Tell Me Something Good About Anthem

[marbat105]

Sailing on August 6 for five days to Bermuda. Its been a real long time since our last vacation and we are really looking forward to this. I know I'm probably being paranoid but there seems to be so many bad reviews of this ship. And I'm a little disappointed that RCCL has completely changed all of the reservations I had made (check your email if you are booked this summer). So please, can I hear some good (true) things about the Anthem! Thanks.

Edited June 30, 2016 by marbat105

[FOXTROT]

When will be learn that most people complain to feel better about themselves. Yes it was a little different than other cruises. The different places to eat. Takes a few minutes to make all the reservation. The food was very good. Had dinner in Chops & the meal was great. Service was a little slow at times, but we're on vacation. We also don't have to cook or clean up.

 

The shows were great. The 270 Lounge was impressive. The Dance Hall had a large dance floor & a great band. Boleros had a smaller floor & also a great band.

 

The ship is amazing. We did the North Star. We did not do the bumper cars or the sky diving. The Solarium is a great place to go.

 

Go & have a fantastic cruise.

[Ocean Dancer]

Relax, although Anthem is a much different cruise experience, she is awesome with way more to do and excellent night entertainment.

 

If I know a more specific question, I'll try to answer it. :)

[marbat105]

Thanks, you are right. People do like to complain. I just want to relax and not shop for food, prepare it or clean it up and I will be more than happy. Oh and a cocktail or two. And I'm not a fussy eater, I can always find something I like so I am taking your most welcome advice!

[marbat105]

Relax, although Anthem is a much different cruise experience, she is awesome with way more to do and excellent night entertainment.

 

If I know a more specific question, I'll try to answer it. :)

 

Thank you. The reservation thing is making me nervous especially since they changed what I had planned. Its this a problem on board? They switched my shows so now I have to switch my dinners and I can't really get the dinners to match the shows so I guess I'm just going to let it go and see what happens

[LisaAtlCruiser]

Anthem is a beautiful ship! I was on her in March and going again next August. The experience is a little different than other ships but a great ship for sure! Be sure and reserve Northstar and iFly! Those were AWESOME!

[RichardE954]

I loved Anthem, it is now my favorite class of ship. I just wish they had one sailing out of Florida.

[kmorg1234]

I loved the Anthem as well- can't wait to sail on this class again. Wonderland was fabulous, as was Michael's. Loved 270 and the shows, loved seeing all of the technology. Vintages was beautiful, the robotic bar was fun and entertaining, as were Northstar and iFly. Go and have a blast! I am jealous.

[Jenjer]

We have not done Anthem but did do Quantum.

 

Loved the sports court area. Great for daytime fun and evening parties. It is my kids favorite area on any ship. Perfect for kids and teen.

 

The solarium is dreamy. Way better than what they put on Harmony. The tiered pools and hot tubs make for so very relaxing adult time. Try it at night no one is in there and its wonderful to swim under the night sky.

[Ocean Dancer]

Thank you. The reservation thing is making me nervous especially since they changed what I had planned. Its this a problem on board? They switched my shows so now I have to switch my dinners and I can't really get the dinners to match the shows so I guess I'm just going to let it go and see what happens

 

You can call Royal and they may be able to help.....if you get a good rep.

If not, there is a standby line for dinner, you may have to wait 10 minutes.

[ATLgirl15]

They did that on our sailing too (June 11th) but it was the week before! Needless to say the message boards were blowing up with complaints. I was fortunate not to have booked the shows that changed so I was not impacted. I had assumed it had to do with a sick or injured cast member but I don't think that is the case. They also switched around some of the parties/activities from what was on the April 30th Compasses that were posted here. But that worked in our favor. They ditched the Glow party but added Quest...which is sooooo much better. I think Royal is listening to the feedback from all the sailings and that is why they are making changes. Months ago they created "Classic" dining. So yes the changes are frustrating but I think its a good thing that Royal is reacting to their customers.

 

We changed time and/or location of half our dinners and never had an issue. I think if you are a small group you will be able to do so when you are on board. Plus dinner moved pretty quickly - none of ours was more than an hour. But the reservation system assumes 1.5-2 hours so there is more availability in true life than on-line.

