On Anthem right now - pros and many cons

[Pencruise]

We sailed on Anthem for 12 nights out of Southampton in June. This was the best cruise we ever had and our new favorite ship. I don't know why anyone would say the ship is bad cause it rocks or creaks. No one can control the weather and all ships do this. We had 18-ft seas the 1st 2 days, but it handled it perfectly fine. Better than OTHER ships I have sailed.

 

We experienced the opposite of what the negative things mentioned about service and food. Lines at bumper cars?, They can't help it if there's 1,000 kids onboard for the holiday and they all want to show up at the same time.

 

Other positives- the shows, the ships elegance, the RipCord, the gym was amazing, Jamies and Wonderland both excellent.

 

I'm not discounting anything people observed or have opinions on. We just saw nothing but positives in our cruise and we can't wait to go back on the Anthem.

 

We were on this same sailing and whole-heartedly agree, Anthem is a wonderful ship, cannot wait to sail on her again next year.

[Trainman52]

Why is it so difficult for some participants in these forums to accept the opinions of of others as valid -- good, bad or "meh". Methinks some just enjoy stirring the pot!

Well put. I think that discussions need to focus on what people say rather than devolving to personal attacks on posters. Everyone has different likes and dislikes. That's what has kept Baskin-Robbins in business.

[bigizbootiful]

Lucky to have sailed on Anthem 3 times this year from UK. Thought it was a fantastic ship. Currently on b2b2b on Oasis. Anthem has made Oasis feel very dated. Both are great ships in their own unique ways. Love all of my cruises on RCI as I work hard to be able to go.

 

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[Trainman52]

Sixteen years. Why do you ask?

I can show you dining room menus from the old Home Lines from the late 70s. The meals really were gourmet. If you ordered Lobster, you received lobster not a lobster "tail" or facsimile thereof. On deck you had a reserved deck chair and your own deck steward who attended to whatever you needed. It was not that far off from "The Love Boat" where the staff actually got to know you.

 

Even in the 80s, RCI was still serving lobster and running midnight buffets. When they served lobster, they were served without the claws. A whole station at the buffet had nothing but lobster claws. Granted the midnight buffet was generally a huge waste of money and resources. It then became a few "theme nights". I remember one midnight buffet on Carnival where everyone was lined up for the pre-buffet photo-op. When they got up to the buffet, it was some cakes set up on the cafeteria line. Nowadays, you are lucky if they have one late night party during a 7 night or longer cruise.

 

Yes, we enjoy cruising because it doesn't involve flying and generally gives you the best vacation value. That being said, you need to adjust your expectations if you have been cruising for any length of time.

 

A long answer to a short question.

[emileg]

I can show you dining room menus from the old Home Lines from the late 70s. The meals really were gourmet. If you ordered Lobster, you received lobster not a lobster "tail" or facsimile thereof. On deck you had a reserved deck chair and your own deck steward who attended to whatever you needed. It was not that far off from "The Love Boat" where the staff actually got to know you....

 

Rich: Our first cruise was also on the Home Lines Oceanic in 1976. All you say is true. I remember how difficult it was to decipher the menus: Hawksbill Horticular Bush was a salad. Oh yes, and the deck boys. And the night stewards with a towel hanging from their lower arms at your beck and call.

 

Nevertheless, we too have experienced the evolution of cruising over the past forty years and still LOVE it. No complaints with the one exception of the painfully loud decibel levels in the main theaters, and this is across all cruise lines. However, this one complaint will not stop us from cruising. We take two to three cruises a year.:) Next one is on the Anthem just four weeks from tomorrow. Can't wait!

Edited December 5, 2015 by emileg

[Trainman52]

Have a fantastic time. I approach each cruise with an open mind. I'm paying my money to have a great time, not to complain - believe it or not.

[Life is Good Cruising]

We loved the elegance of the ship. It has the wow factor. Everything throughout is beautiful. We loved the dynamic dining. Some restaurants were better than others but I really liked Silk (food is subjective though). We absolutely loved Jamie's Italian. Wonderland was the best meal we've ever had. Get the server to suggest the food items. They bring a few dishes of each course to share. The servers in these 2 places were top notch. Same wth Silk. One night at Grand there WAS a little hiccup with getting our server assigned to our table and we waited a little bit, but it was a miscommunication. Not a big deal.

