Anthem Disappointment (Really RCCL In General)

[xpcdoojk]

6 hours ago, Biker19 said:

Welcome to CC.

I appreciate the effort they put into their CC name.  Clearly they are wanting to be part of the community!😇

[xpcdoojk]

4 hours ago, Iamcruzin said:

Thank you I wasn't looking for sympathy. I was only trying to add perspective. These cruise lines are caught between a rock and a hard place and they need to be cut some slack. I'm not a cheerleader for any one line. If they act in a way I disapprove of I pipe up for that as well.  

Hmmm… all these years I thought your CC name started with a capital I… I am sorry for thinking it has be I am cruising….   

 

Hi Lam, I am jc!

[xpcdoojk]

4 hours ago, cruising247365 said:

Absolutely.  We have never posted because we know that we would go down the rabbit hole lol.  Once involved in forums especially for travel, we find it hard to stay away!  Finally just posted today because it was our first cruise attempt in 3 years (ugh) after always sailing multiple times per year, and we have always found update posts to be helpful.  We usually only start paying attention again to CC forums once we have actually booked;  otherwise just follow via updates on FB.  I was following the live updates for Anthem (Piper) and got that email today, and had seen many people in those asking about itineraries, and people looking to maybe book in the future.  Wanted to help, as we saw they were still listing it the same.

 

Hi Pooh!  My bad I mean Bee.  Pooh and Bees just go together.  Lam has me all messed up.  Not to mention how much effort you put into your new name.  

Edited January 14, 2022 by xpcdoojk
Recognition

[chrisby]

We are going on our first cruise since 2019, also on Anthem. We contemplated canceling because we were worried that we would not stop at the ports that were on our original itinerary, but then we thought it’s still a cruise and we will get to the Caribbean, we will eat, drink, and relax. Our favorite port is St Lucia, just waking up and seeing the sheer beauty of it is my favorite. But, if we don’t get to go there, it’s ok. And San Juan is no loss to us, it’s not one of our favorite stops. A lot of the changes are not Royals choice, it’s been a very rough time for all cruise lines. Think about it, they were completely shut down for over a year, right? That’s a crazy amount of money lost. Need to give them a break…..

[Painter4me]

This month with be our first and last RCL cruise. We’ve cruised on many of the other lines in our 20+ cruises. Customer Service is a nightmare and as useless as tits on a bull. Tried to cancel for a refund, due to the mask mandate etc. Nope, only a FCC. don’t want to deal with them. Want to go on the cruise, get it over with, hopefully enjoy it as much as we can and be done with RCL. We’re hoping to at least be able to disembark at Coco Cay, enjoy some nice weather, see some shows, have some nice meals, maybe sit and listen to some music and sit on our balcony and watch the world go by. Not into socializing on this cruise. 

[Jimbo]

23 minutes ago, Painter4me said:

This month with be our first and last RCL cruise. We’ve cruised on many of the other lines in our 20+ cruises. Customer Service is a nightmare and as useless as tits on a bull. Tried to cancel for a refund, due to the mask mandate etc. Nope, only a FCC. don’t want to deal with them. Want to go on the cruise, get it over with, hopefully enjoy it as much as we can and be done with RCL. We’re hoping to at least be able to disembark at Coco Cay, enjoy some nice weather, see some shows, have some nice meals, maybe sit and listen to some music and sit on our balcony and watch the world go by. Not into socializing on this cruise. 

 Call again some are getting full cash refunds for not liking the current protocols.

[AustinCruise]

It’s a pandemic. Be prepared for anything.  We cruised twice and still enjoyed it. 
 

Not sure they actually know what’s going to happen at any given time. Lots of optimism prior to the recent variant.  It also likely takes an army to make and finalize any decisions on changes like ports.

 

 

[blueslily]

5 hours ago, cruising247365 said:

Absolutely.  I believe they have 3? ships operating as quarantine ships like the Jewel that are working to shift workers in and out.  Has to be rough for sure!  We have sailed Princess, NCL, Holland, Carnival, Celebrity.  This was actually supposed to be our first RCL cruise, as we wanted to see if we want to sail them more often.  Always hear from RCL loyalists how great they are, have wanted to check them out.  This one was drivable, so figured we would give it a shot.  Is RCL your fave?