 

Anthem is a great ship but different than traditional cruising so that's where a lot of the negativity comes from. But it has so much to offer that you won't find on any other ship. Plus all the things you expect - friendly crew, clean and beautiful ship, etc.

[sammydh82]

Sailing on August 6 for five days to Bermuda. Its been a real long time since our last vacation and we are really looking forward to this. I know I'm probably being paranoid but there seems to be so many bad reviews of this ship. And I'm a little disappointed that RCCL has completely changed all of the reservations I had made (check your email if you are booked this summer). So please, can I hear some good (true) things about the Anthem! Thanks.

 

We actually loved the Anthem when we sailed in May 2016! We are currently debating switching our Harmony 2017 sailing to sail on the Anthem again!

 

Everything in the Seaplex was a ton of fun! Bumper cars, roller skating, dodgeball tournaments, trapeze school, ping pong, etc! If you happen to have a day or two where the weather isn't so nice, no worries! There are plenty of fun activities indoors!

 

We also really enjoyed the I-fly, flowrider, and Northstar! If you haven't made reservations for the I-fly and Northstar I'd recommend doing so if you can! It just made it a much simpler process! We were also able to take advantage of a cancellation on the I-fly one day so we ended up going twice!

 

Dynamic dining gets a lot of backlash but we really, really liked it! I loved going to the different restaurants on different nights and we had really great wait staff I'd say 85% of the time! The times that they weren't great, it wasn't terrible but just slow and not super attentive. However, we weren't in any rush so it wasn't a huge deal! There were a few food selections we didn't like but again not a problem, because you are free to try anything else! The staff never had an issue getting us a different entree if we didn't like something! Also, much to my surprise, when I mentioned to one of the Head Waiters that I really, really liked the rolls with the pumpkin seeds on them I had on Allure and Brilliance and that I missed them; she went out of her way to get the bakery to bake them! She didn't even think they offered them in the restaurants but however she did it, they were brought to me the next night!

 

The entertainment was also really good. We loved We Will Rock You! The performers were all extraordinarily talented!

 

ZouZou in Bolero's is EXCEPTIONALLY FANTASTIC! Make sure to find him, he is great!

 

Overall, the crew members we encountered were extremely friendly and willing to do pretty much anything to help us have a fantastic vacation. Of course, as the saying goes "You get more flies with honey than vinegar" so I tend to think this has a lot to do with treating the crew with respect and friendliness yourself and they just feed off that good energy.

 

If you go into it with a positive and laid back attitude, everything will be great! You'd be amazed at the level of service you get when you have mutual respect for the crew and a smile on your face! I hope you have a wonderful cruise!!

 

I'd be happy to answer any specific questions as well, I feel like I could go on and on about how much we enjoyed our Anthem cruise! haha

[JAMESCC]

I'll say this again. People who complain are always the loudest, that is why you see more of it. The millions of people satisfied are just that, they are satisfied or even thrilled and move on and never write anything.

Here is a good example but its not about cruises. I recently bought a very nice pickup truck, a more luxury pickup truck. I watched and read a MILLION reviews. One of the reviews complained that the turn signal tick sound was too loud. You now see how impossible it is to please everyone, because guess what you can't. A loud turn signal is one of the more amazing complaints I've ever heard. I now own this truck, turn signal sound doesn't bother me one bit, sounds normal to me. I did not write a review to commend the volume level of the turn signal. People who complain are always loudest.

Edited June 30, 2016 by JAMESCC

[swiss2619]

Sailing on August 6 for five days to Bermuda. Its been a real long time since our last vacation and we are really looking forward to this. I know I'm probably being paranoid but there seems to be so many bad reviews of this ship. And I'm a little disappointed that RCCL has completely changed all of the reservations I had made (check your email if you are booked this summer). So please, can I hear some good (true) things about the Anthem! Thanks.

