Anthem Of The Seas Review w/ 112 photos & 17 videos!

[Cruisini]

Thanks so much for the outstanding review! Your effort and details are much appreciated. We're on Anthem in just a couple of weeks, and I can't wait! I just wanted to encourage you to give cruising on Celebrity a try. I think you two would just love it! :)

Edited April 19, 2016 by Cruisini

[hapster85]

So, we never went back to the American Icon Grill after that first night.

I'm a fan of the buffet, where I can control the portion sizes.

 

Regarding the American Icon Grill. The cruise planner has the times for that venue in 30 minute blocks. Do they really cycle people through that quickly? Solarium Bistro, meanwhile, is in 2 hour blocks, which seems more cruise ship "normal".

[Tigerlily75]

Great review, thanks for sharing! RCI are sending us Ovation.

 

I like the hand washing idea in the buffet, I hope the attendant is also yelling "With soap! Nope, do it again!" :)

 

Are you a voiceover guy in real life? You have a perfect voice for television!

Edited April 20, 2016 by Tigerlily75

[SparklyNails]

Hapster85, I reckon that's just down to the size of the venues - Solarium Bistro is a small fraction of the size of American Icon.

Edited April 20, 2016 by SparklyNails

[wifeofsoldier]

Awesome post and great pictures and videos!! What type of waterproof camera do you have?

 

 

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[Spaniel Lover]

Regarding the American Icon Grill. The cruise planner has the times for that venue in 30 minute blocks. Do they really cycle people through that quickly?

 

Think of it this way:

 

Let's say you run a restaurant that has a capacity of 200 people, and a typical meal lasts two hours. When accepting reservations, you don't want 200 people all showing up at the same time... you need to spread them out a bit, or your staff will be overloaded.

 

So, you set up your reservation system to allow 50 reservations at 5:00 PM, 50 at 5:30, 50 at 6:00, and 50 at 6:30.

 

[Spaniel Lover]

What type of waterproof camera do you have?

 

For the underwater stuff, I use an Olympus TG-830. That's a slightly older model now... so if you're in the market for a waterproof camera for snorkeling, you should get the new version which is the Olympus TG-850.

 

[Spaniel Lover]

Are you a voiceover guy in real life? You have a perfect voice for television!

 

Thank you!

 

I was a radio announcer and radio station Program Director in the 1970s and 1980s. I couldn't make enough money at it to support a family, so I got a real job. Now I just do the YouTube videos for fun.

 

[LMaxwell]

Thank you!

 

I was a radio announcer and radio station Program Director in the 1970s and 1980s. I couldn't make enough money at it to support a family, so I got a real job. Now I just do the YouTube videos for fun.

 

You should tag your videos with ASMR (this is meant as a compliment though I am sure you recognize that) [emoji6] [emoji568]

[wifeofsoldier]

Thank you so much!!! I've been really looking at cameras lately so I'll check this one out too. :)

 

 

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[dedosr]

Thanks. Loved the review.

[RadioRob]

Thank you!

 

I was a radio announcer and radio station Program Director in the 1970s and 1980s. I couldn't make enough money at it to support a family, so I got a real job. Now I just do the YouTube videos for fun.

 

 

I know the feeling! As you can tell from the name, I started life in the radio business... however unless you're part of the top 10, you're doing it for the love of the career instead of the money.

 

I'm now the technical part of a high tech sales team that does B2B selling. The lessons I learned in radio were EXTREMELY helpful though... made it much easier for me to communicate effectively and to be comfortable giving presentations. (If I could talk to a million people on the radio, why should I be scared of speaking to a dozen people in a room?)

[GMomKassie]

Can you tell me what dinner in the Windjammer is like What do they serve? Is it Buffett, like breakfast and lunch?

[erby2283]

Thank you for taking the time to post your review. I know it can be very time consuming but you do it b/c you know others will enjoy it; so thank you.

 

Your pictures were absolutely beautiful. As the daughter of a man who constantly took pictures and was raised to take pictures "with not too much sky" or being told to make sure I get "in" the pictures, I thought they were wonderful!

 

Don't think I can wait till October!

