5 Day Anthem to Bermuda review

Hi!!! We just got off Anthem yesterday. We were sad to see our vacay end. CC was my go-to for many months while counting down to our trip. This was our 1st trip to Bermuda and leaving for Bayonne.

A little history 1st. My husband and I have only cruised with RCL. We are loyal to royal and do not plan to change that anytime soon. We have been on 6 other cruises. Freedom class twice, Allure and Oasis several times and now Anthem. I had read so many bad reviews of Anthem so I was a bit scared. On this cruise, we celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary.

We were very anxious about this trip due to Hurricane Florence. At first, she was expected to hit Bermuda so that had is worried and then her path changed but we still feared the weather this hurricane might cause. We were set to fly in to Newark the day of the cruise. Gasp! I know! I should be knocking on wood but up to this point, we’ve never had an issue doing this. However, I stressed so much over the hurricane situation and delaying our flight that next time we may fly in the day before. That’s just a maybe though, lol. So, our flight left Atl a few mins late, not due to weather, and we made it to Newark around 11:45. EWR is a very small

Airport, at least compared to Atl it is, so we grabbed our luggage and we were out of there. Grabbed a taxi and headed to Cape Liberty. It’s a short drive, but the traffic is atroshish. We still made it to the post by like 12:15, carried our luggage in, checked in within minutes and were told that our room

was ready and our seapass cards were on the door.

I’ve got a flight to catch back home. Will finish shortly!

Ok, I’m back. We proceeded up to deck 6. We had an unobstructed balcony #6130. There were no issues with the cabin at all. Perfect views. Bed by the balcony. We got a fab rate on this room and would not hesitate to do unobstructed again. However, I hear Anthem has panoramic window suites that I will check into if we should cruise on this class again. This balcony cabin felt huge! Tons of space. Lots of storage that we didn’t even use. The shower even felt roomy. Our room attendant did a fair job. No real complaints, although we found random Cheerios on the floor upon arrival & had a missing large towel. No big deal though, our attendant cleaned again, gave us another towel and extra pillows upon request. It was kind of a running joke with my husband and I, but our room attendant could not remember our names. He would call us Nancy and Jeff often or other random American names that he could think of last minute when he would see us. Also, I’ve never had this happen either but he would catch us as we were heading out for the late dinner and ask if we wanted our rooms made up!? Uhmmm, yes, yes I would. Anthem has these neat magnets to place on your door rather than door hangers that indicate you are sleeping or you are out. We got 3 towel animals during the duration of the cruise. The balcony was also larger than any others we’ve had a we spent more time out there than normal.

We had late seating of 8 pm in Chic. I read lots of complaints on the dining on Anthem because the dining rooms were smaller than other ships and blah blah blah. These dining rooms are beautiful. Yes a bit smaller but it felt more intimate to us and we loved it. Our waiter, Xiang, was superb. Very attentive, fast and sweet. If it weren’t for us dragging out the meal with evening coffee after dessert, we would have been done within an hour each night. The food was excellent. We enjoyed every single meal. No lie. We also ate in Chic for breakfast on several mornings & it was consistently good as well.

Let me just say while I’m talking about food, we are fans of Sorrentos. Their pizza is quite delicious. The coconut cookies in the cafe next to it are amazing as well. Windjammer...we ate there twice. Once for lunch and once for breakfast. This place is insane. The buffets are at the front of the restaurant and the seating is to the sides and then in the back. We never found a seat near the buffet part, which is fine but you have to walk forever to get to the food and even farther for drinks. The food was ok. Each time we ate there, I felt yuck when we left. The bacon is delish as always. The wash stations when you enter the WJ are new to us but I can appreciate and understand the concept. We ate once in Solarium bistro-yuck. Same stuff you can get at WJ. Waste of space if you ask me.

Now, the soda package comes with the cups that you can use at the machines. You must have your cup to use the machine. Who on earth wants to carry around that cup all week? It’s annoying. Not to mention, you can’t properly wash the cup during the week. I liked the times before the machines came into place where you could go to the bar and get a coke. Now, you get a funny look as if you are asking for something for free. Excuse me, I paid for that coke! We did find that the nice workers at Sorrentos would get us a coke in a regular cup from their bar area if we asked. Sorry, I didn’t have that hideous cup with me after each show when we wanted Pizza.

Sail away-tip here: Bridge wings-To get to the wing viewing areas, go all the way forward on deck 14, then walk through the Solarium all the way to the front and go left or right to find a door that leads to them. This is where we went during sail away. No one was there until a few minutes later when they saw us there. Very neat spot.

The ship-My husband and I agreed that we never felt crowded on this ship. I think the venues are so spread out that no one is ever in the same place at the same time. Unless, you are coming out of a show but, duh that is expected. We LOVED 270 and would sail this class again just for this space. We fell in love with the high back chairs at the very rear where the floor to ceiling windows were and could sit and watch the water all day. By day 4, other cruisers had caught on. Bummer. The bar service in here was great and they made the best sour apple martini and cotton canditini’s we could find on the whole ship. I was a bit disappointed in the 270 cafe. The sandwiches were pre-made and just heated once you ordered and the salad was not great. I tried it twice and gave up. The Solarium was very HOT so we didn’t stay in there for long. We never had trouble finding empty chairs but we never wanted to sit next to the pool either. The pools never appeared crowded which is a change from what we are used to. I did miss seeing the ocean from more places on the ship but I understand this ship is meant for cold weather and I appreciated that on our last sea day when it rained ALL day. We only saw a handful of

kids on the trip which was phenomenal! We left our 3 Little’s at home for a reason.

