Noreen411

1 minute ago, mahdnc said:

 

Thanks for your timely posting.  We have a very similar situation where we may lift and shift a cruise to a sailing that we have already booked.  I have to make a decision in the next week.

I knew I wouldn’t be the only one in such a situation.  Thank you for posting about yours. 

Would you mind keeping me posted on your progress?   I am thinking that since we have similar situations we can leverage each other’s experiences if either of us run into any issues.

Noreen

10 minutes ago, wrk2cruise said:

Watch your future sailings in your Celebrity account as you won't get any confirmation when it's actually processed but I suspect your TA will.   Hopefully by mid week you will see the sailing change and you will have 2 reservations under the same sailing in your upcoming sailings list.

Thank you again for all your help

Hi

OK - step 1 is done.

I went on line and requested the Lift & Shift

I will keep you posted as things move along

Thank you all for your help

Noreen

1 hour ago, wrk2cruise said:

When my TA did a prior L&S they used a similar request form they had available on CruisingPower.  I didn't see any reason to involve the TA to initiate the last one.  I sent him an email telling him I made the request and yes I had him switch cabins after it was done (I'm not sure he had to call Celebrity to do that).

 

I would definitely wait to cancel the original reservation until after you were all set with the L&S.

 

 

Thank you again for great advice

Next easy question...

Should I do the Lift and Shift online or wait for my TA to call to do it?

I am guessing she would need to call anyway to change the cabin number if I don’t like where they place us.

Should we wait to cancel the current 2022 cruise until after L&S is squared away?

Thank you

Noreen

3 hours ago, wrk2cruise said:

Just this week I did a L&S of my Jan 2021 Connie cruise to Jan 2022 where I had an existing reservation.   The 2022 booking was B2B with the following sailing so my TA even unlinked the first cruise and linked the L&S to the B2B.  I told him that I would be moving that original reservation at some point in the future so I still have 2 bookings for the same sailing in 2022.

 

I believe you should have no problem cancelling the original NRD and getting FCC and applying it to the L&S reservation.  It will not affect the Refundable aspect of your reservation.  I would suggest NOT applying the FCC to the L&S reservation until final payment UNLESS they will take that as the deposit and refund your original deposit to your credit card.

 

This should be no problem at all

 

Hi.

This is great info, thank you very much for sharing.

Your situation sounds the closest to ours that I have read about.

I didn’t even think of holding off on using the FCC until close to final payment but that makes a lot of sense.

Thank you 

4 hours ago, jelayne said:

Curious why your deposit is $1800, we recently booked and the deposit was $900 our previous RS booking also had a $900 deposit ($450pp).

 

if you can use the FCC from cancelling the 2022 booking and L & S the Jan 2021 that would be my choice.  

Our deposits have been $900 per person for Royal Suites.  Could it be based on length of sailing?  Ours were 11 or 12 nights.

We are definitely leaning towards the L & S and then applying the FCC (if we can)

thank you

4 hours ago, upwarduk said:

If Constellation hasn’t been refurbished by 2022, could you claim the sailing at a cheaper price? 

Friends were on her in January 2020 and said that parts were in real need of the upgrade.

I don’t think that would work, there was an older thread about people looking for discounts on one of the other ships that didn’t get the full renovation (maybe Eclipse) after they booked assuming it would be done but it didn’t fly.

4 hours ago, Arizona Wildcat said:

Seems logical to L&S to 2022.  The put the $1800 toward 2022.  You cruise for less and it is probably a better deal than letting them cancel your cruise and certainly less stress.  Having $3600 in deposits doesn't sound like a big deal if you are doing a RS.I doubt the 2021 cruise will happen and would not cruise then anyway.  We elected not to book before July of 2021.  That will probably be good.

 

Thank you for confirming it makes sense

Hi

I searched through the various lift and shift threads but haven’t found my situation so I’m hoping I can get some advice here.  My TA will be calling Celebrity (probably with me on the phone) to ask our options also, but I know that sometimes you get more accurate information here than when you call depending who answers.  I also want to have a suggestion ready to provide.

Here’s the story:

We are booked to sail on Reflection January 2021 in a Royal Suite with a refundable deposit.  It’s 11 nights ABC itinerary.  This has been booked for a while so we have a good price.  I don’t think it will sail given the pandemic and even if it does I don’t think we’re ready to be among the first group of cruisers.  

When I looked online at the Lift and Shift Options there are 3 choices and only 1 is an ABC itinerary - on the Constellation for February 2022.  Normally that would be the end of the story and we would just go forward with that.

Here’s the wrinkle...when we were on our last cruise, we booked on board - that same February Constellation ABC for February 2022, in a Royal Suite, but with a non refundable deposit.  At the time it was pre-Covid so they also sold us on the renovations that were scheduled.  The cost is about $5,000 more than our Jan 2021 sailing.

