LIVE - Anthem 10/18/18 - We're leafpeepin' ya'll

[aring75]

This is the Solarium Bistro wine list. 

 

 

[reallyitsmema]

They changed the menu at Solarium Bistro, seems they added a couple of entrees.  Are all the things on the buffet now individually plated or are there still dishes you serve yourself from?  They used to have eggplant and tilapia on the buffet, did you notice them at all?  The eggplant was my favorite.

[aring75]

15 minutes ago, reallyitsmema said:

They changed the menu at Solarium Bistro, seems they added a couple of entrees.  Are all the things on the buffet now individually plated or are there still dishes you serve yourself from?  They used to have eggplant and tilapia on the buffet, did you notice them at all?  The eggplant was my favorite.

 

Yes. They have a salad bar section and crocks/large bowls with soups and roasted chicken and fish. The difference is, it seems like they ask that you allow the person working behind the buffet area to serve the portions. 

 

Forgot about out those items since I didn’t get pictures. I’m glad you reminded me!

[mahqueen310]

Thank you so much!  You are great! 😘

[gaylemh]

I was disappointed my last couple of cruises when I saw the appetizers were plated.  I liked it better when you could just take a little of each item.  They had more choices then too.  I know you can take as much as you want, but it's such a waste when you only want to taste something.  You could make your whole meal with just the appetizers.   I've never seen the bread basket before in SB, and I had just gone in September.  You always just took your rolls from the buffet and we always just served ourselves the soup.

[Anniversarygirl25]

Loving this. On a different itinerary in March but reading your review I'm 75% going to book this one for next fall! The ship info is so helpful as we have not sailed Anthem before. Do you know if the Solarium Bistro is open for lunch? The hours show starting at 11, but looks like reservations aren't available before 6p..

[aring75]

5 hours ago, Anniversarygirl25 said:

Loving this. On a different itinerary in March but reading your review I'm 75% going to book this one for next fall! The ship info is so helpful as we have not sailed Anthem before. Do you know if the Solarium Bistro is open for lunch? The hours show starting at 11, but looks like reservations aren't available before 6p..

 

Solarium Bistro is open for both breakfast and lunch, however no reservations are required for those times. Also, it’s entirely comprised of buffet items. Think...Windjammer Lite. It’s a much quieter and more relaxing place than the regular buffet (especially on the day you board the ship!!) with many of the items you would find in the Windjammer. 

[aring75]

So, I wanted to mention for anyone who hasn’t yet sailed in Anthem and was wondering. We did get a little bit higher seas yesterday. 

 

 

I wanted to point out that I was very impressed with how well the Anthem travels in  a little extra bit of wind and weather. I know a lot of it will depend on the directionality of the wave (and the pitch, etc.), but truly, this ship feels like it was built for a little bit of ocean movement. 

 

We we felt a little bit of motion yesterday (you could hear people remark on it occasionally in passing), but all-in-all, I would have to say it was easily ignored.

 

I will admit that I’m one of those people who doesn’t mind a little ship movement. I love it when I can feel that I’m actually at sea. So much is located indoors anymore, sometimes it’s easy to forget. But we’ve sailed on ships where 8-12 m seas would have meant the “sick bags” would be posted at the elevators/stairwells and the ship would seem half empty. Anthem kept going all night last night! Okay, at least until 11:45. After that, I have no idea. 😊

[aring75]

This is the deal to book onboard right now. 

 

[loving2cruise]

42 minutes ago, aring75 said:

So, I wanted to mention for anyone who hasn’t yet sailed in Anthem and was wondering. We did get a little bit higher seas yesterday. 

 

 

I wanted to point out that I was very impressed with how well the Anthem travels in  a little extra bit of wind and weather. I know a lot of it will depend on the directionality of the wave (and the pitch, etc.), but truly, this ship feels like it was built for a little bit of ocean movement. 

 

We we felt a little bit of motion yesterday (you could hear people remark on it occasionally in passing), but all-in-all, I would have to say it was easily ignored.

 

I will admit that I’m one of those people who doesn’t mind a little ship movement. I love it when I can feel that I’m actually at sea. So much is located indoors anymore, sometimes it’s easy to forget. But we’ve sailed on ships where 8-12 m seas would have meant the “sick bags” would be posted at the elevators/stairwells and the ship would seem half empty. Anthem kept going all night last night! Okay, at least until 11:45. After that, I have no idea. 😊

 

 

I have been enjoying reading all about your cruise, and the Anthem.  Thank you!!  I am looking forward to cruising on her, but not looking forward to the NorEaster tomorrow in getting to the port. 

