Lokip53
-
Posts
281 -
Joined
Content Type
Forums
Store
Blogs
Downloads
Events
Gallery
Posts posted by Lokip53
-
-
Great feedback as always. Very much appreciated. The picking an arrival time thing threw me... used to just showing up early, jumping on with our pool gear in a backpack, and hopping in the pool.
Otherwise it seems that the changes are pretty much in line with every other industry out there that finds itself in recovery mode. The food in the MDR was noticeably headed downhill for us our last few reps before covid, so not surprised by the food comments.
As fresh empty nesters when covid hit, we did (and continue to do) a ton of boating, sandbars/beach, and fishing during covid. That made us miss cruising less (we're blessed to live in an awesome region for that). But after being on the Europe travel kick the last few years, I'm frankly tired of trip planning and missed the relaxation and familiarity of cruising. We're really looking forward to getting back in the groove.
-
1 minute ago, time4u2go said:
Worse food. Reduced menu. Very expensive specialty restaurants.
Was afraid of that. Figured after getting crushed for a few years they'd be cutting left and right.
-
We were on a pretty solid cruise rhythm for over a decade leading up to our last cruise (pre-covid) in Feb 2020 right before things lit off.
We're excited to be jumping back in the saddle on Odyssey next month, but are sure that things have changed a bit (or more) over the past four years.
What should we be ready for?
-
You people make way too big a deal out of this.
First of all, this is a very isolated event, people rarely do this at the buffet.
Second, Stop acting so squirrelly. it will not hurt you or make you sick because food touched someone else's fingers.
You need to get out of your bubble....
I'll take the troll bait:
First, I see it almost every time I'm in the Windjammer. Not quite rare enough for my squirelly sensibilities.
Second, try picking up a book-- preferably one about biology (or at least Google "how does norovirus spread"). That will help you get out of your knowledge bubble with regards to how noro and other illnesses are spread.
Third, stop eating your food and licking your fingers in line when you're at the Windjammer. :halo:
-
Slobs. I've seen it on every. single. cruise.
It always amazed me that someone in the middle of a 10,000 calorie a day cruise can't just hang on that extra 45 seconds to get back to the table before shoveling that french fry in their mouth.
-
Fantastic summary Keith. The cranky people on ships always crack me up.
Thanks! Yep, it's like free extra entertainment!
-
Looking so forward to our 12 nights on Anthem leaving on January 25th.
Thanks for the post - really looking forward to my cruise - less then 3 weeks away. :-)
Have a blast!!
-
Great review, thanks.
Which restaurants did you like most/least? Cruising in May & can't wait.
We liked American Icon and Chic the best. Silk was our least favorite. We did Jamie's Italian one night and didn't find the food to be any better than the complimentary restaurants.
Most of the people we talked to ranked the restaurants the same. Silk seemed to be the one that everyone enjoyed the least. Our food wasn't bad there, it just wasn't deserving of a return trip.
-
Just off Anthem and lived at the coffee machine in the DL. There was a decaf option on the machine so you should be good to go. There was also a carafe of brewed decaf coffee available as well.
-
We had great service in all of the complimentary restaurants.
Food in order of our liking: American Icon, Chic, Grande, Silk.
Did Jamie's one night. Apps and desserts were great. Entree was meh. Not worth the $$, imo, so we stayed with the complimentary spots the rest of the trip.
-
I almost did it. I almost let them get to me. After reading negative review after negative review, I actually started entertaining thoughts of cancelling our 12 nighter on Anthem. My DW and I had a good long talk about all of the alleged issues but ultimately decided that we could have fun together on a rubber dingy in the Caribbean so we'd roll the dice. We were rewarded for our leap of faith.
The Good, The Marginal, and the Entertainment of Cranky Cruisers
Anthem of the Seas 12-Night Southern Caribbean, January 3-15, 2016
The Good:
Anthem is absolutely gorgeous. Freedom class has always been our favorite and the Quantum class, to us, felt like a modernized Freedom class ship. Plenty to do, lots of bells and whistles, beautifully designed, and just the right size for us. The indoor pool area is excellent. The solarium is beautiful as well. Lots of glass, great views, protected from the elements (so nice to sail out of the NE in January and be sitting by a pool with water you can swim in). The Seaplex is such a great concept-- volleyball, dodgeball, soccer, ping-pong without chasing balls in the wind... Two70-- loved it and the concept. Great place to grab a bite, read, relax, or just enjoy the sweeping views. iFly-- an absolute blast. Northstar-- a neat diversion worth the 20 minutes of your time. There is so much that RCI got right with this class of ship.
Dining-- I'm not sure what all the hubbub is about, but we had great servers, generally great meals, and zero issues. When I sat down the first night to my perfectly cooked and downright yummy blackened snapper dinner in American Icon, I was almost giddy not to be ordering off of the same menu that I had memorized from the last six cruises. We definitely ran into a couple of inconsistencies (I'll discuss in The Marginal) but overall our dining experience over 12 nights was among the best we've had on RCI.
