The Boomers

We sail in just a few weeks! Staying in the newer cabins on deck 11. Anyone stay there yet? Pros/cons?

 

 

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We sailed on the Jewel Nov. 27-Dec. 4 and stayed in 1162, one of the new cabins. Very nice, comfortable, etc. Balcony and view excellent. Very quiet room with one exception. Right above the cabin is the running track. Only once--at 6:30 am--did we hear footsteps. Half awake, I was blaming loud kids running outside our room. So there I am, in only my skivvies--in the hallway looking for youngsters! Only then did I realize the "running" was coming from the track above. Wife thought that was funny. . . It only lasted for about 10 minutes, so a not so long run for the dedicated runner.

Anthem lovers, what would be the best place to have a romantic anniversary dinner on board?

IMO, that would be Wonderland. Very intimate and classy. Excellent food with several twists of the unusual. We found Wonderland to be very romantic!

We were on the Anthem for the infamous Feb. 6, 2016 sailing. Besides the hurricane and shortened cruise we really enjoyed the ship, the crew and the different cruise experience this great ship provides. Two70 is fantastic. Spectra's Secret was great and the Queen tribute "We Will Rock You" was great. Did DD and enjoyed that. Ate at Michael's and Wonderland--both specialty spots. Wonderland was $49 each, but the food, service, and the intimate surroundings made it a good deal. Would do it again. We could certainly understand that this ship would not be the first choice for those folks that really like traditional cruising. We are 67 and 72, but even some of us elders found the Anthem to be a refreshing and impressive ship. Plan on another Anthem cruise by the end of the year.

The Feb. 6 cruise on the Anthem was our 9th cruise--all with RCCL. We are very grateful to Captain Claus Andersen--believe many lives were saved/injuries prevented by his sending all pax to their rooms. Appreciated the consistent and timely updates on the storm, what the plan was, etc. Most people we spoke with the next day (Monday) said this was by far the worst storm they had encountered on a cruise. It was a long and trying night, but felt we were in good hands with the captain and his crew.

I will let others with more facts at their disposal give opinions as to who to "blame." It certainly wasn't blame I was thinking--storms happen, and this was a good example of the "perfect storm"--two different systems that happened to collide off the Carolina coast and the same time the Anthem was there!

Prior to cruising, I did read A LOT about the Anthem, and the "newfangled" dining options. Personally, my wife and I enjoyed it. We pre-booked dinner for the first five nights on line--very easy to do. Kind of spooky, don't you think, that we made no reservations for the last two scheduled days at sea! Both of us found the food and food choices to be very good. The service was the same as the previous 8 cruises--terrific. We did mostly comp dining rooms with the exception of dinner at Wonderland and lunch at Michael's. Heard that Michael's Pub had great burgers, and would certainly agree. The dinner at Wonderland was a very different (in a GOOD way) experience. Our waiter Vlad was excellent. Many different courses sampling strange mixtures of a variety of foods you would not normally find at any restaurant. The olive thing where the olive was "reconstituted" and then exploded in your mouth was the only part of the meal I did not like. The main course of 'surf and turf' was roasted beef loin and baked Halibut. Both were fantastic.

One of the favorite hangouts was the 270. The cafe has many choices of sandwiches--my favorite was the roast beef sandwich. The area is spectacular (already mentioned in OP's post). Entertainment for the Spectra's Secret was the best. Music, singing, dancing were all first class. Did I mention the arial part of the show? Wow. And the techno stuff was unbelievable.

Also saw the 'We Will Rock You' show. Being a huge Queen fan, this knocked my sox off! Other venues in the Music Hall were very good and well attended. Best entertainment of any cruise so far.

I acquired a fondness of the shrimp roll sandwiches in the Cafe Promanade--only after some late night gambling in a very nice and very large Casino Royale.

Cruise director Abe Hughs was very good. And this guy worked 24/7 it seemed! Very approachable and certainly did an excellent job on a cruise that did have that weather thing . . . .

The technology and design of the interior of the ship was another "WOW." It was stunning. The artwork was unique and creative. Lots of crystal around the ship. The RC shop was quite small and usually crowded--one of a very few disappointments from this cruiser.

At first I could see the often stated complaint that this ship was less personal than other RC ships. Funny what a traumatic event like a hurricane can do for the bonding of 6000 people! There was a different vibe after Sunday. The ship and the crew came through with flying colors. So did the 4700 pax.

We would go back to the Anthem without a question.

We have spent 8 days on Grand Turk in 2013 and 2014. Yes, there are a lot of dogs on GT--"Pot Cakes". They are independent not wild. Most that we saw were well-fed and had collars. Veterinarians visit the island and provide shots, spay/neutering services, and check the dogs out. When that is done, they put collars on them so they know which ones were examined.

These friendly critters do not bark, do not present any danger, and mostly just hang out. They will check to see if you have any food for them, but do NOT pester or beg.

Besides the dogs, there are "wild" horses and donkeys all over the place. We thought of this as a part of the experience. GT has excellent animal activists that provide for these animals.

We did not stay or visit the cruise center, and stayed at Manta House which is right by a great beach bar, the Sandbar. Food is very good, and the two sisters that own Manta and the Sandbar are ex-pats from Toronto. Tonya and Katya are perhaps the best hosts ever! Take a cab to this place for a great relaxing stop. They will call you a cab when you want to leave, and it is about a 5-10 minute cab ride to the ship.

We really like this island--especially the "Belongers"--what the locals like to be called.

If you go to Sandbar, is it easy to catch a cab back to the pier? Taxi's hanging around?

Just ask someone working at the Sandbar--they will phone for a cab.

The Sandbar is great! Right by Manta House and close to downtown Cockburn. Right on the water, great conch dishes, etc. Short cab ride will get you there in 10 minutes from cruise center.

We have stayed at Manta House during two trips to Grand Turk. Excellent.

We are planning on going in to town, visit the museum and grab a bite to eat and drink. Any suggestions on where to have lunch?

The Sandbar--right across the street from Manta House. Food very good and the view/atmosphere excellent! (try the conch bites!!)

The cruise center is on the island of Grand Turk. Grace Bay Beach is on the island of Provencialies--a 30 minute flight from Grand Turk. You will need to seek a beach on Grand Turk.

The beach right at the cruise center is very nice. A cab ride will take you to either Pillory beach or Governor's beach. Both are very nice--quiet water, lots of sand and beauty.

Google Crystal Seas and check the reviews by customers via Trip Advisor. They had 50 + reviews, and EVERY review received a 5 out of 5 "excellent" rating. The two guys that own Crystal Seas (Tim and Dan) both were highly thought of by the guests. I have met Tim (Dunn) and he is very knowledgeable and personable. We will be visiting Grand Turk for the second time late March (we will be staying 8 days) and plan on the whaling adventure and visit Salt Cay.

I believe you will be very satisfied with Crystal Seas.

We just got back from an 8 day stay on Grand Turk. We rented a cart (locals call them "buggies") for 6 days. Cart ran great, and a great way to see and explore the island. Nathan was very accommodating and genuine.