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What's wrong with the Anthem?


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Just wondering why it seems to get lackluster ratings? Can anyone summarize the main issues versus the other classes in the RCI fleet?

 

I'm looking at a 2019 9 night to Bermuda and Eastern Caribbean and the dates and itinerary fit our schedule, but the Quantum class seems to suffer in reviews. Looking for input. Thanks.

 

Trying to make an informed decision. :)

 

Dan

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I've done research on the Anthem... From what I've gathered, the Quantum class is vastly different from the rest of Royal's fleet. I've read that a lot of people complain about the crowding in public spaces such as the Royal Esplanade. However, this can be avoided by using the balcony on deck 5 to bypass the crowds.

 

We'll be sailing Anthem next May and looking forward to our first cruise with RC! We're going in with an open mind... I'll be following this thread to see what others have to say.

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I've been reading Anthem reviews recently. Most are 4-5 starts with an occasional lower score which seems to be focused on the MDR food (seems to be the trend on most cruise lines these days where there is specialty dining) or on specific incidences that are unique to that cruiser. I'm not seeing a majority of lackluster reviews. Am I missing something? My husband and I are booking Anthem very soon.

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Just wondering why it seems to get lackluster ratings? Can anyone summarize the main issues versus the other classes in the RCI fleet?

 

I'm looking at a 2019 9 night to Bermuda and Eastern Caribbean and the dates and itinerary fit our schedule, but the Quantum class seems to suffer in reviews. Looking for input. Thanks.

 

Trying to make an informed decision. :)

 

Dan

 

There is nothing wrong with the Q class. Sailed Anthem twice and Quantum once. Will be sailing Anthem's 9 niter this August visiting NE/Canada and will enjoy as much as the last one a few years ago. Love this class right behind the Oasis class.

 

Initially the primary complaints were the lack of a RCL standard promenade and the intro of DD dining, which to this day, IMHO, RCL erred greatly in ending this dining program.

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Just wondering why it seems to get lackluster ratings? Can anyone summarize the main issues versus the other classes in the RCI fleet?

 

I'm looking at a 2019 9 night to Bermuda and Eastern Caribbean and the dates and itinerary fit our schedule, but the Quantum class seems to suffer in reviews. Looking for input. Thanks.

 

Trying to make an informed decision. :)

 

Dan

 

We have sailed the Anthem and absolutely loved it. Went with 2 other couples who also loved it. We ate specialty so I can't speak to the MDR but the ship and crew were great.

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Anthem, as well as the other Q class ships, seem to be very polarizing, with most people either loving or hating them. As a previous poster said, they are quite different from other Royal ships, from the decor to the Esplenade to the dining venues, etc. I was on the Anthem last summer, my first cruise on a Q class ship and absolutely loved it. I was a little apprehensive after reading so many negative reviews, but Q class is now my favorite in the Royal fleet.

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The Anthem is currently my favorite ship. I"ve sailed on her twice already and have another two cruises booked aboard her for this summer (one goes south, the other goes north). I LOVE the layout of the ship... in my opinion, I NEVER feel like it's overcrowded. Love the Solarium and love the fact there is a family indoor pool (just in case the weather is lousy). The staff have never been anything but kind and helpful. The food on the ship is okay... never went hungry... but I"m not a "foodie"... so the fact that it's just "okay", in my opinion, is good enough for me~~

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I've been on Anthem 2x so far (with another booked and looking at another). Compared to Oasis class, I think some people don't like that Anthem is more "closed" (rather than the open Central Park/Boardwalk areas). Since I sail in colder months, for me, I like more indoor spaces and activities since they are useful from day 1. It's really just a different ship layout (on some of the reviews I have read) that seem to not resonate with some cruisers (and, that's exactly why they have different types of ships :D). Happy Cruising!

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Thanks all. Your input helps significantly!

 

Would you please post a link or two to the lackluster reviews?

