Anthem live review 12/12-12/19/2015

[gkny]

Thank you for your review.

[MisterBill99]

After waiting for about 5 or 10 minutes 2 couples walked up in front of us and proceeded to cut in line.

When we sailed on Celebrity Silhouette in December 2011, during those wonderful few months when we had a Solstice class ship in NJ (and Celebrity at all during the winter), there was a large contingent on board of a particular nationality (many of whom were likely living in Brooklyn) who throughout the cruise would cut lines (and supposedly stole things from the ship, according to multiple reports). We were waiting in line for customs, having declined to cut the line (because they told us not to), even though we wanted to to catch up to people we were taking a shuttle back to a hotel with. As we were waiting, some of this nationality decided to cut in front of us to join friends. My wife finally decided that she had enough and said something to the Customs employees directing the line. Sadly, they didn't do anything, but other people in line thanked her for doing so, since we'd all had enough of them from the cruise.

[robtulipe]

:) Plumbing issues don't look so great. They want $5k to to dig up pipes in the front outside the house and can't even start until Monday.

 

We told them to hold off and we will investigate when we get there. Maybe get a second opinion. DH thinks he may be able to fix it. He's pretty handy. We shall see... We have had to call 2 service people out for things since moving to this house 10 months ago. Both tried to screw us. DH ended up fixing the hot tub and the AC for a fraction of what they estimated it would cost. Everything is on the internet these days. It's just a matter of having the right tools.

I don't know how it operates in Chicagoland but in our city if one has a issue with a blocked sewer line we can call the City's Public Works, who provide us with water and sewer services, and they will send out a crew with the equipment to clean out the blockage and do a video to assess the structural condition of the pipe if necessary. This usually solves the problem as long as it isn't a collapsed/broken/cracked pipe which can happen especially with the older clay material lines.

If the video shows damage one can then undertake necessary repairs to prevent future blockages. The current cost here for blockage removal and video is $250 if the blockage is in the portion of sanitary sewer lateral between the house and the property line which is the portion owned by the homeowner. Here there is no cost to the homeowner if the blockage is between the property line and the sanitary sewer main under the road as this is owned by the city unless it’s determined that the city side of the sewer lateral is blocked due to inappropriate materials such as toys, or other objects/issues that have originated from the private side. Also the city will repair damage pipe on their side of the property line.

A sewer blockage happened to us a few months after we moved into our current home and calling that city dept. fixed the problem. We didn't need the video as our house had a PVC sewer pipe and the blockage was easily removed so it cost us under a $100. It may have been what the previous owner put down the drain and one son's bad habit, we found out later, of flushing large amounts of Kleenex tissues down the toilet. :(

Good luck.

Edited December 20, 2015 by robtulipe

[gkny]

Welcome back home.

[ksg]

When we sailed on Celebrity Silhouette in December 2011, during those wonderful few months when we had a Solstice class ship in NJ (and Celebrity at all during the winter), there was a large contingent on board of a particular nationality (many of whom were likely living in Brooklyn) who throughout the cruise would cut lines (and supposedly stole things from the ship, according to multiple reports). We were waiting in line for customs, having declined to cut the line (because they told us not to), even though we wanted to to catch up to people we were taking a shuttle back to a hotel with. As we were waiting, some of this nationality decided to cut in front of us to join friends. My wife finally decided that she had enough and said something to the Customs employees directing the line. Sadly, they didn't do anything, but other people in line thanked her for doing so, since we'd all had enough of them from the cruise.

 

Wondering what nationality was living in Brooklyn? I grew up in Brooklyn and my family is still in Brooklyn. Everyone I know in Brooklyn is American.

[Sanz]

Wondering what nationality was living in Brooklyn? I grew up in Brooklyn and my family is still in Brooklyn. Everyone I know in Brooklyn is American.

 

I'm wondering too. I was born and raised in Brooklyn. The population of Brooklyn (a boro of New York City) according to the United States Cenus Bureau was 2.592 million in 2010. There are at least "several" different ancestral nationalities that people can claim and at least a "couple" of different countries that people have recently immigrated from.

