michele.catskill

Where do I go to to see what they assigned you and make changes?? Can I do this as soon as I board? Thanks.

Oh yes, that's an important piece of info - I think any specialty restaurant can help you but if you can, do it at Wonderland. It's immediately on the right as you embark.

The head of specialty dining is posted there and he can make all the arrangements for you - his name is Gary (from South Africa).

Definitely open that balcony divider. In my cabin the wind blowing thru the dividers made a constant shaking sound - I found it loud but got used to it.

Yes Deck 5

DISEMBARKATION

Breakfast is served 6/6:30 - 8:30 AM at 4 locations (Grande [limited - no eggs benedict this morning!], WJ, two70, Café Promenade. NOT Solarium).

Basically, the front half of the ship waits in the Theater, and the back half in two70 (Suites in Coastal?).

We carried off our own bags and so just joined the end of the line when we were ready.... which just so happened to be in the "carry your own luggage" designated time slot (800-8:30AM. They also had an earlier one 7:15-7:45AM).

Checkout was super fast and simple.

We were in the car before 9:00 AM.

Parking fee is $20 a day = $140 total. You pay at the entry level before you go to car.

SPECIALITY DINING- CHOPS

4 of 4 package $100 ($25/each)

We dined the second formal night, Friday, in Chops.

This is a old-school, traditional style steak house.

Of all the dining atmospheres, I enjoyed this the best.

Yet personally, I found the food unimaginative and basic, which I suppose is fine for a traditional steak-house.

DH rarely eats red meat but decided to have a "petite" filet mignon (6 oz.), because hey - when in Rome... He enjoyed it very much. It was tender and flavorful. It is served alone on a plate and then they pour their specialty sauce on it. (You can also choose to have instead béarnaise, au poivre, or other [name?] sauce). I found the sauce a bit gummy.

I had the branzino and it did not wow me. It was a nicely grilled piece of fish, but with no special seasoning and the plating was vey unattractive. It was served on "garlicky spinach" but I did not taste much garlic. Others posted that the garlicky shrimp here was very good. They also had an Asian spiced tuna. I would try those instead unless you are looking for a blander taste.

The sides were basic and again, not plated with any flare (each in its own small bowl).

Desserts are also traditional.

Maybe my experience of this venue is colored as they knocked over the bucket where they were keeping chilled the half-bottle of expensive champagne I brought with me on board, and it all spilled on the floor (and all over another diner's shoes!).... (!$#!^). The waiter and manager of Chops need a bit more customer service skills training.... Anyhew, Prince Gary handled it... later!

SPECIALTY DINING- RESERVATIONS

If you sign up for BOGO or other dining packages, you can check when on board the date, time, restaurant they have assigned you and make the changes you want.

Best place to do this is with the head of dining services himself - Gary from South Africa. He was very kind, gracious, accommodating, and always available.

We had no challenges changing to exactly what we wanted, and Gary helped us add another option to our package (we went from a 3-meal package to 4 meals).

Enjoy!

Thanks for this great review!

 

You mentioned your DH prefers to eat Gluten-free. My DD HAS to because she has Celiac. I'm curious about all of the specialty dining venues, but especially Wonderland. I know they have a very limited menu, how were they for GF?

The menu in Wonderland is not limited, but it is very specific - as in, you can't really substitute.

Celiac is much more than avoiding gluten by choice....

Many sauces have gluten in them and most of the dishes we had had some sort of sauce.

I also suspect most of the food is prepped in pans/bowls that have had gluten ingredients in them prior.... so I'd be hesitant in any case.

If you are booking a BOGO of multi-meal package, then you can decide once on board and you speak to them directly about how they handle gluten-free dining in Wonderland.

I saw the restaurants being very accommodating to children who wanted different foods and they brought in food from another dining venue for them. So if you have a few diners and DD wants to join anyway, bring him along and ask them to bring in food that he can eat. If there were a dish or two that was gluten free, then DD could share that with you too!

FYI: The WJ has a gluten free line.

Have a fantastic cruise !

Seadog...would you happen to have the menus from your cruise? Someone else is asking in another thread about 9 night menus on anthem

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2481852

 

If not, no worries...just thought I would check...

For 7 day Anthem menus and photos, checkout Canadiandisneymom 3/5-12 Live Review.

"...Then there is RED dance party in 270 with virtual fireworks at 11:00..."

Note: (Hi! I'm on same travels with you…) On Morning Show today Dru/Kevin said RED show tonight is canceled for the rescheduled performance Spectra Cabaret which was canceled last night. They are still doing a virtual fireworks though. Enjoy Day 7 !!!

