Better Late than Never, 1/3-1/15 Review on Anthem

[kjclosson]

Better Late Than Never...Anthem 1/3-1-15 With Pictures ( can only post 6 in a post, so there will be multiple posts)

 

Wish we still there, not loving this New England weather....

 

4 of us Traveling ,

Myself(32), DH(35) my parents(62,72) coming from Rhode Island

 

Room# 8638(Grand Suite) & 9644(Balcony) both had balconies on the hump, starboard.

 

2 Platinum and 2 Emerald, 1 Casino VIP

 

DH and my father did the Premium Drink Package and my mother and I don't drink so we split the Evian water package. Well worth the money for our family, with about 3 days to go we had surpassed the cost of breaking even on drinks. We could have used CL more often but we found ourselves busy and never went there to take advantage of the free drinks. (On a seperate note, friends invited us to go on Carnival in February, we can't go for work reasons but I wanted to bring up the point about their drink package, if one of us wanted to get the package but the other didn't because I don't drink, both of us have to get the package according to their rules. I understand why, but for someone not trying to cheat the system, I just don't enjoy drinking, it would be a total waste. Even though DH says he could drink for both of us, he probably wouldn't remember any of the cruise if he tried.

 

 

Jan 2

Park, Stay and Cruise Rate at the Country Inn & Suites. This rate included room, breakfast, secure parking for your car for duration of the stay and shuttle to and from the hotel to the port. At check-in we asked for the early shuttle, which we assigned and had to let them know how many bags we had with us. They only allowed so many people per shuttle so there was some advanced planning.

 

The hotel is part of a cluster of hotels close to Newark Intl Airport and across the street from Jersey Mills Outlets and options for dinner. We walked around the indoor outlets and had dinner at a Chili's located in the mall.

 

 

Jan 3

Next morning we went down to the lobby about a half hour before assigned pick up time, driver came in and asked for our slip with our assigned time and amt of luggage. We boarded up with another 6-8 people and 25 minutes later we were at the port.

 

 

Embarkation

The checking in of our baggage was a little chaotic. There wasn't any real line and the RCI employees who put the luggage tags on and take your luggage didn't say anything or give us any direction. It was sort of get in his face with your stuff and he would wait on you next. We were patient and let those impatient people push their way in front. I mean it was 11:30 so the ship wasn't going anywhere.

 

Found an agent inside, answered the standard questions, took probably less than 5 minutes to do that and walk through security.

 

 

 

Walked around and acclimated ourselves to the ship, grabbed a bite at Windjammer and then headed up to our rooms which by now we're open.

 

 

 

Cabins 8638 & 9644

Both cabins were decorated nicely with clean lines and great use of space. Plenty of storage for all our belongings and luggage. I'm not shy about packing for a cruise, I always have at least 6-8 pairs of shoes and at least 2 outfits per day so if I can jam all that into the wardrobes provided for a 12 night cruise then there is plenty of space. I asked our steward to call maintenance because we wanted the temp lowered on our ac because 68 degrees wasn't cold enough for us, but it is locked at that temp as the lowest setting. Maintenance said 68 was plenty cold enough to which I disagreed but there was nothing he could do for us. I had brought an old rewards card from a pharmacy and left that in our key holder and read something on CC about constant movement in front of the vents would keep the ac running as though the room was occupied because the sensor knows when the room is unoccupied. (I always bring tape, stapler and scissors on all trips because you never know what you might need) so taped some tp in front of the ac and they fluttered without issue for the remainder of the trip. I want to believe it worked because when I would check the thermostat it lists what the temp is set at and what the actual temp is and on a few occasions I saw that we had gotten it down to 66 which was better. Even if I only thought it worked it made me feel better. Yes I know I'm a little neurotic.

 

 

Ship

We absolutely loved the ship, it didn't feel that much different in style to us than older ships, just new and fresh. I never felt like I was with 4000+ people all at once. I was in awe of its size in comparison to other ships when we were in ports of call. The shear length and magnitude dwarfed the other ships, and those ships weren't small by any means.

