Joanne G. Posted July 2 #1 Share Posted July 2 (edited) For background, I’ve been on 30 cruises since the late 1990’s, mostly with my sister, also a few with friends and a few solo, mostly in the Caribbean but six in Europe and one in Hawaii. I’ve been on HAL and NCL multiple times (mostly long ago), Celebrity and Princess a few times, Carnival many times, and Royal just once, southern Caribbean on the Serenade in 2010. We had a great cruise on the Serenade and thought it was a particularly beautiful ship, but for various reasons, other lines more closely fit our requirements at the time we were ready to book. When a friend and I wanted to cruise the Norway fjords in 2024, we settled on the Anthem, departing from Southampton June 21, with port stops in Stavanger, Olden, Flam, and Bruges. I had wanted to see Bruges for some time, having missed it on a 2019 cruise due to weather and missing it again on a 2020 cruise that was a covid cancelation. This seemed like a great itinerary. I looked forward to seeing Bruges and thought 3 Norway ports would be enough. More on that later – but I was wrong, wrong, wrong! Pre-Cruise Edinburgh - We started our vacation in Edinburgh because I have wanted to visit the Royal Yacht Britannia ever since I lost my opportunities on that covid-canceled 2020 cruise and on a Carnival cruise last year that missed the port due to mechanical issues. I finally got to see Britannia. I found it fascinating, as I have read how much Queen Elizabeth II loved it, and it is full of history of her family. American presidents Eisenhower, Ford, Reagan, and Clinton have been aboard, as well as other dignitaries. We found the exhibit very well organized, with an audio guide included in the ticket price. As a bonus, when a staff member asked where we were from, and I responded “near Chicago” (my usual response when asked overseas, as I assume many non-Americans won’t know where Wisconsin might be), he suggested we search YouTube for videos of Britannia’s visit to Chicago in 1959, part of a journey the full length of the St. Lawrence Seaway to celebrate its opening. Cool! We also visited Edinburgh Castle, the Palace of Holyrood House, St. Giles Cathedral, and the Royal Botanic Garden. We got a 2-day pass on the HOHO bus that included admission to the Castle, the Yacht, and Holyrood house. We rode all three routes included on our pass, thus we had a good overview of the city. We also walked portions of the Royal Mile on a couple times. The weather wasn’t always cooperative, but we still enjoyed Edinburgh. We stayed at the Courtyard Marriot hotel, which met our needs and was in a convenient location. Pre-cruise London - After 3 nights, we took the LNER train to London, an enjoyable 4 ½ hour ride to King’s Cross station. In London, we visited Kew Botanical Gardens, getting there and back by a leisurely and scenic boat ride. Kew Gardens are HUGE, and given the arrival and departure times of the boat and time out for lunch, we probably didn’t see more than a third of the park. We also visited Kensington Palace, the Royal Mewes where the state carriages are kept, strolled around the area of Big Ben, and enjoyed Hyde Park. Our hotel, the Westbourne Hyde Park, was in a relatively quiet neighborhood, yet with restaurants nearby and very close to the Lancaster Gate tube stop and near Paddington Station. It was my 3rd stay there, so clearly, I would recommend it. All rooms have little kitchenettes – not that I want to do any cooking on my vacation, but it was convenient for having a breakfast of cereal and fruit and for having cold drinks in the room. Pre-cruise Southampton - After 3 nights in London, we took the (very cheap!) National Express bus to Southampton in order to be close to the ship on embarkation day. We stayed at the Moxy hotel, which I learned about on these boards. Room was small and basic, but very reasonably priced and fine for one night. We had a pizza dinner at the hotel and breakfast (separate charge) also at the hotel. We pre-arranged a taxi to City Terminal where the Anthem was. Before checking out of the hotel, I took a walk and saw people walking to the terminal, even with big bags, from the Moxy and the nearby Holiday Inn, but we didn’t want to do that. The taxi ride was about £10. Finally, we are getting on the ship! We had a 12:30 arrival time, and everything went very smoothly and very quickly. I was a little nervous about this being the biggest ship I have been on. Embarkation was my first indication that size of the ship alone doesn’t determine what the experiences are like; what matters is whether the experiences are designed