 

How do we announce EVEN LOUDER that cruising during a pandemic, in the midst of a surge, is not the best time to "check out" cruising or any cruise line. This is not a good time to see how a cruise is or how a particular cruise line is. I sailed in December and had a great time on Symphony, but I was well aware when I reserved back in October BEFORE the surge that the sailing might be different. So, how does someone who reads CC frequently not realize that when booking just 2 weeks ago that this is not a good time to "check out" a cruise. If anyone out there is considering booking a first time cruise or if you have someone in your party that will be cruising for the first time, I want to share with you that this is NOT the time to get an accurate representation of what cruising is completely like. You will get some parts, but not all. If that is not good enough, DONT book or please cancel and save us from seeing more threads like this. I just could not let this one go. Smh. Good night everyone. 

 

P.S. I love cruising and have no issue sailing even next month. This reply is specifically about people evaluating cruising based on sailing right now. Omg. Is this the twilight zone?

[John&LaLa]

54 minutes ago, Painter4me said:

This month with be our first and last RCL cruise. We’ve cruised on many of the other lines in our 20+ cruises. Customer Service is a nightmare and as useless as tits on a bull. Tried to cancel for a refund, due to the mask mandate etc. Nope, only a FCC. don’t want to deal with them. Want to go on the cruise, get it over with, hopefully enjoy it as much as we can and be done with RCL. We’re hoping to at least be able to disembark at Coco Cay, enjoy some nice weather, see some shows, have some nice meals, maybe sit and listen to some music and sit on our balcony and watch the world go by. Not into socializing on this cruise. 

 

Good luck on shows if you are sailing in near future 

[PhoenixCruiser]

Does everyone know that we are entering the third year of a global pandemic? 

[emeraldcity]

I intend to go with the flow ... and I'll have a great time. I just found out on the roll call that St. Lucia has been switched out. Too bad. I was hoping to get to the Pitons this time, but I have to say that the view of the harbor in St. Thomas is one of the most beautiful in the Caribbean. It just takes my breath away.

 

And hey! I may get to the Pitons yet. I just checked My Calendar and it shows that my shore excursion is still there for "Cruise to the Pitons". I expect they may have to extend the timeframe a bit or get us a jet boat. 🙂

 

[pcur]

6 hours ago, cruising247365 said:

Ha, we were thinking that maybe a cruise to nowhere would be awesome, no worries about testing for ports!  Though, I would miss the joys of pulling into the ports...sailing out of St Maarten, St Thomas, Greece...*sighs longingly*

If you're big on sail-away views, then put Kotor on your bucket list.  Search pictures of the bay of Kotor.  Breathtaking, and the special treat is a teeny-tiny little island in the middle of the long bay that has a monastery built on it. Look up Our Lady of the Rocks.

 

 

[Moltar]

Setting high expectations during a pandemic was your first mistake...

 

And to those who come on here and say they will never be back to Royal like Painter, just know this, that's music to our ears. We don't want that negative energy around us on our vacation, so we thank you for never coming back. Seriously, THANK YOU!

 

Looking so forward to Anthem in February!

 

Carry on.

Edited January 14, 2022 by Moltar

[asalligo]

RCCL is struggling greatly right now and we do have to go with the flow to cruise right now, but dang the cheerleaders on this board. OP did pay a pretty penny for the itinerary they picked. They can complain a little about not getting what they paid for. Comments like you should be happy to pay for being on a ship no matter what the situation is are ridiculous. 

 

I know that I cannot put up with cruising in its current format and am just booking land vacations for now. I am here every day in hope though that we will get our old cruising back. 

 

[alfaeric]

Good luck in finding an alternative that is not impacted by the pandemic.  Particularly as things change quickly.

[Coochuck]

1 hour ago, asalligo said:

RCCL is struggling greatly right now and we do have to go with the flow to cruise right now, but dang the cheerleaders on this board. OP did pay a pretty penny for the itinerary they picked. They can complain a little about not getting what they paid for. Comments like you should be happy to pay for being on a ship no matter what the situation is are ridiculous. 

 

I know that I cannot put up with cruising in its current format and am just booking land vacations for now. I am here every day in hope though that we will get our old cruising back. 

 

You are 100% correct in your statement about not getting what she paid for her cruise.  We were on the Anthem Dec 14th....got what we paid for....Didn't get off the ship in Port Canaveral, nor Nassau, but we did enjoy a day at Coco Cay.  We are on the Jan 20th Anthem Cruise and paid a lot more for this cruise with the expectaion of great ports of call.  Now they are changing the ports which we will visit due to the Omnicron outbreak which I understand.  With that being said, not returning Port Taxes for missed stops (San Juan so far), nor offering any compensation for missing St Lucia is unacceptable.  We have the same class of cabin from out December and January cruises...but the price difference is close to $1000.00 difference between the cruises.

