Guy Gadwa

After breakfast we met Leroy up in the seaplex for some bumper cars. Shortly after @Lovetocruise2002and her family arrived and we had some epic battles in the bumper cars. We all left with huge smiles on our faces and headed to Ifly. The weather is getting cooler. The shorts were shed for long pants and sweatshirts. 

Someone it ready!


All suited up!

 

 

 

Morning views. This Canadian is getting chilly though. 
 

 
D13 is Hubby in training. One of her first questions once we got onboard was, “How soon can I do laundry?” This morning, “Can I do more laundry?” Lol
 

This morning, I slept through my alarm and woke up to room service calling to say they were on the way with our Starbucks order. 
this is the best way to start the day

Lydia is a @Lovetocruise2002 in training 

On a side note, I took a walk this morning to the Concierge Lounge. It was actually my first time there because our last two times on Anthem we were in a JS. It was quite the hike! From my room, down the hall to the aft stairs, then up two flights, back down the hall to the very back of Deck 12. I really miss Deck 17 lol. The views there are fantastic and surprisingly, there was no one there other than the suite concierge. 

After dinner we wandered the ship for a bit, and also laughed at the cold weather gear being sold in the shops.

Johnny earned a napkin art ninja at dinner, (sorry about it being rotated)

Day 2 - Sea Day
Slept great last night. Not too much motion yet. Today we have Bumper Cars, North Star, and iFly. You can probably guess where I am right now😉
I am predictable lol

There are many things I don’t like about Anthem, but Anthem’s CK is still the best for service and their French Toast!

Last night was busy for us, and the internet on my phone decided to stop working for a bit, but overnight it returned. We too went to Coastal Kitchen last night for dinner. 
 
As @twangster said about predictable……we are the same….
Escargot

Burrata

Filet…..this was interesting because our sauce was served on the side, which was good because it allowed for dunking each bite!

Hazelnut Cake

Royal Chocolate Cake

Warm Honey Pear

i do have to say that I agree with @Lovetocruise2002 youngest. This filet wasn’t the best. All the different filets I had on Oasis in February were better than this one, not that this one was bad by any means.
Our server also brought us a crème brûlée for dessert, and this is one I think we are going to give up on for good. I make crème brûlée at home often since it’s The Boss’s favorite, and the one made by RC doesn’t even come close. 

Gorgeous sail away and aft sunset  views. This is such a treat. We never see this after dinner in the Caribbean because the sun sets earlier.
 
📸 D13
 
 
📸D15

📸D15

📸Hubby

 
Off to bed soon I think. We are boring cruisers. We were supposed to see Spectra’s tonight but decided to eat dinner later (because sail away was late due to them loading luggage from the parking lot onto the ship) and skipped it. Hubby and kids are streaming Star Wars instead and I am off to bed. The hustle and bustle since Sunday is catching up to me, and we go forward an hour tonight. 

Dinner Night 1…you know it! #teamCK! 
All the usuals for us tonight. 

Caesar Salad 

Tomato Soup

Pork Belly

Rigatoni

Filet ❤️

Barramundi instead of Branzino tonight 

Creme Brûlée 

Hazelnut Cake 

 
My youngest broke my heart tonight, she said she prefers the Chops filet over CK. I must have made a mistake training her along the way. Lol. 
 
On a happier note, there is a CK crew member that we met on our first time on Anthem (March 2018). We ran into him on Allure in December 2021. Now he is back on Anthem again. Love running into crew from sailing to sailing. Hubby says that is a sign that we cruise too much. 

Ughhhhh. Someone was let into coastal kitchen wearing shorts!!!! Oh wait, that was me……they will let anyone in these days…..

@Matt - Apparently we are cruising with the wrong people.  Why don't we ever have shots waiting for us as we board? 🤔

Annnnd we’re off!!

After some lunch and unpacking, the kids wanted to visit the pool. I spotted The Boss up on the suite sun deck sitting with all her friends. I’m sure I’ll be in trouble for posting this, but I have to keep the people updated as to what is going on!

while I’m not superstitious, I’m not sure I’d want to be in this room…..

Leroy gave the kids a list of animals to find on the ship. This was one of them. There seems to be a resemblance…..

 

Thank you!!! It was a fun way to start! 

Our lunch was in Coastal Kitchen. 
 
Appetizers of the Serrano wrapped dates, and Mediterranean Wedge Salad.

Heather and Lydia had a grilled chicken sandwich 

And I had the Salmon 

Rounding out lunch, Johnny had the kids grilled cheese. He was surprised to find that it was also smothered in cheese too. He is feeling the food coma early, since he had already dived into that cake!

The Coastal Kitchen manager stopped by to see how we were doing and promised Johnny a paper airplane of which the likes he had never seen, as long as he ate his lunch. He ate more than he usually does, so he got his reward.

 
Lydia and I were just happy to be there, sorry for the awkward smile, my mouth was full of bread at that moment 🤷🏻‍♂️

Once on board we did all the required Muster drill things and then relaxed in Vintages while Leroy went over all the star class benefits and everything. In earlier chats when @Lovetocruise2002and I were talking about what time we were getting on the ship, and we found out we would beat her on board. I mentioned that I would meet them at the gangway with tequila shots.  When I promise something, I deliver. 
 
We met them with said shots

It was a great way to start this cruise!
 
 

You can have 75% of ours lol

10324, What @Lovetocruise2002 said, mirror image. 
 
wait, so you got a sheet cake? We only got a small round cake!

@GregD, the Boss, Hubby, and I found this interesting. Why did all these people leave their luggage at their trunks? 
 

10724
Lower level







Downstairs Bathroom



Upstairs










Upstairs Bath

 


Balcony

We made it too! Took us about 2 hours. Some traffic cleared up for us. When we got here boarding had started. Like @GregDalready mentioned, no Star Class podium or banner here in Southampton. Just this sign. However, once you identify yourself as Star, boarding was very smooth and efficient. 
 
Driving up to the ship

 





 
This was the only sign to indicate Star.


 

Trust me.  

We are on board!!! Our van picked us up promptly at 10:15, and we were at the port by 10:20. We were dropped off in the general cab area, and the porters were ready to grab our bags. The Boss channeled her inner @WAAAYTOOO and had a vice like grip on her bags and exclaimed “WE ARE STAR CLASS” at which point the kids said wait what??!!
A few of the porters looked at us confused, but one knew what we meant and pointed us in the right direction. 
The star class check in area is in the middle of the building. At that point we were on a mission, so I didn’t get a chance to snap a picture. The regular and star class people did have a list of the star class rooms, so they do verify. 
 
Once at the correct area, we turned our bags into the right people and at that point we were assigned to port personnel who guided us through the rest of the check in.
He first verified our test results, then brought us to security.
Security was a quick walk through the metal detectors where Leroy was waiting for us. 
We met the next crew member who completed the check in process. He verified our passports, vaccine stuff, health questions. 
 
Shortly after Leroy escorted us onto the ship. Meanwhile, I was sending messages to @Lovetocruise2002 about what to expect, and she “yelled” at me that I was teasing her.
From arrival to on the ship was about 10 minutes.

 
 

I hope you both have a great cruise.  I live on the Isle of Wight and will be out on my balcony this evening to watch you sail through the Solent.