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First Time Star Class 8 night Holiday Bahamas Cruise Anthem 12/20/19


Jax

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2 weeks and we are ? to NYC! Lots of last minute stuff to do. I have piles everywhere ... It seems I have begun staging. This morning was spent wrapping ?. We often travel over a Christmas and each year I challenge myself to get the smallest most travel friendly gifts for Reyd that he will ❤️ and be able to use on our trip.  I did not disappoint again this year! I always wrap the gifts and put them in our checked luggage to avoid possible hassles at security if in my carry-on.  

Meet Reyd our only child who recently turned 14 ? Here he is getting his suit altered this past weekend. You will be seeing more of Reyd I hope  (as he usually lifts the no picture embargo on trips). Plus he is going to help with the trip videos. We bought him the Osmo handheld as an early Christmas present so he could familiarize himself with it.  I can’t wait to see what he does! So far he isn’t telling me much! 

Haven't heard from our Genie Andres in a few days but I have no doubt he is using this time to plan dining, activities and any requests we had. From what I hear we will for sure hear from him again 7 days out.  

Be sure to pass along your questions and once we are on-board I will do my best to get answers. 

 

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7 days and we are outta here! Packing is underway and today I resigned myself to the fact that we need to take another checked bag ... I have made peace with this! The packing cubes seem to be working great! Definitely frees up space but my bag was over limit so I had to reshuffle some of the packing cubes. Resulting in the extra checked bag. Hubby is out of town working and missing out on all the pre cruise fun. He will literally walk in the door and we are off to the airport. All he said on the subject of baggage is, “that seems like a lot”.  To which I said, it is a lot.  End of discussion. ? He knows me too well! I decided not to stress over baggage; we are each allowed 2 free checked bags and I had already booked an SUV. So not a big deal. I have hair, mani and pedi booked for this week ????

Update on pre cruise communication with Andres

Andres hopes the holiday menus will be confirmed in the next day or two, at which time I think I will see a draft schedule of dining, entertainment and activities.  I think I will hear more by the end of the week.  ?‍♀️

Laundry services are included in star class and Andres got back to me about whether synthetic fragrances are used in laundry detergents. Not surprisingly, they are but we have several options so all is good! All that matters is that our ? will get done. 

I will post holiday menus when I receive them. 

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Hey guys, I can’t believe we board the Anthem on Friday! ????  We have had a busy few days getting together with family before we leave tomorrow. So far we are at 5 checked bags and holding ?. Weather in Calgary looks good so we are hoping for an on time departure. We are staying at the Marriott in terminal airport hotel at Calgary tomorrow night.  

Update on Pre Cruise communication with Andres 

Lots of back and forth emails over the past day or two. I had heard that at 7 days we would receive access to a loop app for direct communication with Andres. So far we have not received anything or anyway other than email to communicate with Andres. Not sure if this is the norm but I have asked Andres about this. 

I received Holiday menus for the MDR and Chops Holiday Menu (attached) — Chops Holiday Menu is $89 pp plus 18% gratuity (Not complimentary for star class). But as star class guests we can dine at Chops for free, just not from the holiday menu.  Not sure the extent to which the 2 Chops menus differ but at this time we are leaning to Chops (non holiday menu) or possibly the MDR if we want a traditional Christmas meal with all the trimmings.  We will consult more with Andres on this. 

I provided quite a bit of feedback on the first draft of our dining, entertainment and on board activities. Some requests were overlooked while others were added that we didn’t want.  I am not sure how customized it was as it was a shared itinerary with our family and another one of Andre’s family.  It seemed a bit strange to see another family’s itinerary blended with ours but what do I know ?‍♀️. This is all new to us! Regardless, I have suggested some tweaking to customize it for us. I recognize that this is a busy sailing and Andres is trying to schedule things in a way to avoid delays for us. So we will stay flexible and remain open to his suggestions! 

I will check back in tomorrow night. 

 

MDRX.DI.HO.V02.EG.112019.pdf CHOP.DI.HO.V01.EG.092419.pdf

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8 hours ago, Jax said:

I had heard that at 7 days we would receive access to a loop app for direct communication with Andres. So far we have not received anything or anyway other than email to communicate with Andres. Not sure if this is the norm 

I believe that they have discontinued the use of Loop.  There was not even a mention of it 2 weeks ago on Oasis.  I think it proved to be more work than it was worth as the Genies had to access Loop comms on a computer.  I would not worry about this at ALL.  You won't miss it.  Email now and phone comm once you're on the ship.  That's by far the most effective way to comm with the Genie.

