Bright Lights Pink Beaches, NYC/Bermuda 2017 Anthem of the Seas Trip Report

Hellllllooooo!

We are sitting at LaGuardia waiting for our flight back to Kansas City. We just did three nights in NYC and five nights on the Anthem in Bermuda. I'm beat!!

My crazy generous in-laws treated us to this luxe vacation - 13 people in all, ages 9-79.

We left Kansas City last Wednesday. It was a 1:00 pm flight with no problems. Arrived LaGuardia early and waited a bit for a gate. We had hired Winston Transportation for our transportation to the condo we rented in the Upper East Side, to the port and to the port to airport. All rides were comfortable for us and our luggage.

We rented this four story townhouse for the NYC portion. Plenty of beds and room. Lots of stairs which seems to fit in the NYC part of the story.

We ate dinner that night at the Meatball Shop about two blocks from our pad. It was good but nothing that special. Early bedtime as the next morning was going to start early.

Next Post: Barnstorming NYC

Day Two: A take no prisoners tour of NYC.

Our reservations for the Statute of Liberty tour was at 8 am. That required a wake up call of 6pm with all 13 of us in 3 separate Lyfts by 7 am. There was a delicious bagel shop around the corner so we noshed on bagels and fruit before we departed.

We reached Clinton Castle at 7:45 and walked around a bit before the line started to form. Some waited in line while others took pictures. Not sure if you need to wait in line that early because most ended up on the same ferry whether you arrive at 7:45 or 8:15.

You can see the employees entering through the little hobbit door at the front of Clinton Castle.

We were on the Ferry and on our way. It was quite foggy and we didn't really see the SOL until we arrived at the island. And she was a beauty. There were hardly any crowds and we went straightaway to the base to begin our ascent. The Museum is pretty cool and gave the history. We then went to the Base and took a look around. It reminded me very much of the Liberty Memorial in Kansas City. Built for a time when Americans were smaller. It was stunning how uncrowded it was that early.

Headed up to the Crown when my 11yo started to panic about going up so high. I was trying to talk to him but he was having none of it. We tried to find the exit when one of the men who works there called out and said "I'll help you little buddy." He told Jaylen that he used to be scared of the stairs as well but now he climbs them three times a day. He didn't necessarily calm Jaylen but he distracted him enough for us to get to the Crown. We took a look, took a picture and started on our way down. The descent is harrowing - way worse than on the way up.

We took some more pictures, bought some souvenirs and departed for Ellis Island. It was around 11:30 by this time and the place was packed.

Ellis Island was gorgeous and revelatory and emotional. Around 12:45 we departed back to Battery Park and lunch at Hudson Eats in downtown NYC.

Next Post: Landmark Tour with City Rover

Following along.

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After lunch at Hudson Eats (sort of an upscale food court), we headed out with Max of City Rover tours for a Landmark Tour. Max is a life-long New Yorker who quit his Wall Street job to give tours of the city he loves.

We started at the 9-11 memorial. It was absolutely stunning and sobering.

From there it was the Oculus. What a creation. The outside is so different from the inside. We diverted to Eataly for some gelato and yummy pastries.

From there we took the Subway to Times Square where we saw ourselves on the big screen with the Emoji movie promo.

Times Square was crazy town at a 4 pm on Thursday. We went next to Bryant Park, the NYC Public Library and Union Station. Max was pretty good at keeping us on track but we stopped at the restroom many times.

We ended the tour and our time with Max in Chinatown. Max and City Rover tours are highly recommended.

Dinner at Oriental Garden. So much food but quite delicious. Some souvenir shopping to finish out the day and then back to the town home.

Next Post: Day 2, NYC

Up & out for breakfast at the Smith with my cousin who resides in NYC. It was just my nuclear family; we were going to meet everyone later at the Met. Smith was amazing - please get the French toast. I was considering getting the oatmeal but saw the French toast at another table. It was delectable.

They have a fun photo booth downstairs so get some memories there.

On to the Met where we would be doing a Museum Hack Tour. It's sort of a tour for non-museum types. It was quite fun and my kids enjoyed. We did a tableau vivant in front of the famous Washington on the Delaware painting.

I wanted to love the Museum Hack tour but I didn't. I think we got a bad guide. He was good and thoughtful and knowledgeable but his humor fell flat. It's fine.

