Going On Our First Cruise Since 2013 and I'm Worried. CC Peeps: Tell Me Something GOOD!

[MightyMike]

Muster drill is infinitely better.

 

Embarkation and disembarkation is usually a breeze now.

 

Anthem doesn't have a rocking problem--other than how her Atlantic itineraries can take her into rougher seas than her Caribbean counterparts. She isn't as wide as Oasis class (and now Icon class), but Oasis class is the exception there.

[StephPS79]

Sorry, I'm late to the party!  But you're asking in the wrong place if you want some positive feedback!

 

Calm down, everyone, I'm joking.  I see there are a few positive comments.

 

But TBH, I can only interact with these boards about once a month, as it is overwhelmingly negative and kind of sucks the fun out of cruising.  If I were influenced by the comments on this board, I would never cruise again.

[st5310]

I agree with those who say you will have an amazing trip and with what Smokeybandit and others wrote who suggested that people love to complain.  No cruise vacation is perfect; there will be some things you may not like, but for the most part Anthem is a great ship--one of our favorites.  Lots to do, plenty of eating spots, enough quiet spaces, something for everyone.  As another poster wrote, take these complaints with a grain of salt.

[st5310]

1 hour ago, StephPS79 said:

Sorry, I'm late to the party!  But you're asking in the wrong place if you want some positive feedback!

 

Calm down, everyone, I'm joking.  I see there are a few positive comments.

 

But TBH, I can only interact with these boards about once a month, as it is overwhelmingly negative and kind of sucks the fun out of cruising.  If I were influenced by the comments on this board, I would never cruise again.

Spot on, Steph.  I pity anyone who is cruising for the first time (or the first time in many years) and decides to pop onto these boards.  Don't be influenced by the negative comments; mostly it's about people blowing off a little steam.

[lovesthebeach2]

Coco cay isn’t boring. 
th

14 hours ago, teddie said:

Our last cruise was way back in 2013.  We are sailing on the Anthem out of Bayonne on Feb 4 2023, and after reading through CC for the past few weeks, you guys have gotten me worried. We are sailing our first cruise as Diamonds--and I think the daily drink vouchers are a great perk,  But aside from that,  I need to hear some  good stuff because so far, these are my CC takeaways:

 

• Food has gone downhill and is terrible - THE FOOD IS FINE
• Waitstaff are annoying - NO, THE SERVERS ARE FRIENDLY AND HELPFUL
• Anthem is too narrow and too tall and therefore, it (gasp!) rocks too much 
• Coco Cay is a bore - COCO CAY IS A BEACH, HOW COULD THAT BE BORING
• Entertainment stinks - NOT TRUE
• RCI IT stinks - THEIR IT ISNT THE BEST,  BUT ISNT THE WORST EITHER
• RCI Customer Service stinks - NOT TRUE, THEY GO OUT OF THEIR WAY TO HELP

 

C'mon! Tell me something GOOD!

 

Teddie

 

 

I answered above but I’ve never been on that ship so I can’t reply, but we do love Odyssey.

[barbeyg]

We have sailed 3 times on RCi since Covid.  We have two more booked.  We love cruising.  If you are the type that sees a glass half full, you should enjoy.  If you see it as always half empty, you can probably find things to complain about.  Even our least favorite cruise was a good one.  🙂

[jbrinkm]

We had a fabulous time on a Spring Break cruise in April - so much so that we booked again for this spring break. We thought the food was fine, with some things being very good and other hit or miss. Always lots of choices so if we didn't like something, we'd just go find different food that we did like. 

 

I did chime in on that "annoying waitstaff" thread because it was something different than what we'd ever experienced in the past, but it certainly didn't ruin our cruise or our meals. It was just a small irritation in a sea of wonderful experiences on the ship!

 

I haven't experienced Anthem or Coco Cay so cannot reflect on those. 

