Anthem OTS Review (It's Trendy)

Since there have been a ton of Anthem reviews as of late I figured I would jump on board since I consider myself trendy. This review may be a bit different than what usually gets posted as I (24) traveled with my brother (22) over his spring break. This was our second time sailing on this ship, our first being a 5 night to Bermuda in June 2016.

Embarkation:

The process is extremely simple as long as you have checked in online and have your required documentation. From the time we dropped our luggage off, parked and got on the ship about 20 minutes had passed. The longest part of the process was going through security as someone was being held up in front of us, consuming 10 minutes. After that we were whisked over to the blue chairs and immediately checked in by an attendant and sent aboard.

Stateroom:

We booked a balcony guarantee and two days later we were assigned room 12174, a superior oceanview balcony (smaller). It was right by the forward elevators and provided quick access to anywhere we needed to go. The proximity to Adventure Ocean worried be but it did not bring any additional noise. The only noise we dealt with seemed to occur every morning around the same time. It sounded as if someone dropped large weights above us, but it may have just been someone obnoxiously closing a sofa bed.

Ports of Call:

Honestly we pretty much did nothing but enjoy the boat. We didn't plan anything to do in Port Canaveral but will definitely head to Kennedy Space Center next time we find ourselves there. We did venture out to indulge in some gator bites. Our stop in Coco Cay was called off due to high swells that would have endangered passengers riding the tender boats, but we managed to beat the NCL Breakaway to the punch and docked a day early in Nassau for an overnight. We went out to check out a few of the bars/clubs near port recommended by some of the crew.

Entertainment:

We decided to check out the Welcome Aboard show where we were thoroughly entertained by comedian Phil Palisoul. We decided to check him out at his adult only late night comedy show and hilarity ensued. Unfortunately we did not make it to see the other two comedians due to the existence of the Schooner Bar.

Our go-to show was Spectra's Cabaret. The music and technology draw us to the performance. Many of the reviews are right in saying that there isn't really a story line behind the whole thing and I would agree. It is the use of the technology in 270 that makes it special and entertaining. We did not see The Gift but I did stop in on We Will Rock You for about 10 minutes and it wasn't really my glass of Tito's and Tonic. The singers sounded great but the broadway stylization didn't do it for me.

DSB, the Journey tribute band, sounded really good when we would pass through the music hall on our adventures, but we never really stopped to listen to their entire performance. If you like Journey and they are on your sailing you probably shouldn't miss them. The only other entertainment we happened upon was at the Schooner Bar. A Girl Name Jake played sing a longs and other piano music from 9-close. Great voice but abrasively loud.

Dining:

The majority of our breakfasts were in Solarium Bistro. It was never busy and easy to find a table in the small facility. Choices weren't as abundant as the Windjammer, but you had your typical scrambled eggs, meats, potato product, waffles, pancakes, danishes, deli meats (on seas days for brunch), and assorted fruits and desserts. Most people enjoyed taking their breakfast to the loungers and enjoying the view out of the Solarium windows.

Lunch was scattered between the Windjammer, Seaplex Doghouse, Cafe Promenade and Sorrento's Pizza. All were satisfactory and Sorrentos pizza is just your run of the mill pizza, but transforms into a glorious food item at 1:30am.

Prior to sailing we booked the BOGO specialty dining package via the cruise planner. Do not pass this offer up. Our first night was in Jamie's Italian where we were presented with more food than we actually ordered. Our waiter was great and made sure we enjoyed ourselves. Second night was in Wonderland. I consider myself a very adventurous foody and was extremely excited to try out their offerings. The menu set up allows you to sample all of their small bites and choose from 5 mains. I was torn between two choices and was brought out both. If you are into experiencing typical flavors in a different way I would highly recommend experiencing Wonderland.

