Anthem Adventure

[wolfganghowell]

The Captain of that ship should be fired.

Thank you maritime expert. :rolleyes:

 

Thank you OP for your report. Much appreciated.

 

thank you refzz as well. i agree - this captain should not be second guessed by any of us, only by those that are experts in the field.

[tkportersat]

Very much enjoyed reading your review, glad you are home safely and I hope your trip in August goes much smoother!

[Lawdog1674]

My question is also about the movement of the ship (prior to storm ofcourse). Did you notice it in more in certain area of the ship than others ? How about in the cabins ? Concerned about booking a cabin on a higher deck. Love your attitude about the cruise after everything you and your family endured.

 

The cabin was definitely creaking before the storm. A lot more after the storm. We were on the 6th floor and the creaking wasn't just confined to the cabin. I noticed that a large amount of creaking was outside our cabin coming from around the door frames to the outside lobby. It seemed that every wave that we went, it sounded like the door frame was going to collapse.

 

I will say that my cousin and his family were on the 13th floor and felt the swaying a lot more than our room on the 6th floor.

[Lawdog1674]

Welcome Lawdog,

 

Out of curiosity, which sailing in August on Oasis? We may be ending up on the same ship. We will be embarking Aug. 13.

 

My wife and I were on the Anthem over Christmas and shared many of the same thoughts you have on the great areas on the ship. Our thoughts were with all the great staff we got to know over that wonderful cruise.

 

Thanks, Chris

 

We will be embarking August 27th on the Oasis. Right into Labor Day weekend. A big send off to summer!

[Lawdog1674]

Welcome to Cruise Critic! Thanks so much for your well written and balanced review! :)

 

Question: How were the children during the worst of the storm? Were they terribly frightened?

 

LuLu

 

My son (9 year old) was more aware of what was going on and realized the severity. He was just lying on the bed feeling very sick. He was a trooper though. No puking.

My girl (6 year old) was basically tumbling around the cabin thinking it was funny rolling off the bed and crashing into walls. Ahhhh, To be young with not a care in the world....

 

One of the funniest comments I heard on the cruise was a couple that put their bathing suits on in the cabin cause if they were going down, they didn't need all the clothes to weigh them down!!

[coachstew7]

We were on Liberty of the Seas in September of last year perfect weather all week but the ship suede back and forth

[OfTheSeasCruiser]

Thank you for the wonderful, well balanced review. It's nice to read something more positive.

[2Ccruisers]

Thanks for the report and glad your family is safe!

[mostlylurker]

We were on Liberty of the Seas in September of last year perfect weather all week but the ship suede back and forth

 

I love ship suede ;)

[LilBlackDress]

Hello everyone. First post on here, but have been a lurker for years. :) Thanks to everyone for all the informative posts in the past. Got off the Anthem last night with my wife and two kids (6 and 9). No need to retell the story that has been posted here about the storm that we went through. People have done a good job describing what happened. I will say that what people are saying about the winds and ship tilting are no exaggeration. I consider myself a tough guy (6'1' 250 lb powerlifting police officer) and I was getting nervous we were going to tip.

 

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic!! (no longer a lurker ;) )

 

I am doing a family cruise on Anthem in September so I really appreciate all the positive and even the negative comments!

 

There are many that want to blame this person or that person or even the company as a whole, its nice to see the balance!

 

I am glad you and your family are safe, the rest will work itself out :)

 

Hi, I am a new member and this is my first post.

 

Hello and welcome to you as well!!

 

My husband and I were on Grandeur 1/16 to 1/25 (scheduled off 1/24)

We were not comped the same as you guys were but we did get some internet and phone calls to reach families at home.

 

Just going through what we did on Grandeur, I never questioned the decision from the captain or RCI for what Anthem just went through, as so many others have!

 

I think the passengers on both ships for 1/24 have a better understanding then the main public.

Edited February 11, 2016 by LilBlackDress

[RuthlessBoss]

Glad you made it home safe. The Captain of that ship should be fired. That storm was predicted yet he still decided to sail right into it. Unless someone higher up told him to do so.

 

That's easy for you to say, but because of 18 years experience, he knew what to do to keep the ship from toppling over.:)

[Merion_Mom]

Thanks for the review. I have a question out of curiosity, was there "creaking" before the storm, or just after going through the storm, if you noticed?

