Anthem 11/25/17 - 7+12 B2B

[twangster]

1 minute ago, Matt said:

That's a very ornate gignerbread display!

Its 360, wrapped around the tuba like centerpiece of The VIA.  Quite impressive.

[JLMoran]

1 hour ago, Matt said:

That's a very ornate gignerbread display!

And I'm guessing a very busy assembly team! 

[twangster]

22 hours ago, KathyC said:

@twangster could you do a favor for me?  If you find yourself in the Schooner Bar, can you ask for the recipe for the lavender daiquiri?   I tried to make it at home and it's just not the same.  I know what the menu says is in it, which is lavender syrup and rum.  But I don't know the proportions.  All the recipes I find online include lime juice, and I tried it both with and without and neither are close.  I did make my own lavender syrup, which may be part of the difference, but I'd like to try to replicate it closer to the original.  Thanks! 

2 oz vodka

1/4 shot lavender syrup

Sprinkle of lavender flakes

[Sweety]

5 hours ago, twangster said:

"It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas..."

The Gingerbread Houses of Anthem of the Seas

Thank you very much for the pictures. They are spectacular. Can't wait until next year.

[Sweety]

10 hours ago, twangster said:

Day 6 - Martinique

Our weather patterns with periods of sun and lines of showers moving through continued today.  Such is the Caribbean.

 

This is my first stop at Martinique.  It's quite developed.  There is a small public beach (no facilities) within walking distance of the ship but the real beaches are a ferry ride away.  

The town is setting up for some seasonal festivities along the water front.  Martinique is French and uses Euros.  

The beach ferry is a short walk from the ship.

With the threat of rain looming I decided not to head to the beaches but planned to check out Fort Saint-Louis.

Unfortunately it was closed today, so I walked around town.  It has much more of a European ambiance compared to many Caribbean islands.

It was very humid and I was drenched so with rain clouds moving in I headed back to the ship.

Traveling solo I am less inclined to go sit on a beach for a day and I had toyed with a helicopter excursion over to the Monserrat volcano but with the weather as it was I just self explored on this trip, but I'll be back as it is quite nice here. 

Josephine was married to Napoleon. She lived in France. Her family owned a planation in Martineque.

[rjac]

2 hours ago, Sweety said:

It was very humid and I was drenched so with rain clouds moving in I headed back to the ship.

So sad the weather turned to the downside. On the upside I'm sure you have a drink package as a contingency. Photo on, my friend, photo on.... 

[KathyC]

5 hours ago, twangster said:

2 oz vodka

1/4 shot lavender syrup

Sprinkle of lavender flakes

Thanks!  Hmm vodka, not rum?  I could've sworn the menu said rum.  No wonder why it tasted wrong!!!  Thank you so much!! 

Edit: I looked up a photo of the bar menu online and it says Bacardi Superior Rum.  Hmmmm...maybe different ships make it differently.  Will experiment! 

[twangster]

5 minutes ago, KathyC said:

Thanks!  Hmm vodka, not rum?  I could've sworn the menu said rum.  No wonder why it tasted wrong!!!  Thank you so much!! 

Edit: I looked up a photo of the men online and it says Bacardi Superior Rum.  Hmmmm...maybe different ships make it differently.  Will experiment! 

I'll ask another bartender.  Maybe tomorrow.   

[RestingBird]

13 hours ago, rjac said:

Never mind the water,  just think of the weight of the liquor in all those bars!

Only at the beginning of the week ?

[twangster]

Day 7 - Barbados

I've been here a few times now.  I've done a catamaran sail and snorkel, beach days, the caves and last time I visited I did the Concorde Experience.  As an aviation buff I highly recommend that.  It's one of the only Concordes on display that allows you to enter the cabin and sit in the plane.

This visit I decided to stay on the ship, enjoying it empty and getting some work done.  One of the side effects of cruising a good bit is that you don't feel compelled to do excursions at every port (nor can I afford to).  If you've never been, Barbados is beautiful and you should do something here.

