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I wonder if grandpa has ever come back to his car in a snow storm and found his car full of snow because he didn't know his window was open? Probably has a wicked air conditioning bill in the summer when the windows in the house are open. Drive through restaurants must be a PITA for him. Is the window open or not? So confusing. Is he a Mac IT professional because Windows seems to give him a lot of trouble.

Sail away party on the Helipad. I've always called it a Winch Pad because that's what the big letters on it say but when the Captain invites you to the Helipad, I'm going with his wording. His ship, his rules. Like Oasis class, the Quantum class Helipad is not open to the public. Oasis class has often held special sail away events for Suites and Pinnacles but they are much less common on Quantum class ships. The Hotel Director mentioned this was only the second time he has put on this event using the Helipad so it was truly special enjoying the sail away and a fabulous sunset from here. Loyalty pays. #Loyal2Royal

I’m almost packed... !

If you do the bridge tour you can see they have a good view of all the balconies from the wings down each side of the ship. They even have binoculars if something catches their eye ? They may even send a naked naked naked call on the Internal PA

Dinner tonight - not Coastal Kitchen. Shocker, I know. My TA had given me a specialty dinner for two so I invited a new solo friend I met at Diamond happy hour in the Music Hall to Jamie's Italian for dinner. Having dinner with a new friend I decided to switch off trip report mode and enjoy the moment. No pictures. I have a collection of menu pictures from various restaurants including Jamie's I'll post at the end. It occurs to me that had I been able access to the CL I probably wouldn't have met my new Diamond friend so while access to the CL for D+ is a hot topic these days, the Music Hall Diamond Lounge overflow approach worked in my favor this trip. For those following along with the Coastal Kitchen menus, tonight we repeated day 5

Cruise Summary When ever I sail a Quantum class ship I'm reminded about how much I love this class of ship. I was just on the newly amped Oasis and that is a great class of ship but there is something about Anthem and Ovation that is really appealing. I prefer both the balcony and junior suites on these ships more than Oasis class. The balcony cabin layout and bathroom is just about perfect on this class. As it has happened to work out 80% of my 2020 cruises are on Quantum class and I'm okay with that. On this trip I hardly used the pool deck and for the first time I didn't use North Star or iFly. I don't know where the time went but other than walking through the Solarium a couple times I lived on the lower decks this cruise. I'm not a sun worshiper so that plays into equation. I may dig through some of my older Anthem picture galleries to post some pictures because the Solarium is one of the nicest in the fleet and the indoor pool area for families is perfect for this ship. I wouldn't be doing her justice to not show them off. I did walk through the SeaPlex with the goal of visioning how Playmakers will work on Odyssey when she arrives later this year. I'm really looking forward to sailing on that ship with the evolution that has come with operating these ships for a number of years now. I was disappointed when Spectrum went straight to Asia but was thrilled when Odyssey was placed in Florida for the end of this year. A lot has been said about Diamond Plus being restricted from the Concierge Lounge. I seem to pick my sail dates with increased number of top elite so that is something I've experienced a number of times on both Anthem and Ovation. I've got to say the expanded Diamond Lounge has always worked really well for me on both ships. I met some new friends and saw a many of them night after night. As a solo cruiser I love that the Music Hall bar is available for happy hour. It's much easier to meet and talk with new friends at the bar seating compared to a table somewhere by myself. For me losing access to the CL is a non-event. The crew were amazing once again on Anthem. I've sailed with Captain Srecko before and will always look forward to sailing with him again. Coastal Kitchen once again was a star and a highlight of the cruise for me. The night one filet is one of the best steaks in the fleet. I am really glad they occasionally do these longer itineraries on Anthem. It's such a nice ship a 7 or 8 night is too short and the ports are more interesting on these longer runs. Having to wear long pants on the first and last day in the middle of winter is trivial. Bayonne or Cape Liberty is a great home port. With sub $20 rideshare transfers it's second only to Fort Lauderdale for fly-in convenience. Facial recognition is a welcome update since my last Bayonne departure that makes the debarking process so easy. I'll post the specialty dining menus I have soon and I may go through some of my older Anthem pictures to find the best one to show off a few areas I missed this time around. Until then I hope you enjoyed following along and I thank you for viewing. Cheers!

