Anthem of the Seas Cruise Reviews - Reviews

Our 9-day cruise on Anthem of the Seas was our fourth Royal Caribbean cruise.  If it had been our first, it woudl have been our last.

The customer service on board was awful - - from the Guest Services desk to the Starbucks barista - - we were continually disappointed.  

The food was mediocre at best if you weren't in one of the speciality restaurants with an upcharge.  In addition, getting reservations for even the "complimentary" dining rooms was difficult.

Royal Caribbean has certainly started having a "class system" on this ship.  Suite guests have a separate dining room (where lobster, escargot, etc. is offered), in addition to their own private sundeck and lounge.  My husband and I spent over $6,000 for our balcony room, and felt as if we were treated like lower class citizens.

The Solarium (adult only area) was very disappointing.  While it is beautiful, it is all glass and heats up like a sauna.  The pools in this area are far too warm, and therefore, if you want to cool down, you have to go to the family pool and deal with the screaming kids.

The hot tubs in the main areas were always crowded with children.  Certainly not a relaxing experience.

As a recovering alcoholic, I upgraded my drink package to get Starbucks.  Unfortunately, the only Starbucks on the ship is located on the 4th deck, and the pool is on the 14th deck.  I asked on several occasions if I couldn't PLEASE get two iced coffees so as not to have to spend so much time traveling between decks (especially given the fact that TWO elevators were out of service our entire cruise), and they would not give me the coffees.

Likewise, while on Haiti, soda was the last thing brought to the island (alcohol was everywhere), and even then, I couldn't get a can of soda or a bottle of water.  I had to drink it out of plastic cups.  Keep in mind, my husband had no problem getting cans or bottles of beer.

Seating for the evening shows that don't require reservations is almost impossible to find unless you get to the venue an hour in advance.  Even the shows which require reservations have limited seating with a decent view if you don't get there at least an hour in advance.  Just what we all want to do - - sit around for hours waiting for shows to start on our vacation so that we can actually see the performance.

The shore excursion in Bermuda was a waste of money.  We chose the shuttle to Horseshoe Bay.  The excursion only gave you four hours on the beach, and our shuttle was over 30 minutes delayed in leaving because ONE guest showed up late.  Thus, our time on the beach was cut short.  When we arrived at the destination, we found out that an airconditioned taxi ride to and from the beach was only $7 per person.  That's all our shore excursion included and it was approximately $40 per person - - and if we'd gone on our own, we wouldn't have been tied to the timeframe of the excursion.

The cleanliness of the public areas leaves a lot to be desired.  The hallways were always cluttered with room service dishes, and the bathrooms near the pools were at times downright disgusting.  

The glass on our balcony wasn't cleaned once while we were on board, and I don't think it was cleaned before we left.  We couldn't even see out of it.  In addition, with the new "smart technology" on board the ship, if we wanted our balcony door open, the air conditioning in our cabin wouldn't work.  In the past, we enjoyed sleeping at night with the breeze from the balcony.  This wasn't an option on Anthem.

I could go on and on with the disappointing experience we had on Anthem of the Seas, but I think what I've said above will give you a good idea of what our experience was.  The common theme among guests we met who had cruised in the past (one woman had taken 38 cruises) was that they would NEVER sail on Anthem of the Seas again, and if Royal Caribbean's customer service on this ship is what it's like on their other ships, we won't be sailing on Royal again.

Nancy Premo

What a wonderful experience for my family. It was our first cruise, what an adventure! The ship was amazing so much to do with RICORD, IFLY, and the Seaplex my family and I had many fun things to do each day! I do wish some of the Seaplex activities were scheduled more often such as the Circus Adventure since the lines were so long that my daughters were not able to attend the 3 times we tried. We will definitely will book this ship again. Fabulous memories!!

