Rysyonok

34 minutes ago, Another_Critic said:

The start of sunset in Bar Harbor.

 

Simply WOW.

2 minutes ago, LuCruise said:

Thank you for the quick reply. Will definitely bring your description and can see better when I'm there.  But for this way, we're not bypassing reservations right?  Don't want to take a spot from someone who has reserved.

It was never too full. And they can't even start unless all 15 cars have a driver.

Just now, LuCruise said:

Great info!  Trying to understand the comment above about the bumper cars as I know our kids will want to do this multiple times (I have physical issues that I need to avoid it...otherwise, I'd be on there too).  This will be our first time on Anthem so i pulled up the deck plans to try and understand what you mean.  Do you mean there is another entrance on the Dog House side?  Don't you still have to reserve a spot (since covid)?

Correct. So, imagine a square. You enter SeaPlex in the lower right corner to check in. Then you move clockwise along the lower square line, then the left line, then the top line, then midway through the right line. Except there is a small door to the outside right by the dog house, in the top right corner of the imaginary square. The door is always open except for inclement weather. The check-in person physically cannot see you from their cubby, especially if lines are starting to form.

9 minutes ago, 2Long2NxtCrz said:

Thanks for your take on this cruise. We were the only two out of our party that got to do the Northstar because we were in the Northstar bar and hubby was basically sitting on the operator.  He told us they'd open up new slots at set times, so you had to know those times in order to book.

 

I'm not convinced that doing it at sea would be better.  We got to see the entire NYC skyline from a unique vantage point.  And at sunset no less!

 

If anyone is curious, we had a table for twelve in American Icon and had the same time every night and the same staff so it was a fabulous experience.  Even had a proposal in the group on the last formal night!  I wasn't impressed with the food so much as the experience.  The food wasn't bad at all, I just wasn't in the mood for a heavy meal by the end of the day so that was on me.  Still, our service was speedy and cheerful and we had the best waiter and assistant.  Our waiter even serenaded them during the proposal!

Doing NS at sunset is the most amazing experience ever. I wish I had timed my slot better - I should have done what you did 😉

4 minutes ago, 2Long2NxtCrz said:

Definitely not enough people dance!  Hubby and I got out there to get people motivated.  The band was amazing and I really wished we had more participation for their sake.

It would have helped to have properly themed dance classes. On Oasis we got a basic intro into salsa, merengue, flamenco, and even some reggaetón, not to mention lots of disco. And Anthem only had line dancing to offer? I mean, that's terrific, *but that's not what bands were playing at night*.

2 minutes ago, 2Long2NxtCrz said:

Thanks for your take on this cruise. We were the only two out of our party that got to do the Northstar because we were in the Northstar bar and hubby was basically sitting on the operator.  He told us they'd open up new slots at set times, so you had to know those times in order to book.

 

I'm not convinced that doing it at sea would be better.  We got to see the entire NYC skyline from a unique vantage point.  And at sunset no less!

 

If anyone is curious, we had a table for twelve in American Icon and had the same time every night and the same staff so it was a fabulous experience.  Even had a proposal in the group on the last formal night!  I wasn't impressed with the food so much as the experience.  The food wasn't bad at all, I just wasn't in the mood for a heavy meal by the end of the day so that was on me.  Still, our service was speedy and cheerful and we had the best waiter and assistant.  Our waiter even serenaded them during the proposal!

Wait, were you the group that got a double belly dance from a waiter during the MDR lunch on the last sea day too? 😉

I've always been a cheerleader for Solarium Bistro - their meals are lighter and service is impeccable. Another thing to consider, a double entrée during lunch instead of a heavy dinner 🙂

13 minutes ago, 2Long2NxtCrz said:

I'm not the OP, but we were on this cruise as well.  We had a party of 12, so were quite a crowd when we got together.  We never had trouble in Bolero's or the Music Hall, but those are vaccinated only (top floor of the Music Hall is for everyone).  I still feel that they blocked off waaaay too many tables for "social distancing" in the Schooner Bar.  There are no chairs at all around the bar and the tall chairs lining the walkway are verboten, even if your party is seated on the other side.

 

I can see people saying that the bars are crowded, but it's more that they restricted the seating a lot.  So you had to find places where your group can sit, which was not always easy for a large party.

P.S. I did notice that Vintages was suddenly not available to sit at the bar at all halfway through the sailing. Literally, not a chair without a sign.

10 minutes ago, 2Long2NxtCrz said:

I'm not the OP, but we were on this cruise as well.  We had a party of 12, so were quite a crowd when we got together.  We never had trouble in Bolero's or the Music Hall, but those are vaccinated only (top floor of the Music Hall is for everyone).  I still feel that they blocked off waaaay too many tables for "social distancing" in the Schooner Bar.  There are no chairs at all around the bar and the tall chairs lining the walkway are verboten, even if your party is seated on the other side.

 

I can see people saying that the bars are crowded, but it's more that they restricted the seating a lot.  So you had to find places where your group can sit, which was not always easy for a large party.

