Anthem of the Seas Ship/Suite Review

[galleycook]

Hi. Just recently back from a cruise to Bermuda and the Caribbean aboard the Anthem of the Seas. This was the first time sailing with RCI. The following is a review of the ship and processes based on our observations and experiences. I have also thrown in some comparisons in with NCL and Celebrity.

We were in a Grand Loft Suite as Star Class guests. Previous experience is on NCL and Celebrity with a butler so I wasn’t sure how the genie would work out. I also wasn’t sure how all these reserved shows and activities would work out. This is different from NCL or Celebrity.

I won’t go into a detailed day by day itinerary of what we did but instead provide our observations, facts or opinions relating to specific events, areas, or procedures. This is information that I was searching for prior to the cruise so some might find it useful. There is lots to cover so it may be long :(. I will do a few separate post to break it up.

Embarkation

We were given a window of 1-1:30 pm for check-in (via our travel agent). We arrived into the port area just before 1 so easily would have been within our allotted time at the terminal. However it appeared as though everyone else was also given the same time. As we approached the terminal, the traffic started backing up and came to a very slow crawl. Two lanes, solid all the down the road, and around to the terminal. By the time we got through this, dropped off our luggage and parked the car, it was after 2 pm.

On a previous Celebrity cruise from this port (a few years ago before the terminal was built), we drove right up to the tent, dropped off our luggage, drove around the building and parked the car. It took all of 5 minutes. And this was done without a pre-scheduled arrival time.

After dropping off our luggage and heading towards the parking garage, we saw the Star Class zone at the end. We received nothing from RCI telling us that this is where we were supposed to go. In fact, the only thing we received from RCI was the survey a few days before departure (and it appeared as though they ignored it anyway).

Parked the car and walked to the Star Class zone. The podium was unmanned and there was no one in the area. So I’m a little confused as to the point of this area??? We headed to the area where the other guests were entering the terminal. Someone checked our passports and tickets and let us in the building. We found another staff member who took us to someone with an iPad for check-in. She was already checking another family in but we were told to wait until she was finished and then we would be next. So we waited and we waited. This is not a complaint but an observation. I was under the impression this “iPad” check-in process was supposed to be so much quicker. It didn’t seem like it. In fact, I would say that it seemed unorganized. Lots of people were standing around, not knowing who or where to go to or who was waiting to see someone with an iPad. I think I prefer the, “get in line and move to the next available wicket” process.

When she was finished the other family, she started checking us in. Unfortunately part way through the process, her iPad started acting up so she was unable to finish the process. Yes, everything is going great so far :rolleyes:. Coincidentally, our genie recognized us in the crowd, from the photos submitted on-line and came over. The check-in process would be finished later so we headed to security.

Again, another 15 minutes wasted. Not because it was busy. We actually walked right up. To try and keep this review reasonable in length, I won’t go into the details other than to say we spent all that time trying to convince them that we didn’t have an extension cord in our carry-on bag! Don’t get me wrong, I’m not concerned at all that it took another 15 minutes before getting on the ship. I’m not worried about 15 minutes or 30 minutes or even a couple of hours. Relative to 9 days, it’s nothing. It’s the principal. If they aren’t able to discern common items going through the scanner, then they require additional training.

Once through security, we continued to the ship. Based on what I had read previously, I was expecting this to also be an expedited process. Again not so. The genie did not have any secret entrances or round-about ways in. We went in with all the other guests which I have no problem with but not what I expected. As there were lots of other guests trying to board, it did take time.

I understand that the genie’s guests may be their priority, however this can put the guest in an awkward position. Our genie was pushing through the line and cutting in and we had to follow, which personally makes me uncomfortable. We got to the security gate just on board the ship, and was given a card because the check-in process wasn’t complete. Got through that and off to the elevator where there are another 20 people waiting. I will comment separately on the elevators later (you can probably tell it won’t be good). It was very hot and you could sense the tension and frustration in the guests as we continued waiting for an elevator.

Eventually we did get to our suite. At that time, our genie went over the benefits, or perks associated with the Star Class. There was no review of the suite other than to say, that a spare card would be provided for the lights activation. Our genie did us the courtesy of pre-booking some of the entertainment because we hadn’t booked anything yet (which we appreciated). By this time it was later in the afternoon and I asked if any of the restaurants were open. Nope, but we did have some hors d'oeuvre type snacks on the counter courtesy of our genie. I always thought, the idea on the first day was to keep the guests happy by sending them to the various dinning venues while the rooms were being prepared. I guess they have a different way of keeping the guests happy, but it wasn’t obvious. I assume even room service was not available but nothing about this or what Star Class guests were entitled to as far as room service goes was even covered.

