Very limited menu, hard to get onboard reservations 01-15-25-2016

Item: Anthem of the Seas
Rating: 3
Author: jwr110

Anthem of the Seas Cruise Review to Caribbean - Eastern

jwr110

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 2-3 cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 40

Overall rating:

3 out of 5

10 Night Eastern Caribbean (Cape Liberty Roundtrip)

Sail date: January 15, 2016

Ship: Anthem of the Seas

Cabin type: Balcony

Traveled as: Large Group

Reviewed: 8 years ago

Review summary

The Anthem is a great ship, and the staff were wonderful. The problem is it's big and has gone to dynamtic dining. We opted for classic dining, which ment we would dinne at 4 restaurants at the same table number with the wait staff each night. The staff, we had was great. Bojan our waiter, and Daniel his assistant were perfect. The menu however was very limited, and each restaurant offered much the same menu as the other with very slight change in preparation. The food was ok, nothing to bragg about, and was not hot. This would have been ok for a short cruise, but 10 or 11 nights became boring. The other problem was getting into shows or other venues. Unless you reserve a show before you sail, you most likely won't get into it. Also getting a chair around or even near the pool was unlikely unless you got there by 6am. Elevators had long wait times. Don't get me wrong. We had a good time, but be aware these new big ships are not the same as in the past. Perhaps I'm old and stuck in my ways. I would think twice about rebooking on one this size. Bigger is not always better. Again the ship was great and very clean. The staff wonderful. Be prepared for somewhat high drink prices. Cruising on these ships are not cheap and food and service for me is a big deal. Service great, food not so much.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

1 out of 5

limited menu

Onboard Activities

1 out of 5

hard to get into

Entertainment

3 out of 5

good what you could get into

Children's Programs

3 out of 5

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Bojan waiter, Daniel his assistant

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

nice cabin, very well kept.

Ship tip

Book onboard activities before, think about using windjammer more.

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Ports of call

San Juan, Puerto Rico

5 out of 5

Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas

5 out of 5

Philipsburg, St. Maarten

5 out of 5

Basseterre, St. Kitts

5 out of 5

40 Comments

marroquin 8 years ago

Thank u so much

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joefive 8 years ago

also in the solarium on 14 is a small buffet.

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joefive 8 years ago

ugh ,Windjammer..back of ship..same deck as pools

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joefive 8 years ago

deck 14 Windjammee

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marroquin 8 years ago

what floor is the buffets

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kldnqnd 8 years ago

those poor people were probably traumatized. Getting their money back is great, but they could keep their half off the next cruise those people will probably never cruise again. Kudos to the captain for keeping that ship afloat. people said the ship was tilted 45 degrees on its side at times.

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dianelynn 8 years ago

tristanrae we're you on with the storm?

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kldnqnd 8 years ago

tristanrae so how was your cruise?

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chadley77 8 years ago

We liked the Windjammer for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

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chadley77 8 years ago

Chops Grille was good but not great when we ate dinner there last May on Mother's Day on Freedom of the Seas.

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bmdm715 8 years ago

if you bring champagne on can you open it yourself or do you have to let them do it?

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dianelynn 8 years ago

thanks so much.

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somebodysdream 8 years ago

They stopped charging a corkage fee in the dining rooms over a year ago. Just bring it with you.

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dianelynn 8 years ago

☺

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tristanrae 8 years ago

No problem😊

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dianelynn 8 years ago

Thank you all for your help. I really do appreciate it.

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dianelynn 8 years ago

thanks Joefive

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tristanrae 8 years ago

3.25 for a soda is what our bill said last month on the allure

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dianelynn 8 years ago

I wonder what the charge foe a soda?

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dianelynn 8 years ago

several years ago I brought soda on and it got thru but I know things change.

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joefive 8 years ago

Silk ,The Grande, American Icon, Chic, the one in the solarium (forgot name) cafe two70 and Windjammer..oh Sorrento's and Cafe Promenade complimentary....Johnny rocket cover charge, Jaime Oliver, Chops, Wonderland and Izumo (sp) are pay...coastal kitchen comp.to suite guest

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tristanrae 8 years ago

If you drink it in the dining room they charge you a cork fee.

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tristanrae 8 years ago

Yes in your carry on

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dianelynn 8 years ago

Ok so you can bring 2 bottles of wine?

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tristanrae 8 years ago

I have brought water before and they allowed. Royal Carribean is strict on soda on carnival we were allowed. I mean you could try and bring it in your checked luggage but don't be surprised if they open your bag and wait for you to claim it.

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tristanrae 8 years ago

You can not bring soda or alcohol besides 2 bottles of champagne or wine.

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dianelynn 8 years ago

Ok thanks. can I bring my own soda in my carryon?

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tristanrae 8 years ago

No😞 it's the whole duration of the trip. It would be awesome if they did that but they make more money off people this way

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dianelynn 8 years ago

Great thanks tristanrae

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dianelynn 8 years ago

I have another question can I purchase a refreshment pkg by the day?

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tristanrae 8 years ago

Chic and silk are complimentary but. Chops grille is a charge of 54 a person. I am going on the ship Saturday and have dinner plans at chops grille so I'll let you know once I have tried the food.

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dianelynn 8 years ago

is there a charge for other restaurants like Chic, Chops Grille, Silk and how is the food at Chops Grille?

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tristanrae 8 years ago

Exactly! Change is good😊

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feuerstein61 8 years ago

We sail on the 21st, also were on Allure twice and Oasis once. Loved them both and size was no problem except for pool chairs. Can't wait to go. Sometimes people get to critical, relax and enjoy!

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DaveandMercy 8 years ago

You can always asks the waiter for dinners from other menus and they will get it for you. We did the classic dining and almost every night my wife would ask for starters and dinners from Silk while we were dining in Chic or get something from The Grande when we were in American Icon, but you have to ask. You can also order more than one starter or dinner if you are hungry or want to sample more

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joefive 8 years ago

Chops Grille

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delitsky 8 years ago

What restaurants are good?

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tristanrae 8 years ago

I am going o. Anthem this Saturday so I don't have a review on it yet. I have been on both oasis and allure of the seas which are their mega ships and they were amazing! I was never bored and they had lots to do on board so I don't think it has to do with the size of ship. Anthem was designed different and it is still a new boat sometimes with new staff too it takes a bit to get the kinks out.

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Dingo68 8 years ago

I tend to agree the menu selection was very similar at American Icon and Chic. The Grande was better and Silk was the best but the menu was still limited. They need to have a bit more variety and a point of difference between the restaurants. Staff were great but they needed more. Really surprised that they did not have a sommelier

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joefive 8 years ago

EXACTLY!

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Other reviews of this sailing

Wonderful ship, Good Staff for the most part

Very Disappointing

Anthem. Rethink this ship