Onboard the Anthem Sail Date 2/4/23 Quick overview on Day 4

[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 

Edited February 7, 2023 by teddie

[turtle1947]

Taking the same 8 day cruise in April and was wondering what the entertainment schedole looked like, can you include a pic of the schedule? Thanks

[Toddcan]

Not having sailed out of Bayonne before, can you tell me about the Solarium - is it warm enough on the cold days to be swimming, and lounging around in shorts/bathing suits?

[Biker19]

6 hours ago, Toddcan said:

is it warm enough on the cold days to be swimming, and lounging around in shorts/bathing suits?

Yes. The space is fully enclosed and climate controlled.

Edited February 9, 2023 by Biker19

[teddie]

6 hours ago, Toddcan said:

Not having sailed out of Bayonne before, can you tell me about the Solarium - is it warm enough on the cold days to be swimming, and lounging around in shorts/bathing suits?

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

[Merion_Mom]

NM

[Jimbo]

2 hours ago, Merion_Mom said:

NM

Lots of that lately? padding the post totals? 🙂

Edited February 9, 2023 by Jimbo

[FionaMG]

@teddie thanks for sharing.

We're also on the 8-day cruise in April and are going to the space centre. Did you go on Royal's excursion? Any tips on how to maximise our time there?

[maggieq]

On 2/7/2023 at 1:31 PM, teddie said:

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 

Thanks for posting. I’ve never been able to get my work vpn to function on any ship. 

[Tatka]

I’m envious in a good way. We almost saw launch of SpaceX during Thanksgiving. Last minute cancellation. 
Enjoy your cruise! 

[teddie]

5 hours ago, FionaMG said:

@teddie thanks for sharing.

We're also on the 8-day cruise in April and are going to the space centre. Did you go on Royal's excursion? Any tips on how to maximise our time there?

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. 

[mets123]

20 hours ago, turtle1947 said:

Taking the same 8 day cruise in April and was wondering what the entertainment schedole looked like, can you include a pic of the schedule? Thanks

It's WWRY, Spectra Cabaret, and the Gift. Schedule would be different because it's an 8 day cruise, and not a 7.

[teddie]

20 hours ago, turtle1947 said:

Taking the same 8 day cruise in April and was wondering what the entertainment schedole looked like, can you include a pic of the schedule? Thanks

 

[Husky1987]

11 hours ago, Jimbo said:

Lots of that lately? padding the post totals? 🙂

Three good ways to pad post totals:

 

1. NM edits and one word responses

2. Accusing others of padding post totals

3. Commenting on posts accusing others of padding post totals

[turtle1947]

Thanks Teddie for the pics. Been on Anthem many times so very familiar with the production shows. Was really interested in who the Headliners and Tribute band were on your cruise. Pics hit the spot. I'm hoping same group they will be on mine in April. Are the Royal Sweeds (house rock band) on? Thanks again

[Granite543]

Thanks for posting Teddie! I'll be getting on next time that ship hits Bayonne. Looking forward!

[teddie]

On 2/9/2023 at 7:13 AM, maggieq said:

Thanks for posting. I’ve never been able to get my work vpn to function on any ship. 

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

 

Teddie

[teddie]

On 2/9/2023 at 1:49 PM, turtle1947 said:

Thanks Teddie for the pics. Been on Anthem many times so very familiar with the production shows. Was really interested in who the Headliners and Tribute band were on your cruise. Pics hit the spot. I'm hoping same group they will be on mine in April. Are the Royal Sweeds (house rock band) on? Thanks again

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.

Edited February 11, 2023 by teddie

[mets123]

On 2/9/2023 at 1:49 PM, turtle1947 said:

Thanks Teddie for the pics. Been on Anthem many times so very familiar with the production shows. Was really interested in who the Headliners and Tribute band were on your cruise. Pics hit the spot. I'm hoping same group they will be on mine in April. Are the Royal Sweeds (house rock band) on? Thanks again

The Royal Swedes are NOT onboard.