Cruisin'Newlyweds

Hello,

I don't have experience with the spacious oceanview cabins, but I did book a balcony guarantee on a sold out sailing coming up in a few weeks.  After final payment was due, our ship was no longer sold out and we ended up being assigned a great balcony cabin.  Just wanted to share our recent experience in case it helps with your decision making.

Since you were in the gym a lot, did you notice if they have heavy bags (for boxing) or if there's any open space where i could do karate training? Just wondering if there'a anywhere I can practice my kata on vacation! :)

I did not notice heavy bags, but you could probably use the open space where they do TRX classes for karate, as long as it's not being used for a class or seminar. They have those schedules on a table when you walk in, so you could plan accordingly.

Oh my gosh. I’m so sorry it has taken me this long to post my final thoughts on our trip! We took the kids camping last week so we were off grid for a bit, and then this thread slipped my mind. But, if you’re still interested, here’s my wrap up!

Day 10 – Sat, 7/23 – Disembark at Bayonne, NJ

We had Ticket A (1st group) for Self-Carry, which meant our departure time was 7:30 – 7:45 and we could meet in the Deck 5 Two70 Lounge. Well, we were running a bit behind with last minute packing, and we didn’t leave our Deck 10 cabin until 7:45. We got off the elevator on Deck 5 to see the line of Self-Carriers disembarking. We joined the line and didn’t stop moving from that point until the parking garage, except for a short pause at Customs. We did encounter a small line at the garage because all of self-carriers needed the two elevators with our luggage. That being said, from the time we left our cabin to being in our car, it was just 20 minutes! I am officially a BIG Self-Carry fan!

A few notes and final thoughts:

-Royal IQ App: We used this app a lot on the trip. We paid the $7 so we could communicate via text with our friends and found that very helpful. I liked having access to the Compass on the app, without having to bring around the paper version. However, I didn’t like that the events would drop off the electronic Compass once the start time lapsed. For example, Bumper Cars ran from 3:30 – 6, but you wouldn’t see it as an option after 3:30. It would have also been helpful at any given time to see the dining options, as well as the live music options (both of which the paper version details). It was nice that you could add upcoming events that interest you to your personal Calendar (no more highlighting the Compass!)

-Night Life: I know I touched on this already, but it was a disappointment for us. The fun, party atmosphere was lacking (not even a parade). No Glow Party, No White Party, and No Night Club parties in the SeaPlex (despite an obvious DJ booth in there). I can only guess that because there were a lot of teens on our sailing, they didn’t want to take the SeaPlex space away from them as a hang out. The night options were limited to Two70, Boleros and the Music Hall (never did see many in the Pub or Vintages) and the entertainment got repetitive. Maybe we’re wrong in doing so, but we blamed the interim Cruise Director, John Blair, and Activities Manager, Katrina Blair, for this.

-Dynamic Dining: I really, really, really wanted to love this. There’s not much more I enjoy than a nice sit down meal. And the idea of eating in 9 different restaurants over 9 nights was exciting to me. But, I can honestly and surprisingly say, I missed the Traditional Dining. I missed getting to know our wait staff and missed the calmer, routine atmosphere. The complimentary restaurants on Anthem always seemed rushed and hectic. There were a few disappointments with the actual food, but that wasn’t really our issue. This whole process of Dynamic Dining is simply stressful for everyone involved. I know food is very subjective, but given our overall experience as to taste, atmosphere and service, here’s how the 4 of us would rate our dinners (from best to worst): Wonderland, Jamie’s Italian, American Icon, Chops, Silk, Solarium Bistro, Grande, Izumi, and Chic.

-Anthem: A beautiful ship. We absolutely LOVED the artwork throughout and the cabins were the BEST we ever experienced. I feel like I have a good sense of direction, but even I got turned around quite a bit on this ship for some reason. And I also felt there was more congestion and bottle necking, making it noticeable that we were travelling with thousands of others (oddly I never felt this on the Oasis). Everything was high tech, which was very convenient when it worked (which we found it did most of the time). However, we were not fans of the high tech public bathrooms (and from the reactions of others, we weren’t alone). Just know that there’s a decent delay from exiting the stall to when the flush actually occurs. We barely felt the ship rocking. I think we were partly lucky with good weather, but I also think this is a very stable ship! We usually only noticed slight movement in Two70 or the Royal Theatre. One night, there was a bit more rocking and, as a result, we did hear some creaking in the cabin (but it wasn’t enough to keep us awake).

Lastly, we’re all very glad we went on this particular sailing and got to experience the Anthem. However, I don’t think DH and I will be interested in travelling this class of ship in the future. Of all the classes of ships we’ve sailed, this was actually probably our least favorite.

Thank you for following along on my sometimes long-winded journal of our trip! It sounds like it helped some cruisers with planning, which makes it worth it! Happy sailing everyone!!!

Yep. They have been a big help in getting our Oct 6 Anthem cruise planned. We have used your review to pick our reservations and get them all set up for our trip. The knowledge we gained by your reviews and the other posters questions and comments along with your answers have made our planning much less daunting. After 19 cruises, it has been 5 years since our last one and there are many differences between those cruises and this ship! Thanks for all the work you have put into this review!

Thank you so much! I can't begin to tell you how happy it makes me feel to know this helped in your planning!

