Anthem live review 12/12-12/19/2015

[klass2]

I expect the parents to be oblivious about kids in the solarium, but disappointed to hear that Royal wasn't on top of it. They were on my other cruises.

 

 

My thoughts exactly. It has never been an issue on any other cruise I have been on. I thought maybe it was bc the restaurant devinely decadence is right there towards the front of the solarium but I noticed kids present when the restaurant was closed and also towards the front of the solarium which is no where near the restaurant area. Perhaps they are drawn to the swing that is near the front? Or parents see a swing and think "I should bring my kid to try this out".

 

 

Loving your review! Bringing back some great memories from our Anthem cruise last month. :)

 

 

Glad to hear you had a great time too. :)

 

Thanks. Through your review I'm reliving fond memories.

 

 

 

P.S. Your mother should be awarded the Medal of Honor :)

 

 

She really should. She just moved close to us. She was in Texas and would only see the kids once or twice a year. We had no family around so we never got a break from our kids. We went on a adult vacation in 2009 and then not again until 2014. Now that she's closer we plan to get some more time to ourselves.

 

If she offers we will certainly take her up on it.

 

I am so anti kids to begin with and if one turned up in a child free zone I would have to say something to the parents and then a staff member. People always think their kid is ok......

 

It's the same a lighting up a cigarette in the middle of the promenade.... You just don't!!!

 

 

Yep, pretty much. It's a shame. I was at the North Star bar and somebody was puffing on an e-cig. The smell was some sort of sweet Cinnabon smell. It kinda made me gag. Almost as bad as regular smoke. But that's a whole other hot topic here on CC.

 

I purposely go out of my way to get some kid free time in the solarium just as I purposely go out of my way to avoid walking through the designated smoking sections on the ship.

[klass2]

We booked this cruise mid October so after final payment. I was able to make reservations for the dining places I wanted for every night except the Grande which I wanted to eat at on day 2 our first sea day. I suppose others had the same idea bc all of the early times were taken. I keep checking but still nothing.

We had 9pm reservations to see we will rock you, so I needed an early time. Plus I kinda prefer the early times other wise I end up eating 2 meals at night bc I need something to get me to the late dinner.

I had read on here about people showing for meals without reservations and getting seated with no issues. So I decided to give it a go. Worst case we go somewhere else.

We dressed up for the grande (DH wore a suit, I wore a LBD with sparkly accessories) and proceeded to the grade at 535pm. I figured it we went before the 6pm early seating we would have the best chance.

No such luck. DENIED!!

The lady said no, you need a reservation and that the sign that says reservations on one side and no reservations on the other is for the dynamic classic (early/late seating). She said she was completely booked up until 9pm.

I didn't want to do any unnecessary walking around to the other restaurants and get denied again since I was wearing heels that are pretty and sparkly but kinda of uncomfortable. So I looked at the Royal IQ app and the only place we could get a 6pm reservation or anything before 830pm was Jaimie's Italian. DH and I decided against it and headed to the windjammer with Johnny Rockets as a back up plan.

 

The windjammer has a slower pace at dinner and since it's dark outside it kind of has a nice ambiance if you get a secluded table towards the back.

 

A little oddity about the food at windjammer. For lunch they had a nacho bar/station with chips, chili con carne, salsa, pico de gallo, Guac, sour cream and shredded cheese. Shredded cheese isn't ideal for nachos.

 

For dinner there was a taco bar with soft tortillas, hard crunchy corn tortilla shells, all the fixings above and liquid cheese. Really? Liquid cheese isn't so great for tacos.

 

Sometimes I wonder what the logic was/is when they decide these things.

 

I had a taco, a small baked potato and then I discovered the Mongolian grill so DH and shared some noodles. You pick your mixings and they fry it up. It was just eh. I didn't finish it. The noodles had a weird texture to them and the seasoning was off.

 

After dinner we went to try the North Star bc it was a no reservations time slot. But it was shut down due to a "mechanical issue and high winds". But there were people up in the pod at the launch pad area.

 

Oh well. What else to do? Try a new bar out of course.

