My Trip Report: Anthem of the Seas April 21-28, 2018

Hello Cruise Critic! My husband and I returned from our Anthem Bahamas cruise yesterday, and I wanted to share some of our general experiences and observations. This will be less of a review and more of a report; I will organize this report by general category, and then elaborate further within each category.

First, some brief background information about this trip/us. My husband and I are 27; we booked this cruise to celebrate our 5th anniversary, and this cruise was our second- our first being Oasis in May 2017.The Eastern Caribbean itinerary on Harmony was our first choice but due to various limitations, Anthem it was! We are now hoping to do Harmony or Symphony next year!

Also, we do not have children so I will not be able to provide any information about any of the kid’s programming/activities, nor do I have the Cruise Compasses for the week. I know CC members find them helpful but I just didn’t get a chance to take pictures of them- sorry!

Finally, keep in mind that since this was only our second cruise, my perspectives and opinions will likely be different than those of a more experienced cruiser, but I hope my report is helpful to others, as reviews and trip reports have been invaluable resources for our cruising!

Let’s begin…

Pre-Cruise/Embarkation

We flew from Charlotte into Newark the morning of departure.Ordinarily, that is not something we would do; however, with the port being so close to the airport, and since we were able to purchase an early morning flight, we were confident that there wouldn’t be any timing issues. Also, departure ended up being delayed due to extra cleaning/sanitation measures so we ended up having to wait a few hours at the airport since we were not able to wait at the pier terminal. From the airport we used Lyft to get the port. I would definitely recommend a same-day flight as long as it arrives in the morning. Traffic into the drop-off area at the port was bad (possibly due to the check-in delay?), but the check-in and boarding process was smooth and quick once we were inside the terminal.

Stateroom

Our cabin was 7110, an Obstructed View Balcony. It had a large “porthole” opening rather than a full, traditional balcony window/opening.There was part of the boat obtruding directly beneath the balcony, but to me it didn't feel “obstructed”- the views were still awesome. We would book this room again and recommend it to others. A word of caution to anyone considering this stateroom:o- since this is the first room at the front of the boat, on the other side of one of the walls is a maintenance room or something- it was a little noisy some nights. Not terribly loud, just something to keep in mind.

Ship

Anthem felt slightly more crowded than Oasis, but really only when leaving the theaters after a show or outside on sea days. Still, the crowds were not overwhelming. It really is a beautiful boat- modern, clean, and easy to navigate.

Ports/Excursions

Port Canaveral: This was the least exciting port for us as we have both been to Florida many times, but we purchased tickets (on our own) for the Kennedy Space Center and took an Uber to and from the port. There was adequate time to enjoy the facilities and it is a really neat place.

CocoCay: I am SO happy we were able to tender, and this ended up being our favorite stop this trip, and possibly favorite overall so far. We booked a beach bungalow (not a cabana) and would absolutely recommend this. The beach was practically private, the water was stunning, and there were even visits from stingrays and nurse sharks. I have a few pictures looking out from the bungalow that I can share if anyone is interested.

Nassau: We originally booked Atlantis Aquaventure, but when a morning downpour rolled around, we decided to not take our chances and switched to the Bahama Brews tour- this ended up being a lot of fun and our tour guide, Orchid, was awesome. We look forward to doing the water park next time!

Food/Beverage

This was the first time we both purchased drink package(Royal Refreshment). I would not have purchased it if they hadn’t implemented the new requirement that if one person in the stateroom purchases it, each person has to, but we were able to get it at a discount so I used it as much as I could.

Tip: The drink package “fine print” states that it is not valid for Starbucks purchases, but I asked on day 1 and was able to use the package at La Patisserie (which serves Starbucks coffee) with no issue. Perhaps this is because they only serve Starbucks beverages and are not a licensed location. Regardless, it was Starbucks so I was happy!

Specialty dining: We made a dinner reservation for Jamie’s Italian one night- YUM! All of our other meals were at the included restaurants.

