Trip Review: Anthem of the Seas 4/7 - 4/14

Sincere thank you to all who replied to my pre-cruise questions and for everyone who shares such great tips, shortcuts, suggestions, and experiences. This is my contribution and I hope you enjoy it and are able to use some of the info in it. I don't have pictures to share just now; if I can figure out how to load/upload them, I will at some point. I've tried to organize this by category for easy reading and like most others, use a series of posts.

Us: DH and I are 61 and 58, still working, have no children, and live just outside Chicago. This is our 9th or so cruise, many of them on Celebrity, 2 (together) on Royal - Platinum level, soon to be Emerald.

Planning: After spending several years in Las Vegas 2-3 times per year, we were yearning to get back on a cruise ship. Having been to the Caribbean and Bahamas many times, never to the NYC area, or on a mega ship, Anthem checked off most boxes for us this time around. I spent a lot of time researching the ship, the ports, the deck plans, and what Anthem had to offer. Although I like a surprise here and there, I'm an obsessive planner and list maker. So, by the time we boarded, our plans were pretty much in place for dining, entertainment, shore excursions, transportation, etc.. I booked our shows and My Time Dining about a month out.

Travel Day: Saturday, April 7 dawned clear, but C-O-L-D in Chicago. Because we chose to fly in the day of departure I had been nervously watching the weather in Chicago and Newark the previous week. As it turned out, the weather was perfect for travel. Our flight was smooth and quick, leaving at 7:55 AM and getting into Newark at 10:55 AM. We arrived 25 minutes early. From advice on this Board, we had booked Dial 17 Car Service a month before the cruise to pick us up at EWR for the 20 minute ride to Cape Liberty. Dial 17 was great. When you reserve a car they send a confirmation email which contains a link. Once you're curbside with your luggage you click on the link and within a minute or so, our driver responded saying he was 5-6 minutes away. He pulled up in a Lincoln SUV [considered a "standard car"] and we were off to the pier. The driver was personable and professional, and we were happy to sit back and take in the sights.

The trip to the pier was smooth until we turned onto the two-lane access road leading to the pier. Then it got congested, but we were at the door within about 10 minutes. Total for our transport, tolls, and tip was $71.00. I can recommend Dial 17 highly for efficiency and complete ease.

Check in/Embarkation: At 11:15 AM the terminal was packed with people snaking their way through the security and check in lines. Although it seemed to be mass confusion it was actually a pretty smooth process and Royal does a good job of getting a lot of people through in relatively short order. We did not take a pre-cruise photo, and our experience was very quick. The agent handed us our Seapass card, we went up the escalator and before we knew it DING (you know the sound...squeeeee!)...we were onboard!:D

The gangway was on Deck 2. Staterooms were not ready so we went upstairs to Deck 14 get a look around and grab lunch. We were struck by the modern beauty and cleanliness of the ship. Deck 14 is home to the indoor/outdoor/solarium pools and also the WINDJAMMER. We decided to have our lunch there. As we expected it was very, very crowded. After a bit of walking around we found a table near the back and then made our way through the crowds to the serving stations. Lunch was very good, and I'll get into the specifics of the Windjammer later in reviewing the dining sections.

Sweet! Thanks for reporting back!

When you say indoor/outdoor solarium, from photos it looks like the solarium is all indoor? Where there teenagers there through the cruise or mostly adults?

OP said indoor/outdoor/Solarium pools - Anthem has 3 different pool areas. The Solarium pool is supposed to be restricted to 16 and over. The under 16's can use the Indoor and Outdoor pools.

Following. Thinking of sailing Anthem in 2019.

Leaving in 9 days! Anxious to hear about yours. So far so good!!

Following!

Sincere thank you to all who replied to my pre-cruise questions and for everyone who shares such great tips, shortcuts, suggestions, and experiences. This is my contribution and I hope you enjoy it and are able to use some of the info in it. I don't have pictures to share just now; if I can figure out how to load/upload them, I will at some point. I've tried to organize this by category for easy reading and like most others, use a series of posts.

 

Us: DH and I are 61 and 58, still working, have no children, and live just outside Chicago. This is our 9th or so cruise, many of them on Celebrity, 2 (together) on Royal - Platinum level, soon to be Emerald.

