We Sail on Sunday and She Doesn't Know! (I think) A Cruise on Anthem, 3/13 - 3/20

[Broons77]

3 hours ago, frosty52 said:

Thanks for taking the time to post on your vacation.  So happy for you and glad you are having a good time (minus the one major inconvenience).  

 

 

 

What major inconvenience? (I'm going to feel like an idiot for asking this 😄) 

[Jimbo]

12 minutes ago, Broons77 said:

 

What major inconvenience? (I'm going to feel like an idiot for asking this 😄) 

Think they are talking  the (Family) bathroom issues.

[Broons77]

47 minutes ago, Jimbo said:

Think they are talking  the (Family) bathroom issues.

 

Yep, I'm the idiot 🤣

[frosty52]

4 hours ago, Broons77 said:

 

What major inconvenience? (I'm going to feel like an idiot for asking this 😄) 

The bathroom situation.

[LivLove2Cruise]

21 hours ago, Broons77 said:

Good Afternoon.  It's been difficult keeping up with this thread, more so than I thought.  I just haven't had the chance to sit down each day and get my thoughts down so time to play a bit of catch up.

 

Day 3 was pretty much a glorified sea day.  As has been the case on this itinerary, we didn't make it into Port Canaveral until late afternoon.  We continued working on our hanging out skills and spent our day by the nearest pool.  Later in the afternoon I was able to make it to the Thermal Suite as I had purchased the pass (and almost forgot I had done so.)  The suite is small, but was very relaxing.  There's a shower with 3 types of settings, tropical rain shower, cold mist or Caribbean storm, several heated loungers, a sauna and a steam room.  It was a nice little getaway to help with the soreness of pushing DW all around.

 

Day 3 also turned out to be Windjammer day, we wound up eating breakfast, lunch and dinner there because we just couldn't make up our minds.  As I mentioned before, the crew has been fantastic without exception and again I got some help gathering our meals from the waiter.  I have several names that will be getting a rating of 10 at the end of the cruise.

 

We were able to catch Spectra's Cabaret after dinner.  Like almost everyone else's review, I found that the story made NO sense at all, but I chalked it up to the show simply being a vehicle to showcase the tech in Two70.  To that end, it did the job.  The lighting and robotics were something, and the performers were great as well.  But if you're looking for a coherent tale, you're probably not going to enjoy it much.  The woman sitting next to us left about halfway through the show saying she was falling asleep.  I thought it was a bit more exciting than that, but got what she was saying.

 

We turned in after that as we knew day 4 would be busy at Perfect Day.  Anthem was the only ship in that day so things were definitely not crowded.  We were at it early, got some breakfast and put our bag together for the day.  It certainly was a perfect day, the weather was clear and in the low 80's.  DW and I got some beach time in on Chill Beach, and I was able to take her to the water in the beach wheelchair to dip her toes.  She complained it was cold and I told her if she wanted cold, I'd toss her into the water at White Crest Beach in Wellfleet on Cape Cod in June.  That's COLD...

 

Sorry to bring this up again, but the family bathroom problem reared it's ugly head.  This time I don't believe I'm mistaken as I looked everywhere and not a family bathroom to be seen anywhere on Coco Cay.  I hope I'm wrong, please comment if you know of any.  I asked several staff and each one said there weren't any.  The last one let me know that she was sorry in the cheeriest voice I ever heard which I found to be rather irritating given that sorry wasn't helping the situation.  However, the beach wheelchair was wonderful.  I'm going to investigate to see if I can afford something similar.

 

After lunch, we walked around a bit and decided to head back to the ship as we had already absorbed a lot of sun.  We had also noticed that the NorthStar was running so we decided to take advantage and take a ride.  Being scared of heights, I assumed I'd be terrified and I certainly was.  However, it was spectacular being up there and seeing the island.  I was able to see some construction on the far west end of the island which I believe will be the new adult only area.  Not much there aside from some construction equipment and piles of dirt, but I'm excited to see how it looks when finished.

 

After our ride, we chilled for a bit, then I had to straighten out dinner as my Chops reservation got messed up.  I took care of that and booked a reservation for Izumi for dinner that night.  So far, this has been the meal of the cruise.  DW, who is decidedly anti-sushi, actually enjoyed some edamame and California roll along with her chicken teriyaki bowl.  I got the sushi selection and the chef special roll.  It was all fantastic as was our service.

 

I finally got to the casino and spun the slots for a bit and walked out with $50 more than I walked in with.  I also figured out how to purchase credits right from the slot machine rather than having to go to the cashier.  That's a win.

