nice option for sail away, as you can go outside on the wing and then escape back into the warmth of the Solarium.

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You guys are awesome with all of your responses to this thread and others. As you may have been able to tell, I'm really big on planning.  

What makes this trip even more special is that the 3 kids have no idea that they're going on a cruise. Instead, they think that we are taking them out of school to hit a waterpark in PA and then visit some family.  We only live about an hour from the pier so you can't beat Bayonne for convenience.

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As far as boarding, we arrived around 10:30 and checked in both times we sailed on Anthem.  The first time we walked right on the ship at around 10:45, the second time we had to wait in the boarding area until around 11:15 but were one of the first 10 or so people on the ship.

As far as the WOW bands go, they will be in your room if you are in a Junior Suite or above.  If not, I don't believe there is any way to have them delivered ahead of time.

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Hey guys another question or two and thanks to everyone above!

We intend to arrive on the ship as early as possible. In fact, as I type this, myself and the rest of the family are already camped out, dockside, at Cape Liberty (think Black Friday in front of Best Buy), just so we can be the first to check in.

That being said, when we board the ship and make a bee line for guest relations (trying to get day bed at COCO Cay), knowing that the cabins aren't yet ready, are other attractions like Northstar and Ifly already operating?  If so, are you permitted to ride twice, i.e. once with an appointment for later in the cruise and once as walk-on? I've heard of alot of people being lucky hitting these two attractions as soon as they get on the ship, but didn't  know if that was later in the boarding process.

One thing that annoyed me on our last cruise with Norweigan (Breakaway) was that when it came to activities by the main pool, half the day at sea they would kick everyone out of the main pool for an hour or so for activities like belly flop, pool olympics etc.  I'm all for this, but it seemed like we were getting kicked out of the pool more than we were in it.  Does this tend to be the case on RC?

 

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1 minute ago, Koz said:

are other attractions like Northstar and Ifly already operating?  If so, are you permitted to ride twice, i.e. once with an appointment for later in the cruise and once as walk-on? I've heard of alot of people being lucky hitting these two attractions as soon as they get on the ship, but didn't  know if that was later in the boarding process.

According to a recent Anthem compass, on embarkation day iFly was doing a demo from 1-2:45. I don't see NorthStar on embarkation day listed.

4 minutes ago, Koz said:

One thing that annoyed me on our last cruise with Norweigan (Breakaway) was that when it came to activities by the main pool, half the day at sea they would kick everyone out of the main pool for an hour or so for activities like belly flop, pool olympics etc.  I'm all for this, but it seemed like we were getting kicked out of the pool more than we were in it.  Does this tend to be the case on RC?

There are events like this, but Anthem has other pools.  For events like the bellyflop competition, yes, the main pool will be emptied of guests.

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4 hours ago, Koz said:

Hey guys another question or two and thanks to everyone above!

We intend to arrive on the ship as early as possible. In fact, as I type this, myself and the rest of the family are already camped out, dockside, at Cape Liberty (think Black Friday in front of Best Buy), just so we can be the first to check in.

That being said, when we board the ship and make a bee line for guest relations (trying to get day bed at COCO Cay), knowing that the cabins aren't yet ready, are other attractions like Northstar and Ifly already operating?  If so, are you permitted to ride twice, i.e. once with an appointment for later in the cruise and once as walk-on? I've heard of alot of people being lucky hitting these two attractions as soon as they get on the ship, but didn't  know if that was later in the boarding process.

One thing that annoyed me on our last cruise with Norweigan (Breakaway) was that when it came to activities by the main pool, half the day at sea they would kick everyone out of the main pool for an hour or so for activities like belly flop, pool olympics etc.  I'm all for this, but it seemed like we were getting kicked out of the pool more than we were in it.  Does this tend to be the case on RC?

