Review: Anthem NE/Canada 9 Nighter August 31 - September 9, 2017

[mizLORInj]

Hi all. Just back from another fabulous cruise on Anthem of the Seas. We just love this ship.

 

I’m going to start with what we did in the ports.

 

Boston. We had reserved a Segway tour. It was great. We covered 12 miles. If you have never Segway-ed, (I had not) you will get some quick training before you head out. Also the first stop is along the waterfront in a large open space, so I practiced a little more when we got there. It’s weird at first, but I got the hang of it. This was a great tour. They even snap photos as you're riding and send you a link to them since you really can't be taking photos while you are riding. Enjoyed the day in Boston.

Portland. First stop was Holy Donuts. Yum. Then having just seen Bite Into Maine on Food Network, we decided to Uber to the Cape Elizabeth park to find this lobster truck. Then we wandered a round the park there a bit till it started raining, and we got a ride back and did some more wandering.

Bar Harbor. A tender port. Getting the tender tickets was very quick and easy. However, half way through the tender process in Bar Harbor, there was some issue and we were all delayed about 45 minutes getting off the ship. I hope they fix whatever the issue was so the next cruises don’t have this delay. We did a plane ride with Scenic Flights of Acadia and it was great. Was a beautifully sunny and clear day. We did the 50 minute ride. They picked us up and dropped us off back at the port. We wandered around the port area and it’s very nice there.

Saint John. We were going to rent a car to hike Fundy Trail, but it was cool and foggy so we canceled the car and just wandered around. Enjoyed the bagpiper just before our (late!) sail away. Little oddity: Canadian customs boards the ship and tells them which bars cannot be opened until we sail away. So it takes some looking around to find an open bar. And it is random so just because Bolero was closed in Saint John, does not mean it will be closed when you are there. Just look for another bar (for the 2-for-1 margaritas!).

Halifax. Rented a car here and drove to two wineries. Made a few other scenic stops along theway. Returned the car and walked the waterfront.

 

Our goal was lobster in every port, and we did have a lobster roll in each port. All were good.

 

BRING AN UMBRELLA. You never know what the weather is like this time of year.

 

Ok back to the cruise itself.

We targeted 11am departure at a meetup point with our friends and arrived at the port at 11:40. This is my fourth Anthem trip, and the first that had no long lineup of cars approaching the luggage drop off area. We occasionally looked outside at the road once onboard, and we did not ever see a long lineup of cars. Was bizarre there seemed to be no peak arrival time. Once inside the terminal, we easily found an available ipad-like-thingie person and got all set up. Was very quick. They seemed to be steering a lot of people to the security line first and the check-in place on the other side. Keep your SetSail pass handy; we counted 6 times that we had to show it before walking onboard. Cabins were not ready so we headed to Windjammer and found a table outside at the stern. Love this space. Cabins were ready at 1.

 

We cruised in a D7 balcony cabin on deck 10 toward the stern. Everything about it was good. Our bed was by the bathroom and our friends' next door was by the slider. I'm still not sure which setup I prefer.

 

Food. We spent a lotof time in WindJammer this time and the assortment of food is excellent. If you can’t find something you like, you’re too picky! The executive sous chef (Joseph Mathew) is present a lot so ask questions or give your feedback about the buffet. They try new things all the time. There are themed dinners. ... Caribbean, Indian, Italian, American, etc. I love the Mongolian Grill at dinnertime. The desserts vary too, cupcakes, cake, pie, puddings. There seemed to be shrimp and other seafood a few times. We ate breakfast at Solarium Bistro once too--a scaled down buffet but very nice too. Dining Rooms—we had my time dining and ate in the MDR twice. We didn’t wait more than 10 minutes to be seated, and the food and service was good. We had a perk from our TA that included a free upcharge dining so we ateonce at Chops and once at Jamie’s. Chopsis consistently good and did not disappoint. Jamie’s was just ok. I have friends who make great Italian food so I don’t usually eat Italian out. The salad seemed to lack dressing; the rolls seemed to be supermarket rolls saturated in some type of fat. Yet, the truffled pasta was very good. Dessert was good too. The chairs are metal and mismatched as are the tables so we did not care much for the décor. Service was good. There are two tv screens if you get a seat facing the inside of the ship where Jamie videos are playing. I would not pay $35 to eat here. There is a $20 lunch special there the last sea day.

 

Shows. We saw We Will Rock you and the singing and musicians were absolutely great. Dont leave when the cast has taken theirbow—the finale with Bohemian Rhapsody is yet to come and it ROCKS!!! Skipped The Gift as we’ve seen it. Spectra’s was awesome. They seem to change up little bits here andthere since last time but it’s entertaining and that Two70 room is superb. The Long Run (Eagles cover band) was very popular. Not much of an Eagles fan but they did sound very good. Edge Effect was outstanding. Didn’t see the comedian or juggler. The brass players around the ship sounded good. Jam in the Schooner lounge was very popular.

