firebuck

Thanks! We are actually looking to do the same next year! Hopefully around peak Aroura Borealis season.

It’s hard to capture with my IPhone, but the views from 270 of Nassau and Paradise Island are amazing.

I wasn’t impressed either, but Izumi is really not my thing - I did, however, like the hibachi at Izumi on Oasis. We had already planned to hit the Windjammer afterwards in case I didn’t get my fill. ? I was thinking about getting the Udon, but as a picky eater, I think there was something in it that I didn’t like - probably seafood lol.

There is definitely a risk involved. They do swim up really close to you, and I got gently kicked a time or two (no scratches though). The crew was very good about keeping the pigs away from you if you get overwhelmed. A few pigs seemed to be a bit more aggressively in your face than others. There were probably 20 or so of us in the water plus 5 crew, and I didn’t hear of any incidents.

Thanks! I’m the only one from our group that did. I’ll try to gauge the crowds and see if I don my costume or not. It has a mask, so it’s not the easiest tho g to wear around haha.

Day 5 Happy Halloween! Today is Nassau. We don't really have any plans except to walk around the port area a bit and grab a flight of beer at Pirate Republic Brewing. Tonight is Jamies Italian for Dinner. My view of Atlantis from the balcony this morning. We may try the MDR for breakfast this morning if we can get there in time.

The weather has been beautiful! Coco Cay was perfect... I'd say in the mid to high 80s with a nice breeze? Florida was the same, maybe slightly cooler. The sun was hot, but it wasn't a humid oppressive heat. I'm sitting on my balcony right now sans shirt and the breeze is amazing. It's 77 right now and not expected to go past 84. In the morning the water is chilly, but it gets nice around 11 or 12 once the sun has a chance to beat down on it.

Day 4 - Coco Cay We woke up early and decided to skip conventional breakfast today. The cruise director stated the previous night that the Captain should have us ready to tender early, and he did. After donning our swim gear and grabbing a cup of coffee, we were in line for the tenders. On Anthem there are two tender locations, one aft, and one forward. We were in the aft line when a crew member suggested we go forward as the first tender was there and it had plenty of space. So we heeded his advice and headed on up. We were indeed the first tender to make it to the island. We immediately hopped on the cart to head to the bungalow area. Once there, we checked in with the concierge and into our assigned bungalow by 9:15 AM. You can tell I need some sun... At this time in the morning, even though the sun was shining down, the water was freezing! Once you "ripped the bandaid off" it wasn't horrible - just get everything wet at once. On day 3, my wife noticed in the cruise compass that they offer a Swimming with the Pigs excursion. The excursion said that it lasted an hour and a half and left at 12:30. Even though we already had a bungalow, we all agreed that this was an experience we couldn't pass up. I never saw this excursion online in the cruise planner. Come to think of it, a lot of excursions offered on board were never offered in the pre-cruise planner online... Our lunch was scheduled to be delivered to our bungalow between 11:30 and 12:00 so we knew we'd need to scarf it down pretty quickly to make our swimming pig excursion. Lunch arrived at about ten minutes til noon. My wife had the chicken tacos, and the rest of us had jerk burgers. With that, we headed back to the excursion desk to meet up for our swimming pigs tour. We took a quick 5 minute boat ride to "Treasure Island" where we saw the crew coaxing pigs down the ramp to the beach area. The swimming area was fenced in, and there were about 8 pigs that were willing to swim with us for apples. After some brief instructions on how to hold the apples away from your body (pigs do bite) we were able to get down in the water. Side note - if you do this excursion, I HIGHLY recommend water shoes - the area down to the beach was solid rock and it killed my tender bare feet. We swam with the pigs for about 45 minutes when one of the crew members who was snorkeling came up with a small sea turtle! They called him flappy. The crew was very funny and entertaining. All in all, it was a neat experience and we all had fun. We were back to our bungalows around 2:15 and spent the rest of the afternoon swimming and relaxing. The last tender back was at 4:45 and we opted to come back around 4. Pier Progress: After swimming with pigs, we decided to quickly shower and hop in the solarium pool - since pigs sometimes have accidents (which the crew quickly attends to) we figured the extra chlorine from the pool won't hurt ? After yet another shower, we headed to Izumi fro dinner at 6 since my brother in law really wanted sushi. The rest of us got ramen. After dinner we sat in the Schooner bar for some entertainment. It was a long, fun day in the sun and we were all pretty wiped out so we retired to the room by 10 PM