[twangster]

While on Martinique I found a weather radar site that covers many Southern Caribbean islands.  Radar is hard to come by in the islands.  Many small Caribbean nations don't have it or make it available on the internet.

http://www.meteo.fr/temps/domtom/antilles/pack-public/animation/anim_radar_mart_mf_com.html

 

That's Barbados in the bottom right and St. Vincent bottom center.  Above that St. Lucia, Martinique in the center, Dominica above that and Guadeloupe top center.  While on other islands like St. Lucia I never would have thought to look at Martinique for radar so I've booked marked this site for future cruises.  It's nice to know when heading out or sitting on a beach if a storm is small and going to pass quickly or you're about to have rain for the next 2 hours.

The East-West spattering of rain storms displayed has been dogging us this whole cruise, sliding South as we cruised South.  Finally leaving Barbados (our most Southern stop) we are going North as it continues to slide South so the weather is looking up.

 

 

 

[twangster]

Day 7 Dinner

Once again in the My Time MDR.

On @Matt's recommendation I tried the life changing Spaghetti Bolognese. 

Sadly I awoke this morning not finding the life changing girl of my dreams in my bed.

[twangster]

Day 8 - Antigua 

We are scheduled to arrive at 10am but are not quite there yet.  As I entered the Windjammer this morning I saw the Monserrat volcano smoking gently away.

Time to head top side and let my camera adjust from my cool dry cabin to the warm humid Caribbean in time for our arrival in Antigua.

[twangster]

Antigua

I've flown to Antigua and stayed here but this my first visit by ship.  It's another gem of an island.  There are 365 beaches so as they say, one for every day of the year.

North Star was up and with the moon behind it it was very pretty this morning.

The approach to the St. Johns harbor has some pretty views on starboard.

We joined three other ships in port including the Celebrity Summit.  As we approached the sister company ships exchanged a blast of their horns.  We would share the pier with the Summit today.

Immediately at the end of the pier is shopping and a few bars.

I missed an opportunity to take a helicopter ride over to the Monserrat volcano.  I wanted to wait to see what weather would be like and decided too late to do this excursion.  I was excited when the shore excursion told me they had cancellations this morning but as I tried to book it someone beat me to it by mere minutes.  Next time. 

Instead I did a walking tour.  I had seem the steeples of a church and thought I'd check it out.  On the way I ran into the Museum for Antigua and Barbuda.

They have a few trains on display, left from the sugar cane production that was at one time a major export.

 Walking another 10 minutes or so I reached The Cathedral Church of St. Johns The Divine.  As churches go in the Caribbean, it's a pretty big church.

It's open to visitors but donations are appreciated.  The church is undergoing a major renovation and they estimate they are 90% complete.  There were clear to mention the restoration was required because of termite damage and not from any hurricanes.  At 175 years old the termites had a long run.  They are using termite resistant wood imported from Texas for the renovation.  

Once complete it will seat 2,500 which they claim makes it one of the biggest churches in the Caribbean.

With that I headed back to the ship. They had mentioned to hang out at the end of the pier around 12:15pm in case of a last minute helicopter cancellation but no luck.

Back to the ship I ate lunch at the Windjammer on the aft outdoor seating area with amazing views of Antigua as the back drop.

One last look at the Summit beside us.

 

[twangster]

Some housekeeping items...

I know @Sabrinaklai has an early departure from Anthem on a future cruise as do I from this cruise.  Anthem offers a "Self Carry" option.  There is a note in cabin paperwork to book it by day 8 of this 12 night cruise.  You can visit guest services or book it as an excursion in the RoyalIQ app.  There are three times offered, 6:30am, 7:15am and 8am.

I don't know what happens if you don't book it.  I think its just a way for them not to have to drop off luggage tags in your cabin and to know how many might be taking this option. 

RoyalIQ has been buggy for me but with the new app coming I'm not too worried about it.

You can't sign out pool towels using a Wow band.  They tried 4 times before they gave up and just used my cabin number.  Same trying to return them.  Here's hoping it didn't record 4 towels out and only 1 back.  I'll have to watch my account on the last morning.