to manage the number of people. So far so good on the Anthem! I had been somewhat dismissive of the amusement park features on the big Royal ships. None of those features interest me or my cruise mates (senior citizens all), and I feared it would mean a lot of kids on board. Now I feel that the existence of those features don’t matter – I don’t have to use them, and they keep the kids onboard well occupied. I’d sail this class of ship again in a heartbeat. First impression of the Anthem was that it was a lovely ship. I have enjoyed my many Carnival cruises, but most have been on older Carnival ships, and lets face it, Carnival’s décor on those ships can be garish – or let’s say festive LOL. We had a standard balcony on deck 7. Nice layout of the room. I liked the two closets being on either side of our twin beds. That resulted in less bumping into each other when retrieving our items. A few shelves and ample drawers, along with the closets, provided plenty of storage space for us. The cupboards over the beds were convenient places to stow our empty carry-on bags and our laundry bags. The balcony was deep enough to sit in the chairs and put our feet up on the footstools as we took in sea views and the stunning scenery of Norway. I LOVED the night light in the bathroom. Why don’t more cruise lines (and hotels) provide that? One minor irritation – the phone taking up space on one of the tiny bedside tables. The desk seemed like a better spot for that, given how little use a cabin phone gets, and I would have liked more space for my eyeglasses and my old-fashioned travel alarm clock. To our surprise, we never found a hair dryer in the cabin, despite looking everywhere. Was it hidden someplace we missed? Was it an oversight that it was missing? It wasn’t too big a deal, but it may matter to others if hair dryers are truly not provided. I was initially pleased to see a kettle in the cabin, but then disappointed to see that only tea bags were provided, no instant coffee packs. I do like coffee in the cabin before having to get dressed, but I was ok getting my early morning coffee at Café Promenade. With only one prior Royal cruise, I didn’t expect any loyalty benefits and never looked into it. Thankfully a friendly bartender filled me in that I had a few drink discounts to use on specialty coffee, wine, and/or soda. Sweet! Somethings I really liked about the ship: 1. The casino is on deck 3, out of the way of the main traffic patterns. I have no problem with people enjoying time in the casino, but other ships I've been on pretty much force you walk through it or by it, and it was nice avoiding the noise and smoke of a casino. 2. The Windjammer was often busy, but we were always able to find a table. No wandering around with plates of food waiting to pounce on a table when someone got up and left. 3. The Windjammer is well designed with many stations. It was easy to get what we wanted without standing in long lines for things we didn't want. 4. Multiple gangways were opened in the ports, making it more manageable given the number of passengers getting off and back on the ship. 5. Ease of making dining room reservation on the app and attentive dining room service from a 2-person team of waiter and assistant waiter. 6. Café Two70 as an alternative for a light lunch and Two70 as a quiet place to sit and watch the wake when nothing is going on there. 7. Exiting the ship for Royal’s shore excursions was extremely well organized. I say that after experiencing chaos when mustering for excursions on a recent European cruise on the Norwegian Getaway. 8. I loved the large indoor pool area and the spacious adults-only solarium. Sadly, I didn’t bring a bathing suit, not thinking of it for a cool-climate cruise. Dumb, dumb, dumb! 9. The long jogging track on deck 15. I walk for exercise, and while often it was too chilly and windy up there, when I was able to walk, I enjoyed the long circle around the ship. There wasn’t much that I didn’t like: 1. I missed a printed daily newsletter. We probably missed some activities we might have enjoyed due to not being in the habit of checking the app throughout the day. I was sorry they weren’t available at guest services, and I found out too late that I could have requested one from our room steward. 2. Some of the shows we might have enjoyed were only at 9:30 or later – just too late for early-rising senior citizens. We did catch Spectra’s Cabaret one night, and while visually stunning, it was painfully loud. 3. Frequent and loud promotion of the Windjammer during our meals, presumably to guilt us into giving them 10’s on the post-cruise survey. Annoying! 