Where has the time gone? As I get ready for my last visit to the Music Hall Diamond overflow happy hour, it's hard to pull myself away from this stunning final sunset. Just loving this deck 6 balcony. Close to the water, stunning sunsets. Should have booked a B2B. I'm not ready to go home.

Day 10 - Evening Being on the port side heading North I get the sunsets on the way home. Time for a drink in the Music Hall.

Day 8 Late Getting up from dinner I questioned if I had truly only had one glass of wine at dinner. Either I was rocking or the ship was. Turns out it was the ship. All that weather that was causing trouble in the Bahamas and putting CocoCay calls in jeopardy was also impacting us. A strong area of high pressure and a strong area of low pressure caused a wind tunnel effect between them and that's right where we were as well as a number of other ships give or take several hundred miles. This sort of thing doesn't bother me, it wasn't that bad but it certainly made everyone look like they were walking funny. We went up to the Schooner Bar to listen to some piano tunes and even the entertainer was commenting on it. Fortunately this motion makes me sleep like a baby and that's exactly what I did.

As morning turned to afternoon the sea conditions improved and there was less motion in the ocean. The wind was still up and sea spray was still coating my balcony but it looked like a nice enough day out there. By early evening it was even better and we slowed down to a more economical cruising speed. For reference the temperature was 23°C or 73°F. Not hot but also not humid, quit pleasant. After a happy hour drink in the Music Hall overflow for the Diamond Lounge my new friend and I went to Coastal Kitchen for dinner. Earlier I had asked the CK manager if it would be okay to bring someone who isn't eligible and since I was occupying a table for two by myself he had no problem allowing it. The CK on Anthem is a much friendlier experience for JS guests compared to Oasis class CK as a JS guest. No dinner pictures when dining with friends.

Day 9 - Sea Day Now we begin our return to Bayonne consisting of three sea days. Morning found us still in the rougher weather but I noted we had put on speed. Looking at the Windy app I think I knew what the Captain was up to. By going faster this morning he would get us through this rougher stuff faster and by afternoon it should be getting better. Sure enough during his noon update that is exactly what the plan was. My nice clean balcony was a layer of salt. Down on deck 6 the wind driven waves were causing a lot of sea spray. Outer areas on deck 5 were closed as was deck 15. The Captain reported gale force winds across the decks. Despite the winds I thought the ship handled it quite well. There was some rolling at times but I used the stairs without using the hand railing so it wasn't that bad. I had run into the Digital Entertainment Manager a few days ago and talked to him about the new game. He mentioned it's better on calm sea days as the motion of the ocean can impact the gyros in a phone and cause unpredictable behavior in the game. Being the inquisitive type I wanted to see how the game would handle these rougher seas. Sure enough the virtual mountain was all over the place. The game was impossible to play so if you want to try the game, don't wait until a rough sea day to play.

