Anthem 9-Night Bermuda & Caribbean

I wasn't going to post anything, but then decided to post some overall and random thoughts, as I did search for a lot of stuff as well, so hopefully some of these things are useful! Please also don't hesitate to ask questions. I saved the compasses and then forgot them in the room on debarkation morning, but I'll do my best to remember some of the things.

Embarkation: We got an email saying it would be delayed until noon due to the customs inspection. However, I didn't really alter my anticipated arrival time and got to the parking garage about 10:45. We were checked in by 11:00 (no lines for that) and waiting in "section 10" (had first time cruisers, so I opted out of the D/D+ area) and onboard by 11:30. No complaints!

2-Night Bogo: Went straight to Wonderland to see what they had preplanned for us and to change Jamie's to Wonderland. Wasn't an issue and got what I wanted, Chops for the first night and Wonderland the second. However, we decided to add 2 more people to our reservation for Wonderland. Good thing because I went back to the desk to do this and it turns out the reservation agent made both reservations for the first night. I understand people make mistakes but I asked her to repeat it twice to me and I would hope that the dates are apparent on their screen. Luckily we were able to still dine at our original time the second night. Both restaurants were wonderful and this is definitely worth it. We also tried Izumi ala carte which was definitely worth it as well!

MDR: We had various MTD reservations for our group of 7 ranging from 8 to 9pm. We got the same wait staff all but the first time we dined there (3rd night). All of the wait staff were great and the food was actually better than I remember, so no complaints there. We only waited during lobster night on night 8 about 10-15 minutes. I read no so good things about wait times and service and glad to experience none of that during my trip!

Live Entertainment: Out of this world! We had such great live entertainers this cruise and I really appreciate Royal for doing this. They include: Matt Yee at the Schooner Bar 7 out of the 9 nights (off the first night and Wednesday). The Royal Swedes Pop and Rock Band played in Boleros and the Music Hall. Wanted the Bon Jovi Tribute band played in the Music Hall and two70. 2 Late Night comedians, the first name slipped my mind but the second was fantastic, Jim David. He preformed a late night and the farewell show.

Shows: Since I sailed two years ago, I opted only to see Spectra's Caberet because I love it. I don't need to see the Gift or WWRY ever again!

Special Events: 70s night in the Music Hall was the second or third night I believe. There was an Anthem Rocks party in the Music Hall mid cruise, but skipped that. The Silent Disco was night 6. The "Island Night Deck Party" was night 5, St. Maarten. Very disappointed in this. It was held in two70 from 9-10:30 and ended very quickly and the venue immediately closed. There were no deck parties on deck and you can't even get a drink at any outside bar at night, which I think is absolutely ridiculous. You're saying to the Caribbean; people go to be outside and yet nothing is offered at night out there. NCL wins hands down in this area.

If you like dancing to the same songs every single night, the DJ spins starting between 11 and 12, depending on other events in the Music Hall. While it's a great venue, the DJ literally did play the same songs every single night, sometimes repeating them the same night. I was also confused by the drink on the dance floor rules. Sometimes they yelled at people for having glasses on the dance floor, sometimes they yelled at everyone including those with aluminum bottles, so the rules were very unclear (I also think they tended to target a certain demographic more than others.) If the objective is no liquid, I get it, but that's absurd in that type of atmosphere. If the objective is no glass, again I get it, so why not give drinks out in plastic cups??

I was also very confused by the specialty coffee places. You can get one in La Patisserie, Cafe two70 or at the specialty coffee bar in the beginning of the Windjammer (the only one I didn't try because it was always very busy). I ordered a few iced lattes and every time, they automatically gave me almond milk. I'm not sure why this is the default, but this is a huge safety concern. What if I was allergic to nuts? Not to mention I don't like it at all.

In addition, of course you all know about the new straw policy. I get it, I love environmental initiatives. But many of the drinks require mixing or stirring, which they don't do on your behalf. They would give them for frozen drinks of course, but that's it. Not even iced lattes...which they put the lid on but didn't give a straw. Very bizarre. It's like they do without thinking.