 

This might be dated info but, according to this site, they may have been taking people on Day 1 for North Star.

http://eatsleepcruise.com/2016/05/anthem-of-the-seas-secrets/

and someone also posted this video on YouTube from a few months ago of riding it on embarkation day.

So there might be hope.....

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18 hours ago, quadrophenic said:

Just off Anthem a few weeks ago. NorthStar should be open on embarkation day on a first come, first served basis. We rode around 1PM that day and went back for our reserved time on Day 2. 

Thanks for the confirmation!

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1 hour ago, Koz said:

One more for you guys. Just noticed that on a recent cruise there is a Journey tribute band playing every night, or at least with some frequency. Should I assume that they will still be on the ship for 4 November? Thanks!

You should NOT assume that.  It's not unusual for the entertainment to change each cruise.  It's also possible that some stay on for a month or more.

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2 minutes ago, BrianAlt said:

I haven't heard of them.  There have been Beatles, Van Halen, U2 tribute bands on board also.

Just pulling your leg on John Tesh, but I would be thoroughly pleased if any of Journey, Van Halen or U2 tribute bands are onboard.

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On 10/19/2017 at 3:13 PM, quadrophenic said:

Just off Anthem a few weeks ago. NorthStar should be open on embarkation day on a first come, first served basis. We rode around 1PM that day and went back for our reserved time on Day 2. 

@quadrophenicSaw you just got off the Anthem NE cruise. How was it? How was the itinerary? We are really thinking of this one as it's different from the Caribbean.

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1 hour ago, Boston Babe said:

@quadrophenicSaw you just got off the Anthem NE cruise. How was it? How was the itinerary? We are really thinking of this one as it's different from the Caribbean.

We had a great time! We started doing cooler climate cruises last year for a change of pace from islands and have been loving it. Four port days in a row is tiring but having two sea days (with the last port in between) on the back end was nice. Liked having a lot of time in each port too. 

Always nice being able to drive to a cruise as well. 

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41 minutes ago, quadrophenic said:

Always nice being able to drive to a cruise as well. 

Sounds wonderful!  I like the idea of cooler climate too, visiting the islands is fantastic, but love the itinerary on the NE/Canada. I'm also thinking Grandeur out of Baltimore as it's closer than Liberty for us, as we live in DE. I'm so happy you had a great time!!  

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1 hour ago, Boston Babe said:

Sounds wonderful!  I like the idea of cooler climate too, visiting the islands is fantastic, but love the itinerary on the NE/Canada. I'm also thinking Grandeur out of Baltimore as it's closer than Liberty for us, as we live in DE. I'm so happy you had a great time!!  

Going on Anthem was part of the appeal for us this time but I wouldn’t hesitate to do the same itinerary again on Grandeur. Our Enchantment cruise was back when she was in Baltimore and was by far our most relaxing cruise (I wouldn’t expect Grandeur to be any different).  Can’t beat the convenience of Cruise Maryland!

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1 hour ago, quadrophenic said:

Going on Anthem was part of the appeal for us this time but I wouldn’t hesitate to do the same itinerary again on Grandeur. Our Enchantment cruise was back when she was in Baltimore and was by far our most relaxing cruise (I wouldn’t expect Grandeur to be any different).  Can’t beat the convenience of Cruise Maryland!

Honestly, I feel like I'm going with Grandeur. I was waiting for "a sign" and maybe your were it. Can always go on the bigger ships,  but we like to relax, read, drink, gamble a bit and I don't see us doing any of the stuff on Anthem, of course I could be wrong but i think I'll try Grandeur. Thank you so much !! 

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1 hour ago, Koz said:

May be a silly question, but is there any way to get an advance copy of the Compass prior to our 4NOV sailing so that we can better plan our trip and what to pack etc?

Royal Caribbean does not post the compass in advance.  Best you can do is refer to a recent past Cruise Compass and then use that for a ballpark idea of what to expect.

