Skigoofy

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.

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

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.

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.  

Guess where dinner was.  Yep, Coastal Kitchen.

I went for the French Onion Soup from the Classics menu.

Braised Short Rib


Bittersweet Chocolate Tart Praline

Another great dinner and perfect sized portions.

I ended up never leaving the ship and before I knew it there was a sunset happening.

Soon it was happy hour so on my way to the Diamond Lounge I checked out the pier.  Oasis had a number of officers greeting returning guests.  Nice touch.

At one point I looked up from my balcony and saw something I did a few years back here in St. Maarten.   The America's Cup 12 metre Regatta boats "Stars and Stripes" and "True North IV".







They do somewhat simulate a race but I'd use that term loosely.  True North IV "won" this one.  It's more about just having fun and experiencing what these boats can do.  They are very agile.







It's a lot of fun 

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.

Coming around the corner we see a familiar sight.  Today we are joining Oasis of the Seas in port.



The recently added Ultimate Abyss dry slide.

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.

The Journey tribute band DSB was back rocking it out in Two70° to a full house.

Dinner back in Coastal Kitchen


I haven't showed the breads that start dinner service every night so here they are.

Braised Beef Gnocchi

Veal Cannelloni


Chocolate Napoleon

Calm seas today and a nice day to enjoy a balcony with no humidity.

We changed time last night.

Top tier event in the main theater starts with guitar music from a band member in the Royal orchestra.

2782 total CAS
988 Gold, 352 moving to Platinum
520 Platinum, 175 moving to Emerald
272 Emerald, 86 moving to Diamond
598 Diamond, 35 moving to Diamond Plus
354 Diamond Plus, 5 moving to Pinnacle
50 Pinnacle
A feature I really enjoy is the outdoor seating for the Windjammer.  I eat many meals out here.

Day 3 - Sea Day
I'll use this lazy sea day to show the Esplanade.  As an early riser it's nice to find the Esplanade mostly empty of guests.  The Esplanade is similar in concept to the Promenade found on many previous Royal ships in the fleet as the heart of the ship.



The Loyalty Ambassador's desk is beside guest services.

The pub.  More on that later.



The Esplanade has a dog leg around the pub heading forward to additional shops and the Music Hall.

Day 2 - Sea Day
Departing from Bayonne in the winter means the first and last day of the cruise are what I call "long pant days".  Fortunately Anthem is a perfect ship for cold weather and there is a lot going on around the ship.
The adult only solarium is 16+.

In this cabin the TV is mounted against the wall and it doesn't hinge like some other ships or cabins.  There is no way to access the HDMI inputs and with a border surrounding the TV you really can't do anything with this TV but watch the Royal channel lineup.

Dinner in Coastal Kitchen.

Maine Lobster Salad.

Roasted Veal Tenderloin.


Valrhona Chocolate Bar.

On this cruise there were high numbers of upper top tier Crown and Anchor so the Concierge Lounge was off limits to D+.  The expanded Diamond Lounge using the upper floor of the Music Hall works quite well for this purpose and I met many new friends on this cruise.  Here is a wide angle picture to aid in obscuring individuals for privacy purposes.  This is the Music Hall upstairs bar area during Diamond happy hour,

Tonight was a performance of The Gift.  I decided to leave the cameras in my cabin and take in this show with my eyes.  Luckily I scored a front row seat.  Just a quick smartphone pic before the show begins.

Pay attention for the first 30 seconds of the show since the storyline is revealed.  If you are talking or distracted it will be hard to figure out the plot of the show if you miss that brief introduction.

Night 1 continued...
After dinner I wandered and found DSB in the Music Hall.  They are a Journey tribute band and very good.

I've seen these guys before on Anthem and was pleased they would be back.


It wasn't long before the audience was on the dance floor.




Meanwhile in Boleros The Royal Swedes were also rocking it out.

Getting late The VIA was empty.

Aft or midship elevator bank. 

Anthem really is a pretty ship.
Enough for day 1, more to come...

