It was our first time on Anthem and I had read the majority of the reviews before we sailed but my findings did not match the good reports sadly ,I will stick to smaller ships in future as I do not feel Anthem can cope staff and stock wise ( I dread to think what it would be like if this ship was full )
Embarkation
2 out of 5
2 hours standing out in the rain as we were unable to board as we were told a group of revellers on the previous cruise refused to leave the ship and the police had to be called , it was a bad start to our cruise and my 86 year old hubby really struggled with the standing for that long
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
the sheer lack of stock in both the bars and Restaurants was shocking , no draft beers, bottles beers very limited , tonic water we had to chase around different bars for .Main buffet even ran out of tea bags for 2 hours on one breakfast and the lack of staff in some of the venues was noticeable
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
Entertainment
3 out of 5
the shows we had seen before but the Musicians etc were changed at last minute and part of the music halls was shut off to normal cruisers so that a large private function could take place
Children's Programs
Did not travel with Children
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
shortage of staff at some venues was really noticeable
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
despite the lack of some staff the ship is kept clean
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Cabin was kept cleaned throughout the voyage but we had no bathrobes and there was not even a hairdryer despite the fact i reported it to the room steward
Ship tip
Make sure the large ship is for you because from experience we have always found the lager ships struggle to cope
I was on Anthem in April, loved her so much, I'm back on her in February. While I do understand the staffing shortage and the frustration you have with that, that shortage is industry-wide so you'll find it everywhere. We just need to adapt and be patient for now.
I just went on anthem a few months ago. I had no problems with her. By the way, all cruise lines have a shortage of crew member’s. So even if you swapped to carnival you probably would be more impressed with Royal. It’s just pandemic stuff.
We cruised Anthem before pandemic, and it was my least favorite ship! I did love Oasis so it wasn’t the size….but I have to say, I just adore the smaller ships. Majesty one of my favorite!
Came back to the UK on the April crossing and it was similar then. Shortages, no diet/low calorie tonic. No Gin for sale in the shop. A lot of the staff were obviously new to the ship and some, when passing in the corridors, were almost surly. It was the same back in August-September (6 weeks UK based cruises. Shortages, lack of staff and indifferent service.
Thanks for the review. We are on the Anthem in August. Hope maybe some of the issues might be sorted by then. It will be our first trip on the Anthem- we were due to cruise on her 2 years ago.
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