Disappointment for sure!!!!

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

Anthem of the Seas Cruise Review to Bermuda

Peguerogetaway

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 34

Overall rating:

3 out of 5

5 Night Bermuda (Cape Liberty Roundtrip)

Sail date: July 29, 2017

Ship: Anthem of the Seas

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 12576

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 7 years ago

Review summary

Everyone has there own opinions on Cruises as for my husband and I this was the first and last time we will cruise with Royal! We have cruise many times before and had great experiences. Myself as well as many people on the boat that we bumped into felt the boat is just to big and not enough staff to keep up with the demands. Everywhere expect the dinning room and buffet was an extra fee, most people do an all encluded cruise because they don't want to worry about additional fees. That was not the case here, the buffet was always so busy that you couldn't find a seat, and when you did it was full of dirty dishes and you had to wait at least five minutes for someone to come clean it off. Also it seemed like every time you needed and elevated you waited a few mins and hoped it wasn't full when it came. This is just to name a few things that went wrong trust me when I say there was much more. BUT once again everyone has their own opinion and if have booked already I hope you nothing but the best, if you haven't booked yet you may wanted to look elsewhere. Happy sailing everyone. I haven't totally lost my love for cruising yet but I will be booking back with celebrity next time.

Embarkation

3 out of 5

It was ok but crazy busy cause the boat got in late so they were unloading and loading at the same time.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

1 out of 5

Onboard Activities

2 out of 5

Pool was crowded, and as for the adult pool which was great for parents sailing without their children , there was always kids in there and staff never said anything.

Entertainment

3 out of 5

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Very unfrienly, a few nights our room wasn't even brought down. When going to customer service regarding our AC not working the man was soooo rude and seemed like he didn't care, we had the maintenance people come five times before we just gave up and didn't use our AC!

Ship Quality

1 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

2 out of 5

The decor was nice in the cabin, as for the bed it was horribly uncomfortable. I went on a 5 night cruise and didn't sleep one night!!!

Ports of call

Cape Liberty (Bayonne), New Jersey

5 out of 5

Friendly and helpful.

Thumbs Up 1

King's Wharf, Bermuda

4 out of 5

Was a beautiful port!

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Disembarkation

3 out of 5

38 Comments

cardamon 7 years ago

Yes- if you can't make the show you reserved you can stand in a "wait" line and get a seat after all reserved are seated. Spectra Cabaret- sit downstairs center or right/ you will be in the middle of it all! There are obstructions in 270 that block your view!

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Sarahs58 7 years ago

Definitely get reservations, you can often change them once you are on board using the IQ app but you will always have the security of knowing the reservation has been made.

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LJD1030 7 years ago

u can just walk in.. but reservations people get in First..I did it two months ago on the Allure.. definitely worth it

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lmjones69 7 years ago

Sailing on the Anthem 6/2018, do we have to make reservations for nightly shows or can we just walk in?

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cardamon 7 years ago

Sailed on the Anthem 2x this year- January and July- and found the ship met all our needs. In January it was just my hubby and I- this ship was built to sail out of NJ- the reason the extended Solarium and the multi-purpose SeaPlex. We also enjoyed Michael's Pub and watching the football games on the pool tv. We took our children, spouses and grandchildren on the Anthem in July and saw it from their perspectives- every free moment was spent in the SeaPlex. You have to research any ship you book to see if it matches your needs. We never had a problem finding a table for 9- we often ate outside in the back if the Windjammer. Few people eat there- too far from the food but a beautiful view. Our only criticism: Michael's Pub was out of 5 of 7 craft beers. My husband was very disappointed and I did send an email to RC expressing our frustration. Great activities, shows (book ahead ) and food! You bring the attitude!

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LJD1030 7 years ago

love it

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compudoc 7 years ago

Ship did not get any larger since you booked your trip.

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Kruzadik13 7 years ago

On point shipmate13!!!

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Kruzadik13 7 years ago

Very well said cganesh!

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kodak7 7 years ago

I agree with wtf on that ugly horn. I can't understand why you never when to the full service restaurants that were included in the cruise. only went to the windjammer a few times. Most don't know, but you can have more than one entree at the MDR.

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ciannone 7 years ago

Actually.....I meant to type the word shows!

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ICruise4Bacon 7 years ago

The esplanade is much too crowded. There is so much wasted space on the deck above, around Hublot and the giant silver horn that could have been used.

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ciannone 7 years ago

shipmate13, I highly agree with you! I've sailed on Anthem 3 times in the last year! Amazing crew, good food, awesome shops! Escape room was a blast and the bartenders are the best! The IFLY is a "must do"! Enjoy!

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kodak7 7 years ago

I found anthem the least crowed ship so far. with so many areas to find, you don't have to feel closed in as many of the smaller ships. we always try to book a cruise when during school time.

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shipmate13 7 years ago

so your going to blame Royal Caribbean for having a big ship YOU chose to go on. Did they make it bigger after you booked it??? Always blows my mind passengers complain about these big ships and crowded. common sense is if the ship is big, so will be the amount of passengers. I suggest you dont book Allure or Oasis. I have been on both those, love them and going on Anthem in 3 weeks. I know what to expect before I go on one. Enjoy, its a cruise some people would love to be able to go on one

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LJD1030 7 years ago

awesome Kodak...did Allure two months ago ..doing Anthem next May...

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cganesh 7 years ago

270 has nice sandwiches, soups, multiple kinds if salads, deserts and everything we got there was very good and fresh made. Then you can sit anywhere in the 270 theatre area to have your meal and have great views outside or be entertained by the virtual shows. Very short lines most days. This place had much more than the coffee and snack place next to pizza place in the shopping area.

