Anthem questions

[BJBP]

My family and I are taking our very first cruise in March on the Anthem of the Seas - the 7-Day Bahamas cruise. I have several questions and hope someone(s) can help answer them.

 

1. We are currently in booked in stateroom D3-7676. Anyone have specific info about this room? I'm staying with my 3 sons (12, 10, 7), will we be comfortable in a room of this size? View? Noise level? We are staying nearby my parents (D8-7678) and sister (D8-7674 - accessible room).

 

2. Anyone have first-hand experience to share about the excursions offered for this trip? It's difficult to tell, for example, if there is actually time for a visit to Universal when we are in FL.

 

3. I know to make reservations ahead of time for activities onboard, but any specific tips?

 

Any general advice other than to read through the message boards? Thanks in advance!

[Jenjer]

Welcome I am also from Ohio near Dayton.

 

Have not sailed Anthem yet but have sailed her sister Quantum. My kids have sailed 8 different ships all big ships and they wanted Anthem over Harmony.

 

Make reservations for ifly early in the week so if you want you can try and do stand by to do it a 2nd time. My DS 10 at the time was terrified of doing it but I would not let him go to the xbox room until after he tried it. He loved it, absolutely loved it. Can not wait to do it again.

 

4 in a balcony room is definably doable. 2 kids will sleep on the sofa bed. Having the room connect to the handicap room beside you will give you an amazing about of space. There is a lot of storage. After you empty your cases put them under the bed. Bring a pop up hamper to keep all the dirty clothing cleaned up. Keeping your stuff put away is the best way to make the small rooms more comfortable.

 

 

We did a Bahamas route on Quantum and me personally would not have felt like there was enough time to do Disney or Universal but lots of people did it. Its about a hour away from port so look at your times and take 3 hours away for travel then decide. IMO do it thru the ship to insure you get back in time. Yes its costs more but you know RCCL is responsible to get you back to the ship. Either the hold the ship or get you to the next port. They usually will hold a ship for a RCCL excursion to make it back on.

 

Make reservations for everything ahead of time. So much less stress then trying to decide. Or go with the classic dinning. You change dinning rooms but your staff goes with you and you sit at the same table # at the same time. Much easier with a large party.

 

Pack swimsuits and sunblock in your carry on so you can hit the pools or flowrider while everyone else is waiting on their bags. My DD lives on the flowrider. Girls should wear rash guards because the wave can remove tops very easily.

 

We did sailaway on the wings outside of the solarium. I have not checked to make sure Anthem has them too but I assume. It was very cool. The solarium is the best one every, enjoy it. Try it at night great to swim under the stars and less people.

[BJBP]

Thanks for all the tips JenJer, much appreciated!

 

I'm going to think hard about whether Universal is worth it given the time that we're docked (12-9:30), but what you say about using RCCL for transportation makes a lot of sense. Luckily, the excursion price doesn't include the tickets so I can get those cheaper at Undercover Tourist still if we decide to do it.

 

I think I'm going to approach the trip like a Disney trip where I make all the plans/reservations ahead so that once we're onboard, I can just relax and enjoy. Need to look at restaurant menus to make sure we'd like all the places if we do the classic rotation.

[sammydh82]

My family and I are taking our very first cruise in March on the Anthem of the Seas - the 7-Day Bahamas cruise. I have several questions and hope someone(s) can help answer them.

 

1. We are currently in booked in stateroom D3-7676. Anyone have specific info about this room? I'm staying with my 3 sons (12, 10, 7), will we be comfortable in a room of this size? View? Noise level? We are staying nearby my parents (D8-7678) and sister (D8-7674 - accessible room).

 

2. Anyone have first-hand experience to share about the excursions offered for this trip? It's difficult to tell, for example, if there is actually time for a visit to Universal when we are in FL.

 

3. I know to make reservations ahead of time for activities onboard, but any specific tips?

 

Any general advice other than to read through the message boards? Thanks in advance!

 

Make reservations for ifly early in the week so if you want you can try and do stand by to do it a 2nd time.

 

Make reservations for everything ahead of time. So much less stress then trying to decide. Or go with the classic dinning. You change dinning rooms but your staff goes with you and you sit at the same table # at the same time. Much easier with a large party.

 

We did sailaway on the wings outside of the solarium. I have not checked to make sure Anthem has them too but I assume. It was very cool. The solarium is the best one every, enjoy it. Try it at night great to swim under the stars and less people.

 

I would second the recommendation to make reservations for I-fly as early in the week as possible. As she said, you can go again a second time later on but also if you happen to run into rain they shut the tunnel down so if you can get a reservation early and done before any of that happens that's great! We did have to have tennis shoes for I-fly and had to remove any lose jewelry, watches, etc before being able to fly!

