My overview of this cruise that it was the best cruise i have ever been on.. We can not wait to book the next one and are happy to say that it will be with RCL.... There is nothing to even complain about because any issues that you have someone takes care of it right away for you. Of course there are going to be people who feel they need to complain about anything ( we saw a few of them ) but their issue was so frivolous i was embarressed for them. Staff always apologized though and took care of the situation.. Again Staff on this ship in my opinion were outstanding and flawless. I have many pictures to share but it wont let me add them to this review... i will send seperatly if i can....
Embarkation
5 out of 5
This was my first crusie with RCL and it was amazing. Other cruises iv taken in the past have been on Carnival Cruise line and they were less then satisfactory. Their embarkment was unorganized and the staff is everything but friendly. Being in the hospitality field, i know how guests should be treated. When we walked into the port in Cape Liberty we were greated by friendly staff who smiled and welcomed us to the port and showed where we had to go to sign in. When we walked up to the counter we were greeted by an agent who smiled and welcomed us and made the check in quick and simple. At this point i was already impressed because check in with Carnival was so awful. After we checked in we were escorted to a holding area before boarding ship, and there were RCL staff walking around talking to everyone and asking if then need anything to eat or drink and where the snack machines were and talking about the ports. This just boosted our excitment. Boarding was quick and easy and by 1pm we were in our stateroom. I can go on but i wont....Just know this was an amazing experience and we havent even left the dock yet....
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
The Buffet on this ship was fantastic... They had something for everyone. We like to eat healthy and on there buffet they had an orray of toppings including baby shrimp. They had all types of hot foods and ethnic foods as well and they always kept in full and clean, something Carnival needs to learn how to do. Maybe RCL can show Carnival how to run a cruiseline. We had a few main dinning rooms to choose from which were included and they were all amazing. The staff were very friendly and couldnt do enough. Even servers who werent serving us came to us to see if we needed anything. The staff on this ship works as a team. The food was amazing and placed on the plates with design....you can tell they took time to make sure all plates that left their kitchen were perfect. This was elegant dinning even if we were in shorts and polos. Again i can go on and on about this staff and the dinning rooms but i wont.... Perfection is the word..... Also something i love is the fact that when you enter the buffet, you have to wash your hands first before entering.. that is a major plus in our book....
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
Ok... on this ship there were so many things to do.. If you cant find something to do then there is something wrong with you.. My favorite part of the ship was the Atrium in the front of the ship. This area enclosed in glass looking out the bow ( Front ) Going into a port in this area is breathtaking to say the least... The pools are connected and are three levels....Also there are hot tubs located off of the pools. There are plenty of lounges but it does fill up quick as this was many peoples favorite spot... Palm trees places around the area made it a relaxing area to hang out....
There were other places too that we enjoyed like the North Star which takes you up above the ship, there was rock climbing, flo rider which was a body surfing area and also the sky dive simulator.. Even though the lines were long they went by quick...... There were many other options for people as well.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
We went to a few shows are they were great.. Performers came down from the ceiling and up from the floors. The shows are a must see when on the ship.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Staff as i mentioned earlier were outstanding... I wish i got all of their names to add to this but they all were fantastic..... The servers couldnt do enough for you.. even on the buffet are there were staff coming around asking if they can refill our drinks and if we wanted anymore food that they would get it for us.... What other cruise ship offers that? None.. but RCL staff did. whether it was their own doing or a RCL standard, it was a great touch.... We were never treated this good on Carnival.... Not to keep slamming Carnival, but this cruiseline experience was apples and oranges to them..... Where we couldnt wait for the cruise to be over on Carnival, with RCL the 10 days flew by. One of our favorite staff was the bartender we went to every night.. As a former bartender myself, he was amazing the drinks he made and offered. His name is Giovanni China pen...
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Ship design was beautiful.....there are so many designs that even at the end of the cruise we were finding neat litte things we never saw before. A lot of detail was put into this ship... As big as the ship was, it was very easy to get around......plenty of elevators... Ship was very clean... if something was a mess there was someone to clean it up within minutes. There are signs posted everywhere stating whyere everything is and how to get there..... If you do happen to get lost there is staff all over that will guild you to where you need to be.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Our cabin was great.. We had a balcony which was a nice size to just sit and read or be outside pulling in and out of ports when you want to watch but not be near a lot of people... Sleeping with the door open hearing the waves and the smell of sea air was great too. The bathroom had beautiful tile and a glas shower door and a foot rest. The water was alwats hot and water pressure was strong. The storage was all over.. To closets on each side of bed and over bed along with a dresser with drawers. There were 3 of us in this cabin and we brought a lot of clothes and we still had rooom left over. Beds were very comfortable and soft.....
