Is the Anthem a relaxing ship?

Good day all, my gf and I are considering a fall cruise on the Anthem and are wondering, will we be able to relax and enjoy ourselves? While all the bells and whistles (gimmicks, ifly's, northstar etc) are mildly interesting to us, we mostly want to sit in the sun, relax, enjoy some shows (without reservations), enjoy the evening entertainment.

This seems mostly like an amusement park at sea, and I am not sure this is what we are looking for.

Thoughts & Thanks!

What you do is up to you. All ships have quiet places. The solarium is adults only and indoors, so good if the weather is iffy. While you can make reservations for shows you can still show and wait for the no shows, which there are. We're sailing on her in January and sailed on the Quantum, but with our granddaughter, so definitely not quiet!

You should not have any problem relaxing. The majority of my cruises are laying back, having a drink and reading my Kindle. On a few occasions I will need to move from where I am if a loud group, or group with kids, shows up. But I am always able to find someplace.

Oh - and she is definitely not like an amusement park! I can see why looking at everything onboard might make you think that. But Anthem is a HUGE ship. So all these things are spread out. And the solarium is usually super quiet.

You should not have any problem relaxing. The majority of my cruises are laying back, having a drink and reading my Kindle. On a few occasions I will need to move from where I am if a loud group, or group with kids, shows up. But I am always able to find someplace.

You sound like me. The solarium is the best place. It has the Bistro for food, has a very nice bar and lounges looking out to the sea. I do all my reading there. There are also hot tubs. Lots of quiet and no children.

In my opinion the Solarium on the Anthem is the place to be to relax, mostly at night.

In addition to the Solarium, 270 could be a relaxing place to sit and watch the ocean during the day. There is usually something happening each night, but one night (maybe the first?) all they did was have presentations on their big screens. I just watched and relaxed for a while - may have been one of the few people in there.

There are many places throughout the ship to relax and lay back. Also, you can choose a balcony stateroom and relax on your balcony. The Anthem is an awesome ship, don't worry about all the bells and whistles that it offers.

Hi , in my opinion , its not the ship...its you !!

Do what makes you relaxed , the ship is wonderful in many ways, we spent two weeks on her last year and i was very relaxed most of the time...even if trying to keep up with everything:D

Bottom line to me is that you and yours call the shots , have a great time whatever that means for you.Find your favorite bartender (if you drink) or your favorite quiet corner ,see some shows(we loved Spectra's cabaret) there is plenty for all.

Dave

I would make reservations for any shows you want to see. Other than that, you can be as relaxed as you want to be. I agree with those who say cafe 270 in the day time. One day I nearly had the place to myself. If there were 20 people in the entire place it was a lot. Port day, but the view was amazing.

I have been on about 15 cruises with different lines and went on the 9 night on Anthem in August. Prior to this cruise it has been about 8 years since my last. Reason is we found all inclusive to be way more relaxing. Everyone has a different idea of relaxing. My wife enjoyed the Solarium as it was kid free, but it is indoors. Out on deck there are areas that are apart from the center pool which is usually loud but it's hard to find shade and you are arm to arm with your neighbor because the chairs are lined up in rows. Here are no cabanas or adult only areas on deck like with other lines. Throughout the ship there are plenty of areas to be on your own but you are inside. I took this cruise because my 7 year old wanted to take a cruise and I do love cruises but, for me, it is not as relaxing as a land base resort.

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We were just on Anthem in May loved it!

Definitely a lot of places to relax, as several others have mentioned, the Solarium and 270 were our favorite places to relax. We loved how the Solarium was all the way in the front with unobstructed ocean views, and it has it's own little bistro! So no need to walk all the way to the buffet. Similar to 270, during the day it was the place to relax, never crowded, always nice and quiet. The views from there are also priceless. They have a café right by the entrance (loved the grilled cheeses from there!).

In short, I think you will have no trouble finding a place to relax, enjoy!

... we mostly want to sit in the sun, relax, enjoy some shows (without reservations), enjoy the evening entertainment.

