BobInPa

We live in the Philly burbs so we’re a couple of hours from either Baltimore or Port Liberty. We are considering taking a cruise from one of these ports this January instead of flying south to board a ship to the Caribbean. On our January 2018 cruise we witnessed first hand how devastated the islands were by the hurricanes of 2017, it was depressing. So this year we will attempt to warm up in the Bahamas.

The 8 day Anthem stops in Orlando with two stops in the Bahamas including Coco Cay.

The 9 day Grandeur adds Charleston SC and Miami to Orlando and the Bahamas but not Coco Cay.

Charleston and Miami are two places I have never been but have wanted to see, a plus for Grandeur.

Coco Cay, I guess, is a plus for Anthem.

Our last couple of Caribbean cruises were on Oasis out of Orlando whereas the previous few were on Jewel and Summit out of San Juan. So we have been on both large and medium ships. In spite of our initial doubts we have really enjoyed the features of Oasis, especially the Solarium and its café where we always ate breakfast, usually lunch, and often dinner. We essentially lived in the Solarium.

Our concerns regarding Grandeur:

1) Dining – During our 14 days on Oasis we ate 2 times in the buffet, 4 times in the MDR and 3 times at discounted specialty restaurants. It appears that those are our only dining options on Grandeur.

2) Activities – Having read reviews of Grandeur it appears that dancing is a popular option. Having traveled with chronic dancers, nothing could be less enjoyable to us. Is there much else available?

Our concerns regarding Anthem:

1) Dining – I really enjoy the opportunity to have bacon and eggs for breakfast when on a cruise. Are those available at the Solarium Bistro? Is there anywhere else, other than the usual two, where one can eat breakfast? 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?

2) Kids – It appears that Anthem is even more kid oriented than Oasis. Been there, done that. Is there anywhere to escape other than the Solarium? Oasis had Central Park and even Boardwalk and Promenade to some extent. Those options don’t seem to exist on Anthem, are there viable alternatives?

We have never cruised from a cold home port in the winter before. I would imagine that a great deal of time is spent indoors at both ends of the cruise. Does that give a significant advantage to Anthem?

Thanks in advance,

Bob

We have booked outside/ocean view cabin 4544 on Grandeur OTS for an upcoming cruise and I am concerned about the size of this cabin. We booked this particular cabin for its proximity to the Centrum, a location that we enjoyed when we were on the Jewel. For reference: I am 6’2” 270 lb and my wife is 5’8” 130 lb.

I have a couple of questions about this cabin:

1) This particular cabin is capable of sleeping 4 using some sort of beds that come out of the ceiling or walls. Do these beds when stored make the room narrower, lower the ceiling height or make what is already a smaller cabin seem more cramped?

2) The ocean view cabins on GOTS are 155 sqft which seems smallish. Our last couple of cruises where Oasis balconies at 182 sqft, the previous few where Jewel & Summit OV at 170 sqft. Do you think we will find this type of cabin to be too small even if it is capable of sleeping only 2?

Thank you in advance.

Here is the question and the answer that I got from Celebrity regarding the subject.

As I read it, substitution is allowed.

Question:

CelebrityOneTouch@celebrity.com

Dear Celebrity Cruises, I would like to know your rules and rates regarding passenger substitution.My situation is that I have booked a Bermuda cruise in May on the Summit for my wife and her sister. I have purchased travel insurance for my wife but her sister doesn’t believe in travel insurance. I know that my wife’s insurance will cover my wife in case her sister can’t cruise for documented medical reasons. The important word is documented because her sister doesn’t like to share private information. My wife and I have agreed that if for any reason her sister backs out of the cruise, I should take her sister’s place as my wife’s travelling companion. After all I have never been to Bermuda. I spoke on the phone to a member of your customer service team. He said that as long as you let Celebrity/Agent know before the final manifest is sent out, about 3 days before departure, a substitution can be made as long as 1 original passenger remains. And there is no charge for the service. What is Celebrity’s official policy on passenger substitution? Thank you,XXX

Answer:

Dear Mr. XXX:

Thank you for contacting Celebrity Cruises. I am pleased to have this opportunity to respond to your inquiry.