Main dining room: Everything was great, no complaints. We were both happy with the menus, food, and service. I love food but don’t consider myself a “foodie”- I’m pretty easy to please and will try just about anything! We were happy to have a server (Austin) that we wanted to ask for throughout the week.

Crew/Staff

Our stateroom attendant, Robert, kept the room clean and was always friendly and helpful. We are easygoing and clean people, so I feel we never gave him too much extra work!

I was also very impressed with the cruise director, Clo (“Hello Clo”)! She was funny,engaging, at almost every show/event on the boat.

Entertainment/Activities

My husband and I didn’t get to everything the Anthem had to offer, but I feel that we were able to take advantage of just about every afternoon/evening shows and activities that we wanted to. We are not sure if that can be attributed to how well everything was scheduled, or if it’s because we knew more what to expect this time around,so we were able to plan our time better. Either way, Anthem has plenty to do(or not do, if that’s what you prefer)!

SeaPlex: Awesome venue. We only participated in the bumper cars but enjoyed watching the other activities that took place throughout the week.

Ripcord: What a fun and unique experience to do on a ship! Tip: You will not be able to take anything into the tunnel, so if you want to document the experience, I would recommend either booking separate times or having someone (whether in your party or not!) take photos or video.

North Star: This is a very cool idea but the execution is a HOT MESS. Our biggest issues were that the check-in process was entirely manual and rides were overbooked. We scheduled our ride for 2pm and didn’t get to go up until just after 3 due to both of those factors. It was pretty frustrating. Everything else that reservations are needed for, your SeaPass card is needed for validation, so why not this as well? Major opportunity for improvement there.

Spectra’s Cabaret: Very visually fascinating and enjoyable! Two70 is a really neat venue and I thoroughly enjoyed the show.

We Will Rock You: I love Queen so I was looking forward to this show from the time we booked the cruise, and it did not disappoint! Amazing vocals and choreography, and fun story line.

The Gift: Very..interesting. It seemed to be a running joke that the plot was loose and hard to follow- even the cruise director made a joke after the show, asking if a kid could explain the plot to everyone else! Still, the cast was extremely talented and I have been consistently impressed at the quality of talent in Royal Caribbean shows!

Headliner/Comedy Shows: I didn’t see any promotion for the comedy/headliner shows prior to the cruise, but I was happy to see that they were actually on the schedule! Both comedians and the headliner show were all hilarious and entertaining.

The Quest: I don’t want to give too much away for those who haven’t seen it yet, but it is essentially a scavenger hunt/show that is not for the easily offended or children! Crazy and hilarious but prepare yourself for..anything!

Matt Yee’s Outrageous Adult Sing-Along Show: This was one of our go-to evening events. Matt Yee did his adult sing-along show in the Schooner bar every night and it was always standing room only. Do not miss!!

Disembarkation/Post-Cruse

Similar to embarkation day, 10 am flight home day of arrival in Bayonne. We elected to do self-assist disembarkation at 6:30 am. Despite being told the wrong meeting location, we walked off the boat, went through customs, and arrived at Newark with plenty of time to spare. We left our room around 6:30 am and were at the airport just before 8.

Final Notes

Of course, no vacation can be perfect, but I hope it is clear that my husband and I thoroughly enjoyed our time on Anthem. We are both hooked on cruising and I look forward to our next!

I think that about covers it! Feel free to ask me anything, and I will do my best to answer! (Please be patient with me- I will be out some of the evening tonight and go back to work tomorrow.) Thanks for reading!

Thanks for sharing. Great report!

Even with the pool deck being super busy on sea days, do you feel there was ample sun loungers available? I realize you have to get u there early on sea days, but in general...

Great review, thanks for sharing/

Even with the pool deck being super busy on sea days, do you feel there was ample sun loungers available? I realize you have to get u there early on sea days, but in general...

