Anthem Reviews...

We're booked for Anthem next year... and this is the first cruise that I can't seem to get excited about because of things I read about Quantum last year and Anthem so far this year.

So, I just read a sampling of reviews here on CC... and the over all score this ship gets is just 61% approval. Yikes! That's terrible in my eyes.

Yet, there are things I don't understand... for instance, many reviewers (maybe even a majority?) might call their Anthem cruise something like, "Anthem, a nightmare at Sea!!!" and go on to detail (very effectively) why this was one of their worst cruise experiences... and then they end the review that they booked the Anthem again for next year. :confused:

Um... what? I wouldn't darken the deck of any ship that I reviewed as a nightmare unless it was a free cruise (and even then, perhaps I wouldn't).

The other thing that I find disturbing is that food in the complimentary locations is passable... but to get a truly great meal, you have to go to a specialty restaurant. How is that a "Wow!" experience?

The top favorite features of a cruise on Anthem, when putting it all together, seem to be:

1) Embarkation is easy

2) High Tech stuff is cool (when it works)

3) Ship is beautiful

4) Cabin is well maintained/Excellent steward

The top bad marks seem to be:

1) Terrible service in restaurants

2) Bland or so-so food in complimentary restaurants

3) Not enough chairs at the pools (Well, to be fair, this is ALWAYS true on all ships everywhere)

I'm hoping that all this turns around to more customer satisfaction that dovetails with, "yeah, I'd cruise Anthem again" before my final payment comes due, or I'm canceling this cruise. It would be the first time for us canceling a cruise on a brand new ship due to bad reviews. 61% is still a FAIL for me. But I'm going to keep my ear to the ground!

Come on, Anthem (and Royal Caribbean!)... pay attention to what people are saying!

Cheers,

Paul

We're booked for Anthem next year... and this is the first cruise that I can't seem to get excited about because of things I read about Quantum last year and Anthem so far this year.

 

So' date=' I just read a sampling of reviews here on CC... and the over all score this ship gets is just 61% approval. Yikes! That's terrible in my eyes.

 

Yet, there are things I don't understand... for instance, many reviewers (maybe even a majority?) might call their Anthem cruise something like, "Anthem, a nightmare at Sea!!!" and go on to detail (very effectively) why this was one of their worst cruise experiences... and then they end the review that they booked the Anthem again for next year. :confused:

 

Um... what? I wouldn't darken the deck of any ship that I reviewed as a nightmare unless it was a free cruise (and even then, perhaps I wouldn't).

 

The other thing that I find disturbing is that food in the complimentary locations is passable... but to get a truly great meal, you have to go to a specialty restaurant. How is that a "Wow!" experience?

 

The top favorite features of a cruise on Anthem, when putting it all together, seem to be:

 

1) Embarkation is easy

2) High Tech stuff is cool (when it works)

3) Ship is beautiful

4) Cabin is well maintained/Excellent steward

 

The top bad marks seem to be:

 

1) Terrible service in restaurants

2) Bland or so-so food in complimentary restaurants

3) Not enough chairs at the pools (Well, to be fair, this is ALWAYS true on all ships everywhere)

 

I'm hoping that all this turns around to more customer satisfaction that dovetails with, "yeah, I'd cruise Anthem again" before my final payment comes due, or I'm canceling this cruise. It would be the first time for us canceling a cruise on a brand new ship due to bad reviews. 61% is still a FAIL for me. But I'm going to keep my ear to the ground!

 

Come on, Anthem (and Royal Caribbean!)... pay attention to what people are saying!

 

Cheers,

Paul[/quote']

 

We spent 12 days on Anthem 1-13th June, fabulous ship, great food (best food ever in 45 cruises in complimentary restaurants) speciality restaurants were fantastic, service exceptional. Would not hesitate to sail on her again.

Paul, why would you allow others to determine your vacation for you? While I do think some of the negative reviews are likely valid - I also find a lot of folks on CC complain a lot. Heck, I don't understand why someone so unhappy would continue to cruise with RCCL - but I continue to see posts of folks SO UNHAPPY - yet they don't leave. I wish they would as I really don't need a negative nilly putting a downcast on my vacation.

