teddie

Glad that worked for you 🙂

Well, it DID fit, with plenty of room for bottles etc. 🙂

---it really works! Had to adjust the shelves to permit the door to close. Placed a fresh bucket of ice uncovered daily, and this kept waterbottles and food cold! Teddie

We just did the Kennedy Space Center Shuttle excursion last week on the 2/4 Anthem sailing. It was explore on your own. It included admission to the Space Center. Best to check the KSC website to see which exhibits you want to visit, as there won't be enough time to see everything. We visited the Rocket Garden, Saturn V and Atlantis Space Shuttle. We really enjoyed it. Teddie

@mjkacmom I want to thank you for your previous responses to me on this subject 🙂 Teddie

We purchased a day pass for the Riu, and were just there last week during our 2/4 sailing on the Anthem of the Seas. Group taxi fare from the pier was $5 per person. The check-in process was a bit tedious--they were on "Bahamas time" not "NYC time" lol. We did not visit the breakfast buffet, but there was a coffee and pastry counter inside the hotel lobby. It is in a good location and on a pretty beach. The attendant will set up beach chairs and umbrella, and a little table for you. There were many lounge chairs all around the pool, a swim up bar, and a regular bar, and pool activities. There are shady areas around the pool as well. Music was a little loud but not uncomfortably so. Towels were provided. At lunch time, there was a full buffet inside, and it was extremely good! Many, many selections of hot and cold foods, dessert, and fresh fruit. Out at the pool, there were hot dogs, nachos, and jerk pork and chicken, rice, and sides. For the return trip, there were taxis waiting right at the hotel entrance. It was just the two of us, so the private taxi was $17 total for us both, plus we added a tip. We are not big drinkers at all, so we will likely not do this one again. If you are drinkers, this all-inclusive resort was well-worth it, and combined with a great buffet and food choices you will absolutely get your money's worth. Teddie

Of course RCI heavily promotes Coco Cay and its uber-bucks cabanas. It's all about generating revenue, and the fact that it's a beautiful little spot doesn't hurt 🙂 That being said, we were just on Coco Cay last week and were fortunate to have purchased the Beach Club for ~ $90 per person during the Black Friday sales this past November. It WAS a perfect day! The Anthem was the only ship in port and there were plenty of untouched loungers on Coco Beach Club, so I was surprised that it was designated as "sold out". Wonder why that was.... We are always seeking a beach day or a beach hotel pass at the Caribbean ports, and Coco Cay has that built right in whether we choose to pay the upcharges or not, so that works for us, no matter how many times we would stop there. Teddie

Tribute Motown Band called Temperature are excellent. The High C's Horns played big band, funk, and jazz and accompanied the WWRY show. This band is super good. The Rock Headliner is called Mosaic and performed in the theatre and in the Music Hall.

As long as I have a decent internet connection, my VPN is functioning well. Hope your luck improves next cruise. Teddie

We did space center thru RCI. Included bus and entry fees. We were really happy with it. go on the space center website and review the exhibits. You won’t be able to see them all, so pick the ones you really want to see. We visited the shuttle Atlantis and the Saturn V exhibit. Both excellent. In Miami we booked the RCI Everglades Tour. This included an airboat ride, alligator show and a picture holding a baby alligator! It was fun.

Passengers were in the Solarium pool and hot tubs before we even left Bayonne! And that day was freezing!

I know a few people beat me to it, but here you go! Teddie

On Anthem now. Brass and Bock serves food. teddie

Check in and boarding was quick. Grabbed a bite at the Cafe promenade and husband had Sorrentos. Balcony cabin deck 9 midship. Feeling nearly zero motion in the cabin. More prominent in the aft areas of course. Twice daily room attendant. Placed the uncovered bucket of ice in the “chiller” box—had to move the shelves around. It is damn near close to being a refrigerator. There IS a kettle in the room. Stocked up on teabags/sweeteners from the Windjammer. Outlets: one on one side of the bed. Then some at the desk: one European , two American, two USB. My Time Dining — brief wait with reservation and will be seated at a table for two for the duration. Food: it’s really OK. Enough options for anyone. Not fabulous; not hideous. Excellent bakery items. No overly-solicitous waiters or Maitre ‘d so far. Voom: we have the surf and stream package. It’s iffy in the cabin but much improved in the solarium and up top. I used my work VPN without a problem as long as my internet connection was intact Hint: need to toggle off and on wifi periodically to reset and get online. The ship: she is beautiful with interesting art work. We last cruised in 2014 and gone are the ubiquitous staff cleaning and polishing. Honestly; many just seem tired. There are 600+ children on this cruise which was totally unexpected! Why people bring infants and toddlers to any show after 9 pm, I’ll never know. Diamond drink vouchers going smoothly-I just tell the server that my drink is with the Diamond voucher, along with 1-2$. All good. Space center was really good. Bonus—watched a rocket launch from the ship! In Miami now and just finished the Everglades tour. It was fun! I’ll try to post more. Teddie

Love me some food porn! The Indian dishes look pretty good, too. Teddie

Thanks very much. Teddie

No unsolicited health advice is needed. If you must know, there IS a personal health reason I asked my original question, and didn't feel I would need to elaborate further. I had a feeling when I was first writing this post I would need to include a disclaimer. Oy. Only on CC. Been away for 6 years, and some things never change. Teddie

More for me 🙂

It's produced in that special way that makes me think I am consuming the real thing. 🙂

Sigh... I know it's not; but I'll manage with the facsimile. 🙂

Just checked back. Our sail date is 2/4/2023 and it showed up on the app on 12/31/2022. Teddie

Always bring my own Splenda, just in case. Thanks!

Thanks in advance… Teddie

I guess because I live in the US. I've had lots of amazing food in Mexico, but I'm not there at the moment (and I wish I were!) Teddie