 

Trivia. The Royal Caribbean one was good and interesting. Who is the genius who scheduled 80s Trivia which I wanted to play (and win) on a PORT day at noon. Other triviawas Elvis, Classic Movies (all old films), Michael Jackson songs (hostess played way too much of the song) and general trivia. I did ask CD Marc to please set up 70s Disco Trivia as other RC ships have, but it did not happen.

 

Top Tier party was in the theater. I prefer it in Two70. Don’t sit in the middle of a row in the theater or you won’t get a drink. It wasa bit too long IMO with all the Pinnacles or whatever level the people had achieved to have their pic taken with the captain.

 

CC M&M. RC does avery nice job of this event. They serve mimosas and have raffles for giveaway items. We also did a cabin crawl and thank you chandom for hosting us in your fabulous suite! It was great to meet you guys and others who attended.

 

Random thoughts:

The Bionic Bar was not always working. It’s a cool thing to do once, but we prefer a live bartender.

 

Know your C&A level perks in case you are challenged trying to redeem them.

 

We took the foxtrot dance lesson class and it was great. Now I wish we did the rumba and cha cha class too!

 

TV had way too much Big Bang Theory and 2 Broke Girls. Can we branch out a bit?

 

Why are Hublot and Bvlgari on this ship?

 

Wish there had been some martini or margarita tastings like Allure has and we’ve had on Anthem in the past.

 

Formal nights were nights 2 and 6 (both sea days). Lobster in the main dining room is the secondformal night.

 

Current CD Marc is leaving the ship shortly and heading to Europe.

 

There are no longer tubes of shampoo. It is in a dispenser in the shower. I thought it was fine.

 

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We met up with Carnival Sunshine some time Friday afternoon and then NCL Gem. All of us were due into port on Saturday.

 

We had larger luggage this time and some items purchased while on the cruise, so we did the # debarkation and we were off by 8:40.

Enjoyed our cruise a lot. We'll be back!

Edited September 10, 2017 by mizLORInj
words were mushed together! WHY?

[reallyhooked]

Enjoyed your review. We did it last year for our 25th anniversary in October.

[Jerseygirl1416]

Thanks for taking the time to post a review. Great information!

[mizLORInj]

A few other things I just thought of.

 

Hugo, activities director, was very entertaining.

 

NorthStar is always great. Show up about 20 minutes earlier than your scheduled time. You can also try to go standby if your group is small.

 

Your TV has messages on it--we just happened to check the messages late on Thursday and saw that our iFly experience for Friday was cancelled due to technical difficulties. Our guys were quite disappointed.

 

Get to Two70 early for your showing of Spectra's Cabaret. We had a 9:00 show and got to Two70 at 8:30pm and all the front and lower seats were already taken. You also get a great view from the upstairs for this show. We went to We Will Rock You in the Royal Theater early with this in mind, but there were plenty of seats right up till showtime. So for theater shows you really just never know.

 

Use the Royal IQ app once you get onboard. It contains your schedule and also from the Compass section you can choose "add to calendar" and it'll show on your personal calendar. Be aware, however, that the paper Compass sometimes lists things the web one does not.

 

Happy cruising!

[mizLORInj]

When I had checked what cabins were available a few days before we left (8/31), only loft suites at the stern were available. Apparently these did not sell out as while we were at the Top Tier party on Friday, it was announced that the bingo prize would be a Grand Loft Suite (corner one). There was open house at noon so people could wander through it.

 

We got to see this Grand Loft suite (which was very nice) with its two side balconies and the larger one at the stern. We thought cc member Chandom's Grand Loft Suite which was in the center of the stern was better laid out and felt much more open than the corner one.

Not sure if it did not "go" at Bingo, but there was also a Grand Loft Suite suite prize for the casino a day or two later.

Anyway, it was interesting that suites were "given away" as a prize since they were open.

[chandom]

When I had checked what cabins were available a few days before we left (8/31), only loft suites at the stern were available. Apparently these did not sell out as while we were at the Top Tier party on Friday, it was announced that the bingo prize would be a Grand Loft Suite (corner one). There was open house at noon so people could wander through it.

 

We got to see this Grand Loft suite (which was very nice) with its two side balconies and the larger one at the stern. We thought cc member Chandom's Grand Loft Suite which was in the center of the stern was better laid out and felt much more open than the corner one.

Not sure if it did not "go" at Bingo, but there was also a Grand Loft Suite suite prize for the casino a day or two later.

Anyway, it was interesting that suites were "given away" as a prize since they were open.

From what I recall both corner Grand Lofts were available up to the final day.

Would say each one is unique depending on use. The corners are nice with the multiple balconies. However, the living room area is alot smaller. But it is nice not having the living room visible when walking in. Other thing is the split bathroom setup on the lower level.