Day Four - Perfect Day at Coco Cay - Oasis Lagoon, Lunch & Island Exploring I'd planned to stay a bit longer to read at my recliner, but had a chair-neighbor rather loudly taking work phone calls, so I packed up and began to explore around. I walked back towards the marketplace and Chill Grill, where they were setting up for lunch. Around that area I found I great spot with some empty hammocks in a little shade, so I continued reading there. A quiet spot with four hammocks between Chill Grill and the Oasis Lagoon. I definitely recommend this area, at least in the morning. It was quiet, but you could still hear a little bit of music coming from the Oasis Lagoon area. After reading, I went to find a spot near the Oasis Lagoon. This area had more of a party vibe, with a DJ and a swim up pool bar. It was more difficult to find a seat here, but I did end up finding a large section of them on the far end from the pool bar, toward the zero entry area and the hot air balloon. There were many staff around that could have brought me a drink if I wanted to stay put, but I wanted to use the swim up bar purely because I never had ordered at one before. I don't think the Oasis Lagoon is heated, but it was a little warmer than ocean. I didn't have to wait long to find a spot at the bar, and soon had a Mai Tai in hand. The swim-up bar at Oasis Lagoon Oasis Lagoon - I was able to find seating down at the far end of this photo. The areas near the bar were particularly packed. After my refreshing drink, I went back to collect my things so that I could go get some lunch. I stopped by Skipper's Grill since it was close by to have a look. Skipper's Grill is buffet style, and had plenty of options to choose from. But I knew the destination for my lunch was at the Snack Shack, back near Chill Island. I remembered reading that I should get the crispy chicken sandwich, but when I got there I realized there were two chicken sandwiches listed. It was prime lunch time, 12:15pm, so I had a little time to debate while I waited in line. I opted for the Shack Crispy Chicken Sandwich, which was delicious and I highly recommend. It was my favorite meal of the day. I got a caesar salad as well, and took my food to a table that I ended up sharing with a nice couple from Baltimore. The Snack Shack at Chill Island. The Shack Crispy Chicken Sandwich was amazing. After lunch, I decided to do a little exploring. I was interested to see if the Coco Beach Club and South Beach areas were open, as there was a lot of conflicting info. The maps we got on the ship had the areas blocked out, but the Royal App and Cruise Compass had activities listed as happening in South Beach. Consulting the island maps, I found the areas listed as "Opening December 2019", which, now being 2020 I was hoping they were just outdated. As I headed toward the tram stop and where Coco Beach Club would be, I saw an area blocked off with scrim and some workers on the roof of a wooden structure. Safe to say that area was definitely not open. Coco Beach Club still under construction I also noticed while heading back this way, that the wifi doesn't cover this area, with a small sign letting you know. I backtracked and tried to follow pathways to see if I could make it to South Beach, but wasn't able to find signage or any indication that it was actually open, so decided to head back toward Chill Island instead. While on my way back, I did find some lockers available to use, should you not want to keep your things with you. They appeared to be free to use, but the maps of the Island indicated that they were an additional expense. Despite the maps indicating otherwise, I didn't see any pricing posted around these lockers.

I normally don’t quote pics but I am laughing so hard at this one! I dare you to email this pic to your Genie. ?

I didn't have an excursion booked for today. My plans were to wander into town and along the black sand beach. Every time I got ready to leave the ship another passing rain cloud washed more salt off the ship and sent be back inside. I really didn't feel like getting my camera wet so I used the opportunity to grab some more pictures around a more empty ship. The VIA. Jamie's Italian in the VIA. Vintages on this ship is one of my favorite Vintages. It is the bar used by Jamie's to fulfil dinner drink orders so it's a more of a full service bar unlike some ships where Vintages only has wine. It's more open to the VIA so you don't feel like you stuck in a box and there are some truly knowledgeable bartenders who have taken care of me on this and other Anthem cruises. Some leisure seating across from Vintages in the VIA.

Like, on a phone?

Just as long as you understand that your balcony is "not that private".

You can, but I don't recommend it. Depending on your location, people fore and aft might have a clear view onto a decent chunk of your balcony space. And on some ships, cabins on higher decks are able to see the balconies of cabins lower down. All of this is assuming an ocean view balcony, not something like a central park / boardwalk balcony on Oasis class ships where you have the people on the other side of the ship able to see everything.

The Pub. Live music or the place to see some sports, the Brass & Bock is conveniently found in the center of the Royal Esplanade. Dan Davis from the UK was on board for this sailing.

Dinner - Coastal Kitchen Iceberg Wedge Herb Crusted Rack of Lamb. So good my waiter brought me a second serving. Baked Alaska for dessert.

So now the family wants the CCTV recorded images of the tragedy dropped because the CCTV camera lied! They want to continue to insist that window ledge on the 11th floor of the ship is a baby play area! And the grandpa who is supposedly working as IT man and drives cars, cannot tell whether the window is open? If the video gets thrown out and he gets acquitted, I think our justice system would need total overhaul. They are all for the money before even the child body turn cold. He should go to jail and the parents should get nothing!

