Adventure vs. Anthem from NYC to Bermuda/Bahamas

[mickeyfanz]

My parents would like us all to go on a cruise for their 50th Anniversary next summer 2019. They are avid cruisers with several on Azamara and Celebrity which do not seem to have as much for the kids that RCI has (and are much pricier for the rest of the family). My brother and family live in NYC and have a new baby so we figured it may be easiest to leave from Bayonne/Cape Liberty so they do not have to fly with 2 little ones. My 3 boys will all be teens so we can get around a lot easier.

 

In looking at the itineraries for Summer 2019 leaving from NYC, it seems the choices would be either the Adventure of the Seas or the Anthem of the Seas going to Bermuda and/or Bahamas. With the limited research I have done, it looks like the Anthem is much larger and newer than the Adventure. In reading reviews, it seems like the Anthem had a lot more negative ones though. Has anyone been on both to give me a comparison or tell which one they liked better and why?

 

In choosing itineraries, I see some go to Labadee vs. Coco Cay. It seems with all of the new plans they have for Coco Cay, that it would be the preferred destination? I assume a lot of it should be complete by next summer?

 

If it helps, our group will be 2 senior citizens, 4 adults, and 5 kids ages 19, 16, 13, 3, and 1.

 

Thanks for sharing your tips and experiences!

[Biker19]

The pier might be done at Coco Cay, doubtful of all the other stuff.

 

Anthem would have a few more things for the teenagers - either ship would be fine for the little ones.

 

You can mostly ignore the negative Anthem reviews - it's just so different from the rest of the fleet, folks will rate it lower just due to that.

 

I'd say go for the better value between the two ships.

[Laurin612]

I have not been on Anthem, but I have been on Adventure. We did not initially choose Adventure--we had booked on another cruise line and that cruise got cancelled due to a re-positioning. We then had to scramble to book something that was leaving out of San Juan the same day--and ended up on the Adventure of the Seas. The cruise was very port intensive and the ship was perfectly fine, but my teens said they were bored and they didn't like the teen club and found it disorganized.

 

In my opinion, since you are cruising to Bermuda/Bahamas and it will NOT be port intensive and you are traveling with three teens, I'd go with Anthem. There will be much more for them (and everyone else in the family) to do, which is important on cruises that are not particularly port intensive.

 

That said, you can't go wrong either way. It's a cruise! :)

[OnceAMarineAlwaysAMarine]

For what it is worth, I prefer Adventure over Anthem. While on Anthem I had the feeling like I was living in a shopping center. The main deck is laid out just like a large shopping center. On Adventure you have the stores intermingled with the bars and food shops and it is much more open. I believe that both ships offer many activities for the younger children but teenagers do tend to get bored quickly. Anthem has much more technology than Adventure and their theater is a technological wonder. I am a big fan of traditional dining so I did not like the dining options on Anthem but this may be what you prefer. There are four dining rooms, all with the exact same layout so you can sit at the same table with the same waiter every night if you prefer, but you will be in a different dining room each night. You can also select the option to just go to any of the dining rooms and they will sit you at any table they have available. However, the waiters are each assigned their "regular" tables with the same people each night and a couple of tables with people who they do not serve every night. We found that the waiter spent way more time tending to his "regulars" and we often had to try and get his attention in order to get him to come to our table.

 

 

Boarding the Anthem is much faster than Adventure. On Anthem, when you arrive at the port you just go to any RCCL representative. They are all standing around and they have iPads. You show your Set Sail pass and they check you in very quickly. You do not get your room keys from them. Your keys are on the door outside your cabin so you just go to your cabin to pick them up. Adventure boarding is the traditional method of waiting in line at a counter and then getting your keys after they check you in (unless they have changed this since the last time I sailed on Adventure).

 

 

Bottom line is that you will enjoy either ship, but my next cruise in July is on Adventure.

[BobbyD]

We have been on the Adventure. Great ship but the Voyager/Freedom classes of ships are our favorites.

 

We will be on the Aug.9 sailing of the Anthem out of Cape Liberty. 9 days to Bermuda and Caribbean. Can't wait to try out this new class of ship. I'm sure either will be great for you regardless! There is always a good mix of activities for all age groups.

[138east]

I am a big fan of traditional dining so I did not like the dining options on Anthem but this may be what you prefer. There are four dining rooms, all with the exact same layout so you can sit at the same table with the same waiter every night if you prefer, but you will be in a different dining room each night. You can also select the option to just go to any of the dining rooms and they will sit you at any table they have available. However, the waiters are each assigned their "regular" tables with the same people each night and a couple of tables with people who they do not serve every night. We found that the waiter spent way more time tending to his "regulars" and we often had to try and get his attention in order to get him to come to our table.

.

