Anthem of the Seas Cruise Reviews - Reviews

The food and service on the ship were great. Shows and entertainment could have been better. The attendees were a lot older than we were so the atmosphere was a little too solemn for our taste. The excursions were terrible. Rushed and with faulty equipment on the buses that did not allow us to hear the tour guide.

This is such a unique ship.  It is a wave of the future!!  From the first moment - where you long into an IPad and go to your room to get your keys - to the last time you swipe your card yourself to leave the ship.  Messages are given on the tv in your room - only paper you receive all cruise is the daily planner.  No longer are menus outside the restaurants - they come on your tv in the comfort of your own room.  The two70 is a 500 person lounge/theatre at the very back of the lounge with huge windows across the back of the ship to give you views of the ocean all day long and by night the bionic arms, the somehow appearing 18 speakers and a full screen gives you views of special places around the world - example waterfalls from iceland.  Six robotic arms manipulate large screens that can be twisted 6 different was!  There is even a bar where robotic arms fix your drinks and send them down a slot to you.

There is no main dining room but 6 smaller ones that you book (from home is best) to try different foods in different themes.  This is changing in November back to original dining room style.

The cabins are well appointed and even feel larger than most ships.  And most important to many was actual doors on the shower - no more sticky curtains.

They have the northstar, the bumper cars, roller ring, ifly and flowrider that can all be booked by appointment - from your room - so no wait in lines or frustration because it is too busy.

All in all this ship was very clean, well appointed and occasionally felt too crowded but I would recommend it to anyone with a sense of adventure.

All the kindness of the staff, even when we had rough seas.  They made sure the cruise was a good one.  They were willing to change my dinners to any restaurant I wanted.

The boat is gorgeous.  The staff are amicable and helpful.  Rooms were nicely decorated and actually spacious for a cruise ship.  Did not have an interior promenade like other ships...so a lot of people congregated to the one music bar before dinner and made it impossible to get seats.  Dynamic dining is not effective. Make sure you book your dining AHEAD of the cruise.  This will save you trying to book during your cruise.  Also...sign up for the shows as well.  One complaint was the shows are early...so if you are a late diner....then you will either go freaking early to the shows OR miss them...OR you will have to dine early.  Food was not bad for a cruise ship.  We ate at Jamie's and it was pretty good.  Chops Grille....I wouldn't waste your money.  It was actually very awful.  We did the all inclusive drink package which was a cost savings for us....since it not only included alcohol but it did include bottled water, coffee, and soda's.  

We had a very good time on the cruise; nine days is a long time, but everyone was very friendly and helpful so it was quite enjoyable.  The room was lovely; the food was good; the quality of service was excellent.  The one thing my husband and I didn't like is the lack of opportunity to eat in the restaurants since all reservations were taken.  It would really be helpful if more earlier choices were available to more people.  We ate a lot more in the buffet since the only reservations for dinner we were able to get were close to 9 pm, and that was just too late for us.

The ship was very nice kept very clean at all times of the day, that was the positive part of our 25th. wedding anniversary cruise. The Thursday prior to our cruise 9/1/16 my wife called Royal Caribbean because Hurricane Hermine was lurking in the southeastern part of the country moving north, she asked if the cruise was still sailing with the hurricane causing flooding and other issues down south. Royal Caribbean assured that customers would be notified if there was a change on schedule. We did not hear anything from RC, so we drove to NJ for the cruise and were welcomed. After boarding and going to our stateroom, we went to have lunch. Sometime before 2pm Saturday, the captain came on the pa system to tell the crew that we will be experiencing some rocking and rolling for 3-5 hours. Our dream 25th. anniversary cruise was about to change dramatically. By the afternoon Saturday the winds were in excess of 50 knots and the sea state picked up and by early evening into Sunday we were in over 90 knot winds and 25-30 foot seas, my wife became ill after taking all precautions, this continued all day Sunday, the weather decks were closed and all ship board activities cancelled with not much to do other than go to eat/drink or go to your state room and watch on demand videos. While at Windjammers marketplace, trays, silverware, chairs along with other things were crashing onto the floors, not to mention a bucket of water with bleach in it, rolled and crashed into my wife's seat where she was trying to keep down some tea. Thou the crew did offer to have her laundry done for her. Our 25th. anniversary had turned into a nightmare, until finally pulling into the shipping channel Monday morning prior to arriving in Bermuda, where our excursion for snorkeling was cancelled and rescheduled for Tuesday afternoon, adding another disappointment yet again. We finally did the snorkeling Tuesday afternoon which was cut short from 3 hrs. to 1 and 1/2hrs. due to our departure Tuesday at 4pm.

