nerak11

Does anyone know if the adjustment can be made for dining packages for kids once onboard?

The Ultimate Dining Package for my New Years cruise showed up in the cruise planner for the very first time two days ago at a price of $192 (I check it daily).  I looked today for a Black Friday sale and low and behold the BOGO price is $192 per person with the BOGO adjustment.  Royal must really think we are idiots.  

I'm very disappointed to hear that Royal has discontinued the lunch delivery for the beach beds and bungalows.  When we booked a bungalow months ago, the delivered lunch was listed in the description.  There was only a $35 difference between the cabana and the bungalow at the time and since I'm not a huge fan of buffets (even enhanced ones) we opted for the bungalow. Of course the prices have gone up considerably for the cabanas so we can't switch now.  I'm not happy we will have to trek even further to go to the main crappy buffet.  I was really looking forward to eating in peace at our bungalow.

This must have been a pretty recent change as going back to posts in August people were getting the lunch delivered.  Hopefully enough people express their displeasure at this and Royal brings it back.

 

This excursion is usually listed on Royal’s site for around $239 a person. I grabbed it when Royal was having one of their sakes for $209 a person. For those wondering this excursion could only be reserved through Royal. A woman on our tour said she called and tried to reserve it and was asked if she was on a cruise and they told her she had to buy it through the cruise line.

They must have changed that rule since we did the Hidden Gems tour in the summer of 2016. We booked it privately saving $50/pp and did it the first day so as not to have to worry about making it back to the ship on time. It was really a fantastic tour and we felt like we got to see lots of Bermuda in one shot (we also had a stop at a light house on our tour).

Here's the weird thing. I was just told that's no longer the case (by the DL concierge). They said they opened up the bookings to everyone because there were so many complaints. Sounded like a bunch of baloney... but I was just booked into a Cabana and not in a suite.

 

Are bungalows supposed to be suite only as well? Wondering (if they're not), that maybe it's incentive to switch to a bungalow, just in case they decide I'm not supposed to be in a Cabana and bump me.

We are booked in a Bungalow for our December Anthem cruise and we are definitely not in a suite.

We booked a GTY balcony on Anthem a couple of years ago knowing that we could end up in an obstructed view but the price was worth it. We ended up getting assigned a deck seven balcony mid-ship with a beautiful view. You could be lucky but don't expect it.

We loved cruising before we had kids but knew that crusing with small children would not be worth it for many reasons. For a few years our vacations revolved around what would be easier with kids in diapers. We did an all-inclusive resort vacation with one toddler and even found that a bit challenging so we switched to staying closer to home. Renting cottages or going to water park hotels like GWL allowed us more flexibility with little ones.

We returned to cruising when the kids were 7 and 5 - ages where they can fully participate in Adventure Ocean and other kid activities. They enjoyed dressing up and sitting for long fancy dinners and having lots of photos taken. My kids will be 14 and 12 on our next cruise and we will be entering into the phase where they have a bit more freedom on the ship - and yes I have done lots of research on the teen club and keeping in touch with my kids (and rules for safety).

This woman has only herself to blame for not researching cruising with small children before she booked. Vacationing with small children is never easy and for a parent to think that it would be relaxing on a cruise ship with three small kids is folly.

Oh no! Now I’m worried about our stop on Jan 3rd from Anthem. Our cruise is already port thin with 3 stops in 8 nights (and Port Canaveral is one). I will not be happy with a stop in Miami. I was so looking forward to the bungalow we have booked.

We always have stayed near the port. Cocoa Beach is a nice little town and it feels like our vacation begins once we are there. Some trips we’ve even arrived early enough to enjoy the beach for an afternoon. Lots of great little restaurants. We rent a car at the airport and have it to drive around that day and return it at the Port Canaveral location the next morning and get the free shuttle to the port. (We use Budget and have paid as little as $25 for a 24hr rental)

Staying near the airport is much more utilitarian.

In 2016 when we were on Anthem it was available to book on the cruise planner for a few hours until the very limited spots booked up. I religiously checked it every morning and there was nothing until one afternoon someone posted on the roll call that the Escape room was there. I immediately tried to book it but there was only one spot left. I kept that spot hoping to get another when on the ship but that never happened so about 24 hrs beforehand I cancelled (I seem to remember getting a note on board that they would charge $20 for no shows).

I have no experience but I've done a lot of searches on this topic in past threads. It seems like most of the time they let a child close to 12 move up to the teen club, especially if they have an older sibling.

We are sailing on Anthem for the upcoming New Years holiday cruise and our son turns 12 three weeks afterwards. We very much want him to be with his sister (who turns 14 during the cruise) as they are best friends and having them together is better for both. My son is very tall and mature and I'm sure they wouldn't want him with the 9 year olds anyway. I understand that we have to sign something as there is less supervision in the teen club.

On our Alaska Cruise years ago we realized when boarding that something was up. A very large cosmetics and skin care company had booked over 50% of the ship for that years reward cruise. Late dining was unavailable to everyone else and they booked shows and other events off from other passengers. Not to mention a bunch of people who didn’t actually pay for their cruise seem to have a different attitude about their entitlement while on board. It really affected our enjoyment of the trip and we always double check when booking now.

