Most of the time I try to recount my adventures within a short time of the expedition. I was ready to write this shortly after our return from our cruise during the February break. However, world events interceded and I haven’t had much motivation to write, until now.  Three months have passed and we are quarantined, working from home, and only occasionally venturing out of our apartment. Our adventures have grounded to a halt, but my writing needs to continue.

When we boarded the Anthem of the Seas at Cape Liberty in Bayonne, NJ, COVID-19 was a virus that was pretty much contained to China. Before embarking we were asked if we had any sickness in the past few weeks, or had traveled to Asia. Since the answer was no, we were allowed to get on the ship and continue with our journey. Thus began our  fourth cruising adventure, a roller coaster ride with amazing highs, and disappointing lows.

During our cruise in 2019, we had hoped to book a cruise in the southern Caribbean aboard the Freedom of the Seas for 2020. Unfortunately that ship was scheduled for dry dock and refurbishment for February 2020. Instead, we opted to sail out of New York City aboard the Anthem of the Seas. I’ve always wanted to sail out of NYC, so this really looked to be a chance of a lifetime.  Anthem is part of the Quantum class of ships in the Royal Caribbean fleet. Just behind the Oasis class, these ships are the fleet’s second largest vessels and pack a lot of amenities not found on the smaller ships. Sailing from NYC meant that we could drive to the port as opposed to flying. Sunday morning is a fantastic day to drive through the northeastern megalopolis and we were able to arrive at our scheduled boarding time of 11:00 with no problem. The weather for our departure was surprisingly warm for NYC in February. With temperatures hovering in the high 40’s and low 50’s, we felt extremely blessed.

The New York skyline is always impressive, but our view for lunch was truly spectacular.  With the Statue of Liberty in the foreground we had an unobstructed view from Jersey City to Brooklyn. One of my favorite parts of cruising is seeing the ship sail away from the port. This trip had an added bonus in that we sailed under the Verrazano-Narrows bridge. I wasn’t the only person enthralled by this event as there were hundreds of us braving the cold to steal pictures as we passed beneath the span.

Away from the city, we began our voyage to a warmer clime! The ship in itself is a technological wonder. A lounge/theater called 270 is poised at the stern of the ship. Robotic displays, moving stages, and aerial rigging are all used by seasoned performers in front of a 270 degree panorama of screens that replace the ships windows. The ship also boasts a music hall for live bands, and the traditional ship theater. As is our custom, we also attended the art auction and purchased a piece by one of our favorite artists.  Though we love the piece, our experience with the art auction wasn’t as enjoyable as in previous cruises.  The auctioneers have always been pushy, but this crew seemed more so than others and left a bad taste in our mouths. Don’t know how much art we’ll be buying on future cruises.

The upper pool decks are mostly enclosed to accommodate the colder climates. Only the main pool remains uncovered, but there are two other pool areas to enjoy including our favorite, the adults only solarium. Unfortunately it’s also the favorite of most travelers without children, making it very difficult to find two lounge chairs in close proximity. My only picture of the solarium is at night when the place literally glows in the dark.

Besides the pool decks there is also an enclosed area called the SeaPlex. This is an amazing multi-use area that transforms from basketball to roller skating and even bumper cars. Pods jut out from the second level providing spaces for ping pong and Xbox games. While we didn’t participate in the SeaPlex activities, we did attend a silent dance party in the 270 lounge. Here, everyone wears headphones and chooses the music they want to dance to. The surreal experience was to take your headphones off and watch the crowd dance, laugh, or possibly sing with no music or talking.  It was great fun!!

Most of our trip was at sea, but the cruise did include three ports of call. The first port was Cape Canaveral, Florida. We had planned to meet our friends Mike and Pam to tour the space center. We were pleasantly surprised to see our other cruise buddies, Dillard and Laurie, had flown down to join us. The day was great and we had a marvelous time. So thankful to have friends to enjoy the adventure.

Our next port was Coco Kay, Royal Caribbean’s private Island. I really didn’t know if I would enjoy a day on an island owned by the cruise line, but I was pleasantly surprised. There were plenty of free activities and food. We rented some snorkels and fins for a bit of snorkeling. Despite two large ships docked at the port, I was very surprised how much room we had, and what turned out to be a great day.

Our last port was Nassau. Last year we booked the Pearl Island excursion and had such a great time we decided to book it again. The snorkeling is the most amazing part. This year I opted not to spend my time taking pictures but chose to just enjoy the fish and the reef. We met a nice family from upstate New York that we spent the day with. They appreciated our familiarity with the island, and we enjoyed the company. Unfortunately a cold font came through, and the temperature dropped into the low 60’s. That was the end of our warm weather vacation.

Back on the ship we enjoyed the Queen juke box musical, We Will Rock You and the 270 cabaret, and the bionic bar, but the highlight of this trip was the specialty restaurants.

Because we had so few ports of call, we decided to explore the culinary venues outside the main dining room. Our first experience was the Chops Grille, RCL’s signature steak house. Up till then, I never understood why anyone would pay extra for food on a cruise, but the Chops Grille blew me away. The food and the service were exquisite.  The second restaurant in our 3 meal deal was the Alice in Wonderland inspired Wunderland. This restaurant prides itself in deconstructing dishes and creating culinary delights out of your imagination. It was my favorite of the three, and I know Janet enjoyed every bite. Our third experience was Jamie Oliver’s, Jamie’s Italian. It was more casual than I expected, but the food was wonderful and I captured the most amazing sunset picture of any cruise I’ve been on.

Anthem of the Seas boasts amenities you won’t find on any other ship. The North Star is a globe attached to an arm that lifts guests 300 feet above the ocean for some spectacular views. It reminded us of the London Eye. Though the weather was cold, we still enjoyed our bird’s eye view. Another venue is the Ripcord by Ifly. This skydiving simulator is located on the back of the ship above the Flowrider surf simulator. Too cold for surfing, I chose the Ripcord. I barely made the weight limit, but was able to suit up and take my turn. It’s harder than you think, and I was amazed at how much better a 4 year old boy performed than me.

Our cruising adventure came to a close as we once again sailed beneath the Verrazzano-Narrows bridge and docked at Cape Liberty just in time to enjoy a beautiful sunrise over the New York City skyline.  Though we learned that we never want to sail out of New York in February again, we also know that cruising is in our blood. It’s been three months since that cruise and our cruise to Alaska has been cancelled due to the Coronavirus. But, we have a cruise booked for next February in the southern Caribbean and hope it remains on schedule. Our adventures have been stalled for now, but soon enough we hope to return to seeing the world. Until then, we’re living in New England like a quarantined tourist!!

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” – Helen Keller