Anthem 11 Night Southern Caribbean (Jan 27 - Feb 7, 2020): A Star Class Super Bowl

[Ogilthorpe]

1 hour ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

(sorry...not supposed to end a sentence with a preposition)

Bowing down ... Thank you!!!

[Karannk]

2 hours ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

Evil is a bit strong

I like the way you think.  We were just in the Grand Panoramic and I will say, flat out, it is the nicest room we’ve ever stayed in (sorry...not supposed to end a sentence with a preposition).  It’s big, comfortable, convenient and unique.  Only Allure and Oasis have the Owners and Grand Panoramics.  Plus...no stairs.  Only 1 BR though.

We booked the Grand Panoramic Suite.

[WAAAYTOOO]

44 minutes ago, Karannk said:

We booked the Grand Panoramic Suite.

Congratulations !  Very nice choice.  It’s a beautiful suite 

[Karannk]

Day 10 Continues 

We saw the 230PM showing of We Will Rock You today. It was pretty crowded because all of the other showings start in the early evening and conflict with those eating early (5:30PM) dinner. They were admitting only people with reservations. 

Yen reserved seats in the front row of the upper section on the main level. We made good use of the snack shelf today.

I really liked the show. It reminded me a bit of The Who’s Tommy. 

We had dinner at MDR Silk tonight. The idea was to try to get an idea of what MDR dining would be like if we did not sail Star class. Well, there is apparently no way to roll incognito while Star class. Not gonna happen. We arrived a little before Yen. Julius, our server from Izumi and sushi making class, was stationed there for the evening to assist because lobster night is apparently crazy! He recognized us, and insisted on showing us to our table. Then, before we were seated, Yen arrived. Then, as we were seated the head waiter and manager arrived. It felt like our presence was causing undue stress to the waiter, who constantly was asking if everything was OK and if they could do anything more for us. So, it didn’t feel exactly like a typical MDR experience. 
The food, while clearly prepared to feed massive quantities of people, was good. I have no complaints. 

Caesar Salad - our son said it was the best Caesar salad that he has had for the whole cruise.

Artisanal Cheese Plate 

Broiled Lobster Tail

Baked Alaska

Pineapple Upside Down Cake 

When we returned from dinner, we found a few surprises. Yen had left a few stuffed animals for our son: 

And Jesus, the most wonderful room steward, left us some treats on our bed upstairs. That really floored me. I had read about genie gifts, but room steward gifts?!?!

Tomorrow is our last full day. Will be doing behind the scenes theater tour and bridge tour. 

[Jax]

6 hours ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

That’s very odd.  When we were on Anthem last Dec, Yen gave us invitations to all 3 tours (galley, bridge and theater).  We declined all of them since we’ve done those tours many times.  I wonder if Alan misunderstood your request.

Maybe ...it’s possible Andres may have mixed up my inquiry, with the behind the scenes tour ....I will be sure to look into this more on Oasis #424daysandcounting 

[Vangrizz]

3 hours ago, Karannk said:

Yen reserved seats in the front row of the upper section on the main level. We made good use of the snack shelf today.

Loving all the pictures. While the "Snack Shelf" certainly seems to be appropriately used here, does the divider end up distracting from your view, or is it just the angle that this particular picture happens to be taken at?

[WannaCruise]

9 hours ago, Karannk said:

Day 10 Continues 

We saw the 230PM showing of We Will Rock You today. It was pretty crowded because all of the other showings start in the early evening and conflict with those eating early (5:30PM) dinner. They were admitting only people with reservations. 

 

Yen reserved seats in the front row of the upper section on the main level. We made good use of the snack shelf today.

 

 

Bummer....We are on Anthem next month.  We booked one of the 6:30pm times, but as you say, it conflicts with early dining so am not thrilled with the time.  But my plan is to for DD and I to skip dinner in the MDR so we can try and get good seats, but then also try stand by for the 2:30pm showing the next day.  Sounds like we may not get in.  Will still try, but good to know that it may not work.

[WAAAYTOOO]

8 hours ago, Jax said:

Maybe ...it’s possible Andres may have mixed up my inquiry, with the behind the scenes tour ....I will be sure to look into this more on Oasis #424daysandcounting 

Sorry...I got Genies mixed up...

[Karannk]

7 hours ago, Vangrizz said:

Loving all the pictures. While the "Snack Shelf" certainly seems to be appropriately used here, does the divider end up distracting from your view, or is it just the angle that this particular picture happens to be taken at?

The glass divider hasn’t been a problem. Even our 8 yr old son is not bothered by it, so it’s not really an issue of height or lack thereof. 

[Jax]

4 hours ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

Sorry...I got Genies mixed up...

I know right! It’s hard to keep track of the    

[Karannk]

Day 11 Sea Day

We had breakfast this morning at CK. 

Followed by backstage tour of Royal Theater. 

Followed by lunch at Izumi. We had a couple farewell “She’s A Geisha” cocktails and a few rolls: crispy shrimp, spider crab,  and champagne lobster.  

 

[Karannk]

Day 11 Continues 

The bridge tour at 230PM was affected by dense fog. As such, the crew on the bridge were focused on navigation and not able to answer questions. We were permitted to enter the bridge and take photos, but couldn’t interrupt them. Seemed fair to me. 

Our last dinner was at Jamie’s Italian.

Penne Pomodoro

Calabrian Chicken

Lemon Meringue Cheesecake 

Tiramisu

Farewell Show

[WAAAYTOOO]

Forgive me for hijacking the end of your live blog, but b/c I am NOT doing a live blog, I will take this opportunity to elbow in on yours !!