 

We really enjoyed the Music Hall, Casino Royale, 270 and the Royal Esplanade. they were always bustling with people in a good way. Plenty of "people watching" and seating to just hang out.

 

 

Our favorite bar was the Schooner Bar for great service and all that Trivia during the 13 days. We never felt like we had to wait long for a drink in any of the bars. Maybe 3-5 minutes tops if the bartenders were busy, and that was only around dinner time.

 

 

Food

As for the food we didn't go to the dining rooms except once to Americon Icon and we were disappointed in the quality. We ended up leaving heifer finishing and heading over to Coastal Kitchen for a late dinner. During the entire cruise it never seemed busy in there and food was always hot, delicious and cooked to our liking. We found that to be where we ate dinner almost every night. If not there then we had room service from Coastal Kitchen delivered.

 

We loved Chops Grille and when it wasn't too busy Solarium Bistro (formerly Divinely Decadence) was a nice change of pace. Johnny Rockets was good for a hot, cooked to order burger and real French fries. On other RCI ships we have paid a flat fee $4.95 I think to eat there. We were fine with the prices, $2.50 for burgers and $1.50 for fries or onion rings. They had a combo with a soda for $5. We all found that to be reasonable and a nice alternative to sit down meals all the time.

 

Windjammer was very good for breakfast as long as you took the time to head to the back, where there was always plenty of seating and the omelet station was never busy. On other occasions when we went to the Windjammer, I always grabbed the place settings for all of us and headed towards the back and found seats without issue. I found the waitstaff efficient in cleaning tables, always asking if I needed anything and someone helped me carry my drinks when I was struggling and pushed my chair in while I sat which was unexpected and appreciated. They always greeted us warmly and usually spent a few minutes on general chit-chat.

 

My only problem with the Windjammer was that I wish the crew could stop people from entering the Windjammer if they refused to wash their hands. More than a few times I saw and heard, "I just washed them" (you may have washed your hands in the room but then you probably touched handrails, elevator buttons etc etc after that) then walking right by or walking right through the hand washing station without washing hands. It takes all of 30 seconds to do that and it prevents so much contamination. I had to alert one of the cooks in the Windjammer after I watched a woman use her fingers to fish out asparagus out of a mixed vegetable pan instead of the tongs. He had to throw it away and then I felt bad but I couldn't let it go unnoticed.

 

 

Shows & Music

We went to a variety of the available shows and I would say we liked 75% of them, which was good, we prefer to head to bars and listen to music but there was lots of entertainment for everyone and it would be pretty hard to not like all that was offered. We really enjoyed the CD's staff and their nightly offerings usually in the Music Hall, and some sort of game with others.

 

We loved the Beatles cover band, very authentic and great sound. Katrina Love and Synergy are the best, high energy, current top music, great interaction with the crowds.

 

 

Activities

We didn't sign up for iFly, just something we weren't into, but watched lots of folks they seemed to enjoy it.

 

Northstar was great, took lots of great pictures. I signed up for 6:00pm on the last day at port, great timing because on the way back to Bayonne, weather deteriorated and Northstar was no more.

 

 

We live for trivia, so we did that multiple times a day, got my share of Northstar bags, RCI water bottles, RCI hats as prizes.

 

We did Bingo throughout the cruise, but not everyday, but we always do the last day for snowball jackpot. My father kept going on about how he only had 3 numbers left, then 2, then 1 and then he actually yelled BINGO! And it was legit, all the while I'm telling my mother to double check because we don't want to be the people to get the BONGO! It was legit and he walked away with $3954!![emoji12][emoji3]. Our good luck continued, my mother "earned" a free cruise in the casino and then on St Maarten she hit for $1000 in a casino only because she got too hot and wanted to sit somewhere cool and wait for me to finish shopping. So we were feeling really good by the end of this cruise.

 

 

 

Ports of Call

 

Labadee is one of our favorites and is most often why we choose a certain itinerary. The cabanas are a must if you can afford it. The views, service, and gorgeous setting is unmatched. Food provided was very nice on the suite beach, our attendant was great, always checking on us, getting anything we needed. Swept out our sand, new dry towels, very pleasant and appreciative. We recognized Franklin another attendant from our last cruise and was nice to chat with him a bit.