So much for this process being quick. Maybe it was a fluke but if arrival details are not provided by RCI, no one is working in the Star Class zone, and access onto the ship and to the suite is via the same means as every other guest, then there is always the risk that the process will be long and drawn out. On NCL and Celebrity, either the butler or concierge provided back-door escorts making the process much quicker. Again, I don’t really care how long it takes, we know we will eventually get on the ship and to our room but this isn’t what I expected.

Suite

The suite was reasonably large. 2 levels (as loft implies). The main living and dining area are downstairs and bedroom upstairs. The room was nicely decorated. A combination of hardwood, carpet and marble (in the bathroom) look classy. RCI knew what they were doing when it comes to storage! Lots of deep drawers and 2 large wardrobe style cabinets on the upper level. Soft close doors and drawers on all, plus led lights which automatically turn off and on when the wardrobe doors are opened/closed. There is a large closet downstairs which we used to store all of our luggage. Kudos to them on this! I should provide a caveat that not all Grand Lofts are the same layout so storage may be slightly different.

There are 2 three piece bathrooms. No tub(s), which I find surprising considering the type of suite. I personally have never stayed in a suite that did not have a bathtub. The downstairs bathroom, with a shower, makes it more convenient for guests sleeping on the sofa bed. We just used it as a powder room. The downstairs shower is slightly larger than the upper but the upper is set up for 2. It has dual controls but just a pole mounted shower wand on each side. I was actually expecting something more elaborate such as a ceiling mounted rain head(s) and or multiple body sprays. Each bathroom only has 1 sink which again I find odd for this type of suite. The vanities are on the smaller side with only a foot or so on each side of the sink. If you like to spread out, you may not have room.

There is one electronic safe, which is too small in my opinion. There is also a small mini-bar fridge. It has an electronic lock if you want to control access. I also think it is a bit on the small side. It’s not really deep enough to hold a small sandwich plate (if you ever want to keep a food item in the fridge). The contents (pop and water) were included with the room. They also provide a bottle of Monet and a bottle of Directors Cut wine. On day 2 we ran into the mini bar attendant (they have a separate person for this job??). I asked him if he could put a few bottles of Corona in the fridge and he did the next day. The problem is, there is no bottle opener in the room and none was left. The following day I asked our room stewards if they could get me one. They said they would. A day later and still nothing so I asked again and they told me they don’t have them. Not sure why they didn’t say that the first time?? They called the mini bar attendant who had to leave one of his personal openers for us. A ship this size, with 2 dozen bars doesn’t have extra bottle openers! Every suite should have a few spare dishes, cutlery, wine opener, bottle opener, glasses, cups, and anything else that I might have missed.

The suite comes with a large flat screen television downstairs and a smaller ceiling hidden television over the bed. The ceiling TV was hit and miss from an operational perspective. Sometimes it worked and other times no. It was also difficult to lower (and noisy). I was guessing at what was the remote IR receiver and since it worked sometimes, I assume I was in the vicinity. I wasn’t concerned because we rarely watched the TV anyway. There is a selection of movies on demand, which are included (free).

The TV is interactive and can be used for checking your account, making reservations, etc. Their technology needs work though. As an example, when we got on the ship, I checked our account for a zero balance. Instead of seeing us, I saw someone else. Possibly the last guest. Their name was gone the next day but I should never have been able to see someone else. Your personal scheduler or calendar doesn’t (or didn’t) sync up with any reservations you have unless you manually added it. The whole ship is on the same network. Why when a reservation is made at a restaurant (as an example), the system doesn’t fill in your personal calendar as well. Conceptually it’s a good idea but they need to get it working.

The room comes with a Nespresso machine. I wasted many pods trying to make coffee. They either fell through or only a small section was pierced. I asked our room steward about it and he said he would look at it. However it was still the same after he looked at it. I finally gave up using it. Personally I like having a coffee maker in my room and the fact that this one did not work was a detriment for me. They don’t have coffee makers in the rooms on Celebrity but I do like the elaborate machines we have always had in an NCL suite.

I also did not like the fact that this type of suite did not have any spare dishes or cutlery available (drinking/wine glasses only) as I previously mentioned. We finally asked the room stewards to leave 2 sets of cutlery so that we would have something if we ever brought anything back to the room.

The lighting is electronically controlled. There are 2 wall mounted touch screens (one up and one down) to control the lights, along with a number of other ancillary controls. The nightlights, which I don’t think can be turned off, actually produce quite a bit of light. They may be a bother for some when trying to sleep. Separate environmental controls for the up and downstairs, which is nice.

The aft balcony was a fair size and came with 2 chairs and a small table, plus two loungers with separate footstools. The pads on the loungers were quite stained and one of them was ripping at the seam. Personally, I don’t think this looks good for this type of suite and they should be replaced. We found black specks on the furniture and on the deck itself occasionally. I’m guessing this is soot from the exhaust but I don’t know for sure. You have to be careful because it will leave black marks on clothes or yourself if you touch them.

