Join me this week onboard Anthem of the Seas! Sail from Cape Liberty, New Jersey to Cape Canaveral, Nassau, and Coco Cay! Eight days of nonstop activities and fun onboard one of the Worlds only Smart Ships.
Day 1: Cape Liberty
Boarding:
After a short drive from Jersey City, we arrived at Cape Liberty Cruise port around 10 A.M. and quickly proceeded into the check- in lines. By 10:30 A.M. we were onboard and familiarizing ourselves with the ship. Our first stop was to book Northstar and iFly, and good thing it was, this line forms extremely fast and both this line and Guest services are long for a remainder of the day.
Rookie Mistake 1: Going to Guest Services for any reason on day one. If you need to book a show, activity, specialty dining, go to those designated places to book. If you need internet go to the VOOM booth, if you need a drink package go to one of the MANY tables designated for that. Avoid Guest Services at all costs.
Dinner at Solarium Bistro
Now complimentary the Solarium Bistro has a smaller menu but incredible cuisine! The best way to guarantee you eat well on your Anthem of the Seas cruise, dine at the Bistro as often as possible. For anybody with allergies to gluten or dairy this is the easiest menu to order from !
Day 2 : At Sea
Breakfast:
Where else but the Windjammer ! Royal's most iconic dining venue has a nice chic design to it and an outdoor seating area ! Best of all, the gluten free area is HUGE! To all my fellow celiac friends you can get a gluten free crepe, gluten free toast and pastries!
Gym:
A great way to start the first sea day was a visit to the gym to keep up. Enjoy amazing views from your treadmill, bike, elliptical, free weights, yoga area, TRX area and Spin! Keeping healthy on a cruise has never been easier !
SPA:
For $99 USD you get access to the Thermal Suite. This suite is complete with hotbeds, a dry and wet sauna and the most amazing tropical shower with essitial oils!
North Star:
One of the most incredible experiences at Sea is North Star. Not only is this onboard activity in the Guinness Book of World Records but it pushes the limits of what amenities can be onboard! Soar 300 feet into the sky while taking in the 360-degree views! In groups of 14 or less, you spend 12 minutes taking in the views of the port-of-call for that day or see the surrounding ocean!
Wonderland:
After experiencing this restaurant onboard Harmony of the Seas in 2017, I knew that I needed to dine here whenever I had the chance! Wonderland is not for the picky eater because your dinner is ordered for you by your own personal culinary guide! Be prepared to eat, A LOT, for the three of us we received six appetizers, five entrees, and three desserts. All plated to perfection and brought your taste buds to a new level!
Rated: 5 out of 5 - This restaurant is well worth the 50 dollars!
Spectras Cabaret:
Get lost in the mind of Spectra. Exhilarating, Modern, pushes limits are just some things to describe this show! Spectras Cabaret propels Royal Caribbean International into the future of entertainment and technology at sea!
Rated 5 : This show is beyond a must see and is part of the included entertainment !
Day Three: At Sea
iFly:
One of the most iconic activities at Sea, RIpcord by iFly allows you to enjoy virtual skydiving while you are cruising at 20 knots to the next destination !
Recommended. Highly!
Included activity !
Jamie's Italian :
Being from Rhode Island, it is tough to impress me with Italian food because I grew up eating the best of the best authentic Italian cuisine, so Jamie's had to impress me and impress it did! As a specialty restaurant, I was expecting a lot more than the already incredible food onboard the Anthem and I was not disappointed! Starting off with a Veggie Charcuterie Board, Calamari, Arancini and of course garlic bread rolls the flavors brought to you by just the appetizer not only leave you completely stuffed but make you want to even more because of the incredible flavors each dish brings! Now onto entrees- Eggplant Parmesan, Roasted Salmon and Bolognese, words cannot describe the flavor that is delivered to these dishes the red tomato sauce brings me back to my Great Aunt Julie's kitchen (When the Italian says this you know its good). For dessert, I settled for a simple shot of espresso to perk me up and get me ready for the rest of the night which did not work as I was in bed very early this night!
This restaurant is worth every penny reserve it online in advance for $35.00 for dinner or $25.00 for lunch!
Day 4 : Port Canaveral
Port Canaveral about 40 miles east of the famous Orlando, Florida which of course is home to Walt Disney World! We opted to go to Epcot, because we all need to experience Drinking around the world ! Royal Caribbean International offers a shuttle to and from Disney and Universal Studios, we decided to rent a car from one of the many close rental car company's, all of which offer free shuttles to and from the ship.
