DragonOfTheSeas

Well. it is finally cruise day. 😁 I never sleep well the night before a trip. I spend too much time trying to remember what I forgot. [I think only a couple of unimportant things] Today was no exception. Here are a couple of early morning shots of the skyline.

Thank you both. We have been to each of these ports and have planned our activities carefully. But we will be flexible.

DH can walk with a walking stick for reasonable distances. We felt we should bring it along since this is a bigger ship. . . . but I am sorry to hear you did not feel it was very accessible. Fingers crossed!

What a difference a few hours will make. The sky has cleared and we can see the city from our hotel. We are staying in the Doubletree Jersey City. It is a block from the river, and we have a corner suite. [not bragging--it was the only 2-room option to share with DD] The view is pretty impressive.

Yes, for us it only makes sense to take the train. . . . and after today's trip I don't think I would consider driving. 🙄

Thank you. we are glad to be cruising again. We are very excited about the Anthem.

Once we got off the train the adventure really began. The Newark/Jersey City area is getting a huge amount of rain which has led to lots of streets flooding. We tried to go down many that had deep standing water. 😱 The police were closing the ramps to the bridges. Our taxi driver seemed to be going in circles. . . but so were all of the other cars. After a while he just drove through the flooded intersections. Here are a few pictures. It is hard to capture just how deep the water was and how many cars. drove through. These are not great pictures, but you get the idea. When we finally got to the hotel DD said she always wondered why newscasters made such a big deal out of "turn around-don't drown." She couldn't imagine anyone driving through floods. HaHaHa We made it to the hotel. Do you wonder what that adventure cost? The driver turned to DH and said "that will be $100 + a tip."

Join DH, our DD and me on our journey on the beautiful Anthem of the Seas from Bayonne, NJ to Port Canaveral, Coco Cay and Nassau. The Anthem is part of a class of ship we have not sailed. I have seen pictures of the ship, and I can ’t wait to get aboard. . . . but, mostly I want to get away from the cold and rainy weather on the east coast today. 😞 It was a wet start as we boarded Amtrak train 88 at the BWI airport Station this morning headed to Newark Penn Station. It was raining cats, dogs, and anything else that could come from the sky. Our Uber XL driver was a Prince. After playing Tetris with four suitcases, a walker and a bookbag we were off. This will be our third time taking Amtrak to Bayonne. We drove the first time we sailed from here, but we did not love the traffic. With the tolls and $30/day parking at the pier the train pays for itself. JMHO We are Alan [DH], Agnes [Me], and our adult DD [Heather]. DH and I are veteran cruisers; this will be our 40th. However, DD is cruising for the first time. She is a teacher, so we are taking a spring break cruise. We typically avoid school holidays. We were not sure we would ever get to take this cruise. DH fell in our cabin on the first part of our B2B cruise last fall. So, we left the ship in Portland, ME. He has fully recovered. However, he still has some mobility issues and I will share a few of our experiences as they relate to that. On Amtrak you can request assistance getting your luggage on and off the train at manned stations. This was a huge help today. Also, the conductor phoned ahead and had a porter waiting by our rail car to get our luggage from there. They also provide wheelchair assistance--but we did not need that.

I took this picture from the balloon in 2022. I wish I had taken a few more of this side. There is a very clear demarcation between the public and the workers side of the island. Since I have seen a few of the pictures of Hideaway Beach it seems the lagoon you see at the top looks like the lagoon I see in those pictures. JMHO

I have been looking for a cruise with something different. 😜

We sail on Anthem this weekend. I plan to do a live thread.

I think this is the more up to date list.cas-amenities-jan-2024-final for D+.pdf

I enjoyed the balloon ride. It has a large circular basket. We had to stay still while the balloon rose. However, after that we could move around in the basket. We enjoyed looking at all the venues on the island and seeing the parts of the island you never see. YMMV

We occasionally book a JS. It depends on the itinerary, ship and price. We booked this one for the unique set up with the solo cabin and JS with the small-internal hallway and the large balcony. We have not sailed this class of ship--but, it seems like a small apartment. So, eating in CK did not enter into the reasoning for booking a JS. But, I am curious. Since JS are allowed in CK on a space available basis for dinner, is there a reason you did not even check into it. . . . I wondered if you felt it was not a great experience when you tried it.

OK, I have on my most protective jacket--because I expect to be flamed. We are in a spacious balcony JS on Anthem of the seas. Our DD is sailing with us in the solo cabin. It is part of a two room set up on a hallway. [8630 and 8632] We have never been on a ship with CK when we had any type of suite. [ We would like to try it --but, would only do it is adult DD could be included] What do you think are the chances we can get one dinner in CK to include DD? DH's b-day is one of the days. That would be my first choice or the first night which is always a train wreck. OK flame away!

The sky is even bluer than the ocean in your pictures.

Thank you for your posts. We are living vicariously thorough you.

It depends on the port of embarkation. US ports require 21. Europe, Asia South America and Australia it is 18. I have never heard of a parent waiver.

Wow--that is one of the best video or picture of the pilot.

Have you checked it today? I just got an email about a leap day sale. Yes, I know their sales are often not sales. But, my Hideaway went down to $22.99 +tax. I cancelled and repurchased. Also, In Nassau I saw several excursions listed with a Diamond and above sale. I had never seen that before. I mentioned this on the FB group and a non-diamond guest said she could not see that sale price. It was 30%.

We are going at the end of March. Please don't lower the heat before then. I am looking forward to it. That is one of the main reasons we booked this.

Ha Ha --we are likely in your same age bracket. DH and I both enjoyed it on the Harmony. We rode it a few times.

I love the crystal-clear blue water!! Love, Love, Love your pictures.

That is good to know. We are older than you but would be glad to enjoy our time there. We are not so set in our ways that a little bit of music from another era would be an issue.

I was going to say the same thing. YMMV We were on a Mardi Gras cruise to New Orleans a few years ago. We purchased tickets to a restaurant on the parade route for dinner, drinks and grandstand seating. They did not deliver. I submitted my receipt, the advertisement for the experience and even a picture of the space where the grandstand should have been with the grandstands for the adjacent restaurants. We had paid way in advance but got all of our money back. It is worth a try.