Dave85

If this works you will see Uptown disappear on the aways and become Margaritaville

*ding ding ding* You betcha.

Thanks Dave. I appreciate the feedback. How flexible do you think dining will be with 10 of us? It might be a bit hairy to move reservations around, I would think.

 

 

 

Oh, I think RCI is offering $300 per stateroom OBC if I read the offer correctly. This would help bring the cost down a bit versus BA.

With 10 of you you'll definitely want reservations. To move those around with so many people you will almost certainly need to visit the friendly staff at the desk to help you out.

Hey David!! Thanks for the input. I appreciate it. One concern I have about those "innovations" is that they can be crowded/full, pay, or broken. I remember the bungee thing on the Epic that my kids never got to use because it was broken. Thanks for your perspective on the Breakaway. We truly loved the Epic, and I'd almost hate to go onto the BA or GA and be let down.

Totally understand your point here. As you're sailing at a time when lots of families (with filled 3rd and 4th berths) will be cruising you can expect a higher demand for those attractions than when I sailed. With that said, all of the fun innovations (iFly, bumper cars, North Star, Flowrider, Circus School, room escape game, etc.), are included in the price of the cruise. :)

I could have made a lot of assumptions, but I choose not to. Instead I choose to give you the benefit of the doubt and take you at your word by answering the question that you asked.

 

 

 

FWIW...the "mistake" could have just as easily have been the Breakaway...for all I know you could have been planning a cruise in China. Also, technically correct is still correct.

Or, you could just try and be helpful instead of focusing on giving people a hard time. You should try it sometime.

Thanks Dave. How does the new Dynamic Dining Choice approach work? Is it a lot like freestyle, or is it a hybrid. Money is always an issue, but my mother received an inheritance from a good friend who passed away last year and wants to use it for a cruise for all of us. I want to be a good steward of these funds and not go crazy, but it's not a problem. I really appreciate you input having been on both.

The systems are similar, but the biggest difference is the RCI system is far more dependent on reservations and I would certainly recommend making reservations if you decide to go on Anthem. We made reservations ahead of time for each night on Anthem and we were always seated within 5 minutes, and usually immediately. The system ran smoothly in all but one of the restaurants (the Grande) where we didn't care for the food or service. Some people complain about having to make the reservations, but in actuality they are very easy to make and you can change them on board either using the Royal IQ app, or the low tech solution of visiting the staff member at the podium outside each restaurant.

As far as the quality, my DW Is a foodie and she strongly disliked the included dining fare on the Breakaway. We did think that the specialty dining on Breakaway was quite good. On the other hand, we had far more hits than misses with the included food on Anthem, and overall the choice of menus among the five included dining rooms (including the smaller Devinly Decadence) was far superior to what NCL is offering on Breakaway. Restaurant service was about the same. As far as specialty dining goes, we ate at Jamie's Italian on Anthem which was excellent.

I hope this helps, and I'm happy to answer any further questions!

Not all that hard a decision....choose the Breakaway.

 

 

RCCL permanently moved Quantum to China.

Don't give misleading information. Yes, Quantum moved to China, but Anthem of the Seas, a Quantum Class ship, is now sailing from Cape Liberty. I disembarked her on Sunday.

Anthem will likely always be more expensive but after having sailed both Anthem and Breakaway we thought Anthem was a cut above in every respect. Don't get me wrong, we had a blast on the Breakaway, but the Anthem had so much more to offer, including two indoor pools for cold days at sea, and an indoor SeaPlex with all sorts of activities such as bumper cars.

At the end of the day it comes down to how big a deal the money is for you. You're getting a higher quality product on Anthem, but if the money is too much to justify go on the Breakaway and you'll have a blast.

Perhaps it's because we have a connecting stateroom but the walls seem very thin to me. Our next door neighbor lines to fall asleep with her tv on and she doesn't even have it loud but I can hear it as if it were on in our room.

Sorry to hear that. This is why we avoid connecting rooms at all costs. We had no sound bleed into our non-connecting room on Anthem from either side, which leads me to believe you're right that the connecting door is to blame.

On the 14th November sailing it wasn't open for breakfast, opened 12.00 / 4.00 most days.

Thanks for the info. Sorry to hear that...

OMG the cheapos are going to freak out. I predict at least 10 more threads about this topic in the near future. My opinion is simple, there are still many more free dining venues around the ship. If Margaritaville cost money and you don't want to pay that money don't go to Margaritaville. Some of you are going to be shocked to hear this but on land Margaritaville cost money too lol.

Many more? Name them big shot. I count...3? And one less than the -away ships?

But the whole purpose was to reduce the crowds/wait times - so that seems really unlikely!

If his objective was to reduce the crowds, then problem solved!

I don't eat at Johnny Rockets on RCI and similarly will not eat at an extra fee Margaritaville on Escape. Bring back the Uptown / Flamingo grill.

My issue is not so much charging for Margaritaville food, but rather that a dining venue that provided included meals on the -aways no longer exists and is now replaced with extra charge dining. ...on a ship that carries more people.

Does anyone know if breakfast there is still complementary?

I was on Quantum in December and February.

 

 

 

I am not home right now, so I can't hold my WOWbands and look at them, but I checked my photo bucket account, and I see no muster station in the pictures of my WOWbands. And I don't remember it being on them.

