REVIEW: Anthem of the Seas 7/28 9 Night Bermuda and Caribbean (7600+ words)

So, here is my 7655 word review of my recent 7/28 9 night sailing on Anthem. Hopefully people will see it for what its worth and I hope that it helps some with their planning. What I also helps it do is alleviate some concern that many people may have had about Anthem. Let me say this, I was concerned about the negative reviews and ratings this ship has gotten but I can honestly say I loved the ship overall and would definitely cruise on her again.

With that said, let's get to it!

Boarding

We got to the cruise terminal around 11 AM. Drop off was painless. Checkin was very easy. We showed our set sail passes and our passports and were directed to security. Once through security (which was quick) we had our first and quite possibly only picture taken by the crew and then were directed to a seating area where we would wait until it was time to start boarding. We didn't wait very long though because they started calling rows of seats and before you knew it we were boarding the ship. All in all, from the time we were dropped off at the curb to the time we walked onto the ship I would say it was about 30 minutes. Very fast very efficient. I was very impressed!

The first thing we did is headed up to deck 14 to check out the pool area. Very nice assortment of seating options but I can see how it would quickly fill up.

From there we headed on over to the Windjammer and had some lunch.

Stateroom

After lunch we headed down to deck 8 to check out our cabin. 8598. A starboard side balcony stateroom on deck 8. It looked nice but definitely did not look that spacious. Our bed was closer to the door / bathroom and there was a sofa bed closer to the balcony. If I understand correctly this state room layout alternates from room to room where some of the rooms have the bed close to the balcony. I would have preferred this layout if I had known about it in advance. Just a tip for those who might prefer the same thing you might want to ask about that when you were booking your reservation. Our kids would be sleeping on the sofa bed the whole trip. I will say that once it is open there is less than a foot of space to pass between the sofa bed and the cabinetry on the wall and the desk for you to get to the balcony. I can't even begin to tell you how many times I banged my shin trying to slip by there. This is where a bunk bed / Pullman bed configuration is a much better way to go.

The bathroom was fine with one minor complaint. The shower door is clear so you can see through it. That doesn't allow for someone (me) to shower while someone else (my daughters and wife) is using the vanity in the bathroom. If I remember correctly the shower door was usually smoked or was a curtain you couldn't see through on other ships which allowed for this.

One great thing that we loved about the ship where the chairs on the balcony. This was the first time we had chairs that recline and they also provided an ottoman. Loved laying back and watching the ocean. We also used the furniture on the balcony to dry clothes and wet bathing suits and towels. As always we bring large clips to keep whatever you were drying from flying away if the breeze was heavy.

The only oddity that I would speak of is a creaking sound that emanated from somewhere in the cabin on nights where the ship was moving / rocking a little bit more than normal. (From Bermuda to Saint Maarten we had ten foot swells) It wasn't enough to be annoying during the day but definitely prominent when you were sleeping at night. Heavy sleepers probably wouldn't notice. It woke me a few times in the night. Broken sleep means I'm tired the next day but I'm also on vacation so a nap wouldn't be unheard of right?

There appeared to be plenty of storage space for all of our clothes and gear. Now we didn't fill absolutely every possible drawer and cabinet but there were four of us in the state room so it was pretty packed. There were also two large cabinets directly above the bed that you really couldn't get to unless you were standing on the bed. If you're short you wouldn't even be able to reach to the back of them. We didn't even realize that it was really cabinet space until halfway through the cruise. All four of our suitcases (two large two medium) fit perfectly fine under the bed and out-of-the-way.

I guess the only disappointing thing I realized is that I was not going to get to watch the sun rise in the morning from this balcony. We would be on the opposite side of the ship for most of the trip but I did get to see the sun rise on the last two days at sea.

The ladies will be pleased to know that there were lots of mirrors in the cabin. Besides the one in the bathroom there were two more. A floor length wall mirror close to the door and a light up mirror over the desk. However, be warned that the hairdryer they provide is weak and will test any woman's patience when drying their hair in a hurry. We tried using our own hair dryer and it popped the breaker shutting down power to all of the outlets in our room. A quick phone call to maintenance and a crewmember resolved the issue within 20 minutes. Needless to say that only happened once and we packed it away for the rest of the trip settling to use the hairdryer provided by the ship.

Speaking of power outlets, there is one in the bathroom but only for shavers. There is also one on one side of the bed and a few at the desk. There were also two USB ports for charging your phones or tablets without taking up a power outlet.

The Solarium

Just. Wow. That’s pretty much the easiest way to put it. I’ve seen the solarium on 4 other Royal ships and by far this one takes the prize as the best one yet. It is absolutely gorgeous in there. Lots of room spread across three different tiered levels. The cascading pool effect goes from the top pool down to the bottom one by overflowing over clear walls separating the levels. Two large hot tubs that really look to be four total but you have to get in on one side to get to the other. Pool temperatures were good but alas…my largest complaint… TOO MUCH CHLORINE. I mean, my eyes were BURNING it was so bad. People also complained that their bathing suites and clothes lost color it was so strong.

TIP: On both the starboard and port sides of the solarium at the very bottom there are electric doors that take you out onto the platforms that extend over the side of the ship so the captain can see the full length of the ship when docking. Make sure you get out there at least once and do it during the day for some great pictures and views of the ship while at sea. CON: If you go out there at night you can “technically” see into some staterooms. For those that have cabins nearby you may want to make sure your blinds are closed. My youngest daughter got a surprise she wasn’t expecting. :)

Shows

I was fortunate enough to have made reservations for all of our shows well in advance of our sail date.

Let me say that entertainment overall on the ship was excellent. I loved all of the shows. The only downside was there was a great number of people who were holding 20 to 30 seats in a row for their family or friends. In many of the cases those seats were still vacant 2 to 3 minutes before the show started. Some arrived after the show started which in my opinion is kind of rude. There was even a confrontation just before We Will Rock You when people were told they couldn't sit because seats were reserved. Security had to be called and there was a lot of back-and-forth. In the end the family was forced to relinquish the seats or they would have to leave. As they moved over and gave up those seats, which was pretty much the entire row, everyone cheered and clapped and the show finally started although a few minutes late.

The Gift

Somewhat interesting story. Started off a little dark but picks up. Excellent vocals and music but the show was definitely perfect in length. Any longer and they might have lost my interest. It does however tell a worthwhile story and emphasizes the need for family with the major takeaway being that life goes on and you should make the best of it.

Spectra's Cabaret

The show is done in Two70. Definitely one of my favorite places on the ship. I loved how the cast would interact with the audience. Excellent music and vocals along with the typical Two70 experience. I won't go into too much detail because I don't want to spoil it for everyone but this is definitely one show you shouldn't miss. I couldn't help but see some Cirque du Soleil influence here. That should peak some interest and give you some ideas...

We Will Rock You

I wasn't sure what to expect of the show to be honest. Immediately the thought is that it's going to be a Queen tribute show but boy was I pleasantly surprised. It had a captivating story with familiar music throughout the entire show. One awesome part of the show is that the musicians all sit separately in sound cubes elevated in the walls above both sides of the stage. They don't actually see each other but instead watch a conductor from TV screens that are perched across from them. I'm guessing they have monitors in their cube to see each other as well. I can honestly say that the sound production and mixing was perfect. The show contains a little bit of everything. Drama, love, comedy, and excitement. You will find yourself singing along through much of it. Without a doubt this could be one of the best production shows I've ever seen on a cruise ship. Hands down. (This was my 13th cruise. I've been on Carnival, DCL, and RCCL.)

Dining

I'm not going to go into too much detail with the dining experience because I believe dining is subjective and personal and everyone will experience it differently depending on your pallet and expectations. We did dynamic dining classic which is essentially us rotating through four different dining rooms or restaurants but keeping our same wait staff throughout the entire cruise. Our dining time was 5:30 PM. I should note to everyone that they warned us on the first night that if we do not show up within 15 minutes of our seating time they will give our table to regular dynamic dining guests who are standing by for a table.

I thought that all of our dining in the four complementary restaurants was quite good. I felt that there was a great selection to choose from and something for everyone. All of the food that we had was seasoned well and had lots of flavor minus one dish that I had in silk one evening. It was the Pepper Steak and was kind of bland and missing flavor and the steak was a little over cooked and chewy.

