VernRDH

Thanks for the replies. I still have time and it's not a big deal, but it would be nice to know ahead of time.

We are sailing on Mera in October, our first time on MSC. We are in YC, but understand there is some pub fare at the Brass Anchor. Anyone have a menu or know offhand what they have? I saw some photos of nachos and wings, saw there are fried pickles (divisive topic😁). Heard something about fish and chips.

Any information appreciated.

We are booked on Mera 10/20, and I haven't heard it's been cancelled or chartered. But I understand that MSCs website and IT, like other cruise lines, can be a bit wonky. 

Sunday May 12- Showered with love (and plenty of rain) on Mothers Day

I am not a big fan of “Hallmark holidays” but its nice to be treated by DH and DD on Mothers Day. Both gave me money to buy what I wanted, and I had a few ideas. Breakfast at Solarium, coffee from 270, waiting for us to dock in Juneau. It was cold and rainy and our plan for the day was the bus to Mendenhall Visitor center and then the hike out to Nugget Falls. Again we were in about an hour early, and since our tour wasn’t until 12:15, we had about 2.5 hours to wander and shop before going on the tour. Lots of nice things to see and purchase, but we tried not to buy too much as we would have to lug it around with us. 
We used Juneau tours and whale watch for our trip to the glacier. They take you on a trolley type bus. Our driver was Harmony, and she was FANTASTIC! Super energetic and informative. The closer we got to Mendenhall, the harder it was raining. And it was cold. Thankfully we had (with the exception of DD, who at 24, knows FAR better than her parents) brought our puffy jackets and wooly hats. Cause we sure needed them. Also umbrellas. Those came in clutch for sure. We skipped the visitor center on the way out, opting to hit it up on the way back. We walked (trudged) along the trail out to the falls. One a nice sunny day I bet it is a fabulous trek. We just kept our heads down and kept moving, cause the sooner we got there, the sooner we could head back. It was stunning, for sure, but the weather was just so miserable. Took some photos and headed back. The visitor center was very crowded, as everyone was trying to stay warm and dry. Perused the gift shop and exhibits there. Got back on the bus with Harmony for the trip back to downtown. We considered the Goldbelt Tram, but decided against it as the weather was really not great and it was a lot of money to not be able to really see anything. Bought a couple more souvenirs (DD bought a jacket, surprise, surprise) and we headed back on board. We were in port until 10:30 tonight. Once we were back on board, the sun came out! Rats!
But no time to go back out and explore as we had reservations for dinner at Jamie’s. It is not my favorite specialty (that would be Giovannis) but it works. I had the arrancini, the lasagne and the banana split. Love the arrancini at Jamies, it is one of my faves. Bellies full, we changed and headed up to the Solarium to relax and read. Nice thing about Alaska, its still daylight at 9 and 10pm. One more action packed day before we get a break, so off to bed. 

Saturday May 11-Float Planes and Furry Friends

DD wanted to have breakfast at Windjammer. We tried to tell her, but no, she wouldn’t listen. So when the only place to sit was outside, she decided that going forward she would listen to her mother and eat at Solarium for breakfast. I had panicked a bit when I saw in the daily planner that we would not be gangway down until 11:45. We were supposed to meet our tour operator at 11:45. I had emailed Leslie at SeaWind Aviation to let her know, and she said not to worry, just to meet us as soon as we got off. I apparently did not need to worry as we were in port and able to disembark by 10:30. We would find we were early to every port. Which makes it hard to determine what you can squeeze in before going on your excursion. We did walk around a little bit in the shops before we had to meet for our flight. This was a surprise for FIL, DD figured it out pretty quickly, but FIL had no idea. None. Getting into the van marked SeaWind Aviation, didn’t click. Get to their office, planes, etc. Still not getting it. We are to fly in a DeHavilland Beaver with another couple. We go out to the dock to get on the plane. Still not clicking. Finally the pilot Russ asks him if he is ready and FIL says “we’re going in that? Yes dad, we are going in the plane. You had asked to do it, so we are doing it”. He was totally surprised. He got to sit up front next to Russ and he truly enjoyed it. Russ was a great guide, tell us all kinds of interesting things. The day was clear and warm, and it was probably my first rated thing of the trip. It was an hour long flight, and truly spectacular. 
We got back on terra firma (well landed on the water but you get the idea) and headed off for more shops. We got some souvenirs and a snack and then headed to the eagle totem to meet our next tour guide, Raeanne, along with Scarlet and Quinn, her two husky dogs. This was a tour we booked through Viator that was a walking tour of Ketchikan and you got to walk the dogs! Since we were missing ours, it was fun to spend time with some other furry friends! The tour was interesting and Raeann was very informative and fun. We had a nice walk in the beautiful weather. We saw all the highlights of Ketchikan and were back on board by 5. 
Dinner tonight would be Solarium Bistro. We were not terribly impressed, but it was food and relatively quick. Again, something we tried but didn’t find spectacular. We were pretty tired from all the walking so we turned in early, ready for our next adventure: Juneau and a glacier.
 

