Royal Caribbean - Anthem of the Seas

Hello beautiful !

Today, Saturday April 29th I embark on the Royal Caribbean Anthem of the Seas for a Seminar at Sea.  I leave out of Bayonne, New Jersey - Cape Liberty Cruise Port.  I will have to admit right now that some of the photos you will see are stock from Royal Caribbean, as much as I wish I was a good photographer I'm not 😇 so I will 'borrow' some for your pleasure. 

 

 

                                       

                                      

This is the gorgeous Anthem of the Seas.  (This is a stock photo).  This cruise terminal is one of the easiest to depart from.  Parking is convenient and staff is very friendly. 

The process of embarkation is extremely smooth.  I always recommend going online prior to the cruise to complete and print your Sea Pass and any insurance documents you may need.  Of course if I help you with your travel arrangements I will do this for you.  I will make sure you have all documents and any shore excursion and/or dining reservations you may want ahead of time, I will also print and laminate your luggage tags complete with zip tie to keep them secure.

Staterooms are usually ready around 1:00 pm, after dropping off my carry-on, I always proceed to the "Lido Deck", I just love saying that, it reminds me of the Love Boat tv show which is the reason I love cruising today. Didn't miss an episode.  Here is a nice view of the New York skyline from the Lido Deck (pool deck).  I'm a sucker for the 'drink of the day', probably way too many calories but what the heck, I'm on vacation right?   Oh no wait I'm not, I'm on a Seminar at Sea which means I will have to be in classes this week.  Ah well could be worse. 

 My stateroom was on deck 8, #8718. Balcony cabin.

It is in the rear or "aft" of the ship and it was a very smooth ride.  Again I'm using stock photos here as I can never get a great shot of the rooms.

Plenty of storage, two closets, a bank of drawers and nice makeup/worktable.  The bathroom was great, round shower with a nice swing out door.  And thank you Royal Caribbean for putting in a foot rest so I can shave my legs without hitting my head on the opposing wall. LOL  The only thing you have to remember is to put your key card in the slot above the light switch, if you don't you will be in the dark, hahaha.

A few statistics for you:
She was 'born' in 2015.  Holds 4,905 passengers.  There are 16 decks.  The registry is Bahamas.  Gross tonnage is 168,666 whew !  Length is 1141 feet. Average speed is 22 knots which is 25.31 miles per hour.  

There are 519 inside staterooms, 1571 outside staterooms (includes oceanview and balcony).  There are 1,500 crew members.
There is one indoor pool, a solarium and one outdoor pool.  I will be showing  you photos of all this as the week goes on, I don't want to overload you with information hahaha.
There is a spa, gym and casino.

Dining:  
Main dining rooms are The Grand,  Silk, American Icon and Chic.  They all hold a little over 400 guests.

I will detail the specialty dining and Windjammer Cafe in the following days.

After enjoying my drink of the day and a little exploring I captured a beautiful sunset.  I will have to admit there are sunsets and then there are sunsets, off a cruise ship they just seem more peaceful.

Galveston and the Tremont House

Good Morning everyone,

I thought that while it's fresh in my head - and you all know how fast things come in and go LOL - that I'd let you in on a nice little find.

My husband, Dan is in Galveston for a business conference and he texted me a few photos from the Tremont House where he is staying.

Of course I'm excessively jealous...why?  Just look at this view.

This is his view from the rooftop bar of the hotel.  Tremont House is a Wyndham Property now that has a bit of history.  It is the 3rd hotel bearing the name.  The first was built on Postoffice & Tremont Street.  The firm of McKinney & Williams  was commissioned to design the what was to be a magnificent hotel.  It was two stories tall and opened April 19, 1839 with a Grand Ball to celebrate.  Tickets cost $50.00 or $25.00 in gold.  Quite expensive for the day.  In June 1865 the hotel was devastated by a great fire.

A group of  Galveston citizens decided to form a company by the name of : "The Galveston Hotel Company"  was built on a half block of land at  Tremont, Church and 24th Street.

Tremont House opened it's doors in February of 1872.  The architect Nicholas Clayton produced elegant plans for the 'new' Tremont House classified as one of the grandest hotels in the nation.  It boasted a barber shop, billiards room, saloon and European Styled Grand Lobby.  They even had a steam powered elevator.

 

Alas, in 1900 the hotel was again in tragedy, hundreds of people took refuge in the ruined hotel after the Great Galveston Hurricane, having winds of 145mph, making it a Category 4.  The hotel was later condemned and demolished in 1928.  

George & Cynthia Mitchell (George was a native of Galveston) loved the island and were sad to see it so faded from it's former glory, they secured funding from local foundations and have to date saved approximately 30 historic buildings. In 1981 they purchased the Leon & H.Blum Building which was once a ry goods importer. 

Tremont House was opened in 1985 and today has 119 rooms, the boutique hotel is romantic and grand.  15' high ceilings, luxury linens, hardwood floors, some rooms with wrought iron beds and all the charm of the Victorian Era.

 Gorgeous Lobby and dining area

 Very cool rooms.

 




 But the most fun part is this key.  Looks like an old fashioned room key right?  In fact all you do is put it in the lock and it acts like a key card, no lock turning just green light for go !
                        

They allow pets up to 25 lbs.  They have a shuttle to the port for our cruisers!  It's a must stay and do while you are there.  There are museums, antique shopping, restaurants and beaches.  See.....plenty to do so I suggest you fly in the day before your cruise and take part in all Galveston has to offer.  Now, when do you want to go?