Appreciate the detailed reviews overall - look fwd to the summary ...

Thanks for following along! I haven't forgotten about the summary, but it's going to be a few days before I can get on a computer.

Thank you for such a great review!

 

So... who was the CD?

You're welcome!

The CD was John Blair.

I'll try to post about disembarking and my final thoughts later today.

What a great review! Are all the restaurants included in the cruise price?

Thank you!

No, there are several restaurants included (ie. Silk, Grande, Chic, American Icon, Solarium Bistro) and then there are specialty restaurants that cost extra (ie Jaime's, Wonderland, Chops, Izumi)

Day 9 – 7/22, Friday @ Sea

The goal for today….soak up as much sun and relaxation as possible!!!! We headed to our normal Deck 15 aft lounge chairs, but this time a little closer towards the FlowRider. After watching it a bit, the guys decided to give Boogie Boarding a try and they had a really fun time doing it! We ate a late lunch in the Windjammer at 2. Silly us thought we’d be past the lunch rush, but I think that was the lunch rush. It looked like everyone is operating on a much later schedule than they were the beginning of the trip.

We headed into the SeaPlex around 5 to try Bumper Cars. This was actually our third attempt in two days, as we did not find it would be worth it to wait 45+ minutes for a 2 ½ min turn. Thankfully, we found the line to “only” run down 2 sides of the SeaPlex, as opposed to 3 sides we had previously seen. There’s about 15 cars operating, it’s a 2 ½ min ride and takes 2 ½ min to unload/load the passengers. So you can easily do the math to see if the line is worth it to you. I believe you have to be 5 to ride with an adult, or 9 to ride alone. They were walking around with iPads checking the ages of the kids in line that looked young. It took us about a 25 min wait and then we were in! And I’m glad we got to do it, as it was nothing but smiles and laughs from all of us! I even got hit by my DH so hard at one point that my sunglasses on top of my head fell off!

After the fun, we headed back to the cabins to pack and get ready for dinner. A few days ago, our cabin steward left a form in the room for us to request our preferred method and time to disembark. We requested Self-Carry at 7:45 and noted that we were travelling with another cabin. Well, we were assigned luggage tags for a 9:15 departure (while our friends got the Self-Carry). Oh, and we noticed yet another mini bar charge. So, DH went down to Guest Svcs to fix both items. It was an easy fix, but time that we shouldn’t have needed to spend. While we were packing, our room steward delivered the 2 bottles of rum that DH purchased Day 1 at the Liquor Tasting. Here’s a tip: if you buy alcohol onboard, open your box to check the contents. We did not. And it wasn’t until we were unpacking at home that we got the regular Goslings, as opposed to the 140 proof we purchased. The same turned out to be true for our friends.

Dinner tonight was at Izumi. While the food was good, I wouldn’t recommend it. We found the service to be painstakingly slow despite being one of a few tables in the place. And while the décor in the restaurant is nice, the location of it is horrible due to noise. It is located next door to the Schooner Bar, on the balcony overlooking the Pub, Sorrento’s, and the shops. Since Izumi is an open design the music from Schooner and the pub down below, as well as all the people walking around, could be heard. It was all very distracting and not in a good people watching way. The 4 of us ordered 3 soups, 6 rolls and 2 desserts to share and the cost came to about $30 pp. If anything, Izumi would be best at lunchtime.

But, while we were wrapping up dinner, we were visited by Umit, the Director of Food & Services. He was actually following up with me regarding an email I had sent back in April to the Executive Offices of RCI regarding the rumor of taking away Dynamic Dining. I was not expecting this follow up, nor did I think it was necessary as I had received several adequate emails in reply, but we were all very much thankful for him taking the time to meet with us. He spent a few minutes talking to us about our experiences onboard. We were sure to highlight the good, but also were honest about the bad (the tech glitches and our sad experience at Chic). He asked follow up questions and seemed very concerned. So, despite the less than perfect dining onboard Anthem…they are listening, they are aware and they are definitely trying.

After dinner, we headed back to the Music Hall for the Silent Dance Party at 9! We 1st discovered this dance party on the Explorer 3 years ago and it was a blast, despite us being very, very skeptical at first. If you don’t know, there are 2 dueling DJs and you can only hear their music through the provided headphones. You can switch stations between the 2 DJs whenever you please. Something about wearing those headphones allows people to really break free into dancing without the concern of somebody is watching. It’s a great time! And it’s hysterical to watch the dance floor of people dancing two different styles, while some are singing aloud as if they’re in the shower and no one can hear them! The dance floor was packed. And then at 11, they took our headphones away. L I’ll never understand why they felt the need to cut this party so short. I know it was only scheduled until 11, but nothing else was scheduled for the Music Hall. It was the last night and the dance floor was packed. People were having fun. Why take that away for nothing? The place cleared out pretty quick and partying on the Anthem came to a final close.

Day 8 – 7/21, Thursday @ Sea

Ahhhhhh. A much needed sea day after 3 port days in a row! And boy did I sleep in today! My body has definitely adjusted to vacation mode!

Went upstairs to the run on the treadmill at the gym around 10 and I was so surprised by the lack of people around. Normally, the pool decks are pretty crowded by this point (at least with lots of towels saving seats anyways), but it was pretty barren. The gym was quieter too. Not that I’m complaining! My guess is everyone was moving slow this morning after so much sightseeing the past 3 days. Or maybe they were trying to check out the various activities the ship offers.

