jaullram

Day 2 – Sea Day
This was a very busy day.  Usually on a cruise we hang out on our balcony, read, go to the casino and just take the time to relax.  This cruise we found ourselves trying new things.
Although I have been on Anthem I have never done the bumper cars as the line is so long.  Yen met us at bumper cars at 10 and we got to cut to the front of the line.  It was so much fun!

After bumper cars some of the girls went to the Cupcake decorating class.  It was a little over an hour long and we got to make a flower cupcake and “burgers and fries”.  Once done, we were able to eat our cupcakes or take them back with us (although the safety waiver we signed said we couldn’t take them but we were allowed). 

 
I have already done iFly but my husband’s cousin wanted to try it and she did amazing!!!  There were only 3 people in her group so they let the group try it twice.  The instructor (whose name was “B”) was amazing and we ended up with some great photos.  He was pretty easy on the eyes too! And yes, this is a picture of him balancing her on his head!!

 

J’s cousin had mentioned that we liked snacks so everyday we received fruit, cheese and crackers, soft pretzels with mustard and canapes.  We asked for snacks to be delivered around 3 and like clockwork, they were there everyday.  In addition, yen also had late night pizza, wings, chips and salsa which was a nice surprise.  There was definitely no shortage of food.
 

Some random photos from the day:


We ate dinner at Chops and definitely had food coma after!  Yen met us there and every drink that we ordered on the first night at dinner was waiting for us at our table which was a very nice touch.  A lot of the group had Spectra’s Cabaret at 7:15 so dinner was quick (which I like better).  I didn’t go to Spectra’s but Yen had reserved great seats and also had everyone’s drinks waiting for them which they loved.
My husband and I went to the casino (which we do most nights) and I met my two favorite bartenders on the ship – Junior and Mark.  They got to know most of our group and remembered each of our drink orders.  Now that they knew our orders, anytime we walked near the bar they had our drinks out…whether we needed one or not. …this resulted in too many drinks, not a clear memory of the night and some very blurry photos on my phone of four of us dancing at Boleros!  From what I do remember – so much fun!  If anyone gets to meet Junior at the casino bar, ask him to make you something special and he will put together a great drink. I recommend the Sexy Ocean.

It was very late when we got back so the pizza and wings were cold but who doesn’t like cold pizza!

Day 2 – Sea Day
This was a very busy day.  Usually on a cruise we hang out on our balcony, read, go to the casino and just take the time to relax.  This cruise we found ourselves trying new things.
Although I have been on Anthem I have never done the bumper cars as the line is so long.  Yen met us at bumper cars at 10 and we got to cut to the front of the line.  It was so much fun!

After bumper cars some of the girls went to the Cupcake decorating class.  It was a little over an hour long and we got to make a flower cupcake and “burgers and fries”.  Once done, we were able to eat our cupcakes or take them back with us (although the safety waiver we signed said we couldn’t take them but we were allowed). 

 
I have already done iFly but my husband’s cousin wanted to try it and she did amazing!!!  There were only 3 people in her group so they let the group try it twice.  The instructor (whose name was “B”) was amazing and we ended up with some great photos.  He was pretty easy on the eyes too! And yes, this is a picture of him balancing her on his head!!

 

J’s cousin had mentioned that we liked snacks so everyday we received fruit, cheese and crackers, soft pretzels with mustard and canapes.  We asked for snacks to be delivered around 3 and like clockwork, they were there everyday.  In addition, yen also had late night pizza, wings, chips and salsa which was a nice surprise.  There was definitely no shortage of food.
 

Some random photos from the day:


We ate dinner at Chops and definitely had food coma after!  Yen met us there and every drink that we ordered on the first night at dinner was waiting for us at our table which was a very nice touch.  A lot of the group had Spectra’s Cabaret at 7:15 so dinner was quick (which I like better).  I didn’t go to Spectra’s but Yen had reserved great seats and also had everyone’s drinks waiting for them which they loved.
My husband and I went to the casino (which we do most nights) and I met my two favorite bartenders on the ship – Junior and Mark.  They got to know most of our group and remembered each of our drink orders.  Now that they knew our orders, anytime we walked near the bar they had our drinks out…whether we needed one or not. …this resulted in too many drinks, not a clear memory of the night and some very blurry photos on my phone of four of us dancing at Boleros!  From what I do remember – so much fun!  If anyone gets to meet Junior at the casino bar, ask him to make you something special and he will put together a great drink. I recommend the Sexy Ocean.

It was very late when we got back so the pizza and wings were cold but who doesn’t like cold pizza!