Whatever cruise you are on - enjoy it. Honestly, no matter the circumstances you have two choices - be miserable - or enjoy yourself. Each of us chooses our response - not our circumstances.

I am cruising Anthem in March and frankly don't care what others say about her - I am going and I am sure I will have a great time. Will she be my favorite - not sure. But even if she is not, I will enjoy myself.

Paul, why would you allow others to determine your vacation for you? While I do think some of the negative reviews are likely valid - I also find a lot of folks on CC complain a lot. Heck, I don't understand why someone so unhappy would continue to cruise with RCCL - but I continue to see posts of folks SO UNHAPPY - yet they don't leave. I wish they would as I really don't need a negative nilly putting a downcast on my vacation.

 

Whatever cruise you are on - enjoy it. Honestly, no matter the circumstances you have two choices - be miserable - or enjoy yourself. Each of us chooses our response - not our circumstances.

 

I am cruising Anthem in March and frankly don't care what others say about her - I am going and I am sure I will have a great time. Will she be my favorite - not sure. But even if she is not, I will enjoy myself.

Absolutely. Take reviews on Cruise Critic with a pinch of salt - firstly it's all opinion based (and people's opinions can vary wildly!); secondly, no two groups of people have the exact same experience anyway. Before my second cruise on Independence, I saw comments on here about how the food in the Windjammer and MDR had gone downhill and I was a bit worried. In actual fact the food turned out to be great - I noticed no difference compared to 18 months earlier. In May we sailed on Explorer - beforehand, everyone was talking on here about how awful the overcrowding was as a result of the changes RCI made in drydock - we certainly didn't experience this. I've not sailed on Anthem yet (55 days to go!) but I'm not worried by the reviews I've seen here.

I think people like to highlight the negatives in reviews quite a lot. Humans are notoriously bad at offering a balanced opinion and often let the most negative aspect of a cruise dominate their thinking. But when they think about it properly it's not that big of a deal.

I found that myself from Splendour OTS (my first Royal cruise) last year which sailed AFTER I had booked Anthem for my honeymoon. I came back from Splendour thinking I'd made a terrible choice for Anthem; the food on Royal is awful, I thought. It's more of a 'fun' ship and less about relaxation.

But then I went back to my daily blog and them remember that some of the MDR food was OK, and I'm more than happy to pay for speciality venues anyway, so it doesn't actually bother me. We also love technology and are so excited to try all of this out. Some of the interactive art installations look interested. And it's a new ship which I want to experience!

Perhaps some people are reviewing (for example) the food in the included venues as appalling but just made the decision to book speciality on their next cruise?

I honestly wouldn't let it bother you. If you actually think about the total number of people who sailed, the percentage of negative reviews compared to the total number of guests is tiny... and people are much more likely to post a frustrated negative review than a positive one.

The other thing that strikes me is that cruisers are a group of people that (in my experience) are very resistant to change. Change any element, even a tiny one (like pillow chocolates), or introduce robotic bartenders, or remove traditional dining, and you're going to get an eruption of negativity from cruisers who would like the experience to remain unchanged from 1981.

Times change, and if you sail with a positive attitude you'll have a good time. That's not to say you'll sail on the ship again, or find the experience perfect, but you'll still make the most of it and come home refreshed and happy with your cruise vacation :)

OP, I understand where you're coming from. When we booked our honeymoon, we were deciding between Anthem and Allure, and despite being veteran cruisers, were a little spooked by the (at the time, poor Quantum, because Anthem wasn't sailing yet) reviews.

That said, if you focus in on the topic of many of the reviews, it seemed to me that many concerns/issues were because of dynamic dining (the concept, not food - will address food quality later), and the general newness of the class. After talking to our TA, her advice (which we took) was that if you're ready to try something new, go for Anthem, and that in her experience whenever a new class debuts there are rough edges.

As far as food quality, I tend to disregard those reviews because food is so subjective. We saw dozens of food complaint threads before our last Allure cruise, and found it to be the same as our other cruises, which we found to be good.

So -- I think the question for you is if you want to try the new, or go with the established. There is no right or wrong, it really is up to you and how you like to vacation.

