cupofjoe18 Cruise Review on Anthem of the Seas on Dec 19, 2015

Anthem of the Seas Cruise Review

cupofjoe18

Contributor Level: Second Mate

Reviews: 2

Helpful Votes: 66

Overall rating:

5 out of 5

Sail date: December 19, 2015

Ship: Anthem of the Seas

Reviewed: 7 years ago

Review summary

My family and I just returned from an 8 night Bahamas cruise on the Anthem and let me tell you, it was amazing. I read many reviews prior to embarkation and it made me weary of how this cruise would turn out. Most of the reviews are very negative and after cruising I do not understand what people have to complain about. This review well be a little lengthy, but I will include an "in short" under each section and a brief summary at the end. Background: This was my 5th cruise (4th with Royal Caribbean) so I had an idea of what to expect. Previous ships were Navigator (RC), Independence (RC), Allure (RC), and Splendor (Carnival). Embarkation In short - Could have been better, a lot of waiting, but smooth overall. We arrived at Cape Liberty around 11am, tagged our bags, and walked into the terminal. I could tell immediately after walking in that it would be chaos. Crowds of people standing around waiting to be checked on through the new wireless system and other people being shoved through security by the staff. From what I gather, if you wait in line after walking into the terminal before going through security, they will stamp your SetSail passes, tell you to go through security, then you board the ship. Unfortunately for us, we were pushed into the security line first, meaning we had to sit in chairs (for about an hour) and wait for the check-in staff to come to us. Once they reached us however, check-in went smoothly and we boarded the ship. Pro tip - We used Premier Parking instead of parking at the port because it was cheaper and they provide free shuttle service to the port. The lot was a little hard to find, but still seemed less hectic than trying to park next to the ship. Ship In short - Brilliant, clean, easy to navigate From the moment you walk on board you can tell how sophisticated the ship is. The look and feel is like a brand new, modern building, and the ship still even smelled new. With everyone just arriving and still getting situated, it felt very crowded and hectic, but this was the only time it felt this way. We were told that the ship was almost at full capacity (around 4,700 for our cruise), but not once during the cruise did we feel crammed. Many of the reviews I've read talked about there being too many people on the ship, but we simply did not feel that way. There were always plenty of places to go that had few people, and even just walking around the ship felt very open. Another point to mention is the cleanliness. We constantly saw crew cleaning glass, hand rails, floors, elevators, carpet, basically anything. The ship was always immaculate and we never saw an area that was dirty. Dining In short - Food tasted great, many options to choose from This is probably the most complained about aspect of this ship that I saw when reading reviews, so going into this cruise I was not expecting much from a food standpoint. However, even with my low expectations, I still found the food to be amazing. We dined in American Icon, Silk, The Grande, Chic, Divinely Decadence, Wonderland, Izumi, Sorentos, SeaPlex Dog House, Cafe Two70, Cafe Promenade, and Windjammer. All of these places had wonderful food and I never had something I did not like. If you are going to pay for a premium restaurant, I would absolutely recommend Wonderland. The food was all very creative and fun, and everything was full of flavor. It was one of the best meals I have ever eaten. Activities and Entertainment In short - Plenty of things to do, was never board, shows were good but a little weird This ship was definitely built with activities in mind. The SeaPlex is an outstanding venue that hosted bumper cars, roller skating, sports, trapeze school, dance parties, The Quest (game show), and much much more. A big complaint I read about was the lines. Yes, there are lines, and there will always be lines when 4000+ people want to do the same activity at the same time. But here is my tip - All of the activity times are listed and communicated in advance, so show up early, grab a spot in line, and you won't wait more than 30 minutes. We did not find lines to be an inconvenience by any means. Another amazing area was the Two70 lounge in the back of the ship. The room's capabilities with technology and shows was mind-blowing and there was always something going on. Even when there wasn't anything happening in Two70, it was still a great place to go and relax. The view out of the aft was gorgeous , relaxing, and you just need to see it to believe it. The shows on the ship (We Will Rock You, The Gift, and Spectra's Cabaret) were a little different than shows on other ships, but the actors, dancers, and singers were just as, if not more, talented than ones on other ships. Anthem had the usual Love and Marriage game show, but other can't miss is Name that Tune. This is a full-fledged