After my workout, I met DH in the cabin and we decided to head to Guest Services to fix some erroneous charges. We had a mini bar charge despite never using any contents, and any contents we moved from the fridge had been placed on top of the dresser (as instructed by our room steward). We also had a bar charge from North Star (with the drink pkg, this shouldn’t have happened). And the piece de resistance….we were charged for two floating mats on Labadee! Since the agreement was that we rented one, and DH signed for one, we were disputing the charge on the second mat. There were two organized lines, with a greeter directing traffic. I’m not sure the difference between the lines, if any, but our line moved quickly at Guest Svcs. We were actually helped from line by a rep with an iPad. He didn’t ask many questions and the charges were reversed before the end of the day.

We spent the day lounging in the sun at our usual quiet spot on Deck 15 aft. And we used the “secret” back stairs to enjoy lunch in the Windjammer. Later that afternoon, we took advantage of one of the Crown & Anchor coupons to get 2-for-1 milkshakes at Johnny Rockets.

Dinner tonight was at 7:30 at Wonderland. Ohhhhhhhh what an experience! We all loved it!!!!! We brought one bottle of wine (that we had brought onboard Day 1) for our friends to enjoy, while we enjoyed some of the awesomely creative Wonderland cocktails. The menu was a bit confusing. It’s in 5 sections, and not divided by appetizers, entrees, desserts. So, it was hard to tell what would be a big portion vs a little portion. But, our waiter offered to choose multiple dishes for us and he didn’t steer us wrong! By the end of the evening, I think we tried 70% of the menu! LOL! There were flavor combinations I’d never think of putting together, but they worked beautifully! And the presentation was gorgeous. It truly was culinary art!!! It was nice that the chef came to our table and we were able to compliment him on a job really well done.

After dinner, we headed to the Music Hall around 10 for ‘Anthem Rocks.’ It was crazy crowded in there and seemed to be wrapping up soon after we got there. But when it did wrap up, I’m happy to report that the looooooooong awaited dance party / night club vibe FINALLY came alive! We had a blast dancing the rest of the evening! But, why oh why did it take until Day 8!?!?!?!?!?!

Lol - that's ok - family comes first :)

 

Our Anthem cruise isn't until late next year so I'll have to remember to reconfirm any dining reservations made just to avoid any problems/confusion that seems to occur on such a large ship. This'll be our first foray into any-time dining so it'll be interesting to see how we like it ...

 

What was the movie selection like on your stateroom TV ... is it affixed to the wall or can you pull the TV out and angle it towards the seating area ... also is the bed high enough that you can store your luggage underneath ?

Hopefully, the tech issues will be fixed by the time you cruise. But, then again, I would've thought they'd be fixed by now. It was also our first any-time dining experience. And as a lover of going out to eat, I really thought I'd LOVE it and LOVE getting to eat in a different restaurant each night. But, I found myself surprisingly missing the traditional dining for several reasons that I'll touch on later.

I have no idea about the movie selection. We only really turned the tv on to check our onboard account, the compass, our calendar, order room service and mostly to see where in the sea the Anthem was located. But, I do know you can pull out the TV and angle it if you'd like. And the beds are definitely high enough to stow luggage underneath. The storage in these cabins was the best I'd seen!

Day 7 – 7/20, Wednesday @ Labadee, Haiti

Woke up this morning in the beautiful Labadee! And, now we can say that we docked Starboard the entire cruise. But, we still had a beautiful view Port side! We were also the only ship in town. I forgot to mention that while we were in Puerto Rico yesterday, a Carnival cruise ship docked around 11. That was the only time we saw another cruise ship these entire 9 days.

To start our day off, we ate breakfast in Café Two70 around 9am. Then we got off the ship and caught the ferry from the dock to Columbus Cove. We chose Columbus Cove because we just wanted a relaxing beach day and thought Adrenaline Beach would be too noisy/distracting with the zip line, kid’s splash pad, etc. Once we got to Columbus Cove, we moved a few lounge chairs under some palm trees (it was yet another crazy hot day and the shade was definitely needed) and began to settle in for a nice relaxing day. DH started lusting after the float mats right away and went to rent a couple. But then he learned that they were $17 to rent (YIKES!), so he rented just one. He signed the clipboard with our Room # for 1 rental. As he was getting ready to leave, the guy told him he could take two if DH would tip him. So, for $5, we got two. I ended up buying a $4 souvenir cup with a Labadoozie, so I could keep all of my refills (included in our drink pkg) nice and cold! The BBQ lunch was just ok. It’s really a simple All-American BBQ. It was nothing exciting, but it was tasty and we were thankful that we didn’t have to go back on the ship for lunch.

Around 3pm, we were starting to melt from the heat, so we decided to pack it up and head towards the ship. For those that aren’t familiar, Columbus Cove is basically the farthest beach away from the ship. There’s a tram that will take you back, but a line was already forming for it. So, we decided to walk towards Nellie’s Beach (next door) and easily caught a tram there. It had been almost 10 years since I’d been here and, BOY, I barely recognized the place while driving around! There are amenities galore and truly something for everyone to enjoy this port day! All-Aboard was at 4:30, and we decided to watch us sail away from the pool deck before getting ready for a show and dinner.

