Random Anthem observations live

[Merion_Mom]

2 hours ago, elizabethbp said:

I was on the Thanksgiving cruise also.  I did not see many kids in the Solarium but   perhaps it depended on where you were sitting. We were in a Jr. Suite and our attendant,  Irish, was fantastic.  We  only ate in Coastal Kitchen, Jamie's and  Wonderland for dinner.  The latter two  were great.  Service in CK was excellent, but the food was mediocre.   We actually really liked the lunch in 270.    I use a walker.    The kids I encountered where  fine-  most held the elevator for me. It was  some older  people, oddly, who  were rude. The  guys in Schooner Bar and Vintages were great. This was the first RCCL  cruise in a long while where I did not have issues and  had to spend  time at Guest Services.   RCCL still has to work in issues for people who  have mobility issues- Anthem was a mess on that.  

 

What problems did you encounter because you use a walker?

[dbancroft]

We have noticed that public bathrooms men and women have not been cleaned as much as earlier cruises. 

[Tatka]

10 hours ago, Merion_Mom said:

 

You will like the Odyssey just as much, if not more. 

 

Thank you.

I do not have kids, but I am concerned about absence of a roof over pool adjacent to Solarium. It will make it colder to get towels while on our way to Solarium. Indoor pool was that place between outside and Solarium. Also it will be interesting to see pool situation during first 2 days out of NJ and last days.

For our sailings on Thanksgiving (still should warm up fast) and in January (not many kids on board) I suppose it will be not bad, but for Christmas and New Year it can get interesting. Maybe I'm overestimating the importance of an indoor pool?

[sadiwest]

On 11/30/2023 at 12:01 PM, iscruisingdunzo said:

Completely agree. We go on vacation to escape our phone yet RCL forces us back to it. 

 

They need to do a better job educating people that they can still get the compass as I did not know until day 5 when I saw a gal walking around with it. 

Totally get it. I guess I'm used to having my phone since I not only use it to text dd, but also to take photographs.    I stopped even bringing my camera on cruises, yet take pictures of pretty much everything.   

 

I guess everyone has their ways...    I'm surprised at how often I check the activities schedule each day. 

[BlackForest]

Glad paper is back, baby! Thanks for the explanation of the menu.

Edited December 2, 2023 by BlackForest

[Merion_Mom]

4 hours ago, Tatka said:

 

Thank you.

I do not have kids, but I am concerned about absence of a roof over pool adjacent to Solarium. It will make it colder to get towels while on our way to Solarium. Indoor pool was that place between outside and Solarium. Also it will be interesting to see pool situation during first 2 days out of NJ and last days.

For our sailings on Thanksgiving (still should warm up fast) and in January (not many kids on board) I suppose it will be not bad, but for Christmas and New Year it can get interesting. Maybe I'm overestimating the importance of an indoor pool?

 

No, I agree that this is one problem with the Odyssey coming to Bayonne.  Only time will tell if it's a deal-breaker for a lot of people.

[sadiwest]

So this one is half observation and half question. 

 

 

Most evenings when I'm heading back to the cabin, it seems as though the ceiling lights in the hallway/corridor outside the cabins get brighter when there's movement.   Am I seeing things?

[Merion_Mom]

5 minutes ago, sadiwest said:

So this one is half observation and half question. 

 

 

Most evenings when I'm heading back to the cabin, it seems as though the ceiling lights in the hallway/corridor outside the cabins get brighter when there's movement.   Am I seeing things?

 

They are motion-sensitive.  Energy-saving.  

[dbancroft]

Some final thoughts on our cruise last week:

1.Only one Casino host so things were a little dis-organized in casino. I signed up for blackjack tournament, but they stopped after the first round and said they were sorry they did not know someone had signed up for round 2 I did get my money back though. This was my first royal cruise where there was no ship sponsored slot tournaments. Casino bartenders were the worst ever. First tried a Mudslide it was terrible. The next night tried a Lava Flow they must not know how to make one because there was no strawberry puree. 

2. The windjammer salad bars no longer have any meat offered except for tuna. We always had to hunt down chicken or steak. 

3. They at least had vanilla ice cream in windjammer (oasis in August only had choc and coffee all week).

4. I filled out the forms for distilled water and sharps container before we left home. As usual we had to ask room steward for both. Unfortunately, I was given an already opened gallon of distilled water I was able to get it replaced. 

