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Anthem -- So what do you really think?

mfabz

By mfabz,
in Royal Caribbean International

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Finabear

Finabear

Posted
Posted (edited)
As someone who almost exclusively sails Oasis class, I didn't love how "inside" the ship felt. Nearly everything felt enclosed, including a lot of the pool area. Plus, if you're sailing anytime outside of the summer months, those Bayonne itineraries take a solid 1.5-2 days before you get to nice "cruise" weather. [=end QUOTE]

 

Time that many of us here in the Northeast would rather spend on a ship - even inside - rather than fly. I hate flying. It is such a pain - especially in the Winter when you have to plan extra "weather delay days" to make sure you get to your ship. As I understand it, Anthem was designed specifically for northern ports and it is so nice to have another new ship here! I hope to be on her this year.

Edited by Finabear
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sn2792

sn2792

Posted
Posted

We are veteran cruisers that did a 12 night in April on this ship. We loved it. The ship is beautiful. Loved the layout of the cabins. There were a lot of different entertainment options at night. We ate in the specialty restaurants every night which were delicious, as well as Chefs table. I can't speak for the food in the complimentary dining rooms.

 

We would sail on this ship again.

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Lizcourt

Lizcourt

Posted
Posted (edited)

Actually it's the first ship my family and I have sailed on where the consensus was we definitely had a nice time but wouldn't sail on her again. I guess IFly and North Star are interesting enough, so that 's a whole 5 minutes if "unique" or special in the ship, but the rest was just blah. Blah food, blah entertainment, blah cabins. With the wealth of ships out there, we'd rather spend our limited vacation days and dollars in something with more consistent oomph, like the oasis class ships.

Edited by Lizcourt
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cruisebirdie

cruisebirdie

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Cruised on the Anthem 18 April 2016 for 12 nights to the Southern Caribbean an enjoyed the cruise immensely.

 

What stood out for me was the technology (from check-in to the on-board experience). There is an abundance of technology at work, such as, the Robotic screens in two70, Bionic Bar, RFID cards/wrist bands, conveniently located Royal IQ i-pad kiosks, Royal App, X-box, and Voom (no problem streaming the Warriors playoff game on ABC – woohoo!). Realize with technology comes “reboot”…logout/login…and a few frustrated users not comfortable with using technology. Virtual and 3D art abound on the ship. A few pieces of the art are interactive. It was great being in a technology laden 21st century cruise ship.

 

May favorite thing was having two bathrooms in our Jr Suite.:-)

 

The furniture in the rooms and sitting areas is ultra-modern and chic, kind of like art. (Warning: Furniture is low to ground and requires leg and core strength to get out of it. Hahahaha!)

 

Favorite Dining Options: Jamie's Italian, Michael's Genuine Pub, Chops and Coastal Kitchen and two70 (salads and roast beef sandwiches). I was impressed with the choices in the Windjammer.

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welshrich

welshrich

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We just sailed on her for 5 nights to Bermuda, check in was strange as we are used to the normal desk check in, but once onboard what a wow. Loved the layout, the cabin was great and lots of sockets and USB connectivity, Shows were fantastic especially 'We will rock you', CL has lovely views, there were hardly any D+ on there so we got to know the servers really well. Dynamic Dining took a bit of getting used to, it seemed strange how informal it is and people wearing shorts but made a nice change to just relax (did not try the Grande). Activities were awesome, did the ifly quite a few times as there was always a short standby queue. Would love to sail that class again but we do like the more traditional ships too.

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scottygirl

scottygirl

Posted
Posted
We just sailed on her for 5 nights to Bermuda, check in was strange as we are used to the normal desk check in, but once onboard what a wow. Loved the layout, the cabin was great and lots of sockets and USB connectivity, Shows were fantastic especially 'We will rock you', CL has lovely views, there were hardly any D+ on there so we got to know the servers really well. Dynamic Dining took a bit of getting used to, it seemed strange how informal it is and people wearing shorts but made a nice change to just relax (did not try the Grande). Activities were awesome, did the ifly quite a few times as there was always a short standby queue. Would love to sail that class again but we do like the more traditional ships too.

