Frugal Husband’s Anthem of the Seas Review

[BigHouseFootball]

Hahahaha I knew I would get some responses with my dig at the 70s. To each his own but I am not a fan. :-)

[BillOh]

Hahahaha I knew I would get some responses with my dig at the 70s. To each his own but I am not a fan. :-)

 

 

Having actually lived and listen to the music in the 70s, you can't define the entire decade. Lots of good classic rock through the decade, but people only remember the birth of disco at the end.

[clochette]

Great review thank you for sharing.

[westcoastvecs]

70s music rocks!

And you weren’t even born yet!

 

;)

 

 

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[EpcotBill]

Having actually lived and listen to the music in the 70s, you can't define the entire decade. Lots of good classic rock through the decade, but people only remember the birth of disco at the end.

Unfortunately cruise lines perpetuate the myth that '70s music was nothing but Disco by playing nothing but Disco during their '70s party. There was probably more great music in that decade than any other.

[MACE]

Unfortunately cruise lines perpetuate the myth that '70s music was nothing but Disco by playing nothing but Disco during their '70s party. There was probably more great music in that decade than any other.

 

Amen!

 

The 70s produced some Awesome Rock!

[VPIcruiser]

I am enjoying your review. We love Disney. My husband really loves Disney vacations and he isn’t a huge fan of a day at the beach either. While the kids are at sleep away camp next summer, we are planning to do the five night Bermuda cruise on Anthem. Your review is convincing me that we really should do this cruise.

[vpat48]

A very nice review and i am looking forward to the end of it. You have a very beautiful writing style.

[gaylemh]

I used to read discussion on CDs and wonder what the fuss was about. Then we had “Hello Clo”on Anthem last year and I understood. She was great.

 

A and we didn’t care for either Spectra’s Cabaret or The Gift. We love the Anthem, but other than a couple of comedians, have been underwhelmed by the shows.

I've had Clo O'Conner on a few of my Anthem sailings. She is the best. I didn't like Dennis Charles at all. He reminds me of a used car salesman. I'll have a new CD next week - Chris Brown. I don't know anything about him though. I wish Clo would come back. I never laughed so much on a cruise before I sailed with her.

[bangzoom6877]

I am enjoying your review. We love Disney. My husband really loves Disney vacations and he isn’t a huge fan of a day at the beach either. ��While the kids are at sleep away camp next summer, we are planning to do the five night Bermuda cruise on Anthem. Your review is convincing me that we really should do this cruise.

 

I’m not a big beach person either. I do enjoy going once in a while but I’d much rather be in a hot tub or a pool. We took the kids to riviera maya, Mexico last summer and stayed at a resort right on a beautiful beach. We spent the majority of our time at the pool and going in the lazy river. We’re taking the boys to Punta Cana next summer to an all inclusive resort on the beach and we will likely spend most of our time going in the pool and lazy river there as well.

 

How old are your kids? Mine are 13 and 11. My husband and I go on Anthem in April on the 7-night Bermuda and Boston itinerary. This is our first time going away for more than two nights without the kids. I was hesitant to leave them for a week, but we think they’re old enough now, plus we’re taking them on a beautiful vacation in July that they’re looking forward to very much. They’re staying with my parents while we’re on the cruise. We’re getting the internet package on just one device so we can video chat with them via Facebook everyday. First time getting internet on a cruise. Usually we just totally disconnect.

[Iamcruzin]

Having actually lived and listen to the music in the 70s, you can't define the entire decade. Lots of good classic rock through the decade, but people only remember the birth of disco at the end.

That is so true and as bad as it may have been it seems to have left the biggest impression. Personally I stay away from any cruise ships 70's parties. Living through it once was more than enough.

[CanadaRob]

Bump to insure Frugal Dad isn't forgotten

[Laurie12820]

I've had Clo O'Conner on a few of my Anthem sailings. She is the best. I didn't like Dennis Charles at all. He reminds me of a used car salesman. I'll have a new CD next week - Chris Brown. I don't know anything about him though. I wish Clo would come back. I never laughed so much on a cruise before I sailed with her.

 

She was our CD on Adventure back in July!

[BigHouseFootball]

Sorry for the delay school started this past week and we have had some weekend plans.

 

Ok so the time stamp on my last photo was a little after 11pm. We could hear music out on our balcony from the port but once we closed the door we couldn’t hear anything.

 

The time stamp on these photos is 6:30am. Ugh so early.