I’m looking for advice on my options.  Here is what I was wondering if I can do:

Can I Lift & Shift my January 2021 Reflection to the February 2022 Constellation and be double booked for February 2022?  With Lift & Shift I keep my lower price and my refundable status for the deposit.  

Then what should I do with my currently booked more expensive non refundable Constellation reservation?  Do I cancel under Cruise with Confidence and get a FCC for the $1,800 deposit, then apply that FCC to my Lifted and Shifted Constellation at the lower price?  If I do that would moving the FCC that came from a non refundable deposit automatically make my booking non refundable?  Can I even use FCC on the same sailing that I received it from for cancelling?  If I can’t apply the FCC back to the same date sailing, how long is it valid for?  Is it valid for 1 year from sail date so February 2023?

Or could I just have them move my non refundable $1,800 deposit to the newly lifted and shifted refundable one?  If I did that would that then make the booking non refundable and now they are holding double deposits of $3,600 for the sailing?

I’m open to any suggestions.

Sorry for the long winded question, but I wanted to explain the situation as best as I could.

Thank you in advance for any suggestions/advice

Noreen

Hi

We have been on Anthem several times - I have reviews in my signature with pictures (a lot of food pictures) if you are interested

In addition to the regular dining rooms

Coastal Kitchen - for suites

Windjammer - Buffet

Solarium Bistro

Cafe 270 

Brass & Bock - Pub with limited menu

Cafe Promenade

La Patisserie - Serves Starbucks

Sorrento Pizza

Johnny Rockets

Sea Plex Doghouse

Room Service

Hopefully I remembered them all

Noreen

Hi

You can also move your deposit to any cruise of your choice paying current rates. They will waive the non refundable penalty.   You won’t have to pay final payment until whenever the final payment date for the new cruise is.

This way you aren’t limited to the lift and shift options.  The downside is you are not price protected.  This gives you more flexibility.

Noreen

Hi

We have sailed on Anthem several times and there are different types of junior suites.

The J1 with Large Balcony is our favorite.    It’s what you think of as the traditional junior suite.  The balcony is larger than the other junior suite balconies, triangular in shape with actual lounge chairs (rather than chair and foot rest).  It has one bathroom with a bathtub/shower combination.

They have renamed the other junior suites J3 and J4 but they used to be family junior suite and spa junior suite.  I may have the 3 and 4 mixed up.  We tried the spa junior suite once.  While smaller than the J1 junior suite, it has an interesting bathroom set up with two smaller bathrooms.  One has a toilet and sink.  The other has a bathtub, separate stand up shower, and sink.  The family junior suite we haven’t tried but I believe that also has two bathrooms but it’s a toilet and sink in one and a toilet, sink, shower/tub combination in the other.  While we prefer the J1 for the two of us, for 3 adults sharing a cabin one of the split bathroom combinations may be useful to allow more people to get ready at once.

I have done reviews of my sailings on Anthem (linked in my signature) with pictures of the different cabins we stayed in.  Most of them were J1 Junior Suites with large balcony, but we had the spa junior suite once, a Grand Suite, and a regular balcony also.

Whichever you choose you won’t go wrong, Anthem is a great ship.

If you have any questions just ask, I’m happy to try to help.

Stay safe

Noreen

Hi

One other option is to just have your deposit moved to whatever sailing you are interested in.  That way you don’t have to wait for a refund or FCC for the deposit.  They are waiving NRD penalties to do this so the full deposit just moves.  You pay prevailing rates for the new cruise you choose.  You don’t have to worry about lift and shift eligibility either.

Noreen

On 6/26/2020 at 7:03 AM, cruisequeen4ever said:

Thank you for entertaining us during our time without cruises; it was another great blog! 🤞 you get to celebrate New Year’s at sea because it’s simply the best, and because we are also hoping to be at sea for New Year’s! 

Hi.  Thank you for the kind words.  I hope you and your family are staying safe and healthy.

New Year’s on Anthem is the only trip we have left for 2020 (well starting in 2020).    As much as I would love to go, I know it may not happen.   I’m holding out some hope that it may, but know it’s a long shot.

Stay safe

Noreen

Hi

We requested our refund online - it was super easy to do.

We were booked on Oasis 6/27/20 in a Grand Suite.  

The announcement that the sailing was cancelled came on 5/20/20. 

On 5/22/20 I was on the website and in the page where it talks about cancellations, there is a link to request a refund.

I went there and it asked me some information and I continued clicking through.  At the end you get a confirmation screen that you can print saying “You’re all set” and that you will see your refund in about 30-45 days.

I received my refund in two separate amounts (one for the deposit and one for the balance) that added up to our total paid on 6/6/20 (so just over 2 weeks).

We  booked with a TA but I was able to click through to request the refund on my own since the sailing was cancelled by Royal Caribbean.  I was pleasantly surprised how easy and efficiently it worked that time.  

Noreen

58 minutes ago, mkmaj said:

Access to the suite sundeck with a JS?! Is that on Anthem as well?