The one thing I noticed missing was chilled / cold soup on the menu every night. I was never really into cold soup much until I started cruising. I became quite fond of the different ways that it could be made and served and would look forward to trying it every night. Sadly, it was missing on all but one night and it happened to be the night that we were dining in Chops.

Our waiter was extremely attentive and very friendly and fun with us the entire cruise. He even challenged us with some matchstick puzzles that we had to figure out. It made for some fun interaction between all of us. Sadly, I can't say as much about his assistant. There were some nights were he appeared when we sat to give us water or lemonade and then we wouldn't see him again for the rest of dinner. Often times our waiter would have to refill our glasses, and we had to ask, which shouldn't be the case. Our waiter made up for it overall.

The head waiter made sure that my youngest one got to have Escargot on multiple nights even though it wasn't being served in the restaurant that we were dining in that evening. That was very nice of him. He was a pretty quiet guy who forcefully tried to interact with us nightly but it would typically become very awkward. Like I said the highlight was definitely our waiter.

One thing to note and I really try not to let this bother me because I know that everybody's idea of a vacation is different than the other but... why bother having a dress code? For example, I made sure to bring a jacket for our formal night in The Grande because I was told that it was mandatory. Meanwhile my whole family is dressed to the nines for dinner and we see another family come in with teenagers wearing shorts and flip flops. I mean why bother? If I could be turned away because I didn't have a jacket yet teenagers could wear shorts and flip-flops, it's such a double standard. They even have a rack of jackets to provide to men who didn't bring their own so you could just hang it on the back of your chair. Why go to all of that extent and not uphold a minimal dress code? I think everybody can recognize that it takes time to get ready for a formal dinner. Our family is my wife and two daughters ages 11 and 15 and myself. We have to give up time at the pool or out of port of call so that we can get back to the state room and have plenty of time to get dolled up. I guess when you invest that kind of time into doing it only to see others walking in off of the beach it's kind of a smack in the face. Royal makes it clear what the dress code should be so why is there so much confusion over this? Again I know that this is a controversial topic and I really try hard not to let it bother me but I guess in the end it does bug me even just a little. Oh well.

Cafe Promenade

The little sandwiches are great here and it's also a place where you can get coffee and water. The thing that stood out the most though had to be the Coconut Ranger cookies. Don't say I didn't warn you. They are very addicting. Do yourself a favor and go out to the shops and ask for a bag so you could take more than two or three on a plate. :) Oh and don't forget the milk.

Cafe Two70

By far one of my favorite stops for breakfast. There's a little bit of everything here but the best part is the view and the fact that you were not crowded. There was always a table and always a place to sit. It was relaxing not chaotic. Sadly, we never got to have lunch here but I heard that it was amazing and that they have a fantastic roast beef sandwich.

The Windjammer

The Windjammer on the ship is distinctly different than what I'm used to seeing on some of the other ships. Tremendous variety and the food was excellent. I could literally see how some people would eat there every day. We had several lunch is here and one dinner. I was always able to find something that I liked and very impressed with the offering they had with regard to Indian food. Every day there was something different and it was always good. For dinner one night we had jerk chicken and jerk pork both of which were good but what stood out the most was the beef patty. It was perfectly seasoned and spicy. The desert offering was very good and surprisingly the sugar-free stuff. Portion sizes were great and the variety was excellent. Trust me it was all good for the most part. My absolute favorite was the bread pudding with the vanilla sauce over top. Another hit was the Dulce de Leche cheesecake. Both not too sweet but just sweet enough.

Specialty Restaurants

Izumi

We were all excited to have sushi as a break in all of the other food offerings that we had had so far on the ship. (a little more than half way through the cruise) We showed up on time for our 6 PM reservation and were seated immediately. Our waiter seemed a little bit put off at the get go. When he asked us how we were doing I I said I was well and asked how he was doing and he said well I have a little bit of a headache... That kind of made me worry a bit. We went over the menu and he provided us with complementary Edamame. I was pretty happy to see that they gave us free soy beans but I will say that once the bowl was gone he did not refill it or bring us more. I'm guessing if we had asked that he probably would have. We placed all of our orders and waited. I tried to order some hot sake but was disappointed to find out that their machine was broken. I know I could have it cold but I'm a hot sake kind of guy and was a little disappointed that I wasn't going to be able to enjoy some with dinner.

Our appetizers came pretty quickly but then we had to wait a bit for our main entrees. Mind you, the place opens and 6pm and we were the first reservation. To make up for this our waiter provided some of our guests with miso soup that he said would be free of charge. I wondered why he picked certain guests and not others but the best I could figure was those who had not ordered appetizers were the ones that got the soup. My wife and I ordered a sushi combination. The menu lists what fish is included so we told them what we did and did not want when we placed our order. Imagine our surprise when our food came and we saw items that were not listed on the menu that we would not have chosen. I'm not sure why but chefs had chosen to give us different fish that was not listed in the menu. Anyway, when we told them that we didn't want certain things on the plate he took our plates away and then brought them back with something else in place of what was there. I still noticed that the seared tuna was missing and when I brought it up he spoke to the chef and then brought me two pieces and apologized for not including it the first or second time. I then suggested that he should do the same for my wife since it was missing from hers as well so he did but I don't understand why I had to suggest it. Maybe this was just an off night for this guy. Regardless we tipped him well hoping it was just a fluke. (no pun intended) Overall I will say that the food was very very good and the portions were excellent in size.

You absolutely must have the box yellowtail roll which has spicy tuna (oh yeah it's spicy) on the inside and sliced yellow tail with a garlic sauce on top. It was definitely a highlight of dinner. I can almost taste one now...

Chops

I was a little bit concerned about Chops. Our last experience was on Independence of the Seas April 2015 and to be honest it was a little bland and not worthy of the up charge. I figured that being this was a different ship we should try it anyway. Let me start by saying I don't regret it. The food was absolutely excellent as was the service by our waiter Andrew. I ordered the 12 ounce New York strip steak medium rare and it was cooked perfectly. The beef carpaccio was also excellent and very flavorful. The pepper bacon was good and although it could be cooked a little bit more for my liking it still had plenty of flavor and was enjoyed by all at our table. All of our sides were also excellent. This includes asparagus, creamed corn, creamed spinach, and truffle French fries. We all had the chocolate lava cake for dessert and agreed that the ice cream portion was on the small side. No problem though because we asked our waiter to bring us more and he was quick to accommodate.

The coconut ice cream was hand made on the ship and was delicious and went very well with the rich chocolate from the lava cake. Overall I would highly recommend chops on Anthem of the Seas. I can only hope that everyone's dining experience will be as good as ours was.

Negative side note: I'm sorry to have to do this but I feel I have to be honest with everyone. I'm not sure when things changed but it looks like chops is all ages now. We had a table directly behind us that had two children who were screaming for half of our dinner and their parents weren't doing much to try to stop them. I have kids and I know what it's like when dining with them but I've never before seen children in chops. On previous cruises we would have put our children into the kids room or set them up with an activity because it was 18 or older. When our children were smaller, when we were dining out and our children were acting up, we would step outside with them as to not interfere with everyone else's dining experience. I was a little surprised to see very young children in this specialty restaurant and a little disappointed that the parents were doing nothing to try and appease the child.

Second negative side note: at a table immediately next to us three teenagers were seated for dinner. Two of them were wearing button-down shirts and slacks with sneakers but one of them was wearing a plain white T-shirt with denim jeans and sneakers. Once again that little twitch in the back of my head began to bother me. I guess one reason being that they were younger and the other being that they were underdressed per the dress code that is suggested for this restaurant. My bigger issue with this experience is that I paid an up charge to eat here. I wouldn't show up at Ruth Chris under dressed nor would they let me in if I was. Lastly as we were leaving I saw a man being seated with shorts and open sandals. Even one of the waiters had said that things had gone downhill over the past few years and that pretty much anyone wearing anything would be seated for dinner. I really hate to have to touch on this again but there are plenty of dining experiences on the ship for those that do not want to dress up. This one in particular we had to pay a premium only to see others getting away with dress code infractions. I will be sure to mention this on my survey.

Wonderland

My 15-year-old daughter and I first stopped by to take a look at this menu and were pretty intrigued by it. I gotta say it looked very intimidating for someone who did not have an adventurous pallet. It took a little bit of convincing to get my wife and my youngest one to buy into the idea of eating here but I went ahead and booked this for our last night on the ship. Little did I know it would end up being the best dining experience we had for the entire cruise. This was the most expensive up charge restaurant on the ship being $49 per adult which is anyone 12 and older. Children 11 and under were charged $10. Don't try lying about your child's age... Remember that they can see everyone's date of birth on your cabin reservation.