Thanks for all the great information. Did you enjoy the Melia resort? Was it crowded? Able to find lounge chairs easily?

Here's MELIA Beach view at peak chair time.

MENUS/FOOD PORN

I direct you to recent Anthem posts by Canadiandisneymom - she did a great job and posted all MDR and bar drink menus + MDR photos. (Thanks! The bar menus were particularly helpful to me.)

Onboard: On TV in room you can view the MDR menu of that night. I asked for full week if MDR menus on Day 1, but as I expected, no go.

(I have not eaten in MDR yet- maybe tonight)

SUGGEST TO RCL: post bar menus on TV too. And post all menus on Royal-IQ app.

ACTIVITIES

There's plenty to do on board as you all now, so I'll just say a little about what I did/recall.

In general, seems to be 6/630 and 8/815 shows, 10:30 music/dance events and 1145 adult activity/comedy) with some kind of Trivia almost every hour of the day.

Where I can recall the day/time I will add (no compass handy).

- Seinfeld Trivia (Fri 4pm): fun, yadi yadi yada.... what more to say?!

- Groovey Town 70s Dance Party (Wed 1030pm): weak to start, but after more drinks perhaps, really picked up with line dancing and then full out disco craze.

- Silent Dance Party (immediately after 70s dance): With the 70's dance lead-in, ppl were already warmed up. Plus, as they handed out the headphones, many more ppl came froward to see what it was about - me included as I had no idea what this was. There are 2 channels on the earphones and the channel you are listening to is indicated by a light ring on the ear device. So ppl dance to the music they pick yet for those walking thru, it's silent. And to watch movement with no music is quite amusing. It's more fun to dance tho and connect with other dancers non-verbally. When someone switched channels to a great dance song, a wave would ripple thru the dance floor as everyone switched over.

- Dancing with the Stripes (Th 1030pm): not as funny as I expected. I first saw this on Breakaway and the way they structured it was better as it had more time for the ppl to dance. This was almost focused more on the judges. Still enjoyable.

- Marriage Game (Fri 230pm, instead of planned Sat afternoon): as always, revealing....!

- Name that Tune (?Tues nite?): this was more like a show than simple game. It was a full production with music, singing, and dancing. If you like that (I do), don't miss it.

- Karaoke finals (Fri 1030pm): Talent abounds. A woman from Boston who owns an auto repair business won with a (near) perfect rendition of Whitney Houston's tough vocal "And I Will Alays Love You". Amazing!

- Quest (Fri 1145pm): Adult treasure hunt. Well, it definitely needs "adult" in title...!

- Boleros had a good Latin band and ppl (couples) seemed to always be dancing. It was a nice vibe.

- Comedians (Mon and Thurs 1145pm)

The RCL channel supposedly runs videos of most of these contest type events, but I never saw any. We, I suppose like most people, are in the room somewhere between 5 PM to 7 PM getting ready for dinner and that to me would seem to be prime time. I suppose from RCL point of view, it's better to put videos about the cruise line and other RCL ships on instead… Can't blame them for doing their business…

That's all I can recall…if you have specific questions, I'll try and answer.

SOLARIUM- CHAIRS

Regarding getting a chair in the Solarium, and I expect the same general observation would apply to all the pool areas:

Day 1,2,3 it was fairly easy to find chair spaces at various locations – left, right, more forward, etc.

We would arrive around 900AM after yoga class and find good spaces.

Day 6, 7 specifically in the Solarium as it's getting cooler and windier, if you want to find an indoor chair, you need to arrive earlier.

Friday we did not do yoga session and had a little trouble finding a space when we came at 845AM. But some people along the window did leave soon after and we were happy with their spot.

Saturday there is no yoga session offered (nor on Nassau seaport day). DH went to the indoor pool at 7:30 AM to do lap swimming as usual. Due to the experience on Friday, he went to scope out the chair and 3/4 were already taken. When I arrived at 8:15, there were very few spots left in the Solarium seating area.

TIP: as the itinerary progresses, if chair seating matters to you, you will need to come earlier and earlier. (Most of you experience cruisers probably already know this.)

DAY 6

Well everyone is more comfortable on the ship and with the weeks activities, know each other a little better.

So the atmosphere on Friday was more lively, interactive, boisterous, fun-loving. The children are also more confident on the ship and have my friends, so their vocal and activity level was much higher as well. The parents were more relaxed too, so there was a lot of free-spirited running around.