Edited December 21, 2015 by Sanz

[klass2]

I've been following along quietly on your review and have been really enjoying your fair and detailed take on everything from food to entertainment to the ship.

 

 

 

I'm so sorry you had to deal with jerks on your way off the ship. You're absolutely right - the guy was a sore loser and knew he was wrong. It's too bad he couldn't just act like an adult.

 

 

 

Have a safe trip home, and hope the plumbing issues can be resolved smoothly.

 

 

 

Thanks again for a lovely review. Happy holidays to you!

 

 

Thanks for following along. (:

 

 

 

Thanks again for sharing your experience with us. Have a smooth return home and good luck with the plumbing issues. We are boarding today. Happy Holidays!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

 

Thanks for the well wishes.

 

 

Thank you for your review.

 

 

You are very welcome. (: Thanks for following along.

 

 

When we sailed on Celebrity Silhouette in December 2011, during those wonderful few months when we had a Solstice class ship in NJ (and Celebrity at all during the winter), there was a large contingent on board of a particular nationality (many of whom were likely living in Brooklyn) who throughout the cruise would cut lines (and supposedly stole things from the ship, according to multiple reports). We were waiting in line for customs, having declined to cut the line (because they told us not to), even though we wanted to to catch up to people we were taking a shuttle back to a hotel with. As we were waiting, some of this nationality decided to cut in front of us to join friends. My wife finally decided that she had enough and said something to the Customs employees directing the line. Sadly, they didn't do anything, but other people in line thanked her for doing so, since we'd all had enough of them from the cruise.

 

 

That's unfortunate. Sorry to hear that the people in charge didn't help out. : /

 

 

I don't know how it operates in Chicagoland but in our city if one has a issue with a blocked sewer line we can call the City's Public Works, who provide us with water and sewer services, and they will send out a crew with the equipment to clean out the blockage and do a video to assess the structural condition of the pipe if necessary. This usually solves the problem as long as it isn't a collapsed/broken/cracked pipe which can happen especially with the older clay material lines.

 

If the video shows damage one can then undertake necessary repairs to prevent future blockages. The current cost here for blockage removal and video is $250 if the blockage is in the portion of sanitary sewer lateral between the house and the property line which is the portion owned by the homeowner. Here there is no cost to the homeowner if the blockage is between the property line and the sanitary sewer main under the road as this is owned by the city unless it’s determined that the city side of the sewer lateral is blocked due to inappropriate materials such as toys, or other objects/issues that have originated from the private side. Also the city will repair damage pipe on their side of the property line.

 

A sewer blockage happened to us a few months after we moved into our current home and calling that city dept. fixed the problem. We didn't need the video as our house had a PVC sewer pipe and the blockage was easily removed so it cost us under a $100. It may have been what the previous owner put down the drain and one son's bad habit, we found out later, of flushing large amounts of Kleenex tissues down the toilet. :(

 

Good luck.

 

 

Thank you so much for the detailed info.

 

We have 2 unfinished areas in our basement and there are a few access points/clear out areas in the basement.

 

The plumber on day 1 was taken to all of the basement areas and sent a different plumber on day 2 who accessed the pipe in the area farthest from the sewer line outside the house. He tried to rod/route out the blockage but said it was too far away to get to and declared we needed to dig out the pipe from the outside of the house, put in a clear out area outside the house to bring it up to code (our home was built in 1994 and doesn't have one nor did our previous home built in 2002). The estimate for this $5,395 and it couldn't even be started until Monday--5 days after the back up started.

 

We told him to wait and thanked him for his time and settled our bill. Before we proceed with him we would get a second opinion.

 

DH and I got home Saturday afternoon and accessed the clear out in the other area which is right where the inside line exits the house.

 

We slowly dripped bucket after bucket of nasty water out of the pipes until all of pressure was gone. It took at least 8 hours but once we did we quickly found the clog and were able to reach it with some tools we had around the house and now the issue is resolved! Bam!

 

So thankful we didn't have to fork out $5k to fix it yet also frustrated that the plumber didn't do the same fix. Kinda ticked off actually.

 

Welcome back home.