 

 

We weren't able to get ifly reservations. Can you tell me what time frame you found success going standby? Thanks!

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matt082600

matt082600

Posted
Posted
If you want a traditional cruise experience this is not the ship for you. If you want something different, lots of variety in food and entertainment, plenty of activities and fun things to do day and night, this is the cruise for you. I would add that this ship has the best swimming pool/hot tub situation I've ever encountered on a cruise. It's near perfect!

 

What made the swimming pool/hot tub situation so perfect?

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tserface

tserface

Posted
Posted

I thought the Anthem was a beautiful ship and leaving from New Jersey meant we could spend some time in New York, but I enjoyed cruises on other ships, that even cost less, more than I did Anthem. It was a good cruise, but, as others have mentioned, it felt more like a resort than a ship!

 

Tom

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davy jones

davy jones

Posted
Posted

I will find out for myself later this year when I sail Anthem. That said, this is my summary of Anthem (and Quantum class) from many months of board postings and reviews.

 

1. Opinions are extremely polarized, but reviews are improving. Many have been resistant to the changes. Anthem has improved from 44% to 49% positive over the recent months. It takes a lot of good reviews to move the needle that much over the initial reviews, so Royal appears to be addressing the concerns.

 

2. Startup problems were greater on Quantum class due to the massive changes in dining and technology.

 

3. Dining and food - I believe that a lot of the discontent comes from dynamic dining and the elimination of traditional dining. DD classic seems to have reduced some of the discontent. The recent unfounded "rumors" of DD elimination also appears to have mobilized those who like DD to voice their satisfaction. There are also new menus and likely changes in the galley that cruisers do not see.

 

4. Technology bugs, scheduling bugs, and lost reservations for shows and dining are at times significant problem and this area needs to be improved.

 

5. Some of the shows may be a bit abstract for some tastes.

 

Again, it appears that Royal has taken notice and things are improving. I fully expect to enjoy our upcoming cruise. I can't say it will become my favorite ship, but I will have a good time because I will find the things that I enjoy and do them.

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Daytonasailor

Daytonasailor

Posted
Posted
We loved it, and booked it again.

 

Interesting note- we are doing on of the New England/Canada cruises, and the Anthem price for a 9 night is almost identical to a Brilliance out of Boston- doing the same itinerary (including Boston).

 

So if you want to see the North East- Anthem is pretty cheap (relatively speaking).

 

Alf, I agree. We are on a 9 day NE in Sep. Price was to good to pass up for a balcony and on board credit. Tell me you were not at the love and marriage show on the final voyage of the Monarch. I was on stage and am still trying to forget that night.

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Monica23535

Monica23535

Posted
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We went on a 14 night Med cruise on the Anthem and loved it.

 

For a 9 year old, what's not to like? The Seaplex was awesome as were the gimmicky things like the North Star and iFly.

 

Us adults found the ship to be very nice and elegant and we loved the shows Two70 and the main theatre, especially We Will Rock You and Spectra's Cabaret.

 

We enjoyed the fee free dining in Grande and Silk and our favourite specialty dining restaurants were Jamie's and Chops Grille.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

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The Boomers

The Boomers

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We were on the Anthem for the infamous Feb. 6, 2016 sailing. Besides the hurricane and shortened cruise we really enjoyed the ship, the crew and the different cruise experience this great ship provides. Two70 is fantastic. Spectra's Secret was great and the Queen tribute "We Will Rock You" was great. Did DD and enjoyed that. Ate at Michael's and Wonderland--both specialty spots. Wonderland was $49 each, but the food, service, and the intimate surroundings made it a good deal. Would do it again. We could certainly understand that this ship would not be the first choice for those folks that really like traditional cruising. We are 67 and 72, but even some of us elders found the Anthem to be a refreshing and impressive ship. Plan on another Anthem cruise by the end of the year.

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