 

Creaking was reported before even in calm seas. Must be something to do with design of the ship...

 

Yes, it's true. This ship DOES creak more than others.

 

Some people find it more annoying than others. It didn't really bother me.

 

But apparently it bothered the people who had my cabin before me: ;)

 

(I laughed quite a bit when I saw it)

 

[49erfan007]

Hello everyone. First post on here, but have been a lurker for years. :) Thanks to everyone for all the informative posts in the past. Got off the Anthem last night with my wife and two kids (6 and 9). No need to retell the story that has been posted here about the storm that we went through. People have done a good job describing what happened. I will say that what people are saying about the winds and ship tilting are no exaggeration. I consider myself a tough guy (6'1' 250 lb powerlifting police officer) and I was getting nervous we were going to tip.

 

Overall looking back we made the best of everything we were dealt. I have read terrible reviews about service and food quality, but I have nothing negative to say whatsoever about either. We ate at all the complementary restaurants and had great service at all of them. My kids were disappointed that they only got to use the pool for one day but thank god for the seaplex. Between roller skating, bumper cars, ping pong, xbox, and the arcade, the kids had something to do all the time.

 

The adventure oceans program was a big hit with my kids as well. My kids did not want to leave most of the times, as they were playing a lot of games in the club. It also was good to let off a little of pent up energy since being cooped up on the ship.

 

A little breakdown on the negatives (they were minor) of this ship. My wife and I have been on 13 cruises (41 years old btw), so we have some background (not as much as others here).

 

- Ice cream. I found it weird that there was only 1 spot on a ship this size for self serve ice cream. One of the favorite things for my kids is having ice cream cones on cruises. It is located outside by the pool and closes early every night.

 

- Buffet. The windjammer was nice. I liked the layout, as it wasn't your normal wrap around buffet, but more like a market. The negative was that it closed so early every night. We would go up looking for a snack (who doesn't like a cheeseburger at 10:30 at night?) and realized that it closes at 9.

 

- Ship rocking. I know, yes we were in a major storm. But after the storm passed, for the rest of the way home were still walking like we were half in the bag throughout the ship. Never been on a ship that swayed that much and creaked all over. Don't know if it was normal, but have read from past cruisers that you can feel the ship moving.

 

- Guest services. I don't think that guest services really talked to each other. I had 2 issues with them. My first issue was that I signed up for the premium drink package and everyplace I went to said that the card wasn't working for the first 3 days. Between about 8 visits and waiting in line every time, they finally fixed it. It shouldn't have taken that long. My second issue is that they really had no idea what kind of refund is being issued for this trip. I was told the following by different guest service reps:

- You pay for whatever services you had on Saturday, then rest of cruise is free (minus merchandise purchased)

- You pay for services on Saturday, Sunday, Monday, then the rest of the cruise is refunded (minus merchandise purchased)

- Everything is refunded. (minus merchandise purchased)

 

I still do not have a clue what we are paying, between our onboard credit and drinks. In the end though, it will be a lot less than what we anticipated! I will wait for the emailed receipt of the total.

 

A breakdown of the positives..

 

- Adventure Ocean program. Kids loved it

- Entertainment. The Rock of Ages show was good. They had a Journey cover band that played in the music hall that was fantastic. Almost everywhere you went, there was some sort of entertainment, covering all types of music.

- Inside pools. This is was really makes this ship good in colder weather travels. The Solarium area is beautiful, but adults only, so we didn't get a lot of time there, but the other pool was just fine. We were on the Norwegian Breakaway last year at this time and we kept saying that it would be nice to have inside pools (other than the Haven area).

- The food at 270 and views from inside. This was a nice treat. Good sandwiches (unique ones too) and a break from the restaurants and buffet. You can't beat the views too. You got the whole back end of the ship to look out at without having to be cold outside.

- Embarkation. Smooth as could be. We did everything online, had a reservation time, just showed all the ID's and we were on.

 

We ended up booking another cruise (Oasis out of Florida in August), so it wasn't so bad for us. Royal Caribbean is doing everything they can right now to make things right for everyone. I hope everyone that also took this sailing made it out in good shape with no injuries. You make lemonade out of lemons!

 

If anyone has any questions about the Anthem, fire away! I will do my best to answer them. I will be asking questions before we go on the Oasis.

