Occasionally Live from the Anthem TA featuring NY, London, Rotterdam, Ypres, Bastogne, Arnhem and Paris

[xpcdoojk]

Here are our starters at Jamie’s. 

[xpcdoojk]

1 minute ago, Biker19 said:

This, for self-assist.

Is that the default?  Because I didn’t choose. It is what we did on last cruise. Because we were tryin to catch early flight

[Biker19]

Just now, xpcdoojk said:

Is that the default?

Yes, if you don't do anything (you should have been asked to fill out a departure questionnaire) and you don't put your luggage out on the last night, you have to carry off your luggage.

[NancyIL]

On 5/1/2023 at 6:43 PM, maggieq said:

To all booking pre Bayonne hotel cruise stays look into trip advisor please.  Marriott by the airport seems to review well and hotels by the outlets in Elizabeth.  Hyatt in jersey city also rates pretty well. Consider the reviews please.   

 

We were booked on this cruise at one time, and had reserved the Hyatt Regency in Jersey City for 2 nights. We stayed there before another cruise out of Bayonne in 2008 and loved it. The hotel has a great view of Manhattan across the Hudson, as well as close access to both the train and ferry stations. 

[xpcdoojk]

Day 9, sitting in the DL working.  Looking out the window it looks sunny!!!!!  We have had sun on this cruise 4-5 minutes at a time max, occasionally.  I better put sunblock on and my wetsuit!  There is a line of 3 for the coffee machine, I need to make a cup for Krystal and take some snacks back to the room now to wake her up, and get dressed for surfing.  

 

JC

[h20skibum]

1 hour ago, xpcdoojk said:

I need to make a cup for Krystal and take some snacks back to the room now to wake her up

That sounds just like how I start my day when I am cruising.   Well, except for the name!  Just to be clear, it is my wife I am doing that for, not yours. 😁

[xpcdoojk]

The coffee machine is working but poorly. Most machines you can do too right cappucino and middle right latte for a full cup. This machines fills the cup if you push either and both are too milky. This started this morning.  Sigh.   

[xpcdoojk]

So, eventful departure.  Getting a cab was a bit of butting in line, so we finally achieved it, and made it to the National Express Coach parking lot.  It was a bit of a mob scene.  I booked reserved seats, which meant we were on the second bus, not sure the logic of putting people who pay extra on the second bus, but such is their system.  Reserved seats were sold out, bought the last two, yet there were at least 4 reserved seats not filled.  3 plus hours to London Victoria Coach station.  We handled our luggage the 0.3 miles to the Victoria Station, checked the balance of both of our old Oyster cards, they each only had 1.5GBP on them… so I loaded 5GBP on one, smallest amount.  We needed up to 5.4GBP for the Victoria Line ride to San Pancras.  There are no other trains to Rotterdam, so we have been sitting in the Business Premier Lounge, since about 12:30PM. It is supposedly affiliated with the Amex centurion lounge, and other than having good liquor the two lounges are not much alike.  Food is way better in Centurion lounges.  They have a self-service bar, here, with beer, wine, soda, coffee, fruit drinks, and cocktails you make yourself as long as they are very basic.  Full service bar is good, but small compared to Amex.  Our train departs at 6:04PM and we arrive in Rotterdam at 10:30PM.  Was pretty quiet upstairs, but now business men are filling the bar area pretty deep since it is Friday and they are headed home back to the other side of the channel.  

 

The coffee machine is still not quite right in the DL (back tracking here) the only sure way to make a good coffee was to make expresso then add frothed milk.  Pretty certain, nobody on the ship knows how to fix it and I am not sure the crew realizes it doesn’t work correctly, unless you like lightly coffee’d hot milk.😂

 

Last two days were port days, we just walked around Cherbourg, and ate pastries.  In Le Havre we went to a restaurant called Baggatelle for the weirdest and most expensive hamburger I ever ate!  After we did an excursion to Rouen.  Nice city.  Too long of a bus ride. 

 

First morning, it was very cold and damp on the FlowRider, and everyone showed up, because the ship didn’t dock until noon. I made 3 runs.  This was after having a hour Key session the night before were I got in about 25 runs.  My legs were tired.  We did our fourth and final IFly late that afternoon, the captain, and a lady whose husband is a Flow Nut did IFly before us.  She Flew about everyday, and has her own helmet.  Yesterday, since we ported at 7AM the 8AM session was 1 to 5 people and I got in about another 25 runs in a couple of hours.  It was cool but sunny so quite comfortable.  I said, Au Renoir, to the staff.  

 

JC

[xpcdoojk]

I did not type Renoir…. It should have a v… stupid auto correct.😂

[xpcdoojk]

For sea dog a pixie from self service bar.  Kraken!

[Sea Dog]

3 hours ago, xpcdoojk said:

For sea dog a pixie from self service bar.  Kraken!

 

Thanks I needed that. Love the Kraken!

[Ocean Boy]

4 hours ago, Sea Dog said:

 

Thanks I needed that. Love the Kraken!

I'm having a Kraken Alexander as I catch up on my thead reading and watching a rerun of Below Deck SY.

[Sea Dog]

43 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

I'm having a Kraken Alexander as I catch up on my thead reading and watching a rerun of Below Deck SY.

Sounds wonderful. We are watching Below Deck Never Before Scenes from last week and then watch this week’s episode. I hear Daisy loses it.

Making Linda a Tiki cocktail called the Bamboo and I will be having a smoked ok’d fashioned with a new smoker kit I got.

[John&LaLa]

On 5/6/2023 at 8:58 AM, Jimbo said:

In your pictures the new blocks look smaller, looks like the weigh less then the old blocks. Is that correct or just your pictures look strange?

 

On 5/6/2023 at 9:13 AM, xpcdoojk said:

The blocks are heavy, so, I think they are glass like the old.  Without having an old one nearby, I am not sure they are smaller, but if I was betting, I would say they are smaller.   

 

They are most definitely larger😉

 

Both in weight, and height. Width and depth is basically the same

 

 

 

BTW, these are both Oasis.  Which one can you read 🤔 

 

 

[shofer]

On 4/30/2023 at 7:03 AM, h20skibum said:

I just read that you will be doing a 360° around the Statue of Liberty on your way out of port.  Hope the weather is nice for some photos.

We did a TA on Celebrity Solstice in 2018 for our 50th anniversary.  It was billed "Boston, Broadway and Bermuda". Started at Southampton and after seeing our daughter in Boston we sailed under the Verrazzano Straits bridge and slowly passed Lady Liberty.  It was my first sighting, but DH saw her when he arrived in America as an 8 y/o immigrant from Germany in 1951.

There were a large number of crew out on deck as they were allowed a few minutes for the experience.