 

If there are any changes/delays in the ships arrival time to Cape Liberty Saturday morning, could you please post it.  Thanks in advance. 

 

 

[aring75]

10 minutes ago, loving2cruise said:

 

 

I have been enjoying reading all about your cruise, and the Anthem.  Thank you!!  I am looking forward to cruising on her, but not looking forward to the NorEaster tomorrow in getting to the port. 

 

If there are any changes/delays in the ships arrival time to Cape Liberty Saturday morning, could you please post it.  Thanks in advance. 

 

 

 

Absolutely! As of right now, they are telling us to just expect a windy, rainy arrival. But I wouldn’t be surprised if our flight take-off was delayed. We’ll just play it by ear. It’s definitely a lot less stressful on the way home than it is when you are arriving for your cruise. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that there won’t be any weather issues tomorrow. You’re going to have an AMAZING cruise loving2cruise!

[loving2cruise]

5 minutes ago, aring75 said:

 

Absolutely! As of right now, they are telling us to just expect a windy, rainy arrival. But I wouldn’t be surprised if our flight take-off was delayed. We’ll just play it by ear. It’s definitely a lot less stressful on the way home than it is when you are arriving for your cruise. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that there won’t be any weather issues tomorrow. You’re going to have an AMAZING cruise loving2cruise!

 

 

Thank you so much!  I am very excited to cruise on the Anthem.

 

I have been playing it by ear too. We may decide to leave for the port tonight instead of driving through that mess tomorrow.  I haven't anything about airport delays as of yet. 

 

Safe travels.  I hope there is not too much ship motion for you all during your arrival back.

 

I am wondering if they would delay our ship departure time until after the storm passes.  It is supposed to be over with by late Saturday evening.

 

[heatheranderson13]

What a fantastic review. Thank u so much for all of your info. 43 days till we sail. I said after my two last cruises from NY never again as it was always barf bags in the corridors for at least 12-24 each way but I am excited to hear the anthem handled it well. Thank U again and safe travels home. 

[aring75]

39 minutes ago, loving2cruise said:

 

 

Thank you so much!  I am very excited to cruise on the Anthem.

 

I have been playing it by ear too. We may decide to leave for the port tonight instead of driving through that mess tomorrow.  I haven't anything about airport delays as of yet. 

 

Safe travels.  I hope there is not too much ship motion for you all during your arrival back.

 

I am wondering if they would delay our ship departure time until after the storm passes.  It is supposed to be over with by late Saturday evening.

 

 

Thanks for for the well wishes. So far so good!

 

Our flight is not scheduled to depart until 2:00 pm, but we will head over to the airport as soon as we are reasonably able. I have two gifts/souvenirs I forgot to pick up and I’m hoping I can find something there. 

 

If it’s just heavy rain, I’m fine with that we have tons of that in Florida on a regular basis. Even the high winds don’t bother me too much, we have a few Tropical Storms each year. I just don’t want to take off. In an airplane. In what basically amounts to a tropical storm. A freezing cold tropical storm. Yeah, that doesn’t sound good at all. 😂

[TwoMisfits]

11 hours ago, aring75 said:

You need only order your entree from the menu. And there are two items with an up charge. Mark was so disappointed that he didn’t get the lobster he really wanted, so when our waiter told him that they were offering 20% off the premium items, he began to think about the lobster tail. Then he came back and said it was actually a whole broiled lobster. And Mark didn’t have to think any longer. 

 

 

 

I chose the skirt steak. It was marinated and cooked perfectly. 

 

 

And then there’s dessert. Also served buffet style. I like that they are slightly smaller portions. Mark and I like to choose one each and then get one to share. 

 

 

Except the chocolate cake. The chocolate cake was huge. 

 

 

Thank you for the Solarium pics and menu.  We have it booked twice for our cruise, and seeing the pics, my family feels very good about that:).  

[sgmn]

12 hours ago, aring75 said:

 

Your wish...

 

The Solarium Bistro is one of those hidden gems on the Anthem. Not too many people seem to know about it and I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. On the one hand, it’s great! It’s not crowded and many times you can get a last minute reservation or sometimes even walk in when your cruise isn’t crowded. On the other hand, I worry that this marvelous place tucked away in the Solarium might be replaced with some other revenue-generating, celebrity-chef-inspired, just-like-everything-else-out-there cookie cutter cafe that it guts me just a little when I see it near-empty at 7:30 pm.

 

Then I feel guilty because I’m also just a little happy inside because I feel like I’m one of the ones in on the secret. This place is fantastic. It is complementary. No charge (except for two premium items). And it is some of the best dinner on the ship. 

 

The menu. 

 

 

To start, they will bring a basket of bread to the table. 