Good to hear positives about your sailing and I am glad you all are ok. I got off the NCL Gem out of NYC on the 22nd of Jan. Weather wise it was the worst cruise I went on, the boat was rocking all the way down and on the way back it was awful, although no where as bad as it was for you. But, like you we had a great time. It's the chance you take going out of NY in the winter. Enjoy your next sailing, I'm sure you will have a wonderful time

[Bosjoe]

Thanks for the review. I have a question out of curiosity, was there "creaking" before the storm, or just after going through the storm, if you noticed?

 

It creeks when there are a good amount of waves from my experience.

[ShannonSC2]

Good report. Glad to hear you aren't giving up and will still continue to cruise. Just think the kids will have something to tell their friends! :)

 

You will probably feel the motion of movement for a few weeks. We were on another cruise line and was in a bad storm like this one and for weeks I felt like I was still on the ship. I would sit in the floor and sway back and forth in front of my preschool class.

 

Hopefully your August cruise will provide much better weather. :)

[sjn911]

Such a great thread....thanks all for more news and Welcome refzz.

 

LOL on that knife in the window issue.

 

I had a terrible tapping picture above my head on Carnival Spirit Cabo cruise 2012. But kleenex stuffed behind did it...Deck 7 midship.

[The Boomers]

The Feb. 6 cruise on the Anthem was our 9th cruise--all with RCCL. We are very grateful to Captain Claus Andersen--believe many lives were saved/injuries prevented by his sending all pax to their rooms. Appreciated the consistent and timely updates on the storm, what the plan was, etc. Most people we spoke with the next day (Monday) said this was by far the worst storm they had encountered on a cruise. It was a long and trying night, but felt we were in good hands with the captain and his crew.

 

I will let others with more facts at their disposal give opinions as to who to "blame." It certainly wasn't blame I was thinking--storms happen, and this was a good example of the "perfect storm"--two different systems that happened to collide off the Carolina coast and the same time the Anthem was there!

 

Prior to cruising, I did read A LOT about the Anthem, and the "newfangled" dining options. Personally, my wife and I enjoyed it. We pre-booked dinner for the first five nights on line--very easy to do. Kind of spooky, don't you think, that we made no reservations for the last two scheduled days at sea! Both of us found the food and food choices to be very good. The service was the same as the previous 8 cruises--terrific. We did mostly comp dining rooms with the exception of dinner at Wonderland and lunch at Michael's. Heard that Michael's Pub had great burgers, and would certainly agree. The dinner at Wonderland was a very different (in a GOOD way) experience. Our waiter Vlad was excellent. Many different courses sampling strange mixtures of a variety of foods you would not normally find at any restaurant. The olive thing where the olive was "reconstituted" and then exploded in your mouth was the only part of the meal I did not like. The main course of 'surf and turf' was roasted beef loin and baked Halibut. Both were fantastic.

 

One of the favorite hangouts was the 270. The cafe has many choices of sandwiches--my favorite was the roast beef sandwich. The area is spectacular (already mentioned in OP's post). Entertainment for the Spectra's Secret was the best. Music, singing, dancing were all first class. Did I mention the arial part of the show? Wow. And the techno stuff was unbelievable.

 

Also saw the 'We Will Rock You' show. Being a huge Queen fan, this knocked my sox off! Other venues in the Music Hall were very good and well attended. Best entertainment of any cruise so far.

 

I acquired a fondness of the shrimp roll sandwiches in the Cafe Promanade--only after some late night gambling in a very nice and very large Casino Royale.

 

Cruise director Abe Hughs was very good. And this guy worked 24/7 it seemed! Very approachable and certainly did an excellent job on a cruise that did have that weather thing . . . .

 

The technology and design of the interior of the ship was another "WOW." It was stunning. The artwork was unique and creative. Lots of crystal around the ship. The RC shop was quite small and usually crowded--one of a very few disappointments from this cruiser.

 

At first I could see the often stated complaint that this ship was less personal than other RC ships. Funny what a traumatic event like a hurricane can do for the bonding of 6000 people! There was a different vibe after Sunday. The ship and the crew came through with flying colors. So did the 4700 pax.

 

We would go back to the Anthem without a question.

Edited February 13, 2016 by The Boomers

[faymuiheng]

Was on the same cruise. After the day of the hurricane, everything returned to normal.