The one I was in for the most part was similar to an oversized Crown Loft from Oasis class.

 

My opinion: For two or three, corner would be nice. With four, go with a middle one. The couch is bigger in the middle one and plenty of room for an added roll away bed.

 

 

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[slyster]

Lori, this is the second time that Holy Donuts was mentioned. I think I read before that the Exchange Street store was the closest to the pier?

 

Was it walkable or did you have to take a tax or uber there? I think I would like to make a stop there!

[mizLORInj]

Lori, this is the second time that Holy Donuts was mentioned. I think I read before that the Exchange Street store was the closest to the pier?

 

Was it walkable or did you have to take a tax or uber there? I think I would like to make a stop there!

 

We walked. It wasn't far. Left out of the pier onto the main road; we went right onto Silver, left onto Fore, then Exchange will be on your right and it's the second or third shop on the right. Don't be put off by the line--it' moves quickly. You can see the board with the flavors so just be ready and first up tell them how many you want. We did a six-box. They were moist and fabulous! I would say sweet potato/ginger was my favorite and chocolate/cinnamon was second! Enjoy!

[jsswish]

On the note of finding an open bar when in St. John or Halifax, I think in both cases it was the bar at the indoor pool, between the Solarium and outdoor pool. Not sure if that was coincidence or the usual spot. Good to know for next time, I didn't know customs actually boards and says what can remain open.

[mizLORInj]

On the note of finding an open bar when in St. John or Halifax, I think in both cases it was the bar at the indoor pool, between the Solarium and outdoor pool. Not sure if that was coincidence or the usual spot. Good to know for next time, I didn't know customs actually boards and says what can remain open.

 

In Saint John for this cruise, Bolero, Vintages and Michael's were closed. We headed to the Schooner bar and it was open. Not sure about the top deck bars since we didn't check as it wasn't fabulous weather. We saw Customs guys boarding but didn't know why, but later found out from someone when we asked why Bolero wasn't hosting its 2 for 1 margaritas as posted in the Compass.

Edited September 11, 2017 by mizLORInj

[jsswish]

In Saint John for this cruise, Bolero, Vintages and Michael's were closed. We headed to the Schooner bar and it was open. Not sure about the top deck bars since we didn't check as it wasn't fabulous weather. We saw Customs guys boarding but didn't know why, but later found out from someone when we asked why Bolero wasn't hosting its 2 for 1 margaritas as posted in the Compass.

 

 

Thanks for the info, we'll know better for next time. We went to Michael's and then our room to put swim suits on when we saw it wasn't open, that's when I noticed the indoor pool bar was open but Solarium bar was not. It would be nice if they could somehow provide that information (what is open while in port) after the ship clears customs and gangway opens.

[slyster]

We walked. It wasn't far. Left out of the pier onto the main road; we went right onto Silver, left onto Fore, then Exchange will be on your right and it's the second or third shop on the right. Don't be put off by the line--it' moves quickly. You can see the board with the flavors so just be ready and first up tell them how many you want. We did a six-box. They were moist and fabulous! I would say sweet potato/ginger was my favorite and chocolate/cinnamon was second! Enjoy!

 

Wow! Thanks for the directions! I think I read before that the lines were huge. I have to admit, I'm thinking about the maple and bacon. The lemon also looks really interesting too!

 

Thanks for your help! :)

[chandom]

Wow! Thanks for the directions! I think I read before that the lines were huge. I have to admit, I'm thinking about the maple and bacon. The lemon also looks really interesting too!

 

Thanks for your help! :)

Well worth the journey. Even got a few for our room attendant and Genie. They loved them.

 

Bit more of a walk in Boston, the cannolis from Mike's were good.

 

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[Celeste548]

You can ask your cabin steward for bottles of shampoo and conditioner - we did this several times, the 2-in-1 didn't agree with my hair!

[reallyitsmema]

Wow! Thanks for the directions! I think I read before that the lines were huge. I have to admit, I'm thinking about the maple and bacon. The lemon also looks really interesting too!

 

Thanks for your help! :)

 

Those donuts are the best! There is a chocolate coconut that is really good too. My Mom loves the maple and bacon though. My DH liked the sweet potato/ginger one the best.

 

We go to Holy Donut and then go from there to Two Fat Cats bakery for the best whoopie pies we have ever had! We like the traditional chocolate ones best, but they also do a pumpkin one at this time of year.

 

We live outside Boston and have taken the cruise out of Boston a couple of times, but we have also taken a day trip to Portland for donuts and whoopie pies!:D

[slyster]

Well worth the journey. Even got a few for our room attendant and Genie. They loved them.

 

Bit more of a walk in Boston, the cannolis from Mike's were good.

 

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oh wow...great idea!

[chandom]

Sure it changes, but this was the selection at The Holy Donut when we were in port.

 

The blueberry one was very good. Couldn't stop in Maine without getting something with blueberries.

 

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