Lots of “issues”

Item: Anthem of the Seas
Rating: 2.4
Author: SteveHys

Anthem of the Seas Cruise Review to Bermuda

SteveHys

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Reviews: 2

Helpful Votes: 40

Overall rating:

2.4 out of 5

5 Night Bermuda (Cape Liberty Roundtrip)

Sail date: May 18, 2019

Ship: Anthem of the Seas

Cabin type: Balcony

Traveled as: Family (older children)

Reviewed: 5 years ago

Review summary

Compared to NCL, RCL really disappointed us. For a Quantum class ship - I really expected more. We will see how our “compensation package” gets processed for a final grade - but I doubt RCL will impress me with that category either given all the problems we encountered.

Embarkation

1 out of 5

A day and a half wait due to a medical emergency on previous sailing. Although we were modestly compensated, you were on your own to deal with the delay.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5

We paid for the premium food plan and found some venues closed to private parties. What we did have was good though. The robot bar spilled more drink than it served but the real bartenders seemed efficient, courteous, and generous.

The Café@TWO70

2 out of 5

The robotic tv’s and projectors were very cool but the story and entertainers were awful. They need to totally redo the show to utilize the room features better.

Jamie's Italian

4 out of 5

Nice friendly wait staff and good food. Service was very slow, to the point we sent one in our party to get additional drinks.

Vintages

3 out of 5

$6 for pretzels? While the drinks were ok, the guitar player wasn’t.

Schooner Bar

1 out of 5

A fat gay Asian piano player is not my idea of entertainment.

Chops Grille

4 out of 5

Great food, fabulous service, and nice atmosphere. But it was closed for a private event one night, and it is a upcharge venue.

Bionic Bar

1 out of 5

I wouldn’t expect this to be in use much longer due to the fact that it spills more than it produces. They literally had a hostess on duty with a mop, bucket, and sponge!

Onboard Activities

2 out of 5

On boarding, we were told North Star was out of service but we did get to ride it. Wave rider was down, and rock climbing was spotty due to weather. Escape room props were really warn and need to be replaced. What we did was fun - but there is nothing I wanted to go back and experience again.

Rock Climbing Wall

3 out of 5

Small, and located where wind conditions are an issue.

Entertainment

1 out of 5

The entertainers tried, but lousy storylines and technical glitches were everywhere. The main show started 20 minutes late, and half the audience left to make their dinner reservations. Couple this with shows scheduled to start at 3pm - and it was really hard to plan a day.

Solarium

4 out of 5

Hot and humid. The place needs ventilation - but it was one of the nicest places on the ship.

Music Hall

3 out of 5

Crowded, loud, and stuck in the 1970’s. Pool tables had craters in the balls, and there was so little felt on the tables it seemed you were playing right on the slate.

The Royal Theater

2 out of 5

Awful seats. Technical delays that required plan b (whatever that was), and popcorn priced at $2.75?

Two70

3 out of 5

Another flaming gay entertainer leads a show about robotic televisions and spinning aerial artists? Boring, and a waste of technology.

North Star

4 out of 5

Given the capacity for throughout, and its abilities in wind - it’s a nice idea, but not practical. We rode it, but I wouldn’t do it again.

Children's Programs

No children

Service and Staff

3 out of 5

Very little in the way of personal touches, and nobody seemed to acknowledge our shortened itinerary. On top of it all, the captain spoke such poor English you couldn’t tell if he didn’t care or was partying with the passengers.

Ship Quality

3 out of 5

Ship had a nice concept, but I can tell why many of its “features” aren’t found on other ships. There were just too many technical glitches. Even the calendar/scheduling reservation system went down for over an hour one day.

Cabin / Stateroom

3 out of 5

Small bathroom, nice balcony - other than that the room was just ok and clean enough. Nothing exceptional though.

Ports of call

Cape Liberty (Bayonne), New Jersey

1 out of 5

Not nice in any way. Being in Jersey is bad enough, but the terminal was cold and ugly and we felt like cattle.

Thumbs Up 1

King's Wharf, Bermuda

3 out of 5

There is not much to do there, and even less if the weather is bad.

Thumbs Up 0

Disembarkation

2 out of 5

All I can say is “hurry up, we have to get turned around”, must be their motto.

2 Comments

Cruisers4Lyfe 3 months ago

Thanks for sharing

Thumbs Up 0

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CruzeFan 5 years ago

It seems like cruising is probably not for you. It is not for everyone. Since you seem very hard to please, you probably need to try another type of vacation.

Thumbs Up 14

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Anthem of the Seas May 2019

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