 

We really loved the various activities. I usually love the Flow Rider but it was too cold for me. The Ripcord was awesome. Did it 5 times (it's all free. After 1st time, you just show up as stand by and they let you fly). Bumper cars were great. Puzzle Break really fun. North Star was cool, but most of the time there was a pretty long line and we didn't feel like waiting 30 minutes. We finally went when the line wasn't so bad.

 

We loved the Concierge Lounge, but realize not everyone has access to this. I WISH I could have eaten in Coastal Kitchen. Heard it is wonderful.

 

The shows were spectacular. The 270 amazing. Had fun playing progressive Trivia in there. Worked out in the gym most days and that gym is really well equipped. Loved the ambiance of the Royal Esplanade and the Via. Loved Michael's Genuine draft and his pub. Loved the variety of the restaurants.

 

Music Hall always had a lot happening in there. There's even a pool table onboard.

 

We also loved the SeaPlex in general. Ping pong without the ball flying everywhere due to wind and we played Foos ball. If I played Xbox this ship would make me very happy but I don't play it lol.

 

We loved our balcony, but needed extra hangers (a lot LOL).

 

I'm sure I'm leaving stuff out, but you get the idea.

 

Currently on Anthem and couldn't agree with you more, having a great time. We do see the cup being half full. A few hiccups here and there, won't let it stop us from enjoying our cruise.

I hope our paths cross again 😀 and would love to take you & your sweetheart to CK with us on one of our 10 future Anthem sailings

Casino host is looking into 2016 CR events for us CR members on Monday. Saw those crazy color chips you talked about and they are handing them or slot vouchers out for our rebates now, no more "cash".

[derftegel]

We were on the Anthem 11-22-15 sailing. Beautiful ship with small problems which can be adjusted hopefully in time. Prefer other classes in the Royal Caribbean fleet which we are glad we have the option to choose, which we will continue to do.

 

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[Cuizer2]

I can show you dining room menus from the old Home Lines from the late 70s. The meals really were gourmet. If you ordered Lobster, you received lobster not a lobster "tail" or facsimile thereof. On deck you had a reserved deck chair and your own deck steward who attended to whatever you needed. It was not that far off from "The Love Boat" where the staff actually got to know you.

 

Even in the 80s, RCI was still serving lobster and running midnight buffets. When they served lobster, they were served without the claws. A whole station at the buffet had nothing but lobster claws. Granted the midnight buffet was generally a huge waste of money and resources. It then became a few "theme nights". I remember one midnight buffet on Carnival where everyone was lined up for the pre-buffet photo-op. When they got up to the buffet, it was some cakes set up on the cafeteria line. Nowadays, you are lucky if they have one late night party during a 7 night or longer cruise.

 

Yes, we enjoy cruising because it doesn't involve flying and generally gives you the best vacation value. That being said, you need to adjust your expectations if you have been cruising for any length of time.

 

A long answer to a short question.

 

All of that is still available. You just have to go on the lines that still offer that kind of service. It is just that the lines that are charging the same as they did 20-30 years ago have to cut back to continue to make a profit.

[Trainman52]

All of that is still available. You just have to go on the lines that still offer that kind of service. It is just that the lines that are charging the same as they did 20-30 years ago have to cut back to continue to make a profit.

Absolutely

[funfamilyfun]

We just got off this cruise as well and, honestly, the biggest issue is the drink service at dinner. That is really the only issue we had. Our main dining room servers were mostly very good. One guy was clueless or didn't understand us and that was a bit of an "off" dinner. That was also Thankgiving night so it was extra crowded. There was consistently a lack of drink service at dinners but if that's going to ruin your vacation, then I think there are bigger problems. We never waited more than 5 minutes for our table at any of our dinners with pre-reserved times of either 6 or 6:30pm. I found the staff on the ship to mostly be adequately pleasant and helpful with maybe 25% going out of their way or providing exceptional service. There were no grumpy employees that I met. There was a distinct "that's not my job" kind of attitude amongst many. I was annoyed seeing all the dirty cups, plates around all the time and found it incredible that staff member after staff member would walk right past trash on the group or piles of cups/dishes everywhere. .

 

This has happened to us and we just started bringing our own drinks to the dining room. It doesn't make sense, because they would make more money if you purchased drinks from them!