Drink service: Amazing! During sea days and after ports, we stayed in the solarium and they had multiple roving bartenders (shout-out to Prince Charles!) who made sure you always had a drink in your hand if you wanted. They also had 2 guys with the drink cart roving the pool and upper deck. They usually served those in a free, Malibu sponsored small bucket type-thing. Bartenders in the rest of the bars were also amazing, with the exception of the indoor pool bar. I'm not sure what was wrong with that crew, but I only went twice as I was walking by and made an effort not to go back because they were sour. Although, I might be too if I had to listen to kids scream inside all day.

Ports:

Bermuda we did the Devil's Isle Snorkel...great tour but the snorkel area was a little rough this time and less sea life than a different area two years ago.

St. Maarten we did the Beach Rendezvous. Apparently, they usually take you to Orient Bay, but since the hurricane, they don't because there's no restaurant. So they took us to Kim Sha near Simpson's Bay. It was alright. The water wasn't as clear and full of seaweed. The complimentary lunch though, was actually decent. And a bucket of 6 beers was $12. Side note: they were doing construction outside of the port and we were stuck on the bus for almost an hour from the time we got on in the port area to the time we made it out of construction a mile or so down the road. They did extend our time though, giving us our promised 3.5 hours at the beach.

San Juan: we did a segway tour on our own and did a little mojito crawl ending at a rooftop bar, Punto de Vista on top of Hotel Milano. I highly recommend this place for views of the ship and the city as well as drinks and food!

Labadee: I've been there so many times and haven't done the zipline, so I finally tried it. It was great, but I probably wouldn't spend the money on that particular one again. We posted up at the beach just under the beginning part of the zipline and the beach was smooth and the water warm and crystal clear. Lunch was served until 1:30ish, but they did run out of utensils for a long time, so I ended up eating with my hands as much as I could. They also did a great job of keeping the water and beverage station filled.

Debarkation: We did self-carry and walked off as soon as they made the announcement at 7:30. No lines to get off the ship and just a small line for customs. People, sign your passports! Almost every single person in my particular customs line had to stop at the request of the agent to sign their passports. Was on the road right before 8.

All in all, this was a great cruise and the ship even beat my expectations from before. It's turning into one of my favorite ships. Service was great, food was decent, entertainment was amazing and the special events were okay.

That was way more than random thoughts and overall impressions. Thanks for writing a great review!

That was way more than random thoughts and overall impressions. Thanks for writing a great review!

Thanks! Once I got going I couldn't stop! lol

We have never sailed Royal but we are considering this ship for May 2019. Love reading reviews on it so thanks for posting!

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We're also fans of Punto de Vista. Whenever we're on a cruise that stops in Old San Juan we go to Punto de Vista for their 2 for 1 mojitos. Our favorite is the coconut. They also make excellent mofungo.

LOVE Anthem.

Funny about signed passports--last time I checked in at Anthem with a new passport (Aug 2017) the agent at CHECK IN told me to sign it! Glad she was on the ball.

Come to think of it, even during the GroovyTown disco party the DJ played Disco Inferno THREE times. . . there are so many songs. . . why play the same ones!?!? I don't get it.

What is the new straw policy? No straws?

LOVE Anthem.

Come to think of it, even during the GroovyTown disco party the DJ played Disco Inferno THREE times. . . there are so many songs. . . why play the same ones!?!? I don't get it.

What is the new straw policy? No straws?

Right?! So so so many songs...I don't get the repetition.

So for straws, they only automatically provide them for frozen drinks. You have to ask if you want it for anything else. Inconvenient? Absolutely. Saving the environment? Unclear. The amount of free water bottles (drink package) they hand out more than makes up for their plastic straw saving efforts. I was also a little put off by the one or two bartenders that would begrudgingly give it to you. They have a sign that says "if you want one, just ask" so when you ask, possibly expect from attitude from some. My regular bartenders were fine with giving me all the straws I ever wanted!

Right?! So so so many songs...I don't get the repetition.