On the main decks, I definitely felt there were enough! We usually went out after breakfast, around 10-11ish, and never had any issues finding chairs. If you want a specific spot (such as one closer to the pool or in front of the tv screen), I would recommend getting there early. The chairs in those spots definitely went first. The Solarium was a different story- we were never able to find two chairs together. We probably would have had to get there by 7 or 8 to get chairs in there. Hope that helps!

Great review, thanks for sharing/

Thanks for sharing. Great report!

My pleasure, I appreciate the comments! :D

Enjoyed your review

Sent from my SM-G965U using Forums mobile app

On the main decks, I definitely felt there were enough! We usually went out after breakfast, around 10-11ish, and never had any issues finding chairs. If you want a specific spot (such as one closer to the pool or in front of the tv screen), I would recommend getting there early. The chairs in those spots definitely went first. The Solarium was a different story- we were never able to find two chairs together. We probably would have had to get there by 7 or 8 to get chairs in there. Hope that helps!

Good to know. Thanks for the review! :D

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I am on the anthem in September and cannot wait.

A couple of questions about getting off the ship - were you able to get breakfast anywhere - 630 am is early but we were thinking about trying it out. Where did you have to meet ?

Thank you for the great review! Sailing on her in a few weeks. Do you know if there were any cases of norovirus on this sailing or was it contained to the prior sailing?

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I am on the anthem in September and cannot wait.

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Forums mobile app

A couple of questions about getting off the ship - were you able to get breakfast anywhere - 630 am is early but we were thinking about trying it out. Where did you have to meet ?

We were told to meet in front of the Royal Theater, but ended up having to leave out of the doors by the aft elevators. Not sure if we missed the announcement or if the location changed at the last minute. Either way, it still worked well for us!

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Forums mobile app

Thank you for the great review! Sailing on her in a few weeks. Do you know if there were any cases of norovirus on this sailing or was it contained to the prior sailing?

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Forums mobile app

Thank you sor sharing. Your review was really appreciated.

Thank you so much for your report, I really enjoyed reading it, straight to the point and informative Going on Anthem Jan 2019, and can't wait. This will be my first time on any Royal ship. I'm also in an obstructed balcony cabin but on deck 6. Someone on here said the obstruction wasn't that bad in that same cabin, so I'm ok with that.

Thank you sor sharing. Your review was really appreciated.

Thanks for reading! :D

Thank you so much for your report, I really enjoyed reading it, straight to the point and informative Going on Anthem Jan 2019, and can't wait. This will be my first time on any Royal ship. I'm also in an obstructed balcony cabin but on deck 6. Someone on here said the obstruction wasn't that bad in that same cabin, so I'm ok with that.

I hope you have a great time! It's an awesome ship and there is so much to do! :D

thank you for sharing your great vacation with us!

Nice, positive review which helps me decide about booking this ship.

Matt Yee’s Outrageous Adult Sing-Along Show: This was one of our go-to evening events. Matt Yee did his adult sing-along show in the Schooner bar every night and it was always standing room only. Do not miss!!

Thanks so much for your thorough and informative review! We're sailing on the Anthem in 11 days and it sounds like we would love Matt Yee's sing-along show. Was this a late-night activity?

Thanks so much for your thorough and informative review! We're sailing on the Anthem in 11 days and it sounds like we would love Matt Yee's sing-along show. Was this a late-night activity?

It's at 9:30 each night! Hope you enjoy it as much as we did! :)

thank you for sharing your great vacation with us!

Thanks for reading! :)

Nice, positive review which helps me decide about booking this ship.

I'm so glad to hear that- that's what I was hoping for when I posted this report! Hope you have an awesome trip!

On was on the Anthem the same time as you! It was amazing. We enjoyed everything about it and we have been on many RCCL cruises. We went every night to listen to the Royal Swedes. They were so good!! Definitely recommend seeing them. We are going back on the Anthem in August for the New England/Canada cruise and they will still be performing on the ship. Thanks for your great report.

How many formal nights on this cruise?