As for us, we went with Anthem, and sail on our honeymoon in 10 days! I MAY be live blogging but certainly will be posting and reviewing.

 

The other thing that strikes me is that cruisers are a group of people that (in my experience) are very resistant to change. Change any element, even a tiny one (like pillow chocolates), or introduce robotic bartenders, or remove traditional dining, and you're going to get an eruption of negativity from cruisers who would like the experience to remain unchanged from 1981.

 

I think you nailed it here. I love change and find it exciting and so it always surprises me when there is such a strong negative response to change.

I think you nailed it here. I love change and find it exciting and so it always surprises me when there is such a strong negative response to change.

Totally agree - change is exciting. I want to try new products. I'm excited to try robotic bartenders, and all of the other exciting things Anthem has to offer. I want my daily planner to be on my iPhone so I don't have all of the bits of paper.

RFID wrist bands and ID cards - count me in!

This is all good stuff, but some people just hate it.

Thing people don't realise is (as morbid as it is) - the older cruisers who don't want change WILL die, and cruise lines NEED to appeal to younger people. I often hear about how internet on a cruise line is ruining everything... if they DON'T put internet available, always on, for a reasonably price, then younger people largely WONT CRUISE. End of. These are deal-breaker issues for most younger people.

If those in their 50s still want to be able to cruise at all when they hit 80, they better accept that cruise lines are gonna need new customers!

Thing people don't realise is (as morbid as it is) - the older cruisers who don't want change WILL die, and cruise lines NEED to appeal to younger people. I often hear about how internet on a cruise line is ruining everything... if they DON'T put internet available, always on, for a reasonably price, then younger people largely WONT CRUISE. End of. These are deal-breaker issues for most younger people.

 

If those in their 50s still want to be able to cruise at all when they hit 80, they better accept that cruise lines are gonna need new customers!

Too funny. BTW - I am in my 50's.

You are correct though that RCL needs to stay up to date and attractive to each new generation. As a stockholder of RCL - that is important to me.

Too funny. BTW - I am in my 50's.

 

You are correct though that RCL needs to stay up to date and attractive to each new generation. As a stockholder of RCL - that is important to me.

Haha sorry I didn't mean to generalise - I meant the people in their 50s who are resistant to change... Don't want to go around offending everybody... ;)

We're booked for Anthem next year... and this is the first cruise that I can't seem to get excited about because of things I read about Quantum last year and Anthem so far this year.

 

So' date=' I just read a sampling of reviews here on CC... and the over all score this ship gets is just 61% approval. Yikes! That's terrible in my eyes.

 

Yet, there are things I don't understand... for instance, many reviewers (maybe even a majority?) might call their Anthem cruise something like, "Anthem, a nightmare at Sea!!!" and go on to detail (very effectively) why this was one of their worst cruise experiences... and then they end the review that they booked the Anthem again for next year. :confused:

 

Um... what? I wouldn't darken the deck of any ship that I reviewed as a nightmare unless it was a free cruise (and even then, perhaps I wouldn't).

 

The other thing that I find disturbing is that food in the complimentary locations is passable... but to get a truly great meal, you have to go to a specialty restaurant. How is that a "Wow!" experience?

 

The top favorite features of a cruise on Anthem, when putting it all together, seem to be:

 

1) Embarkation is easy

2) High Tech stuff is cool (when it works)

3) Ship is beautiful

4) Cabin is well maintained/Excellent steward

 

The top bad marks seem to be:

 

1) Terrible service in restaurants

2) Bland or so-so food in complimentary restaurants

3) Not enough chairs at the pools (Well, to be fair, this is ALWAYS true on all ships everywhere)

 

I'm hoping that all this turns around to more customer satisfaction that dovetails with, "yeah, I'd cruise Anthem again" before my final payment comes due, or I'm canceling this cruise. It would be the first time for us canceling a cruise on a brand new ship due to bad reviews. 61% is still a FAIL for me. But I'm going to keep my ear to the ground!

 

Come on, Anthem (and Royal Caribbean!)... pay attention to what people are saying!

 

Cheers,

Paul[/quote']

 

 

 

Is it too cliché to say that me and my family are "in the same boat"?