 

8 hours ago, Jax said:

I received Holiday menus for the MDR and Chops Holiday Menu (attached) — Chops Holiday Menu is $89 pp plus 18% gratuity (Not complimentary for star class). But as star class guests we can dine at Chops for free, just not from the holiday menu.  Not sure the extent to which the 2 Chops menus differ but at this time we are leaning to Chops (non holiday menu) or possibly the MDR

This is very interesting to me.  Frankly, I don't see anything on the Holiday Menu that you could not get, as Star Class, anyway.  It's not as if they are offering some kind of hand-carved standing turkey or anything... Maybe there is some of the wine that you would have to pay "extra" for.  I hesitate to give advice when it comes to eating...everyone's tastes are so different...but if it were me, I would steer clear of the MDR menu.  We have been disappointed one too many times with MDR holiday menus.  I would stick with Chops and just add anything that you want.  If you are desperate for turkey then just let Luciano know that you are going to want some turkey from the MDR (ahead of time) and they will make sure that they have some for you, in Chops.  Our experience with the turkey from the MDR has been horrible, but maybe you will get lucky !!  The bottom line is....you can get food from the MDR ANYtime you want it.  It's best to give them a head's up so that they can have it ready for you but if there's something you want that is not on the menu, just ask.  As long as they are serving it somewhere on the ship, they will get it for you.

Anecdotally, last year when we were on Grandeur (realizing this was not Star Class, of course), we had the Unlimited Dining Plan and we were told we could not eat at Chops because of their special "holiday" meal.  As it turned out, there were no takers for the ridiculously priced holiday meal and they didn't even offer it.  We ate at Izumi that night but we could have eaten at Chops without any issue, had we decided to.  I don't think the holiday menu is quite as popular as they had hoped it would be, fleet-wide. IMO it's waaay overpriced for what you get.

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Yes, the MDR holiday meal experience was not that great.  I wish they would just make what they normally make.  I feel like it's because they do not make a lot of the holiday items any other time of the year.  They should just stick to what they are good at, which is not ham and turkey.

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1 hour ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

I believe that they have discontinued the use of Loop.  There was not even a mention of it 2 weeks ago on Oasis.  I think it proved to be more work than it was worth as the Genies had to access Loop comms on a computer.  I would not worry about this at ALL.  You won't miss it.  Email now and phone comm once you're on the ship.  That's by far the most effective way to comm with the Genie.

 

This is very interesting to me.  Frankly, I don't see anything on the Holiday Menu that you could not get, as Star Class, anyway.  It's not as if they are offering some kind of hand-carved standing turkey or anything... Maybe there is some of the wine that you would have to pay "extra" for.  I hesitate to give advice when it comes to eating...everyone's tastes are so different...but if it were me, I would steer clear of the MDR menu.  We have been disappointed one too many times with MDR holiday menus.  I would stick with Chops and just add anything that you want.  If you are desperate for turkey then just let Luciano know that you are going to want some turkey from the MDR (ahead of time) and they will make sure that they have some for you, in Chops.  Our experience with the turkey from the MDR has been horrible, but maybe you will get lucky !!  The bottom line is....you can get food from the MDR ANYtime you want it.  It's best to give them a head's up so that they can have it ready for you but if there's something you want that is not on the menu, just ask.  As long as they are serving it somewhere on the ship, they will get it for you.

Anecdotally, last year when we were on Grandeur (realizing this was not Star Class, of course), we had the Unlimited Dining Plan and we were told we could not eat at Chops because of their special "holiday" meal.  As it turned out, there were no takers for the ridiculously priced holiday meal and they didn't even offer it.  We ate at Izumi that night but we could have eaten at Chops without any issue, had we decided to.  I don't think the holiday menu is quite as popular as they had hoped it would be, fleet-wide. IMO it's waaay overpriced for what you get.

I appreciate your insight as I had the same thoughts. I thought it was overpriced and  essentially something we can get with our star class specialty dining.  I didn’t know we could order from MDR...good to know! Just in case we are in the mood for turkey or ham. 

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1 hour ago, CruisinUpinLife said:

Yes, the MDR holiday meal experience was not that great.  I wish they would just make what they normally make.  I feel like it's because they do not make a lot of the holiday items any other time of the year.  They should just stick to what they are good at, which is not ham and turkey.

Appreciate the review on MDR.  I think it’s best we avoid. 

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All checked into the Marriott in terminal hotel at YYC airport.  We love this airport hotel as it is connected to the airport and offers a M Club lounge. There was a nice spread tonight but in my excitement to eat, I forgot to take pictures ?. I will try to do better because who doesn’t like to look at food pictures right? Due to the busy holiday travel we are required to check in 3 hours before instead of our usual 2 even with our NEXUS.  So it will be an early morning.  But we are pumped to get this party started!

I was able to complete our online hotel check in at the Conrad Hotel Downtown NYC (Hilton) earlier today and select our room. Being able to select our room online was a first...I liked it as it avoids any disappointment at checkin and we were able to select the floor and room location we wanted. 

My random thoughts as I sit in our room is that I sure hope our driver meets us as planned at JFK. I will check in tomorrow from NYC. ?