 

Planning: After spending several years in Las Vegas 2-3 times per year, we were yearning to get back on a cruise ship. Having been to the Caribbean and Bahamas many times, never to the NYC area, or on a mega ship, Anthem checked off most boxes for us this time around. I spent a lot of time researching the ship, the ports, the deck plans, and what Anthem had to offer. Although I like a surprise here and there, I'm an obsessive planner and list maker. So, by the time we boarded, our plans were pretty much in place for dining, entertainment, shore excursions, transportation, etc.. I booked our shows and My Time Dining about a month out.

 

Travel Day: Saturday, April 7 dawned clear, but C-O-L-D in Chicago. Because we chose to fly in the day of departure I had been nervously watching the weather in Chicago and Newark the previous week. As it turned out, the weather was perfect for travel. Our flight was smooth and quick, leaving at 7:55 AM and getting into Newark at 10:55 AM. We arrived 25 minutes early. From advice on this Board, we had booked Dial 17 Car Service a month before the cruise to pick us up at EWR for the 20 minute ride to Cape Liberty. Dial 17 was great. When you reserve a car they send a confirmation email which contains a link. Once you're curbside with your luggage you click on the link and within a minute or so, our driver responded saying he was 5-6 minutes away. He pulled up in a Lincoln SUV [considered a "standard car"] and we were off to the pier. The driver was personable and professional, and we were happy to sit back and take in the sights.

 

The trip to the pier was smooth until we turned onto the two-lane access road leading to the pier. Then it got congested, but we were at the door within about 10 minutes. Total for our transport, tolls, and tip was $71.00. I can recommend Dial 17 highly for efficiency and complete ease.

 

Check in/Embarkation: At 11:15 AM the terminal was packed with people snaking their way through the security and check in lines. Although it seemed to be mass confusion it was actually a pretty smooth process and Royal does a good job of getting a lot of people through in relatively short order. We did not take a pre-cruise photo, and our experience was very quick. The agent handed us our Seapass card, we went up the escalator and before we knew it DING (you know the sound...squeeeee!)...we were onboard!:D

 

The gangway was on Deck 2. Staterooms were not ready so we went upstairs to Deck 14 get a look around and grab lunch. We were struck by the modern beauty and cleanliness of the ship. Deck 14 is home to the indoor/outdoor/solarium pools and also the WINDJAMMER. We decided to have our lunch there. As we expected it was very, very crowded. After a bit of walking around we found a table near the back and then made our way through the crowds to the serving stations. Lunch was very good, and I'll get into the specifics of the Windjammer later in reviewing the dining sections.

I was on this cruise too and loved it! Beautiful ship!

Allyson

I was on this cruise too and loved it! Beautiful ship!

 

 

 

Allyson

Any outbreak of the norovirus on your cruise? This current cruise seems to have an outbreak. We are on the Saturday cruise and they are asking us to board after 11:30 as they are sanitizing the ship.

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Any outbreak of the norovirus on your cruise? This current cruise seems to have an outbreak. We are on the Saturday cruise and they are asking us to board after 11:30 as they are sanitizing the ship.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

None that I am aware of.

Allyson

Sincere thank you to all who replied to my pre-cruise questions and for everyone who shares such great tips, shortcuts, suggestions, and experiences. This is my contribution and I hope you enjoy it and are able to use some of the info in it. I don't have pictures to share just now; if I can figure out how to load/upload them, I will at some point. I've tried to organize this by category for easy reading and like most others, use a series of posts.

 

Us: DH and I are 61 and 58, still working, have no children, and live just outside Chicago. This is our 9th or so cruise, many of them on Celebrity, 2 (together) on Royal - Platinum level, soon to be Emerald.

 

Planning: After spending several years in Las Vegas 2-3 times per year, we were yearning to get back on a cruise ship. Having been to the Caribbean and Bahamas many times, never to the NYC area, or on a mega ship, Anthem checked off most boxes for us this time around. I spent a lot of time researching the ship, the ports, the deck plans, and what Anthem had to offer. Although I like a surprise here and there, I'm an obsessive planner and list maker. So, by the time we boarded, our plans were pretty much in place for dining, entertainment, shore excursions, transportation, etc.. I booked our shows and My Time Dining about a month out.

 

Travel Day: Saturday, April 7 dawned clear, but C-O-L-D in Chicago. Because we chose to fly in the day of departure I had been nervously watching the weather in Chicago and Newark the previous week. As it turned out, the weather was perfect for travel. Our flight was smooth and quick, leaving at 7:55 AM and getting into Newark at 10:55 AM. We arrived 25 minutes early. From advice on this Board, we had booked Dial 17 Car Service a month before the cruise to pick us up at EWR for the 20 minute ride to Cape Liberty. Dial 17 was great. When you reserve a car they send a confirmation email which contains a link. Once you're curbside with your luggage you click on the link and within a minute or so, our driver responded saying he was 5-6 minutes away. He pulled up in a Lincoln SUV [considered a "standard car"] and we were off to the pier. The driver was personable and professional, and we were happy to sit back and take in the sights.