Day 10 - Sea Day Morning finds us in much the same conditions as last night albeit down one degree in temperature. We are roughly parallel with the central Florida area (Orlando). Last night my cabin attendant washed down my balcony so it was useable again.

Or I could just go outside and shoot myself in the foot now,?.

Day Four - Perfect Day at Coco Cay - Chill Island & Snorkeling Woke up ready for my nice relaxing beach day around 6:45am. Went to the Windjammer for breakfast and then up to the sun deck to catch some photos of the island. The ship docked around 7:00am, and we shared port with Anthem of the Seas. First time seeing what some of the bigger ships look like! Also watched the crew taking supplies out from the ships onto the island for the day. Ready for Perfect Day at Coco Cay Empress got clearance a little before 8:00am. I gathered up some things for the day (sunblock, towel, snorkel gear, etc.) in my bag before heading down to the gangway. There were a number of tram/golf carts taking small groups from the ships to the island. The walk to the island, with some trams off to the side.There were also many photographers out along the walk to take photos. At the main entrance of the island there was live music and dancers welcoming everyone in. I decided to make my first stop of the day at Chill Island, so I took a left at the main entrance to go over the bridge to that area. Coco Cay still had their holiday decorations up at the main entrance. Still feeling festive with holiday decor Empress & Anthem seen from the bridge to Chill Island On my way to Chill Island, I passed by the snorkel rental area and the Coco Cay Island Market. There are some merchants on the island that take cash only, so be sure to bring some along if you're planning to do any shopping. The marketplace is brightly colored and vibrant, a very cool area. Part of the Coco Cay Island Market By 8:45am I had found a recliner to set my things down on Chill Island. There were many seats available at that time. I really appreciated that all the seating had umbrellas around as well for an added bit of shade for those who want it. I took a couple photos of the beach before getting on my snorkel gear and heading out into the water. The water was a little cold at first, but I got used to it pretty quickly as time went on. I should also mention that I had brought a long sleeve swim shirt, more so for UV protection, but also was a nice extra layer for the water temp in December. I had tested out my snorkel and mask at home when I first got it, but took it slowly out in the water to get acclimated to breathing slowly and steadily. I was surprised to find fish so close to the coast! There were some really big ones too, simply unfazed by the people near them. Part of Chill Island, around 8:45am. Lots of recliners to choose from! One part of Chill Island beaches, with a Norwegian ship off in the distance. The swimming and snorkeling area is clearly marked by red buoys. There are also a couple of floating platforms throughout, where you can take a break and enjoy the views. There does seem to be a bit of machinery/construction happening on the island to the east, which disturbs the view looking out a bit, but otherwise wasn't noticeable with any loud sounds. I took my time snorkeling through the water out to the farthest platform. By that platform, there is what looks like part of a side of a sunken boat that acts like a reef protection for some of the schools of small fish. It was such a cool experience, I was grinning the whole time. After a short break on the platform, I started to make my way back to shore. I found one of the freshwater showers by a bathroom to rinse off myself and my gear, before heading back to my chair. The area was more crowded now (around 11:00am), but there were still empty recliners available. Another area of Chill Island, around 11:00am, still with seats available.

I am so baffled that anyone is defending the parents and grandfather at this point. Granted that number is shrinking with the video evidence being loud and clear, but I can only think that anyone taking the family’s side knows them. Mom and Dad have to be the dumbest prosecutor and cop in the country to ask that the surveillance be thrown out. I don’t even care about their feelings at this point. Lots of people have gone to jail for not meaning to kill someone. Why should the grandfather get off? What if he had sent a text while driving and Chloe died in the backseat? Should he still get off just because he feels sad?

