Karannk

Following dinner we went to 270 to watch the finals of Karaoke Superstars. They were all excellent. Larry from NJ won the contest. He sang Unchained Melody and Cara Mia. Went back to the cabin, finished all last minute packing. Quick breakfast at CK on 2/9, then off the ship and home. Until next time!

Another genie surprise when we got back from dinner: TV was singing Happy Birthday

Day 11: Sea Day Our last full day Weather has improved. Currently at 13ft seas, with forecast for 10ft seas tonight. Breakfast at Windjammer today. Because we wanted to. At some point, we just got tired of how long it takes for the full dining process. Plus, we just wanted to check it out. Early lunch at Johnny Rockets because Star bridge tour is scheduled at 1pm. Returned to our suite after the tour, and Genie Elizabeth had worked some magic! Today is our son’s 13th birthday. And at the moment he loves chess. Plan is for bumper cars later, followed by dinner at Jamie’s.

Day 10: Sea Day Started with Concierge Lounge breakfast again. It’s light and fast and mostly empty up there. Not being huge breakfast people, it’s been perfect. Star class behind the scenes galley and theater tour this AM at 1030. It’s Elizabeth! We then headed over to Royal Society of Puzzles. They’re not quite calling it an escape room. Apparently it is held in a different room than the dedicated escape room area, which is now being used as a conference room. After relaunch following Covid times, this is what they’ve done. It is different than the one we did in 2020, which was great. It was the 3 of us and another Star couple, so 5 total. Finished with about 10:40 to spare. Lunch at Izumi. All the same stuffs. Dinner at CK. Lobster night. Seared Scallops Poached Lobster Homemade Gnocchi

Im having trouble uploading the video of the pool.

Pictures don’t really capture it all that well. But I did the best I could. Here is the view from deck 4 Music Hall. Pool balls were randomly swaying all over the billiards tables. Here’s the outdoor pool on deck 14. IMG_9084.mov

Weather is sunny, but windy with rough seas. We just did a little walk around to check things out. Outside pool is closed. Indoor poor is open, but resembles a wave pool. Solarium pool is open as well. Deck 15 sun areas are closed. They are not allowing folks out there at all.

Yes, just sea days. Currently day 10. Disembarking on Day 12.

Day 9: Sea Day Started off the day at Concierge Lounge for a quick breakfast. Today was the dedicated Star Class Flowrider hour from 9-10AM. My husband and son were the only participants. It was basically a private session. Lunch at Chops. This was the third time we had Anton as a server. He is great and has really gotten to know us. Shrimp cocktail Roasted Chicken We saw WWRY at 2PM matinee showing, as there was concern that the evening show may be canceled due to rough seas. Ultimately the evening show did happen. Dinner at Jamie’s tonight. Again, had much of the same dishes. Lamb Chops Chess meetup after dinner. By about 1030PM tonight, the ship was rocking quite a bit.

We were originally scheduled to see WWRY this evening, but given the forecast we saw today’s matinee instead. Just in case the evening performance is cancelled. We’re feeling some motion, mostly rattling from the wind. It’s not too bad.

Overhead announcement from Captain Toni about the weather. We’re currently going thru a thunderstorm. 17 ft waves, expected to reach 20 ft later today. Stabilizers have been deployed. All open air decks are now closed.

Day 8: St Kitts Room service breakfast followed by St Kitts Scenic Railway excursion. Elizabeth walked us down to the pier and arranged for us to be first on the shuttle bus to the train. We were able to hop off the shuttle quickly and secure an air conditioned seat inside the lower part of the rail car rather than the open air upper deck. After the last few days in the sun, it was a treat for our sunburned skin. This was a nice relaxing ride around the perimeter of the island with a bit of historical narration. Plus drinks and a sampling of coconut ginger cakes. Would recommend. Lunch at the pub today. Which was OK. And mostly consisted of appetizers. Yes it was good, but would I want to pay extra for this? Nah, not really. BBQ pulled pork nachos Royal pub burger German soft pretzel sticks Lobster mac & cheese wedges Poutine We went to the concierge lounge before dinner and our son filled up on chicken wings and shrimp. Dinner is a bit later today, so we figured why not? Had a chance to speak with Captain Toni while at the lounge. Port time was shortened today from 5pm to 2:30pm to accommodate expected delays. The next few days will have increasingly rough seas, and he is worried about making it back to Bayonne on time. We’re looking forward to “a bit less than 25 feet waves” - maybe 18-20? I’ll keep you posted. Dinner dragged on seemingly forever tonight at Chops. They were temporarily out of the Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc. And also ran out of onion rolls. We had much of the same dishes as before. This was the only new thing: Branzino New towel animal tonight. Not sure what it’s supposed to be, but kinda looks like a baby yoda.