Okay...so here starts the good part....Embarkation Day!!!  
Day 1 - Embarkation Day (YEAH!!!)
I couldn’t believe over a year of planning was here!!  Of course, we were very worried about the Coronavirus with everything going on around the world but nothing was stopping me from getting on this ship.  Royal sent an email to us indicating all passengers would be checked for symptoms so that eased my mind a bit. 
Yen had sent us a photo of Zone 6 and where to go as well as a contact person who will take our bags from us to bring them directly to our room.  We had heard so many people say to make sure that the porters did not take your bags unless it was the star class porter. 
We got to the terminal around 10:30, pulled up to Zone 6, and the porter that was there confirmed he would take us and our bags through security and directly to our room.  He loaded our bags, we waited for my husband to park the car and went into the terminal.  After a short temperature check before security (due to Coronavirus), we went through security and went to the suite check-in to the right where Yen was there waiting for us!  We showed our passports and Yen took us to the front of the line.  We had to wait about 5 minutes before they opened the doors to start boarding a little before 11.  Once we were allowed to board, Yen took us up a separate gangway with no lines and brought us on the ship….so far so good!
Once on the ship, Yen toured the ship with us (we have been on Anthem 8 other times but it was our cousin’s first).  Because Yen had to meet the other 7 people in our party she left us to explore on our own (and get an adult beverage) and she set up a plan to meet us at noon at Vintages and bring all of us up to our suite.  When we got to the suite, our lunch was waiting for us (sorry it is blurry...I promise I only had 2 drinks by this time):

 
Room 10324
All I can say is WOW! The living room was huge, storage was plentiful, both bathrooms were great and aft balcony phenomenal.  I tried to get most of the pictures I could of the room before we made it messy!!
 

 

Master Bathroom Shower


 

Our bar was set up with everything we asked for and Yen had our suite attendants (Brian and Lucky) bring in a cooler full of ice so we could keep our beers ice cold (the refrigerator was not big enough for the amount of drinking we did!!).  We had asked for Corona Light and Yen specifically had some brought to the pier before we left NJ since it isn’t sold on the ship.  She also didn’t have any Budweiser stocked in one of the rooms and 10 minutes later, 6 beers showed up chilled on ice – service was amazing throughout the cruise.
We also got a bottle of champagne that was a perfect way to toast the beginning of this amazing cruise.

 
 

As I mentioned, the other rooms booked were 10724 and 10320.  Although 10320 had 3 balconies, the living room was significantly smaller and didn’t have as nice of a layout (sorry I didn't get pictures to show the comparison).  I also heard complaining about the noise from the suites on Deck 8 but rumor has it they may be installing soundproofing above 270 to keep those suites quieter after dry dock.
We did sail away on the Suite Sundeck and loved being up that high to sail under the Verrazano Bridge.

 
Yen met us at 4PM to go over the schedule she had sent us and provided us with an updated one.  She changed our iFly reservations for the first sea day as she explained it sometimes gets cancelled later in the cruise due to bad weather in the winter months.  She also scheduled more than one session of bumper cars and moved our North Star for us to our Day at Cococay. We also indicated that we would like limited interruptions during the day as we wanted to enjoy hanging out on the balcony and not constantly getting up to answer the door.  Yen did a great job of this which we appreciated very much!
 

 
For dinner we ate at Coastal Kitchen as it was Filet night and it did not disappoint.  Most of us ordered the Filet and people also raved about the pasta with sausage.  That was the only dinner we ate there since we mostly chose Chops, Jaime’s or room service from one of those restaurants throughout the cruise. Sorry I didn't get any food "porn" pictures but I can assure you, everything was amazing!
Of course, we got a towel animal from Brian and Lucky who were absolutely the best suite attendants.

Okay...so here starts the good part....Embarkation Day!!!  
Day 1 - Embarkation Day (YEAH!!!)
I couldn’t believe over a year of planning was here!!  Of course, we were very worried about the Coronavirus with everything going on around the world but nothing was stopping me from getting on this ship.  Royal sent an email to us indicating all passengers would be checked for symptoms so that eased my mind a bit. 
Yen had sent us a photo of Zone 6 and where to go as well as a contact person who will take our bags from us to bring them directly to our room.  We had heard so many people say to make sure that the porters did not take your bags unless it was the star class porter. 
We got to the terminal around 10:30, pulled up to Zone 6, and the porter that was there confirmed he would take us and our bags through security and directly to our room.  He loaded our bags, we waited for my husband to park the car and went into the terminal.  After a short temperature check before security (due to Coronavirus), we went through security and went to the suite check-in to the right where Yen was there waiting for us!  We showed our passports and Yen took us to the front of the line.  We had to wait about 5 minutes before they opened the doors to start boarding a little before 11.  Once we were allowed to board, Yen took us up a separate gangway with no lines and brought us on the ship….so far so good!
Once on the ship, Yen toured the ship with us (we have been on Anthem 8 other times but it was our cousin’s first).  Because Yen had to meet the other 7 people in our party she left us to explore on our own (and get an adult beverage) and she set up a plan to meet us at noon at Vintages and bring all of us up to our suite.  When we got to the suite, our lunch was waiting for us (sorry it is blurry...I promise I only had 2 drinks by this time):

 
Room 10324
All I can say is WOW! The living room was huge, storage was plentiful, both bathrooms were great and aft balcony phenomenal.  I tried to get most of the pictures I could of the room before we made it messy!!
 

