Anthem UK cruises in the summer?

[Static events]

1 minute ago, bigeck said:

Ah. Hadn't seen that.

 

just double check I think I saw it on the celebrity thread 

[Static events]

27 minutes ago, FionaMG said:

I wouldn't go quite that far but cases are definitely way down from where we were in January. Now we just need to get vaccines into people's arms! 

sorry you’re right I have family in Lisbon and it’s far from over but they are in a good place. 

[bigeck]

4 minutes ago, Static events said:

just double check I think I saw it on the celebrity thread 

Might try and book both and change 1 later. The Canary I one is good but not sure if it will go.

I dont think the Norwegian one will as they hardly have anyone vaccinated 

[FionaMG]

18 minutes ago, Static events said:

 Agree. 
 

also the algarve is great. I really enjoy vilamoura.

 

I wonder why there isn’t a cruise ship port for the algarve....

We live 20 minutes from Vilamoura and DH works there.

 

There is a actually a cruise port in the Algarve, in Portimão, but it doesn't get a lot of traffic. A number of years back we had Legend of the Seas calling regularly. At that time it was a tender port. The dock has since been enlarged to take bigger ships but I'm not sure just how big and, of course, it's not practical for the really big ones to tender.

[FionaMG]

17 minutes ago, Static events said:

sorry you’re right I have family in Lisbon and it’s far from over but they are in a good place. 

Yes, indeed. Much much better than back in January, I'm glad to say. Hope the numbers keep going in the right direction.

[Jeannie333333]

33 minutes ago, Static events said:

b2b aren’t allowed apparently. 

Hi, where have you seen that please, we wanted to book those B2B too 😔

[Static events]

52 minutes ago, FionaMG said:

We live 20 minutes from Vilamoura and DH works there.

 

There is a actually a cruise port in the Algarve, in Portimão, but it doesn't get a lot of traffic. A number of years back we had Legend of the Seas calling regularly. At that time it was a tender port. The dock has since been enlarged to take bigger ships but I'm not sure just how big and, of course, it's not practical for the really big ones to tender.

love it there. 

[little britain]

Celebrity Silhouette 7n 28/8 balcony £2638 =

£188.42pppn

My 4n MSC worked out at £185pppn. Way more than I’d usually pay! 
Will be interesting to see what Anthem is! 

[sgmn]

14 minutes ago, little britain said:

Celebrity Silhouette 7n 28/8 balcony £2638 =

£188.42pppn

My 4n MSC worked out at £185pppn. Way more than I’d usually pay! 
Will be interesting to see what Anthem is! 

Ouch, I know it includes drinks, grats etc but that's a lot for a cruise which can't for obvious reasons be as good as normal times. 

Bet they sell out though.... 

I'll monitor trip reports and prices and maybe  jump on one at the last minute if the price is right in early September. In the meantime I've got my week in Cornwall to look forward too

[FamilyCruiserUK]

I too am looking forward to the prices, however i think they will be a little steep for what you are getting. 

 

Wifi, not needed. On holiday i want to be left alone from work and prob will be close enough to shore to use my mobile data.

 

Drinks package......just how many drinks would you have to drink a day for it to break even. I onced worked it out on a cruise and would have had to drink 12 drinks a day......

 

Pre paid grats.....leave my thoughts in my head.

 

For me with a young family the cost is the most important factor, i dont drink very much so not interested in the all inclusive. Just hope these cruise dont turn into a booze cruise butlins on sea. 

 

But i hope everyone that goes has a fab time and cant wait to hear the reports 

[sgmn]

44 minutes ago, FamilyCruiserUK said:

I too am looking forward to the prices, however i think they will be a little steep for what you are getting. 

 

Wifi, not needed. On holiday i want to be left alone from work and prob will be close enough to shore to use my mobile data.

 

Drinks package......just how many drinks would you have to drink a day for it to break even. I onced worked it out on a cruise and would have had to drink 12 drinks a day......

 

Pre paid grats.....leave my thoughts in my head.

 

For me with a young family the cost is the most important factor, i dont drink very much so not interested in the all inclusive. Just hope these cruise dont turn into a booze cruise butlins on sea. 

