Maraprince

I have heard of other cruise lines putting off entire families who caused disturbances at the next available port and not letting them continue on sailing. Wonder why it took so long for this to happen especially if there were complaints by other passengers about this same group prior to this escalation.

MARAPRINCE

Except overnight in Bermuda then it's $50 per day (cannot combine for one big excursion)

Regarding Bermuda, we arrive at 5PM on the first day, overnight stay, day 3 we leave around 2PM -- so do we get 3 days of $50 per cabin shore excursion credits or only 2?

MARAPRINCE

IMO, if you are going to have ships sailing out of Bayonne in the winter months, then the ship(s) need to have indoor areas/pools until they reach warner climes. Breakaway is not geared to any type of cool/cold weather which creates very crowded indoor areas if passengers are not able to use the outside decks due to bad weather.

MARAPRINCE

Hey! As long as there is no NORO on board as last November:( not having a craft beer or being told not to order under cooked eggs is nothing by comparison!!!!

MARAPRINCE

As long as a sailing brings in the required revenues points assigned to it by the marketing personnel, it should not matter where the revenue is coming from: suites or inside cabins. There are many ways to spend money once on board with the casino being one of the bigger sources along with drinks.

If passengers are offered BOGO on anything they are apt to spend more.

MARAPRINCE

What about the Escape???

MARAPRINCE

Will NCL be offering a free boat shuttle from the Dockyard to St. George in October/November this year?

Tried checking on shore excursions being offered and I see nothing in the way of bus tours to St. George or Hamilton.

Thanks.

MARAPRINCE

You are going to find that the higher deposits are being required by many cruiselines.

 

The cruiselines are reacting to the cruise roulette that some cruisers are playing. A cruiser will book several cruises that leave around the same time. This means those cabins are being taken out of inventory.

 

As final payment approaches, the cruiser will then pick the cruise that offers the best deal and cancel the others.

 

As a result, the cruiseline will now have empty cabins that need to be sold.

 

To discourage the game playing, the deposits are now higher.

 

A lower deposit may be offered, but it will be non-refundable if the cruise is cancelled at any time after the booking is made.

What you stated in your post is exactly why the deposits have increased. Many posters reported that they had routinely placed deposits on sailings that were in direct conflict with each other and RCL's system allowed them to do so. Some booked as many as 20 or more sailings per year and then only followed through on a fraction of them.

I can understand TA's reserving blocks of cabins for their clients and then releasing unsold cabins after final payment date but not individuals who know full well they will only book one or two actual sailings. Too bad RCL's booking system did "catch" what was going on sooner. Now, as a result, deposits have increased.

MARAPRINCE

Just learned through a friend of the family that a family of 4 they know who sailed on Anthem on 10/28 also all came down with Noro but didn't think about reporting to the doctor on board since they were too busy being sick! So how do you really know how many passengers were sick????? :(:loudcry::(

They vowed to never sail on Anthem again.......

MARAPRINCE

My brother refers to children as "disease distribution units."

Or, "seasoned germ spreaders"!:evilsmile:

Kids are great at touching everything and putting everything into their mouths.:( Pity the poor adults who are completely unaware until they start feeling ill.

MARAPRINCE

We are in Windjammer... At first we thought tables were not cleaned properly (sticky), but staff explained us that it is special anti-norovirus stuff.

In hindsight, on our 10/28 sailing we also found the chair arms and tables sticky in the WJ on boarding day but passed it off as poor cleaning. So it seems that Noro was present on the previous sailing to the 10/28 voyage and progressively picked up more victims with each subsequent sailing.:o

Just remember not everyone who gets Noro sympthoms will get it as serverly as others. Some may fully experience it once they have returned home.

Keep washing your hands and watch out for unsanitary behavior especially in food areas where utensils are used by everyone.

MARAPRINCE

It seems the whole mess started on the 10/28 sailing!!! Each of the sailings after that had more people who reported it to Medical. There is also the issue of how many did not go to the doctor for fear of being confined to their cabin. Then you have others who came down with it after the cruise ended.

