meripour

So glad you made us feel good about our choice to do Anthem over Thanksgiving from New Jersey. She arrives in the USA on Nov 4th so by then any kinks should be worked out. Our biggest draw to this ship was no MDR and hearing your reviews of the dinner venues we are looking forward to a new experience.

Congrats on your new life together!!!

Poster is correct. Itin is the key to go with Princess. Its like a cell phone, they all get a connection, but its where and the equipment. Princess of more old school.

Not a fan of Princess. We went on several cruises and were always the youngest on the ship - or the youngest acting. Of course, we did longer cruises (Panama Canal, Alaska cruisetour and cruise) where there would be more retiree's due to the time involved on these cruises but . . . It was a seriously different vibe where you have to focus on the destination, not the ship as more than a floating hotel. Bars cleared very early.

biggest plus of the GS was the Concierge Lounge, but we are Diamond now so JS with the cocktail hour & extra points = happy cruiser!!!

I wouldnt pass up trying a loft suite, in particular after May when the Suite program escalates.

Upgrade. Not too big, not too small - just right. We have had the opportunity to be in a Grand and Owners. The Jr. is great. Grand is much better than Owners IMO, but defiantly space not necessary. Not so with the Junior as we enjoy our time in the room and not being on top of each other as is so with the regular balcony room. Previous poster is correct, you will never go back after JS. Its our minimum - in particular on a longer cruise.

Besides, its vacation. If its not better than what we left at home, why go?

so what really happens to the ships content safes that cannot be accessed before you leave. if you keep it lock, does the cruise ship open and return it?

We photocopy the passport id pages and send them to our email account before we travel, knowing that in an emergency situation when we got to a place where they would be useful, we would likely have internet access to retrieve them, and so would focus on grabbing our go-bag of medications, cash/credit cards, cell phone and camera equipment.

will do same, but also to family members. with copies. We have a waterproof pouch we use for the beach with a loop for our neck so we can both swim with valuables in the case. This is (from a camping store)where we put our phone and credit card, tip cash, souvenir cash for excursions. I guess we will get another one for the save and a few scripts.

We were on a ship in 06 where the Captain Bang did a 180 degree turn to get a sick crew back to shore before death right out of Key West. The whole room shifted, that is how fast he flipped. My niece was down the hall in another room and we met in our hall unsolicited with the necessaries packed. Funny, we had dinner with the captain at his table the next evening and we confronted him as to what the heck.

We will pack pouch two with passports, meds, id,insurance cards for all. The other will have a few bobbles, phone, iPad We have used the one bag for all the fluff so it does not get lost in all of the critical survival measure if we are leaving. Imagines when we went and my mom was in semi congestive chest failure. Bonus, they really are waterproof, on your neck so you can be on the beach, or clearly the life raft with the basics of life as we hopefully save each other and levee the orchestra on board

i will now have to reconsider the room with the tightly whities plus a robe maybe as being pivotal Guess there is no more great night without something on huh??? Best keep

Loving this review. We are coming to Barcelona to get the Harmony next October and spending 2-3 days before the cruise. I cannot wait. Do you mind me asking how much it was to stay at this hotel. We are starting to look at these things and any help would be appreciated. Thank You DeeDee

we stayed at the Hotel Do, one block off the Rambala before our cruise and loved it. 26 rooms (I think) on the square, easy walking everywhere you want to go and the best breakfast ever in their restaurant in the basement, charming. The room minibar is free so please try the chocolate soda. Yum. Also the sauna was right across from our room, accessed by our key and reserved for us. Luxury.

Per the Food and Dining site FAQ's, already added at 18%. My calculation is this comes out to around 53.00 per day per person pre gratuity with an average of $10 per drink, plus/minus $2.00 If you have 5 drinks a day; pool side, dinner, after dinner then you can asses if the premium package is for you. The package is also usable on private island excursion destinations, same as ship/all venues. Does not include room service or mini bar liquor. Premium does not include specialty coffee or teas nor Evian water, but virtually everything else.

Sitting at home for the last year I have constantly said I am not buying any drink packages. Sitting at the Pool Bar on Serenade of the Seas right now drinking on my Select package. Wife is drinking on her Premium package. When you get in the vacation ether, things change.

 

On another note, except for Chimay ever beer including Fosters Oil Cans are included in Select package.

 

:)

and when you bought the packages you said you would not, was the gratuity included? Did you order something over $ limit and found the balance on your bill? We will also NEVER buy this package (;)) but when we do onboard, I want to make sure there are no surprises.

no fee before you board. we pack our own corkscrew and open in our room for a per dinner drink, then take to the dining room. Never charged before or at dinner.

I think the Clamshell is the best deal at $50 for the day for two - flat price.

Now after reading what Bob posts, even more. you still have some perks; fruit tray, bottled water, float maps, lounge chairs, towels, & transport to Barefoot Beach. It does not say it includes lunch. Can anyone chime in on this?? So where are these that you have to be transported back to the beach?

The cabana offered is $216 but you have to wait until onboard to book, then its first come, first serve. This would be great if there was a group to share the cost, but not for two. I has chairs, sofa, towels, snorkel equipment for 2, deluxe lunch buffet. I have read it is not easy to get into the water from these cabanas due to the rocky shore. True?

Its magic. Wake up the next morning and Boom, its all done. Wish they would come to my house before we leave so it would be done when we get home.

not true

also know this to be not true for me. I was in the booking over the phone, did not formerly exit, just x'd out and rep at RCCL could access immediately on the other end.

I never had a problem until my last time out of Port Canaveral. You are allowed to bring 4 bottles on if doing a B2B. I showed them the paperwork for the 2nd leg and NOPE. They pointed out the table to turn 2 bottles in. At the end of the first cruise I had to hunt down where the other 2 bottles were kept.

