ReRe71

OP, I am so sorry this is happening to you. From someone who is planning a wedding now, I would be absolutely livid if my "friends" bailed on me. Not to speak ill of your friends/family, but the $50 deposit lures people in with a quickness, and then when it's time for final payment they can't make it. And for those posters that say that it's selfish to plan a destination wedding/bachelorette party, whatever...when you are asked to be in a wedding you know there are financial obligations involved. You can always say no. And it sounds to me like the OP picked a destination (cruise ship) that was budget friendly for her and her group.

Would I still go? Not sure as I've never cruised alone before. I would probably eat the $50 and just go to FL like you mentioned. It's not the party you wanted but why sulk at home for days? If I knew you I would go! :).

I was on the August 6 sailing on Anthem and went to guest services to purchase two but was never charged for them and I've already received my final invoice.

Every ship I've been on, all aboard time is 1/2 hour before sail time. I've never seen it any other way.

That's been my experience as well. Just wanted to check. Thanks!

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Hi! Does anyone have the cruise compass from the Anthem 12 Night Caribbean sailing for Barbados port stop? Or does anyone know what time you must be on board that day? There is a race in Barbados at 4pm (5K) that I would like to register for but need to find out what time we need to be back on the ship.

Thanks in advance!

Hope you don't mind dining in the Windjammer most nights. Am on the 6/16 Anthem sailing and EVERY restaurant both pay and free has been totally booked the past two nights. Tried to switch some reservations but couldn't.

 

Another grenade they lobbed at us a couple of weeks before sailing was to switch some of the show times around. I was lucky, but it created dining conflicts for a number of folks and by then there were few open slots online to make adjustments.

Not too worried about it....we definitely won't go hungry! :)

I never make reservations for just that reason. I hate feeling like my time on vacation is planned down to the minute. BUT, I'm also really happy to just go with the flow. Can't get in to the restaurant I want...oh well...I'll find something else to eat. Can't get into the show I want....oh well....I'll go find something else to do.

 

I know my way isn't for everyone.

Same here...we are sailing on Anthem in August and have made no reservations. We will go to eat whenever we are hungry...if we have to wait for a table then so be it, or go dine elsewhere. I just can't see making reservations months in advance when we have no clue what we will be doing on a daily basis.

Just make sure you "Hold the Door" so it doesn't slam shut...

Shedding a tear for Hodor...

Yeah, I think HBO Go is your best bet :).

#GoT

When I was on the Quantum we liked all of the restaurants except Silk and went to American Icon twice. On longer sailings each restaurant changed their menus halfway through the cruise. However, all of the menus have changed on the Anthem.

 

The ship was a full sailing but the demographic was mostly families. Kids under 16 aren't allowed at the Solarium pool so the guests with families were at the other pools. The outdoor pool was crowded but the day we went there, we were in port so many of the passengers were still off the ship. If you want to see the crowds, re-watch my video of the $10 sale. I've never seen anything like it on other ships.

 

I didn't see how much the spin class was but the TRX class was $20 which I thought was outrageous considering the gym membership where I go includes unlimited group fitness classes including TRX for $15 per month. On top of that they have the nerve to add on an 18% gratuity and that is for all fitness classes they offer. I'm an ACE certified group fitness instructor and never heard of tipping fitness instructors or personal trainers.

I agree...a gratuity for the fitness classes is pretty lame. I plan on taking the spin classes regardless of the fee just because I love to spin :). Looking forward to the Anthem!

Loved your review! I'm booked on Anthem to Bermuda in August and then to the Southern Caribbean in November. So far my favorite ship is Oasis so it will be interesting to see if Anthem can top it. While on Quantum did you try American Icon and if so how was it?

Also, maybe it's just me but the ship did not seem super crowded, especially in the pool area...am I correct?

Regarding the spin classes, do you know how much they were?

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This was awesome! Going in August and cannot wait!!!

Nude shoes go with both

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Thanks for the review. It sounds like the bigger ships with the upgrades would be better for you.

Yeah, I think I will stick with those :)

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Sailed on the Victory over Thanksgiving. Your review hits every nail on its head. Not the best Carnival experience I've had. The decor is utterly horrible. Good point about the ship being quite dark throughout. I had forgotten that in some other comments I made in other threads.

At first I thought it was just me, then my boyfriend said, no it's really dark here....lol. I've always been "wowed" when I walked on a RCCL ship....didn't happen this time.

How was your dining experiences?

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Thanks for the review. I'm presently searching for another cruise for 2016 and thought about leaving from the Baltimore since the port is about two hours away from home. The only downside, the ships are going to the Bahamas and we have no desire to return there now.

We live in Maryland but I'm in the same boat as you.....really don't want to go to the Bahamas again.

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This was my first Carnival cruise and my boyfriend's second. We chose it based on the sail dates and I have been wanting to try Carnival. We flew to FLL on the 31st and stayed at Embassy Suites which was great. The shuttle was scheduled to pick us up at 11:30am on the 1st for transport to POM and they actually called us an hour early offering to pick us up...thought that was pretty nice of them. We kept the 11:30am pick up time and arrived at POM a little after 12pm. Walked right in, got our set & sail cards and walked on the ship....great embarkation!

Ship

Just going to put it out there....the decor is horrible. And it made the ship feel very dark. I also found it difficult to navigate....not very much signage. The pools seemed very small as well. We watched Guardians of the Galaxy one night on the big screen.

Stateroom

We were in 2426 interior. Besides the fact that the room is VERY dated (pink bathroom and box tv) I must say it was a good size. One thing that we found odd was that the bed was against the wall and the box with the life vest (why weren't they in the closet??) was at the foot of the bed, so my boyfriend had to climb over me to get in and out of the bed. We saw our stateroom attendant one time (on the first day) but never saw him again. Liked the fact that you use your key card to open/close the safe vice keying in a code.

