jeh10641

I covered the food on board Anthem OTS extensively. My review is in my signature below.

The "Law of Supply and Demand" will answer your question. If pricing drives away customers, prices will retreat, maybe not all the way but enough to spark demand. In the meantime, our Royal cruise (Anthem OTS) had very few of the complaints found in this conversation. Included food was very good and choices were ample. Service was impeccable. Did i miss not having two cabin attendants? No. Did I miss two daily cabin cleanups? No. Most hotels do not offer those services. Many do not even offer daily service on longer stays. If you do not want to pay Icon OTS prices, there are many more options in Royal's fleet. I do not care about all the bells and whistles that she offers. For me, destinations are more important than the ship. The megaships cannot visit the smaller, less visited places. Those are what I like. By the way, my preferred cruise line is HAL.

In terms of profitability of cruise lines: Yes, they are having great bottom line success. But be aware they incurred multiple BILLIONS of dollars in debt during the "Shut Down!". It will take them multiple years of big profits to pay that debt down, especially as they add new and refurbish old ships to their fleets. As a stockholder in two cruise lines, I want that debt brought under control even if it means I may have to pay more in order for that to happen.

I will add my two cents. On our Anthem OTS cruise in October, we had two servers. Both were attentive and actually performed way above their paygrade. They had a pot of unsweetened ice tea for each dinner (about a dozen) in American Icon Grill MDR without us asking for it (see my review below, not available otherwise due the embarkation port and taste factors of Europeans according to the hotel director). The two made us origami several times, without asking, including a napkin special one night. The head waiter came over every night to talk to us. He had the kitchen make us a special dessert that was no longer on the menu. We had only mentioned it in passing and never asked for it. Our MDR dinners related, taste wise and appeal, to what I would expect in a land-based restaurant in the $30-40 range, per person (Seattle WA area). There were always 2-4 different items each night over 15 nights plus a few more that remained the same. Gourmet? Not really. However, it was still very good. If I ordered medium rare, it came medium rare. We like to dawdle over dinner but never had to stay more than 90 minutes in a leisurely atmosphere. The Windjammer Buffet was light years ahead of any land-based buffet we ever ate at except maybe in Las Vegas where those buffets now start around $40 per person. I have been cruising since 1959 but in recent years (after retirement) more actively. I do not classify myself as a "foodie" but I enjoy a good meal when I have one. I had only good top great meals on Anthem. Jim

Nothing wrong with my font settings. I find it easier to read this way.

Wrong again. I will not respond to any more of your insults.

Your words: "I'm sure it was memorable for you but not so much for the other guests." "For me and the rest of the guests, not so much." Enough said.

There is nothing wrong with having an opinion. We all do. Some people on this thread enjoy the singalongs and you keep saying that "most people do not enjoy them". How do you know what most people want? Have to talked to most people? You have not talked to me or many of the others who enjoy the singalongs. Find or start another thread to vent your opinions.

I have no idea what your problem is. I have seen the piano bars with people singing along. Sometimes, if I know the words, I join the singing. You should not be putting people down BECAUSE YOU do not like the show. Leave the venue if you do not like singalongs. Jim

Me too.

I get Walter's dogs every few years. My brother (died a year ago) lived in White Plains. I used to come East for MHS Reunions (now via Zoom). We use "Any Time" (or whatever the cruise line calls it) dining. We ask for tables of 6 to 8 including us so we get to meet other people. On our last cruise, via Cruise Critic Roll Call, we met some people with whom we connected before the cruise on land-based tours before and during the cruise. We dined with some almost every night. We all thought RCCL's food was very good. Jim

I believe that we had the "new" menus on our transatlantic. They were mostly themed for each night. On one night the head waiter brought us, without asking, an apple dessert no longer on the "new" menus but had been a favorite of our dining partners. The regular staff prepared a pot of fresh brewed "unsweetened" ice tea for us each night because Anthem OTS was not stocking the unsweetened ice tea mix as the ship had been in England/Europe for several months. Those clientele apparently prefers sweetened.

Not facts, opinions as to taste.

Hi, George, Pelham and Larchmont (Mamaroneck High School '59). Seattle area since January 1975. 1959 sailing was part of a student tour of Europe for 55 days. Think "Grand Tour" of yore but on a budget. Nieuw Amsterdam had three classes then - first, cabin, tourist (seems like cruise lines are reverting back to that). We were in the middle class. It had a ROUND porthole about 15 inches in diameter, on a lower deck. The seas got so bad that the room attendant had to lower a steel covering over it and lock it in place for 2 or 3 days. The waves were over the porthole. I was not yet 18 and on my own with 29 other kids who were either going to be high school seniors, or like me, were going to start college. Jim

We have utilized HAL's laundry program in the pasdt and have always been more than happy with the results. We even send them a gratuity via a laundry bag/envelope. Jim

Hi, George, Thank you for the compliment. I appreciate it. When i write a review, whether for a cruise or a book, I try to an honest appraisal based on my experience. I am not sure why negative reviews seem to dominate Cruise Critic's boards on RCCL food. Our experience, albeit only two lengthy trips 15 years apart, has been very positive. Fellow cruisers with whom I spoke on Anthem felt the food was very good but somewhat limited in selection. WEe felt there was more than enough choices for each meal. We are displaced New Yorkers ourselves. My wife from the Bronx and I from Westchester County. Jim

Hi, Charles, You make very valid points about ATMS and banks at home for getting foreign currency and in other countries. i do have a question though: if you get Euros for travel why not pounds as well? Most European countries, like Great Britain, are more credit card intensive than the US. We arrived by train in London from Amsterdam. I needed small bills for tips for porters, etc. Most ATMS give tens and twenties which are too much in my opinion. In case you are wondering, my wife and I are in our 80s so lugging baggage is not our thing anymore. Jim

I purchased a laundry package for my Hawaii cruise in January 2025. It came to $8.50/day, whether or not it will be one item or 10 pounds. Jim

I was in England in October 2023 and was glad I had Pounds in hand when I arrived for tips. I even took a Winchester personal city tour that did NOT take credit cards (very worthwhile by the way). Jim

As exemplified by this thread, food is very personal. My wife and I loved the MDR on Navigator OTS on our first cruise in 2008. We loved the MDR food on Anthem OTS in October 2023 (transatlantic). I left a review of Anthem on Cruise Critic where you see my entire multipage review. JEH10641

The reason I travel with foreign currency is that when I arrive in a foreign country, I will have cash for immediate use for tips, snacks, taxis, etc. Never more than 100 units (Euros, Pounds, etc.). After settling in, then I can look for a bank ATM recommended by my bank to further reduce any fees.

We always buy the laundry service in advance. That way we can pack less. We always have anywhere from a few days (FL, NY, CA) or a few weeks (Europe) before we cruise. being able to send out those clothes on the day after boarding is a blessing. We pack for four or five days. Our cruises are never less than 11 days. Jim

You guys have great memories. I do not remember the name of any performer I have seen on a cruise except for Cantare and Boulvevard. Jim

I use bold fonts because I find it easier to see at my age (82 and counting). I did not raise the issue of casinos but I was just responding to a previous note. I am looking forward to seeing to what Billboard on Board actually is changing, if it is changing.

Many of C.L.I.A.'s rules are strange but cruise lines voluntarily sign up for them.