As others have said take the reviews with a grain of salt. We sailed Quantum samplers out of NJ. Among the first paying passengers. I read all the nightmare stories about transatlantic and was concerned. But we LOVED her. It was one of my favorite cruises. We only had a couple of minor issues with technology but overall we loved Quantum. Gorgeous ship, so much to do, amazing entertainment and 1/2 hour from my front door to ship is a big plus. So we are booked on Anthem and I ignore the petty complaining for the most part. So go on Anthem and enjoy!

We're booked for Anthem next year... and this is the first cruise that I can't seem to get excited about because of things I read about Quantum last year and Anthem so far this year.

 

So' date=' I just read a sampling of reviews here on CC... and the over all score this ship gets is just 61% approval. Yikes! That's terrible in my eyes.

 

Yet, there are things I don't understand... for instance, many reviewers (maybe even a majority?) might call their Anthem cruise something like, "Anthem, a nightmare at Sea!!!" and go on to detail (very effectively) why this was one of their worst cruise experiences... and then they end the review that they booked the Anthem again for next year. :confused:

 

Um... what? I wouldn't darken the deck of any ship that I reviewed as a nightmare unless it was a free cruise (and even then, perhaps I wouldn't).

 

The other thing that I find disturbing is that food in the complimentary locations is passable... but to get a truly great meal, you have to go to a specialty restaurant. How is that a "Wow!" experience?

 

The top favorite features of a cruise on Anthem, when putting it all together, seem to be:

 

1) Embarkation is easy

2) High Tech stuff is cool (when it works)

3) Ship is beautiful

4) Cabin is well maintained/Excellent steward

 

The top bad marks seem to be:

 

1) Terrible service in restaurants

2) Bland or so-so food in complimentary restaurants

3) Not enough chairs at the pools (Well, to be fair, this is ALWAYS true on all ships everywhere)

 

I'm hoping that all this turns around to more customer satisfaction that dovetails with, "yeah, I'd cruise Anthem again" before my final payment comes due, or I'm canceling this cruise. It would be the first time for us canceling a cruise on a brand new ship due to bad reviews. 61% is still a FAIL for me. But I'm going to keep my ear to the ground!

 

Come on, Anthem (and Royal Caribbean!)... pay attention to what people are saying!

 

Cheers,

Paul[/quote']when people read reviews and then get stupid. All reviews are different for different folks. Someone may have thought the ship and food was fantastic, someone else on the same cruise might tell you the opposite. So anyone that threatens to cancel a cruise based on "reviews" is IMHO foolish and shortsighted....:rolleyes::rolleyes:

when people read reviews and then get stupid. All reviews are different for different folks. Someone may have thought the ship and food was fantastic, someone else on the same cruise might tell you the opposite. So anyone that threatens to cancel a cruise based on "reviews" is IMHO foolish and shortsighted....:rolleyes::rolleyes:

Too true

Just read the last few on CC and one thought food was lousy and Chic most disliked restaurant ... next one said food great and favourite restaurant was Chic !!

As most have said its more likely that those handful who have an issue or dislike change to post their reviews. However the positive reviews are generally very good so I tend to view it from glass half full rather than half empty :)

Paul, there are so many things I wanted to say have already been said. I will however add my $0.02 on how I look at cruises since we started in '05 and the changes up to now.

Have there been changes. Absolutely. Many in fact. I was on the Explorer of the Seas last year for I think the 6th time and the Main Dining Room food was no where near as good as it was on my first cruise on the Voyager of the Seas. Did it ruin my cruise... absolutely not.

We were on the Quantum last year for it's first Caribbean sail out of Bayonne. I read all the reviews saying how bad things were and that you should never go on a new ship and expect everything to work. Being in the computer industry for 38 years, that was the furthest of my expectations. Did it ruin my cruise when my TV kept shutting off after 45 minutes or they never "found" my luggage through the entire cruise on the Royal IQ App? Absolutely not because I had my luggage as of 5 hours after we boarded. Did I like the Dynamic Dining, not totally, but the food was far better than the previous Explorer of the Seas MDR experience.

We will be on the Anthem later this year. Will there be problems, most likely. Will it ruin my trip? I doubt it.

