LIVE from Anthem of the Seas Transatlantic October 2022

[Another_Critic]

58 minutes ago, laurieal said:

Hello from the pub, whose name I can never remember. Is it the Buck & Bassoon? The menu doesn’t say and I don’t want to go all the way outside to check. It’s the English pub. 

 

Brass & Bock (formerly Michael's Genuine Pub)

[shepherdqueen]

2 hours ago, laurieal said:

I like the virtual balcony and I wouldn’t hesitate to book it again. I would still book an ocean view window before a virtual balcony if the price difference wasn’t too big, but I like what the virtual balcony does to the stateroom (to me, it feels more open than a regular inside). I also like keeping the curtains open during the night so when I wake up I can tell at a glance if I can go back to sleep or if I should consider getting up. 
 

So yeah…I would never say it’s as good as an actual balcony, but I don’t think it’s advertised as such. I will say it’s definitely better than staring at a wall in an inside stateroom. 
 

We sailed on the Anthem in 2017.  We had an accessible OV on deck 3 while a friend had a solo cabin with a virtual balcony.  She had a much better view of what was outside then we did with our window. 

Edited October 25, 2022 by shepherdqueen
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[laurieal]

1 hour ago, shepherdqueen said:

We sailed on the Anthem in 2017.  We had an accessible OV on deck 3 while a friend had a solo cabin with a virtual balcony.  She had a much better view of what was outside then we did with our window. 

That’s interesting! I have an aft view on my virtual balcony and assumed everyone would have the same. 

[Another_Critic]

1 hour ago, laurieal said:

That’s interesting! I have an aft view on my virtual balcony and assumed everyone would have the same. 

VB views vary depending on cabin location.

 

Also, I think shepardqueen meant that the VB "view" was better than the actual view out their oceanview window.

 

Edited October 26, 2022 by Another_Critic

[bnaselli]

14 hours ago, Teeara said:

I think you can email anthemevents@rccl.com and someone on Anthem will be able to work directly with you.  I was able to work directly with someone on Wonder at wonderevents@rccl.com in order to get Music Hall for our upcoming Wonder TA next week.

Thank you so very much for that information.  I truly appreciate it.

[laurieal]

Day 9 Compass

 

 

 

 

[laurieal]

Day 9

 

Hello from the indoor pool!

 

It was a very foggy day in Halifax and as I went up to the Solarium, I could hear they were sounding the horn regularly. I couldn’t resist going up to Deck 15 to see what it looked like from outside. 
 

 

 

 

It was almost spooky not being able to see anything. We could have been close to Halifax or still in the middle of the ocean and it wouldn’t have made a difference to me. Even Gigi seemed confused and she’s seen a lot. 

 

 

Hoping we wouldn’t end up on the news as that cruise ship who hit something because of the fog, I returned to the Solarium and assembled my breakfast. I’m glad I tried the beef thing, I liked it a lot. It reminded me of a local dish we have called tourtière. 

 

 

If I hadn’t felt the vibration as we were docking, I would have been surprised to hear the captains announcement saying we could go ashore. We didn’t look closer to land than when I had woken up, but I took the captain’s word for it. 

 

I made a quick detour to my stateroom to check what was happening on my virtual balcony. It was a bit of a mess because of some water on the camera, but it was funny to see another ship so close to us. I would soon learn it was the Norwegian Pearl. 

 

[laurieal]

Day 9 - continued

 

My plan for the day was to stroll along the Halifax Harbourwalk, which I had heard was lovely. Then, I had booked the Harbour Hopper for early afternoon. 

 

Here are some pictures from my morning stroll.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[laurieal]

Day 9 - continued 

 

More from the Halifax Harbourwalk

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[laurieal]

Day 9 - continued

 

More from the Halifax Harbourwalk

 

 

 

 

 

 

[laurieal]

Day 9 - continued

 

On my way back, I stopped at a place that had several food booths. Around half of them were closed (not sure if they only open on weekends or if they’re closed for the winter), but there was still some variety.

 

 

I grabbed a Beaver Tail because exercise, even a slow walk on an even terrain, should be rewarded. 

 

 

The spot with all the food booths is very close to the meeting point for the Harbour Hopper, so when it was time to check-in I was only a couple of minutes away. Also, there were accessible public restrooms in the area, so really it was an ideal place for a short break. 

 

I think there is only one of the Hoppers that’s accessible and once it arrived it took a while for them to get it ready as they have to remove a couple of benches for a wheelchair to fit in.

 

 

 

Then, they brought a lift similar to what they use to get me on trains when the platform is too low. It was pretty easy to get me up into the Hopper and secured. 

 

 

[laurieal]

Day 9 - continued

 

We ended up leaving a bit later than expected, but once we got on the way it was clear I had picked a really fun tour. The guide was informative and hilarious, which is my favourite combo for a tour guide. We saw some of Halifax I wouldn’t have been able to see on foot and what I saw made me eager to return one day and see more. 
 