We departed the Met and went home for a brief nap. Very brief. Next we made our way to Central Park which is just absolutely lovely. We walked by the zoo; saw a bride and groom and enjoyed the beauty of this treasure.

Back home, we gathered ourselves for a trip to Times Square for our final NYC night.

Next post: SURPRISE!!

Following your fantastic trip review!

So we piled into three different Lyfts to make our way to Times Square for dinner and to see the bright lights.

As we were riding, I checked stubhub for tickets to Hamilton. I had priced them out about four months prior and couldn't hack the mortgage size ticket prices. Now I'm a Hamilton fanatic. Know every word by heart and just a total Lin-Manuel Miranda fan-girl. So there were 12 tickets left (90 minutes prior to showtime) with two at $500/per for box seats right off the stage. I texted my husband in the other Lyft and he was like YOLO. Go for it. He urged me to take my daughter Katy. It didn't take me long to press the submit button. I WAS SO EXCITED!!! Really a dream come true.

Hubs & daughter arrived and off we went to the theater. We obviously did not have paper tickets so we had to go to the business center at the hotel next door to print off. Tickets in hand, we entered the theater and sat in our seats.

It was everything I wanted (well maybe the original cast) but hey- this cast was fantastic. My only criticism is that the actress playing Angelica was too old. But we were so close to the action - we definitely saw the blood, sweat & tears.

After the show, we went out to Times Square which was packed to the gills. I mean total craziness. My daughter wanted to stop at the Mac store where she ended up getting a midnight makeover. Some McDonalds to cap off the evening and then a cab right home.

Next Post: Anthem Here We Come

Our shuttle came to collect us at 9:30 for the short trip to Bayonne. We traveled through Greenwich Village and I wish we had gotten here during our trip. Looks pretty cool. By 10:30, we had pulled into Port and were on the ship by 11. It was pretty fantastic except the small hiccup of the on-board accounts. This is second time where RCCL seemed ill-equipped to deal with a group of 13. But whatever.

We were on board and on our way to 270 for lunch. It was decent - nothing too crazy. But hey-I wasn't cooking or cleaning so that was awesome.

Next up SeaPlex and bumper cars. The bumper cars are fun but can be a bit jarring.

Our rooms were ready so we went to check them out. My family was in 11694-96. Balcony cabins in the back of the ship. It was deadly quiet in there but maybe just a bit removed from the main action.

Loving the review so far and totally jealous on getting to see Hamilton. My goal for this summer is to get there.

On board this ship in less than three weeks! Loving your review in the meantime!

Waiting to hear about your 5 night to Bermuda. I am doing that itinerary in August. I have been on Anthem before (beautiful ship!) but have never been to Bermuda.

Waiting to hear about your 5 night to Bermuda. I am doing that itinerary in August. I have been on Anthem before (beautiful ship!) but have never been to Bermuda.

Not to be too corny but it's Bermudiful!!

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Love your screen name and am enjoying the reveiw.

My daughter and son-in-law were able to get tickets to Hamilton for Decmber 2016 back when extra tickets were released last summer. They loved it.

Ship Day Afternoon & Evening

We went to the Muster Drill. That washing hand video is pretty corn-ball. I wanted to get a pic of us going under the Bridge so we scurried uptop for that. Pretty crazy. And big cheers going up all over the ship - that was kinda cool.

A pic of us from our stateroom.

Next up was Circus School with my youngest. That looked like fun.

Off to dinner at Chic. We liked our table and the waiters were excellent. We sort of fell in love with our waiters on the Oasis so that duo was going to be hard to top. But they were super nice and as efficient as they could be. On Oasis, it appeared to me that our waiter duo was waiting on just our table of 13. Plus there was a drinks only server on Oasis. But these two had our table of 13 plus two tables of six and a table of four. Totally too much and it reflected a bit in the service. We ended up going to dinner at 5:45 for the rest of the week. That way the other tables had already put in their order and it worked out great.

The food was great - again I am not cooking or cleaning so they could serve me cold gruel & I would be a happy camper. A couple of nights I just ordered three appetizers because they looked so tasty. I had a lemon drop martini every night at dinner and it was so delicious.

