Karannk

I liked the burrata. It was a bit sweet with the honey tho.

Greetings from Anthem! We’re just getting settled onboard. Had lunch at Jamie’s. Burrata Squid Fritti Garlic Buns Crispy Chicken Burger Rocket Salad Tiramisu Amalfi Lemon Cheesecake Planning dinner tonight at CK for filet night. Comedy show this evening.

Our last star class sailing was on Oasis in October 2023. We found Oasis to be a little crowded, and decided to go back to what we know. We did a similar itinerary on Anthem in 1/2020, and loved it. Our suite will include myself, the husband, and our 12 yr old son (13th birthday on this sailing). Today marks 28 days to go. We received our genie survey on 12/22 and genie assignment on 12/30. We have Elizabeth Perez. There doesn’t seem to be much info out there about her. A somewhat new-ish genie. What info that I have found is favorable, so yay! Cruise Itinerary: 11 night Southern Caribbean (St. Thomas, St. Maarten, St. Lucia, St. Kitts) from Cape Liberty, NJ on 1/29/2024 Stateroom: Grand Loft #8724 Shore Excursions: We have booked an excursion for each port day. Day 5 - St. Thomas: Xmas Cove - Snorkel, Turtles & Rays Day 6 - St. Maarten: America’s Cup Sailing Regatta Day 7 - St. Lucia: West Coast Catamaran Cruise Day 8 - St. Kitts: Caribbean Scenic Railway Tour We live about 2 1/2 hours from port, and will be planning to stay at Fairfield Inn & Suites Edison-South Plainfield the night before embarkation. We stayed there before our last cruise and found it to be acceptable for the price. There is a free breakfast included, but it wasn’t great. The selling point is that it’s very close to a Target and an easy drive to port.

Yes. That’s exactly how it went down. Next Cruise was able to plan the release and grab while on the phone with Royal customer service. It was a coordinated effort.

Disembarked this morning at 8:15. Currently on the way home. A few observations/opinions: - I am firmly a member of Team Deck 17. So nice to have everything right there. - Allan was wonderful. - Oasis is just so enormous. While the number of entertainment and dining options are a plus, I might prefer the more relaxed atmosphere of Anthem. - I have T1D on insulin pump and the med fridge provided for the insulin ran a bit too cold. I tested it with a Bluetooth temperature monitor for several hours, and ultimately decided to leave my vials at room temp rather than risk freezing. - The room had a few quirks. Shower in the main bedroom leaked water all over the floor requiring 2 strategically placed towels to prevent puddles. After figuring that out, we were OK. One must be careful with the screen/curtains so as not to provide a show for the folks outside on deck 16 below. Also, it was pretty chilly in the room the first 2 days until we reached warmer climate. There is no heat, so we had them deliver extra blankets.

Before heading to Next Cruise, I placed a courtesy hold online on the suite we wanted. Just in case. Royal was running an online promotion, still is I think. We were given $300 OBC or $300 off the online fare from Next Cruise. It’s not much, but it’s something.

Day 7: Sea Day. It’s my birthday Breakfast at CK. Followed shortly by special delivery from Allan. Booked our next cruise at Next Cruise. 11 night Southern Caribbean on Anthem from 1/29-2/9/2024. Grand loft 8724. Sushi lunch from Izumi delivered to room. Then Star bridge tour. Dinner tonight at 150 Central Park.

Day 6: Sea Day Breakfast at CK. Followed by Star galley tour. Lunch at Playmakers Cats show in the afternoon. Dinner at CK. Lobster night.

Dinner at 150 Central Park: This was our favorite restaurant for sure. We had an encounter with an elevator pirate after dinner. Comedy show was hilarious. There was a fairly inebriated heckler in the audience that frequently derailed the comedians.

BBQ Chicken Bacon Melt Grilled chicken breast, cheddar cheese, applewood smoked bacon, our crispy onion rings & tangy barbecue sauce on grilled sourdough bread

Day 5: Nassau. We stayed onboard today. Breakfast at CK. Lunch at Johnny Rockets. The apple pie was better than Chops. No raisins to worry about for those raisin-averse folks out there. And it was actually warm, unlike the promised-but-not-delivered “served warm” pie at Chops. Then more laser tag. Followed by time in the balcony hot tub. Tonight’s dinner is at 150 Central Park. Comedy show after dinner. Since it’s 18+, our son will hang in the suite with pizza and sushi delivery. He suffers.

Sashimi plate

Day 4: Coco Cay. Breakfast at CK. Priority elevator to gangway at 9:45AM. Spent the day at Thrill waterpark with a cabana. Surprise cupcakes when we arrived back to the suite. Dinner at Izumi Hibachi with another Star family.

Laser tag was awesome. Loved it! Dinner at Giovanni’s was OK. Honestly, I prefer Jamie’s Italian on Anthem. Aqua 80s on the other hand totally rocked! We also saw a SpaceX Falcon launch from Cape Canaveral during the show.

Finished escape room with 2:22 to spare. Close, but we did it! Portside BBQ food was excellent. Loved the live music! Service was great, but maybe a little excessive. They set the table with utensils/napkins for us, carried over our food, and checked on us 20x. And Allan came to visit, too. Hard to be discreet. The neighboring table was giving us the angry side eye. It was a little uncomfortable.

Indeed! Here’s an up close rodent shot. With his cute little ears and tail. And again the philosophical debate of the worth (or lack thereof) of the humble raisin is brought forth! I feel like they don’t detract from the apple pie experience, but don’t necessarily add much either. I’m more perturbed that the pie was supposed to be warm, but it wasn’t.

Day 3: Port Canaveral. We’ll be staying on the ship at port today. Breakfast at CK. Then Escape Room. Lunch planned at Portside BBQ. Maybe some laser tag after lunch. Dinner planned at Giovanni’s Table. Aqua 80 show this evening.

Tonight’s dinner at Chops: Alligator towel dude by our room attendants KoKo and Jo:

We were seated in the first row of the slightly elevated section, if that makes sense. Not the front front row. Nice ledge for drinks.

We mentioned your name tonight and his face lit up. Nice guy. We’re lucky to have him.

The boys are in the balcony hot tub. We’re currently off the coast of NC. Still too cold for me! Listening to the jams on the pool deck. And the clinking of the ping pong balls down below. Lunch was at Izumi Sushi. Love those Geisha drinks! They certainly pack a punch.

Day 2: Sea Day. Breakfast at CK. Followed by a quick stop at Starbucks. Husband went on the zip line. Husband and son then took the Abyss slide down to the Boardwalk. I took the elevator. They totally beat me. The elevators are pretty crowded. Someone ran over my foot with their jazzy power chair in the elevator last night. I was not happy. We have lunch reservations at Izumi Sushi. Dinner at Chops. Illusionist show tonight.

Filet night at CK did not disappoint! The burrata was delicious. Rigatoni was not spicy at all, and kinda tasted like an elevated chef boyardeee spaghettios and hotdogs. It was OK. Later in the night we spent some time at Vintages per Allan’s recommendation. Food was great. I only have one pic of the crab croquetas. Forgot the rest. Gobbled everything down too fast.

Here’s our tentative schedule:

It was an easy drive this morning from our hotel in Edison, NJ. Check-in at the port went smoothly. Allan took us directly to our suite. After chomping on some suite snacks, we headed off to the muster station. We planned for lunch at Playmakers, but there were no seats available inside. And outside is just too chilly today. So we ended up at Coastal Kitchen for lunch.