Too many bars; sports center/activities very limited schedule; only one pool area is outdoor; average food unless dining at specialty restaurants; Jamie's and sushi were great. not enough time in Bermuda; ship not as stable as the other Royal ships; this is my 4th cruise & for the first time really felt the "rocking" motion; encountered quite a few drunks and unruly behaviors

Awesome ship with great service and entertainment, food is mostly American fare so not overly impressed, not enough seafood choices. Activities for the kids were great, the many pools, Seaplex, Flowrider, rock climbing, basketball, dodgeball, foosball, and ping pong kept them busy.

We also watched Star Wars in 3D.

Plenty to do on this floating city, very good.

Royal Caribbean's Anthem of the Seas is a beautiful ship.  The ship accommodates people of all ages with plenty to do for all.  I stayed in a balcony room that was spacious and comfortable.  The pools are large with room for all.  They are spread throughout the ship.  I did not have a problem finding lounge chairs even though the ship was at full capacity.  The entertainment on the ship was awesome and again, very accommodating for the large amount of people.  Should you decide to take this cruise, I would advise booking your restaurants way in advance as restaurants book up quickly. I would definitely recommend this cruise. Awesome ship and of course, Bermuda is beautiful!

Our favorite part of the cruise was the entertainment on board.  The talent was unbelievable. Bingo was very expensive. Stateroom was very comfortable and kept very clean.

ship itself was beautiful but the activities on board were not managed well everything was booked. People had to wait on stand by to hope for cancellations or no show. I just felt it was poor activities management. 

The favorite part of the cruise was the crew in all capacities.  Servers, restaurant staff, stateroom staff, bartenders, etc. Everyone was quite courteous and helpful. We enjoyed the amenities, but did not appreciate the long lines to use them.  It wasn't as much fun when you waited 45 minutes in line for a few minutes of fun. I didn't like the Dynamic Dining.  It was frustrating to make reservations. I would prefer My Time Dining with either a late or early seating.  Also, you never got the same waiters even when you asked for them because they were already handling other tables.  Availability of food when Windjammer and other restaurants close for an hour or so before dinner and close early at night left something to be desired.  Not like the days of yesterday when the choices were plenty even in the nighttime. All and all just the making of reservations for shows, activities, dinner rather frustrating. All in all we managed to have an enjoyed trip.

good vacation

This ship had something missing ..from day one my family and I felt

it. The way it's designed , the unfriendly staff, the crowdness , the taste of food, 

uncleanless ... We had to wait for half an hour to find a table for breakfast ...the pool area sitting area had Icecream on table..we had to ask twice for it to be cleaned .. Soft drinks aren't free u had to pay for a cruise cup to get drinks

the pool area had one fast food place (Johnny rocket) and it was also with a fee.,

its too much !!!!!!! The kids area .. Lines to the bumping cars ..Xbox etc

overall kids hated this ship ..we were counting the days for our arrival 

The six of us enjoyed the cruise very much. Loved the IFly and North Star and We Will Rock You.  Our only problem came when there was a medical issue in the solarium pool and for several hours we were not able to retrieve our belongings (Seaboard pass, phones, eyeglasses, books, clothing, sunglasses, etc.) and the use of the pool.  When we went to the other pool, the belly flop contest evacuated all the guests so we were incapacitated for several hours.

Nice relaxing cruise.  Larger state rooms a plus.  Too many people with not a lot of activities offered.  Windjammer closed during evening so no great evening dining options.  Staff seemed tired not overly accommodating.  Food was mediocre.  Only stayed in San Juan for 6 hours which was a pity.  Very disappointed in this cruise compared to the other cruised I've taken on Royal Caribbean.  

Having been on over 10 Royal Caribbean cruises I can clearly state that this was the most disappointing.   We stayed in a balcony room, which was very nice.   The ship is beautiful, though there are not many shows/ entertainment.  The swimming pool in very small, especially considering that there are 4,000 guest!  The food in the individual dining room was just OK, however the food was very good at the specialty restaurants.  The service was decent, but not the outstanding service that I am used to on a RCCL.  It seems that because tips are automatically assessed, the staff just doesn't work as hard.  We had one server in the dining area, who was very nice, but clearly overwhelmed.  She had no assistant, though they billed us for gratuity for an assistant waiter.  It took three days to work out problems that we had with our dinner reservations and we never received any help from our headwaiter, who we barely met, but was assessed a gratuity charge for.   I could go on and on. I was very excited about experiencing this new ship,  and though I had a good time, I still left very disappointed. I hope that they can work out the kinks. 