No drink card as of day 4 - I will let you know if I see it pop up later on. The bars have been super packed this time around, so they may be getting enough sales as it is right now without the card.

I honestly think it may be tough for a conventional scooter or wheelchair to get to the bungalow area. The bungalow area is all the way at the end of the island, and while they do offer transportation via golf carts and trailers pulled by tractors, it doesn't seem like a scooter or wheel chair would fit on the carts unless it can fold up pretty well. The bungalow area from where they drop you off is very sandy as well, so that may present a bit of a challenge. That said, I did see wheel chairs being offered on the island with the large, fat tires that should be able to navigate the sandy paths to the bungalow. The pusher will just need to be ok with pushing all the way to the end of the island.

Day 3 continued Breakfast in the Solarium Bistro was a bit more organized and a lot less crowded- they of course didn't have EVERYTHING that the Windjammer had, but it was pretty close. My inlaws decided to stay on the ship today and relax, so just my wife and I were getting off today. We decided to get off of the ship around 12:30 to give ourselves plenty of time to hail a drive share service and get to Kennedy Space Center to meet our friend there between 1:30 and 2. There was a long line to get off, but it went rather quickly, and before we knew it we were on land! We looked at both Uber and Lyft, and Lyft was a few dollars cheaper, so that's what we chose! Once we requested a ride, the gentleman was at the curb at the port in less than 3 minutes. The ride to Kennedy Space center only took us about 20 minutes, and cost around $32.00. We arrived just a little past 1:00 PM. Our friend arrived shortly after, and upon the suggestion of the lady selling the tickets, we opted to take the bus tour first. This tour takes you through the restricted areas of KSC and some of the highlights are seeing the VAB or Vehicle Assembly Building - a huge 526 foot tall building where they build the rockets and launch towers. Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) Launch Pad We also drive by the SpaceX rocket assembly building and the launchpad that they lease from the space port (I believe the guide said that SpaceX has leased that building and launch pad for 20 years). We also drove by several launch pads including those that sent the Apollo missions to the moon. The bus tour then concludes at the Apollo/Saturn V exhibit. Once back at the main visitors center, we ventured into the Space Shuttle Atlantis exhibit. This exhibit opened in 2013 and houses the Space Shuttle Atlantis - it's quite a site to take in, and pictures do not do it justice. It's something you need to experience in person. Unfortunately we were running out of time as the Space Center closed at 6:00 PM. I had never been to Kennedy Space Center, and would definitely recommend going if you have any sort of interest in space travel - it was very informative, and we all had a great time. Our friend was kind enough to drive us to a dinner destination that he suggested - Dixie Crossroads restaurant in Titusville Fl which is a popular seafood destination. I'm not a big fan of seafood, but I knew they'd have some killer chicken tenders, and they did! All aboard was at 9:00 PM, and we arrived back at the port shortly after 8:00. We had 9:00 PM reservations for Spectra's Cabaret. I thought it was a very well-done show and really showcased what the 270 venue could offer - I would definitely recommend this show over The Gift. The cruise director announced after the show that there was an adult comedy show at 11:15 PM, so we decided to take it in. The comedian did a great job, but I was pretty darn tired afterwards, so with that it was bed time. Today is Coco Cay! I'm excited. We have a beach bungalow, and we also booked a last minute excursion that I'm really excited about! I will blog about it later, but for now I need to get coffee and get ready to tender!

