Anthem of the Seas Cruise Reviews - Reviews

The cruise was a very nice one as cruise's go the ship is very big and had loads of attractions and if this is what you like then this the ship for you.

I thought the food was fair for cruise food not bad but far from great.

The staff and crew members were fantastic and great I would say you can't find better.

I think the night life on board was alright but ended to early and they needed more places to eat after a evening out.

Room service 1-2 hour wait for simple things like wraps and salads.

Not all items from menu are available from the already limited room service menu.

Long wait in main buffet dining hall, to the point where people are told to please give up their seats as soon as they're done eating during breakfast/lunch.

No drink waiters/waitresses walking around offering drinks by any of the pools (3) and if you ask a staff member to send someone over to take a drink order don't expect them to come back.

Excursions are misleading to what is included- extra charges may apply.

very slow dining room service and some waiters will bring you the appetizer and meal at the same time as if they wanted you to hurry up and get out.

if you're expecting a laid back vacation, do not take a cruise on this ship!!!!

This was my 7th cruise, And  this was definitely the worst cruise I have ever taken.

Go with carnival instead!!!

The boat is in new; it's design, artistic selection, and facilities are top notch (except the SLOW elevators)!

The crew were great/friendly - certainly above norm compared to some other cruise lines. "Dynamic dinning" is not my thing and it could be hard to get a reservation (unless you are tech savvy and spend time planning prior to cruising). I hate the smoking section on deck 14, it affects half the path way (or the ship) on the deck where the main restaurant is located (and traffic is heavy).

Got off to a slow start in the restaurants. Seemed to take a little longer to be served than the old system (main dining). Found out that you may still opt for Classic dining which at least provides the same staff at the different restaurants. Will definitely try that next cruise. For some reasons the portions seemed to be larger but still delicious. The entertainment was off the charts!! I got to try the Rip Cord and Bumper cars which were great. Didn't get to try the "globe" :) Maybe next time. Last but not least I got to participate in the Thriller flash mob which has been a lifetime goal :)

Being the inaugural cruise for the USA season many of the crew had only just joined the ship and as a result there was a lot of disorganisation in the restaurants which meant queues despite reservations being made had to wait with those with no reservations 

if a dress code is stated for a restaurant eg Grande - formal attire  this needs to be adhered to not just handed a jacket by the staff at the door as this was a requirement covering up casual attire 

The ship is beautiful, new and pristine. Royal Carribean is trying to set this one apart from the other ships. They have "dynamic dining", this is not clearly explained and there were many complaints on the ship. You MUST make reservations for every night at each restaurant you choose before you board or you risk being shut out of the restaurant of your choice. There is NO longer any "main" dining room, all dining is done either at the buffet, the complimentary dining rooms or the "specialty" fee based restaurants. There is limited availibility to do "casual" dining where you will rotate through each of the complimentary restaurants with the same waitstaff and dining party, I was not offered this as a choice and was not aware of it. They try to tell you that you can do standby if someone doesn't show for the reservation, but this is not always the case.  I witnessed couples being turned away and being told they are completely booked. You can only make 1 reservation for the Ifly, and northstar, they will open limited reservations on the cruise, it is hard to get a time that you desire.  You MUST make reservations for the shows, I also witnessed people being shut out of the entertainment because they did not pre-book thier shows.  There is a line for standby.  If you do not participate in the "active" activities, I found that the days at sea had limited activities.  They should have more demonstrations, trivia games, tours ect... The bionic bar is a novelty and was frequently empty (around $12 a drink). The royal carribean shop had a few $10 sales, the area is small and it was like wild animals grabbing everything in sight, It was not a way to shop, very uncivilized. If they had the sale going all day, they would have made the money anyway. The food was good, I wish they would label on the menu if the fish is farmed or wild caught, I did ask and the salmon is farmed as well as the chilean bass. They ran out of lettuce and bananas, they said the produce did not meet the standard of the ship and was refused.  This was not good for the vegetarians. Rock the boat band found in the music hall was great, played some 50's mostly 60's,70's, great to sing along to. Fosters oil can beer was the great value at 6.50 a can but you had to ask for it, it was not on all the menu's.  Only a few 1 hour 2 for 1 drink specials and the drinks were repeated so if you do not drink marguarita's, cosmopolitains, mojito's or long island ice tea's, you are out of luck.  Drink in port, the drinks are cheaper and more potent.

