Day by Day on the Anthem January 3

[TwoTimer81]

Before I get to Day 4, I would like to answer some questions...

 

Back in from Labadee (85, sunny, low to moderate humidity, water temps around 80) I bought down a menu from the Solarium Bistro (complimentary) but I misplaced it. No worries, Ill get another one tonight and spell out what's on it (its so simple its not worth me taking a photo of).

 

Wonderland will be tonight, and I probably will cancel one of the other two Chops nights and swap something else in for it.

 

Only the Chef's Table/Prime Table has included alcohol. I will submit that menu tonight as well.

 

The mattress was very firm, but having a memory foam bed at home, it wasn't much firmer than the one at home, and we slept decently fine on it.

 

I'll also do some 'Anthem hacks' as well at some point

[tomjohnsonjr]

Very nice review on the food for this class ship. Thank You.

Edited January 6, 2016 by tomjohnsonjr

[funNsun4me]

Thank you so much for taking the time to post on your vacation.

 

If you have the time, would you be able to find out how much the Premium drink package is. Someone had posted that if you pre-purchase the package then gratuities are included but if you buy on board the gratuities are additional to the price. Of course C&A say that either way it's the same price but someone posted a flyer showing differently.

 

Again, thank you for your time.

[cincicruisers]

Following along. Thanks for taking time out of your vacation to do a review.

[Merion_Mom]

Before I get to Day 4, I would like to answer some questions...

 

Back in from Labadee (85, sunny, low to moderate humidity, water temps around 80) I bought down a menu from the Solarium Bistro (complimentary) but I misplaced it. No worries, Ill get another one tonight and spell out what's on it (its so simple its not worth me taking a photo of).

 

Wonderland will be tonight, and I probably will cancel one of the other two Chops nights and swap something else in for it.

 

Only the Chef's Table/Prime Table has included alcohol. I will submit that menu tonight as well.

 

The mattress was very firm, but having a memory foam bed at home, it wasn't much firmer than the one at home, and we slept decently fine on it.

 

I'll also do some 'Anthem hacks' as well at some point

 

Thanks so much, Chris. Someone just made a very negative comment about their dinner in the "new" Solarium Bistro, so your opinion is wanted.

 

:)

[TwoTimer81]

Today we came ashore (finally) at Labadee. Haiti is beautiful and mountainous, and it was in the mid 80s with low humidity. Water temps were nice, right around 80 (not exact, but I went in 76 degree water in Bermuda a few Mays back and it was too cold for me).

 

Some notes before the hits and misses:

The Solarium Bistro Menu - The buffet is open as usual, it seems these entrees are the ones they cook in the back and serve to you, kind of Sizzler or Charlie Brown steakhouse style. Today, the restaurant was virtually empty around 7:45 PM. I became aware of one very negative review about this place, I won't get around to it for dinner until near the end of the cruise, however. Without further delay:

 

Solarium Bistro

Entrees

Grilled Salmon - olive oil, aged balsamic vinegar.

Mahi-Mahi - tomato, cucumber, green peppers, red onion.

Grilled Shrimp - garlic, olive oil, lemon

1/2 Lemon Pepper Roasted Chicken - salsa verde

All Natural Grass Fed Skirt Steak - fresh cut fries

Chicken Kebab - orzo pilaf

Lobster Tail - citrus butter

 

Sides

Orzo, Greek Fried Potatoes (hand cut), Broccoli (garlic with toasted almonds), Grilled Asparagus (olive oil, lemon).

 

Part 2 to come shortly.

[TwoTimer81]

Some more notes:

 

Clocks went forward overnight before arrival in Haiti, and they will go forward again before San Juan tomorrow. On to those hits and misses:

 

Hits:

Dragon's Breath Coaster - Living within driving distance of Six Flagas Great adventure would put this lil thing as a minus comparatively, but the experience of having a coaster car to yourself is unique. Unsure if its worth the price, but well, its your vacation.

Dragon's Breath Flightline - While pricey (~100pp), the views and the uniqueness of it is well worth the price, and its not scary going down, its just the anticipation. It does eat up about 75 mins of your day.

Labadoozie - Nice, moderately strong, and for change a frozen drink under 10 bucks.

