Lack of Dreamworks on Anthem of the Seas

[Overtyme]

I swore that I saw something a while back that Dream Works was to come later on Anthem. I'm wondering if that's the still the case

[Nirrakel]

The UK customer service for RCCL were awful but the US customer service and onboard the ship has been brilliant. They did their absolute best to make us feel valued even though I did have to work quite hard to get them to take me seriously and I'm pretty sure it's only due to the email addresses that OP kindly posted!!

 

The ship is wonderful, we had an amazing time and our children were very happy with the kids club, pools and Seaplex. I eat my words about not cruising with them again and we've booked Allure for next year in the hope of catching Shrek then!!

 

Oh...and I was given a brochure onboard advertising DreamWorks as being on Anthem!:rolleyes:

[swoopy2110]

I saw in the shop yesterday on the Anthem they have one of the usual T-Shirts that says "ANTHEM OF THE SEAS" with 9 panels on it of things to do and a picutre (iFly, Flowrider etc.)... and panel number 8, bottom middle, says "DREAMWORKS"...

 

So yes, they are actually selling T-Shirts that says "DREAMWORKS" on it onboard the ship. Brilliant :D

[MisterBill99]

When we were on Anthem this month the gift shop was selling Shrek dolls, Fiona Dolls, Donkey Dolls, Penguins of Madagascar Dolls etc... under a sign saying 'Dreamworks experience'.

So that's the experience, being able to buy stuff in the on-board shop!

[lucysmommy1]

there is quite a stink about this on the facegroup anthem page too!

 

my mum complained about and was told tough - its not happening on anthem in the uk.

 

We are travelling with 7 & 9 year olds who were looking forward to seeing the characters but hey we will still enjoy our cruise but it is really disappointing :(

[judeb23]

What this proves is that Quantum and Anthem are the same class. Anthem has Dream Works, so it can be on that webpage. Quantum has a Giraffe and that can be on there as well. This is a mashup of all three Quantum class ships that showcases everything. It doesn't say all these features are on all three ships.

I'm not sticking up for RCCL, but this isn't Anthem only information, so it isn't proof.

 

I have in my hand a printed brochure which on one page says Dreamworks is on Anthem. It is for 2015-16 and was still in the travel agents yesterday. It tells readers to " Look for this symbol for itineraries that feature Our Dreamworks experience." This symbol appears next to cruises ON ANTHEM from the UK on Jul 4, june20, Sept1st, Jul18, May 6, May22, june1,sept15,28,October 11,april22 April22 jun13 April 30,May 3,23, aug29, October 24,August 1st,. They have clearly made an error and so should be willing to put it right for future guests once it was pointed out to them. At least a few characters could easily have been put on the ships! My TA is investigating and I will be getting extra copies of the brochures today and sending copies in emails of the relevant pages. I am in the UK but will also send to head office in U.S. This is misleading advertising which is STILL on the shelves ????? Come on RC, you should be better than this.

[judeb23]

I am on anthem right now. (26 May) the brochures they are handing out on the ship STILL say the ship has dream works.

 

Unbelievable. You couldn't make it up could you? Methinks I will be taking this further......

[onlyonetrevorfrancis]

I am frankly astounded at what is developing here, it is an utter shambles.

 

This is now the second biggest thread on this separate board and things are clearly starting to unravel.

 

I can only assume that UK Managing Director Stuart Leven is fully aware that in a few weeks time when the UK schools start to break for summer the first of many hundreds (thousands probably?) of families with children are going to be starting holidays on Anthem.

 

If the anger of all these families is proportional with the upset here (mine included) then the potential fall out to RCI could be huge this summer. He's a brave man in my opinion sticking to the stock UK office response of "we have never advertised DreamWorks".

 

I don't think this will end well.

[MisterBill99]

The employees who do the Dreamworks stuff on the ship are actually Dreamworks employees. I found this out by talking to one of them (when not in costume, of course) on Oasis this March (at the character breakfast, where the food was horrible). It's not going to be as simple as telling a RCCL employee to put on a Shrek costume to "make it right". I don't know what the story is with the RCCL-DW relationship. Have they decided not to put it on any future ships, or is Anthem alone in this?

[Overtyme]

The employees who do the Dreamworks stuff on the ship are actually Dreamworks employees. I found this out by talking to one of them (when not in costume, of course) on Oasis this March (at the character breakfast, where the food was horrible). It's not going to be as simple as telling a RCCL employee to put on a Shrek costume to "make it right". I don't know what the story is with the RCCL-DW relationship. Have they decided not to put it on any future ships, or is Anthem alone in this?

 

 

One other interesting indicator of them knowing this in advance:

On Quantum, the kids pool area has DW characters.

On Anthem, some pathetic looking characters that were put in place of DW characters.

 

I have read (somewhere, not sure where) quite some time ago that DW were going to be added to Anthem in the future, whatever that means.