 

 

 

I know I’m a teacher but I believe that there are no good mornings only good afternoons. I am definitely NOT a morning person. I also never eat breakfast while not on vacation. I just can’t eat shortly after waking up. Makes my stomach hurt. At home I don’t eat till lunch which is 12:20pm.

 

On vacation I try to eat a little something. I mean I did pay for it already. This morning I thought it would be best to eat a little something because we had a long day. The Hidden Gems of Bermuda tour. It is listed as a 7 hour tour with jungle hiking, dry cave exploring, cave swimming, cliff jumping, and a beach break.

 

This excursion is usually listed on Royal’s site for around $239 a person. I grabbed it when Royal was having one of their sakes for $209 a person. For those wondering this excursion could only be reserved through Royal. A woman on our tour said she called and tried to reserve it and was asked if she was on a cruise and they told her she had to buy it through the cruise line.

 

So off we went to Windjammer. I got a scoop of eggs, one sausage link, and a biscuit with gravy. Don’t worry I only had one bite of that as I just wanted to see how it was. Not bad. I would get it again.

 

Our tour started at 8 so we went back to the cabin, got our things and headed out. They run several of these tours at staggered times. That way it keeps each individual tour group small (I think there were 10 of us) and so that only one group is at each stop at a time.

 

We meet our tour guides, Juma and Meko. These two were great. Very friendly, funny, informative, and kept the tour moving. We pile into the van and off we go. I wish I remembered the name of the “jungle” we went to but I can’t. Looking at google maps and judging by how far we drove and where we were in relation to our other stops my best guess is that we were at Blue Hole Park. But I could absolutely be wrong.

 

 

We have a long drive to our first stop. Basically an hour. Everyone had a backpack which had two water bottles, and a hard hat with a light. As we are pulling out we each have to sign a waiver which basically said if I die this tour company can’t be sued. Pssh. We all know contracts are only worth the paper they are written on but sure I’ll sign your stupid waiver.

 

As we are driving I start feeling not so good. Breakfast just not sitting right I decide. But the longer we drive the worse I am feeling. What a wonderful time for me to get car sick for the first time in my entire life!

 

I do not get motion sickness. I ride roller coasters that flip me upside down 8 times, launch me 120 mph, and drop me 420 feet. I have never felt nauseous on a boat, ship, plane, anything! But let me tell you the longer we kept driving the more I started formulating a plan for if I had to yak. I decided it would be the backpack. Just dump everything out and hurl in that.

 

Luckily that never happened. We pulled into our first stop just in time and I think I actually pushed my poor wife out of the way to escape the van.

 

 

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[BigHouseFootball]

Ok so we start walking into the jungle. I'm still not feeling fantastic but I am happy to be out of the van. I no longer feel like I'm going to puke, now I just have stomach pain which is an upgrade to me.

 

 

So I found this picture on the waterproof camera, which is what we took on the excursion. I googled Walsingham Nature Reserve and it is exactly where I posted the googlemaps screen shot in my previous post.

 

 

Here is Juma talking about this tree that basically suffocates all other plants around it.

 

 

We stop at several plants and he passes around the leaves and tells us to break it and smell it and see if we can guess what it is. I would find this all more fascinating if my stomach wasn't hurting so I am not in the mood to play your guessing games Juma. I think one was allspice and the other was ginger.

 

Onward. Deeper into the jungle.

 

We stop at another tree that he calls The Miracle Tree. He says the leaves on this tree will heal all our aliments. From muscle soreness to headaches. Well I'm desperate give me a leaf Juma, I'm slapping it on my belly. He says you know it has worked when the leaf turns from green to black. If it doesn't turn to black after a while that means the pain was all in your head.

 

We stop for a scenic outlook

 

 

[BigHouseFootball]

The terrain to start off is nice and smooth but quickly turns rocky and you have to step over roots. I would absolutely suggest beat up tennis shoes. Flip flops are not going to cut it. We make our way down to a little pond with some artwork

 

 

I took one art history class in college. The first half I was great at because the "art" was actually artifacts and I can break down an artifact (like tools, or children toys) like Indiana Jones. The second half were sculptures and paintings and I cannot figure out the meaning of art to save my life. "I dunno professor, can't a boat in a storm just be a boat? Why does it have to symbolize the human struggle against nature or how humans battle against the metaphorical storm inside them?" I hate symbolism. Anyways, that was a long winded way to introduce the sign that tells what this art means for art dummies like me.

 

 

The trail got worse than this

 

Ok we come to the cave. Time to put our lunch lady hair nets on and then our had hats...hey, I appreciate good hygiene.