I applaud all the efforts and cleaning that RCCL is doing to contain/end Noro. Unfortunately, having so many people in a confined area only makes it spread quicker.

Having been one of its victims (even though it was a mild case at the end of the sailing) it still took me nearly 2 weeks to get back to normal and for my appetite to return. My cousin/cabin mate was hit at home after our return.

While they are cleaning and spraying everything, unless the less than sanitary habits of some passengers change people will continue to be infected. Better to have food served to you than touching the serving tools that everyone else has handled.:(

MARAPRINCE

Luck or unluck of the draw on whether or not you will get Noro if it is on board.

Many passengers who are ill choose not to report it since they do not want to be confined to their cabin and provided with the special diet prescribed. This only serves to increase the spread of it on the ship. You cannot force them to go to the doctor's office.

Even if you very diligently wash your hands at every opportunity, just think about all the surfaces you touch on the ship. Unless you want to spend your sailing encased in a hazmat suit, you cannot avoid all contact with it.:(

MARAPRINCE

During the 10/28 sailing when I went to the doctor I had to fill out CDC forms and even passed by a conference call going on with the CDC. So I would think that the forms that passengers filled out were passed along to the CDC.

Also, I am sure there is a prescribed set of rules/steps that ships must follow once it is determined that Noro is present. If it is also true that Carnival warned its passengers against mingling with Anthem's while the ships were docked in Nassau, news of Noro on board wasn't a secret.

WJ's staff was quick to remove used plates and would even come around while you were eating to collect dishes. If you found an uncleaned table, it took only seconds before you would see someone in the area and signal to them that you wanted to use the table. Announcements were made to leave once you were done with your meal so others could enjoy the same.

MARAPRINCE

Even on the 11/4 sailing we were with my sister who was in a different part of the ship and they never recieved the letter and I did. They had no clue what I was talking about.

On our 10/28 sailing we would see letters in cabin mail boxes as we passed through deck 6 where I cabin was located and wondered what they were all about. Some cabins seemed to always have the DO NOT DISTURB sign on their door and evidence of barely touched food outside their cabins. We were made aware of Noro by the Capt.'s announcement. But I do remember being in one of the public restrooms during the day and hearing someone being sick in one of the stalls.

I must say as a whole Anthem was the quietest ship I have been on since you hear nothing from cabins on either side of you, not even the toilet flushing. Once in for the night we did not have any reason to check the hallway nor were we aware of any spraying going on.

The last sea day we saw them lifting up seat cushions and wiping down areas in WJ.

I believe it is just the luck or unluck of the draw if you come down with Noro since you cannot avoid touching surfaces on the ship no matter how many times you wash your hands. As stated, some passengers chose not to go to the ship's doctor even though they were sick. Others were more fully hit with Noro after leaving the ship. It affected some more than others and at different times.

Regarding the "disappointed" family of 10, I would rather be disappointed than suffer with Noro while on the ship. It was only a 7 day sailing and missing the last sea day and the various shows/actitivies due to being put into isolation was a lot more than disappointing! After returning home it took me a little over 2 weeks to get over my infection with Noro. Definitely a lot more than disappointing.

MARAPRINCE

Hi,

 

We cruised on the Royal Caribbean Anthem of the Seas last year for the holidays. While we are hesitant to book a repeat cruise on the Anthem of the Seas this year, we are very concerned about the lack of indoor space on the Breakaway, when half the sailing for a 7 night cruise will be cold weather (Anthem has Solarium with indoor pool/hottub, a separate indoor pool and a very large indoor space called 270 which overlooks the back of the ship).

 

For Royal - we don't want this to spoil the Anthem being our favorite ship. We are concerned with most of the entertainment and menus being repeats and wonder if this would ruin our cruise and ruin Anthem being our favorite ship by far. With that being said, we loved relaxing in the Solarium, the via and the Esplenade and 270 on the first and last days of the cruise during cold weather.

