gmerick

Me?  

When the price is confusing, or the research is difficult, or when reassurance is needed on whether a deal is the best one possible, GET A TRAVEL AGENT.  I like independence, doing my own comparisons, evaluating what options are worth paying for.  I don't second guess myself, I don't dwell on regrets.  I book directly for my cruise, and independently book shore experiences.  When I'm vacationing, I fully enjoy the present, and never thing of what might have been.  For some reason, 3 months after I get home, I'm always thinking "What a wonderful vacation".  At that point I'm once again wasting time on wondering where can I go next.  

10 minutes ago, Sunshine3601 said:

Are you flying into Ewr sunday or monday?  As much as I would hate to do you are probably better off if in flying in monday morning to board Anthem.  Everything should be cleared by then.

Can't get from here to there leaving Monday.  Taking a flight to Chicago on Sunday and hoping for the best.  Worst case, I sleep in a terminal somewhere and get rebooked to EWR on Monday.

At least your rowboat leaves from a sunny shore.  Let's worry about what could be a real problem:  Anthem departs Monday afternoon from Newark.  If NYC is supposed to get a foot of snow over the weekend where does that leave things?   Will the boat come in?  Will the planes land?  Can a taxi get from the airport to the pier?  This could be a real mess.

I thought I was getting out of the winter -- I live in North Dakota where it's 20 below, and we don't even mention that weather term for wimps called "wind chill".  When it's brisk and breezy here, even polar bears or penguns are looking for shelter.

Only problem I've found so far with Cruise Plum is I'm quite set on an October 2022 trip on Serenade that stops at Grand Cayman, but the numbers don't match up.  CP has the solo inside cabin at base fare of 480, but RCI says it's almost 800.  Something is messed up on RCI I think.

As far as I can tell, the web site I use is not associated with any travel agent or cruise line.  Hope I'm not in trouble for posting it, but it is extremely useful.  Cruise Plum.

List of "Bad" chemicals (from SaveTheReef.org )

Oxybenzone
Octinoxate
Octocrylene
Homosalate
4-methylbenzylidene camphor
PABA
Parabens
Triclosan
Any nanoparticles or “nano-sized” zinc or titanium (if it doesn’t explicitly say “micro-sized” or “non-nano” and it can rub in, it’s probably nano-sized)
Any form of microplastic, such as “exfoliating beads”

Expectations still met, but cruise offering diminished.

On my 11 night Anthem sailing 12 Dec 2021

4* Priority access into the terminal (within booked arrival time) on Day 1.  -- Entered terminal at 11:00 because I had Key.  Otherwise 2:30PM.

1* Carry-on bag drop off and delivery to stateroom. Drop-off your carry-on bags in the Main Dining Room until 1:30pm.  -- Used this, Carry on bag arrived before checked bags.

3* Exclusive welcome lunch in the Main Dining Room featuring the Chops Grille Lunch menu.  -- Good lunch, Preferred this to Windjammer - no crowd at all.

5*/0* Private time at onboard activities including Rock Climbing, FlowRider and more.  -- Rock wall did not open much at all.  2 Flowrider times 11:30-12:30 day 4 (the day we arrive at 4PM in San Juan) 11:30-12:30 Day 11 (sea day).  I used both flowrider times, and enjoyed it enough that I signed up for a 1 hour stand-up surfing class.

0* Priority departure at tender ports of call from ship-to-shore. -- There were no tendered ports.

0* Early access at shows in the Main Theater, AquaTheater, Studio B and Two70.  -- Shows were not at all crowded.

3* VOOM ® Surf & Stream 1 Device high speed internet. -- Used this extensively.  I would have bought the lower tier (no stream) package anyway.

5* On debarkation day, enjoy an exclusive à la carte breakfast and choice departure.  -- Enjoyed this.  Ate a leisurely breakfast, wandered off at 9:30, and my booked shuttle to the airport was ready with no waiting.

Yes, I will buy it again (did buy it for 31 Jan Anthem) if the cost of The Key is less than $7 per day over the cost of the lower tier internet (no stream).

What about social distancing in the lifeboat?  "Are they using every other seat or seating people next to each other?"

The guess was accurate - Solarium was closed some of the time on my 12 Dec sailing.  I'll keep it as hit or miss,.  And definitely no WJ, because on that sailing was a mess what with crowds, bad masking, and folks using their fingers to get food because the tongs got taken away.

The current (Jan 22) Harmony, Anthem, Alure, and Indy posts show how well CC members can maintain a good attitude towards cruising.  I'm absolutely set on enjoying my cruise at the end of the month.  Trying to decide what I;ll need to say "Yup, that was a good cruise" when I'm winging my way back to the frozen wastelands of flyover country.

Boarding time -- My reservation says 11AM (The Key), but just getting on board "meets expectations", so I'll shoot for not later than 4PM.

Balcony Cabin -- It's been reserved for 2 years, I'm hoping it's still there.  Expectations can allow for getting shuffled, as long as it's still a balcony, I'm OK.

Dining -- Things are too weird here.  I don't trust the windjammer, I can hope for Buffets in 270 and the Solarium.  Expectation:  Room Service Breakfast, and MDR Dinner.  Lunch can be hit or miss.