I know that two70 suddenly got "social-distanced" halfway through the sailing, but I did not see any distancing in Boleros or Schooner's bar. I am not saying it didn't happen, I just did not observe it. During trivia, Schooner's was always packed. Boleros never got too full - perhaps not that many people dance?

6 minutes ago, CPT Trips said:

What dining venues were open for lunch on embarkation day? Any sit down restaurant?

Solarium Bistro was open, Jaime's Italian, and Windjammer.

I *think* Chops may have been open as well.

21 hours ago, 142w said:

Thanks sharing your experiences. Did you try Ifly or North Star? Do you know the prices for the extended trips and was it easy to reserve?

also interested in how the bumper car sessions work. We are traveling with a 10 and 14-year-old who are quite interested in these activities!

I tried North Star (amazing) but not IFly. Extended trips were $29pp for NS and 47 for IFly. Extended trips were easily available for both, but free slots would be grabbed as soon as they were available, as if someone was watching the app nonstop 😅

Bumper Cars are free, each session is 4 minutes. They have to be reserved but *hint* if you come in on deck 15 outside aiming for the Seaplex Doghouse car front then enter the ship through the door then you can get in line more times - you're bypassing the check-in girl, she can't possibly see you from that angle. So you can do as many bumper cars as you want!

However.

This is a brutal experience. Seat belt does go right across your neck, and steering wheel will give you bruises. So, as long as you don't mind marks for a few days (bring Neosporin), bumper cars are fun!

3 hours ago, Biker19 said:

Did you expect anything else?

I did, following the trend from other venues. E.g., Windjammer did open for dinner but Solarium did not close and stayed available. And one morning we got unexpected mimosas in MDR. There were lots of tiny surprises on this sailing of Anthem. 🙂

5 minutes ago, ellenh said:

Thanks so much for this.  I was on Oasis in October and will be on Anthem in December.  It was my first sailing on an Oasis class ship but I've been on Anthem 2x so that's a bit more familiar.  What was it about Oasis that made it "win" for you (albeit by a hair)?   Was there any particular area where it clearly outdid the Anthem or was it just general vibe? 

 

I loved Oasis.  But I also loved Anthem.  I pretty much love cruising🍾

Oasis just seemed so much more - 

- formal pictures in Central park

- two Latin bands (Anthem had a carryover - awesome, true - British band)

- a merged dining room (the grandeur! the awesomeness!)

- two flowriders versus one

Passengers did make a difference though. Oasis was earlier, sooner; I could not shake off the feeling that it (Oasis) was full of grandmas with grandkids whereas Anthem seemed like a couple ship

1 minute ago, randybutternubs said:

You recommend booking for the day at Cape Liberty? To see the city?

More like to have a chance at all; North Star barely moves off the boat, so any city sights are not a factor. It is a genuinely amazing experience, just don't lust for any glamour shots; the feel is that in being airborne yourself.

10 hours ago, boscobeans said:

We were booked into a grand suite, went directly into the terminal to security ( around 12 Noon ) , waited for what seemed like an eternity for the THREE T.S.A. stations to process about 10 passengers that were ahead of us ?????

Looked like they were training 3 new agents, and this may have been partially why the line outside was going so slow and was wrapped around the terminal.

 

Went to a check-in station, showed our vax cards, got our purple "vaccinated" wrist bands and  boarded the ship. 

 

Aside from the T.S.A. issue we basically walked through the terminal and up the escalator.

 

Great cruise and looking forward to our next Anthem cruise in 66 days..

 

 

Training new crew (and others) has been a real theme of this cruise, from the terminal to the bar staff. I'm okay with it though: this means that the port and the cruise line are optimistic that things are returning to normal.

10 hours ago, RoyalC said:

Where do you book Northstar? Did you board and go right to it or did you need a reservation?

You do it on the RCCL app while connected to Anthem WiFi

11 minutes ago, RedIguana said:

I have always been under the impression it was a requirement.

To be classy 😉 Absolutely 😉

8 hours ago, RoyalC said:

Where do you book Northstar? Did you board and go right to it or did you need a reservation?

It appears in the app - instantly (say, 12:30 the day of boarding) and throughout the sailing.

I *think* someone had said the new slots load at 9, I can't confirm it. I'm guilty of having had too much fun - by the time I'd check the app, all the slots would be booked! Free slots, that is; paid ones ($29pp) were always available).

My advice, book North Star upon embarking - the absolutely very first thing you do - and just be done with it (it is one of those things you can kind of only book once). Now, it may be able to slide in throughout the sailing if someone failed to show up... I just haven't tried it.

It's an awesome experience!

Oh, but there's more.

Experience it day 1.

Keep taking pictures of it throughout the sailing while it's in motion.

Now, that's the whole package.

7 hours ago, boscobeans said:

To correct my above response

 

The dining areas still have the basic number and placement of tables as well as chairs it  is how they seat people at these tables that is fairly well controlled to allow for social distancing.

Correct.

Tables, however, do move, and they did throughout the sailing.

RCCL will not hesitate to put you right in the middle of a high-traffic area in order to space you out a bit.