 

Today was up early again, where I found us already docked in Nassau along with 3 other ships.  DD and friend went off to a day resort where it looks like they'll be getting rained on right about now.  Tonight is the big night at Chops, and hoping to book a cruise on Oasis at NextCruise at some point later this afternoon.  Very excited for that!

 

Thanks for sticking with me, more to come!

You mentioned you got into Port Canaveral in the late afternoon of day 3. Do you mind sharing how late? I scheduled a shuttle to Seaworld but I am waiting to purchase the park tickets. I wondering if it's worth planning going to Orlando.

[Broons77]

7 minutes ago, LivLove2Cruise said:

You mentioned you got into Port Canaveral in the late afternoon of day 3. Do you mind sharing how late? I scheduled a shuttle to Seaworld but I am waiting to purchase the park tickets. I wondering if it's worth planning going to Orlando.

 

I probably wouldn't bother unfortunately.  We got there around 3ish and left around 8.

[SNJCruisers]

10 hours ago, frosty52 said:

The bathroom situation.

Is the toilet paper hanging over or under 🧻?  It's an inconvenience if you prefer one way over the other.

[Broons77]

Day 6 - Reality is starting to creep in.  Time grows short.  I'm not sure I've broke even on my drink package yet!!!!!

 

Ever since I realized that my life is destined to be at sea, I've maintained that the only cure for post cruise depression (Why is my bed still unmade?  Why isn't anyone taking my drink order?) is to have another cruise booked and within reach.  Thankfully we're only 60 days out from Bermuda.  The days following that one will be tougher to swallow as our next cruise won't be until the fall.  I mention this only because we booked another 7 day out of Bayonne in August 2023 for the 21st bday of DD.  This will be myself and DW along with DD, friend of DD along with us now, and 2 other friends of DD.  It's sure to be a scene.  Exact same itinerary as this one but we'll be on Oasis this time.  This will be our first trip on this class of ship and as my brethren from back home would say, this is going to be wicked pissah!

 

Not much went on with us yesterday aside from it being Chops night.  @ticketsunlimited and his lovely wife introduced themselves, as well as another couple who had seen this thread (I feel horrible as I didn't get their names) and we had a wonderful meal.  I had the carpaccio and the bisque, DW had the crabcake and bisque.  For the main course, I had the ribeye and DW the lamb and good lord was that delicious.  I question that the ribeye is actually prime grade as it was a touch tough but regardless, it was certainly good and worth the price of admission.  I was quite pleased by this as I had heard some conflicting reports that Chops wasn't quite up to par.

 

Dinner was so good that we decided to pull a Costanza and get out on a high note and went straight back to the cabin and right to sleep.  The wine at dinner was about all the nonsense my liver was putting up with and I was toast.  Finally got a decent night sleep, despite the concrete mattress.

 

Some random thoughts about our time on board:

 

• We really can't say enough about the crew. I don't know that I've seen anyone without a smile or cheery hello.  I'd heard conflicting reports about this on Anthem and am glad to report that service has been stupendous.
• Hesitant to make sweeping statements about the food as everyone has a different opinion.  My take is that the food has been good, not great.  We did do breakfast in the MDR this morning for a change and it was wonderful.  Dinner has been sketchy at times but I've yet to find something I found terrible.  Then again, I'm not the slimmest of folks...
• Pax on board have been fun with good energy.  Activities and events have been well attended and amusing.
• The pre-dinner dirty martini has become a thing for me.

Still more fun and shenanigans to come so stay tuned!

Edited March 18, 2022 by Broons77

[mets123]

Can you please post who the  headliners and bands are this week. We board this Sunday. Thanks

[Jasukkie]

26 minutes ago, mets123 said:

Can you please post who the  headliners and bands are this week. We board this Sunday. Thanks

That's loaded in the app now.

[ubish00]

I’m really late to this post but have enjoyed it so much. Like others, I teared up at your video revealing the secret. Congratulations on successfully surprising your wife and thank you for taking the time to post during your cruise.  

[exm]

@Broons77Are you on deck 8? I might have passed you this morning without realizing, since I just discovered this thread! I am on-board with my wife, mother-in-law and 3 kids and agree about everything you wrote. The crew is awesome, the vibe is almost back to pre-COVID and why bother at Port Canaveral? Just sail along and give us another half day at CocoCay!

 

Here’s a picture of us docked next to 4 (!) other ships in Nassau.

 

 

[xmansmommy]

What a great surprise and a great husband!  Like most everyone else, I cried when I was the video.  Great job pulling off the surprise.  That was no easy task!

[Broons77]

3 hours ago, exm said:

@Broons77Are you on deck 8?

 

We're on deck 9, but will be by the pool shortly. Please say hi if you see us! 