 

Reservations for North Star would work in much the same way.

 

I'd also recommend checking out the cruise planner when you get on board the check times for bumper cars, dodgeball, roller skating, etc if your boys like stuff like that! Also, trapeze school was fun and is very limited so check the cruise planner for the times on that and if interested make sure to show up before the time listed to get a wrist band!

 

There is also ping pong and foosball in the Seaplex! =) Air Hockey tables cost extra. There are pool tables on the upper level of the Music Hall.

 

Puzzle Break was also fun and has limited time slots. We weren't able to reserve this until we boarded the ship but there has been some discussion that some people have been able to book it ahead of time in their cruise planner!

 

If you want to see the shows I would also recommend reserving those ahead of time as well.

 

We were able to sign all of our waivers on our TV in our stateroom so that we didn't have to worry about it after that. I'm not sure if it would work the same way for you and your sons but it could save some hassle! :)

[sammydh82]

 

I think I'm going to approach the trip like a Disney trip where I make all the plans/reservations ahead so that once we're onboard, I can just relax and enjoy. Need to look at restaurant menus to make sure we'd like all the places if we do the classic rotation.

 

If there is a menu you think you might not like but still want to dine in that restaurant just to experience the different ambiance you can request menu items from the restaurant on the same deck.

So, for example, if you wanted to check out Silk but nothing on the menu appealed to your taste then you could ask your waiter for something from American Icon! It worked the same way with The Grande and Chic.

Overall, we found the crew to be very accommodating with finding something to please everyone!

Have a wonderful cruise! :D

[nonnie&dgd]

Does Anthem have a shore excursion for Disney on the 7 day Bahamas? I looked at the excursions, and I don't see any for Port Canaveral.

[Biker19]

Does Anthem have a shore excursion for Disney on the 7 day Bahamas? I looked at the excursions, and I don't see any for Port Canaveral.

 

Even if there was, it is of questionable value given the time (or lack of it at the site) and cost.

[Jenjer]

Does Anthem have a shore excursion for Disney on the 7 day Bahamas? I looked at the excursions, and I don't see any for Port Canaveral.

 

If you are within 60 or 90 days form your sail date and it has not pulled up yet they might have stopped offering it.

 

It would be a very very expensive couple of hours.

[dpostman]

Disney World Express service and Universal Studios Express Service are both listed in my cruise planner for our March 5th Departure on Anthem. I personally think it is too tight time wise but many others will go for it. I'll be sending our kids on the Kennedy Space Center tour instead.

 

The price listed in the cruise planner is for shuttle transportation per person only. It does not include park entrance.

 

Don't forget to subscribe to the roll call for your cruise. If it happens to be the same as ours, we already have enough cruise critic members registered to have a Meet & Mingle organized. You are more than welcome to join in.

 

dp

Edited November 16, 2016 by dpostman

[happycruiser90]

Does Anthem have a shore excursion for Disney on the 7 day Bahamas? I looked at the excursions, and I don't see any for Port Canaveral.

 

In the general excursion to Port Canaveral I see Disney but in my cruise planner it is not listed. But the same goes for Coco Cay they list in the general port excursion Aqua Park, wave runners, Parasailing but in my cruise planner they are not listed either. Confused why they are not showing in my cruise planner. Called RC but they have no clue. Guess I will wait and try to book on board. My boys want to Parasail in CocoCay hope they have it.

[nonnie&dgd]

I finally saw it in my excursions. $39.00 for transportation only to Disney and back. I would have to get my own ticket. Food and Wine Festival is going on in Epcot during my cruise. It is a 10 hour excursion, so at 7-8 hours at the Food and Wine Festival I think I can get a lot of eating done. lol.

[dpostman]

I finally saw it in my excursions. $39.00 for transportation only to Disney and back. I would have to get my own ticket. Food and Wine Festival is going on in Epcot during my cruise. It is a 10 hour excursion, so at 7-8 hours at the Food and Wine Festival I think I can get a lot of eating done. lol.

 

Hmmm... Food and wine festival would be very nice, but getting to taste and sample all those wonderful wines and have to leave without bringing any of them back would be torture. I suppose Americans could box some up and have them shipped back home. That would be a nice way to appease the Post-Cruise Blues when you get back home.

[slyster]

If there is a menu you think you might not like but still want to dine in that restaurant just to experience the different ambiance you can request menu items from the restaurant on the same deck.

So, for example, if you wanted to check out Silk but nothing on the menu appealed to your taste then you could ask your waiter for something from American Icon! It worked the same way with The Grande and Chic.

Overall, we found the crew to be very accommodating with finding something to please everyone!