On the way back up the coast we hugged the shore a little closer. The tour also included a 30 minute swimming break. Waves and surf were up from the winds so we couldn't beach. Instead they tied off at a buoy and we were given the choice to go swimming or start into the rum punch. They wouldn't serve the punch before swimming for safety reasons but those who chose not to swim were given a head start on the punch. Noodles and/or life jackets were available for swimming for anyone who wanted them. Feeling good from the choice to not go swimming we gathered everyone back on board and continued back up the coast. Along the way we sailed past some beautiful beaches and resort areas. Back to the port area. Very enjoyable as a catamaran sailboat experience. The crew were good and very friendly. Notes: The catamaran featured separate mens and ladies facilities although small and a marine pump action toilet. The total tour length on the water was around 4 1/2 hours. No food offered but bottled water and some soda like ginger ale were available the whole tour while rum punch was only available after the swimming activity. No other adult beverages, just rum punch. Music was played during the tour and paused during the guide's announcements. The vessel was mostly under power with the aid of a partial jib for effect

One of the things I did today was try the new Expedition 270 game in the Royal Caribbean app. It's an augmented reality game that uses your device's camera and motion sensors. After finding the symbols found within the Two70° venue and scanning them in the game it presented a series of challenges. In this one you control light that you aim through different gems to deflect the light to the next gem and so on until you use the light to destroy an object. By moving your device and walking around the virtual mountain and I was able to send the light where it needed to go and complete this series of challenges At another station I had to shoot moving targets that floated around the room (virtually). By completing all four stations you collect all the masks and finish the game. One of the stations requires you to point your phone and move around a particular seating area in Two70°. On my first attempt there was a couple sitting and reading right where I needed to point my phone. It felt super awkward pointing my phone at them so I left to return later hoping the seats would be unoccupied (they were). Later on RCTV I watched the Captain's explanation of why we had to skip Antigua. As we approached the channel the ship had to sail at at angle to compensate for the wind. In open seas that isn't a problem. In a narrow channel the ship can only use the channel in a straight line staying within the center of the channel. With the ship at an angle due to the wind, we would use too much of the channel's width leaving no margin for safety. Nearing the start of the channel the Captain made the call to abort so that is when we turned and our local pilot got off the ship. The Captain provided a great overview and detailed explanation of the situation. I love that he took the time to keep us informed of why he had to make this unfortunate decision.

Day 6 - Antigua Or at least that was the plan... When I woke I noted an NCL ship sailing close but in the opposite direction. If we are sailing into Antigua, why is that ship sailing away from Antigua? Things that make you go hmmm. I went up for breakfast as we did a normal approach. Sitting outdoors behind the WJ it was a beautiful morning. Then we started to turn. Then the wind that I wasn't aware of started coming across the outdoor seating area. The wind was so strong it was blowing my almost empty glass of orange juice across the table. Then my plate started to slide. It was getting really windy. We had been sailing directly into the wind so on the aft WJ seating area it had been completely sheltered. Finished with my breakfast I carried my stuff to a sheltered food cleaning station because if I left it on the table, it was going flying. St. John's is to the left in this picture, we had almost completed out turn back towards the sea. That little spec to the right near an island is the pilot boat that came back and retrieved the local pilot. Yep, we were skipping Antigua today. The Captain came over the PA right at 8am to inform us it was too windy. An NCL and a Princess ship both had skipped as well. On to our next stop but at a more leisurely pace. This was now another sea day. Originally my excursion was supposed to be a helicopter ride over to the Montserrat Volcano. Several months ago that was cancelled due to the tour operator cancelling. That was a moot point because in these winds it would have been cancelled anyways and now that we skipped Antigua it really wouldn't have mattered. None the less as we sailed South towards St. Lucia the Montserrat Volcano was on starboard. We are quite far from the volcano but with my telephoto lens I was able to get a pretty good picture of it. You can really see the flows from the past several eruptions and where they reached the sea. Still active you can see how this island is growing taller with each eruption. Our CD advised us to refresh the app and that a new Cruise Compass would be distributed by noon. New activities were planned. Lot's to do. They set up a waffle station in the Esplanade with all the fixings.

Also depending on your location, you could be in direct view of a ship camera like we were...but everyone has different comfort levels with their own bodies.

There is no rule against it. Someone I met at Diamond happy hour told me their adults kids enjoy "naked breakfast" on their balcony, something I've never heard of before. To each their own.

What we're saying here is....get on any elevator you can, regardless of which direction it is going. Eventually you will get to where you are going even if you have to go up first. If you wait for a "down" elevator, you will find that they are all going to be full. Get on when you can.