Friday May 10- Somewhere upon the sea

Sea days are some of my favorite days on a cruise. Its an open book and you can do as much or as little as you wish. When it’s just me and DH, our days go like this: up around 7, grab breakfast at Solarium Bistro, I get a coffee at 270, get some loungers and hang out. Nap, read, watch movies, play games, whatever we want to do. Hit up the hot tub and pool. Frozen drinks. Watch the ocean go by. All the good things. 

But with our travel mates, we have to do things a little differently. We got up around 8 and went to Solarium for breakfast and then went outside to see if we could spot any whales. Saw a few, sadly they would be the only ones we would see the entire trip. We did some shopping/browsing and went to the lecture at 1pm in 270. The couple giving the lecture about Alaska was John and Diane, and they did offer up some good info on the ports and such. Afterwards we did get changed and hit the hot tub and pool for a little before our dinner in Wonderland. We also went to visit the loyalty ambassador, as we had not received our welcome aboard gifts. Paulo could have cared less that we were C&A members or that we didn’t get our amenity. He was rude and dismissive. I know I ain’t pinnacle, but jeez louise would it kill you to greet us with a smile (fake or real, whatever) and apologize that we didn’t receive our amenity? And while there was no one else waiting to speak to him, he was in a hurry to get rid of us. What a way to treat your loyal customers. 

This was our first time trying Wonderland, and we had booked it on the Black Friday sale. As we had done previously, we were planning to use our BOGO D+ benefit. In the past, they have just credited us back for the “free” one. This would become the bane of my existence for most of the week.

Our waiter was a pleasant guy, but VERY difficult to understand. And that made deciding on what to eat more complicated, because we weren’t getting his explanations. In the end we ordered the tomato water(DH and FIL) and the avocado cone thing(me and DD). We also got the chicken and egg and the deconstructed caprese. Interesting, nothing I was crazy over but it was ok. For entrees, DH got the short rib, I had the pork belly and DD and FIL got the chicken. We also ordered a branzino to share. Somehow, our waiter also thought my daughter wanted the halibut, which she did not. And I could see why. It was so not good. The presentation is really what this restaurant is about. And it was certainly interesting. For dessert DH and DD had the world, the chocolate sphere and FIL and I had the apple thing. Meh. But after dinner is where more of our disappointments would come. I asked politely to use my BOGO for the dinner, as I have done before. Sure they said. I was told they would refund the original amount paid (almost $250) and they would charge the BOGO for me and DD and then DH and FIL. Ok perfect. Except they did not refund the original. And this would be a problem until day 8.

After dinner we hit the casino for a little play on the slots, no big wins but we had fun. Tonight was our opportunity to see the Northern Lights and we stayed up as late as we could, but didn’t make it late enough to see them at their finest. It was disappointing that there was no announcements that they were visible, I guess letting passengers know about a natural phenomenon isn’t as important as paging the same three people over and over again. Time to turn in, as we had a busy and exciting day planned for Ketchikan the next day.

We docked in Skagway last Monday. Had to take shuttle, it was mandatory. Also with us was Radiance, docked ahead of us. Everyone took the shuttle.

I get being disappointed about losing Skagway, we really enjoyed the train. We missed Sitka, so I get it.