[Overtyme]

 

In my pre-cruise research, I had noticed something about Anthem Of The Seas that I couldn't figure out. You can see it in this next photo. Take a look at the top of the ship, to the right of the big yellow giraffe... and see if you can guess what those two rectangular blue structures are.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The answer to the mystery is that those two blue thingies, awkwardly sticking out at the top of the ship, are just little game rooms that are part of the second floor of the SeaPlex. There are two on each side of the ship, and they contain things like ping-pong tables, air hockey tables, and a nice little game room full of X-Box consoles.

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

Perhaps you're wondering about that big giraffe in that picture earlier.

 

Her name is Gigi, and she lives next to the rock-climbing wall.

 

 

 



 

 

 

Here's a better picture of Gigi...

 

 

 



 

 

 

I was impressed that Gigi survived that big storm back in February without any damage.

 

She must REALLY be anchored down well!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Apologies if this is a re-post or if somebody already replied to this.

During the storm, Gigi received what looked like a tracheotomy, and as a result now wears that red scarf [emoji850]

 

 

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[Spaniel Lover]

During the storm, Gigi received what looked like a tracheotomy, and as a result now wears that red scarf [emoji850]

 

That's really interesting to know! I had not heard that piece of news. I did not notice that red scarf... but now that you mention it, it is obvious!

[Spaniel Lover]

Can you tell me what dinner in the Windjammer is like What do they serve? Is it Buffett, like breakfast and lunch?

 

Yes, it's a buffet. They have a wide variety of food. On a typical night, they might have:

 

Roast beef

Roast ham or roast pork

Meat loaf

Stir fry

Asian food

Pizza

Hamburgers

Hot Dogs

Two different soups

Two different seafood items

Vegetables

Several types of potatoes

Fruit and Salad bar

Pasta bar

Desert bar including real ice cream

All sorts of breads

An entire gluten-free section

 

and much more

 

One other thing I remember seeing on several nights was roast turkey.

 

If anyone else can recall a few items from the dinner buffet, please chime in.

[golf43]

Thank You Jim for an awesome review. We will be cruising on The Anthem 7 weeks from Saturday. We are also coming in 2 days early and staying at The Embassy suites. Loved your pictures. They are beautiful. :)

[psupa]

One negative thing I should probably mention about the cabins on Anthem Of The Seas is that the televisions do not receive programming from NBC, CBS, ABC, or FOX. So, if you're hoping to keep an eye on your favorite network TV show during your cruise vacation... you're out of luck. Set your DVR accordingly!

 

That's one thing I liked about Carnival is the local TV channels. It was nice to be able to watch Good Morning America, news and weather.

[psupa]

So far in the Carnival versus Anthem Of The Seas food comparison, Anthem Of The Seas has done VERY well. A winning streak like that never lasts, though! Now it's time to talk about burger joints, and I'm afraid that on this matchup Royal Caribbean not only loses, but it's a double fail. I am talking, of course, about RCI's "Johnny Rockets" restaurants versus Carnival's "Guy's Burger Joint".

 

When Carnival teamed up with Guy Fieri and started adding "Guy's Burger Joint" to their fleet, it was the most genius cruise ship improvement I have ever seen. Those burgers are SO good. Johnny Rockets just does not compare well to Guy's Burger Joint at all.

 

Now that I think about it, it's actually a triple fail. Not only is the food better at Guy's Burger Joint, and there's lots more seating, but it's FREE, too. They serve thousands of Guy Burgers each day on a Carnival ship... and there's a reason!

 

The best burger on the high seas: a Guy Fieri Burger

Even the fries are superior to all others!

 

I feel like this section of the story has turned a little more negative than I wanted! This would probably be a good time for me to reiterate that we had a FANTASTIC cruise on Anthem Of The Seas and that it is now my favorite cruise ship and that this was one of the best cruises we have ever taken. Just because I pointed out a few things, I don't want anyone to get the wrong impression! Great ship, great cruise. Bravo, Royal Caribbean. I see you improving with each new ship. I can't wait to see what you come up with next! I am far more likely to cruise with Royal Caribbean in the coming years than with any other cruise line.

 

 

Agree with you that Guys Burgers are the best. I'm enjoying your review of the Anthem and your honest opinion and comparison with other cruise lines. Most are similar, but some do things different which makes it interesting. We like the breakfast brunch that Carnival offers on seas days.

[riclop]

Thanks for the great review.