For the beer people out there, I would take a look at the beers available at the Schooner Bar. Most of those beers will then be available at the MDRs. We tried for the first two nights to find a Pale Ale or a darker beer and the waitress had no idea. Once we were able to specifically ask for a beer, the selection got better.

And I will post all compasses and the Schooner Bar menu soon.

Next up was karaoke which was basically empty when we arrived. On Oasis, you had to get there 30 minutes early or you wouldn't get a shot. There was some great performances and we had fun with our songs. Downside is they didn't have a book or list for you to look at songs. You had to know what you were going to sing & they would look to see if they had it. So fix that Anthem. Part of the fun of karaoke is looking at the list.

Hubs & I checked out the casino where I won $400 in video poker. We stored that in the room safe and finally retired for the night.

Tomorrow Sea Day!!

So I am notorious for waking up early on cruises and the first Sea Day was no exception. I had prepared a backpack with what I would need and put all my clothes in the bathroom so as to disturb DH the least. I got up and roamed the ship taking pictures. Also visited guest services which is the best time to go. I walked into Windjammer at 7am and had a pretty good b'fast. Got my hubs a cappuccino and headed back to wake up the fam. We had 9:40 ifly appointments and I wanted them to get some b'fast.

Went with them back to the Windjammer for b'fast and it was a total madhouse by then. I did discover a ginger lemon tea they offered and it was sooooo so good.

We headed to ifly for our appt. I had made appointments for 9 of the 13 in our group but only four made it at this time. My BIL & family hadn't changed their clocks to they missed out. Fortunately 2 of them were able to make it later in the week. I have done ifly in Kansas City so I had an idea of what to expect. It was good. Way less of an orientation than the one in KC so we were able to get up & flying in about 20 minutes.

And here's a pic of my lemon drop martini

After ifly, we scattered a bit until our NorthStar flight at 11:30. NorthStar was pretty cool. Lots of fun views and just neat.

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Ooh! I was so bummed to get to the end of this. Looking forward to more! We board anthem for Bermuda in 8 days!

Drink Package Report

Bree of our group bought the drink package/voom combo for $309 pre-cruise. We totally got our monies worth. I went to the bank before the trip and got 100 $1 bills for tip money. At some of the bars, I feel like there should be a line because people just butt in when it is obvious that others have been waiting. I believe in karma so it doesn't bother me too much. And what the hell did I have to do? Not freaking much. I think the Solarium bar is quicker on nice sea days and the opposite is true on crappy days.

We drank our weight in pina coladas plus tried some new drinks.

The Voom was excellent. I am a big fan of the HBO series the Leftovers and the series finale was Sunday night. I was able to stream it on my phone with no problem.

So I recommend both the drink package and voom.

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not to be too corny but it's bermudiful!!

 

 

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rofl!

Thank you so much! We are going on the 9day in July with a group very similar to yours! I have a few questions if you don't mind.

Circus School--how early did you need to show up? It's the main thing DD12 want s to do. Do you remember how many times it was offered on your cruise?

iFly--did your in laws do it? Nana is an active late 70 year old and is thinking of doing it--I would think it would be fine--no worries about falling while doing it, right?

Drinks package--we also got a great price so did it! We love good coffee--is it basically Patisserie and Cafe 270 for the "good" coffee? Did you like one more than the other? Martini at dinner--did they have a menu or did you know what you wanted going in? Did you have any of the smoothies at Solarium Bar?

Thank you so much--when I saw the ages and set up of your group I was so excited--so similar to ours! Thank you--great trip report and pictures!

We had lunch at the Solarium on Sea Day One and it was completely adequate. We wandered the ship and then went to get ready for pictures.

There is no formal night on 5 night Anthem sailings but we designated the first Sea Day as our family picture day. We were hoping they had a staircase station but alas the staircase on Anthem is a little less grand.

We ended up by the big Silver art sculpture near Jamie's. That is the only place they can do 13. We got some nice pics of the whole family and some of each of the separate families.

My husband went and bought the entire photo packages for our whole crew. We ended up paying about $600 for all six of our cabins. So we stopped and got pics whenever possible.

There are some nice backgrounds on the 5th floor. Really pretty pictures of flowers.

Dinner at Chic and then the Gift. Meh. I didn't like it. I absolutely adored the shows on Oasis but was underwhelmed at the offerings on Anthem.