On the way to the theatre, we decided to stop by the hostess at Wonderland to confirm tomorrow night’s dinner reservation. Since we were REALLY looking forward to this meal, and given all our apparent non-existent reservations this week, we thought it best to ask. And I am SO GLAD that we did so! The lovely hostess did not see our reservation. However, she went the extra step beyond the quizzical look we received all week and looked deeper into it for us. In just a few minutes she discovered that all of our reservations on their main “Silverware” dining system were showing as cancelled back in mid-March. What?!?!?! Then why in the world have we always seen our reservations on our calendar on the Cruise Planner at home, on the Phone Application and the stateroom TV. Well, as it turns out, our reservations did exist on their “ASR” system. This would be why we see it in our calendars and hadn’t been charged for eating at a specialty restaurant because it was this system that recognized we pre-paid. Sadly, I then learned this ship uses multiple systems and they are horrendous at talking to each other. The hostess was quick to fix our reservation for the next night, and she even called ahead to Chops to fix it for this evening. We then stopped at Izumi to fix our reservation for the final night. It ended up not being a big deal, but I really wish someone had brought this technical glitch to our attention at the beginning of the week. Had they done so, it would have saved stress on each of the restaurants seating us and maybe we would’ve had a better experience at Chic.

After getting the dinner reservations fixed for the rest of the trip, we headed to the Theatre around 6 to get good seats for the 6:30 showing of ‘We Will Rock You.’ What a show! Yes, it’s loud and really bright (especially at the beginning), but you quickly adjust to it. It was a very well done show and the cast was amazing! It was definitely Broadway quality in my opinion.

At 2 hours long, we were super hungry after the show and ready to chow down at Chops! It’s such a lovely space. I love a good steakhouse and this one did not disappoint. Our filets were a little tougher than we expected, but they still tasted great! From the apps, to the sides and to dessert….we gobbled it up! Definitely try the Grilled Peppered Bacon appetizer. I’ve never seen such a big piece of bacon! The service was top notch and we really enjoyed our meal here.

The only thing that really caught our eye on the Compass tonight was The Quest gameshow in Two70. I absolutely LOVE this gameshow as it’s always good for a few deep belly laughs. And we have fond memories of being participants back in 2006 on the Radiance when it was in the Schooner Bar. Having said all that, we were VERY full from dinner and pretty tired after 3 port days in a row, not to mention that the CD annoys us and we thought he’d end up ruining the game. So, we called it an early night (and by early I mean the one and only night I was in bed before midnight this trip).

Just a couple tips. Pack swim suits and sun screen in your carry on so after lunch your kids and you can hit the flow rider and pools best time to swim. Most people are walking around checking out the ship.

 

Have your teens go to teen club the first night its the night the cliques form. Everyone is looking for someone to hang out with. We make rules like always breakfast and dinner with us but they are free besides that. Its their vacation after all, different families different rules. Some teens are totally free to never see their parents all week.

 

Cruise ships have been selling the charms of tanzanite for years. JMO but if your actually looking at buying jewelry research it at home so you know what a good price it. You can get pretty cheap tanzanite on ebay FYI.

 

If you looking to bring stuff back from your cruise let me recommend Sheridan's. They will sell it in port and on ship. Its white chocolate and coffee liquor that layers and its YUMMY. You can not buy it in the US.

 

There are websites that show your ships in port this is the one I use.

cruisetimetables.com

Such great tips! And Sheridan's sounds delicious! I'm definitely going to be on the lookout for that!

Is there more?

Yes! Coming right up! ;-)

Congrats on both your anniversaries. We celebrate our 22nd while doing this cruise in Oct. I may need to tell my husband that it's tradition to buy tanzanite jewelry ;)

22 years is fantastic! Congrats! Honestly, I feel any Duty Free jewelry is a good anniversary tradition!

First ... Thank you!!! This was a fantastic review! I took a notes. We leave in 8 days and we are newbies. Our 16, 13, and 8 year old are going with us. Your water explanation solidifies that it is t a big deal and arrives at your room!

 

I plan to do more research but is tanzanite a St Maarten thing? I have heard about the guavaberry liquor and spices? Do you have suggestions of what the "it" thing is from each country.

 

I was also puzzled by puzzle break. I have no idea when it mysteriously appeared on the cruise planner but it was all booked by the time I saw it. Hopefully, we will have your luck. Glad your saw a younger child. My 8 yr old daughter certainly would be in big trouble if she acted like that.

 

Lastly, how did you find out how many ships would be in port??

 

And Happy Anniversary!! Our 22nd was 7/23 but this is a 20th anniversary cruise for a group we belong to.

 

 

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Happy 22nd Anniversary to you too!!!! I'm so glad you're enjoying my review! You already got a great response, but I'll just add my personal take on the shopping aspect.

Tanzanite is a rare gem. All of the known deposits are confined to a few square miles of land in northern Tanzania. It is the only gemstone with a large and rapidly growing popularity that has such a limited known supply. I typically don't see it sold in local US jewelry stores, but often in the Caribbean. It's not a St. Marteen thing by any means. But it reminds me of the Caribbean and made for a lovely keepsake of this anniversary trip!