 

Master Bathroom Shower


 

Our bar was set up with everything we asked for and Yen had our suite attendants (Brian and Lucky) bring in a cooler full of ice so we could keep our beers ice cold (the refrigerator was not big enough for the amount of drinking we did!!).  We had asked for Corona Light and Yen specifically had some brought to the pier before we left NJ since it isn’t sold on the ship.  She also didn’t have any Budweiser stocked in one of the rooms and 10 minutes later, 6 beers showed up chilled on ice – service was amazing throughout the cruise.
We also got a bottle of champagne that was a perfect way to toast the beginning of this amazing cruise.

 
 

As I mentioned, the other rooms booked were 10724 and 10320.  Although 10320 had 3 balconies, the living room was significantly smaller and didn’t have as nice of a layout (sorry I didn't get pictures to show the comparison).  I also heard complaining about the noise from the suites on Deck 8 but rumor has it they may be installing soundproofing above 270 to keep those suites quieter after dry dock.
We did sail away on the Suite Sundeck and loved being up that high to sail under the Verrazano Bridge.

 
Yen met us at 4PM to go over the schedule she had sent us and provided us with an updated one.  She changed our iFly reservations for the first sea day as she explained it sometimes gets cancelled later in the cruise due to bad weather in the winter months.  She also scheduled more than one session of bumper cars and moved our North Star for us to our Day at Cococay. We also indicated that we would like limited interruptions during the day as we wanted to enjoy hanging out on the balcony and not constantly getting up to answer the door.  Yen did a great job of this which we appreciated very much!
 

 
For dinner we ate at Coastal Kitchen as it was Filet night and it did not disappoint.  Most of us ordered the Filet and people also raved about the pasta with sausage.  That was the only dinner we ate there since we mostly chose Chops, Jaime’s or room service from one of those restaurants throughout the cruise. Sorry I didn't get any food "porn" pictures but I can assure you, everything was amazing!
Of course, we got a towel animal from Brian and Lucky who were absolutely the best suite attendants.

@WAAAYTOOODuring lunch on embarkation day all 10 of us were in one room and all had plenty of room.  We could have had a dance party in there as the living room was HUGE!  We have heard these rooms on Deck 10 are larger than those on Deck 8 and we were not disappointed.  I agree with previous posts you have made that the corner GLS on Deck 10 were much smaller and really should be considered Sky Loft Suites as even the Sky Loft Suites on Deck 10 looked bigger than the corner GLS from what we saw.

Thanks for the review.  We just missed our Anthem cruise (and should be there right now), so will live vicariously through your review. 
Wow, your stateroom looks amazing.  Looking forward to hearing more.

Thanks for taking the time to do this.  We need a good distraction right now.
I love Yen.  We have had her as our Genie twice (Feb 2019) and we saw her a few times on our recent Anthem cruise (the shortened cruise ending 2/15/20).  She is a sweetie.

Agree with @WAAAYTOOO, this is a great distraction! 

Agree with @WAAAYTOOO  and @Lovetocruise2002 bring it ON, @jaullram, I look forward to this!
Pictures please! Lot's of pictures!!

Agreed, this is much needed! Thank you for taking the time to share

Okay...so here starts the good part....Embarkation Day!!!  
Day 1 - Embarkation Day (YEAH!!!)
I couldn’t believe over a year of planning was here!!  Of course, we were very worried about the Coronavirus with everything going on around the world but nothing was stopping me from getting on this ship.  Royal sent an email to us indicating all passengers would be checked for symptoms so that eased my mind a bit. 
Yen had sent us a photo of Zone 6 and where to go as well as a contact person who will take our bags from us to bring them directly to our room.  We had heard so many people say to make sure that the porters did not take your bags unless it was the star class porter. 
We got to the terminal around 10:30, pulled up to Zone 6, and the porter that was there confirmed he would take us and our bags through security and directly to our room.  He loaded our bags, we waited for my husband to park the car and went into the terminal.  After a short temperature check before security (due to Coronavirus), we went through security and went to the suite check-in to the right where Yen was there waiting for us!  We showed our passports and Yen took us to the front of the line.  We had to wait about 5 minutes before they opened the doors to start boarding a little before 11.  Once we were allowed to board, Yen took us up a separate gangway with no lines and brought us on the ship….so far so good!
Once on the ship, Yen toured the ship with us (we have been on Anthem 8 other times but it was our cousin’s first).  Because Yen had to meet the other 7 people in our party she left us to explore on our own (and get an adult beverage) and she set up a plan to meet us at noon at Vintages and bring all of us up to our suite.  When we got to the suite, our lunch was waiting for us (sorry it is blurry...I promise I only had 2 drinks by this time):

 
Room 10324
All I can say is WOW! The living room was huge, storage was plentiful, both bathrooms were great and aft balcony phenomenal.  I tried to get most of the pictures I could of the room before we made it messy!!
 

