Anthem Aug. 11th sailing new review

[MsK64]

Each time the Anthem docks after a cruise, there’s a slew of reviews posted and another one seems redundant, but I know that before my cruise, I read every single post labeled ‘Anthem’, trying to get as much info as possible, and so many posters on CC were so helpful to me, that I wanted to ‘pay it forward’. So here are my thoughts on the trip I just finished.

 

Let me first put my review in context by giving you a bit of information about myself. I think that's important because we all view a cruise through our own lens. This was my 11th cruise, but only my 2nd with Royal Caribbean. I'm a middle-aged (ouch; that hurt to write) woman who was traveling with a friend. (also a woman, a bit older than me) So I really can't speak to the quality of programs for kids or how lively the DJ was at 2:45 AM or what the casino was like or any of the other things we didn't do or weren't interested in. We went on excursions, but not through the ship. But I’ll try to relay whatever I can from my own experience, and talk about the things I wanted to know when planning this trip, and I hope it helps someone else.

 

Bottom line?? We both loved the cruise, and loved the ship. But there were some problems that I will address as I go on.

 

Pre-cruise: this was one of the problems for me. I ended up spending way too much time online having to make reservations for dinners (we did Dynamic Choice) and for the 3 main shows—something I wouldn’t have even known to do if not for CC! And then after having matched all the dinner reservations to the show reservations, the ship changed the show dates! While they automatically transferred my show reservations to the new day, I had to go back online and try to fix the now incorrect dinner reservations. But by this time, there was nothing available that would fit. Plus, I wasn’t able to make reservations for RipCord online either. Or the Puzzle Room. So then instead of spending the first couple of hours exploring this glorious ship, I spent it standing in line at the restaurants and the reservation line at the theater (where they dealt with everything else that needed a reservation) to get this done. The up-side is that I was successful in getting it done, but it was a pain in the neck doing it. I don’t deny that I am sort of old school, in that I missed the freedom of being able to decide each day when and where I want to eat or what I wanted to do or what show I wanted to see. While I understand why they do it this way for Anthem, getting everything set up was stressful and time-consuming and not the way I wanted to begin a vacation.

 

BTW, the Royal IQ app did not work in the terminal, and in fact was not working at all until after 1:00 PM , so at least for this cruise, there was no way to change or make reservations using your tablet or any of the ones around the ship until after 1:00. Which made the line to speak to a person to change things even longer. Perhaps on other cruises this was not the case, and it was easier to make changes.

 

As for whether or not you can get in without reservations, I would say for the shows—definitely. They open the venues up for those without reservations the last 15 minutes before the shows begin. There were always some seats left at that time; not the greatest seats, but empty ones. As for dinner, that’s trickier. Partially it depends on the restaurant you want to go to and partially on the time you want to eat. From what heard from fellow cruisers and restaurant staff, the 6:30-8:00 slots were virtually impossible without reservations, but if you were willing to eat from 5:30 to 6:30 or later in the evening, it was far more likely you could get in without trouble or serious delay. And having a small group to seat, especially only 2 people, makes it even easier. The larger the group, the bigger the problem without reservations.

 

One thing everyone agreed on: having a reservation, even for a time you don’t want to eat, makes it a lot easier to get a better time slot. And, we found that if you had a reservation, you could show up a bit early and they’d still seat you without a problem. And you do have a 30 minute window, so if you have a 5:30 reservation, it’s held until 6:00 PM.

 

For RipCord and North Star; those book up fast, especially RipCord. If you don’t have a reservation, I would suggest checking back with them (my advice? Go to the actual physical location on the ship to do it) on a regular basis because there are cancellations and you might be able to slip into one of those. North Star may be more flexible in terms of getting on ‘stand-by’, but RipCord not so much. But beware: there is a policy in place that if you don’t cancel your North Star or RipCord reservations 12 hours in advance, the ship will charge you $25. So if you change your mind, let them know!! I don’t know if they actually charged people or it’s just a scare tactic, but I wouldn’t want to be the one to test it. Besides, if you can’t go, it only seems right to free up the spot in time for someone else to have a chance to do it.

Finally, the Puzzle Room (‘Escape from the Future’). This is the mystery of Anthem, akin to magical city of Brigadoon—appearing online for a brief moment to make reservations and then disappearing into the mists. (shout out to any musical theater buffs!) I was able to get a reservation for this on board, but the few reservations that were left, booked up fast.

