Our first and only, until now, Royal Caribbean cruise was on "Anthem of the Seas". We cruised on Anthem a couple years ago and conside this ship to be one of our top 2-3 favorite ships. Personally, I loved the technology built into her. Anyway, this 12 day cruise was essentially the same as the one we did 2 years ago except our son Scott, his wife Courtney, and our 3 youngest grandchildren (2,4,6) were with us. We really looked forward to having them experience all this ship has to offer.
Please Note: Click on any image for more specific information about it. Clicking on the little map will bring up a satellite image showing where we were when the image was taken. Camera setting information can also be found.
Our Cabin, 10213 - An Inside w/Virtual Balcony:
Last time we sprang for a balcony and missed the opportunity to try an Inside cabin with the "Virtual Balcony". We had seen one last time on a cabin tour and looked forward to checking one out. Scott and family also had one of these unique inside cabins. The cabin was also quite spacious as insides go. Besides the double bed, there was a sofa that pulled out into another double bed. Of course, the highlight was the floor to ceiling screen that projected a live image of what was going on outside.
Leaving New York Harbor:
It's always fun, when sailing out of New York harbor, to be on the upper deck as we pass under the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge. Our grandkids really got a kick out of it.
North Star:
One unique thing built into Anthem
is "North Star" which is basically a kind of "bubble" used to hoist a
dozen people up to about 350 feet off sea level. A reservation
was needed, which I hadfor one trip, but there always seemed to be room
for one more in a "standby" line. I ended up making the trip
THREE times during the cruise. Twice while at sea and once while
in port. I was amazed at how it was even in operation as the ship
was coming into and leaving ports. I should mention that a trip
in North Star is complimentary.
Resting and Eating:
We
had family along on the cruise and got together for some meals and got
to see what our youngest granddaughter likes to eat! She most
certainly is a "daddy's girl" and shares some of the same tastes.
The other daily activity with the grandkids was nap time with the
youngest sleeping on Grandma. Of course Mom wasn't forgotten
either.
Sea Days At The Pools:
One
really nice thing about Anthem was the availability and variety of
pools. Needless to say, they were a favorite during sea days once
we got down to the warmer climates.
Bumper Cars:
ALL of us went for a drive in the Bumper Cars!
Flow Rider:
Scott was the only one among us with the guts to take a whack at this one. The "crew" was very helpful in offering guidance. We were amazed at how well Scott did in meeting the challenge.
RipCord by iFly:
Royal Caribbean's "Anthem of the Seas" has RipCord by iFly which is basically a tube with a 115 mph wind blowing up through it. Scott and Courtney gave it a go. Most of this video is of Scott. I didn't capture much of Courtney's time because she got turned around and wasn't facing the camera.
Airport Adventure SXM, St. Maarten:
We spent our day on the "Airport Adventure SXM" which took us out to look at some airplanes AND go for a swim. We did this excursion a couple years ago and enjoyed going for a swim that didn't involve getting covered with sand. As you can see from the pictures, the weather was great, we swam, and we saw some airplanes.
The Mud Baths, St. Lucia:
While on St. Lucia, we visited the famous "Mud Baths" which are pools of 110 degree sulfur enriched muddy water. It's supposed to make you look younger. Well, maybe but it clearly had no effect on my waistline!
Spanis Galleon Excursion:
Actually, our days was spent on a Spanish Galleon but also included some bus time. The bus took us to/from the mud baths. It was a beautiful day for cruising around out on the water. It most certainly was a party boat atmosphere. The galleon made a stop for some swimming.
Barbados Beach Break:
We decided to do a repeat of our last trip to Barbados and head to the beach. Like before, we booked a "Beach Break" excursion on the ship which gave us 3 hours at the beach, more than enough for us.
Other Activities:
I captured timelapse videos of most of the ships "Arrivals and Departures". In addition, I often, on sea days, am up at around 6am to walk the halls. This time around, I recorded some of it.
| New February 2019 |