 

For those that have sailed Breakaway during the winter - I looked at the Freestyle dailies and didn't see too many indoor activities aside from demos. There are pool activities for the first and last day, but I don't see how those would be possible in 20-40 degrees. What was there to do the firs and last 1.5 days of the 7 day cruise?

 

Finally, we will be cruising with our grown kids - 21 and 24. Which ship is better for them? Will either ship for a holiday sailing have more families and people around their age to meet and hang out with at night?

 

Thanks!

Having sailed on both Anthem and Breakaway, Anthem is definitely a better choice for a winter sailing. Lots of indoor places and several indoor pools. Loved the Conservatory and the fact windows can be opened for fresh air. Lots of things to do on sea days as well. Breakaway is really only good in a warmer climate and has very poor traffic flow. One open space runs into another making for congestion especially around the attruim area which they seem to use for everything even though there is a big lack of available seating.

Anthem seems to be better at providing many places to have meals thereby spreading passengers around rather than limiting them to a few venues. 3 main production shows (same cast), Michael's Pub (country/western), Music Hall (different groups perform), Two 70 (used for different shows/activities), Bollero's (Latin Music), etc.

MARAPRINCE

Our original date and time was cancelled as well on the 10/28 sailing. The only availlable time was the last sea day at 7PM. Same cast performs all 3 production shows. Cancellation might have something to do with the set and all the techinical aspects to Spectra.

MARAPRINCE

"Those jet hand dryers might dry your hands super fast and make you feel like you’re living in the future, but they might be making others around you sick. A study published in January in the Journal of Applied Microbiology compared the dispersal of viruses when people dry their hands with paper towels, warm air dryers, and jet dryers, and found that jet air dryers were by far the worst offenders, spraying 1,300 times more viral plaques (clumps of viruses) than paper towels, and sending some of them nearly 10 feet from the dryer itself."

What's left? Spray the passengers before the board the ship in NJ!!!!

People will not report that they are ill since they do not want to be put in isolation. Sick passengers (not isolated) continue to spread their germs to others. That is how it is spread and Anthem with over 4,000+ passengers is the perfect breeding ground. Kids unknowlingly are one of the largest source because they are constantly putting things (including fingers and hands) in their mouths. No one can you watch everything they do every minute of the day.

MARAPRINCE

Medical on board will give you anti diaherra pills which you can purchase at CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid, etc. I always carry some with me along with Tums for an upset stomach just in case. As long as you can keep things down, they work. However, if not and you have a problem at both ends, the doctor will give you a shot which makes you sleep for a number of hours.

Yes, you do need to rid the system of the "poison" but not to get dehydrated in the process. It has to run its course which can be longer or shorter depending on the amount of exposure and how soon treatment has started. Pedialite which was given on the ship tastes horrible!!! Food has to be re-introduced gradually and you are given a schedule of what you can eat and when. But not having much of an appetite anyway nothing much is that appealing.:(

Definitely not something you want to experience on vacation.

MARAPRINCE

I was on the 10/28 sailing where it seems things started. The last sea day of the sailing I was put in isolation in my cabin and received a letter from Guest Services that my TA would receive details of a future cruise credit for the missed day of the sailing. Let me tell you while it is a very nice gesture on RCL's part I would have preferred to not have gotten Noro at all. It took me 2 weeks after I returned home to get back to a "normal" state. Definitely not fun:(

My cousin who shared the cabin with me was not put into isolation since she wasn't as badly affected. However, after returning home it hit her:o

We washed our hands before leaving our cabin and then again before entering the WJ. After using the public bathrooms, we also washed our hands. No way to be on a ship without touching surfaces. No way of telling how much exposure you are getting either.

There will always be people who do not believe the rules apply to them regarding not filling their water bottles directly from the water spouts, touching and returning food to the buffet, etc.

Maybe passengers should be sprayed in the terminal before boarding the ship:halo: Who knows what the answer is! I only can tell you, any part of Noro is not fun.:(

MARAPRINCE

After an insane week at work, I finally had the time to write my review for our week on the Anthem of the Seas, the October 28, 2017 sailing. As a little background, this was our 7th cruise, a first on Royal Caribbean. Our other cruises have been on NCL and we were becoming disillusioned. Traveling with my husband and I, my dear (older) friend came along with us.