 

 

San Juan, PR seems to always be on our itinerary and we have done Old San Juan so we like to walk the streets a bit usually up to the Hard Rock. I love to haggle for a counterfeit handbag and wallet, not sure why but I do. DH got a new handmade leather belt, had it sized and was really nice. And of course we went to CVS for a couple snacks to have back in the cabin. Leaving at night was nice, pretty to see it all light up, some still in Christmas colors too.

 

 

St Maarten never gets old to me, the shopping, the snorkeling, etc etc. We had an early excursion, snorkeling off a catamaran right near the floating tiki excursion. Lots of great stuff to see at the bottom like the helicopter. The dock was close to the ship so on our return we went back to the ship, showered grabbed lunch then headed out and grabbed a taxi to front street for $3 a person, totally worth it not to walk. Picked up cigarettes for a friend back home, few bottles of Guavaberry and some other booze people asked us for. We always go to Kays Fine Jewelry, they have a few stores in a couple different islands. My father has been buying jewelry for my mother from them for 25 years and we find their staff to be friendly and accommodating. My DH and father enjoy the free beer while we look around. We always end up buying something there anyway. It was our 8th wedding anniversary while on this trip and I got a nice anniversary gift from DH while we were there.

 

Martinique was new for us, never been there before, a little underwhelming coming from St Maarten. On and off showers while we were there, checked out the pop up tent shops right along the dock. Then walked to the cement open air building that had lots of individual stalls. I wanted some spices and I always try and get something handmade, like a wooden keychain in the shape of the island. I ended up getting 2 things for $7 total and I have the woman a $10 and told her to keep the change. She didn't harass me or push me to look at anything and I took my time and chose what I wanted. It's a rare thing to not be pushed into buying something. She didn't understand and when I reiterated that it was a tip she gave me a hug and kiss and a magnet from her shop. I didn't expect all that but it felt nice that she understood what I was trying to tell her. Although the port wasn't much I found the people to be pleasant and was glad I got off to look around.

 

 

Barbados was another stop we had never been to and I had done my research, the Boatyard was the place for us. $15 per person included 2 chairs, umbrella, 2 drinks and a ride back to the port. We got off the ship early and grabbed a taxi to the Boatyard with a few other people. After paying we had our choice of a few hundred chairs, only 10-15 people were there before us. We sat to the right side of the pier, less people and more swimming space. The sand was as fine and as soft as sugar with no shells, no seaweed. And the water was clear, warm and with soft waves. It was literal paradise. I could see horses down the beach being kept cool in the ocean and just felt the most relaxed thus far on the trip. We enjoy snorkeling so we did that for a bit, grabbed some sand dollars while tiny silver fish swam inches from us until we got hungry. They had a decent menu and we enjoyed chicken tenders for the first time on the trip, which I thought was weird that I never saw any at windjammer. We saw a lot of the crew from the ship enjoying their day at the beach too. After lunch some more laying around then just floating in the water for a few hours, talking with new found friends until around 3pm. We grabbed our ride back to the port, walked through the shops, and I discovered Cariloha the shop that makes clothing and products out of bamboo. Resisted the urge to buy everything there and went to another shop for some Mount Gay rum. Realized that Barbados might be our new favorite island, I couldn't get over how beautiful the beach and the water was.

 

 

St Kitts and Nevis was a nice ending to our list of ports. DH wasn't feeling too good or otherwise we might have done an excursion. My parents chose to take the last railway in the Caribbean for a tour. They were not disappointed, saw lots of the countryside, smiling and waving families and a nice history of the island. Plus each car had its own bar, so that didn't hurt. We walked around the shopping area, watched the monkeys being adorable for their picture opportunities with patrons and just enjoyed our last port day. I found some cute dog shirts for my dogs and saw that Cariloha shop again. This time I did buy a fabric headband, baseball cap and scarf. I was sorely tempted to buy all new bath towels and sheets but I plan on getting them now that I am home. Back on the ship we did the Northstar at sunset before departing the island.