What you have described is "Dynamic Dining" which no longer exists on Anthem. Anthem now offers traditional and MTD in the 4 dining rooms. Chic and Grand are used for traditional dining with assigned tables. American Icon is used for MTD wth reservations and Silk issued for MTD without reservations. There can be flexibility with the MTD dining room assignments on any particular night to accommodate fluctuations in demand.

[OnceAMarineAlwaysAMarine]

What you have described is "Dynamic Dining" which no longer exists on Anthem. Anthem now offers traditional and MTD in the 4 dining rooms. Chic and Grand are used for traditional dining with assigned tables. American Icon is used for MTD wth reservations and Silk issued for MTD without reservations. There can be flexibility with the MTD dining room assignments on any particular night to accommodate fluctuations in demand.

 

I am glad to hear that. I did not care for the Dynamic Dining option and apparently I wasn't alone since they have eliminated that option.

[happycruiser90]

I have done Anthem and Explorer which is the same class as Adventure. I loved both. It depends on what the kids prefer. But the Anthem seaplex is a great place. They use it for different things such as bumper cars, trapeze, Basketball, Xbox, escape room and ping pong. I will be going on Adventure in August and Anthem in Febuary. I'm sure they will be happy on either one.

[Jasukkie]

I haven't been on Adventure but I've been on Voyager and Navigator which are the same class, and Anthem twice. I vastly prefer the grand dining room design that Adventure has, but Anthem has 270 which is unique and just a fabulous space. I think either choice is going to be fine, perhaps let price and dates be your guide.

 

As for bad reviews on Anthem, I'm booked on Anthem again next month, third time in the past year. Bayonne is an easy drive from my home, and I've been able to take advantage of some great sales in the less than 90 days til sailing range. There are some things I would change if I could but it's not anything that's a deal breaker. The promenade on deck 4 is made unnecessarily crowded by the flea market type sales tables. Pro-tip: walk outside all the way back to 270 if the weather permits. MyTime Dining can be a hot mess. It's made easier if you just stick with the same waiter and time. I much prefer the traditional way but it's not been an option when booking late. Same food, I'm not cooking or washing the dishes, it's all good. Try to keep a positive attitude no matter the ship.

[njkruzer]

We've been on both. They are different and each has its own positives and negatives. Anthem has an enclosed adult only solarium, Adventure''s is open. Adventure has a 2 level mini golf that is great and ice skating. Anthem has bumper cars, I fly and Northstar. Pick the one that has the itinerary you like at the time you want to sail. You won't go wrong whichever you picks.

[Baron Barracuda]

We've done a number of sailings on both classes of ships, and while Voyager class is our favorite, believe with your group's demographics Anthem is a better choice. Just has more to offer for teens. They'll love I-Fly, bumper cars and flow rider. Also, imo Adven'ture's itineraries aren't as interesting. Prefer the shopping and beaches of St Maarten over Port Canaveral, which other than day trips to Cape Canaveral and Disney has little to offer.

[bobbie0253]

I’ve been on the Adventure twice, Anthem once. We go on the Adventure again May 11. We love the Adventure. The Anthem wasn’t a wow for us. But it also was a short cruise and very new at the time. It was also a norovirus cruise so that had a big impact on crew friendliness. I think they were all just unusually tired. I hate all the reservations, scheduling type stuff on the Anthem. Everything booked fast and we couldn’t get reservations for ifly or Northstar.

 

We plan on giving her a try again though. I think it was just SO different from what we are used to and felt like it just didn’t wow us. The kids open play area was awesome though! Such a great addition to a ship. We spent SO much time with our toddler in there.

 

 

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[dbarton02]

My parents would like us all to go on a cruise for their 50th Anniversary next summer 2019. They are avid cruisers with several on Azamara and Celebrity which do not seem to have as much for the kids that RCI has (and are much pricier for the rest of the family). My brother and family live in NYC and have a new baby so we figured it may be easiest to leave from Bayonne/Cape Liberty so they do not have to fly with 2 little ones. My 3 boys will all be teens so we can get around a lot easier.

 

In looking at the itineraries for Summer 2019 leaving from NYC, it seems the choices would be either the Adventure of the Seas or the Anthem of the Seas going to Bermuda and/or Bahamas. With the limited research I have done, it looks like the Anthem is much larger and newer than the Adventure. In reading reviews, it seems like the Anthem had a lot more negative ones though. Has anyone been on both to give me a comparison or tell which one they liked better and why?

 

In choosing itineraries, I see some go to Labadee vs. Coco Cay. It seems with all of the new plans they have for Coco Cay, that it would be the preferred destination? I assume a lot of it should be complete by next summer?

 

If it helps, our group will be 2 senior citizens, 4 adults, and 5 kids ages 19, 16, 13, 3, and 1.

 

Thanks for sharing your tips and experiences!

 

I have yet to sail on either - but will be on the Anthem this June.