 

Master Bathroom Shower


 

Our bar was set up with everything we asked for and Yen had our suite attendants (Brian and Lucky) bring in a cooler full of ice so we could keep our beers ice cold (the refrigerator was not big enough for the amount of drinking we did!!).  We had asked for Corona Light and Yen specifically had some brought to the pier before we left NJ since it isn’t sold on the ship.  She also didn’t have any Budweiser stocked in one of the rooms and 10 minutes later, 6 beers showed up chilled on ice – service was amazing throughout the cruise.
We also got a bottle of champagne that was a perfect way to toast the beginning of this amazing cruise.

 
 

As I mentioned, the other rooms booked were 10724 and 10320.  Although 10320 had 3 balconies, the living room was significantly smaller and didn’t have as nice of a layout (sorry I didn't get pictures to show the comparison).  I also heard complaining about the noise from the suites on Deck 8 but rumor has it they may be installing soundproofing above 270 to keep those suites quieter after dry dock.
We did sail away on the Suite Sundeck and loved being up that high to sail under the Verrazano Bridge.

 
Yen met us at 4PM to go over the schedule she had sent us and provided us with an updated one.  She changed our iFly reservations for the first sea day as she explained it sometimes gets cancelled later in the cruise due to bad weather in the winter months.  She also scheduled more than one session of bumper cars and moved our North Star for us to our Day at Cococay. We also indicated that we would like limited interruptions during the day as we wanted to enjoy hanging out on the balcony and not constantly getting up to answer the door.  Yen did a great job of this which we appreciated very much!
 

 
For dinner we ate at Coastal Kitchen as it was Filet night and it did not disappoint.  Most of us ordered the Filet and people also raved about the pasta with sausage.  That was the only dinner we ate there since we mostly chose Chops, Jaime’s or room service from one of those restaurants throughout the cruise. Sorry I didn't get any food "porn" pictures but I can assure you, everything was amazing!
Of course, we got a towel animal from Brian and Lucky who were absolutely the best suite attendants.

I have been reading all of the live blogs others are doing of their Star Class cruise and thought about attempting one, however, I didn’t want to be constantly on my phone blogging about the day’s events or answering questions so mine is going to be an “after the fact” blog!  I am certainly not witty and it likely won’t be as funny or entertaining as others but hope to provide some information for anyone else looking for it.  I will space the posts out so if people have specific questions I can answer them along the way.  I am also currently going through all of my photos so future posts will hopefully have less content and more pictures!
Booking
We booked this cruise over a year ago.  We always try to book early to secure a location we wanted and my SIL asked if we wanted to try Star class this trip since we are celebrating big anniversaries.  The prices of the rooms weren’t that bad on Anthem compared to some of the other ships sailing in March.  We booked and then sometime over the summer, my BIL’s parents and nieces decided to join us and they snagged the last Star Class suite on Deck 10. My Husband, his cousin and myself stayed in GLS 10324, my SIL, BIL and niece were in GLS 10724 and my BIL’s parents and their 2 grand kids were in GLS 10720.
Prior to the Cruise
About a month out we received the generic questionnaire about any special requests, who we would be cruising with and some other random questions.  We were sailing with 10 of us in total in 3 Grand Loft Suites on Deck 10 and requested that we have the same Genie.  We also requested what we wanted stocked in our room for drinks and snacks.
A little over two weeks before the cruise, our Genie, Yen Lee reached out to us introducing herself.  From what I have read about Yen, she will make anything we want happen but we shouldn’t expect any real surprises.  That was completely fine with me because I am not one who likes surprises….I used to open my Christmas presents before Christmas and re-wrap them all again! 
We provided her a spreadsheet of where we wanted reservations for dinner for 4 of the nights and a list of what other things we wanted to do (iFly, Flow Rider, Cupcake Decorating, Rock Climbing, Galley/Bridge/Theater tours, North Star, etc.).  We also asked that the two cabanas we had booked at Chill Island on Cococay be next to one another in the front row (specifically Cabana #4 and #5).  After some back and forth emails between Yen, my SIL and myself, we got a final schedule around 5 days out with everything we wanted scheduled.  She indicated she appreciated the spreadsheet as it made it easier for her to make our final schedule for the week. 
This is what she sent to us:

One thing we had really wanted was to have a lunch set up in one of the suites on embarkation day to avoid all of the crowds.  We know we could have eaten at Coastal Kitchen or any of the specialty restaurants but wanted something in our room. Within 24 hours Yen replied with menus we could order off of (Jaime’s and Chops) along with letting us know we could also order pizza.  I have heard a lot of people were told they couldn’t set up lunch in the room on embarkation day but because we were her only suites, I think it made it easier for her to accommodate us. 