Thursday May 9~Waiting for my ship to come in

We grab a light breakfast at the Starbucks and drop $20 into some slots at the casino. DH doubles his money! Also the exchange rate is favorable, as we got $26 something CAD for our $20 USD. 
We get back on the train to go to Waterfront Station, the closest to Canada Place. We still have hours to kill before we can board, though we can leave our luggage starting at 2pm. We try to use mass transit when we travel and the system in Vancouver was decent. Tap in tap out. Total cost for the trip from airport to hotel and then hotel to Waterfront was about $12 each (I don’t remember exactly) It was a beautiful day in Vancouver and we walked to the Lion Pub right by Canada Place. Authentic British pub, good food and service. Highly recommend.
We wander around looking in shops and enjoying the nice weather. We watch Ovation come into port. Also there were Silver Nova and Majestic Princess. I did not realize that Ovation docked SO CLOSE to where people walk by (I would discover this even more when we got to our cabin). We drop our luggage off and this is where the clusterf&%^%$^y would really begin. Luggage dropped off. No communication or signage for where to check in or when. We go do Flyover Canada (like Soarin’ on steroids, two thumbs up), and head back to the area by where we dropped off the luggage. A woman approaches me and asks if I got a “yellow ticket”. A what now? So apparently you had to go back in to where you dropped your luggage and basically do check in and they would give you a yellow ticket, which we were told would be needed later (it wasn’t). We decided to head down to where the security and customs were. Oh. My. God. Soooooo many people getting off and about 500 people lined up to get on. We get in the queue like good little sheep and wait. And wait. And wait some more. Finally we start moving. These folks took a page from Disneys book on how to queue people. We are almost to the security screening and everything screeches to a halt. Customs computers are down, waiting for them to get fixed. Almost an hour later, we move again. Thankfully they are using biometrics, which makes things go quicker. At last we are on board. No yellow tickets taken, no boarding times checked. Absolute insanity. This is of course not the fault of Royal, and I understand this is not unusual about Vancouver. 
We are assigned early dining, but since everyone is getting on so late, it is open seating in the dining rooms. We don’t really care, we just want to eat and sit, as we have been going all day.
Dinner was prime rib and I will honestly say it was one of the best we have ever had. All the food was flavorful and came out hot. 
Next was our first of 5 (yes FIVE) trips to Guest Services. So in the app, DH shows as Diamond and DD as D+. Because when they switched their rooms, they didn’t carry over their status and packages. Shoreside ASSURED me it was correct on their end, no problem. Uh, wrong, big problem. And would continue to be a problem. We try to explain to Hana at GS, but she is trying to pawn us off on Paulo the LA. Nope not his problem, you need to fix this. 30 minutes later, we have two new Seapasses, that at least look correct. However, what is still connected to them is not, as we will continue to find out. 
We hung out in the Solarium until rooms were ready. We had balcony cabins on deck 6, 6258 for me and DH, 6658 for DD and FIL. Why cabins on opposite sides? We figured that if there was something to see, no matter which side we would have a view. 
I opened our curtains and was surprised that there were people not 50 feet from my balcony at Canada Place! That was a first.
Announcements were made well into the night IN THE CABINS looking for passengers. I wanted to go to sleep, but the continuous announcements were a bit annoying. Finally got to sleep, no sailaway party, no casino, limited bars open. Tomorrow: a day at sea. 
 

Wednesday May 8- I Believe its Time for me to Fly

Our flight to Vancouver leaves Newark at 6:10pm. I would have much preferred to fly earlier in the day, but this was the only direct flight. It allowed me to get a little work done and my house cleaned up for the petsitter before we left. 
At this point, we got the email from Royal that due to a medical emergency, Ovation would not make it to Vancouver until 2pm. So boarding was pushed back until 5:30pm. Ok we will figure out what to do once we are there. 
We left home at 10:30 for the 3 hour drive to Newark, I like to allow extra time for potty breaks and a stop for gas. I had prebooked my parking at Newark. I have done this a couple times, and it works out very well. Park and hop on the bus that takes us to the terminal. I will mention here that I am a bit of a nudge about luggage. I like to travel as lightly as possible. So each of us had one 27 inch suitcase and 1 backpack bag. So each of us had 1 bag to check. Check in, check luggage, go through security (Terminal A is newly remodeled and relatively easy to get through). We grab some linner (that would be the lunch/dinner combo) and wait for our flight. And wait. Seems that another flight arriving to our gate is late, and so is our plane. The Air Canada staff are unpleasant at best. We are supposed to be wheels up at 6:10. I took my Benadryl at 5:45. We don’t even begin boarding until almost 6:30. We are seated and situated, and I am ready for my nap. I actually fall asleep before we take off. DH tells me later that we spent an hour on  the tarmac waiting to take off. We chased the sunset all the way to Vancouver. 

