Just off Anthem of the Seas - a few thoughts

[Nectarologist]

Hi. Just got off Anthem of the Seas and wanted to share some pros/cons. I didn't want to do a very detailed review but rather give some bullet points for someone considering RCL. About me: I went with a family of 5. Me, dw, 3 kids (7, 9, 10). I've cruised 6 different lines on 15 cruises. I've stayed inside all the way to suites (never an owner's suite though). And I've even stayed inside after staying in a suite (gasp!). I'm not one to pay for beer and expect champagne so keep that in mind. I don't typically compare one line to another or when I do I consider price too. I sailed RCL for my honeymoon 16 years ago and this was my first time back since (no particular reason). I've always viewed them as innovative and modern. This was no different and I was really impressed with the ship. I have no loyalty to any particular line overall. They all have pros and cons depending on the room category. In no particular order here they are:

 

Pros:

soda machines! I love the touchscreen machines that give you dozens of choices so this was a plus to know they'd be on board. (hint, you can still get ice and water from them if you don't have the soda package)

Muster station wristbands for the kids. The crew will know exactly where to bring the kids should that type of emergency arise.

Staff - so nice and friendly

Well organized for extra activities - from roller skating to ifly to flo rider there was a system that worked well

Offered a wide range of activities for active people - i'm not active but it was nice my kids had options.

NorthStar - a cool idea and it was fun.

Solarium - adults only area. nice breakfast and dinner options and the view was amazing.

Seating - they have dozens of daybeds in addition to lounge chairs. I have a daybed at home and they are awesome. It was cool to see that had so many of them.

Coco Cay - very, very nice. I like it much better than NCL's island (though not as much as Disney's).

Elevators - with 4k people on board I thought there was ample elevators and of course with a full ship for the President's week sailing there were waits but nothing unreasonable.

Lost and found after you leave the ship - of course I left my new sunglasses in my room safe. One call to customer service told me the website they use for lost and found. Super easy. Even if they can't find the glasses it was a nice customer service feature to have this online program.

General layout of ship - I never thought it was overcrowded even though it was a full sailing. Navigating it was easy (floor to floor or from front to back).

Rooms - had two connecting balconies and they were spacious with plenty of storage.

Cleanliness - people all over clearing water from the pool decks to keep them safe.

Lifeguards - There were lifeguards at every pool all the time. A significant expense and appreciated.

 

Cons:

Seating workflow for the MTD dining rooms. It was horrible to get people seated (not just dinner but breakfst and lunch too).

Soda machine - Awesome but I wish they had a couple of more to fill in the gaps. They ship is huge and it can be a bit of a walk to get to one.

My floor - floor 7. It's actually fine but I'd stay higher next time or very low. For me being in the middle of the ship, vertically, meant taking the stairs would have been too much when I wanted to go to 14 or down to 3 (dining room breakfast). E.g., going to the arcade I couldn't take a 7 year old up 8 flights of stairs.

Kids clubs sizes - The rooms were really small and very plain looking. But what do i know, I'm not a kid and my kids loved them. So basically who cares what I think! haha I can't help but compare it to Disney but factoring in the price point of the trip I can't complain. The kids never said they wish they were on DCL.

Drink menus - Not a big deal but I was expecting drink menus at each bar. I like to try different drinks and usually just pick off the menu. Some bars had them but the outdoor ones didn't.

Bar inventory - Multiple times bars said they didn't have strawberry daiquiri mix or pina colada etc. Michael's pub didn't have any IPAs one night. Michael's also only had stella on tap. Their pub is advertised as an authentic pub so they need to offer a few choices on tap. The food options looked really good though. But I never got around to ordering food from there.

Royal IQ - only worked 50% of the time so how can I say it was even okay? Bonus though is iMessage works when you connect to royal wifi. Turn on airplane mode and you can still use iMessage without paying for RCLs texting app at $8 per device. iMessage also worked with iPhones on shore!