 

But i hope everyone that goes has a fab time and cant wait to hear the reports 

My travel industry travel agents does quote a price without the extras though we always pay grats upfront. The idea of drinks package is great in theory but the older I get I just can't handle too much alcohol. I'm happy with a couple of diamond drinks in the evening and maybe one or two 'pay as I go' drinks which aren't on the Diamond list. Agree WiFi not necessary for me

Edited April 6, 2021 by sgmn

[Guest BigRoger]

Interesting to see comments re back to backs.... I asked RC UK customer services last week that question and their answer was that given the cruises were fully vaccinated ‘at this stage’ they were planning to allow B2Bs......

[Guest BigRoger]

Also very interested in the maths around needing to do 12 (alcoholic?) drinks a day to get value from the drinks package? The previous rule of thumb (before some of the prices started to get silly with deliberately high pre special ‘offer’ prices) was at ship prices somewhere around 6 drinks a day to get value - also of course there is bottled water, fruit juices, soda, coffees, smoothies etc.... 

Edited April 6, 2021 by BigRoger

[Jeannie333333]

10 hours ago, Static events said:

b2b aren’t allowed apparently. 

 

7 minutes ago, BigRoger said:

Interesting to see comments re back to backs.... I asked RC UK customer services last week that question and their answer was that given the cruises were fully vaccinated ‘at this stage’ they were planning to allow B2Bs......

And I have just spoken to them as I didn’t see your response and a supervisor advised b2b would be permitted 👍

[Pandamonia]

55 minutes ago, BigRoger said:

Also very interested in the maths around needing to do 12 (alcoholic?) drinks a day to get value from the drinks package? The previous rule of thumb (before some of the prices started to get silly with deliberately high pre special ‘offer’ prices) was at ship prices somewhere around 6 drinks a day to get value - also of course there is bottled water, fruit juices, soda, coffees, smoothies etc.... 

 

Well i paid 38$ a day plus grats for the drinks package on Harmony which is more expensive due to Oasis for some reason. 

 

A beer is 6-8$ plus grats. 

cocktails can be 14$ plus grats

Spirits can be added at cost to a soda package which means you can save money in theory.  

Even a can of coke can cost around 4-5$ 

 

I just factor the cost in to the holiday or hope for all inclusive pricing which seems to have vanished though. 

 

for me signing receipts is more annoying than saving a few quid on drinks. 

 

How i make it stack up is:

 

Fresh orange with breakfast 

Speciality coffee after that.

 

Cans of coke instead of syrup rubbish.

 

Cider during the day with ice, When gets warm throw it away and order another one. Same with beer. 

 

Find a good Red wine with the meal (some are like vinegar so remember which ones are nice) If they run out make them fetch it from another bar. (they will and its not much hassle) Have 1,2 or 3 alternatives. 

 

try all the random cocktails in all the speciality restaurants which are 14$ each usually. Dont like em? try another. 

 

Later on the night move to Diet Sprite (has to come in a can as not on tap) and Grey Goose. When Grey Goose runs out move to Belvedere and when that is gone find a different bar to drink in. 

 

Nightclub : At this stage volume is the problem so keep the drinks small such as Tequila, rose wine or white wine if that works for you. You cant get on the dancefloor with drinks anyway so may as well keep them short and just go back to bar when you want something. 

 

At this stage you are pretty merry so you will be leaving drinks all over the night club wondering where you left yours.... then remember you have a package and think... ill just go get a new one. 

 

After that i might have a Hennessey XO and pay the few dollars surcharge. At which point i remember it gives me heartburn and have to go fetch a Anti Acid and fall asleep on the bed. 

 

Thats how i make it pay. 

Edited April 6, 2021 by Pandamonia

[shopaholic6]

11 hours ago, Static events said:

 Agree. 
 

also the algarve is great. I really enjoy vilamoura.

 

I wonder why there isn’t a cruise ship port for the algarve....

Wow I love that idea! Vilamoura is beautiful - it never even occurred to me to be able to dock in the Algarve! 😃

[FamilyCruiserUK]

1 hour ago, BigRoger said:

Also very interested in the maths around needing to do 12 (alcoholic?) drinks a day to get value from the drinks package? The previous rule of thumb (before some of the prices started to get silly with deliberately high pre special ‘offer’ prices) was at ship prices somewhere around 6 drinks a day to get value - also of course there is bottled water, fruit juices, soda, coffees, smoothies etc.... 

 Granted last time.i looked was a few years ago, however just checked my upcoming aug cruise. Delux drinks package is £50, really only drink beer and spirts so a rough guess at £5 per drink still equals 10 drinks a day.