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15 hours ago, Boston Babe said:

Honestly, I feel like I'm going with Grandeur. I was waiting for "a sign" and maybe your were it. Can always go on the bigger ships,  but we like to relax, read, drink, gamble a bit and I don't see us doing any of the stuff on Anthem, of course I could be wrong but i think I'll try Grandeur. Thank you so much !! 

I hope this doesn't muddle your "sign" too badly, but at least in 2018 the Adventure of the Seas will also be doing NE/Canada itineraries into / out of Cape Liberty. I've been seeing 7 and 10 night options; the 10-night ones are open jaw itineraries, two northbound from NJ to Quebec, and one southbound from Quebec to NJ. I'm sure more of these will be made available when the 2019-20 itineraries are released.

Mentioning as others here have said a lot of really nice things about Adventure and how it's among their favorite ships.

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2 minutes ago, JLMoran said:

I hope this doesn't muddle your "sign" too badly, but at least in 2018 the Adventure of the Seas will also be doing NE/Canada itineraries into / out of Cape Liberty. I've been seeing 7 and 10 night options; the 10-night ones are open jaw itineraries, two northbound from NJ to Quebec, and one southbound from Quebec to NJ. I'm sure more of these will be made available when the 2019-20 itineraries are released.

Mentioning as others here have said a lot of really nice things about Adventure and how it's among their favorite ships.

and the plot thickens for @Boston Babe.....lol

 

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2 hours ago, Matt said:

Royal Caribbean does not post the compass in advance.  Best you can do is refer to a recent past Cruise Compass and then use that for a ballpark idea of what to expect.

Thank you. I'm working off of a March 2017 compass right now.

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48 minutes ago, JLMoran said:

Mentioning as others here have said a lot of really nice things about Adventure and how it's among their favorite ships

@JLMoran thank you for that heads up!!  I'm going nuts deciding what to do. Watch, I'll end up not doing anything!! LOL I guess we should all have these problems huh! :)

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25 minutes ago, Boston Babe said:

OMG, I"m going to lose it!! Now I have to check that out too! I am going mad thinking about this! You'd think I have nothing else to do other than thinking about a cruise!! You are too funny!! 

My life revolves around planning the next cruise....it's my happy place :16_relieved:

24 minutes ago, Boston Babe said:

@JLMoran thank you for that heads up!!  I'm going nuts deciding what to do. Watch, I'll end up not doing anything!! LOL I guess we should all have these problems huh! :)

You must listen to the inner cruise snob....?

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1 minute ago, Boston Babe said:

It's becoming an illness.  It's like (and forgive me I forgot who had cruiseplanneritis) it's becoming a disease. LOL  furthermore, where am I getting all this money!! BLAH!!:4_joy:

 

1 minute ago, Boston Babe said:

It's becoming an illness.  It's like (and forgive me I forgot who had cruiseplanneritis) it's becoming a disease. LOL  furthermore, where am I getting all this money!! BLAH!!:4_joy:

This is a direct quote from my husband on a weekly basis..."Sabrina, why are you constantly on on these cruise sites? I don't know where you think the money is coming from?!"

My response..."I'm the Home Genie! I need time off once in a while too and when you fund our cruises that is you showing appreciation to your Home Genie" ?

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6 minutes ago, Sabrinaklai said:

This is a direct quote from my husband on a weekly basis..."Sabrina, why are you constantly on on these cruise sites? I don't know where you think the money is coming from?

OMG Sabrina, it sounds like mine. Only now he says, ok let me guess, you have 10 cruises booked! Just tell me when to pack, I am so confused!!  If I put a gun to his head he couldn't tell me when, where, what ship, zip, nothing! LOL

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Two questions-

 

1) Based upon your own experiences, is wearing a latex horse head during the muster drill generally frowned upon?

2) I have  a USB switch- where there's one end that plugs into the wall and then 6 mini wires that branch out- just like a hub.  Would this be acceptable as it does not resemble a surge protector in any way?

 

 

Horse Head.jpg

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