DragonOfTheSeas

2 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

That's the unreliable part.

I guess I would not characterize that as unreliable.  It works the way it was designed to work.  We found that it worked very well.  We just used it to let DD know where we were in case, she wanted to join us.  We could coordinate our mealtimes and locations. She did not send too many chatty messages.  We saved those for when we were together.  

My DD and I used the messaging tool on the app while on the anthem of the seas in March.  We did not find it unreliable.  We connected to the internet by clicking on the app link for free.  We found our messages always went through.  The one thing I do not like about that is that there is no notice you have a message. You have to look at your phone.  My iPhone would show I had a message on the screen and I would then open the app.  

Not a perfect system--but a big step up from sticky notes or white boards. 😁

There are children under 18 that are pinnacle.  You should get a C and A number for each child and start accruing points for them. 

On 5/12/2024 at 10:58 PM, imadork said:

Thanks, @DragonOfTheSeas, for the pictures! And it looks like that side door in the hallway would go to the adjacent balcony room.

 

Since the cabin attendant would have to unlock that door, it makes me wonder whether the attendant can also unlock the inner doors going to the other two rooms, basically turning that hallway into an extension of all 3 rooms. Then the only seapass-activated locks would be on the outer doors on the hallway, and each door would have access to all 3 rooms.

 

Yes--it goes to the balcony cabin.  

We used the door stop the cabin attendant uses when cleaning a cabin.  DD used her footstool to prop hers open.  However, I am sure you could get another door stopper--we did not ask.  Since we are all adults we closed our doors for sleeping.  But, there is no reason you would need to.  The exterior door needs a sea pass to enter. I really liked the set up.  It was convenient. 

Have a good cruise!

We had the JS and solo cabin on the Anthem in March.  I really liked the arrangement.  DH and I were in the extra large balcony  JS--.8632  [we are D+]  Our adult DD was in the solo 8630. [first time cruise].  We kept the door to the hallway closed and propped open the JS door unless we were sleeping/ dressing.

Yes, we all checked in together and I was able to make reservations for our check in times, dining times and excursions.

Here is the JS

It was like having an apartment with a separate bedroom. The solo cabin is the door on the right. [below]  There is a door with a lock to the left. The cabin attendant would need to unlock this door for it to have access the interior little hall.  I was standing at our door looking toward the hall. 

The solo cabin is small--but she said it was all she needed. The JS has a very large balcony.  Ours had 2 loungers, a table and a chair.

Because the balcony is on an angle it is very shady.  That was good for us, too.

I really liked this combination and would not hesitate to book this arrangement if we were traveling with family, again.

Solo cabin with virtual balcony:

3 minutes ago, time4u2go said:

I'm more wondering what's up with the big orange circle covering the guy's back.

Tattoo. Covering it up.

I was amused by the McDonald's.  When we were in Estonia the guide referred to the McDonald's as the American Embassy. LOL😁

43 minutes ago, twangster said:

 

Royal is so inconsistent with the suite product across the fleet.  Only newer ships include Voom with full suites.  Makes no sense.  

I feel the same about this.  I do not sail in full suites very often.  However, there is really no incentive on an older ship.  There are so few benefits it doesn't justify the cost.  Voom is something they could offer.  I get there is no space or number of potential guests for a Coastal Kitchen on these ships.   

1 hour ago, smokeybandit said:

Or a combination of both. You can grab a check-in time for everyone, then everyone else can enter their passport/credit card details at their convenience.

This is what we did with our DD.  I selected boarding times for all of us.  then she was able to enter passport info etc. 

Wow! That is very nice.  We were on the Anthem in March for my DH b-day.  They did not do that. 

I guess it depends on the ship.  We were on the Liberty last May and we saw two groups of 14 brought and seated at tables that had been four tops all pushed together. They were across from u and I counted the seats. 

I hope you were able to describe what he did in the survey.  That is so far above and beyond.  He should get praise for this. 🙂

I am interested to see how this boarding goes.  We like the Norfolk area around the terminal.  there is lots to see and do.  There is also a lot of traffic.  We sailed from there many years ago.  

We were on the Anthem a week ago.  Our DD had those each day. 😁

15 hours ago, Merion_Mom said:

 

Which performance of WWRY?  @DragonOfTheSeas

The 2pm matinee on the last day.