Frozen drinks - they blended drinks without the alcohol. they would pour the blended drink over the alcohol and you had to mix it yourself. They just weren't that good. I'd give them a last place out of all the lines I've sailed. Maybe they do it so they can be sure which one has the alcohol?? If so that's a good idea with kids ordering n/a frozen drinks. But I don't think that's the case because I saw parents ordering 2 alcoholic drinks and 1 non-alcohol on one order and there was nothing to identify the alcoholic drinks.

 

I'd sail RCL for sure again. Plenty of pros i didn't mention because you'd expect them on any line. E.g., good food, entertainment, etc. Happy sailing!

Edited February 26, 2018 by Nectarologist

[drrich2]

In light of your present and past experiences as a family, which ship & line do you guys hope to try next? What do the 3 kids count as a favorite?

 

Richard.

[Nectarologist]

In light of your present and past experiences as a family, which ship & line do you guys hope to try next? What do the 3 kids count as a favorite?

 

Richard.

Hi Richard,

I think we'll do Disney next. We're getting priced out of there and we're thinking of doing one last one if we can get a good price. That'll be next year (going to do 4 day Universal and 4 night DCL out of Port Canaveral). After that I think we'd go Royal again. My kids really liked the activities and the only thing they missed was a water slide. That being said they were so happy to try the flo rider and ifly. Really unique brilliant activities. So we'll look for a Royal itinerary with a slide! I really felt that it was a good value and am glad we went on Royal. I must say though when we do a suite I loved NCL's haven (only tried a suite on Disney so not much to compare with). Thanks for reading, Chris

[voyager70]

Thanks for your review. I've only been on Anthem once and thoroughly enjoyed it. Agree about the Royal IQ app. It sucks. That being said I can't wait to sail Anthem again!

[kelly0525]

How busy was the kids club? Were there big lines for flowrider? We are sailing soon during busy time and will be taking our kids so I would like to know what to expect . Thanks .

 

Sent from my SM-G935T using Forums mobile app

[Keith1010]

Enjoyed your trip report.

 

Thanks for taking the time to writ this and to share it.

 

Keith

[nelblu]

You did not say if you had traditional or MTD. Other than the 1st day/night ever thing went pretty smooth. We sailed on the Jan. 28th cruise. The first day's breakfast was, a total disaster. Many Paxs, including ourselves, waited some 45 minutes for a table for 2.

 

When we finally were seated in Chic, we noticed some 3 tables for 2 that were unoccupied and stayed that way for the remainder of our stay. It took an additional 15 minutes for someone to take our order. It seemed as though there was a lowdown in process.

 

While waiting on line there were quite a few irate Paxs and some of them literally screaming and I thought there was going to be a riot. Only the Host(s) took the brunt and not one supervisor or head waiter around to explain, calm everybody or make exceptions.

 

Their primary goal, at least initially, was to force Paxs into sharing tables

 

The second day, we wanted to avoid the fiasco. When asked if we would share a table-- said yes and guess what--we got a table for 2. Go figure.

 

The other breakfast days, I made sure I was one of the first on line at 7:30am and incurred no problems whatsoever. Loved the breakfast salad bar in the Grande.

 

Lunch on sea days, we did not find as confusing as breakfast. Enjoyed the Tutti salad bar to go along with the magnificent dessert table.

 

Dinner, we knew our table # and basically entered the Grande and walked to our table without assistance.

 

I can't remember the table set up in the Grande on the Quantum, but on the Anthem they have 2 rows of tables for 2s for the entire length of the restaurant. We met some interesting and wonderful table mates.

[Clarea]

Thanks for the report.