Speaking of kids, one minor complaint here. Keep in mind, I’m a mom of 3 little boys so I know how parenting goes. We had reservations at Chops on Day 4. They seated us next to several others while the other half of the restaurant remained empty. The table directly next to us had a child- a boy around the age of 5. No problem here. However, the child was watching a tablet with the volume ALL the way up. No joke! I looked around in disbelief that this was even allowed. Several others around us looked annoyed and I couldn’t even focus as the waiter came up to get our drink order. He was flustered as well and the service was not good because of it. It took 20 mins for us to get our drinks and at that point I had heard Paw Patrol blasting in my ear for one minute too long. I told the waiter we were leaving. I didn’t want to be rude but I was paying for an upscale meal and experience that did not include cartoons. The waiter politely seated us in another location and several other guests in Chops nodded and said good move as we walked by them. The food was fantastic and the rest of the experience was delightful.

The shows- We saw The Gift on Day 1. I kind of dreaded seeing it after the reviews I had read. But, this show surprised me and was fabulous. I kept hearing others talking later that they did not

understand it. I’m not sure they were at the same show I was because my husband and I followed it fine. As a mom, I appreciated the show and if you are a mom, you will too. We saw Spectra at some point. We did not have reservations for the showing that we went to but got in fine and found plenty of seating upstairs on the roomy couches. The show was cut short due to movement and the ship rocking. It was pretty cool and entertaining. We also saw 3 comedy shows that were good and of course Love & Marriage never disappoints. I did notice that none of the shows were full. Idk where all the people were this cruise but I liked it.

Activities- We did the Northstar on our 1st sea day. I was actually surprised it was running because of the wind. It was fine. Nothing to rave about. I’m not a fan of heights and the way the thing shook when up high kind of freaked me out but the concept is cool. Bumper cars were fun! iFly was definitely an experience. I was not prepared for the high speeds of wind in my face. I probably should have been, but it caught me off guard. Just prepare yourself for that and relax and you will enjoy it. It was a rainy day on our last sea day so this event came in handy. We are huge Bingo fans and have been since our 1st cruise and especially since winning an upgrades Sky Loft suite on allure a few years back but it seems everyone else has started to enjoy Bingo

too and it’s so crowded and the payout is very little these days. I think $400 was max during this cruise and about 3 ppl had to split that.

One thing I noticed on this ship was a little different that what we were used to since we’ve only done Caribbean cruises before now, no one is walking around trying to sell stuff. No one shouting BAR Drinks or drinks of the day or anything else. I never saw the spa people set up anywhere offering services. Kind of bizarre. We asked the assistant waiter at dinner one night for the drink of the day that we saw in the cruise compass for the day and she acted like she didn’t know what we were talking about. I would have liked to have gone to the spa as I usually do but just ran out of time. Also our 1st 5 day cruise. Much different than a 7 day.

Bermuda- I was very excited about this destination and getting to stay in port overnight excited me as well. We booked the Rising Son catamaran and snorkel directly through RCL. I was a bit disappointed with this excursion as one of the crew members talked the ENTIRE time and left no time for us to relax and ride. The rum punch is only free on the ride back to the ship

which is literally 8 mins away. I will do a different Catamaran ride if we go back. Day 2, we took a mini bus to Horseshoe bay. $7/person each day. Very convenient and they are there waiting for

you when you get off the ship and again when you are ready to leave the beach. Upon 1st look at Horseshoe bay, it appears small and crowded. However, once you walk out on the beautiful beach you will see everyone in their rental chairs with umbrellas. Take a left and walk all the way down the beach where you will find several little trails leading you to other small beach areas. They are secluded and many have no one there. You could keep walking for hours finding little place after place to sit and relax or explore the areas with rocks and caves. It is one of a kind for sure!

That’s all I have for now. Feel free to message me with any questions!

Excellent review. We enjoyed anthem as well but enjoyed harmony a bit better. We will be on anthem next sep for a ne cruise.

Great review! We’re going on Anthem in April, just my husband and I. Our two sons are staying with my parents. First big vacation without the boys since we became parents! Can’t wait for this cruise!

We are going thanksgiving week this year....first cruise....oh boy

Thanks for the review. I'm looking forward to an Anthem 12 nighter in January.

When you say there were not a lot of places on ship to look out at the ocean because it was built for cold weather, how much different is it? Other than 270 and Solerium, what spots can you suggest?

Thanks for the very helpful review. I'm getting on Anthem on 9/29, also for the 5 day Bermuda cruise. I'm very excited!

Thanks for the review. I'm looking forward to an Anthem 12 nighter in January.

When you say there were not a lot of places on ship to look out at the ocean because it was built for cold weather, how much different is it? Other than 270 and Solerium, what spots can you suggest?

I just feel like the other class of ships had various places to sneak a peak of the ocean. And lots of outdoor venues. On Anthem, there’s some good seating on the deck below flow rider and a few seats on either side on deck 4 or 5. We loved the Freedom where you could access the helipad.

Great review! We’re going on Anthem in April, just my husband and I. Our two sons are staying with my parents. First big vacation without the boys since we became parents! Can’t wait for this cruise!

I know y’all are counting down! Enjoy every minute. I know we sure did :) It was our 1st time swag from our 3 boys too.

Excellent review. We enjoyed anthem as well but enjoyed harmony a bit better. We will be on anthem next sep for a ne cruise.

I agree with the carrying around of the cup. Kind of amusement parkish. I never ever had trbl getting a soda from a bar. The bartenders are top notch. I give them a dollar sometimes too. My complaint is the soda from the bar guns tastes like ass. Pardon my French

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I would have had no poblem asking to be moved to another table away from the child with the loud tablet playing.

They would have surely moved you if you asked.

Jimbo:)

I have two toddlers age 4 and 2 - and we bring tablets - and would never let them turn the volume up