BobbyD

I received it as part of the Go Best package. It shows up on the Order History on the cruise planner. I took advantage of the 20% offer and called X to upgrade. I waited quite a while on hold (didn't think to call Captains Club) but it was worth the wait as I saved some money for my 12 night cruise!

We will be on this cruise next August 1! Very excited. Thanks for all the information and ideas!

BobbyD always call Captains Club, no wait & instant response with very friendly person

I will certainly do so next time! Thanks!

Just called a Captains Club. Original cost to upgrade from Classic to Premium (in USD) was $14 plus 18% ($16.52) gratuity per person per day total of $363.44. The 20% discount brought it down to $11.20 (plus $2.01) total of $13.22 per person per day for a total of $290.76. That’s a $72.68 savings & I’m pleased. The promotion ends at midnight FL time tonight

I just did the same except I didn't even think to call Captains Club! I was on hold for about 20 minutes with the main number. Saved the same as above except for 12 days. Every little bit helps!

You really confused me. Go back and reread your post 😂😂😂

I confuse myself sometimes!

Great review. I was on the 9 day sailing right after yours. Looking forward to the rest of the review!

I agree almost 100%! I was on the final 9 day Bermuda/Caribbean cruise two sailings prior to yours. Far exceeded my expectations. I was a bit worried from bad reviews. Should have known! Beautiful, easy to navigate ship. Good sized ship, good crowd control, service was awesome. My only disappointment was my own fault in that my expectations for Wonderland were a bit too high. The main course was good but I thought the overall experience would be a bit better. You are right about the dessert! I was with two other couples who were pretty negative (they are picky) and that probably had an effect on the meal. First time at Jamies and it was awesome! Highly recommend.

Our balcony cabin seemed exceptionally spacious and lots of storage. Love the storage above the bed (similar to X) and the two wardrobe closets. Brilliant idea!

On the Anthem a few weeks ago and ended up bringing in 4 bottles over the course of the week to the MDR. We were never charged a corkage fee to have them opened.

Yes. We were just on the Anthem and our friends used the coupon for Wonderland and Chops.

Spent my honeymoon and first cruise on the Song of America in 1986! I thought the ship was huge! Favorite older ship for sentimental reasons! I've been hooked on cruising ever since.

We are Diamond on Royal which makes us Elite on Celebrity. We have cruised three times on Celebrity and have a fourth scheduled next summer. We love both lines but have been leaning towards Royal as we get a bit older. Plenty of good entertainment but we find the food and service a bit better, enjoy the only once daily announcements (unless of an emergency), and the "free" drink package that is typically an option when booking. We have been fortunate and have not found them any more expensive than Royal. The demographics scales a bit on the older side but there have still been plenty of families on board, but just not overwhelming. Give them a try, I think you might like the experience!

OP - I also respectfully disagree. We just came off Anthem last Saturday - I assume the menu is similar to Harmony. We are long time cruisers, but this was our first RCL cruise and I enjoyed every meal I had in the MDR, and the service was excellent! The menu is varied each night and there are a few staple appetizers and entrees. These are necessary in case a person does not like the nightly offering. Our group of 16 had no complaints whatsoever.

Good to hear! I am on the Anthem in 2 weeks and I thought I might have to order Uber Eats!:cool:

Thank you for the report and photos. We are taking a Baltic cruise on Celebrity next summer with a similar itinerary, except leaving from Amsterdam. 12 days. Looking forward to it even more after reading this! How was the weather?

I would recommend a cruise to the Med. Very port intensive but awesome! Very different than a Caribbean cruise. We have done both east and west, both on Celebrity. They do the Med very well, as I am sure Royal does also.

If you want to stick to the Caribbean, I recommend a Southern Caribbean leaving out of Puerto Rico. Aruba, Curacao, etc. are great ports!

OP- Sorry you have met with such ridicule and rudeness on this thread. People seem to be so invested in the reputation of RCCL that it's akin to telling them their baby is ugly when you make any critical remark.