We are wheels down at almost 10pm PST. The Vancouver airport is lovely, and the customs and immigration process was quick and easy. We took the train to the hotel, the River Rock Casino and resort. We have 2 rooms booked, one for me and DH and one for DD and FIL. Go to check in and SURPRISE! DH and I have been upgraded to a 1 BR suite! But nothing for the other two. And we are in two separate areas of the hotel, separated by a road. Not a problem for me, since we will be on opposite sides of the ship. Room was very nice and well appointed. I don’t know what the other room looked like, but DD and FIL said it was nice. 
 

So about a month before we are to go, we call C&A to switch DD and DH’s cabins. Originally DH was booked with FIL, and DD with me. We wanted them to be switched. No can do, says C&A, as one of the original people has to remain in the cabin. But yes I explain, DH and I were both booked in both cabins (6258 and 6658 for reference). That makes no sense but ok, we will just fix it when we are onboard.

Then comes the day the guano hit the fan. Email comes from RC that due to “tidal window restrictions” we cannot leave Vancouver until 1 am, and therefore our itinerary is changed.  OMG. My perfect plans are out the window. We regroup and scramble.

Sitka is now canceled, we will go to Ketchikan that day. Juneau times will be pushed back. Skagway remains unchanged. But now we get Victoria, BC for 12 hours! Oh boy!

We contact tour operators and rebook/reschedule. DH calls RC and cancels the flightseeing. I book it through the operator themselves, totally awesome group (more on that later) While he has them on the phone, he asks about switching him and DDs cabins, But of course you can, says the cheery RC agent in Kansas! Done! (but oh so not done)

Ok we are regrouped again. We are packed. I have a parka and a bathing suit, and everything in between. Lets get this party started!

I am going to be doing this review in many posts over many days, as there is a LOT to cover. I will try to add photos and answer questions as I go, but I will be back to work so it may be a bit before I can get to you. 

So for background- traveling are myself (53 D+), DH (54 D+), DD (24 Diamond) and FIL (81 Platinum).

In the fall of 2022, DD texted me that FIL’s brother (furthermore known as UL) is going to Alaska. On a cruise. With a lady. (his wife of 53 years died in 2021 of ALS). Now just so that you understand the dynamic here, FIL and UL are always in competition. At 81 and 83 respectively, it’s always about competition. So FIL, who we have asked numerous times if he wanted to go to Alaska, says now I want to go to Alaska. Let the games begin.

We talk to UL and his lady friend, and they are to go on Ovation in May of 2023. They are going to do the helicopter and dog sleds and all kinds of fun stuff. They bought matching backpacks. They are so cute. This was a side of UL we had not seen before, but we like it!

Fast forward to Feb 2023. DH and I are on Anthem. We book our Feb 2024 Anthem cruise and then do the open Next Cruise booking as we have not yet chosen which Alaska cruise we are going to take.

We discuss and decide on the 8 night Ovation starting in Vancouver and ending in Seattle with stops in Sitka, Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway, with the viewing of Dawes Glacier/Endicott Arm. Let the planning begin! Only 15 months to go!

Unfortunately, UL calls and says they had to cancel their cruise as his lady friend a)needed a hip replacement and b) is unable to get a passport (it is a long and complicated story, and as she has no raised seal birth certificate, there was no way for her to go 🙁). So +1 to FIL, as he gets to go to Alaska and UL does not.

Hours and hours of time are spent on planning. Hotels pre and post cruise, flights, excursions, etc etc. FIL and DD are just along for the ride, they really don’t seem to care what we are doing. So, ok, DH and I plan everything.