From a wind and waves perspective we've had it pretty good.  Last night before we tucked back into the Caribbean Sea we had some swells and everyone was walking like a drunken sailor.  Not very bad, just enough to cause a few wobbly steps.  I use an app called 'Windy' that forecasts winds and it's seems we may have some to contend with on the sea days back to Bayonne.  I'm okay with it, it doesn't bother me but I'll take it easy on drinks.  The wind forecast for next Tuesday calls for that red area off the East coast. 

 

Voom hasn't been as good for wifi calls on Anthem as it was on Freedom a couple weeks ago.  Several call drops and having to re-dial and several 'can you hear me now" moments. For other use beyond wifi calls it's been pretty good and consistently 4M down, 2M up - the new Voom Surf and Stream standard it seems (except Harmony).

Having access to Diamond perks especially the nightly drinks has been great.  After having the drink package on the first cruise drink fatigue is real and I haven't finished my own bottles of wine I brought with me.  It's nice being able to get bottled water in the Diamond lounge during evening happy hour and the concierge there is a great asset.    

[Lovetocruise2002]

Thanks for that info @twangster! I am out of reactions for the day as I just got off the Disney Fantasy and had limited wifi. I have missed this live blog!  Catching up on your posts and the message boards has been a great way to pass the time at MCO while waiting for my delayed flight back to DTW. It's been delayed two hours due to ice in Detroit. What a way to come back after great Caribbean weather ?

[twangster]

27 minutes ago, Sabrinaklai said:

Thanks for that info @twangster! I am out of reactions for the day as I just got off the Disney Fantasy and had limited wifi. I have missed this live blog!  Catching up on your posts and the message boards has been a great way to pass the time at MCO while waiting for my delayed flight back to DTW. It's been delayed two hours due to ice in Detroit. What a way to come back after great Caribbean weather ?

Blasphemy!  What is this strange tongue in which you speak?  D-i-s-n-e-y ...of the poor wifi clan?  

[twangster]

On 12/8/2017 at 7:41 PM, KathyC said:

Thanks!  Hmm vodka, not rum?  I could've sworn the menu said rum.  No wonder why it tasted wrong!!!  Thank you so much!! 

Edit: I looked up a photo of the bar menu online and it says Bacardi Superior Rum.  Hmmmm...maybe different ships make it differently.  Will experiment! 

I asked another Schooner Bar bartender.  He showed me the bottle and the description from the bar menu.  Bacardi Superior.  He was less forth coming on volumes of each just saying a "regular" amount of Bacardi and a "splash of syrup, not very much".  The good news is this is vague enough to cause you to experiment some .  Cheers!

 

[Lovetocruise2002]

48 minutes ago, twangster said:

Blasphemy!  What is this strange tongue in which you speak?  D-i-s-n-e-y ...of the poor wifi clan?  

That was the last cruise on Disney! I realized just how much more I love RC on this cruise. Each day I kept referring to Cabanas (the buffet) as WJ ?

[KathyC]

3 hours ago, twangster said:

I asked another Schooner Bar bartender.  He showed me the bottle and the description from the bar menu.  Bacardi Superior.  He was less forth coming on volumes of each just saying a "regular" amount of Bacardi and a "splash of syrup, not very much".  The good news is this is vague enough to cause you to experiment some .  Cheers!

Thanks!  We're snowed in so we have to skip our basketball game tonight, which means...experiment time!!  I make my own syrup, don't consume artificial colors; but will look for this bottle in the liquor store to see if they use any.  My home made syrup using culinary lavender from a local lavender farm (yes, I do have one within a 10 minute drive from me) resulted in a golden colored syrup. 

[Floski]

Still loving this blog; thank you so much for your invaluable efforts!!

 

One observation WRT your pictures - that is going to be a beautiful church when they're done with it.

[Sweety]

@twangster congratulations on reaching Diamond status. I have been showing off your pictures. My niece and family are now going on the cruise with us December 2018. Now you are a silent travel agent.

[twangster]

Last night we had a beautiful sunset as the Celebrity Summit pulled out of port just before us.

Day 8 Dinner

My Time MDR

The Beef Wellington was very good, but a slice of a pastry wrapped beef so unlike a Beef Wellington that is entirely wrapped in pastry I was served a slice of what was once a completely pastry wrapped piece of beef.