What I CAN offer is advice based on my experience when pricing these cruises out (and it has been echoed by many on these forums).

 

Trips on the newer ships are going to come at a cost premium since everyone wants the new 'experience'.

DW and I looked and decided to pay more for the Anthem because we wanted to try out a Quantum Class Ship and it had what would be (in my opinion) a little more for our 5 year old and 2 year old to do (including a kiddie splash area).

 

I liked how someone worded the "take the negative reviews for Anthem w/ a grain of salt - because it's different, and some people just don't like it".

 

We had been on one of the last sailings of the Monarch before RCI sold it to Costa. It was a great ship, but we also didn't have kids at the time, and there wasn't much for kids to do there. I'm not going to leave a garbage review because I didn't do my homework to see what they could or couldn't do beforehand... Same goes for the bigger ships.

 

Book based on what is appealing to you - and what you feel is the best value for the trip.

It's YOUR vacation, and YOUR money.

Enjoy it, and then post a review on what you thought! Still love to see how all the opinions vary!

[aiyaitsai]

On the note of all the reservations and stuff required for Anthem.

I booked a cruise on Anthem in November, to be sailing out at the end of April.

I picked it because of the iFly and activities like it. I couldn't find a way to reserve anything back then, and now I call them to try to reserve on the phone and I'm told it's all booked which makes me really sad and pissed.

 

Is there a golden window of booking things like this?? November was so far away and if it wasn't on the cruise planner does that just mean it was booked then too? Super annoying.

 

Do I need to make a reservation for bumper cars too??? It seems silly that there isn't a section of reservations held off for when people are actually on the ship.

[Baron Barracuda]

On the note of all the reservations and stuff required for Anthem.

I booked a cruise on Anthem in November, to be sailing out at the end of April.

I picked it because of the iFly and activities like it. I couldn't find a way to reserve anything back then, and now I call them to try to reserve on the phone and I'm told it's all booked which makes me really sad and pissed.

 

Is there a golden window of booking things like this?? November was so far away and if it wasn't on the cruise planner does that just mean it was booked then too? Super annoying.

 

Do I need to make a reservation for bumper cars too??? It seems silly that there isn't a section of reservations held off for when people are actually on the ship.

 

Welcome to cruise critic

 

While I-fly does tend to book up they only allow a certain % of slots to be pre-reserved. Get to the port early for embarkation. As soon as you board ask where activities signup is. And no, bumper cars don't require reservations.

[aiyaitsai]

Welcome to cruise critic

 

While I-fly does tend to book up they only allow a certain % of slots to be pre-reserved. Get to the port early for embarkation. As soon as you board ask where activities signup is. And no, bumper cars don't require reservations.

 

Ah thank you so much for the information!

We picked the earliest check in appointment so hopefully it'll work out. :)

 

This is getting really specific but - our check in time was chosen when I did the early online check in. Is there an even earlier time to get there? Boat leaves at 4pm and the appointment was for 12.

[Baron Barracuda]

This is getting really specific but - our check in time was chosen when I did the early online check in. Is there an even earlier time to get there? Boat leaves at 4pm and the appointment was for 12.

 

12 is your recommended boarding time. It's not enforced. Those first to arrive are first to board. On our last Anthem sailing knowing that boarding usually starts around 11am we arrived at 10:30. There were already 500 people ahead of us. In your situation suggest 10am.

[amarantha7]

It's been few years since we were on Adventure, but we remember it as an older ship with a wonderful crew. Obviously, the Anthem is newer, bigger and has a lot of flashy extras. Adventure has had at least one major refurbishment since our cruise; I'd love to see it's current incarnation.

 

We were just on the Anthem and thought it was lovely. We were on during Spring Break, so it was as crowded as it could be. Not generally an issue, although the elevators could be frustrating, and hallway noise was occasionally an issue. Despite the crowds, my son was able to walk onto North Star twice, once on the first day and once in port at Nassau. It's always worth asking! I'm not sure I'd try that with a party of five, but one or two people, sure.

 

I believe the new dock and other improvements at Coco Cay will be done mid 2019, which will be welcome, the new dock especially. We were unable to visit Coco Cay on our cruise, due to the high surf and potential danger of trying to board the tenders. This is a pretty common problem and it'll be great to eliminate it. Labadee has a dock. We had a very nice beach day there off Allure a couple years ago.

 

I'd say if all you want is a beach day and the water park and other new features at Coco Cay aren't a big draw for you or anybody in your party, that both destinations will be about the same. The teens in your group would probably enjoy Coco Cay more. The current extras are usually extra money (they count as excursions), so I assume the slides and everything in the new areas will be extra, too.

 

I'm not a pro-large ship versus small ship or the reverse. If you and your parents don't have gut feeling either way, or fall into either camp, I'd look at the overall pluses and minuses of itineraries, price and dates, etc. Good luck! I'd love to hear what you decide to do!