 

 

We really enjoyed the long cruise, it gave us a chance to relax for the first few days on the way down then all those beautiful ports and then a 3 day wind down on the way back. We are pretty sure we cannot do anything less than a 9 night anymore. The longer the trip the better we feel.

 

 

We did notice that the longer the trip the less children which was nice, never really saw anyone out of control or acting up. Some of the older crowd that comes with longer trips were "Debbie Downers" and looked for things they didn't like and then complained about it to anyone who would listen. Observed at 270, older woman standing over a couple finishing their lunch, as soon as they stood up to leave she grabbed their table (understandable, lunch was a busy time) however she proceeds to be loud on purpose about how ridiculous it was that no one had cleaned the table yet. There was no chance to clean it yet, she sat immediately, looked around exasperated and repeated out loud how this was unacceptable. Meanwhile this has been a whole 30 seconds to a minute since she sat down. Then she took the dirty dishes to a clean table and plopped them down there, for someone else to clean up. I believe the irony was lost on her but I just sat there and observed petty behavior. A separate incident on our last day I was on an elevator with an older woman and middle aged couple. Couple said out loud to the elevator as a whole, "great cruise right?, too bad it's over" to which I agreed and then older woman said, "not me, I'm never getting on this ship again, it's too big, too much to see and do". Couple and I exchanged glances and that was the end of that. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion it just seemed unnecessary and as though she couldn't wait to tell someone she didn't enjoy this 12 night stress free vacation.

 

As a family we run a business and any time we get to spend away with each other is a blessing. It would have taken an awful lot to ruin this vacation for us. We met some wonderful people and are now keeping in touch. We also rebooked for next January on the Anthem for another 12 night, with a different itinerary. Already counting down the days til next cruise........

 

Thanks for reading my never ending review.

 

Katie

[kjclosson]

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[kjclosson]

 

 

 

[kjclosson]

 

 

 

 

 

[kjclosson]

 

 

 

 

[kjclosson]

 

 

[CruisingChick]

Jan 2

Park, Stay and Cruise Rate at the Country Inn & Suites. This rate included room, breakfast, secure parking for your car for duration of the stay and shuttle to and from the hotel to the port. At check-in we asked for the early shuttle, which we assigned and had to let them know how many bags we had with us. They only allowed so many people per shuttle so there was some advanced planning.

 

The hotel is part of a cluster of hotels close to Newark Intl Airport and across the street from Jersey Mills Outlets and options for dinner. We walked around the indoor outlets and had dinner at a Chili's located in the mall.

 

 

Jan 3

Next morning we went down to the lobby about a half hour before assigned pick up time, driver came in and asked for our slip with our assigned time and amt of luggage. We boarded up with another 6-8 people and 25 minutes later we were at the port.

 

Katie

 

Hi thanks for taking the time to review your cruise. Did you have to call the hotel directly to get this package or is there a special website you use.

 

Also I didn't see you mention getting off the ship. Did it take long for them to pick you back up to take you back to your car?

 

Thanks so much.

Edited January 27, 2016 by CruisingChick

[kjclosson]

Another CC member mentioned it to me, there are 3rd party websites you can use but the best rate ended up being directly through Country Inn and Suites.

 

Here is the link to the rates page for that specific hotel we used.

 