[Broons77]

I can't find anyone to take our drink order and I don't think anyone is coming to turn down our bed either.  I guess that means the cruise is over...  😭

 

The day off the boat is usually pretty depressing for me, but this time was different.  One of the things I really didn't pay much attention to was how much mental and physical energy this whole thing required.  Planning and packing for 2 for a regular cruise is enough work in and of itself.  This thing was a whole other ball of wax and a part of me is glad this whole thing is over.  I'm hopeful Bermuda in May will be a bit more low key.  And if nothing else, my liver is the happiest guy in the room.

 

So day 6 and 7 were uneventful.  The one thing we did do the last couple of days was to get to the 

MDR which we hadn't done much of to that point and I enjoyed it more than I would have expected.  Our server Maria was a delight and I may actually plan on eating there more often on future cruises.  Day 6 was lobster night and the tails I got were delicious and of good quality and rest assured, I know my bugs.  They were plump, prepped correctly for easy eating by those that don't get to do so on a regular basis.  And most important, they were not overcooked.  Night 7 was prime rib night and I found mine to be better than the ribeye I got at Chops (GASP!!!!)

 

I finally got to the casino to make my donation, and I'm ecstatic to report that for the first time in I'm not sure how long, I walked out AHEAD!!!!!!  Ahead by a mere $60, but ahead is ahead.  I just came back from using my winnings on the traditional arrive home grocery store run.

 

DW and I also took care of DD's early 21st birthday present as I booked cabins for DW and myself and one for DD, friend of DD and 2 other friends to go on this exact same itinerary on Oasis in August of 2023.  First trip on an Oasis Class boat and I got the girls a boardwalk balcony at the very end of deck 10 so they should have some great views off the balcony.  Everyone is really excited, perhaps another thread will be done for that trip.

 

As promised earlier, I spent time walking around the public areas to see what was available for family bathrooms.  I located 5 of them:

• Deck 4 - by the Royal Theater entrance - port side
• Deck 4 - by the entrance to Silk - port side
• Deck 14 - by the outdoor pool - port side
• Deck 14 - by the Solarium entrance - port side
• Deck 16 - by Vitality Fitness - starboard side

I just filled out my post cruise survey, and in addition to mentioning several crew by name, I mentioned that there should be some signage and maybe highlighting these on deck plans.  Not holding my breath but I did what I could.

 

This brings me to our cabin.  We have never stayed in an inside cabin, nor an accessible one.  This was both and we LOVED it.  We found that we didn't miss having a view at all as like many, we didn't really spend much time there.  And there was a ton of space to maneuver DW's wheelchair.  The bigger bathroom was a godsend.  My only complaint was that there wasn't enough of a grade in the shower area to drain the water properly and every other shower resulted in a minor flood.  A nuisance, but a minor one.  Overall, I give it a thumbs up.

 

Another first for us was with debark, where we did self assist rather than putting out our luggage.  I will continue doing self assist going forward as the zoo that is luggage service is needless in my eyes unless you have a large amount of bags.  We did, but we also had DW's rollator/transport chair and an extra pair of hands belonging to friend of DD.  I loaded it up with 3 of our bags and it was an easy push for her.  From there, we just swiped our cards and walked right off the ship.  Quick stop for CPB facial recognition and away we went.  We were in our cars driving out in about 15 mins.  Cape Liberty has great traffic/crowd control and kept things moving.  This was a very positive experience for us.

 

Off to finish up the post trip laundry.  Will try to post some pics later.  Didn't get many but will try to post what I have. as I remember them or if folks have questions.  One great unanticipated benefit of this cruise was that we'll be even better prepared for the Bermuda cruise as far as packing and prep goes.  I have quite a few things I'll be changing up to ease packing and getting DW around.

Edited March 21, 2022 by Broons77

[exm]

Sorry I missed you at the pool, but I'm glad your entire experience was great! From my perspective, the cruise was great except the Port Canaveral stop (please Royal, skip it if we only have 5 hours).

 

As far as disembarking is concerned, all I can say is wow. We did do a bag drop but it's not a big deal at all. We had our alarms set for 7AM, breakfast at 7:30, our scheduled departure was 8:15 (called at 8:10), and we were in our car by 8:30 (and home by 9:30 - LI). I'll be back on Anthem next January for an 11 day cruise. Can't wait.

[frosty52]

So glad that you all had a good time and that you pulled off the surprise.  Thanks for the updates and taking all of us along on the journey.

 

Looking forward to hearing how Bermuda goes now that you have the new perspective.

 

Isn't it great to have more cruises to look forward to again!  I have missed that the last couple of years.