 

Honorable mention goes to the cheap magnet they supply to advise if you want your cabin cleaned, or not to be disturbed. New ship, full of technology and they use a fridge magnet for this purpose :rolleyes:.

Part 1

[Merion_Mom]

Hi. Just recently back from a cruise to Bermuda and the Caribbean aboard the Anthem of the Seas. This was the first time sailing with RCI. The following is a review of the ship and processes based on our observations and experiences. I have also thrown in some comparisons in with NCL and Celebrity.

We were in a Grand Loft Suite as Star Class guests. Previous experience is on NCL and Celebrity with a butler so I wasn’t sure how the genie would work out. I also wasn’t sure how all these reserved shows and activities would work out. This is different from NCL or Celebrity.

I won’t go into a detailed day by day itinerary of what we did but instead provide our observations, facts or opinions relating to specific events, areas, or procedures. This is information that I was searching for prior to the cruise so some might find it useful. There is lots to cover so it may be long :(. I will do a few separate post to break it up.

Embarkation

We were given a window of 1-1:30 pm for check-in (via our travel agent). We arrived into the port area just before 1 so easily would have been within our allotted time at the terminal. However it appeared as though everyone else was also given the same time. As we approached the terminal, the traffic started backing up and came to a very slow crawl. Two lanes, solid all the down the road, and around to the terminal. By the time we got through this, dropped off our luggage and parked the car, it was after 2 pm.

On a previous Celebrity cruise from this port (a few years ago before the terminal was built), we drove right up to the tent, dropped off our luggage, drove around the building and parked the car. It took all of 5 minutes. And this was done without a pre-scheduled arrival time.

After dropping off our luggage and heading towards the parking garage, we saw the Star Class zone at the end. We received nothing from RCI telling us that this is where we were supposed to go. In fact, the only thing we received from RCI was the survey a few days before departure (and it appeared as though they ignored it anyway).

Parked the car and walked to the Star Class zone. The podium was unmanned and there was no one in the area. So I’m a little confused as to the point of this area??? We headed to the area where the other guests were entering the terminal. Someone checked our passports and tickets and let us in the building. We found another staff member who took us to someone with an iPad for check-in. She was already checking another family in but we were told to wait until she was finished and then we would be next. So we waited and we waited. This is not a complaint but an observation. I was under the impression this “iPad” check-in process was supposed to be so much quicker. It didn’t seem like it. In fact, I would say that it seemed unorganized. Lots of people were standing around, not knowing who or where to go to or who was waiting to see someone with an iPad. I think I prefer the, “get in line and move to the next available wicket” process.

When she was finished the other family, she started checking us in. Unfortunately part way through the process, her iPad started acting up so she was unable to finish the process. Yes, everything is going great so far :rolleyes:. Coincidentally, our genie recognized us in the crowd, from the photos submitted on-line and came over. The check-in process would be finished later so we headed to security.

Again, another 15 minutes wasted. Not because it was busy. We actually walked right up. To try and keep this review reasonable in length, I won’t go into the details other than to say we spent all that time trying to convince them that we didn’t have an extension cord in our carry-on bag! Don’t get me wrong, I’m not concerned at all that it took another 15 minutes before getting on the ship. I’m not worried about 15 minutes or 30 minutes or even a couple of hours. Relative to 9 days, it’s nothing. It’s the principal. If they aren’t able to discern common items going through the scanner, then they require additional training.

Once through security, we continued to the ship. Based on what I had read previously, I was expecting this to also be an expedited process. Again not so. The genie did not have any secret entrances or round-about ways in. We went in with all the other guests which I have no problem with but not what I expected. As there were lots of other guests trying to board, it did take time.

I understand that the genie’s guests may be their priority, however this can put the guest in an awkward position. Our genie was pushing through the line and cutting in and we had to follow, which personally makes me uncomfortable. We got to the security gate just on board the ship, and was given a card because the check-in process wasn’t complete. Got through that and off to the elevator where there are another 20 people waiting. I will comment separately on the elevators later (you can probably tell it won’t be good). It was very hot and you could sense the tension and frustration in the guests as we continued waiting for an elevator.

Eventually we did get to our suite. At that time, our genie went over the benefits, or perks associated with the Star Class. There was no review of the suite other than to say, that a spare card would be provided for the lights activation. Our genie did us the courtesy of pre-booking some of the entertainment because we hadn’t booked anything yet (which we appreciated). By this time it was later in the afternoon and I asked if any of the restaurants were open. Nope, but we did have some hors d'oeuvre type snacks on the counter courtesy of our genie. I always thought, the idea on the first day was to keep the guests happy by sending them to the various dinning venues while the rooms were being prepared. I guess they have a different way of keeping the guests happy, but it wasn’t obvious. I assume even room service was not available but nothing about this or what Star Class guests were entitled to as far as room service goes was even covered.