We live 20 minutes from an airport. It is “international”, only because it flies to Canada. But not the part of Canada we want to go to. So we opt to drive 3 hours to Newark so that we can fly direct in both directions. Flying direct is important for us. I hate my precious nap being interrupted by having to deplane and get on another plane. Also, making connections with 2 extra people in tow, one of whom lives in his own little world where the use of words such as “hang on I need to tie my shoe” do not exist. I lost FIL at Disneyland. I do not have time to be searching for him while trying to make a connection in Chicago, tyvm. 

So Air Canada to Vancouver, and Alaska Airlines home from Seattle.

(Aside-FIL plays tennis multiple times per week, is not infirm, and has his faculties about him. His world just revolves around him and he thinks we should just *know* that he needs something. Mind reading I do not do, sorry.)

Excursions are decided- Sitka we will tour all the Russian things- Baranoff Castle, St. Michaels. We book a private tour through Viator.

Juneau- we will go to Mendenhall Glacier on the Blue Bus. Possibly do Goldbelt Tram if time and weather permit, as we are there on Mothers Day and DH has booked Jamies Italian for dinner.

Skagway- we will take the White Pass Yukon Railroad.

Ketchikan- we book another tour through Viator, Husky Tales and the BIG SURPRISE for DD and FIL- Misty Fjords flightseeing tour through RCI. We normally don’t book excursions through the cruiseline, but felt that this one might be best to.

Planning complete, now we wait (Jeopardy music plays).

So my problem is DH and DD are mixed up. Separate cabins, but DD comes up with DHs C&A number and vice versa. Cannot edit numbers. Leaving from Vancouver, so can only complete on app.

I dread the phone call I will have to make to fix it.

We just booked through Juneau Tours today as we were getting concerned about not being able to pre purchase The Blue Bus. I have called and emailed, but no response and since this is one of our "must do's", I didn't want to risk waiting until we docked and not be able to go.

We are also on this cruise and got a 10am check in time. We are staying at Red Rock Casino the night before as we are not wheels down until 9:30 pm. So I opted for the longer ride in the morning as opposed to 11pm having just spent 5.5 hours on a plane from Newark. But I would love to stay at Pan Pacific sometime.

See you onboard!

We have refined our packing list over the years and for the Caribbean have it down pat.

Medical kit, including nail clippers, thermometer that plugs into the phone, cold and cough needs, allergy meds, tummy meds and bandaids/ Neosporin.

Daily rx meds with a few extra days worth.

OTC pain relievers- Tylenol for DH, Advil and Excedrin for me depending upon the need. Bonine *just in case*

I bought reusable zipper storage bags instead of using Ziploc. Heavy duty and work nicely.

Beach bag for shore beach days.

Magnets for door, depending on time of year/holidays. Magnetic hooks for hanging hats etc

blow up pillows with a strap for beach chairs/ loungers. About the size of DH's first when in their little pouch.

I got a small crossbody bag from Fjallraven, the high coast pocket, perfect for my phone, glasses and seapass. 

We only pack half the clothes we used to, take advantage of our free bags of wash and fold laundry.

We each take one 24 inch bag and a backpack. DH's holds his CPAP, so he does pack another backpack for on shore.

It's taken us 20 years to get to this.

We sail on Ovation to Alaska in 40 days, and while most of the stuff still works, I am flummoxed by the potential weather changes and how to pack accordingly. 

2 hours ago, yogimax said:

Those are the dates I'm considering as well.  I see the status match requires an RCCL membership card.  Would our last Sea Pass Card be accepted?  

 

Can I assume the status match does not include the five free drinks or two days of free internet?

I just sent a screenshot of my account page from RC that showed my points and status. Plus filled out the application. Had a MSC Voyagers number 2 days later. Definitely do it first than book, as you do get the discount.

I believe you were on Anthem with us last week too!

D+ will get you gold status on MSC. Very easy to do.

We are D+, and are trying MSC Meraviglia out of Brooklyn this October. 

We booked Yacht Club interior for the same price as an ocean view on Symphony for the same week.  Full drinks package,surf internet for two devices per person. Price included gratuities and bus transportation through the travel agent, since parking is $45/day. So I am saving since I would still buy soda package and internet for two, plus parking in Bayonne at $210.