Hi

On Anthem, the suite sundeck is for Grand Suite and above (or Pinnacles) but not Junior Suites

We love the Anthem and have been on several times.

We haven’t experienced any of the concerns you raised.

I have several Anthem reviews linked in my signature (including several of the winter 11 or 12 night sailings) if you want to read more about them / see pictures.

Happy to answer any questions you have

We are looking forward to getting on Anthem again

We have also tried Celebrity (Reflection and Silhouette) and loved those as well.  Reviews with pictures are linked for those also.  

Hi

We have been on Anthem several times.  

For Coastal Kitchen - normally we would sit with the same waiter each night so you get that same connection like you mention from the dining room.   I have pictures of meals in Coastal Kitchen and the menu if you want to look at them also in my linked reviews.  And if you see something you want on the dining room menu, they are happy to bring it to you in Coastal Kitchen.

There are three different types of junior suites on Anthem.  

Our favorite is the J1 - Junior Suite with Large Balcony.   It’s a large room with a great balcony with actual lounge chairs (rather than a chair with a foot stool).  There is one bathroom with a tub with shower wand.

They don’t call them this anymore - but the other two are the spa junior suite (I think it’s now a J4) or the family junior suite (now a J3 I think).  The difference is the spa junior suite sort of has two bathrooms - one has a toilet and sink, the other has a tub, shower, and sink.  The family junior suite I believe also has two bathrooms but I think each one has a toilet.  I’ve never stayed in the family junior suite (J3).

I’ve done reviews with pictures of most of our Anthem cruises if you want to take a look at some of the different junior suites and balconies.  They are linked in my signature.  I’ll summarize here so you can easily find what you are looking for.  I just focused on the Anthem cruises that have pictures of the cabins (some more pictures than others)

January 2017 - J1 Junior Suite Large Balcony #8232 - cabin pics start on post #12

July 2017 - Balcony #9246 - cabin pics start post #9

August 2017 - Balcony #9644 - cabin pics start post #7

January 2018 - Grand Suite with Large Balcony #8634 - cabin pics start post #23

February 2019 - J1 Junior Suite Large Balcony #8632 - cabin pics start post #11

June 2019 - J1 Junior Suite Large Balcony #10232 - cabin pics start post #11 (there are more cabin pics throughout as I decorated the cabin for my husbands birthday)

August 2019 - J4 Spa Junior Suite #7640 - cabin pics start post #9

Since you asked opinions on two balcony cabins vs one junior suite (for 4 people) -  I would go with the two balconies  so everyone has some space and two full bathrooms.

If you have any questions feel free to ask.  I love talking about cruises.

Noreen

1 hour ago, Mallefiscent said:

Thank you so much for this. I loved looking at it. I think you look cute in that chair, so keep taking pictures in it.  🙂

Thank you 🙂

Hi

My husband, Scott, and I did this class on Anthem in 2018.  It was a lot of fun.

I did a review with pictures as part of my travelogue of the trip.  It’s linked in my signature.

I will try to attach here too so you don’t have to go looking.  The sushi class info stats on post #52 in the thread.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2509114-anthem-of-the-seas-review-southern-caribbean-jan-28-2018-feb-9-2018/

Thank you everyone for your feedback - I know I haven’t responded to everyone individually but I appreciate all the responses.

Here’s where we are now...

My TA is great.  She spent hours on the phone yesterday on hold and finally spoke to resolutions.  The first person she spoke to agreed and was trying to make the change; then something happened and he couldn’t do it and got someone else on the phone.  That person basically said No - it’s part of a current promotion and I would lose all the perks.  My TA went back and forth with them a few times but they disagreed that the Royal Suite includes Beverage package, internet etc.  She gave up and said she’ll try calling again today to see if she gets someone else.  And she’s going to ask what is included with the Royal Suite aside from any promotion going on.

Will keep everyone posted as I hear more

Thank you again

Noreen

1 hour ago, TeeRick said:

The only possible caveat is that none of us know if current amenities will survive "as is" on the restart of cruising.  But presumably they will since they were included in your advertised fare.  

Very true

5 hours ago, groryjm said:

Nobody has mentioned yet the way in which  if you stay in one of the 10 upper suite rooms service seems to go up a notch in ways it can be hard to quantify..😎 

This is probably one of the reasons we keep booking Royal Suites - it’s hard to quantify but it’s a big plus

5 hours ago, groryjm said:

Don't forget that TAs and celebrity agents are used to  dealing with the other 1400 odd state rooms and these amenities only apply to 10 cabins. They often forget too that the unlimited WiFi and Premium drinks etc apply to all in the suite so not just the first two.

 

Also at some ports you have Exclusive Luggage Drop Off and as far as by 20 year old DD is concerned the most importaint thing....unlimiited free gelato

I didn’t know about the free gelato - will have to use that more next time.

That’s a good point - that the majority of the rooms don’t have these applied to them so it’s probably not part of most of the discussions.