 

Embarkation: This was one of the easiest I’ve ever experienced. My friend and I both live in Brooklyn and got dropped off by her son at the Bayonne pier around 11:00 AM. We gave in our large suitcases in the designated place, literally a few feet from where the car dropped us off. You didn’t even have to go into the building to check in; there were a large number of reps with electronic clipboards who got everything done right at curbside. In less than 10 minutes of exiting the car, we were sitting in the terminal waiting to board. (they call you by row, in the order in which you arrived, with the exception of those folks who get ‘pre-boarding perks’ of some kind, who were seated in a different section) Less than a half hour after we sat down, we were boarding the ship. It was easy-peasy all the way.

 

Cabin: Here was the big problem of the cruise. The friend I was traveling with has trouble walking, and is also prone to seasickness. Because of that, I had to make sure that any cabin we chose filled several criteria: it had to be lower mid-ship and mid-deck (where the ship is more stable and less vulnerable to rocking or swaying), and close to an elevator. (for the walking issue). That’s why we could not choose the ‘guaranteed balcony’ category, even though it was less money, because it would have meant risking getting a cabin far from the elevator or on a high deck. So I picked an available cabin on deck 7, which was listed as ‘unobstructed’, and was mid-ship near the elevator. And we willingly paid the extra money because it solved my friend’s problems. But before we finalized and paid, I wanted to be absolutely sure, so I had my travel agent call RCI to confirm there was in fact, no obstruction. I asked her to specifically reference the tall white ‘posts’ that support the lifeboats and make sure that weren’t in front of the balcony of this particular cabin. She reported back that the RCI rep assured her there was nothing in front of the balcony; that it was a completely unobstructed view. But as I believe in the ‘rule of 3’ (when it’s important, call any institution at least times, to make sure you get the same answer each time), I called twice more myself and asked the same questions of the 2 different travel planning department reps that answered the phone each time. I got the same exact answer—nothing in front of the balcony. In fact, I was told there was nothing below either except a straight view down to the sea. So we went ahead and chose this cabin and paid.

 

By this time, I’m sure you all know where I’m going with this story; I opened the door to our cabin and the first thing I saw was 2 big white posts blocking the view. (and a lifeboat deck between us and the sea) I had just stood on various lines for a couple of hours to deal with the reservations, and now this. It was infuriating, and had the potential of ruining the trip. (I know, I know….I can already envision all those posters typing out messages like ‘it’s your vacation, relax—just go with the flow’. I only wish I was that kind of person, but I’m not)

 

If I had chosen the guaranteed category and ended up with this room, I’d consider myself lucky—well-positioned and ‘only’ partially obstructed—it could have been a lot worse. But that isn’t what happened, I paid for an unobstructed balcony, and so I was really upset. I don’t think the reps intentionally lied (at least I hope not); I think they just didn’t know but didn’t want to say ‘I don’t know’. The deck plan said ‘unobstructed’, so that’s what they told me. If even one of them had just said “hey, I’m not really sure so you’d probably be better off picking a cabin one or 2 decks up to be sure”, then I absolutely would have done that. But they didn’t, they said it was fine, so I stayed with this cabin.

 

So, after waiting on lines for the first part of the afternoon, I now spend the better part of what was left of my first afternoon on board dealing with Guest Services, hoping for a cabin change and or some compensation for the mistake.

 

Here’s where the story gets a little happier. I went up the chain until I was able to speak to Joel Sanchez, the desk manager at Guest Relations. He could not have been kinder or more patient or professional. The cruise was basically sold out, but over the next several hours, he did manage to find not one, but 2 other cabins we could switch to, and if it were me alone, I would have done it in a heartbeat. But one was as far away from an elevator as possible on this ship, and the other was on deck 13, so neither would have worked for my friend and her problems. I thanked him for his efforts but in the end, we stayed in the original cabin, and it was at this point that I did make up my mind to let the anger go, at least for the duration of the cruise, so that I could enjoy myself. I moved the balcony chair around (2 chairs, both with adjustable backs and also footrests) so that I could see the ocean between the posts and the lifeboats below, and made the best of it. In addition, Joel offered a financial voucher for each of us for a future cruise and some OBC for this one. (I love the irony of vouchers; it’s basically RCI saying we screwed up your vacation and to make it up to you, you have to forgive us and come on another Royal Cruise and give us a chance to screw it up again—or lose the money we’re offering) In any case, I was very appreciative for all his efforts on our behalf. Joel was wonderful, but I am still upset with the corporate policy of RCI in labeling a clearly obstructed cabin as one that is completely unobstructed. That seems to smack of fraud, and I’ll be continuing this conversation with them. And I would advise anyone picking a cabin on deck 7 to be aware that every 3rd or 4th cabin on that deck on both sides of the ship will have the same obstruction as we did.