We are not suite or fancy upgrade people ordinarily, but as we age are looking for a quieter, more laid back experience. You also get access to thermal suite in the spa( unlimited) and private dining room. It may spoil me, but we will see.

They offer different levels of cruise experience, and some nice perks with the Voyagers club.

What's the worst thing that happens? You find it's not for you. We are planning on trying other lines as well, since Pinnacle is too far away and at Royal's current pricing, I may find other lines suit our needs better.

1 hour ago, dbancroft said:

We were also on this sailing and also had no distilled water in cabin. Room steward had one gallon that she shared with three other cabins. Evian and purified water is not what manufacturers want you to use in the machines.

The only good frozen drink we found was at the pool bar the casino bar drinks were terrible in November and last week. 

We really enjoyed the band Iconic in Music Hall a little loud but still very good. Glad they were still there.

We had snow on the Quantum when we embarked in February 2015 and was nice seeing snow on the Anthem as we got off.

We also booked Freedom out of Florida for August much cheaper than cruising from Jersey.

It has never been an issue before, that's why I was so surprised this time. DH does have travel parts for his unit that he washes and runs in the So clean when we get home. So at least he has good clean stuff when we get home.

I don't know if the pricing for Cape Liberty is just higher since there are not a lot of other drivable options in the Northeast. And while having newer shinier ships in Bayonne is nice, I can book something else for less and get more.

Like I said we love Odyssey, but we sailed her out of FLL in October, so didn't need the enclosed pool.  It may be a tough go if the weather is like we had last week.

21 hours ago, toad455 said:

Agreed about Johnny Rockets. Just remove it from the ship already. Overpriced and not good at all.

 

Did you wait long for your food at Brass & Bock? On my January cruise, the food took over 30 minutes due to only one cook in the kitchen during lunch. Granted its the best burger on the ship, but the wait time is crazy. @VernRDH

I think we waited maybe 15 minutes? I wasn't really paying attention, we enjoy people watching and sitting by the entrance across from the jewelry shop is a great spot.

Just some highlights of our 8 night cruise on Anthem from Bayonne, NJ. Sailing are myself (53F) and DH (54M). We are D+ with this being his 5th and my 3rd time on Anthem. 

Cabin- 7658 balcony, just aft of aft elevators. Great location and we like the layout of these cabins. Shower is a rectangle, not the bullet. Plenty of room and storage for the two of us.

Dining- Early seating in American Icon, we ate half our meals here and the rest at speciality. Food is subjective, but the menus are stale and some of the offerings are just not great. The prime rib on night one and the tenderloin on day 2 were excellent, but after that nothing really stood out. I ate 3 appetizers on night 3 instead of a main, but that was Super Bowl night. I wish we had known that they would offer free hot dogs and hamburgers at the theater for the game, and then we would have skipped MDR.

We ate breakfast at Solarium Bistro each morning, the first two days the food was not very good. Eggs were cooked HARD (both scrambled and over easy) with whole yolks in them! At least I know they used real eggs. Improved for the rest of the week. We don't really eat lunch, just grab a snack.

Specialty dining- we had Jamie's booked for Valentines day and once again it did not disappoint. We had the garlic bread, aranchini , bolognese and the short ribs. Wonderful meal and good service. 

We did Izumi one night and we just order ala carte. I have a shellfish allergy, so there are only a few things I can order safely, but again it did not disappoint. 

Johnny Rockets- its such a shame it has declined, it used to be a really great meal. $37 for two is a bit much. We skipped the milkshakes.

For only $18 for two we got a WAY better burger at Brass and Bock, which we ate at the last night. We plan to add this to our rotation in the future. 

Ports- we had planned to go to Disney in PC, but they changed the excursion time from 9:30 (which IMO was already late since we were docked at 7am) to 11:30am. This would realistically only give you 3 hours in a park and at $150 per person, the juice wasn't worth the squeeze on this. We stayed on board and enjoyed our regular hangout, the Solarium. 

