Six weeks not wasted, the Anthem of the Seas

 

A month is a long time to spend on a cruise ship, but we were passengers on the Anthem of the Seas from April 28 through 2 June, 2024 (with 2 days off from May 10-12 in Southampton, England, while a special Eurovison finale booze cruise took over the ship).

That time period is long enough to really get to know the ship and its crew, and develop a routine. It's also long enough to get bored with some meal options and entertainment, so you need to be flexible and not expect the ship to entertain you 24/7. Luckily, Caroline and I are good at entertaining ourselves!

We left New Jersey to begin a transatlantic cruise to Europe, meeting friends on the ship. Transatlantics tend to have fewer children and more experienced cruisers. These ship repositioning cruises (in this case, the Anthem was leaving its Caribbean itinerary for a European one) also tend to be less crowded. On the other hand, you have a week of open seas with no ports, thus no excursions.

On our first sea day, our routines began. Up at 6 am, and off to the gym. There tend to be a lot more people on day one and two, but, after that, those late nights wear out most people, and by day 3 only the hard core folk make it to the gym early in the morning. Caroline does the morning stretch and abs classes, then weights. I do weights and alternate the stationary bike with running on the treadmill or deck. Then, breakfast, pickleball, and table tennis! Pickleball was one of the most popular morning activities, with waits of 30 minutes between the 10 minute play intervals (so lots of time to chat).

It's a lot of fun meeting people at the gym, on the pickleball court, or playing table tennis, and then meeting them again the next day, and the next. The afternoon was for cards, ukulele, and lectures. Then, dinner and a show. Finally, landfall in Madeira, Portugal! Time to stretch our legs!

Monte Palace Tropical Gardens

There was a medical emergency detour to the Azores, with a helicopter evacuation, before we reached Madeira. Then on to A Coruña, a city in Galicia, Spain.

The Tower of Hercules is the oldest known extant Roman lighthouse and was built in the 1st century.

Back to the Anthem! We were headed to Normandy, France.

Next stop, the Normandy National Cemetery and Omaha Beach.

We then spent two days in Southampton, England. I recommend the Titanic Museum, which focuses on the crew, many of which came from Southampton.

The ferry from Southampton to the Isle of Wight is clean, fast, and dependable. We rented bikes and rode to a favorite coffee shop 13 miles from Cowes.

 

Back to the Anthem, and on to Norway!

 

Hired a taxi in Bergen...

... and got a speeding ticket in Tysse. I'm afraid our driver lost money on this trip.

The further north we went, the chillier it got! And the days got longer!

Olden, Norway

It's sad to see the effects of climate change on glaciers. Note the historic view of the Briksdalsbreen glacier with today.

A long hike to a waterfall at Geiranger.

Caribbean night in the Main Dining Room.

We spent a day in Haugesund, and rode bikes to the national monument for Harald Fairhair, the first king of Norway, on Haraldshaugen, an ancient burial mound at the town of Haugesund.

And... back to Southampton! We revisited the Titanic Museum, and on the way back to the ship we noticed a man in climbing gear standing next to a tall oak. We struck up a conversation, and in no time we climbed 50 feet up the tree! You never know where adventure will lead you, so be prepared!

Back on the ship after our tree-climbing adventure, I wanted to mention my favorite coffee spot on the ship. In the smoking area near the pool, staff put out coffee urns at 6:30 am, with half and half instead of milk.  Good, strong coffee, and so much better than the watered down brown liquid with milk in the dining room.  What gives with that? And again, fabulous service in the MDR.

La Rochelle is a coastal city in southwestern France. It's a port city "close" to Bordeaux (187 km south, I discovered afterwards). Funny story... we had reserved bicycles in Bordeaux not knowing we were so far away. When we got to La Rochelle, we checked Google Maps to check the directions to the bike shop. The walk... was a 2 day trip! Needless to say, we spent the day exploring a very nice greenway in La Rochelle. Then, Bilbao, Spain, to Basque Country.

Guernica is a large 1937 oil painting by Spanish artist Pablo Picasso, andIt is one of his best-known works.

Vigo, Spain, is the next stop! 

And once again, back to Southampton.

Vizcaya Bridge straddles the mouth of the Ibaizabal estuary, west of Bilbao. The bridge is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Bring coins if you want a ride! No credit cards accepted.

Revisiting A Coruña

And finally, Vigo again, where we had decided to walk a portion of the Camino de Santiago. We learned to follow signs, shells, yellow arrows, and pilgrims.

We walked the Camino for 12 km, then returned to the ship. Lots of building art.

Rough seas on the final return to Southampton.

We walked a lot on this trip!

Then, a final dinner on the Anthem in the Solarium Bistro before disembarkation. We walked to the National Express bus stop, got on an earlier bus, and rode to Heathrow for a flight to Bologna to meet up with family for what proved to be a terrible sailing of the Voyager of the Seas.

Waiting to disembark in Southampton. The National Express bus stop is across from the Ikea in the background, so about a 15 minute walk from port.

Caroline getting a hand in Vigo, Spain.