We’re currently parked next to this rust bucket :P

We’re making our approach into Cape Canaverel. I see KSC in the distance!

It was a little better this morning - I think people are starting to spread out a bit more. Definitely want to do Star class - Having access to CC alone will eliminate a lot of the crowded venue issues.

I did try some of my SIL’s. It was yummy indeed!

The lowest I've ever seen the Deluxe package go is for around $42 per person per day - I've heard it going for slightly lower, but that's pretty rare. If you find it for anywhere between $42-$46, go ahead and book it. If it ever does go lower, you can always cancel it and rebook it at the new price.

Day 2 Continued We all decided to visit the Windjammer for breakfast this morning - the food was good, but boy was it crowded! The only available tables were in the breezy, cold, aft outdoor seating area. After breakfast, we decided to explore the ship a bit more and see what all she had to offer. The Anthem really is a beautiful ship, but I've got to say - it seems to be the most crowded ship we've been on thus far. Since the weather is much nicer today, we figured the Pool area /Solarium would be crowded, but golly was that the understatement of the year! My wife and I went back down to the music hall and found the self-leveling pool tables and played a round. We are both horrible at pool ? We had reserved the Northstar for 11:00 AM today, but it had to be rescheduled due to winds - the only time they had left for us all to get on at the same time was day 7. After exploring the Seaplex for a bit, My wife and I went down and sat in 270 for awhile. The views there are absolutely breathtaking. Lunch in Cafe 270 opened around 11:30, so we grabbed a Kummelweck and some soup. How do they make the bread taste so good?? We decided to check out cafe 270 for breakfast the next day. After was more exploring, and then more relaxing. The bartender at the Schooner bar insisted on taking my picture along with the oddly shaped bottle of rum that I wanted to try. Dinner tonight was in Chops. The waiter suggested that he likes to bring out a small bowl of each side (a total of 8 ) for us to share family style. My sister-in-law and I had the filet, my wife had the chicken, and my brother-in-law had the prime rib. We all really enjoyed our meal tonight. After dinner we got changed and headed up to the Royal Theatre for "The Gift" at 8:45 pm. The cast did a great job, but I was glad the show lasted only about an hour... I just didn't really get it. The cruise director, Drew announced that the Led Zeppelin tribute band was performing at 10 PM in the music hall, so we made our way over there to catch it. The band was pretty good! But after a bit we decided that it was getting late and we decided to turn in for the night, but not before a stop at Sorrentos - yes they've definitely improved over what I remember on Oasis. Especially if you get a nice, hot slice right out of the oven. Is it the best pizza I've ever tasted? Hardly... but it's some darn fine cruise ship pizza. Today is day 3, and we're due to arrive in Port Canaveral around noon. We're heading to the Kennedy Space Center, and I've never been so I'm pretty excited.

Day 2 Seas are much calmer - the skies are much clearer. Here's my @twangster style balcony pic of the day I'm going to get dressed and grab some coffee - we've got NorthStar booked today at 11:30... looking forward to it! Dinner tonight will be in Chops, and we also reserved "The Gift" a bit later tonight.