 

As to the more mundane aspects of the cabin, it was quite nice. This cabin had the bed next to the balcony door, and while separating the bed into 2 twins did take up some space, it was ok. There plenty of storage space for 2 women, including 2 closets with lots of hangers (real ones, that come out of the closet!) and several drawers. The large suitcases fit easily under each of the beds. (mine was delivered by 2:00 PM, my friend’s by 6:00) The bathroom was on the small side, but having the glass shower door was a plus. There were some shelves and a decent amount of counter space for 2 people. The ship provides shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, and body lotion. Plus a hairdryer in the main part of the cabin. There were plenty of outlets for all our gadgets, including one by the bed.

 

Our cabin attendant Alistair was great: friendly, hardworking, and solicitous, and to be honest, other the great big honking elephant on the balcony, this was a really nice room and well-situated. The cabin was not only close to the elevator, but getting off the mid-deck elevator meant you were never more than halfway across the ship from where you wanted to go. (and this was really important for my friend)

 

Food: As has been often pointed out on this site, food is a very subjective thing and that’s why it’s one of the most controversial topics on CC. (a 3 page thread on the merits of the Lobster Bisque at The Grande!! BTW, we both had it and we both liked it….) My friend and I are firmly on the side of “we’ve already paid good money for this cruise, there’s so many free places to eat, why should we pay extra for food?” Maybe it’s because we live in a place where there are great restaurants of every kind on every block and we eat out a lot, so not paying for a dinner is the real treat. (well, we paid for it, but you know what I mean) I mean no judgement here; I have no problem at all with people who love the specialty restaurants; it just won’t be part of this review.

 

We went to The Grande and American Icon 3x, Silk twice, and Chic once. (except for The Grande, the others were chosen more for the availability of reservations at the times we needed them than for the menus) We did nearly all breakfasts and lunches in the Windjammer, but I went to the Café @270 a couple of times as well.

 

The Windjammer was fine; typical of any buffet, the food on the line wasn’t always hot, but everything we had was good. Don’t laugh, but the tater tots at breakfast were fabulous—crunchy on the outside and creamy on the inside. And they had to be replaced so often, they were almost always hot. The world is a better place when you can get a perfect tater tot! The pastries were yummy, as was the bread. The omelets being made on the spot were very tasty, and the fruit was sweet and plentiful. I used a biscuit to make a decent imitation of a scone, and then piled on the strawberries and whipped cream that were by the pancakes and waffles. Yum! At lunch, I tended to eat ‘lighter’ (which is a relative term on a cruise), sticking more to the salads and sliced meats and cheeses, but my friend had pork chops and the Tikka Masala (that was a bit spicy) and a few other hot dishes and liked them. The deserts were yummy. (the chocolate bread pudding was decadent, the cheesecake and cookies were very good) And while it was crowded, it was no more so than the buffets on smaller ships. We didn’t experience the problems finding a seat others have discussed. (this was true even on the first afternoon) We often went at peak times, but always found some place to sit within one walk-thru. At that point, one of us would hold the table, and the other would get food. Then we’d switch. It worked for us. The staff there was great; cleaning tables fast to help with turnover and coming around several times to ask if we wanted water or tea or juice, etc.

 

The Café @270 was really lovely. There were limited choices, but they were good. The paninis were tasty, the roast beef very good, and the chicken Caesar salad I had was wonderful. The same kitchen produced the pastries, so those were good too. And of course, eating lunch while looking at that spectacular view is wonderful.

 

All the restaurants we went to had great food and excellent service. Despite the fact that they were all very busy, the wait staffs was friendly, helpful, efficient, and very professional.

 

Except for Silk, the ‘classic’ menu was exactly the same for all restaurants on all nights; so that you could always get what’s on that for every night in any location if you wanted to. The ‘flexible’ menu was the same in each restaurant for the first 4 nights (so that those on the ‘classic’ rotation would get an opportunity for that menu in each restaurant), changed on the 5th night, and that version remained in place for the rest of the cruise. We had reservations for each night, and we were regularly seated within a few moments of arriving. We were always put at a 2-top, but requested to be put next to other 2-person tables, so that we could meet new people and strike up interesting conversations, and 7 out of the 9 nights that was what happened. We were both very happy with our experience in all the restaurants.

 

Here’s some highlights of both menus:

 

The Grande: the standout here is obviously the lobster tail (at least for us), which is offered every night regardless of the menu change. And we ordered it each time we were in The Grande. You can get as many as you want, and we certainly took advantage of that. I can’t speak for the experience of others, but all the lobster we were served was sweet and well-cooked. Twice we also ordered a ‘naked’ filet mignon medallion for a surf and turf combo, and it was prepared to absolutely medium rare perfection. The vidalia onion tart was delicious, and the molten chocolate cake was mind-bogglingly good. My friend got the apple tarte tatin each time and loved it each time. (and btw, the nights we were there at least 90% of the people were dressed absolutely appropriately for the venue. Lots of gowns, cocktail dresses, some tuxes, and a whole lot of suits. Which frankly, I thought was a very nice thing)

American Icon: The best thing we had here was the rack of lamb; it was beyond fabulous. And the smoked chicken wings appetizer was delicious, as were the grilled BBQ ribs.

