Engineroom Snipe

You have now shown your "Royal" weakness, 'wifi'. "I'll get you my pretty......" (The Wizard of Oz, 1939). The flying 'Royal' monkeys are waiting to take you away from your "free" wifi. The man behind the curtain, "Nothing to see here, just an additional wifi charge for the man who must have access to the stock market." As they cut from the scene where the Scare Crow has lost all of his stuffing. 😢 😠

"You got a rowboat?" Must be at least Diamond+ to be offered a seat at the oars! I agree, so much speculation on so many levels. I book a cabin on a cruise and enjoy each and every day. Should I get some sort of 'perk', I am grateful. One never knows how many more days at sea are in the cards of life.

"Lower than diamond...", they are relegated to shoveling the coal into the boilers in order to get one plate at Sorrentos. May God bless the "little people". I might be one of them. 😉

I like your post but maybe the problem is that "It's all getting point-full." I think it is human nature to try and get as much as possible for your purchases. Every little bit helps but now everyone is competing in larger numbers. The situations are becoming "Catch-22".

Sometimes, it takes years to change anything 'Royal'. Remember "Dynamic Dining"? That was an absolute fiasco that took almost two years to stop. I would never place that type of "load" on @Ozark_Kid for just posting an opinion and answering questions to the best of their ability.

"Oldie but Goldie" when you compare the price and experience. I am a repetitive poster who is willing to cruise at the right price point. One could accuse me of being a cruise mercenary and I would have a difficulty defending the argument. 😁

Thank you for your post.

I hate the feeling on my flops as I pull away from the sticky mess, let alone if it gets on my wife's sundress! 🤣

Let me throw a debate grenade into the conversation: Popcorn is a mess to clean so we charge to reduce it. Cruisers still insist on buying it so we charge more based on the cost and effort to clean spaces after selling it. I do not know about other people's experiences, but melting ice cream is sticky and can become a slipping hazard on the pool deck. I have seen a few wilting cones on top of deck lounge chairs melting like Frosty the Snowman under a heat lamp. Do we start charging for the "included with the price" soft-serve on the pool deck to avoid such meltdowns and their clean-up costs? 🤔

Great pictures which describe your post. May I ask what time? Definitely a sea day and I would guess about 11:45am?

I have made comments about how a person is now onboard the biggest water park on a floating vessel. After your comment, would you spend additional money to get off at Coco Cay to do the water park and spend additional monies when you have a one-of-a-kind onboard? The "Hideaway" similar to the new theme on Coco Bay "Hideaway" might not be the same experience many adults imagine. I would like a 'hideaway' from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. More of a serene quiet oasis on a beach listening to the ocean. We all have our own definition of 'hideaway'. You are a tough opinion CC poster but I do read your posts and take them for face value. I am a long time 'Royal' and loyal cruiser but it does not mean I am blindly loyal. Interesting post.

As soon as I saw the "T" word in the title, I predict there will be no "end of debate." It is as predictable as pouring gasoline on a campfire. The results are the same every time. 🤣

I did not want to put a "like" emoji on your post because it might appear that I liked your outcome. Thank you for sharing your factual experience. 😊

I think the comment is made because as already mentioned, there is no Aqua Theater on the Voyager as well as the following: 1. Should you book a voyage that does not use tenders (docking at every port), the tender priority is meaningless. 2. Only specific ships have entertainment venue which offers reservations. If your specific entertainment venues do not support reservations, this perk is moot. 3. Should you arrive after 12pm, the early check-in process is moot and you will not benefit from having your bags held for you. You have to weigh the perks against the price like everything else on a cruise. 😉

When we drive to a port, we do 2 personal bags, 2 carry-on bags, and one bag which would equal a small check-in bag at an airport. this is one of the great perks of driving and parking which has been mentioned, I really enjoy no baggage limits or considerations. This allows us to do absolutely no laundry onboard with fresh clothes everyday. I have a fabulous washer/dryer at home which handles it all when our cruise is over (and Dry Cleaners for any formal wear). Everyone has their style of traveling and cruising. I am studying everyone's take on this subject. You have to do you and what works for you. As far as delaying anyone boarding or leaving because of luggage, in the big scheme of things, I find this insignificant. For instance, you can be the first person off in Bayonne, NJ, on the Oasis, and spend 90 minutes trying to get out of the parking lot with or without taking your luggage with you from your cabin. You can have the porters handle your luggage completely and wait 40 minutes for a shuttle or taxi. Should there be someone in a wheel chair who is slowing me down, it reminds me to be grateful that I do not need one yet and celebrate that someone is still able to do another vacation. Someday, I might be in that wheelchair and I hope that those who I slow down are patient and courteous knowing I have no other alternative. That cruise in a wheelchair might be the last one I have before I stop cruising. It might be the best memory I talk about for years. Carry-on luggage should not be much of an emotional topic as it is almost inconsequential in the big scheme of life.