production complete with singers and dancers and isn't just another corny thing to go and see. A big hit on the Anthem is the Ripcord by iFly. Its essentially indoor skydiving and is a must do. Escape from the Future is another great activity. You get "locked" into a room for an hour and have to use the clues and solve puzzles with your group (up to 12 people) to try and escape. Our group was able to escape with 15 minutes left and although it was very fun, it was definitely challenging. One last thing to mention is the Bionic Bar. Again, other reviews have been negative about this but I do not see why. Besides the first day when everyone wanted to see it, the bar was NEVER crowded and there was always an opportunity to order a drink. I never saw a wait time over two minutes and seats were always available. The drinks are pricey (ranging from $9-$12 if you choose their pre-made options), but if you make your own it is usually only $6. Tip - If you make your own drink the exact same way as a $12 Bionic Signature drink, it will be cheaper simply because you made it yourself and didn't select the pre-made option. There were so many things to do and see and I'm sure I'm forgetting things, but all of it was outstanding. Excursions Port Canaveral - We decided to rent a car and drive into Orlando for the day. We went to Universal Studios which was a lot of fun. If you want to go to Disney or Universal, I would recommend renting a car instead of booking the transfer through Royal Caribbean. Booking through Royal guarantees your return to the ship, but the hours of the shuttle would make your trip too short. For example, the last return shuttle to the ship left at 3pm when the ship didn't even leave the port until 9pm. When you're paying over $100/person for tickets to these parks, you want to spend as much time there as possible and leaving at 3pm doesn't allow you to do that. Nassau, Bahamas - This was our third time here and we didn't think we would get off the ship, but the weather was beautiful so we decided to take a taxi over to Paradise Island (Atlantis) and spend the day at the beach. We ended up renting jet skis while at the beach which was fantastic. The ship didn't leave the port until midnight so it was cool to see the port at night. CocoCay - This is one of Royal Caribbean's private islands and it was gorgeous. A little smaller compared to Labadee, but this is now one of my favorite places. The provided lunch was delicious, there were plenty of chairs for everyone, and the beaches were clean. We did the AquaPark (which I am still sore from) and it was a blast. The ship is tendered at this location, but the process of getting on the boat to take to the island was very simple. Disembarkation at all of the ports was a breeze as we were able to just walk off the ship. Staff and Crew In short - Fantastic overall and very friendly There isn't really much to say other than the crew was very accommodating, friendly, and a joy to be around. Sure there were some crew that weren't as friendly as others, but there wasn't anyone who we encountered that was angry or grumpy like other reviews have said. The cruise director, Abe Hughes, was hilarious and we constantly saw him all over the ship. Notable crew members - Glen in Izumi, Shareen in Chic, Luneta in Chic, Valentyne in Silk, the head waiter in silk, and the Bionic Bar staff. Disembarkation Extremely easy and simple. We selected to have them handle our luggage and we chose to leave the ship at 9. We got up, ate breakfast at the Windjammer, and reached our assigned station at 8:45 only to find out that our number had already been called to leave. So we simply turned around and got off the ship. Our luggage was all together in the correct area in the terminal, we grabbed it, went through customs, and left. No waiting, no hassle, and very easy. Summary The most important thing I can say about this ship is that it was designed and built for the younger generation. Technology is apart of every aspect of this ship and activities are geared towards the younger crowd. (By younger I mean 50-60 years and below). The activities such as the Flow Rider, Skydiving, roller skating, trapeze, bumper cars, rock climbing, and many others are physically demanding and were included to appeal to this specific age group, which may make older travelers feel left out. Another point I cannot stress enough is this: Please do not stray away from this boat based on the negative reviews. This was one of the best cruises I have been on and the constant negativity baffles me because most of it is simply not true. I understand that everyone will have a different experience, but your vacation is what you make of it. If you are an older couple looking for a ship that provides a traditional cruising experience (i.e. a main dining room, not having to make reservations for dinner and shows etc.), this probably is not the ship for you. Overall this was a fantastic experience and I would highly recommend this ship

cupofjoe18 Cruise Review on Anthem of the Seas on Dec 19, 2015

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