Our server was Velinka from Macedonia. She was extremely inviting and helpful from the beginning and made us feel excited for the dining experience that was ahead of us. She knew the menu inside and out and took great time to explain to us how we should eat each dish the way it was meant to be eaten which enhances the flavor. She also gave us background about each menu item as well. One thing I will say is that the presentation is extremely important here. Every dish looked delicious before you even tasted or smelled it. The best comparison I can give is sushi which is so colorful and has an incredible presentation as well. Our senses were pushed to the max and each bite was just as inviting as the last. I would recommend you just go with the server’s recommendations since they know the menu best and will make sure that you get the best experience possible. Don't worry about what the menu might say or let it frighten you. Be adventurous and try something different and new. It will be worth it. The head chef, Samuel Williams from Jamaica, also made an appearance and spent a great deal of time discussing the menu with us. It was definitely a pleasure to see him take so much time out of his schedule to share his passion for food. Make sure you leave room for dessert and good luck with that because we were definitely stuffed. I can't find one negative thing about this dining experience other than of course the fact that it had to end.

Activities

SeaPlex

It is absolutely amazing to me how much space Royal gave to the SeaPlex. Located at deck 15 aft this activities themed gymnasium style room offered a little something for everyone. There were basketball nets, soccer nets, dodgeball, roller skating, bumper cars, and even a circus trapeze school. There's even a family dance party with a DJ and Dreamworks characters.

Bumper cars were typically done into our periods broken up into four 30 minute sessions. You would definitely want to make sure you got there a little early because every session we were on was packed. There is a lot of room to drive and build up some speed before you whack the nearest person to you. Word has it that being one of the first two sessions is the best way to go because these cars are battery-operated and they get weaker as the sessions go on.

Roller skating was done in sessions as well. Be prepared to wear safety helmets and wrist guards and make sure that your wrist guards are a matching set because we found that we got to left wrists or two different sizes mixed together. You don't have a lot of time to actually skate so you want to make the most of it. You will need to have waivers signed for your children. Try to do this in advance for all of the activities so you don't have to be that person who is doing it on the spot.

My kids did the circus trapeze school twice. This is a tough one to get into. There are only four sessions in a two-hour period and they allow 12 people per session. Note that Circus Trapeze is not done every day of the cruise. For our sailing the sessions began at 9:30am. Our kids were there at least one hour before the start time and were typically in the first group to go. Let me start by saying this is done over an extremely thick air filled safety mat. I should also add that each person is connected to a harness that is connected to a rope which a staff member has control over down on the floor. There were absolutely no concerns about safety here.

The staff would quickly go over what you were going to have to do and some safety steps. When it was your turn you would climb the ladder to the platform above then they would tell you to bend your legs and reach your arms out for the trapeze bar and grab it. Then they let go of you to start your swing. You swing back-and-forth a couple of times and then they tell you to tuck and try to get your feet to go up to the bar. The goal here is to try to get your feet over the bar so that you can hang from your knees. A lot of people were not able to do this part. It wasn't easy to get your feet up in a tuck while you were hanging from your hands and swinging at the same time. The last part was the dismount and they would offer you the ability to either just let go and come down or do a backflip. If you chose to do a backflip on your last swing you would kick forward then backward then forward quickly (all on one swing forward) then left go on the last forward kick. If done right you would do a backflip while you were lowered down into the mat. It was a great opportunity for pictures and video and something the kids enjoyed thoroughly. How often can you say you did something like this while on the ship out at sea? These were memories that they would forever remember and share.

While in the SeaPlex make sure you go out and say hi to GIGi the giraffe. My youngest daughter tried to climb her but was quickly stopped by a passing staff member. Just kidding but it did make for a great staged picture. :)

iFly

Let me start by saying overall this was another great memory made on the ship. Don't be fooled, that one minute of flying time feels like forever. At least that is what I was told. You start by checking in and then everyone goes through a safety movie/presentation. You then get suited up with your flying suit and helmet. Once it is your turn everyone goes up on deck and is seated on benches around the flying tunnel. Starting from right to left everyone gets to go one by one for one minute at a time. The instructor guides you throughout the whole process and makes sure that you are safe. They will make sure you have fun. After the entire group goes the instructor will then go in and show you some of the tricks you can do as you gain experience. These guys obviously fly many times throughout the day and really wowed me with the tricks they pulled off. Again another great photograph and video opportunity that shouldn't be missed. Make sure that you book this one as early as possible. I was able to do mine at 120 days before our sailing.

Flowrider

There are two different sessions typically done here. Boogie boarding and stand up surfing. You have to be a certain height for both although I do not recall what the height requirement was.

My older daughter got to do both and had a blast. My younger daughter did the boogie boarding because she was not tall enough for standup surfing but also had just as much fun. The staff members will help teach you what to do and will hold onto you and guide you. Just have fun. By the way there's also an incredible view of the water from the back of the ship while up on this deck. More photographic and video opportunities.

Ports of Call

Bermuda

This was our first time going to Bermuda and I have to say it is quite possibly one of the most beautiful islands that I've ever been on. We were on a private tour and our guide was very helpful. It was amazing to me how we never saw a dark side of the island. Everywhere we went was beautiful and well-maintained. We spent a short time on Horseshoe Bay Beach but I wish we had more time to spend there. It was absolutely gorgeous but we could have used a little bit more beach time. That wasn't necessarily the fault of our tour guide because we had a lot of things we want to do over our six-hour period of time with him. I would also imagine that there are other beaches on the island that are just as beautiful and probably not nearly as crowded. Should I go again in the future I would definitely go to a different beach. I feel that we had plenty of time in port for the stop but I can also understand why some ships do two and three nights here at the island. There is a lot to see and do and no way to do it all in one day. I'm already looking at a Celebrity cruise that does three nights here.

Saint Maarten

This is our second time in Saint Maarten and once again it did not disappoint. We were docked from 12 PM to 8 PM and I felt we had plenty of time on the island although almost all of the stores closed at 5 PM. I had planned to do some shopping for jewelry but was disappointed to hear of such an early closing time. I guess that's the way they do it on the island. We made the usual stops at Maho beach and in Marigot for a little shopping along with some pastry goodies and a cafe latte at Sarafina's. Our private tour operator also took us to a small beach called the Friars Bay beach club. This was really nice and out-of-the-way. A non-touristy stop. We were not crowded by thousands of people and were also on the bay side which meant the ocean was very calm and inviting. Our tour operator suggested this place because he had seen that Orient Beach had very rough surf. I'm glad we took his advice. The one difference between this visit and the last time we were here is that we were leaving at 8 PM and got to sail away in the dark. Definitely beautiful as we pulled away from Saint Maarten. I'm certain we will be back.

San Juan

This is our second time in old San Juan. While I love the city I feel that we have seen all there is to see here. I'm very disappointed that this is such a short stop for us. 7am to 1pm with all aboard at 12:30. There are very few excursions available to you that go far away from the cruise port. I really wish we had more time there. I see there is a southern itinerary that offers a 3 PM to 11 PM stop in San Juan. I guess my concern is how late everything would be open after our experience in Saint Maarten.

Labadee

This is our third time going to Labadee and I have to tell you it is and continues to be one of our favorite cruise stops. This is the place you go to for a day on the beach. Beautiful scenery, crystal clear blue green waters, and awesome temperatures. Just a perfect day in paradise. As always the barbecue for lunch is nice and there is plenty for everyone to do on the island if you don't want to just sit on your rear and stare at the water. I brought my snorkeling gear with me and have to say I saw a lot of fish. We got off the ship as soon as they pretty much cleared and we're at the beach in our cabana by 8:15 AM. I'm glad that I went snorkeling earlier in the day because by the end of the day it was low tide and the water was turned up so visibility was not as good.

Cabana over the Water at Nellies Beach

This is our second time getting an over the water cabana at Nellies beach. At first we thought it was an expense that just wasn't worth it but after doing it once we found it to be a priceless enhancement to our day in paradise. Once disembarked we were greeted at the end of the dock and were quickly put on a golf cart heading towards the cabana. This year our cabana was really in a good place. We were high up and over the water with an incredible view. Off to our right where steps that lead to a ladder that went right down into the water. Our cabana attendant, Jeanty, made sure that all of our needs were attended to the entire day. He spoiled us silly. I know it's expensive but it's definitely something we will be doing again should we have the opportunity.