Day 7: St Lucia Another early day with room service breakfast followed by excursion. Interestingly, Freewinds was in port with us this AM. It’s a Scientology retreat ship for high level folks. I don’t know about you, but I’ve watched my share of Leah Remini TV shows exposing Scientology and this was pretty neat to see. Our excursion was West Coast Catamaran Cruise. There were soo many people shoved on to this double decker catamaran. First we headed to Pigeon Point, then turned around towards Soufriere and the Pitons. The first swim/snorkel stop was plagued with aggressive locals trying to sell us refrigerator magnets, wood carvings, and coconut milk. They did not allow us to jump off the catamaran to swim. Everyone had to use the forward fold down stairs. That was a huge mess and so slow. We continued to the Pitons. Our second swim stop at the base of the Pitons was a bit more relaxing. Lunch was served onboard. It was tasty. There was enough left over for folks to have seconds if they wanted. Ultimately, it was probably the best way to see the pitons. I’ve heard that driving there in a bus is kinda unpleasant and not as great a view. Jamie’s for dinner tonight. Risotto Rosso Penne vodka arrabbiata Chicken Parmesan Followed by sweets at the Patisserie. Cookies & Cream cupcake Carrot Cake No show or evening entertainment tonight. We were tired. Another excursion tomorrow at St Kitts.

Day 6: St Maarten Today was an early morning. Our excursion had us meet at 815AM in the Royal Theater before heading out to the dock as a group. We booked Golden Eagle Catamaran Sail & Snorkel. There were maybe 20 of us total. Loved that! The catamaran itself was roomy. There several groups of tables. We stopped at a snorkel site first. There was a downed helicopter, a cannon, some walkways, and a statue underwater where the fish could hide. Crew fed the fish to attract them. There were soo many. Clouds of itty bitty fish, needlefish, snapper, and some others. Then we stopped at Simpson beach for some swimming. They served ham and cheese sandwiches on freshly baked baguettes on the return to the ship. Drinks were plentiful as well. Would definitely recommend. now even more - genie magic Windjammer lunch and Johnny Rockets dinner. We completely slummed it today, but that’s OK. It was a busy day, and we’re tired. We are planning to see tonight’s headliner show - a juggler. Tomorrow brings a full day catamaran cruise to the pitons in St Lucia.

Izumi dinner was much of the same as previous, aside from the Futomaki roll. This time, they brought the She’s a Geisha drink for my husband in a large cup. Supersized! Futomaki roll After dinner, we had to stop by Excursion desk to pick a new something for the next day. The America’s Cup Regatta excursion was cancelled due to lack of wind. We settled on the Golden Eagle Catamaran snorkel trip. They gave us a 15% discount. This evening we saw Spectra’s Cabaret. We were delighted that Terry Lavell has recently returned to reprise the role of Spectra.

Day 5: St Thomas Our excursion today was Xmas Cove - Snorkel, Turtles & Rays. Indeed we saw turtles - two types: loggerhead and green sea turtles. And rays. There were also starfish, cuttlefish, dusky squirrelfish, and a shipwreck. One of the crew members led an optional snorkel tour in the water, highlighting important facts about the area and sea creatures. He dove down to the bottom and brought up several starfish for us to pass around for up close inspection. So cool! The guys who run the tour had a great sense of humor. We had a great time. Snorkel boat Afternoon room snacks By the time we made it back to the ship, most options for lunch were closed. We braved the Windjammer for a late lunch. The Indian choices - potato bhaji and fish curry - were a win. Overall, not bad.