Not a bad thing. Just an observation.

MDR genuinely did flow well.

7 hours ago, kwokpot said:

I'm curious if you found the bars too crowded in the evenings. One of the main complaints when the Anthem was sailing the UK this summer was there weren't enough bars and there was no place to sit at the bars in the evening. Having been sailed on the Anthem three times prior to Covid I didn't agree with that assessment and attributed the criticism by several posters here on CC to be a cultural anomaly in that Brits of all ages socialize at Bars at all hours of the day and that's not how Americans congregate. 

What's your take on that on your particular cruise?

Bars were not crowded at all.

Maybe 60-80% load at peak times - and I mean a real peak, after dinner, when rain and cold would send people down from top decks - along the actual bar service line (sorry, I don't know the term) and 50% on the tables. Waiters were very clearly under-used - always on standby. The only time I've ever had to wait for service was late at night when they'd start inventory - and it'd be my own fault, as I would not position myself within the visual field of a bartender!!!

Bars were awesome.

Although not having Guinness in stock (except in Solarium) was a bummer 😛

3 minutes ago, mets123 said:

Sure, "understaffing" could have explained WWRY, and "technical difficulties" - Spectra, but both combined? Why not simply run Spectra in Main Theater?

 

FYI - Due to the nature of Stectra, it cannot be done in the main theater. It was designed for the 270 experience.

By the way, both Oasis and Anthem had lost some shows over the course of sailings.

Which means:

Always.

Book.

The.

First.

Possible / Available.

Show.

You can always weasel your way in later. You really can. Just don't be a jerk. Be kind.

1 minute ago, mets123 said:

Sure, "understaffing" could have explained WWRY, and "technical difficulties" - Spectra, but both combined? Why not simply run Spectra in Main Theater?

 

FYI - Due to the nature of Stectra, it cannot be done in the main theater. It was designed for the 270 experience.

I hear you.

That said... having seen it... and having seen what Main Theater crew and tech staff can do... I daresay it could have been pulled off...

Spectras were exercising in two70 the morning of day 3.

Then nowhere to be seen.

Then one of them performed in Boleros for an hour.

Puzzling.

5 hours ago, mets123 said:

Who's the CD on the ship? Were any changes made during the drydock, or was it technical in nature?

Mark something - a Brit, quite active, but...

It's the Assistant Cruise Director that genuinely stole the spotlight: Andy Elton.

A great singer.

An amazing Liar, Liar performer.

A hit-and-run entertainer - would swing by venues for a bit to light up the room.

Ever since he had his Elton John special day 5, he's been on a roll - I'm genuinely jealous of the current sailing to see how much more he would blossom!

Andy Elton was the most memorable cruise team member of the sailing.

2 hours ago, Sunshine3601 said:

Why tables 900+ ?  Is that vaxxed mdr?  Are those tables in front or rear area?

Vaxxed is Deck 4 (Icon and the red-colored section); unvaxxed - 3.

900+ tables are in a private alcove within American Grill (you take a hard left upon arrival into MDR and keep going straight) in what appeared to be a previously secluded section (you can even spot a private exit in the corner). It is an overflow section, and as such has the least traffic and density - most nights we had only 4 other couples with us, with 60% of tables being empty.

2 hours ago, goldengirl said:

Hi do you have any menus you can share please? When they canceled the shows did they put something on in its place?

also  we’re you a diamond menu and eligible for four drinks a day? I wonder if you can get served orange juice in the dining room and use that as one of your drinks?

I'm sure that's an option, but do be consistent: MDR drinks are always a delay (as they do have to leave to go elsewhere for drinks). I'd recommend set dining where the waiter team picks up on your preferences.

The Diamond lounge did open but (and I could use a second opinion from another CC member here) happy hour did not return - one would still be limited by 4 coupons rather than legacy drink-all-you want from 5 to 8.

Or do like I do: help yourself. I'd always hit a bar right before MDR and then waltz in with a drink of my choice 😉 That's probably the most under-spoken feature of RCCL - it's is OK to come in with a drink and leave with a drink.

2 hours ago, goldengirl said:

Hi do you have any menus you can share please? When they canceled the shows did they put something on in its place?

also  we’re you a diamond menu and eligible for four drinks a day? I wonder if you can get served orange juice in the dining room and use that as one of your drinks?

So, show cancellations were very sudden - there was an announcement from cruise director as soon as we had sailed from Port Canaveral, but even the app took several hours to react. Needless to say, rumors instantly ran galore, with the forbidden word instantly voiced - after all two distinct group of crew were knocked out! Sure, "understaffing" could have explained WWRY, and "technical difficulties" - Spectra, but both combined? Why not simply run Spectra in Main Theater?

Cruise director was very clearly scrambling.

But he did not give up.

Assistant Cruise Director had an Elton John tribute (I highly recommend). New trivias kept popping up. Additional latin dance hours did too. Actually, the entire cruise seemed like a true test run -

*The app kept adjusting events and venues non-stop the entire journey*

And that's a good thing for me - that means feedback is solicited and listened to, attendance did matter for event selection.