Mrs. Regular

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Anyone ever experienced prolonged motion sickness AFTER disembarking? Mr. Regular and I have not regained our land legs, we still feel like we're in perpetual motion. It's been 48 hours, is this normal? We don't want to go to Urgent Care for nothing. We have COVID home tests to do and PCR tests scheduled just in case, too. I'm sure it's mostly just cruise hangover! Anyway, here's part 1 of this cruise review. Instead of a day-by-day I'm going to chunk up our thoughts and impressions by category (arbitrarily determined my me) and follow that up with photos. Food will be last Part 1: The Embarkation Process and Itinerary Arrival at the terminal was super smooth, we dropped luggage first and then parked the car. It wasn't until we needed to get our passports out that I realized I had left mine in my backpack... that I had dropped with the luggage! YIKES! I sprinted back to the luggage drop off area and was able to get to my backpack before they had taken the cart away. Thank goodness! We entered the port terminal around 12:45, our check-in time was 1 and we thought that since there was literally no line to get through security we would try to go in. No one asked us what our assigned time was so we went through and was funneled to suite check in. Huh? Regulars in the suite line? I noticed there was no line there and the staff was directing families with kids there at the time. So we did get to bypass the long line for the usual check-in desk. However, it was not all good. This is our first cruise in 4 years so all the check-in technology is brand new to us. It was loud and echoy in the terminal and masks made it difficult for us to follow what the check-in agent was saying. Somehow in the process, he checked me in as my daughter and my daughter in as me. When we went to Guest Services later to get it sorted out and when my seapass card was scanned her picture came up with her bev package, and her seapass card showed my picture with my alcohol package on it. Her app also had me as the primary guest and my app was useless. Our photos and drink packages were eventually righted, but the app issue couldn't be fixed. This was an annoying hiccup but lesson learned on our part - take it slower at check in to make sure everyone's info is correct! Getting on the ship is super easy, up the escalator, down the gangway and BOOM you're dropped right into the Promenade. Rooms weren't ready yet so it was pretty crowded in there. We walked around to get the lay of the land, find venues we wanted to visit later, and get a drink. Rooms opened about 1:30. We met our room attendant (more on him later) and went to find food at the Windjammie. It's crowded in there on embarkation day but the lines moved fast. Sail away was supposed to be at 4:30 so we went to our rooms to unpack and get settled, then suddenly at 4:05 SK2 noticed we were moving. So we enjoyed leaving Bayonne from our balconies and sailed under the bridge. Itinerary This was a 7 night Perfect Day and Bahamas cruise. Our schedule was: Bayonne Cruising Port Canaveral Coco Cay Nassau Cruising Cruising Bayonne This is the itinerary for the next 7 weeks or so of spring break season in the Northeast before the ship goes to the UK for the summer. It was also the last contract week for many crew so there were lots of fun celebrations and good-byes during events. Over all we liked this itinerary but I don't think we're itching to do it again unless we just want to use the Anthem as a fancy expensive water taxi to Coco Cay and back. The biggest bummer was arriving to Port Canaveral so late in the day. Ship wasn't cleared until 3:30 so there was no point in getting off and I heard from fellow sailors the port was a hot mess and transportation out was difficult. The two days at sea on the way home was nice to have as a chance to continue to enjoy the ship and its amenities. Mr. Regular prefers a more port-heavy itinerary so he was getting a little itchy by breakfast on day 7. I, however, reveled in the time to do nothing in the Solarium, soak up precious sun rays on the top deck, and enjoy the entertainment onboard. This itinerary is a nice balance of active and passive and you can choose how you want to spend your days. Since this was a holiday week, lots of families were on with kids and grandparents, we saw large parties of folks celebrating birthdays or anniversaries. The overall vibe of a winter cruise is definitely I'M COLD GET ME OUT OF HERE. I'll throw some extra photos in the next post and then later today or tomorrow I'll write about our staterooms and other random areas of the ship.

We are back! Have to take care of some life stuff so I'll be posting a more comprehensive review and pictures soon. Real life is overrated, get me back on that ship!

From this to this in a span of 10 hours. Rude!

We booked our next vacation! The Regulars will be cruising aboard the Mariner of the Seas on an 8 night Eastern Caribbean itinerary (with Labadee AND Cocoa Cay!) in July 2023 to kick off my 40th trip around the Sun. We booked a balcony for Mr. Regular and me, and an interior promenade view room for the SK’s. We aren’t done on our current trip and already looking forward to our next adventure!

We are steaming northbound today and tomorrow! Had 2 amazing days, loved everything about Cocoa Cay and the weather in Nassau yesterday was incredible. Wifi issues onboard today so likely no pictures or additional updates until we return to Bayonne on Sunday. We have our Next Cruise appointment in 15 minutes to pick out my birthday cruise!

Here’s an art dump!