 

I'm being lazy, but I can find many. Primarily, I was surprised to see that it gets only 3.5 out of 5, (and the Quantum and Ovation 3 out of 5) on Cruise Critic's main site. Being one of the newest ships I was surprised by that. It does appear that the more recent the review, the better they get. Maybe it was early issues with these ships... or as others have stated, the Q class is a step away from Royal's latest designs with the Promenades. We do love the promenades BTW. We found that out after sailing on the X Equinox. Loved that cruise on the Equinox however, so the promenade will not make or break a cruise for us. Given the choice though...

 

Dan

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My wife and I have the Anthem book for 5/23 next year. We are very excited and continue to hear great things about it. To me, only a couple things missing are water slides and a better or bigger spa area (and maybe more outdoor spaces).

 

Ditto...we have it booked for March 2020 (so a bit of a wait), but look forward to it. Looks like a great ship.

 

I agree that it missing slides (but we were on Allure and it doesn't have them either), has 1 Flowrider and 1 Rock Wall (vs 2 on Oasis class), and seems to have less pools than Oasis (and on our cruise, the first and last day....which are sea days....will probably be cool), but ship still looks amazing and has some different things. Never tried Quantum class and look forward to it. It's smart of Royal to build a ship that can incorporate cooler weather....so has indoor stuff. That could be the bad wrap??? Less sea and more indoor?

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Thanks all. Your input helps significantly!

 

 

 

I'm being lazy, but I can find many. Primarily, I was surprised to see that it gets only 3.5 out of 5, (and the Quantum and Ovation 3 out of 5) on Cruise Critic's main site. Being one of the newest ships I was surprised by that. It does appear that the more recent the review, the better they get. Maybe it was early issues with these ships...

 

Dan

There were some issues with dining early, and they significantly changed the dining process, so I would discount any comments/review about dining that are older than a year or so.

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There were some issues with dining early, and they significantly changed the dining process, so I would discount any comments/review about dining that are older than a year or so.

 

Thanks Bob, I'll have to look into the current dining process. We're used to the Voyager, Freedom and Oasis class style of dining. We typically do MTD but tend to eat around the same time each evening (5:30 - 6pm or so) but want the flexibility just in case our plans for the day change.

 

Dan

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Thanks Bob, I'll have to look into the current dining process. We're used to the Voyager, Freedom and Oasis class style of dining. We typically do MTD but tend to eat around the same time each evening (5:30 - 6pm or so) but want the flexibility just in case our plans for the day change.

 

Dan

Anthem has the same dining process as Voyager/Freedom/Oasis classes now.

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I have been on the Quantum last year, and loved it. Next year, I'm on the brand new Spectrum, and can't wait to see the new changes. These ships are not your normal ships, and are designed for cold weather sailings.

 

Some reasons for lines are because it's cold outside, so more people are doing indoor things. Other than the bumper cars, I did not wait in lines.

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I wonder if part of it is traditional cruisers going on her, we sailed Anthem and Ovation and she is nothing like anything else in the RC fleet, maybe people are expecting more traditional cruising and not liking all the technology, we loved our cruises but can easily go back to the older ships, we did like Dynamic Dining though and it's a shame (imo) that it stopped.

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Interesting, every one of those was from a cruise May 2018.

Just goes to show you everyone has a different experience. We cruised Anthem in May also, first time on Anthem or any Quantum class. We didn’t experience any of the negative items described on those reviews and I came away very much impressed with that class ship. I would gladly sail Anthem again.

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Here is a link to my review of a 9-night Bermuda and Caribbean on Anthem a couple of weeks ago (May 31-June 9): https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2645064

 

I too read some poor reviews, but you know what...it's what you make it. Some people are harsher than others and are easily offended and feel like they deserve better treatment. With that said, I had a fantastic time. Anthem surpassed my expectations in all areas. Service was excellent, with the exception of the inside main pool bar. Food was good and entertainment was great.

 

I did not feel crowded and in fact, way less crowded than I have on Oasis, obviously, but also on Freedom class sometimes.

 

If you want to find a chair by the pool, yes, you'll have to get there early...but that's on every single ship.

Edited by cot427
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I've been told as long as we arrive to the upper decks early, there will be plenty of availability on deck 10, is that true?

Chair availability is an issue on all ships. BTW, you won't find any on deck 10, the pool is on 14.

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