Agreed. Brutal. I appreciate the OP's comments as his (or his wife's) impression of the ship and sailing. Positive or negative, reviews and comments are always interesting to read, whether I have had a similar experience or not. We were on Adventure a couple of years ago and had a completely different experience. But, that was us on a different sailing. We have begun cruising Celebrity more often lately and we can definitely see a difference in the little touches. For example, the cold towels available when returning from port. A nice touch that Celebrity has but Royal does not, to my recollection. The bathroom attendants that are present on Celebrity is also a bit more upscale touch. While the absence of these does not make my cruise on Royal bad in any way, Celebrity does have some extra touches that do make a difference to some people. Like the OP's wife! We will be on the Anthem in 3 weeks and I am looking forward to a new class of ship! On the same hand, I can't wait to be on the Reflection again next summer! Each ship/line has different strengths and weaknesses, but overall a great, fun vacation!

I don't think that Royal is trying to imitate Celebrity in any way, nor vice versa. They are unique and great in their own way. There are certain things that Royal did that Celebrity does and others that Celebrity should do based on my experience on Royal. Same with Carnival, who we also have cruised. There are many positives and some negatives on that line as well.

Thanks for the comments OP, happy cruising!

Heading to Bermuda 8/4. I figured I enjoy and appreciate all the posts I would start my own. First time on Anthem. Overall reviews seem positive but some negative comments regarding navigating the ship. I’m sure it will be fine. Always had great experiences with RCI and sailed on Oasis, Allure, Adventure and Majesty. Looking forward to the trip. Will post my review when I return.

Have a great time! We'll be on the Anthem the following sailing!

Lamb Shank

Roast Duck

Smoked fish dip

Thanks for your review and thoughts. I am heading out on the Anthem in August for the 9 night Bermuda/Caribbean itinerary. Anthem has been on my "to do" list for a while. Looking forward to something different. I have heard that the ship has a Celebrity Solstice class feel to it. That is fine by me because we love Celebrity. Thanks again for the review!

Yes, Equinox does for sure. I think (assume) that all mainstream ships (except Disney) have casinos with craps.

Nice review, thank you!

I noticed on the menu for the MDR that you've shown has the dessert on the menu. I hope that is not the "new normal" on all of their ships. We didn't see it on the Allure last year and hopefully not on the Anthem coming up this summer. We'd prefer a separate menu for dessert. We can't make all of those decisions at one!

Again, thanks for the review and for the photos. Much appreciated!

 

 

Yea the paper check in at the safety drill was ridiculous! I even made that same comment about Carnival just scanning our cards each time and how much quicker it went. But I must have just got there at the perfect time because there was only 1 family ahead of me to check in and then us. Our portion really did go pretty smooth. I guess we got lucky.

 

:D

I think that it varies from ship to ship. On the Oasis class ships, for example, they use an electronic reader. I find towel check in equally as bizarre. On Carnival (or at least the ships I've been on), it is a paper sign in/out. On Royal, they use an electronic reader. On X, no sign out needed. The best way!

We have been on the Adventure. Great ship but the Voyager/Freedom classes of ships are our favorites.

We will be on the Aug.9 sailing of the Anthem out of Cape Liberty. 9 days to Bermuda and Caribbean. Can't wait to try out this new class of ship. I'm sure either will be great for you regardless! There is always a good mix of activities for all age groups.

Keep in mind that X does not give you a receipt of $0 to sign. RCCL does. If you want to leave an extra tip, you must do so in cash.

I have been using a CPAP for about 8 or 9 years. I travel with it all the time. I used distilled water for about 1 month and decided tap water would be fine. Switched to tap water and have had no problems, although the mineral content in everyone's water might be significantly different. Yes, the manual says that you should use distilled, but using tap water for a week on a cruise, hotel, etc. will have no effects of scaling, etc.

I travel with my own extension cord and small power strip. Never an issue bringing both on board. I plug it in across the floor during the night and unplug it in the morning. I put the cord under the bed to keep it out of the way.

Thanks for the review. I was on the Equinox 4 weeks ago. Great cruise. The drink package selling/upselling virtually disappeared after the first day, which was nice. That first day it was quite evident as were crew selling specialty restaurant packages.