 

 

Now, appetizers are listed on the menu, but you actually help yourself buffet-style. They are pre-plated and you are welcome to as much as you like. 

 

 

 

(cont’d)

Solarium Bistro was our fav place to eat on Anthem.  Lovely and quite up there and nice selection without being overwhelming - it was also our go-to place for breakfast 

[loving2cruise]

2 hours ago, aring75 said:

 

Thanks for for the well wishes. So far so good!

 

Our flight is not scheduled to depart until 2:00 pm, but we will head over to the airport as soon as we are reasonably able. I have two gifts/souvenirs I forgot to pick up and I’m hoping I can find something there. 

 

If it’s just heavy rain, I’m fine with that we have tons of that in Florida on a regular basis. Even the high winds don’t bother me too much, we have a few Tropical Storms each year. I just don’t want to take off. In an airplane. In what basically amounts to a tropical storm. A freezing cold tropical storm. Yeah, that doesn’t sound good at all. 😂

 

 

The weather temps in Bayonne will reach the low to mid 50's, so it will not be a freezing tropical storm on Saturday.  No snow has been predicted.  Just heavy rain and high winds.

 

As far as the airports, they are saying that there could be a few hours delay on some flights....but that is not confirmed as of yet, just a possibility.  I guess they are all playing it by ear too...until tomorrow.

 

Don't worry about the gifts, I'm sure they have souvenirs that you could find at the airport.  Good luck.

 

Enjoy the rest of your cruise.

 

Thank you again!  🙂

 

 

 

[VaTech8912]

19 hours ago, aring75 said:

Assortment of teas available at Café Promenade 

They also have packets of hot chocolate and hot water available all day. 

 

Thank you for posting this.  I leave in a couple of weeks, and now  see I do not need to pack my tea bags.  Have a great last few days.

[aring75]

Did I post this yet?

 

Daily Planner - Day 9 - Day at Sea

 

 

Edited October 26, 2018 by aring75

[aring75]

On 10/23/2018 at 5:10 PM, heatheranderson13 said:

I was curious if you could take a few pictures of the gym for me.  More the free weights area if you don't mind.  We are thinking about continuing our workouts when we are on in December.  Thanks so much

 

Okay, so I promise I didn’t forget to take pictures for you. There are quite a few people who frequent the gym on a cruise. Huh. Who knew?

 

Problem is, I didn’t want them to feel like I was being a total creeper taking their picture in the gym, lol!! So today I finally just asked this couple if I could squeeze in and just get a couple photos of the free weights. 

 

 

 

There was one more rack of weights, but the benches are kind of close to the weight racks. I’m sorry I couldn’t get a better picture, but I hope this helps!!

[CarolRoy]

Enjoying your review.  We were on the Anthem two years ago in December.  It was a 7-day cruise.  We had over 700 kiddies on that cruise.  We are on the Dec. Anthem this year for 11 nights. So probably won't have that many kiddies.  We are now Diamond.  I have some questions about being Diamond.  Will the Diamond Lounge be used for the free drinks, etc. during the 2 hour or will we be getting drink vouchers?   If drink vouchers, is your sea pass loaded every day?

[sppunk]

Anthem is scheduled to dock in the height of the wind tomorrow morning, very curious how they handle this situation. 

[reallyitsmema]

Thanks for the great review, can't wait to sail Anthem again in January!  I hope you have smooth seas coming into Bayonne.  The storm looks like a beast!  We are expecting really high winds in the Boston area.  Hopefully, the storm is far enough north so your flight gets out.

[aring75]

1 hour ago, CarolRoy said:

Enjoying your review.  We were on the Anthem two years ago in December.  It was a 7-day cruise.  We had over 700 kiddies on that cruise.  We are on the Dec. Anthem this year for 11 nights. So probably won't have that many kiddies.  We are now Diamond.  I have some questions about being Diamond.  Will the Diamond Lounge be used for the free drinks, etc. during the 2 hour or will we be getting drink vouchers?   If drink vouchers, is your sea pass loaded every day?

 

You will receive vouchers for your three free drinks in the evening. These can be used at most of the bars onboard (there are just a couple of exceptions but most say yes).

 

This is the Diamond Lounge. It’s located on Deck 4 and has nice views. You can also get cappuccino or lattes in the morning with a lovely continental breakfast. 

 

 

[aring75]

1 hour ago, sppunk said:

Anthem is scheduled to dock in the height of the wind tomorrow morning, very curious how they handle this situation. 

 

Captain came on earlier and said they are hustling back to port ahead of the storm. We will actually dock around 1:00 am, but all disembarkation will commence as usual tomorrow morning. Should be interesting. I’ll keep you guys posted.