Just off Anthem

[fair-winds39]

A little background…this cruise was a “sisters” cruise without spouses. We chose the Anthem of the Seas so we wouldn’t need to fly. We chose this time of year because one of us works at a school and could only cruise at Spring break. Between the four of us, we’ve done between 4 on up to 27 cruises. 2 of us had cruised with RCL before on the Empress and Grandeur of the Seas. We have also cruised with Celebrity, NCL, Cunard and Carnival.

 

Embarkation was a breeze. Car Service dropped us off at about 11:15, we were through the terminal and on the ship by about 11:50. Muster, soon after we boarded, and in our cabins by 12:30.

 

Standard Oceanview balconies were nice, our room steward was great, twice a day service.

I use a mobility scooter, and have for the past 7 yrs. or so. No problem at all for me to actually drive into cabin, turn around, etc. I don’t require an accessible cabin. I also had no problem with elevators, except when we first boarded and were attempting to get to our stateroom. It was crowded as expected, so we didn’t mind waiting, and a few times if we had to go down to go up, or vice versa we did. No worries.
 

One of us was on the Anthem before so she was able to direct us to the different areas of the ship and showed us around.

 

We had traditional dining at 8:00 PM, and a table for 4. Our waiters were great. Food was very good, and I would say it was on par with most of the cruises I’ve been on. We aren’t real picky diners. I’ll put it this way, none of us sent anything back. We sometimes ordered a couple appetizers for the table to try. The Windjammer was good and we did the Dining Room twice; once for breakfast and once for lunch. We ordered Room Service for Continental Breakfast a couple times, and it was fine, just coffee, toast or bagel, or danish, and I used it again one day for lunch for a grilled cheese sandwich. It was okay.

Shows; we did Spectra’s Cabaret and We Will Rock You; Spectra’s Cabaret was different and okay, and if you are a Queen fan, you’ll enjoy We Will Rock You; it was really good. We had reservations for Cabaret. We didn’t need reservations for WWRY, we just arrived 30 minutes early and got great seats.

 

Due to engine problems we didn’t stop in Port Canaveral. Nassau was Nassau; 3 of us had been to Nassau before and got off and walked around. Weather wasn’t that great overall for this cruise.

The best weather day we had was Coco Cay and two of us had been there before. We all sat

at the beach, did a little shopping and took some pictures.

 

I can’t speak about North Star, Rock Climbing, etc. We saw bumping cars, etc. but we didn’t spend much time in that area.

 

The solarium was crowded one day, impossible to find a seat unless you arrived at 7 AM. It was busy in hot tubs too. Pool deck was crowded as well, especially when folks came back from Coco Cay.

 

All in all it was a nice cruise. I wanted to try one of the larger ships and I found it to be a beautiful ship, easy to get around, crew was nice. Most times it didn’t seem like there were 4,000 some passengers and not sure how many children were onboard. Would we sail on a mega ship again, sure. I think it’s great for families, but for me, DH and me are geared a bit more toward the smaller ships, which will undoubtedly be a thing of the past, sooner, rather than later. Hey, times have changed since we began cruising, and It’s a good thing.  Actually, I’m happy to sail with whichever cruise line gives me the best deal no matter what the size. 
 

I can try to answer any questions.Happy sailing.
 

[Weluv2cruise2gether]

We were on this same sailing and agree with your opinion of the food and how it didn’t feel like over 4000 passengers. We did hear from staff that there were about 1100 kids in the cruise. Again didn’t seem like that! Our cabin was on deck 12 forward near adventure academy and we never heard any kids! And our parking, embarkation and debarkation all went without any issue!

Edited March 24, 2023 by Weluv2cruise2gether

[Havin'fun]

I will be on Anthem for the first time next month, looking forward to seeing a Quantum class ship.  

Thanks for the review!

[fair-winds39]

20 minutes ago, Havin'fun said:

I will be on Anthem for the first time next month, looking forward to seeing a Quantum class ship.  

Thanks for the review!

Enjoy!!