Day 2 sunrise and mimosa, aft view, We Will Rock You, room service chocolate cake and pulling into port

Night 1 sailing away, dinner, and Spectra’s Cabaret

Stray observations so far: we had the 5:30 dining seating but our restaurant and table assignment is in Silk, which I thought was MTD only. We love the food and service as I mentioned, but we don’t like the decor. It’s also very dark in there. We brought our own water bottles but you can’t fill them up anywhere other than get a plastic cup and dump the water into your bottle. They haven’t got the boxes waters on Anthem yet and we don’t want to get the plastic bottles at the bars. It struck us as odd that especially at the gym you have to get water from somewhere else first. Masks are around but in general enforcement is very relaxed. The new mask policy starts Thursday so I’m willing to bet the crew aren’t super concerned about enforcing masks. I have heard no announcements about cases of COVID onboard but then again I don’t always hear announcements. No one in our FB roll call has posted anything . Getting into port so late today means getting off the ship is a waste of time, many people are staying on the ship, including us. We can’t wait for Cocoa Cay tomorrow! Pictures coming up next!

Hello from Port Canaveral! Currently in the Solarium and we just docked. So far it’s been very fun and the ship has us slack-jawed. What a beautiful ship, it’s like a floating art gallery. So far our favorite hangouts are the Solarium, the Schooner Bar and our room balcony. Some day 1-3 highlights: 1. The crew are incredible. I’ve had a few hiccups (more below) and they have always gone out of their way to make it right. Bartenders get a huge A+ from me, they are so friendly, efficient, and heavy handed! 2. capacity is at roughly 57% so it’s not empty but certainly not super crowded. 3. smooth sailing and amazing weather! It’s hot and sunny the entire week, just what I needed. I am feeling some motion but it’s not making me feel I’ll at all. I have Bonine just in case. 4. Did I mention the crew? Our room attendant is Ashton and he’s a delight. Our MDR waiters are Raj, Andrew and Jose, and they make sure our glasses are never more than 3/4 empty and our plates are overflowing. Last night Andrew brought all of us double appetizers. They are so fun! A few low-lights, and please keep in mind this is our first time on the Anthem and the last time we cruised there was no app so we all had a learning curve for the first 24 hours: 1. The app gets a thumbs down. It’s glitchy and it won’t link my account, even guest services can’t figure it out. I can’t reserve anything so all it’s good for is being a digital cruise compass. 2. Check in was smooth until we actually went through the process. It was loud inside and masks made it difficult to hear the check in agent, so I think the root of my biggest hiccup happened here. Somehow the wires got crossed and my seapass card was linked to SK1 and Vice verse. So my deluxe package was on her account and her refreshment was on mine and it was showing on the bar kiosks I am under age. I don’t look 38 but I am sure not passing for 16! It took 2 trips to guest services before it got sorted. They reprinted our cards but my package was still wrong so I got an old school DX sticker and it’s been working fine ever since. However, the accounts are still messed up because when SK1 looks in her app she can make a reservation for something like bumper cars and she gets the view I am supposed to have on my app. It’s not a huge deal because Husband has been making reservations for all of us anyway. 3. I’ve been very content with the food but the rest of the family less so. The Windjammie is a winner for breakfast but they haven’t liked anything at lunch yet. We ordered room service for lunch today and it was all very good, definitely worth the service fee. The guys are going to Izumi for dinner on night 5 and SK1 and I are going to Jamie’s Italian. MDR food has been really good and last nights beef tenderloin was out of this world. 4. Chair hogs are out in force, which is disappointing. I was hoping since capacity was fairly low for a holiday week it wouldn’t be a problem but apparently folks didn’t pack their manners to bring with them this week. Most passengers have been friendly and respectful but I suspect pent up demand and pandemic fatigue is leading to high expectations that may not be being met for some. I’ve seen a few meltdowns and just walk the other way. But again, in general everyone is very nice. 5. According to the SK’s the teen scene is lame. Some of that has to do with feeling awkward (we are from the country and there are a lot of City kids here so we are already out of place) and apparently there are several kids who already knew each other from home or previous cruises so they got a little turned off by the cliques. We’ve been having fun as a family and it’s been very nice as parents to have some of their undivided attention for a while. more soon, including some pics!

Drink package engaged!

We are onboard! Smooth check in process but there have been some hiccups onboard. Connecting to Voom is not working great and I’m having issues with the app and ship wifi. Im sure we will get it sorted out! Rooms were ready around 1:30, we love our staterooms and looking forward to meeting our attendant. Currently enjoying some food in the Windjammie and sail away is in about 2 hours.

Hope I can provide some insight! Anything specific you’re curious about? I won’t know anything about Adventure Ocean or kids clubs but happy to help however I can.

We are NEGATIVE! I am so relieved and feel like the enjoyment can now really begin. After all this time, money and planning we are actually going. I’m already in NYC for a trip with my sister. Trying out posting some pics from my phone real quick. Enjoy!

