TheHobbys

It isn't a Cabin Crawl... We are calling it a Stateroom Walking Tour!

Current situation ?

Ya know, I was really disappointed in the SC area when we went ... Think the SC area down in FTL was just a little better.  Oh well - guess I should get to involved with it as we were only there maybe 10 minutes before Yen came and got us  ?  

Ya know, I was really disappointed in the SC area when we went ... Think the SC area down in FTL was just a little better.  Oh well - guess I should get to involved with it as we were only there maybe 10 minutes before Yen came and got us  ?  

Keep us informed.  I can't possibly cruise with people who don't do tequila shots.

Tonight we wrapped it up with the late night show with Jim David. Funny guy. He had a hilarious idea for what to name the next Royal Caribbean ship...?
Heading to bed now as we have an early start to the day tomorrow. We are in Bermuda and we have the Island tour booked. Probably won’t be updating much tomorrow until I get back. 

Great time had by all at the pizza meet up tonight. Huge thanks to @Matt and @AnnetteJackson for organizing and feeding us ?? 
It was so great meeting some people there tonight that up until now, I only knew virtually. I cannot wait to meet the rest of the gang tomorrow on board!  Currently trying to explain to D12 how wide the RCBlog Cruising community spans. She thought it was just the message boards but now that she has met some people, she is trying to wrap her head around the boards, the Insiders, and Periscope. It really is awesome to see how @Matt has grown and shaped this community for all of us. Thank you @Matt
I did not scope tonight but some others did. Check out these great scopes tonight by @Matt, Jose, and @KathyC (who might I mention is super nice and awesome!). I wish you were coming with us @KathyC!!
https://www.pscp.tv/w/b-1bnDF4TlFhYVJPT2V3UWJ8MVJEeGx2V2dqRW9HTBZLq_h-toE0LdQwUIS4p24dG5vB5orXuUKPl_wyKjVP
https://www.pscp.tv/w/b-1buDF4TlFhYVJPT2V3UWJ8MVJEeGx2V2FwWWRHTDr8k7yrfzVp3saBbYwE5audsQz0_AsnV7vBpHjYc5X_
https://www.pscp.tv/w/b-1b0TF4TlFhYVJPT2V3UWJ8MU93eFdrV3d2UWV4USUOnMNENhQ7mQaWeq1QdapVIoqhAQLc3exvqov1i6__
https://www.pscp.tv/w/b-1b7TF4TlFhYVJPT2V3UWJ8MUJSS2p2ZVBrYUJLd11eUtyvDTvM6gvRkGDODQJWLEH1rRusJYS1YKbKy4b4

This just in...?

Cruising with Greatness – Anthem Group Cruise – July 4-13, 2019
Anthem of the Seas the Reboot (aka Anthem, The Lite Edition).

For those of you who have been around for a while, you know that we cruised Anthem back in 2018.  For a more in-depth blog of Anthem, check out my blog from March 2018.
This is going to be the “Lite Edition” for several reasons.  I wasn’t even going to blog this cruise as I am not sure how much more I can add to it that would be different from my previous one or the ones that @twangster, @JLMoran, @SweetPea, or @TheHobbys have done.  And…it’s my first Group Cruise!  I might be just a tad busier than usual.  However, the conclusion that I came to is that it would be irresponsible and inconsiderate of me to not blog it because it was the blogs and scopes from last year’s Royal Caribbean Blog Alaska GC that finally pushed me into booking this one.  Again, the best part of live blogs is learning from each other and to pay it forward.
Let’s back up the story a bit on how this cruise came about for us.  I saw this GC as soon as @Matt announced it back in the Fall of 2017.  The itinerary stood out right away for me as it was 9-night sailing that goes to Bermuda (we have never been).  To make it even better, the dates for this GC landed on dates that were actually doable for me.  However, during that time, I was more focused on securing my Symphony July 2019 booking and with both cruises in July, only weeks apart, I decided it wasn’t going to be possible for Anthem. 
In March 2018, we sailed Anthem, and I had very mixed feelings on that sailing with the ship itself.  I usually enjoy most cruises we go on, but Anthem did not sit well with me.  You can see my initial thoughts of Anthem in my previous Anthem blog. 
Fast forward to June 2018, the RC Blog gang went to Alaska, and it looked like so much fun that I truly wanted to try out a GC myself.  Many of you know that I am teacher and my vacation dates are not flexible.  To have the Anthem GC fall over our summer break was an opportunity that I felt I could not let pass.
Booking this cruise was essentially embracing the true YOLO spirit.  As far as our (I mean Hubby’s) bank account goes, booking this one and Symphony to sail in the same month was not wise and made for a very expensive April!  On the bright side, this is going to be our shortest dry dock ever between cruises!  This is the cruise that we probably should not have booked but could not turn it down for the reasons already listed and the best reason of all…Who can possibly turn down an opportunity to meet “Mr. YOLO Book It!” himself?  True Greatness?  Our Fearless Leader? Obviously not us!  So here it goes…

Take a read through the live blogs.  There have been some great posts like Ovation goes north, by  @twangster and Ovation to Alaska by @SpeedNoodles.  ?  if you go, try your hand at a blog especially if you do excursions.  We are planning hitting up Alaska in '21 ... but aiming for end of May / June range possibly.

