Anthem of the seas is a technologically advanced ship, but the food and service in the Windjammer Marketplace is substandard for Royal Caribbean Lines. Eat in one of the Main Dining Rooms or a Specialty restautant.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
By planning ahead and providing all of the pre-cruise information requested to our travel agent and via the RCI website, the embarkation process was easy and relatively smooth. The only delay occurred when the Intercruise support agent processing our Check-in asked us to wait while she went to get our materials, and then did not return. Eventually, another agent asked if we had been helped, and I told her we were waitng for our agent to return. When we pointed out the agent than had handled our Check-in, she acknowledged that she had become busy with something else and had forgotten about us. We were then told to proceed to board the ship; no other materials were needed.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
2 out of 5
Food & service at Chops Grill was very good as expected. Service at Jamie's Italian was good and food was tasty, but the menu was quite limited. The problem area was the Windjammer Marketplace buffet. We had just completed the day before a 26-day back-to-back cruise on a Norwegian ship, so we were looking forward to cruising on our favorite line, Royal Caribbean. What we found was that the food preparation, selection, and taste on Anthem was noticably poorer than our experience on the preceding Norwegian cruises. At several of the buffet meals on Anthem, I found dried food on plates, eating utensils, and coffee cups in what were supposed to be clean dishes. Service staff in the buffet could not compare to the superior service we experienced in the Norwegian ship's Garden Cafe staff. The cruise on Anthem was our fortieth (40) cruise and our fifth (5) cruise in 2022, so we are confident in comparing food and service between ships. The food and service in the American Icon Grill was exceptional; the opposite of our experience in the buffet.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
Your survey does not offer an option for "Not Applicable" for Onboard activities, so I gave it an Okay rating.
Entertainment
Did not attend.
Children's Programs
Did not have kids on this cruise.
Service and Staff
2 out of 5
Room stewards were okay. Other service personnel were substandard...see my previous comments under Food & Drink.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
It's okay.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
It was okay.
Ship tip
Don't expect great buffet food or service on Anthem.
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