Periscopes & Pictures: Anthem of the Seas June 11 – 16, 2016

[baileymouse]

Traffic was brutal all around yesterday. Took me an hour and a half to get into Manhattan from Bayonne in the early evening.

 

I was one of the people waving goodbye to you guys today. You guys took off, stopped, and backed up to let people off. Not sure if they were passengers who had to leave for some reason or wedding guests who forgot to get off on time.

 

I'm hoping it's a truly great cruise for all. My bookkeeper is on that cruise by himself. He's been listening to me talk about cruising with my admin assistant and we convinced him he should treat himself and go.

 

Have a fantastic time!

[Summersemester]

We're following along too. We sail on August 6. Newer posts seem to show that many of Anthem's problems have been worked out. Hope you have a great time with your nephews. How proud you must be of their military commitments.

[mamagina]

So far, this cruise is going very nicely. But probably because we made a lot of reservations beforehand. There are absolutely no Ifly reservations available for this cruise. We heard you couldn't make any yesterday when we got on. While sitting up on deck this morning some people said that a lady was yelling and was terribly upset because there is no standby system for it. All they are offering are $70 lessons. Also our friends made chops reservations for tonight and yesterday the chops staff told us we could join them but today they called and said that there is no availability all week and they are sorry they can't accommodate us! Weird because they are walking around asking if people want to go to chops.

[scottygirl]

 

TIP: Always leave a day early whether you are flying in or driving to the cruise port.

 

 

 

Yesterday was an adventure driving down from my house in southeastern MA to the Courtyard By Marriott hotel at the Newark Airport in NJ.

 

 

 

We started off a few hours later then I had wanted but since it is not a long ride that was no bother other then meaning we will be stuck in rush hour traffic. The reason we had a late start was due to my Town & Country van being in the garage for routine maintenance, top off fluids, and to make sure it was fine for the trip. The garage had a few emergencies so the van took a bit longer for them to check out.

 

 

 

So we finally got the call that it was ready, loaded it up and hit the road. Just before New Haven we were following an old beat up truck and smelled something burning. We figured that it was the truck, no reason to think it was the van, we could see no smoke, it was driving fine, etc. Less then a mile later I noticed that it was starting to have some trouble like a tire was going down so I was able to get off an exit and into a Park & Ride. As soon as I stopped we knew we had a bigger issue then a possible flat. Smoke and red hot rim & brakes with a caliper completely stuck. All my tools were in our truck, I always have them with me but had forgotten them this time - ARGH! After about 15 minutes trying to work on it with the cheap tire jack Chrysler gives you we saw a pickup truck towing a small trailer pull in next to us and as I looked at the trailer I knew help had arrived. It was a Boy Scout Troop! They are always prepared! They have to have tools! and they did :) 45 minutes hour later we had unstuck the caliper and it was rolling/coasting free. Back on the road - YAY!

 

 

 

We stopped at a rest area to check on it, rolled down windows checking for smoke as we were driving. All was great...for 20 miles. Started smelling the smoke and it was getting hard to roll. Luckily we were right at the exit for Exit 40 (I-95 CT) and owning a trucking company I know there are truck stops there. It took so long to get across the road to the Pilot I was almost in tears. Not one person would let us cross over to the entrance of the Pilot, just kept their front bumper on the rear bumper of the car ahead of them so we were sitting there in the road trying to get across, smoking away and by now the van was filling up with smoke since we were sitting, not moving. I finally said enough and played chicken, making my own way through with people actually having the nerve to honk at me trying to get into a truck stop with a tire billowing smoke - You know their lives are so much more important then anyone else, they couldn't stand having to wait 5 seconds for me to pass? Idiots

 

 

 

So we get parked on a flat spot and get out to look at the tire that had given us trouble and it is cool. The bad tire is now on the other side and the caliper is really froze up hard once again. We bought tools this time and an hour later we were back on the road.

 

 

 

We had 85 miles more to go and since the van was having problems I wasn't going to go on the Merritt Parkway since there aren't as many exits and facilities. That meant that I was going to go through the Cross Bronx at the end of rush hour, which usually means being on the brakes. I ran in 1st & 2nd gear, used the emergency brake (with hand on release so it wouldn't lock up) and only had to hit the brakes once! Finally we made it to our hotel without further incident. We were hot, greasy, and tired but we made it to Newark and only have 8 more miles to go to get on the Anthem - HOORAY!!!!!!!!