 

The decent down to the entrance to the cave was STEEP. This is where you need shoes. Or at least closed toe sandals. This picture doesn't do it justice.

[BigHouseFootball]

So we go into the cave, and it's small. In Virginia we have some pretty rockin (ha, get it) caves. So this was a little underwhelming. Juma asks some cave trivia questions and the wife and I crush everyone. Please Juma, you are going to have to do better than asking about stalagmites and stalactites, we have been to Luray Caverns among others here in VA.

 

Speaking of the caverns here in the US they have this pesky rule about not touching ANYTHING. And it's the little kid effect. The moment you tell an adult they can't touch something all they want to do is touch it. "Our plate is very hot sir" "Please, I'll be the judge of that-WHOA THAT'S HOT!" And yes, I know why we can't touch anything in the cave it keeps our oils off of the pretty things and allows them to keep growing-settle down science teachers.

 

Well they don't believe in those pesky rules here in Bermuda! Touch away they say! Oh my gosh, all my dreams are coming true. I shake off the feelings of guilt and tell Jiminy Cricket in the back of my mind to shut it-I am touching a stalactite! And guess what? It feels like any other rock you've ever touched. What a let down.

 

 

 

Good thing they gave you those hard hats because we heard them crack against stalactites all over the place. We then to to a part where he are told to wack the stalactites because they are like musical instruments. I am not musically inclined but I start whacking stalactites like I am Animal from the Muppets...well that was fun, where to next?

 

[PhoenixCruiser]

Love reading about your excursion and seeing the pictures as we would never be able to do this.

 

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[BigHouseFootball]

Good news, my stomach doesn't hurt anymore...I wonder if that leaf worked...of if it was the power of suggestion...let's see if this leaf is green or black. It can't be black, I don't believe in that bunch of-well dang...the leaf was black. I'm not going to say it was the leaf, my body probably had time to digest breakfast and I was out of the car for awhile and I do believe in the power of suggestion but it worked.

 

We have a short walk from the dry cave to the water cave. Ooooohhhhh yes. Cave swimming! I was looking forward to this the most. My suggestion-guys, just wear a tshirt and bathing suit. Ladies wear a bathing suit under your clothes to make for an easy change. We had a couple that had to go hide in the trees to change. Ok, time to jump in! The water is so clear I can see to the bottom and we are told that it is nearly 30 feet down. We are also told that the water is so salty in the cave that it is almost like the Dead Sea. It is so salty that if we tried to swim the to bottle we wouldn't be able to do it unless we had a weight belt. I translated that into "tighten my wrist strap on my camera."

 

So it was so salty you didn't even have to tread water. You could just float.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This was my favorite part of the tour. I could of stayed here for much, much longer. I assume we were hear about 25-30 minutes but man it felt like 5. Before we knew it it was time to get out and off to the cliff jumping...the part I was dreading the most!

[gaylemh]

That is so true and as bad as it may have been it seems to have left the biggest impression. Personally I stay away from any cruise ships 70's parties. Living through it once was more than enough.

 

Me too, I can't handle any more YMCA. There was some great rock music in the 70's that they could do instead of the terrible disco the decade was known for.

 

One great thing about Anthem, is the tribute bands they bring on. They do three 90 minute concerts a cruise, and everyone one I've see were excellent. So far I've seen - Wanted (Bon Jovi) - DSB (Journey) - Ressurection (Journey) - Led Zepagain - Beatlemaniacs - Britians Finest - Fan Halen - LaVation (U2) - Draw the Line (Aerosmith) I'm seeing Led Zepagain on my October cruise and I can't wait. The last time I saw them on the last night they had a standing ovation for 10 minutes.

 

Most of the time Anthem also has a great Rock Band in the Music Hall at night. Rock the Boat and Royal Swedes are my favorites. Royal Swedes are on the ship now.

[BigHouseFootball]

On the way to cliff jumping Juma makes a noose and traps a lizard. He says we can hold him if we want and it's ok if they bite because it usually doesn't break the skin. Eh, no thanks, how about a little pet little guy. Don't worry, no lizard were hurt on the making of this tour.

 

 

So we make it to the cliff jumping. We all put our backpacks down in the field and walk to the jumping point. It is VERY slippery so watch your footing. There is a 10 foot jump and a 15 foot jump. The wife and I do a side by side 10 foot jump together. And it hurt haha. I think my legs were spread a bit. That was a mistake. So jumping from 10 feet was a big deal for me. I hate heights, and I hate going underwater (I know, it's weird).

