Live! Anthem of the Seas March 24-31, 2023 with Dragon of the Seas

[nelblu]

11 hours ago, DragonOfTheSeas said:

What a difference a few hours will make. The sky has cleared and we can see the city from our hotel.  

 

We are staying in the Doubletree Jersey City.  It is a block from the river, and we have a corner suite.  [not bragging--it was the only 2-room option to share with DD] The view is pretty impressive.

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you get a chance do the North Star while in Bayonne, it’s awesome. 

[DragonOfTheSeas]

I noticed this on the Bayonne cruise terminal site.  It is clearly copied from the RCL site, and I have seen a similar mistake for other cruises.  One thing about royal Caribbean their IT department needs some work.

 

I bet you did not realize just how far this cruise travels. 😀🤣

 

[nelblu]

2 minutes ago, DragonOfTheSeas said:

I noticed this on the Bayonne cruise terminal site.  It is clearly copied from the RCL site, and I have seen a similar mistake for other cruises.  One thing about royal Caribbean their IT department needs some work.

 

I bet you did not realize just how far this cruise travels. 😀🤣

 

Yes, there have been a few posts on this😂

[DragonOfTheSeas]

Time for breakfast 

 

[DragonOfTheSeas]

1 hour ago, nelblu said:

If you get a chance do the North Star while in Bayonne, it’s awesome. 

IMG_2166.mov

 

We were going to try to get a reservation for today in port.  That us a great view!

[ecslady]

Looking forward to following you along again.  Glad to see that you made it to NJ amid the heavy rain and flooding yesterday.  Really enjoyed my time on Anthem.  Hope you do too!

[tennislvr8]

15 hours ago, DragonOfTheSeas said:

 

 

Join DH, our DD and me on our journey on the beautiful Anthem of the Seas from Bayonne, NJ to Port Canaveral, Coco Cay and Nassau.  The Anthem is part of a class of ship we have not sailed.  I have seen pictures of the ship, and I can ’t wait to get aboard.  . . . but, mostly I want to get away from the cold and rainy weather on the east coast today.  😞

 

 

 

It was a wet start as we boarded Amtrak train 88 at the BWI airport Station this morning headed to Newark Penn Station. It was raining cats, dogs, and anything else that could come from the sky. Our Uber XL driver was a Prince.  After playing Tetris with four suitcases, a walker and a bookbag we were off.  This will be our third time taking Amtrak to Bayonne. We drove the first time we sailed from here, but we did not love the traffic. With the tolls and $30/day parking at the pier the train pays for itself. JMHO

 

We are Alan [DH], Agnes [Me], and our adult DD [Heather]. DH and I are veteran cruisers; this will be our 40^th. However, DD is cruising for the first time. She is a teacher, so we are taking a spring break cruise.  We typically avoid school holidays.

 

We were not sure we would ever get to take this cruise. DH fell in our cabin on the first part of our B2B cruise last fall. So, we left the ship in Portland, ME. He has fully recovered. However, he still has some mobility issues and I will share a few of our experiences as they relate to that. On Amtrak you can request assistance getting your luggage on and off the train at manned stations. This was a huge help today.   Also, the conductor phoned ahead and had a porter waiting by our rail car to get our luggage from there.  They also provide wheelchair assistance--but we did not need that.

DH and I will be onboard with you. I started a thread too and yours is better by far. 

[nelblu]

43 minutes ago, DragonOfTheSeas said:

 

We were going to try to get a reservation for today in port.  That us a great view!

I was lucky, was passing by and got on with no reserve. 
 

Ps..Hope you don’t come back to this😜

February 9th sail. 

[DragonOfTheSeas]

This is the actual itinerary. 😊

 

 

 

We have been to each of these ports, so we know what to expect.

 

At Port Canaveral we have booked the Ron Jon shuttle.  This takes us to Cocoa Beach. I was able to book this on Black Friday for ~$15/pp.  Even with 3 people it is not that much more than RT Uber.  YMMV

 

 

This is a picture of Shepard Park.  the bus drops off a parking lot just across the street from the park--which is really just a small square with a nice bath house.  The small gray tent at the beach entrance is where you rent chairs/umbrellas.  There is a restaurant beside the park and a 7-Eleven beside the bus parking.  We have found this to be a very convenient location and not much parking.  