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We made it!! And are settled into the Conrad Downtown. We landed at JFK in the midst of a winter squall. It was kinda funny because as we landed and people started turning on their phones emergency alerts started sounding on everyone’s cell phone. Traffic was slow into Manhattan as a result; taking about 90 minutes. A big shout out to NY City Limo as our driver was great. He was waiting for us with an airport meet and greet and got us here safely.  
Of course, the boys were starving so eating was a priority.  We found a great pizza place called Harry’s Italian beside the Conrad. Enjoyed the pizza and Fettuccine Alfredo. 

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Today was a busy day.  We started the day off by eating NYC bagels ? followed by pizza, pork belly and brisket ??. It seems like the food coma has already started! Lol. We started out visiting Stadium Goods, a shoe exchange warehouse Reyd has wanted to visit. He purchased his first pair of Yeezy’s so it was a pretty good day for him. ? Then we were off to One World Observatory — we couldn’t have picked a clearer day; the view was picture perfect! We ended the afternoon by a visit to the 911 Museum. We were disappointed to learn that the stock exchange is no longer open to the public. 

 

I have heard from Andres several times today about miscellaneous stuff and he said the Anthem is close, waiting to dock around 5 am. ??

Transportation is picking us up at 9:30am tomorrow morning. Next check in will be onboard the Anthem! 

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1 hour ago, NC350 said:

We are from Calgary as well ..... doing the Anthem in Jan 2021 so I am super excited for your review. Our son will be a bit older than yours ..... if yours checks out the teen area at all can you let me know what he thinks? Thanks ?

Will do!!

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23 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

Cruise day, cruise day, cruise day !!!  YIPPEE !!!!!

You should be on board by now....how'd it go ??

So far it’s great! I think we are going to ❤️ Andres! He gave us a brief tour and we are now at Chops. Andres picking us up @ 1pm to show us to our stateroom. Can’t wait!! ??

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34 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

Cruise day, cruise day, cruise day !!!  YIPPEE !!!!!

You should be on board by now....how'd it go ??

I thought of you as we pulled up. Terminal staff wanted us to get out before Zone 6 and take our luggage. I said absolutely not!! ?.  They let us right through to Zone 6 where we met the star class checkin staff.  So glad for your advice. 

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1 hour ago, Jax said:

I thought of you as we pulled up. Terminal staff wanted us to get out before Zone 6 and take our luggage. I said absolutely not!! ?.  They let us right through to Zone 6 where we met the star class checkin staff.  So glad for your advice. 

YIPPEE !!!  Glad they didn't hijack you !!  They'll try to do that every time !

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I honestly don’t know where to start....today has been a whirlwind. But in a really good way!! 
So many firsts:  getting to know the layout of Anthem, establishing rapport with Andres, unpacking and eating has kept us busy!! 

Transportation to Cruise Terminal

Very impressed with Dial 7.  Driver arrived 30 minutes early. Our pickup was set for 9:20am. Arrived at terminal within 30 minutes. Clean SUV.  Driver drove safe. A big shout out to @WAAAYTOOOfor her advice on cruise terminal arrival and luggage. Our driver was stopped and redirected but I insisted that we were not leaving the SUV until we reached Zone 6.  It worked!! We went on to Zone 6 and went directly into the terminal and met with the Star Class attendant   The luggage was a bit strange as we were required to put our luggage through security screening device (We received an apology from the star class attendant; it sounds like they were short staffed and this isn’t the norm). 
Andres met us within 10 minutes or so, stayed with us until we boarded at around 10:30am. He toured us around the ship eventually leaving us at Chops for lunch. He picked us up at 1pm and took us to our stateroom.  
 

Sea Pass card and Wow bands 

Sea Pass cards for Star Class are purple and Wow bands are black. Wow bands complimentary.  No lanyards included. We forgot our plastic pouches and had to buy the lanyard with pouch. 2 for $20. I think Royal could splurge for a couple lanyards for star class guests but that’s probably me comparing them to DCL Concierge. 

Lunch at Chops

Our first experience at Chops was outstanding!! Alberta has some of the best beef and our standards are high but Chops didn’t disappoint.  We had the Dry aged steak burger ?. Unfortunately for you guys I had eaten my Caesar salad and burger before realizing I hadn’t taken any pictures  ?‍♀️ I will try to do better!

 

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Stateroom #10320 Grand Lift Suite 

After lunch at Chops Andres took us to our stateroom at 1pm.  Timing wasn’t the best as the rooms were just opened to other guests. Because we are aft we had to navigate many people and luggage as we made our way to our room. But in the scheme of things not a big deal. We now realize we are going to make the walk from aft to midship elevators/stairs many times each day! If only Andres could grant my wish for elevators/stairs aft.  ?

Room didn’t disappoint: pictures below. 

Laundry: Filled 2 bags already. This is a new feature so I will let you know how it goes.  Complimentary for star class guests. 

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