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Live...mostly...from Anthem

KarinaGW

By KarinaGW,
in Royal Caribbean International

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sweet angel

sweet angel

Posted
Posted
Not only is the food better, but I hear luxury lines don't encounter bad weather!

 

They wouldn't dare!!

 

Seriously, I can't speak to the food on Anthem, as I've never been. Most mainstream cruiselines don't have fabulous food unless you pay a little extra. I mean, it's pretty good, but nothing stellar. If someone is looking for stellar, they need to move it on up.

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Loonbeam

Loonbeam

Posted
Posted

IF they are making everyone disembark on Wed and not providing hotel or change assistance, the compensation is not as great as people might have to spend a decent amount of cash to either stay before flight or change flights to get home (locals, obviously are in better shape and I do suspect a lot of the pax are from the CT/PA/NJ/NY area.

 

For those passengers with flights end of week, I think it would be a nice gesture on RCCLs part to find them a hotel at least one night to let them get settled once on land and make travel arrangements, consult with travel insurance, etc.

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Tura Lura

Tura Lura

Posted
Posted
Onboard here and trying to figure out how to get home on Wednesday on our return to Bayonne! My flight is scheduled for Saturday, and guest services won't even allow me to make a free phone call to the insurance company to find out my options. I have family at home trying to figure it out for me so I don't have to deal with trying to get the $8/minute back from the phone call. You'd think they would have allowed people a phone call from guest services or something.

 

I was hoping to book a small mini-trip instead of going straight home to actually use my vacation time but it doesn't look like it will happen based on pricing! :(

 

On another note, the open bar for an hour was appreciated today, as is the free internet. Too bad it won't help me to get home though!

 

The ship is quite rocky again right now - not nearly like yesterday but lots of motion and rumbling! It won't surprise me if they cancel all of tonight's shows again...

\\

 

You have free wifi so call over wifi. Use any of the wifi apps and call whoever you want. (skype, whatsapp etc) no need to pay $8/min.

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Charles4515

Charles4515

Posted
Posted
This Ship is overrated and managed poorly! Last week, RC came back to port (Bayonne) one day late and cut short our cruise to "WESTERN CARIBBEAN" by one day. This was acceptable and understandable. BUT RC changed a lengthy (milage wise cruise) with an EASTERN CARIBBEAN (once around the block) and literally drifted between ports because they were so close together! They saved a ton of money on fuel mileage! I can understand the previous cruise hitting bad weather, but our scheduled cruise (WESTERN CARIBBEAN) was for fair weather. They made a decision to change and that's that! They get your money and have you over a barrel. I will comment on a another forum about the very bad food and service. (Food almost inedible) GOOD NEWS was that we managed to lose a few pounds on this cruise!

 

 

 

NEVER AGAIN ROYAL CARIBBEAN!! NEVER AGAIN ANTHEM!! Sorry, maybe placing this ship home port in Bayonne was a big mistake.

 

 

 

Duffy111

 

 

With the one day delay they could not do the scheduled western itinerary. They had to be able to get you back the scheduled departure day. The west is farther away than the east to Bayonne. They didn't make the change to save money.

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Newbcruiser1

Newbcruiser1

Posted
Posted

Yup... As I just mentioned, zero assistance with hotels or flight arrangements! I flew into EWR for the cruise and stayed overnight in a hotel, and was scheduled to fly home on Saturday! They won't even let me make a telephone call for free to my insurance company to figure out flight arrangements...

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champagne123

champagne123

Posted
Posted
IF they are making everyone disembark on Wed and not providing hotel or change assistance, the compensation is not as great as people might have to spend a decent amount of cash to either stay before flight or change flights to get home (locals, obviously are in better shape and I do suspect a lot of the pax are from the CT/PA/NJ/NY area.

 

For those passengers with flights end of week, I think it would be a nice gesture on RCCLs part to find them a hotel at least one night to let them get settled once on land and make travel arrangements, consult with travel insurance, etc.

 

Just my opinion and BIG guess.....getting into NJ on Wednesday.

 

Options:

Stay out to sea until Friday or Saturday

Email all NEW pax not to arrive at port until after 4pm

Why have all of these pax leave the ship on Wednesday? They have plenty of time to make most repairs.....in the meantime....everyone has food and board. I don't understand why everyone is assuming that the pax are being led off the ship on Wednesday.

 

Does anyone understand what I am trying to say? All or most damages are cosmetic.....correct?

