Live - Anthem of the Seas 4/9/17 - 4/17/17

[sromano516]

It's after midnight and officially our last full day on the ship, it's also Easter and our wedding anniversary. So we finished Day 7 by seeing Karaoke Superstar which I could have gone without. After that we participated and watched "The Quest". This has been promoted and talked about all week. This is apparently a big deal and people look forward to it. I didn't know what it was before tonight. It's an adult only game event. It took place in Two70 (which is a really beautiful place and I love it more and more). They split the room up into teams, based on the sections people were sitting in. We were team 1 since we sat in the first section. Team captains were picked or volunteered. Tasks or "quests" were assigned constantly and it's sort of like a scavenger hunt most of the time and then there are also funny tasks. You can see the people who are not shy because some people that volunteer performed embarrassing funny acts or even remove clothes. You do not have to participate if you don't want to, can just watch. There could be a quest as simple as providing a business card or something like that. It was fun and enjoyable. We sat with other guests that we have met from Cruise Critic. It's basically a fun team event with a bunch of strangers. Check it out if you can, it's probably just one late night during the cruise.

 

 

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[BEENSAILING]

It's after midnight and officially our last full day on the ship, it's also Easter and our wedding anniversary. So we finished Day 7 by seeing Karaoke Superstar which I could have gone without. After that we participated and watched "The Quest". This has been promoted and talked about all week. This is apparently a big deal and people look forward to it. I didn't know what it was before tonight. It's an adult only game event. It took place in Two70 (which is a really beautiful place and I love it more and more). They split the room up into teams, based on the sections people were sitting in. We were team 1 since we sat in the first section. Team captains were picked or volunteered. Tasks or "quests" were assigned constantly and it's sort of like a scavenger hunt most of the time and then there are also funny tasks. You can see the people who are not shy because some people that volunteer performed embarrassing funny acts or even remove clothes. You do not have to participate if you don't want to, can just watch. There could be a quest as simple as providing a business card or something like that. It was fun and enjoyable. We sat with other guests that we have met from Cruise Critic. It's basically a fun team event with a bunch of strangers. Check it out if you can, it's probably just one late night during the cruise.

 

 

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Happy anniversary! Re The Quest - several years ago my husband and I participated in The Quest when we were on Radiance out of Perth, Australia. We had never even attended a Quest but we decided - why not. There were many "teams" put together, basically on where people were sitting. We had a Quest expert who brought with her a bag filled with assorted things. Our team won - Thanks to the expert and my husband. I have video of my husband which when I need to laugh, I watch... He made me promise to never show the video to our children and grandchildren.

[gaylemh]

It's after midnight and officially our last full day on the ship, it's also Easter and our wedding anniversary. So we finished Day 7 by seeing Karaoke Superstar which I could have gone without. After that we participated and watched "The Quest". This has been promoted and talked about all week. This is apparently a big deal and people look forward to it. I didn't know what it was before tonight. It's an adult only game event. It took place in Two70 (which is a really beautiful place and I love it more and more). They split the room up into teams, based on the sections people were sitting in. We were team 1 since we sat in the first section. Team captains were picked or volunteered. Tasks or "quests" were assigned constantly and it's sort of like a scavenger hunt most of the time and then there are also funny tasks. You can see the people who are not shy because some people that volunteer performed embarrassing funny acts or even remove clothes. You do not have to participate if you don't want to, can just watch. There could be a quest as simple as providing a business card or something like that. It was fun and enjoyable. We sat with other guests that we have met from Cruise Critic. It's basically a fun team event with a bunch of strangers. Check it out if you can, it's probably just one late night during the cruise.

 

 

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Enjoyed reading all your posts, and it sounds like you had a fantastic time on the ship.

 

Happy Anniversary!!! Today would have been my 40th anniversary too. My husband passed away 10 years ago. Miss him every day.

[dpostman]

Okay so, I am now officially a certified open water diver. It's not as joyous of an occasion as i would have liked it to be though. Our son finished off confined water dives 4 and 5 and we hit Coco Cay to begin our open water dives. He completed Open water dive 1 but wasn't able to get any further than that. As he takes medication for ADHD and has fine motor skill problems, I am proud that he got that far and really thought he was going to make it through. We suspect that he forgot to take his medication the morning of the first set of open water dives, which is probably what did him in. He wasn't able to equalize the pressure in his ears when descending and didn't want to dive anymore, because his ears were hurting at that point.