Upon returning home on 9/8/16 I rested for a day and on Saturday 9/10/16 I looked into contacting BJ's Travel to tell them of our disappointing cruise. I looked on BJ Travel website, called the customer service number where I was prompted to either 1) existing reservations or 2) new reservations. I ran out of options for contacting BJ Travel, so I went to BJ's customer service site where I typed up a email and asked for them to forward it on to BJ Travel, and the rep forwarded my information on which included my name, address, home and cell numbers. The email was forwarded to BJ Travel and I received a call from a lady on Tuesday 9/13 which went to voicemail because I did not have my cell phone with me and the voicemail message was garbled and I could not hear the persons name or phone extension number. I then called the number from which the call came from and left a voicemail stating how I received a call from someone but regarding our situation and left my name, cell & home number. I then received another call on Thursday 9/15 and I was sleeping but answered the call and the lady said she would call me back tomorrow, Friday 9/16 when she got in at 11am. I waited for the call and heard nothing, until Monday 9/19 when I again received a call and I again was reclining because of chronic back pain, Sandy left a voicemail apologizing, she had a family emergency and said she would be in the office until 7pm. I called back at 635pm and it went to voicemail, I left my name and both phone numbers for her to call me back. It is now Friday 9/23/16 and I never heard from BJ Travel again. Making this overall experience a total nightmare!

My favorite part of the cruise was the evening shows.  The dining experience was very disappointing.  I think they should go back to the old days of cruising with designated dining rooms.  There were definitely staffing issues in the restaurants.  Also the menu were too similar in the complimentary restaurants.  

The ship was great!  The front guest services...not so much.  We got caught in some of hurricane Hermie, some people thought we were going to die because it made the news. I am a big cruiser and it was the worst I had been in but I never feared for my life. The ship and crew handled it great.  The shows were so so but the show "We will Rock you" was great!  The food was really good. Bermuda did not disappoint, I will probably go back. The loyalty desk was MIA, went there six times on the times they said it was open and no. FYI as soon as you get on the ship book, shows, I-fly thing, ball thing and bumper cars.  Dining is a little more flexible. Shore excursions are important if you want your pick, do that first day.

The captain took us into 100 mph winds and over 30ft waves to go around an unpredictable storm. Many  passengers (and crew) were sick for a day and night of a 5 day cruise. Getting on the ship was easy. Getting off was so disorganized. Level of customer service varied. Some crew members were very helpful and some were extremely rude. Need to bring in new management for Anthem of the Seas. Awesome ship with many personnel flaws. 

was a good trip a bit rough sea's going down. didn't enjoy the anthem series ship as much as the liberty series ship. ship was supposed to be bigger the main deck setup was much smaller and was not a big fan of the dynamic dinning

My favorite part of the cruise is the pool area and show time. The cabin in front of the 8 floor is noisy. We hear the  music from the party all nights till 4am. 

Surprisingly, the two production numbers were better than expected, with "We will Rock You" being exceptional. The restaurants staff in every restaurant was professional and friendly at the same time. We were kept informed during our visit by tropical storm Hermine, and I thought the ship handled the high waves very well.

If the weather is bad for two out of a five day cruise to the point that everything is closed down and people are vomiting everywhere, the cruise should have been cancelled or rescheduled.  

Reservations were cancelled that were made 3 months in advance for onboard activities without being rescheduled or even compensated in another way for the lack of availability.

We approached the customer service desk multiple times without being helped, but we were pushed off and felt as though they just didn't want to deal with us.  Then when getting back on shore and calling Royal Carribean, the first excuse they had was there may have been a language barrier between us and the service agent! That is absolutely absurd! Why would a person be hired for customer service if they cannot fluently speak English??? Most comical thing is they all did speak fluent English when I spoke with them, barely even had accents.

Bermuda was mostly all closed down the first day to shop and explore because of Labor Day.

The gratuities shouldn't be automatically taken out of you don't want them to be, I would have rather tipped individually.

The ship is beautiful, most of the bartenders/servers are phenomenal. More outside pools or pool seating should have been done, we always had to sit inside the solarium because no outside seating was ever available. 

Very modern pretty ship.  All personnel provided  excellent service.  Shows were awesome and shows were provided every night.  The bands and DJ provided great dancing music.