 

We live in upstate New York and it was an easy 3 hour drive to the port. My husband dropped our friend and I off, the porters took the luggage from the car, and it was very easy for him to park in the garage and meet us in the building. While my friend & I were standing with our canes, waiting for an agent with an ipad free up, another agent approached us and sent us through the handicapped security line and we were able to check at the handicapped/wheelchair embark waiting area. This was a breeze compared to Manhattan.

 

I am handicapped and my husband and we had an oceanview accessible cabin on deck 3. The bed was very firm,and after the first night when I woke hurting, we asked our steward for a mattress topper. That did help and made it bearable. Not the most comfortable bed to us. We did have plenty of storage and the cabin was fine in any other aspect. I did miss not having a coffeemaker, and after the first two mornings, we had complimentary room service deliver coffee and pastry prior to meeting up with our friend. Room service was very prompt, and always called before delivery. We did not try room service at any other time. Our friend had a solo cabin on deck 11. Though tight, it was clean and adequate, with a very nice bathroom. She actually had a better view with her virtual balcony then we did with our window.

 

Thanks to the recommendations of past cruisers here on CC, we did the BOGO Specialty Dining for the first two nights. As soon as we went on board, we went straight to the two restaurants we wanted to dine at and changed the dining times. This was very easy. The first night the three of us ate at Chops. I have an unusual food allergy and the waiter was 110% on making me happy,telling me what was possible for me to eat.

 

The next morning our friend had a medical issue that needed attention. The medical center is not marked on the elevators, so we had to call guest services to find out where it was (deck 2 mid ship). There, they took her right in, and she ended up having to stay there for most of the day. Due to this,we missed our CC Meet & Greet. The doctor was able to treat our friend, though if the medications didn't work she would have been sent to a hospital when we reached Florida. Thank goodness for travel insurance.

 

Due to my friend's medical issue(at this point she could only eat soft food for the rest of the week)she did not join us that night at Wonderland. This had to be my favorite meal of the entire week. I do not like seafood and fish but I did enjoy most the tasting courses that was offered. My husband raved about the beef entree. Because I did not notify them of my food allergy ahead of time, I was unable to eat many of the main entrees,but our waiter brought me a filet from Chops. The service was stellar!

 

 

The rest of the week we ate breakfast and lunch at the Windjammer buffet or at the Solarium. The head chef at the Windjammer was stellar! He was able to point out what I could not eat and he made sure my friend had eggs, jello,pudding, applesauce, etc. at each meal. Our friend dined at the buffet the rest of the week and my husband and I had early seating in Chic. There I was able to pre-order my meals for the next day. The food was good, but did not compare with the outstanding meals we had at Chops & Wonderland. The service everywhere we went was top notch. The garlic bread at Sorrento's was fabulous – realslivers of garlic – YUM! The pizza on the other hand, never seemed to be cooked all the way through. We were not a fan.

 

We have done this itinerary before but still wanted to explore a bit. In Florida, we used Uber for the first time and went to the Exploration Tower. There was a launch scheduled for that afternoon, so we could not stay for long as they were closing for launch viewing. But, it was a nice outing and a cute museum. When we returned to the ship, by the time we got to the top deck, the rocket had blasted off, but we were able to still watch it fly into space.

 

We are not beach people so we did nottender to the private island. From the ship, the island looked verypacked. We took advantage of a quiet ship to relax. We did go tothe shore excursion desk to ask about a shutttle from the ship to an excursion in Nassau, but there was none. It was too far of a walk, in the hot sun, from the ship to the main street so again we stayed on the ship. That was disappointing as I know we are not the only handicapped people who do not need a scooter the majority of thetime.

