Lovetocruise2002

Actually, I was thinking of you when I wrote that post last night because it dawned on me then why you said what you said in a scope back in November.

Departure morning: We had a quick breakfast in CK this morning and manage to make the 7:30 am departure with our suite concierges. Like the Genies, they have a card to request priority service on the elevator. From there, they walked us down to Deck 5 where the gangway is and that is as far as they go. This is different from Port Everglades where they actually walk you to customs. Once you leave the bridge and enter back into Terminal A, you can go left or right. Suites go right, non-suites go left. By going right, you now have access to a Suites only elevator which drops you off a little further down the baggage claim area, thereby getting you through customs faster if it was crowded. At least that is what Jennie and Jackie told me yesterday. Because it was still early, we ran into very few crowds. Once past customs and outside you make a right for ride share. The area is set up into zones for pick up and there are quite a few people there directing traffic. This is a view from Zone 9 where we waited. The exit from Terminal A is approximately where the black van is. As you can see, it is not a far walk at all. Total time from ship (Deck 17) to being in a Lyft was 21 minutes, at least 7-8 of those minutes were waiting for a Lyft. So very fast walk off. Now sitting at FLL waiting for our ride back to reality.

Yes. We tried the chocolate dulce de leche. I took on bite out of it and that was it for me. Way too sweet. Hubby liked it. He ate the whole thing. We did make it a point to take the stairs as much as possible. Some very creative; and some disturbing pieces ? I think some of my favourites were the mural pieces that even covered the floor around that area. You will find some very unique pieces on Anthem and Harmony as well.

Thank you for following along! Haha! Maybe I should try that one!

I know, ironic right? Anthem has the best CK in terms of service and food quality. It can’t beat the view of OA class CK though. I have the drink package so I just ordered it with dinner. Now that I have sailed both, I would pick whichever one works out to be cheaper. They are so similar, I love them both. It’s like asking me to choose between my kids. Can’t do it ?

Symphony Final Thoughts What a perfect week this has been. So different from our last few sailings with our kids, this one was the other extreme. So relaxing, and an abundance of down time. It was just what we needed to recharge. This ship is amazing, it did not disappoint one bit! However, is it my favourite now? I don’t know. If there is a noticeable price difference between HM and SY, I would have a really hard to picking the more expensive one over the other. I find both ships to be so similar to the point where there honestly were times that I forgot which one I was on. The entertainment was the same caliber as the rest of her sisters. The one that stood out the most was Flight. Other than the drones, 1977 was quite comparable to 1887. We enjoyed Hiro more than The Fine Line just slightly because we preferred the music and choreography of Hiro. I did miss the spinning guy though. The Broadway production is subjective. I still think We Will Rock You is best. YMMV. As far as dining goes, I love El Loco Fresh. Way better than Mini Bites on HM but not enough to justify the cost difference of SY. Coastal Kitchen/Suite Lounge is identical to HM. This was probably our least favourite CK experience though thus far. There was nothing that went wrong but they did not do anything to exceed expectations either, like others have in the past. If I had to put my “teacher hat” on, I would say they were just average, both the crew in there and the quality of the food. Good, but did not go above and beyond what was expected. Like I mentioned before, there was also some inconsistencies the earlier nights with the quality of the food itself. We still enjoyed our time here but if I were to rank it among our other times, this would not be ranked as high. In my opinion, that honour goes to Anthem’s CK. Both times we were there, the crew and quality of the meals were spot on and outstanding. So to wrap it up, I loved Symphony because she’s OA class. My favourite? It’s whichever one that has the lower priced loft suite between HM and SY. ? Please continue to ask any questions that I haven’t answered. @tiny260 and his DW tell me that this is a good place to end it. In the theme of seventeens, this is Page 17. ?

