Anthem 10/1/2016--Observations

We are just off the Anthem today. This is more of my observations than a review.

After reading so many negative comments prior to our cruise, I’m pleased to say we loved Anthem.

The ship never seemed crowded. Yes Windjammer on Day1 was popular, but not more than other Royal ships we have been on. There were plenty of other options that day. The WJ food was as good or better than on other ships.

Same with deck chairs on sea days..yes it was difficult to get them , but again no more so than other ships.

No real wait for elevators, but we did take the steps as often as possible.

We loved Dynamic Dining..we are very sorry to see it go.

The live entertainment was great , as were the bars and lounges. Never had a problem finding a bar seat or getting a drink.

We are already discussing booking our next cruise on Anthem.

We are just off the Anthem today. This is more of my observations than a review.

After reading so many negative comments prior to our cruise, I’m pleased to say we loved Anthem.

The ship never seemed crowded. Yes Windjammer on Day1 was popular, but not more than other Royal ships we have been on. There were plenty of other options that day. The WJ food was as good or better than on other ships.

Same with deck chairs on sea days..yes it was difficult to get them , but again no more so than other ships.

 

No real wait for elevators, but we did take the steps as often as possible.

We loved Dynamic Dining..we are very sorry to see it go.

The live entertainment was great , as were the bars and lounges. Never had a problem finding a bar seat or getting a drink.

We are already discussing booking our next cruise on Anthem.

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We also just got off the Anthem today. We enjoyed a wonderful cruise and the ship is fabulous. Weren't we lucky with the weather in Bermuda, wall to wall sunshine. We cannot wait to sail on Anthem again.

We also really enjoyed our cruise on Anthem. Question? Why are Cruise Critics reviews so low on this ship? In our opinions this ship scores should be above eighty ( 80)% or higher.

We also really enjoyed our cruise on Anthem. Question? Why are Cruise Critics reviews so low on this ship? In our opinions this ship scores should be above eighty ( 80)% or higher.

Completely agree - I think it is because she is a bit different. Interesting to see if removing dynamic dining improves the scores.

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Ditto-we just got off Anthem this morning & really enjoyed the ship. Not sure why all the bad reviews & overall low rating.

The ship is beautiful & dynamic dining actually worked out fine. It's simply my time dining with 5 different options. Ate in the Grande twice ( excellent) , silk ( our least favorite - a not so good tempura), Chic ( very good) and Solarium ( very good) . We had pre booked all restaurants & shows but made a few time changes with no problem at all . They were very accommodating & also did their best with our table request.

Cabins beautiful, with plenty of storage & larger than Oasis & Allure. The Windjamer has an small outside area aft that was great on good weather days. Loved the view of the wake!!

The service was for the most part very good. We agree with others who have posted that some of the crew are not warm & caring like we are used to from other ships. Not sure why but it's not all of them.

Shows great and a fabulous band in Boleros & poolside. The Solarium probably the prettiest of any ship & never a problem finding chairs there or on the upper decks.

We prefer Oasis class but would not hesitate to sail on Anthem again. Most importantly, no effects from Matthew & beautiful weather in Bermuda.

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Did she sail with full capacity?

This ship seems to get a lot better reviews in the off-peak season.

Sailing on this ship at full capacity (like in the summer) may produce a more stressful experience. More lines, more wait lists for the featured attractions, less free dining availability at desired times, more competition for pool lounges, etc. Just too many people onboard when ship is fully loaded.

The ship was beautiful, but the staff needs improvement. Many were not just unfriendly but rude, unhelpful, and uninformed.

1. No help for my sister when she was locked out of the cabin. Not used to having to put the sail card in the slot.

2. Seemed to not understand a request for a shared table. Actually had to argue with waiters and refuse to be seated alone.

3. Dinning rooms seemed under staffed. With half the tables empty, could not be seated before 8PM.

4. Had to complain for 4 days to get the indoor pool heated (going north!)

5. Charged for minibar (there was nothing in the minibar)!

6. Was refused a complimentary drink during happy hour on my diamond card. Bar tender did not know the correct hours. He decided it was 6:30 instead of 5:30.