 

Silk: The honey/hoisin lamb chops were beyond amazing; I had them with a yummy ‘side’ of tempura battered fried shrimp. The crab cake appetizer was fabulous. And the lime and ginger chocolate cake was really good!

 

Chic: the roasted pork chop was a tad overdone, but not enough to have it sent back or to order something else. But the warm skillet cookie for desert was out of this world!

 

From the classic menu, the shrimp in the shrimp cocktail was always fresh and tasty, and the French onion soup was good too. (though a bit salty—that seems to be fairly common with French onion soup) And the Royal Chocolate Cake was always delicious, and the cheesecake was quite good. (though frankly, it doesn’t hold a candle to Brooklyn’s own Junior’s Cheesecake—but then, no cheesecake does!!)

 

If you want a more detailed look at the menus, here’s a website that I think was already posted here, but it can’t hurt to put it up again: http://eatsleepcruise.com/2016/05/anthem-of-the-seas-menus/ (it will go directly to the Anthem’s menus, but you should be able to navigate back to the home page if you want to check out other ships)

 

Biggest complaint? It’s one that’s been talked about before on this site: no ice cream or frozen yogurt in the late hours. The frozen yogurt by the pool ends at 5 or 5:30. You can get late night snacks at the Promenade Café or Sorrento’s, but if you just want something sweet and light before you go to bed, you’re out of luck.

 

Entertainment: We went to all 3 main shows: The Gift, Spectra’s Cabaret, and We Will Rock You. The Gift and WWRY were in the Royal Theater; Spectra’s Cabaret in 270. Here my friend and I somewhat disagreed. We both liked The Gift; we found the voices, the dancing, and the effects to be really good. It’s amazing this was done in a theater on a cruise ship. (that’s pretty much true of all 3 shows). I liked most of Spectra’s Cabaret; parts were somewhat incomprehensible and even on Broadway I don’t like when the special effects (and there were tons of them in this show) overwhelm any sense of character of plot. But once again, the singing and dancing were really wonderful. My friend did not enjoy this show at all; in fact, she left before it ended. She liked We Will Rock You but found it ‘too loud’. I on the hand really loved it and the volume didn’t bother me at all. (though it is loud) In my opinion, it was the best show of the 3 because it had a fully realized plot, familiar (and fabulous) music and great singing and dancing. (and yes, there were plenty of special effects here too, but not so much it took over the show)

 

As for other shows around the ship, we liked the first comic but not the second. The ‘Welcome Aboard’ show was good, and we were both suckers for the piano music and sing-alongs at the Schooner Bar late afternoons and each night. There was a Billy Joel tribute done by several of the performers from the different shows and bars that was held in the Music Hall and this was really wonderful. No special effects, just great songs and wonderful singers and musicians.

 

Shipboard Activities: we picked this cruise specifically because we wanted a laid-back relaxing vacation (that’s why having a balcony was so important to me), so we didn’t run from one end of the ship to the other doing activities. I did go to several trivia sessions, and a couple of craft things and they were fun. Sometimes I went just to watch the various dance lesson sessions. I also went to the ‘Kitchen Nightmares’ (basically a cooking completion between 2 audience members while the Executive Chef for the ship took questions about kitchen operations. And there was a session with Abe Hughes (the CD) with a few of the performers from the various shows and again took questions from the audience. Those were both interesting. And we revisited our childhoods with a few minutes on the bumper cars. (a long line, but it moved at a good pace) But mostly we just vegged out, looked at the ocean, read a lot, and recharged our batteries.

 

As far as the pools were concerned, if you’re on a warm weather Anthem cruise and you want to use the main pool during the day, I hope you don’t mind standing when you get out of the pool because the chair hogs were in full bloom and the pool deck was chaos. I’m not a sun worshipper so this didn’t bother me, but I’m sure it will some people. The Solarium pools (3 smaller, cascading pools) are lovely and the middle pool, which is enclosed but has—I think—a retractable roof is also nice. But I’m sure they were crowded during the day as well. I’m an early riser, so I was in the enclosed pool doing laps every morning and there was never more than a couple of other people there. It was great. But as I was leaving, I could see the chair hogs beginning to spread their towels across multiple chairs and no ship personnel seemed to be doing anything about it. And as an aside, I noticed that at every single pool, regardless of how late or early or how crowded or empty, there was a person with the label ‘pool patrol’ on their shirt. I don’t know if they were actual lifeguards (I asked one guy but there was a bit of language problem) or just there to watch and get help if necessary. I don’t know if this was always true or happened as a result of the recent tragedy; I can only tell you they were there.