 

The trip to the pier was smooth until we turned onto the two-lane access road leading to the pier. Then it got congested, but we were at the door within about 10 minutes. Total for our transport, tolls, and tip was $71.00. I can recommend Dial 17 highly for efficiency and complete ease.

 

Check in/Embarkation: At 11:15 AM the terminal was packed with people snaking their way through the security and check in lines. Although it seemed to be mass confusion it was actually a pretty smooth process and Royal does a good job of getting a lot of people through in relatively short order. We did not take a pre-cruise photo, and our experience was very quick. The agent handed us our Seapass card, we went up the escalator and before we knew it DING (you know the sound...squeeeee!)...we were onboard!:D

 

The gangway was on Deck 2. Staterooms were not ready so we went upstairs to Deck 14 get a look around and grab lunch. We were struck by the modern beauty and cleanliness of the ship. Deck 14 is home to the indoor/outdoor/solarium pools and also the WINDJAMMER. We decided to have our lunch there. As we expected it was very, very crowded. After a bit of walking around we found a table near the back and then made our way through the crowds to the serving stations. Lunch was very good, and I'll get into the specifics of the Windjammer later in reviewing the dining sections.

Thank you! Looking forward to more :)

great start

The Cabin: We booked a Balcony Guarantee and within a day of booking, received our assignment, a Superior Ocean View With Smaller Balcony (198 sq ft. & 55 sq ft.) #13118. The cabin is located all the way forward on the starboard side of Deck 13. When I looked at the deck plans for 12, 13 and 14 I was initially a little concerned because the Solarium was right above us and Adventure Ocean kids club right below. We heard no noise from either venue. One really cool thing about this cabin is that right outside our door is another door which after a walk up a very short ramp, leads you right into the Solarium on Deck 14. We used it constantly to go up to the Solarium and Deck 14 in general however, it was not used (except maybe a few times the whole week) by other passengers. The cabin itself is spacious, bright and very nicely appointed. There was more than enough storage space and lighting. Colors are a relaxing blue and taupe. The balcony is a good size for 2 people. There's two adjustable back chairs with ottomans (!) and a small table. Perfect for morning coffee, afternoon wine or just chilling out and watching the world float by. To us, the bed was firm but comfortable. The linens are high thread count and the duvet, pillows (4) and pillow top are comfy. The bathroom was a nice surprise in that it had a shower door (rather than a stick to your butt curtain) and a nightlight that illuminates automatically when you turn off the bathroom light. And, there's a metal bar in the shower with rubber grips that us ladies can use for leg shaving-very convenient! The bathroom has two hooks inside the shower for hanging clothes and four other hooks outside the shower. Two bars of soap and an in-shower dispenser filled with a nice-smelling liquid soap were replenished as needed by our cabin steward. I brought along a Febreeze Small Spaces air freshener for the bathroom and it was just right-did not overpower the bathroom or the cabin itself. Our cabin steward was great - Mario - kept us in fresh ice twice daily and delighted us with towel animals 4/7 of the nights. All in all, we really liked this cabin and location.

Public Spaces: Anthem is a newer ship, so I did not see any wear and tear [but then again I wasn't really looking for it]. Overall, we share a lot of other people's opinions in that even through Anthem is a large ship, the sheer number of people onboard made it feel congested a lot of the time. You feel it most in the Royal Esplanade, especially when sales are happening [nearly all the time], near/in the elevators, and almost always in the Windjammer. The bathrooms are easy to find and were kept in good condition the entire week we were onboard. A word about the elevators: yes, they can get crowded BUT we never had to wait long for an elevator and we did not experience the pushing and shoving I've read about from time to time. Just know that at certain times, the elevators will be very busy and remember that everyone is trying to get somewhere just like you are, so pack your patience and nice pills.

Service: Considering the number of passengers the crew has to serve, I feel they did an outstanding job overall. Sure, there were a few non-smilers but for the most part, I found them to be pleasant and willing to answer questions and help you out.