Other than that we did dinner in the WJ as we wanted something quick as to not miss out on all of the activities. We did do the second formal night in the main dining room. We had My Time Dining and ended up in Silk with absolutely no wait. Since lobster was on the menu I had to indulge. Unfortunately once the tail meat was out of the shell it was almost unrecognizable and was salty and dry. My brother went with gnocchi with braised beef which was significantly better.

Activities:

The Escape Room was really cool. Our team was amazing and managed to break out in a mere 27 minutes, which we were told was a ship record. We scheduled our North Star while we were in port at Nassau in order to get some good views of the island. The 9 minute ride was breathtaking and provided a great photo op. I would suggest doing it while in port because seeing nothing but water at 300ft is the same as seeing it out of any window. iFly was also on the schedule but we ended up cancelling... did I mention the Schooner Bar yet?

Staff:

The staff on this ship are very friendly. Whenever we walked down the hallway we were greeted by stateroom attendants. The staff at the WJ were also friendly and a lot of fun. They had a dance party on the last night and handed out balloon hats to all of the children. If you haven't realized yet we spent a lot of time at the Schooner Bar and stayed nightly until they closed. The team of Giovanni, Aleksander, Tomislav, Igusti, and Kirt were all very entertaining. When it wasn't busy we had the opportunity to learn about them as well as them about us. Learning about people is one of my favorite parts of cruising. If you sail soon make sure you stop by and grab a drink from them. Giovanni is also really good with cards. Our other go to spot was the Sunshine Bar for a wake-up call. Jelena is awesome, we spent a lot of time with her on our last sailing, and has the ability to remember everyone's drink of choice.

Cruise Director Dru Pavlov is hilariously entertaining and puts on one hell of a Quest. We cruised with him in June and were really happy to see he would be back on Anthem as of this sailing. If he wasn't busy he would stop and have a chat with anyone about anything. The Activity Manager Kevin Tugwell was just as great and the two of them teamed up to put on a great show. Kevin hosted our Meet & Mingle with an appearance by Dru.

Disembarkation:

Unfortunately all things must come to an end. Originally we wanted to self carry but decided to enjoy the last night and sleep a bit later. Our scheduled time to get off was 8:15 but we were called at 8am. We were off the boat and through customs in about 30 minutes. No hassle at all.

Anthem is a beautiful ship and I wish I can spend more time on that boat. I was surprised at the number of spring breakers on the boat as I didn't consider the price point of the ship to be within budget for most college students. There wasn't an overwhelming amount of children, or at least unruly children since the sailing coincided with spring break in Ontario. My next journey will be my second trip to Bermuda in June and third time on Anthem (86 days ughhhh). I plan on live blogging that trip and hope you join in! Until next time!

XJokerX...thanks for taking us along on your cruise.

Very nice report, thanks.:)

Thanks for the review.

Thanks for the feedback.

Thanks for the fun review! Do you recall how far in advance you were able to book the Specialty Dining? And when you say you booked via the Cruise Planner, are you referring to the RCCL page? Thank you!

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Thanks for the fun review! Do you recall how far in advance you were able to book the Specialty Dining? And when you say you booked via the Cruise Planner, are you referring to the RCCL page? Thank you!

 

 

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We were probably 60 days or so out when we booked the specialty dining but it was available well before that. And yes we booked via the RCCL page cruise planner.

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How did you manage to book the escape room? I was told it's always booked.. Where do you go on the ship on embarkation day to sign up? Thanks for any help you can give.

Thanks for the review joker. Getting us hyped for our impending trip on Anthem in 3 days! Really appreciate the insights and glad you had a blast.

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Thanks for the great review!

Yes, your whole review is great, and a bit different from most reviews; overall very helpful. I think the most important thing I learned from it personally was your thoughts on the North Star. I've never read a comment like that before but, when you think about, trying it in port gives a much greater view. I'll have to remember that when I cruise Anthem in October. Thanks!

How did you manage to book the escape room? I was told it's always booked.. Where do you go on the ship on embarkation day to sign up? Thanks for any help you can give.

