twangster

Yes!  Mission accomplished!  I have finally turned it around and made @twangster jealous!

It runs a number of different programs.  NorthStar has evolved in North America.  For what ever reason they kept it free in North America but due to demand they had to cut the duration to 9 minutes plus 6 minutes for boarding, de-boarding.  Up, slight left and right and back down.  
In other regions the duration is longer but there is a cost. 

Blue Lagoon Dolphin Excursion:  RC Excursion
This excursion is available in several forms.  There is the Blue Lagoon Beach Break.  This gives you access to beach only.  Then there is the Blue Lagoon Dolphin Swim where you can actually swim with a dolphin.  The one Hubby and D2 did was the Blue Lagoon Dolphin Encounter, which basically lets you play with a dolphin in waist high water.
The excursion started at 7:45am with the meeting spot at Station 1 on the pier.  Hubby reported that it took a long time to actually get on the ferry to Blue Lagoon Island.  They waited pier side until about 9am.  People were separated into two groups (beach people, animal encounters) and bands are given out before boarding the ferry.  
The ferry ride to Blue Lagoon Island took about 45min.  Hubby and D2 reported a smooth, slow ride.  There is a washroom available on the ferry.  You can even purchase drinks and snacks on the ferry.

After arriving on Blue Lagoon Island, there are a few dolphin locations and staff direct you where to go.  There is slight confusion but no one got lost.


Once arriving in your location, there is a consent to sign off on.  Then your belongings are stored in a locker.  Hubby reported that these lockers are small and difficult to lock.  If you have a large backpack, it won't fit and you have to put it off to the side.  The locker can fit approximately a mid-size handbag.  Hubby says the locker is ancient looking and rusted.  It locks with a key.  After securing your belongings, everyone is provided with a life jacket.  Then you are taken to the area for the Dolphin Encounter.  Here the dolphin trainer gives instructions on how to interact with the dolphin and safety.  There are about 16 people in each group.  No personal cameras or recording equipment allowed.
Interactions with the Dolphin includes hugging, kissing, dancing, rubbing, and touching its teeth.  You are also given a fish to feed to the dolphin.  Sometimes the dolphin squirts and splashes you.  After, the dolphin does a few tricks and then you are given to have the opportunity to take a group photo with the dolphin.
Change rooms and showering facilities are available to clean off.
Kiosks are available in the gift shop for purchasing photos and videos. 
Single pics are about $14
Videos are about $58
4 pics + video is $97
All inclusive pics through email was $79
7.5% tax is charged on all purchases and if paying with a credit card, you have to show picture ID.
Beach time is included with the excursion and you have the option to take selected ferry times back to the ship.


Overall thoughts:  Hubby felt this was worth the money.  We paid $119.70 CDN (on sale during Black Friday).  He reported that some parents had children who ended up being afraid and not wanting to go in.  So, buyer beware.  Know your children.

Photo credit: all Hubby
Excursion recap:  Hubby and D2 ?

For @firebuck @SeasTheDayNJ, and @KLAconQueso in the name of research. My waistline is paying for this ?
Fried pickles: just ok, it wasn't spicy, it was fresh and hot. Basically just a breaded pickle. Rating: B

Poutine: this was just ok too. As a Canadian, I have had much better poutine but it was by no way terrible. One step up from cafeteria poutine.  Rating: I say "B" but D1 says "A".

And for @Sweety, look what we found! A super fancy one!

Coffee card is $31 onboard.

 

Would name a bot twangster?  Jibo maybe, but not twangster...  Bot Protection Program?
 

Done and boy did I give that guy the what for!

First sea day weather this time of year can be hit or miss.  Hopefully you'll have great weather and depending on your tolerance to cool conditions get in some sun.  
On two of my three Anthem cruises I couldn't make iFly and/or North Star reservations in advance.  I would suggest as soon as you board head to Boleros and make them with the Box Office staff. 
Many of the entertainment cast from the shows take on a side job and become box office staff to help with reservations on day 1.  Upon boarding heading the circular staircase right near where you enter the ship and Boleros is right there on deck 4.  After that take care of any specialty restaurants reservations.  Cabin's aren't ready yet anyways so you might as well kill some time making reservations. 

D1 and I rode the NS while in port in Nassau. This was such a nice surprise to find that there was not only no wait but that it was offered today in port. Our reservations are actually for tomorrow (at sea) but this provided a much more enjoyable experience and stunning views. 
D1 is sensitive to motion and was worried but I am happy to report that it was much like riding an elevator. Perhaps at sea it is a different feeling. It does get a bit hot in there after a while. 
I had an interesting conversation with the operator on the way up. He mentioned that  only Quantum and Ovation take the NS over the edge of the ship, not Anthem. The reason being that it would make for a 30min ride as opposed to 9min on Anthem.  With a 30min ride, they would not be able to accommodate all the guests so that option is not available on this ship. Ovation and Quantum also charge for NS due to the extended ride. 
Here is a short video of our experience this morning. Pardon the shaky hand as I was busy chatting as well ?
?:D1

Current mood: ?☺️
Enjoying the warmth on the balcony while having a halzelnut mocha. Keeping it light and skipping lunch today. Tonight is Jamie's followed by We Will Rock You. 