This ship has some restaurants and on board activities the rip cord and flow rider also the bumper cars we a nice addition to normal on board stuff, a must is eating at the wonderland this would cost yo $200 in NYC  

Favorite part of cruise was variety of food at Windjammer, sinks instead of just sanitizer, bumper cars, optional other complimentary food places besides Windjammer.  Entertainment was ok but felt more comedians, jugglers, and/or magicians would've been nice.  Not everyone is into music and it seemed most of the shows were geared that way.  There should be music and other entertainment every night.  Least favorite part of cruise was limited soft serve and lack of # of machines.  Are you kidding me?  A ship of 5,000 people with usually only one machine open and only open between noon and 5 pm.  Some days the ice cream was even too soft to stay in the cone.  Carnival has soft serve 24/7 and usually has at least 4 machines on their ships that aren't nearly the size of this ship....just sayin!!  Also  anytime dining should mean you don't have to make reservations....at least in our past several cruises, that's what it meant.  We were shocked to find out we still needed to make reservations.  Plus the menu was the same for like 3-4 days in a row.  I don't get it!  For these reasons, I gave you a 4 out of 5.  Far from perfection but just the same, some of the perks were nice.

The Anthem is a perfect mix of activities for both adults and kids.  The Seaplex is a multi use facility which changes hourly.  There is roller skating, bumper cars, trapeze lessons, basketball, soccer and more.  The second level of the Seaplex has ping pong, XBox stations, air hockey, foosball tables and a full arcade.  On the topside aft are the Flow Rider (surfing)and I Fly (simulated skydiving).  They are truly unique experiences for everyone.  Also, the Northstar is a glass enclosed room that goes 300 feet above the ship for a truly unique view.

Dining is a unique experience on the Anthem.  Instead of a large dining room they have created 4 smaller themed restaurants.  American Icon, Silk (Asian), Chic and Grande.  Reservations are required, which you can do online before sailing.  The specialty restaurants are amazing. Wonderland is ideal for adventurous foodies. Chops is a more formal steakhouse. But best of all was Jamies Italian. Be sure to order the black truffle pasta.The Windjammer was among the best buffets we have experienced. The solarium cafe, for adults, has a menu of healthy foods. 

The shows are awesome.  We Will Rock You was magnificent, but geared to adults.  The Gift and Spectras Cabaret are great high tech, although the kids found the sound to be too loud most of the time.

Don't miss the robot bartenders in the bionic bar.

The checking process was the really the only real negative thing. They were having technical difficulties and it took us about 2.5 hours at port even though we did all the online check in etc. they didn't pay attention to what groups were seated next to get on board and let others get on first that walked up. After we got on the ship, they continued to have technical difficulties with the bionic bar etc. The soda machines were out of order at times and leaking. 

The rest of the cruise was amazing! The ship is fantastic with plenty to do. Bermuda was absolutely beautiful and I would've loved to stay one more day! It was very easy to use public transportation and go do your own thing! 

Overall, we loved it!! 

Having cruised 3 other times with Royal Caribbean and absolutely loved the experiences, this cruise was a MAJOR and an EXPENSE disappointment all around!. I welcome Royal Caribbean to reach out to my husband and me for further discussion.

Enjoyed the entire cruise and activities and restaurants.....would certainly do it again. The cruise went very fast, indicating how good it really was. Bermuda is beautiful and so much to do you could not possibly do it in 5 days! Will definitely do it again.

We had a 2hour delay getting in the cruise the 1st day that I did not like

I don't understand why I lost my pictures because I did not go the last day to get them. This is computer base program why don't you send an email after the cruise to get my pictures?