We are on Anthem tomorrow and we received the following text/email:

There's no way we would be there before 11:30 anyway since we are flying in tomorrow, but I just wanted to show that they are not JUST concerned about Asian sailings.

Back to you....have a wonderful last night and safe trip home !!!  Thank you for the wonderful blog.  Please tell Yen we will see her tomorrow...even though she won't be our Genie.

[Karannk]

A few observations: 

Does anyone really truly understand how this thing works? It controls the big balcony  curtains in the suite, but really I just found myself randomly mashing the buttons until the curtains opened/closed. There is quite a sense of accomplishment when it actually works. Maybe I’m just an idiot.

Our suite is stocked with 15 - yes 15 - boxes of tissues. I counted them this morning out of sick curiosity. They must think that folks who stay in this suite have horrible runny noses or some such. 

We also have 27 washcloths in our suite. So maybe we are smelly, too?

Here is the finalized laundry tag collection that I have accumulated. I feel like I’m missing some, but I had fun stashing them  away in a drawer.

And here is our final towel zoo. The lights make it a little difficult to get a good photo without shadows, but you get the idea. 

 

[Jax]

@Karannk nope, I never figured out that panel either . We had laundry done daily and never found any tags on our clothes ... maybe because we provided our own detergent.

[WAAAYTOOO]

Jesus is a very talented towel-animal-maker.

[WAAAYTOOO]

https://nypost.com/2020/02/06/cruise-ship-set-to-dock-in-bayonne-will-test-12-passengers-for-coronavirus/
 

Do you know if disembarkation has been delayed ?

[Karannk]

35 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

https://nypost.com/2020/02/06/cruise-ship-set-to-dock-in-bayonne-will-test-12-passengers-for-coronavirus/
 

Do you know if disembarkation has been delayed ?

OMG! No one has informed us of anything. Disembarkation is on schedule as far as I know. 

[groovybee]

Hey, just did a bit of research, hopefully the last 2 will be negative too! https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/cruise-ship-travelers-returning-to-nj-will-be-screened-for-coronavirus-sources/2281562/

[ellcee]

10 hours ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

Forgive me for hijacking the end of your live blog, but b/c I am NOT doing a live blog, I will take this opportunity to elbow in on yours !!

We are on Anthem tomorrow and we received the following text/email:

There's no way we would be there before 11:30 anyway since we are flying in tomorrow, but I just wanted to show that they are not JUST concerned about Asian sailings.

Back to you....have a wonderful last night and safe trip home !!!  Thank you for the wonderful blog.  Please tell Yen we will see her tomorrow...even though she won't be our Genie.

Anthem was on my local news this morning. 12 passengers quarantined. I'm sure they'll clean the s*** out of that ship!

[WAAAYTOOO]

Well....we’re boarding our flight. Fingers crossed that everyone is well and disembarkation will be event-free.

Safe trip home !

[Karannk]

We have successfully disembarked at our scheduled time. The opening of the gangway was reportedly delayed a little bit, but that did not affect us. Looks like all is well. 

[WAAAYTOOO]

Thank you for the update from the Anthem of the Seas

[Karannk]

1 hour ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

Thank you for the update from the Anthem of the Seas

No problem. Although, I just read on the Anthem FB group that there was an announcement made at port that folks will not be embarking today. Is this true??

[PSUMatt]

14 hours ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

Forgive me for hijacking the end of your live blog, but b/c I am NOT doing a live blog, I will take this opportunity to elbow in on yours !!

We are on Anthem tomorrow and we received the following text/email:

There's no way we would be there before 11:30 anyway since we are flying in tomorrow, but I just wanted to show that they are not JUST concerned about Asian sailings.

Back to you....have a wonderful last night and safe trip home !!!  Thank you for the wonderful blog.  Please tell Yen we will see her tomorrow...even though she won't be our Genie.

Not doing a live blog?  I love your WAAAYTOOO great incites.

Have a safe trip and hopefully no one is sick on your ship...

[Jax]

Update on Anthem for guests scheduled to depart today. 

[WAAAYTOOO]

Just arrived JFK and saw boarding delayed until tomorrow. We’re ok with that.  Booked 1 night at the Newark Courtyard. So we ended up flying in 1 day early after all !  Lets hope they cancel Nassau and not Coco Cay !

[Andrew72681]

On 2/5/2020 at 7:36 AM, Karannk said:

We’ve seriously been bitten by the SC bug. Looking at cruises in October 2020 on Oasis out of Port Liberty. I have my eye on a 2BR ATS. The balcony looks amazing! Anyone on here been in that suite before? Is it as amazing as it looks? It has to be, right?

We’re in one on Oasis this coming November. 

[Andrew72681]

1 hour ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

Just arrived JFK and saw boarding delayed until tomorrow. We’re ok with that.  Booked 1 night at the Newark Courtyard. So we ended up flying in 1 day early after all !  Lets hope they cancel Nassau and not Coco Cay !

I’m hoping for a similar fate for our Oasis sailing in April, right now it’s only stop is Nassau, selfishly hoping for skipping that port and heading to CocoCay

[WAAAYTOOO]

1 hour ago, Andrew72681 said:

I’m hoping for a similar fate for our Oasis sailing in April, right now it’s only stop is Nassau, selfishly hoping for skipping that port and heading to CocoCay

No such luck for us.  They just shortened the stop at Port Canaveral which was, unfortunately, the only stop where we had something planned.  Ugh.  So I am just going to cancel my car rental for CC and we’ll just stay on the ship. We’ll be in Nassau 7 AM - 11 PM.  OMG, really ?

[groovybee]

Yep not sure why we have to stay so long in Nassau, hoping they would just extend the stay at CocoCay! This is our first cruise from America, hoping we all get on the ship safely tomorrow with no hitches!