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geminigirl52169 7 years ago

wtf.....took me a minute, but good one...lol. yes, I am blonde

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ICruise4Bacon 7 years ago

just teasing, but I LOVE the leather and chain restraint,

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havingfunnow 7 years ago

most all the other restraints on this ship are free the icon, silk,grand, chic.Up charge for Jamie's is great so is wonderland I didn't really like the ship though.We cruise all the time and we refuse to eat at the buffet.You should try oasis class they are even bigger but awesome shows activities and so many places to eat .A couple of not real expensive extra savor Brazilian steakhouse Allure is my favorite

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reguenther863 7 years ago

cganesh what type of food at the 270, i am thinking it is like the park cafe in the Grandeur.... salads and sandwiches??

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cganesh 7 years ago

we loved our cruise on Anthem last spring and had no usual issues in WJ. At busy times the buffet area on any ship will be packed but we have always found a place to eat. This was our first time on Anthem so did our research and reserved all shows ahead of time, knew exactly what we wanted to do in each port, read lots of reviews and suggestions on many sources of social media so knew 270 restaurant would be a good choice for us and it was, planned our nights around late dining which we prefer and spent a lot of time exploring the ship. We're not sun bathers who love to lounge around the pool so we enjoyed the activities in the seaplex, walked many decks to see the gorgeous artwork, people watched in the shops area if too windy outside, and watched folks on flo-rider. we had a great 7 nights and also lived or large interior with virtual balcony stateroom. Wouldn't hesitate to do Anthem again or try Harmony her sister ship. we never go anywhere expecting perfection and just go with the flow and have a good vacation.

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twhite1 7 years ago

Nicely said Sarahs58, do your homework first!

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ICruise4Bacon 7 years ago

I have sailed Anthem twice and all my meals were buffet. Never had a problem with finding a clean place to sit and dine. Elevator wait time always seemed long in that I agree.

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Sarahs58 7 years ago

The thing is you need to do the research before you think of booking. We always go with RC, mainly on the Indy, as we live in the UK, about 30 minutes drive from the port. People need to realise though that there are many cruise lines, with many classes of ship, some of which will be more than suitable for their tastes than others. Just because a ship is not ideal for some people does not make it a bad ship. Don't know why people book without looking at the deck plans or you tube videos. Check where the cabin is before selecting, especially if walking is difficult. Don't go on a family ship in school holidays if you want a peaceful cruise. Don't sail on short cruises from places like New Jersey or Southampton if you want non stop sunshine. We feel incredibly privileged that we are able to go on such wonderful holidays.

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reguenther863 7 years ago

Thank You Sarahs58 I agree!!! Kodak7 100% on point, I always do my research for every aspect of my next sailing and it is no different for my next one. we leave right after Christmas, my excursions are all purchased, all meal reservations are made and I'm just waiting for the shows and activities to load and I will have that done too. Research, research, research means having an amazing and relaxing time filled will fun, fun. fun.

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kb2dos 7 years ago

kodak 7 is right been on 43 cruises.

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Sarahs58 7 years ago

Would be much better to have constructive points to help people decide which ship might be for them. The Anthem is a big ship and on a short 5 day cruise there may well be more rush with everyone trying to do the same things at the same time. We loved the Anthem but did miss the amount of outside deck space which you get on the other classes of RC ships. This was more than made up though by the North Star, iFly, bumper cars, solarium, 270 lounge etc. Our on board spend on this ship was nothing different from other cruises.

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jaclovescruises 7 years ago

On the Indy now and she is superb, yes busy, but what an atmosphere, and everyone is on holiday so really have not Got time to look for criticism because we're too busy enjoying ourselves, buffet open all day, so choose a time a little after Main dining times, as for extras that's your choice, buy or don't buy, can't Please everyone

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GIL155 7 years ago

Agree. Bigger is not always better.

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crazycruzer4 7 years ago

You are right Kodak.. well said

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kodak7 7 years ago

had a great time on Anthem and did not spend anything more than on carnival cruise. yes, elevators were a bit of a wait but even that happens on a smaller ship. actually found the best value of any cruise on Anthem. the shows were better and IFly was fantastic. but I did my homework and booked everything ahead. if you spent even 20 minutes on reading a few reviews you would of done the same. Almost all the bad reviews show they didn't book ahead. boggles my mind how anyone who would spend thousands on a cruise and not spend any time doing any research. they are the type to buy a new car and complain about being ripped off.

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reguenther863 7 years ago

Very vague....why not give everyone helpful information. List some of the fees that were extra??? Examples would be helpful. I've enjoyed every cruise I've been on, all Royal and will stick with them. Just got home a few weeks ago and will be sailing again in Jan on the Anthem.

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Froggylein 7 years ago

It's preference. One shouldn't criticise the entire fleet because of small vs big sized ships

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geminigirl52169 7 years ago

I like the smaller ships. the big ones overwhelm me.

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twhite1 7 years ago

I am going on my eighth RCCL cruise in 7 weeks. They've all been great. The Freedom and Voyager classes are my favorite. Oasis was too fractured for me. Good service but was always looking at map boards to find a deck.

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Travelwizard1 7 years ago

I was on the Oasis last year. Too big. I actually like the Voyager class better. Felt like I was nickeled and dimed to death on Oasis.

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lizzyd629 7 years ago

So far we have booked all out cruises with Carnival and have been nothing but pleased. I would opt for smaller shops any day!

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