[sblair]

This has happened to us and we just started bringing our own drinks to the dining room. It doesn't make sense, because they would make more money if you purchased drinks from them!

 

In the old days, yes. But that is not true any more. Everyone still has the image of the old days with servers constantly wandering the ship with trays filled with cocktails and well-staffed bars.

 

With that image in mind they sell everyone on the various beverage plans ahead of time. Once you have a large percentage of people on the ship on a drink plan, if you want to maximize profit then you make it as hard as possible for people to actually get a drink since at this point the ship is "giving" most of them away. Every drink that doesn't get served is profit in their pocket for people on beverage plans. Even better, you can then cut back on servers and bar staff on the ship. Even more profit then because you've cut staffing and overhead! In fact, this seems to be exactly what is occurring based on the numerous reports over the last few years.

[AdvGirl]

In the old days, yes. But that is not true any more. Everyone still has the image of the old days with servers constantly wandering the ship with trays filled with cocktails and well-staffed bars.

 

 

 

With that image in mind they sell everyone on the various beverage plans ahead of time. Once you have a large percentage of people on the ship on a drink plan, if you want to maximize profit then you make it as hard as possible for people to actually get a drink since at this point the ship is "giving" most of them away. Every drink that doesn't get served is profit in their pocket for people on beverage plans. Even better, you can then cut back on servers and bar staff on the ship. Even more profit then because you've cut staffing and overhead! In fact, this seems to be exactly what is occurring based on the numerous reports over the last few years.

 

 

Agree, yes instead of having to work hard to sell drinks, they just sell a package that most will never break close to even on. I was just reading how the current NCL promotions that give away either drink or specialty dining. Because most people sailing have one or both NCL is not able to deliver. So even though you can in theory eat in any restaurant you choose - the truth is there is not enough room so by day one all the for fee restaurants are booked. Also like RCL bars are under staffed and you have to work very hard to get a drink.

 

So it is very much like the airlines overbooking - except with the cruise lines you have no recourse.

 

I do think that the cruise lines do care about service. So I think the pendulum will swing back some.

[akcruz]

In the old days, yes. But that is not true any more. Everyone still has the image of the old days with servers constantly wandering the ship with trays filled with cocktails and well-staffed bars.

 

With that image in mind they sell everyone on the various beverage plans ahead of time. Once you have a large percentage of people on the ship on a drink plan, if you want to maximize profit then you make it as hard as possible for people to actually get a drink since at this point the ship is "giving" most of them away. Every drink that doesn't get served is profit in their pocket for people on beverage plans. Even better, you can then cut back on servers and bar staff on the ship. Even more profit then because you've cut staffing and overhead! In fact, this seems to be exactly what is occurring based on the numerous reports over the last few years.

 

While I do agree with most of what you stated, I am assuming the poster you quoted either brings their drinks from the diamond/suite lounge or from wine, etc that they brought on board themselves. By doing this Royal is in fact loosing out on a drink purchase. With the new vouchers on C&A members accounts it is very easy to get a drink at one of the bars close the dining room and bring your "free" drink to the dining room.

[mluzzy1]

After reading all this negativity , I'm just going to have to prove you all wrong the next 12 days:)

 

Of course , people always ask me , after learning I like to cruise, "have you ever had a BAD cruise?"

 

I'm not sure that I have. Sure we have had issues like any guest , but I am realistic too.If a restaurant or venue is crowded , we just make sure we go early and avoid peak times. If we have a consistently bad server , we let their manager or the Hotel Director know. I am hopeful that this will be an enjoyable cruise and excited to experience the Quantum Class ships. I'll update with my humble opinion when we are back.

 

 

Just off Anthem off an enjoyable 12 nights:)

 

Just a few quick observations -

 

Embarkation was 10 minutes from curb to ship arriving at about 10:55am (scheduled was 11:30)

 

We ate in Windjammer(a couple days for breakfast,2 or 3 lunches and 2 evenings),Chops,Devinly Decadent,Coastal Cuisine,Sorrentos and American Icon. Happy to report that people in all venues we visited , cared. Things are never perfect but they were pretty darn good and if it wasn't we spoke up nicely and it was addressed.

 

My dry aged porterhouse at Chops was the best steak i've had on land or sea and well worth the additional 19.00.