 

So for straws, they only automatically provide them for frozen drinks. You have to ask if you want it for anything else. Inconvenient? Absolutely. Saving the environment? Unclear. The amount of free water bottles (drink package) they hand out more than makes up for their plastic straw saving efforts. I was also a little put off by the one or two bartenders that would begrudgingly give it to you. They have a sign that says "if you want one, just ask" so when you ask, possibly expect from attitude from some. My regular bartenders were fine with giving me all the straws I ever wanted!

https://takeaction.oceanconservancy.org/page/9195/petition/1?ea.tracking.id=18HPXGSAXX&gclid=CjwKCAjwgYPZBRBoEiwA2XeupdvcTHwVNYSZu51KMJelL-cgyUHbKAMz6Msp76tqh-KAGAYlfHSGxBoCVEIQAvD_BwE

I heard DCL is also doing away with plastic straws and supposedly replacing with paper straws

I wasn't going to post anything, but then decided to post some overall and random thoughts, as I did search for a lot of stuff as well, so hopefully some of these things are useful! Please also don't hesitate to ask questions. I saved the compasses and then forgot them in the room on debarkation morning, but I'll do my best to remember some of the things.

 

Embarkation: We got an email saying it would be delayed until noon due to the customs inspection. However, I didn't really alter my anticipated arrival time and got to the parking garage about 10:45. We were checked in by 11:00 (no lines for that) and waiting in "section 10" (had first time cruisers, so I opted out of the D/D+ area) and onboard by 11:30. No complaints!

 

2-Night Bogo: Went straight to Wonderland to see what they had preplanned for us and to change Jamie's to Wonderland. Wasn't an issue and got what I wanted, Chops for the first night and Wonderland the second. However, we decided to add 2 more people to our reservation for Wonderland. Good thing because I went back to the desk to do this and it turns out the reservation agent made both reservations for the first night. I understand people make mistakes but I asked her to repeat it twice to me and I would hope that the dates are apparent on their screen. Luckily we were able to still dine at our original time the second night. Both restaurants were wonderful and this is definitely worth it. We also tried Izumi ala carte which was definitely worth it as well!

 

MDR: We had various MTD reservations for our group of 7 ranging from 8 to 9pm. We got the same wait staff all but the first time we dined there (3rd night). All of the wait staff were great and the food was actually better than I remember, so no complaints there. We only waited during lobster night on night 8 about 10-15 minutes. I read no so good things about wait times and service and glad to experience none of that during my trip!

 

Live Entertainment: Out of this world! We had such great live entertainers this cruise and I really appreciate Royal for doing this. They include: Matt Yee at the Schooner Bar 7 out of the 9 nights (off the first night and Wednesday). The Royal Swedes Pop and Rock Band played in Boleros and the Music Hall. Wanted the Bon Jovi Tribute band played in the Music Hall and two70. 2 Late Night comedians, the first name slipped my mind but the second was fantastic, Jim David. He preformed a late night and the farewell show.

 

Shows: Since I sailed two years ago, I opted only to see Spectra's Caberet because I love it. I don't need to see the Gift or WWRY ever again!

 

Special Events: 70s night in the Music Hall was the second or third night I believe. There was an Anthem Rocks party in the Music Hall mid cruise, but skipped that. The Silent Disco was night 6. The "Island Night Deck Party" was night 5, St. Maarten. Very disappointed in this. It was held in two70 from 9-10:30 and ended very quickly and the venue immediately closed. There were no deck parties on deck and you can't even get a drink at any outside bar at night, which I think is absolutely ridiculous. You're saying to the Caribbean; people go to be outside and yet nothing is offered at night out there. NCL wins hands down in this area.

 

If you like dancing to the same songs every single night, the DJ spins starting between 11 and 12, depending on other events in the Music Hall. While it's a great venue, the DJ literally did play the same songs every single night, sometimes repeating them the same night. I was also confused by the drink on the dance floor rules. Sometimes they yelled at people for having glasses on the dance floor, sometimes they yelled at everyone including those with aluminum bottles, so the rules were very unclear (I also think they tended to target a certain demographic more than others.) If the objective is no liquid, I get it, but that's absurd in that type of atmosphere. If the objective is no glass, again I get it, so why not give drinks out in plastic cups??

 

I was also very confused by the specialty coffee places. You can get one in La Patisserie, Cafe two70 or at the specialty coffee bar in the beginning of the Windjammer (the only one I didn't try because it was always very busy). I ordered a few iced lattes and every time, they automatically gave me almond milk. I'm not sure why this is the default, but this is a huge safety concern. What if I was allergic to nuts? Not to mention I don't like it at all.