WOW. Just WOW.  If you can go see We Will Rock You twice .... do it .... it was by far the best show we have ever seen on a RCL cruise.   #period
 

We had Alan on Oasis in 2017 and was amazing!  (#wth was thinking with a freaking beard on a cruise  ... )

And that's a wrap folks!  Now to go sulk in the corner since my cruise is over ... only 

We had Alan on Oasis in 2017 and was amazing!  (#wth was thinking with a freaking beard on a cruise  ... )

@SpeedNoodles - hope you have a great cruise.  My dad just got off this one the last week in May and they seemed to enjoy it.  Which is funny, cause they seem to like the older ships.  I'm waiting on 2021 dates to come out for this cruise for our family to hit up ... interested to see your thoughts on the ship.  Like @twangster said, enjoy the cruise and blog when you can.  Just a thought, if you have a voice recorder on your phone - you could take 'voice' notes to remind yourself of stuff for blogging later ....  ? 

We had Alan on Oasis in 2017 and was amazing!  (#wth was thinking with a freaking beard on a cruise  ... )

Glad to seem I’m not the only one who keeps really far away trips in a countdown app. 
 

Me too.

We had Alan on Oasis in 2017 and was amazing!  (#wth was thinking with a freaking beard on a cruise  ... )

After breakfast and some pool time, we took an Uber to the port.  Unfortunately, we ran into an event (some type of triathalon), so the trip took much longer than anticipated.  We are staying in 1758 which qualifies as Star Class.  We arrived relatively early (about 11:30).  We had no problem finding the Star Class flag and the attendant with the flag.  It took the Star Class person a bit of time to find a porter to help, but once she tracked one down, we were whisked away (with luggage) to a private lounge area.  We were offered a nice place to sit, and one of the genies came over and took our passports.  After a couple of minutes, he returned with our boarding cards and we boarded the ship, luggage and all.  Although early, our room was prepared and beautifully set up with birthday decorations and a birthday cake for my husband.  From the time we arrived at the terminal to arriving in our cabin with our luggage took no more than 15 minutes.
Back up -- we were the Allure going to Nassau, Roatan, Costa Maya, and Cozumel.  Sorry about the lack of upfront information!
Before we left, I had exchanged several emails with our genie, Alan.  I let him know which shows we wanted to see (my son is a theater kid, and wanted to see Mama Mia all three times!), our food likes and dislikes, and our general schedule.  I also let him know it was my husband's birthday.  We really enjoyed all of the work that Alan put into making our cruise perfect for us, as I will try to detail as we go through the trip.
We first met Alan when we got to our cabin.  He greated us effusively and let us know everything going on for the day.  We asked for a lunch recommendation, and he recommended Coastal Kitchen.  As we had a big breakfast and planned for dinner at Chops, we decided to have a light lunch and CK was perfect!  In addition, we had so much food in our room when we arrived, we did not really need lunch at all!  
Alan also explained the entertainment schedule for the week, and set up spa appointments.  The cabin attendant, Marco, came and explained how to use the room.  There were many buttons and switches that controlled the lights, curtains, and shades.  He also explained how to use the hot tub on the balcony (use there was a hot tub, and we used it!)  The hot tub was an amenity we were not expecting, so that was a great surprise.
We stayed in cabin 1758 which is next to CK, and it was a simply spectacular cabin.  It offers an entirely separate bedroom with a door separating the bedroom from the living area, two bathroom areas, a huge amount of storage space, floor to ceiling windows, and an expansive balcony.  We were just astonished by the cabin, and ended up spending as much time as we could in it.  I far preferred sitting on the cabin balcony to sitting at the pool.  I could feel like I was alone on my own ship as opposed to sharing it with 6000 other people!
After eating and getting oriented, we spent some time outside before the muster.  Our son took advantage of the zip line several times as well as the flowrider before it got too busy.  We also played mini golf, which for some reason was empty.  After the muster, we just relaxed and unpacked until a fabulous dinner at Chops and then Mama Mia.  
At Chops, we enjoyed the filet and lobster.  I know some do not like Chops.  I love it, and I am not much of a meat person.  To me, they did a great job with the lobster and sides, and provided top-notch service.  The Mama Mia case was excellent, and we go to many shows.  Honestly, the cast on the ship rivaled many I have seen in LA.  We later learned that it was that cast's last cruise on their contraperhaps they did a spectacular job the last week?  Regardless, the show was great.
 

Ok you guys, I'm SO excited. Mr. SpeedNoodles and I have not been on a vacation for 10 years (yes, you read that correctly). We've had time off from work, hauling the hounds to dog shows, but those are work.  Lots of fun, but lots of work.  This year is our 25th wedding wedding anniversary, his 50th birthday, we found a hound(s)/house sitter, and we are READY TO GO!!!
I'll focus this blog mostly on the ship, since there's no way my photos of the scenery will do any justice of it, and Twangster did a superb job on his. Hats off to him - they were absolutely incredible!  I don't know that I'll be able to post daily, but I intend to do the best that I can.  We will have 36 hours in Seattle before we get on the ship, so we're super excited about that! 
Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick .....

Well, at least Madison already had “health” class so you didn’t have to explain anything. ?

When one can't sleep at 130 in the morning, at least there view is great!  Majesty should be here in a few hours!!

Awww thank you!!!  It's much easier to write than scope! Jane