Oh, and I just watched this sail by. Someone important must own this....


 

Would name a bot twangster?  Jibo maybe, but not twangster...  Bot Protection Program?
 

Would name a bot twangster?  Jibo maybe, but not twangster...  Bot Protection Program?
 

Day 5 CK Menu:

We kept dinner pretty light tonight as most of our day was already filled with eating. Kids started with their usual tomatoes in a martini glass and we kept it light with a Caesar salad. I did not take a pic as I already have one from an earlier post. Then, hubby and I had another appetizer that we have tried before.
Shrimp Cocktail:  according to Hubby, it's "typical". Rating: B

Wild Mushroom Consommé: I really like the flavouring in this. It is saltier than I would normally eat but I make the exception for this one. Rating: A

Kids each had a burger:

Hubby and I had one of our most favourite entrees in CK. 
Braised Short Rib: tender, moist, soft, falls right apart, excellent cut of meat. This seems consistent as it was the same quality on Harmony too. 
Rating: A+

Dessert!

Royal Chocolate Cake: Very rich but delicious. Hard to eat the whole thing. Rating: A

Coconut Custard: light & airy. Not too sweet and the coconut taste is faint. Surprisingly good!

The CK staff here on Anthem continues to impress me. The head waiter here is like no head waiter I have ever seen on any cruise. Tonight we witnessed him sweep the floor in addition to bussing tables, greeting every table, running around. The rest of the CK staff here seem to follow his lead as they are all excellent with service and so personable. 
Calling it an early night tonight as Hubby and D2 have the Blue Lagoon Dolphin Encounter tomorrow. Meeting time is 7:45am. I will be relying on hubby to give an excursion summary as D1 and I are staying on board. 
 

Disney Dream heading out of port right at you, don't shed a tear too much...
Enchantment and Empress also in port.

Sailing into Nassau:
Here with Enchanment and Empress. 
?: Hubby from the treadmill 



 
 

I'm certain there are maritime standards used to determine lifeboat capacity, much like how airlines use an average passenger to determine weight of the aircraft which is very critical to safe flight operations.  In America the average passenger is likely much different than the average passenger in another region such as Asia.
Lifeboats are not meant for comfort.  In an emergency it will be uncomfortable.  I recall seeing one lifeboat on some ship that stated something like "Tender Capacity 125, Lifeboat capacity 175".  Since some of them can be used for tenders clearly the crammed tender at 125 is one thing but in an emergency 175 is acceptable.  That's not to say that is what they plan to do in an emergency, just the theoretical maximum before the lifeboat would be unsafe. 

Disney Dream heading out of port right at you, don't shed a tear too much...
Enchantment and Empress also in port.

The Coco Locos were probably already made earlier.  The bar staff on Anthem told me they start prepping for CocoCay many hours before the ship arrives.  They have to haul cart after cart of food and beverages down to the lower deck to get ready to off load it onto tenders to supply the island (certain tender boats have a flat cargo area on the front to transfer supplies to the island).  This is all accomplished in the 4-5 hours leading up to arrival.  When they skip CocoCay they get to drag all the carts back upstairs and unload them.  It's a tremendous amount of effort.  The Coco Loco (same as the Labradoozie) is made without alcohol.  Alcohol is added at the time of drink purchase.  Instead of just dumping the Coco Loco semi-frozen slushie mix out, they start selling it on the ship.

So we basically had a super low key day filled with eating, pool (for the kids), more eating, wandering, more eating, and eating again ? I have not a clue how I am going to eat dinner in an hour and a half. 
Random findings from wandering:
Wonder how long it will take them to fix this sign?

Very cool....

My favourite piece of art on this ship:

Don't forget about that time on the helipad...

The Coco Locos were probably already made earlier.  The bar staff on Anthem told me they start prepping for CocoCay many hours before the ship arrives.  They have to haul cart after cart of food and beverages down to the lower deck to get ready to off load it onto tenders to supply the island (certain tender boats have a flat cargo area on the front to transfer supplies to the island).  This is all accomplished in the 4-5 hours leading up to arrival.  When they skip CocoCay they get to drag all the carts back upstairs and unload them.  It's a tremendous amount of effort.  The Coco Loco (same as the Labradoozie) is made without alcohol.  Alcohol is added at the time of drink purchase.  Instead of just dumping the Coco Loco semi-frozen slushie mix out, they start selling it on the ship.