Ouchhhhhh.

In a situation like this, I'd probably use what the Cruise Planner shows as gospel.

Before heading back to the ship. I was able to spot one of Coco Cay full time residents. After that it was time to get back on Mariner OTS! Well guys after a few great runs on the wave I said it was time to go to Dimond club. After a few drinks it was time to head to the MDR for dinner. here is our table number. I forgot to take a photo about it in the first night. Here Is Tonight's Menu. I forgot to take a photo of my food. But I took one of the Tomato Soup. After that awesome meal it was time to head back to the wave for the adult Flowrider Session from 9:45pm To 10:15pm. Well that wraps up day number two. Tomorrow we are in Nassau. Also Forgot to add but the solarium pool has been closed since the first day.

Have you watched many of this guy's videos? I did and I find myself incompatible with a lot of of his "information". It has given me a great deal of respect for @Matt who doesn't produce drivel just for the sake of getting "clicks" and "watches".

Day 12 - Bayonne Up early to grab some breakfast in the WJ we were backing into the slip at Cape Liberty. I joined the self assist line early because I was up and had nothing better to do. Time 5:53am. Comparing prices it looks like Lyft has gone crazy so Uber it will be. Ahead of schedule they started letting us off and I was through the facial recognition and outside by 6:51am. By 7:35am I was checked in, through security and in the Delta Sky Club. For some reason my Uber driver went South through NY to reach Newark claiming traffic was backed up. Imagine my surprise when my fare went from under $20 to $67! I submitted a fare review through Uber and within hours had my rate adjusted back to what I signed up for. Don't let your rideshare driver go the Southern route to Newark through New York. They are really proud of their bridges on this route.

Day 11 - Dinner You know it... Coastal Kitchen The day 1 menu was back and with it the Grilled Filet Mignon. Dinner with a friend so no pictures. Gotta say this filet let me down a bit. The flavor was good, it was cooked perfectly but the cut of meat wasn't that great and it was hard to cut through the sinew. However the ambiance, the company and the wine went a long way to overcome it.

Day 11 - Sea Day Our final day is upon us. Curious. Anthem goes into dry dock in April yet they are replacing the Windjammer carpet on this sailing. Over several nights they've been tackling various sections of the WJ and now it appears complete. Their stash of carpet in a corner of the SeaPlex has been dwindling night after night. For reference the temperature is down to 61°F. Out here away from land a big influencer on air temperature is the sea. Absent of any land mass to heat up and change temperatures, the temperature of the sea is the most significant factor in the air temperature. Many people always ask what will weather be like when sailing from Bayonne? Absent of a weather system the temperature of the sea will likely determine how it feels on board. Search for ocean temperatures and you'll get a baseline of what to expect. Beautiful conditions again today. Captain's Corner in two70° to a full house. Several guests made comments related to Captain Srecko and his presence around the ship. He frequently walked through Coastal Kitchen during dinner and apparently did the same in the MDR. Not only is he a great mariner but he is also a great host around the ship. The topic of his Flowrider and iFly skills came up and Mitch our CD noted the Captain doesn't simply use the Flowrider or iFly, he must inspect them from time to time. One guest made the mistake of calling Anthem "a boat". The Captain stopped Mitch from answering the question. "If there was just one person on a ship who would that be?" he asked - The Captain. "If there was just one person on a boat?" he then asked - A frustrated husband. It was all in good fun. At any rate Captain Srecko is well liked by the guests.

I saw another display from the food and beverage team on Anthem in the Esplanade. When I first saw the Bionic bar being replenished I thought... "they are making the robots so lifelike these days" Yes, even Bionic Bar drinks are subject to 18% gratuity. I guess this is why. ? Don't shoot the messenger.

Anthem has a Bionic bar featuring two robots named Shaken and Stirred. Covered by the drink package or pay as go you use your sea pass card to order a drink from a tablet then sit back and watch Shaken or stirred make your drink for you.

Good time to mention two70°. This is a multi use venue that can anything from rock shows to theater entertainment at night, to trivia to quiet reading time with incredible wake views. The bar in two70° has great sea views during the day. Upstairs.