 

I ordered a drink from the bionic bar and sat there for a bit watching people. Not that the chairs that are egg like are very comfortable and recline nicely.

 

The bar was not busy at all. But people trickled in and out in little spurts. Most did not stay to drink their beverage.

 

The machines at work. And a view of the bionic bar from the end of Izumi.

 

I strolled around the shops for a bit until it was time for the 9pm we will rock you showing.

The show was long! 1hr45min and they went into encore. I left at that point but I understand they sing "bohemian rhapsody".

 

How do I feel about it? Let me preface my opinion with the fact that I'm not a theatre person. It's not something I go out of my way to see. I've seen 2 Broadway shows and that was enough for me.

 

Also I'm not a rock and roll fan. I'm kind of a top 40 type of person. Of course I am familiar with "bohemian rhapsody" and "we will rock you" but those are probably the only 2 songs I could tell you that I know are from Queen.

 

With that said there was a lot of good music. The singers were pretty good (note I'm a novice and should not be a judge of vocal talent). The plot was a bit out there but whatever. There was a good deal of sexual innuendo and some mild swearing. I say that bc I saw a good amount of kids in the audience.

 

Not that it matters much bc as I kid I loved the Grease movies and as an adult I can't believe I didn't pick up on half of the stuff in the movie. It went right over my head.

 

So yeah it was good. But I was ready for it to be done. I saw some people leave in the middle but not many.

 

After the show I went to Michael's pub to meet up with some cruise critic friends and we played cards against humanity. I was tired and by midnight I needed some shut eye.

 

I grabbed a quick bite to eat at sorrentos and headed to bed.

 

This concludes day 2.

[robtulipe]

Yep, pretty much. It's a shame. I was at the North Star bar and somebody was puffing on an e-cig. The smell was some sort of sweet Cinnabon smell. It kinda made me gag. Almost as bad as regular smoke. But that's a whole other hot topic here on CC.

 

I purposely go out of my way to get some kid free time in the solarium just as I purposely go out of my way to avoid walking through the designated smoking sections on the ship.

 

The North Star bar on deck 15 isn't a designated smoking area as shown in the Cruise Compass daily you attached so I would have said something to the staff there, I would have, as e-cig smokers are to follow the same rules a regular cigarette smokers thus these should be used only in designated smoking areas.

As per your attached Cruise Compass daily.

 

Edited December 14, 2015 by robtulipe

[klass2]

The North Star bar on deck 15 isn't a designated smoking area as shown in the Cruise Compass daily you attached so I would have said something to the staff there, I would have, as e-cig smokers are to follow the same rules a regular cigarette smokers thus these should be used only in designated smoking areas.

 

As per your attached Cruise Compass daily.

 

 

 

 

 

I was sitting right next to the lady and she whipped it out. Had i said something it would have been pretty obvious so I didn't. I waited until they took my drink order and my drink was made, signed my ticket and promptly left.

 

Something really has to be bothering me to say something. Most of the time I just leave or wait and hope that staff will enforce rules.

 

Doesn't always work out well for me. Lol

But it's vacation and I'm trying to relax and not get all worked up about trivial stuff. :)

[njmomof2]

I was lucky enough to get reservations for all of our nights, especially since it's the Christmas cruise. I think we'll probably do specialty dining a few of the nights so I'll release them in order to allow others without reservations a chance.

 

I'm a big Queen fan, so I'm looking forward to the show. And my older son is a theater/drama rat, so he loves Broadway (probably goes more than I do).

 

Looking forward to reading day by day until we head to the port to board on Saturday.

[klass2]

Day 3 cruise compass:

 

 

Day 3 daily planner:

[klass2]

I strolled down to the windjammer about 0720. Only one side was open at that time and the omelet station towards the front of the windjammer was busy with a line. I walked back to the rear and there were plenty of tables and no one in line at that omelet station.

 

I was served quickly and went and sat out in the outside area of the windjammer. I love that place. You can see the wake of the ship and hear the rushing water.

 

I enjoyed a peaceful breakfast.

 

On my way out about 0815 there was a line for rear omelet station.

 

I went back to my cabin and to change into my swimsuit and head to the solarium.