I have been reading all of the live blogs others are doing of their Star Class cruise and thought about attempting one, however, I didn’t want to be constantly on my phone blogging about the day’s events or answering questions so mine is going to be an “after the fact” blog!  I am certainly not witty and it likely won’t be as funny or entertaining as others but hope to provide some information for anyone else looking for it.  I will space the posts out so if people have specific questions I can answer them along the way.  I am also currently going through all of my photos so future posts will hopefully have less content and more pictures!
Booking
We booked this cruise over a year ago.  We always try to book early to secure a location we wanted and my SIL asked if we wanted to try Star class this trip since we are celebrating big anniversaries.  The prices of the rooms weren’t that bad on Anthem compared to some of the other ships sailing in March.  We booked and then sometime over the summer, my BIL’s parents and nieces decided to join us and they snagged the last Star Class suite on Deck 10. My Husband, his cousin and myself stayed in GLS 10324, my SIL, BIL and niece were in GLS 10724 and my BIL’s parents and their 2 grand kids were in GLS 10720.
Prior to the Cruise
About a month out we received the generic questionnaire about any special requests, who we would be cruising with and some other random questions.  We were sailing with 10 of us in total in 3 Grand Loft Suites on Deck 10 and requested that we have the same Genie.  We also requested what we wanted stocked in our room for drinks and snacks.
A little over two weeks before the cruise, our Genie, Yen Lee reached out to us introducing herself.  From what I have read about Yen, she will make anything we want happen but we shouldn’t expect any real surprises.  That was completely fine with me because I am not one who likes surprises….I used to open my Christmas presents before Christmas and re-wrap them all again! 
We provided her a spreadsheet of where we wanted reservations for dinner for 4 of the nights and a list of what other things we wanted to do (iFly, Flow Rider, Cupcake Decorating, Rock Climbing, Galley/Bridge/Theater tours, North Star, etc.).  We also asked that the two cabanas we had booked at Chill Island on Cococay be next to one another in the front row (specifically Cabana #4 and #5).  After some back and forth emails between Yen, my SIL and myself, we got a final schedule around 5 days out with everything we wanted scheduled.  She indicated she appreciated the spreadsheet as it made it easier for her to make our final schedule for the week. 
This is what she sent to us:

One thing we had really wanted was to have a lunch set up in one of the suites on embarkation day to avoid all of the crowds.  We know we could have eaten at Coastal Kitchen or any of the specialty restaurants but wanted something in our room. Within 24 hours Yen replied with menus we could order off of (Jaime’s and Chops) along with letting us know we could also order pizza.  I have heard a lot of people were told they couldn’t set up lunch in the room on embarkation day but because we were her only suites, I think it made it easier for her to accommodate us. 

Not a live blog but posting details of our Anthem of the Seas Star class experience under live blog section of the website. Come check it out if you have any questions about the ship or Star class on Anthem.  I will be posting all 7 days of our experience!  I figure in these times of no cruises some fun pictures will be an enjoyable distraction!

Not a live blog but posting details of our Anthem of the Seas Star class experience under live blog section of the website. Come check it out if you have any questions about the ship or Star class on Anthem.  I will be posting all 7 days of our experience!  I figure in these times of no cruises some fun pictures will be an enjoyable distraction!

