8 Nights - Like Being at the Mall on Christmas Eve

Item: Anthem of the Seas
Rating: 2.9
Author: Balthasar

Anthem of the Seas Cruise Review to Caribbean - Bahamas

Balthasar

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 1 cruise (first)

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 42

Overall rating:

2.9 out of 5

8 Night Bahamas (Cape Liberty Roundtrip)

Sail date: December 30, 2017

Ship: Anthem of the Seas

Cabin type: Suite

Cabin number: Deck 7

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 6 years ago

Review summary

Never again. I guess I need to enter 50 characters, so I'm, adding this filler.

Embarkation

4 out of 5

It was fine. Pretty seamless and quick.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

2 out of 5

The food quality was NOT up to par in most cases. The steak was TERRIBLE (worst I've even had), and the Buffet was ok. You have to pay for ANY liquids other than water or tea, and getting bottles of water, or juice, or soda in your room is impossible. The staff were GREAT and worked hard to mitigate the terrible management - the ship sleeps 4,000 but really can't accommodate more than 2,500. Line-ups were ALWAYS a part of the dining experience, and, in the buffet, a guy on a loudspeaker asked us kindly to hurry up and leave so others could be accommodated. Chow Chow. Everywhere one wandered, staff were handing out flyers announcing discounts on jewelry, perfumes, and other crap. Others were trying to get people to sign up for drink packages, which, really, were a necessity if you wanted to get drinks that you wanted, like a Coke. Yes, the weather was terrible and RC can't be blamed. It was virtually impossible,, to go outside for most of the trip because of the storm, and many scheduled excursions were cancelled - or people went in the pouring rain and record low temperatures. We couldn't even stop at the RC "private Island" because of the waves and weather. But the Anthem management did NOT adjust the activities to take place INSIDE the ship. Really incompetent. The state rooms were quite nice. The room attendant, Gabriel, was pleasant and professional as were all the staff - with the exception of the bartenders in the Schooner Bar who gave the impression that they hated being there, and weren't very fond of the customers.

Coastal Kitchen

2 out of 5

I think this is the buffet, which always had lineups, and the food was mediocre at best. Hot food items were warm, and cold food items were also warm. It was costly to eat in most of the restaurants which were NOT included in the all-inclusive price. Many of the restaurant names listed for this review, I had never seen or heard of. And I travelled the entire ship (inside, anyways).

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

This is a COMBINED three-star score. The performances / plays were EXCELLENT. Very professional. However, it was always a challenge to get a seat because Anthem allows people to save seats. So, one person would show up an hour before and save 12 seats. VERY irritating and unfair.

Outdoor Pool

1 out of 5

Wasn't able to use any outdoor pools because of the weather.

Entertainment

4 out of 5

Excellent, unless they were cancelled because of the ship movement / high waves in the sea.

Children's Programs

Didn't have children.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Staff was excellent, especially Gabriel, our room steward.

Ship Quality

4 out of 5

Not enough space for 4,000 people and 1,000 staff.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Great everything. Except can't get bottles of water or soda or alcohol in the room fridge.

Ship tip

Don't sail on NYE.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Cape Liberty (Bayonne), New Jersey

1 out of 5

Weather.

Thumbs Up 0

Port Canaveral, Florida

1 out of 5

Weather

Thumbs Up 0

Nassau, Bahamas

1 out of 5

Weather

Thumbs Up 0

Cococay (Cruise Line's Private Island)

1 out of 5

Were NOT allowed to disembark because of weather.

Thumbs Up 2

Disembarkation

4 out of 5

Fairly easy.

Traveler Photos

Notice the mist hovering over the waves.

5 Comments

rosadicola325 6 years ago

Just came back from our cruise on the anthem of the seas. We had an amazing time. The staff was great the food is great. Entertainment was great. I have to say I’ve been on other cruise lines, but Royal is by far the best cruise line.

Thumbs Up 8

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njcruiser2 6 years ago

We never ever ever cruise when school is out.

Thumbs Up 4

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royalcruisers 6 years ago

I’ve been on Anthem twice now and can understand some of what you are saying.Especially when the weather is bad.It must have been very crowded with everyone in side.Im giving Anthem a break.

Thumbs Up 3

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Drjsn 6 years ago

Keep in mind this was just one cruise and the weather was terrible. We have taken Harmony and Oasis and had a wonderful time. Did not feel crowded to us and while there can be a lot of children on weeks when school is out, we do not hang out at places that attract the kids so no problems

Thumbs Up 3

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markcross 6 years ago

Thank you, I'm going to stay away from the mega ships. Passenger to crew ratios 5to1, making reservations for shows, standing in line to eat, screaming children everywhere, has no appeal to me

Thumbs Up 2

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Other reviews of this sailing

Great Time!

Had a great time inspite of the bad weather. Spending New Years at sea was wonderful. Unfortunatly the weather was bad the whole time. But we felt completely safe, the captin communicated with us frequently. we bi passed the unsafe waters.

Better then i expected!