On Anthem right now - pros and many cons

Boy, I sure hope so! My sister, BIL and I are booked for February. We got a good deal with the military rate. This will be my BIL's first cruise (other than with Uncle Sam's Yacht Club!) and this is his Christmas gift from my sister. My sister and I like the smaller ships (think Jewel of the Seas!) and the largest we have been on is the Freedom. I'm getting a little nervous about this ship after reading all these posts! It is convenient as we live in PA and really enjoyed the Explorer so we had high hopes about this. The thing that bothers me most is that I am prone to seasickness (I am a Navy vet but never served at sea) and the idea of sailing from NY on February on an unstable ship makes me green just thinking about it!:eek:

I did not read all of the posts, but unstable? We sailed on the Q in early February and the weather was the lousiest with sleeting when we left and no problems. On the way back, of our 13 day cruise, right after we passed the Bahamas we hit waves reaching 20-25 ft and other than the creaking, the ship handled herself very well. Sometime the waves/surf reached the Solarium--it was a fantastic sight. The Captain kept us constantly informed both on the intercom and on TV. He mentioned that he was sailing closer to the US mainland as if sailed further east, we would encounter some 5 ft of higher waves. This went on for about a whole day, but it was better than the -10 degree/wind chill that we experienced when we arrived at Bayonne.

The creaking was mentioned to the Captain and he associated it to being a new ship and just like new houses there some settling taking place.

Overall to us, it was one of the best cruise experience, from the NorthStar to the Ripcord/Ilfy and bump cars. The food was good to outstanding. 1st time we ate at the Grande, the service was very indifferent. The 2nd time it was very good. Also, the 1st time we ate at Silk, it was so-so as it ahs been mentioned. The 2nd time it was very good and the service was the best we encountered--there was a alternate menu with lobster tail(s) and we enjoyed immensely. The variety and food quality in the WJ was the best of all the ships that we have been on. The Park Café is not as enticing as the ones on Allure or Oasis.

PS. We associated the spotty service as being related to the ship & crew moving to China--some grumbling from crew members that we spoke to. Hope, the poor service quality, as mentioned in some posts, is not an omen of things to come.

I had great service on the Quantum in December and in February, and I am looking forward to my upcoming 3 weeks on the Anthem this winter.

Agree!

We had a great time on the Q and are looking forward to the A.

I did not read all of the posts, but unstable? We sailed on the Q in early February and the weather was the lousiest with sleeting when we left and no problems. On the way back, of our 13 day cruise, right after we passed the Bahamas we hit waves reaching 20-25 ft and other than the creaking, the ship handled herself very well. Sometime the waves/surf reached the Solarium--it was a fantastic sight. The Captain kept us constantly informed both on the intercom and on TV. He mentioned that he was sailing closer to the US mainland as if sailed further east, we would encounter some 5 ft of higher waves. This went on for about a whole day, but it was better than the -10 degree/wind chill that we experienced when we arrived at Bayonne.

 

The creaking was mentioned to the Captain and he associated it to being a new ship and just like new houses there some settling taking place.

 

Overall to us, it was one of the best cruise experience, from the NorthStar to the Ripcord/Ilfy and bump cars. The food was good to outstanding. 1st time we ate at the Grande, the service was very indifferent. The 2nd time it was very good. Also, the 1st time we ate at Silk, it was so-so as it ahs been mentioned. The 2nd time it was very good and the service was the best we encountered--there was a alternate menu with lobster tail(s) and we enjoyed immensely. The variety and food quality in the WJ was the best of all the ships that we have been on. The Park Café is not as enticing as the ones on Allure or Oasis.

 

PS. We associated the spotty service as being related to the ship & crew moving to China--some grumbling from crew members that we spoke to. Hope, the poor service quality, as mentioned in some posts, is not an omen of things to come.

On our trip back to Bayonne, weather was decent, no huge waves but there was a motion on the ship that didn't match what was happening outside.not sure what being a seasoned cruiser has to with anything. The motion didn't bother me but it was most certainly there in a more intense way than on other ships in similar conditions.

My husband's razor works as does my electric toothbrush charger, both of which have UK plugs.

 

In the UK we are not allowed any outlets in our bathrooms, except for a special razor outlet which has a lower voltage, nor are we allowed switches for the lights inside the bathroom. These must either be outside the door or are operated by a cord pull.

Thank you! It is very interesting to learn that they can be used with some appliances. :D

This was sort of confusing also. We only ordered wines by the glass but no one ever came over to offer/suggest bottles of wine. It seemed there was one waiter taking mixed drink and wine orders. Sometimes that person took the kids' soda order, other times, they looked really confused and told us our waiter got those. I think this convoluted explanation probably gives you insight into how confusing it all was. LOL

Thanks for your quick reply. It doesn't sound funny. I wonder if it is worthwhile to get a drink package if it is so difficult to get drinks when you want them. I would hate to pay for something in advance that is so difficult to get. But I wonder if the same bar person does wine bottles.

