With better weather and much more settled sea conditions since reaching the western Atlantic, certain entertainments that had to be postponed have now all caught up, much to the delight of Anthem of the Seas cruise director Luke Aerosmith. His smile has changed from the fixed one he sported through the bad weather to a genuine one now.

In fact, it is a testament to the tenacity of the entertainment staff that none were actually cancelled, just rearranged.

Yesterday afternoon, Lisa and I saw The Gift in the ship’s Royal Theatre. This was the performance which was postponed from October 31 as the rolling of the ship had rendered making the pre-show safety checks impossible. But the show went ahead yesterday. The Gift is an original Royal Caribbean production created exclusively for Anthem of the Seas. Billed as a musical journey of fantasy and illusion that begins one stormy night with the arrival of a ‘magical gift’, it was very enjoyable to watch.

Good weather has also allowed the crew to open the pools, that had been blocked off, and outdoor activities headed by the RipCord freefall simulator by iFly and North Star which takes guests into the air above the ship, giving them 360 degree views of the world that they have not seen before. In the jewel-shaped capsule, passengers climb to more than 300 feet above sea level to see fantastic views of the ship and the ocean.

Actually, as the ship’s movements owing to the huge swells and high winds are now behind us, I do need to add a figurative footnote to my comments the other day. Praise is still due to the food and beverage staff for the way they continued to prepare, cook and serve our meals but there were some breakages. Most notable of these was the loss of 300 to 400 dishes in one go in the staff mess. Apparently everyone got stuck in to help clear it up. Similarly, the Music Hall bar suffered losses of bottles of drink and glasses while there was a tremendous crash of glasses that I heard in Two70.

On board, the retail teams started their sales two days ago as they strive to relieve guests of any spare cash. Well, that’s a bit unfair as the goods being sold are quite reasonably priced and represent very good offers.

Anthem’s maiden crossing of the Atlantic is coming to an end. Today, Tuesday, is the las full day left before we reach the Statue of Liberty early on Wednesday and dock shortly afterwards. Once we reach the United States, Lisa and I are spending another nine days on holiday in some of the north eastern states. This blog will continue to record our progress and bring you news about places of interest to tourists and anything else that takes my fancy.

Keep tuned to www.50shadesofsun.com to continue reading this blog.