subtchr

If I could get a flight out of SJU before 3pm I would do that!

Ours was 11 am Southwest to Columbus (through Orlando, I think).

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Thanks so much; now I am even more excited for my Anthem cruise at the end of August.

I hope we have the same servers for MTD, as my late father's name was Ruel. Not many people share that one!

We book non-cruiseline excursions and tours almost exclusively. Yes, it saves money often, but much more important to us is that they are typically much smaller groups, and a more personalized experience.

We exercise our due diligence (well, I do...hubby just trusts me!), by only using tour companies with favorable reviews on CC, TripAdvisor, and other sites, as well as policies we agree with pertaining to cancellation, refunds if applicable, etc.

In this day and age, if a tour company causes guests to miss a ship's departure, that one review on an online site would pretty much guarantee the end of that business. We don't cruise as much as many here, but we have never had an issue and don't anticipate one with the excursions we book.

We used self-disembark for the first time in San Juan in December. Had breakfast in the Windjammer at 6, were in the theater waiting for those using self-assist to be released by 6:40, were through customs by 7:10, and at our gate at SJU by 7:45.

Yes, we will use self-disembark again!

Where would you see these sales? Just on the RCCL website?

On your Cruise Planner page, when you log in and pull up the cruise you are taking. Sales and the timing of them is wildly inconsistent.

For my upcoming Anthem cruise, they are offering a $49 Voom + Deluxe Beverage package, a $19 Voom + Classic Soda package, and a $14.39 Voom Surf & Stream one device.

Before our cruise a year ago, there was the option to purchase Surf only in advance, for about $9 per day. That was a great deal! Shortly after that cruise, they stopped offering the option to buy Surf-only in advance.

To confirm, a 1-device plan can be used on multiple devices, just one at a time. My husband and I shared our 1-device plan among our 2 phones and 2 iPads last cruise without issue.

I am not sure what the prices are onboard, or what the Diamond discount might be. Hopefully someone will chime in with that info so that you can decide what will work best for you.

I was thinking of using RCL to book our return to EWR to make it easier and guarantee return to the airport for a 2:30 flight home. But it sounds like I I can get a group cab or even uber cheaper and just as easy. Am I missing something or need to consider anything else planning wise?

 

 

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Not missing a thing. A 2:30 flight gives you plenty of time. Even if you take your time disembarking, you will likely have hours to wait at EWR.

It's rare that a cruise line transfer is the best (cheapest, most efficient, most comfortable) option.

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What are they?

Chewy, crunchy mounds of deliciousness. ;)

savory-bites by Sue, on Flickr

We were able to get them on our last couple of cruises, but there were nights I had to ask for them specifically. So good!

Many smart phones have a WiFi calling function. Has anyone tried it on the ship's WiFi? I wonder if Carnival has it blocked.

Works perfectly on Royal ships, full functionality.

My Verizon plan gives me Mexico included.....check what your carrier allows! Of course, that is once you're OFF the ship. ON the ship (unless you're docked), you will be using the ship's towers no matter what plan you have.

Again, this isn't necessarily true. Many phones/carriers allow wifi calling. So if you have a wifi plan on the ship, you may not be using the cell towers at all.

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For our August Anthem cruise, the Deluxe beverage package has been offered for $39, and Deluxe with Voom for $49, plus gratuities.

As another poster noted, be sure to keep checking your Cruise Planner before your trip. Sales for Voom, beverage packages, and combinations of the two are very common, but the timing is inconsistent. If you purchase a package and it later goes on sale, you can cancel and get a refund for it, then purchase at the lower price.

Right now for our August Anthem cruise, they are offering

$43 per day for the Deluxe Beverage Package (was $39 until two days ago)

$49 per day for Deluxe + 1-device Surf & Stream

$19 per day for 1-device Surf & Stream plus Soda Package

$14.39 per day for 1-device Surf & Stream

The deluxe package with voom. $54 a day when I was looking or you could order it without it at $48

On our upcoming Anthem cruise, they are offering $39 per day for the Deluxe package, $49 for Deluxe with Voom, and soda package with Voom for $19. We're splurging on Deluxe this trip!

We sail June 2018 and the beverage package just opened. If I buy the soda package for my son and the adult package for my husband and myself for full price and the price goes down, can I get the adjusted sale price?

Thanks so much!

Hi, the beverage package is now available for my january cruise. What do you suggest me, Buy it now and If the price goes down, cancel and rebook? Or just wait?

