Anthem of the Seas. Newbie to RCCL

[Lady Hudson]

4 minutes ago, Merion_Mom said:

 

Unfortunately, the price is up to $89 now.  😞 

Yes, the prices go up and down.  Paid $60 for 3 dinners on Grandeur in February.  We have now started to buy a 3 night package rather than use the BOGO perk for diamond plus and above.  That way we can go to the MDR for the first formal night and have options for our 2 other specialty restaurants.  Katherine

[cft8]

We did that itinerary last week, but I haven't had a chance to post any review. We only ate in the Windjammer for embarkation day lunch. I knew it would be insane, but we were taking a break from setting up in the Conference Center for our group event, and it was the closest option. We had our other breakfasts and lunches in the MDR, 270, or the Solarium bistro. They do not have as many options as the WJ, but they are so much more pleasant! 

 

The silent disco was a lot of fun. The did show virtual fireworks after that, but I don't know if they were the same as the ones they show on the last night. We did not make it to the Gift, which was only shown once. We did Spectra's Cabaret that night, and i was planning to high-tail it from 270 to the theatre to catch the Gift, but I was too tired. I wish I'd seen it because I heard it was amazing.

 

We did the North Star at 9am on the day we docked in Bermuda, because I wanted to see more than just ocean. We still had time to meet our group and get off to catch the 10:15 ferry to Hamilton.

 

My sister did the trapeze "school" which she said was fun. You only get one turn, though, so if you don't get the moves right the first time, that's it. 

 

Elevators were crowded after muster (as usual, but I can't do that many stairs on account of a knee injury) and so we barely made it up to Deck 15 before we went under the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, but it was worth being up there. 

 

Muster Stations are indoors and ours was in Vintages; I wished I'd realized this because we would have gone down there a little earlier in order to be able to sit down. I ended up sitting on one of the low tables!

 

The ferry was great for getting to/from Hamilton. The second day we took at taxi to/from Horseshoe Bay - we had 4 people so it was not that much more than the mini bus. On the way there, we would have had to wait for a mini bus to fill, and after experiencing the curvy road, I didn't want to do the mini bus on the way back either.

 

If you want to go to St. Georges, I would go the first day; we wanted to go there, but we had something planned the first afternoon in Hamilton. On the 2nd day, the way the ferry schedule was, we would have spent 1.5-2 hours on the ferry getting to/from St. Georges and only had about 2 hours to explore, which we did not think was enough time. That's why we went to Horseshoe Bay, but I am glad I got to see the pink beach!

[Iamcruzin]

3 hours ago, Lady Hudson said:

We got the best price for Wonderland by buying a dining package, if you are interested.  Went once to Chops, once to Jamie’s, and once to Wonderland.  All for $79 pp with the taxes and gratuities included.  Bills came with $0 balance and a place for extra gratuity, which we added a bit.  This was different then booking onboard where taxes and gratuities are added to bill.  I really like Wonderland because it is so different.  We enjoyed the experience.  Katherine

Unfortunately that won’t work for me this time as we are traveling in a group. Only 4 of us want to eat at Wonderland. MDR or the other included venues are booked for the rest of the cruise. 

[Arzeena]

On 5/13/2019 at 1:48 PM, caddykid12 said:

Pros and Cons about anthem. Doing 5 night to Bermuda. Booked ripcord, north star, we will rock you, spectra cabaret.

 

Share your pro tips with me. What must i try? What doesn't work best . Plan on trying bumper cars. Do you need to register prior? 

 

Woukd love to hear it all

You will have a great time!

Following is only my opinion and others may/may not share it:
I love the north star. Keep going whenever I can.
I had serious shoulder injury on the 3rd round of bumper cars so I refrain from doing that....but for you it is a must try.
Flow rider is lots fun.
Flying in a big test tube is not for me, but it was fun  watching other people do it.

I sat through We will Rock You just to hear the Bohemian Rhapsody in the end. Now I only go towards the end.
I will give myself the gift of not seeing the Gift, but it's your first time so you must sit through the torture and decide for yourself.
Spectra's Caberet........nice show without Spectra.
Wind Jammer: one of the best on Royal ships IMHO.
Solarium Cafe...nice place for b, l, d.
You will like the Solarium.....if you can find a place to sit. Surprisingly when we went in March we found lots of place. In January......forget it! The chair hogs are out by 12 midnight to reserve lounge chairs.

How are you going to fit everything in in 5 days? Plus the winning?

Anyway, have fun, we will exchange notes when you get back. We are looking at the Gem and Escape  around the same time.

[Arzeena]

On 5/13/2019 at 6:07 PM, caddykid12 said:

Interesting about spectra on the last night. I do have the 9pm-955pm show booked. Fireworks are always fun!

 

North star i have booked on the way down on june 30th. So usually not to windy

 

Main question is do all 4 MDR have the same menu??? Or each one is different 

Fake fireworks in 270.

We have seen same menus.
We loved Jamie's...we were seated with two other couples (friends from CC) and one couple liked it but had some complaints, and the other couple hated it....so there you go three different opinions of food......very subjective.