Due to agency confidentiality, Celebrity Cruises cannot amend any information on a reservation with anyone other than the travel agent of record. Please contact your travel agent if you want to change a guest name on a booking. We do not charge a fee to change a name. If you cannot reach your travel agency, feel free to reach out to me at 844-418-6824, and I will be happy to attempt to contact the travel agent on your behalf.

Sincerely,

XXXXXX

Celebrity Cruises

I waited in the phone queue for 1.5 hours listening to ads before a Celebrity customer services representative answered.

He said that as long as you let them know before the final manifest is sent out, about 3 days before departure, a substitution can be made as long as 1 original passenger remains. And there is no charge for the service.

Fly, Eagles, Fly!

I have just booked a cruise for my wife and her sister aboard the Summit to Bermuda this May. The problem is that her sister isn’t in the best of health and refuses to buy travel insurance.

I have called Celebrity a few times in the last couple of days and been put on a queue which I hung up on after waiting 45 minutes. When I pretended to book a cruise, immediate answer.

So if her sister can’t go on the cruise, can I go in her place? If I can, are there any restrictions or costs associated with the substitution?

While the hotel may not let you check in early it could very well allow you to use the pool. Just leave the luggage with the bellman.

Yep, I asked about that and all is good. Swimming Outdoors and Super Bowl at the same time will be a new experience. Hopefully there will be at least one team from Pennsylvania involved, maybe two.

Fly Eagles Fly.

You would rather be early then miss the last one.

That is very true. I always tend to forget about Customs.

Thanks, Bob

Now I’m thinking I asked the wrong question. I probably should have asked,

What departure time I should try to get in order to make a 10:15 shuttle?

This thread has a recent departure flyer:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2536924

It looks like I should try to get a Tag number of 40 or greater.

Thanks

On February 4, 2018 we will be returning from our cruise on the Oasis of the Seas. Seeing as it is Super Bowl Sunday we have decided to stay in Orlando Sunday night so we can watch the football game and avoid the hassle of getting home late that night. Knowing that Cortrans has its latest departure time from the port at 10:30 and also knowing that the hotel has a check-in time of 4PM we would prefer to get to the hotel as late as possible, which is probably about Noon. However we would prefer to spend time sitting around the motel rather than sitting around the port terminal waiting for a bus.

Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance,

Bob

Cruise line guideline:

 

Deleted. Sorry, that web page no longer exists.

You can make the 8:15 shuttle if you do self-assist departure. I think a noon flight should be OK as long as there are no delays.

It kinda sorta does exist.

If you visit Air2Sea from your booking dashboard they will only show flights that they feel they can guarantee. Which in my case is 1:30 PM.

There may be more involved with that time than just our getting to the airport. Maybe using Luggage Valet?

I guess I will just use our usual panic free spend time in the airport method. No rush to get home, it will probably be a boring Super Bowl. Can’t have two entertaining ones in a row. Besides, I’m sure the Eagles won’t be involved.

Thanks for the help!

Last year when we arrived at Port Canaveral we took an RCI tour of Cape Kennedy so we took a 5 PM flight out of MCO.

This year we are just going to take a shuttle to MCO from the port. Last year we took Cortrans to the port, they were great so we will probably use them again both ways.

The Oasis docks at 6:00 and Cortrans has port departures at 8:15, 9:00, 9:45 and 10:30 AM.

Is making the 8:15 shuttle a reasonable possibility? Last years tour started at 7:30 so we were through Customs by then but it was a tour so it may have had priority.

If we get the 8:15, is catching a Noon flight doable? Last year MCO was a departure zoo, with train rides, strollers, broken kiosks and flustered agents.

Was still there on our September Jewel cruise (post refurb).

That's great! Enjoyment over profit.

Three years ago when we were on the Jewel, the area around the back of the Windjammer was completely open to the surroundings, mostly covered. It was a wonderful way to enjoy breakfast and watch the activities in the port. However, we were told that it would be eliminated to make room for a more profitable dining experience. The pleasure derived from this experience is what prompted me to ask the original question.