 

 

 

Our 3.5 hour drive turned into an 8.5 hour. If we had left in the morning as we normally do we would have missed the cruise. Always give yourself time for emergencies or unexpected issues and leave at least the day before. We had done everything we could to insure a smooth trip but even the best laid plans can go astray.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I know you just returned today but can't wait for the rest of your review!

[Madison81]

Hi Everyone!

 

So sorry for the lag in posting. I did not take into account how busy I would be traveling with two 18yr old boys on their first vacation when I thought to do a LIVE review instead of my regular photo reviews of the past. I have no idea where the time went! We had a wonderfully amazing time, but then had the same brake caliper issues on the way home and again it was an 8 hour ride instead of the 3.5 we had hoped for. The good news is that I made it home without a huge emergency service bill, tow bill or hotel bill.

 

I have 34 videos and 2290 pictures to sort. Needless to say I will be posting a lot of photos, LOL. I just need to get some things for work taken care of today, then the photos will start coming, along with our thoughts and impressions of the ship, crew, food, etc.

 

My nephews have never read a cruise review, here on CC or otherwise. Their honest observations, without any preconceived notions on food, crew, beds, activities, etc was interesting to hear, and also see through their eyes. I will include them for you all.

 

I'll be back soon :) Again, sorry for not posting LIVE! Hope you were able to view the Periscopes I did from the ship. If not you can see them here - https://www.periscope.tv/SeaSetter/1gqxvMeYnrQJB

Edited June 17, 2016 by Madison81

[bkrickles1]

Please post compasses, if you have them.

Thanks

 

 

Hi Everyone!

 

So sorry for the lag in posting. I did not take into account how busy I would be traveling with two 18yr old boys on their first vacation when I thought to do a LIVE review instead of my regular photo reviews of the past. I have no idea where the time went! We had a wonderfully amazing time, but then had the same brake caliper issues on the way home and again it was an 8 hour ride instead of the 3.5 we had hoped for. The good news is that I made it home without a huge emergency service bill, tow bill or hotel bill.

 

I have 34 videos and 2290 pictures to sort. Needless to say I will be posting a lot of photos, LOL. I just need to get some things for work taken care of today, then the photos will start coming, along with our thoughts and impressions of the ship, crew, food, etc.

 

My nephews have never read a cruise review, here on CC or otherwise. Their honest observations, without any preconceived notions on food, crew, beds, activities, etc was interesting to hear, and also see through their eyes. I will include them for you all.

 

I'll be back soon :) Again, sorry for not posting LIVE! Hope you were able to view the Periscopes I did from the ship. If not you can see them here - https://www.periscope.tv/SeaSetter/1gqxvMeYnrQJB

[Madison81]

Please post compasses, if you have them.

Thanks

 

Will do! I have all the compasses and other papers the steward left in the cabin. I also took pics of numerous signage on the ship. The only thing I do not have is the dining room menus.

[SDA1125]

Will do! I have all the compasses and other papers the steward left in the cabin. I also took pics of numerous signage on the ship. The only thing I do not have is the dining room menus.

 

Thanks for taking the time to do all this. Can't wait to see the pictures :)

[JBeaty0507]

So excited to read more! We've never sailed with Royal Caribbean and we will be sailing with 17 year old twin boys next May! I have a feeling we're in for an interesting cruise :)

[kenandcindyc]

Was the outside pool open late? how about the Solarium?

[scottygirl]

Thanks for your impending review and info!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[Madison81]

Hi everyone,

 

I thought I had finished sorting the photos but then couldn't find a few shots and realized I had another SD card I hadn't gone through yet (638 pics) so I have been working on getting everything together and resized.

 

One of my nephews leaves this morning to start his journey to Parris Island for boot camp so yesterday we spent his last day here together doing fun local stuff. I'll be ready to start up the review in earnest this afternoon when I get back from the airport.

 

Thanks for taking the time to do all this. Can't wait to see the pictures :)

 

I enjoy doing the review and LOVE taking the pictures. Glad I can share them with everyone. (The photos are coming, I promise :) )

 

So excited to read more! We've never sailed with Royal Caribbean and we will be sailing with 17 year old twin boys next May! I have a feeling we're in for an interesting cruise :)

 

I'm sure your boys will have an absolute blast! My nephews can't stop talking about it. So many things to do they didn't have time for everything.

 

Was the outside pool open late? how about the Solarium?

 

All the pools and hot tubs were open late, although in each area there would be pools/hot tubs closed at various times during the evening while they were being cleaned so not all were open at the same time as it is during the day. At midnight my nephew and I were the only ones in the indoor pool hot tubs and it was wonderful.

 

Thanks for your impending review and info!

 

You welcome, I hope you enjoy it.