 

Hey look, kids on the swing!

 

We had North Star reservations at 1000. I will go into that in the next post.

 

We just arrived in port canaveral and are maneuvering into the terminal/dock right now.

 

I'm in the solarium and there are actually kids in the hot tub.

 

I think part of the problem is that there are zero pool attendants roaming around to police things or even to sell drinks in the solarium.

 

I haven't spent much time in the other areas so I can't comment as to that but I have yet to be offered a drink while lounging. Once I saw a beer cart being pushed through the area. And once I saw somebody walking around cleaning up cups and bottles left laying around.

 

But on other cruises I feel as if there was a major presence of attendant offering bar service.

 

Not a big deal by any means. Just an observation. I'm happy to go up to the sunshine bar to get another drink.

 

We have a favorite bartender there now and he's treating us well.

 

Also included in today's papers was the departure survey.

 

And a map for port canaveral. I haven't been here before and looked for a map online and didn't find one, so I thought I would include it here for others to see.

 

We have no real plans for today. Not sure what we are going to do. Probably just lay around the solarium and explore a mostly empty ship.

[CheerMom15]

Thanks so much for the review Katie! We also have a big family (5 kids) and we are going on the Anthem in June without them! My mom is babysitting and we can't wait to get away! Have fun on the rest of your trip and I can't wait to see the rest of your review!

[AdvGirl]

I too have been on Freedom Class and Oasis Class - and Voyager Class. I liked them all - also did a Boardwalk Balcony and will never do it again. The noise was not as much an issue as lack of Privacy. When I am on the balcony like to know the only one looking at me is the Old Man in the Sea.;)

 

Really enjoying the Review. I will be sailing on same itenerary in Feb, so your review is great. I too have been concerned about Anthem's abundance of negative reviews. But, I am open minded and optimistic hopefully your cruise is great and you enjoy it very much.

 

Thanks keep the info comments coming but do not let them get in the way of enjoying your cruise. :D

[AdvGirl]

After the meet and mingle I decided that it might be fun/different to go and check out the port shopping talk.

I was wrong. That's 1.5 hrs of my life I won't get back. Sorry to those who like it. It just wasn't for me.

 

Ok I hate to admit it but I am not as smart as you are I did it twice before I figured it out - and will never do it again - If I hear "Diamonds International" or "Tanzanite" one more time it will be too soon. :D:p

[matt1751]

Day 3 cruise compass:

 

 

Day 3 daily planner:

 

Hi, been following your posts. We are sailing in June with our 2 sons. First time on a cruise. Have your kids visited the Xbox room or the arcade. We were wondering if there was a charge for either of them. I see on your daily planner it lists some times for free arcade so I'm assuming there is a charge to play normally. Any info would be appreciated. Thanks

[jonj]

Hi, been following your posts. We are sailing in June with our 2 sons. First time on a cruise. Have your kids visited the Xbox room or the arcade. We were wondering if there was a charge for either of them. I see on your daily planner it lists some times for free arcade so I'm assuming there is a charge to play normally. Any info would be appreciated. Thanks

 

 

Arcades are not free however I have seen an hour free during the first day of the cruise and saw another day with 50% off for an hour.

 

My kids pay XBOX too and from what I have seen so far no charge at the XBOX area in Seaplex

[manazca]

Thanks very much for your review. We are sailing on the Anthem on Saturday.

Regarding the internet packages: have you seen any promotions or is the price the same as in Day 1?

Have you seen kids at the shows (around 6-y old) and do you think kids could enjoy the shows?

Thanks and enjoy the rest of your cruise!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[josprince]

Thanks for your comments and photos. We will be on the Anthem Jan. 15 for a back to back eastern then western Caribbean. Can't wait to join the Thriller dance performance again. Maybe this time I'll be in step with the rest of the zombies after practicing on the Vision and the Grandeur. Checking in with you again tomorrow.

[klass2]

I will have to find out about the potty training issue for your younger daughter. I feel for you. My second daughter/kid #5 refused potty train. She was 3yrs9mo when she finally did it. What a mess! Literally. I will get back to you about unpottytrained 3 year olds.