 

 

[Pandamonia]

3 minutes ago, FamilyCruiserUK said:

 Granted last time.i looked was a few years ago, however just checked my upcoming aug cruise. Delux drinks package is £50, really only drink beer and spirts so a rough guess at £5 per drink still equals 10 drinks a day.

 

 

Well depends what you plan on drinking during the day. 

 

There are other drinks in the package such as bottled water, soft drinks, and nice tea and coffee instead of that stuff you get for free made in bulk. 

 

Drinks packages are more like 35 pounds when bought on offer before you get on board. 

[FionaMG]

1 hour ago, shopaholic6 said:

Wow I love that idea! Vilamoura is beautiful - it never even occurred to me to be able to dock in the Algarve! 😃

 

So, I know this is a little bit off the topic of the thread but, anyway, I looked up the details of the Portimão cruise port, since I couldn't remember them off the top of my head. The pier is 330 metres long and the port is capable of receiving vessels up to 215 metres in length and with a maximum draft of 8.5 metres. Tender operations are available for larger ships.

 

Pretty much all of the high end lines call in Portimão at some point over the summer months, mostly on their Iberian voyages, so Silversea, Oceania, Regent, etc. 

 

The only one of the mass market lines to have a ship currently booked is Carnival, which I thought was interesting given that their programme in Europe is pretty small. It's a repositioning cruise from Rome to Lisbon on Carnival Pride in October 2022, prior to the ship's transatlantic from Lisbon to Tampa. If I still remember about this conversation at that time, I might just pop down there to take a look. 

 

In the meantime, in a shameless plug for those who aren't familiar with the area, here's a pic of me enjoying the sunshine on our local beach in Vilamoura (Falésia Beach) last September. (Still not quite warm enough yet to be down there in a bikini this year.)

 

 

[Disney-daft]

Does anyone know whether the blue light 10% discount will apply to these cruises please? I know when I looked at MSC their 50% off was more like 30% if you were lucky so just wondering if we can expect RCI to day the 10% doesn’t apply to these cruises.

[heatherb1958]

1 hour ago, FionaMG said:

 

So, I know this is a little bit off the topic of the thread but, anyway, I looked up the details of the Portimão cruise port, since I couldn't remember them off the top of my head. The pier is 330 metres long and the port is capable of receiving vessels up to 215 metres in length and with a maximum draft of 8.5 metres. Tender operations are available for larger ships.

 

Pretty much all of the high end lines call in Portimão at some point over the summer months, mostly on their Iberian voyages, so Silversea, Oceania, Regent, etc. 

 

The only one of the mass market lines to have a ship currently booked is Carnival, which I thought was interesting given that their programme in Europe is pretty small. It's a repositioning cruise from Rome to Lisbon on Carnival Pride in October 2022, prior to the ship's transatlantic from Lisbon to Tampa. If I still remember about this conversation at that time, I might just pop down there to take a look. 

 

In the meantime, in a shameless plug for those who aren't familiar with the area, here's a pic of me enjoying the sunshine on our local beach in Vilamoura (Falésia Beach) last September. (Still not quite warm enough yet to be down there in a bikini this year.)

 

 

We first visited the Algarve for 3 weeks at Christmas in 1985 and stayed just out side Vilamoura in what was at the time a brand new apartment block .

Have been back many many times in the Winter since , never been in the Summer , but always stay at Praia d’Oura now or near as. Love love the Algarve , stayed at Caroveiro one time in the month of January and swam in the sea ! Lucky you living there . 
 

 

@Pandamonia -   Cruising not popular in Europe ?!?  Not in our experience , every port we have embarked at , Barcelona, Venice ( no longer using  the cruise terminals in the future ) , Civitavecchia they have all been busy in summer AND winter with multiple ships in . 
We cruise mainly in the off season  a) fewer kids and b) less crowds plus cheaper prices . If a cruise is priced right they have no problem filling the ships, only problem is attracting a crowd that spend once onboard . If the local clientele don’t spend , easy  problem to solve ,move the ship to where they do hence pulled Adventure out of Malaga and Mariner out of LA though RCI are reintroducing a ship in LA . 
We are just thankful we still have our health , will be fully vaccinated by end of May and will be able to “ Get out there “ ! 
 

 

[CaroleC]

15 hours ago, Static events said:

I would take £1,450 inc drinks, brats and WiFi... 