[allyfree]

Agree about the big ships taking over and not in a good way. We were on Anthem last summer and didn't like it at all, sadly. Too busy and too noisy... I missed the champagne bar ... and central park ... and a nice library ... and the ice rink ... and decent shopping 

[Qwksilver]

4 hours ago, fair-winds39 said:

 

I can try to answer any questions.Happy sailing.
 

Is Bigfoot real?

[Havin'fun]

8 hours ago, Qwksilver said:

Is Bigfoot real?

Of course!  Did you not see the article recently about the high school freshman having trouble finding shoes as he wore a size 23?

When we sold on Ebay we had a customer come back at us with 12 of the most off the wall questions about nothing and everything.  Being a tad sarcastic, it took me no time to answer all of their questions.  We both had a big laugh over it and are still "email" friends years later. 😊

[nelblu]

13 hours ago, fair-winds39 said:

Standard Oceanview balconies were nice, our room steward was great, twice a day service.

Really?  I thought this was gone the way of the Dodo bird.

[nelblu]

9 hours ago, allyfree said:

Agree about the big ships taking over and not in a good way. We were on Anthem last summer and didn't like it at all, sadly. Too busy and too noisy... I missed the champagne bar ... and central park ... and a nice library ... and the ice rink ... and decent shopping 

Totally different concept.  You should stick with the Oasis class.

[dancersp119]

I have sailed on Anthem many times and LOVE it..It was out first cruise once cruising returned.  I love all my cruises for different reasons.  To us the ship is our vacation, as we sail out of either Boston or Bayonne, the ports are mostly the same, but the ships are so different  In the last year we have been on Anthem, Oasis and Voyager and loved them all.  We are travelling on Anthem in April with friends who have never been on a cruise before so I am trying to make sure they get to experience all Anthem has to offer.

[sellwingri]

Anthem is my favorite ships and I’ve been on all but 3 of Royal ships.  I absolutely love We Will Rock You and Spectras Cabaret.  I also love the ship and its layout.  I’ve sailed on Anthem 4 times and will do b2b on her again in August.  
 

I'm happy with most of Royal ships but am not a big fan of Vision class.

[nelblu]

I love the ship; however, I've sailed many times and the shows get boring and repetitive.  However, I enjoy the acts/headliner(s) in the theatre, music played in smaller venues and especially in the Music Hall.  Many nights I entertain myself in the Casino.😜

 

Ps.  I also have the same complaints when I sail Oasis.  Looking forward to change of pace in the upcoming sails on Symphony and Odyssey.

Edited March 24, 2023 by nelblu

[PMO]

We love the Anthem, we were on it in November and booked January’24. We really enjoyed the Pickleball and Solarium. We have been on it many times as we live in NJ and are really tired of the same big shows. We do enjoy the other shows in the theater and small venues very much. Can’t wait for January!

[mets123]

5 hours ago, nelblu said:

I love the ship; however, I've sailed many times and the shows get boring and repetitive.  However, I enjoy the acts/headliner(s) in the theatre, music played in smaller venues and especially in the Music Hall.  Many nights I entertain myself in the Casino.😜

 

Ps.  I also have the same complaints when I sail Oasis.  Looking forward to change of pace in the upcoming sails on Symphony and Odyssey.

My thoughts exactly. We live about a half hour from the port. Really looking forward to the new ships but will miss Capt Ban.

 

[Sun Lover]

How warm was it the second day and do you know whereabouts the ship was then - maybe off the coast of the Carolinas?  Was there a tropical band at the pool, such as steel drums or calypso?  Was the cover band Rookie that played either in the Music Hall or Two70?  Thanks.

[fair-winds39]

14 minutes ago, Sun Lover said:

How warm was it the second day and do you know whereabouts the ship was then - maybe off the coast of the Carolinas?  Was there a tropical band at the pool, such as steel drums or calypso?  Was the cover band Rookie that played either in the Music Hall or Two70?  Thanks.

