BobInPa

On 1/24/2019 at 3:46 PM, slotmomma3 said:

Got an email today stating that the depart time in Nassau is changing from 11:59pm to 10pm.  Not really a big deal but with all the issues I am reading about,  I am just wondering if this could be due to some underlying problem.  Any ideas??

We on Jan 18-26 2019 cruise were changed to 10 PM also about a month ahead. I asked Dennis Charles about it after the Captains Corner on the 25th and he said it was due to a full port with departures and we lost the lottery.

Which was fine because we skipped Coco Cay due to winds and got to Nassau at noon a day early instead.  It was fine because we got the last dock, next to Paradise Island.   What a glorious view, like having an ocean front room, at least for us on the Starboard side.

BTW: We got to Port Canaveral at noon a day early also.  So we overnighted at both ports that we actually got to.

On 1/26/2019 at 8:32 AM, Cruz77 said:

Are there better days than others to book the 3 shows on Anthem?  For example I always schedule the Aquatheater show on day 1 or 2 on oasis class just in case a later one gets cancelled because of sea conditions.  Any tips for me??

Spectra is the show that is most similar to Aquatheatre as far as danger is concerned.

At least one performance was cut short on our Jan 18-26 2019 cruise and rescheduled.

We were told by others it was too rough for safety but it didn't seem that bad to me and I'm a wimp.   

56 minutes ago, SRF said:

 

Some of us are NOT looking for a floating amusement park. 😄

Yes, we know.  You've mentioned it several times.  

Here are a couple of threads on pretty much the same topic that may help:

BTW: I chose Anthem

8 minutes ago, xadidas20x said:

 

Sorry, not to hijack the thread, but I have to ask you a question.  How were you notified about this change in itinerary?  I just read this and I am also on an 8 day on the Anthem Feb 23rd.  I haven't received any email communications and my cruise planner still has our original itinerary with 2 sea days and then one day at Port Canaveral.  Also the same with the online travel website that I sometimes book cruises with. However, when I do a mock booking on Royal Caribbean's website, it looks like now it's one sea day and we arrive at Port Canaveral at noon on day 3 and depart at 8pm on day 4.    It also looks like the days at CoCo Cay and Nassau have switched. 

 

So curious how and when you discovered the change.  I guess I'll have to look to confirm if that also changed for me so I can plan accordingly.

No problem it is very puzzling.

The most important thing to do is sign up for your Roll Call, that is how I originally found out about both of our changes.

Those who booked directly with RCI got email notification before RCI changed the Cruise Planner Calendar.  I booked thru a TA who sent me a reworded email notification a few days later.  So far our cruise has been modified twice. First it was the arrival at PC at noon with an overnight.  Second it was leaving Nassau 2 hours earlier as we head back to Bayonne.  I suppose that next they will tell us that we will be arriving in Bayonne a day earlier, so that we can enjoy the sights and sounds of beautiful Bayonne.

2 hours ago, reallyitsmema said:

 

Yes, you can walk around in shorts, it is only cold if you are out on the pool deck or if you sit close to a door to the outside.  People will be in the indoor pool, but it can be pretty cool in there because of the doors opening to the outside.  That area acts as a buffer for the Solarium so it is only cooler near the doors to enter the Solarium.  Come up the forward stairs or elevator to get to the Solarium and you won't have to go outside.

22 minutes ago, cb at sea said:

Inside the ship is comfortable....70-74, I'd say.....bring a pair or two of lightweight slacks, just in case!

These answer the question that I was trying to ask.  Thank you.

4 hours ago, shipgeeks said:

Are you planning to board in shorts? Are you taking long pants for dinners?

When we sail from Baltimore on Saturday we will be in long pants, sweaters, winter jackets. We would not want to limit ourselves to indoors only.

47 minutes ago, OCruisers said:

Bob, where you'll be going on your cruise isn't very warm in January so please do keep that in mind while packing.  

Yes, I know that Port Canaveral and the Bahamas aren't as warm as our usual January destination The Southern Caribbean.  But it is way warmer than suburban Philly.  If it's chilly, we'll stay on the boat or make the ultimate sacrifice and wear long pants.

I had originally booked on the Grandeur out of Baltimore for this coming week.  Then I read about all the warm interior space on the Anthem but the capper was the heated Solarium with the cascading pools and its Bistro.  During the last couple of cruises we have tended to eat most of our meals in the Bistro.   

I should clarify, to me warm enough for shorts means in your own house warm, something around 70+ degrees. I live year round in the Mid Atlantic so I know I'll be wearing cold weather stuff the first and last day.  I am taking khakis and long sleeve shirts for dressier meals.  For instance, if I get up the first morning on the ship and walk up two decks to the Solarium Bistro for breakfast, will shorts be warm enough?  I know from our last two cruises on the Oasis that we will spend most of our time at the Solarium, which I hope will be warm enough for sitting around in wet swim suits?     

I will be on the Anthem’s January 18 eight day cruise out of Bayonne.  I know it will be cold during the first and last sea day for sure.  Our cruise has just become one of those 8 day cruises that gets to Canaveral at noon after one and a half sea days and stays over night for another full day.  We don’t know why it was changed but it was.

