Anthem April 2-9, 2017 Sailing Review: "Unique" Info

Currently on Anthem selling to Bahamas 4/2-4/9/17.

This is not a live blow-by-blow review (I refer you tho to Seadog's account of the 3/36-4/2 sailing - he posted much great info and pics that I really appreciated- thanks Seadog!)

I will post info I did not see posted on other Anthem threads or things I learned on board.

For context: This is only my third cruise in seven years. We have no kids, and are not heavy drinkers (limited alcohol and no soda), so I can't comment on children services or beverage packages.

We do yoga, are a young-style 50s, and I am a bit foodie-oriented. We are on MTD, bought the 3-dinner package and upgraded on ship to 4-dinners, so I speak to complimentary dining more so than MDR.

We are not rockers (I.e. Queen, BonJovi) yet appreciate talent so will report our experience.

I'm typing in a cell so will post short clips per topic.

For those with unique Qs not found elsewhere, I'm happy to respond if I can.

Day 1

Embarkation as easy as everyone reported.

Left upstate NY at 830AM, parked and at check-in by 1100AM, on ship at 1130 AM.

It was an unusually warm 65 degrees, sunny skies.... great start.

Rooms opened at 1PM as expected and our luggage was there before 230PM Muster.

Yes, the "ticket" that you print at home, or get when you check-in, serves as your SeaPass (card that let you charge to your account) until you get the actual cards in your room.

SOLARIUM DINNER

We choose to eat dinner here Day 1 to arrival day simple and easeful.

Hours: 5:30-9:30 PM

Style: Mediterranean

Service: Appetizers and dessert self-serve buffet with main meal ordered.

Experience: The buffet was simple yet fresh. Main course was fresh and flavorful. I had salmon, couscous, balsamic accents. DH had garlic shrimp over rice.

The pavlova I had for dessert was excellent. I chose Day 1 dinner here to avoid all the Day 1 crowd excitement energy. It was a relaxed, calm way to dine :)

TIP: Sit by window and watch the sunset. We were seated at 615 and had a beautiful show with full color burst 700-730 PM.

TIP: You can order broiled lobster in Solarium for upcharge of $20. Waiter says it's same as in MDR which has a $30 upcharge.

DOGHOUSE

Hours: 1130AM-930PM

Menu: 4 styles (chicken apple, beef, 2 pork)

Location: Deck 15 by teen area/ bumper car/ sports location.

Great place for a quick snack. We went there almost immediately upon arrival (went to top of ship and worked our way down). It was good to take hunger edge off as we later checked out two70 and WJ.

DH was hungry Day 1 after dinner and at 929PM it hit the spot !

SOLARIUM SMOOTHIE

Location: Solarium Bar

(I specified this because no one in the restaurant knew anything about it, and I had no idea where to find it.)

This is a non-alcoholic option included in the deluxe and refreshment package; it is NOT available Day 1 and 3 when in port due to U.S. Health code.

TIP: If you want to catch the Captain, he stops by every morning at 800AM for his green drink.

(Unfortunately, they could not make all of what's on the menu as they don't always have all the ingredients. The bartender was always willing to get the ingredients… for the next day).

SOLARIUM BRUNCH

Hours Sea Days: 900AM-100PM or 130AM on sea days (be careful - check the compass each day - missed out Day 3 as they closed 30min earlier than day before.)

Open times:

- CocoCay day: 800AM

- Nassau day: 700 AM

Menu: buffet style with almost everything they have in WJ. No make your own omelette station, but each day they did have 2 pre-made choices.

Great space without WJ commotion.

**Having said that- the few times I walked thru WJ, it was not overly crowded and I saw many free seats. If you walk all the way thru, there is an outside seating area that overlooks back of the ship.

TENDER TICKETS - COCOBAY

Day 4 - First tender 10AM/Last 430PM.

I can't tell you about the tender ticket experience as we signed up for "Yoga on the Beach" and with this "excursion" we bypassed the whole process. ;)

Yoga classes,50 min, are $12 a session. We met at 900AM in gym and then the instructor led us downstairs, thru Casino to tender pickup. People were not happy that this group of 12 was moving to the head of the line.

It was crowded in the waiting area. They have 4 shuttle boats that fit about 250 ppl each. The first tender fits less ppl as they use that to take over the food and drinks.

Tender is 2 levels, open air, top has no roof. Wheelchairs are tethered to front deck (with no railings!). Takes about 6 minutes.

If you want to miss crowds on way back, depart by 3PM or go with last tender - they walk along beach and round you up...you can't miss it!

We took last tender times, and so did many others…! Dru said that typically about 1000 people stay on the ship, but we had only 400 people stay on the ship. I think this is because there was rain the day before in Port Canaveral, so people are looking to get out a bit.

COCOBAY DAY 4

There are five main seating areas on the beach.

When you exit the tender go left and just follow the shoreline.

1. Most populated area, by all the food, shops, etc.

2. Activity Area with waterslides and flotation fun in the water $

3. Chairs with canopies $4. South Beach with floating bar

5. Cabanas $/Suites

All of these are along shoreline and close together. DH says from tender to South Beach is 1/8 mile. It's a short walk.

There is a tram at entry to SoBeach area that takes you to food/tender if you prefer not to or can't walk.

Lunch ends at 130 so don't miss it! It's a buffet and like anything with lots of ppl, a bit messy... but tasty enough. Bars start breaking down at 330, abt one hour before last tender time.

Plenty of chairs and shaded spots. There were many empty chairs all day - we had chairs in both shade-n-sun. Restrooms and bars every at start and e d of each area.

We were at SoBeach. When we arrived, tide was low and you could walk out very far with water only up to knees. Later it was waist height.

Only frozen drink served was CocoLoco (pina colada strawberry peach combo).

Island band played in main area. You can rent umbrellas and float mats.

WELCOME SHOW

Day 1

Two seatings. No tickets required.

If you miss it, you can watch it on the RCL TV channel later.

Dru Pavlov, Cruise Director, spoke and there was a Comedian who was quite good (I am a comedy lover!).

SPECTRA CABARET

There are eight shows.

It is a visual and musical wonder! I loved it.

Many have posted it was good but hard to follow.

My take: it's cabaret, not theater. Theme was we are all connected by same energy; "energy" in show was depicted as rhythm.

It was a mashup of many contemporary songs, hip hop, cultural music, led by a long legged fantastic emcee in true cabaret style. It was cabaret style entertainment not a theatrical drama story. I felt for the cast who, because of the set up of the performance space, was close enough to the audience to interact. Many ppl just say there watching and did not support when they asked to clap along. I was ready to get out of my chair and join the dance parade! But the audience came thru in the end with thunderous applause and genuine cheers. :) !

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.

Great information...Thank you!

Ty for posting hours/times of the different eating venues. its wonderful info to have. also i like your review of coco because it gives what is where and how far etc. ive never been there but prefer to walk farther for less crowds. mindful that that means longer walk to buffet i'm assuming.

Thank you for the reviews! Subscribing.

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!

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!

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- 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.

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....

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.