I think I've covered it all! I went on this cruise for the people, and for the ship, but not the itinerary. Bahamas wants to see cruisers spending a lot more money, but first they need to clean it up. The vendors are pushy, the stores and buildings are messy and dirty, the streets are dirty.
I had a blast because of the ship and the wonderful friends I was traveling with.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Dropping off luggage and getting through check in was very smooth and went quickly. Luggage was delivered very promptly to my cabin.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
The food on this ship was probably the best of all my past cruises. I also enjoyed going to the Solarium Bistro and eating at Two70 for breakfast and lunch to avoid the chaos in the Windjammer. The food was exceptional in the main dining room, and had fun with the food fusion experience in Wonderland.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
Try the North Star - it's amazing to see the ship from on high, and not scary at all. We also tried the bumper cars. The fitness center is also very nice.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
Wow - just WOW. Extremely disappointed that I goofed up my schedule and missed We Will Rock You, because my friends just raved about how excellent it was. The show The Gift was also outstanding. There was non-stop entertainment in many venues throughout the ship, and I think they do a nice job scheduling to avoid conflicts.
The band Mirage played a wonderful set of Latin music in Boleros, and also enjoyed One 4 One in the Music Hall.
The only one I didn't like was the "Reggae" band L'Elements that entertained by the pool a few times. They were SO LOUD. Ear piercing loud, and while they were fun, not the most musically talented compared to the other bands. Did I mention they were LOUD?!
Children's Programs
did not travel with kids
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Our stateroom attendant Josie was just a sweetheart and took amazing care of us. EVERY single crew member I encountered on board was polite and friendly.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Always spotless
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
There is so much to do on board I didn't spend a lot of extra time here. Very much enjoyed ordering breakfast to eat on the balcony. They provide excellent toiletries, so consider not bringing too much shampoo, conditioner, body wash and lotion.
Ship tip
Be sure and take time to explore the whole ship! We discovered an beautiful, quiet lounge just outside the Music Hall on our last night. Would have been a nice spot to relax in had I found it earlier.
It was fine. Very cloudy, rainy day when we were here so our outdoor activities were a bit limited. Ron Jon's is a classic place to stop, and there were plenty of other excursions we could have taken but chose not to.
It's really a beautiful, beautiful spot. The huge lunch was excellent, with plenty of amenities. Lots of vendors selling wares in a straw market. This would have rated a five star had I not been given a price of $25 for a dress, then when I went back 15 minutes later once I had retrieved my cash, the price jumped to $45. I didn't buy it! It's not the best quality merchandise there, but if you are looking for very touristy trinkets there are plenty.
UGH. Nassau is just gross. Gross. Maybe if we had done an organized excursion it would have been more enjoyable. We had lunch, and while the food was really delicious, it took too long to get our order. A table next to us finally gave up because it was wasting our short time on the island. We realized that when you place your order, they run out and buy the ingredients at the store. For real. They offered us a complimentary drink because we had waited to long, but when we got the final bill they had actually charged us. It wasn't worth another 20 minutes to wait and try and fix it, so we paid for our "complimentary" drink. The rum distillery is worth a visit if you like really good rum.
Probably the fastest disembarkation I've ever experienced. Any hold up was due to other passengers not having their paperwork filled out ahead of time. PEOPLE!! Fill out the paperwork before you get there. That's why they leave it in your stateroom the night before, and why they have 10 stands around the customs area with additional copies.
Your welcome SandyRed, so impressed with all the detail in your review. Can’t agree more, Boleros was our favourite evening ‘haunt’. The Music Hall was great too!
Hi fullahead. Thank you! And no I didn’t end up at Vintages. I was there with a big group of fellow ballroom dancers so we spent our time in Boleros and The Music Hall for the dance floor space.
What a great review! We’ve also been on the Anthem and lived every second of it. The itinerary became secondary to the cruise, it was that good. I had very high expectations of this ship to the hype around it prior to its first year. We were truly Wow’d and it still remains one of the best cruises we’ve had. I must ask, did you visit Vintages wine bar much? Is Ivan the bar manager still there? He was truly outstanding with all the wine tastings he organised just for us!
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