Loved the Anthem of the Seas with the Southern Caribbean itinerary. 11 nights was awesome. Great crew, activities and entertainment. Enjoyed San Juan, St. Maarten and St. Lucia. Would have loved St. Kitts if we had gone to the beach. Wished the ship could have stopped at Antigua. Definitely would go on Anthem again and love a longer cruise.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Definitely don’t get there before 10:30. We had a 10:30 arrival time and it states you should arrive two hours early. We ended up herded into chairs (no extras for carry on) for over 1½ hours. Not really comfortable and they were a bit over the top in controlling people. Better to arrive, wait 15-30 minutes in line and board right away.
First time we arrived before boarding started. Won’t make that mistake again.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
MDR was great. Two in our party have food allergies. We had My Time Dining. One head waiter told us to request his area for the rest of the cruise and we had awesome service. Creative and varied dishes meeting our needs. Also had the same waiter and assistant waiter for the cruise. All did an awesome job and were so much fun!
Windjammer - There is a Gluten Free buffet area at the back. However, they do not offer options for those with dairy, nut or any other allergies. This is really unfortunate considering they do have almond and soy milk available at other locations on the ship. It seems like they could offer waffles and crepes made with these milks they already have available, etc... and make eggs without milk!
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
iFly by Ripcord was amazing! Must do activity. (FYI, they do weigh everyone. Saw two turned away due to weight.) Loved bumper cars and roller skating in Sea Plex. The indoor pool is lovely heated fresh water! Best pool experience yet on a ship. Solarium is very nice but can get hot later in the day. No air movement. North Star was nice, quiet... Great time on this ship!
Entertainment
4 out of 5
Really enjoyed the Journey Tribute band and The Royal Swedes. Great musicians and fun to dance to. Enjoyed them more than shows! Missed Spectra’s Cabaret other two shows were good. Performers and musicians were good in We Will Rock You, story line so so.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
All our waiters and stewards were great. Awesome service, friendly and fun.
Guest services not friendly. We had two cabins and somehow even though my credit card was the one on account for all of us, the charges were going to my son’s account so I couldn’t see the charges and keep track. Plus not everyone could charge even though I had authorized it. Basically they implied that I was to blame?!!! Why not just say sorry for the mix up and fix it straight away?! A separate visit to break a $100 for tip money was equally not friendly. Refused to speak a word to me even though I was saying thank you and smiling. They need some serious training on just being friendly.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Very clean. Loved the layout of the cabin storage with split closets, storage over the bed... drawers, etc. Also loved the pool deck. Large solarium, awesome indoor heated pool, plus an outdoor pool and kids pool area. Liked the Esplanade, great use of space. Not so much empty volume as in Oasis class. Quantum class is very well done. Our favorite class with lots of activities and options but cozier than Oasis class.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Anthem cabins have great organization with split closets on either side of the bed and above the beds. Night light in the bathroom is nice. Desk can be moved over to couch for games/breakfast on cold days. It’s close to the back of the ship, so a little bit of a walk from the elevators, but quiet. Hung a hammock on the balcony a couple of days. So relaxing with a gorgeous view. Good all around balcony room and would book it again.
Ship tip
Book iFly, enjoy indoor heated fresh water pool and breakfast on the Windjammer rear deck with a great view.
Took an open water taxi ($30 a person) to Marigot Bay. We’re dropped at Dolittle’s which is across the bay from everything else. The beach there was ok. A purchase of food and drink allows you to use their ferry to the other side. Overall, a lovely and beautiful bay between hills. The ride in the water taxi each way was fun, wet and beautiful.
Did a local tour of the island for $25 a person in a van. Overall the tour was boring especially if you’re in the back (because you’re young, lol) and can’t hear most of what’s being said. Stopped twice with high pressure to buy things. Wish we had just taken a taxi for $7 a person round trip to the beach for the day and rented some chairs.
Walked to and through both forts for $10 per person. Learned history of the island. Walked Old San Juan shopping district. Forts are worth the steps. Drink plenty of water.
Took the water taxi from port to beach for $7 a person round trip. Rented two chairs and an umbrella for $20 with access to WiFi and bathrooms (no reservation). Lovely time relaxing at the beach and swimming in the ocean.
Did walk off with luggage and took maybe 10 minutes from time we left our cabin to the curb. Easy if you have a passport on file with facial recognition.
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