More to Come: Up Next, Dining

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Dining: We booked My Time Dining about 6 weeks prior to departure by calling the customer service center. Could never get the cruise planner to work properly. The call was quick and efficient and they emailed me a confirmation afterwards. Even at 6 weeks out, all spots except late (8 PM or later) were taken. I'll only comment on those places we actually ate at. We are not foodies, what we care about is quality and taste. So fancy presentation, fancy service or an ingredient list a mile long is unimportant to us. Except desserts, because, well, it's DESSERT.;p We ate only at one specialty restaurant-Chops. It was as good as others have reported.

- Main Dining Room - We ate in Silk and American Icon Grill. Only once. While the service was good, the food was just mediocre and we couldn't see spending 90 minutes for just mediocre. If you've been following these Boards, you've seen the menus. The selections are diminishing and with a few exceptions, are ho-hum. Some good things: The french onion soup, vidalia onion tart, braised short ribs, braised lamb shank and most of the desserts. I realize things have to change, but MDR dining just isn't what it used to be. I kind of agree with a poster who said she felt MDR could be going away in a few years in favor of buffet and specialty, for fee, dining. Unfortunately, I really don't have much to add about the food in the MDR. Not saying you won't find something to eat and enjoy, but it's a very different experience now. And by the way, you'll find a wide range of attire in the MDR. I will say that on the nights we were there, it seemed most people followed the suggested dress for the evening. There were a LOT of families/children on this cruise and I thought most of the kids in the MDR were dressed so adorably.

- Windjammer - We were told it's the largest buffet in the fleet. It has probably 8-10 serving stations for dinner, including ones for: fresh baked rolls/breads; wet salads and soups, cheeses and lighter desserts, fresh cut/whole fruits and lettuce salads, a decent selection of Asian entrees including a stir-fry station; an excellent made-to-order pasta station; burgers/hot dogs, fries and the trimmings; really excellent Indian dishes; meat carving stations featuring such as lamb loin, roast beef, ham, turkey breast; and favorites such as beef and lamb stews, various chicken entrees, steamed and roasted veggies and of course rice and potatoes. We thought the variety was wide and good. Some items were served every night, but there was enough switch up of the main entrees and meats that you didn't feel you were eating the same repetitive thing every night. If you like fried fish (cod), I saw it one time and OMG it was out of this world - look for it!! On one of the formal nights they had cold peel and eat shrimp and poached salmon with a delectable bourbon cream sauce on the side, and had beef wellington (excellent) and leg of lamb at the carving station.

Desserts were good...you could definitely find something you liked. Standouts for me included their cheesecakes and fruit tarts. They also had good cookies (perfect for wrapping up in a napkin and taking back to your cabin:D), eclairs, a smattering of donuts. Cakes were just okay...I thought they were a bit dry.

Other than embarkation lunch, we ate no breakfasts other lunches there. There were just too many people in there, especially at breakfast and that's not how I wanted to begin each day - scrounging for a table, having to push dirty dishes aside to clear space to sit down and then endure the angry stares of people who wanted your spot while you were trying to finish up a cup of coffee.

The service in the Windjammer is good...for what these folks have to deal with, it was amazing they smiled at all. Take the time to talk to them, they love it.

- Solarium Bistro - the best-kept "secret" onboard. This is where we ate breakfast most days. Aside from being super convenient to our cabin, it was QUIET and mostly not busy. It's much smaller than the Windjammer in terms of space and selection but it was very, very good. They had omelets, scrambled eggs, bacon, link sausage, corned beef hash, pork and beans, breakfast potatoes, smoked salmon, cold and hot oatmeal, a few wet salads, fresh cut/whole fruit, cold cereal, and a good variety of rolls, bread and breakfast pastries. Only weird thing was if you wanted a bagel, you had to ask for it. They serve a brunch most days from 8-9AM through 1:30 or so. We did not eat lunch there [or not really anywhere for that matter] as we are late breakfast people and usually just ate on the fly in the afternoon. Also, if you are looking for a spot that's mostly child-free, this is it. We did see a few kids on sea days but because the minimum age for kids in the Solarium is 16 in generally, they usually are not in there.

More to Come...Next Up...Other Misc. Dining

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Enjoying all the details of your review so far! Thanks for taking the time to share your experiences.

We cruised on the Anthem two years ago and will be again in Nov.