 

And I really can cancel it at no charge?

You can cancel the original, get a refund, then purchase the discounted one. It's not a price adjustment, it's a cancellation and purchase.

I've switched ours for our August Anthem cruise several times in the last month as specials have become available.

i see we can precook specialty restaurant deals, but it does not give you the option of choosing which one you want to dine at. Example is the 3 specialty dining deal...we can book a time and either the 1st or 2nd night, but does not say which restaurant. How does this work? Does it include chops?

We did the three night package on the Jewel in December. We were able to choose which restaurant which night, and tried Giovanni's Table (we were not fans), Izumi (ok), and Chops (fantastic). We wished we had done Chops for all three -- which we could have done.

I just stopped at Chops upon boarding to schedule the restaurants we wanted.

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If you were gonna do a b2b from each class of ship, which one would you do for food quality, entertainment, onboard activities, cost, stateroom and overall appearance of the ship. Intenary from 9-14 days and what is the spa cabins like on the Sunshine and what do you get with it and is it worth the money?

 

 

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You posted on the Royal Caribbean board.

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Keep checking................and check your roll call, someone will most likely post as soon as reservations are ready. Have a great cruise:D

Thanks, we are excited! Yep, I'm on the roll call, and I am one of the posters who offered to keep checking! Hope they're available soon.

We are sailing on Anthem August 31, and reservations for Northstar and IFly are not yet open for anyone. Today is 90 days out, which according to an email response to my query over a month ago, is when they should be available. I have been checking pretty constantly!

 

Shuttle drivers were very nice (we of course tipped every time) and dropped us off at the airport terminal several times so we could ride the Newark Airtrain into the Newark Penn train station to get to NYC. The trip into NYC is a little far/pricey since you have to take the NJ transit train into the city, but we expected to spend some cash since we weren't getting a rental car.

The PATH train from Newark Penn Station to the World Trade Center is $2.75 each way. We are planning to tour the 9/11 museum and Freedom Tower, before taking the subway up to Times Square for a show before reversing to return to Newark. It will be $11 total for each of us -- round trip PATH and round trip subway. I thought that was very reasonable!

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I am on the August 31 Anthem, booked directly with RC, and my final payment date is June 1.

Yes the cups were in our cabin too and then when we asked we were told they were only for those with the soda package and not deluxe. Didn't bother us as we could just get sodas from any bar anyway.

You were told by whom?

From the RC website:

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We stayed at the Newark Penn Station Hilton a few years ago and have reservations there again in August. It is connected to the station, so it's a quick and easy PATH ride to Manhattan. We have plans to visit the 9/11 museum and Freedom Tower, and tickets for a show the night before the cruise. Free shuttle from the airport, and an inexpensive taxi or Uber to and from the port.

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UPDATE: I logged in this morning, and it showed the correct balance. All paid, Anthem here we come!

My final payment date is June 1. I have been paying down the balance gradually, but still had about $1200 due.

Today I decided to cancel the internet package and refreshment package I had originally booked and paid for, because they are offering the deluxe package with voom for $49 per day. I usually don't pay for deluxe, but with that deal, I figured why not splurge and enjoy it.

So I did that, and ended up with about a $400 refund for the items I cancelled, to be credited to my original form of payment, a cc. I'm fine with that.

Then I decided to go ahead and pay the balance I had remaining. When I logged in, it said my balance was about $800. The system seems to have applied the refund for the two cruise planner items I cancelled to my balance (yes, it's exactly that amount different). On the off chance this was correct, and I misunderstood that the refund would be going to my cc, I paid only the $800-something balance that it showed.

I received the updated confirmation in an email, and that shows that I still owe $400-something (which I believe is correct). But when I log back into the website, it still says my balance owed is $0.

Will the system update with the correct balance in a few days? Or should I just pay what I think I owe and have it show as a credit (if the system will even allow me to do that)? Or do I have to call?

Thanks for any insight!

Since I have already paid for my drink package at $48.00 per day sailing October 14th on the Harmony, if the price on the cruise planner drops, will they honor the new price or does anyone know ? Thank you in advance.

 

 

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You will have to cancel the one you have, for a refund, and book the lower priced one.

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We got off on Thursday from a 5 night cruise. We got in line to self disembark by 7:25 and we're off the ship by 7:40. Earliest time listed was 7:30. We were at Newark by 8:15

 

 

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Thanks! Did you take a taxi...car service...Uber?

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