I have been reading all of the live blogs others are doing of their Star Class cruise and thought about attempting one, however, I didn’t want to be constantly on my phone blogging about the day’s events or answering questions so mine is going to be an “after the fact” blog!  I am certainly not witty and it likely won’t be as funny or entertaining as others but hope to provide some information for anyone else looking for it.  I will space the posts out so if people have specific questions I can answer them along the way.  I am also currently going through all of my photos so future posts will hopefully have less content and more pictures!
Booking
We booked this cruise over a year ago.  We always try to book early to secure a location we wanted and my SIL asked if we wanted to try Star class this trip since we are celebrating big anniversaries.  The prices of the rooms weren’t that bad on Anthem compared to some of the other ships sailing in March.  We booked and then sometime over the summer, my BIL’s parents and nieces decided to join us and they snagged the last Star Class suite on Deck 10. My Husband, his cousin and myself stayed in GLS 10324, my SIL, BIL and niece were in GLS 10724 and my BIL’s parents and their 2 grand kids were in GLS 10720.
Prior to the Cruise
About a month out we received the generic questionnaire about any special requests, who we would be cruising with and some other random questions.  We were sailing with 10 of us in total in 3 Grand Loft Suites on Deck 10 and requested that we have the same Genie.  We also requested what we wanted stocked in our room for drinks and snacks.
A little over two weeks before the cruise, our Genie, Yen Lee reached out to us introducing herself.  From what I have read about Yen, she will make anything we want happen but we shouldn’t expect any real surprises.  That was completely fine with me because I am not one who likes surprises….I used to open my Christmas presents before Christmas and re-wrap them all again! 
We provided her a spreadsheet of where we wanted reservations for dinner for 4 of the nights and a list of what other things we wanted to do (iFly, Flow Rider, Cupcake Decorating, Rock Climbing, Galley/Bridge/Theater tours, North Star, etc.).  We also asked that the two cabanas we had booked at Chill Island on Cococay be next to one another in the front row (specifically Cabana #4 and #5).  After some back and forth emails between Yen, my SIL and myself, we got a final schedule around 5 days out with everything we wanted scheduled.  She indicated she appreciated the spreadsheet as it made it easier for her to make our final schedule for the week. 
This is what she sent to us:

One thing we had really wanted was to have a lunch set up in one of the suites on embarkation day to avoid all of the crowds.  We know we could have eaten at Coastal Kitchen or any of the specialty restaurants but wanted something in our room. Within 24 hours Yen replied with menus we could order off of (Jaime’s and Chops) along with letting us know we could also order pizza.  I have heard a lot of people were told they couldn’t set up lunch in the room on embarkation day but because we were her only suites, I think it made it easier for her to accommodate us. 

Not a live blog but posting details of our Anthem of the Seas Star class experience under live blog section of the website. Come check it out if you have any questions about the ship or Star class on Anthem.  I will be posting all 7 days of our experience!  I figure in these times of no cruises some fun pictures will be an enjoyable distraction!

I have been reading all of the live blogs others are doing of their Star Class cruise and thought about attempting one, however, I didn’t want to be constantly on my phone blogging about the day’s events or answering questions so mine is going to be an “after the fact” blog!  I am certainly not witty and it likely won’t be as funny or entertaining as others but hope to provide some information for anyone else looking for it.  I will space the posts out so if people have specific questions I can answer them along the way.  I am also currently going through all of my photos so future posts will hopefully have less content and more pictures!
Booking
We booked this cruise over a year ago.  We always try to book early to secure a location we wanted and my SIL asked if we wanted to try Star class this trip since we are celebrating big anniversaries.  The prices of the rooms weren’t that bad on Anthem compared to some of the other ships sailing in March.  We booked and then sometime over the summer, my BIL’s parents and nieces decided to join us and they snagged the last Star Class suite on Deck 10. My Husband, his cousin and myself stayed in GLS 10324, my SIL, BIL and niece were in GLS 10724 and my BIL’s parents and their 2 grand kids were in GLS 10720.
Prior to the Cruise
About a month out we received the generic questionnaire about any special requests, who we would be cruising with and some other random questions.  We were sailing with 10 of us in total in 3 Grand Loft Suites on Deck 10 and requested that we have the same Genie.  We also requested what we wanted stocked in our room for drinks and snacks.
A little over two weeks before the cruise, our Genie, Yen Lee reached out to us introducing herself.  From what I have read about Yen, she will make anything we want happen but we shouldn’t expect any real surprises.  That was completely fine with me because I am not one who likes surprises….I used to open my Christmas presents before Christmas and re-wrap them all again! 
We provided her a spreadsheet of where we wanted reservations for dinner for 4 of the nights and a list of what other things we wanted to do (iFly, Flow Rider, Cupcake Decorating, Rock Climbing, Galley/Bridge/Theater tours, North Star, etc.).  We also asked that the two cabanas we had booked at Chill Island on Cococay be next to one another in the front row (specifically Cabana #4 and #5).  After some back and forth emails between Yen, my SIL and myself, we got a final schedule around 5 days out with everything we wanted scheduled.  She indicated she appreciated the spreadsheet as it made it easier for her to make our final schedule for the week. 
This is what she sent to us:

One thing we had really wanted was to have a lunch set up in one of the suites on embarkation day to avoid all of the crowds.  We know we could have eaten at Coastal Kitchen or any of the specialty restaurants but wanted something in our room. Within 24 hours Yen replied with menus we could order off of (Jaime’s and Chops) along with letting us know we could also order pizza.  I have heard a lot of people were told they couldn’t set up lunch in the room on embarkation day but because we were her only suites, I think it made it easier for her to accommodate us. 