Yes, I have seen you going to Daytona Beach in February when the water temperature is about 53 degrees F and enjoying the waves as the native Floridians are in parkas in disbelief. You are like, "This is as warm as summer gets where I live." Your "short" weather season would see me in double thermal layers! A very good packing list as you can just substitute swimwear for shorts when needed.

Noticed no shorts on the list. Omission or purposely not packed? I noticed two light hoodie jackets so maybe this was a cooler temperature cruise?

I have been on the Anthem for multiple cruises. Deck thirteen where your cabin is has the possibility of some noise from the pool during active hours and some chair movement by crew when they are cleaning during the night. If you are a light sleeper, bring a white noise machine and possibly even earplugs just in case. A benefit to your area during hot days is that you are shaded and if it happens to rain, you can meditate on your balcony without getting wet. A big benefit to your location is that you only need to climb one deck of stairs to get to the Windjammer or Pool Deck. You can go from your room to the Pool Bar in about 3 minutes, get some drinks and bring them back to your balcony under ten minutes if the lines are not long without waiting for an elevator. You can make the decision on which elevators you want to use since one bank is not much more of a walk than the other. Many good aspects to your location. My wife and I are early-birds and we sleep well under almost any circumstances after a full day of sun and activities. We normally book Deck 12 balconies to reduce any noise possibilities and find the two flights of stairs to Pool deck and Windjammer a perfect exercise which does not exhaust us but helps us get steps in.

@BigPapi21, This was your first posting on Cruise Critic. Overall, the cruise just seemed to be one awful situation for you. I have been lucky that in my many years of cruising, I have not had to endure a cruise that you have experienced. Some were great, so many were very good, but none as disappointing as yours. After such an experience as yours, you would probably not cruise again and no one would blame you. It is what it is. Thank you for sharing your experience.

Now that's what I call an obstructed view! On the bright side, just close your eyes, listen to the ocean, and enjoy some fresh sea air on your balcony. I always say, it depends on the price point. If the price was right, you have fresh air on your balcony with some extra room beyond your interior cabin and more light than an inside cabin with an outside view. "Always Look On the Bright Side of Life" (Monty Python)

Sounds like you have a reasonable plan. Your "vacation" from stress should not have you stressful about the vacation. Look forward to a great cruise.

If I were to get this room as a guaranteed balcony, I would take it. You can see directly in front of you and are not looking at the top of a lifeboat. As @Coralc stated, "After a couple of days, you don't even notice it."

Very much a possibility considering the much higher prices which the ship is commanding today. I am hopeful that Royal considers that this cruiser was 'loyal' enough to commit to what was at the time a premium price excited about a cruise only based on it being "Iconic". Royal has to appreciate such loyalty which would lead to more good will and publicity about the cruiser's experience concerning this special occasion. My opinion was that it was the start of a mutual negotiation. If Royal thought that my offer was a bit extreme, I might counter-offer that the 20% could be credited as "On board credit" knowing that Royal was getting the money in their pocket and maybe just costing them an actual of "10% cost". It is a starting point in a mutually beneficial negotiation instead of an outlandish demand of "I want my cruise and a 1--% towards a future cruise credit" which might be a non-starter and lead to your outcome. You have an absolutely plausible outcome but I am trying to offer an alternative to a flat-out "NO".

I need to patent a suntan resistant and chlorine/high water temperature resistant laminate cruise card. If I get just 0.001 cents per card (per cruiser), I can retire tomorrow! 🤣

Yes, I had one start to delaminate after a few visits over multiple days in the hot-tub. A quick visit to Guest Services to issue a new one which was about two years ago. The most recent cards seem to be more resistant because I have not had problems since. Just my experience and maybe, I do not spend as much time as most people which affects the card.