 

 

Thank you. :)

[klass2]

I was overwhelmed today with laundry and unpacking and making sure my kids got to go and see Santa.

 

Mission accomplished

 

Tomorrow I hope to post some final thoughts and a few last pics and fix some of the broken links to photos in my posts.

[Overtyme]

Thanks for following along. (:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for the well wishes.

 

 

 

 

 

You are very welcome. (: Thanks for following along.

 

 

 

 

 

That's unfortunate. Sorry to hear that the people in charge didn't help out. : /

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you so much for the detailed info.

 

We have 2 unfinished areas in our basement and there are a few access points/clear out areas in the basement.

 

The plumber on day 1 was taken to all of the basement areas and sent a different plumber on day 2 who accessed the pipe in the area farthest from the sewer line outside the house. He tried to rod/route out the blockage but said it was too far away to get to and declared we needed to dig out the pipe from the outside of the house, put in a clear out area outside the house to bring it up to code (our home was built in 1994 and doesn't have one nor did our previous home built in 2002). The estimate for this $5,395 and it couldn't even be started until Monday--5 days after the back up started.

 

We told him to wait and thanked him for his time and settled our bill. Before we proceed with him we would get a second opinion.

 

DH and I got home Saturday afternoon and accessed the clear out in the other area which is right where the inside line exits the house.

 

We slowly dripped bucket after bucket of nasty water out of the pipes until all of pressure was gone. It took at least 8 hours but once we did we quickly found the clog and were able to reach it with some tools we had around the house and now the issue is resolved! Bam!

 

So thankful we didn't have to fork out $5k to fix it yet also frustrated that the plumber didn't do the same fix. Kinda ticked off actually.

 

 

 

 

Thank you. :)

 

I hate when people take advantage of others. Really pisses me off. I'm glad that you were able to figure things out for yourselves. I wish there were more honest people out there.

 

I've been following your review and have lived vicariously through you over the last week! Thank you for that!

 

Now that you're back and now that you have some time to reflect, I'd love to hear your summary of the cruise and your over-all take.

 

I'm really looking forward to going, but if I could hit play on that broken record, I am a bit concerned by the mixed reviews.

 

I'm not so concerned for my wife or my self. Also, my 8 year old will probably be happy too.

 

it's my 3 year old who's probably too young for most of the activities on board and also for my friend who's traveling solo and who's never been on a cruise, that i'm concerned about.

 

My now 8 year old went on her first cruise 5 years ago on Allure, and had a blast. I'm hoping that my 3 year old has the same experience on this ship!

 

Looking back at the cruise compasses that you've posted, I noticed that the 6 - 8 group and the 9 - 11 group seem to have the same activities scheduled. Not that it's good or bad, just an observation.

Edited December 21, 2015 by Overtyme

[MisterBill99]

I'm wondering too. I was born and raised in Brooklyn. The population of Brooklyn (a boro of New York City) according to the United States Cenus Bureau was 2.592 million in 2010. There are at least "several" different ancestral nationalities that people can claim and at least a "couple" of different countries that people have recently immigrated from.

I was trying to not offend anyone (there is always a first time). Think Brighton Beach.

[robtulipe]

I was trying to not offend anyone (there is always a first time). Think Brighton Beach.

 

Bill, Curiosity made me check it out. We'll see you two onboard Anthem in less than two weeks. :p

 

http://nymag.com/guides/everything/brighton-beach/

[Sanz]

Bill, Curiosity made me check it out. We'll see you two onboard Anthem in less than two weeks. :p

 

http://nymag.com/guides/everything/brighton-beach/

 

Interesting article. A little off the mark. Non-Soviet Jewish people arrived in the neighborhood before the 1950's.

 

From Wikepedia

 

[/url]

"The years just before and following the Great Depression brought with them a neighborhood consisting mostly of first- and second-generation Jewish-Americans and, later, Holocaust concentration camp survivors."