Crew Overall

I would say that overall the crew was very pleasant and very helpful. I certainly didn't meet anyone who was negative or mean to us. Considering I have read a number of reviews from many people who said that the crew were impatient and angry with them I can honestly say that fortunately we did not witness this. Everyone was friendly and willing to help with the exception of our stateroom attendant. Let me clarify that while he didn't go above and beyond he did do a pretty good job of keeping our room clean. We rarely saw him or even spoke with him and when he did see us he would greet us but that would be about it. Again not a big deal since he did a pretty good job keeping up with the four of us.

Another surprise that I didn't even know about until the last day of our cruise is that there was a tropical storm about 700 miles away from us in Mexico during our time in the Caribbean and not once did we feel the effects of it. I'm very very pleased and impressed with how the captain (Captain Dustin) kept us away from that.

Royal IQ:

The app was definitely great to have for one major thing. Texting. We used it to keep in touch with each other all around the ship. It worked 90% of the time but not much in elevators. The cost for texting and phone calls using the app is $7.95 per person for the entire cruise. Not per day. Total. If you don’t pay you can still use all of the other features like access to the compass for the day, your reservations and calendar, and seeing your account. That’s all free for everyone. TIP: MAKE SURE YOU HAVE YOUR PHONE IN AIRPLANE MODE! Once done then turn WiFi ONLY on while still in airplane mode.

A few complaints

but nothing too bad....

Guest Services

Nearly every time I called for guest services from our state room phone I had a minimum of five minutes or greater wait time. There were some calls where I waited 10 or more minutes before I got to speak to someone. I only went in person to guess services on deck for three times. Two out of the three times I was helped within two minutes. The one other time I waited for at least 15 minutes in line before I got to speak to somebody. Keep in mind that on some days and some times it will definitely be more activity at guest services. If your issue is not that important walk by there a few times and see what the wait looks like before jumping in line.

The DreamWorks channel

Seemed to be very repetitive. The kids loved it. The parents, not so much.

Elevators

The ship only has forward and midship elevators. We were constantly in a struggle to get an elevator. It didn't help that two of the elevators on the midship starboard side were down for the entire cruise. I'm not sure how or why but Royal made sure to move them to a different deck every day but alas they stayed there the entire day and were unused.

No cigar lounge... Not a big deal for some but a big pet peeve for me as I really do enjoy spending time in the cigar lounge. Ironically I was forced to the smoking area where people would complain about the smell of my cigars while they smoked their cigarettes. Unbelievable. Fortunately, I was able to make a few friends who also smoked cigars. I wish that more consideration was placed into reserving a space on this ship for cigar smokers.

Lounge chair hogs were present in force. There were towels books and even empty bags left on many lounges as we walked the decks looking for a place to sit. My daughter saw a group of four getting up to leave and asked if we could take their chairs. They promptly responded that they were going to have lunch and would be back and that we could not have the chairs. We grabbed two out of the four needed lounge chairs nearby and made the best of it. After an hour and a half that group of four still had not returned. I gotta tell ya I really feel like there is plenty of room for everyone to have a lounge chair but not when people are holding chairs for an hour and a half or longer for their own selfish reasons. I mention something to a staff member about this experience and was told that they do not monitor chairs after a certain time. I also witnessed an argument between several people about how they got up early to get their chairs so they have a right to hold them all day. It's one of those things that I tried to ignore but couldn't help hearing quite a few times during our trip. Those who hold the chairs create quite a bit of frustration for those who have nowhere to sit. Let me go on to add that one night I sat in the solarium relaxing and noticed that there was a group of four chairs that had towels and bags on them. I was there for almost 2 hours I didn't see anyone on those chairs. The solarium itself was pretty much empty at this time so I was wondering if this could possibly be someone trying to hold chairs for the following day. Just for the hell of it on the next day while we headed to the pool deck I decided to stroll past the seats in the solarium while going to exchange our towels. Imagine my unbelievable surprise as I saw the exact same bags sitting there but this time with people laying in the chairs. Has this problem gotten so bad that now people are holding chairs for multiple days and overnight? My goodness I would hope not.

Getting off the ship

The last day is always the worst. I think everybody is really bummed that vacation is over and this whole process stinks no matter how you look at it. Tensions are high and sad faces are seen all around. Apparently something was happening in customs which delayed disembarkation by about an hour. I tried not to let it bother us too much as we grabbed a seat on the Royal promenade and tried to wait for the lines to die down. Around 930 or so we were in line and preparing to walk off the ship. It was a very long walk from the gangplank to the customs area. Especially so when you have a lot of things in your arms. Anyway the customs area it was busy as expected. We went to our designated section and were disappointed to find that one of our suitcases was missing. I didn't panic but instead found a staff member who walked me over to a lost and found area where our largest suitcase was easily spotted. Somehow the sticker label was forcefully removed from this one between leaving our room and making it down to the customs area. Apparently this happens frequently as there were many other suitcases next to ours that were also missing a label. I would recommend that you take this into consideration should you have the same experience and just ask someone for help. Crisis averted I then had to wait in line to get a porter who could help us with all of our bags. From this point it was pretty much smooth sailing through customs and we were in the truck and on our way home.

If you made it this far HOORAY! If you have any questions I can answer, please feel free to ask. Thanks for reading. :)

For those who are interested, here is the 9 night daily planner collection from the 7/28/2016 to 8/6/2016 sailing.

The file is saved in PDF format and shared via my Dropbox.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/dubmp08ckfn2j9p/RCCL%20Anthem%20of%20the%20Seas%209%20Night%20Cruise%20Planner%2007282016%20to%2008062016.pdf?dl=0

For those who are interested, here is the 9 night daily planner collection from the 7/28/2016 to 8/6/2016 sailing.

 

Tried to use a URL shrinking site to load but it is not allowing me to. PDF file size is too large to attach. Not sure how else to share it.

Possibly a site like Google Drive?

Possibly a site like Google Drive?

I got it to work. The problem was using the URL shrinking site. I simply used the full dropbox link.

I got it to work. The problem was using the URL shrinking site. I simply used the full dropbox link.

Looks excellent, thanks.:)

Thanks for sharing your review. We will be doing the same itinerary and ship next May.

We've been trying to decide between this ship and the NCL Breakaway for an October cruise. I think you may have convinced me to try the Anthem! Thank you so much for your detailed review!

Couple of questions -

The only late night food is the pizza or sandwiches at Cafe Promenade? My husband loves late night snacks and was disappointed on our last RC cruise with the sandwiches...

Was the Windjammer always mobbed? I hate circling around for table!

Do you have to make reservations for everything before you sail?

Thanks again!

Yes the only late night food options are going to be pizza or cafe promenade. The Windjammer closes at 9 PM which is a real bummer. I don't remember what hours room service went till but you could always do that although some of the items are now an up charge.

The Windjammer is always mobbed on pretty much every ship. The key is to be patient. A table will eventually open up. You could also have one person in your party find and hold the table while everyone else gets food. The food was very good at the Windjammer all cruise long.

We've been trying to decide between this ship and the NCL Breakaway for an October cruise. I think you may have convinced me to try the Anthem! Thank you so much for your detailed review!

 

Couple of questions -

The only late night food is the pizza or sandwiches at Cafe Promenade? My husband loves late night snacks and was disappointed on our last RC cruise with the sandwiches...

 

Was the Windjammer always mobbed? I hate circling around for table!

 

Do you have to make reservations for everything before you sail?

 

Thanks again!

Thanks for you review.

I thoroughly enjoyed your review - thank you! Can't wait to sail on her again next month!

Great and thorough review - thanks!

Quick question ... re: the private tours in Bermuda and St. Maarten, how did you book them and what were the costs ...

Also thanks for posting the Daily Planners - very helpful ...

So, here is my 7655 word review of my recent 7/28 9 night sailing on Anthem. Hopefully people will see it for what its worth and I hope that it helps some with their planning. What I also helps it do is alleviate some concern that many people may have had about Anthem. Let me say this, I was concerned about the negative reviews and ratings this ship has gotten but I can honestly say I loved the ship overall and would definitely cruise on her again.

 

With that said, let's get to it!