 

The gym is fairly big and has lots of equipment and mats and classes—many of which cost money, but not all. There was a ‘Latin fitness’ Zumba type class once in 270, but that was the only time I saw it listed. There is a jogging track on deck 15, but you have to compete with encroaching pool chairs and gusty winds.

 

The 2 really great things I did was ‘Escape from the Future’ (aka ‘the puzzle room’) and RipCord. A big thank you to Chris the activities manager for offering to switch our puzzle room reservations to another day, when we said we had to leave the Mix and Mingle early to get to the puzzle room because it conflicted. This was a really fun thing to do. You’re locked in a room with 10 or so other people and you have one hour to solve dozens of puzzles to find the key (literally) to get out. There was so much to do and you end up working closely with people to solve the various puzzles. We did get out—though with only 5 minutes to spare. But our ‘guide’ told us over 40% of the groups never solve the puzzle and don’t find the key. (needless to say, everyone gets out regardless) If you can do this, I highly recommend it.

 

Then there was RipCord. I’m very, very afraid of heights, so doing the North Star was out of the question. But I did want to challenge myself so I thought this was a perfect opportunity. There is a short class, but I was still really scared as we made our way up to the ‘tube’ entrance. But Jason, the instructor, was absolutely wonderful. He’s inside with you the entire time and will hold you (considering he was pretty cute, that was a nice perk right there….) and turn you and not let you hurt yourself or fly up too high. You’re only in there for a minute but it seemed a lot longer. But it was great; really exhilarating. I’m so glad I did it. And watching how hard Jason worked with everyone that session, whatever it is RCI is paying him, it’s not enough. When we were all done, he did a few tricks in the tube and it was really cool. Do this if you can. (btw, sometimes there are ship photographers there, but not always. There were none for our session. But you’re ‘flying’ in a tube on a deck and friends and family can be right outside where you’re ‘flying’ and take pictures.

 

Itinerary: All 4 ports were wonderful in their own way. Both my friend and I had already been to Bermuda, so this time we just walked around a bit and enjoyed the scenery. In Puerto Rico, we met a friend who lives there and she gave us a ‘local’s tour’, which was nice. (we’d both been here too, so we didn’t feel the need to rush to the usual tourist sites) In St. Martaan, we took a 4 hour tour with Bernard’s. I could not recommend this tour group more highly. It was great. Our guide was ‘The Mailman’ and he knew so much about everywhere we went. We hit both Phillipsburg and Marigot (had some time for shopping and Sarafina’s here—though many shops were closes as it was a French holiday, or maybe just a Monday in August….), Maho Beach where the planes buzz you on the way into the airport, and a few other places. The $40 included all the water, soda, beer, and rum punch you wanted. We took the tour without the beach extension, but the people on that one got 90 minutes on the beach and then were picked up. It was great. In Labadee, my friend stayed on board, but I wanted to play a little in the ocean so I left the ship. It is a long walk (and it was very hot) off the ship, down the pier, and into the facility to the first beach you where they let you swim. There are free beach chairs there. But beware, there are large rocks under the water everywhere, at least on the beach where I was. So bring swim shoes if you can, and be careful getting in and out of the water. Even so, it was wonderful! There was a complementary BBQ lunch set up if you didn’t want to go back to the ship, and there are of course, a ton of other activities you can purchase while on the island.

 

The ship itself: We both loved it. We feared it would be too big and overwhelming, but it wasn’t. You never really felt crowded or had the sense of how many people were on board. Despite its size, it wasn’t hard to find your way around, and there are signs everywhere. We found it to be clean and well-maintained. The Royal Promenade is smaller than on other ships, because the space is being used for other things, but that didn’t bother either of us. The Seaplex is amazing and even if you’re don’t want to do any of the activities there, you should go up and just see how it all works.

 

Staff: Again, everyone we came in contact with was great. The people I’ve already mentioned, Joel from Guest Services, Chris the Activities manager, Alistair our room steward, and Jason at RipCord, who were all wonderful and accommodating in their own ways. In truth, every crew member in every venue that we met was friendly, helpful, and as accommodating as they could be from the first day to the last.

 

Disembarkation: This was more difficult and time-consuming than getting on. We had a late ‘self-carry’ time, but there was a large backup, apparently because there was some sort of problem in immigration with one person and they shut everything down for a while until it was straightened out. Or so the rumor went. In any case, it dragged on for a while and it took a long time to get off the ship. But I don't think this is the norm.