 

Service and food in Coastal was awesome. (we were in a JS so only enjoyed dinner there)

Where else does the Chef (Chef Alex) take special requests when he sees you about during the day and have it waiting for you when you come in? Cristina , our server was phenomenal and Shahla and Roxana our Hostesses were pretty darn great too.

 

The ship is stunning and fun. The technology worked except for the internet in our cabin.(low wifi issue that they are working on in some cabins) Internet throughout the rest of the ship was fast and reliable. 270 is the best space at sea.

 

Spectra's Cabaret , and the Virtual Symphony were a treat to watch there.

 

The pool deck spread over three areas handles the crowds nicely on sea days. The solarium is quiet and beautiful. Jets/Giants on the big screen by the pool last Sunday was great fun. Sea Plex is also a fun spot that I remembered toward the end of the cruise. There was so much to do and see it was hard to fit it in even on a 12 night! I did roller-skate for the first time in 30 years:)

 

As we sat in the hot tub one last time last night before dinner , my wife and I pondered our overall rating from 1-10. If I were to go by actual cruise plus effort put forth by the crew to make it a ten , RCCL would get a 10. There were minor food/service hiccups. As we always have done , we calmly gave the appropriate people a heads up - in every case it was taken care of quickly and happily. Contrary to what I heard prior to sailing - there are many friendly and attentive crew members. Remember it goes both ways. It's ok to say Hi first every now and then. Also good to let them fix an issue.

 

We left this morning happy and feeling like we had gotten a good vacation at a reasonable price. Coincidentally we were off the ship and through customs by 6:35 am. We came down at 6:10 and there were already about 100 people in line to walk off. They started at 6:25 and it was painless and fast.

Edited December 12, 2015 by mluzzy1

[jonj]

Thank you for your review mluzzy1. I think it would be a good idea to have it in its own thread so that people worried about the negative reviews can read a positive one. Did you happen to keep the compass'? I would love to see them if you did

[Dave85]

Just off Anthem off an enjoyable 12 nights:)

 

...

 

We left this morning happy and feeling like we had gotten a good vacation at a reasonable price. Coincidentally we were off the ship and through customs by 6:35 am. We came down at 6:10 and there were already about 100 people in line to walk off. They started at 6:25 and it was painless and fast.

 

 

Thanks for sharing your review! Our experience on the previous12-night was a lot closer to yours than to what people are describing in the negative reviews.

[beachnative]

Just off Anthem off an enjoyable 12 nights:)

 

Just a few quick observations -

 

Embarkation was 10 minutes from curb to ship arriving at about 10:55am (scheduled was 11:30)

 

We ate in Windjammer(a couple days for breakfast,2 or 3 lunches and 2 evenings),Chops,Devinly Decadent,Coastal Cuisine,Sorrentos and American Icon. Happy to report that people in all venues we visited , cared. Things are never perfect but they were pretty darn good and if it wasn't we spoke up nicely and it was addressed.

 

My dry aged porterhouse at Chops was the best steak i've had on land or sea and well worth the additional 19.00.

 

Service and food in Coastal was awesome. (we were in a JS so only enjoyed dinner there)

Where else does the Chef (Chef Alex) take special requests when he sees you about during the day and have it waiting for you when you come in? Cristina , our server was phenomenal and Shahla and Roxana our Hostesses were pretty darn great too.

 

The ship is stunning and fun. The technology worked except for the internet in our cabin.(low wifi issue that they are working on in some cabins) Internet throughout the rest of the ship was fast and reliable. 270 is the best space at sea.

 

Spectra's Cabaret , and the Virtual Symphony were a treat to watch there.

 

The pool deck spread over three areas handles the crowds nicely on sea days. The solarium is quiet and beautiful. Jets/Giants on the big screen by the pool last Sunday was great fun. Sea Plex is also a fun spot that I remembered toward the end of the cruise. There was so much to do and see it was hard to fit it in even on a 12 night! I did roller-skate for the first time in 30 years:)

 

As we sat in the hot tub one last time last night before dinner , my wife and I pondered our overall rating from 1-10. If I were to go by actual cruise plus effort put forth by the crew to make it a ten , RCCL would get a 10. There were minor food/service hiccups. As we always have done , we calmly gave the appropriate people a heads up - in every case it was taken care of quickly and happily. Contrary to what I heard prior to sailing - there are many friendly and attentive crew members. Remember it goes both ways. It's ok to say Hi first every now and then. Also good to let them fix an issue.