FAVORITE PART OF CRUISE WAS RELAXING AT POOLS, SOLARIUM ,IN MUSIC HAL L(PART OF DIAMOND CLUB BAR) EATING DINNER & GETTING DRESSED UP! ALSO SHOPPING AND PORTS FOR EXCUSIONS! I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND THIS CRUISE, IT HAS A LOT OF FLAWS! THE QUANTUM WAS THE SISTER SHIP OF THIS ANTHEM, BUT WE LIKED IT WAY, WAY BETTER. THE MUSIC BANDS IN THE BARS WERE NOT THAT GREAT. THEY NEVER PLAYED ENOUGH MUSIC TO DANCE BETWEEN 6:00 AND 8:30 PM. THE NIGHT THIS SHIP STAYED IN PORT TO 10:30 PM IN PORT AT ST.JOHN, THEIR WERE NO BAR TENDERS IN THE BARS TO GET A DRINK. THE CAPTAIN GAVE THEM ALL LIBERTY TO GO OUT IN TOWN. WE AND ROYAL CARIBBEAN CLERKS DID MY SETTING UP OF MY ACCOUNTS FOR ON BOARD SPENDING TWO TIMES . I HAD NO ON-BOARD-CREDITS UNTIL LATER IN THE 3RD DAY, AND FINALLY GOT MY ACCT. SET UP FOR EXPENSES TO BE TAKEN CARE OF THROUGH MY VISA! (THROUGH GUESTS SERV.) NOT A FUN SHIP! WE MADE IT GOOD BY SIMPLY HAVING A GOOD TIME DESPITE THE DISRUPTIONS AND ENJOYING OUR TIME OFF THE BOAT IN THE PORTS. PERFORMERS WERE SENSATIONAL BUT THE SHOWS WERE JUST OKAY. THE ROYAL THEATER SUCKED, THE SEATS ARE SO LOW YOU CAN'T SEE OVER THE PERSON IN FRONT OF YOU. I HAVE NEVER BEEN IN SUCH A POORLY DESIGNED THEATER, SINCE TAKING 14-15 CRUISES! WE DID FIND SEATS THAT WERE HIGHER BUT THEY WERE ALL ON THE SIDES. WE HAD TO GET TO THEATER FOR SHOWS ONE HALF AN HR. BEFORE SHOW STARTED. TO GET THE GOOD HIGHER SEATS. LIKE I SAY WE HAD TO USE OUR HEADS TO FIND A BETTER TIME ON THIS SHIP BECAUSE WE ARE CRUISERS FROM THE PAST WHO HAVE CRUISED ALOT PREVIOUSLY AND KNOW THE INS AND OUTS! OUR SHIP ROOM CLERK WAS ONE OF THE BEST WE EVER HAD. THE FOOD IN THE WINDJAMMER WAS JUST OKAY. MOST OF MY DINNERS WERE GREAT IN THE GRANDE & CHIC, BUT I HATED THE AMERCAN ICON GRILL BOTH IN THE QUANTUM AND ANTHEM. MY WIFE DIDN'T SEEM TO LIKE THE MENUES IN THE GRAND AND CHIC! THEY WERE VERY

GOOD WITH LOBSTER, IN WHICH I FEASTED ABOUT 5 TIMES OUT OF 9 DAYS AT DINNERS. WAITERS, WAITRESSES, WERE ALL PRETTY GOOD AT GRANDE AND CHIC DINNER ROOMS! WE TENDED TO GO TO LUNCH DIFFERENT PLACES OTHER THEN THE WINDJAMMER, TOO TOO, MANY PEOPLE ON THIS SHIP AT WINDJAMMER. BREAKFAST OKAY THERE BECAUSE WE WENT EARLY BEFOR 8:10 AM EVERY MORNING AFTER OUR WALK! THATS ALL I HAVE TO SAY. GETTING ON SHIP W/INDOOR PARKING WAS A BREEZE. GOT OFF SHIP 7:25 AM AND WAS HOME IN DELAWARE BY 10:45 AM. NO PROBLEMS BECAUSE WE KEEP OUR BAGGAGE AND WALK OFF WITH IT!

We had a great time!  The ship is magnificent- so clean and new.  The staff we met were all very helpful.  Overall, the experience was just better than any other cruise we have taken.  The ports are good, enjoyable.  I would not get off the boat in St John's though- there isn't much to do there.  Also, don't fall for the Traditional Maine Lobster Bake.  That tour is terrible and horribly overpriced for what you get.  (the one with the narrow gauge railroad/lobster bake).

Otherwise, everything was great!

Favorite ports:  Boston, Bar Harbor, Halifax

Least Favorite ports:  Portland, St. John  (nothing there of any real interest)

Favorite shows:  The individual headliners

Least favorite shows:  The theater with New Age or Psychedelic themes.

The ship was beautiful but love the Oasis class best...all ports we visited were beautiful...I think this cruise is definitely for ages 40 plus cruisers, or people who love history. There is plenty to see and do but don't know if I would do this cruise again. 

The ship is beautiful and the service was excellent. The shows were as good as a Broadway production.  The food was good the restaurants were not that exceptional.   Drinks at the bar were a little pricey.  Two martinis for $32 is a bit much.   The Ports of Call were fair except for Boston which was great.  I think that needs to be changed a bit. Perhaps a stop in Cape Cod would be better. There was nothing outstanding for most ports especially St. John's and Halifax.  Overall it was a nice cruise but I've had better.

The ports that this ship goes to are great. Lots of outdoor activities to take part in (hiking, walking, kayaking, etc.) as well as area tours.

This is not your typical cruise with a set dinner time and set show times. Each night is different and based on when you book them. You are required to register for all the "bigger shows" as well as all dinner reservations, otherwise you wait standby. For those who like having the same waitstaff throughout their cruise, you will not get this with this cruise. Each night you will have different waitstaff. 

There are a good number of on board activities to do - iFly, rock climbing wall, bumper cars, etc. We felt there wasn't a lot of planned activities outside of these during the day (with the exception of a lot of trivia).

Overall it was a very nice cruise, nice staff, great ports, but different from your typical cruise experience.