[hapster85]

So, you set up your reservation system to allow 50 reservations at 5:00 PM, 50 at 5:30, 50 at 6:00, and 50 at 6:30.

 

Thanks for the feedback. I was thinking that's probably how it was, but wasn't sure. Currently have reservations there, at the Grill, before one of the shows and was afraid the timing was a bit tight. Unless they really were rushing people through in 30 minutes, that is. Lol

 

I'll need to make some changes. Thanks again.

Edited April 21, 2016 by hapster85

[go fish 44]

We were on the Quantum from Barcelona to Dubai and loved the ship and we cannot wait to get on the Anthem in two weeks. Your review brought back all the great memories of the wonderful cruise on the Quantum and these ships truly are one of a kind.

 

Great info on Guys burgers as we will be returning to Carnival Magic after many years away (we just got sick of the singing and dancing in the main dining room every night)

 

Sue

[Overtyme]

Swimming Pools

 

The outdoor swimming pool at the center of deck 14 is "party central"... this is the place to be if you like to be where the action is. You'll have a hard time finding an available lounger here after about 8 AM on a sea day. There's a big video screen next to the pool, and there's usually either a band playing or some pre-recorded party music.

 

On the first day of the cruise, it was quite cool outside, so there was hardly anyone at the outdoor pool

 

 

On a normal day in the Caribbean, this is what you can expect out at the main pool:



 

When you're relaxing out at the outdoor pool, it's fun to see NorthStar in action above you...

 



 

 

A children's water play area is located next to the outdoor pool...

 

 

The children's water play area has a really smart design with a nice gentle slope and is only about one foot deep at the deepest end. This is perfect for even the youngest toddlers.

 

This area looks like where I'll be spending a lot of time with my soon to be 3 yr old!

It's the first great picture that I've seen of the area! Thank you!!!

Do you know if kids who are in swim diapers are allowed? I know that they're not in the main pool, but at least from the photo, it looks like there may be a few critters in there that are probably of the age where they're in swimmies.

[Overtyme]

Our Cabin: 12182

 

We've stayed in all sorts of different cabins during our 35 cruises... everything from the cheapest interior cabins to some very expensive suites. Royal Caribbean suites are VERY pricey, so for this cruise we elected to stay in a standard balcony cabin, category D5. Our cabin number was 12182, if you have any interest in looking it up on the deck plans.

 

I chose this particular cabin because:

 

• It is near the forward elevators, but not so close that we would hear noises from it.
   
  
• The deck above is passengers cabins, as is the deck below. Therefore, it isn't a very noisy location.
   
  
• It is an easy walk to the Solarium and the indoor pool.
   
  
• Using the forward elevators, you can quickly get to and from the Royal Theater and the Music Hall.
   
  
• It's a fairly easy walk down the hallway and up two sets of stairs to get to the Windjammer restaurant.
  

 

Once we got onboard, we discovered that the cabins on Anthem Of The Seas have some very cool design features that I hadn't heard about. So I put together a video that clearly shows some of the smart design choices that Royal Caribbean made in designing these cabins. Please take a look at this video tour of our cabin:

 

[YOUTUBE]XO5g17ZcYMw[/YOUTUBE]

 

One thing I forgot to show in the video is that the desk is not anchored to the wall,

it can be pulled out and used in whatever configuration you like.

Rotate it 90 degrees and use it like this, if you'd like...

 



 

Or pull it all the way over to the couch and use it as a coffee table...

 



 

 

Over by the door to the hallway, you'll find these two things mounted on the wall:

 

 

The top unit is controls for the heating and cooling system. It is very responsive and works extremely well. In the picture, the display is showing that we asked the system to keep the room at 73 degrees, and in the upper left it is confirming that the temperature in the room is indeed actually 73 degrees.

 

The idea for the bottom unit is that you would stick your room keycard in the slot when you're in the room, and take the card out to keep it with you when you leave the room. The power to the cabin shuts off a few minutes after the card is removed. We find that a little inconvenient, so we just bring a spare keycard with us from a previous cruise

and leave it in the slot at all times. That way my actual room keycard stays in my pocket at all times, and I won't tend to leave the room without it.

 

 

We're staying in 10182, a few decks below where you were. I've read a few reviews that suggest that the cabins creak a lot and are noisy, not because of outside noise from public areas, but just because they sound like they could use a DW40 bath.

Did you experience the same?