Off to bed because Bermuda was the next day and we had a big day planned.

Next Post: Hidden Gems Bermuda

Thank you so much! We are going on the 9day in July with a group very similar to yours! I have a few questions if you don't mind.

 

 

 

Circus School--how early did you need to show up? It's the main thing DD12 want s to do. Do you remember how many times it was offered on your cruise?

 

 

 

iFly--did your in laws do it? Nana is an active late 70 year old and is thinking of doing it--I would think it would be fine--no worries about falling while doing it, right?

 

 

 

Drinks package--we also got a great price so did it! We love good coffee--is it basically Patisserie and Cafe 270 for the "good" coffee? Did you like one more than the other? Martini at dinner--did they have a menu or did you know what you wanted going in? Did you have any of the smoothies at Solarium Bar?

 

 

 

Thank you so much--when I saw the ages and set up of your group I was so excited--so similar to ours! Thank you--great trip report and pictures!

I'm going to post compasses tomorrow so you can check on the circus school but I only remember if that first day. We got there when it started. We had filled out all waivers on the tv in the room but apparently that didn't work so we signed them again.

There are big warnings not to do ifly if you have back or neck issues so the g'parents passed. I don't think you would fall but you are basically entering a wind tunnel.

So I'm not a coffee drinker but my husband loves the stuff and enjoyed all the speciality coffees. They also serve them in the Windjammer and there is always way less of a line in there compared to LaPatteserie and Cafe270.

No menu of drinks at dinner and our server was not super knowledge. I knew about the lemon drop martini from my time on the Oasis. Take a look at the Schooner Bar menu and ask for those drinks. No smoothies either.

Have so much fun. Wrangling 13 people can sometimes be a challenge! [emoji41][emoji41]

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I forgot some of the other stuff we did the first two days. There is a show at 270 the first night that introduces the technology of the theater. Check that out. It was so very cool.

We also played Bingo on the first Sea Day at the Music Hall. No winners but fun.

Okay I'm off to bed. Totally zonked. More tomorrow and this weekend.

One more thing - the weather was absolutely perfect the entire trip except the last sea day. I mean gorgeous!!!

So glad you are taking the time to post a review of your time in NYC and your Bermuda cruise - I'm really enjoying it. It brings home what a small world it can be. We are from Kansas City and our oldest daughter lives on the UES. We always go to The Smith when we are in NYC for brunch - they have the best jalapeño cheese grits.

My husband and I are on a TA ending in Bayonne in September and we are going to Hamilton the night we disembark - can't wait!

We also have an Anthem cruise to Betmuda booked for next year and we have not been to Betmuda so I'm looking forward to hearing about that as well.

So glad you are taking the time to post a review of your time in NYC and your Bermuda cruise - I'm really enjoying it. It brings home what a small world it can be. We are from Kansas City and our oldest daughter lives on the UES. We always go to The Smith when we are in NYC for brunch - they have the best jalapeño cheese grits.

 

 

 

 

 

My husband and I are on a TA ending in Bayonne in September and we are going to Hamilton the night we disembark - can't wait!

 

 

 

We also have an Anthem cruise to Betmuda booked for next year and we have not been to Betmuda so I'm looking forward to hearing about that as well.

Well hello fellow Kansas Citian! You are going to love Hamilton. As I was telling my mom that the shows on Anthem kinda sucked, she was like well you did just see Hamilton so . . . And I was like riiiiiggght. Seriously it was just everything. Hope Brian D'Arcy is still playing King George. It's a show stealing role.

The Smith was the bomb. Glad we made it there.

Glad you are enjoying the review.

Well hello fellow Kansas Citian! You are going to love Hamilton. As I was telling my mom that the shows on Anthem kinda sucked, she was like well you did just see Hamilton so . . . And I was like riiiiiggght. Seriously it was just everything. Hope Brian D'Arcy is still playing King George. It's a show stealing role.

 

The Smith was the bomb. Glad we made it there.

Glad you are enjoying the review.

We haven't been on Anthem but saw The Gift on Ovation and I totally agree with your opinion of that show. It seems like the more we cruise the less shows we go to onboard. Of course, it's nearly impossible to beat a Broadway show - or even Starlight! We are going to see The Little Mermaid this weekend. :)