 

It is an amazing ship and the people on it are wonderful. I passed the Next Cruise desk every single day and met others in my party there (it was our pre-planned meeting area). I can't even begin to tell you how many people came away from their meetings with RC reps saying 'we're booked on Anthem again!". Yes, it is that good! Cruising for many years with small children and now grown children and grandchildren and it is now our family's favorite ship ever!

There are complainers and moaners on EVERY ship and they love to come here and complain - but those of us who enjoyed the experience just love remembering every day of it. Besides, smiling causes way less wrinkles than frowning! SMILE - you are so lucky to look forward to cruising on Anthem!!

Swiss (booked for next year already)

[marci22]

Thank you. The reservation thing is making me nervous especially since they changed what I had planned. Its this a problem on board? They switched my shows so now I have to switch my dinners and I can't really get the dinners to match the shows so I guess I'm just going to let it go and see what happens

 

 

Can't you just switch the show times? They switched my show times too- I just picked different times. Do it now while there is still availability.

Edited July 1, 2016 by marci22

[DPurcell58]

Solarium,We Will Rock You, Jamies, North Star, Ifly, 270 and more. Enjoy!

Edited July 1, 2016 by DPurcell58

[Baron Barracuda]

I'm a traditionalist. Sailed Quantum last spring, and while we didn't experience any of the horror stories detailed on these boards decided that she just wasn't for us and that we wouldn't be back. Well, this spring dd and dsil expressed interest in Anthem and asked us to join them. Since we're only a short drive to Bayonne we did, for the 6/16 sailing.

 

Yes, the system lost all my dinner reservations twice, and yes they changed some of our shows, but surprisingly we had a very enjoyable cruise. A huge plus is they seem to have gotten their act together in the restaurants. We enjoyed great food and and very attentive service in all four complementary restaurants. Staff much more relaxed and friendly. 270 is a great venue, as is the cascading solarium pool.

 

My only disappointments were in entertainment where aside from the three main shows (loved we will rock you) and lounge bands there wasn't much else. Also, all the activities that could be reserved were fully booked by day 1, and those that couldn't had very long lines. Kids don't mind a 1 1/2 hour wait for bumper cars, but I don't have that kind of patience.

 

Still strikes me more as a floating amusement park than a cruise ship, but that's not bad, just different. And she's all we have in NJ until Vision comes to town.

[libertybelle41]

We loved EVERYTHING about the Anthem on our May 14th cruise. Especially the solarium pool !! Our new favorite ship! :)

[cruisenuts4life]

Just got off Anthem yesterday,as you can look on boards i am never one to complain. I chose this ship because my son and 3 kids have never cruised and wanted it to be really exciting for them.I felt so bad after the first day he said to me that for the money he spent He felt that he should have had better service and food.We did have a good time at horseshoe bay beach and st. george,but on ship we waited in line 1 1/2 hours to do bumper cars, they changed our shows to the last night so we could only see we will rock you, which was great.Everything else was totally booked.Food was good the first night and second two nights it was cold.Never asked if we wanted something to drink,finally the third night I asked for iced tea.In the pool kids were jumping of the railing and not one parent said anything.My daughter had to say something to the kids because they allmost jumped on my 8 year old grandaughter's headThe buffet was so crowded it was hard to find a table.Iheard a lot of complaints on the ship. did look at reviews and should have listened to them,I usually take them with a gran of salt. Lot of people just complain about everything.So that said I will never go on it again, I think the ship is too big and the staff seemed overwhelmed.After doing 2 of the bigger ships I am sticking to smaller ones.Just my two cents.

[libertybelle41]

If you eat at windjammer (the buffet) we never had trouble finding a table....tip: go the the very back, there were always available tables, outside seating as well.

 

Also, loved the pub. Great burgers, beers and fried chicken.

[GatorWop]

I'm a traditionalist. Sailed Quantum last spring, and while we didn't experience any of the horror stories detailed on these boards decided that she just wasn't for us and that we wouldn't be back. Well, this spring dd and dsil expressed interest in Anthem and asked us to join them. Since we're only a short drive to Bayonne we did, for the 6/16 sailing.