Well they are definitely on them now. All of the WOW bands I saw last week on Anthem had them.

We were also in a Spa JS on Anthem and yes, the storage space was incredible. But you posted your comment in reply to the OP's complaining about storage issues in her cabin, which clearly is not a junior suite or suite of any kind. So it's really comparing apples to oranges. Plus, they have at least one kid in there as well.

 

 

 

We loved our cabin, but the bed was far too firm and the pillows were like rocks.

My $.02: Our standard balcony cabin on Anthem had the most storage and best layout of any non-suite balcony cabin I've ever stayed in. Period.

Lol. Hey now.

Personally, I wear it with pride.

Can you tell me when they held this on the ship (anthem). Thanks in advance

When they held what / which event?

Just an FYI, when people log in to CC with an app (as I often do) they cannot see the Title line... so it's best to post the subject of the question in the body of the posting.

I now see you were asking about puzzle break. It's held a number of different times and days during the cruise. You will need to check your Royal IQ app or inquire with the staff after you board. To date, it has not been available for booking before the cruise.

Can you tell me when they held this on the ship (anthem). Thanks in advance

When they held what / which event?

HH is our preferred stop in St Martin.

 

 

 

I might change the ranking order, but IMO 2 flow riders are better than one.:D I however won't rule out the other two ships until I try them. It seems as though many have cut out the Quantum Class without trying it. You and a another "cruise geek" I know have tried the Quantum Class and love it so I know I have to get there one day.

Wow....this is great to know!!!!! Did not think ANYTHING could compare to the Oasis class (our favorite ..so far)

Once you've done the Oasis Class and experienced the sheer magnificence and grandeur of what they were able to build, when you come to the Quantum Class ship you just find a higher quality experience all around. Fewer people, but still a huge ship. Standard balcony cabins have a much better and more spacious layout. Included food was of higher quality and greater variety in our view, and having 4 MDRs plus Devinly Decadence with different menus allows for a greater variety of dining options. We loved the flexibility of Dynamic Dining now that it's running more smoothly, and making the reservations was easy.

On the entertainment side, I'll take two70 over the Boardwalk or a VCL any day. It's just magnificent what they're able to do in there. It's truly a world class venue. While I prefer the pool deck layout on the Oasis Class because it's more spacious, it's nice to once again have a central pool area to hold events. I enjoyed returning to headliner shows for which you don't need reservations. Finally, the extras that some derisively called gimmicks were some of our favorite experiences of the cruise. North Star, bumper cars (so much fun), iFly (such a cool experience), the puzzle break room escape game... Just great.

Other people have different viewpoints obviously, but by the end of the cruise it was clear to me that I preferred the Quantum Class.

Dave, this is a picture of good, better, best and only you can decide which is which. I wish I had this view right now and was sitting at Holland House. Sounds like you two had a great time.

 

 

Happy Thanksgiving to you both.

Thanks Andrew. As you probably guessed, that photo was indeed taken from the Holland House. Our preferred spot on Orient was closed for renovation this time so we went there instead.

Having cruised all 3 classes now, my humble opinion is:

Good: Solstice Class

Better: Oasis Class

Best: Quantum Class

I realize I'm probably in the minority with that opinion, but we loved the Anthem!

What was the fourth ship? Otherwise, great photos!

P&O Azura. She didn't make the cut :p

One final shot from my other ride on North Star while Anthem was at sea... just because I happen to particularly like the shot. Hope you enjoyed!

Celebrity Reflection:

...and a couple bonus shots of Anthem down below:

Indoor pool roof open for first time on the sailing.

...and now, up into the North Star!

Oasis

I had the pleasure of sailing on Anthem's inaugural Caribbean voyage that culminated this past Sunday. While I thought about doing a full review, Ken (KCjarvis) has already done such a wonderful job that I will pass. Ken's review can be accessed at http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2279405

I did want to share a few photos from Anthem's inaugural call to St. Maarten, where she happened to be docked between Celebrity Reflection and Oasis. As most cruise nerds (and the otherwise well-informed) are aware, the Quantum Class is widely regarded as being a Solstice Class ship on steroids that also has some shared DNA with the Oasis Class. It was pretty cool then to dock between those two ships. I also realized that I just had to get up into the North Star upon returning to the ship that afternoon to take some photos... and I did. :D:cool: Hope you enjoy!

First, from land:

Are there two storage bins over your bed? We thought the storage in our Quantum room was the best we ever had.

Same here... I respect other people's viewpoints, but I feel like I'm reading a twilight zone review since it's basically the exact opposite experience I had on the very same ship on a cruise ending a few days ago.

With that said, there are many hundreds of more children on this sailing (per staff last week) so I'm not surprised to hear that things are a lot tighter up in the SeaPlex.

We were told yesterday that having Northstar extend to the sides like that doubles the duration of the trip (20-25 minutes) and they won't do it anymore so that the trip can be around 10 minutes and double the # of people getting a chance

They told us the same thing on the previous sailing. Such a shame... and really kind of silly given that the image of the North Star over the side of the ship is not only featured on the SEA PASS CARDS but also the top of every day's cruise compass!

I'm disappointed by this change.