 

Boarding

We got to the cruise terminal around 11 AM. Drop off was painless. Checkin was very easy. We showed our set sail passes and our passports and were directed to security. Once through security (which was quick) we had our first and quite possibly only picture taken by the crew and then were directed to a seating area where we would wait until it was time to start boarding. We didn't wait very long though because they started calling rows of seats and before you knew it we were boarding the ship. All in all, from the time we were dropped off at the curb to the time we walked onto the ship I would say it was about 30 minutes. Very fast very efficient. I was very impressed!

The first thing we did is headed up to deck 14 to check out the pool area. Very nice assortment of seating options but I can see how it would quickly fill up.

From there we headed on over to the Windjammer and had some lunch.

Stateroom

After lunch we headed down to deck 8 to check out our cabin. 8598. A starboard side balcony stateroom on deck 8. It looked nice but definitely did not look that spacious. Our bed was closer to the door / bathroom and there was a sofa bed closer to the balcony. If I understand correctly this state room layout alternates from room to room where some of the rooms have the bed close to the balcony. I would have preferred this layout if I had known about it in advance. Just a tip for those who might prefer the same thing you might want to ask about that when you were booking your reservation. Our kids would be sleeping on the sofa bed the whole trip. I will say that once it is open there is less than a foot of space to pass between the sofa bed and the cabinetry on the wall and the desk for you to get to the balcony. I can't even begin to tell you how many times I banged my shin trying to slip by there. This is where a bunk bed / Pullman bed configuration is a much better way to go.

 

The bathroom was fine with one minor complaint. The shower door is clear so you can see through it. That doesn't allow for someone (me) to shower while someone else (my daughters and wife) is using the vanity in the bathroom. If I remember correctly the shower door was usually smoked or was a curtain you couldn't see through on other ships which allowed for this.

 

One great thing that we loved about the ship where the chairs on the balcony. This was the first time we had chairs that recline and they also provided an ottoman. Loved laying back and watching the ocean. We also used the furniture on the balcony to dry clothes and wet bathing suits and towels. As always we bring large clips to keep whatever you were drying from flying away if the breeze was heavy.

 

The only oddity that I would speak of is a creaking sound that emanated from somewhere in the cabin on nights where the ship was moving / rocking a little bit more than normal. (From Bermuda to Saint Maarten we had ten foot swells) It wasn't enough to be annoying during the day but definitely prominent when you were sleeping at night. Heavy sleepers probably wouldn't notice. It woke me a few times in the night. Broken sleep means I'm tired the next day but I'm also on vacation so a nap wouldn't be unheard of right?

 

There appeared to be plenty of storage space for all of our clothes and gear. Now we didn't fill absolutely every possible drawer and cabinet but there were four of us in the state room so it was pretty packed. There were also two large cabinets directly above the bed that you really couldn't get to unless you were standing on the bed. If you're short you wouldn't even be able to reach to the back of them. We didn't even realize that it was really cabinet space until halfway through the cruise. All four of our suitcases (two large two medium) fit perfectly fine under the bed and out-of-the-way.

 

I guess the only disappointing thing I realized is that I was not going to get to watch the sun rise in the morning from this balcony. We would be on the opposite side of the ship for most of the trip but I did get to see the sun rise on the last two days at sea.

 

The ladies will be pleased to know that there were lots of mirrors in the cabin. Besides the one in the bathroom there were two more. A floor length wall mirror close to the door and a light up mirror over the desk. However, be warned that the hairdryer they provide is weak and will test any woman's patience when drying their hair in a hurry. We tried using our own hair dryer and it popped the breaker shutting down power to all of the outlets in our room. A quick phone call to maintenance and a crewmember resolved the issue within 20 minutes. Needless to say that only happened once and we packed it away for the rest of the trip settling to use the hairdryer provided by the ship.

 

Speaking of power outlets, there is one in the bathroom but only for shavers. There is also one on one side of the bed and a few at the desk. There were also two USB ports for charging your phones or tablets without taking up a power outlet.

 

The Solarium

Just. Wow. That’s pretty much the easiest way to put it. I’ve seen the solarium on 4 other Royal ships and by far this one takes the prize as the best one yet. It is absolutely gorgeous in there. Lots of room spread across three different tiered levels. The cascading pool effect goes from the top pool down to the bottom one by overflowing over clear walls separating the levels. Two large hot tubs that really look to be four total but you have to get in on one side to get to the other. Pool temperatures were good but alas…my largest complaint… TOO MUCH CHLORINE. I mean, my eyes were BURNING it was so bad. People also complained that their bathing suites and clothes lost color it was so strong.

 

TIP: On both the starboard and port sides of the solarium at the very bottom there are electric doors that take you out onto the platforms that extend over the side of the ship so the captain can see the full length of the ship when docking. Make sure you get out there at least once and do it during the day for some great pictures and views of the ship while at sea. CON: If you go out there at night you can “technically” see into some staterooms. For those that have cabins nearby you may want to make sure your blinds are closed. My youngest daughter got a surprise she wasn’t expecting. :)

 

Shows

I was fortunate enough to have made reservations for all of our shows well in advance of our sail date.

Let me say that entertainment overall on the ship was excellent. I loved all of the shows. The only downside was there was a great number of people who were holding 20 to 30 seats in a row for their family or friends. In many of the cases those seats were still vacant 2 to 3 minutes before the show started. Some arrived after the show started which in my opinion is kind of rude. There was even a confrontation just before We Will Rock You when people were told they couldn't sit because seats were reserved. Security had to be called and there was a lot of back-and-forth. In the end the family was forced to relinquish the seats or they would have to leave. As they moved over and gave up those seats, which was pretty much the entire row, everyone cheered and clapped and the show finally started although a few minutes late.

 

The Gift

Somewhat interesting story. Started off a little dark but picks up. Excellent vocals and music but the show was definitely perfect in length. Any longer and they might have lost my interest. It does however tell a worthwhile story and emphasizes the need for family with the major takeaway being that life goes on and you should make the best of it.

 

Spectra's Cabaret

The show is done in Two70. Definitely one of my favorite places on the ship. I loved how the cast would interact with the audience. Excellent music and vocals along with the typical Two70 experience. I won't go into too much detail because I don't want to spoil it for everyone but this is definitely one show you shouldn't miss. I couldn't help but see some Cirque du Soleil influence here. That should peak some interest and give you some ideas...

 

We Will Rock You

I wasn't sure what to expect of the show to be honest. Immediately the thought is that it's going to be a Queen tribute show but boy was I pleasantly surprised. It had a captivating story with familiar music throughout the entire show. One awesome part of the show is that the musicians all sit separately in sound cubes elevated in the walls above both sides of the stage. They don't actually see each other but instead watch a conductor from TV screens that are perched across from them. I'm guessing they have monitors in their cube to see each other as well. I can honestly say that the sound production and mixing was perfect. The show contains a little bit of everything. Drama, love, comedy, and excitement. You will find yourself singing along through much of it. Without a doubt this could be one of the best production shows I've ever seen on a cruise ship. Hands down. (This was my 13th cruise. I've been on Carnival, DCL, and RCCL.)

 

Dining

I'm not going to go into too much detail with the dining experience because I believe dining is subjective and personal and everyone will experience it differently depending on your pallet and expectations. We did dynamic dining classic which is essentially us rotating through four different dining rooms or restaurants but keeping our same wait staff throughout the entire cruise. Our dining time was 5:30 PM. I should note to everyone that they warned us on the first night that if we do not show up within 15 minutes of our seating time they will give our table to regular dynamic dining guests who are standing by for a table.

 

I thought that all of our dining in the four complementary restaurants was quite good. I felt that there was a great selection to choose from and something for everyone. All of the food that we had was seasoned well and had lots of flavor minus one dish that I had in silk one evening. It was the Pepper Steak and was kind of bland and missing flavor and the steak was a little over cooked and chewy.

 

The one thing I noticed missing was chilled / cold soup on the menu every night. I was never really into cold soup much until I started cruising. I became quite fond of the different ways that it could be made and served and would look forward to trying it every night. Sadly, it was missing on all but one night and it happened to be the night that we were dining in Chops.

 

Our waiter was extremely attentive and very friendly and fun with us the entire cruise. He even challenged us with some matchstick puzzles that we had to figure out. It made for some fun interaction between all of us. Sadly, I can't say as much about his assistant. There were some nights were he appeared when we sat to give us water or lemonade and then we wouldn't see him again for the rest of dinner. Often times our waiter would have to refill our glasses, and we had to ask, which shouldn't be the case. Our waiter made up for it overall.