Plus add to that the wind, cooler weather, and rocking ship, cancelled Rock and Spectra shows with many people going to guest services to get the seasickness tablets – that they seem to give away for free on choppy sea days. I took a Bonnie tablet that I brought with me so that I can enjoy my dinner at Chops.

TIP: From my reading of these threads, it seems like the way back up North is a little more rough than the way down. So I suggest you book as many shows and activities on the front-end. I did not do the North Star or Ifly, but those are definitely affected by the wind as well. When they reopen, those with reservations are honored first before the standbys.

MELIA INFO

Yes, we did enjoy MELIA.

It only took 45 minutes from leaving breakfast on deck 14 at 9:32, traveling down to level two to disembark, working our way through the immediate crowd to find a cab, to taking a 10-15 minute ride and arrive at the resort at 10:18 AM

We brought our confirmation receipt to the main desk and paid the remaining 80% balance.

we asked the woman at the check-in counter if they had a lot of ship guests and she said we were there before the crowds arrived.

At that time, there were still plenty of chairs on the beach, and by the pools. Finding a shady spot though was a bit hit or miss. The beach has both those palm tree huts as well as stake umbrellas The umbrellas are free but first come first serve, and they were all already set up. We found a decent spot on the beach, but then decided to lounge by the adult pool instead. There were chairs but none left in the shade. Regardless, DH swam laps and I joined the aqua aerobics class.

The adult pool is attached to a float up bar that is also a full bar on land. There was good island music playing, and then they started playing bingo at the pool. We were looking for something more quiet so walked around to see the options.

we ended up snagging a great spot under a big stationary umbrella by the family pool. This area was far less populated, and there are only about 2 to 3 small kids there at any one time. Meaning, it was quiet and like we almost have the space to ourselves! This pool is a wade in one, no steps, and at its deepest was 4 feet.

When we ate a quick bite at the open air restaurant, the beach was very full – meaning, not much space in between neighbors, in about three or four long rows, but the view was absolutely fantastic.

It was grand, picturesque, and clean, and worked out very well for us.

We packed up at 4:20, went to the front doorman where a cab was available, and were back on ship by 5 PM, 30 minutes before the final boarding time. We paid $20 for a cab there, and $20 on the way back – with a little bit of negotiating.

WEATHER UPDATE

Due to rocky conditions, that We Will Rock You show scheduled for 230 today is postponed until tomorrow afternoon same time.

And today in its place, they will do the love and marriage show which was scheduled for tomorrow…

As I said in a previous post, I love comedy, so I do enjoy this hilarious couples drama. However, I hate to miss sun time out of the last two days… In my experience, this is not really a "family" show, so I'm surprised they're doing it in the daytime in any case.

WEATHER

Day 1 Sunday

Unusually warm for NY/NJ. Sail away was sunny, clear, perfect. Once at sea, it got a bit windy. But coming from winter, it seemed everyone was really enjoying the relative warmth.

Day 2 Monday at Sea

Much windier. Could feel the rockin' waves.

Day 3 Tuesday Port Canaveral

Overcast. It rained for major part of the afternoon.

Day 4-5 Bahamas

Warm and sunny with slight breeze to keep you cool - thank you for beautiful day !

Day 6 Friday

Windy again and already much cooler. Many more guests in Solarium. We are also really bouncing on the waves. Pool looks like a wave pool, but not enough to close it. Kids are having a ball. Solarium level pools are sloshing with no one in them.

Loud cheers as some waves crash at bough splashing up onto Solarium windows.

Expect rest of the trip to be this - windy, progressively cooler, until we dock in Bayonne.

NASSAU- MELIA HOTEL DAY PASS $45/each.

We booked on our own a day pass at a local hotel. I did the research from home and choose a mid-price range option based on good reviews. Sandals was double price+, one closer to port (name?) included food.

This was perfect for us. After a day at beach, having a pool/beach option was nice. We don't get much pool time on ship- windy, kids, loud, so this was a chance to sit pool side and get in some lap swimming.

Price included day pass to pools (2 large + waterfall/rock style one), beach, chairs, beach towel, free Starbucks coffee of choice. Have bars, restaurant to purchase food (mostly $12 for snack style food - pizza, burger, quesadilla, cerviche, cesear salad, etc.) - fine for a quick bite, nothing great. You can find out more online if you are interested.

Cab each way was $20 total.

If anyone wants more details on Melia or cab negotiation, ask specific questions and I'll try to answer.