http://www.countryinns.com/reservation/rateSearch.do?rateSearchForm.crossBrandSearch=searchCrossBrand&rateSearchForm.redemptionSearch=false&rateSearchForm.checkinDate=01%2F28%2F2016&rateSearchForm.checkoutDate=01%2F29%2F2016&rateSearchForm.viewAllRates=true&rateSearchForm.forcedHotelSearch=true&rateSearchForm.hotelCode=NJNEWARK&rateSearchForm.numberRooms=1&rateSearchForm.o%5B0%5D.a=1&rateSearchForm.o%5B0%5D.c=0&rateSearchForm.o%5B1%5D.a=1&rateSearchForm.o%5B1%5D.c=0&rateSearchForm.o%5B2%5D.a=1&rateSearchForm.o%5B2%5D.c=0&rateSearchForm.o%5B3%5D.a=1&rateSearchForm.o%5B3%5D.c=0&rateSearchForm.o%5B4%5D.a=1&rateSearchForm.o%5B4%5D.c=0&rateSearchForm.o%5B5%5D.a=1&rateSearchForm.o%5B5%5D.c=0&rateSearchForm.o%5B6%5D.a=1&rateSearchForm.o%5B6%5D.c=0&rateSearchForm.o%5B7%5D.a=1&rateSearchForm.o%5B7%5D.c=0&rateSearchForm.o%5B8%5D.a=1&rateSearchForm.o%5B8%5D.c=0&rateSearchForm.rmcCode=&rateSearchForm.smartBox=&rateSortFilter=(sort(availableRates))

 

There are a lot of rates, and vary on length of time as well.

 

 

As a suite guest we could wait in Chops Grille for disembarkation, and you get to leave by 7:30am. We were a little late so we walked out around 8:45am on our own. There were no lines to leave, scanned our seapass and headed through the building down the escalator to the large room where your luggage is set up by number you were given on your luggage tags. The night before you are disembarking they give you new luggage tags with numbers depending on when you need to leave the ship, if you filled out the paper that said you had a flight at 10am you would obviously get an earlier number for example. There were plenty of luggage porters and they took all our luggage to the next room where we would go through customs. The ship provided customs paperwork and we filled it out accordingly. They ask about fruit, liquor, cigarettes, etc.

 

We were told to hang onto our carbon copy of our shuttle slip and when we left the ship to give them a call and let them know you were off the ship. When I called the shuttle driver immediately picked up and told us to go to C parking area outside. Our porter knew where to go, it was all of 20 yards from the main exit, our shuttle driver was there but that shuttle was full. He assured us the next one was on its way. We waited probably less than 10 minutes and another shuttle arrived. We loaded up and he asked for the carbon copy slip to make sure we were in the right shuttle headed to the right place. We were back at the hotel in 15 minutes.

 

After packing up our car, we left the hotel at 9:50am and the traffic was a breeze through NY. Might be the best time of day, late morning, we were in Westport, CT for lunch at 11am and home in Rhode Island at 12:30pm. Might have been the fastest we have ever gotten home from NY.

[jonj]

Thank you for the review and photos. Can you provide more information on the concierge lounge / benefits of the suite on this ship?

 

For example what time was the bar open in the concierge lounge for suite guests. I know it may change once the new suite benefits go int effect in May but curious on what they were now. What was offered? I have seen info on other ships but haven't seen suite info on the Anthem about this or what the drink options were. May be out there and I simply missed it for this particular ship. Was soda available all day?

 

Coastal Kitchen - did they provide soda, beer and wine at no charge? I am reading mixed reviews on whether it is included or not from other ships that have this option but haven't found anything specific to Anthem yet.

 

I am not a big drinker and only have a glass of wine here and there and I know the drink packages will not be worth it to me but it may be worth it for my husband depending on what is included with being in a full suite

 

Thank you

Edited January 27, 2016 by jonj

[sammydh82]

Thank you for the great review! Glad to hear you had a wonderful cruise :)

 

We were just wondering if you happened to have any pictures of your cabin, 9644? My parents are going to be in 10244 on our upcoming Anthem cruise in May and it is the same size cabin/balcony!

 

Thanks in advance!

[robtulipe]

My only problem with the Windjammer was that I wish the crew could stop people from entering the Windjammer if they refused to wash their hands. More than a few times I saw and heard, "I just washed them" (you may have washed your hands in the room but then you probably touched handrails, elevator buttons etc etc after that) then walking right by or walking right through the hand washing station without washing hands. It takes all of 30 seconds to do that and it prevents so much contamination. Katie

 

There are toilets facilities right outside the WJ so if one uses that to wash their hands then they shouldn't have to wash their hands again 15 seconds later when entering. There are power door openers on both toilet facilities so one does not touch a door with their hands when leaving these.