Are there any open air dining facilities on the Oasis of the Seas?

As in open on the sides, covered or not.

Having never been on a MEGA ship before, I didn’t realize until today that reservations needed to be made for My Time Dining before boarding the ship. On all of our other cruises we just went to the reservations desk after boarding and chose our times. Well, we are sailing on Oasis in a month and there are virtually no available times before 8 or so. We do have First Night Done Right reservations, so that night is taken care of.

Is there any probability that the 4 of us will be able to get something at our preferred time of 6 PM once we are aboard?

Thanks in advance,

Bob

In January four of us are flying into MCO the day before our cruise on the Oasis and staying overnight at Homewood Suites Orlando Airport.

Does anyone have any suggestions regarding transportation from the hotel to the ship on Sunday?

Thanks in advance,

Bob

We have never taken a cruise on a Royal Caribbean MEGA ship before. We have taken a few on the Jewel OTS, Celebrity Summit and the Caribbean Princess. Before cruising I like to find out where the complimentary food venues are. In January we are on the Oasis of the Seas. After spending time on the RCI website I have been able to find a some complimentary food venues.

I have found that the MDR, Windjammer, Brasserie 30, Sorrento’s Pizza, Park Café, Solarium Bistro, Jade Sushi, Dog House, Boardwalk Donuts, Vitality Café, Room Service, Café Promenade and Café Latte-Tudes (Free Pastry?) all serve free food.

Are there any others or any peculiarities that I should be aware of?

Thank you in advance,

Bob

We’ve been on the Summit twice and have never attempted to take our food from the buffet to the bar at the back of the deck. Is that allowed?

We were sort of spoiled by our later cruise on the Jewel OTS, where we always ate outdoors at the rear of the buffet area. I believe it has since been removed.

The last time we were on the Summit was January 2013. At that time the complimentary food venues were the Mast Grill, Aqua Spa Café, Pool Grill, Waterfall Café and Grill, Café al Bacio & Gelateria (pastries), Bistro on Five $5 and Cosmopolitan MDR. In May of 2017 we will be on the Summit to Bermuda and I’m pretty sure the list of free/cheap food venues has changed and may change again before we cruise.

What are the complimentary food venues as of July 2016?

Do they still have that really good free scooped ice cream counter in the buffet?

Thank you in advance.

Thanks for the answers so far! But they have raised more questions:

Is there any possibility that the fare could go down and the number of Perks go up? If so, would I be able to get the lower price and improved perks?

If the fare goes down and I have accepted a perk will I be able to take advantage of the lower fare and not give up my existing perk?

Thanks in advance.

I have a question regarding the possible applicability of any upcoming perks.

If I were to book a Summit cruise to Bermuda in May 2017 today, I would have my choice of 1 of the normal 4 perks. Let’s say that in the future I would be able to book the same cruise and get 2 or more perks.

Would I be able to call Celebrity and have them add the additional perks to my existing booking?

I have taken advantage of fare decreases in the past with a phone call, so I know that works.

We are thinking of cruising out of Florida this January instead of San Juan as we usually do. We have never encountered a tender port on any of our Eastern Caribbean cruises, which is good. We are thinking of mixing it up and seeing some of the other Caribbean islands and Gulf of Mexico ports. I currently know that Cococay is a tendered port and is sometimes skipped to to weather.

Are there any other ports in the Caribbean or Gulf that require tendering? If so, which ones?

Thanks in advance,

Bob

Be aware of the “Email about Legionnaires”:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2280015

So I’m thinking that taking our scheduled cruise on the Majesty of the Seas in late January would be a really big mistake.

Since my wife has the following trifecta of the CDC’s possible People at Risk:

• Increased age – Late 60s

• Having chronic lung disease, such as emphysema or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) – Every Lung problem in the book

• Having a weakened immune system from diseases like cancer, diabetes, or kidney failure – She takes weekly infusions to increase her ability to fight infection

Plus she gets Pneumonia at least once a year usually twice.

We are luckily in the free cancellation period for another week. And I noticed this problem just as I was looking for possible flights to South Florida.

Boy am I glad that I follow the Cruise Critic Forums.