7. I don't think I should have to complain. The service should be better. I hate to have to complain. This is the first cruise I have not given top rating.

3. Dinning rooms seemed under staffed. With half the tables empty, could not be seated before 8PM.

I believe you. You will still get a lot of posters who say, 'I don't understand the complainers, I got seated whenever I wanted to, at any time!' I'm glad for them, but it just doesn't happen like that for everyone. My service and food in CK was underwhelming; we still had a good time (the free lounge drinks take the edge off most minor inconveniences) but this was probably the first time I did not give 10s on my survey.

Sailing in less than 2 weeks and I'm a little concerned about the comfort of the beds...How was yours?

Sailing in less than 2 weeks and I'm a little concerned about the comfort of the beds...How was yours?

Booked 2 JS Anthem and beds were very firm, to the point of being hard. I'm avoiding the use of terms like cement and prisong but they were pretty firm. The reason I booked 2 JS, at a significant cost increase, was to be assured of 'luxury pillowtop mattresses'. Royal did give me a FCC for my complaints and now I know to bring a mattress pad.

I sailed on Anthem in September and actually liked the bed. We have a fairly firm Tempurpedic mattress at home. I didn't think this bed was any firmer (maybe a little less) then what I have.

We are just off the Anthem today. This is more of my observations than a review.

After reading so many negative comments prior to our cruise, I’m pleased to say we loved Anthem.

The ship never seemed crowded. Yes Windjammer on Day1 was popular, but not more than other Royal ships we have been on. There were plenty of other options that day. The WJ food was as good or better than on other ships.

Same with deck chairs on sea days..yes it was difficult to get them , but again no more so than other ships.

 

No real wait for elevators, but we did take the steps as often as possible.

We loved Dynamic Dining..we are very sorry to see it go.

The live entertainment was great , as were the bars and lounges. Never had a problem finding a bar seat or getting a drink.

We are already discussing booking our next cruise on Anthem.

We sailed on this fantastic ship this past April. 2 days after returning home we booked the exact same cruise for next April!! We also really enjoyed dynamic dining and are very disappointed they changed this. People just do not like different! Plenty of traditional ships for those who would rather keep everything the same. But, after 14 cruises, this was by far the best!!

Marg

We have been on oasis class ships for our last 6 cruises.We are booked for a 10 day on anthem leaving in november.Im hoping we dont kick ourselves for not going on Harmony like we had planned.But we wanted to try something different and also we live in connecticut and now we can just drive to cape liberty instead of flying to florida and with kids in tow it becomes a PIA at times.We did request a pillowtop mattress but Im not hopeful since almost everything we have ever requested prior cruises has never been in our room even after getting confirmation from royal that the request will be taken care of.Not a big deal.I try not to stress over things that arent in my control like I used to when I was younger!

We have been on oasis class ships for our last 6 cruises.We are booked for a 10 day on anthem leaving in november.Im hoping we dont kick ourselves for not going on Harmony like we had planned.But we wanted to try something different and also we live in connecticut and now we can just drive to cape liberty instead of flying to florida and with kids in tow it becomes a PIA at times.We did request a pillowtop mattress but Im not hopeful since almost everything we have ever requested prior cruises has never been in our room even after getting confirmation from royal that the request will be taken care of.Not a big deal.I try not to stress over things that arent in my control like I used to when I was younger!

Go with an open mind. If you don't have a pillow top mattress, just ask your cabin attendant to put on extra padding. We were on the Anthem in April. Before our cruise I was really concerned. I had been reading all the negative reviews on CC. We absolutely loved the Anthem. While on that cruise we booked a future Anthem cruise. Enjoy your cruise.

We also really enjoyed our cruise on Anthem. Question? Why are Cruise Critics reviews so low on this ship? In our opinions this ship scores should be above eighty ( 80)% or higher.

I’m going to suggest that part of the reason is inconsistency.

Regardless, the numbers are what they are and people just have accept the fact that half the people liked the ship and half did not. There isn’t a conspiracy to keep the dislikes high.