 

At Cocoa Cay we have day passes to Hideaway Beach.  I originally bought the for $75 each on the day the opened.  However, the priced dropped twice since then and we got them for ~$29. That seemed like a good price for an adults only area with a heated pool. Woo Hoo!

 

perfect-day-map-marketing-reveal.pdf

 

I will likely just get off and walk around the new port area in Nassau.  It is not one of my favorite port.  However, I want to see the improvements.

 

 

 

[DragonOfTheSeas]

47 minutes ago, tennislvr8 said:

DH and I will be onboard with you. I started a thread too and yours is better by far. 

That is great!  There is always room for two perspectives.  

[DragonOfTheSeas]

32 minutes ago, nelblu said:

I was lucky, was passing by and got on with no reserve. 
 

Ps..Hope you don’t come back to this😜

February 9th sail. 

Yowza!  DH and I took a cruise from Baltimore once that came back to snow in March.  We were lucky.  Our DD dropped us off and picked us up.  The port there is just off the interstates and the roads were clear.  However, those that parked had to clear the car. 

[DragonOfTheSeas]

We have an unusual combination of cabins.  DD is in a solo cabin and we are in a large balcony JS. We think the solo has a virtual balcony--but, not sure about that. The two cabins open onto a small hallway that opens onto the main deck. So, that seems kind of private. We hope to open the doors and make it like a small apartment during the day.  [8630 and 8632] However, we will see if this works out. I have watched the YouTube videos and it does not look like 8628 opens onto the same hallway.  That would mess up our plans. 😉

 

 

 

[mets123]

1 hour ago, DragonOfTheSeas said:

This is the actual itinerary. 😊

 

 

 

We have been to each of these ports, so we know what to expect.

 

At Port Canaveral we have booked the Ron Jon shuttle.  This takes us to Cocoa Beach. I was able to book this on Black Friday for ~$15/pp.  Even with 3 people it is not that much more than RT Uber.  YMMV

 

 

This is a picture of Shepard Park.  the bus drops off a parking lot just across the street from the park--which is really just a small square with a nice bath house.  The small gray tent at the beach entrance is where you rent chairs/umbrellas.  There is a restaurant beside the park and a 7-Eleven beside the bus parking.  We have found this to be a very convenient location and not much parking.  

 

At Cocoa Cay we have day passes to Hideaway Beach.  I originally bought the for $75 each on the day the opened.  However, the priced dropped twice since then and we got them for ~$29. That seemed like a good price for an adults only area with a heated pool. Woo Hoo!

 

perfect-day-map-marketing-reveal.pdf 1.82 MB · 2 downloads

 

I will likely just get off and walk around the new port area in Nassau.  It is not one of my favorite port.  However, I want to see the improvements.

 

 

 

 

About a block from the 7-11 in Cocoa Beach is a store called The Lime Shop (or something like that). Great selection inside. You got to try their ice, key lime pie is fantastic.

[DragonOfTheSeas]

We are stuck in traffic about 1/2 mile from the terminal. Someone has posted on Facebook that the garage is not open yet. But we are seeing a few cars leaving so that’s good.
 

our check in time is 11:30 and we were going to get here plenty early. But we might be right on time.

Edited March 24 by DragonOfTheSeas

[Sunshine3601]

1 hour ago, DragonOfTheSeas said:

We have an unusual combination of cabins.  DD is in a solo cabin and we are in a large balcony JS. We think the solo has a virtual balcony--but, not sure about that. The two cabins open onto a small hallway that opens onto the main deck. So, that seems kind of private. We hope to open the doors and make it like a small apartment during the day.  [8630 and 8632] However, we will see if this works out. I have watched the YouTube videos and it does not look like 8628 opens onto the same hallway.  That would mess up our plans. 😉

 

 

 

Yes, there is a very small narrow hallway to both doors for the JS and interior solo cabin.   

[DragonOfTheSeas]

29 minutes ago, DragonOfTheSeas said:

We are stuck in traffic about 1/2 mile from the terminal. Someone has posted on Facebook that the garage is not open yet. But we are seeing a few cars leaving so that’s good.
 

our check in time is 11:30 and we were going to get here plenty early. But we might be right on time.

That’s good to hear. Thank you.