We had a balcony on the 8th floor, I found it spacious and just fine for the 12 days. Staff is very curteous and helpful.  The cruise directors staff are very energetic, always look like they are having fun and seek to engage the audience. Martinique is the only port I did not like, there is a LOT of construction going on, we walked around the town for a little bit, saw some homeless people and went back by the ship. Took the ferry over to the resort areas.

The ship itself is very high tech, they have some things to work out, but overall a very nice cruise.

Overall a very good experience.  The only real complaint is the food quality and service in the no-fee restaurants was not good enough for this caliber of ship and the price paid. 

This was a special 12 night Caribbean cruise, leaving from Cape Liberty, NJ. The cruise port was a great surprise.  The new parking lot is finished and boarding is a snap.  We parked the car and were met, in the garage, by a RCI employee who was holding a tablet.  He scanned our passports and stamped our boarding pass.  We entered the terminal and were sent right to the ship.  Wow, only 10 minutes after we parked and we were aboard.  The ship is beautiful and extremely easy to navigate.  The elevators are plentiful and there are plenty of restrooms available.

The shows were as good as any we have ever seen.  Previously, we have sailed on Royal Caribbean (Allure and Oasis), Holland America, Carnival (once was enough) and Norwegian.  There are lots of venues open all of the time, with plenty of activities for whatever you enjoy.

The Sea Plex (deck 15) is a multi use facility.  A schedule is always posted.  They have basketball, football (teens), trapeze lessons, roller skating and bumper cars.  Up a flight of stairs overlooking the arena, there are X-Box stations, foosball, ping pong, air hockey and an arcade.  Since this was mid-November, there were very few children.  We are sailing on the Anthem again in July, with our kids and grandkids and expect lots of kids on that one.

On the top deck, they have the FlowRider, the Northern Star and a rock wall.  The I Fly (skydiving) requires reservations.

The 2 Seventy theater is awesome.  It is in the aft part of the ship and is always open.  There is a Cabaret Show (fantastic) and lots of activities all week.  There are trivia contests, cooking demos, meets with the crew among other things.  There is a cafe there, as well.  Don't miss the roast beef sandwiches or the tuna wraps.

The only "downer" was the dynamic dining, that has been instituted on the Anthem.  There are 4 dining rooms, each with a different theme and menu.  American ICON was our first meal and a total disappointment, although others we spoke to enjoyed it.  It seems that the staff is not fully aware of the menu, yet.  The wine steward only takes wine orders and is not there to make recommendations.  The CHIC restaurant was wonderful, as were SILK (Asian) and Grande.  

The specialty restaurants were awesome, especially Jamie's Italian and Chops.  If you eat at Jamie's, you MUST get the black truffle pasta. If you are a foodie and are adventurous, DO NOT miss Wonderland.  I won't ruin it for you by telling you the menu. There is also a great British pub, with lots of beers available and a Sushi restaurant.  Of course, there is Sorrentos, which is on every RCI ship and a wonderful coffe shop/bakery.  The robot bartenders are really fun and there was never a big crowd there.

There seem to be adequate deck chairs available on decks 14 and 15; we never had a problem finding chairs.

The WiFi is expensive, if you need to be online all of the time.  In the library, there are 4 computers avaliable and you can use a pay-as-you-go (24 continuous hours from login) as well.

There are lots of places to just "veg out" inside the ship or to get togther with a group and play cards.