"Check in/Embarkation: At 11:15 AM the terminal was packed with people snaking their way through the security and check in lines. Although it seemed to be mass confusion it was actually a pretty smooth process and Royal does a good job of getting a lot of people through in relatively short order. We did not take a pre-cruise photo, and our experience was very quick. The agent handed us our Seapass card, we went up the escalator and before we knew it DING (you know the sound...squeeeee!)...we were onboard!:D"

I thought on Anthem you got the seapass cards on your cabin door or in the room, at least that is the way it was for us in December. So you got yours BEFORE you got on the ship? Was there a lineup waiting to get them? Seems like this would be a bottle neck in their system.....

Go are on Anthem again in just over a week (May 3), Wonder when we will get our seapasses.......

CruzeDaddy, you are right! We scanned the printed out paper from online check in to board and the actual cards were in an envelope outside our cabin door. Sorry for the confusion!:o

Thanks for your detailed review. We’re sailing on Anthem to Bermuda at the end of June and your review is answering so many questions

Other Dining: We ate once at Cafe 270 and liked it very much. Had the famous roast beef sandwich, which I thought was excellent. Other selections were ham and turkey sandwiches, prepared salads, soup, a few wet salads and some desserts. There's no indoor seating, but there is some right outside and also inside 270 itself- a really nice, bright, quiet place to sit all the way aft on Deck 5.

Sorrentos: Located in the Royal Esplanade, it's a bustling place. We tried it and it was just meh. A lot of cardboard-y crust with very little topping. Had it only once. A Coke machine was located in there.

Cafe Promenade: Right next door to Sorrentos, it serves coffee, tea, basic beverages like lemonade and ice tea and ice water. Also some smaller sandwiches and sweets. I think it's open 24 hours.

Beverages: We did not purchase any packages as we are just fine with ice water, ice tea and the coffee on board. If we wanted a drink, we ordered it ala carte. I think the coffee is just fine, Lavazza in most places, but for some reason in the Windjammer it tasted like crap. We ordered early AM coffee and ice water to our cabin a lot. It arrived promptly, fresh and hot. And no charge except for a tip to the server. It was so nice to have coffee on our balcony while waking up! I did order a few Coco Locos and glasses of red wine through the week and was very happy with them - especially the Coco Loco pooside:p We are not really drinkers, certainly not enough to justify purchasing a beverage package. I was looking for the 10 drink package for $79.00 to appear mid-week, but it was not offered. That would have been plenty for us. A TIP: be sure to pick up some bottles of water to keep in your in cabin fridge. You can get them at La Patisserire across from Sorrento for $2.35 for a 16.9 oz. Bottle. Not too horrible, considering.

Next Up: Pools, iFly, North Star.

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Dining:

- Solarium Bistro - the best-kept "secret" onboard. This is where we ate breakfast most days. Aside from being super convenient to our cabin, it was QUIET and mostly not busy. It's much smaller than the Windjammer in terms of space and selection but it was very, very good. They had omelets, scrambled eggs, bacon, link sausage, corned beef hash, pork and beans, breakfast potatoes, smoked salmon, cold and hot oatmeal, a few wet salads, fresh cut/whole fruit, cold cereal, and a good variety of rolls, bread and breakfast pastries. Only weird thing was if you wanted a bagel, you had to ask for it. They serve a brunch most days from 8-9AM through 1:30 or so. We did not eat lunch there [or not really anywhere for that matter] as we are late breakfast people and usually just ate on the fly in the afternoon. Also, if you are looking for a spot that's mostly child-free, this is it. We did see a few kids on sea days but because the minimum age for kids in the Solarium is 16 in generally, they usually are not in there.

 

More to Come...Next Up...Other Misc. Dining

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Enjoying your report. We will be on the Anthem in July with our family and friends. 15 of us. Can you tell me if children are allowed at the Bistro restaurant. I know they are not allowed in the Solarium ( under 16), but I have seen some conflicting information about them eating there during the day. Since we have children 5 - 12 with us, knowing will help us plan.

Thanks

Ladylyn: Speaking for breakfast/brunch, I saw only 2 or 3 kids in the Solarium Bistro all week. Only one was not in a stroller. Since the Solarium is for age 16 and up, I would have to say that likely includes the Bistro as well.

Ladylyn: Speaking for breakfast/brunch, I saw only 2 or 3 kids in the Solarium Bistro all week. Only one was not in a stroller. Since the Solarium is for age 16 and up, I would have to say that likely includes the Bistro as well.

Thank you - I decided to call RCCL. It took 35 minutes and two people, but the official answer is there is no age minimum for the Bistro - only the Solarium.

Can't wait to hear more about your cruise!