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LilBlackDress

LilBlackDress

Posted
Posted (edited)
Yes, the magnitude of the storm was a surprise, but the Captain knew very well they were gonna get smacked by a sizable event. He is responsible for the safety of the ship, crew and passengers. RCL has some serious explaining to do.

 

convince new cruiser or current to take a cruise on board the newest ship under an irresponsible captain and company that took a ship directly to a storm

 

You guys really need to get your facts straight before your fingers start spewing garbage!!

Edited by LilBlackDress
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Duffy111

Duffy111

Posted
Posted
With the one day delay they could not do the scheduled western itinerary. They had to be able to get you back the scheduled departure day. The west is farther away than the east to Bayonne. They didn't make the change to save money.

 

Once around the block for an expensive $$$$ cruise?? OK, I guess you can explain why they couldn't keep the original itinerary and eliminate one port?

THEY SAVED A TON OF MONEY ON FUEL MILAGE. $$$$

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cheezwiz

cheezwiz

Posted
Posted
Yup... As I just mentioned, zero assistance with hotels or flight arrangements! I flew into EWR for the cruise and stayed overnight in a hotel, and was scheduled to fly home on Saturday! They won't even let me make a telephone call for free to my insurance company to figure out flight arrangements...

 

On Adventure the week of the January 2016 blizzard, they allowed pax to call at no charge from Guest Services to amend flight reservations. Perhaps they fear the demand will overwhelm Anthem's phone capacity? Consider very politely escalating your request to use the phone. Persistence combined with courtesy sometimes is enough to overcome resistance. Good Luck!

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akcruz

akcruz

Posted
Posted (edited)
To those who are saying that Anthem shouldn't have sailed their planned seven night itinerary all one has to do is read all the uproar that passengers on the delayed Jan. 25th Anthem expressed on the threads about that sailing and its itinerary change. Going north to Canada or east to Bermuda wasn't any better or even a realistic option nor would have been cancelling the cruise completely.

IMO, RCI and not just Capt. Andersen alone made an educated team decision to do what they did and it's unfortunately it didn't turn out too well. As others have mentioned many times in this thread that's what happens with weather related decision as that can be very unpredictable.

 

Agree, if the ship went north it would be in the path of the storm. If they tried to go further east then south, it most likely looked like they would hit the storm. That left two options, stay in port and wait it out or try to go a more westerly route closer to shore and try to squeeze through. BTW - All my assumptions here, not a meteorologist.

 

If the ship had stayed in port and the storm blew out to see further east there would be just as much uproar from those on that sailing. It was a no win situation for Royal.

 

To all those on the ship that have kept us all here up to date thank you and so happy that you are all safe and most have been able to keep their spirits up.

 

As someone in an earlier post mentioned, cruise ships are not just floating hotels, they are ships. People have been lulled into believing nothing can happen at sea, its just like being in a hotel. Cruising is definitely not for everyone.

Edited by akcruz
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Lakesregion

Lakesregion

Posted
Posted
I would go on record to join you in this prediction. This captain's career, at least with RCCL, is all but over at this juncture. They will most likely cosmeticize it as some sort of retirement.

Anyone thinks Michael Bayley will remotely contemplate overlooking this is living in some fantasy lala land.

 

Wow. Never knew there were this many armchairs still around given the penchant of the younger set to buy throwaway furniture.

 

With half the folks posting that they should NEVER have set out if there were storm clouds on the horizon, now that the line has decided because there are storm clouds brewing, the other half chimes in complaining that they should sail through it the FL.

 

Thankfully none of these folks actually has a position of authority over anything. Besides the weather, they are returning to NJ BECAUSE it is their current port of embarkation and that is where all their vendors have the most supplies for replacement etc. Cape Canaveral has none of those things for this ship and it would be costly to fly in a ship load of china and glass ware and find repair people when it all is in NJ.

 

Having said all of that, we most likely will never be told but I might wager that through no fault of his own due to the surprise nature of the storm the captain came very very close to losing the vessel. Those warm water floating condos do not do well when getting broadsided by 100 MPH plus winds and very high seas. Thankfully he was able to put her nose (what there is of it) into the wind. Anything less and goodbye ship.

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Nyc2tropics

Nyc2tropics

Posted
Posted
If it was the Summit I think it would have been worse. It's a much smaller ship.

 

 

I disagree, Anthem is more top heavy than Summit. If I had to be on a ship in a monster storm id pick Oasis Class (The sheer width keeps her very stable) then Voyager and even the Norwegian Jewel class over Anthem. Anthem is on about the same level as the Breakaway when it comes to sea worthiness.

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