[MommaBear55]

11 hours ago, PhoenixCruiser said:

Does everyone know that we are entering the third year of a global pandemic? 

Seems to be some people are still baffled by the words "Covid" and "pandemic". 

[njkruzer]

28 minutes ago, Coochuck said:

You are 100% correct in your statement about not getting what she paid for her cruise.  We were on the Anthem Dec 14th....got what we paid for....Didn't get off the ship in Port Canaveral, nor Nassau, but we did enjoy a day at Coco Cay.  We are on the Jan 20th Anthem Cruise and paid a lot more for this cruise with the expectaion of great ports of call.  Now they are changing the ports which we will visit due to the Omnicron outbreak which I understand.  With that being said, not returning Port Taxes for missed stops (San Juan so far), nor offering any compensation for missing St Lucia is unacceptable.  We have the same class of cabin from out December and January cruises...but the price difference is close to $1000.00 difference between the cruises.

Still surprised about no refund on port charges as we received them and obc for missing Cartegania on our recent Jewel cruise.  Didn’t need to do anything.  It just appeared on our account the next day.

[DaniDanielle]

14 hours ago, time4u2go said:

Agreed!

Not cooking and cleaning is a perk of cruising not the REASON  we cruise.  It is just nice to get a break from everyday fun.  Although, I guess some of you get your cooking and cleaning done for you so you don’t get that perk.  

[time4u2go]

13 minutes ago, DaniDanielle said:

Not cooking and cleaning is a perk of cruising not the REASON  we cruise.  It is just nice to get a break from everyday fun.  Although, I guess some of you get your cooking and cleaning done for you so you don’t get that perk.  

Same here.  It's a very welcome perk, but definitely not the reason we cruise.  We want (and expect) more from any vacation than just not having to cook or clean!

[Itchy&Scratchy]

18 hours ago, DaniDanielle said:

I agree, no cooking, cleaning just eating and maybe a drink or two

well, when I am at home, I could easily forgo all the cleaning and cooking for a week, and just pick up some ready to eat food, but it won't cost me $2,600 (cruise) plus $970 (air). Even with a drink or two every day.

We are not paying just for food on a cruise. Honestly, the expectations are on par with pre-pandemic times, and since the cost to cruise is the same as pre-pandemic (or even higher, really), why wouldn't our expectations for entertainment and activities be the same? If RCI charges for and promises the whole enchilada experience, but doesn't deliver (because the pandemic), why wouldn't we expect people to be sorely disappointed?

Edited January 14, 2022 by Itchy&Scratchy

[ONECRUISER]

1 hour ago, Coochuck said:

You are 100% correct in your statement about not getting what she paid for her cruise.  We were on the Anthem Dec 14th....got what we paid for....Didn't get off the ship in Port Canaveral, nor Nassau, but we did enjoy a day at Coco Cay.  We are on the Jan 20th Anthem Cruise and paid a lot more for this cruise with the expectaion of great ports of call.  Now they are changing the ports which we will visit due to the Omnicron outbreak which I understand.  With that being said, not returning Port Taxes for missed stops (San Juan so far), nor offering any compensation for missing St Lucia is unacceptable.  We have the same class of cabin from out December and January cruises...but the price difference is close to $1000.00 difference between the cruises.

35yrs on Royal most ever got for Missed Port was Taxes back, before when Royal never gave Taxes back at most 2hrs of free drinks one nite. Unless a replacement was found Missed Port for me was always a Sea Day, those I like anyway

[Itchy&Scratchy]

18 hours ago, Iamcruzin said:

This is the open minded attitude you have to take. Expect the worst

why would I pay $3K for my ONLY vacation per year (and the first one in two years) just to expect the worst?

[DaniDanielle]

I agree with you, however, we were lucky and got this cruise very cheap.  I do expect some things to be happening.  Not there just to eat and drink.

[Itchy&Scratchy]

13 hours ago, blueslily said:

How do we announce EVEN LOUDER that cruising during a pandemic, in the midst of a surge, is not the best time to "check out" cruising or any cruise line.

I must say - I fully agree with this statement.

 

One of the reasons I cancelled our first ever MSC cruise in April 2022 is that we haven't even stepped foot on the ship, but they are already proving to be difficult, uncaring and unreliable.