It is time once again to pack our bags, stock up on sunscreen, and get ready for our next Royal Caribbean adventure. This time, we are going on Royal Caribbean's Anthem of the Seas for a 9-night Bermuda & Caribbean sailing. Each day, I will be LIVE blogging to share with you what it is like to cruise on one of Royal Caribbean's most innovative ships.
This particular sailing happens to be a RoyalCaribbeanBlog.com Group Cruise, which means we have over 80 blog readers joining us on this sailing. We have been doing group cruises for a few years now, and it remains a favorite way to enjoy a cruise because we get to share the cruise experience with friends who understand the excitement and pleasure of a Royal Caribbean cruise.
The Cruise
I picked this sailing because of the intriguing itinerary that combines Bermuda and a Caribbean sailing. Usually you have to pick one or the other, so to have both in one sailing is a real treat.
Our nine-night sailing will depart on Thursday, July 4th and take us to four ports. We will visit Bermuda, Labadee, San Juan and St. Maarten. It is a perfect blend of port stops and sea days to provide the right balance of rest and adventure.
This is my third time on Anthem of the Seas, and I am excited to return to this innovative class of ship. I have always enjoyed the great blend of entertainment and dining choices the Quantum Class offers, and to sail from the New York City area is an added bonus.
Stateroom
We employed one of my favorite strategies for family cruising on this sailing by booking two connecting balcony staterooms. Rather than put four of us in one room, or upgrade to a suite for added space, we went with two balcony rooms to not only keep the costs down but also provide separation between my wife and I and the kids, as well as provide another bathroom!
Our rooms are on deck eight, and that means we are essentially equidistant from the pool deck fun and the Royal Esplanade.
Itinerary
| Day | Date | Location | Port of Call Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thursday, 07/04/2019 | Depart from CAPE LIBERTY - NJ (NY METRO) | Cape Liberty, NJ |
| 2 | Friday, 07/05/2019 | CRUISING | |
| 3 | Saturday, 07/06/2019 | KINGS WHARF - BERMUDA | |
| 4 | Sunday, 07/07/2019 | CRUISING | |
| 5 | Monday, 07/08/2019 | PHILIPSBURG - ST. MAARTEN | Philipsburg, St Maarten |
| 6 | Tuesday, 07/09/2019 | SAN JUAN - PUERTO RICO | San Juan, Puerto Rico |
| 7 | Wednesday, 07/10/2019 | LABADEE - HAITI | Labadee, Haiti |
| 8 | Thursday, 07/11/2019 | CRUISING | |
| 9 | Friday, 07/12/2019 | CRUISING | |
| 10 | Saturday, 07/13/2019 | Arrive at CAPE LIBERTY - NJ (NY METRO) | Cape Liberty, NJ |
The itinerary is what drew us to this particular cruise and we will head to some favorite islands.
First and foremost, we get to spend the day in Bermuda. I have only been to Bermuda once, and that was back in 2012, so to say I am overdue for a return to Bermuda is an understatement. We have invited those who booked into our room block for the Group Cruise to join us for a private excursion through Royal Caribbean to Horseshoe Bay. It promises to be a fun day at the beach, and the perfect opportunity for our friends on the cruise to do something together while in port.
Labadee, Royal Caribbean's private destination, is always a highlight for me and we are snagged a Nellie's Beach cabana for the day. We love Labadee, and cabanas are the icing on the cake for our family. They are relaxing, provide a good "home base" for the children, and a nap spot.
In St. Maarten, we are hoping to visit a few spots around the island, namely Grand Case beach and Maho Beach.
No plans yet for San Juan, but we typically walk around Old San Juan and explore on our own.
What's next
Our Anthem of the Seas cruise begins on Thursday, July 4th, and I will be sharing the details on the blog, as well as across my social media channels. Be sure to follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Periscope for live updates throughout the day.
I invite you to share in this experience with me, by posting in the comments for any blog post questions and comments you may have. I try to make these live blogs as interactive as I can, so I want everyone to feel welcome to share their thoughts.
Thanks for reading all of this and welcome aboard our next fun live blog experience!
