Not exactly what we expected

Anthem of the Seas Cruise Review to Caribbean - Bahamas

CruiseMama77

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 4-6 cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 18

Overall rating:

2.7 out of 5

Verified Review

7 Night Bahamas (Cape Liberty Roundtrip)

Sail date: April 14, 2018

Ship: Anthem of the Seas

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 7284

Traveled as: Family (older children)

Reviewed: 6 years ago

Review summary

I have cruised many times before, and even though the Anthem of the Seas is a great new ship, the following are the reasons why this cruise came very short of being great: 1. Evening shows - mediocre to not existing (We will Rock you was OK, way too long) 2. Evening show was cancelled due to high waves... - the ship was going 21 knots...previously cruised on Norwegian Gem, during the high winds, the captain slowed down the ship to allow shows to commence. 3. Private island was cancelled. Perhaps I do not understand something but I did not find anything wrong with the seas. Speaking with other cruisers, it seems that this island is being cancelled on regular basis. Why have in on the schedule? 4. Food service was very average. Royal Caribbean is known for better than excellent food service, not this cruise... 5. We were docked at Nassau, Bahamas, right next to Norwegian Gem. Coming back from the beach there was a party going on next to their ship, tables with drinks, towels to freshen up after the hot weather, people were dancing....we got to our ship and it was ....nothing...very sad that our awesome and expensive ship can not afford couple of tables outside with few people to make us feel welcome... 6. Entertainment director was not up to par, in my humble opinion. On other cruises, she/he would be the shining light of every event, not this cruise. 7. The most disappointing thing was that my teen son got sick with stomach virus and had to stay in the cabin for a few days. We saw the nurse on board who gave him some anti-nausea meds. We were offered free room service for that day (usually $8) and free movies to watch in the room. This is all good but still the vacation was ruined.

Embarkation

4 out of 5

Quick

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

2 out of 5

Average quality and variety, nothing really excited.

Onboard Activities

2 out of 5

We did bumper car. Had to wait in line 30-40min.

Entertainment

1 out of 5

Very poor compared to other cruises we've been on.

Service and Staff

3 out of 5

Ship Quality

2 out of 5

Ship appears well taken care of. I do not understand some of it design though, especially in the elevators and near staircases. Too modern?...

Cabin / Stateroom

4 out of 5

Ship tip

Book your activities in advance. Expect lines.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Cape Liberty (Bayonne), New Jersey

3 out of 5

Port Canaveral, Florida

3 out of 5

Cococay (Cruise Line's Private Island) Did not visit port

The port was cancelled by the captain due to unsafe sea conditions.

Thumbs Up 0

Nassau, Bahamas

2 out of 5

Disembarkation

4 out of 5

7 Comments

monica55 6 years ago

Everyone has the right to voice there feelings about there trip and people should not judge them. It was a beautiful flat calm day the day we didn’t go to cococay. Safety first u say then tell me why was anthem such a dirty ship for us?? People had just finished getting off when we boarded. The group that entered after us wasn’t able to board because they where scrubbing the ship down! So who’s to blame Royal Caribbean

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monica55 6 years ago

Was on with u also! Such a disappointing trip! 7th cruise and my last two have just gone down hill! Time to try (maybe) another line or just be done with cruising.

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Drjsn 6 years ago

We were on Anthem last month and had a great time. While it was not perfect, we had a lot of fun and would go again. We have cruised many times and have realistic expectations.

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jjfkkfhaf 6 years ago

Too many variables for you to judge over a captain. People don't BS so I would take their opinion over the captain and crew when stopping @ private. 😆 If the stop was Labadee(cause I don't know about Cay) they probably lost money by not docking. Selling excursions, beach cabanas, rollercoaster, and zipline make these stops huge money makers. So they will stop, if at all possible. Yes some shows can be boring or blah to some. Do they only do shows that everyone will love? Which would those be? Everyone has a different opinion on art. Buffet is what it is and is what you make of it. MDR has always been great to me. Seems like they made normal and above efforts to keep son safe and happy under circumstances. May/could have been their fault but could also be your sons. Kind of hard to tell unless there was a breakout on board and even then... Seems you need to go back to the other line that has never failed you

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Thomas4 6 years ago

Missed privat island: was it coco cay? Missed it too because of strong wind. Was disappointed too but safety first. Even if the weather seems ok and tendering to be doable. You never know if the wind gets stronger throughout the day. They may do not get passengers back from shore. So I would not question these decisions. For sure they should have built a pier and as far as I know they are building it right now. So that is maybe not an issue anymore. At st. Kitts there were strong winds too. Ship was not able to leave st. Kitts in time so we missed the next scheduled island. Also not nice but nobody’s fault.

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alleycat51699 6 years ago

1. I tend to agree, shows were ok, not spectacular 2. Safety of crew and passengers is paramount. Different ships have different characteristics, so you cannot take an example of a different ship, in a different class, in a different cruise line, and apply that ship's dynamics to the one you're on. 3. See number 2. I would trust the judgement of the captain and his/her crew as to the condition of the seas, weather, and safety of everyone before I would trust yours (no offense). As mad as you are about missing the private island, imagine how mad you would be if the captain made the decision that the seas were safe, and then while you were boarding the tender, the gangplank slipped and crushed you between the tender and the ship. Bad day indeed. 4. I agree with you about RC's food in the buffet. But I really enjoyed the MDR. 5. RC's target market is older people who have mostly outgrown the party scene. NCL seems to be gunning to be a higher-end Carnival. 6. Was the Entertainment Director Eeyore? 7. How is your kid getting sick RC's fault? Seems to me they went out of their way to not only keep you and your son comfortable, but also keeping the threat of sickness away from several thousand passengers.

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NeelieRedNeval 6 years ago

We were on Anthem in the past. Food and service were great for us, but I agree that the entertainment was dull.

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ralaxing

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