1. I’ve taken many cruises from NY and Baltimore in Feb. and Mar. In all those cruises, by the late afternoon of the second day, it was comfortable when sun was on balcony. This cruise was cool. The best day we had weather-wise was coco cay. We kept hoping for more sun and warmer, but it didn’t work. 2. Not good with navigation, but I’ guessing near the Carolinas. 3. I think there was a calypso band at pool. 4. Sat in Music Hall, but I think it was a DJ. We were on second level near bar and pool tables.

[mets123]

25 minutes ago, Sun Lover said:

How warm was it the second day and do you know whereabouts the ship was then - maybe off the coast of the Carolinas?  Was there a tropical band at the pool, such as steel drums or calypso?  Was the cover band Rookie that played either in the Music Hall or Two70?  Thanks.

Don't know about this cruise (wasn't on it), but in past Anthem cruises, Rookie did a few shows in the Music Hall and one in 270.

[allyfree]

11 hours ago, nelblu said:

Totally different concept.  You should stick with the Oasis class.

We will in future but we needed to see for ourselves what Quantum class was like. The convenience of Anthem sailing out of Southampton makes a big difference for us. Living in the west of Scotland, flight schedules to other departure destinations are difficult to coordinate without going to London first. As it is, we have a 10hr drive to Southampton so we're stuck with Anthem if we choose RCCL until 2024

[nelblu]

FYI:  Entertainment schedule from Anthem's February 4th sail.

 

One game that I highly recommend is in the Music Hall "Ultimate Lip Singing" game show.  I found it quite entertaining and offered on the 3rd night of an 8 nite cruise.

 

[nelblu]

8 minutes ago, allyfree said:

We will in future but we needed to see for ourselves what Quantum class was like. The convenience of Anthem sailing out of Southampton makes a big difference for us. Living in the west of Scotland, flight schedules to other departure destinations are difficult to coordinate without going to London first. As it is, we have a 10hr drive to Southampton so we're stuck with Anthem if we choose RCCL until 2024

Believe conveniency is of major concern to me as I'm about 25 minutes car ride from the port parking, plus I find any Oasis/Quantum ship to be a destination.

[allyfree]

Do you know if you still have to get your own drinks cup for the Freestyle machine? Last year, the queues were horrendous and staff were clueless! No idea why they stopped leaving them in your cabin on arrival ...

[nelblu]

12 minutes ago, allyfree said:

Do you know if you still have to get your own drinks cup for the Freestyle machine? Last year, the queues were horrendous and staff were clueless! No idea why they stopped leaving them in your cabin on arrival ...

I believe there's a kiosk in the Promenade that hands them out.  That is where my Son and family got theirs.  This was on Oasis sailing from Bayonne, and it may be different on other ships.

[Sun Lover]

Were you on the Anthem cruise March 18-24?  Someone said the ship stopped at all the ports.

Edited March 24, 2023 by Sun Lover
Error

[Orsino]

1 hour ago, Sun Lover said:

How warm was it the second day and do you know whereabouts the ship was then - maybe off the coast of the Carolinas?  Was there a tropical band at the pool, such as steel drums or calypso?  Was the cover band Rookie that played either in the Music Hall or Two70?  Thanks.

I was on anthem 12 March to 19 March. 
I would describe Day two as cool but not cold. I remember walking around on the top deck without a coat or jacket. Long sleeves weather for me though. Day two was very foggy and cloudy. They cancelled North Star ‘flights’ which I think is a good thing since they were charging for them on this sea day and the views would not have been interesting with the fog. 
 

The surprise for me was day 7 was warmer than I anticipated. At this point we were at the same latitude as Maryland and since we had clear sunny skies in the afternoon (and calm seas!) it was like a bonus day in my mind. 
 

weather varies of course. Nassau should have been our warmest day, but it was cloudy and windy so the day before and after were superior. 

[JCDCA]

On 3/23/2023 at 8:55 PM, allyfree said:

Agree about the big ships taking over and not in a good way. We were on Anthem last summer and didn't like it at all, sadly. Too busy and too noisy... I missed the champagne bar ... and central park ... and a nice library ... and the ice rink ... and decent shopping 

This post is all over the place.  The only ships with Central Park are the largest.