Have a wonderful cruise! :D

 

I'm not sure this will still be the case. Since Anthem won't be offering dynamic dining anymore, I would think that the menu will be the same in all dining rooms. I think the first sailing under traditional dining is coming up very soon so someone can probably confirm that within a week or two.

[Rogueperson]

I've done the Universal Studios excursion from Port Canaveral twice. I think the price offered was 189/person. It is not cheap. It depends on how long you are in port. If you are not in port that long, they may not offer it. It takes about an hour to get from the port to the park. The park will be your wildcard. It depends on when you are visiting Port Canaveral. If you are coming in on a weekend, don't do it. The parks will be crowded. If you have to wait 30 minutes for a ride. A handful of rides and it will be time for you to leave the park. I personally do not think its worth it. The first time I did it, I didn't know any better. I also lucked out that it was in the middle of December, and no one was at the park. I was able to experience the whole park with a little time to spare. That's on an extremely slow day. It is rarely like that. I only did it a second time, but the second time, it was 6 of us. We did it independently and got a great deal. But we had the hookup for this. Our friend from college actually works there, so she got us discounted two park tickets (not available through the cruise lines) plus front of the line passes for free. We rented a minivan for the 6 of us from the port and drove ourselves there and back. There was a shuttle from port to the rental agency 10 minutes away. We ended up doing a two park experience for pretty much 120/person (including the rental). If there is a bunch of you, and you have the fortitude to make these arrangements, you could visit Universal for about the same price, depending on how much the rental is.

 

The single park ticket is $105.00. The cruise lines will charge you about 189 (last I checked) per person. So they are charging you $84.00 just to shuttle you there and back.

[Merion_Mom]

I've done the Universal Studios excursion from Port Canaveral twice. I think the price offered was 189/person. It is not cheap. It depends on how long you are in port. If you are not in port that long, they may not offer it. It takes about an hour to get from the port to the park. The park will be your wildcard. It depends on when you are visiting Port Canaveral. If you are coming in on a weekend, don't do it. The parks will be crowded. If you have to wait 30 minutes for a ride. A handful of rides and it will be time for you to leave the park. I personally do not think its worth it. The first time I did it, I didn't know any better. I also lucked out that it was in the middle of December, and no one was at the park. I was able to experience the whole park with a little time to spare. That's on an extremely slow day. It is rarely like that. I only did it a second time, but the second time, it was 6 of us. We did it independently and got a great deal. But we had the hookup for this. Our friend from college actually works there, so she got us discounted two park tickets (not available through the cruise lines) plus front of the line passes for free. We rented a minivan for the 6 of us from the port and drove ourselves there and back. There was a shuttle from port to the rental agency 10 minutes away. We ended up doing a two park experience for pretty much 120/person (including the rental). If there is a bunch of you, and you have the fortitude to make these arrangements, you could visit Universal for about the same price, depending on how much the rental is.

 

The single park ticket is $105.00. The cruise lines will charge you about 189 (last I checked) per person. So they are charging you $84.00 just to shuttle you there and back.

 

I have not seen this excursion as anything BUT transportation only. I have not seen it with park admission.

 

On my upcoming Grandeur cruise, there is transportation only to Disney and Universal. There is an excursion to SeaWorld that includes admission.

 

$39, $39 and $139, respectively.

 

ETA: which IS terrible, since I can buy a SeaWorld ticket for $80 online right now. (actually, it's "on sale" and is regularly $100 ;) )

Edited November 17, 2016 by Merion_Mom

[Rogueperson]

I have not seen this excursion as anything BUT transportation only. I have not seen it with park admission.

 

On my upcoming Grandeur cruise, there is transportation only to Disney and Universal. There is an excursion to SeaWorld that includes admission.

 

$39, $39 and $139, respectively.

 

ETA: which IS terrible, since I can buy a SeaWorld ticket for $80 online right now. (actually, it's "on sale" and is regularly $100 ;) )

 

Ya know what, that was Carnival. You're right I'm blurring my cruises together. Is this what happens when you get more and more cruises under your belt? I've never been to Port Canaveral on Royal Caribbean before.

 

Once my new booking number comes in, I can check for myself. I've recently booked a 2nd Grandeur, but on Feb 25th. Your name looked familiar and I realized that you're on roll call for Feb 4's Grandeur which i had to reschedule.

[Merion_Mom]

Ya know what, that was Carnival. You're right I'm blurring my cruises together. Is this what happens when you get more and more cruises under your belt? I've never been to Port Canaveral on Royal Caribbean before.

 

Once my new booking number comes in, I can check for myself. I've recently booked a 2nd Grandeur, but on Feb 25th. Your name looked familiar and I realized that you're on roll call for Feb 4's Grandeur which i had to reschedule.

 

Exactly. ;)