After the 90 day out mark I made it a daily routine to check the cruise planner and made the reservation on there. The reservations became available somewhere around 70 days out and stayed open for quite some time.

On embarkation day they will set up in the royal theatre and a few other locations for you to book shows and activities.

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Thank you for your review. We live in Florida and we are used to the ships from here. I have wanted to go on Anthem and Bermuda but the price and the timing had to be right. So I finally got the price I wanted and we are booked for May 11.

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Did you attempt to change the times or choices for the specialty dining BOGO? What times did you get?

Yes, your whole review is great, and a bit different from most reviews; overall very helpful. I think the most important thing I learned from it personally was your thoughts on the North Star. I've never read a comment like that before but, when you think about, trying it in port gives a much greater view. I'll have to remember that when I cruise Anthem in October. Thanks!

I agree with the OP and doing Northstar with land in view. We did Northstar on day 1 of our cruise, 1 1/2 hours after we had left port, while we were still close to New York. It was beautiful seeing the city in the distance.

Great review, XJokerX.

good info about AO on 12. nice to know no additional noise. funny the perspectives on north star. some say you must do it at sea, others happy at port. i think ill be blessed if it actually goes off whenever i can get a reservation :)

for BOGO do you have to specify that you are using that vs any other special dining pack you may have already purchased? i have an 8 niter planned and was going to buy 3 and if bogo is offered to me then i guess id have 5 specialties. i hope i can eat that many :)

Did you attempt to change the times or choices for the specialty dining BOGO? What times did you get?

As soon as we stepped on board we went right to the desk at Wonderland to check on our reservations. I selected 5:30 for the first night and were placed in Jamie's. They pick the first night for you and leave it up to you to choose the second. We chose Wonderland as our second night and only 8:30 was available so we went with that.

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for BOGO do you have to specify that you are using that vs any other special dining pack you may have already purchased? i have an 8 niter planned and was going to buy 3 and if bogo is offered to me then i guess id have 5 specialties. i hope i can eat that many :)

The BOGO is automatically scheduled for your first two nights. I'm not sure on the 3/4/5 nights. I would assume you have the ability to select your nights with the 3/4/5. We were going to do Jamie's again but the money I won at the casino was donated right back.

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With the Bogo is the chefs table included on the anthem ?

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With the Bogo is the chefs table included on the anthem ?

 

 

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No. Wonderland, Chops, Izumi, and Jamie's Italian are the options with the BOGO.

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Thanks for the great information!

I think it's great you and your brother vacationed together. Two of my sons are approaching your ages and I'd love that for them.

I thought someone mentioned that Chefs table was included though?

I'm pretty sure we were part of your triumphant escape room experience [emoji106]🏻. That was our sailing (March 12) and our escape time too! It was myself, hubby and our 16 yr old daughter. Ring any bells? It certainly was lots of fun. And for the people asking about booking, I was the same as the OP - just kept watching for it to be available. I also agree about the North Star. We did it just before sail away from Nassau and the view was amazing. Okay I admit I had to sit on the floor once we reached the top because I'm terrified of heights. But I still lived! This was our first RCI ship and it did not disappoint!

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I'm pretty sure we were part of your triumphant escape room experience [emoji106]🏻. That was our sailing (March 12) and our escape time too! It was myself, hubby and our 16 yr old daughter. Ring any bells? It certainly was lots of fun. And for the people asking about booking, I was the same as the OP - just kept watching for it to be available. I also agree about the North Star. We did it just before sail away from Nassau and the view was amazing. Okay I admit I had to sit on the floor once we reached the top because I'm terrified of heights. But I still lived! This was our first RCI ship and it did not disappoint!

 

 

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Are you in here? I popped the lock on the final box.

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I thought someone mentioned that Chefs table was included though?

I'm almost sure that it is specifically mentioned as an exclusion when selecting the BOGO online. I will check again.

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