 

 

 

 

We almost couldn’t get into the water because of the fog, but it had lifted just enough to allow us to do it. I ended up seeing what I had already seen during my morning walk, but from the water and with some added information.

 

 

 

 

 

Also, there were a bunch of seagulls floating around us, and I absolutely love seagulls.

 

And pigeons. And ducks. Moving on, because I could be here a while. 

[laurieal]

Day 9 - continued

 

The tour cost me $50 CAD for an hour and I’m very happy I did it. Once the tour was done, it was only a slow 15 minutes walk back to the ship. I found a candy store on the way, so of course I had to stop and get some weird snacks.

 

 

The ones that look like dog treats aren’t from Canada, but the Cheezies are and I’m not sure we have them at home. The last time I remember eating them they were from my Trick or Treat haul when I was growing up in Ontario, so…it’s been a while. 

 

I ended up having a lovely day in Halifax and despite the fog I think we were very lucky with the weather. It didn’t rain, it was warm enough for a Canadian to walk around in short sleeves and everything looked slightly spooky. Win!

 

Once back on the ship, I decided to go for some bar food at the Brass & Bock Pub. I had a Cherry Orchard to drink, which I didn’t fancy as I found the taste to be a bit too close to the cough syrup my parents used to give me when I was a kid.

 

 

 

To eat, I ordered the Lobster Mac & Cheese Wedges and the German Soft Pretzel Sticks. 

 

The Pretzel sticks were the same bread from Chops and if I had known in advance I probably would have ordered something else. It’s very good bread, but I had had some the day before at Chops and I would have liked to try something new. 

 

 

The Wedges could have done with more lobster, but they were really good and the sauce served with them was delicious and just the right amount of spicy. They would make a great snack to share. 

 

[laurieal]

Day 9 - continued

 

Then, I went up to Deck 15 to get some pictures of Halifax. From up there, I could see they were removing the flag from the aft of the Norwegian Pearl, so I decided to hang out there and watch it sail away. 
 

 

 

It didn’t so much sail away as disappear into the fog like it was the Black Pearl or something. 

 

 

While I was on Deck 15 aft, I decided to take a closer look at the facilities. This is where you’ll find the Flowrider and iFly, but if you can’t do stairs those are only accessible by platforms that you can’t operate on your own. 

 

 

 

 

If my parents had been there, I would have asked an attendant to get me up there in order to see my step dad do the Flowrider and iFly. However, with no one I know to watch, I won’t bother. It would have been nice to be able to get up there on my own, like in Two70 or the Seaplex. 

[laurieal]

Day 9 - continued

 

Speaking of the Seaplex, it looked like they were setting up bumper cars, so I went inside to check it out. On the way, I had a look at the arcade. 
 

 

 

 

Bumper cars looked like loads of fun. There weren’t many people there, so those who wanted to could stay on and ride over and over again. 

 

 

 

[laurieal]

Day 9 - continued

 

I had some time to kill before my 20:00 appointment at NextCruise and watching people riding the bumper cars had made me a bit peckish, so I decided to see what Sorrento’s has to offer. I went for the Caribbean Dream because I’ve never had pineapple on a pizza before and I thought a “free” slice would be the perfect way to try it. 
 

 

So, did I settle the debate? Does pineapple belong on pizza? I don’t know, maybe it doesn’t belong on that particular pizza, because I wasn’t a fan. But I’ve had cantaloupe on a pizza and absolutely loved it so I don’t feel any credibility in telling people what they can or can’t have on their pizzas. 

 

I realized there was a comedy show with Richie Minervini starting in five minutes in the Royal Theatre and I rushed to see that. It was fine, not really my style but I had some good chuckles. 

 

 

 

Then, it was time for my NextCruise appointment. Originally, I had been hoping to book an Icon crossing to Florida, but with that not happening anymore I had no idea what to book. 

 

While waiting for my appointment, I spotted four crossings that looked interesting, but one of them didn’t exist anymore and the others didn’t have any accessible staterooms left. I could do Symphony, but I just did a similar itinerary on a similar ship this spring, so I wasn’t too enthusiastic about that. 

 

So I left the NextCruise desk with a hold on the last Radiance Alaska cruise of 2023, which some of my friends had booked while we were on the Wonder. My plan was to check with them to make 100% sure I was booking the right thing and then go back and confirm the next morning. 

 

There was a virtual concert in Two70 that I could hear from NextCruise, so I went to check that out when I was done with my appointment. While I was there, the wheels in my head were already turning: how could I expand that Alaska sailing to make it at least a two weeks vacation?

 

 

Stay tuned to find out!

 

(I’m not good with spoilers. I booked the Alaska sailing + the Pacific Coastal sailing that follows)

[laurieal]

And now, for a cookie update. 
 

