Anthem Adventures - Day 0 Travel Day

[Melanie R]

I suppose I should start by explaining the lack of a pre trippie - the simple truth is that this was such a last minute booking, there really wasn’t any time to write one!

I had originally planned to do 2 Princess cruises back to back in September, both of which were booked way back in April - a 5 night followed by a 6 night to make it a decent break. Like most of us, I’ve not had a decent break for some time thanks to COVID, so thought 11 nights being pampered on a cruise ship sounded idyllic. I had these cruises booked direct with Princess, then I was made aware of their policy which does not allow back to back cruises ……..

I debated what to do at this stage, and in the end decided to take the path of least resistance and do nothing - policies and situations were changing almost hourly, so anything could happen before then to change this policy, so I waited to hear from Princess - then the time came to pay the balance, and I still had 2 bookings in place, even their own app had merged them and recognised I had an 11 night trip booked, but the policy was still in place…..

I decided to go ahead and pay the balance - I knew enough about their refund policy from last year to know I would get my money back very quickly, so I would hang on as long as I dared in the hope that things would change before I needed to start booking transport etc.

By early August I decided I’d waited long enough and wanted to get overnight hotel & travel booked, so I gave them a call - 90 minutes later, a very bemused lady at Princess (who really didn’t seem to grasp what my issue was) confirmed I couldn’t book 2 cruises together. When I told her I already had, and they were both fully paid, she really didn’t have a clue what to do, so suggested her supervisor would ring me back later that day. 3 hours later I got a call from the same lady - her supervisor was busy but she now knew I had to cancel one of them, so sorted this quickly and easily for me and arranged the refund (to be fair it was back in my bank within the week)

This then left me with a dilemma - I now only had a 6 night break, but I had cash in the bank…… within the hour I had researched other cruises and booked myself on a 6 night trip on the Anthem of the Seas, deluxe drinks package and WiFi added on and still had change from the 5 night cruise I’d cancelled! Only problem was, it sailed on August 23rd so I didn’t have much time to get my act together!

I managed to get a bargain price for the city centre Premier Inn for the night before (£36) so booked that before they changed the price - every other Southampton hotel was well over £90 at this notice! I then looked online to book parking for the duration - this was my first hurdle - the lot was fully booked! I then had a nightmare 6 hour drive home from work one evening due to an accident, and decided I’d seen enough of the inside of my car for a while, so looked into taking the train. Prices and times were reasonable, so I booked. At least I can stretch my legs and read a book on the train 😀

So all sorted, all that remained was to get through the last week at work and pack, then I was all set!

I switched my pc off at a very reasonable time of 3:30 on the Friday (love working flexi time!] and headed home via the supermarket for some last minute bits and pieces. I spent the following Saturday in a flurry of washing, packing and getting my hair done. As I was at the hairdressers my PCR results came through and On checking the Royal Caribbean app, I was cleared to travel!

I then looked forward to a leisurely breakfast on Sunday before heading to catch my train at 11:50. Then I found out Lancaster Pride was being held that Sunday and delays were likely driving through the city centre - where Lancaster station happens to be.

Cursing under my breath, (you wouldn’t believe how many times I’ve had to change plans in cities around Europe due to pride events!) I popped on the internet to review options - there was a train leaving at 8:40 which meant leaving at 8 - so much for a leisurely Sunday morning!

Luckily in a fit of unprecedented organisation, I was already packed and ready early Saturday evening (those familiar with my trips will know I’m usually packing the hour before I’m due to leave!) so all I had to do the following morning was get myself up and showered and I was ready to leave right on time - breakfast was now going to be had on the move 😀

My dad dropped me at the station and having passed through the city and seen the event being set up I knew I’d made the right decision! I crossed the bridge to the correct platform, and had lots of time to spare, so popped into Costa for coffee and a pastry to keep me going.

It was a warm day, so I took my breakfast outside and sat at a table to enjoy - I hadn’t even had a sip of coffee when I was approached my a lady who asked if Costa was open…..

I looked down at my cup and pastry, glanced at the wide open door to the cafe and managed to smile and say “yes, it’s open” without sounding sarcastic (I hope😀 )

I’d just about finished my latte as the first of my 3 trains arrived - my first change was Preston, the next station along, so I didn’t worry about getting too settled, it was a busy train as it was heading to the airport, but I managed to get a seat close to the doors, and was only onboard around 15 minutes before we arrived at Preston - very easy platform change as it was directly opposite, and the train was already in waiting.

There were no signs to ensure it was the correct train, and a distinct lack of staff to ask! All I heard was people asking “is this the train to Birmingham?’ The onboard message informed us all that the train was leaving from ‘Interim station’ and headed to ‘Destination Station’ - not particularly helpful! After around 5 minutes the train manager announced we were in fact on the right train, so I settled back into my seat, plugged my headphones in and started a new book I’d downloaded on my Kindle 😊

It was a very quiet easy journey, and before too long we were approaching Wolverhampton where I needed to make my final change to Southampton. My sister chose that moment to message to remind me to make sure I didn’t leave anything on the train, so I sent her a quick pic to prove I had everything!

