Turtles Cruising

April 30th, 2024 (Day 3) Day 3 started off slow with breakfast in the Windjammer again.  We can get breakfast elsewhere, but we find that the Windjammer is fast and easy.  While we were eating, I noticed that the North Star, a ride on the ship, was open and available for booking.  I booked Esther and I ride on the North Star at 10:20 am. We decided to stop by the bar first and get a drink, yes it's before noon and I got a Pina Colada, it's vacation! We arrived at the North Star at 10 a.m. and were immediately asked if we wanted to go early since there were only two other people there. We happily went up the stairs to get on! Once on board it took us up a little bit and then off to the port side, then taking us straight up in the air, followed by dropping us down to the starboard side.  In all the ride was about 15 minutes long and was breathtaking.  After the North Star, we got dressed to go poolside in the solarium.  The water was a little cool in the pool...

April 29th, 2024 (Day 2) We started the day with breakfast in the Windjammer Marketplace. This is a free, full-service buffet. Esther and I got a light breakfast and then went to the Solarium on the top of the ship located in the front. We lounged in a nice round couples bed for a few hours with Esther reading her books while I watched a few videos on YouTube. This is our way of relaxing.  Around noon, we went back to our cabin and changed into clothes more suited for sky diving, then made our way to the RipCord. Esther and I got suited up, and we each got to spend a few minutes in the sky-diving tube. Neither of us had done this before, and we enjoyed it.  We toured the ship some more and prepared for dinner at 5pm.  Dinner was once again nice and relaxing with Esther got some wine while I got a soda. Since it was a "Taste of UK" night, I tried some leek soup for the first time, kind of reminds me of potato soup. I also had some fish and chips while Esther tried the butt...

April 28th, 2024 (Day 1) This is our Transatlantic crossing on Anthem of the Seas from New York City, USA, to Southampton, England. We started our day at the DoubleTree Hotel at Penn Station in Newark, NJ.  Packed and ready to go. We arrived at the cruise port of Cape Liberty at 11:00 a.m. and only had to wait a few minutes in our Lyft to be guided to the luggage drop-off. After just a 5-minute wait, we handed our luggage to the porters to load onto the ship. We then made our way inside the cruise terminal, where we went through airport-style scanners and then next to the passport check-in. After one final health and safety check, we went up the escalators to the gangway. In all, from the time we dropped off to the time we walked on the ship, it was less than 15 minutes.  At about 3:15 p.m., the captain notified us that we were moving away from the cruise terminal and would be traveling by the Statue of Liberty. Right as we're leaving, we get to see the Tear Drop, which Russia...

This is our 6th cruise, but the first time on Anthem of the Seas. This will also be our first transatlantic and longest cruise. Here are our previous cruises: Allure of the Seas - Oct 2021 Navigator of the Seas - Feb 2022 Symphony of the Seas - Jan 2023 Navigator of the Seas - Mar 2023 Radiance of the Seas - Oct 2023 Anthem of the Seas - Apr 2024 We purchased this cruise at the end of 2022. At that time, we wanted to get to Diamond status as fast as possible, so we opted for a junior suite to ensure we earned double points. Since this was a 12-night cruise, we would earn 24 points. Here are the packages that we opted for; note that all of these are per person: Jr Suite: $1,250 +gratuities of 18% Deluxe Drink Package: $51/day (35% off) 2-Night Specialty Dining: $104ea (10% off) RipCord Sky Diving: $25ea (10% off) Voom Surf & Stream Internet: $12.99 +$5.99 for the second device (40% off) Sprinkle Time Cupcake Decorating Class: $35ea (15% off) Excursions: Madeira in 3 Stops - Day 8