 

To sum up, we really loved the cruise and definitely recommend it. Planning is more high maintenance than other cruises, but that’s part of the deal. And while it didn’t start well for us, I blame corporate in Miami for that, not the Anthem.

 

My friend and I both agree we would likely take this ship again, perhaps for the Canadian itinerary.

 

If anyone has any questions, please feel free to ask!

[Clarea]

Very well-written report and thanks for the links to the menus.:)

[riclop]

Thanks for the review.

[Barb Nahoumi]

Thank you for sharing your review. I enjoyed reading it.

[MisterBill99]

Thanks for posting the review. Out of curiosity, what was your cabin number and what was the category? Unless you booked a DO category, it's crazy that you had an obstructed view. On the other hand, you have to understand that the lifeboats circle the ship and are large, so most cabins are going to have a view of them looking down. As you posted, it was suggested that you take something higher up.

Edited August 22, 2016 by MisterBill99

[MsK64]

Thanks for posting the review. Out of curiosity, what was your cabin number and what was the category? Unless you booked a DO category, it's crazy that you had an obstructed view. On the other hand, you have to understand that the lifeboats circle the ship and are large, so most cabins are going to have a view of them looking down. As you posted, it was suggested that you take something higher up.

 

Thanks for your reply. This was a D8 category room as listed on the RCI deck plans and on my invoice. NOT a DO.

 

And it wasn't the lifeboats below that bothered me (although I didn't expect it, as on other ships the lifeboats are configured differently)--it was the 2 'towers' in front of the balcony that were the problem. And to clarify, NO ONE at RCI suggested that I take something higher up. What I wrote was, that each time I called they insisted it wasn't obstructed (because that's what the category said) and IF ONLY someone had suggested moving up a deck or 2, I would have.

 

Perhaps because it was not completely obstructed, RCI thought they could get away with called it 'unobstructed'. Whatever, it wasn't what I thought I was paying for.

[MsK64]

Very well-written report and thanks for the links to the menus.:)

 

NP re: the menu link. I don't remember if I saw the link here or somewhere else while doing research on the trip, but I figured it would be of interest to folks going on the Anthem for the first time.

[qanderson]

 

 

 

. And I would advise anyone picking a cabin on deck 7 to be aware that every 3rd or 4th cabin on that deck on both sides of the ship will have the same obstruction as of the deal. And while it didn’t start well for us, I blame corporate in Miami for that, not the Anthem.

 

 

 

 

 

Hi there, I have 3 anthem side by side balconies (D8s) booked in February on deck 7. Would you mind sharing the stateroom number that you were in?

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[dmlee1990]

Thank you so much for the detailed review of your cruise on the Anthem. So glad you had a great time/experience (for the most part). I appreciate your comments, likes & dislikes. I will be sailing the Anthem in a couple of weeks with my family to Canada/New England. All of your information definitely helps.

[MsK64]

Thank you so much for the detailed review of your cruise on the Anthem. So glad you had a great time/experience (for the most part). I appreciate your comments, likes & dislikes. I will be sailing the Anthem in a couple of weeks with my family to Canada/New England. All of your information definitely helps.

 

Thanks--I got so much help from this board, I'm glad I was able to help someone else! Enjoy your trip!

[SilkySal]

NP re: the menu link. I don't remember if I saw the link here or somewhere else while doing research on the trip, but I figured it would be of interest to folks going on the Anthem for the first time.

 

We plan to book a fall foliage cruise on the Anthem in 2018 (I like to book early to get the cabin I want)! We've never been on the Anthem, so much appreciated your review and the restaurant/menu choices!:p BTW, on Labadee, if you would have walked straight up from the pier and got on the free shuttle, you could have ridden all of the way down to the farthest beach (Columbus cove), where the white sands are plentiful and the walk into the water is very easy with no rocks; plenty of shade trees too!:cool: Thanks for the review and maybe we'll see you on the Anthem in the fall of 2018!!:rolleyes:

[hansolosmom]

Thanks for the review - I thought it was great information and well balanced with the good and bad.

 

I'm with you on the reservations. I really hate having to worry about that for the shows, ripcord and north star. It's a pain in the butt. I've heard of the $25 fee and now I'm considering getting rid of the reservations and trying to do stand-by because I'm afraid I'll forget to show up and be charged!

[MsK64]

Hi there, I have 3 anthem side by side balconies (D8s) booked in February on deck 7. Would you mind sharing the stateroom number that you were in?

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

 

NP--it was 7616. If you look on the RCI deck plans, you can see this cabin, and the entire section, is labeled D8 (same for the port side) NOT a DO cabin. And as I said, 3 different RCI agents confirmed there was nothing in front of the balcony. All I can assume is, because it is only 'partially' obstructed, RCI felt they could get away with not labeling it as 'obstructed'. Which seems really sketchy in my book.