[hurls88]

Hi. Just got off Anthem of the Seas and wanted to share some pros/cons. I didn't want to do a very detailed review but rather give some bullet points for someone considering RCL. About me: I went with a family of 5. Me, dw, 3 kids (7, 9, 10). I've cruised 6 different lines on 15 cruises. I've stayed inside all the way to suites (never an owner's suite though). And I've even stayed inside after staying in a suite (gasp!). I'm not one to pay for beer and expect champagne so keep that in mind. I don't typically compare one line to another or when I do I consider price too. I sailed RCL for my honeymoon 16 years ago and this was my first time back since (no particular reason). I've always viewed them as innovative and modern. This was no different and I was really impressed with the ship. I have no loyalty to any particular line overall. They all have pros and cons depending on the room category. In no particular order here they are:

 

Cons:

Frozen drinks - they blended drinks without the alcohol. they would pour the blended drink over the alcohol and you had to mix it yourself. They just weren't that good. I'd give them a last place out of all the lines I've sailed. Maybe they do it so they can be sure which one has the alcohol?? If so that's a good idea with kids ordering n/a frozen drinks. But I don't think that's the case because I saw parents ordering 2 alcoholic drinks and 1 non-alcohol on one order and there was nothing to identify the alcoholic drinks.

 

I'd sail RCL for sure again. Plenty of pros i didn't mention because you'd expect them on any line. E.g., good food, entertainment, etc. Happy sailing!

 

This must be something that more vendors are doing. I went to the Honda Classic this weekend at PGA National and they did the same thing. My wife and I ordered a Bermuda (Strawberry Daiquiri and Pina Colada mixed) and drinks were horrible done that way.

[marci22]

Lost and found after you leave the ship - of course I left my new sunglasses in my room safe. One call to customer service told me the website they use for lost and found. Super easy. Even if they can't find the glasses it was a nice customer service feature to have this online program.

 

Is this for all ships? Could you post for future lost and found reference?

[Rewind]

Isn't Michael's Pub contract ending.... yesterday? Royal decided not to renew and go their own route.

With the ending of the contract, the former locations will become these new venues:

• Harp & Horn on Quantum of the Seas — February 26th
  
• Brass & Bock on Anthem of the Seas — February 25th
  
• Amber & Oak on Ovation of the Seas — February 26th
  

[Tatka]

I agree with most of your points. Thank you for your review.

 

I do think Anthem can get pretty overcrowded. We sailed on her twice. Both times it was sold out. Our last cruise was during Thanksgiving.

We found Royal Esplanade to be narrow and overcrowded most of the time. We also thought that Schooners bar where nice music is usually played to have a bad location right near Music Hall with very loud music.

 

We are sailing on her again on Thanksgiving 2018 as overall we liked experience.

[hapster85]

You did not say if you had traditional or MTD. ...

 

This was listed under Cons in the first post:

 

"Seating workflow for the MTD dining rooms. It was horrible to get people seated (not just dinner but breakfst and lunch too)."

[golden6911]

Thanks for this review!

 

I am sailing with two teenagers during April vacation week, and so I have been looking forward to reading reviews of the February school vacation week as a comparison. I am glad to hear that it wasn’t as insanely overcrowded as I would have thought. I am also doing two balconies, but not connecting, just next to each other. All the other ones were sold out at 7 months prior to sailing when I booked.

[nelblu]

This was listed under Cons in the first post:

 

"Seating workflow for the MTD dining rooms. It was horrible to get people seated (not just dinner but breakfst and lunch too)."

 

Sorry, I missed it. As I mentioned in our 12 niter, other than the initial full day, we had no major problems.

[ladylemondrop]

Thanks for posting. In regrd to wifi (bear with me am technophobe) are you saying you dont need their voom package? How did you connect to royal wifi? Thanks.

[Turtles06]

Thanks for posting. In regrd to wifi (bear with me am technophobe) are you saying you dont need their voom package? How did you connect to royal wifi? Thanks.

 

The Royal iQ app connects for free to Royal wi fi, and you are limited to the shipboard functions of that app. If you want access to the internet, you need to purchase Voom.

[Clarea]

Thanks for posting. In regrd to wifi (bear with me am technophobe) are you saying you dont need their voom package? How did you connect to royal wifi? Thanks.