Guavaberry is a St. Marteen thing, and it's good stuff with a really cute shop and taste testing, so I'd definitely stop there! In Bermuda, I try to stock up on Lily Bermuda perfume (Coral and Pink are my favorite scents). I'd say Puerto Rico is more about trying foods like mofongo and acapurria. And, if you're up for pressured sales, the Artisans of Haiti really do sell some beautifully handmade items.

I'm hoping that the absence of the Glow or White Party you talked about is just a one-off ... as one option we are looking at next year is combining the 9 night Canada/New England with the 5 night Bermuda aboard the Anthem ... wouldn't want things to get that repetitive on just the 9 day one.

 

Thanks for the info re: the drink package and late-night snacking ... it's kinda nice to know what the break-even point is to determine whether the drink package is worth it or not ...

Hey! Sorry it took me a while to get back to you....motherhood has been keeping me busy these past few days!

In terms of Old San Juan, there were some street that seemed empty, but then other streets (i.e. Fortaleza) that were bustling. We also noticed a lot of new construction and rehab construction as we were walking around.

You get 1 hour to break out of the Puzzle Room. I wouldn't say the finisher's medal is plasticky, but there's certainly not much weight to it! ;-)

DH wore a suit to the Grande. But, yes, jacket is required. We were seated tucked in a corner so I didn't get a feel for whether or not most guys were following the rules.

Even if the entertainment gets repetitive, I'd still chose 14 days on the Anthem over being home!

Hello Cruising Newlyweds! We were on the same cruise and enjoyed it very much. I agree with you as far as the CD and Activities Director is concerned. They were very lack luster for sure.

 

Congrats on your 10th anniversary and your surprised tanzanite ring. We celebrated our 37th which was actually embarkation day. I was surprised with a tanzanite necklace in St Marteen

37! Congrats!!!! And YAY for new jewelry to remember special occasions!

Great review! We got off as you were getting on, and I share the same opinions as you!

Day 6 – 7/19, Tuesday @ Old San Juan, Puerto Rico

This was another two for one deal! We spent the morning in port, and the afternoon at sea. Once again, we docked Starboard, but the view was beautiful from our port side balcony.

DH and I had been to Old San Juan several times in the past, but our friends had never been, so we let them lead the way today. Since it was such a short port visit, they decided to just get off the ship and start walking around with no real agenda. Had I known we were going to walk SO much of Old San Juan in a couple of hours, I would not have worn my flip flops! LOL!

We did room service for a light breakfast before getting off the ship around 8:30. First, we walked to El Morro and toured the fort. I’d say it was a very hot 20 min walk to get there, although we did see a tram that runs from the dock to the fort. From El Morro, we walked down to El Catedral (one of the oldest churches in the Americas) and then stopped in Barrachina to grab a Pina Colada to-go (the apparent birthplace of the Pina Colada) on our way to Fort San Cristibal (your ticket into El Morro is also good for San Cristibal). It was a delicious Pina Colada, but that may have had more to do with the fact that it felt like 120 degrees outside! Oh, and it was pricey at almost $8 for a small cup. Google Maps was definitely our friend getting us around town today.

Back on the ship, we headed to the Puzzle Break room. As I mentioned before, the 4 of us were put on a wait list by Guest Svcs on Day 1. Well, 3 of us had the Puzzle Break room appear on our calendar for 12:30pm today (we correctly assumed the missing 4th reservation was a tech glitch). The timing worked out well since that was the same as All-Aboard time. We got to the room at 12:15 (located just outside of the SeaPlex) and a long line quickly formed behind us. Most of them were Stand-by. At 12:30, a single crew member started checking us in. If you had reservations, you were allowed to go into a special waiting room once checked in. So, in we went. They can only take 12-14 people at a time in Puzzle Break, and I believe the minimum age is around 14. So, we go in the waiting room and then all heck breaks loose for the next 30 minutes. To make a VERY long story short, an additional 12 people on the wait list were called by someone in Guest Services telling them to come at 12:30. Only, they really didn’t have reservations for 12:30. The poor crew member was completely bombarded by, understandably, very upset passengers. Eventually, a Guest Svcs rep came up and spoke to the group and organized a new reservation for them.

So, by the time we finally got into the actual Puzzle Break room, we were all a bit on edge. It was 4 of us, with a family of 3 and a family of 4. You absolutely MUST work together as one team, and the crew member is inside with you to help guide you along (they want you to succeed). I will say, the family of 4 had a young boy with them (maybe 6 yrs.?) and he was VERY excited to be there. So much so that we would be holding a piece trying to solve it and he would literally come up and yank it out of our hands. It was frustrating to say the least. This would be why there’s a minimum age requirement. Nonetheless, we succeeded in 38 min and walked out with our medals.

Afterwards we grabbed some lunch in the Windjammer, and then headed over to iFly for the boys (booked online pre-cruise). I have personally done the real deal before, so I didn’t want to try the stimulation skydive. But DH and our friend were super excited to try it. Their reservation was at 3, but they didn’t come up on deck to fly until about 3:25. My girlfriend and I watched 2 other groups of 8 skydive before they came up. Each person gets 1 min in the tunnel and then the instructor does a 30 sec trick show (very cool to watch). There’s also a class you can pay for to learn some tricks! DH LOVED iFly and he’s super excited that they’re building one just 20 min away at home so he can do it again.