 

[Broons77]

23 hours ago, exm said:

Sorry I missed you at the pool, but I'm glad your entire experience was great! From my perspective, the cruise was great except the Port Canaveral stop (please Royal, skip it if we only have 5 hours).

 

As far as disembarking is concerned, all I can say is wow. We did do a bag drop but it's not a big deal at all. We had our alarms set for 7AM, breakfast at 7:30, our scheduled departure was 8:15 (called at 8:10), and we were in our car by 8:30 (and home by 9:30 - LI). I'll be back on Anthem next January for an 11 day cruise. Can't wait.

 

With DW and multiple bags, the bag drop is just an extra step for us so it's easier for us just to do it all at once.  I'm really tempted to go yolo again and book something cheap on her.  It's reasonably convenient for us to drive to NJ, as long as it's a weekend departure and she's a fun and beautiful ship.  Hmmm....

[wikoffclan]

On 3/17/2022 at 12:49 PM, Broons77 said:

and hoping to book a cruise on Oasis at NextCruise at some point later this afternoon.  Very excited for that!

 

Thank you for sharing your adventure.

Was wondering if there are still any extra perks for booking onboard. I still have some Future Cruise Credits to use up.

[Biker19]

10 minutes ago, wikoffclan said:

Was wondering if there are still any extra perks for booking onboard.

Some OBC and lower deposit. 

[wikoffclan]

1 hour ago, Biker19 said:

Some OBC and lower deposit. 

Thanks!

[Broons77]

So after a couple of days, I think I'm going to wrap up my commentary on the cruise itself with this post.  I'll gladly answer any questions anyone may have but as I said at the outset, I'm sure Anthem has to be one of the more reported about ships that Royal has.  But she's also a blast and I'd recommend a trip on her to anyone.  Matter of fact, I already have.

 

Not sure how I forgot to mention this, but the absolute BEST thing about the accessible cabin is the automatic opening door.  Swipe of the card, and the door swings open with no need for awkward fumbling trying to hold open the door and push the chair through at the same time.  However, if you're a moment late getting through the door (always a problem with me as I always forget something I need to dash back and grab), you can get stuck.  While the door will swing back open when met with resistance, it still could result in a nasty injury.  We learned quickly to respect the door and it made our lives a breeze.

 

I am sad to report that the beloved Cruise Compass is definitely on the way out.  We did not receive any and I never saw any at Guest Services either.  The app is nice and all, but you could take the CC home with you.

 

There were some decorations in the Schooner Bar and the pub, and plenty wearin o' the green on St Patty's Day,  It did add some enjoyable festiveness to an already festive cruise.

 

Before the cruise, I had read threads where people were complaining that the bartenders were being light on their pours.  When I do drink, I'm a mixed drink kind of guy so this worried me.  However, I just took a moment to watch the bartenders before ordering, and went with the one that would add that extra splash.  I also will toss a couple bucks a round if someone is really giving the bottle an extra tilt.  That being said, I did notice that most servers did seem to be careful in measuring things out so be aware if you're a looking to get the most out of your drink package.

 

Also, I didn't notice any supply issues that I had heard about.  No missing anything as far as I could tell.

 

Now that I'm back home with a couple of truly miserable days at work under my belt, I think that I've got a fairly objective view of our experience and it really was a fun trip.  There was nothing that I can think of that detracted in any way from what I'll remember.  The food was good, drinks were plentiful, and we enjoyed each day.  What a great time.  I'll close with a few random pics.  Thanks for following and feel free to ask about anything!

 

 

Ships in port at Nassau along with Anthem on day 5

 

 

 

The Atlantis Resort off the port bow

 

 

 

Our little friend found in the cabin on day 5

 

 

 

 

The NCL Getaway next door at Great Stirrup Cay.  Holy blue Batman...

 

 

 

A shot of Coco Cay from the Northstar looking west.  At the far right, you can see construction at the new Hideaway Beach!

 

 

 

I posted a sunrise shot from the aft WJ dining area, so only fair I post a sunset shot from there as well.

 

 

 

 

Broons77 & DW say thanks for following!

 

[elizabethbp]

  I started to read this a few days ago.  You  and your family are amazing.  Thanks again for the wonderful and heartwarming review. 

[Biker19]

1 hour ago, Broons77 said:

 

I am sad to report that the beloved Cruise Compass is definitely on the way out.

Getting them every day this week. 

[Broons77]

3 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

Getting them every day this week. 

 

Odd.  I know I've seen others saying they haven't gotten them either.  Are you seeing any in Guest Services?

 

@Sunshine3601, if you're on the board and see this, are you getting a Cruise Compass delivered?