 

The head waiter made sure that my youngest one got to have Escargot on multiple nights even though it wasn't being served in the restaurant that we were dining in that evening. That was very nice of him. He was a pretty quiet guy who forcefully tried to interact with us nightly but it would typically become very awkward. Like I said the highlight was definitely our waiter.

 

One thing to note and I really try not to let this bother me because I know that everybody's idea of a vacation is different than the other but... why bother having a dress code? For example, I made sure to bring a jacket for our formal night in The Grande because I was told that it was mandatory. Meanwhile my whole family is dressed to the nines for dinner and we see another family come in with teenagers wearing shorts and flip flops. I mean why bother? If I could be turned away because I didn't have a jacket yet teenagers could wear shorts and flip-flops, it's such a double standard. They even have a rack of jackets to provide to men who didn't bring their own so you could just hang it on the back of your chair. Why go to all of that extent and not uphold a minimal dress code? I think everybody can recognize that it takes time to get ready for a formal dinner. Our family is my wife and two daughters ages 11 and 15 and myself. We have to give up time at the pool or out of port of call so that we can get back to the state room and have plenty of time to get dolled up. I guess when you invest that kind of time into doing it only to see others walking in off of the beach it's kind of a smack in the face. Royal makes it clear what the dress code should be so why is there so much confusion over this? Again I know that this is a controversial topic and I really try hard not to let it bother me but I guess in the end it does bug me even just a little. Oh well.

 

Cafe Promenade

The little sandwiches are great here and it's also a place where you can get coffee and water. The thing that stood out the most though had to be the Coconut Ranger cookies. Don't say I didn't warn you. They are very addicting. Do yourself a favor and go out to the shops and ask for a bag so you could take more than two or three on a plate. :) Oh and don't forget the milk.

 

Cafe Two70

By far one of my favorite stops for breakfast. There's a little bit of everything here but the best part is the view and the fact that you were not crowded. There was always a table and always a place to sit. It was relaxing not chaotic. Sadly, we never got to have lunch here but I heard that it was amazing and that they have a fantastic roast beef sandwich.

 

The Windjammer

The Windjammer on the ship is distinctly different than what I'm used to seeing on some of the other ships. Tremendous variety and the food was excellent. I could literally see how some people would eat there every day. We had several lunch is here and one dinner. I was always able to find something that I liked and very impressed with the offering they had with regard to Indian food. Every day there was something different and it was always good. For dinner one night we had jerk chicken and jerk pork both of which were good but what stood out the most was the beef patty. It was perfectly seasoned and spicy. The desert offering was very good and surprisingly the sugar-free stuff. Portion sizes were great and the variety was excellent. Trust me it was all good for the most part. My absolute favorite was the bread pudding with the vanilla sauce over top. Another hit was the Dulce de Leche cheesecake. Both not too sweet but just sweet enough.

 

Specialty Restaurants

Izumi

We were all excited to have sushi as a break in all of the other food offerings that we had had so far on the ship. (a little more than half way through the cruise) We showed up on time for our 6 PM reservation and were seated immediately. Our waiter seemed a little bit put off at the get go. When he asked us how we were doing I I said I was well and asked how he was doing and he said well I have a little bit of a headache... That kind of made me worry a bit. We went over the menu and he provided us with complementary Edamame. I was pretty happy to see that they gave us free soy beans but I will say that once the bowl was gone he did not refill it or bring us more. I'm guessing if we had asked that he probably would have. We placed all of our orders and waited. I tried to order some hot sake but was disappointed to find out that their machine was broken. I know I could have it cold but I'm a hot sake kind of guy and was a little disappointed that I wasn't going to be able to enjoy some with dinner.

 

Our appetizers came pretty quickly but then we had to wait a bit for our main entrees. Mind you, the place opens and 6pm and we were the first reservation. To make up for this our waiter provided some of our guests with miso soup that he said would be free of charge. I wondered why he picked certain guests and not others but the best I could figure was those who had not ordered appetizers were the ones that got the soup. My wife and I ordered a sushi combination. The menu lists what fish is included so we told them what we did and did not want when we placed our order. Imagine our surprise when our food came and we saw items that were not listed on the menu that we would not have chosen. I'm not sure why but chefs had chosen to give us different fish that was not listed in the menu. Anyway, when we told them that we didn't want certain things on the plate he took our plates away and then brought them back with something else in place of what was there. I still noticed that the seared tuna was missing and when I brought it up he spoke to the chef and then brought me two pieces and apologized for not including it the first or second time. I then suggested that he should do the same for my wife since it was missing from hers as well so he did but I don't understand why I had to suggest it. Maybe this was just an off night for this guy. Regardless we tipped him well hoping it was just a fluke. (no pun intended) Overall I will say that the food was very very good and the portions were excellent in size.

 

You absolutely must have the box yellowtail roll which has spicy tuna (oh yeah it's spicy) on the inside and sliced yellow tail with a garlic sauce on top. It was definitely a highlight of dinner. I can almost taste one now...

 

Chops

I was a little bit concerned about Chops. Our last experience was on Independence of the Seas April 2015 and to be honest it was a little bland and not worthy of the up charge. I figured that being this was a different ship we should try it anyway. Let me start by saying I don't regret it. The food was absolutely excellent as was the service by our waiter Andrew. I ordered the 12 ounce New York strip steak medium rare and it was cooked perfectly. The beef carpaccio was also excellent and very flavorful. The pepper bacon was good and although it could be cooked a little bit more for my liking it still had plenty of flavor and was enjoyed by all at our table. All of our sides were also excellent. This includes asparagus, creamed corn, creamed spinach, and truffle French fries. We all had the chocolate lava cake for dessert and agreed that the ice cream portion was on the small side. No problem though because we asked our waiter to bring us more and he was quick to accommodate.

The coconut ice cream was hand made on the ship and was delicious and went very well with the rich chocolate from the lava cake. Overall I would highly recommend chops on Anthem of the Seas. I can only hope that everyone's dining experience will be as good as ours was.

 

Negative side note: I'm sorry to have to do this but I feel I have to be honest with everyone. I'm not sure when things changed but it looks like chops is all ages now. We had a table directly behind us that had two children who were screaming for half of our dinner and their parents weren't doing much to try to stop them. I have kids and I know what it's like when dining with them but I've never before seen children in chops. On previous cruises we would have put our children into the kids room or set them up with an activity because it was 18 or older. When our children were smaller, when we were dining out and our children were acting up, we would step outside with them as to not interfere with everyone else's dining experience. I was a little surprised to see very young children in this specialty restaurant and a little disappointed that the parents were doing nothing to try and appease the child.

 

Second negative side note: at a table immediately next to us three teenagers were seated for dinner. Two of them were wearing button-down shirts and slacks with sneakers but one of them was wearing a plain white T-shirt with denim jeans and sneakers. Once again that little twitch in the back of my head began to bother me. I guess one reason being that they were younger and the other being that they were underdressed per the dress code that is suggested for this restaurant. My bigger issue with this experience is that I paid an up charge to eat here. I wouldn't show up at Ruth Chris under dressed nor would they let me in if I was. Lastly as we were leaving I saw a man being seated with shorts and open sandals. Even one of the waiters had said that things had gone downhill over the past few years and that pretty much anyone wearing anything would be seated for dinner. I really hate to have to touch on this again but there are plenty of dining experiences on the ship for those that do not want to dress up. This one in particular we had to pay a premium only to see others getting away with dress code infractions. I will be sure to mention this on my survey.

 

Wonderland

My 15-year-old daughter and I first stopped by to take a look at this menu and were pretty intrigued by it. I gotta say it looked very intimidating for someone who did not have an adventurous pallet. It took a little bit of convincing to get my wife and my youngest one to buy into the idea of eating here but I went ahead and booked this for our last night on the ship. Little did I know it would end up being the best dining experience we had for the entire cruise. This was the most expensive up charge restaurant on the ship being $49 per adult which is anyone 12 and older. Children 11 and under were charged $10. Don't try lying about your child's age... Remember that they can see everyone's date of birth on your cabin reservation.