Also the ship's staff cannot force a passenger to clean their hands before entering any restaurant. I know you used could stop in your post. I saw one staff member on another ship, likely a new employee, who continuously argued with passengers that they must use the sanitizing lotion before entering the WJ. This was not on a Quantum class ship so there wasn't a hand washing facility at the entrance. Turn out some passengers were very sensitive to the sanitizing lotion and would wash their hand at the near by toilet facility. I saw one passenger who spoke to the WJ's manager about this crew member harrasing, said he was going to log a formal written complaint against him since it was happening every time with this greeter when he was entering the WJ. After that episode that crew member only suggested that the sanitizer be used.

 

Your review of the same cruise we were on was a nice read. Thanks

Edited January 27, 2016 by robtulipe

[robtulipe]

Hi thanks for taking the time to review your cruise. Did you have to call the hotel directly to get this package or is there a special website you use.

 

Also I didn't see you mention getting off the ship. Did it take long for them to pick you back up to take you back to your car?

 

Thanks so much.

 

We did the cruise package at the County Inn & Suites, Elizabeth, NJ four years ago when we drove to our cruise out of Port Liberty and it worked out OK.

This time we got a package at Ramada Plaza Newark Airport through

http://www.trinityreservations.com/

For $202 including all taxes we got a stay, park and cruise package that included a very nice room for up to four people, up to 21 days secured gated parking and shuttle to from the port. Breakfast was not included with that rate but the room had Keurig coffee maker. There was a hotel restaurant but we didn't bother using it in the morning as we knew we would have plenty to eat shortly. :D

We had a 10am on time shuttle to the port and their shuttle was there when we got to the curb just after 8am even though we had a 9am pickup. We were off the ship and through Border Protection and Custom in less than 15 minute once our tag # was announced at around 7:50.

Also this hotel is half the distance from the port than is the Country Inn.

Edited January 27, 2016 by robtulipe

[Guest maddycat]

Embarkation

The checking in of our baggage was a little chaotic. There wasn't any real line and the RCI employees who put the luggage tags on and take your luggage didn't say anything or give us any direction. It was sort of get in his face with your stuff and he would wait on you next. We were patient and let those impatient people push their way in front. I mean it was 11:30 so the ship wasn't going anywhere.

Katie

 

The luggage handlers are not RCI employees. They are longshoremen and work for the port.

Edited January 27, 2016 by maddycat

[CruisingChick]

We did the cruise package at the County Inn & Suites, Elizabeth, NJ four years ago when we drove to our cruise out of Port Liberty and it worked out OK.

This time we got a package at Ramada Plaza Newark Airport through

http://www.trinityreservations.com/

For $202 including all taxes we got a stay, park and cruise package that included a very nice room for up to four people, up to 21 days secured gated parking and shuttle to from the port. Breakfast was not included with that rate but the room had Keurig coffee maker. There was a hotel restaurant but we didn't bother using it in the morning as we knew we would have plenty to eat shortly. :D

We had a 10am on time shuttle to the port and their shuttle was there when we got to the curb just after 8am even though we had a 9am pickup. We were off the ship and through Border Protection and Custom in less than 15 minute once our tag # was announced at around 7:50.

Also this hotel is half the distance from the port than is the Country Inn.

 

Thank you I am going to print this out and keep it for future reference.

[hansolosmom]

You guys sound like us, love the Schooner bar and trivia! My dh plays almost every bingo.

 

Thanks so much for the review and the pictures.

 

Did they have a piano player in the schooner at night? One of our favorites in the evening is to sit and listen to the piano player and chill.

[kjclosson]

Thank you for the review and photos. Can you provide more information on the concierge lounge / benefits of the suite on this ship?

 

For example what time was the bar open in the concierge lounge for suite guests. I know it may change once the new suite benefits go int effect in May but curious on what they were now. What was offered? I have seen info on other ships but haven't seen suite info on the Anthem about this or what the drink options were. May be out there and I simply missed it for this particular ship. Was soda available all day?