 

Yes, the system lost all my dinner reservations twice, and yes they changed some of our shows, but surprisingly we had a very enjoyable cruise. A huge plus is they seem to have gotten their act together in the restaurants. We enjoyed great food and and very attentive service in all four complementary restaurants. Staff much more relaxed and friendly. 270 is a great venue, as is the cascading solarium pool.

 

My only disappointments were in entertainment where aside from the three main shows (loved we will rock you) and lounge bands there wasn't much else. Also, all the activities that could be reserved were fully booked by day 1, and those that couldn't had very long lines. Kids don't mind a 1 1/2 hour wait for bumper cars, but I don't have that kind of patience.

 

Still strikes me more as a floating amusement park than a cruise ship, but that's not bad, just different. And she's all we have in NJ until Vision comes to town.

 

I was on the 6/16 sailing as well and the 9 days definitely turned into one my favorite cruises. I thought the night life was better than I have experienced on any other cruise. Special shout outs to Susie Q in the Music Hall (ask her for a "trash can") and Joseph and Wufred in Two70. In addition, the activities staff, waiters and bartenders were all just exceptional. I also just met a ton of great people and I felt the energy on the ship was much better than my previous sailings. I only waited 20 minutes for bumper cars and it was a lot of fun. The line moves very quickly so don't let that discourage you.

 

Upset that most of the crew and even CD that we enjoyed are ending their contracts before I return in September, but I am optimistic that I will have an equally great time.

Edited July 1, 2016 by GatorWop

[PokrChick]

Sailing on August 6 for five days to Bermuda

 

If you're interested in the most recent Bermuda sailing's Compass, Click here.

 

Just got off the ship yesterday and had a fantastic time. The Anthem is absolutely different from a traditional cruise ship. If you want that type of experience, you need to choose a different ship. With that said, do your research prior to boarding and you'll have a blast. We loved doing what we wanted, when we wanted to do it. There was a ton of great entertainment to suit all tastes. We never lacked for things to do.

 

Our reservations were all changed about two weeks prior to cruising. That caused a few conflicts but I just moved things around. No big deal - just want with the flow. I was able to still fit in everything I wanted to do and see. We also ended up changing our dining reservations around while on ship. Many times we changed our dining for the current day on that day. Again, not a big deal. It was just two of us so that might have made a difference.

 

I would definitely recommend downloading the Royal IQ app. I found it invaluable. The Cruise Compass is loaded every night for the following day. If you find something on the Compass that you might want to do, you just add it to your calendar. No need to search for it the next day and hope you spot it again. Just pull up your calendar through Royal IQ and it's there. You can also use this app to schedule dining and entertainment.

 

And don't worry if an entertainment event is full. Go stand by. It appeared there were a lot of no shows because the stand by people always got in. No entertainment event that I attended was completely full.

 

Have fun!!

[go fish 44]

The Anthem and the Quantum are our favourite ships.

 

 

 

Loved the dynamic dining. Four very different restaurants and we enjoyed all the different foods.

 

We went to the bumper cars about 9.30am one morning and we were the only ones there. No waiting

Just check the cruise calendar for the day for times bumper cars etc are running.

the Ifly is one of the neatest things you can do and it is free. But for that I would make a reservation.

Also the north star what a view and again just wait a few days into your cruise and it will just be walk on, no waiting.

 

Enjoy your cruise and I wish we lived closer to NJ so I could cruise again on this amazing ship.

[maggie416]

Sailing on August 6 for five days to Bermuda. Its been a real long time since our last vacation and we are really looking forward to this. I know I'm probably being paranoid but there seems to be so many bad reviews of this ship. And I'm a little disappointed that RCCL has completely changed all of the reservations I had made (check your email if you are booked this summer). So please, can I hear some good (true) things about the Anthem! Thanks.

 

Our Anthem cruise was our 14th and the absolute best thus far! We loved everything about it, even the dynamic dining! Awesome ship and staff.

Marg

[wrkn2cruz]

We are on Anthem right now, the ship is amazing and the staff is awesome.

Dont be worrying about not enjoying your vacation. The dining is a different experience but I can't say that I don't like it, it's just different. The Two70 Cafe is amazing for breakfast and lunch.

Relax, you're going to have a wonderful vacation!