 

Every morning we enjoyed the Solarium. We did make reservations for the three shows – the shows were fineand we enjoyed the entertainment. But, not having a stage show for 3nights was disappointed to us as we enjoy that type entertainement. We also enjoy watching movies on the ship, which consisted of amovie now and then at the pool. Of course, the only seating in a viewable area was the low lounges, that are not handicap friendly. I wonder if they could have brought up a chair with arms, but I didn't think to ask. They also scheduled the movies during the early dining... this will make me do my time dining next time we cruise with RC so we can enjoy an activity if it compes up at a conflicting time. We wanted to go on the North Star if it was in port, but it only seemed to run while at sea. I was not up to going on, being scared of heights, to get a view of just the ocean.

 

Overall, the service was 110% better than on any other cruise we have been on. The entertainemnt I think was lacking, heck we watched a movie on TV the last last night in our cabin. Bet we really enjoyed the service and the Solarium which may be the deciding factor to keep us with Royal for our next cruise.

There indeed was a free shuttle to and from the ship in Nassau to the main gate. It was running when we left the ship for our morning tour. We took it on the return to the ship because after our Atlantis tour and brief shopping in town I do not think we could have walked to our pier since it was the last ship docked. While it was not announced on the ship, there were people in the port asking if you wanted to ride on the free shuttle that took you to the main gate which was only steps away from the shopping areaa. Sorry you did not get to use it. It was available to all the cruise ships docked in Nassau.

MARAPRINCE

It has taken me 2 weeks to recover from my 10/28 sailing!!! :( So glad we didn't have as many people affected as the 11/4 sailing. My cousin wasn't as affected as me while on the sailing and did not see the doctor on board. However, she suffered with more distress/sympthoms after returning home. I guess there is no telling when you will be "hit" once you are exposed to Noro. I passed along the recommended foods/treatment to follow that I received from the doctor's office while on board. Again, at least it was at the end of the sailing and not the beginning.

MARAPRINCE

Douse everyone entering the buffet with globs of hand sanitizer so that they must rub their hands together. This will catch the "make believe" hand washers who only use water on their hands.

Don't allow anyone to approach the coffee, water or soft drink stations who is carrying a used cup/glass in their hands. Lower the level of the water spout to prevent passengers from filling their water bottles. Little things that go a long way to halt the spread of Noro once it has started.

MARAPRINCE

After this experience, I am less eager about eating in the buffet just thinking about all the germs on the serving spoons that hundreds/thousands touch. Hopefully, the next cruise I go on has another dining option besides the buffet available on boarding day.:eek: Once was enough! Only good thing was that I was isolated at the end of the sailing. It is now more than a week since my return that I am just about feeling "normal" and food is once again appealing.

Normally, the crew has a very limited amount of time to clean and get the ship ready for the next group of passengers. Add in extra cleaning for Noro and a ship as large as Anthem...... We saw them after the Capt.'s announcement cleaning all the seating surfaces and columns in the buffet. I actually slipped on the tile outside the elevator area due to the spray on the floor.

MARAPRINCE

Im not surprised that noro was present on anthem. It seems ive read many reports here that anthem is understaffed and not that clean. Dirty dishes and glasses everywhere

Most important thing is dont touch ur face anywhere with your hands

With the large number of passengers on board Anthem (over 4,000+) it is much harder to contain than on a ship with only 1200 passengers. Think about all the people touching the same serving spoons in the buffet and the germs on them!. We have seen adults filling their water bottles directly from water spouts, adding coffee or water to used cups and glasses, putting food back after touching it, eating while going through the buffet lines. The best solution is to have the staff serve passengers rather than letting passengers serve themselves. It would drastically slow down things, but it would be more effective in stopping the spread of Noro. Scrubbing down surfaces helps, but people do not properly wash with soap and water upon entering the buffet area. As much as I hate the hand sanitizers, at least you have to rub in it and no one escapes without a generous dollop of it.

While it is certainly true that kids tend to be germ spreaders, many adults are worse at flaunting the rules by not following basic rules for washing your hands after using the bathroom. I wonder why Anthem does not have hand dryers in the public restrooms. This would also help with controlling germs.

MARAPRINCE