 

I really hope they get this ironed out soon and become more transparent with regards to this situation and their responses.

 

If I may ask, has anybody left feedback on their comment cards that they drop when on-board the ship?

 

I think those cards take a different path within the RC organization.

 

If enough of them make it out over many sailings, it's possible that this may gain some traction.

[kevinyork]

I have in my hand a printed brochure which on one page says Dreamworks is on Anthem. It is for 2015-16 and was still in the travel agents yesterday. It tells readers to " Look for this symbol for itineraries that feature Our Dreamworks experience." This symbol appears next to cruises ON ANTHEM from the UK on Jul 4, june20, Sept1st, Jul18, May 6, May22, june1,sept15,28,October 11,april22 April22 jun13 April 30,May 3,23, aug29, October 24,August 1st,. They have clearly made an error and so should be willing to put it right for future guests once it was pointed out to them. At least a few characters could easily have been put on the ships! My TA is investigating and I will be getting extra copies of the brochures today and sending copies in emails of the relevant pages. I am in the UK but will also send to head office in U.S. This is misleading advertising which is STILL on the shelves ????? Come on RC, you should be better than this.

 

 

I emailed Stuart Leven about this a few weeks back. He referred it to the executive complaints section who firstly said that advertising of Dreamworks on Anthem was stopped in May 2014 therefore as I booked after that date there is nothing they could do. I then presented them wth official Youtube adverts, brochures and webpages that were still advertising Dreamworks as being onboard thereby proving their statement to be incorrect. The most they would do is allow us to cancel and not lose our deposit. There wasnt a single apology not even when I pointed out that their statement that advertisng ended in May 2014 was incorrect.

 

The only way they are going to take notice of this is if The ASA become involved.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Edited June 5, 2015 by kevinyork

[MisterBill99]

Has anyone written to an executive at corporate in Miami? Adam Goldstein used to run RCI (the cruise line) but he's moved up to the RCCL (the parent company). His email address is agoldstein@rccl.com. I'm not sure what Michael Bayley's is. I emailed an RC blog site that has Adam's to see if they know it. I also suggested that he look into what is going on with the DW-RCCL relationship.

 

At this point I don't see any way of it being changed but you could get compensation in the form of some OBC or get to cancel if you really feel the need to.

Edited June 5, 2015 by MisterBill99

[Nirrakel]

Michael Bayley's email is given earlier in the thread - mbayley@rccl.com

 

It is via emailing this I was passed onto someone at the American branch who empathised and was keen to try and resolve it positively. Interestingly, the American side apologised for the mistake and did not make any attempts to claim it never happened, instead they apologised for the mistake that had been made by their 'worldwide partners' in advertising DreamWorks as being on board. Luckily I had booked through a US travel agent as I never received another reply to any emails sent to the UK branch after I proved that Craig Masters' was telling a lie.

[MisterBill99]

Ah, I missed the email address beng posted. I guess we could have guessed what it is. At least they're trying to do something for you.

[Overtyme]

Michael Bayley's email is given earlier in the thread - mbayley@rccl.com

 

 

 

It is via emailing this I was passed onto someone at the American branch who empathised and was keen to try and resolve it positively. Interestingly, the American side apologised for the mistake and did not make any attempts to claim it never happened, instead they apologised for the mistake that had been made by their 'worldwide partners' in advertising DreamWorks as being on board. Luckily I had booked through a US travel agent as I never received another reply to any emails sent to the UK branch after I proved that Craig Masters' was telling a lie.

 

 

That's encouraging! I'm still anxious to find out if what I heard a while back, that a Dream Works will be a late addition to Anthem, is true, and if so, how late will that addition be?

 

Thanks for sharing this (somewhat) encouraging news.

[Peeker28]

Wow, interesting thread. I just booked Anthem for June 2016 and I totally thought there were DW characters on board. My daughter was excited to see the penguins

[Overtyme]

 

I was looking back at these photos taken on board the Allure of the Seas back in February 2011.

Our oldest daughter at the time was 3 years old.

I can't help but to think back about how these characters for her made her cruise special and enjoyable.

Seeing her face during the Dream Works sail away party and the Dream Works breakfast character meet and greet has me really considering canceling our Anthem Cruise.

Our youngest will be 3 1/2 when we sail Anthem and looking at these photos, I'm beginning to realize what she'll be missing.

It's clear now that this isn't about a bunch of people wearing costumes, but it's about an experience.

As adults, our experience is about packing the night before, driving up to the pier and seeing the ship for the first time, walking up the gangway the first time and entering the ship, the shows, the food, the nightlife, the view of the ocean from the back of the ship.

All of those things are experiences that make or break your cruise as an adult.

Seeing Shrek or the Penguins and getting a high-five- that's their experience, all that those young kids need to make their week.

And yet, for some reason, Royal Caribbean seems to be missing the boat.