 

After speaking with the front desk manager/director, we were told following...

 

1/ all change fees to airlines are now covered by ROYAL. (this only came into fact after the arrival time was changed from 6am to 9pm) receipts to be submitted after the fact thru claims.

 

2/ we were allowed to use the cabin phone to make as many long distance calls as necessary. The charges were all removed before we left.

 

3/ beverage packages were all pro-rated.

 

4/ internet packages, and ROYALIQ chat was fully refunded.

 

5/ 50perc discount for future cruises, was based on how much was paid for the cruise we were on, upto max of $1800 (can't remember who told me this tho)

 

-also waived was the mini bar and movies....

[emeraldcity]

Is it just me or does the focus on "creaking" seem a little over the top?

 

Maybe the architects who design huge structures should be weighing in with a few facts to help balance things, because I hear WAY more creaking in Key Tower in Cleveland than I've heard on cruises (lots of creaking on the Grandeur, BTW in some rough seas on a 10-day to the Caribbean in December). I've been told that Key Tower is designed to twist with the wind so it doesn't break. When I was on 42 near a window, the wall behind me on windy days sounded like a squeaky porch swing (and we get a lot of wind off Lake Erie). I've got an inside office on 47 now and it's a bit more muted, but unmistakable.

 

In any event, thank you to the OP for the upbeat report ... I've got the Anthem booked for September.

 

I saw Rock of Ages in Las Vegas last year. Fantastic show. Looking forward to seeing it again on the ship.

Edited February 13, 2016 by emeraldcity

[chengkp75]

Creaking in cruise ships is caused by the fact that the cabins are not structural, and are not firmly connected to the ship's structure except in a few points. Everything you see in your cabin; the floor, walls, and ceiling (deck, bulkheads and overhead :D), including the bathroom are modular units that are brought through the ship during construction on large pallet jacks like so many boxes at Costco. The assembly is welded to the deck, but the walls and ceiling are basically free to sway with the ship's motion as much as their construction will allow.

 

Generally, newer ships will creak more than older ones, until the parts and pieces settle into each other, and until the crew have a chance to come back around and tighten up fastenings from this settling.

 

Same applies to public spaces.

[onrhnymoon]

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[dln929]

My son (9 year old) was more aware of what was going on and realized the severity. He was just lying on the bed feeling very sick. He was a trooper though. No puking.

My girl (6 year old) was basically tumbling around the cabin thinking it was funny rolling off the bed and crashing into walls. Ahhhh, To be young with not a care in the world....

 

One of the funniest comments I heard on the cruise was a couple that put their bathing suits on in the cabin cause if they were going down, they didn't need all the clothes to weigh them down!!

Having gone on the Quantum twice and liking this class of ship, I've been following the saga all week. This comment about the bathing suit couple is indeed the funniest thing! Thanks for sharing.

Edited February 14, 2016 by dln929

[sjn911]

Enjoyed the recent reviews.....thanks to The Boomers..and faymuiheng for reports.

[jagsfan]

We were in a hurricane all night on a Disney ship. Water poured under the balcony door and out into the corridors. The saving grace was that we were on the starboard side and listing to port to the point where I couldn't claw myself off the wall in bed, but we knew it was rain and not saltwater.

My granddaughter who was around 5 said she loved it when the ship was all bumpy.

The carpets were soaked and lots of glass breakage, but I never heard anyone complaining.

[BecciBoo]

Creaking in cruise ships is caused by the fact that the cabins are not structural, and are not firmly connected to the ship's structure except in a few points. Everything you see in your cabin; the floor, walls, and ceiling (deck, bulkheads and overhead :D), including the bathroom are modular units that are brought through the ship during construction on large pallet jacks like so many boxes at Costco. The assembly is welded to the deck, but the walls and ceiling are basically free to sway with the ship's motion as much as their construction will allow.

 

Generally, newer ships will creak more than older ones, until the parts and pieces settle into each other, and until the crew have a chance to come back around and tighten up fastenings from this settling.

 

Same applies to public spaces.

 

We have a hotel built exactly like that, we watched a crane carry each hotel room up and set it into place. Rather like honeycomb...you can see the construction of one of RCCL ships, can't remember which one when the Travel Channel plays it...so look for it. It shows the construction of each cabin and then the placing of it into the ship. Really cool, how modular it is.