As soon as the guys were done, my friend and I headed to the Spa for Mani/Pedi’s (a previous birthday gift to her). It was nice and relaxing, although it obviously cost more than it would have at home. Maxine, my manicurist, did a very nice job!!! I’ve actually never had a gel manicure hold up this well. 11 days and going strong! I got to chat for a while with her and learned that she works 14-hr days, 6 days a week, on a 9 month contract. I don’t know how the she does it! But, she has done this for 12 years!

Tonight was our Formal Night in the Grande @ 8pm. We thought the food was good, but our service was terribly slow (almost nonexistent). After dinner, we bar hopped once again. It seems the same bands rotate between Boleros and the Music Hall. They’re good, but at this point we felt the entertainment really needed to be mixed up a bit. I’m not quite sure what happened to the Glow Party in the SeaPlex, or the White Party in the Solarium, or really any night club type party in the SeaPlex (there’s definitely a DJ booth in there). I even packed glow sticks and a white dress for the occasions as so many recent cruisers had posted on CC about them.

Lol - you never know - always reading about young couples letting loose on holidays while their kids are back home!

 

It's unfortunate that Chic didn't live up to its name in re: to service ... like you, I'm also a planner ... I need to ensure that things are properly arranged ahead of time due to DW's health ... but planning for me is 1/2 the fun of going on a holiday. Hiccups do occur but we don't let it ruin the rest of our holiday so kudos for keeping a positive outlook.

 

Can't recall if you mentioned anything about your drink package ... how did you and your hubby like it - worth it? Re: Sorrento's, do you recall how late it is open to? I remember back in the day the midnight buffets aboard the cruise ships ... it was nice ... did both of you try room service at one point for late night snacks?

My motto with planning is you do it the best you can, and then sit back to enjoy the ride. :)

DH and I got the Premium Drink Pkg. We'd never previously done a drink pkg, but figured we'd feel like letting loose this trip, so we went for it. Since we're more wine / cocktail drinkers, the break even was 5-6 drinks per day. DH doubled that and I did a little better than break even. It's easy to do with 1 or 2 at the pool, 1 or 2 with dinner and a couple after dinner. So, for us, it was definitely worth it.

I think Sorrento's was open until 1 / 1:30am. We never did Room Svc late night partly because we didn't want to wait for it and partly because there's a charge late night. I definitely remember the midnight buffets! Such amazing presentations, but also a big waste of food. That being said, Sorrento's was packed every late night around 11. So there is a demand. RCI definitely should make use of a single Windjammer station as an alternative option.

Thank you all so much for the positive feedback on this review! I'm flattered! Truly! It's been fun for me to go down memory lane, but also makes it worth it to know others are enjoying it too!

I'm at work now, but hopefully I'll be able to post about our Puerto Rico day after we get the kids to bed tonight!

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I must be tired as I had to re-read the aforementioned line several times .. as I was thinking boy, six buckets of beer ... that's an awful lot of Coronas - rotfl ... :D

OH my goodness, too funny! No, it was 12 beers total between 4 people while we were at Maho. I'm pretty sure if I had drank a bucket and a half of beers myself, I'd still be in the St. Marteen hospital recovering!

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The kids compasses will be left in your room if you are traveling with your children. I never received one in my cabin, but my daughter (who was traveling with her girls) received one every night.

Thanks for mentioning this! I was surprised when we met a teen and her Mom on the last sea day complaining that they had only just discovered the teen compass at Guest Services that morning. I wondered why they weren't delivered to staterooms of kids/teens that were registered onboard. Good to know that they normally are delivered to the cabins!

We were on the same ship with you guys. We found that 270's music totally sucked! A lot of the music sucked. I actually passed the Dj a note and asked him to play 70s and 80s songs. It took him a while to actually get it together, but he finally did and we got ONE dancing night out of the 9. I was quite disappointed, but whatever, I could dance with my iPhone. It was an enjoyable cruise and we had fun!

The DJs were disappointing for sure. I never understood why, when the few times there was a full dance floor, they would completely switch up the style of music. You could see all the dancers stop, look around clueless and then leave the dance floor. Also, their transitions between songs were often rough. I'm with you though, despite the sad party scene, we still had a blast on this cruise!

Day 5 – 7/18 Monday, St. Marteen

This ended up feeling like two days in one. It was ½ a Sea Day coupled with an 8 hour Port Day. Woke up this morning and hit the treadmill in the gym for run #3 of the trip. At this point, I thought I might actually make my 5-6 run goal! I can’t remember what we did for breakfast. Actually, now that I think about it, I think we skipped breakfast and opted for an early lunch before getting off the ship.

We docked starboard side once again. So, being port side, we had a not so lovely view of St. Marteen’s industrial area. From my pre-cruise planning, I knew we’d be the only ship in town, which was a HUGE bonus for this port. During peak winter season, there are often 6 ships docked. I honestly can’t imagine the taxi traffic with that many cruisers trying to get around.