 

As for your 9 year old, I think they go by age on date of sailing. There is a 3-5, 6-8 and 9-11 for the age group. When we sailed on the allure with my kids last year, they mixed the older 2 groups in one room.

 

I will see if I can pop into AO here one day to see how separated the age groups are.

 

As for dreamworks characters I will let you know I see any Home characters. I haven't seen any characters at all yet but we haven't tried to see them either since this is a kid free vacation.

 

 

Overtime and other cruisers who are interested in adventure ocean pics and info.

 

I popped in today real quick and inquired about unpottytrained trained 3 year olds. They will go in the nursery with the 2 year olds.

 

And today they showed the movie Home in 3D in the theatre but still no home characters. They list the specific characters appearing in the daily planner.

 

Here is entrance to AO on deck 11 and the bottom level of the 2 story area on deck 11:

 

 

And upstairs on deck 12:

 

This is the voyagers room.

But the sign says they are down the hall with the explorers. So there is a bit of room combining when the numbers of kids are low.

 

Steps that lead to the downstairs area but I didn't go down them. Bc I was already feeling like kind of a creeper for walking around the kids area. Lol

[klass2]

Well crud. Looks like a double post of a pic above. : /

 

I'm not finding an edit button on the tapatalk version so I apologize.

 

Back to the adventure ocean:

Another room:

 

And another room and I liked the cool light fixture to the right.

 

 

This is a bit off topic and on schedule but right now while waiting for cafe 279 to open I am out on the promenade on deck 5 sitting and lounging and listening to the waves.

 

I saw a boat that wasn't coast guard or a commercial barge or a huge ship. It looked like somebody out for the day on their boat. I suppose this is normal bc Nassau is so close to Florida. But it's odd since I've done a few western routes and an exotic eastern route. I haven't been to the Bahamas yet. The ocean is so vast and it pains me to think of those 2 boys who went missing last summer in their boat from off the coast of Florida.

 

Also while sitting here I have seen a helicopter flying around the ship.

 

It came from far out in the distance and then looked as if it was headed to the helipad. But then I came back around the from the aft of the ship and made a pass again towards the helipad/forward area.

 

It has made 5 passes to the helipad area. And now it's hovering over the back of the ship.

 

I had originally thought it was a medical evacuation (do they stop the ship for that? If not that's a very difficult landing) but maybe there is a film crew or something up in there. We are cruising right into the sun rise. I imagine that would look pretty awesome for a promotional video.

 

15 minutes from when I first noticed the chopper and it's still flying around.

 

 

Cafe 270 should be open now so I'm off to get some food.

[Overtyme]

Overtime and other cruisers who are interested in adventure ocean pics and info.

 

I popped in today real quick and inquired about unpottytrained trained 3 year olds. They will go in the nursery with the 2 year olds.

 

And today they showed the movie Home in 3D in the theatre but still no home characters. They list the specific characters appearing in the daily planner.

 

Here is entrance to AO on deck 11 and the bottom level of the 2 story area on deck 11:

 

 

And upstairs on deck 12:

 

This is the voyagers room.

But the sign says they are down the hall with the explorers. So there is a bit of room combining when the numbers of kids are low.

 

Steps that lead to the downstairs area but I didn't go down them. Bc I was already feeling like kind of a creeper for walking around the kids area. Lol

 

 

Thank you so much for this information. I don't see my 3 yr old with the 2 yr old group, but desperate times ...

I'm hopeful that things will be good when we go in 6 months.

Just last week, she's started to use the potty - still doesn't really know in advance when she has to go and we don't have #2 down at all. But six months is a long time at this age (right?).

Anyway - enough potty talk!

Other posts suggest that AO seems to be too small. I know that on Allure, it was a really nice size, but the ship was also bigger.

Did you find the space to be adequate?

Hope that you're enjoying your cruise and thank you again for your insights!

Have a wonderful day!

[manazca]

I can't wait to hear about your day in Nassau.

I don't know if we should plan a beach day given how little time we'll have before sunset or what other activities. How's the water temperature?

Have a great day!