[KTGT]

Can somebody on the ship pick me up a ship model Christmas ornament? My husband & I try to pick up one in all of our sailings, but do not have this one. I will pay for it. TIA

[DragonOfTheSeas]

There was all sorts of craziness in the roadway, trying to get in. People who were trying to get out we’re walking down the road to try to meet their ride. And others were getting out of rideshare and walking to the terminal for a pretty good distance.
 

Once we got on the ship it was good. DH had wheelchair assistance to get on the ship. Our staff member took us right to our muster station.

 

we got a board at 12:05 PM. Our check-in time was 1130 and we have gotten our Uber and we should’ve been here by 11 o’clock.

 

not complaining just giving you an idea of what timeframe

 

 

 

 

[Nadey]

I'm enjoying your posts. I remember reading it when you were on the vision of the seas earlier this year and we are going on this for the first time April 12. I'm glad your husband is better. I remember reading your post on the other cruise when he got hurt. Have a great time and I was surprised to hear that this was your daughter's first cruise when you said you have been on 40 of them.

[Sunshine3601]

1 hour ago, DragonOfTheSeas said:

There was all sorts of craziness in the roadway, trying to get in. People who were trying to get out we’re walking down the road to try to meet their ride. And others were getting out of rideshare and walking to the terminal for a pretty good distance.
 

Once we got on the ship it was good. DH had wheelchair assistance to get on the ship. Our staff member took us right to our muster station.

 

we got a board at 12:05 PM. Our check-in time was 1130 and we have gotten our Uber and we should’ve been here by 11 o’clock.

 

not complaining just giving you an idea of what timeframe

 

 

 

 

Shame that you had to experience this as cape liberty is usually pretty easy access.    I guess they should have told those embarking to arrive at least 1 hr late and that would have helped with the craziness.    

Bon Voyage😊

[DragonOfTheSeas]

1 hour ago, Nadey said:

I'm enjoying your posts. I remember reading it when you were on the vision of the seas earlier this year and we are going on this for the first time April 12. I'm glad your husband is better. I remember reading your post on the other cruise when he got hurt. Have a great time and I was surprised to hear that this was your daughter's first cruise when you said you have been on 40 of them.

Our family has always thought. We were a little crazy to cruise a couple times a year, which is all we really do. But sometimes those have been back to back.
 

Our son and his family cruised for the first time last October and they loved it. So I’m sure they’re going to do it again probably not for another year or so because they have young children that are involved in a lot of activities.

 

But DD has gotten into the empty nest stage. So we hope she gets the cruising bug.

 

 

[DragonOfTheSeas]

1 hour ago, Sunshine3601 said:

Shame that you had to experience this as cape liberty is usually pretty easy access.    I guess they should have told those embarking to arrive at least 1 hr late and that would have helped with the craziness.    

Bon Voyage😊

This is all good we’re on board. I’ve already had my first adult beverage. The sun is shining.

[wolfcathorse]

Please confirm who the captain is for me. We'll be on in May after Anthem crosses the pond.

[DragonOfTheSeas]

Well, I am back. I have a couple of things from yesterday to post.  

 

The Anthem of the Seas is a large ship.  DD and I explored the various public decks to orient ourselves. A sign says just under 3 laps of the track on deck 15 is a mile.  I am sure we did the equivalent of that in our travels. My favorite spaces were the solarium and Two 70.  One of the most crowded areas and the spot I will stay away from way the family indoor pool. Another popular spot was the Seaplex with the bumper cars.  The line wrapped around each side and down the hallway. 

 

Before dinner DH and I went to Two70 for drinks and to listen to Caribbean Vibes. 

 

They are a pretty good group—but way too loud.  When they began my Apple watch alerted me that the sound level was above 90 decibels and can lead to temporary hearing loss. HaHaHa 🤣

 

After a few songs we took our drinks back to the cabin and watched March Madness.

 

 

 

[DragonOfTheSeas]

Speaking of cabins.  Here are our cabins.  We hoped to open our JS door and create a small apartment for the three of us.  that is working very well.  The cabin attendant let us use his door stop.  We close all the doors when we leave and at night.  However, all of the other time our door is open.  This would work well for a family. 

 

There is another door that opens onto the hall.  There is a key slot on that door.  It can connect to make the "family suite larger." but the attendant needs to unlock this door with his key.  So, they can not open the door to our hall on this cruise. 

 

Here is our cabin

 

 

 

Here is the studio. It is very "cozy."  😉

 

 

 

It has a virtual balcony--which is a nice feature.