5. We tried to have lunch at the 270 cafe they were out of 1/2 of the sandwiches shown on the menu. We were not impressed with the teriyaki chicken wraps.

Overall it was a week off from work and chores and we spent a lot of time playing cards at La Patisserie with my extended family. 

[Sunshine3601]

6 minutes ago, dbancroft said:

Some final thoughts on our cruise last week:

1.Only one Casino host so things were a little dis-organized in casino. I signed up for blackjack tournament, but they stopped after the first round and said they were sorry they did not know someone had signed up for round 2 I did get my money back though. This was my first royal cruise where there was no ship sponsored slot tournaments. Casino bartenders were the worst ever. First tried a Mudslide it was terrible. The next night tried a Lava Flow they must not know how to make one because there was no strawberry puree. 

2. The windjammer salad bars no longer have any meat offered except for tuna. We always had to hunt down chicken or steak. 

3. They at least had vanilla ice cream in windjammer (oasis in August only had choc and coffee all week).

4. I filled out the forms for distilled water and sharps container before we left home. As usual we had to ask room steward for both. Unfortunately, I was given an already opened gallon of distilled water I was able to get it replaced. 

5. We tried to have lunch at the 270 cafe they were out of 1/2 of the sandwiches shown on the menu. We were not impressed with the teriyaki chicken wraps.

Overall it was a week off from work and chores and we spent a lot of time playing cards at La Patisserie with my extended family. 

Last time we were on Anthem we found the 2 women bartenders made horrible drinks.   One had no idea how to make a mojito.    We found the servers made much better drinks and stayed away from the actual bar.  

Hoping they have better bartenders by next March.

I hope 270 improves as that is one of our regulars for lunch.

[danilija]

We were also on Anthem last week. I have to ask: do they clean the stateroom only once in a day? Before it was twice in a day? Atleast still last year - so just wondering has this changed. This was also my first cruise as a diamond member and I have to say, that it is way too hard to know what your benefits are and how they work. Didint have a clue which those ones was. I remember when we reached platinum level there was a note and a pin and something else (maybe bathrobs?) - and now nothing. 

[Coralc]

1 hour ago, danilija said:

We were also on Anthem last week. I have to ask: do they clean the stateroom only once in a day? Before it was twice in a day? Atleast still last year - so just wondering has this changed. This was also my first cruise as a diamond member and I have to say, that it is way too hard to know what your benefits are and how they work. Didint have a clue which those ones was. I remember when we reached platinum level there was a note and a pin and something else (maybe bathrobs?) - and now nothing. 

You can have your Diamond benefits on a printout at the machine on any bar. If the first person you ask doesn't know how to do it, ask them to ask someone else or one of the Bar Managers. You also should have received a letter in your stateroom. 

 

I have not cruised on Anthem, though. 

[sadiwest]

16 hours ago, dbancroft said:

Some final thoughts on our cruise last week:

1.Only one Casino host so things were a little dis-organized in casino. I signed up for blackjack tournament, but they stopped after the first round and said they were sorry they did not know someone had signed up for round 2 I did get my money back though. This was my first royal cruise where there was no ship sponsored slot tournaments. Casino bartenders were the worst ever. First tried a Mudslide it was terrible. The next night tried a Lava Flow they must not know how to make one because there was no strawberry puree. 

2. The windjammer salad bars no longer have any meat offered except for tuna. We always had to hunt down chicken or steak. 

3. They at least had vanilla ice cream in windjammer (oasis in August only had choc and coffee all week).

4. I filled out the forms for distilled water and sharps container before we left home. As usual we had to ask room steward for both. Unfortunately, I was given an already opened gallon of distilled water I was able to get it replaced. 

5. We tried to have lunch at the 270 cafe they were out of 1/2 of the sandwiches shown on the menu. We were not impressed with the teriyaki chicken wraps.

Overall it was a week off from work and chores and we spent a lot of time playing cards at La Patisserie with my extended family. 

My first time spending "significant " time or money in the casino.  The host looked petty miserable but was very patient and gracious answering my questions.  

 

We didn't get to all the places we wanted to, food wise.  Never ate at 270...   this time.