 

The large pillars (I don't know what else to call them) support each side of the lifeboat and come all the way up to deck 7. And a lifeboat seems to be about 3 or 4 cabins wide. If you're standing on the balcony, you can see over it, but if you're sitting, it's right in your line of vision in the center of the balcony. You can see the water to either side of the pillars, so if you angle your chair, you can watch the ocean. As I said in my review, if one paid less for a guaranteed balcony and got this, one might be happy with it and glad it wasn't completely obstructed. But I paid the higher rate to get a certain kind of room, so it was disappointing.

 

If you're going to check with RCI about whether or not your cabin is affected, I hope you have better luck getting the correct information out of them than I did. I'm contacting RCI corporate to try and them to relabel these cabins and the more people who complain about it, the better.

 

Even if you end up with one of these balconies, don't let it ruin your trip--I didn't.

 

Have a great cruise!

[wolfcathorse]

MsK64 - who was the captain. I want to keep my Current captains thread updated.

[MsK64]

MsK64 - who was the captain. I want to keep my Current captains thread updated.

 

He kept introducing himself as 'Captain Dustin' but I think his full name is Dustin Castelsky. He's Canadian and he's very young; I think early or mid-thirties.

[MisterBill99]

I'm contacting RCI corporate to try and them to relabel these cabins and the more people who complain about it, the better.

You're not going to succeed, but feel free to write if it will make you feel better. The cabins labelled obstructed view have the lifeboats blocking the glass portion of their balcony. Some are rated at 50% obstructed, others 75% (although that info is not on the RCCL website). There have been other ships with metal poles partially blocking the view on other ships that are not considered obstructed.

 

Also, I can't find any reference to that cabin number for either Anthem or Quantum here other than this one and a thread you just posted in. So clearly it's not as big a deal as you make it seem. and the photo posted in that other thread shows that the posts do not go above the bottom of the glass on the balcony, so unless things are moved, I don't see how they could have affected your view straight out (and that is what the obstruction would be).

[MsK64]

You're not going to succeed, but feel free to write if it will make you feel better. The cabins labelled obstructed view have the lifeboats blocking the glass portion of their balcony. Some are rated at 50% obstructed, others 75% (although that info is not on the RCCL website). There have been other ships with metal poles partially blocking the view on other ships that are not considered obstructed.

 

Also, I can't find any reference to that cabin number for either Anthem or Quantum here other than this one and a thread you just posted in. So clearly it's not as big a deal as you make it seem. and the photo posted in that other thread shows that the posts do not go above the bottom of the glass on the balcony, so unless things are moved, I don't see how they could have affected your view straight out (and that is what the obstruction would be).

 

I just figured out how to post photos and put this on the other thread about this issue. I'm not going to quibble about whether or not the balcony was 50% obstructed or more or less. I only know that when the deck plan says it's a non-obstructed balcony and 3 RCI reps tell you that your balcony has absolutely nothing in front of it, it shouldn't look like this. (one photo was taken from inside the cabin, the other is the view I had while sitting down on the balcony looking straight out. The only place you don't see the posts, is when you stand up against the railing and look out)

 

RCI did admit their mistake or error or whatever you want to call it by giving us the vouchers, but while that helps me, it doesn't help anyone else. You're probably right that RCI will do nothing to rectify this situation for the future, but having experienced it myself, I want to know I tried everything to keep anyone else from starting their vacation with the nasty surprise I had.

[MsK64]

We plan to book a fall foliage cruise on the Anthem in 2018 (I like to book early to get the cabin I want)! We've never been on the Anthem, so much appreciated your review and the restaurant/menu choices!:p BTW, on Labadee, if you would have walked straight up from the pier and got on the free shuttle, you could have ridden all of the way down to the farthest beach (Columbus cove), where the white sands are plentiful and the walk into the water is very easy with no rocks; plenty of shade trees too!:cool: Thanks for the review and maybe we'll see you on the Anthem in the fall of 2018!!:rolleyes:

 

Unfortunately, I didn't know there were free shuttles until I was leaving the beach. So at least I was able to take advantage of it going back to the ship.

 

I think you're going to enjoy the Anthem. Despite the cabin problem we had, we really loved our cruise.

 

And as it always the case, after I posted the review, I remembered a bunch of things I should have said. Like that my friend and I both thought the mattresses were firm but comfortable (that was a source of controversy on another thread) and the pillows were good too.

 

That the TV pulls out to angle towards the couch, if you should want to watch while you're in the cabin.

 

That there's a nightlight in the bathroom, so if anyone gets up in the middle of night, you don't have to chose between putting on the light and waking someone up or tripping over yourself on the way there.