 

Coastal Kitchen - did they provide soda, beer and wine at no charge? I am reading mixed reviews on whether it is included or not from other ships that have this option but haven't found anything specific to Anthem yet.

 

I am not a big drinker and only have a glass of wine here and there and I know the drink packages will not be worth it to me but it may be worth it for my husband depending on what is included with being in a full suite

 

Thank you

 

 

We used the CL sparingly, having the Premium Package it wasn't necessary to go for the drinks. I think the times were 5:30-8:30 every evening. There were some light appetizers during that time as well. A few times we went during breakfast and they had assorted bagels and lox, fruits, cereals, muffins and breads. Had tea, coffee, lattes and teas. Sometimes I had to go into the CL to have an excursion or a show rescheduled and I found I could grab a soda anyone during the day.

 

As for Coastal Kitchen it seemed like there was no written rules for charging for drinks. I always asked for a soda as did my mother and we were never charged. My father and DH often had beer, wine and cocktails and sometimes they gave them their seapass card and sometimes they didn't. But now that I think of it, on our itemized bill there were never any charges from Coastal Kitchen. We also tipped at the end of the meals so maybe "it's a we don't charge for drinks so we get better tips" scenario. But I wouldn't hesitate to order up and see what happens. We preferred Coastal Kitchen over almost all the other restaurants. You get to know your waiters and waitresses and hostess and they make you feel special. The chef came out and introduced himself and let us know that if we wanted something not on the menu they were happy to make it. My only request was for potatoes instead of asparagus with my steaks. [emoji13]

 

As a suite guest we found the suite guest deck to be one of the best benefits. It seemed like every time we went up we had the place to ourselves. The entrance is on the same level as the seaplex, you can either use your seapass or wristband against a sensor and the glass door opens up the stairs. They had plenty of fresh towels so you never had to check any out when needing any when you left the ship. They had fresh flavored water and fruit up there. We liked to watch any pool deck activities from there. I filmed the belly flop contest from there. It was the best place to be when coming into port, best views. You will love it, drink service takes a little while but there is no close bar. Word to the wise, you are close to the ships smoke stacks and the furniture sometimes had carbon/soot on it. DH sat in it once and I had to clean his shorts once. Just grab a towel and put it down. It's very secluded up there, can really sit in the sun and not fight over a pool chair.

 

Other perks that we enjoyed were the seating made available to us in 270 and Royal theater. You had to be there 20 minutes early but you got good seats, then they open up the area to the general public with about 10 minutes to go.

 

We enjoyed that you can order any room service free of cost and any food from the dining rooms to have in your room. One night didn't feel like going to dining room but we wanted the escargot and steak, ordered up and around 30 minutes later we had it.

 

Not like you would be bored but you were also allowed 2 free movie rentals a day.

 

Thanks for the questions.

[kjclosson]

Thank you for the great review! Glad to hear you had a wonderful cruise :)

 

We were just wondering if you happened to have any pictures of your cabin, 9644? My parents are going to be in 10244 on our upcoming Anthem cruise in May and it is the same size cabin/balcony!

 

Thanks in advance!

 

 

My parents enjoyed 9644 it had a deep balcony and the room seemed plenty large enough. They came to our room to play cards because we had a coffee table and more space to sit. They liked having the bed closer to the door, more room near the couch and balcony. Here is a couple pics...

[kjclosson]

Forgot to post that we signed up for the puzzle break room on day 12. We were in with about 10 other people and in the beginning it seemed really hard but we finally got it done. I won't spoil it for anyone but u would sign up for it. I had never done one before and liked it, plus there is a freestyle soda machine in there. They only do the puzzle break room on sea days and when I found the sign ups in the first 3 days on the seaplex counter they only had a few spots left on the last 3 days. So if you are interested sign up early.