I go on a cruise to do one thing and one thing only. That is to get away from the daily routine and get a chance to do nothing if I so choose. Every cruise I have been on has given me exactly what I was looking for.

What I am saying is that when I board a ship (and we have also been on Princess and Celebrity), I only want certain things:

1) A clean stateroom and a clean bed to sleep on

2) A cabin attendant that takes the time to understand our needs

3) Food - it never had to be gourmet but if it is, all the better

4) Drinks of any kind - keep them coming

5) A chance to unwind from daily life

6) Meeting new people who may become friends for life (this has happened often)

Every cruise has given me all of this. Everything else is a bonus.

Have we every had anything to complain about. We have. However we never complain about anything unless we can also give a compliment along with it.

Bottom line, read the reviews with a grain of salt like so many have mentioned. Everyone has a different opinion and so do you. Go on your cruise, enjoy it for what you want and expect, not for what others said they did not get. You are the only one that can judge if you had a great time or not.

Sorry, I think I gave more than $0.02. Just go and have fun.

I read many reviews before I boarded Anthem and although I didn't care because I knew I would have a great time, it did make me more observant of certain aspects than I think I would have been otherwise. Despite this scrutiny, I really couldn't agree much with most reviews, especially in relation to service. I thought everyone was very plesant, polite and helpful. I saw staff after staff working hard and doing everything to please. I could only conclude that those who faced poor service were those who no one wanted to serve!

when people read reviews and then get stupid. All reviews are different for different folks. Someone may have thought the ship and food was fantastic, someone else on the same cruise might tell you the opposite. So anyone that threatens to cancel a cruise based on "reviews" is IMHO foolish and shortsighted....:rolleyes::rolleyes:

Thank you for using insults to make an invalid point.

As a cruise reviewer myself, I understand that cruise opinions can vary greatly... that two people can rate the same ship as a 10 or a 1. That's a no-brainer.

My point is that there's a shockingly HIGH number of negative reviews on the Anthem (and the more settled-in Quantum) here on CC and on most other cruise-oriented web sites. If Anthem was the first of her kind, I would file it under "new ship class, bugs to be ironed out". But Quantum should have trail-blazed and ironed out all of those problems long ago. In reading the Anthem reviews, it feels like deja vu... I read about these same problems with Quantum. Is Royal Caribbean even paying attention anymore?

Food quality should be (and always used to be) the #1 priority on a cruise. Explorer of the Seas was a disaster last September for us in this regard... and we are extremely easy to please. (we can be very happy in a Diner) I keep saying to myself, "well, that's because Royal is concentrating on a better experience on their newer ships" (never mind that you are promised a "Wow" experience on all Royal ships... their ads don't say, "unless you are on an older ship") But it seems like many are echoing the idea that to get a truly good meal, you must do a specialty restaurant. (truth in advertising, we generally do 2 nights in a specialty restaurants on a cruise... but mostly for the more intimate atmosphere and different menu... not because the food elsewhere is below expectations)

Yes, I'm a technology buff as well, but when it comes to cruises, it's how the technology enhances the experience... it shouldn't be the sole reason to be on a ship. I love my iPhone... but I wouldn't bury my face in it on a cruise (I can do that at any mall). I DO welcome the improved internet speeds (if they exist) promised on Anthem.

The Bionic Bar seems like it will be awesome... but the novelty probably wears thin after the first drink. Northstar looks very cool, and I will probably try to do it more than once (if possible). The skydiving simulator looks cool, too.

Once again, I'm a Royal Caribbean Fanatic... in fact, I'm usually defending them to the hilt so much that I often feel like an unpaid employee. I'm a Diamond Plus member (if that actually means anything anymore). But I don't believe in cheerleading when the product isn't there... and in all the negative reviews I've read, all of the problems seem so easy to fix. I just wish I'd see those fixes materialize instead of the "next big ship announcement" fever.

I am looking forward to reading some in depth reviews once Anthem starts cruising out of Cape Liberty where we will be catching up with her next Spring. Hopefully, she'll finally be up to snuff by then.

Cheers,

Paul

Too true

 

 

 

Just read the last few on CC and one thought food was lousy and Chic most disliked restaurant ... next one said food great and favourite restaurant was Chic !!