[klass2]

Thanks so much for the review Katie! We also have a big family (5 kids) and we are going on the Anthem in June without them! My mom is babysitting and we can't wait to get away! Have fun on the rest of your trip and I can't wait to see the rest of your review!

 

 

You will have a great time! It really is so. It really is so nice to get away. Little things like not having to get a child's plate of food and cut it up and make sure they are situated before me are so awesome. I'm sure you can relate. :)

 

I too have been on Freedom Class and Oasis Class - and Voyager Class. I liked them all - also did a Boardwalk Balcony and will never do it again. The noise was not as much an issue as lack of Privacy. When I am on the balcony like to know the only one looking at me is the Old Man in the Sea.;)

 

 

 

Really enjoying the Review. I will be sailing on same itenerary in Feb, so your review is great. I too have been concerned about Anthem's abundance of negative reviews. But, I am open minded and optimistic hopefully your cruise is great and you enjoy it very much.

 

 

 

Thanks keep the info comments coming but do not let them get in the way of enjoying your cruise. :D

 

 

I agree with you on the privacy aspect too. It's nice to not see anybody our the balcony. I may or may not walk out on the balcony in my underwear. And I most definitely don't worry about getting dressed after a shower with the curtains open when I'm in an ocean view balcony.

 

 

Ok I hate to admit it but I am not as smart as you are I did it twice before I figured it out - and will never do it again - If I hear "Diamonds International" or "Tanzanite" one more time it will be too soon. :D:p

 

 

Lol

Well I hope you at least bought some of that tanzanite bc you know the value has sky rocketed and buying now will ensure valuable heirlooms for your family. Hahahahaha!

 

 

 

Hi, been following your posts. We are sailing in June with our 2 sons. First time on a cruise. Have your kids visited the Xbox room or the arcade. We were wondering if there was a charge for either of them. I see on your daily planner it lists some times for free arcade so I'm assuming there is a charge to play normally. Any info would be appreciated. Thanks

 

 

We are actually cruising solo this time but I have 4 sons and the older 3 would LOVE the Xbox area. Each time we have been up in the sea plex there are kids playing. I haven't been up on the level right next to the Xbox room but I plan to check it out.

 

How old are your kids? It looked like they are playing call of duty from afar. I will check to see if there is a variety of games. I imagine most of boys, especially older ones will want the CoD.

 

 

Arcades are not free however I have seen an hour free during the first day of the cruise and saw another day with 50% off for an hour.

 

 

 

My kids pay XBOX too and from what I have seen so far no charge at the XBOX area in Seaplex

 

 

 

Thanks very much for your review. We are sailing on the Anthem on Saturday.

Regarding the internet packages: have you seen any promotions or is the price the same as in Day 1?

Have you seen kids at the shows (around 6-y old) and do you think kids could enjoy the shows?

Thanks and enjoy the rest of your cruise!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

 

So far I have not seen any special deals on Internet. Other than the standard $15/day and bogo 50% off. Wait, there was a holiday/family special too. 4 devices for $10/day each.

 

And of course there is the $15/entire cruise option on Royal IQ to text and talk. It doesn't have full internet access though.

 

I really think it would be nice if Royal had a social media package like carnival does. For a reduced amount you can visit FB, IG and Twitter.

 

More on how I think carnival wins for the onboard app in my cruise overall thoughts.

 

Thanks for your comments and photos. We will be on the Anthem Jan. 15 for a back to back eastern then western Caribbean. Can't wait to join the Thriller dance performance again. Maybe this time I'll be in step with the rest of the zombies after practicing on the Vision and the Grandeur. Checking in with you again tomorrow.

 

 

Lucky you! This is a great ship. And I've always wanted to do a BtB.

 

Not sure when it will ever happen bc it will crazy $ to take 8 people on a BtB and asking my mom to watch kids for that long is probably a bit much. Lol

[AdvGirl]

Hi was just wondering if you got off the ship in Port Canaveral? If so what did you do? If not what did you do on the ship and how empty was it?