 

We left this morning happy and feeling like we had gotten a good vacation at a reasonable price. Coincidentally we were off the ship and through customs by 6:35 am. We came down at 6:10 and there were already about 100 people in line to walk off. They started at 6:25 and it was painless and fast.

 

We totally agree with everything you wrote (also just off the Anthem). Fortunately for us, we had as near a perfect 10 cruise as we have ever had.:)

[CaroleV]

We just got off of the 12 day this morning too. I also give the ship a 10. The ship is just beautiful. 270 is stunning as is the solarium. The was so much going on that we barely had time to eat dinner. We never had reservations & never had a wait for a table for 2. Was not crazy about the food at Silk & only ate there once. Devine Decadence was surprisingly good & a nice change from the other 4 free restaurants. The entertainment was fabulous. I found this to be a less friendly cruise than our others out of New York due, I think, to the large amount of non-english speakers. Not a problem, just an observation that every cruise has its own personality that can change from week to week. In short we loved it & booked the Anthem for the same time next year.

[OfTheSeasCruiser]

To everyone that's been on Anthem:

 

How's the crew? As friendly as they are on the other ships? For me, they can really help make a cruise so much more enjoyable.

[CaroleV]

The bar team in Bolero's were great. Due to open seating we had different wait staffs at each restaurant. We would strike up a conversation about how they like the ship or how long they were with RCCL & most were glad to express opinions. Some were friendlier than others but we found service good all over, even in the Windjammer.

[morningtroll]

I think Royal Caribbean in general is having food services staffing problems. I sailed the Jewel three times in a year, the food and service were excellent in December, average in July and horrible by September. My brother is on the Oasis right now on a B2b and reported that they didn't have his seating, and when he finally got that settled after a lengthy wait the service was so bad he walked out and didn't go back. He ended up in specialty restaurants and the WJ.

 

So I don't think the bad food and service is an Anthem problem.

 

As for the poster that had inedible food, I would lose it all over Royal, both in the ship and after I got off. Talk to the Matre'd, that is his/her job. I did in September after the fourth day of cold and gross food I had to send back. It fixed that problem.

[AdvGirl]

I think Royal Caribbean in general is having food services staffing problems. I sailed the Jewel three times in a year, the food and service were excellent in December, average in July and horrible by September. My brother is on the Oasis right now on a B2b and reported that they didn't have his seating, and when he finally got that settled after a lengthy wait the service was so bad he walked out and didn't go back. He ended up in specialty restaurants and the WJ.

 

So I don't think the bad food and service is an Anthem problem.

 

As for the poster that had inedible food, I would lose it all over Royal, both in the ship and after I got off. Talk to the Matre'd, that is his/her job. I did in September after the fourth day of cold and gross food I had to send back. It fixed that problem.

 

I completely agree. If food is cold, not properly prepared or is inedible then oh my gosh please say something. If all the food was bad and service was awful and every passenger complained - something would change and fast.

 

Give Royal a chance to fix things. :eek:

 

My mom always told me you catch more flys with honey. When I complain I always start by asking for help. People like to help better then being bi???ed at.

[poncho1973]

I think that goes most any place. If you attack, you get defense. If you ask for help or something to be corrected, you get helped.

 

If people would stop with the sense of entitlement and demands, while simply asking for a correction in a reasonable/kind way, the overwhelming number of problems wouldn't be problems at all.

 

I don't work in a service type job, but I promise if someone says to me "I'm having a problem, could you help me figure out why this..." instead of "Wow, you stink! You blew this and I need you to..." we will all have a better time.

[AdvGirl]

I think that goes most any place. If you attack, you get defense. If you ask for help or something to be corrected, you get helped.

 

If people would stop with the sense of entitlement and demands, while simply asking for a correction in a reasonable/kind way, the overwhelming number of problems wouldn't be problems at all.

 

I don't work in a service type job, but I promise if someone says to me "I'm having a problem, could you help me figure out why this..." instead of "Wow, you stink! You blew this and I need you to..." we will all have a better time.

 

I could not agree more. So so true!

 

In previous post I said "if you do not like something complain" - I would like to change to that statement to say "inform RCL kindly and ask for help"

Edited December 14, 2015 by AdvGirl
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