 

 

 

As most have said its more likely that those handful who have an issue or dislike change to post their reviews. However the positive reviews are generally very good so I tend to view it from glass half full rather than half empty :)

I agree to a point, but there are so many reviews both positive and negative.

It may speak to some level of inconsistent service and quality.

If you look back at the previous class deployments, there weren't nearly as many negative reviews and comments as what has come along with this class.

We have sailed RCI several time sand there is definitely a difference with the bar and dining room staff.

i couldn't work out if they were over worked, bored or just not interested in what they were doing.

many bar staff were very surly and it must affect the amount of tips, if any, they get on top of the 18%)

it didn't matter how many times i used the words please or thank you

The wow bands were very good and worked every where (except reliably on the bionic bar)

i used my wow band to pay for drinks and enter the state room, no need to carry the card ( although the bar staff were more geared up for using the cards.)

I'm wondering if the staff attitudes are all to do with the way tips are now collected on these newer ships ( and the use of drinks packages)

I agree to a point, but there are so many reviews both positive and negative.

It may speak to some level of inconsistent service and quality.

 

If you look back at the previous class deployments, there weren't nearly as many negative reviews and comments as what has come along with this class.

Exactly...

Before I add my 2 cents - We are Diamond on Royal and Elite Plus on Celebrity. In the past 5 years we primarily sail with Celebrity after poor cruise experience

ON JOS. Last year, decided to try Liberty -left very disappointed (long story) - I thought we will never sail Royal again, but we did booked Anthem for next April - just to experience something different. After reading a lot of negative reviews, we were contemplating with a thought if that was a right decision.

But only after sailing I can tell if it was bad, good or ugly.

5000 people sailing - 5000 different opinions.

I'm still waiting for Anthem to come to Cape Liberty... the US Northeast crowds (I'm one of them, so I know what I'm talking about) can be really unforgiving. Once I see those CC reviews, I'll have a more balanced view of what to do. Allure is trying to lure me away at the moment though... :)

One bad thing... since I started this thread, Anthem reviews here on CC have gone from pretty bad to worse. She was hovering around a 56% approval rating but now she's dropped even lower to 50% as more reviews come in. That's truly abysmal...

I'm still waiting for Anthem to come to Cape Liberty... the US Northeast crowds (I'm one of them' date=' so I know what I'm talking about) can be really unforgiving. Once I see those CC reviews, I'll have a more balanced view of what to do. Allure is trying to lure me away at the moment though... :)

 

One bad thing... since I started this thread, Anthem reviews here on CC have gone from pretty bad to worse. She was hovering around a 56% approval rating but now she's dropped even lower to 50% as more reviews come in. That's truly abysmal...[/quote']

 

I honestly take all of those reviews with a grain of salt. They are all from "across the pond" and it seems that the number one complaint is drunken teenagers taking over the ship. Lol It is really how funny that the other 50 percent RAVE about the ship. Sooooo who do you believe? We are booked and will wait for it to come to NJ and see what the Americans think of it.

 

We love the mega ships and I anticipate this one to be just as great. By the way....BOOK THE ALLURE. You will not be sorry. :):):)

Living in NJ, Anthem will be our "home port" Royal ship for the foreseeable future, so I have also been following the reviews with interest.

I'm still of the opinion that most of the complaining results from the fact that people want to take a Royal cruise, but hate the Quantum class because they want a "traditional" cruise. They start out predisposed to have a bad time and -- surprise! -- that's what they get.

Thejewgernaut did, in fact, live blog his honeymoon (bless him and his wife!) and I thought it was a really interesting and well-balanced assessment of the plusses and minuses of the ship -- from a younger, American couple's perspective. For some reason, that thread got left in the "main" Royal forum, so if you haven't found it, you might want to look for it. It may be just one couple's perspective vs. many negative reviews, but I think it will give you a pretty good idea of how things are on the ship.

Anyway, it will be interesting to see how it goes once she gets to Bayonne. Royal has certainly spent tons advertising it in the NYC metro area -- ads on many cable stations, radio and print. I'm trying to find a trip over the winter months that we could take, as I'd like to try it out for ourselves.