Wonderland - This has clearly taken over Chops as the flagship restaurant on the Quantum Class. The best service by far on the ship (including Prime Table), and it's a must do. That menu (viewable online) is not one thing from each element, its everything listed except the entrée part (you choose between meats or fishes). I will only cancel the second visit here because I already ate the whole menu. Since I'm allergic to an excessive amount of fish, I can't do this again with the fishes entrée. Wife loved her cocktail. A must do, and for meat lovers you will not miss Chops Grille at all. It was a whole two chicken breast halves, an 8-inch long short rib falling off the bone (as much beef as the largest Chops steak) and a pork side that I struggled to finish.Wonderland (along with this cruise visiting St Lucia and Antigua instead of Martinique and St Kitts) has made me consider doing this same cruise next year. The service here rivaled what I experienced on the Crystal Symphony for my honeymoon, as did the Prime Table. However, here was more impressive as Wonderland was packed, the Prime Table was less than half full.

Columbus Cove - Probably the best non-suite beach here. Adrenaline was a sunbathers paradise but the shells and rocks were evident in and out the water, and Nellie's had almost as many people as Columbus with only half as much beach.

Anthem's Vitality Gym - It was a nice gym, always full in the morning as usual. While there, I met another guy who saw me eating Michael's burger and told me that Jamie's Italian burger was worth considering as well. I guess that's yet another place to add to the list.

 

Misses:

Wonderland - Its so good and worth the money (just the meat flight alone is worth the price of it not to mention the other courses) it's not worth doing again on the same cruise unless you're a fish lover. It truly is a once a cruise experience.

Solarium Bistro - It was empty for dinner today, a sign of things to come?

Michael's Genuine Pub - They had a beer and burger special for $10 today. They have been empty all of the cruise except for the wayward traveler, but its a great people watching spot sitting right in between the Music Hall and Esplanade.

Labadee Staff - They were desperate trying to sell us stuff and were "rubbernecking" when my wife walked by :D

 

We were so stuffed and with clocks going ahead tomorrow, we retired early to bed and will miss the live comedian. We also got our second towel animal (an elephant). The first one came after day 2. Pay attention to your compass on this ship, nice specialty dining deals from the a la carte places do show up in there.

Edited January 7, 2016 by TwoTimer81

[TwoTimer81]

And here is the Prime Table Menu ($90pp)

 

Prime Table

(December 2015)

 

Compressed Pork and Fritter

Apple Jelly, Sage scratching, Burnt onion ketchup

Cakebread Cellars, Chardonnay (Napa, CA)

 

Essence of Alaskan King Crab

Crab and fennel salad, Basil oil, Grape Tomatoes

Nonig, Sauvignon Blanc (Napa, CA)

 

Sea Bass with Roasted Cauliflower

Fried curry leaves, curried cauliflower puree, capers vinaigrette

William Fevre Chablis 1er Cru, Chardonnay (Bourgundy, France)

 

Confit Beef with Truffle Jus

Stuffed morels, curried brioche, beet gel, smoked foie

Caymus, Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa, CA)

 

Elderflower and Strawberry Triffle

Strawberry spherifications, Elderflower granite

 

Dark Chocolate Tart with White Chocolate Crema

Star-anise ice cream, salted caramel shard, frozen blackberries

Castello Del Poggio (Pavia, Italy)

 

This is difficult, but I have to say Wonderland is the better deal, especially for those who want great food without having to commit to the alcohol. For drinkers, both places will have you stuffed, in Wonderland and you still have 40+ bucks left for the alcoholic drinks of your choice. Their martinis are wonderful.

 

Well, off to Puerto Rico, I won't be eating dinner on the ship but rather at Dragonfly with a two pairs of CC shipmates. We will get sangria at Dragonfly's nearby sister restaurant, Aguaviva as well. A change of pace, indeed.

[sportsphotos]

If you run into anyone with the last name of Krebs Betty or Jay tell them thier favorite nephew said Hi. When you get off I will be getting on Jan 15th cant wait. Great info by the way, Have a great Trip.

[TwoTimer81]

We arrived early at San Juan which gave us a few more minutes at the port.

 

Before getting to the hits and misses, a few notes...

 

I cancelled my remaining two Chops Grille (good service, only ok food) reservations. They have a brunch on the sea day following St. Kitts which I probably will attend. I also cancelled my remaining Wonderland reservation (its setup screams only eating there once per cruise). I was told today that someone complained about the pasta in Jaime's Italian. With no remaining pre-booked specialty restaurants, my wife and I will be on a floating basis the rest of the trip.