 

Our server was Velinka from Macedonia. She was extremely inviting and helpful from the beginning and made us feel excited for the dining experience that was ahead of us. She knew the menu inside and out and took great time to explain to us how we should eat each dish the way it was meant to be eaten which enhances the flavor. She also gave us background about each menu item as well. One thing I will say is that the presentation is extremely important here. Every dish looked delicious before you even tasted or smelled it. The best comparison I can give is sushi which is so colorful and has an incredible presentation as well. Our senses were pushed to the max and each bite was just as inviting as the last. I would recommend you just go with the server’s recommendations since they know the menu best and will make sure that you get the best experience possible. Don't worry about what the menu might say or let it frighten you. Be adventurous and try something different and new. It will be worth it. The head chef, Samuel Williams from Jamaica, also made an appearance and spent a great deal of time discussing the menu with us. It was definitely a pleasure to see him take so much time out of his schedule to share his passion for food. Make sure you leave room for dessert and good luck with that because we were definitely stuffed. I can't find one negative thing about this dining experience other than of course the fact that it had to end.

 

Activities

 

SeaPlex

It is absolutely amazing to me how much space Royal gave to the SeaPlex. Located at deck 15 aft this activities themed gymnasium style room offered a little something for everyone. There were basketball nets, soccer nets, dodgeball, roller skating, bumper cars, and even a circus trapeze school. There's even a family dance party with a DJ and Dreamworks characters.

 

Bumper cars were typically done into our periods broken up into four 30 minute sessions. You would definitely want to make sure you got there a little early because every session we were on was packed. There is a lot of room to drive and build up some speed before you whack the nearest person to you. Word has it that being one of the first two sessions is the best way to go because these cars are battery-operated and they get weaker as the sessions go on.

 

Roller skating was done in sessions as well. Be prepared to wear safety helmets and wrist guards and make sure that your wrist guards are a matching set because we found that we got to left wrists or two different sizes mixed together. You don't have a lot of time to actually skate so you want to make the most of it. You will need to have waivers signed for your children. Try to do this in advance for all of the activities so you don't have to be that person who is doing it on the spot.

 

My kids did the circus trapeze school twice. This is a tough one to get into. There are only four sessions in a two-hour period and they allow 12 people per session. Note that Circus Trapeze is not done every day of the cruise. For our sailing the sessions began at 9:30am. Our kids were there at least one hour before the start time and were typically in the first group to go. Let me start by saying this is done over an extremely thick air filled safety mat. I should also add that each person is connected to a harness that is connected to a rope which a staff member has control over down on the floor. There were absolutely no concerns about safety here.

The staff would quickly go over what you were going to have to do and some safety steps. When it was your turn you would climb the ladder to the platform above then they would tell you to bend your legs and reach your arms out for the trapeze bar and grab it. Then they let go of you to start your swing. You swing back-and-forth a couple of times and then they tell you to tuck and try to get your feet to go up to the bar. The goal here is to try to get your feet over the bar so that you can hang from your knees. A lot of people were not able to do this part. It wasn't easy to get your feet up in a tuck while you were hanging from your hands and swinging at the same time. The last part was the dismount and they would offer you the ability to either just let go and come down or do a backflip. If you chose to do a backflip on your last swing you would kick forward then backward then forward quickly (all on one swing forward) then left go on the last forward kick. If done right you would do a backflip while you were lowered down into the mat. It was a great opportunity for pictures and video and something the kids enjoyed thoroughly. How often can you say you did something like this while on the ship out at sea? These were memories that they would forever remember and share.

 

While in the SeaPlex make sure you go out and say hi to GIGi the giraffe. My youngest daughter tried to climb her but was quickly stopped by a passing staff member. Just kidding but it did make for a great staged picture. :)

 

iFly

Let me start by saying overall this was another great memory made on the ship. Don't be fooled, that one minute of flying time feels like forever. At least that is what I was told. You start by checking in and then everyone goes through a safety movie/presentation. You then get suited up with your flying suit and helmet. Once it is your turn everyone goes up on deck and is seated on benches around the flying tunnel. Starting from right to left everyone gets to go one by one for one minute at a time. The instructor guides you throughout the whole process and makes sure that you are safe. They will make sure you have fun. After the entire group goes the instructor will then go in and show you some of the tricks you can do as you gain experience. These guys obviously fly many times throughout the day and really wowed me with the tricks they pulled off. Again another great photograph and video opportunity that shouldn't be missed. Make sure that you book this one as early as possible. I was able to do mine at 120 days before our sailing.

 

Flowrider

There are two different sessions typically done here. Boogie boarding and stand up surfing. You have to be a certain height for both although I do not recall what the height requirement was.

My older daughter got to do both and had a blast. My younger daughter did the boogie boarding because she was not tall enough for standup surfing but also had just as much fun. The staff members will help teach you what to do and will hold onto you and guide you. Just have fun. By the way there's also an incredible view of the water from the back of the ship while up on this deck. More photographic and video opportunities.

 

Ports of Call

Bermuda

This was our first time going to Bermuda and I have to say it is quite possibly one of the most beautiful islands that I've ever been on. We were on a private tour and our guide was very helpful. It was amazing to me how we never saw a dark side of the island. Everywhere we went was beautiful and well-maintained. We spent a short time on Horseshoe Bay Beach but I wish we had more time to spend there. It was absolutely gorgeous but we could have used a little bit more beach time. That wasn't necessarily the fault of our tour guide because we had a lot of things we want to do over our six-hour period of time with him. I would also imagine that there are other beaches on the island that are just as beautiful and probably not nearly as crowded. Should I go again in the future I would definitely go to a different beach. I feel that we had plenty of time in port for the stop but I can also understand why some ships do two and three nights here at the island. There is a lot to see and do and no way to do it all in one day. I'm already looking at a Celebrity cruise that does three nights here.

 

Saint Maarten

This is our second time in Saint Maarten and once again it did not disappoint. We were docked from 12 PM to 8 PM and I felt we had plenty of time on the island although almost all of the stores closed at 5 PM. I had planned to do some shopping for jewelry but was disappointed to hear of such an early closing time. I guess that's the way they do it on the island. We made the usual stops at Maho beach and in Marigot for a little shopping along with some pastry goodies and a cafe latte at Sarafina's. Our private tour operator also took us to a small beach called the Friars Bay beach club. This was really nice and out-of-the-way. A non-touristy stop. We were not crowded by thousands of people and were also on the bay side which meant the ocean was very calm and inviting. Our tour operator suggested this place because he had seen that Orient Beach had very rough surf. I'm glad we took his advice. The one difference between this visit and the last time we were here is that we were leaving at 8 PM and got to sail away in the dark. Definitely beautiful as we pulled away from Saint Maarten. I'm certain we will be back.

 

San Juan

This is our second time in old San Juan. While I love the city I feel that we have seen all there is to see here. I'm very disappointed that this is such a short stop for us. 7am to 1pm with all aboard at 12:30. There are very few excursions available to you that go far away from the cruise port. I really wish we had more time there. I see there is a southern itinerary that offers a 3 PM to 11 PM stop in San Juan. I guess my concern is how late everything would be open after our experience in Saint Maarten.

 

Labadee

This is our third time going to Labadee and I have to tell you it is and continues to be one of our favorite cruise stops. This is the place you go to for a day on the beach. Beautiful scenery, crystal clear blue green waters, and awesome temperatures. Just a perfect day in paradise. As always the barbecue for lunch is nice and there is plenty for everyone to do on the island if you don't want to just sit on your rear and stare at the water. I brought my snorkeling gear with me and have to say I saw a lot of fish. We got off the ship as soon as they pretty much cleared and we're at the beach in our cabana by 8:15 AM. I'm glad that I went snorkeling earlier in the day because by the end of the day it was low tide and the water was turned up so visibility was not as good.

 

Cabana over the Water at Nellies Beach

This is our second time getting an over the water cabana at Nellies beach. At first we thought it was an expense that just wasn't worth it but after doing it once we found it to be a priceless enhancement to our day in paradise. Once disembarked we were greeted at the end of the dock and were quickly put on a golf cart heading towards the cabana. This year our cabana was really in a good place. We were high up and over the water with an incredible view. Off to our right where steps that lead to a ladder that went right down into the water. Our cabana attendant, Jeanty, made sure that all of our needs were attended to the entire day. He spoiled us silly. I know it's expensive but it's definitely something we will be doing again should we have the opportunity.