 

Into more details about the certification course through the ship, going to Coco Cay first is great because it's more shallow there and your maximum depth during open dives 1 and 2 is 40ft. So if we went to Nassau first, we wouldn't have been able to dive deep there. After completing confined dives 1 and 2, our dive instructor took us straight to a tender boat and we went over, setup our gear and walked out to do the two shore dives. The dives were skill intensive so I didn't really have time to pay attention to what was around, like fish and such. Our son was done after the first dive and I was bummed to be continuing on without him. The dive instructor really really tried to get him through it and to get him to continue and do the 2nd dive, since he couldn't do the 3rd and 4th one without completing that one. At the end of the 2nd dive, I got to enjoy the cabana with the wife and kids.

 

In Nassau, dives 3 and 4 were boat dives at two different dive sites. We had to carry off all equipment from the ship, except for the air tanks. One thing that's good to know, the website for the certification course says you must provide your own mask and snorkel but that actually isn't true; the ship provided those as well if you didn't have your own. Anyway, we met up and we're bussed to Stuart's cove, along with people signed up for the regular scuba diving excursion. We were basically treated like certified divers and just had a few more skills to perform during dive #3. After that, it was pretty much just treated like a regular dive, while we showed everything we learned along the way. We went out over the wall, which drops off thousands of meters in depth and was a cool experience, not being able to see bottom. Saw tons of tropical fish, swam with some big turtles down there and a huge remora as well. Briefly spotted a reef shark too.

 

It was a somewhat tiring experience but definitely worth it, to get certified while cruising. I've still been enjoying the vacation and got the certification along the way and 4 tanks worth of dives in the ocean. We're getting a referral letter from the dive instructor for our son so he'll only have to complete the 2nd, 3rd and 4th open water dives to finish off his certification.

 

 

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Congratulations for your Scuba Certification. I just wanted to say that myself and 2 kids have gone through the certification process last summer with a local dive shop. We actually decided to get certified in preparation for our Anthem Cruise last month. Both my kids have ADHD. My DD was 12 when certified. She is able to manage without the help of medication but my son, who is 18 now, but was 17 when certified has much more difficulty without medication, but is able to function fairly well with it. They both feel very comfortable under water. But during the first 2 confined water dives, the pool was 13ft deep, my DD had many difficulties with her ears and equalizing. We though it was going to be a problem. Turns out, she had a small head cold, and barely felt sick at all, but it was just enough to make equalizing difficult. The congestion lingered on for 2 weeks, She eventually cleared up and the following weeks were much better and now she can equalize like a champ. Perhaps you already know all this but just wanted to let you know so your son doesn't get discouraged.

 

We were able to fully enjoy our Cococay dive last month.

 

Here is my DD in Cococay

 

And my son

 

We are now looking forward to making other vacation plans where SCUBA will be a part of the experience.

 

dp

 

BTW, I'm loving your review. (Both of you ;)) It is odd that we are at opposites with shows and restaurants, but I fully respect opinions and thoroughly enjoy reading yours.

[sromano516]

Happy anniversary! Re The Quest - several years ago my husband and I participated in The Quest when we were on Radiance out of Perth, Australia. We had never even attended a Quest but we decided - why not. There were many "teams" put together, basically on where people were sitting. We had a Quest expert who brought with her a bag filled with assorted things. Our team won - Thanks to the expert and my husband. I have video of my husband which when I need to laugh, I watch... He made me promise to never show the video to our children and grandchildren.

 

 

Lol @ the video. It's a fun experience even just to watch. And what goes on at Quest is definitely not for children [emoji23]

 

 

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[sromano516]

Enjoyed reading all your posts, and it sounds like you had a fantastic time on the ship.

 

 

 

Happy Anniversary!!! Today would have been my 40th anniversary too. My husband passed away 10 years ago. Miss him every day.

 

 

Thank you! I'm sorry about your husband. I'm sure it's hard and I hope you have some type of peace and continue living life, I'm sure he'd want that for you. [emoji175]

 

 

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[sromano516]

Congratulations for your Scuba Certification. I just wanted to say that myself and 2 kids have gone through the certification process last summer with a local dive shop. We actually decided to get certified in preparation for our Anthem Cruise last month. Both my kids have ADHD. My DD was 12 when certified. She is able to manage without the help of medication but my son, who is 18 now, but was 17 when certified has much more difficulty without medication, but is able to function fairly well with it. They both feel very comfortable under water. But during the first 2 confined water dives, the pool was 13ft deep, my DD had many difficulties with her ears and equalizing. We though it was going to be a problem. Turns out, she had a small head cold, and barely felt sick at all, but it was just enough to make equalizing difficult. The congestion lingered on for 2 weeks, She eventually cleared up and the following weeks were much better and now she can equalize like a champ. Perhaps you already know all this but just wanted to let you know so your son doesn't get discouraged.

 

 

 

We were able to fully enjoy our Cococay dive last month.