 

Hits:

El Morro and San Cristobal - The old citadel guarding the harbor has continued to stand strong. The walk is doable, given some comfortable walking shoes, no need to book an excursion. Entry has currently stood at $5pp, and it includes the nearby San Cristobal fort as well.

Dragonfly - This was my choice of restaurant on land, and it was excellent. The food, service, etc all were top notch, and it was nice to finally replace that bad taste in my mouth lingering from Izumi. It was two blocks from where the ship docked. For those that want a seafood based menu (something not present on the ship), Aquaviva is next door, and is owned by the same management. Unfortunately, my wife was catcalled aggressively after we left and went down some unknowingly shady blocks, which ruined her experience on the island.

Aguaviva - The restaurant next door to Dragonfly had the crab cake my wife was expecting in Chops...almost all lump crab, with only just enough filler to keep it together.

Chops Grille - Even though I cancelled the remaining visits, they gave me a menu for a brunch they're doing after St. Kitts.

 

Misses:

El Jibarito - This place was billed as having a highly rated sangria, but it just tasted mostly like alcohol and nothing like fruit. The catcalling incident occurred on the way back to the ship from here.

Café 270/Windjammer/Solarium Bistro - My favorite lemonade wasn't available during breakfast time. I checked every juice station. Also, the maple syrup that was available the first couple days of the cruise is gone. Hopefully, it will show up again now that the ship has reached a port to resupply.

[gowensricks]

This is awesome, thank you!

[tomjohnsonjr]

Nice job.

[TwoTimer81]

Today, we were in St. Maarten (and that airport). We actually missed that airport (mostly because of a planning error) but did get the expensive excursion into a difficult to see St. Barts (only usually available on higher end cruise lines aka Crystal, Oceania, etc). We also had dinner in the Solarium Bistro. On to the Hits and Misses...

 

Hits:

St Barths - A beautiful, upscale island, although pricey. No celebrity sightings today. Short walk to the beach.

Shell Beach (at St Barths) - A great swimming beach, good onsite restaurant with very good service. They gave us complimentary sex on the beach shots just as someone was strutting back and forth topless (which is technically unlawful on the island).

Windjammer at Dinner - They actually had Caribbean food in there today! I feasted on jerk chicken, my wife curt goat with rice and peas. The back was still less crowded.

Solarium Bistro - The DD dinner replacement is a cross between the MDR and Windjammer. Reservations and a menu with entrees and a shared side, and a appetizer/dessert buffet so you get to start eating right away. Those able to snag reservations in the first 45 mins were treated to a speedy, nice dinner in about an hour. They don't allow walk-ins until about 630. Try to get reservations at 6 PM or earlier. We came at 530 without reservations, were turned away, but got seated at 630. I ordered the steak, my wife had the lobster tail. Her lobster tail entrée actually was two lobster tails, and she was delighted. My steak was well done (ordered medium) but flavorful. It wasn't overcooked, it just sat under the heat lamp too long due to the queue and became so in that fashion. However, at least you get water and appetizers right away unlike in the MDR. The appetizer buffet was the most interesting I saw on the ship, and everything there was decent to very good.

Michael's Genuine Pub - This venue continues to be deliver the best bang for your upcharge buck. Its always almost empty, has good daily discounts (today was bangers and mash for $10) and is in the center of the ship. Its chicken wings at $5 came with the same amount of chicken as the $9 Izumi chicken wings located directly above it. The only better upcharge deal (that doesn't involve alcohol) on the ship might be Wonderland, but as I said in an earlier report, only do that once.

 

Misses:

Royal Caribbean - RCI had the excursion listed as 9-2 with four hours in St. Barts and a 20 minute ferry. It actually is 10-4 and a 45 minute ferry each way (this was in the brochure on the ship). Because of the late return time, I was unable to visit Maho Beach and that famous airport runaway. However, I did know this the night before and felt its easier to get back to St. Maarten in the future then it is to get over to St. Barths in the future.