Two sleeps to go! I just did my home test this morning before leaving for NYC, but I won't breathe easier until Husband and the SKs do theirs after school today. 1/4 of the way there though. Tonight and tomorrow I am hanging with my sister in Manhattan to see Six on Broadway tonight and 2 shows of New York City Ballet tomorrow. I'll share some pics and a quick review of my travel from Manhattan to the port on Sunday. Let's GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

We are SINGLE DIGIT DANCING today as we celebrate 6 days to embarkation. A couple extra updates: We have decided to get off the ship in Port Canaveral and go to Cocoa Beach for a few hours. The weather is looking nice to walk around, check out the beach, the boardwalk and pier. Dinner may or may not be in the MDR at our usual time, we will see. To our amazement, SK1 was super bummed when we told her SKC can no longer happen. The kids she knows who are also on this sailing are not getting off the ship now and she's annoyed we will be dragging her away from them. Oh teenagers. We ordered our last odds and ends online and they should all be delivered to our house today and tomorrow. Bonine, lanyards, magnetic hooks, extra sunscreen, etc. I've started packing! I love that driving to the port means no limits on the number of bags. So far I'm at a small suitcase, my beach bag and a backpack. Perusing the app I've taken to looking at dining menus. We may be splitting up for dinner most nights as I have silly teenagers who don't like to veer from their tried and true dishes they like. I have one that doesn't eat pasta, one that does, one that will eat pizza or chicken nuggets their whole lives and one who would love nothing more than sushi for every meal. So while Husband and I enjoy the MDR, we may just send the kiddos to the Windjammer or Sorrento's so we can enjoy our meals with wine and not whining. I'm excited but trying not to get too excited because there is still a major test to pass and thine name is COVID. To our knowledge, Husband and I have neve caught it but both kids had mild cases of Omicron in early January. They have been exempt from all testing at school as a result so we really have no idea what news Friday will bring when we do our proctored home tests. Please send us all the good vibes this week so we can board the ship. Hopefully my next check in will be us in our rooms on the Anthem!

This will be my view on Sunday as you leave, we will be boarding. Thanks for sharing your trip with us!

I have read many of your reports, love them! I do hope to take longer sailings when our kids are much older and Husband and I accrue more vacation for those 11 or 12 nighters. We'd love to to a Transatlantic! Cruising from NYC is so convenient for us and it's nice there are good options year round from this port.

Welcome! I am certainly not anti-suite, but yes it's nice to read about regular rooms. I will include lots of pictures when I get back!

SK1 is in a SnapChat group with other teens on this sailing and all of them are saying "don't bother getting off" so now she's annoyed with us that we are making her get off the ship. Teenagers - gotta love them.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. We're sad this port stop seems like a waste of time. If the main point is a resupply and crew/entertainment exchange, I wish they would just call it as such and not have guests disembark for very little pay off. Passengers are charged tax and port fees and most don't even recommend getting off? It's frustrating. We've done some more research and spoke with some friends that recommend going down to Cocoa Beach to kill some time. We will likely wander around the Ron Jon shop, walk the piers, window shop, and then head back to the ship for a later Windjammer dinner. 11 days to go!

2 weeks from today we will be enjoying our first full day at sea! I can almost feel the sun on my face already. It was a heck of a wintery weekend here in the northeast, I got a foot+ of snow at my house Friday. Once it passed Saturday I drove down to NYC (got to go to the ballet after all) and it was COLD! A few planning developments and breaking news: just about every Port Canaveral excursion but 4 have been cancelled. I got the email last night. So no Kennedy Space Center, which not only was I looking forward to seeing it but also torturing teens on forced family fun. Sometimes I thrive in evil step-mother mode. I am striking out big time trying to come up with a Plan B. I can't convince Husband to stay on board, since he thinks we have too many sea days on this itinerary already he wants to be on terra firma *insert eye-rolls here*. Not much is open past 5 p.m. and we have 5:30 p.m. dinner seating so we have approximately 60-90 minutes to get off the ship to do something. We will not be going to dinner on land - we already paid for dinner on the ship! We tried looking into jet ski rental for SK2 but the minimum age is either 16 or 18 so he's too young. Even though here in NYS we have lakes everywhere and he knows how to drive them solo and safely so that's going to be a bummer. I'd love to find a place close by to see if there are any Manatees around. Or, maybe we just get off and stay at the port and I'll let Husband realize for himself it's not worth it and maybe he will turn right back around! At most all I can envision is taking an Uber down the road to Cocoa Beach. While I was in the City this weekend I had to figure out a travel plan for our departure day. I will be in NYC that weekend for an unrelated trip (again to see NYCB, I'm obsessed) and Husband is driving to NJ with the SK's. I've been researching and asking around in the FB roll call group on preferred ways to get from mid-town to Bayonne. Most recommend Uber, taxi, light rail to Jersey City and then Uber or Taxi. All sounds expensive but sometimes it can't be helped. Well, I think I will do NONE OF THOSE, lol. I discovered the ferries this weekend that go from various points in NJ to the West Side and back. They are cheap, schedules are frequent, and Husband can pick me up in NJ on his way down to Bayonne. BINGO WINGO problem solved. I'll grab the noon ferry from 39th over to Weehawken and Husband will swing by and pick me up. From there it's another 15-20 minutes to the cruise port. Now to start packing!

Hello, fellow sailor! I am SO READY TO GO especially with this winter storm hitting us up in the I81 corridor tonight. Only 16 days to go!