Lots of places to sit and relax on Anthem. Like some others, the Solarium was one of our favorites. Two 70 has shows at night, but during the day is a wonderful place to relax. Speaking of shows, you'll definitely want to make reservations for the main ones; standby is an option, of course, but by then, seating choices are pretty limited.

Other than certain times inside the SeaPlex, we never got an "amusement park at sea" vibe on board. The SeaPlex is easily avoidable, so no worries.

Thank you all for your kind responses and input; it seems a ship this large my two options are Solarium and 270 for quiet relaxation! We prefer to lay out in the sun outside in the adults only sun decks.

Not sure what we are going to do. We did the Breakaway once and vowed never again; the Anthem seems very similar... as a point of reference we love the Gem.

Anyhow, something to think about...

Thank you all once again for taking the time.

Happy Sailing!

The absolute best place to relax on the anthem is 270. It's not in the sun but we loved it in there and spent a great deal of time there. There is a bar and food near by. Watching the water was relaxing.

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It probably won't be relaxing with all those loud NorthEasterners on the ship......

Thank you all for your kind responses and input; it seems a ship this large my two options are Solarium and 270 for quiet relaxation! We prefer to lay out in the sun outside in the adults only sun decks.

 

Not sure what we are going to do. We did the Breakaway once and vowed never again; the Anthem seems very similar... as a point of reference we love the Gem.

 

Anyhow, something to think about...

Thank you all once again for taking the time.

Happy Sailing!

Chrissy, I've done both and it's definitely quieter than the Breakaway, which is a very loud and hectic ship (which I happened to love, btw). Only negative similarity is that deck chairs are similarly limited up top around the pool on both ships.

Ultimately though, on these mega ships you can generally find what you want -- quiet areas, or more constant action. Happy sailing!

It's been a couple of years since I was last on the Anthem. From memory, I would not regard as a relaxing ship although you can always find a quiet spot. I would recommend Oasis class of one of the smaller ships for a more relaxing experience.

There's also lounge chairs for sun or shade outside on Deck 5 near Wonderland that many people are unaware of and it's very relaxing.

I'll mostly re-state was was already mentioned.

Relaxing spots on Anthem:

270 - during the day and some evenings

Vintages, - Always

Solarium - Day and evenings but the bar closes early

Seating area before entering 270 and in front of Vintages, relaxing people watching.

Boleros some nights had a nice smooth jazz ensemble playing.

Stay away from the Esplanade when there is any sale going on ;p

If you require "adults only" sunning areas you are out of luck with Royal Caribbean. The best that you can do is book a cruise when school is in session, that is longer than a week, and has few bells and whistles that attract kids. Even then you will find some kids on board.

Also, if you do not want to make reservations you may want to avoid the Anthem, Oasis, Allure, and Harmony (which are all my favorite ships) unless you want to join the stand-by line which opens up shortly before the show begins.

There are quiet areas on deck 15 to lounge in the sun. Just go towards the front or back of the ship. Vintages is a very quiet place to have a drink day or night.

There is some wonderful entertainment on the ship, although it isn't quiet. The Music Hall is a great place at night, especially if there is a tribute band playing. 270 has some very interesting technical shows with the robo screens. Spectra's Cabaret is a fun show. We Will Rock You is very good, especially if you like Queen music. There are also some very funny comedians, and late night comedy shows. Headliner shows. There is lots of live music at night. The Pub has a guitar player/singer. Schooner Bar has a piano player/singer. Boleros has Latin music. Music Hall has a dance/rock band.

Thank you all very much. We might give it a try. Appreciate everyone's input.

Happy Sailing!

We love the Gem also, been on her 4 times, liked her more than the Breakaway. The Anthem beats them both for efficiency (love avoiding the casino) and total musical quality and quantity. The only thing I miss from the Gem is the Filipino guitar player, Leo. I have found no solo acts on any ships which approach his great range of music. Our next USA cruise is on the Anthem next May, much of the reservation required music is worth repeating. We also found the virtual Symphony concert very relaxing, the music was American classics and film music and no reservations required.