It really was a great cruise. I'd definitely go on the Anthem again. In fact, there's a 12 night to the south-eastern Caribbean I may book... 12 nights for my twelfth cruise... sounds about right :)
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Trouble-free, that's about as exciting as it gets...
Everything aboard was truly a marvel, well, maybe not the gimmicky free merch that's pushed at you if you're invited to an 'exclusive' watch sale where the whole ship is invited.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
The dining options were fantastic. We opted for a 4 restaurant dining package for $100 for which we paid very little (onboard credit). The main dining rooms are great, but Chops Grill, Jamie's Italian and ESPECIALLY Wonderland blew away my expectations. I would not have gotten the dining package if it hadn't been for the onboard credit, but now I'll buy it on every future cruise. Please note, book early, the dining reservations fill up very quickly.
Chop's and Jamie's are really what you might expect from an up-charge restaurant, but Wonderland was the big surprise. Wonderland was the complete package. It was an experience for the senses. I'm not trying to be corny or anything, it was really something I haven't experienced before. I was apprehensive before dining there, but I kept an open mind, and my tummy reaped greatly!
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
There was always plenty to do. Men's belly-flop competition, bumper cars, table tennis, roller skating, flash mobs, teen and adult dodgeball, basketball and volleyball in the SeaPlex. There really is a lot going on.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
The cruise director's staff, led by Dennis and Caroline, were outstanding, which is typical of Royal Caribbean. I always look forward to the Love and Marriage Game Show and, of course, The Quest, an adults-only scavenger hunt taking place aft in Two70.
Two70 was probably the most awe-inducing area of the ship with it's robot armed TV screens, the whole of the rear windows becoming a backdrop for all the shows including the Caberet (didn't attend) and the virtual fireworks show on the last night.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Always a home run with Royal Caribbean. They are some of the best-trained crew at sea.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
The ship is big... really big. Much larger than it seems actually. I was surprised to learn it is actually larger than the Freedom class ships, I suppose it's because it's so tall. That being said, it doesn't seem really large. It lacks the grandiose Royal Promenade you'd find on some (what you thought were larger) ships which does give it a smaller, more intimate feel.
The flow makes a lot of sense. The state of cleanliness was a constant. The only issue I have with the design was the lack of a grand main dining room. Instead, there are four separately themed dining rooms, two for traditional dining and two for my-time dining. They were really nice, but I just missed seeing the three stories of eatery with the largest chandelier ever.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
We had a balcony on Deck 9. Clean, spacious and our cabin steward Carlton was outstanding.
Ship tip
Book your dining early. Book any excursions early. Even though the ship seems small, there are 4,900 people vying for those precious spots.
Cococay is really beautiful. There's a lot to do, plenty of chairs, and enough food and Pina Coladas inside pineapples to really give you that vacation feel. There's lots of merch, but they aren't real pushy with all their kitschy crap. Seriously, a 'Butt'Weiser shirt? WB (If you see da police, Warn-a-brutha)... but like I said, they weren't nearly as bad as some other ports you may visit where the offers for everything from hair-braiding to coke (not the drink) are ever present.
3 stars for Cococay because the ship tenders. A ship this large is going to take a long time to void all it's passengers and crew via five ferries. Prepare to stand in line for a very long time if you decide to get back on the ship when everyone else does.
But, this will be five stars soon!
Why, you ask? RC is building a pier to accommodate all it's massive ships! Construction seemed to be moving along nicely when I was there on 2/13/2018. It also looked like the beaches were being expanded and many new outbuilding were being constructed.
Thumbs down on being bombarded with goods and services the moment you step foot on dry land, but once you're past that, Nassau is quite nice. Pirate Republic is a great little brewery and the Bearded Clam has great conch fritters!
It went well. Lots of porters shouting 'the line is shorter if you get a porter.'
Even though the line looked really long, it went by quite quickly. We were through customs and on the way to the car in about 20 minutes.
*Cruiseline.com is not a booking agent or travel agency,
and does not charge any service fees to users of our site. Our partners
(travel agencies and cruise lines) provide prices, which we list for our
users' convenience. Cruiseline.com does not guarantee any specific rates or
prices. While prices are updated daily, please check with the booking site
for the exact amount. Cruiseline.com is not responsible for content on
external web sites.
Contact us
Submitting...
Need help from a personal vacation planner?
Loading...
Find the perfect cruise with weekly tips and cruise deals for as little as $30/night!
Sign up for weekly cruise deals
Join other subscribers and get the best
cruise deals of the week in your inbox every Thursday.