Dinner at Chops Crispy goat cheese salad Crab cake Lobster bisque Spicy jumbo shrimp Lobster Apple pie The Gift was not the best. When we saw this before, there were more visual effects. With the rigger shortage, the show has been altered and it is now definitely lacking. Also, the sound was not balanced causing a few singers to overwhelm the rest of the cast.

Day 4: Sea Day Room service breakfast this AM followed by another chess meetup. The decorations on the door are magically multiplying. CK for lunch. I was surprised the Caesar salad didn’t have the encircled crouton thing. Porchetta was delicious! Caesar salad Margherita flatbread Roasted fennel & chili porchetta Ras el Hanout seasoned swordfish Seafood linguini alfredo Rum cake Bumper cars again after lunch, then spent some time relaxing on the balcony. Tonight is Chops dinner and The Gift show. Supposedly, the show has changed a bit from pre-Covid times as there is now a shortage of riggers.

Dinner at Wonderland Reconstructed Caprese Liquid Truffle Mushroom Risotto Mad Hatter’s Purple Potted Shrimp The Bird’s Next Liquid Lobster Snap, Crackle and Pork Short Rib The Chicken and the Egg Forbidden Apple After dinner we checked out Boleros, Music Hall, and Bionic Bar.

Yes. The production shows on Anthem are WWRY, The Gift, and Spectra.

The ones on the left are sugar free and are crunchy. The ones on the right are regular and kinda chewy.

Day 3: Sea Day While we were planning on CK for breakfast, ultimately we decided to grab a quick fruit cup and pastry from 270 instead. Just didn’t have the room in our stomachs for a full breakfast. Thinking of room service for tomorrow. The husband and I did iFly at 1030AM. We were able to have 2 goes at it each, which I wasn’t expecting. It was just us and another Star fellow of Elizabeth’s. By the time lunch rolled around, we were actually hungry! Elizabeth came to visit us during lunch at Izumi. Chicken teriyaki Spicy crispy shrimp roll Sashimi Champagne lobster roll Green tea ice cream Our son had another chess meetup with a fellow passenger that we connected with on one of the cruise groups. We met yesterday as well. He is learning, which is great! special touches from Elizabeth There were surprise snacks in the room this afternoon. Later this afternoon we have bumper cars planned again. And dinner in Wonderland.

My basis for comparison is Yen Lee and Allan Fajardo. Elizabeth is great. She’s been working on Anthem for about 1 1/2 yrs. Very personable and down to earth. Plenty of little personal touches. My favorite genie so far! And this is only day 3.

Day 2: Sea Day Breakfast was at CK this AM. Lunch at Chops. Chicken Caesar Salad Chocolate Lava Cake Key Lime Meringue Pie Bumper cars this afternoon. There were lots of people lined up. Elizabeth led us to the front. We only went once, to be courteous to the others. It’s a long cruise, so we’ll be back on another day. Dinner at Jamie’s. Lasagne Penne Carbonara We skipped dessert. It’s way too soon to be feeling the food coma, but sadly it has taken effect. We skipped the headliner show tonight as it was illusionist Jason Bishop, who we saw on Oasis a few months ago.

Dinner at CK last night was excellent. Our waiter is Vivek. We were joking that our son doesn’t drink soda, only water and milkshakes and he seriously went to JR and brought back a vanilla milkshake for him. We did not expect that! Burrata Filet Mignon Rigatoni Hazelnut Cake The evening welcome show was OK. It was basically a preview of one of the singers from WWRY and the comedian later in the week. Cruise director noted there are only about 100 kids onboard. We were on Oasis in October, and by comparison we’ve been enjoying Anthem better thus far. Crowds are less. Much easier to catch an elevator. CK is cozier and quieter without having an attached suite lounge. And I prefer Jamie’s to Giovanni’s.