4. If there was a mid-cruise laundry special, we missed hearing about it. We packed enough and had laundry done in London before boarding the ship, but we would have taken advantage of a fill-the-bag special had we known of one. The ports - OMG Norway exceeded my expectations! Bruges was a bit of a disappointment. To get Bruges out of the way, I’ll say that we had just half a day in port, arriving at 11:00, back onboard late afternoon. We booked Royal’s “On Your Own” excursion, which allowed for a bit of exploring and time for lunch ashore. Those who weren’t on any of the Royal excursions had to wait in long lines for a shuttle bus to get out of the port area before getting to whatever private transportation they had planned; they really had a short day in port. Bruges is picturesque and historic but also very crowded with tourists. After the 3 ports in Norway, I would have traded Bruges in a heartbeat for one more Norway port. At the time we booked this cruise, I hadn’t done my homework on the differences between coastal towns and fjord towns Norway cruises. We had one coastal visit, Stavanger, and two sailings into fjords for Olden and Flam. To those considering Norway fjords itineraries, do the research so you know which ports are actually in the fjords. This is especially important as reportedly Norway is limiting the number and types of ships that can enter the fjords. I feel we hit the jackpot with Flam and Olden. First port was Stavanger. Our Royal excursion was to a re-creation of an iron age farm, a visit to a site celebrating a historic Viking victory, a photo stop at a high vantage point, and a walking tour of the city which ended at the dock. Our guide was knowledgeable, and the tour was enjoyable. The walking tour did involve some climbing on hilly streets. An unexpected occurrence was that the all-electric bus was unable to make it all the way the hill for that photo stop vantage point. Seriously! About ¾ of the way up the hill, we had to get off the bus and walk up the rest of the way. After the bus was empty (except, I believe, for someone unable to make the climb) the driver was able to get the bus to the top of the hill to meet us for the rest of the tour. Next day, Olden. We were well into the fjord by the time we woke up. It was beautiful, breathtaking, like nothing I have ever seen. Snow-capped mountains, waterfalls, green forests, little villages, little farms. I was glad I had brought binoculars! We had time before our tour to do some shopping in little shops right off the dock. Our Royal Excursion, “The Beauty of Nordfjord”, was largely a scenic bus ride. We had a couple photo stops, plus a stop for coffee and a pastry at a hotel. Royal offered many other more active excursions, but my friend has some mobility issues that made this a good choice for her. The scenery during sailaway was so gorgeous that it was hard to pull ourselves away for dinner. Then Flam, the absolute highlight of the trip. We did the “Norway in a Nutshell” Royal excursion – a ride on the famous Flamsbana railroad, then a transfer to the train that runs between Oslo and Bergen to the town of Voss, where we had a very substantial lunch at a hotel, as will as some free time to explore the town a bit. Our return to the ship was by bus. During this fabulous day, we experienced jaw-dropping scenery, including more waterfalls than I could count. We had a photo stop at a couple of the most spectacular of the waterfalls. Again, sailing out of the port was wonderful. We had our dinner at an outdoor table aft of the Windjammer in order to enjoy the view on both sides. A caution - I later discovered that there was soot in the air and on the chairs that caused spots on my khaki pants. I sent them out to the laundry, and the pants were returned with the spots completely or mostly gone. If that view during sailaway had cost me a pair of ruined pants, it would have been worth it. (Later, when walking on the track, I noticed soot on some of the loungers near the aft. Be wary up there!) Then a sea day, during which we relaxed and starting our packing. Last day was Bruges, which I have covered. We had booked a disembarkation day excursion to Stonehenge which ended at Heathrow. I believe having the excursion gave us some priority in disembarkation. It was fairly painless process. Stonehenge exceeded my expectations. I had read reports if it being an overrated pile of rocks that you only see from a distance, but I found it fascinating and wished we had more time there. I bought a guidebook in order to learn more about the site, which includes more