[jonj]

We used the CL sparingly, having the Premium Package it wasn't necessary to go for the drinks. I think the times were 5:30-8:30 every evening. There were some light appetizers during that time as well. A few times we went during breakfast and they had assorted bagels and lox, fruits, cereals, muffins and breads. Had tea, coffee, lattes and teas. Sometimes I had to go into the CL to have an excursion or a show rescheduled and I found I could grab a soda anyone during the day.

 

As for Coastal Kitchen it seemed like there was no written rules for charging for drinks. I always asked for a soda as did my mother and we were never charged. My father and DH often had beer, wine and cocktails and sometimes they gave them their seapass card and sometimes they didn't. But now that I think of it, on our itemized bill there were never any charges from Coastal Kitchen. We also tipped at the end of the meals so maybe "it's a we don't charge for drinks so we get better tips" scenario. But I wouldn't hesitate to order up and see what happens. We preferred Coastal Kitchen over almost all the other restaurants. You get to know your waiters and waitresses and hostess and they make you feel special. The chef came out and introduced himself and let us know that if we wanted something not on the menu they were happy to make it. My only request was for potatoes instead of asparagus with my steaks. [emoji13]

 

As a suite guest we found the suite guest deck to be one of the best benefits. It seemed like every time we went up we had the place to ourselves. The entrance is on the same level as the seaplex, you can either use your seapass or wristband against a sensor and the glass door opens up the stairs. They had plenty of fresh towels so you never had to check any out when needing any when you left the ship. They had fresh flavored water and fruit up there. We liked to watch any pool deck activities from there. I filmed the belly flop contest from there. It was the best place to be when coming into port, best views. You will love it, drink service takes a little while but there is no close bar. Word to the wise, you are close to the ships smoke stacks and the furniture sometimes had carbon/soot on it. DH sat in it once and I had to clean his shorts once. Just grab a towel and put it down. It's very secluded up there, can really sit in the sun and not fight over a pool chair.

 

Other perks that we enjoyed were the seating made available to us in 270 and Royal theater. You had to be there 20 minutes early but you got good seats, then they open up the area to the general public with about 10 minutes to go.

 

We enjoyed that you can order any room service free of cost and any food from the dining rooms to have in your room. One night didn't feel like going to dining room but we wanted the escargot and steak, ordered up and around 30 minutes later we had it.

 

Not like you would be bored but you were also allowed 2 free movie rentals a day.

 

Thanks for the questions.

 

Thank you - very useful information

[RenaeG]

Great positive review. I was on the same cruise and loved the whole thing. I especially loved the dining and not having a main dining room!

[kjclosson]

You guys sound like us, love the Schooner bar and trivia! My dh plays almost every bingo.

 

 

 

Thanks so much for the review and the pictures.

 

 

 

Did they have a piano player in the schooner at night? One of our favorites in the evening is to sit and listen to the piano player and chill.

 

 

Yup there was a piano player in the evenings before dinner, schooner bar was usually packed at that point for pre-dinner drinks. Walked by the pianist and watched as his iPad had his musical composition steadily moving, pretty cool technology.

 

We literally had to move reservations for dinner because we couldn't miss trivia.

[sammydh82]

My parents enjoyed 9644 it had a deep balcony and the room seemed plenty large enough. They came to our room to play cards because we had a coffee table and more space to sit. They liked having the bed closer to the door, more room near the couch and balcony. Here is a couple pics...

 

Thank you for posting the pics!

[bayob]

Thank you for a great review. We are doing the 12 day in March. We are an older couple but like you we go on vacation to have a good time not complain. We were on the Quantum last year and the Anthem in December and we loved both. Especially enjoyed your thoughts on the ports as all of these are new to us.

[kjclosson]

Thank you for a great review. We are doing the 12 day in March. We are an older couple but like you we go on vacation to have a good time not complain. We were on the Quantum last year and the Anthem in December and we loved both. Especially enjoyed your thoughts on the ports as all of these are new to us.

 

 

Thanks for the kind words [emoji3]. You will have a great time and probably will never want to do anything but 12 days after that.

[mudslide mama]

Any pictures of the Anthem GS? They seem to be very few and far between and was just curious to see what they look like. Thanks.