First time on the Anthem of the Seas

Anthem of the Seas – Feels good to be back with Royal Caribbean. As a Royal Caribbean’s CA - Diamond member and the competitor’s Latitudes - Platinum member, my comments are solely based on my experiences from the past sailings.

Registration – The ability to upload your own pictures and input your credit card info for onboard expenses in advance is great.  I have not seen this process on past RCL and the competitor’s sailings. 

Drop off – For some reason, it was a painful experience to be dropped off at the port. There are two lanes leading to pier but it took about 20-30 minutes sitting in traffic to get to the pier.  If I was in a taxi with a meter running, it can lead to a bigger bill.  There are also two lanes on Pier 88 in Manhattan as the drop off process was very easy and efficient than at Cape Liberty.

Check-in – Dropping off the bags with the porter at the pier was very easy. They issue a bar code receipt that you can use to track your bags.  Similar technology used by the airlines. BTW – My bags were delivered before I arrived to the cabin.  Upon entering, the terminal, you have to go through a formal check-in even if you had done advanced check-in online.  RCL need to better explain the process (I may have missed it) for guests going into the terminal. We were told that I needed to stand “over there” but over there was just a bunch of people standing around. It was a little chaotic and it seemed disorganized. But once we found a RCL staff, he scanned our boarding passes and confirmed that everything was in order. Going through the X-Ray and boarding the ship took about 15 minutes after that.

Cruise Food – The food was fine at the Windjammer but the food served at the free dinning venues left a lot to be desired.  Chicken Marsala at Chic, was too salty and too much dark brown gravy.  I had the American Icon Grill’s specialty, the hamburger (medium), it came out dry. At Silk, for appetizer, I had the salmon sashimi. It was served without wasabi and soy sauce.  But I had the duck and it was good.  Café @270 has one of my favorite sandwiches, the beef on salted bread. It was delicious!  Solarium Bistro was one of the only free dinning venues where the meals were great. I would highly recommend it for everyone.  I had also dined at Jamie Oliver, the food was good as expected from specialty restaurants.

Crew  - The crew was great and very friendly. The stand-out was with Raja Senthurpandi (waiter) and the team at the Solarium Bistro were very attentive.   

Décor – The overall décor on the ship is a modern and minimize design. All of the admin stations: Loyalty desk, NextCruise, photo studio, and Excursions desk have tablets in which the guests can use.  The 270 is a beautiful place to sit and relax. The free dinning venues all have its unique theme.  The decorations all meet its primary theme such as Silk is an Asian restaurant and it contained Asian décor. The Chic is an American cuisine with a white layout and chairs with beads.

Shows – We saw “We Will Rock You” and “Spectra’s Cabaret.  Both were good shows. We missed the “Gift” and will be planning to see it when we return to the Anthem.

Sportsplex – The complex is indoors and it allows activities such as bumper cars, roller skating, trapeze, basketball, dodge ball, and etc. to be enjoyed without fear of weather. On the second deck of the Sportsplex is ping pong tables, an XBOX room and fuss ball tables.

Elevators - Special mention on elevators as it was double the size of a typical one found on cruise ships. Love it!

Pools – There is an indoor and outdoor pools. The indoor pool and pool in the Solarium (Adults only) are perfect for the winter weathers.

Additional Activities -  Wall climbing with auto belay machines and RCL provides climbing shoes. Ripcord by iFly is flying without a parachute. A large wind tunnels keeps you aloft in an enclosure. RCL provides jump suit, helmet and goggles. Flowrider, a signature ride on RCL for at least ten years is a wave ride with water boards. There is only one on Anthem. North Star, is an observatory that brings the guests 300 feet into the sky. All of the activities were great and are free. Make sure you make reservations in advance.

Departure – It was easy and we were the fifth group to depart the ship. No issues.

Overall, we had a great time on the ship and are planning to return again.