Cabin-- Balcony 12-206. Great cabin, plenty of room, good storage, great bathroom, ample charging outlets. Best cabin we've had on a cruise ship.
Did I mention the service? Dining room staff-- all personable, attentive, and efficient. We waited no longer for our meals than on any other ship. Cabin attendant-- excellent. Always there, always friendly, kept the cabin spotless, and always took care of anything we needed right away. Bar staff? Aces. Everybody we passed smiled, everyone said hello. No nightmares or miserable employees. Guest services was actually quick and efficient (welcome change), and Next Cruise and any other service we used was trouble free and pleasant as well.
The Marginal:
The food was, at times, inconsistent. With 12 nights you have the opportunity to enjoy something you liked a second time. This led to the appearance of some inconsistencies. That snapper that I loved so much the first night was underdone and bland the second time around, for example. We had a couple of other experiences along the same lines. Nothing earth-shattering or trip-ruining-- just inconsistent and noticeable. Ultimately, when the kitchen is on their game the food is really good, and when they fumble here or there it's not great, but I don't have to clean the kitchen and load the dishwasher. Truthfully, I could have written that last paragraph about several other RCI cruises we've been on pre-Dynamic Dining.
Just an observation-- the ship, while gorgeous, does feel very compartmentalized. Every class from Voyager up feels open and has a nice flow, imo. Quantum class is very boxy and segmented. It makes the ship feel smaller than it is if that makes any sense.
The Entertainment-- Biggest disappointment of the cruise for us. We Will Rock You just isn't very good-- mind you it's nowhere near as unbearable as Cats on Oasis, but it's not worth your valuable vacation time, imo. I know we're Broadway snobs, but we usually enjoy the shows on all of our cruises. Performers weren't anything to write home about and the show itself is just lacking (it's clear why it never made it to Broadway). Spectra's Cabaret-- I'm sorry, but that show looked like it was a thrown together afterthought just so they could use all of the fancy screens, robots, and tech in Two70. It was a bit painful to sit through. Can't comment on the Gift because we gave up after WWRY and Spectra. This is the first of 14 RCI cruises on which I didn't enjoy the entertainment. YMMV.
Cranky Cruisers:
I found the negative reviewers!! They were scattered all over the ship-- usually in the form of Diamond or D+ members (of which there were supposedly 600+). Honestly, folks-- I've never seen people work so hard to be unhappy. "I hate that there's no Promenade." "It's ridiculous that I have to make reservations for dinner." "I haven't seen the Captain once!"
My favorite exchange:
"We don't like this ship at all. We definitely won't be cruising on a Quantum class ship again."
"What don't you like about it?"
"We just don't like it. Everything is different."
Oh, ok. Gotcha.
And I don't want to invalidate anyone's opinion. We met some people who genuinely didn't like the ship and made the best. Nothing wrong with that. The humor was in the people who huffed and puffed all over the place complaining about anything that didn't look like historic RCI. It became the running joke between DW and I as we watched people try to articulate why they were so miserable on a 12 night Caribbean vacation. It seems Anthem is the perfect ship for people who like to moan and groan-- plenty of material for them!!!
Fortunately, though, we found many more people who loved the ship and exuded some positive energy. We met some great people both on the ship and on excursions who were having a blast and loved the ship. Several of the couples already booked the same trip on Anthem for next year (as did we).
To sum it all up: Anthem is beautiful, our food was generally great, our service was great, and we had one of our best cruises yet. Quantum is our new favorite class, and we didn't hesitate to book another 12 nights on her next year. Jump on in-- the water's perfect!!
-
A lot of people make the comment that once you have a balcony you'll never go back. I'd like to adjust that statement a bit based on personal experience:
Once you have a balcony, you'll never go back-- unless you want to cruise more often and decide that you can accomplish that by booking an inside cabin-- which you'll do the first time and then worry about and second guess yourself about-- until you survive the experience and realize that it's not that bad at all-- then you just book inside cabins and cruise more often-- but then you remember how much you loved a balcony so you do it "just this once"-- then you absolutely love it, realize how much you used it, and swear you'll never go back-- until you want to cruise more often and decide you can accomplish that by booking an interior cabin...
Wash, rinse, repeat. :)
-
Don't cancel. The odds are in your favor.
The majority of our cruises have been hurricane season (including Bermuda three times). We've had a few close calls (within a day or two of Katrina and Irene) but have never had an issue.
If you cruise hurricane season long enough I imagine the odds may eventually catch up with you. I'm comfortable enough with the odds to keep rolling the dice.
-
Had him as a CD on FOS a few weeks ago and thought he was one of the best we've had. Wife and kids loved him as well. And when do Mom, Dad, and two teenagers agree on anything? :D
I saw him all over the ship throughout the cruise-- even had a conversation with him one evening when he was walking through the promenade and I was sitting outside the Bull and Bear having a beer.
