Today was a day at sea, so we leisurely enjoyed our meals, relaxed, and walked around the ship.
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| breakfast buffet at the Windjammer |
There was a "Everything $10" sale in the Royal Esplanade and it seemed like the whole ship wanted to grab a bargain. My mom tried to purchase some items, but there was an issue with the connection of the credit card on our shipboard account. I had to get it sorted out at nearby Guest Services, but there was a long line. Fortunately, the problem was resolved without needing to see the folks at the main desk; while I was queued, one of the roaming staff asked me what I needed, and she was able to connect the credit card to the account using a computer hidden in a nearby cabinet. Efficient service!
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| the Royal Esplanade was crowded with shoppers |
For lunch, we tried out the
Grande restaurant, decorated in a rich, opulent style. In addition to ordering off the menu, you could get a tossed-to-order salad at the station located near the entrance. The food was pretty good.
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| salad station - we didn't try it this visit |
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| smoked potato soup |
|
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| lobster and shrimp risotto |
|
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| roasted cod |
|
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| baby spinach salad |
|
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| S'mores dessert looked more like a milkshake |
Tonight's dinner was at
Wonderland, one of the specialty restaurants on Anthem of the Seas. It was a great deal to eat here for $15 per person (normally $45), thanks to the buy-one-get-one specialty dining package offer that I mentioned in my
previous post.
The way the restaurant works is that you inform your server of any allergies or foods you don't like, then they bring out plate after plate of food from each section of the menu (Sun, Ice, Fire, Sea, Earth). Since it was our first time here, we didn't have any specific requests for dishes, and let our server surprise us. I'm sure if you have a favorite entree, you could ask for it and they would adjust the selections accordingly. The cuisine was very whimsical. We didn't get every item on the menu, but each plate was generously sized and our stomachs were bursting by the end of the meal.
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| baby veggies in the garden |
|
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| liquid lobster and liquid olive |
|
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| buffalo chicken eggs, baby beets |
|
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| crispy crab cones |
|
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| tempura kimchee leaves with marinated melon |
|
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| pork belly and terroir beef... |
|
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| ...with roasted chicken and branzino |
|
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| key lime pops, Boston cream pie, melting cake, creative baked Alaska |
|
When we returned to the cabin, we were greeted with a towel swan. We had asked the room steward to separate the king bed into twins, which was done tonight.
Day 3 Cruise Compass:
On Saturday, Anthem of the Seas arrived in Boston, docking at the
Flynn Black Falcon cruise terminal. Since the dock was close to the Old Town Trolley hop-on-hop-off (HOHO) bus stop, I pre-purchased
tickets online. I also made plans to meet up with my friend Shirley and her family at Quincy Market for lunch.
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| I was still full from dinner last night |
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| getting off the ship |
|
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| walk this way to get to the HOHO bus stop... |
|
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| ...keep walking... |
|
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| ...there it is! |
|
It turned out that there was a ticket booth at the HOHO bus stop (though the website didn't mention it), so I didn't have to purchase tickets in advance. I think you save some money buying online, but if you are not sure of your plans in Boston, at least you know that you have an option to buy at the stop.
The bus tickets included a free harbor cruise. There was a decent line when we got there at 10am. I asked the harbor cruise ticket booth if we needed to exchange our bus tickets for boat tickets, but there was no need.
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| on the HOHO bus |
|
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| waiting in line for harbor cruise |
|
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| boarding the boat |
|
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| few tables available for indoor seating |
|
The 45-minute harbor cruise was scenic and somewhat informative. There was a stop at the USS Constitution if you wanted to get off and look around. (when done, just catch the next boat to continue with the cruise)
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|
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| people in line for the next departure |
|
After we got off the boat, we headed towards
Quincy Market to meet up with Shirley and her family for lunch. The area was bustling, with hardly anywhere to sit down to eat. There were lots of food options but my parents and I were most interested in getting a hot lobster roll, which we found at
Boston & Maine Fish Company.
360 photo of Faneuil Hall Marketplace:
Faneuil Hall Marketplace - Spherical Image - RICOH THETA
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| Faneuil Hall |
|
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| Quincy Market |
|
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| inside the market |
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| Boston & Maine |
|
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| hot lobster roll...delicious |
|
After lunch, my parents continued on the HOHO bus while I stayed behind to catch up with my friends. Shirley was so nice to give my parents a bag of steamed cake fresh from Chinatown as a treat while sightseeing...thanks!
We spent time exploring the beautiful
Rose Kennedy Greenway and caught Pokemon...so nice to have friends that share this hobby.
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| Nick and Gigi on the Greenway Carousel |
|
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| Rings Fountain |
|
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| love the Livi photobomb |
The kids had activities planned for the rest of the afternoon, so we parted ways. It was great to catch up with old friends, and hopefully our next meeting won't be so far in the future.
With several hours to spare before the ship departed, I boarded the HOHO and toured Boston. The bus moved so slow, allowing me to play Pokemon, hatch eggs, and spin Pokestops to my heart's delight. (until my pack was full)
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| on the HOHO |
|
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| it's great to play in a big city! |
|
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| saw some of MIT campus |
|
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| Massachusetts State House |
|
After sitting on the bus for two hours straight, I got off when it came back around to my original boarding location. Feeling hungry, I went back to Quincy Market to get a cup of clam chowder from
Boston Chowda Co.
I had half an hour left to visit the
Old State House (on the
Freedom Trail) before it closed...a very interesting piece of history. Free admission was provided with the HOHO ticket. My drawstring backpack was not allowed in the museum so it was kept in a cubby behind the gift shop cash register. I was given a card to wear around my neck that had a historical figure on it (mine was Abigail Adams, John Adams' wife), which was used to interact with some of the exhibits in the building.
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| follow the Freedom Trail |
|
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| Old State House |
|
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| Council Chamber |
After the museum closed, I rode a different HOHO bus to the cruise terminal, then re-boarded Anthem of the Seas. We had reservations for "
The Gift" at 7:30pm, and dinner at Chic at 9pm, so we ate "first dinner" at the Windjammer Marketplace buffet to tie us over. I booked the show in advance using the online Cruise Planner. It's been a while since I saw "The Gift", so I don't remember the storyline, but it was worth seeing once.
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| first dinner |
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| some of the desserts at the buffet |
|
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| "The Gift" stage |
After the show, we headed to second dinner at Chic, one of four complimentary restaurants on Anthem. It had a contemporary decor, and the food was decent.
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| my legs kept hitting these cold metal beads |
|
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| contemporary decor at Chic |
|
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| crab cake |
|
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| kale and squash salad |
|
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| broiled salmon |
|
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| royal chocolate cake |
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We got a survey card to fill out; the response choices were amusing!
Tomorrow, we arrive in Portland, Maine! Stay tuned...
***
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