[twangster]

 Day 9 - St Kitts

I awoke at the pier In St Kitts.  Beside us again today would be the Celebrity Summit.

Today I went scuba diving booked through RCI.  This two tank dive will be executed by a local dive shop "Dive St. Kitts".  As dive boats go it isn't the biggest dive boat I've been on so it was cozy but fine.  We met at the end of the pier and had a 15 minute bus ride to the dive shop.

The dive sites were a 20 minutes boat ride from the dock.

Today's dive had some current and because of that visibility wasn't the best but it was still a nice dive.  We saw lizard fish, lion fish, trunk fish, stingray, turtle, eels, crabs, lobster and more.

St Kitts is a beautiful island and we got to see the island from the sea coming back from the dive.

That's our dive master today (the woman) and our dive boat driver at the helm with great views of St. Kitts as a back drop.

There were four ship guests becoming certified today but they went off on their own dive boat.

Note for divers - they want to see your Open Water Diver Certification card at the dive shop on board before they will print your excursion tickets.  I found out it's closed on port days so having not done that by day 3 I wasn't able to visit the on board dive shop before St Kitts.  You can also visit the shore excursion desk on board to have them go through the dive questions with you, inspect your C card and print your excursion ticket.

Back to the ship there was a football game on the outdoor TV.

 

[twangster]

Beside us today once again was the Celebrity Summit.

Our Captain gave an announcement just before sail away as he always does.  He mentioned he had been talking to the Captain of the Summit, Captain Kate who informed him she has better guests that he does.  He was therefore soliciting out assistance to wait for the ship's whistle (horn) and requested that we demonstrate who are the better guests.  A horn-off followed as we sailed away with each ship repeating a series of horn blasts, some long, some very short. Guests from both ships enjoyed it and cheered.

Captain Kate is well known and well liked in Celebrity circles and she waved to us as we passed by her open bridge window.

 

[rjac]

13 minutes ago, twangster said:

Note for divers - they want to see your Open Water Diver Certification card at the dive shop

That's pretty much a rule wherever you go scuba diving. I like your UW photos. Nice sponges and coral. I use a red filter when I dive deeper than 20'. Makes the colors really pop and gets rid of the bluish green water tint. 

[twangster]

2 minutes ago, rjac said:

That's pretty much a rule wherever you go scuba diving. I like your UW photos. Nice sponges and coral. I use a red filter when I dive deeper than 20'. Makes the colors really pop and gets rid of the bluish green water tint. 

The point is the dive shop is usually closed.  Get it done early, especially on an itinerary like this -  2 sea days, 6 ports days, 3 sea days.  They only open on sea days, so do it day 2 or 3.  

Other cruise lines don't inspect your C card.  They let the local dive operator do that.

[twangster]

Day 9 Dinner

My Time MDR

I know I should eat more fish and I tried but the AHI TUNA was just not going down right (I'm not a fish guy) so I changed to plan B, Grilled BBQ Baby Ribs.

 

[Sweety]

Yes!!! Grilled Ribs with extra sauce.

[twangster]

Earlier I mentioned the Windy app and apparently the Captain was reading this live blog.  Based solely on my Windy app screenshot the Captain announced tonight a change in course.  The TV team on board recorded a video presentation from the Captain and put it in channel 40.  It's a very good and thorough explanation of how we will be altering our course to avoid some otherwise unpleasant seas on the trip back to Bayonne.

He displayed the software they use and how it has many layers of information that he can access.  Based on forecasts we will be heading straight towards Savannah, GA  then turning North to hug the coast in order to avoid the worst of the system I saw in the Windy app mentioned earlier.  I noted he did not credit me, the RCL Blog or the Windy app but this fancy service they use to monitor weather.

He stepped through this day by day, showing our projected progress and how we will attempt to avoid the worst part of the tail of this system.

In yellow the ship as if we went straight towards Cape Liberty and our new course with the red ship that we will be taking.  The added distance will require we run a little faster which will contribute to some ship movement but nothing too bad.

I really appreciated the detailed explanation and knowing what our intended track would be.  If i just saw it on the tracking channel I would have wondered what was up.

