gaylemh

3 minutes ago, mizLORInj said:

Just back today from Anthem 8 nighter.  Royal Swedes were there, also the Journey tribute band Resurrection and they were fabulous.   

Royal Swedes will be on until April - Great band.

56 minutes ago, willie362 said:

Darn it, thats who I was hoping to Get. How did you find out ?

 

I was on the ship with them on the 11/16 sailing. They are also on the sailing that leaves today.

1 hour ago, willie362 said:

Sailing on Anthem on January 16th 2020. Anyone know who tribute band will be?

Wanted is on 1/27, but I don't know who is on 1/16. It changes each cruise.

20 hours ago, Merion_Mom said:

My thoughts:

Hall & Oates are rock 'n' roll legends.  They are the highest selling duo of all time.  They were hired to do one concert.  Period. (And a second show still would not have included everyone.)

 

 

Hall & Oates are the highest selling duo's of all time - I would have thought it would be Simon & Garfunkel.  

4 hours ago, h20skibum said:

Looking forward to hearing about your experience on Anthem.   Although we have sailed many different ships, we are sailing Anthem for the first time in April.

 

I have heard that same story about crowds at Windjammer on boarding day.

I always go to the WJ after the cabins open at 1.  I drop off my coat and carry on, and then go to eat.  It's easy to find a table then.

10 hours ago, aring75 said:

And of course, by now, you’ve heard that the 2020 President’s Cruise has been announced. They allowed those of us in attendance to “vote.” (Or so they say.)

 

There were a few options from which to choose. First up:

 

 

^^That one was quite a popular choice. 
 

Next. Wait for it. 
 

 

I know, right!? Better and better. 
 

Then, they got serious. 
 

 

 

 

After a snafu with the date for the Allure Mediterranean Cruise was corrected, we learned that is the winner. 
 

The 2020 President’s Cruise will be on Allure of the Seas 10/25/20 round trip Barcelona.

Too bad it wasn't the October 4th cruise on Oasis. I'm already booked on that one.

20 minutes ago, suzyluvs2cruise said:

 

Have them dry cleaned...not washed....if you're concerned about them shrinking. 

 

That's what I'm planning. 

I think this will be great for solo travelers.  I won't get in a taxi by myself on the islands to go to a beach, and the tours through the ship, to beaches, are not always ideal times.  I'm guessing they will have shuttles running back and forth all day to their private beaches, making it much safer for us solos.

Just now, ldubs said:

 

Yes!  Always liked the scones but don't recall having toppings.  

There is a small station that they set up in the WJ at 3 pm.  (the WJ used to close at 3).

There are small sandwiches, fruit, cookies, and scones with whipped cream, strawberries, chocolate sometimes other berries to add.  I have also seen cherries jubilee and ice cream, but that was rare.

19 hours ago, Iamcruzin said:

I found the donuts to be dry as dust. They were more like day old donuts. The best donuts and pastry were at breakfast in the MDR. I also enjoyed the strawberry scones at cafe 270. That was my 4:00 go to with a frozen blended coffee.

They now have the scones with different toppings you can add at 3 - 4 PM in the WJ.

4 hours ago, Ashland said:

Have the ship "dry clean" them instead. This option has worked out great for me.

I thought about that.  You had no problems dry cleaning the jeans?

3 minutes ago, Tee & Chilli said:

If hot water is used and a dryer, there is a potential for shrinking.

That's what I'm trying to find out.  If anyone had any experience with laundry.

Just now, shofer said:

Are there any port days in this cruise?  You might want to ask your cabin steward if he knows of any laundromats near the port.

The last thing I want to do on a cruise is spend a port day at the laundromat.  I'll pay whatever the cost to have it done on the ship. I just don't want my clothes ruined.

Has anyone had jeans or shorts washed?  Did they shrink?  I'll be on for 21 nights and don't want to bring more than 2 pairs of jeans and a few pairs of shorts, for during the day, but I also don't want my expensive jeans shrinking.

On 10/25/2019 at 8:01 PM, RockHoundTX said:

Yes. This is exactly the situation. You can leave your 10YO on the ship in AO but the 15YO has to be off the ship if the parents are. This is exactly why I found it so odd as well and made sure that this is truly what the policy meant (asked this exact question many times). What I posted in the origin post was the exact cut-n-paste from the e-mail from the office of the AVP of RCI Guest Services. While there is no problem with an "approved signer" such as yourself signing a child out on Sea days, I don't think you are technically allowed to sign them out on a Port day (but that doesn't mean it doesn't happen all the time).   