We were on a cruise on Explorer for our honeymoon almost 17 years ago. Of course it was traditional dining and our table for six had a couple in their mid eighties and another couple in their mid-twenties (like us). At first we thought it odd to have such an older couple at our table but they were the most amazing people (the other couple were snooty and seeming horified to have to make small talk at diner). They owned a jewellery store and the wife always wore the most beautiful (and huge) jewelry and they dressed to the nines every night for dinner. We had the best conversations about life and marriage at dinner and even spent some other time with them on the cruise. We exchanged Christmas cards for a few years afterwards. It makes me sad to think that they must have passed on by now.

We live just outside of Toronto so for us it is about a 7-8 hour drive to New Jersey. We've sailed Anthem before and are again for the upcoming New Years cruise. It is so civilized and relaxing to drive to the port rather than all that's involved with flying. Flying 4 people from Canada is expensive so we often fly out of Buffalo but even that would be over $1000 to get to Florida. Plus we have the option of watching the weather and leaving early to miss a storm when driving.

I will say that on our last Anthem cruise I definitely noticed a high percentage of New Yorkers. Absolutely not a negative thing but it added a different character to the ship.

Our kids shared a sofa bed on Oasis when they were 9 and 11. It was fine for them. Just so you know they make the bed so that you lay parallel to the back of the sofa, not perpendicular.

Parents should definitely enjoy the 'king' bed!

Thanks for doing a live thread on Anthem - looking forward to the rest of it!

We are on her for the New Years cruise and have the same category corner cabin booked (9110). We are excited for all the extra space! Glad to hear the movement isn't all that bad.

I would interested to hear if your kids will be participating in any of the teen club activities. My daughter turns 14 on the cruise and my son will be three weeks shy of 12 (we are hoping they let him in the teen club to be with his sister).

I am going to piggyback off this... after watching youtube videos it seems like some of the staff pump up the fan and let you fly around 5-6 feet , while some just let you hover like 2 feet off the ground? Anybody able to describe their experience?

It depends on how good you are at it. If you are stable and in control they will let you up a bit higher but if they are having to help you a lot they hold on to the handles on your suit more and keep you lower.

I wouldn't risk it. The wind literally makes your cheeks flap. A smile could end up with it flying out of her mouth.

Thanks for your well organized review of Anthem! We are sailing on Anthem for New Years in cabin 9110 (same large cabin as yours two decks down) and we are very excited to have all that extra space for our kids (13 & 11). Can you post some photos of the cabin?

For our New Years cruise on Anthem coming up at the end of this year there isn't much listed (so far) but the planner doesn't have a Chops Holiday dinner (NYE) for $98.75 CAD (which is about $75 USD).

It's my daughter's 14th birthday on NYE and we had wanted to do a special dinner for her that night, but I don't think we want to spend that much for dinner.

Just following up to let everyone know what happened on the Harmony last week. When we entered our cabin, we had 2 soda cups. None of our 3 cards had the soda package sticker on it. My card had the PP sticker and my husband's card had the SP sticker (the alcohol packages we purchased). I went to guest services and was initially told that the complimentary Boardwalk balcony soda packages could only be used by the 1st and 2nd persons in the cabin (DH and me). I showed her the response I received a few weeks earlier from RC and the rep called someone. She then said ok and put a soda sticker on my son's card and also gave us 2 more soda cups which we really didn't need. I took 2 home and ended up leaving the other 2 in the cabin. I worked out just fine for us.

 

Agree with what the prior poster said about JR. Go early in the week. The last day was very busy. We went on the 1st sea day and had the place practically to ourselves.

Could you let me know the email address you received the confirmation of the perks from RCI please. We are leaving on Oasis this Sunday and we want our two kids to have the free soda packages. (My husband has a drink package and I don't drink soda). I would like some insurance if I have to argue the point at guest services. Thanks!

We ate at Wonderland on the $30pp BOGO on Anthem last July. It was one of the most unique and interesting dinning experiences we've ever had. We don't normally opt to do the paid restaurants but at $15 each we couldn't not try it. Wonderland is really something everyone should try, even at full price!

On the allure now, I was told when booked that the soda package would be for my kids, since me and my wife get drink package. And that is not the case guest service said it is non-transferable or upgradeable. I asked not to transfer just put the package were it is supposed to go. Why would you give lunch for 4 if the intention wasn't to have 4 people in cabin? They told us just order soda for the kids using our cards?

We are in a Boardwalk balcony on Oasis December 4th. My husband has purchased a drink package already and I don't drink anything but water so we are counting on the two free sofa packages for our kids. There had better be three cups waiting in our room when we board or I will be livid. I don't want to have to spend time waiting in line at guest services the first day to argue about this.

We had connecting PR cabins a few years ago and loved the extra space to sit and people watch. I like PR rooms and would chose them over balconys to save money but I hate inside rooms with absolute no windows and wouldn't choose them to save money.

There was a 20% off sale on for a couple of days in September on excursions for certain cruises. We saved about $100 total.