 

That you should bring a plastic card (like an expired gift card or an old hotel room card) because you need to put a card in the slot by the door to keep the electricity and air conditioning going. (It's supposed to be your room key, so that everything shuts off when you leave to save energy. It's a good idea, but coming back to a broiling room, not so much. We shut all the lights manually each time we left the room but left the ac on, though at a warmer temperature, just to keep the room from getting stifling)

 

Or that 2 of the best places to sit and read or just veg out while looking at the ocean (especially if you don't have a balcony) are in the large chairs facing the windows in 270, and the comfy couches and over-sized rocking chairs on deck 5, across from the tuba-like sculpture. (you'll know what I mean when you see it)

 

And I'm sure after I submit this post, I'll think of more stuff. But then, discovering things on your own is half the joy of a cruise vacation--so have a wonderful time.

[SilkySal]

MsK64 - Thanks so much for your tips!;) I will definitely check out those rockers and will bring an extra plastic card for that slot! Also, I agree that your cabin should have been listed with an obstructed view or at least partially obstructed! For that reason, I have excluded Deck 7 from my list of preferred cabins before booking on the Anthem, and will await the new east coast itinerary to come out for October, 2018!!:rolleyes: Happy cruising!!

[hansolosmom]

Thanks for the additional tips and for the pictures. I agree I would really have been annoyed in your situation. I would expect something to say they have an obstruction. Like you said as a guarantee case this would be fine, but not if I booked on purpose. So I will also try to avoid deck 7 in the future.

 

Do you know how many cabins down from the elevator you were? I was wondering if you heard any noise from the vestibule area around the elevators.

[wolfcathorse]

He kept introducing himself as 'Captain Dustin' but I think his full name is Dustin Castelsky. He's Canadian and he's very young; I think early or mid-thirties.

 

thank you, I have him as currently on Anthem so my chart is correct for a change. LOL

[erby2283]

Thanks for your review. I, too, would have been upset about that balcony view.

[Guest maddycat]

Unfortunately, I didn't know there were free shuttles until I was leaving the beach. So at least I was able to take advantage of it going back to the ship.

 

I think you're going to enjoy the Anthem. Despite the cabin problem we had, we really loved our cruise.

 

And as it always the case, after I posted the review, I remembered a bunch of things I should have said. Like that my friend and I both thought the mattresses were firm but comfortable (that was a source of controversy on another thread) and the pillows were good too.

 

That the TV pulls out to angle towards the couch, if you should want to watch while you're in the cabin.

 

That there's a nightlight in the bathroom, so if anyone gets up in the middle of night, you don't have to chose between putting on the light and waking someone up or tripping over yourself on the way there.

 

That you should bring a plastic card (like an expired gift card or an old hotel room card) because you need to put a card in the slot by the door to keep the electricity and air conditioning going. (It's supposed to be your room key, so that everything shuts off when you leave to save energy. It's a good idea, but coming back to a broiling room, not so much. We shut all the lights manually each time we left the room but left the ac on, though at a warmer temperature, just to keep the room from getting stifling)

 

Or that 2 of the best places to sit and read or just veg out while looking at the ocean (especially if you don't have a balcony) are in the large chairs facing the windows in 270, and the comfy couches and over-sized rocking chairs on deck 5, across from the tuba-like sculpture. (you'll know what I mean when you see it)

 

And I'm sure after I submit this post, I'll think of more stuff. But then, discovering things on your own is half the joy of a cruise vacation--so have a wonderful time.

 

Thanks for the review. Did you find 270 cold? That was the only place on the ship where I was always cold.

[MisterBill99]

He kept introducing himself as 'Captain Dustin' but I think his full name is Dustin Castelsky. He's Canadian and he's very young; I think early or mid-thirties.

Did you see him around the ship at all? When we were on in January, we almost never saw our captain (I forget his name, it was the one before Claus). I think the only time I saw him was during the C&A reception in 270, and he made a quick exit out of there. I'm used to captains on Celebrity being out and about and interacting with passengers. I understand that's not their primary job, but I certainly expected it based on previous sailings

Edited August 23, 2016 by MisterBill99

[MsK64]

Thanks for the additional tips and for the pictures....Do you know how many cabins down from the elevator you were? I was wondering if you heard any noise from the vestibule area around the elevators.

 

It's hard to measure in cabins, because although we were close to the elevator, it wasn't a straight-shot to our cabin. You had to zig-zag through a little 'L' shaped hall to get from the elevators to the main part of the deck where our cabin was. In any case, there was absolutely no noise coming from the elevator vestibule. On occasion, there was noise from people in the hall or on other balconies but that's to be expected, and was no big deal.