NASSAU DOCKING

Arrived by 9PM Wed nite instead of the planned Thurs AM. You could have gone off the ship anytime. I heard some crew who were not on shift took advantage of the extra time off ship. There was no mention of mechanical trouble being the reason for the extra time in port. We left 30 minutes past planned departure time yet all apppears well.

OUTDOOR MOVIE NIGHT

After a fabulous day outdoors in Nassau, we could not get it together to get dressed for MDR.

So instead we grabbed a plate at WJ and sat by the outdoor pool and watched the film Moana 700-845PM. It was warm, not windy, relaxed, and the screen was really crisp. You can watch from Deck 14 or 15 and also from North Star bar.

They show outdoor movies nightly: family-friendly at 7 PM, and an adult action at 10 PM. Except for the two Bahamas days, it was quite windy, esp at night.

After, we came back to the room, and freshened up for late night show. See separate posts, soon coming....

SPECIALITY DINING- IZUMI

3 of 4 package $100 ($25/each)

This is a la carte pricing, and with the package you get $30 credit each.

We love sushi and this was very good. We chose to eat at the sushi bar and ordered sashimi appetizer, shrimp wonton soup, sashimi platter, plus two sushi rolls. All fresh and flavorful.

There was a delay in our last roll and this caused us to miss the start of the headliner show. They did not charge me for my saki cocktail as compensation - fair enough.

Suggestion to RCL is that the space could be a tad warmer, less stark.

SPECIALITY DINING- JAIMEE'S

2 of 4 package $100 ($25/each)

We booked and specialty dining both formal nights – Monday and Friday, plus Wednesday. We booked the Solarium for embarkation day, and we planned to eat in MTD MDR Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday. The menu in MDR on Tuesday night was not appealing to me, so I added another night to the package. I presumed this would not be allowed since we purchased the package online, but the head of dining who is stationed at Wonderland was extremely accommodating – both in setting up the reservations we wanted, and in making this change.

I have not chosen Jamie's as one of our initial three options as DH tries to avoid gluten. But he had the lollipop lamb chops and I had two half portions of two different fresh made pasta dishes - Yum Yum Yum.

As advertised, this is not your traditional southern Italian fare. Many have posted how great the food is, and I concur.

SPECIALITY DINING- WONDERLAND

1 of 4 package $100 ($25/each)

I am a foodie and from that perspective, this meal was stupendous! Yes it is an eclectic, non- traditional structured menu yet the food ingredients itself are all things you know. It's just the pairing and presentation that is unusual. ( I found the meal in high-end restaurant on the Breakaway much less appealing, less accessible. For general eaters the food selections were more unusual; Wonderland has recognizable food ingredients.)

We don't eat red meat so had only the fish and chicken options. It was all wonderful. It is a series of samplings of smaller tastes, with a few entrée sized portions. The branzino, halibut, and chicken entrées were really good.

Desserts should not be missed either. For sure get the chocolate globe just for the experience of it - it's Valhorna gold dusted chocolate filled with peanut butter ice cream. They pour hot salted caramel sauce over it and it explodes into a molten lava of yumminess. Oh, and in globe is also crispy rice -- all my favs in one dessert!

We also had the Baked Alaskan which was chocolate ice cream and strawberries, rather than the traditional lemon curd.

The only suggestion I have is that I felt the service was a bit rushed. They could space out the timing a bit more of how they bring out each dish.

It was well worth the $25 fee we paid, and I'd say the full non-package price as well.

Regardless, the whole experience left us wonder- filled.

Enjoy!

SOFT SERVE ICE CREAM

Ice cream, you scream, we ALL scream for ice cream… but only between 1130AM-800PM.

It's very very very popular.

It's located on Deck 14, outdoor area to the right (starboard?), just before entering in the indoor pool area.

DH does not do dairy / sugar, but treats himself on the cruise - gets a swirl almost every time he passes the station!

It was broken on Embarkation Day and then not available as they filled it ( which happens several times a day). Since then it has been working fine, putting a smile on the faces of kids and adults alike .

WJ has three tubs out daily of hard ice cream in rotating flavors. Enjoy!

THE GIFT

Same cast as Queen show. I think only 3-4 performances.

We arrived about 10 min late due to dinner time and still found it enjoyable.

Many ppl have posted the story was hard to follow and so I planed to watch just for entertainment value and I was entertained. I had read story was about man who lost his wife and was trying to make a connection with his daughter and son. With that, I was able to follow the story. It was quite a production - lots of scenery and special effects. Singing was decent, songs were contemporary so that made it fun.