 

Again thanks for the posts - and no I did not buy Tanzanite - I know if I had I could retire now ;) Funny thing after my first Tanzanite intro - my son, for work, spent 5 weeks in Tanzania. I told him he should buy some since it was so scarce - He said it was easy to get - but he was not really interested. I guess he did not want to retire early.;)

 

Please enjoy the cruise - still loving your posts!:):D

[Zrf80]

Im also on this cruise. Must say the experience is nice, but I have an 11 month old with me and she definitely takes away from fun time. They have Adventures Ocean on Deck 11 for babysitting (6-8 dollars/hr depending on times), but you do feel guilty when you're having fun without your little ones lol.

 

Food is meh. Have mostly dined in Windjammer (buffet style) and Devinely Decadence. Windjammer can get busy at times, especially when the droves Asians (lol) decide it's time to eat.

 

staff is very kind. Rooms are more than adequate. Im on balcony deck 13 with splendid views. Advice for future cruisers. Bring seamotion pills. The boat rocks, even if it's subtle it'll eventually catch up to you.

 

Feel free to ask questions.

[Zrf80]

Hi was just wondering if you got off the ship in Port Canaveral? If so what did you do? If not what did you do on the ship and how empty was it?

 

Again thanks for the posts - and no I did not buy Tanzanite - I know if I had I could retire now ;) Funny thing after my first Tanzanite intro - my son, for work, spent 5 weeks in Tanzania. I told him he should buy some since it was so scarce - He said it was easy to get - but he was not really interested. I guess he did not want to retire early.;)

 

Please enjoy the cruise - still loving your posts!:):D

 

 

At least 400-500 ppl (including us) went to Disney or one of the other themed parks. Given the boat holds several thousand, not sure if it made any dent in the "crowd" feel. Plenty of shore excursions available. Deck 5 has a dedicated excursion center where the staff is more than helpful in setting up tours, etc.

[CheerMom15]

You will have a great time! It really is so. It really is so nice to get away. Little things like not having to get a child's plate of food and cut it up and make sure they are situated before me are so awesome. I'm sure you can relate. :)

 

I sure can relate! But I can't wait! I haven't seen my husband in months and won't see him again until shortly before we cruise so it will be sooo nice to get away with him! yay!!

 

ZRF80 "Im also on this cruise. Must say the experience is nice, but I have an 11 month old with me and she definitely takes away from fun time. They have Adventures Ocean on Deck 11 for babysitting (6-8 dollars/hr depending on times), but you do feel guilty when you're having fun without your little ones lol."

 

I do not feel guilty one bit! I love my kids with every fiber of my being and give up so much of me for them... But I also love my husband and I want to know who he is when our kids are grown and gone... Some day we won't be "mom and dad" 24/7 so we make sure we take time for us once a year :) But I would rather leave them at home with my Mom because I know if we took them with us, I would keep the little ones with me all the time, therefore never actually getting a "vacation"! Haha

[SnappyNappi]

We are sailing Anthem between Christmas and New Years - leaving in only 12 days! Following your live review and taking some notes :)

 

We have sailed Quantum, so many things are similar. Thanks for taking the time to post your experiences on Anthem while you are vacationing. Enjoy the rest of your sailing!

[matt1751]

quote:

Originally Posted by matt1751 View Post

Hi, been following your posts. We are sailing in June with our 2 sons. First time on a cruise. Have your kids visited the Xbox room or the arcade. We were wondering if there was a charge for either of them. I see on your daily planner it lists some times for free arcade so I'm assuming there is a charge to play normally. Any info would be appreciated. Thanks

 

We are actually cruising solo this time but I have 4 sons and the older 3 would LOVE the Xbox area. Each time we have been up in the sea plex there are kids playing. I haven't been up on the level right next to the Xbox room but I plan to check it out.

 

How old are your kids? It looked like they are playing call of duty from afar. I will check to see if there is a variety of games. I imagine most of boys, especially older ones will want the CoD.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

My 2 boys will be 13 & 15 when we sail and I think the xbox room and the arcade will be there favorite places. I saw another reply saying the xbox room is free. Do you know what the charge is for the games in the arcade. Any photos of those area's would be appreciated also. Please don't go out of your way to do so though. Enjoy your vacation.

 

Thanks