10 hours ago, DELTABLUE said:

Just got finished cruising with you!  Always love reading the fantastic live threads you do and looking at your beautiful pictures.  So thrilled to know that the trip worked out well for all of you and that you are anticipating more in the future.😊

You are the one who needs all of our positive thoughts. What most of you don’t know is the Delta was on the Royal Caribbean cruise that left Baltimore and had to return to Norfolk.
 

It was a bit of a train wreck there, but the best Royal Caribbean could do under the circumstances. So welcome back to dryland Delta blue.

14 minutes ago, TheInnocentAge said:

Haa...

 

The hamster powering their website (Rodent of the Seas) fell off the wheel...

post of the day. 🏆

41 minutes ago, alfaeric said:

Sorry, but it’s still confusing. The discussion moved from a bridge that has no choice but to be replaced to one of additional volume in a different place that eventually will need replacement.  
 

And since cruise ships represent a very small part of the shipping traffic, I don’t see a real need to add height on all bridges as a high priority.

 

 

24 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

That part has had me confused also. Unless I am missing something, I don't foresee container ships going higher. Maybe longer or wider but higher would seem, in my mind anyway, to make them more unstable in storms.

While passenger vessels are not the main traffic at this port, they are still an important source of revenue for the area.  Hotels, restaurants, parking, gas, etc.

It does not make sense to build a new bridge without increasing the height. I know the other bridge is still a choke point.  However, there are already plans to replace that one. too.

Just now, Another_Critic said:

Just an FYI - You were in Sea Class (JS), not Sky class.

 

Some Tours, Top Tier, and Cheers with an Officer are C&A events, not suite related events.

Sorry--I listed the correct event, just not the correct class.  😜 My bad!

We had this same situation last week.  We just did not take access any Sky class benefits.  

We ignored the tours, top tier event and cheers with the officers. We were ok with that.  

Thank you all for reading my thread.  I find I pay more attention to the cruise when I am telling others about it.  

Here are a couple of final comments:

I was very worried about the number of children that would be on this cruise.  Someone on the FB thread said the number was 1600.  I can't confirm that--but I would believe it.  . . . and there were some children that were running amok. However, the vast majority of them were just being children.  They were occasionally taking too loud, walking/running too fast and moving in packs.   I must admit I spent all of my pool time in the solarium and had a Hideaway Beach pass on Coco Cay.  [good strategy on my part HaHaHa] However, I have seen a lot worse behavior with less children. [and from adults] Some of the credit goes to RCL for all of the activities they had planned for the children. 

Food-- We felt the food was pretty good.  Breakfast was excellent each day.  We enjoyed the brunch on sea day.  However, I felt it needed to stay open until at least 1 or 1:30 to be a true brunch. We enjoyed the stir fry station in the WJ. [so good]  My DD enjoyed the chicken dishes.  I enjoyed the lamb and the beef tenderloin.  I do not feel it is a good idea to select steak.  They seem tough and we avoid them. DD gives me grief about all of the soups I eat.  

I feel the cabin arrangement with the JS and the solo cabin worked out well for us and we would do this again on a ship that has this.  

We did not go to very many of the entertainment options so I can't really comment on those.  However, DD did and enjoyed them.  I really liked "We Will Rock You." I already gave my opinion of Spectra.

Disembark was as smooth as we have ever had.  We reported to Jaimie's for the assisted disembark at 8 am.  They took us right away. We left the ship, took a taxi and got to the train station by 9am.  I paid a fee to change our Amtrak tickets from 12:22pm to 9:23am and we were off. 🚆 It turned out to be a big plus.  There was no waiting around and the later train ended up being late. 

I hope everyone made it home safely and you enjoy your next cruise!

We just got off the Anthem today.  We had an employee anytime it was open.

They met us at breakfast this morning with complementary mimosas. Now that’s the way to end cruise.

We are back!  Currently 6:05 am. So no worries about us arriving late.

Wr kept her in good shape for the next cruise. Have a good time. 

During dinner tonight, one of the crew-members dressed up and walked through the various dining rooms, entertaining the kids while they were waiting in line and at the tables.

it appeared when he was walking that the alien was carrying him, and then he had a baby doll in his arms that moved its arms and head. It was really something. Ha ha ha.  As if the “my time dining” lines weren’t crazy enough already.😜

he was happy for me to take his picture