I'm really liking the virtual balcony for what it is.  This was shortly after we left St Kitts while still hugging the island as we started towards Bayonne.  The towel animal collection in the chair chose not to watch tonight.

 

[rjac]

7 minutes ago, Sweety said:

Yes!!! Grilled Ribs with extra sauce.

Messy, messy, messy. Do not wear a light colored shirt/blouse with this one! But, they are yumm-oh!

[twangster]

A spectacular sunset tonight.

For those keeping track, this was shot with my iPhone 7 Plus.  I was headed to the Diamond lounge when I exited the elevator on deck 5 and saw a glimpse of this through the doors to the promenade deck outside.  The best camera is the one you have with you...

 

[Sweety]

5 hours ago, twangster said:

A spectacular sunset tonight.

For those keeping track, this was shot with my iPhone 7 Plus.  I was headed to the Diamond lounge when I exited the elevator on deck 5 and saw a glimpse of this through the doors to the promenade deck outside.  The best camera is the one you have with you...

 

Do I have to upgrade my phone? Beautiful shot.

[twangster]

One of my favorite places is Vintages,  a venue I visit nightly.  It's located off The VIA on your way to Two70° and being somewhat open it's a great spot to listen to the occasional musician they have such as Joyce from 'We Will Rock You' playing her acoustic guitar in The VIA some evenings.

Unlike Freedom the wine dispensers were stocked but I've never seen anyone use them.

They have more selection compared to what's on these menus and the wait staff seem to know their wines pretty well.  If in doubt, tell them what you are looking for. 

[twangster]

Day 10 - Sea Day

This morning we are cruising at 23 kts.  That's pretty quick for a cruise ship this size.  The Captain mentioned we would increase speed to make up for our revised course to avoid less enjoyable seas.

Ripcord iFly again this morning.  Having done it on the 1st cruise of this B2B I definitely felt more in control this time and I was able to fly with less input from the instructor.  What a blast!

I took advantage of a laundry special for Diamond guests.  $10 off the normal price for a bag of 'wash and fold' laundry.  Since I'm doing 19 nights on this B2B I planned to do this and adjusted my packing accordingly.  Last night my laundry was returned to me fresh and clean.  I had thrown in a pair of long pants and a long sleeve shirt which aren't included in this special offer but they didn't charge me for them separately as the instructions stated they would.  I clearly noted the extra items willing and expecting to pay a few bucks more but it was all done for $25.  

[Matt]

Catching up on posts, and looks like another spectacular day in the islands!

[JLMoran]

Thanks for the post about Vintages! That's definitely one area I plan to check out when I sail Freedom in March and Anthem next October. It's great to hear that they have selections not listed on the menu, at least on Anthem. Also good to hear that the servers know their stuff! I'm not at all a fan of Pinot or Cab, much prefer Malbec / Chianti / Zinfandel, so hopefully they'll have some good off-menu recommendations for the poor sods like me that don't get a lot of on-menu choices.

[twangster]

As a follow up on the Next cruise OBC experience, official word has come down from Miami.

Since I booked as Emerald C&A I am not eligible for the full Next OBC, rather half of it.  You have to choose either to receive a C&A balcony discount OR the full Next OBC, they can not be combined.

The Next cruise agent who offered that I would get the full Next OBC was apparently wrong.

In my case the Emerald balcony discount was $236 versus an extra $100 in Next OBC so the obvious choice is to forego the Next OBC and accept the C&A balcony discount.  

[Matt]

31 minutes ago, twangster said:

You have to choose either to receive a C&A balcony discount OR the full Next OBC, they can not be combined.

This is for non-refundable fares?

[twangster]

41 minutes ago, Matt said:

This is for non-refundable fares?

Correct.  Booked non-refundable 2 days before the $100 deposit came out so I had a $450 deposit since it's a 12 night.

EDIT - correcting some misinformation based on inventory changing between screenshots.

If you price a fare on the website without C&A and then with C&A you will see you lose $100 of OBC for any balcony as a C&A member for both refundable and non-refundable fares.  At least as Emerald which the C&A system still sees me as.