@WAAAYTOOO Yen was so sweet.  She is quiet at times but she did anything we asked of her and she was always smiling.  She was upset she couldn't fly home but her contract doesn't end until July.  Because of the 30 cancellation of cruises plus the 2 1/2 weeks of dry dock for Anthem she won't have any passengers for all of that time and if the transatlantic doesn't happen it will be even longer.  She was hoping to try out some of the activities on the ship and get some time to relax.
 

Not a live blog but posting details of our Anthem of the Seas Star class experience under live blog section of the website. Come check it out if you have any questions about the ship or Star class on Anthem.  I will be posting all 7 days of our experience!  I figure in these times of no cruises some fun pictures will be an enjoyable distraction!

I have been reading all of the live blogs others are doing of their Star Class cruise and thought about attempting one, however, I didn’t want to be constantly on my phone blogging about the day’s events or answering questions so mine is going to be an “after the fact” blog!  I am certainly not witty and it likely won’t be as funny or entertaining as others but hope to provide some information for anyone else looking for it.  I will space the posts out so if people have specific questions I can answer them along the way.  I am also currently going through all of my photos so future posts will hopefully have less content and more pictures!
Booking
We booked this cruise over a year ago.  We always try to book early to secure a location we wanted and my SIL asked if we wanted to try Star class this trip since we are celebrating big anniversaries.  The prices of the rooms weren’t that bad on Anthem compared to some of the other ships sailing in March.  We booked and then sometime over the summer, my BIL’s parents and nieces decided to join us and they snagged the last Star Class suite on Deck 10. My Husband, his cousin and myself stayed in GLS 10324, my SIL, BIL and niece were in GLS 10724 and my BIL’s parents and their 2 grand kids were in GLS 10720.
Prior to the Cruise
About a month out we received the generic questionnaire about any special requests, who we would be cruising with and some other random questions.  We were sailing with 10 of us in total in 3 Grand Loft Suites on Deck 10 and requested that we have the same Genie.  We also requested what we wanted stocked in our room for drinks and snacks.
A little over two weeks before the cruise, our Genie, Yen Lee reached out to us introducing herself.  From what I have read about Yen, she will make anything we want happen but we shouldn’t expect any real surprises.  That was completely fine with me because I am not one who likes surprises….I used to open my Christmas presents before Christmas and re-wrap them all again! 
We provided her a spreadsheet of where we wanted reservations for dinner for 4 of the nights and a list of what other things we wanted to do (iFly, Flow Rider, Cupcake Decorating, Rock Climbing, Galley/Bridge/Theater tours, North Star, etc.).  We also asked that the two cabanas we had booked at Chill Island on Cococay be next to one another in the front row (specifically Cabana #4 and #5).  After some back and forth emails between Yen, my SIL and myself, we got a final schedule around 5 days out with everything we wanted scheduled.  She indicated she appreciated the spreadsheet as it made it easier for her to make our final schedule for the week. 
This is what she sent to us:

One thing we had really wanted was to have a lunch set up in one of the suites on embarkation day to avoid all of the crowds.  We know we could have eaten at Coastal Kitchen or any of the specialty restaurants but wanted something in our room. Within 24 hours Yen replied with menus we could order off of (Jaime’s and Chops) along with letting us know we could also order pizza.  I have heard a lot of people were told they couldn’t set up lunch in the room on embarkation day but because we were her only suites, I think it made it easier for her to accommodate us. 

Not a live blog but posting details of our Anthem of the Seas Star class experience under live blog section of the website. Come check it out if you have any questions about the ship or Star class on Anthem.  I will be posting all 7 days of our experience!  I figure in these times of no cruises some fun pictures will be an enjoyable distraction!