Night 1 Dinner - Coastal Kitchen

Those who have eaten at CK know the drill.  Classics that never change on one side...

Daily items on the other side

Caesar Salad
Interesting presentation and very tasty.

Fillet Mignon - Yum.

The fillet remains to be the best steak in the fleet. 
Dessert menu

Chocolate Praline Tart

Coastal Kitchen remains a fantastic experience.
Back to my cabin my Crown and Anchor amenities have arrived.  Loyalty pays.  Who needs a drink package?

Cabin Tour - J4 Junior Suite 6240, Port side

No walk in closet but ample space.

Wow bands included with a JS.


Ample space in the suite.



The bathroom facilities are split with a water closet or toilet on one side:

And the bathtub and shower on the other side. 
Bathtub on the left...

Shower on the right.

Rainfall shower head (not pictured) as well as shower head sprayer.

Foot rest/shelf for shower supplies.

L'Occitane toiletries: 

I waited until we were under nicer skies to photograph the balcony.  It's a nice cabin with large windows and views to the sea.



The view down.  That's the deck 5 port side public sitting area below the cabin.  No impact to the balcony, smoking side is starboard.

The view aft.

The view forward.

Day 1 - Bayonne 
IT"S CRUISE DAY!!!
I checked both Lyft and Uber and found Uber a bit cheaper.  Uber it is.


The Uber app sent my driver all over the place on the way to pick me up.  Even my driver wasn't sure what was going on.  None the less I arrived at Cape Liberty just after 10am.
My cabin on this cruise was a Junior Suite so I took advantage of the suite line and waiting area.  Check in was quick and convenient.

The rest of the terminal:

Boarding commenced shortly after 10:35am.  
Later I noted the much heavier terminal traffic just before noon:

Cabins ready at 1:30 so I grabbed a Kümmelweck in CafeTwo70 and made reservations at Coastal Kitchen for the duration of the voyage.  
Sail away shortly after muster, here is Lady Liberty with a telephoto lens from my port side balcony:


Lower Manhattan:

I was almost done unpacking when I made a dash for deck 15 to take in the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge.


Phew, looks like we'll make it one more time.

I'm writing this in the past tense because, well, the cruise is over.  I knew I would be busy on this one so in fairness I'm going to skip a lot of things about this magnificent ship.  
I've always enjoyed Anthem and Quantum class in general as evidenced by this being my fourth time on Anthem.  I wouldn't keep coming back if this wasn't a great ship.
Itinerary:
Day 1 - Bayonne embarking
Day 2 - Sea day
Day 3 - Sea day
Day 4 - San Juan
Day 5 - St. Maarten
Day 6 - Antigua
Day 7 - St Lucia
Day 8 - St Kitts
Day 9 - Sea day
Day 10 - Sea day
Day 11 - Sea day
Day 12 -  Bayonne debarking
 
I've done a couple of previous Anthem live blogs, you'll find those here:
  https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/5068-anthem-112517-712-b2b/
    and
  https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/5387-anthem-11918-9-night-bahamas/
Spoiler alert - I still love this ship after my latest cruise.
Without further adieu, let's get this started.

I know what you are thinking.  January 2022?  Did I read that right?
In order to secure a great price on one of only two Star Class Ultimate Panoramic Suites on Oasis I booked this a couple of months ago when the itineraries where first released.  Within minutes of them going public I secured the 2nd of these two suites in the name of research and, well it seemed like a good excuse to book a cruise.
That's nice and all but why start a blog now?
I am so tired of @Matt beating up on my fellow Canadian @Lovetocruise2002 even though we all knew he has the record for starting a cruise blog the longest before any sailing in the history of these boards that I had to step in and take action.   So back off Matt!
Seven hundred and twenty nine days.  
Itinerary as it stands today includes Puerto Plata, DR, St Thomas USVI and San Juan Puerto Rico.  
This may be my only 2020 update.  I'll do my best to update this blog at least once in 2021.  
Until then, let it be known I hold the record for the longest pre-cruise early blogging award!

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.