Coco Cay- well, it wasn't a "Perfect Day" more like a "Perfect 3 hours" Captain Tony said it would rain at noon and he was spot on. We spent a bit on time on Chill Beach, went in the ocean (it was a bit cool but ok), shopped a little, and had lunch (had to get my funnel cake and mozzarella sticks!) By the time we finished eating, the sky was very dark and we decided to head back. Just as we got to the pier, it started to rain in earnest. Winds did not help. We were docked alongside Freedom (first time we have every been at PDCC with another ship) and the line to get back on Freedom was crazy long. Maybe the Northerners are made of sturdier stuff and were willing to brave the rain? Hard to say, but we opted to head back and hit the hot tub in the Solarium.

Nassau- We should really have our mail forwarded to Nassau as we are there so often. We shopped for trinkets for our coworkers and a new handbag for me. Had lunch at our fave restaurant Athena Cafe. It was a beautiful day with 6 ships in port- Allure and Anthem, Carnival Liberty and Freedom(?) and MSC Meraviglia and Seashore. We were right next to Meraviglia, which was nice since we will be sailing on her in October and it was nice to see her up close.

Entertainment- having been on Anthem so many times, we did not see WWRY or Spectra again. We went to the theater to see the SuperBowl and went for The BeatleManiacs, which were very good. We tried to go to Music Hall for the band one night, but it was just SO LOUD! We found the music in the bars and lounges to be very loud. And that comes from someone who is hard of hearing! 

Casino- we like to play roulette. We are strict about our gambling budget. It is extremely easy to advance more money on your SeaPass, but that bill comes due when you get home, we just can't do it. So we play until we are out of chips, but if we hit, we take the payout in large chips and put that in our pockets. A "win" is coming out even. Roulette was very popular on this cruise, as the tables were full every night with people waiting to play. The last night they had all 3 tables open. 

Bar service- so we cannot drink alcohol due to medial reasons, but we do enjoy mocktails. Bar staff was great about making different things for us and many knew our preferences after a visit or two. Bars were busy and they were doing a great job taking care of everyone.

Cabin attendant- Yudhy was a nice young man who did his best. He had soooo many cabins! We asked for distilled water on embarkation day for DH's CPAP, and he brought us a bottle of Evian. I left him a note the next day saying this isn't distilled water and his reply was they did not have any and would not get it until PC. Now this is not his fault, but c'mon RC I requested it TWICE prior to sailing. You can't have distilled water for medical device? But there was quite a few things we didn't get until PC (mostly fruits) and I get that provisions in Florida are cheaper and easier to acquire than the metro NYC area. But distilled water? 

Overall it was a very relaxing cruise, which is really what we are looking for. We will miss Anthem, since she is a true cold weather ship. We opted to fly next year and not go on Odyssey (which we also enjoy) due to the prices. I booked a 9 night out of Tampa in a balcony for less than a 7 night in an oceanview on Odyssey. Yes I have the added expense of pre-cruise hotel and flight, but its offset by not having to pay to park at Cape Liberty and I get 2 more nights and 2 new ports. 

Please feel free to ask any questions. Thanks for reading!

DD is now 24 and Diamond in her own right. Never saw a kids menu. She always tried new things( still does) 

Mine also thought on land that extra entrees or apps were "included". Had to shut that down quickly😁

I am going to be in the minority here.

1. Quantum class. Odyssey is my favorite, we have done Anthem ( and going again in 11 days but who is counting) multiple times and are looking forward to Ovation to Alaska in May.

2. Radiance class. Love the glass and views.

3. Freedom class. All the good things without 10 gazillion people.

4. Voyager class. She was our first, so holds a special spot in my heart, that's what got us addicted.

I don't like Oasis at all, and truly have no desire to go on Icon. I would like to get on more vision class before they go away.

We did a culinary tour in Nassau on our own, not through the cruise line.  It was excellent. Tru Bahamian Food tour, you book directly on their website. 

Highly recommend it, we ended up going to one of the restaurants on the tour every time we go there and will be there again in 2 weeks. They also accommodate food allergies.

We brought it back with no problem, we also drove to the port. In the new shopping area at the terminal in Nassau is a local beekeeper shop.  Nice young man, told us about the family business of beekeeping and selling honey and other products. We purchased it as gifts and all said it was very good.

22 hours ago, Jam0610 said:

We have same cruise booked Feb 14th, 2025. 

We are looking at the Feb 28th sailing, includes Colon, Panama and Costa Rica