As explained above, anyone can connect to Royal WiFi, but you won't be able to access most internet sites without VOOM. The only internet sites you can access without VOOM would be RC sites,like Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, etc.

[gaylemh]

As explained above, anyone can connect to Royal WiFi, but you won't be able to access most internet sites without VOOM. The only internet sites you can access without VOOM would be RC sites,like Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, etc.

 

For some reason you could also connect to You Tube on Iphones also.

[Clarea]

For some reason you could also connect to You Tube on Iphones also.

Another hole in the firewall to add to the free iMessage access.:)

[MrSnarkyPants]

The Royal iQ app connects for free to Royal wi fi, and you are limited to the shipboard functions of that app. If you want access to the internet, you need to purchase Voom.

 

I found the Royal IQ app to be buggy. It often threw errors displaying my calendar or during the dining reservation process. There was at least one day during my voyage where Royal IQ just wouldn't work. Other days I could read the cruise compass but not make or view reservations.

 

 

But as others have pointed out, if you don't buy Voom, iMessage, push notifications, and the Apple News app will still work.

 

Royal IQ is a nice idea, but it's still half-baked.

[MrSnarkyPants]

I agree with most of your points. Thank you for your review.

 

I do think Anthem can get pretty overcrowded. We sailed on her twice. Both times it was sold out. Our last cruise was during Thanksgiving.

We found Royal Esplanade to be narrow and overcrowded most of the time. We also thought that Schooners bar where nice music is usually played to have a bad location right near Music Hall with very loud music.

 

We are sailing on her again on Thanksgiving 2018 as overall we liked experience.

 

I didn't notice a problem with the Music Hall entertainment drowning out the Schooner Bar. Schooner Bar's problem is no matter which pianist is playing, he plays the same 8 songs in the same order every night. It's 8:15, time for The Eagles with "Love Will Keep Us Alive." I think I heard that song more during the 12 nights I was on board than I heard that song when it was new. Also, it's hard to sing along at the piano bar when the pianist doesn't follow the melody and adds unnatural pauses to the lyrics.

 

The music in the Music Hall was generally O-L-D. We had a Beatles tribute half the cruise and the Royal Swedes playing classic rock for the rest. The ship was pretty dead by the time the DJ would come out to play something recent. I found myself wishing I had been on one of the cruises with the Journey tribute band, because while those songs are still old, they're at least of my generation and not my parents (or older).

[JaniceB]

Thank you for your report!

[teecee89]

I found the Royal IQ app to be buggy. It often threw errors displaying my calendar or during the dining reservation process. There was at least one day during my voyage where Royal IQ just wouldn't work. Other days I could read the cruise compass but not make or view reservations.

 

 

But as others have pointed out, if you don't buy Voom, iMessage, push notifications, and the Apple News app will still work.

 

Royal IQ is a nice idea, but it's still half-baked.

 

So I would just have to download the Royal IQ app, not pay anything, then I can iMessage my husband?

[Tatka]

I didn't notice a problem with the Music Hall entertainment drowning out the Schooner Bar. Schooner Bar's problem is no matter which pianist is playing, he plays the same 8 songs in the same order every night. It's 8:15, time for The Eagles with "Love Will Keep Us Alive." I think I heard that song more during the 12 nights I was on board than I heard that song when it was new. Also, it's hard to sing along at the piano bar when the pianist doesn't follow the melody and adds unnatural pauses to the lyrics.

 

The music in the Music Hall was generally O-L-D. We had a Beatles tribute half the cruise and the Royal Swedes playing classic rock for the rest. The ship was pretty dead by the time the DJ would come out to play something recent. I found myself wishing I had been on one of the cruises with the Journey tribute band, because while those songs are still old, they're at least of my generation and not my parents (or older).

We enjoyed music in Schooners, but I wish the there was no loud music from MH and people walking through as it is a upper part of Esplanade.

 

Bolleros is much better venue imho.