 

 

 

Here is my DD in Cococay

 

 

 

 

And my son

 

 

 

 

We are now looking forward to making other vacation plans where SCUBA will be a part of the experience.

 

 

 

dp

 

 

 

BTW, I'm loving your review. (Both of you ;)) It is odd that we are at opposites with shows and restaurants, but I fully respect opinions and thoroughly enjoy reading yours.

 

 

Thank you for your input!! My youngest son was classified in special education at 3 years old and started medication at 5, when unable to even sit in a chair in school. Always had special services up until this year... he was finally declassified from special education and services and is able to do really well while just taking his daily medication. Even with his medication he still has motor issues as well. He found it hard to perform some tasks but kept at it and was able to get it with the help of the instructor. He was quite bummed that he spent so much time on the cruise doing the work and then couldn't continue with the dives itself. I appreciate your input! Maybe he does have a cold or allergies causing congestion. We can look into trying again. Thanks again

 

 

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[maggie416]

Great review and posts. We will board tomorrow!!! Love The Anthem, 16th cruise, second time on Anthem and just love that ship!! Happy Anniversary! Good day, my birthday also!

Marg

[ETski]

It's after midnight and officially our last full day on the ship, it's also Easter and our wedding anniversary.

 

Happy Anniversary to you. It is also our anniversary today. Thank you for the great review very informative. We will be board the Anthem is less then 2 weeks. So excited and your posts make it more so.

[LadyLion_AP]

Happy Anniversary! I've thoroughly enjoyed following along. I'll love to go on Anthem again soon!

 

 

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[mjgep0316]

Happy Anniversary to you guys! It was great meeting you. We capped it off today by winning a free cruise in the slot tournament! What a great voyage!

 

 

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[sromano516]

Happy Anniversary to you guys! It was great meeting you. We capped it off today by winning a free cruise in the slot tournament! What a great voyage!

 

 

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Thank you! We are very happy to have met you two and others as well, it's made the trip even more enjoyable. Thanks again for posting the offers to meet up. I saw your FB post about winning the free cruise, that's amazing!!! Congratulations. Enjoy! Have a safe trip home.

 

 

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[sromano516]

Thank you to ALL of you that has wished us a happy anniversary. To all of those sharing a special day, we wish you all happy anniversaries and a happy birthday too!

 

We have been ordering room service for breakfast the past few days which has been surprisingly decent, good. My husband loves their hash browns lol. The pancakes have been good too. Yes, there is a $7.95 charge per room service order. We thought that was waived for suite guests but I guess not, since we have been getting charged.

We had a tour of the bridge today which was cool. Was short but nice, to see something that most people don't see.

 

I haven't been not feeling well after a week of eating nonstop, food that I normally don't eat. So I rested today in our room and we have decided just to order room service for dinner. My husband played adult dodgeball and my 14 yr old got a gold medal in a teen scavenger hunt. I'm not sure where the 17 year old is. Well, that's pretty much it folks. We have our luggage tags for departure, gave out extra tips that we wanted to give, packed up most of our belongings and are getting ready to disembark tomorrow morning. It's been a pleasure posting. Will give an update tomorrow on departure and anything else that we encounter.

 

 

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[Tee & Chilli]

Happy Anniversary

Excellent review from you and your husband.

 

Do you know if iFly instructions are provided before the experience or is the instructor talking and giving pointers while inside?

 

Thank you

[sromano516]

Happy Anniversary

Excellent review from you and your husband.

 

Do you know if iFly instructions are provided before the experience or is the instructor talking and giving pointers while inside?

 

Thank you

 

 

Thank you. You show up a few minutes before your reservation time. Once the entire group arrives, they take you into a room to watch a very short video about safety and hand gestures. Everything is about hand gestures because you can't hear or talk inside the wind tunnel. The instructor goes over all of that over and over again. Then he provides everyone with suits, helmets and goggles. Takes the group to the wind tunnel and everyone takes a turn. The instructor was very nice and seemed to love his job and worked well with everyone. The only thing you can do ahead of time is sign waivers. You need to sign waivers for most things such as iFly, flowrider, rock wall, etc. It can actually be done all on your tv once you get to your room. Pretty easy.

 

 

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[sromano516]

In case anyone is interested to see some of the food from Room service, my husband ordered a variety of items. As much as you want for the $7.95 fee.

Chicken Quesadillas - comes with salsa, sour cream and guacamole

 

Cheese fries

 

Philly cheese steak

 

Nachos - also has salsa, sour cream and guacamole on the side

 

Grilled cheese (tastes much better than it looks!)