Main Dining Room

We chose ATD for this cruise and I will probably never go back to early/late seating. Very convenient going to dinner when we chose to go. Every night we walked right in to our table (we really liked our server the first night and chose her section every night). The last night was the only night we had to wait for a table and they gave us a beeper....waited about 10 minutes.

All of our meals were pretty good. I actually had the surf and turf (for the upcharge) on two nights. Some of the items we had were caesar salad, crab cakes, flat iron steak, chicken alfredo.

Lido Bufffet

Didn't have a good experience at the buffet. Food was cold and just not very tasty. Yes, I know it's a buffet but the food was very bland. My boyfriend found hair in his eggs one day :eek:. One day my bacon was coated in so much grease it was white:eek:.

Off the Grille

Enjoyed the offerings here....good burgers and hot dogs. There were 2 locations so that was convenient as they stayed pretty busy.

Pizza Pirate

I like thin cruse pizza so I enjoyed it. Our only issue was that there was always a long line....seems like they don't continuously make the pizzas, as they should because it was always crowded (they are open 24 hours).

Casino

We are non-smokers but didn't find the casino too smokey. We also one a good chunk of money too ;).

Entertainment

Attended Game Mania, Love & Marriage, Battle of the Sexes, Beyonce Dance Class (just watched...didn't participate...lol). All were pretty good. Also went to the comedy show....it was John Cabonara and he was very funny. There was another comedian but we didn't see it. They showed the NFL playoff games in the Aegean bar so my boyfriend spent time in there on Sunday (he's a diehard Dallas fan).

Sea Day Brunch

I was so looking forward to this. Brunch is one of my favorite meals! We came away very disappointed (as did others). My boyfriend ordered scrambled eggs, bacon and cheese grits. I ordered chicken breast with lemon and hot peppers. Both of our meals were barely room temperature. My chicken has tomato sauce poured over it and a jalapeno pepper on top and tasted awful. His eggs were terrible and the grits had a slice of cheese sitting on top (not even melted!). Another gentlemen eggs were cold and steak was cooked wrong (twice). The best part of my meal was my mimosa!

Key West

We had planned on renting bikes but decided to just walk around Duval Street and some other areas.

Cozumel

We booked the Ancient Cultural/Mayan Ruins & Island Sightseeing tour. So worth it! Alex and Hector were our guides and they were great. Very informative and kept us interested the whole time. I think some in our group did not realize how the terrain would be (it was pretty rocky in some areas). But we had a great time!

There were definitely hits and misses on this cruise for us, but I won't rule out Carnival. We are looking at booking another cruise on Carnival but are looking at the newer ships. I know the things like food and decor are subjective but for us these do make a difference. Does it ruin the cruise? Of course not. We still had a great time and look forward to booking another cruise soon :).

Cafe Puerto Rico is excellent

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I think it would be great if they offered it as an option, I would pay a couple bucks for it...easier than digging the card out every time as I don't wear mine on a lanyard. I've seen too many cards blow out of those in the wind on deck.

 

 

 

 

 

PS - Your review is very much missed, loved reading it.

Same here....it if was an option (which I think it should be with the cards) I would definitely use it. I wear a Fitbit everyday so I'm accustomed to it and I'm not a lanyard user either.

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Thanks for the review. Will be on the January 1st sailing (first Carnival cruise!) We have ATD as well....did you purchase the steak for the up charge? Plan on doing that as I know there is no steakhouse onboard.

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OP, there are a few cruise sites that have book now, pay later options.

I'm guessing that would essentially be booking a cabin for a single person (which I'm sure would be a higher rate). Not sure about adding another person to the cabin at a later date....maybe you would have to cancel your original booking??? I'm sure a more experienced cruiser will chime in :)

We check the long range forecast for Nassau.

I agree (and I do this every time I travel...what did I do before weather apps???? lol). I was there in early January for a race and it was warm during the day but cool at night.

That's one of my major complaints. RCI has poor port schedules for San Juan on all of our cruises from Cape Liberty cruise port in NJ. I really love SJ. Our last stop in SJ on the Explorer was 7am - 2pm. What can anyone do in SJ at 7am? Our next stop in SJ on the Quantum in April will be 3pm - 10pm. I'd love to have a regular day.......9am - 5 pm.

I like the 3pm - 10pm option....hate having to rush off the ship first thing in the morning. There is plenty to do and see in that timeframe. Love the restaurants in Old San Juan :-).

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Thank you!!! Are you sailing Victory ? You'll have a good time either way. I hope the weather is great for you guys in January.

 

 

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Yep, it's on Victory. We took a cruise this past January and the weather was great in Cozumel so we are hoping for the same :).

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Same here....I am sooooo detailed oriented!!! It drives my boyfriend nuts but he also knows he doesn't have to worry about anything when we travel!

Looking forward to your review! Will be on the January 1st sailing to the same ports...my first Carnival cruise!

Cute pics!!!

We went up to the Lido deck to get some lunch before the huge crowds came on board. I always enjoy the buffet on embarkation days even though I'm not typically much of a buffet person.

 

After lunch we got another drink and put on our suits and hit the water slide. It was a blast. We went down a bunch of times and then just relaxed on the loungers for a bit.

 

Soon it was time for Muster. It went quickly, and was time to go back to our room and unpack. I know it's weird but I LOVE unpacking on cruises. I just feel like I've moved in and the room is all mine.

 

We went to our fabulous big balcony for sail away and enjoyed the view.

My friends and family always laugh at me on cruises....I unpack like it's my home....because it is!!! LOL!!! I can't stand constantly going in and out of my suitcase.

Looking forward to your review....we board Victory on New Years Day...can't wait!

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