 

So I tell my wife I'm good with my one 10 foot jump. She on the other hand heads up to the 15 foot jump. This is nothing for my wife she did a 38 foot jump at Dean's Blue Hole in the Bahamas years ago so 15 feet to her is like the kiddie level.

 

I'm proud of my 10 foot ump because even up to that point I wasn't sure I was going to to it. Some people jump 15 feet and others run away from it. Some of us ride roller coasters that go 120 mph and 420 feet and others run from that. So, I'm happy I pushed myself :-)

 

 

It doesn't seem like we are here for very long. Everyone was able to get 2 jumps in and some got 3 but you couldn't dilly dally if you wanted to get your jumps in.

 

Back into the van and we are off to lunch. Lunch is included in the cost of the tour. You could get grilled or fried fish, or chicken fingers. I got the fried and the wife got the grilled. It also comes with rice and some pretty rocking tartar sauce. We also get the most popular pop on the island-the ginger beer. It is pretty good, very ginger-y. The best way for me to describe it is it was like drinking a ginger snap. We ate at Eliana's Fine Dining. It was a tasty lunch.

 

 

So get this. We walk into the restaurant and we are looking for our reserved table and guess who we see?? The talkative couple from our MDR night! Noooooooo. So wife and I must of had a telepathic moment because we both immediately sit at the table so that our backs are to them. And guess what? They are dominating the conversation with their lunch table in the same manner as they did our dinner. They were on the same tour as us, just in a different group. I would have died if they were in our group.

 

Then the waiter comes to our table and says we have to move to the outside tables because they need indoor seating for other customers. Hey fine by me! I get to eat al fresco and I get to get away from that couple? Pretty sure there was a Frugal Husband shaped hole in the wall I ran so fast outside!

[Okcruiser64]

Thank you x3 I am preparing for my second ever cruise and your post have been so helpful. I have also really enjoyed your style. Your pictures and description of the 9/11 museum made me cry, I grew up in an NJ town that lost many souls on that horrible day I have never been able to go near ground zero that is still such an emotional memory.

 

On to happy thoughts i will be doing a 9 night cruise of New England and Canada on Anthem starting on the 20th, I have only been on a Carnival 6 night before. Do you get bored on a ship for 9 days? Your helping me feel less fearful about the unknowns of the ship and what to do. I haven't finished yet but I really enjoyed your observations of NYC and the boarding process. I am also a pin collector so I am enjoying your new additions.

Thank you again for this thorough review, your observations and humor are a joy.

[BigHouseFootball]

Some interesting facts we learned about Bermuda on our tour: There are no snakes on the island. There are no poisonous insects on the island and there has never been a shark attack. Whoa...can I move here?! Apparently the reefs that surround the island keep the sharks away. Wish I would of known that the other day at Horseshoe Bay I would of gone waaaay further out. As it was I went out to my chest which is further than I tend to do because I saw the documentary Jaws.

 

We have our beach break at Cooper's Island Nature Reserve. It is a little bit of a walk from the parking lot to the beach. I left my shoes in the van thinking I could walk it barefoot. That was a mistake. The concert was hot and the path leading to the beach was full of little things whose sole purpose in life was to get stuck in my feet. Take your shoes is the tip here.

 

You are given snorkel gear and a noodle. The snorkeling wasn't great. I ditched mine after 5-7 minutes and then I just floated on my noodle and relaxed. I think we were at the beach for about 30 minutes.

 

 

 

 

 

[BigHouseFootball]

Thank you x3 I am preparing for my second ever cruise and your post have been so helpful. I have also really enjoyed your style. Your pictures and description of the 9/11 museum made me cry, I grew up in an NJ town that lost many souls on that horrible day I have never been able to go near ground zero that is still such an emotional memory.

 

On to happy thoughts i will be doing a 9 night cruise of New England and Canada on Anthem starting on the 20th, I have only been on a Carnival 6 night before. Do you get bored on a ship for 9 days? Your helping me feel less fearful about the unknowns of the ship and what to do. I haven't finished yet but I really enjoyed your observations of NYC and the boarding process. I am also a pin collector so I am enjoying your new additions.

Thank you again for this thorough review, your observations and humor are a joy.

 

The longest cruises we have done is 7 days. But, I can tell you I have never walked off a ship going "phew, am I glad to be getting off!"

[BigHouseFootball]

Just some pictures of the beach. No where near as nice as Horseshoe but it served its purpose.