 

Entertainment was fine! No matter what entertainment exists anywhere, there will be some who like it and some who don't. It's free, so easy to walk out if you don't like it and go try one of the other gazillion options instead. We found several options we really liked, and even the stuff that was so-so was fun, even if it was just to make fun of. 

 

IT and Customer Service are mostly complained about BEFORE the cruise but are often less of an issue while you're cruising. There are occasional issues onboard, but I've found them to be handled fairly well in my personal experience.

 

Just go with an open mind and enjoy whatever is offered as best you can!

 

12 hours ago, Jasukkie said:

You also are used to the NJ/NY vibe so there shouldn't be any culture shock that some people from other places feel. 

 

🤣

[PolicromaSol]

I saw one particular thread a while back where someone was griping about the absolutely terrible food and everything else on the ship. The funny thing was... Before seeing that thread, I'd just seen a set of some small-family youtube videos about the exact same sailing and they were ranting and raving about how good the food was. And they had video of everything they did and enjoyed. (These weren't famous influencers or travel agents either.)

 

The thing is things are rarely as amazing or terrible as you hear online. Take raving reviews both good and bad with a grain of salt. People don't come onto forums to rave about the lovely vacation they had. (They do that on social media to brag.) No, they come onto forums to rant and try to gin up some kind of sympathy for their situation. (Probably because their spouse thought it was fine and they need some confirmation bias.)

 

Now, I will say there have been reports that RCI's previous food distributor went out of business and they're having a tough time finding a new one they like. Stuff happens. I can understand if that affects the quality somewhat. But it's not like these people are ordering haute cuisine and getting moldy sloppy joes instead.

Edited December 15, 2022 by PolicromaSol

[teddie]

11 hours ago, Midway7934 said:

Take it from this Jersey Girl, you will love my favorite, Anthem……..not too big, not too small…just right. The crew has always been great. (Still communicate with my favorite waiter.) Enjoyed the food from buffet to specialty. Entertainment was great. It will be new to you. People just complain because the main shows have been around for a while, but they are enjoyable. The only change I have noticed is there is a more casual vibe to cruising now. However, If you still like the “formal” you will find others who make that choice.One other “good “ comment. Jersey is one of the most relaxing ports to leave from. You will be greeted, guided, and on the ship in no time. Have a great cruise. Welcome back.

Thanks a bunch!  I suppose those who cruise multiple times a year would grow tired of certain things...

We also love cruising out of Bayonne-- it's literally 30 minutes from where we live, and I enjoy the perk of packing as many shoes as I like! 

 

Teddie

[huntr104]

16 hours ago, teddie said:

Our last cruise was way back in 2013.  We are sailing on the Anthem out of Bayonne on Feb 4 2023, and after reading through CC for the past few weeks, you guys have gotten me worried. We are sailing our first cruise as Diamonds--and I think the daily drink vouchers are a great perk,  But aside from that,  I need to hear some  good stuff because so far, these are my CC takeaways:

 

• Food has gone downhill and is terrible
• Waitstaff are annoying
• Anthem is too narrow and too tall and therefore, it (gasp!) rocks too much
• Coco Cay is a bore
• Entertainment stinks
• RCI IT stinks
• RCI Customer Service stinks

 

C'mon! Tell me something GOOD!

 

Teddie

 

 

We sailed on Freedom this past October.  It was our first cruise since 2017.  My experience....

 

Food in the MDR and Windjammer was like I always remembered it.  Good but not great.  There was nothing that we ate that we didn't like or was terrible.

 

I've seen others complain about waitstaff, complain about them bugging them to give them a great review, etc.  Not one time did we have a problem with any waitstaff, bartenders, etc.  They were all great.  Our head waiter wasn't the most upbeat and outgoing but he did a great job and was very professional.

 

Your 3rd point about Anthem.  I cannot comment.  We've never been on Anthem and have never sailed the east coast at that time of year.