I was quickly off the train and had to cross the bridge to get to the correct platform - I headed towards the lift and was followed in by a lady and her son, they hadn’t realised at first there was a lift and she had been about to struggle up the stairs with her luggage before she noticed. I realised at this point they had cruise tags on the cases and we had a brief chat about cruises and then realised we were on the same one 😀

She had chosen Royal Caribbean as her son was too young to be vaccinated - I hadn’t realised there would be kids on board as I’d mistakenly assumed the policy would be the same as Princess (just to clarify, I have no issues at all with kids onboard!) so we were chatting about the different policies each cruise line had adopted.

We had around 10 minutes to wait before the train was due, it arrived right on time and again was a quiet train, so I was soon settled into my seat with luggage safely stowed in the rack provided.
My phone needed charging now, so luckily all seats had a socket available, and I had remembered to bring my charger in my rucksack rather then packing it in the case, so I was able to plug in and charge. I had also had the sense to pack my wireless AirPods as well so was soon listening to my latest playlist and picking up where I left off on my kindle.
I was also messaging my sister with regular updates (mainly to rub it in that I was going on holiday - she will totally get her own back when it’s her turn 😂 ) when she sent me that dreaded question, “Have you definitely got your passport?”
I knew I had it, I’d checked several times before I left home, but naturally had the panic that it had somehow managed to remove itself from my handbag, so had another check to reassure myself, and sent her a pic to prove it 😊

She then asked how my nails were looking - I had debated booking a manicure before I went, but in the end decided to have one onboard, so she had done them for me the weekend before - they were starting to look the worse for wear, but other than 1 nail, no major damage, so I sent her a pic of that too - yes that was the level of boredom I’d reached 😂

After around 30 minutes, I realised I was really thirsty, so headed up and down the train to find some catering - I was out of luck, there was a catering area at the back of the train, but no crew member in sight sadly! I returned to my seat and waited until they came to check my ticket and asked about a drink - I had been organised enough to pack sandwiches, but overlooked liquids! I was directed back to where I had previously tried, and luckily there was now a lady serving, so I was able to buy a couple of bottles of water 😊
Before too long we were approaching Southampton - it had been a very easy pleasant journey, and I had already made my mind up to do the same again for my next cruise in September - the cost was easily offset by not needling to pay for parking or diesel, and had been very stress free 😊

It was very warm and sunny in Southampton, so I quickly dug out my sunglasses and headed to the taxi rank via the cash point as I had no cash to pay the driver!

5 minutes later I was in the back of the taxi heading to the Premier Inn with a very friendly and chatty driver, it was a quick trip and was soon in reception. I knew check in didn’t open until 4 and due to my earlier train I was early as it was only 2:30, so I asked if there was somewhere I could leave my luggage and grab a coffee. Samuel on reception could not have been more helpful and offered to see if any rooms were actually ready - after a little reallocation of guests, he found me a room and checked me in straight away - great service and a great way to start my trip 😊

I made a reservation for dinner and booked a breakfast time slot, my check in time for the cruise was very late due to it being a late booking, so I made breakfast as late as possible - may as well enjoy a lie in while I had the chance!

Once in my room, I took the usual pics - no idea why, most Premier Inns look the same! I did notice though that the bed was the highest bed I’ve seen in a very long time - I’m quite tall and when I sat down on it, my feet did not touch the floor 😂

I freshened up after the journey and settled down on the bed with my kindle - I know myself well enough that I also set an alarm to make sure I didn’t miss dinner, and sure enough before too long I had drifted off for a late afternoon nap!

Luckily my alarm woke me in time to freshen up again and head upstairs to the restaurant. The service in here was very slow, despite the wait staff literally running around the restaurant, but I was in no rush at all and once I had my gin and tonic in hand, was more than happy to chill while I waited for by burger - it took almost an hour, but when it arrived it was hot and tasty, so no complaints. I had also ordered dessert as I was on a meal deal ( I had planned on a starter of garlic bread, but was told they had no bread related products available!) so I ordered a mini lemon drizzle cake with coffee as my dessert. I was really surprised when I took my first mouthful that it was hot - I really hadn’t expected that, but it was delicious nonetheless, as was the cappuccino it came with.

I ordered another drink - I was in no rush as I had a late start for breakfast the following day, then headed down to my room where I made a cup of tea to take to bed and had a couple of hours reading before I fell asleep - I was finally on holiday and had 6 nights of chilling on a cruise ship to look forward to ❤️

[Kcstyle]

really excited to read this! we are hoping to do the same on Oct 9th!

[Melanie R]

Originally Posted by Kcstyle

really excited to read this! we are hoping to do the same on Oct 9th!

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Thank you - aiming to have it done quickly, my next one is in 3 weeks 😁
You’ll have a fab trip - I really didn’t want to get off the ship 😂

[mskitty]

Yey... so happy to see the start of a Melanie R tripping.

[ILoveDaveLamb]

I hear you re Pride. It’s extinction rebellion with me. They follow me around, (Bristol, Leeds, London, Cardiff). And Sat Nav does not know there is a protest on. I would have needed 2 loo breaks and a light meal in a 6 hour car journey from work. Good call on taking the train. Looking forward to reading along. X

[disneypars]

Great start. Glad you let the train take the strain and enjoyed the experience.

[margyloveswdw]

Great travel day, looking forward to reading all about your trip.

[tigger48]

Oh brilliant, a trip report! I’m going to treat myself to a binge read now the kids have gone back to school 😉 . Thank you for posting your adventures.