After about an hour drive we arrived at Disney's Epcot and began to make our way around the world! First stop Margaritas in Mexico, then a shot of some Norwegian alcohol in nowhere else but Norway. We then made our way to grab a beer in Germany, limoncello in Italy, Sake in Japan then finally a funnel cake in America.
After departing Epcot it took us about and hour to get back to the Anthem and were onboard in plenty of time !
A long day at Epcot made for a nice easy dinner at Solarium Bistro, now included, and then a relaxed night sipping cocktails at Boleros and moving to Music hall to witness exactly what a silent party is. Which it is quite silent.
Day 5: Coco Cay
The beautiful island of Coco Cay is of course the best place to grab a lounge chair and bask in the Bahamas sun! Located south of Cuba and Northeast of Nassau, Coco Cay is a perfect place to not worry about passengers from other Ships. For those of you who have been to Labadee this is a smaller version of Labadee.
Tendering:
One huge downfall of Coco Cay is that the pier is under construction and due to the side of the Anthem you will need to pick up "Tender Tickets" in the designated area the morning before you arrive at Coco Cay, typically the ship arrives at around 930. Even with tender tickets the tendering process takes a very long time and if you want to get on the island early make sure you are sleeping in the designated area where you will receive your ticket! If you happen to have an excursion booked in the early morning you will be called first and be one of the first on the island.
Worry not because a dock is currently being built on Coco Cay ! So within the next two years you will be able to simply walk onto the beach!
Coastal Kitchen:
Exclusive to Suite guest and Pinnacle Members, Coastal Kitchen is a fusion of Mediterranean Cuisine with a California Style. Thanks to the generosity of Royal Caribbean we got exclusive access to this dining venue. An incredible dining Venue onboard Anthem with breathtaking views tucked away in to the left of the Windjammer on deck 14. Presentation, flavor, and service was on point. With dishes such as grilled octopus, beet salad, Seared Atlantic Salmon, Crispy Roasted Chicken, Shrimp Cocktail, Tuna Tar Tar, Melting Chocolate Cake, Apple Pie Al La Mode and Creme Brulee. No dish lacked flavor from start to finish. The modern atmosphere reminds you of a chic mediterranean restaurant tucked on the top floor of a luxury beach resort. If you have the opportunity to dine here do it and reserve it as early as possible.
Day 6 : Nassau
If you have been on a cruise before chances are you have been to Nassau and you know that it is the stereotypical cruise island with a lot of tourist , a lot of solicitors and a whole lot of made in China "stuff." After having been to Nassau at least a dozen times I decided to get off early in the morning and head over to the Atlantis Resort and Casino. Something to remember about Nassau when you go, nothing opens until about 9 am so if you go on the island before that you will spend your time walking around getting an extra workout in rather than enjoying the relaxing vacation. Once 9 am hits the island comes alive.
Head over to the Atlantis to openly explore the Casino, indoor and outdoor shopping areas. Cruise guest are no longer allowed in the lobby of the hotel itself but are welcome to purchase an excursion to explore the water park and aquarium areas.
Water park Recommended - Yes, personally I will be skipping Nassau on all future cruises simply because I have been there too much.
Day 7: Sea Day
Our cruise is slowly coming to a conclusion however we still have two days at sea before we return to Bayonne, New Jersey. The best way to spend your last two days at sea is to relax and get those gifts you want to get for the people you left at home, spend the last few hours of heat in the sun getting that tan you need to show off to everybody and do the activities you wanted to do all cruise. I spent day seven booking my next cruise and getting an amazing deal, then bought all the gifts I needed/ cruise ship models I need. I then spent a little bit of time in the sun soaking in the rays and heat that I do not get while I'm home in New England.
Day 8: Sea Day
With all but one activity done that leaves me the day to get my final pictures in and explore whatever part of the ship that I have yet to explore. Lucky for me I saw every last inch of that ship, every piece of artwork, every hidden WOW, dined at every restaurant that I wanted to, and finally every activity there was to be done, was done. Only one thing left, Bumper Cars. Waiting roughly 45 minutes for bumper cars actually was not that bad because you can spend the whole time watching the groups before you. One of the Most incredible onboard amenity at sea is the edition of bumper cars, this activity is fun for all ages and for any group of travelers weather you are alone or with 20 people you will still have a fantastic time, do not miss this activity.
Disembarkation:
The saddest day of the year , of course, but usually you choose a lounge and sit there until your number is called- not fun, at all. Onboard the Anthem you do not have to be out of your cabins until 9 A.M. and all passengers must disembark by roughly 10 A.M. so it is possible to leave your room when your number is called. Disembarkation this time was the easiest it every has been.
Stay tuned for a full rating of my 2018 cruise onboard Anthem of the Seas and if you would like to book onboard Anthem click the button below!
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