They have not had sommeliers on Royal for a number of years.

Although Celebrity has sommeliers, on Princess the assistant waiters provide the wine service. It works since the assistant waiters are always around. However, they are usually unable to provide any knowledge of the wines.

On this cruise also and agree with your assessment of the Anthem. Love the sea pass system. But,bring back the old Royal Caribbean. The Windjammer setup is terrible and the food is so so. Oasis is ten times better, as is Freedom and even Grandeur.

 

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Huh? :confused: :confused: :confused:

IMHO the Windjammer setup is quite good... The issue is insufficient seating for a ship of that size.

IMHO the Windjammer setup is quite good... The issue is insufficient seating for a ship of that size.

Totally agree with both points. The set up is the same as on Celebrity's S-class ships: separate islands and stations. A great set up. But not enough seats.

Set up and decor very nice. Seating not so good. Variety and quality- fair.

I didn't really understand what was happening in the dining rooms, honestly. All nights, we had a main waiter. Some nights, it seemed that person had a dedicated partner who worked with us. Other nights, it seemed like the only "help" they had was a food runner. One guy in the Grande did a good job on drinks. Every other restaurant, the drink waiters never came around when seated- you had to ask for them and they'd typically come once and not check back to see if you wanted another. I occasionally saw what appeared to be a dining room manager (the main one where I saw him most was in The Grande). In other venues, I didn't clearly notice a dining room manager or head waiter. There was no one coaching or guiding the service that was happening in the dining rooms.

Thanks, sounds like they are not looking at the whole MDR if they could see it working from above.......other RCL ships use the HW to help & over see...... the Waiter & Assit Waiter TEAM and for us it seems to work very well.

Poor waiters run off their feet and dirty dishes neglected by someone passing by, doesn't sound like the usual RCL service level.

With all the negative comments hopefully they will rethink on this Class? They already had Quantum to fix the problems, so it doesn't sound encouraging to me it will improve very soon.:rolleyes:

I have read all pages of this most negative opinions ( mostly about food and service) and , unless I missed it, I have not seen anyone went to the Hotel Director during the cruise and asked for an explanation to all poor aspects of the dining experience, like long wait for a reserved dinner time, poor service at the table, cold or tasteless food....I wouldn't wait till my cruise is over and then complain.

I was very excited when my first Anthem cruise was booked for April 2016 and even after reading all negative reviews about Q, still decided to give RC another try. We had very bad cruise on Liberty last December and after many years of sailing on RC, I decided - will never sail RC again.

But still holding a hope for some drastic improvements on the Anthem before we sail...Would like to create my own opinion - loved it or never do it again.

Thanks, sounds like they are not looking at the whole MDR if they could see it working from above.......other RCL ships use the HW to help & over see...... the Waiter & Assit Waiter TEAM and for us it seems to work very well.

 

Poor waiters run off their feet and dirty dishes neglected by someone passing by, doesn't sound like the usual RCL service level.

 

With all the negative comments hopefully they will rethink on this Class? They already had Quantum to fix the problems, so it doesn't sound encouraging to me it will improve very soon.:rolleyes:

What they need to do is get the system worked out.

Behind the door, the galley is set up pretty logically- there are 4 identical areas that are set up for each different area. In each area, the waiters pick up specific items in specific areas. And drop off dirty dishes in specific areas.

It's not that different than a MDR on every other ship.

The wrench in the system is the flexible timing. Where a waiter and assistant have to deal with 3-4 tables running on different time lines. That's where it can get confusing to someone who is used to a traditional set up.

Then matching that working with the galley- so that food is ready at the right pace.

The system breaks down when everyone wants to eat at the same time frame- so the room is full of people going through ordering, apps, main, and desert all at the same time- and there's also a line out the door. That doesn't happen with traditional timing when most people are phased in two main seating events.

Each of the 4 dining areas can sit close to 500 people EACH. Which when filled to the brim and blended in time makes movement interesting.

It's not impossible, but the working system needs to be put together better.

Still- the 4 restaurants are just like on big MDR all on MDT in one form or another. That can be worked out.

I spoke to so many directors of different operations I spent hours on line or on hold.

I spoke to the head of the grande where the waiter rolled his eyes at me and my daughter as well as the head of all dining.

They sent up 2 platters of desserts as way of apologizing (the first time they tried to send the platter room service messed up and it never arrived lol)

I heard one woman on line waiting for a shore excursion who was upset she couldn't bring food off the ship but she and her son were hungry because their room service breakfast never arrived!

I spoke to the head of passports/immigration when staff messed up so badly about something my family missed an excursion because we were unnecessarily detained at the gangway by security.

To try and make up for that they promised to send a car for us to take to our next day's excursion but that never showed up.

They kept trying to do good by Us. But it became a comedy of errors.

So in answer to the question did we speak to any higher ups? We most certainly did.

I am not a complainer by nature. Im someone who believes they should get what they paid for.