[Madison81]

Saturday June 11, 2016: Embarkation Day - HOORAY!!

 

We had booked a room at the Courtyard Newark Liberty International Airport hotel for the night before our cruise. The room was clean and fairly large, with 2 double beds and a large chair & ottoman along with a small table and chair and large dresser cabinet. To my surprise the rooms have small balconies, ours overlooked the back parking lot. It was very quiet and the parking lots were not even half full. There are no restaurants that I could find local to the area, however there was a full restaurant in the hotel. We had planned to eat there but due to arriving later then we had expected we had grabbed a bite to eat on the road.

 

NOTE: If you are driving in and planning to park there is a $13.00/per night charge. The room only cost $132.00/night so even with the additional parking fee it was a great price for the area. The hotel is an easy 8 miles from the cruise port which took us 20 minutes to drive.

 

I did a short Periscope video of the room when we finally arrived. Due to the brake issues we had driving down we were beat and were showered and in bed quickly. I realized afterward that I hadn't even taken one picture of the hotel. This is so not like me...I'll chalk it up to being tired, dirty & stressed a bit.

 

Here is the Courtyard Periscope

[YOUTUBE]YIU5sjYRt8U[/YOUTUBE]

[Madison81]

Heading to the Port & Checking In :)

 

We left our hotel at 9:30am and drove the 8 miles to the cruise port, an easy 15 minute drive that morning.

 

 

There was not any traffic as we drove towards the ship (sorry for the dirty windshield).

 

 

I told Steven to take a picture of the ship as soon as he saw it for the first time.

 

 

It wasn't until we were right at the terminal to drop off our luggage that we encountered any congestion, that being due to both departing and arriving passengers using the same area. It was not bad at all however, and we quickly had our bags on their way with the baggage handlers.

 

The parking garage is located pretty much as you leave the baggage drop off area. We paid the $100.00 parking fee for our 5 night cruise ($20/per day) and parked in the nearly empty 2nd floor of the garage. Upon exiting the garage we saw a number of Royal Caribbean check-in agents holding their iPads to check people in.

 

 

We were checked in and heading for the ship in no time, probably 2 minutes for each of us. The agent checked the photos that we had previously uploaded through the cruise planner on RCL's website, checking to make sure they matched our passports, and ourselves. He then placed an orange sticker on each Sea Pass, initialing nearby, and sent us on our way.

 

Around the corner we went, into the terminal and right over to the waiting area. It was now 10:10am.

 

 

[Madison81]

We Are On A Boat! :D

 

They started boarding at 10:45. Big shout out to all the previous cruisers who disembarked quickly so we didn't have to wait long at all :)

 

It was so nice not to have to leave the terminal to board a bus and travel the 1/4 mile to the ship as had been the case in the past, before the new terminal.

 

 

Our row of seats was called to board and before we knew it we were on the beautiful Anthem of the Seas! We had previously discussed what options were available on boarding and what we wanted to do. The boys & I had decided to go to the Windjammer for a bite to eat before exploring the ship, while waiting for our cabin to become available at about 1pm.

 

Since I know that the Windjammer can be very crowded at times I suggested that we go the 9 flights up the stairs instead of waiting for elevators, hopefully bypassing others heading to the same place. So we, along with our carryons and backpacks, made haste up, up, up the stairs...and it worked, there were not many people there yet, plenty of window-side tables available and no lines at the serving stations.

 

Sean needs a gluten-free and dairy free diet. He easily found a variety of food that he could eat. This would continue throughout all the dining and food venues we tried on the ship. I'll post more on his diet choices and the accommodations that the dining room staff made for him later on in the review.

 

Along for the cruise with my nephew's and I are a couple of my best friends,

 

 

 

• Top Left: Canon PowerShot SX10 IS
  
• Top Right: Nikon CoolPix 8800VR
  
• Bottom Left: Olympus Tough TG-3
  
• Bottom Middle: Windproof Microphone for iPhone (homemade, works excellent)
  
• Bottom Right: iPhone 6S plus
  

To make the windproof microphone:

• Use old iPhone earbuds that include the integrated microphone.
  
• Cut off ear buds so you only have the microphone at the end of the cord - or - twist earbuds closely together along with built-in microphone. I did it this way since my ear buds were new.
  
• Purchase a car washing sponge or similar and using a sharp knife hollow out an area big enough to insert microphone (make a larger hole if including the earbuds).
  
• Insert microphone or earbuds & microphone into opening in sponge.
  
• Plug into the iPhone.
  