 

Royal Burger

 

 

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[sromano516]

More room service items:

 

Cobb salad

 

Chocolate chip cookies (he ordered too much, didn't realize they give you 4 cookies per 'cookie' order; he only wanted 4 cookies but now has 16 lol)

 

Chocolate cake

 

 

 

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[sharonlacey]

Thank you so much for your info. We are in a suite so I am looking forward to all the perks. Thanks again for taking the time to give us all info.

[luvmykidsluv2cruise]

Room service is supposed to be free for suites? I would question this ?

 

 

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[shirazcruiser]

According to RCCL blog "Continental breakfast options will remain complimentary, so guests can still take advantage of room service without additional fees in the morning. The $7.95 fee will be charged for each room service order. Guests in a Grand Suite stateroom or above will retain complimentary room service." Just like "luvmykidsluv2cruise" said, I would question Guest Services.

[sromano516]

According to RCCL blog "Continental breakfast options will remain complimentary, so guests can still take advantage of room service without additional fees in the morning. The $7.95 fee will be charged for each room service order. Guests in a Grand Suite stateroom or above will retain complimentary room service." Just like "luvmykidsluv2cruise" said, I would question Guest Services.

 

 

Breakfast has a complimentary section but eggs and pancakes and stuff like that are part of the $7.95 fee, which they call "AMERICAN Breakfast". Just continental breakfast is free. We've been charged for all room service deliveries, 3 breakfasts and tonight's dinner. My husband will look into it and contact guest services.

 

 

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[Trackhead37]

According to RCCL blog "Continental breakfast options will remain complimentary, so guests can still take advantage of room service without additional fees in the morning. The $7.95 fee will be charged for each room service order. Guests in a Grand Suite stateroom or above will retain complimentary room service." Just like "luvmykidsluv2cruise" said, I would question Guest Services.

 

 

Yeah, I've seen the blog post that had been going around, where the RCCL twitter replied to a question about the fees and those in suites. From what I've seen, that was inaccurate and probably a hasty reply in an attempt to calm people down, when that fee was added. In a grand suite and above, there is ability to order the full breakfast, lunch and dinner menu for in room dining, as an amenity but you won't find any mention directly from royal Caribbean about room service fee being waived for suites. They have actually called the room to make sure that we were aware of the $7.95 fee.

 

 

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[shirazcruiser]

We're in a GS on Anthem b2b in Sept and wondered what the difference would be ordering from the Suite full breakfast menu and the $7.95 "American Breakfast" room service menu? BTW, I've loved following your review and learning about the ship since we've sailed on all RCCL class ships except for the Quantum class.

[BEENSAILING]

We're in a GS on Anthem b2b in Sept and wondered what the difference would be ordering from the Suite full breakfast menu and the $7.95 "American Breakfast" room service menu? BTW, I've loved following your review and learning about the ship since we've sailed on all RCCL class ships except for the Quantum class.

 

In a Grande suite and above on all Royal Ships there is no charge for room service at any time of day. The "Suite full breakfast" is the same menu as the dining room (s) which you can order at no charge. The "7.95 American Breakfast" might be more limited but whatever you order will be no charge. I love the Quantum Class ships. Enjoy your time on the Anthem!

[slyster]

Okay, so we finally loved a show. Spectra's Cabaret takes place in Two70 and we really enjoyed it more than any other show we've seen (aside for the comedy show). It was upbeat and fun and had some great performances. There were some parts that I found a little boring but overall, we really liked the show. I suggest sitting in the middle section in the swivel chairs. Was perfect to see everything and also get a lot of interaction with the cast. The host walks around through the audience during the show and towards the end they sort of come out in a parade to get you more excited and involved.

 

Tonight was our 2nd formal night and also lobster night. They serve lobster tails in the main dining room. The rice was a bit dry but the lobster was decent. I'd say it's about a 4oz. Lobster tail. I'm sure you can get more than one if you want. We also tried the prime rib which was also good. My husband ordered the NY cheesecake for dessert and he didn't love it but I thought it was very good! (Yes, I had a bite of his dessert). I had the chocolate soufflé which was warm and nice. Not the best I've had but it was something different and I enjoyed it. Service was much slower in the dining room tonight but that could have been because Lobster night is more popular and more people could've have been dining.

 

The Seas have been sort of rough and we've been rocking a lot since yesterday. My stomach has been sort of upset all day so I'm hoping the Seas calm down tomorrow. We are heading out to enjoy some other events. Tomorrow is sadly our last full day and we will be packing :-(. We also have a special invitation for a bridge tour which should be a nice experience for us and the boys.

 

 

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Soooo, I want to make sure I'm keeping up with the menus...I have saved pictures of each one. The second formal night was on Night Seven? Two more and we are all set. Thanks again!