Considering trying RCCL-need opinions

[Full90]

Last 9 years we have cruised exclusively on Celebrity and love it. Feels like going home every time. But we are retiring and want to try new things. One of those things is other cruise lines. We are considering Anthem of the Seas for 11 days to southern caribbean. We chose Anthem for the big ship experience (but not gigantic) that we have never had and said we would never do but retirement makes you look at things differently.

 

What I am soliciting advice on is the differences we should expect between our Celebrity experiences. such as:

 

What is the difference, other than size, between the Jr suite and Oceanview with LG Balcony? Are there any perks for getting a Jr suite? Priority boarding, free spa access,goodies in the room etc..

 

On Celebrity we have always had free access to the Persian Gardens because of our cabin type. Is there anything like Persian Gardens on the Anthem? Didn't seem to be but the website for RCCL is not very informative.

 

Does it seem crowded on the Anthem ( I know very subjective question)? Based on their gross tonnage per passenger it is slightly smaller than most of the Celebrity ships but not by much

 

I have read that for shows and specialty restaurants reservations are a must and well in advance of departure. True?

 

Do they allow smoking in the Casino?

 

Thanks. Any tips about the Anthem are appreciated.

[2chiefs]

Last 9 years we have cruised exclusively on Celebrity and love it. Feels like going home every time. But we are retiring and want to try new things. One of those things is other cruise lines. We are considering Anthem of the Seas for 11 days to southern caribbean. We chose Anthem for the big ship experience (but not gigantic) that we have never had and said we would never do but retirement makes you look at things differently.

 

What I am soliciting advice on is the differences we should expect between our Celebrity experiences. such as:

 

What is the difference, other than size, between the Jr suite and Oceanview with LG Balcony? Are there any perks for getting a Jr suite? Priority boarding, free spa access,goodies in the room etc..

 

On Celebrity we have always had free access to the Persian Gardens because of our cabin type. Is there anything like Persian Gardens on the Anthem? Didn't seem to be but the website for RCCL is not very informative.

 

Does it seem crowded on the Anthem ( I know very subjective question)? Based on their gross tonnage per passenger it is slightly smaller than most of the Celebrity ships but not by much

 

I have read that for shows and specialty restaurants reservations are a must and well in advance of departure. True?

 

Do they allow smoking in the Casino?

 

Thanks. Any tips about the Anthem are appreciated.

 

We've been on a couple Oasis cruises and it never felt crowded except on embarkation day. RCI designed the ship to spread the crowds.

 

We've had a Jr Suite a couple times. No special perks that I'm aware of except I hear they now have access to Coastal Kitchen (they didn't have that when we cruise a Jr Suite). The Jr suite is just bigger in size than a balcony and you get double loyalty points. None of the other perks in regular suites.

 

Nothing similar to Persian Gardens.

I'm not sure of current smoking policy in the casino. I know it used to be allowed and some of the older RCI ships design required us to transit through a casino when going forward or aft on the same deck. It would always drive us non-smokers nuts. (We liked the Celebrity Reflection design where you didn't have to transit the casino)

 

We like the Oasis a lot but we also like the more laid back atmosphere of the Celebrity so I think you should absolutely at least try it.

 

Are you Elite on Celebrity? If so, you can enjoy Diamond level perks on RCI. Unlike Celebrity, there is an actual Diamond Lounge on RCI ships which many Diamond and above folks enjoy.

 

I'm sure others will chime in and answer your other questions..

[Biker19]

Any tips about the Anthem are appreciated.

Assuming quite a bit of your Celebrity experience has been on Solstice class ships, you'll feel right at home when you walk into a cabin on Anthem.

 

Yes, smoking is allowed in the casino.

[boscobeans]

 

What is the difference, other than size, between the Jr suite and Oceanview with LG Balcony? Are there any perks for getting a Jr suite? Priority boarding, free spa access,goodies in the room etc..

 

Does it seem crowded on the Anthem ( I know very subjective question)? Based on their gross tonnage per passenger it is slightly smaller than most of the Celebrity ships but not by much

At the usual times for the buffet and elevators-other than that you will often find empty elevators and stairways

 

Do they allow smoking in the Casino? On a few RC cruises in the past they had no smoking in the casino on the formal nights-doesn't seem like they do anymore.

 

Thanks. Any tips about the Anthem are appreciated.

Basically if you look, you will find what you like about Celebrity plus a lot more in the way of activities and entertainment[./quote]

 

bosco

[smokeykat]

The only place that felt crowded on our cruise was windjammer at prime meal time. Casinos seemed to be smoke free. Make reservations for the shows. Also if you do my time dinning make reservations as there will be less of a wait.

[SpecialNeedsFam]

I don’t love crowds but was able to mostly avoid them on Anthem. I just stayed away from the on-board shops during special promotions, the outdoor pool in the afternoons on sunny days (indoor pool was great all day!) and tried not to eat in windjammer at peak times. I absolutely hate the smell of smoke and was pleasantly surprised to find it fairly mild in the casino, especially the non-smoking slots area closest to the main dining room.

Edited August 31, 2018 by SpecialNeedsFam
forgot to mention casino

[debshomespun]

We are currently on Anthem. The elevators are very busy. The casino is not smoke free, so depending on what fellow guests are there smoking if the smell bad or not.

 

The Esplanade through the middle of the ship is fairly crowded most if the time.

 

If you have My Time Dining, try to go eat before 6:30. After that time, there are longer times to wait.

 

There are 3 main shows you should make a reservation for. They would be available in your cruise planner about 3 months before your sailing.

 

 

 

Sent from my XT1565 using Forums mobile app

[debshomespun]

We are currently on Anthem. The elevators are very busy. The casino is not smoke free, so depending on what fellow guests are there smoking if the smell is bad or not.

 

The Esplanade through the middle of the ship is fairly crowded most of the time.

 

If you have My Time Dining, try to go eat before 6:30. After that time, there are longer times to wait.

 

There are 3 main shows you should make a reservation for. They would be available in your cruise planner about 3 months before your sailing.

 

 

 

Sent from my XT1565 using Forums mobile app

 

 

 

Sent from my XT1565 using Forums mobile app

[KKB]

We cruised Allure & it is our fav ship. We also only noticed crowds during muster.

We have done Celebrity our last 4 since the Allure (Constellation, Silhouette, Equinox) The thing we missed the most on the Allure was the plethora of activities.

We are trying the Anthem this December--truly the ship is our destination (sailing out of NJ in Dec, it better be!)

[33tekfan]

I'll chime in with this: our family did not particularly like the "flow" of the Anthem, particularly in the promenade. We found that area to be congested no matter the time. Not a fan of the Windjammer in general (on any ship), but I liked the one on the Anthem the best.

[cb at sea]

Anthem is pretty gigantic....it's a HUGE ship! It will be a totally different experience from Celebrity. I'm sure you will have a great time.

[LeeW]

Try to get reservations for iFly and Northstar early in the cruise. The former does tend to fill. Latter you might be able to do standby. We had people from age 6 - 69 in our iFly group. Also try the bumper cars - just get in line. Although not if you have a bad back since these move pretty quickly. Lunch in Solarium is a smaller buffet area and not crowded much. Also good place for breakfast.

 

Lots of random quiet spots on Anthem. We never felt crowded except right after muster drill and getting off in Bermuda.