Royal Caribbean Anthem of the Seas

Me and Krista

This past weekend, I was invited to sail with Royal Caribbean on their newest ship, Anthem of the Seas! Docked just outside of Manhattan, at Cape Liberty, it was the perfect weekend getaway. Get ready for photo overload! 

Red Dress (under $60, comes in black, too!) // Bow Heels 

We arrived on Friday in the later afternoon. We checked in with ease, as there was someone to meet us curbside with an iPad and quickly got us ready to board. As we boarded, we were greeted with glasses of bubbly, music and fresh flowers galore-- a touch I really enjoyed and appreciated! 

I checked in to my large stateroom on the 10th floor that boasted incredible, sweeping views of the Financial District and Statue of Liberty. If you have never traveled by boat before, they are notorious for having extremely tight quarters. For cruising standards, this room was BIG! A king bed, 2 closets, a large dressing table, couch/sitting area and a full dresser. Not to mention, the bathroom was spacious with counter space, and plenty of storage. Everything was beautifully and luxuriously appointed from the plush towels and fluffy linens to the various lighting options! 

To get in to your room, you did not need a key card. You get a bracelet that you can wear throughout your stay (called a wow band) and it acts as your all access pass to everything. No need for credit cards, cash, IDs, etc. It was really convenient. 

Top// Skirt

After unpacking and enjoying the views, we headed out to explore all the the ship had to offer... which took quite a while because the ship is longer than 5 Boeing 747's lined up from nose to tail. I wish I could have stayed longer, because I don't think I even had time to explore everything. I had a few favorite areas of the ship, one of them being Two70 which boasted incredible floor to ceiling windows and the most gorgeous seating groupings and lounge areas. This also contained a library as well as a bar. 

Speaking of bars, there was a bar everywhere you turned-- all very different from the next and it was so nice to be able to just walk up and grab a glass of bubbly as we strolled around! All of the bars had top shelf liquor and wines as well as beers from all over the world and even higher end water such as Evian and Pellegrino. The ship is known for being extremely high tech, so it was really cool to see the Bionic bar, where the 'bartenders' are robots and you can concoct your drink on iPads. 

Red Dress (under $60, comes in black, too!) // Bow Heels 

That night, we got dressed up to attend the sail away party as well as a private cocktail party in the solarium. I wore this fun red dress with a cut out back and bow detail. It is under $60 and also comes in black. The fabric has a beautiful embossed feeling which makes it look much pricier than it is! It runs small. I would suggest sizing up, especially if you have a larger bust! It would make for the absolute perfect Christmas dress! 

The sail away party was SO much fun. Frank Sinatra was on surround sound and passed champagne and signature rum cocktails were served as we sailed closer to Manhattan. Everyone was up on the top deck and the views were incredible. For November, we were so lucky to have such mild weather-- I carried a gorgeous cashmere wrap with me, but barely needed it. Then, we headed forward to the Solarium, which is made entirely of windows--even the ceiling! This is where beautiful, multi-level hot tubs are located as well as observatory decks that jut out over the water! There were incredible hors d'oeuvres, signature drinks and stunning views of Manhattan. My favorite was the smoked salmon and the bacon wrapped scallops! Then it was off to dinner where the food was fabulous-- I had cauliflower soup and the beef dish. Both were excellent.

Robe (would make a nice holiday gift!) 

Saturday morning arrived and we woke up in the middle of the Ocean! When you get out to a certain point, your phone recognizes that you are in international waters and you have to put it on airplane mode (if you do not have an international plan). The best part of the ship is that the WiFi was flawless-which is unusual for a cruise ship. We had coffee delivered to the room and enjoyed the ocean views. One of the things that is most important to me is good coffee and Anthem of the Seas passed with flying colors. The coffee was excellent. 

We got dressed and then decided to explore some more! All around the ship, there were noticeable touches of detail and luxury such as beautiful works of art and stunning fresh floral arrangements. These little touches really displayed the modern elegance that sets the Anthem of the Seas apart from any other ship. 

We stopped into the French patisserie- with coffee, macarons, truffles and petite fours! A little later on, we had a quick lunch at Johnny Rockets.

 As we explored, we checked out all of the different restaurants on board. They were some of the most beautiful I've ever seen. The attention to detail was amazing. 

Then it was time for the experiences. We checked out the North Star which is very similar to the London eye. It takes you 300 feet up above the ship and out over the water so you can get incredible 360 degree views. Then we suited up to do RipCord by iFly. This is definitely one of the cooler things I've ever done. It's an indoor skydiving experience. You wear a blue suit over your regular clothes as if you were actually going up in a plane, and go into a closed off tube with an instructor. The wind power is so strong, you literally fly in the air and the sensation is if you were to have jumped out of a plane! If I was staying on board for longer, I would have wanted to do their progression program which is where you can take multiple lessons to learn how to do cool tricks and flips while in the air! 

We also enjoyed time in the hot tubs in the solarium before we got ready for dinner. The hot tubs are so relaxing and you get sweeping views of the ocean as you relax. 

Dress// Cashmere Wrap// Bow Heels 

For the nighttime, I wore this intricate black and nude lace dress. It's a really young, fun dress with a plunge neckline. I think this would make for a great New Year's Eve dress! It runs true to size, I am in a size small. I would recommend this to those that are smaller chested as I think if you had a larger chest, it might be hard to wear/inappropriate because the neckline is so deeply cut. 

Before dinner, we headed to have cocktails in one of the lounges that specialized in tequila. I had a spicy watermelon margarita and we enjoyed the jazz band. After, it was dinner and the Spectra Cabaret show. Both were so much fun. It's always so nice to be able to spend time with my blogger friends, who live all over! 

Sunday, we awoke early and were again greeted with the gorgeous sunrise over the Manhattan skyline. We headed to the Windjammer for breakfast. If you've never been on a cruise before, most cruise ships have a cafeteria. Something I would usually liken to a more upscale college dining hall. I usually find them to be mass produced and slightly cheesy, but this was done so well and the food was delicious. The atmosphere was beautiful and we were well attended to while we sat and enjoyed our breakfast. My favorite part at the Windjammer was the fact that they always had prosciutto, smoked salmon and champagne.

All in all, it was such a fun trip. A big thank you to Royal Caribbean and Anthem of the Seas for having me !