 

Funny enough, during the call with the RCI Director of Guest Services (reports directly to the AVP?), she originally categorically stated that "No minor is allowed to stay on the ship if under 18 without parents". She then gave the exact excuse of "What happens if you miss the ship if your kids are in AO?". I then told her I was absolutely certain she was wrong about this. She stated that she had been with RCI corporate for 9 years, had cruised several times with her minor daughter, and knew the rules. About 10 minutes later in the conversation she read me the exact policy where it CLEARLY stated that it is was acceptable for those from the age of 3-11 to be in AO when the parents on on-shore. She paused for a second and then stated "Oh. It looks like you are right.". So here is an example of a long-time RCI employee that absolutely should have known the rules that didn't.

 

As for those that have stated that it is irresponsible for parents to leave those under 18 on-board because they are too immature, I find that very sad. I was in college living on my own when I was 17 (and had no problem driving half-way across the country by myself when I was 16). My wife left home to attend school across the country from her parents when she was 14. My son will be a sophomore in college next year, so if I can't trust him by now then there is a problem 😉    That being said, the point of my post was not to debate specific to my kids. I just wanted to pass on my experience so that others hopefully won't be shocked if they find themselves in the same situation. 

  

Did your son tell the people in AO that he was left on board with grandparents or family friends, or did he just say his parents weren't on board and he was alone? I would think if they paged the grandparents/family friends, they would have let him go with them.

On 3/28/2018 at 7:19 PM, Host Clarea said:

I can't believe you ever get an infraction.

 

 

We had El Gaucho BOTH weeks on Adventure.

El Gaucho was the only show I ever walked out on.

On 10/23/2019 at 12:52 PM, compman9 said:

Is Susie running one of the bars?

Susie Q was in the casino bar as of yesterday.

On 10/23/2019 at 12:39 PM, Tatka said:

Enjoy!

 

Who is a leading singer at Spectra's Cabaret?

By any chance Terry Lavell ?

Terry is supposed to be back sometime next month.

7 hours ago, snowglobe said:

Check the Terms & Conditions for that - the cancellation window is 48 hours. If it’s a two-stop cruise, that wouldn’t work so well: once on Coco Cay on the Tuesday, it’ll technically be already too late to cancel the Thursday. (No problem though if you meant different cruises, of course.)

I’m in the same boat [pardon the pun], and have both days booked for the Beach Club. So, I’ll be relying heavily on the reviews that’ll come in order to make a decision & go ahead with a pre-cruise cancellation.

 

My initial thought was that the Beach Club would especially be great on a day when two ships are docked. But if the reviews mention crowding problems, then I would keep It only for the day when only one ship is docked. If people think the Island won’t be so busy, then maybe they’ll be less inclined to pay extra for the Beach Club pass...

 

The big variability too for the crowding factor shall be the cabana people, and where they will be hanging out. I suspect most of them won’t be hanging at the pool much. 😉

Like I said, I plan to go on the 2/7 cruise.  If it's not worth it to me, I'll be canceling the other 6 reservations.  My thought too on the two ships in port. I sent a message to Royal asking is I would be guaranteed a lounger for my $69. They said yes.  I don't plan on going over as soon as the ship docks, so I wanted to make sure.

2 hours ago, LuCruise said:

PS - Coco Beach Cabana full day pass ranges from $1993-$2259 CAD (double ouch)

The full day pass, without the cabana, is only $50-69.

6 minutes ago, snowglobe said:

This may include the Coco Beach cabanas as well, with an eight guests per cabana occupancy.

 

https://www.royalcaribbeanpresscenter.com/download-press-kit/107/

https://www.travelagentcentral.com/cruises/royal-caribbean-opens-bookings-for-cococay-s-coco-beach-club

https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/21672-coco-beach-club-set-to-debut-for-royal-caribbean.html

I'm sure it has to include the cabanas.  I still think it's a lot of people, especially with a small 2600 sq ft pool.  I booked the day pass for all my cruises to Coco Cay.  First sailing will be on Feb 7th.  If it's too crowded, I'll be canceling the other 6 reservations.

1 minute ago, snowglobe said:

According to a press release, that number was reported in industry publications as 450. I would think that number to be correct, as they have to factor in the restaurant’s capacity for serving the upgraded lunch.

450 sounds like a lot of people for that small area.  

1 hour ago, Giorgi-one said:

Does anyone know if they will be limiting number of passes sold to the Beach Club?

I was told it was a limited number, but they wouldn't tell me the number.

I would love to see West Side Story or Beautiful.  Sound of Music would be wonderful, but they could never do it because of all the kids.

2 minutes ago, Artemus said:

I am on that same cruise under the Mingle and Jingle offer. I asked about the “hosted gift exchange “ when I booked my cruise and was told by Casino Royale that I was not expected to bring a gift, if that helps.

Someone posted earlier.  I can't remember if it was FB or CC.  The casino supplies the gift and from what they said they were pretty good.  I wish I could have booked, but I was already booked on Anthem with a friend.