I live about 25 miles NW of Philly, my parents lived in Allentown, my wife's parents lived in Lebanon. Don't even consider Lebanon  and Allentown isn't much better for convenience.  We live less than 90 minutes from the port but we are cruising in less than 2 weeks, snow season. So we are staying at the Double Tree at Newark and are paying $137 our pre cruise night which includes up to 2 weeks parking.  The port is $20 a day.

5 hours ago, EBONI325 said:

I am on the Jan 18th sailing and although I haven't received an e-mail, my cruise planner does show the change. I'm not complaining as it would give me an extra day to spend with family. I'm also booked on the shuttle to Universal Studios for that Monday and hoping we can get at least 7 hours in the park, I did read on someone's review that they arrived at the park at 9 am and the shuttle left at 4:30 pm to return to the ship.

They have just changed the 1/23/2019 Nassau departure time from 11:59 PM to 10:00 PM.

I wonder what is going on.

9 minutes ago, torbs said:

Yup.... They say we have a chance.. lol

I was emotionally checked out at 8:20 P and St. Nick showed up.

Hopefully they will get to wear their Dog masks again.  

3 hours ago, torbs said:

Headed down the coast on the Anthem this Friday and will be at sea on Sunday.  Is there a good spot on the ship that will show multiple games or, is it pot luck on a TV? Red zone perhaps LOL?  I know some ships have Playmakers and Anthem does not.... #flyeaglesfly

 

Thanks!

So what prompted the sudden interest? 🐦

It sure was a nailbiter.

30 minutes ago, reallyitsmema said:

 

Anthem reservations are very late in being released for some reason.  In the past, we have been able to make our reservations around 120 days prior to sailing.  Not sure why they are so late.  I have looked at a lot of the rollcalls to see if reservations are opened and they aren't even open for people who are sailing in 60 days.  Hopefully, they open soon.

Yep, really late.   I called RCI today to find out if was only me, it wasn't.

I'm 73 days out.

Use anonymous mode.

 

With browser highlighted, hit CRTL-SHFT- N at the same time.

 

It will open a new browser, with a little spy guy in the upper left corner. No cookies, no history, like a totally clean new browser.

Incognito/Anonymous Mode worked great. Now I can see again.

Thanks!

I am having a problem accessing Cruise Planner using Chrome on a Windows 8.1 Desktop.

When I click on Cruise Planner under My Upcoming Cruises I get:

This site can’t be reached

secure.royalcaribbean.com unexpectedly closed the connection.

This method of accessing Cruise Planner using Chrome works fine on my Android Phone, Android Tablet, Fire Tablet and Chromebook.

Now, while reading this it sounds like a first world problem but really is a vision problem. The little guys can’t compare to my 27” monitor.

Does anyone have any ideas on how to fix this?

Finally, the North Jersey/NYC crowd on Anthem are all obnoxious fans of all the New York area sports teams hated by most fans everywhere else!

That can't be true! And here I thought we Philly Fans were the most hated.

I guess Santa Claus better watch out this year. We have to get back to the top of the hated list.

Thanks, Bob! We're also in PA (Lancaster). You're right, these are the exact same cruises and itineraries! See where you picked Anthem, how was it?? Did the weather hold out for you in the Bahamas? What did you do on the multiple cruise days?

 

Thanks :)

What I was trying to say is that I am no longer undecided. I will be cruising on Anthem for the first time in January 2019.

You'll find many answers here:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2668579

I was undecided about the exact same cruises.

Hi All,

Having never sailed from a northern port in January before and with our primary goals being warm and pampered we have decided to go with Anthem instead of Grandeur.

The additional indoor/warm venues were the major motivations, with the Solarium and it’s bistro being key.

Also, we got a 2D midship balcony with $200+ in perks for $300 more than a 1N midship ocean view with no perks. Being a large guy I had a feeling that the cabin size on Grandeur would be sort of claustrophobic whereas the cabin size on Anthem is 30% larger.

My wife’s birthday will occur on the second night of the Anthem cruise and I am hoping to use one of my perks for dinner at Wonderland.

Thanks for all your help and suggestions,

Bob

For breakfast you can’t get eggs cooked to order, but they have omelets and scrambled eggs replenished regularly. Bacon is available. The hours are different for sea days and port days for breakfast/brunch, but it is always open for dinner. I eat there often for dinner when I cruise alone. And if I don’t eat there I’ll frequently just go up there for dessert - I bring a couple of pieces of baklava back to my room!

Bacon and Baklava. The 2 most important components of any cruise.

Thank you.

We have really enjoyed the Solarium on Oasis. In addition to just hanging out there we also dined at the Bistro where we always ate breakfast, usually lunch, and often dinner.

We have seen pictures of the Solarium on Anthem and about all I can say is WOW!

I have a few questions regarding Anthem’s Solarium Bistro:

Breakfast - Are bacon and eggs available there?

Lunch – Is it open?

Dinner – Is it open?

Is the Solarium Bistro as roomy on Anthem as it is on Oasis?

It is free for all 3 meals on Oasis, is that true on Anthem?

Thanks in advance,

Bob

P.S. Are we neighbors?

Pretty much. I live in Gwynedd. Due north of Merion and near the same SEPTA line, the old R5.

Keep in mind that while it is in the cold weather the Solarium is typically open to all ages.

That may be on Grandeur, but I would expect it would not be the case on Anthem since Anthem has multiple indoor pools.

Thanks! This is a significant difference.