We walked off the ship around 12:30 and headed straight for the taxi stand (located down the dock towards the right). It’s well organized and each destination has its own line. This was my 3rd time in St. Marteen. The first time I did a butterfly excursion with my Mom and got to see the French side a bit. The 2nd time, our sailboat excursion was cancelled due to bad weather so DH and I just walked around town. This time, we were headed to Maho Bay (aka the Airport Beach) on our own. We shared a mini bus taxi with a few other people. The cost was $8pp and it took us about 30 min to get there. We were dropped off at the Sunset Grille, which recently transferred ownership and is going through a huge expansion project, and then walked toward the beach. The 4 of us asked a guy for two chairs and an umbrella ($20) and he escorted us to some already set up. We figured we’d share the chairs as we weren’t going to do much sitting, but at least we had a place for our stuff. It’s a beach, but it’s more of a large rock beach. We were definitely there for the airplanes, not so much the sand. Immediately, I was wishing we had brought our snorkel gear as this ended up being the best location of the trip for it. We enjoyed a couple “Buy 5 Get 1 Free” $20 buckets of Coronas while we watched lots and lots of planes land. There were lots of props from local islands, but a few big ones from NYC, Philly, Charlotte, and Atlanta (I pulled up the airport’s arrivals / departures board on my cell phone to know what we were watching). It really was all very exciting to watch! But the best arrival was the Airbus A340 direct from Paris, France! It landed at 2pm. Definitely do your research ahead and check out the times that the big boys land and take off. We may not have rushed off the ship had we not been anticipating the Air France flight at 2. After a slew of arrivals, including a surprise show off arrival from a giant military helicopter, the planes began their departures. DH fenced surfed for one of the bigger flights to the US, but I had no interest in being pelted by sand and tiny rocks. We left the beach just before the Air France flight was due to take off at 4pm (by this point, we had enough of the airplanes).

We asked the taxi driver to drop us off in town for some shopping. I’m glad we left the beach when we did as most of the shops were closing up around 5 / 5:30, despite the ship being docked until 8. I bought a Del Sol souvenir t-shirt for our 4 yr old, and of course we stocked up on Guavaberry Liquor (good stuff and the hand painted bottles make for great gifts!). DH also surprised me with an anniversary Tanzanite ring. We decided to walk back to the ship. It’s a bit of a walk, but we had plenty of time. And had we not walked, we would’ve missed hearing / seeing the unexpected mountain goats!

Back on the ship, we headed to the pool deck to watch the sunset before getting ready for a late dinner. Tonight’s dinner was in the complimentary Solarium Bistro. Despite last night’s fiasco, I never confirmed our reservation as I’ve developed a “no amount of planning will prevent issues” attitude, so it will be what it will be. We got the quizzical look when we arrived, but they quickly seated us at a table for 4. The Solarium is much quieter. It’s a cross between the dining room and Windjammer, as it is buffet style for appetizers and desserts, but you order from a menu for entrees. We found the food to be good and we enjoyed our meal here.

After dinner, we went to the Music Hall for the live Pop Rock band with fingers crossed for a full dance floor. But, alas, it was pretty dead in there. We did stay to enjoy the music a bit before going off to have fun with the Bionic Bar. I really thought I’d get one drink from the robots and be done with it for the sailing. But we actually really enjoyed watching them work and ended up ordering several rounds before heading to bed! Or, I should say before heading to Sorrento’s for late night pizza and sandwiches, and then to bed. The pizza and sandwiches are good (DH loves the King’s roast beef), but this is the ONLY late night option and it’s getting a bit boring night after night. I really wish they’d open a station in the Windjammer for late night, like they do in the dining halls on college campuses!

They let you bring a case of water on board? Even in NJ? Did you pack it or just walk in with a large case?

Yes, they did! We taped a luggage tag to the top and dropped it off curbside with the porter, and the rest of our luggage. It was waiting for us at the stateroom with the rest of our luggage.

I knew we could get bottles of water onboard, but it was nice to have them already available in the cabin.

Day 4 – 7/17, Sunday @ Sea

Treated myself to not setting an alarm today and actually enjoyed a lazy morning! We went down to two70 for breakfast around 9. They have a few breakfast sandwiches, burritos and croissants that they can warm up for you in a panini press. There’s also a bagel station, Danish station, some fresh fruit and yogurt / granola options. It’s simple, but more than enough for us. And it avoids the craziness of the Windjammer (we never did go there for breakfast this trip). We walked back to the windows for our favorite oversized comfy chairs and just enjoyed the wake view while eating our meal. I don’t understand why more people don’t prefer eating close to the enormous windows. It seems everyone tends to grab the tables as soon as you walk out of the café. Today is also really the first day I’ve felt the ship rocking. Not that it was rocking a lot by any means, but I was actually missing needing to use my sea legs and getting rocked to sleep up to this point. It was nice to actually feel like we were on a moving ship!

After breakfast, we headed upstairs for our 10am North Star reservation (booked online pre-cruise). It just went up, twisted side to side and then back down. It was a little shakier than I thought it would be, but I never felt unsure about being in it. At the time they said they’d go over the ship’s side on our last sea day, but we never did see it swing out. I think they’ve pretty much decided to stick to the up/down as it’s a shorter ride, and therefore more passengers would get the opportunity to experience it.

Being in the North Star helped us discover vacant pool chairs. So, we headed to Deck 15 aft on the port side and found plenty of chairs available. You can’t hear the live music very well, and it was a bit of a walk to the pools and bars, but it was relaxing back there. And the overhangs from the Sea Plex provided some great shade options when the sun became a bit much. This became our “go to” area for chairs the rest of the trip.