 

Crew Overall

I would say that overall the crew was very pleasant and very helpful. I certainly didn't meet anyone who was negative or mean to us. Considering I have read a number of reviews from many people who said that the crew were impatient and angry with them I can honestly say that fortunately we did not witness this. Everyone was friendly and willing to help with the exception of our stateroom attendant. Let me clarify that while he didn't go above and beyond he did do a pretty good job of keeping our room clean. We rarely saw him or even spoke with him and when he did see us he would greet us but that would be about it. Again not a big deal since he did a pretty good job keeping up with the four of us.

Another surprise that I didn't even know about until the last day of our cruise is that there was a tropical storm about 700 miles away from us in Mexico during our time in the Caribbean and not once did we feel the effects of it. I'm very very pleased and impressed with how the captain (Captain Dustin) kept us away from that.

 

Royal IQ:

The app was definitely great to have for one major thing. Texting. We used it to keep in touch with each other all around the ship. It worked 90% of the time but not much in elevators. The cost for texting and phone calls using the app is $7.95 per person for the entire cruise. Not per day. Total. If you don’t pay you can still use all of the other features like access to the compass for the day, your reservations and calendar, and seeing your account. That’s all free for everyone. TIP: MAKE SURE YOU HAVE YOUR PHONE IN AIRPLANE MODE! Once done then turn WiFi ONLY on while still in airplane mode.

 

A few complaints

but nothing too bad....

 

Guest Services

Nearly every time I called for guest services from our state room phone I had a minimum of five minutes or greater wait time. There were some calls where I waited 10 or more minutes before I got to speak to someone. I only went in person to guess services on deck for three times. Two out of the three times I was helped within two minutes. The one other time I waited for at least 15 minutes in line before I got to speak to somebody. Keep in mind that on some days and some times it will definitely be more activity at guest services. If your issue is not that important walk by there a few times and see what the wait looks like before jumping in line.

 

The DreamWorks channel

Seemed to be very repetitive. The kids loved it. The parents, not so much.

 

Elevators

The ship only has forward and midship elevators. We were constantly in a struggle to get an elevator. It didn't help that two of the elevators on the midship starboard side were down for the entire cruise. I'm not sure how or why but Royal made sure to move them to a different deck every day but alas they stayed there the entire day and were unused.

 

No cigar lounge... Not a big deal for some but a big pet peeve for me as I really do enjoy spending time in the cigar lounge. Ironically I was forced to the smoking area where people would complain about the smell of my cigars while they smoked their cigarettes. Unbelievable. Fortunately, I was able to make a few friends who also smoked cigars. I wish that more consideration was placed into reserving a space on this ship for cigar smokers.

 

Lounge chair hogs were present in force. There were towels books and even empty bags left on many lounges as we walked the decks looking for a place to sit. My daughter saw a group of four getting up to leave and asked if we could take their chairs. They promptly responded that they were going to have lunch and would be back and that we could not have the chairs. We grabbed two out of the four needed lounge chairs nearby and made the best of it. After an hour and a half that group of four still had not returned. I gotta tell ya I really feel like there is plenty of room for everyone to have a lounge chair but not when people are holding chairs for an hour and a half or longer for their own selfish reasons. I mention something to a staff member about this experience and was told that they do not monitor chairs after a certain time. I also witnessed an argument between several people about how they got up early to get their chairs so they have a right to hold them all day. It's one of those things that I tried to ignore but couldn't help hearing quite a few times during our trip. Those who hold the chairs create quite a bit of frustration for those who have nowhere to sit. Let me go on to add that one night I sat in the solarium relaxing and noticed that there was a group of four chairs that had towels and bags on them. I was there for almost 2 hours I didn't see anyone on those chairs. The solarium itself was pretty much empty at this time so I was wondering if this could possibly be someone trying to hold chairs for the following day. Just for the hell of it on the next day while we headed to the pool deck I decided to stroll past the seats in the solarium while going to exchange our towels. Imagine my unbelievable surprise as I saw the exact same bags sitting there but this time with people laying in the chairs. Has this problem gotten so bad that now people are holding chairs for multiple days and overnight? My goodness I would hope not.

 

Getting off the ship

The last day is always the worst. I think everybody is really bummed that vacation is over and this whole process stinks no matter how you look at it. Tensions are high and sad faces are seen all around. Apparently something was happening in customs which delayed disembarkation by about an hour. I tried not to let it bother us too much as we grabbed a seat on the Royal promenade and tried to wait for the lines to die down. Around 930 or so we were in line and preparing to walk off the ship. It was a very long walk from the gangplank to the customs area. Especially so when you have a lot of things in your arms. Anyway the customs area it was busy as expected. We went to our designated section and were disappointed to find that one of our suitcases was missing. I didn't panic but instead found a staff member who walked me over to a lost and found area where our largest suitcase was easily spotted. Somehow the sticker label was forcefully removed from this one between leaving our room and making it down to the customs area. Apparently this happens frequently as there were many other suitcases next to ours that were also missing a label. I would recommend that you take this into consideration should you have the same experience and just ask someone for help. Crisis averted I then had to wait in line to get a porter who could help us with all of our bags. From this point it was pretty much smooth sailing through customs and we were in the truck and on our way home.

 

If you made it this far HOORAY! If you have any questions I can answer, please feel free to ask. Thanks for reading. :)

Excellent review. We were on Anthem in April, being loyal Celebrity cruiser, few things we didn't care for - I am not going into details, but I have to say - Wonderland dining experience was a highlight of the dining experience on Anthem.

We've been trying to decide between this ship and the NCL Breakaway for an October cruise. I think you may have convinced me to try the Anthem! Thank you so much for your detailed review!

 

Couple of questions -

The only late night food is the pizza or sandwiches at Cafe Promenade? My husband loves late night snacks and was disappointed on our last RC cruise with the sandwiches...

 

Was the Windjammer always mobbed? I hate circling around for table!

 

Do you have to make reservations for everything before you sail?

 

Thanks again!

We have done both Breakaway and Anthem. Anthem wins in my book.

Yes, make reservations

Windjammer is mostly mobbed. Early morning not too bad. 8am its packed. There are always tables all the way to the back - little secret.

Great and thorough review - thanks!

 

 

 

Quick question ... re: the private tours in Bermuda and St. Maarten, how did you book them and what were the costs ...

 

 

 

Also thanks for posting the Daily Planners - very helpful ...

You're very welcome and I hope that you find them to be helpful. As for the tours, I did a lot of research and in some cases I kind of stumbled on things. I'm not quite sure what sites I'm allowed to post here or link to here so I'm hesitant to tell you how I did this. Reach out to me with a private message and I can share my information with you so we can discuss further if you are interested.

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Majestic NJ

Thank you so much for such a wonderful review! This is my first post motivated by my need to say thank you for much needed advice! We are going on Anthem to Bermuda and I am feeling overwhelmed and confused. Your 7655 word review was just what I needed and I am so grateful!

Majestic NJ

Thank you so much for such a wonderful review! This is my first post motivated by my need to say thank you for much needed advice! We are going on Anthem to Bermuda and I am feeling overwhelmed and confused. Your 7655 word review was just what I needed and I am so grateful!

Glad I could help in some small way. Enjoy your cruise! We are already booked to go back on her on April 29th.

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Thank you for your review and I do like the Anthem very much.

What an absolutely wonderful and detailed review. Thank you !!!!!

Again, glad I could help and glad you enjoyed what I shared.

It looks like my wife and I will be going back on Anthem on April 29, 2017 for 7 nights. Two days in Bermuda and one in Boston. Looking forward to it!

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Just wondering. Was lobster served on formal nights?

Just wondering. Was lobster served on formal nights?

Yes it was.

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For those who are interested, here is the 9 night daily planner collection from the 7/28/2016 to 8/6/2016 sailing.

 

The file is saved in PDF format and shared via my Dropbox.

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/dubmp08ckfn2j9p/RCCL%20Anthem%20of%20the%20Seas%209%20Night%20Cruise%20Planner%2007282016%20to%2008062016.pdf?dl=0

Majestic-NJ,

YOU JUST SAVED ME THOUSANDS!!! I feel like I was on your cruise. Lots of fun to read. Thank you for taking the time.

Also, a fellow NJ'yite

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Very good review. Thanks for sharing.

Majestic-NJ,

YOU JUST SAVED ME THOUSANDS!!! I feel like I was on your cruise. Lots of fun to read. Thank you for taking the time.

 

Also, a fellow NJ'yite

 

 

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I'm really glad you enjoyed the review. That's exactly why I like to spend the time doing them.

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