 

In addition, of course you all know about the new straw policy. I get it, I love environmental initiatives. But many of the drinks require mixing or stirring, which they don't do on your behalf. They would give them for frozen drinks of course, but that's it. Not even iced lattes...which they put the lid on but didn't give a straw. Very bizarre. It's like they do without thinking.

 

Drink service: Amazing! During sea days and after ports, we stayed in the solarium and they had multiple roving bartenders (shout-out to Prince Charles!) who made sure you always had a drink in your hand if you wanted. They also had 2 guys with the drink cart roving the pool and upper deck. They usually served those in a free, Malibu sponsored small bucket type-thing. Bartenders in the rest of the bars were also amazing, with the exception of the indoor pool bar. I'm not sure what was wrong with that crew, but I only went twice as I was walking by and made an effort not to go back because they were sour. Although, I might be too if I had to listen to kids scream inside all day.

 

Ports:

Bermuda we did the Devil's Isle Snorkel...great tour but the snorkel area was a little rough this time and less sea life than a different area two years ago.

St. Maarten we did the Beach Rendezvous. Apparently, they usually take you to Orient Bay, but since the hurricane, they don't because there's no restaurant. So they took us to Kim Sha near Simpson's Bay. It was alright. The water wasn't as clear and full of seaweed. The complimentary lunch though, was actually decent. And a bucket of 6 beers was $12. Side note: they were doing construction outside of the port and we were stuck on the bus for almost an hour from the time we got on in the port area to the time we made it out of construction a mile or so down the road. They did extend our time though, giving us our promised 3.5 hours at the beach.

San Juan: we did a segway tour on our own and did a little mojito crawl ending at a rooftop bar, Punto de Vista on top of Hotel Milano. I highly recommend this place for views of the ship and the city as well as drinks and food!

Labadee: I've been there so many times and haven't done the zipline, so I finally tried it. It was great, but I probably wouldn't spend the money on that particular one again. We posted up at the beach just under the beginning part of the zipline and the beach was smooth and the water warm and crystal clear. Lunch was served until 1:30ish, but they did run out of utensils for a long time, so I ended up eating with my hands as much as I could. They also did a great job of keeping the water and beverage station filled.

 

Debarkation: We did self-carry and walked off as soon as they made the announcement at 7:30. No lines to get off the ship and just a small line for customs. People, sign your passports! Almost every single person in my particular customs line had to stop at the request of the agent to sign their passports. Was on the road right before 8.

 

All in all, this was a great cruise and the ship even beat my expectations from before. It's turning into one of my favorite ships. Service was great, food was decent, entertainment was amazing and the special events were okay.

Thanks for the great review. Lots of useful info especially the construction by port in St Maarten and the recommendation of Punto de Vista. I will be on the ship at the end of the month.

Thanks for the review! 343 days until we cruise with RCI for the first time aboard the Anthem. Good to know you're expectations were met, we're looking forward to it.

The no drinks on the dance floor in the Muisc Hall is because of spills and people slipping and falling. Has nothing to do with glass or bottles.

https://takeaction.oceanconservancy.org/page/9195/petition/1?ea.tracking.id=18HPXGSAXX&gclid=CjwKCAjwgYPZBRBoEiwA2XeupdvcTHwVNYSZu51KMJelL-cgyUHbKAMz6Msp76tqh-KAGAYlfHSGxBoCVEIQAvD_BwE

 

Like I said, I applaud the movement. But personally, I prefer to drink all cold drinks with a straw. Doesn't have to be plastic, but if that's the only option, I'm taking it.

The no drinks on the dance floor in the Muisc Hall is because of spills and people slipping and falling. Has nothing to do with glass or bottles.