A few notes about the pools. We found the outdoor pool and adjacent kiddie play area to be really, really crowded all of the time. It was so crowded that when I wanted to cool off, I’d walk a bit more forward and jump in the indoor pool. We really thought we’d hang in the Solarium a lot this trip (after all, we had no kids in tow). It is really beautiful in there, but it is also really muggy. I don’t know why they never opened some of the roof windows to get more air circulation. Also, for the first time in all of my cruising, I noticed “Pool Safety” monitoring the outdoor pool and kiddie play areas. They weren’t Lifeguards, but their job was solely to keep an eye out on the swimmers. There were also lots of advertisements throughout the ship reminding parents to watch their children swimming, and offering the children’s life vests.

And here was my biggest disappointment about the pool area. The lack of Self-Serve Frozen Yogurt. There was only one station, with two machines. On most ships, I recall two separate stations (one on each side of the ship). At this one station, was a hand washing sink, which really slowed up the line. That combined with one of the two machines always being out of commission, made for a ridiculously long line to get FroYo. The line also had no choice but to form at the bottom of the stairs from Deck 15. It was all really bad planning on RCI’s part.

So, instead of waiting in the long line for something sweet, we decided to try the DogHouse in the SeaPlex. I’m not a big hot dog fan, but this was surprisingly really good. We enjoyed the various options and it was never crowded! The chicken apple dog was my favorite!

Tonight, at 6:30 we had reservations for Spectra’s Cabaret in two70. We decided to get there around 6 and got great seats in the 1st row center balcony. About 5 minutes later, we were kindly asked to find other seats as that entire section was being reserved for Sky Suite Class and Pinnacle members. I get it. If I paid that much for a suite, or that many cruises, I’d want the extra perks too. So, we moved to the side section and still had nice seats. They told us if there were seats available about 10 min before show time, we could move back. So, now its 11 min until show time and not a single body is in the entire center section. You’d think the same person that kicked us out of our seats would extend the courtesy to resume our original seats. But, sadly no. They just opened the section up and it was a crazy, mad rush, free for all. Ugh! But, the show was still really great! Love those robots!!!!! And the CottonCanditinis were also delicious!

After the show, we headed to Chic for our 8:15 reservations. This would become our absolute worst experience of the week on the ship. The host (I never did get his name) rudely and abruptly told me we had no reservations, despite it clearly being reserved on our calendar through the RoyalIQ App. And he said that our friends were showing reserved for a table of 2. OH, and then he said I needed to come back the next day to straighten everything out because we didn’t have reservations for the rest of the trip! This did not go over well with me. I had done my due diligence pre-cruise and spent a lot of time making ALL of our reservations. I had even gone so far as emailing dining asking them to verify that we were reserved as a table for 4 every night (I got confirmation back). And when they changed the show times on us 2 weeks before sailing, I spent 1 ½ hrs on the phone trying to get things resolved. I had spent more than enough time trying to prevent exactly this type of situation from occurring. In hindsight, every restaurant we had checked in up to that point did seem slightly confused about our reservations, but they never said a word to us. And within a few minutes, we were always seated at a table for 4. I just couldn’t understand why this staff member was being so rude to us and blaming us for a lack of reservation. Long story short, they seated us at a table that only had 2 chairs when we first arrived (they ended up bringing 2 more) and the location was right next to the waiter station (so super noisy and chaotic). It was not a welcoming experience. The bar server came up and asked for our drink order without introducing himself or giving us a drink menu. Our waiter, while nice, seemed incredibly stressed out. Actually, everyone working there looked like defeated chickens running around with their heads cut off. I felt bad for the staff. But, I shouldn’t have felt bad for them. It’s a like a ballet dancer onstage…no matter how hard the moves, it’s supposed to look effortless. As passengers, we’re not supposed to see how hard the job is. Since we were all in bad moods from our unwelcoming entrance, and seated at a very loud and chaotic table, I honestly don’t remember the food. We just wanted to get out of there.

After dinner, we tried looking for that dance party scene, but never found it. So we ended up in the Theatre for yet another Late Night comedy routine. This is the point we were getting bored with the evening options on the ship. But, to be honest, I have to blame it on the Cruise Director and Activities Manager. We found them to be the worst we've ever had. And I don't think we were the only ones. When they would show up at various things in the evening, people (including us) would get up and leave. We even avoided some standard activities because we knew they'd be there. We usually enjoy watching the Morning Show, etc...but not this trip. We found them dull and annoying. It's my understanding that they were a somewhat last minute stand in for the scheduled Cruise Director, who had to undergo unexpected surgery.

Great to hear the positive reviews re: the dining so far.

 

Re: the beds ... darn it, I can see requesting at least one or two extra "blanket" cushioning if the mattresses are that firm ... :(

 

RE: the "yahoo" who knocked over your drink - as Jar Jar would say ... How Wude!!

 

Re: the "chair hog" ladies ... I'm trying to keep my inner voice from speaking out about their behavior ... and what I would have done ... "Serenity Now!"

 

Keep on with the report ...

Hahaha...thank you! Yes, he was very Wude! And the other passengers around us during that pool chair fiasco later confessed that it took everything in their will power to not jump up and defend us. LOL!

As for the dining...I'm about to post a not so good experience. :-/