than just the visible huge stones. You can’t wander among the stones, but you can walk all the way around them, with a different perspective every time you stop and look. At one point, you can get fairly close. We were there shortly after it opened for the day, which might have made it less crowded than it would be later in the day. There is a café, a shop, and an exhibit in the visitor’s center, as well as recreations of the huts of the type the builders of Stonehenge might have lived it. We stayed one night at the Hilton Garden Inn at Heathrow and flew out the next morning, our adventure over. Our flights were on Aer Lingus, which led to the unpleasant surprise during the cruise of getting notification of our return flight being canceled due to the pilots' “withdrawal of labour”, which means a strike. Aer Lingus rebooked us on flights on disembarkation day, which was unacceptable as we wouldn’t be able to get to Heathrow in time. The next availability they had was two days after our planned one-night stay. Much as we love London, we were tired and ready to be home. I frantically searched among bad options for last-minute flights home, and we settled on paying obscene rates for non-stop Heathrow to Chicago on American. The fare was more than our cruise faire; in hindsight, we would have been better off if we could have snagged a cabin for the subsequent cruise and flown home a week later on a rescheduled Aer Lingus flight! We really enjoyed our time on the Anthem. I am no longer resistant to what I had called the Behemoths of the Seas, though I know the Anthem is not at all the biggest of the fleet. I hope to do more Royal cruises in the future. I am going to go through my pictures and share some of my favorites. Edited July 2 by Joanne G. 7 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joanne G. Posted July 2 Author #2 Share Posted July 2 (edited) Edinburgh: View from our hotel window, Edinburgh Castle, Palace of Holyrood House, the ruins of an abbey adjacent to Holyrood House, street scenes, the Queen's very unpretentious bedroom on Britannia Edited July 2 by Joanne G. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joanne G. Posted July 2 Author #3 Share Posted July 2 London: The Elizabeth Tower with the clock sparking in the sun after its multi-year restoration, Palace of Westminster (Houses of Parliament), the new U.S Embassy, the London Eye. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Fun Researcher Posted July 2 #4 Share Posted July 2 Great review so far. How did the food compare to what you are used to on other lines? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joanne G. Posted July 2 Author #5 Share Posted July 2 Stavanger: the harbor, the walking tour, the Iron Age farm - and a picture that helped me understand why some locals are not thrilled with big cruise ships 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joanne G. Posted July 2 Author #6 Share Posted July 2 Olden: Sailing in, and the ship in port 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joanne G. Posted July 2 Author #7 Share Posted July 2 Fjords, fjords, and more fjords - maybe from around Olden or maybe from around Flam! 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joanne G. Posted July 2 Author #8 Share Posted July 2 I'm not going to post pictures of the ship, as it's easy to find other peoples' pictures and videos on the internet that are better than mine. But I will share this picture of John at the entrance to the Windjammer at breakfast time, enthusiastically greeting everyone and directing them to the bank of sinks for handwashing - a nice design feature, by the way. Pretty much everyone complied. Also, a view of the wake from Two70. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joanne G. Posted July 2 Author #9 Share Posted July 2 Needs no explanation 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joanne G. Posted July 2 Author #10 Share Posted July 2 Oops, almost forgot Bruges! The sculpture is by Michelangelo, Madonna and Child, reportedly the only one to leave Italy in his lifetime. It's in the Church of Our Lady in Bruges. A small fee is required to view it. Other parts of the church are free to enter. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare OCSC Mike Posted July 2 #11 Share Posted July 2 51 minutes ago, Joanne G. said: I had been somewhat dismissive of the amusement park features on the big Royal ships. Now I feel that the existence of those features don’t matter – I don’t have to use them, and they keep the kids onboard well occupied. Exactly our feelings about Oasis class & sailing in the summer (b/c my wife is a teacher) with tons of kids. We don’t hang out where the kids do for the most part. 54 minutes ago, Joanne G. said: I LOVED the night light in the bathroom. Same with us. Small feature but a nice one. 56 minutes ago, Joanne G. said: One minor irritation – the phone taking up space on one of the tiny bedside tables Agree again. I move ours to the floor just to get it out of the way. 58 minutes ago, Joanne G. said: To our surprise, we never found a hair dryer in the cabin, despite looking everywhere. Was it hidden someplace we missed? It should have been in one of the drawers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joanne G. Posted July 2 Author #12 Share Posted July 2 (edited) 49 minutes ago, The Fun Researcher said: Great review so far. How did the food compare to what you are used to on other lines? The dining room selection and quality of food was much better than what a friend and I had on the Norwegian Getaway just this past May. We had wonderful prime rib on the first night on the Anthem; that was never offered on the Getaway. Too many Getaway meal choices were pasta-based. I like pasta, but it's cheap, and I fix it a lot at home, so it doesn't thrill me on a cruise. A steak on the Getaway was served with French fries. I like French fries but don't consider them part of fine dining (to the degree that we can use that term for cruise dinners). Service was more personal and attentive on the Anthem. ` My 4 recent (post covid) Carnival cruises were solo, and I ate all meals in the Lido, as I am uncomfortable eating solo in the dining room. So I can't compare dining room food, but I feel the buffet selections and quality are comparable between what we had on the Anthem and what I've had on Carnival. The buffet food on Norwegian in May was not great - not as extensive salad bar choices as the other two lines, and the meats (a chicken breast, a pork chop) were usually dry. I was on HAL, Princess, and Celebrity long before covid, so it's not really a fair comparison to more recent cruises. I will be on Celebrity this coming September - looking forward to that! One more thing I liked about the Anthem was Sorrento's pizza - not that it was the greatest pizza I've ever had, but it was good and more importantly, pizza was hot and ready without waiting and the venue was never crowded. We ate there once when our excursion left at noon, making lunch in the Windjammer impossible. I often gave up on Carnival's pizza as the line was too long. Same with omelets at breakfast - long lines most of the time on Carnival but efficiently prepared to order in the Windjammer. Edited July 2 by Joanne G. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joanne G. Posted July 2 Author #13 Share Posted July 2 In Stavanger, a homeowner had a big sign in the window stating, “Cruise ships not welcome.” But other locals, such as this group in Olden, didn’t seem to resent our visit. IMG_5458.mov 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenhem Posted July 3 #14 Share Posted July 3 We're currently on Anthem really enjoying our time on the ship and agree with what you say. Similarly, we haven't cruised with Royal for 12 years. The last time was on Independence. We've done 40+ cruises with over half on P&O, the rest split between Royal, Cunard, and Celebrity. We only do No Fly cruises from Southampton. The food in the MDR has been very good, all staff we've come across have been happy and polite, and very keen to help with any queries. Whilst we have another cruise booked on Independence next year and looking forward to it, it's a pity Anthem is not sailing from Southampton next year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snaefell Posted July 3 #15 Share Posted July 3 Thanks for a great report,we were on Anthem Aoril/May on her crossing from Bayonne,not our first Quantum class cruise,we cruised on Quantum in 2019,love the class of ship! As you found out too late you can request the daily paper from your cabin steward,found that out from these forums before we sailed so we requested it when we first saw him,we had a hair dryer in a drawer by the door onto the balcony & yes the night light in the bathroom is a great idea! Love the Windjammer for Breakfast & Lunch,some seriously certifiable greeters when you enter along with great staff down at the quieter stern end made leaving on the last morning hard work with so many hugs & handshakes! We cruised Norway several years ago,it is a seriously beautiful place,surprised at cruise ships not being welcome as IME Norwegian ports have generally given us some amazing send offs. Glad you enjoyed it,happy travelling! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare irun5k Posted July 3 #16 Share Posted July 3 Great photos- thanks for sharing! That is definitely a legit waterfall! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snaefell Posted July 3 #17 Share Posted July 3 Forgot to mention that our cabin steward was more than happy to supply sachets of coffee when asked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joanne G. Posted July 4 Author #18 Share Posted July 4 17 hours ago, snaefell said: Forgot to mention that our cabin steward was more than happy to supply sachets of coffee when asked. Thanks! Now I know for the future. I suspect the kettles are only in cabins on cruises from Southampton? It's not routine on Royal, is it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biker19 Posted July 4 #19 Share Posted July 4 9 minutes ago, Joanne G. said: I suspect the kettles are only in cabins on cruises from Southampton? It's not routine on Royal, is it? Kettles are usually provided from home ports where the clientele usually expects it - like UK and Australia. No. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viajera7 Posted July 4 #20 Share Posted July 4 On 7/2/2024 at 1:22 PM, Joanne G. said: To our surprise, we never found a hair dryer in the cabin, despite looking everywhere. Was it hidden someplace we missed? Was it an oversight that it was missing? It wasn’t too big a deal, but it may matter to others if hair dryers are truly not provided. …..,, I was on the 6/2 Anthem for the Canaries itinerary. I wanted to do a B2B but the Norway cruise was sold out. I am surprised that you didn’t have a hair dryer in your cabin being in a balcony. I was in an interior and found out that I didn’t have one after I washed my hair and had my hair wet. Had to go to dinner like that. When I talked to my cabin steward he told me in an indifferent tone that he didn’t have hair dryers in all the rooms. I went to Guest Services and had one the following day. First time in 82 cruises that I didn’t have a hair dryer in my cabin. Lesson learned: Check the first time you enter your cabin😊. I was initially pleased to see a kettle in the cabin, but then disappointed to see that only tea bags were provided, no instant coffee packs. I do like coffee in the cabin before having to get dressed, but I was ok getting my early morning coffee at Café Promenade. …….. I had the kettle but didn’t use it for the same reasons. I just went to the Crown Lounge for my coffee. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joanne G. Posted July 4 Author #21 Share Posted July 4 Thanks to all who said we should have had a hairdryer in the cabin. It wasn't a big deal, as my friend and I typically air-dry our hair anyway. But it's good to know for the future. I'll certainly ask the cabin steward if I don't find one in my cabin on my next Royal cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisegirl1 Posted July 4 #22 Share Posted July 4 (edited) Enjoyed your review and beautiful photos. We were on with you and the previous week (similar itinerary with one different port). LOVED the ship and itineraries both weeks. Gave us a chance to experience two different things in a few ports. The stop in Brugges was a mess. I hope they fix the departure process. Other than that, both cruises were wonderful. The scenery is magnificent and even prettier than photos. Food, in my opinion, was basically the same as other ships. A few different options (dinner meat/vegetable pies) in the MDR and buffet. We ate in MDR, specialty and Coastal Kitchen both weeks. We had crepes for dessert (windjammer) one evening after Coastal Kitchen dinner. Delicious. Enjoyed the "send off" on Olden. They like tourists there. The second week had terrific weather, the week prior had clouds, a bit of rain and colder temps. Memorable cruises for sure. M Edited July 4 by cruisegirl1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snaefell Posted July 4 #23 Share Posted July 4 5 hours ago, Biker19 said: Kettles are usually provided from home ports where the clientele usually expects it - like UK and Australia. No. We had a kettle on our trip over from Bayonne to the UK,don't know if they had been there on previous cruises. Just to check I did email RCI before we left home as to whether or not there were kettles in Anthems cabins,there reply read ' we can confirm that there are no kettles in the cabins on Quantum Of The Seas ',so good to know they are really on the ball!😆😆 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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