 

Coco Cay is NOT a bore!  We've been pre and post Perfect Day.  We've always had a great time.  Next June we will try the Water Park with our kids.  This past October, it was just me and my wife and we took the trolley around the island first to see where we wanted to hang out.  We ended up relaxing at South Beach to start, swam out to the Floating Bar and had a few drinks. Made friends and had alot of laughs! Got to watch a few small sharks swim by and I actually became the "Air Traffic Controller" telling people who swam up to the floating bar which way to swim to avoid the jellyfish. lol.  We ate at snack shack, had the "Secret Sandwich" and loved every minute of it.  On the way back we strolled around, checked out the pool and hit the straw market.  We could have done alot more but this was our first trip after my wife's cancer recovery and without the kids so we wanted to relax more than anything.

 

I know every ship has their own shows and are different from ship to ship.  Our shows on Freedom were good.  Nothing to blow your hair back but fun and enjoyable.  I think we had the most fun at night in the Star Lounge watching and participating in Karaoke, and other events.  It was awesome!

 

One negative!  Yes, customer service can be a "Royal" pain in the a**.  If you don't have a TA and have to call and stay on hold and wait only to be disconnected, etc.  OMG, then when covid hit.  Geez, what a nightmare moving dates, cancellations,  FCC's, etc.  My advice, get a good TA!  I always booked my own cruises and it was very easy, until you have a problem!!

 

Overall, how much fun you have is all up to you.  Avoid the negativity!  There is was too much of it in this world today. I also think people are more likely to post things that went wrong instead of things that went right!  You'll have a great time!  Enjoy.

[Husky1987]

16 hours ago, Husky1987 said:

Chances are pretty decent that you won't sink.

 

In all seriousness after my tongue-in-cheek reply, Anthem is my wife's favorite ship.  We had a great time and we commented afterwards that it was probably our favorite cruise in terms of people we met.  Whether that was a product of leaving from NY rather than FL, who knows.

[teddie]

7 hours ago, time4u2go said:

My opinion:

 

Food has gone downhill but I wouldn't say it's terrible. Yet.

Annoying wait staff seems to be the exception and not the rule.

Any ship will rock under the right circumstances.

Coco Cay is not a bore but it is definitely worse than it used to be. 

Entertainment is pretty good. 

IT and customer service do stink.

 

Thanks--honesty is appreciated. 

The rocking boat part was meant to be silly--the ocean is bigger than any boat, and I know that well; I had to add that in for absurdity value 🙂

[LibertyBella]

Hey Teddie,

 

Ten years is MUCH too long to go without cruising!

 

There is nothing easier than going to a cruise port without having to take a flight!  You just throw the bags in the car, fight a tiny bit of traffic, drop off the spouse with the bags, get a good parking spot, give the bags to the staff, stand in the check-in line, and then you are on board and OFF!

 

I took a big cruise in 2019 overseas and then covid hit, so I was in withdrawal symptoms stuck at home.  But I am so happy to say that returning to the waves this past year was totally worth the wait! 

 

Yes, I had to take the Covid test, wear masks, and sanitize a lot on my first cruise back, yes, the staff were not quite up to snuff perhaps, yes, other cruisers could be whiners, but the WATER, and the SUNSETS, and the PORT CALLS, and the FANCY DINNERS, and the DRESS-UP (formal night gowns),  and DRESS-DOWN (bathing suits), made me recall why I love cruising so much!!

 

You will have a wonderful time, and hopefully schedule a few more cruises.  I am cruising RC out of NJ in June, just for the fun of it!  And flying to a few cruises as well, but I need to catch up with my bucket list.

[neverbeenhere]

Everything is great on cruises. Only current detail is that it’s best to walk up to the bartender to obtain a drink, as there likely aren’t any servers in the bar. 

[jean87510]

8 hours ago, time4u2go said:

Oh I agree it definitely became "tell me the bad things", even if that wasn't the original intent.

I think a lot of us were joking.  Well at least I was.