Windjammer at Breakfast - The crew seems nearly paranoid about providing "good" service. Quick service is not always good. Spending time picking your food items, only to see the crew sweep away an untouched plate of food when you run to get or order something else is very annoying. My wife and me sit down in the back with our two plates of food, she leaves her plate next to mine (untouched) to get her omelet. While I'm eating my corned beef hash, a steward asks me if I'm done with a couple of scoops left. I say no. She walks away. I go about twenty feet with my now completed plate of food (hers still untouched) and she proceeds to grab both plates. I run back and tell her that the owner of that plate is returning soon. She told me she's trained to clean up unoccupied tables. Finally my wife's omelet is done and I take her spot to order mine. The guy behind me tells me his friend ordered two drinks somewhere else on the ship, ran back to get something else and the crew cleaned up the table...with the drinks untouched. I'm not sure if they paid for those drinks. I have not experienced this at all on Carnival, HAL or Crystal. They knew the difference between untouched complete plates of food and those that are clearly garbage. My wife called the biscuit she took a bite of the worst biscuit she ever put in her mouth. And the maple syrup available on days 2 and 3 is still missing, and RCI has declined to carry lactose-free milk (or any other kind of milk), and those seeking substitutes for regular/nonfat/lowfat milk outnumber those with Celiac's disease or gluten free by choice.

Getting to St. Barths - The ferry went against those trade winds, making the ride rough. Someone vomited about 3/4 of the way there, I had to lay down to avoid doing the same. However, we were warned both by RCI in the excursion description and by the crew, which passed out complimentary water and ginger ale.

Shell Beach (at St. Barts) - I found a review about a steep dropoff in the water. I didn't know it was literally one step into said water. My wife (a swimmer) went in first and was in at least 6 feet of water with strong rip currents just two steps in. I (not a swimmer) had to just let the water lap up against my ankles. There was a rock on the right side by the entrance I found later on and sat on it while the surf buffeted me a bit. There is no lifeguard on duty.

Do Brazil - This is the only restaurant on Shell Beach, and unless you tow towels from the ship, there is no shade. They charge $40 for two beach chairs and umbrella, and the total bill with food and drinks came to nearly $150. No changing areas or showers, just a bathroom. But you got to visit St. Barts! Still worth it if you think you would get over to St. Maarten in the future for Maho.

Solarium Bistro - If you aren't lucky enough to snag reservations in the first 30 mins of opening (flex to 60 at most), you're in for a different experience. Those with reservations still had to wait to be seated at times. My wait for my entrée (ready promptly and at temperature but delivered late and overcooked) was too long, and my wife's lobster tails were on the lukewarm side. The shared side was bland and unedible, but with the buffet nearby, that wasn't a problem. The desserts were a disaster (crème brulee without any flame that had the consistency of Jell-O pudding), so we went to the other end of the deck for dessert...

Windjammer at Dinner - While the jerk chicken and curry goat was a nice surprise when we already were full from the SB, I couldn't find a single chocolate cake slice without nuts like I found two nights prior. Seriously? So I had to end up buying one at La Patisserie for $3 and...

La Patisserie - The chocolate cupcake had some good points, but was dry due to it not remaining in its wrapper and open to the air. Not a good first impression when there are free desserts scattered around the ship. The desserts on this ship (pay or free) have been a near disaster throughout the cruise to this point. Whenever something good shows up, it sells out quickly, never to be seen again that night.

[OfTheSeasCruiser]

Thanks so much for the review/diary! I may have missed this, but how has the general service been throughout the ship? Bartenders, Guests Services, etc?

Edited January 9, 2016 by OfTheSeasCruiser

[gkny]

We'll be on the Anthem in Feb and can't wait. Thank you for your review.

[fishbonz]

Thank's,,,, the ship sounds great we will be on her in march and cant wait to see it for our self's. As on all ships there are good and bad points to the ship,,, question was it hard to get in and see the shows,,and how was it to get a pool chair ?.

[BILLP1]

So where can we sit down mid morning for a cup of coffee and a free sweet ? We enjoy cafe Bacio on celebrity for that reason. Thanks.

[TwoTimer81]

For a one line synopsis of the service, where there weren't any lines, service has been fine. Only in dining areas have there been any issues, and are understaffed once they get busy. I'll answer this more fully near the end of the cruise.

 

So where can we sit down mid morning for a cup of coffee and a free sweet ? We enjoy cafe Bacio on celebrity for that reason. Thanks.

Café Promenade, but don't expect a view outside from there. The sweets have been unremarkable so far.

Edited January 9, 2016 by TwoTimer81

[BILLP1]

Thans for your quick reply..

[sharonlacey]

Did you happen to notice if they offered any kind of wine package when you were on board?

