Anthem of the Seas Review - Bermuda - July 15, 2017 - July 20, 2017

[Noreen411]

We had reservations for the Gift tonight so headed to the theater maybe 15/20 minutes before the show started. We were on the top level and Cathy walked into the suite section not realizing it was for suites only. The employee stopped her and told her it's only for suites. I asked about Diamond Plus and he said that's fine, opened the ropes and we sat there. The theater wasn't crowded at all. This was quite a change from my January cruise where every show was packed and you needed to arrive very early to get a decent seat. Even when the show started tonight, the theater still had plenty of seats.

 

We enjoyed the show. Cathy wasn't sure what the storyline was so I told her what I think it is after seeing this 3 times already. My loose interpretation is that the wife/mother dies and the Gift is the family learning to love and continue living.

 

After the show, we went to the casino. Cathy didn't last too long before she went up to her cabin. I stayed for a while to play.

 

When I got back to my cabin, I had a stingray towel animal on the bed.

 

I called Scott to chat with him for a while.

 

[Noreen411]

Below is the compass and activity sheet for day 3. Monday. July 17, 2017. Bermuda

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Noreen411]

Below is the port shopping map for Bermuda.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[ohbuckeye]

I am enjoying your review very much! Thanks so much for taking the time.

[dmlee1990]

Enjoying your detailed review, Noreen. My family and I sailed the Anthem last September on the Canada/NE itinerary. We loved the Anthem!

[cybergranny]

Thanks for this great review/travelogue. Just back today from the 9-day on the Anthem and this brings back happy memories

[Noreen411]

Monday 7/17/17 - Bermuda

 

I went to the gym in the morning, probably a few minutes after they opened at 6. It was raining and looked pretty dreary out. But I was hopeful it would be a quick passing rainstorm.

 

After going back to my cabin to shower and get dressed, I met Cathy for breakfast at 9:15 and we went to the Windjammer. Even though we were already docked, since the weather was pretty bad and still overcast, I'm guessing people were taking their time and it was crowded in the Windjammer.

 

I noticed 2 charges on my seapass for water which should not be there with the beverage package so I stopped at guest services and they quickly fixed it.

 

We got off the ship and got in line for the ferry to Hamilton. You can either pay with cash or a token. We used cash. We both had our beach stuff assuming the clouds will pass and the sun will come out later and we would head to Horseshoe Beach then.

 

We arrived at Hamilton about noon. We browsed through many shops. I bought a T shirt for Scott, a Christmas ornament, a magnet and a post card.

 

 

It started to pour. It was after 1 so we decided we may as well get out of the rain and have lunch. We went into Flanagan's (I think that was the name - it was right on Front Street). Unfortunately it was not very good. Maybe we just chose the wrong things since other people's food looked much better than ours. We started with the Conch fritters to share. These were overly fried with chewy inner. Neither of us liked it. We both had beet salad with chicken. I never liked beets but the beets I had at Wonderland were really good so I was hoping for something along those lines. Unfortunately, it was canned beets cut up on a pretty bland salad. I asked for ranch dressing on the side since it normally comes with balsamic which I don't like. The ranch dressing didn't taste like ranch. The chicken on the salad was edible but not much more than that.

 

The only redeeming things was the bread pudding dessert. That was very good.

 

Unfortunately, the weather had taken a turn for the worse. It was now torrential rain with lightening and thunder.

 

We tried to hail a cab, but were unable to get one. We walked back to the ferry to get back to the Dockyard. Luckily we were under the overhang waiting, but many were getting soaked. The ferry was packed.

 

Since we were already wet anyway, when we got to the Dockyard, we went shipping in the rain. I bought a plastic poncho for $2. I also bought rum cake and jam.

 

I took a few pictures as we were walking back to the ship and Cathy thought I was nuts since it was raining out. We were already wet so what's a little more rain right?

 

 

 

 

 

 

We got back on the ship around 4:30. There was a plate of chocolate covered strawberries in my cabin. I called Cathy and told her to stop by for some since I know she likes them.