On-Board entertainment -- I've always enjoyed evening entertainment, but again, things are weird, and I'd like to avoid crowds.  Expectation: one showing of WWRY, and maybe a couple lounge acts of piano or guitar.  A nice to have would be a couple sessions on the FlowRider.

Port Calls -- I'm hopeful and optimistic.  I've scheduled private excursions in all 5 ports.  Yes, hope springs eternal, but anything I can get here is strictly bonus material.  Expectation: Lets try for one scheduled port, one unscheduled port, and one open-ocean meetup with Radiance, Jewel, Vision, etc.

OK Expectations set sufficiently low, so party on and look forward to a good cruise.  I'll give them a lot of freeboard to load this one up as the best cruise ever.  I've got to get away from any weather report that mentions wind-chill or blizzard.

Azipod issues in the past have meant several months of slower speeds, and not as much time in port. Alure, and Anthem of recent memory.  Anthem still has 3 more 11 day sailings, with already late port arrivals in Puerto Rico and St Maarten.  If San Juan is off the schedule, maybe we can still keep on track for the other ports.

Have fun on your cruise.  Stay safe.  The cruise will be just as safe as you make it. 

People will always act in selfish interest, so compensate.  There will be people on board that did not declare close contacts prior to the cruise.  There will be people who lied about symptoms when boarding.  There will be people who wear ineffective masks, loose masks, masks under their noses, or simply refuse to mask.  

In general, the folks you cruise with will be just like the folks at home.  You will enjoy the same kind of company on the cruise as you find comfortable to be with at home.  Act accordingly.

So watch your distance.  Avoid crowds.  Wear an N-95 certified made in USA mask at all times.  Consider room service (breakfast is free).  Dine in smaller venues, Solarium or Cafe 270 instead of Windjammer for lunch.  Dine in MDR, or specialty in evenings.  Be as current on vaccines as you are comfortable with.  

I was on Anthem in December, and am going back in February.  

Wondering how the crew is doing.  Were all the crew quarantining on Anthem deck 6 and 7 aft earning wages?  Were they getting their share of tips?  What about what they would normally be getting directly from passengers?

Also feeling bad about those transferred to Vision and Rhapsody?  Do they get wages and tips?

Must be extremely primitive Wi-Fi on the quarantine decks.  No one can get to CC from below the plimsol line.

I bought The Key for the 12 Dec 2021 sailing of Anthem OTS.  The Key included Chops departure lunch from 1130-1300.  At the terminal, Pinacle and The Key guests were invited inside at 1100.  YMMV.

1 hour ago, alexgtp said:

 

 

Any suggestions for St Kitts?

 

Beaches shopping local breweries?

If I haven't booked an ocean-going excursion (sail snorkel, scuba), I usually walk up to St George's Anglican Church and hope for someone sitting at the organ.  Then I wander over to Independence Square for local street market and history.  

IIRC, we were on the same ship.  

3 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

Is that similar to asking someone how much money they make?

Is that a Snark, or a Boojum?

Did you get tested 3-5 days after your cruise?

Were you Positive/Negative?

If positive, did you report your result to the Cruise Line?

I came off Anthem 11-24 Dec 2021.  During the cruise I self-tested twice (day 7 and day 11).  When I got home I got a PCR test on 28 Dec 2021, and was negative.

Ship Anthem

Deck 7

Stateroom # 7648

Stateroom Category 2W (Studio Balcony)

Starboard or Port Side Starboard

Quiet Stateroom? Very quiet.  No vibration, no public noises.  Even the PA announcements were too muted to hear without opening a door. (Suggestion to RC - Play the PA announcements on channel 3 or 24)

Was stateroom a connecting stateroom? No

Balcony View - Give comments on view, noting if location of any obstructions was an issue. – Deck 7 is above the lifeboat level.  7648 is out on the hump, so I could look straight down to the water, and even see the end of the gangways.  I could see aft just fine, but forward had maybe 1/3 of the forward view limited.  

Balcony Size? Normal or oversized for class? HUGE.  This balcony is bigger than the cabin.  I had two recliners, two footrests, and a table.  There was still room to sleep several nights in my hammock without moving furniture.  There was always at least part of the balcony sheltered from the sun, so even with no sunscreen for the entire trip I had no sunburn.

Was wind a problem? No.  The balcony is so deep the wind can be easily avoided.  Even at the rail, wind was not too strong.

If an aft cabin, was soot a problem? not aft.  

Any specific problems with this cabin? The only problem I could report to Roy, my cabin steward, was the balcony door had a rough spot in the track that made a noise.  This didn't make the door at all difficult to use, but it was the only noticable fault with the place.  Roy asked, and it was the only thing I could come up with.  He said it will be fixed when I'm back in 6 weeks.

Any other comments? For now, it is a very low traffic location.  The aft of decks 6 and 7 are used for pre-employment isolation of new crew.  The crew spends their first 2 weeks on board in their own cabins.

Casino - Smoke free

Docked in St Kitts.  PA announcement "Aardvark Aardvark Aardvark" and something about location I-Fly.  Any idea of the announcements meaning?  Is it just another eay to say alpha alpha alpha (medical)?

And I got the third island, also.  Scuba Steve's Diving on St Lucia prominently shows the "COVID 19 Certified Excursion" badge on their web site.