I didn't hate it, but I didn't come back feeling relaxed or that I had a fun time. I honestly felt stressed a lot while on the ship.
Maybe The Anthem just wasn't the ship for me. It was too big, too many people and poorly laid out IMO.
I haven't been on a cruise in a long time and they were mostly on smaller Celebrity ships. Around 2000 or so people. It's probably an unfair comparison.
I'm planning on going on The Vision of the Seas next October. Maybe that will be more my style.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Fast and simple. No problem
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
I went to the Windjammer twice and that was enough. The food was meh. Not worth the struggle with crowds and fighting for a table. Honestly, I've never had so many people cut in front of me in my whole entire life. Maybe the pandemic made people think they don't need manners anymore.
The food in the main dining room was seriously hit or miss. Some of the sauces were so salty I couldn't even eat them. Then the next night, everything was fantastic. The desserts were the same. Some great, others were worse than sara lee or entenmann's I have no idea what the problem was. I will say that the waitstaff was very good and the dining room manager made sure to stop by every night.
Breakfast and lunch in the dining room were pretty good. No complaints at all.
The winner for me was Sorrento's pizza. Always fresh and crispy slices.
Drinks were good, but it seemed some bartenders made a better drink than others. Never once though did I have a frozen or specialty drink that made me wonder if they actually put booze in it. I'm glad I opted for the drinks package because I had several specialty coffees per day and those were always great
Sorrentos
5 out of 5
Pizza was always fresh and crispy. Wished the passengers had more manners though.
Windjammer Marketplace
2 out of 5
The food was meh. Cold and unappealing mostly. The second, and last, time I went I had the worst hamburger of my life. It was like chewing hard rubber and the bun was still half frozen.
Schooner Bar
4 out of 5
Great bartenders and relaxed vibe
Chic
2 out of 5
This rating is based solely on the fact that it was the most bland of all the dining room décor. Just plain white and beige. All the other dining rooms had a theme or interesting decoration
The Café@TWO70
4 out of 5
The food was good and there was never much of a line. Good to grab a coffee or lunch
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
I didn't really take part in any so I can't comment on quality. However on this sailing I could not point out the cruise director if you paid me. On other sailings they were much more present and engaging.
From what I saw in the daily program though, there always seemed to be something going on if you wanted something to do.
Vitality at Sea Spa
4 out of 5
I was able to get appointments quickly without much of a wait. Very pricey and they try to sell you all the products, but that's expected.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
I never went to see the main show because the times never corresponded to my schedule. On other lines they always seemed to have a show that started after each dinner seating time so that everyone could see it.
The one "show" I did go to was the 70s disco night. The performers danced to a medley of songs for 1/2 hour and that was it. Did they have someplace else they needed to be?? Not much of a disco night at all, more of a segment and everyone left.
Children's Programs
I don't have kids
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Everyone was great.
It's a tough job and they all do it with amazing patience and friendliness.
I could not believe how rude and disrespectful some of the passengers were to them. They are all there to make your vacation great, not be your personal servant.
A Hello, Please and Thank You cost nothing.
I wouldn't last 1 hour working on a ship.
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
The ship was always clean and orderly. That was a tall order considering that people left empty dishes and glasses wherever they liked. In elevators, outside elevators, in plants..... What the hell is wrong with them?
I did not like the layout of the ship at all. The Promenade area on deck 4 was way to cramped. All the shops and cafes were concentrated there so it was always mobbed. For a ship this size, you could have spread them out a lot more. Up on deck 5 there was an art installation with pictures of animals behind windows. Then there was a giant tuba. Why? I was annoyed every time I walked through it. Such a waste of space when right below you have such a congested space.
I LOVED the animals in the elevators though. I got pics of all of them.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Cabin size was really good. So were the bathroom and balcony. I felt there was plenty of closet and drawer space. My steward was great. he kept my room in tip-top shape.
The mattress was way too hard, and the pillows were too high. I have back issues and it was difficult to get comfortable.
It's a gorgeous island that had something for everyone, They've done an amazing job with it. They have shuttles that take you all around the island if you don't want to walk and that was really helpful.
We just went to South Beach because it was the quietest section and we just wanted to lounge and swim. It was perfect for that.
Bonus for the chickens running around. They made my day.
Not enough time to be worth the price of an excursion IMO. We walked around the shops and open air market for souvenirs.
Make sure to take the shuttle though. It's a LONG walk to get to the front street.
This was a joke.
Everyone HAD to get off the ship for immigration. Even if you were not planning on going into Miami or getting off the ship at all.
From what I understand, this was a new policy? But they were seriously unprepared and disorganized. They had all the people not going into Miami get off the ship between 10:00-10:30. We went through to be scanned with a camera, then went outside to wait in line to be let back on to the ship.
We were in line for about 3 hours.
Outside the terminal.
Thank god it wasn't the middle of summer. I think a few people passed out.
It was super fast because we didn't have to go through customs. I guess that was because everyone had to get scanned in Miami. Funny thing is, we didn't go through customs in Miami, we just got scanned and at no time had to fill out any forms or declare anything we bought.
Thanks for the detailed review, we’re sailing on her in 13 days. Appreciate the tips and honest opinions. We’ve cruised on several mega ships so we understand the craziness that happens. But a lot of what you said makes sense. Good stuff!
I recognize the immigration mess. We went through the similar process on our last cruise when we had to go through immigration control in Miami. We had and excursion booked so we were there around 9 am, not too many people in front of us. The whole 4500+ passengers had to leave the ship and to go through immigration, that's the law. Going back to the ship was much worth as the entire ship had to get back at the same time.
Welcome back to cruising. Hope you find a class of ship that fits your style better. Glad you managed to enjoy your cruise even with your disappointments.
*Cruiseline.com is not a booking agent or travel agency,
and does not charge any service fees to users of our site. Our partners
(travel agencies and cruise lines) provide prices, which we list for our
users' convenience. Cruiseline.com does not guarantee any specific rates or
prices. While prices are updated daily, please check with the booking site
for the exact amount. Cruiseline.com is not responsible for content on
external web sites.
Contact us
Submitting...
Need help from a personal vacation planner?
Loading...
Find the perfect cruise with weekly tips and cruise deals for as little as $30/night!
Sign up for weekly cruise deals
Join other subscribers and get the best
cruise deals of the week in your inbox every Thursday.