Completely understandable, but...1. Another reason why they should do deck parties more. 2. I was asked to step off the dance floor with my glass and pointed out that a few others had bottles...they were not asked to step off and the person got very testy with me for trying to understand the rules. Just like with everything else, the rules only apply to some and are arbitrarily enforced.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was also very confused by the specialty coffee places. You can get one in La Patisserie, Cafe two70 or at the specialty coffee bar in the beginning of the Windjammer (the only one I didn't try because it was always very busy). I ordered a few iced lattes and every time, they automatically gave me almond milk. I'm not sure why this is the default, but this is a huge safety concern. What if I was allergic to nuts? Not to mention I don't like it at all.

 

In addition, of course you all know about the new straw policy. I get it, I love environmental initiatives. But many of the drinks require mixing or stirring, which they don't do on your behalf. They would give them for frozen drinks of course, but that's it. Not even iced lattes...which they put the lid on but didn't give a straw. Very bizarre. It's like they do without thinking.

Royal Caribbean really deserves the Darwin Award for this faux pas. Saving the environment my A$$! More like saving the bottom line.

We are sailing on the Anthem 9 day next year. Thank you for the detailed review.

Regarding the no straw thing, are they providing paper straws at least? If not I'll be taking my own stash of straws LOL!!

Regarding the no straw thing, are they providing paper straws at least? If not I'll be taking my own stash of straws LOL!!

Not at this time. If I was drinking repetitively, I would simply remove the straw from the old and put it in the new drink. Bringing your own is a good alternative, but a hassle to carry around, unless you have a bag or something.

We're considering this cruise next May as well - group of about 23! I'm a little intimidated about the size of this ship - yikes!! Glad to hear they have live music to listen to at night! We love to sit and listen to an acoustic performer or a live band. Last few ships we were on they stop by 10-11 p.m. because they play in open areas - kind of disappointing. There's either nothing to do or go to the disco - no thanks!

We're just off the NCL Dawn and they have the same straw policy. I bought plastic straws for our group and they loved them! Worked out well!

Thanks for sharing your review!

Regarding the no straw thing, are they providing paper straws at least? If not I'll be taking my own stash of straws LOL!!

This is when a cruise vacation starts to turn into a camping trip. Then people wonder why nobody dresses for formal night anymore.

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This is when a cruise vacation starts to turn into a camping trip. Then people wonder why nobody dresses for formal night anymore.

 

 

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Speaking to that, I believe I did forget to mention; our group did decide to wear shorts to the dining room on non-formal nights (as well as many other passengers) and were not stopped or asked to put on long pants. I don't believe I disrupted or ruined anyone's meal because of it :cool:

For formal nights, there was a good mix of formal to business casual. We opted for business casual and did not feel out of place or underdressed because of the mix.

Speaking to that, I believe I did forget to mention; our group did decide to wear shorts to the dining room on non-formal nights (as well as many other passengers) and were not stopped or asked to put on long pants. I don't believe I disrupted or ruined anyone's meal because of it :cool:

 

For formal nights, there was a good mix of formal to business casual. We opted for business casual and did not feel out of place or underdressed because of the mix.

My one and only RC cruise to date was in 2001. Back then shorts and jeans were allowed in the MDR on non formal nights. on formal night from what I can remember everyone in the MDR complied to the dress code. I can take or leave formal nights. What I do object to is feeling out of place by either being over dressed or under dressed. The cruise line has done a fantastic job of making passengers feel uncomfortable no matter how they dress that night. From what I have been reading here on the Royal board, I don't think anyone's meal is being ruined by the dress code. It's being ruined by the decline in service and quality of the food.

My one and only RC cruise to date was in 2001. Back then shorts and jeans were allowed in the MDR on non formal nights. on formal night from what I can remember everyone in the MDR complied to the dress code. I can take or leave formal nights. What I do object to is feeling out of place by either being over dressed or under dressed. The cruise line has done a fantastic job of making passengers feel uncomfortable no matter how they dress that night. From what I have been reading here on the Royal board, I don't think anyone's meal is being ruined by the dress code. It's being ruined by the decline in service and quality of the food.

I couldn't care less what other people wear on any night of the cruise, but some people have very vocal opinions about it; they should mind their own business.

I expected a decline in food and service, but was very pleasantly surprised that the food was decent and the service was excellent. Obviously that's hit or miss depending on your specific wait staff and what you order, but I was impressed as I had low expectations after sailing NCL the past couple years.

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!