 

in theory it should be slightly lower than  Celebrity

Oh no, we don’t get other kids included as well do we?? 🤣🤣🤣

[Pandamonia]

28 minutes ago, heatherb1958 said:

We first visited the Algarve for 3 weeks at Christmas in 1985 and stayed just out side Vilamoura in what was at the time a brand new apartment block .

Have been back many many times in the Winter since , never been in the Summer , but always stay at Praia d’Oura now or near as. Love love the Algarve , stayed at Caroveiro one time in the month of January and swam in the sea ! Lucky you living there . 
 

 

@Pandamonia -   Cruising not popular in Europe ?!?  Not in our experience , every port we have embarked at , Barcelona, Venice ( no longer using  the cruise terminals in the future ) , Civitavecchia they have all been busy in summer AND winter with multiple ships in . 
We cruise mainly in the off season  a) fewer kids and b) less crowds plus cheaper prices . If a cruise is priced right they have no problem filling the ships, only problem is attracting a crowd that spend once onboard . If the local clientele don’t spend , easy  problem to solve ,move the ship to where they do hence pulled Adventure out of Malaga and Mariner out of LA though RCI are reintroducing a ship in LA . 
We are just thankful we still have our health , will be fully vaccinated by end of May and will be able to “ Get out there “ ! 
 

 

I was referring to Royal as thats where my experience is and this forurm is located to discuss. 

 

Also what metric are you using? Eye ball port population? Hardly scientific though given how many ships are in port. 

 

I use the prices and the capacity of the ship. Each of which is obfuscated to hide the problem of failing to fill the ships out of Southampton and Barcelona. 

 

Just take a look at the price of Allure out of Rome in 2022. They are giving them away at almost 40% less than the same ship out of Barcelona on some weeks. Those barcelona cruises will also tank in price. the US cruises tend to get more expensive the closer to sail date where the EU cruises get cheaper. Only once had i ever missed a cruise in the EU because it was full. Last 5 years ive had my cruises within 5% of the lowest price by waiting until royal starts to panic and drops the prices and adds the drinks for free(almost) 

 

You only need to look at the price i paid for Allure last year. 2 weeks b2b balcony and 600 OBC for 1500pp. Advertised price was 1200 per week with 100obc. So 2400 and 200 OBC. Hardly suggests there is high demand and i bet if it wasnt for drydock those ships wouldnt even be in the Med. 

[Norwich Cruiser]

2 hours ago, Pandamonia said:

I was referring to Royal as thats where my experience is and this forurm is located to discuss. 

 

Also what metric are you using? Eye ball port population? Hardly scientific though given how many ships are in port. 

 

I use the prices and the capacity of the ship. Each of which is obfuscated to hide the problem of failing to fill the ships out of Southampton and Barcelona. 

 

Just take a look at the price of Allure out of Rome in 2022. They are giving them away at almost 40% less than the same ship out of Barcelona on some weeks. Those barcelona cruises will also tank in price. the US cruises tend to get more expensive the closer to sail date where the EU cruises get cheaper. Only once had i ever missed a cruise in the EU because it was full. Last 5 years ive had my cruises within 5% of the lowest price by waiting until royal starts to panic and drops the prices and adds the drinks for free(almost) 

 

You only need to look at the price i paid for Allure last year. 2 weeks b2b balcony and 600 OBC for 1500pp. Advertised price was 1200 per week with 100obc. So 2400 and 200 OBC. Hardly suggests there is high demand and i bet if it wasnt for drydock those ships wouldnt even be in the Med. 

Thats amazing.

 

I think many people would like to use your travel agent.

[Bobal]

5 hours ago, FionaMG said:

In the meantime, in a shameless plug for those who aren't familiar with the area, here's a pic of me enjoying the sunshine on our local beach in Vilamoura (Falésia Beach) last September. (Still not quite warm enough yet to be down there in a bikini this year.)

 

 

If you're going to do shameless plugs about the Algarve I may well have to put you on ignore 😉😁 Portugal is my favourite country in Europe and the one I have visited most, particularly the Algarve. When our kids were younger we used to stay just outside Praia d'Oura and Falesia (Tomato Beach) was our favourite beach. In recent years we've been staying in Carvoeiro and even managed 2 weeks there last September, We have 2 more holidays booked to Portugal this year - June and September. I'm less hopeful for June but have more confidence that September (Porto, then driving down to Algarve, stopping overnight a couple of places on the way down) will happen.