 

 

 

Edited December 21, 2015 by Sanz

[Nessa1dc]

When we sailed on Celebrity Silhouette in December 2011, during those wonderful few months when we had a Solstice class ship in NJ (and Celebrity at all during the winter), there was a large contingent on board of a particular nationality (many of whom were likely living in Brooklyn) who throughout the cruise would cut lines (and supposedly stole things from the ship, according to multiple reports). We were waiting in line for customs, having declined to cut the line (because they told us not to), even though we wanted to to catch up to people we were taking a shuttle back to a hotel with. As we were waiting, some of this nationality decided to cut in front of us to join friends. My wife finally decided that she had enough and said something to the Customs employees directing the line. Sadly, they didn't do anything, but other people in line thanked her for doing so, since we'd all had enough of them from the cruise.

 

Really? Its not a nationality that is rude and discourteous...its likely individuals who were lacking in class...don't blame the nationality.

[Nessa1dc]

Klass...how wonderful of you to take the time and effort you took to share with us your experiences. I received such valuable information and I look forward to our cruise on the Anthem on January 3, 2016.

 

I hope all goes well with the plumbing and the picture with Santa is priceless.

 

Thank you again.

[MisterBill99]

Really? Its not a nationality that is rude and discourteous...its likely individuals who were lacking in class...don't blame the nationality.

We can discuss this in person in a couple of weeks :).

[ecslady]

Like many others I have been following your review. Thank you so much for taking the time on your cruise to do this! I'll be on in May and you provided many good tips.

 

I'm also glad to read your plumbing issues are fixed. Thankfully your husband is handy.

 

How you had the energy or time for the Christmas photo after just getting home is amazing!:)

[ksg]

Interesting article. A little off the mark. Non-Soviet Jewish people arrived in the neighborhood before the 1950's.

 

From Wikepedia

 

[/url]

"The years just before and following the Great Depression brought with them a neighborhood consisting mostly of first- and second-generation Jewish-Americans and, later, Holocaust concentration camp survivors."

 

 

 

 

There were plenty of Russians, like my grandparents, who came to Brighton Beach in the 1920s as a result of the Russian Revolution.

 

Anyway, good review.

[Nessa1dc]

We can discuss this in person in a couple of weeks :).

 

You made me laugh out loud at my desk....only vacations and football teams can bring opposing ideas together or at least to a point of WHO CARES!!!!

 

Lol....enjoy your vacation....I'm certainly looking forward to mine.

[jeanigor]

Thank you very much for your detailed and wonderfully photographed review. We are not sailin on the Anthem until 2017, but its never to early to start investigating!!!

[theboydbunch]

Thank you for a thorough daily review of your recent cruise. We just booked on this ship and can't wait to sail!!! Seeing the daily Compasses was awesome!!

[awhcruiser]

Wrong ship

Here is a higher resolution shot of that same Cruise Compass page. Previous was a VGA resolution and this one 3MP uploaded to and linked to my photobucket account.

 

[denatravels]

Wrong ship

 

 

I think he was trying to show her the difference with photobucket.

[#4'smom]

"There was no free or pay for service shuttle to the port so we used uber. Our driver arrived at 0936 and we were at the port at 1004 but there was traffic and it took a bit to get dropped off. Our fare was less than $25."

 

 

Was your Uber vehicle big enough to carry 8 Adults? I've never used Uber and have no idea how it works but I sure like the price you paid. We are staying at Country Inn and Suites and they offer a shuttle service but it's 17.50 per person.

Edited January 21, 2016 by #4'smom

[CanWeGoYet]

 

If you are taking a little one and taking a stroller in a standard cabin things can be tight. We take a small sturdy umbrella type stroller (Maclaren quest) on our cruises. When not using it we have collapsed it and put it under the bed or inside the armoire/closer area.

 

 

Thank you so much for your review!

 

Just booked on Anthem, same itinerary, for February 2017...Will have 2 teenies and a little with me...7, 2, and nearly 1...We are thinking we should bring a stroller, but not sure what the policy is for having them on board? Space will not be an issue as we will be in a 2 bedroom RFS.

 

TIA!

[CanWeGoYet]

 

I will say that when I have taken my kids on cruises (the allure and carnivals breeze) they beg to stay in adventure ocean and we dropped them off after dinner each night and do shows alone. My kids are 13,11,9,7,4,2.

 

How was your experience with the Royal Babies/Tots Nursery?