Edited July 29, 2017 by Noreen411

[Noreen411]

After a nice warm shower (I was freezing from the rain) and getting dressed for the evening, we met for a drink at the Schooner Bar.

 

I know many people comment on the constant pushing of things like drink packages and specialty restaurants, but I didn't notice it up until tonight. Someone from Izumi came over to us and asked if we were interested in looking at the menu and that they had availability. We looked but were thinking maybe tomorrow. The man wanted us to book it then for tomorrow. We told him we weren't sure and would decide later.

 

Cathy said she was in the mood for pasta and could we go to the Italian restaurant tonight instead of Wednesday. We went over to Jamie's and asked if we could switch days and it was no problem at all. They were able to seat us right away.

 

 

We started with some appetizers to share: Garlic Bread, Crab & Avocado Bruschetta, and Ricotta & Tomato Bruschetta. These were good and a nice small size.

 

 

 

For our entrees we both had the Truffle Taggliatale. The waiter kept encouraging us to try the lamb chops too. I don't like lamb. He brought us some anyway. I tried one. It was OK. Cathy liked it, but she likes lamb.

 

 

 

For dessert I had the Meyer Lemon Cheesecake.

 

 

We both enjoyed our meal at Jamie's.

[Noreen411]

Even though we missed the first 15 minutes or so, we went to the theater to watch the rest of the show. It was the Las Vegas Tenors. They were pretty good and did a variety of music.

 

Next we went to the casino for a bit. Cathy lasted maybe 20 minutes then she went to her cabin while I stayed to play. I wasn't having much luck at the let it ride table so went back to the poker machine.

 

Not quite as exciting as my royal flush on the first night but I was dealt 4 of a kind on a multi hand game and won $300.

 

 

Then I hit a joker royal flush for $125. Not the same as the true royal without a joker but it's still a very good hand.

 

 

When I went back to my cabin I called Scott to chat for a little while.

 

 

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[Noreen411]

Below is the compass and activity sheet for day 4. Tuesday. July 18, 2017. Bermuda.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Noreen411]

Tuesday 7/18/17 - Bermuda

 

I went to the gym in the morning and once again it was raining outside. I was hoping it would clear up today.

 

After showering and getting dressed, I met Cathy for breakfast at 9:15 and we went to the Windjammer.

 

We had our massages scheduled for 10:30. Even though we never received a call saying they verified that our vouchers were good, when we arrived, they told us we were all set and all we would be charged is gratuity. The woman I had did a really good job and the massage was very enjoyable. She did a combination of Swedish and deep tissue. I added additional gratuity to my slip when I signed it.

 

I was planning to shower again after the massage to get the oil off before our snorkel excursion but didn't plan to wash my hair again until after we snorkeled. However, from her massaging my head and putting a towel to hold my hair out of the way part of the time, my hair looked crazy. She was apologizing about my hair so I knew it had to be a mess. Especially since she started laughing too. So it was washed again.

 

When I met Cathy, she said she was all relaxed and didn't want to snorkel and preferred to just go to the beach and relax. So we changed our plans and went to Snorkel Park instead. It's very convenient since you can just walk right over from the ship.

 

 

 

It's $5 per person to get in and it cost $30 for two chairs and an umbrella. There was sign that they were out of umbrellas and chairs but the woman said that since many people are leaving we may still be able to rent them. Before we committed to staying she let me go ask the guys that rent the chairs/umbrellas and it was no problem; they had some. We came in and were quickly set up.

 

 

 

I went in the water pretty quickly. Cathy stayed on her chair. She recognized a guy she used to have a share in a beach house with so she went over to say Hello. We stayed at the beach just for a few hours then had to head back to the ship.

 

We stopped In a few of the shops we didn't go in yesterday on our way back to the ship. All aboard was 4:30 and we were probably on by 4:15.