• No more wind noise:)
  

 

I'll be back soon with lots more. My 2300+ pics have been narrowed down to about 1300 that I can't decide between for posting, LOL. Still uploading some videos.

Edited June 19, 2016 by Madison81

[Madison81]

Crossing onto the ship

 

 

After eating in the windjammer we went to explore the ship, leaving through the aft section of the buffet on Deck 14. As we rounded the corner towards the bow on the starboard side of the ship we came upon Gigi, the Anthem's mascot, looking down on us.

 

 

Gotta love Gigi feet :D

 

 

The Anthem was docked with the starboard side against the port. As we walked along we could see the "Tear Drop" memorial.

 

"To the Struggle Against World Terrorism (also known as the Tear of Grief and the Tear Drop Memorial) is a 10–story sculpture by Zurab Tsereteli that was given to the United States as an official gift of the Russian government as a memorial to the victims of the September 11 attacks and the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. It stands at the end of the former Military Ocean Terminal in Bayonne, New Jersey, and was dedicated on September 11, 2006." - Wikipedia

 

 

After walking around the whole ship on Deck 14 we decided to go out onto the port side bridge wing. As we approached the glass door leading onto the bridge wing we saw people try to get out the door to no avail and then walk away, they could not figure out how to open it. The secret is to put your hand over the round "door key" that is illuminated in LED lights. This will trigger the door to open automatically. To leave the bridge wing you do the same to the round "door key" that is near the door. You can view this, and also the "secret" entrance to the Solarium via Deck 13, in the Periscope.

 

[YOUTUBE]oUgv0V8Q61s[/YOUTUBE]

 

Our cabin, 13140, a D1 located on Deck 13 forward, was ready at 1pm. We arrived to the door to find our luggage already waiting for us, and an envelope at the door that contained one of our sea pass cards. We opened the cabin door and found our other 2 sea pass cards, wifi package pass code, Day 1 cruise compass, and drink package soda cups all neatly organized on the bed and dresser top. A bit later in the review I will post the Periscope cabin tour I did (editing & uploading videos takes longer then photos, it is in the queue now).

 

Since it was early and we already had our luggage we quickly unpacked, putting our belongings in the two wardrobes, dresser cabinet drawers and other storage areas. As you will see in the Periscope video there is a lot of storage space in the cabin, certainly enough space for the 3 of us...we even had a few drawers and overhead areas that we didn't use at all.

 

TIP: An easy way to tell which side is Port and which is Starboard...Port and left both have 4 letters; Starboard & right both have more then 4 letters.

 

[Madison81]

Being that our cabin was forward on Deck 13, our muster station was in the theater on Deck 4. Muster drill consisted of us watching a video on washing hands (washy, washy :)), safety info on mustering, and a talk from the Captain over the intercom, where we learned that the seas would become a bit rough during the night.

 

 

After muster we ran up the 10 decks of stairs to the North Star Bar on Deck 14, where we met up with folks from our Roll Call for Sail Away. The meteorologist on tv had mentioned a chance of thunderstorms but we had nice weather as we sailed out of New York Harbor heading to Bermuda.

 

I always love sailing under the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, drink in hand and everyone whooping it up, cameras raised :)

 

[YOUTUBE]6lNVWzsy4N0[/YOUTUBE]

 

Just outside the bridge a pilot boat comes to pick up the pilot who guided Anthem out of the harbor and towards open water. I'm adding this picture to give you an idea of the sea conditions.

 

 

The pilot exits Anthem by way of a rope ladder from the ship onto the pilot boat in this short video.

 

[YOUTUBE]KTtbd5fb0q8[/YOUTUBE]

 

 

 

[scottygirl]

Can't wait for more of your review!

[jerseygirl2609]

This is great, thank you! Can't wait for more.

[Pandabear90]

Nice, I'm doing a 5 night next year on Anthem to Bermuda as well. Please let me know what you think of the 5 nighter. We been on the 7 nights past couple of cruises, and the only other option for Anthem was 9, but we decided with 5.

 

Also are you going to purchase WOW bands??

 

Let me know what your fav comp. and specialty restaurants end up being!

 

Have a great trip!

[Madison81]

Can't wait for more of your review!

 

This is great, thank you! Can't wait for more.

 

More is coming soon, hopefully by tomorrow afternoon! Had some urgent work issues to take care of and then suddenly putting together a Send-Off party this weekend for my nephew who is heading to Parris Island for boot camp next week when my brother's schedule abruptly changed so he couldn't put the party together as was the plan. This will definitely be my most drawn out review, LOL

 

Nice, I'm doing a 5 night next year on Anthem to Bermuda as well. Please let me know what you think of the 5 nighter. We been on the 7 nights past couple of cruises, and the only other option for Anthem was 9, but we decided with 5.