Ship tip
My advise is to try every restaurant on thsi ship..... They are all amazing and worth the extra few dollars they cost.... also try to do all the activities offered. Granted you might not have time but do as many as you can.. one i forgot to mention in an earlier post was the Bumper Cars... We did this a few times and it was a blast... And when you get on the ship, just go and explore the ship.......... and enjoy the best cruise experiance.
Bermuda was nice, 30 minute taxi to the beach which was $32 dollars which is a steal... Being in NY 32 minute ride you can pay close to double that. We went to Horseshoe beach which was beautiful.
St Maarten was beutiful as well.... on the beach though you get hounded by people trying to sell you chairs and umbrellas, which i guess they need to make money too. They were nice people though...
One of my favorite spots... It was so beautful here..... we even did the ZipLine which was great.. very exciting experience... The BBQ lunch they offered had so many options and the food was great.... A true tropical paradise..
Disembarkment was flawless. Even getting off of the ship at the ports was extreamly easy and organized...when the cruise was over and we left for good ( which was sad for us to leave ) it was painless... Carnival when they disembarked at ports and at the end they called down by decks which cause caios and traffic jams in the halls... people even fell down the stairs trying to get off.. Fights took place etc.... RCL made is so easy to get on and off the ship.
moetalor, we did Anthem in December and we learned to be prepared for weather. It was 20 degrees at 8am getting off the ship (a cold snap hit). in our case we had to wait 60 minutes for our bus. We were freezing! Also in December we had 30 hours of cold weather on the trip down and 30 hours on the way up - not as much deck time as you'd get other times of the year. They did have a nice Christmas tree up, which was nice. Note we did the cruise again in February and it was a lot warmer.
we have done Anthem twice - the first cruise we were undecided what we thought of it. The second cruise made us really appreciate the ship. There is a learning curve to Anthem - it isn't like any of the other RCI ships we have been on. You really need to book things in advance (and their cruise planner site can be unpredictable at times) but beyond that, Anthem is a clean ship, relaxing and enjoyable. They do maximize all revenue opportunities but I don't fault the cruise line for that. Doing the stay and cruise package out of Staten Island was easy and a great value.
park in the garage right next to the terminal. It cost $20 a day, but it's well worth it especially if you are looking to leave the ship as soon as it docks when you get back from your cruise. we have sailed on Anthem three times since October of 2016 and parked in the garage all three times, arrived at about 10:30, were checked in by 11 and having our first drink by 11:15 up on Deck! I can't say enough good things about the anthem of the Seas! the iFly experience is amazing. all of the shows are outstanding especially if you like the band Queen you will love we will rock you! the escape room was so much fun!!! They call it the puzzle Room Escape to the Future and it's worth an hour of your time if you can book it. just spending some time at different times of the day in the 270 Lounge is incredible. The breakfast and lunch that they serve there is also very good and much lighter healthier Fair then the Windjammer Cafe. you might also want to try the brunch at the indoor pool Cafe! The food is delicious and it's not always very crowded. The staff on this ship was outstanding all three times. The first time we had a balcony cabin and the second and third trip we had a suite. we had different cabin stewards every time and I can't say enough good things about all three of them the service in all of the restaurants and dining rooms with spectacular and the food was also very good everywhere we ate. I'm sure if you keep an open mind there may be a few hiccups, and they're usually are, but I'm sure overall you'll have a wonderful time on Anthem of the Seas!
I would be interested in tips as well from this port. I only sail with RCI but never from Cape Liberty. Will be on the Anthem in 5 months. Thanks in advance for any shared tips
Thank you for sharing! I'm looking forward to my experience on Anthem later this year! Any pointers on what to do upon arrival is GREATLY appreciated. Also, I've never sailed out of Cape Liberty. Can you give me some tips on how to attack parking?
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