 

 

Edited July 29, 2017 by Noreen411

[Noreen411]

After another shower and getting dressed for the evening, we met to see the 6pm showing of We Will Rock You. Cathy walked into the suite seating area where we sat for the Gift and the guy working stopped her saying it's for suites only. I asked about Diamond Plus and he said only suites. Odd that it was fine for the Gift but not for We Will Rock You. We sat in the same area just over a bit but not in the "suite" section.

 

This isn't meant as a complaint that we couldn't sit there tonight, it's just odd that it isn't consistent from one night to another.

 

We both enjoyed the show.

 

The theater was not full and there were plenty of seats available.

 

I picked up my embarkation photo afterwards.

 

We went to the dining room for our first My Time Dining experience of the cruise. We had reservations at 8:45 and showed up a bit early, maybe at 8:20. We were seated right away.

 

We both started with salads and shared and order of escargot. We both had the jumbo shrimp risotto as our entree. Cathy was amused by the shrimp being called jumbo since they were pretty small. It was tasty though.

 

 

I had the chocolate soufflé for dessert which I usually really enjoy but this was a bit overdone so not that great.

 

 

I dropped my embarkation photo off in my cabin and we headed to the theater for the 10pm Love & Marriage show. This was very funny. The contestants really make the show. It went over on time I think since a few times the cruise director had to ask the contestants to answer in less than 30 seconds to keep it moving. The contestants all liked to talk.

 

We stayed in our seats for the late night comedy show which started right after (11:30pm) with Kivi Rogers. He was funny.

 

After the late night comedy I went to the casino. Cathy was tired and went to her cabin.

 

When I got back to my cabin, I had another towel animal, but I'm not sure what it is.

 

 

I called Scott to chat for a while.

[Noreen411]

Below is the compass and activity sheet for day 5. Wednesday. July 19, 2017. At Sea

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[alexkrn46]

Loving your review, thank you.

[svyas]

Since it is summer break, wanted to know roughly how many kids are onboard?

 

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[Langley Cruisers]

 

 

 

Hmm. I have to say that the bed looks really uncomfortable - for a fairly new ship, I've not seen such a prominent hump in the middle as that one before. Just an observation.

 

Thank you for your review and the time you took to post it. :)

.

[lenquixote66]

My daughter and son-in-law were on this cruise and loved everything .

[Noreen411]

Since it is summer break, wanted to know roughly how many kids are onboard?

 

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Hi

 

There were definitely a lot of kids, but I didn't notice any that were wild.

 

The kids clubs and so many activities on board kept them occupied.

 

Lots of multi generation families were on board too

 

 

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[Noreen411]

Hmm. I have to say that the bed looks really uncomfortable - for a fairly new ship, I've not seen such a prominent hump in the middle as that one before. Just an observation.

 

 

 

Thank you for your review and the time you took to post it. :)

 

.

 

 

 

Hi

 

The bed was fine.

 

This is my third time on Anthem.

 

The first time January 2016 in a balcony the bed was horrible. Every day I would wake up with my back hurting. I thought it was me but the friends I was traveling with said they also found the beds very uncomfortable.

 

The second Anthem trip January 2017 in a junior suite and the bed was fine. I thought maybe it was because I was in a junior suite.

 

I went into this trip a little worried the bed would be uncomfortable again, but was pleasantly surprised that it was fine to sleep on.

 

It's not super luxurious best bed ever, but it was fine and I didn't wake up with my back hurting.

 

 

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[Noreen411]

Wednesday 7/19/17 - At Sea

 

I went to the gym in the morning.

 

After showering and getting dressed I met Cathy for breakfast. We varied from our normal routine and went to the dining room instead of the Windjammer. There was a menu to order from as well as a small buffet set up. Service was very slow. I ordered blueberry pancakes. I don't remember what Cathy ordered but it took a really long time. Even getting beverages took a very long time. When the food came, they brought me regular pancakes not blueberry. Surprisingly, getting it corrected and getting me blueberry pancakes instead was pretty fast.

