Failed to meet expectations from past RCCL experiences.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Easy as could have hoped for. Curb to ship in less than 15 minutes.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
By far the biggest disappointment. Cruising grew to prominence on back of its great value and great food. Not so much on RCCL Anthem of the Seas. Main dining room food was okay and always served either warm or cold. Buffet was same variety every day and often tasteless. Specialty dining, while a step up, is way too expensive to be “worth it”. Also, service in main dining room and specialty restaurants was the worst we’ve ever had. Either completely absent or way too pushy, we have come to expect more from RCCL.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
On board activities and entertainment were plentiful and, for the most part, very good. Only complaint is the availability and timing. On a day at sea, We Will Rick You was offered as a matinee and an evening performance. Who wants to use a day at sea to see a show and not be on deck enjoying the sea? Another night, a show was offered at 730. We couldn’t make that show unless We ate dinner at 5 or 10? A bit of a disappointment in the end. Otherwise activities and entertainment were good.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
On board activities and entertainment were plentiful and, for the most part, very good. Only complaint is the availability and timing. On a day at sea, We Will Rick You was offered as a matinee and an evening performance. Who wants to use a day at sea to see a show and not be on deck enjoying the sea? Another night, a show was offered at 730. We couldn’t make that show unless We ate dinner at 5 or 10? A bit of a disappointment in the end. Otherwise activities and entertainment were good.
Service and Staff
3 out of 5
Along with dining, this was the biggest letdown. Johnny and Rhyan in main dining room were great. Every other server we had, main dining room or specialty restaurant, was awful. Pushy and rude, they couldn’t even explain to us how The menu worked, what our options were or what certain items actually were (Wonderland). Room Steward was very nice but mostly absent. On several occasion I attempted to call around 9pm and no one picked up. While I don’t expect my room steward to be available all day, I do expect someone to be on call to help fill ice buckets, get another towel etc. Another RCCL letdown.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
Ship was very clean and is decorated very well. Reason for 4 stars is the ships design. Most activities, restaurants and all bars, especially at night are on the interior of the ship. I’m on a cruise, there should be some venues on the water (e.g. The Waterfront on NCL).
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Cabin and balcony were a great size. Bathroom was big enough for the needful. Only issue was the firmness of the mattress. Firm is an understatement, it was rock hard. When we asked for an egg crate, we were informed they “no longer have those on board”. I guess RCCL thought the beds would get softer over time....who are they kidding.
Ship tip
Pre book EVERYTHING possible in advance of your trip. Will save many hours of likes and headaches.
Boston is a great city. My mother is from outside of Boston and hadn’t been back in decades so we did some reminiscing and touristy things. Fenway Park Tour was okay. Duck tour was very fun and interesting. Walked around north end, ate massive prime rib at Durgin Park and then ate some more while we meandered through the Feast of St. Anthony.
We booked a private tour here as well. The reversing rapids, sea caves, and lighthouses are very cool. The private tour allowed us to hit some off the beaten path spots the big busses can’t get to. All in all a great day in St. John.
Forgot the questions part. 😣 What is your comparison point for food quality? I know food is really subjective, but are you comparing to other sailing with Royal? Same or different ship(s)? How was Wonderland, apart from the staff not bing helpful with understanding the menu? Was the restaurant crowded when you ate there, or empty and staff was still unhelpful? What activities / entertainment besides the shows did you do that you had wished could have been outside?
A few comments / questions... 1) The egg crates were removed for sanitation reasons, people were leaving them... um, “soiled” in various ways and they couldn’t be adequately cleaned. That’s a fleet-wide change, not limited to Anthem. Doesn’t help with the hardness of the mattress, I know, but wanted to let you know there was a reason for it. (2) Show Times are scheduled around the traditional dining time slots, which are 5:30 and 8:30. If you had My Time Dining, then you need to allow some flexibility on dinner time if there’s a show you really want to see. (3) Reason most activities are indoors is because Anthem is designed around cold weather sailings and able to sail year-round from NYC and other more northern cities. This does necessitate making most activities indoor rather than outdoor, even when the ship has sailed out of the cold and into warmer climes.
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