We had a wonderful experience on the Anthem and would like to cruise again in the fall. We did not take this cruise because of the itinerary as we had been to the locations on previous cruises. We went for a relaxing vacation during a hectic time of the year and it exceeded our expectations. There did seem to be a lot of people, especially in the evenings. The days when most went ashore were very relaxing.
One fairly petty comment--the TV offerings were poor. They had two 'prime' channels that offered programs that were quite old. They did not have the Dreamworks channel, which would have been nice. Lots of news and, of course, ESPN, but this cruise did not allow for as much outside time due to the time of year, so a good movie channel would have been nice.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
We were booked into a suite on this cruise, so our time from entering to boarding the ship was about 10 minutes!
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
Windjammer food was very good on this cruise. Typically, the Windjammer was where we ate when our schedule didn't match with a dining room. We ate dinner there one night and was very pleasantly surprised.
Coastal Kitchen
5 out of 5
The Coastal Kitchen, which is for suite guests, was excellent. Our waiter, Nikolai was friendly and helpful and a joy to spend the evening with at the end of each day. Bojan, the dining room manager, also added to our dining experience. He was a very pleasant, hard-working young man and was committed to everyone having a memorable dining experience.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
I was content to have reading and people-watching as my on-board activities! My husband did the iFly activity and the North Star capsule. He enjoyed both activities.
I dropped my rating one star, but the decrease deals more with cruisers than the activities. People would put towels on chairs in the Solarium, leave, and the chairs would remain empty for hours until they decided to finally come back and enjoy them. During one trip to find a chair, there were several dozen lounges that were empty, but had towels on them. And, no, these folks were not in the pools--I waited for a while to see if anyone would return to them.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
The 5 star rating is for the We Will Rock You show. It was great! I highly recommend it.
"Fan Halen" (Van Halen tribute band)-- didn't like them first time, don't like them now!
Spectra--still scratching my head trying to figure it out. Music/singers were very good, though.
The Gift--Music/Singing was great, but the story got completely lost in it.
Two70
5 out of 5
The Two70 is an amazingly versatile venue. If you are there during the day, the view is fabulous. There is a great deal of technology and the performers can do many things. The aerial acrobatics in Spectra were impressive.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
I have been on cruises where I have felt that one or more staff members really didn't want to be there. I did not have that experience on this cruise. The ship personnel do have difficult jobs--10 months working, 2 months off--that can wear on you after a while. I was very impressed with the friendliness and professionalism of the staff aboard the Anthem.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Our last 2 cruises were on the Harmony and the Oasis, so we weren't sure what to expect on a slightly smaller and slightly older ship. We were not disappointed. The ship is beautiful and very well taken care of. If there were any problems, it was usually due to messy guests.
If I had to pick a negative, it would be that the open area (shopping) is quite small considering the number of guests on the ship. When all of the sale tables were set up, it was difficult to get from one end to the other. It was cold for a good portion of this cruise, so there wasn't a lot of outside time in the evenings.
Cabin / Stateroom
3 out of 5
I am averaging two scores here--the suite was beautiful and clean. The split bathroom design--toilet sink in one and tub and separate shower and sink in the other--was perfect. This is the "Junior Spa Suite" design and we loved the extra room and, especially, the coffee maker and teapot.
HOWEVER, this cabin is directly under a kitchen and the first 3 nights were horrible! It was like being underneath a bowling alley where the floors and balls were metal. When we mentioned this to guest services, they immediately took action and there was significant improvement. The rest of the cruise was very relaxing. Just a little helpful information that we wish we had before booking. The deck plan does not show a kitchen above the room, it shows empty space which we assumed would cause foot traffic noise.
Ship tip
It was a great ship and provided us with one of the most relaxing cruises we have experienced so far. DO NOT go to the Windjammer at 9:00am--that seemed to be the busiest time and there were no tables and kids everywhere (without parent supervision, I might add). And...if you take kids, please keep them close to you and remind them of basic manners when in public places. Serve their food--I can't tell you how many kids I stood behind in the buffet line who were alone, eating off of their plate while waiting, licking their fingers, or sneezing and then picking up a serving spoon or tongs. Just because, technically, kids can't get off the boat doesn't mean that they should be set free to run on their own.
We have been to Nassau 3 times, so we simply walked around for a while and went back to a nearly empty ship. You are bombarded from the time you leave the ship until you board again by taxi drivers, hair-braiders, and shop owners which is a bit annoying.
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