 

We went to get in line for Bumper cars after breakfast. We ended up in line ahead of Cathy's friend from the shore and some of his family so we chatted with them while waiting.

 

 

 

There was a lion character (not sure his name) in the bumper car area, so I stopped to take a picture with him.

 

 

The sun was out so Cathy wanted to go sit outside.

 

I went to the casino for a little while. I was able to get on the Let It Ride table without a wait so played for a bit.

 

 

We met for lunch at 1:30 at the Windjammer. Nothing was really appealing to me but I ended up getting a variety of food and had a bite of this and a bite of that.

 

I went outside for a bit after lunch but it started to rain so I headed to my cabin to start packing.

 

I met Cathy at 5:15. Suddenly, I felt nauseas and lightheaded. I couldn't go to dinner. I sat with her in the Windjammer and had ginger ale and a roll while she ate.

 

After eating she went to her cabin to pack.

 

I went back to the casino thinking it would take my mind off not feeling good, but that didn't really work so after maybe 45 minutes I went back to my cabin.

 

I received a $300 off certificate from the casino. It was a short cruise and I didn't spend that much time in the casino. This wasn't as exciting as the free cruise certificate I received last cruise, but it's something.

 

I finished packing and put my bag out to be picked up.

 

I was hoping to feel better by the time we were to go to Spectre's Caberet tonight, but I just didn't feel up to it. I told Cathy she should go. And she should stay for the Quest after. She said she would go to the show but probably not stay for the Quest.

 

I got in my PJ's pretty early, maybe 9pm, and read a book on the balcony. I spoke to Scott for a bit. Then I watched some TV. There isn't much to really watch on Royal's TV but I found some old reruns of Mike & Molly as well as the Big Bang Theory so I watched those.

[Noreen411]

Below are the debarkation forms

 

 

 

 

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[Noreen411]

Thursday 7/20/17 - Disembark - Bayonne, NJ

 

I was feeling better this morning. I think it was probably a combination of all the different food at lunch yesterday. I'm not used to eating like that at home. I'm a boring eater and usually have the same breakfast (either yogurt with granola or cereal) and the same lunch (a turkey sandwich) most days.

 

I watched some of the sail in from my balcony.

 

 

 

Cathy stopped at my cabin for us to get off the ship. We had luggage tag 8 and were scheduled to get off about 8:10.

 

There was a bit of a line but it moved quickly.

 

We got a porter who got our bags, took us around the customs line to the front, and right out. We tipped him $20 and that was money well spent. He dropped me at the pickup area and brought Cathy to the garage where she parked.

 

I was sitting outside on a bench in the pickup area waiting for Scott a little before 8:30. Scott arrived maybe 10 minutes later and we drove home. There was a little traffic but it wasn't too bad.

 

Scott and the cats and fish were happy to have me back home.

[Noreen411]

Final Thoughts

 

This was another great trip on Anthem. I love the convenience of cruising out of Bayonne. Check in was the quickest and most organized of the last few times I've cruised out of Bayonne.

 

I always have a good time traveling with Cathy. She's a good travel companion. We don't do everything together but still do a lot together. Next year we both turn 50 so I told her to start thinking about a trip for us to celebrate next year.

 

It's a very different vibe being on a shorter trip in the summer instead of a longer trip late January. Both are fun but very different. Lots of families and children during the summer. The longer trips in the winter have very few children and more older people.

 

I'll be back on Anthem next month for my niece's Sweet 16 cruise with a family group of about 12 people. While it's the same ship and itinerary it will be a very different trip.

 

Please feel free to ask any questions, I love talking about my trips.

 

Noreen

[DaisyL]

Loved reading your review. Although I've been on Anthem twice before, 9 day Caribbean and 7days Bahamas, it was fun to read about the 5 day. Thank you... Keep reviewing.

 

 

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[Jyllie63]

Loved your review. I now want to play the Let it Ride table. I have no clue what this is but it must be fun. I usually stick with Roulette.