[teddie]

4 hours ago, PolicromaSol said:

I saw one particular thread a while back where someone was griping about the absolutely terrible food and everything else on the ship. The funny thing was... Before seeing that thread, I'd just seen a set of some small-family youtube videos about the exact same sailing and they were ranting and raving about how good the food was. And they had video of everything they did and enjoyed. (These weren't famous influencers or travel agents either.)

 

The thing is things are rarely as amazing or terrible as you hear online. Take raving reviews both good and bad with a grain of salt. People don't come onto forums to rave about the lovely vacation they had. (They do that on social media to brag.) No, they come onto forums to rant and try to gin up some kind of sympathy for their situation. (Probably because their spouse thought it was fine and they need some confirmation bias.)

 

 

So much of food, entertainment, fun/flop is subjective.  But I guess complainers pipe in more than the happy peeps.

 

[teddie]

10 hours ago, LuCruise said:

I was annoyed when I saw a post yesterday all about "tell me the bad things about Royal".  Why would someone start such a negative post?  (just found the title...it was "Top 5 Overrated Things".  I mean, really?)

 

Anyways, on CC, people like to complain so take things with a grain of salt.  We went on Anthem for the first time in March and loved it.  Wonderful ship.  The 270 has amazing views.  We didn't spend time in it as we came with our kids but the Solarium looks really nice.  We Will Rock You is the best show of the fleet, North Star is really neat and different.  The 270 cafe has pretty good selection. Windjammer is nicely spaced out.  We also really like the MDR...food and service is great.  I would say though on Anthem, you don't get that wow dining room since it's not built like the others of one big room that is multi layered (blame their attempt at dynamic dining).  The Robot bar is fun to watch (I forget the name offhand).  Lots of activities going on in the Music Hall.  Our kids loved the SeaPlex and iFly.  And Anthem has indoor pool and areas in case of bad weather (plus start and end of your trip out of NJ).  So much for everyone.

 

And...the redo of CoCo Cay is amazing.  If you like the beach, that is still there (and with additional options too for a fee).  If coming with kids, the waterpark is amazing.  They also have this beautiful huge pool (it does get busy though).

 

So ignore all the negative comments.  Guess that's the second C in cruise critic.  You'll have an amazing cruise.  Enjoy!

Thank you!  We snagged two passes for the Coco Beach Club for half price on the Black Friday sale in November, and that looks like it will be worth it--full price would not seem worth it to me at all.  

 

We are thinking of lunching in the Solarium on sailaway day--would be a good change from the WJ.

[PolicromaSol]

46 minutes ago, teddie said:

So much of food, entertainment, fun/flop is subjective.  But I guess complainers pipe in more than the happy peeps.

 

They really do and that's what you have to remember.

 

I know the kind of people who are impossible to please at a restaurant. And even if I really enjoy going there, I won't necessarily take the people in question. It would just be a bunch of complaining.

 

 

[Cherries Jubilee]

You just have to be flexible and be able to go with the flow. I think you have to be that way on land vacations too or else minor inconveniences will feel like big ones.

 

 I haven’t sailed Anthem yet so I can’t speak on her specifically. I have cruised RC twice since the restart. In the beginning we had to be flexible because it took a while for them to get back to normal. Now mostly all venues are open, shows are running, and ports are open.

 

Be mentally prepared for the possibility of ordering 2 things on the menu in case you don’t like one.
 

Pre-book events that you can and show up early for things you cannot book if you really want to see them.

 

 You might get chatty waitstaff and you might not. Since you know it’s possible, you won’t be caught off guard if you do. 
 

Coco Cay can be the most beautiful and relaxing day ever if you choose to stay in the quiet areas. It can also be fun and loud if you choose those areas. I absolutely love this stop and I’m sad it’s not on my next itinerary.

 

Entertainment is good. It feels a bit more classic on RC ships. They are a bit more laid back and a little less loud to me. There is much more entertainment in the late afternoon to evening hours.

 

I’ve been able to eventually fix any issues customer service area and I have a TA now so I hope not to have to deal with any future problems myself. In the past, telephone waits are long and agents aren’t always accurate so I might have had to call several times to get things done.