Embarkation day continued Apparently there was a lot of logistical issues today which made me glad that we were able to get to port so early. Muster drill was delayed until 3, and folks were still getting onboard at that point. We heard stories of the line of cars waiting to drop off just not moving at all. The weather was just nasty, so I know that wasn't helping. It was a suuuuper crowded day one, owing largely to the weather I'm sure. The elevators were a logistical nightmare, but as expected, that got better as the day progressed. I'm sure once we get into some warmer weather it will be even better. Our muster station was in Vintages, and after the drill we made our way to 270 and heard a reggae band setting up. We sat there for awhile and enjoyed some Bob Marley songs and sipped on some adult beverages. We all had a My Time reservation for 5:30 in the MDR, so we decided to explore a little more of decks 4 and 5, which means I needed to sample a drink from each bar along the way :D. The place to get your Wow bands, at least before the shops open, was Boleros. We all purchased wow bands - they're pretty darn convenient! No need to go rooting around for a sea pass card, and its much more convenient to open doors. Before we knew it, it was time for dinner. As we were getting ready to head out, we saw the Pilot boat coming in from our balcony... it was really struggling out there. We were sat at a table for 4 in Silk. Here's a horrible picture of the menu (lighting was tough in there!) I had the mushroom soup which was good, and steak which was... meh at best. My wife had the french onion soup chicken marsala, and I was a bit jealous, so she shared! G had the mushroom soup and fish of the day (I can't recall what it was - something tilapia-like) and C had french onion soup and the spaghetti which was pretty darn good. The head waiter asked if we wanted after dinner shots. Sure! I'm not sure what it was, but it was citrusy and pretty good. Here's a pic of my definitely not Chops steak. After dinner we decided to explore the ship a bit more and become a bit more familiar (most likely grabbing a drink along the way if my hand was empty). The ship was really rocking last night - it was getting harder and harder to walk a straight line... and it wasn't even due to the drinks that I had! I always enjoy that feeling though - sometimes you forget that you're actually on a ship, and what better to remind you? Here's a view of the conditions yesterday afternoon from our balcony - we were passing a cargo ship. My wife and I decided to try the hot tub in the solarium as it was pretty empty - it was definitely nice and relaxing. After the hot tub, we showered up and headed to bed. I'm not going to do this for every day, but to give you an idea of how beneficial the drink package is for me, here's a breakdown of day one: Rum punch x 2, Captain and diet x 5, a "What's Kraken" x1, a Kraken Lava Flow x 1, Some sort of citrusy shot x 1 Goslings and diet x 1, an IPA at the pub. I'm conservatively estimating a total of $110 for day 1 - about a third of the way for breaking even for the entire cruise. ?

We got right on the ship as they opened the doors at around 11:15ish. Since we have the 3 night dinging package, we went directly to wonderland and changed our dining reservation tomorrow to Chops from the default assigned restaurant. Then we hit up the shockingly empty Windjammer for a bite to eat. I was immediately offered a rum punch when we walked in, so who am I to say no? They bartenders kept cruising by and offered me another. Why not? I’m on vacation now. We then explored the pool deck and solarium for a bit and right at 1:00 they announced that the rooms were ready. I’ll update more and add more pictures later when I’m not in my phone.

My brother in-law knows someone who is a big shot st the port - he hooked us up as a favor to him.

It’s nasty out, but we made it! Our contact really hooked us up and Moved us straight through security and sat us in the suite area. We’ll also get a personal escort onboard when it’s time. It pays to know people!

All packed up and ready to get to the port bright and early tomorrow! I think Annie knows that we're going on vacation without her... Last minute change of logistics: G's work does some business with the cruise port and through some of his work connections, he's netted us free parking at the port -now we won't need to Uber over! Also, I've read that captain Henrik has decided to bring the Anthem into port early due to the nasty weather coming in tonight/tomorrow morning... hopefully it won't be so terrible getting there. Either way, next time I post, I'll be onboard! Soooo excited!!

Perhaps they are adjusting due to the fact that the Nassau port day is on Halloween, and they may be planning some activities onboard that occur in the evening?

I just realized I misspoke on the Orlando time - I'm pasting the info from my Edocs below : SAT 27 OCT CAPE LIBERTY, NJ (NY METRO) D 3:00 PM SUN 28 OCT CRUISING C MON 29 OCT ORLANDO (PORT CANAVERAL), FL D 12:00 PM 9:30 PM TUE 30 OCT COCOCAY, BAHAMAS T 9:30 AM 5:00 PM WED 31 OCT NASSAU, BAHAMAS D 7:00 AM 6:00 PM THU 01 NOV CRUISING C FRI 02 NOV CRUISING C SAT 03 NOV CAPE LIBERTY, NJ (NY METRO) D 6:00 AM Even still - your times are definitely different than mine - strange.