Tin can

I'm not saying your original comments aren't justified, although your experiences haven't matched our own on Anthem, but our August 2024 UK Anthem sailing is almost sold out even with extremely high prices compared to 2022 and 2023. I'm not personally seeing Royal UK panic stations.

You can’t even get a paid drinks package now on a short cruise from the UK, Royal stopped them. I like a few drinks and a lively time but we try and avoid summer Royal cruises from Southampton.

I think it was 50/50 talkers and drinkers, I went between the two camps (probably more the latter if I'm honest 😄) It was a great atmosphere most times, as I say above noisy and crowded sometimes but there was a buzz. It pulled us together, now we are around the bars in our own groups with our vouchers. I like the convenience but I do think what we have lost is sad.

Completely agree and like you we only use the lounge in the morning now. I just have a feeling that with the majority of us using the vouchers round the ship the days of the Diamond Lounge are limited. I just have this nagging feeling that the Key and this new VIP pass that is coming is going to involve a new role for the lounge involving a fee to access. Hope I'm wrong..

I can't decide either way 😄 I do like the freedom of the vouchers but I also liked the lounge as it was. The buzz, mixing with the same people each night and getting to know the servers. Yes it was crowded and noisy, the groups of people there for the 'free' drinks made it a bit lively at times and that was its charm, all Diamonds together. Whenever we visit now in the evening it is empty which is a shame. The vouchers are convenient but its sad that we have lost something in the lounge that will never return.

The nearest we got I think was a UK 'all inclusive ' promotion of drinks and gratuities but that was many years ago and was never repeated.

They did, we were in the MDR every night and the staff and management read the room and act accodingly. Anthem with a predominently British crowd is very different to a 3 day anything goes Florida cruise. We are UK based but sail mostly with Royal from the States and I can say with some certainty that the average Brit is not quite ready for some of the attire (or lack of) that we have witnessed sailing from Florida. We love it though.

No problem 😄, this is a US forum and the Royal section is heavily Florida/Miami based and of course I respect that. These shorts or no shorts threads just explode and sometimes its lost that Royal is world wide and things in other places can be different. As it happens I don't really care 😄 what people wear but I would not like people turning up at Southampton for a cruise thinking its the same as Florida. We are quite a formal lot in the UK and to be honest Europe is not too dissimilar.

Not sure I want to mention this again as this thread has got a bit personal but there is on UK departing cruises. We saw people turned away last summer on Anthem. Just saying....

Thank you for that, much appreciated. I found them and they offer just what we are after.

What exactly is luggage forwarding? Ideally we would like to send our luggage home (UK) after departing Explorer in Venice so this sounds interesting if someone could provide some details. Thanks

Florida departing cruises yes, not necessarily the case for Royal departing cruises worldwide. Only mentioning because I saw folks turned away from the MDR on Anthem out of Southampton last summer.

Isn't Canada generally 19 years old and Quebec 18 years old for drinking alchohol? (Edit - just noticed that on cruises the age is 21 as the US)

We didn't find the app chat feature at all reliable or the wifi in general out of NJ. Apparently you can get notifications with the app messenger but we couldn't get it to work and most messages were not received or received the following day.

I might be wrong but I'm sure I read that Fred Olsen cruises even when US departing the age limit is 18. On P & O at age 16 you can drink beer and wine with a meal (presumably only on UK and European departing cruises) but even so a strange relaxation of the 'rules' when owned by a US company in Carnival. Probably like yourself we have been to the States many times and were on Anthem over Easter with a few days in New York afterwards. Still got caught out in one bar with service refused as I didn't have ID to prove my age, I am 50 and certainly look 50 even on a good day 😄. When in Rome though and all that, if that's the rules then that's the rules.

We are on the same cruise in August, really looking forward to your live review

Said in jest I'm sure but we flew to New York pre covid and cruised to the Bahamas on Adventure over August for less than sailing out of Southampton on Anthem at the same time.

That is exactly my thought. We had a large balcony junior suite over Easter on Anthem but it felt dark unless you sat near the balcony so just felt a bit pointless.

Itinerary for us, too many new places to experience. We are UK based and rarely sail with Royal out of Southampton as we have been there and seen that. It makes things expensive flying and cruising out of new ports but you can't take it £ $ with you 😀. We were on Anthem from NY recently and met a couple who didnt disembark at any of the three port stops, for them it was just the ship and good luck to them. We laughed over a drink in Boleros that they couldn't understand why we had flown from the UK and we couldn't understand why they didnt get off the ship. Thats the beauty of cruising I guess, each to their own.

I have read on here about reluctance from excursion operators to take you if you don't speak the language for this very reason and more importantly I guess from a litigation point of view for safety instructions.

I'm not sure if you are saying the badge was on the trunks or the t shirt but I have actually seen the Pinnacle badge on Speedo's. An American chap with his wife on Adventure out of Cape Liberty I like seeing the badge and if I ever get there I will certainly wear it with pride but does it really need to be a gold beacon drawing you in to someone unmentionables 😀

We have a friend (bit of a free spirit) who very recently stayed at the Cormier Beach Resort about 2 miles from Labadee whilst touring the north coast from the Dominican Republic. Had a few issues with the power and water there but otherwise had a great time and apparently beyond our fence the beaches and scenery are lovely.

It tends to be two hybrid formal night/dress your best type nights. We are also on Explorer out of Ravenna later in the summer, I'm expecting it to be very formal judging by the comments of the many Italians on our sailing FB group.

That sounds a nice trip.

You're right, I've just checked the tonnage and passenger capacity of Anthem and Euribia. Pretty much the same size but a vastly higher passenger capacity of Euribia. Fair points you make about winter cruising from Southampton but I think it will be a big success for MSC.