We have been on oasis class ships for our last 6 cruises.We are booked for a 10 day on anthem leaving in november.Im hoping we dont kick ourselves for not going on Harmony like we had planned.But we wanted to try something different and also we live in connecticut and now we can just drive to cape liberty instead of flying to florida and with kids in tow it becomes a PIA at times.We did request a pillowtop mattress but Im not hopeful since almost everything we have ever requested prior cruises has never been in our room even after getting confirmation from royal that the request will be taken care of.Not a big deal.I try not to stress over things that arent in my control like I used to when I was younger!

I've never heard of being able to request a pillowtop mattress. When you get on the ship you can ask your cabin attendant for some padding for the bed, but they aren't going to change the mattress.

I was on this cruise as well. Some of my thoughts:

*We really loved Dynamic Dining and I'm sorry to see that it is ending. My husband & I like variety, so it was perfect for us. We tried American Icon (ok), Wonderland (wonderful!!), The Grande (good), Silk (the duck was great!) and Chops (awesome - try the rosemary lemonade).

*The beds weren't plush, but they felt fine and we had no trouble sleeping on them. I looked under the sheets a few days later & saw the mattress had 2 toppers on it already. So I guess we got lucky that we didn't need to request them.

*I didn't really care for the shows at all. They were visually stunning and the performers were talented, but both Spectra's & The Gift were a little strange.

*270 was great - a wonderful place to relax & get away from crowds at times & great food. Wish the food venue was open more often. Beautiful views during the day or the sea & lovely screen shows at night.

*Sports deck was fun, but there just wasn't enough time in our 5 day cruise to experience everything up there.

*The crew was pretty good - but at times it was hard to understand some of the waiters' accents as they were heavy & it was loud in the dining rooms (and I have some tinnitus issues...so that doesn't help). I don't really blame them though, I don't really know any second languages well enough to speak them, so they are doing way better than me! I did notice that the crew weren't as friendly as some crew members on other cruises I've been on, but none were rude to us at all - so we were fine.

Overall, I really enjoyed this cruise & the ship - very unique. This was our 4th cruise. My husband's 2nd on Royal and my 1st. We would do this one again if we were ever in the New Jersey/NYC area again. But this one was quite a journey for us from Florida, so I don't know when we'll be back. Time will tell!

Thanks for the report.

Did she sail with full capacity?

Yes this cruise to Bermuda was sold out as is the next cruise to Bermuda.

I forgot to mention along with my complaints, I had a great cruise and would do the Anthem many more times if I get the chance. I just hope RCCI realizes that the ship may be under staffed. That may be the reason for all my problems.

This ship seems to get a lot better reviews in the off-peak season.

 

Sailing on this ship at full capacity (like in the summer) may produce a more stressful experience. More lines, more wait lists for the featured attractions, less free dining availability at desired times, more competition for pool lounges, etc. Just too many people onboard when ship is fully loaded.

I think this is spot on. I was fortunate enough to be on her first Caribbean cruise last November when her passenger load was manageable, and had a fantastic experience. I felt less crowded than I had on any of my 4 Oasis Class sailings, and although there were predictable lines at times (like for the bumper cars when they first open), I was able to do everything I wanted when I wanted.

I would be very hesitant to sail either Anthem or NCL Breakaway (talking to my fellow greater NYC-area cruisers here) on a prime time family week as I think the experience would be very different. If I had to travel at such a time, I would probably fly and take an Oasis Class ship, which I think would handle the capacity crowds a little better (especially with the expansive pool deck setup).

Yes this cruise to Bermuda was sold out as is the next cruise to Bermuda.

For those following along, 'sold out' is going to mean two different things in July and October. In the summer you have lots of families travelling, filling up the higher occupancy cabins and wanting to do all of the activities. In the fall, you will have more older couples.

So it may feel more crowded in summer even though both sailings are 'sold out'.

For those following along, 'sold out' is going to mean two different things in July and October. In the summer you have lots of families travelling, filling up the higher occupancy cabins and wanting to do all of the activities. In the fall, you will have more older couples.

 

So it may feel more crowded in summer even though both sailings are 'sold out'.

:) thanks for the clarification! We are booked on the 10.15 sailing...we have 3 senior citizens and 1 4 year old along with us two... :D

Love to see all these positive reviews..:)