[MisterBill99]

Seeing Shrek or the Penguins and getting a high-five- that's their experience, all that those young kids need to make their week.

And yet, for some reason, Royal Caribbean seems to be missing the boat.

I feel bad for you, but kids have been having great and memorable times on Royal Caribbean cruises long before they had Dreamworks (mine did), and they're still having great times on ships that don't have Dreamworks. I'm sure your kids will have a wonderful time on Anthem. Let them ride the bumper cars another time.

Edited June 8, 2015 by MisterBill99

[Overtyme]

I feel bad for you, but kids have been having great and memorable times on Royal Caribbean cruises long before they had Dreamworks (mine did), and they're still having great times on ships that don't have Dreamworks. I'm sure your kids will have a wonderful time on Anthem. Let them ride the bumper cars another time.

 

 

Mister Bill, I agree with you to a point.

That will work for my 9 year old.

However, age/height restrictions for my 3 year old will not allow her to enjoy the bumper cars, lack of a mini golf course, lack of an H2O zone, etc.

For her, this won't be the cruise that was advertised and that she's looking forward to.

 

It's easy as an adult to simply dismiss some of these things, but this is as much my kids vacation as it is my wife's and mine.

Edited June 8, 2015 by Overtyme

[MisterBill99]

Mister Bill, I agree with you to a point.

That will work for my 9 year old.

However, age/height restrictions for my 3 year old will not allow her to enjoy the bumper cars, lack of a mini golf course, lack of an H2O zone, etc.

For her, this won't be the cruise that was advertised and that she's looking forward to.

 

It's easy as an adult to simply dismiss some of these things, but this is as much my kids vacation as it is my wife's and mine.

No mini-golf? My son (24) will be upset!!! Seriously :-). Although he's survived without it on other ships.

 

I was on Oasis earlier this year with DW (and no kids). They had photos ops at various times that conflicted with other stuff. The character breakfast (which we went to without kids because it was still free when I booked) was OK, but only two lesser characters and you didn't know when booking if it was Shrek or Madagascar (we got the latter, wanted Shrek). The parade was OK but very crowded. It's not like the whole ship experience is DW as you might have on Disney. But as you say, for your 3 year old it's a big deal.

[Overtyme]

No mini-golf? My son (24) will be upset!!! Seriously :-). Although he's survived without it on other ships.

 

 

 

I was on Oasis earlier this year with DW (and no kids). They had photos ops at various times that conflicted with other stuff. The character breakfast (which we went to without kids because it was still free when I booked) was OK, but only two lesser characters and you didn't know when booking if it was Shrek or Madagascar (we got the latter, wanted Shrek). The parade was OK but very crowded. It's not like the whole ship experience is DW as you might have on Disney. But as you say, for your 3 year old it's a big deal.

 

 

I'm not quite sure what my 3 year old will do in the ship outside of Adventure Ocean.

 

The H2O zone was great on other ships and will be greatly missed on this cruise.

Kids love sprinklers/fixtures that spout water!

 

It's easy to write off one feature or another, but those write-offs add up!

[SausPud]

I'm not quite sure what my 3 year old will do in the ship outside of Adventure Ocean.

 

The H2O zone was great on other ships and will be greatly missed on this cruise.

Kids love sprinklers/fixtures that spout water!

 

It's easy to write off one feature or another, but those write-offs add up!

 

It is looking more likely that the Anthem is not built for the under 5's in mind. There is other ships better equipped for the little one's but not this one.

[Over Land & Sea]

Due to the Lack of Dreamworks on Anthem and I'm sailing in July, and still no sign of them changing and putting it on, I have gone and booked tickets to see "Shrek the Musical" that is on a nationwide tour. I will then take my payment receipt with me on board when I sail in July and see if I can get reimbursed by show tickets due to RCCL not showing any Dreamworks Experience shows. *fingers crossed* you never know, someone might admit responsibility and pay me for the tickets. If not, it was worth a try.

 

I think you'll enjoy the show, we've seen it 7 times so far, tickets for 4 nights in Southampton in July & 3 shows next year at Wimbledon.

But, brace yourself, Puss'n'boots is not in it.:eek:

[SausPud]

I think you'll enjoy the show, we've seen it 7 times so far, tickets for 4 nights in Southampton in July & 3 shows next year at Wimbledon.

But, brace yourself, Puss'n'boots is not in it.:eek:

 

Where was the spoiler alert?

You can't drop a bombshell like that without a warning!

I could have spilt my cup of tea.

I hope you are joking and Puss is really in it.

 

I'm booked up for the Wimbledon tour next year. Might see you there? ;)

[Overtyme]

I do request that those onboard the Anthem, who feel that having Dream Works featured on this ship would be of benefit to younger kids, please put those comments on the comment cards before you leave your cruise.

Those cards go directly to Royal Caribbean staff and to their offices.

If there are enough of them, they will do something about it.

They (supposedly) listen to their guests feedback.

Thank you in advance!