At least they give back what was brought on over the limit or beyond wine. Not true with Princess. They take everything and do not return. Must be a fun time for the crew.

So is it two bottles per cruise, or when we make a Port Call, can we pick up two more and bring them on?

Although I haven't been on this ship, all three cruises I've been on had less than wonderful shampoo/conditioner/body wash (on NCL, the shampoo and body wash were the same liquid). After our first cruise, we just bring something with us. An appropriate size of shampoo & conditioner, and a bar of soap we like. We just trash the remnants when we leave. We're not particularly picky, but the first two cruises, what we had available in the cabin was very underwhelming.

We too bring our own. In particular the moisturizing body wash which helps a lot with the amount of time in the pool and in the sun. The shampoo will leave your hair like straw so a small bottle of our usual and conditioner is worth it for us - in particular the part of us that is 'Miss Clairol'. It also makes it feel more like home with the smell. Add in a Yankee Candle plug-in and the room always is soothing and the room steward loved it too.

Isn't it nice? Something for everyone; those that want traditional vs. those that want to pick and choose, plus have the options of the for-pay venues. We are excited about the Dynamic where we have booked different restaurants at different times each night based on the excursions & shows which are also available to book online. Planning is always the most excited part of the trip for us so we did not mind this one bit.

I was booked on the Anthem for next January, then we decided to go on a different cruise. They applied my prepaid dinner purchases to the other cruise. So, yes.

 

jc

And if you don't rebook but cancel in full?

meripour

 

Thank you very much for this information. Very good to know. Especially that there are only 30 passes available per sailing. I wonder, if they sell 30 weekly passes immediately, does that mean that they won't then sell any daily passes to people who show up at the Spa on any given day?

Hello Excited

We have never had a problem getting in. It is a large facility and no one is in the facility all day & night long. In fact, some days we did not make it at all due to the amount of activities. Its very Zen with low lights, water & juice, cold towel fridge, so relaxing - as long as you don't encounter a bunch of yappers. Even though it clearly says on the wall to be quiet our last cruise we encountered a pack of old women that just could not talk in a low tone. Everyone had to hear. It took the stink-eye and the finger in front of the pursed lip with a tap on the sign to get the 'Oh' :D

This is from an older email in a walkie-talkie discussion from a poster off Mariner. Thought this might help you. I don't know if they still do this but you could check - We were on the Mariner in June and rented ship phones for the week. They work just like cell phones, and you can call anywhere on the ship, to the concierge, etc. as well as to each other if you rent two. They were 25.00 each for the week, unlimited calls and came with chargers. Hope this helps

Another footnote on the walkie-talkies, these do come in very handy when on excursions if you don't want to use your phone in roaming/international mode. Plus your kid will have a ball with these when camping in the backyard with his buddies.

Since we are also going on Anthem, I sent an email to C&A to ask your question to them. This was there reply, which I will print and take with me. The last ship we were on the Thermal Suite was excellent with several different types of hot areas.

Thank you for your email. We apologize for the delay in

our response.

There is a Thermal Suite with a Sauna and Steam room for a fee.

The Thermal Suite has six heated, tiled beds, mild infrared sauna, steam room,

and tropical shower with three different settings. There are thirty passes

available per sailing. Below is the pricing for use of the Thermal Suite. Please

note that prices are in United States Dollars, and are subject to change. An 18%

service charge is applied to all spa purchases.

Day Pass: $30.00 per

person

Seven – Day Single: $99.00

Seven – Day Couples: $179.00

Did you know

that you can get a $10.00 discount on a day pass to the Thermal Suite when you

book another spa service? Steiner Leisure® operates beauty and massage

treatments for all Royal Caribbean International ships. Our ships' seemingly

endless array of spa treatments allows guests the opportunity to detoxify their

bodies with warm wraps, alleviate pain through acupuncture, reinvent their locks

with our deluxe hair services and much more! For detailed descriptions of Royal

Caribbean International's luxurious spa treatments, please refer to the

following

link:

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruise/experiencetypes/category.do?pagename=onboard_cat_things_to_do

Spa

appointments can be made once onboard the ship and are scheduled on a

first-come, first-served basis. Additionally, guests sailing on the Anthem of

the Seas are currently able to pre-reserve spa services online. Presently,

appointments for hair services and YSpa treatments for teens are not able to be

made in advance. For applicable ships and cruise dates, spa treatments and

fitness classes will be able to be purchased online up to four days prior to the

sail date through the following

link:

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/beforeyouboard/cruiseEnhancements.doP

For all of you in a quandary (on the other post with a different title) about the agony of printing the luggage tags and how to get them on the bag, here is your solution; no tape, staples, 20# paper, laminating, carpentry, laminectomy, or herniation required!!! :D

http://www.cruisecritic.com/store/product.cfm?ID=46

Go to the top of the Cruise Critic site page to the main menu tab area. (Reviews, Find a Cruise, etc). Look on the far right and click on 'Community'. Scroll down to 'Store' and click in. Here you will find all types of dandy trinkets for cruising - plastic luggage tag pockets with loops - being one of them.

I have had these since they quit sending tags in the mail and bought extra for the 'just in case' moment. I print up, fold as recommended, slid them into the pouch, and put in my carry on (with the passports and cruise documents). Don't forget the loops supplied to affix to the luggage handle. Once at the cruise terminal, I pop them on our luggage (and carry-on's in case I lose my mind) and off we go. So far they fit Royal Caribbean and Princess luggage tags very nicely.

Problem solved, no blood spilled, no one got hurt. So much easier than making the early morning walk of shame to the hotel front desk to borrow a stapler.

I could give you little tips on the wonders of Eagle Creek packing envelopes and pouches, but that is a whole different post. :p