Anthem Review, 9-Night Cruise to Bermuda/Caribbean, 8/11 – 8/20, Teen Family Style

[Alter Ego]

 

I returned to the pool deck and my gang was ready to dry off and do something else. Our rooms were now available, but we noticed the NorthStar standby line was commencing. We headed over to join the fun and we were 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th in line for the first ride of the day. Yay! But boo, this quickly turned into our second experience with horrendous queue management. The shy young boy running the line did not communicate to anyone at all, and some pushy blonde lady kept edging her way closer and closer. Please note, before I offend anyone, I may sometimes be referred to as a pushy blonde lady myself, so that is not necessarily an insult toward her, just an observation. I told my husband we had to watch out for her, as she was a budger, and he said to relax, we were clearly in the line and she couldn’t push through. He is so gullible, as she and 5 other family members of hers then walked right to the front of the line. All hell broke loose in the growing queue, as guests 1-6 were pretty outraged by this, as were we, guests 7 – 10. Well, we all still made it on, but she started yelling at everyone that she had already come over and talked to the worker to secure their spots while they waited at the bar. And shy NorthStar worker guy let her bully him such that she and her extended family waltzed to the front of the line, a line they had never once waited in. The people behind us who didn’t make it on that ride were far more annoyed and more vocal. A little more training of the activity employees would go a long way, though pushy blonde lady probably gave him high marks on her post-cruise survey.

 

I realize that I wasn't there, but that may be true. I know the staff allowed this when I went on NorthStar on Day 1. However, I believe they gave us numbers or something. At any rate, she may have been rude, but she also may have been telling the truth. The staff running the event should have been more vocal either way.

[cincicruisers]

Excellent Review!! I really enjoyed your review.

[Royalcruiser11]

Hi Royalcruiser11,

 

Hey, I just saw your review! Nice! Sounds like you also had an awesome time on the 8/11 Anthem sailing! I totally agree with your positive attitude comments - the negativity abounds, but you can't let it get in the way of your great time.

 

As for the -110 staterooms, wow, right? We felt like we were in a grand suite. What a treat for you to score it on an oceanview guarantee!!! We would book a -110 cabin again in a heartbeat. There are so few of them and now that we're making them sound so great, they might be harder to get in the future, lol. Back when we booked, there was just a ton of misinformation about the shape and space, so we just hoped for the best, and it sure was! So glad you loved yours!!!

 

Happy unpacking and laundry folding and picture sorting and re-entry into the real world!

 

Yes, thank you. -110 stateroom was beyond words...bigger than many suites! Felt very fortunate and will only book those again. Glad you enjoyed your trip as well. Happy back to reality...aghhhh.

[Jenjer]

Absolutely loved your review your humor and your truth. Your a great writer.

 

Thank You so much for taking the time to do this. Now I just have to wait 10 months before we get to enjoy her too.

 

 

So you did most dinners at 5:45 and evening shows at what time?

 

Did your 12 YO get to do the puzzle room? I thought I had read it was 14 and up. My 12 YO will be 13 on the cruise wants to do it.

[cyndepet]

What a great review! I felt like I was reading a review on DIS Boards lol :D

 

We are 1 1/2 months out from our sailing. I hope the Puzzle Room comes up for booking soon, it sounds like a lot of fun!

[KarenB99]

Alter Ego,

 

Thanks for sharing your alternative perspective on the NorthStar queue situation. Yes, that may absolutely have been the case, the staff member may indeed have assigned numbers to her family. Especially if you've seen it done that way on another cruise. That helps support the remainder of my feedback in two key categories: queuing and inconsistency. Seems like a terrible queue management approach to me that you only give the first six people a "fast pass" to the NorthStar and have everyone else line up at the entrance. Likely, it would have been much smoother, or less frustrating, if we had all been handed numbers, or if they had also been told to stay put like the rest of us. But you're right, I should assume positive intent for that, um...., pushy blonde lady! :-)

 

I had already submitted my survey responses to Royal Caribbean before seeing your note. Wish I had thought to suggest numbers or wristbands to hand out for the no-reservation times at NorthStar. Great idea.

 

Thanks,

 

Karen

[KarenB99]

Hi Jenjer

 

Thanks so much for the nice comments. First, yes, my 12-year-old was allowed in the Puzzle Room. I originally had read that the age cut-off was 14, but they seemed to have relaxed that, as there was another family of 4 with two tweens/teens in the room as well. All 4 kids in the room made some good solution contributions that we parents may not have realized as quickly, so we were glad to have their perspectives there. I read another review where a 6-year-old attended and did not make good contributions... Your 13-year-old will do great.