Maybe it is time to also start posting information on the service and food quality on the twitter or FB accounts of RCCL management? I am sure there are many. Here is one I found

https://www.facebook.com/VickiLovesTravelAgents/

I have read all pages of this most negative opinions ( mostly about food and service) and , unless I missed it, I have not seen anyone went to the Hotel Director during the cruise and asked for an explanation to all poor aspects of the dining experience, like long wait for a reserved dinner time, poor service at the table, cold or tasteless food....I wouldn't wait till my cruise is over and then complain.I

See my thread here...

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2283352

We were on the first 12 day out of Cape Liberty and we unlike a lot of people had no issues with dinning. We liked the Windjammer better on this ship than our other Royal cruises we have taken we were in there for breakfast at 7am so seating was never an issue for us and lunch a few times around noon and no problems there either. They are aware of the MDR complaints we ate in each restaurant once and the Grand twice the others were in specialty ones which were great. Three times we were questioned about the food and service in the MDR so they know there are complaints but we did'nt have any. We were pleasantly surprised with the 4 dinning rooms and the food selection. All the cruise lines are cutting back on workers and the service does suffer I just think we need to be patient and realize that there is no hurry your not going anywhere.

Just wanted to add a little positive feedback here it seems like people only post complaints we had a great cruise and our only issues which is'nt a big deal to us was Ken Rush was as boring as you coulkd get and was on the PA more than I have heard on any other Royal ship he gave me some Carnival flashbacks!

Lots of bad reviews on the Quantum class of ships.

It's not as bad as the Chicken Littles of the cruising world make it out to be. The people who hate it are certainly vocal, though. It's also very trendy on CC to hate new classes of ships.

I know 3 couples who (separately, they don't know each other) have been on this class of ship. All 6 people loved it. That's my entire sample size, but it's all I have.

I doubt they wrote positive reviews, though, because they aren't on CC that I know of.

Totally agree with both points. The set up is the same as on Celebrity's S-class ships: separate islands and stations. A great set up. But not enough seats.

I'm assuming the WJ set-up is the same as the Q. Never had a problem getting a seat. There are also seats indoors/outdoors towards the back of the ship/WJ with an additional station and some of their specialties, on some days, were ice cream with chocolate syrup all of the adds on and crepes.

I hope Ken Rush is gone by April - can't stand the guy.....

See my thread here...

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2283352

Thanks.

WOW! Couldn't get any worst?

Still hoping for better in April, otherwise - back to Celebrity...

See my thread here...

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2283352

Yep great comments then followed another link where the what is good and what is not good regarding included restaurants was opposite - they hated silk and you loved it or was it the other way around.

Point is what you like and do not like can be a bit subjective. But agree if you do not feel Royal is giving you the quality and service you expect say something. I am never allowed to complain in the restaurant my other saw a 20/20 or something showing people spitting in food and other not nice things when guests complain. So if I am to say anything it has to be after our meal is complete.

I'm assuming the WJ set-up is the same as the Q. Never had a problem getting a seat. There are also seats indoors/outdoors towards the back of the ship/WJ with an additional station and some of their specialties, on some days, were ice cream with chocolate syrup all of the adds on and crepes.

I've only sailed on Anthem, not Q, but my experience is my experience. And the WJ was jam packed. It's about the size of the buffet on Celebrity S-class ships but on a ship with 1,000 or so more pax. And yes, fortunately, we discovered those seats in the back (it was too cold and windy on the TA to eat outdoors most of the time).

I liked the food in WJ and the variety.

Just wanted to add a little positive feedback here it seems like people only post complaints we had a great cruise and our only issues which is'nt a big deal to us was Ken Rush was as boring as you coulkd get and was on the PA more than I have heard on any other Royal ship he gave me some Carnival flashbacks!

I don't think that's true. If you read my detailed comments about the Anthem TA (link below), for example, we had a great time and I said so. The ship is amazing. Yes, there were issues with the quality of food and the service in some of the "complimentary" venues, and I have posted about them, and will continue to do so as appropriate. But most of my review is a rave. :)

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2277588

The fact that a lot of folks are talking about their personal reactions to the food and food service means there will be a lot of comments about them. It doesn't mean other aspects of the cruise weren't great.

Thanks.

WOW! Couldn't get any worst?

Still hoping for better in April, otherwise - back to Celebrity...

Keep in mind, nothing to ruin a cruise and nothing horrible. The overall cruise was great...just a lot of things that added up to impact the overall dining experience a bit. It would not take a huge amount of effort to fix these things but they do need to address them. As we did, if you have an issue make it known. Do it in a polite (feedback) manner and they will go out of ther way to correct as best they can.

We have done mainly Celebrity over the last 10 years and they have glitches as well - just not quite as many.

Thanks.

WOW! Couldn't get any worst?

Still hoping for better in April, otherwise - back to Celebrity...

See my thread for cancelling my 3 cruises on the Anthem for the problems I saw/experienced on the same sailing as the OP