 

Also are you going to purchase WOW bands??

 

Let me know what your fav comp. and specialty restaurants end up being!

 

Have a great trip!

 

We love the 5 nighter to Bermuda because of the over night there and for the fact that it is just a 5 night cruise. My husband's work makes it very difficult for us to do longer cruises, and we can drive down to Bayonne and back without needing extra travel days. That said I always wish the cruise was a few days longer...but then again I would have the same wish no matter how long the cruise was HAHA!

 

WOW bands were available to purchase from guest services. I did not buy one but thought about it and will probably do so next cruise. It did look easy to use for purchases and to open the cabin doors without fishing through pockets or a bag to find the SeaPass card. I saw a number of passengers who had them.

 

We didn't do any Specialty restaurants but our favorite comp restaurant was The Grande. The service and food were both great.

[Pandabear90]

We love the 5 nighter to Bermuda because of the over night there and for the fact that it is just a 5 night cruise. My husband's work makes it very difficult for us to do longer cruises, and we can drive down to Bayonne and back without needing extra travel days. That said I always wish the cruise was a few days longer...but then again I would have the same wish no matter how long the cruise was HAHA!

 

WOW bands were available to purchase from guest services. I did not buy one but thought about it and will probably do so next cruise. It did look easy to use for purchases and to open the cabin doors without fishing through pockets or a bag to find the SeaPass card. I saw a number of passengers who had them.

 

We didn't do any Specialty restaurants but our favorite comp restaurant was The Grande. The service and food were both great.

 

Thank you for your response Sue. Yea I hear you about always wanting a longer vacation haha. We're from NY, so its not a bad drive down to Bayonne. It'll be first time we won't have to take a plane to get to the port.

 

With the ship being in the biggest class RCI has, did you feel the 5 nights gave you enough time to experience the ship to its full potential in terms of being able to experience all its features or what not?

[ATLgirl15]

You can definitely fit in everything the ship has to offer in the 5 days and still have plenty of time left over to relax. I thought the same thing beforehand but somehow everything falls into place. If it was a longer cruise I don't think I would do anything additional, probably just a second round of the things I already did and enjoyed.

 

We had complimentary WOW bands because we were in a suite. My husband didn't use it at all. I thought it was very convenient for the gym or if I was just going for a walk but most of the time I just used my room key.

Edited June 27, 2016 by ATLgirl15

[Madison81]

Thank you for your response Sue. Yea I hear you about always wanting a longer vacation haha. We're from NY, so its not a bad drive down to Bayonne. It'll be first time we won't have to take a plane to get to the port.

 

With the ship being in the biggest class RCI has, did you feel the 5 nights gave you enough time to experience the ship to its full potential in terms of being able to experience all its features or what not?

 

I think you could see and do everything in 5 days, as ATLgirl15 mentioned, but I would just be sure to have reservations for iFly, NorthStar, and the shows before boarding and also check the Cruise Compass so you can plan the days to fit it all in since some things are scheduled only at certain times (bumper cars, flow rider, circus school, etc).

 

I did not do everything I had wanted too but am totally ok with that...it is an excuse to sail on Anthem again :) Since my husband couldn't come at the last minute, and I have Anthem booked again for February, we can experience some of the things we had wanted to do or places we wanted to eat together then.

[Madison81]

Finally back to the review & photos :)

After sail away we headed to the cabin and did a fun Periscope while hanging out for a bit.

 

[YOUTUBE]7Dev_eKA8uw[/YOUTUBE]

 

It was then time to explore the ship before heading to dinner. I think because I'm a bit behind in the review I'll do all the photos in sections instead of a day by day, starting with the ship, pools, food, and artwork. Then we will head to Bermuda for pictures of the Dockyard area, Horsehoe Bay and the South Shore Beaches and finally our excursions. So sit back, grab a snack & cold drink or cup of coffee and here we go...

 

Welcome to the Anthem of the Seas Photo Tour :)

 

Lets start at the bow of the ship with the Solarium. This is a beautiful area that I wish I had spent more time in as it was peaceful and had great views.

 

 

This picture is taken in the Solarium looking towards the indoor pool with the bow of the ship at my back. As you enter into the Solarium both sides has loungers and is very quiet, a perfect place to read while enjoying the ocean views. The entrance to the Solarium Bistro is seen at the left side, behind the pole.

 

Entering into the main part of the Solarium. It was early morning and they had just finished washing the floors when I took these pictures.