Edited May 14, 2019 by Arzeena

[caddykid12]

On 5/14/2019 at 6:31 PM, Arzeena said:

You will have a great time!

Following is only my opinion and others may/may not share it:
I love the north star. Keep going whenever I can.
I had serious shoulder injury on the 3rd round of bumper cars so I refrain from doing that....but for you it is a must try.
Flow rider is lots fun.
Flying in a big test tube is not for me, but it was fun  watching other people do it.

I sat through We will Rock You just to hear the Bohemian Rhapsody in the end. Now I only go towards the end.
I will give myself the gift of not seeing the Gift, but it's your first time so you must sit through the torture and decide for yourself.
Spectra's Caberet........nice show without Spectra.
Wind Jammer: one of the best on Royal ships IMHO.
Solarium Cafe...nice place for b, l, d.
You will like the Solarium.....if you can find a place to sit. Surprisingly when we went in March we found lots of place. In January......forget it! The chair hogs are out by 12 midnight to reserve lounge chairs.

How are you going to fit everything in in 5 days? Plus the winning?

Anyway, have fun, we will exchange notes when you get back. We are looking at the Gem and Escape  around the same time.

Yes we will talk after!!! Im doing 19 days of cruises in 30 days.

 

I love Bermuda. Sucks its 5 days. When i do ncl... (next year). It docks on wed so i get to go to harbor nights on front st. 

 

This was a free cruise from mgm grand so im "scoping" out RCI. And take as much $$ from them and run. 

 

Just plan on going golfing at port royal and relax around the dockyard this time.

 

Ill definitely stay busy as this is a new surrounding so i will wanna see it all down to the carpet color in each corridor. 

Im excited since mostly i wont be trying royal again unless its a casino offer. 

I can't imagine someone paying 3760$ for 2. For my interior room.. its insane of a price for a 5 dayer. 

Still excited. Will compare notes 

[Merion_Mom]

5 minutes ago, caddykid12 said:

Yes we will talk after!!! Im doing 19 days of cruises in 30 days.

 

I love Bermuda. Sucks its 5 days. When i do ncl... (next year). It docks on wed so i get to go to harbor nights on front st. 

 

This was a free cruise from mgm grand so im "scoping" out RCI. And take as much $$ from them and run. 

 

Just plan on going golfing at port royal and relax around the dockyard this time.

 

Ill definitely stay busy as this is a new surrounding so i will wanna see it all down to the carpet color in each corridor. 

Im excited since mostly i wont be trying royal again unless its a casino offer. 

I can't imagine someone paying 3760$ for 2. For my interior room.. its insane of a price for a 5 dayer. 

Still excited. Will compare notes 

 

 

Bermuda 5 night cruises are always overpriced.  Don't think of that as typical for other cruises.

[BermudaBound2014]

31 minutes ago, caddykid12 said:

Just plan on going golfing at port royal and relax around the dockyard this time.

 

 

We golfed port royal and loved it. The greens were sanded up for an upcoming tournament, but we didn’t care. Outstanding views!! Be sure to hit a bucket of balls from the driving range first, more great views. Hope you love it, we did.

Edited May 18, 2019 by BermudaBound2014

[sparks1093]

8 hours ago, Merion_Mom said:

 

 

Bermuda 5 night cruises are always overpriced.  Don't think of that as typical for other cruises.

I think you can say that about any Bermuda cruise, it's a very popular port. We're heading there in August of 2020 and we settled for 6 nights on CCL versus 4 nights NCL, 5 nights Royal and 7 nights NCL. We're paying a bit more than we would for a typical 7 night Caribbean itinerary. 

[Iamcruzin]

5 minutes ago, sparks1093 said:

I think you can say that about any Bermuda cruise, it's a very popular port. We're heading there in August of 2020 and we settled for 6 nights on CCL versus 4 nights NCL, 5 nights Royal and 7 nights NCL. We're paying a bit more than we would for a typical 7 night Caribbean itinerary. 

I factor in that we don't have to fly to port like we would for a 7 day cruise out of Florida.  Northeast is very populated with so few choices.  Bermuda is my favorite port of call I can't do less than 7 days which gives you 3 day in Bermuda.  Even with the higher cruise fare it's still less expensive than a land trip.

[sparks1093]

1 hour ago, Iamcruzin said:

I factor in that we don't have to fly to port like we would for a 7 day cruise out of Florida.  Northeast is very populated with so few choices.  Bermuda is my favorite port of call I can't do less than 7 days which gives you 3 day in Bermuda.  Even with the higher cruise fare it's still less expensive than a land trip.

Yes, we don't have too many choices up here and Bermuda via cruise ship is much less expensive than going there and staying in a hotel (I priced out those options, also). The only 7 day option available when we booked was with NCL and they wanted in the neighborhood of $4k for it which is too much for us. I am only going because DW really wants to see Bermuda, I saw all I wanted to see when I was in the Navy. Nice island and all but too much of a good thing can make one jaded I guess.