 

Overall it’s about expectations. If you expect a short wait for boarding, every meal to be incredible, and to find every event to your liking you will probably be disappointed. But if you expect to bounce around trying everything and finding what you like then you will love it.

 

Also remember that weather, passenger illness, mechanical malfunctions, and probably other things can affect your itinerary and they don’t always compensate you for it. 

[Mum2Mercury]

You'll find LOTS of great things onboard: 

 

- The ocean is still one of the most beautiful things on the planet. 

- Cruising is more casual than it was a decade ago. 

- You may find something you don't like, but most of the food is good. 

- I love MUTS -- movies under the stars.  Not something that gets a lot of play around this board.  

- Playmakers Sports Bar is fairly new, and my husband loves it.  

- Because you have to sign up for a 30 minute time slot, boarding is easier /less crowded than it used to be.  

- Getting through Customs is faster than it used to be.  

- Coco Cay is wonderful!  

- You'll have as good a time as you decide to have!  

[midwife1021]

I can comment more accurately after next week 😉

Kind of ancient history at this point, but back in 2015 and 2018 the crews were just as wonderful as ever.

Customer service helping to arrange everything for a big family cruise has been great so far.  

 

[GetToLivin]

Just consider the vast majority of those who have a nack for complaining STILL go on their cruise and keep booking more 😉 It'd take something pretty major to actually ruin a cruise for us, but we're pretty easy going, and any day on water beats the office. Enjoy your trip!

[teddie]

55 minutes ago, Mum2Mercury said:

You'll find LOTS of great things onboard: 

 

- The ocean is still one of the most beautiful things on the planet. 

- Cruising is more casual than it was a decade ago. 

- You may find something you don't like, but most of the food is good. 

- I love MUTS -- movies under the stars.  Not something that gets a lot of play around this board.  

- Playmakers Sports Bar is fairly new, and my husband loves it.  

- Because you have to sign up for a 30 minute time slot, boarding is easier /less crowded than it used to be.  

- Getting through Customs is faster than it used to be.  

- Coco Cay is wonderful!  

- You'll have as good a time as you decide to have!  

Just being on the ocean is a joy.  Also, not cooking or making my bed is another one 🙂

[yancycruiser]

Lots of good advice so far.   Here is my take.  YOU WILL STILL HAVE A WONDERFUL TIME ON BOARD AND FIND PLENTY OF FOOD THAT YOU WILL LIKE!!!  Have a wonderful cruise!

[robmtx]

Where do you people eat, on land, that is soooo excellent with food all the time? Most places I go to (that I can afford) have 'adequate' food. There may be a dish or two that really win, but man you guys must eat at 2 star Michelin's every night (or at home!). The food onboard is similar to most hotel-restaurants or resort restaurants. The "critique" might be the variety of food available. I feel like I'm in the movie "Groundhog Day" with the same bread coming to the table every night!

 

We also like going to the Pub on Anthem because they serve appetizers in additional to beverages!

 

Cococay is a very nice and secure private island. They offer a lot of activities for different types of passengers. This means the entire island isn't going to cater to your idea of perfection. I couldn't care less about the water park, but my kids love it. I like a nice beach bed and they have plenty of places for these. The "critique" might be the costs associated with the additional activities. The prices are variable and can skyrocket, especially in the summer time.

 

Anthem, and all Quantum classes, are great ships. Movement onboard is subjective to the sensitivity of the passengers who are complaining. I have sailed on Anthem 5 times, and notice nothing out of the ordinary in terms of "rockiness" - I have personally survived being onboard Anthem in an unnamed storm with 150MPH winds and 30 Foot seas, sequestered to our stateroom, and still went on this ship 4 more times after that! It's solid and ready to take any beating the oceans give it!

 

If you like Queen, classic rock, or just enjoy a good show, We Will Rock You is one of the best performances at sea!