In just about a month, Royal Caribbean's Anthem of the Seas will be arriving at her new homeport of Cape Liberty, New Jersey, and it will mark her debut in the United States.

Photo by Royal Caribbean

Anthem of the Seas' arrival stateside is a big deal because there will be a brand new cruise ship for guests to try out in one of the most populous parts of the country.

In anticipation for Anthem of the Seas' arrival, we are counting down the top reasons you ought to be excited to welcome Anthem of the Seas "home".

5. The biggest ship to call New York home

With Anthem of the Seas arrival in the New York City metro area, Anthem of the Seas will be the largest and most innovative ship ever to homeport in the New York region.

Folks living in the North East definitely hold themselves in high regard and having a significantly larger Royal Caribbean ship than ever before means there is a lot to enjoy about her.

4. Lots of WOWs

​Of course, this massive ship contains lots of WOWs onboard and there ought to be enough to enjoy on Anthem of the Seas to satisfy the Big Apple's appetite.

Onboard Anthem of the Seas, guests will find quite a variety of onboard activities, dining options and places to relax.

There is no way to fit them all into one post but here are the ones not to miss:

• We Will Rock You, the Olivier Award-winning musical
• Bionic Bar
• Bumper cars
• Two70 theater
• Music Hall
• iFly skydiving simulator

3. Seeing the New York City skyline from North Star

Few skylines are as easily recongizable and beloved as the New York City skyline, but you have to see it from over 300 feet above sea level!

North Star is Royal Caribbean's amazing observation capsule, that takes guests smoothly into the air to provide breathtaking views of New York City, the Statue of Liberty and the surrounding areas.

Once you see New York from North Star, it will give you a view of the area that you have never experienced before.

2. The arrival of Dynamic Dining Classic

Dynamic Dining is not new to the United States but Royal Caribbean has introduced a new option to Dynamic Dining for those that want a more traditional dining experience.

Onboard Anthem of the Seas, guests can choose Dynamic Dining Classic if they prefer the traditional main dining style with the same dining time each night, with the same wait staff and dining companions throughout the cruise. 

Guests will rotate through restaurants onboard the ship, giving them the Dynamic Dining experience coupled with the traditional dining memories they have enjoyed on past cruises.

Dynamic Dining Classic is available on a first come, first serve basis. 

1. Longer itineraries

Photo by Miguelángel

Royal Caribbean designed Anthem of the Seas for longer itineraries and that means this new ship will take New Yorkers, New Jerseyians and Connecticitians to more exotic and beautiful destinations than ever before.

Anthem of the Seas will offer cruises to 

• The Caribbean
• The Bahamas
• Canada & New England
• Bermuda

Anthem of the Seas offers sailings that are 7-, 8-, 10- and 12-nights that are sure to meet the needs of all Royal Caribbean fans looking to get away.

Sailing from the northeast means no plane rides south required and more time onboard, enjoying the ambiance and views only a cruise ship can provide.

What are you most excited about to experience on Anthem of the Seas? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Royal Caribbean kicked off today a special 72-hour sale on Anthem of the Seas cruises, where guests can get a free upgrade to a balcony stateroom and $200 in onboard credit.

Guests that book a qualifying cruise can get

• Free Upgrade – from Interior to Balcony (starting at $799 per person).
• An additional $200 onboard credit per stateroom for all categories.

The cruise sale runs from September 21 through 23, 2015 and is for all Anthem of the Seas sailings departing November 10 – December 19, 2015.

Free Upgrade offers are combinable with the adjoining OBC offer, Crown & Anchor discounts, Next Cruise offers, and Shareholder Benefits. Free Upgrade offers are not combinable with restricted rates (for example, Seniors, Residents, Military, BOGO). OBC offer is combinable with restricted rates (for example, Seniors, Residents, Military, BOGO, Free Upgrades, Free Gratuities) as well as Next Cruise offers. OBC offer is not combinable with Crown & Anchor discounts and Shareholder Benefits. Neither offer is combinable with any other offer or promotion, including, but not limited to, Standard Group, Interline, Travel Agent, Travel Agent Friends and Family, weekly Sales Events, Net Rates.