[Arzeena]

5 hours ago, sparks1093 said:

I think you can say that about any Bermuda cruise, it's a very popular port. We're heading there in August of 2020 and we settled for 6 nights on CCL versus 4 nights NCL, 5 nights Royal and 7 nights NCL. We're paying a bit more than we would for a typical 7 night Caribbean itinerary. 

Our Bermuda strategy is to book very last minute with Celebrity or NCL. Have booked for as little as $372 pp. But average has been 449 to 549.

Royal never has those rock bottom prices and ships are sold out quite a bit ahead in time. I love the 9 day itinerary but it is high in price and it also gets sold out fast. Did those a lot on the Explorer and loved it.

[Arzeena]

4 hours ago, sparks1093 said:

Yes, we don't have too many choices up here and Bermuda via cruise ship is much less expensive than going there and staying in a hotel (I priced out those options, also). The only 7 day option available when we booked was with NCL and they wanted in the neighborhood of $4k for it which is too much for us. I am only going because DW really wants to see Bermuda, I saw all I wanted to see when I was in the Navy. Nice island and all but too much of a good thing can make one jaded I guess.

If you cruise NCL, do not book way in advance......last two weeks before the sail date is when you hit that book button. And book the lowest you can.

[Casino Comp Chick]

On 5/14/2019 at 6:34 PM, Arzeena said:

Fake fireworks in 270.

We have seen same menus.
We loved Jamie's...we were seated with two other couples (friends from CC) and one couple liked it but had some complaints, and the other couple hated it....so there you go three different opinions of food......very subjective.

Hi Arzeena! 

I loved Jamie’s and Wonderland. I didn’t like Chops, I tried it twice and cancelled the last reservation and went back to Jamie’s. After the first day lunch there we ordered 2 meat planks at a time. 

Talk to you soon!

 

[Arzeena]

38 minutes ago, Casino Comp Chick said:

Hi Arzeena! 

I loved Jamie’s and Wonderland. I didn’t like Chops, I tried it twice and cancelled the last reservation and went back to Jamie’s. After the first day lunch there we ordered 2 meat planks at a time. 

Talk to you soon!

 

Hi!

Going to Bermuda on the Escape 6/2.

[janetz]

Do not miss the Silent Disco

I did not know RC offered it.

They have it on Celebrity and it is a blast !

[mugtech]

On 5/13/2019 at 2:00 PM, stevea36 said:

 

Best bet for bumper cars, go on the first day, possible even before you cabin is ready.   usually little or no wait at this time.

 

Steve

Also had good luck going on the first sea day before 9 AM.

[sparks1093]

8 hours ago, Arzeena said:

Our Bermuda strategy is to book very last minute with Celebrity or NCL. Have booked for as little as $372 pp. But average has been 449 to 549.

Royal never has those rock bottom prices and ships are sold out quite a bit ahead in time. I love the 9 day itinerary but it is high in price and it also gets sold out fast. Did those a lot on the Explorer and loved it.

Unfortunately we can't book at the last minute, fortunately this will probably be our only trip to Bermuda.

[Arzeena]

19 hours ago, sparks1093 said:

Unfortunately we can't book at the last minute, fortunately this will probably be our only trip to Bermuda.

Come back and let me know you still mean it is your only trip to Bermuda.😁 You will get hooked. 😁

[sparks1093]

1 hour ago, Arzeena said:

Come back and let me know you still mean it is your only trip to Bermuda.😁 You will get hooked. 😁

I doubt it, I was there at least every month for about 3 and a half years when I was in the Navy. I also called there as a port stop on my last ship.

[Bradison]

On 5/13/2019 at 6:40 PM, Baron Barracuda said:

Try the great roast beef sandwich in 270.  At the adjoining salad station ask for a plate of shrimp.

 

Can't do I-fly without socks.

 

For sailaway from NJ the "secret door" on port side of solarium opens onto wing platform with great view of NYC.  Usually not crowded.

 

I was so disappointed in the roast beef sandwich on Anthem.  It didn't have the gravy like it did on Oasis.  I really enjoyed it on Oasis and felt let down on Anthem.  Loved 270 though. 

[Merion_Mom]

6 minutes ago, Bradison said:

 

I was so disappointed in the roast beef sandwich on Anthem.  It didn't have the gravy like it did on Oasis.  I really enjoyed it on Oasis and felt let down on Anthem.  Loved 270 though. 

 

Pffft on gravy.   Try it with horseradish.  😄

[Bradison]

7 minutes ago, Merion_Mom said:

 

Pffft on gravy.   Try it with horseradish.  😄

 

I sure did try the horseradish.  The gravy was the difference maker for me.

 

I like my eggs sunny side up.  How do you like your eggs?

[sellwingri]

On 5/18/2019 at 2:27 PM, janetz said:

Do not miss the Silent Disco

I did not know RC offered it.

They have it on Celebrity and it is a blast !

What’s the Silent Disco?

[sparks1093]

2 minutes ago, sellwingri said:

What’s the Silent Disco?

As I understand it everyone is given headphones and chooses the music they want to listen to, so everyone on the dance floor is dancing to different music.