Linda

Pools: For the first day and a half and the last day of the cruise, it was too chilly to swim in the main outside pool. So of course, everyone who wanted to do so had to jam into either the indoor pool (for everyone) or the solarium pool (for ages 16+). Both were quite crowded. Actually, most of the public spaces indoors were crowded on those days because not many people wanted to be outside. This was to be expected, but again, you could feel the congestion of everyone trying to compete for their spot in the same places as everyone else. On the days it was good pool weather yes, the main outside pool was crowded but not so much that you couldn't find a spot in the pool to hang out. I found the water to be a good temperature. If you have issues getting up and down a standard ladder to enter a pool you may not like the main pool, as that's how you get in and out. About the chair hogs: yes, they were out in force, but DH and I never had a problem finding a couple of chairs together. I never once saw a staff member remove someone's belongings, nor did I witness any passenger confrontations. We would go to the pool maybe between 10 and 12 on a few days and then 1-2 on other days. The pool towel check out/in system really wasn't a problem, just a short walk from the main pool to the towel station. The beverage service was adequate and if it isn't quick enough, there are bars nearby. The Windjammer is just inside, aft, and many people went in, grabbed a plate of food and came back out to eat by the pool. Johnny Rockets is also right off the pool. They have a few tables, chairs and booths set up for lunch or again, you could eat poolside.

The solarium is beautiful on Anthem! Its a bright, spacious space - a great place to zen out. The pools cascade and the whirlpool is large. There are plenty of loungers and chairs. Again if you're craving a child-free zone, this is the place for you.

iFly and North Star: DH did both and loved both. Initially there were no appointments available, but we kept checking back and eventually cancellations opened some spots up. If you don't have the Royal iQ app on your device, there are kiosks at various locations where you can log on and view/schedule all activities which require appointments. We did not have any problems logging on.

Shopping: Certainly has a lot of stores on board, but the high-end boutiques outweigh the cheaper, souvenir-type places. They had the usual watches, purses, evening clutch bags, sunglasses, sun hats, swimsuit coverups, etc. all for sale in the Royal Esplanade. There's also a makeup & perfume boutique with the usual designer names.

Next Up: Entertainment/Venues

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Thanks for the awesome reviews! Do you know if you can use Royal IQ app without buying the internet package?

EDIT: NEVERMIND. Just downloaded and opened the app and it says it right there that it does work without internet. Carry on~

Entertainment: Have to start this off by giving big props to Clo O'Connor, current Cruise Director till I think mid-May. She is accessible, personable, witty, and FUNNY. She will stop and make time to talk to you. I know it's her job, but she seems to thoroughly enjoy it. She hosted events like the Love & Marriage Show, The Quest, The Belly Flop competition and who knows what else. Loved these events and her! She was CD when we were on Brillance a few years ago and we were happy to see her again.

Shows: LOVED Spectra's Cabaret and especially its venue, 270. The show is modern, quirky, interesting, colorful and fascinating. The singers, dancers and aerialists are super talented. Terry Lavelle [lead role/Spectra] is fabulous. This is easily the best show I've seen at sea, such a great change from the tired "Broadway through the Decades" productions. 270 is a tech wonder venue. The different types of seating is very comfortable and the effects are amazing.

We Will Rock You was also very good but mostly because of the music- I've always liked Queen. The acting, dancing and singing was not as good as Spectra's Cabaret [iMHO] but the live musicians were fabulous.

We made reservations for these shows about a month prior to boarding. There was a crew member outside each of the venues asking for our cabin number for entry. Checked us in on a tablet and waved us in.

We also saw the comedians in the Royal Theatre, as well as the welcome aboard and farewell shows. The Royal theater is not my favorite place as I think the seating is VERY uncomfortable and is very cinema-ish. I much prefer the theatres on Celebrity, where there are tables, better lighting, comfy seats and a club-like atmosphere. The Royal Theatre had plenty of seating, but in it and in 270, get there early [20-30 minutes] to get a good seat.

While we did not attend strictly family geared or children's activities, the Compass was chock-full of them and it seemed you'd have to go some to be bored on this ship.

We are not bar people or even frequent drinkers but we really liked the Music Hall. Saw the Journey tribute band there [very good], Karaoke, and few other activities. The set up is cool and the atmosphere is very good. It's also a bit strange, such as the climbing roses under the staircase separating the two levels of the venue. Looked closely at them and saw skull heads on the ends of the climbing roses. Strange in an interesting way.

Did not spend much time in the casino as the slots were tight as a drum. When you drop $100 in less than 15 minutes, you move on!

Next Up: Ports/Shore Excursions

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