I found him funny, pleasant, energetic, and very approachable.
-
I just don't think sailing from Baltimore has been that successful, I would say that once the agreement with the port expires they are out,
Not likely. RCI just signed a 5 year contract with Baltimore in 2012. If their numbers weren't strong I imagine they would have just cut out then.
According to the Maryland Port Commission's 2012 annual report, over 250,000 passengers cruised out of Baltimore in 2011 and both cruise lines (Royal and Carnival) reported that cruises were all sailing at over 100% capacity.
They're not going anywhere.
Page 12
http://www.mpa.maryland.gov/_media/client/port-commission/MPCAnnualReport.pdf
-
The roof was opened and closed numerous times on both of our Grandeur sailing out of Baltimore.
It definitely gets use on that ship.
-
I've cruised three times out of Baltimore (Grandeur x2, Enchantment) to Bermuda. On the Bermuda itinerary I didn't mind the smaller ship. We spent so much time off the ship while in port that it was more of just a floating hotel for us.
We'll be on our first non-Bermuda Grandeur run in January and, after just getting off FOS, I'm conscious of the fact that we'll definitely be missing some of the Freedom class amenities. We had great cruises on each of our Vision class sailings and enjoy the ships, but we still miss those little extras...
If I'm completely honest-- I think we (DW and I) "settle" for Grandeur. The prices are very reasonable and we don't have to fly. Because of that, our 10-night on Grandeur will be about half the cost of the 7-night FOS cruise (with airfare).
I suspect many people in the mid-Atlantic are of the same mindset. They settle for the smaller, older ship in exchange for convenience and cost savings. As long as we keep cruising Grandeur and filling her up, I don't know that there's much motivation for RCI to move her and bring in a Radiance class.
-
Definitely not worth taking an extra cruise just to be Emerald!
Exactly. Emerald is like Diamond Purgatory.
-
RCI appear toy has no intentions of testing dynamic dining before full implementation
Their attitude seams to be full speed ahead damn the torpedoes and if it don't work or there are major problems 'oh well we have a captive audience and if they want to eat they will make the best of it'
Apparently DD is the brainchild of some high up executive and they are not going to see their baby denied no matter the cost
Meh, sometimes you have to take risks.
It's clear that (right or wrong) RCI believes DD is the future of dining for their fleet.
If that's the case, it makes little sense to take a ship that remains very popular (like Freedom) and skip an opportunity to add DD during drydock.
If DD becomes a big hit, the same people would probably be complaining that they had to wait 5 years for the next drydock to get DD.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk
-
I, too, am a MDR fan and since I travel solo, I don't know if the DD is right for me. I would rather have a table where I can "make friends" for the week and discuss what we did that day. Makes for interesting dinner conversation. I am wondering, however, with the DD, will there still be formal nights on cruises? Being a solo traveler as I stated before, why would I get all dressed up just to eat alone? Happy and safe travels to you ALL.:)
P.S. Sorry if the above question has been asked and answered. Thank you.
I can definitely understand the concern for solo cruisers. Makes sense.
There will no longer be ship-wide formal nights. Instead, The Grande venue will be formal every night.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk
-
It was also confirmed by someone who just disembarked yesterday as well. They had said that initially RCI had wanted to fill in the floors of the dining room on decks 4 and 5 however due to HVAC issues they are not able to do that so the centre opening will remain.
That's good info. I was wondering if they were going to leave the MDRs open or wall them off when they convert ships to DD.
It amazes me that they can add 44 cabins and make all those other changes in just a 24 day drydock.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk
-
So does that mean that the Freedom will have dynamic dining after dry dock? I thought dynamic dining was going to be tested on the Quantum for a while and then added to the Oasis? That would not be much time for dynamic dining to be tested.
That's what they told us during both the C&A events we attended.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk
-
Are you sure about Rita's. I was under the impression it would be Sabor that was recently added to the Navigator.
You're absolutely right. Posting too quickly. Got the wrong name.
I'll edit my post.
Thanks for the catch
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk
-
Cabins added to the jogging track on deck 12 forward (jogging track length will essentially be halfed).
The Crypt night club will be replaced with cabins. Night club activities will be moved to the Viking Crown.
MDR will be converted to accommodate Dynamic Dining.
Sabor Mexican eatery added
That's all I can remember. Others will probably recall other things.
All info provided by Capt Olson and hotel manager Rasmussen on our Freedom cruise last week.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk
We Used to Be Cruise Pros...
in Royal Caribbean International
Posted
I couldn't figure out when I was looking why that price reversal existed now. We were intending on booking Celebrity for that reason but timing just didn't work out. Figured we'll try to get a couple more in on RCI and get over the Diamond Plus line and then transition for a bit if that's how it continues.
And Go Birds!! 🦅