I have been reading all of the live blogs others are doing of their Star Class cruise and thought about attempting one, however, I didn’t want to be constantly on my phone blogging about the day’s events or answering questions so mine is going to be an “after the fact” blog!  I am certainly not witty and it likely won’t be as funny or entertaining as others but hope to provide some information for anyone else looking for it.  I will space the posts out so if people have specific questions I can answer them along the way.  I am also currently going through all of my photos so future posts will hopefully have less content and more pictures!
Booking
We booked this cruise over a year ago.  We always try to book early to secure a location we wanted and my SIL asked if we wanted to try Star class this trip since we are celebrating big anniversaries.  The prices of the rooms weren’t that bad on Anthem compared to some of the other ships sailing in March.  We booked and then sometime over the summer, my BIL’s parents and nieces decided to join us and they snagged the last Star Class suite on Deck 10. My Husband, his cousin and myself stayed in GLS 10324, my SIL, BIL and niece were in GLS 10724 and my BIL’s parents and their 2 grand kids were in GLS 10720.
Prior to the Cruise
About a month out we received the generic questionnaire about any special requests, who we would be cruising with and some other random questions.  We were sailing with 10 of us in total in 3 Grand Loft Suites on Deck 10 and requested that we have the same Genie.  We also requested what we wanted stocked in our room for drinks and snacks.
A little over two weeks before the cruise, our Genie, Yen Lee reached out to us introducing herself.  From what I have read about Yen, she will make anything we want happen but we shouldn’t expect any real surprises.  That was completely fine with me because I am not one who likes surprises….I used to open my Christmas presents before Christmas and re-wrap them all again! 
We provided her a spreadsheet of where we wanted reservations for dinner for 4 of the nights and a list of what other things we wanted to do (iFly, Flow Rider, Cupcake Decorating, Rock Climbing, Galley/Bridge/Theater tours, North Star, etc.).  We also asked that the two cabanas we had booked at Chill Island on Cococay be next to one another in the front row (specifically Cabana #4 and #5).  After some back and forth emails between Yen, my SIL and myself, we got a final schedule around 5 days out with everything we wanted scheduled.  She indicated she appreciated the spreadsheet as it made it easier for her to make our final schedule for the week. 
This is what she sent to us:

One thing we had really wanted was to have a lunch set up in one of the suites on embarkation day to avoid all of the crowds.  We know we could have eaten at Coastal Kitchen or any of the specialty restaurants but wanted something in our room. Within 24 hours Yen replied with menus we could order off of (Jaime’s and Chops) along with letting us know we could also order pizza.  I have heard a lot of people were told they couldn’t set up lunch in the room on embarkation day but because we were her only suites, I think it made it easier for her to accommodate us. 

@WAAAYTOOO Yen was so sweet.  She is quiet at times but she did anything we asked of her and she was always smiling.  She was upset she couldn't fly home but her contract doesn't end until July.  Because of the 30 cancellation of cruises plus the 2 1/2 weeks of dry dock for Anthem she won't have any passengers for all of that time and if the transatlantic doesn't happen it will be even longer.  She was hoping to try out some of the activities on the ship and get some time to relax.
 

I have been reading all of the live blogs others are doing of their Star Class cruise and thought about attempting one, however, I didn’t want to be constantly on my phone blogging about the day’s events or answering questions so mine is going to be an “after the fact” blog!  I am certainly not witty and it likely won’t be as funny or entertaining as others but hope to provide some information for anyone else looking for it.  I will space the posts out so if people have specific questions I can answer them along the way.  I am also currently going through all of my photos so future posts will hopefully have less content and more pictures!
Booking
We booked this cruise over a year ago.  We always try to book early to secure a location we wanted and my SIL asked if we wanted to try Star class this trip since we are celebrating big anniversaries.  The prices of the rooms weren’t that bad on Anthem compared to some of the other ships sailing in March.  We booked and then sometime over the summer, my BIL’s parents and nieces decided to join us and they snagged the last Star Class suite on Deck 10. My Husband, his cousin and myself stayed in GLS 10324, my SIL, BIL and niece were in GLS 10724 and my BIL’s parents and their 2 grand kids were in GLS 10720.
Prior to the Cruise
About a month out we received the generic questionnaire about any special requests, who we would be cruising with and some other random questions.  We were sailing with 10 of us in total in 3 Grand Loft Suites on Deck 10 and requested that we have the same Genie.  We also requested what we wanted stocked in our room for drinks and snacks.
A little over two weeks before the cruise, our Genie, Yen Lee reached out to us introducing herself.  From what I have read about Yen, she will make anything we want happen but we shouldn’t expect any real surprises.  That was completely fine with me because I am not one who likes surprises….I used to open my Christmas presents before Christmas and re-wrap them all again! 
We provided her a spreadsheet of where we wanted reservations for dinner for 4 of the nights and a list of what other things we wanted to do (iFly, Flow Rider, Cupcake Decorating, Rock Climbing, Galley/Bridge/Theater tours, North Star, etc.).  We also asked that the two cabanas we had booked at Chill Island on Cococay be next to one another in the front row (specifically Cabana #4 and #5).  After some back and forth emails between Yen, my SIL and myself, we got a final schedule around 5 days out with everything we wanted scheduled.  She indicated she appreciated the spreadsheet as it made it easier for her to make our final schedule for the week. 
This is what she sent to us:

One thing we had really wanted was to have a lunch set up in one of the suites on embarkation day to avoid all of the crowds.  We know we could have eaten at Coastal Kitchen or any of the specialty restaurants but wanted something in our room. Within 24 hours Yen replied with menus we could order off of (Jaime’s and Chops) along with letting us know we could also order pizza.  I have heard a lot of people were told they couldn’t set up lunch in the room on embarkation day but because we were her only suites, I think it made it easier for her to accommodate us.