Dinner Night 7: CK We tried to keep things light tonight... The usual salad Cauliflower Fried Rice This dish is easily passed over but it is actually really light and delicious. The flavouring is really authentic with this dish. However, we found that the portion size on Symphony was much smaller than the other CK’s that we have had this dish on. Hubby went all out with dessert. I stuck with fresh fruit. With no shows to rush to, we spent the rest of the night taking a walk around the top decks. The ship is moving quite slow on it’s way back to Miami and the seas are calm, so it made for a nice post dinner walk. Currently back in our cabin to wrap up the dreaded packing.

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We did find a reason to eventually leave our room. Aqua Nation (the second aqua theater show) was on today. This 1/2h shows basically gives the cast a chance to showcase their talents in a more relaxed setting. The show starts with a brief video highlighting the behind the scenes crew that is vital to the shows. Then the cast comes out and introduces themselves. This is then followed by some diving routines, aerial work, synchronized swimming, the high line guys come out, and ends with the dancers doing a routine of their own. Definitely an entertaining way to spend your time on a sea day.

This has been the most perfect, lazy sea day. After breakfast, we spent the rest of our day on the balcony. This cruise I barely went to the suite sun deck. Being on Deck 17 is so convenient because I can easily take a few steps to the suite lounge, get a drink, and go back to the room. Food is easy too as room service is complimentary, CK is down the hall, and WJ is just down one flight of stairs. There are already loungers on the balcony as well so no real need at all to head to the sun deck. This just re-affirms my love for Deck 17 and convinces me that it is best ?

Maybe just slightly. Lol. But I would take a cruise over no cruise any day! Hubby and I were just discussing this a few days ago and we think that 3 months is a good gap between cruises for us. #retirementgoals ?

Seriously, no worries at all! We have had a wonderful week!

Did I mention how much I love El Loco Fresh?! ?

That will work. You don’t need cell service to iMessage on Anthem. My younger daughter uses an iPod and we can message her with it on board.

Royal IQ is going to be difficult for your kids because it requires them to be a certain age to log in and use it. We’ve sailed Anthem twice now with our girls. First tome they were 9/11 and then 10/12. Both times they could download it but could not use it because of age. Do you all have apple devices? My girls and I do and iMessage works on Anthem without purchasing wifi. It’s a loophole. That could be an option. That is what we have done both times.

No worries. A great CD is icing on the cake. We don’t let that affect our cruise at all. ?

I don’t believe that room service is included with the UDP.

Our suite lounge concierges on the other hand, have been wonderful this sailing. Jennie and Jackie are so effortlessly efficient. I would not say that they have bubbly personalities but they know exactly what they are doing and they are right on the ball with everything. This is the first time that I have ever received emails each day of the sailing from a concierge outlining the next day’s events and highlights. These two are highly organized and capable individuals.

I’ve actually been hoping that you would not ask, but since you did, here goes... Unfortunately, Katy is not here as the AM. It’s another person by the name of Hannah. She is not good. That is about as much as I want to say there. Looking back at our cruises in the past year, we’ve had Hugo, Jamie, Ricky, Mitch, and now Mike. Mike is our least favourite. I tried hard to like him as I know that you and many others have had good things to say about him but I just did not see it. He did not seem very enthusiastic about any of the events that he was hosting. I think back to Mitch who we had on the Anthem GC and he was on his very last sailing before vacation and even he brought on more energy than Mike did. He almost seemed “distracted” most of the time. Hubby even went on to say that he reminds him of a younger version of Bobby Brown.

Departure Info Suites

Sky Class Benefits Welcome Literature

Diamond Benefits Welcome Letter

Now for the boring stuff that I have been saving until now... VOOM instructions This is the first time that we were not given a code. Instead, you follow the instructions and enter your info, and it automatically gives you access without a code. I will say that VOOM has been fantastic on this sailing. Other than the few weather systems that we have sailed through, it has been consistently good. Happy to report zero drop outs except for when we encountered some weather. But even then it was restored quickly.

Thanks! Glad to have you along! And Happy Anniversary to you too! That is true until you step back into reality ?

Maybe this is where all the chair hogs have gone...?