Offer open to residents of the United States or Canada.

Royal Caribbean announced today that Anthem of the Seas will offer the DreamWorks Experience, which offers family friendly activities and entertainment centered around famous characters from the DreamWorks catalog of films.

Guests on Anthem of the Seas can enjoy events and activities based on DreamWorks Animation's popular feature-film characters, including

• DreamWorks Character breakfast in the main dining room
• ‘meet and greet’ experiences throughout the day
• activities, games and adventures rooted in the popular DreamWorks Animation films at Adventue Ocean.
• guests can watch the latest DreamWorks Animation films at the ship’s movie theater or on a dedicated DreamWorks TV channel in their stateroom.

"Anthem of the Seas already offers an unprecedented line-up of entertainment activities on board for our guests," said Mark Tamis, senior vice president, hotel operations, Royal Caribbean International. “With the addition of the DreamWorks Experience guests of all ages will be even more wowed with everything Anthem has to offer.”

The DreamWorks Experience will begin being offered on Anthem of the Seas when she begins sailing from her homeport of Cape Liberty Cruise Port in Bayonne, NJ.

Leonardo Da Vinci was a visionary with ideas that far surpassed his time. With the technology available inAnthem of the Seas’ Two70, Royal Caribbean is able to bring many of his dreams to life in a dazzling display of digital technology.

Royal Caribbean's Anthem of the Seas features two glass enclosures for either side of the ship's upper-deck pool, patio and bar area that was made by OpenAire and it has become a popular spot on the ship.

Photo by OpenAire

The retractable roof retracts into a central core and wall panels that slide down to railing height that allows the space to go from indoor to outdoor easily and quickly.

When it's cold outside or the weather does not cooperate, both of these 3,706-square-foot structures close automatically and silently, letting guests continue enjoying all of the ship’s amenities. The design has brought extremely positive reviews for both Anthem of the Seas and OpenAire.

Anthem of the Seas is the second collaboration between Royal Caribbean and OpenAire.  OpenAire created a similar retractable roof for sister ship Quantum of the Seas.  The work done on Quantum of the Seas made the work on Anthem of the Seas much easier.

Photo by OpenAire

The retractable roof will also create significant future operational savings for Royal Caribbean, as the thermally-broken aluminum framing is maintenance-free and resistant to corrosion caused by an outside atmosphere of salt air and the moist chemical aquatic inside environment. By allowing the ocean’s sunshine and breezes into the pool area, it also reduces HVAC energy use by 27% compared to a traditional enclosure.

OpenAire will complete work on a retractable enclosure for Royal Caribbean’s upcoming Ovation of the Seas ship this fall.

Two70, Royal Caribbean's transformative space onboard Anthem of the Seas fuses highly advanced robotic and projected technology with live performance, creating an unparalleled entertainment experience on land or sea.

Royal Caribbean senior vice president of sales, Vicki Freed, is asking the help of travel agents to name the arms of the robotic arms that "work" in the Bionic Bar aboard Anthem of the Seas.

Freed posted the contest on her Facebook page and is offering the winner of the contest a chance to win a stateroom on an Anthem of the Seas inaugural sailing from New York.  

The contest is open from July 27 through August 3.  

Each travel partner is limited to one submission for one arm. The winner will be awarded a stateroom on an Anthem Inaugural sailing for the 11/8 sailing.

Vicki will announce the winners the week of 8/10 on Facebook as well as Loyal To You Always. 

The contest is only open to travel agents but what would you name the robotic bartenders?

Royal Caribbean Productions is always looking for new ways to take entertainment to the next level.  As the latest addition to entertainment onboard Anthem of the Seas, The Stowaway is sure to surprise and delight guests - if they are lucky enough to spot him! 

Royal Caribbean entertainment is proud to introduce another first at sea experience, Puzzle Break, onboard Anthem of the Seas. Guests have one hour to complete the puzzle and escape from the future in this interactive brain teasing game!

Staff Captain Wendy Williams is one of three department heads who oversees everything that happens onboard Royal Caribbean’s Anthem of the Seas. Get a behind the scenes peek at her important role onboard.