 

As for our dinner schedule, we were on Classic dining and SHOULD have arrived at 5:30, but you're right, 5:45 was our nightly arrival time. Dinners took 1.5 - 1.75 hours, so we were out between 7:15 and 7:30. Most nights, we had time to leave dinner, get photos done, and wander a bit before getting our seats 30 minutes before showtime. Here was our show schedule, and in parentheses you'll find other offerings that were available that night that we did not attend. It goes without saying that your showtimes will vary, but this should give you an idea about what to expect, in general.

 

• Night 1: Welcome Aboard Show at 9:00 (also offered at 7:00)
  
• Night 2: The Gift at 8:45 (also offered at 6:00, Spectra's offered at 7:30 and 10:15)
  
• Night 3: No show that night (The Gift at 7:30 / Dancing with the Stripes at 9:00)
  
• Night 4: Spectra's Cabaret at 9:00, Comedian at 10:30 (Spectra's also offered at 7:00, Comedian at 8:30)
  
• Night 5: No show that night (Name That Tune Live at 10:00) (wish we had gone, it looked great on RCTV)
  
• Night 6: Headliners Alfred & Seymour at 8:30 (also offered at 10:30, Spectra's at 7:00 and 9:00)
  
• Night 7: No show that night (We Will Rock You at 6:30, Spectra's at 9:30, Quest at 11:15)
  
• Night 8: WWRY for the matinee at 2:30 (also offered at 7:30, Spectra's at 10:30)
  
• Night 9: Farewell Show at 7:00 since we were finally early to dinner at 5:15 (also offered at 9:00)
  

 

Hope this helps. I'm a little jealous of all of you who are still in the planning phase! Enjoy it! Oh yeah, and the cruise, too!

[KarenB99]

Cyndepet, Yeah... I always like those long, overly detailed DIS Boards trip reports. LOL.

 

Keep watching for the Puzzle Room to open up under activities in your cruise planner, and if it does, snag it asap. So. Much. Fun. Ours opened up 5 1/2 weeks out, so your timing might just work out great. Good luck. Have a great cruise!

[hansolosmom]

Fellow WNYer here, born in buffalo, but live near Philly now.

 

I could tell you were a Disney planner once you started into your review.:) Nothing wrong with being detailed. When I planned our Disney trip it was very detailed. We've also done a few Disney cruises which were fantastic!!!

 

This cruise however, it's just dh and I so we aren't too worried about the planning. It's hard for me not to be as detailed this time around. ;)

 

Thanks for all the info especially on the ports, that's what I'm struggling with most on this trip.

[Jenjer]

Perfect perfect perfect. Thank You Thank You Thank you.

 

They might change a little bit but you would be surprised how similar the schedules can be. I want to have a game plan when reservations open up.

 

We didn't go with classic dinning since we would like to choose our restaurant and plan on dinning in Jamies and Chops both a couple of times.

 

I love the planning part so much. It makes the actual trip last so much longer.

[FM]

• 
  
• Your attention to detail is reflected in your planning and your writing. Kudos on a well-presented, exceptionally skilled written report - you certainly would give me a run for my money - lol. :)
  
• Surprised at how active and how many activities you were able to squeeze in! The info on line-ups, on-line waivers, (the "pushy blonde" - lol ) etc was very informative ...
  
• I thought the food on our B2B aboard the Fantasy in '12 was pretty good - not as good as Celebrity of course. However I did think that it slipped a bit on our return to the Fantasy last October. So it is good to hear that the dining aboard the Anthem got a thumbs up ...
  
• I can just imagine how you would arrange a day at WDW with great aplomb, scheduling around FP's, Disney Dining, attractions etc ... or how great a FE organizer you would be - if you haven't been one already - lol. You and your family will have to go on another Disney cruise just so we can read your next report ;) ...
  
• Geez - now you got me thinking about Pokémon hunting in San Juan - :( - lol
  
• If you're the type of person who says "Don't worry about it" which normally means "It's not a problem" ... but the underlying meaning is ... "You have completely -- up and I’m going to hold this against you for decades", then IMHO, you are NOT super-sarcastic - LOL ! Luv that type of attitude :D ...
  

[mspmcpie]

LOVE your review! We will be on Anthem 10/29 and cannot wait. My husband will have the same drink package as yours and also loved energy drinks. Do you know if Red Bull was available with the package? I can't seem to find a clear answer-- some say yes, some say no, some say only at some locations.

 

 

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