 

Thanks......Sharon

[Merion_Mom]

As far as the unconscionably "swift" clearing service in the Windjammer goes.............

 

People have been complaining BITTERLY about the uncleanliness in the WJ, and the lack of clearing and wiping.

 

Apparently, RC listened, but went overboard in the opposite direction. They probably scared the HELL out of the workers.

[TwoTimer81]

Today we were in Martinique, a totally French island with Mount Pelee towering in the background. The volcano's caldera was enshrouded in clouds all day and I was never able to get a clear shot. The Anthem will not return to Martinique next season starting mid-year, swapping the port for nearby St. Lucia (the other switch is swapping out Labadee for Antigua). There was the MSC Orchestra there when we arrived, more about this later. I booked a champagne brunch the first sea day after St. Kitts ($30 in Chops Grille). The left the 9 Oz filet on the menu surprisingly. We plan to eat at Jaime's for lunch the day after. We will see how this goes.

 

Hits:

Windjammer - They have tried to mimic the ethnicity of the food in port, having a few French-Caribbean options at dinner. Bravo. They did this after St. Maarten too, although the food was technically Jamaican (jerk chicken).

Martinique - The island is absolutely gorgeous, which is often the case of landscape in the vicinity of an active volcano. They are renovating the port (adding docks, storefronts, etc) to be able to handle larger ships. A market nearby housed the best authentic local food near the ship, a short walk from the port. Being a part of France, the euro was the main currency, although USD can be found here and there. The amount of English speakers around were limited at best, giving a real foreign flavor to the place. We didn't do an excursion here, what was posted around were rather poorly reviewed.

North Star - I moved our time slot to sunset here (as supposed to Labadee) and was richly rewarded. Sunset when leaving port is the best time to do this, and up there I was finally able to see the top of Mount Pelee. No, it didn't go over the side of the ship, but I didn't want it to. I wanted a few extra moments to get pictures of the landscape.

Donovan and Rebecca - Today's show was from Donovan and Rebecca, and it was a blast of a 50 minutes. I'll leave it at this.

Our Stateroom Attendant - Even though I didn't request this, Nilda left the TV on the football game when we got back from the show.

 

Misses:

Windjammer - Its becoming more and more difficult to find my favorite lemonade drink. Café 270 ran out, the Solarium Bistro ran out, and now there's only one station in the Windjammer, as supposed to four when we boarded. I'm not trying to spend 4.50 plus grats to purchase one daily in 270. Still no lactose free milk or maple syrup to be found, unless they're hiding in CK. I found an improperly cleaned utensil in the spoon bin, and a kid managed to drop something on the floor and calmly put it back in the bin seconds later. Still more lukewarm food in places as well, especially at breakfast. But we're super concerned about dirty hands coming into the dining hall, however...

Royal Caribbean - Barbados is not far from Martinique, why did we have to leave the port so early. The time allotted here only allowed one to either venture on into the interior, or stay nearby in Fort-de-France, but not both. Lunch is the main meal here, and things close up around 2 PM. But its too late to catch a tour to the interior of the island by then. If you do the interior tour first, the town is closed by time you return from it. As I mentioned earlier, the MSC was already there when we arrived, and we left before them. And it didn't even appear as if they were about to leave, either.

Edited January 10, 2016 by TwoTimer81

[destiny217]

So where can we sit down mid morning for a cup of coffee and a free sweet ? We enjoy cafe Bacio on celebrity for that reason. Thanks.

 

Café Two70 was open 7:30-10:30 am for breakfast on most days. Great views. On Port Canaveral day it opened at 6:30am. Not sure if that's the times you are interested in.

[Baron Barracuda]

Just filled out special needs form for my 6/16 Anthem sailing (bringing cpap) and noticed boxes you can check to request soy or lactose free milk. Sorry no spot to request maple syrup. I feel your pain. That pre-packaged "breakfast syrup" is a too-sweet mess.

[TwoTimer81]

Distilled water and cpap machine... yes that's special needs. I felt lactose free milk is mainstream enough just like gluten free (which is covered in most dining spaces but nobody's touching that stuff that barely looks edible). Its not like I asked for organic and lactose free (which I get at home). And its not like maple (or any other natural sweetener along with sugar) wasn't on the ship. It was, and I guess they ran out, and never replaced it although people were going through it like wildfire. Yes, access to maple and lactose-free milk would be something that should set Royal apart from its competitors, especially given the premium you're paying them.