I’m with @KenCP being a creature of habit myself, I know the bars I will be frequenting and always treat the bartenders in those location(s) well earlier in the cruise and have a conversation with them. Afteralll, they are humans - not to hijack the topic, or get on a soapbox - it’s good to remember. I would also say not to forget the non-alcoholic perks of the unlimited package the fresh juice in the morning, the premium coffees, and always add a water to your drink order. I extras can be taken back to the room or on excursions

Day 8 - St. Kitts Arriving in St. Kitts it seems my streak continues. It always seem to rain in St. Kitts in the morning. The heavy rain even knocked Voom offline for a spell. Fortunately these were isolated showers so 10 minutes later it was sunny. The new pier (in the distance) at St. Kitts is nearly complete. In fact it looks complete but along the shore you can see signs of ongoing construction activity so it's got to be very close. Through the rain and morning mist I could a see a ship approaching but it seemed to have this large array above it. In my morning haze I thought maybe it was a glitch in the matrix but my telephoto lens proved it be one of those small ships that can sail under wind power as well. Breakfast this morning at the café @ two70° This is a somewhat lesser known gem on Anthem both for breakfast and lunch and it's included. Not going to lie. I have a hard time not inserting "Mc" when ordering the Egg Muffin. The salads are part of the lunch offering. Lunch sandwiches. It's probably not good for me but the B & B is heavenly. This is also where I get my Kümmelweck fix at lunch. The coffee bar has an additional charge.

Arriving back to my cabin I discovered an invitation to a sail away party. Having sailed in full suites on Oasis class I have enjoyed these events because like Quantum class the helipad is not open to the public. The only opportunity is visit the helipad is by invitation to an event. Normally on Quantum class there is no suite sail away party on the helipad so this is indeed an uncommon and unexpected event. I've always wanted to visit the Anthem helipad (winch pad) so I was hoping for good weather tomorrow.

Anthem used the Pointe Seraphine side of the harbor on this day. The port was recently upgraded to allow larger vessels like Anthem to port here. There is some shopping and food in the port area. Absent of any pushy vendors it's a pleasant experience.

Day 7 - St. Lucia I was concerned with the winds still up a bit that our stop in St. Lucia would be in jeopardy but the Captain turned the ship and backed us in like a boss. The direction of the wind and channel into the harbor worked in our favor today. Today's excursion would be a Coastal Cruise to the Pitons booked through Royal on sale. When booking excursions through Royal check prices often because excursions routinely change in price irrespective of an any announced cruise planner sales. It was a pleasant sail down the coast. This catamaran type sailboat featured a covered section and open seating on top with mesh netting at the bow. After an hour or so our destination started to appear over the coastal hills. Along the way our guide pointed out various communities and spoke about their history. Then as we approached our destination and namesake for the tour the rains came. Short lived but enough to send everyone under cover. Cruise to the Pitons - To be honest it was rather anticlimactic but it was nice to get out on the water and see the coast.

Day 5 - St. Maarten Not a bad view to wake up to... Pilot boat approaching. I told a client I would sit in on a conference call for them. I just didn't mention where I'd join the call from... As mentioned in the last post, we are sharing the pier with Oasis again today. Fortunately we pulled straight in so my port side balcony had a perfect view of Great Bay.

After dinner I ventured back out to try my hand at some night photography. I also ran to the CVS to pickup up supplies I neglected to pack. Paseo de la Princesa was still lit up in Christmas colors. Oasis started the Aqua show but her aft was out too far to get a good view of it from Anthem. Not long later she started away from the pier. Not long after it was our turn. Once out at sea Oasis was off our port side but too far for a decent picture. We share St. Maarten tomorrow she we'll sail together through the night.

With no distinct plan I wandered off to see what I could see.

San Juan Arrival I spy the funnels of a familiar ship in the distance. El Morro I always love sailing into San Juan on a beautiful day. A gate to the old walled city.

i found on my last cruise that I tipped the bartenders at the start of the cruise and I always got more than one shot without asking for it to be strong shot.