We expected more formality, but the passengers were totally laid back and very friendly.  The Grande restaurant has sign stating "Gentlemen must wear jackets", but less than half of the men had jackets on.

All-in-all we had a winderful cruise.  The Captain, who will be moving to another ship, kept us informed throughout the week.

We have been on Royal Caribbean many times but this Anthem of the Seas ship was a bad experience.

They had so many people piled into the ship that it was very hard for example it was hard to find a table in the Windjammer Buffet Restaurant at any time. Very few wait staff are there to clear away the dirty dishes. Also the loungers on the indoor decks by the pool all had blue towels on them for the whole day (being saved) SO we never managed to get one. Long lines for restaurants, mediocre food, but the staff were always smiley and pleasant and the ship clean and really beautifully built. The Schooner Bar is half the size of Schooner bars on other RC ships so when you go for Trivia you cannot get a seat, even if you go 30 minutes early -- also there are very few wait staff in the bars. Our balcony cabin was lovely and we spent most of the time in it rather than battle huge crowds in all the public rooms and public areas. The arrival in Bayonne NJ was a complete disaster.

None of the few number of staff in Customs and Immigration had any idea what was going on. There were  NO taxis at the dock, only shuttles etc. RC should get its act together for this ship. We will NOT be using Royal Caribbean again.

Anthem of the Seas is a beautiful ship.   The staff is courteous and well trained.   The decor is very pleasing, the ship is very clean and well maintained.  

Communication between advance bookings and restaurants is lacking as they present bills for meals which have been prepaid.   Billing errors are frequent requiring trips to guest services to adjust.    Dress code is confusing and should be more uniform on certain evenings, rather than dictated by where you dine that evening.  Often some are formal while others are in jeans, which makes one feel that formality is not necessary.    Shows are very good and professional.   Alternative dining options are expensive considering that much the same food is available in the included dining areas.   I would not pay extra for those venues in the future.    Ports of call were great!   Ship is large enough to swallow up the 4000+ passengers without feeling crowded.  Internet service is way too costly.

 My first disappointment was the smoking on the balconies. I have asthma and had to endure smoke in my cabin several times a day & especially at night. My complaints fell on deaf ears.I was told my asthma is not a top priority the concern is fire. I was also told you do not want to be sued for false accusation..Why wasn't there more emphasis on the no smoking rules thru reminders by the Captain and in print in the daily brochures. Your extra charges for water out of the room frig-- charges for room service- charge for a can of coke-despite having purchased a premium package for drinks. Prices on wine list not consistent with charges incurred..

The general consensus among many passengers  was the ship was only about extra charges. Impression of the ship when we boarded--it looked like a mall with shops on 4th-5th floor. The high cost on additional restaurants on the ship was also an issue with many people.

The ship is a big beautiful smooth sailing five star hotel with problems! There are not enough elevators on board making passengers wait a long time only to find the one that finally arrives packed with people. The outside pool area is too small making it impossible to find an open deck lounge, and if your luckily enough to find one there is no room between them forcing you to crawl onto them! More than half the pool area is devoted to children making it noisy and uncomfortable to relax.

On the other side the ship is exceptionally smooth sailing and very beautiful appointed with all the latest interactive features you could want.

The staff on this ship with the exception of a few people were at the least unfriendly with some being completely rude! They acted like we were bothering them when we needed something. A few times we were completely ignored.

Overall a fun time. Not sure we will ever sail out of NJ in winter again. Feels like you lost a day and a half each end due to cold

Overall we had a good time. Really wish they would change up the ports and ships out of Bayonne a little more often.

Was very happy with the cruise!! Booked a cruise while on board. Going out of Bayonne on liberty of the seas in August 2024!

Always make you feel like family. Very helpful, and great. Service

Overall average cruise. Too many port days in a row.

Anthem offers a multitude of activities form young to old. The ship is full of hidden quiet spaces to unwind or upbeat activities.

Nice and quiet solarium loved bumper cars. Service and staff needed LOTS of work