I think I have found the bakery people have been talking about. It’s right where we enter and it says “Bakery”, so I’m pretty confident that’s the place. 
 

 

I was feeling a bit silly that I had missed it with the whole Bakery sign. 
 

But when I returned at lunchtime to look for warm cookies, the Bakery sign was gone! It was now a beverage counter!

 

 

So I’m not very confident, but I will look again a bit later in the afternoon. 

[njkruzer]

2 minutes ago, laurieal said:

And now, for a cookie update. 
 

I think I have found the bakery people have been talking about. It’s right where we enter and it says “Bakery”, so I’m pretty confident that’s the place. 
 

 

I was feeling a bit silly that I had missed it with the whole Bakery sign. 
 

But when I returned at lunchtime to look for warm cookies, the Bakery sign was gone! It was now a beverage counter!

 

 

So I’m not very confident, but I will look again a bit later in the afternoon. 

That's standard though it's usually still a bakery at the beginning of lunch.  They don't actually bake there.

[fla33023]

6 hours ago, laurieal said:

Day 9 - continued

 

The tour cost me $50 CAD for an hour and I’m very happy I did it. Once the tour was done, it was only a slow 15 minutes walk back to the ship. I found a candy store on the way, so of course I had to stop and get some weird snacks.

 

 

The ones that look like dog treats aren’t from Canada, but the Cheezies are and I’m not sure we have them at home. The last time I remember eating them they were from my Trick or Treat haul when I was growing up in Ontario, so…it’s been a while. 

 

I ended up having a lovely day in Halifax and despite the fog I think we were very lucky with the weather. It didn’t rain, it was warm enough for a Canadian to walk around in short sleeves and everything looked slightly spooky. Win!

 

Once back on the ship, I decided to go for some bar food at the Brass & Bock Pub. I had a Cherry Orchard to drink, which I didn’t fancy as I found the taste to be a bit too close to the cough syrup my parents used to give me when I was a kid.

 

 

 

To eat, I ordered the Lobster Mac & Cheese Wedges and the German Soft Pretzel Sticks. 

 

The Pretzel sticks were the same bread from Chops and if I had known in advance I probably would have ordered something else. It’s very good bread, but I had had some the day before at Chops and I would have liked to try something new. 

 

 

The Wedges could have done with more lobster, but they were really good and the sauce served with them was delicious and just the right amount of spicy. They would make a great snack to share. 

 

Combos are very popular in the U.S. especially the pretzel ones. Sent some in my kid's lunch box today! Thanks for this wonderful review. I am enjoying every word.

Edited October 26, 2022 by fla33023
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[Blur]

13 hours ago, njkruzer said:

That's standard though it's usually still a bakery at the beginning of lunch.  They don't actually bake there.

When I was on anthem last Nov and Dec 2021 they had a girl there baking fresh cookies every day... When I went back on anthem this past March that fresh cookie station along with the staff were gone...  Assuming they moved people around due to staffing and going back to full capacity?

 

It's hard to beat fresh out of the oven ranger cookies if you like coconut.

Edited October 27, 2022 by Blur

[njkruzer]

8 hours ago, Blur said:

When I was on anthem last Nov and Dec 2021 they had a girl there baking fresh cookies every day... When I went back on anthem this past March that fresh cookie station along with the staff were gone...  Assuming they moved people around due to staffing and going back to full capacity?

 

It's hard to beat fresh out of the oven ranger cookies if you like coconut.

Currently at 50% capacity.  About 2400 guests.

[Biker19]

15 minutes ago, njkruzer said:

Currently at 50% capacity.  About 2400 guests.

100% capacity on Q class is about 4200 (a bit higher on Q+).

[njkruzer]

Just now, Biker19 said:

100% capacity on Q class is about 4200 (a bit higher on Q+).

Ok, so a little more than 50%.  Lots of empty tables in WJ and mdr.  More children than expected but apparently a school holiday in the UK.  In Boston today, NJ Saturday. 

[Blur]

1 hour ago, njkruzer said:

Currently at 50% capacity.  About 2400 guests.

Shrug then maybe new windjammer management shaking things up?  You can ask about it?  That fresh cookie station was both awesome and bad in my opinion.  Bad since you had to grab cookies every time you left lol.

[njkruzer]

14 hours ago, Blur said:

When I was on anthem last Nov and Dec 2021 they had a girl there baking fresh cookies every day... When I went back on anthem this past March that fresh cookie station along with the staff were gone...  Assuming they moved people around due to staffing and going back to full capacity?

 

It's hard to beat fresh out of the oven ranger cookies if you like coconut.

Stopped at "Bakery" on the way out of WJ today.  No they don't bake cookies,  they bake pastries in the am.. Cookies come from deck 4.  Some ships might still bake cookies in WJ but they don't.