So much for this process being quick. Maybe it was a fluke but if arrival details are not provided by RCI, no one is working in the Star Class zone, and access onto the ship and to the suite is via the same means as every other guest, then there is always the risk that the process will be long and drawn out. On NCL and Celebrity, either the butler or concierge provided back-door escorts making the process much quicker. Again, I don’t really care how long it takes, we know we will eventually get on the ship and to our room but this isn’t what I expected.

Suite

The suite was reasonably large. 2 levels (as loft implies). The main living and dining area are downstairs and bedroom upstairs. The room was nicely decorated. A combination of hardwood, carpet and marble (in the bathroom) look classy. RCI knew what they were doing when it comes to storage! Lots of deep drawers and 2 large wardrobe style cabinets on the upper level. Soft close doors and drawers on all, plus led lights which automatically turn off and on when the wardrobe doors are opened/closed. There is a large closet downstairs which we used to store all of our luggage. Kudos to them on this! I should provide a caveat that not all Grand Lofts are the same layout so storage may be slightly different.

There are 2 three piece bathrooms. No tub(s), which I find surprising considering the type of suite. I personally have never stayed in a suite that did not have a bathtub. The downstairs bathroom, with a shower, makes it more convenient for guests sleeping on the sofa bed. We just used it as a powder room. The downstairs shower is slightly larger than the upper but the upper is set up for 2. It has dual controls but just a pole mounted shower wand on each side. I was actually expecting something more elaborate such as a ceiling mounted rain head(s) and or multiple body sprays. Each bathroom only has 1 sink which again I find odd for this type of suite. The vanities are on the smaller side with only a foot or so on each side of the sink. If you like to spread out, you may not have room.

There is one electronic safe, which is too small in my opinion. There is also a small mini-bar fridge. It has an electronic lock if you want to control access. I also think it is a bit on the small side. It’s not really deep enough to hold a small sandwich plate (if you ever want to keep a food item in the fridge). The contents (pop and water) were included with the room. They also provide a bottle of Monet and a bottle of Directors Cut wine. On day 2 we ran into the mini bar attendant (they have a separate person for this job??). I asked him if he could put a few bottles of Corona in the fridge and he did the next day. The problem is, there is no bottle opener in the room and none was left. The following day I asked our room stewards if they could get me one. They said they would. A day later and still nothing so I asked again and they told me they don’t have them. Not sure why they didn’t say that the first time?? They called the mini bar attendant who had to leave one of his personal openers for us. A ship this size, with 2 dozen bars doesn’t have extra bottle openers! Every suite should have a few spare dishes, cutlery, wine opener, bottle opener, glasses, cups, and anything else that I might have missed.

The suite comes with a large flat screen television downstairs and a smaller ceiling hidden television over the bed. The ceiling TV was hit and miss from an operational perspective. Sometimes it worked and other times no. It was also difficult to lower (and noisy). I was guessing at what was the remote IR receiver and since it worked sometimes, I assume I was in the vicinity. I wasn’t concerned because we rarely watched the TV anyway. There is a selection of movies on demand, which are included (free).

The TV is interactive and can be used for checking your account, making reservations, etc. Their technology needs work though. As an example, when we got on the ship, I checked our account for a zero balance. Instead of seeing us, I saw someone else. Possibly the last guest. Their name was gone the next day but I should never have been able to see someone else. Your personal scheduler or calendar doesn’t (or didn’t) sync up with any reservations you have unless you manually added it. The whole ship is on the same network. Why when a reservation is made at a restaurant (as an example), the system doesn’t fill in your personal calendar as well. Conceptually it’s a good idea but they need to get it working.

The room comes with a Nespresso machine. I wasted many pods trying to make coffee. They either fell through or only a small section was pierced. I asked our room steward about it and he said he would look at it. However it was still the same after he looked at it. I finally gave up using it. Personally I like having a coffee maker in my room and the fact that this one did not work was a detriment for me. They don’t have coffee makers in the rooms on Celebrity but I do like the elaborate machines we have always had in an NCL suite.

I also did not like the fact that this type of suite did not have any spare dishes or cutlery available (drinking/wine glasses only) as I previously mentioned. We finally asked the room stewards to leave 2 sets of cutlery so that we would have something if we ever brought anything back to the room.

The lighting is electronically controlled. There are 2 wall mounted touch screens (one up and one down) to control the lights, along with a number of other ancillary controls. The nightlights, which I don’t think can be turned off, actually produce quite a bit of light. They may be a bother for some when trying to sleep. Separate environmental controls for the up and downstairs, which is nice.

The aft balcony was a fair size and came with 2 chairs and a small table, plus two loungers with separate footstools. The pads on the loungers were quite stained and one of them was ripping at the seam. Personally, I don’t think this looks good for this type of suite and they should be replaced. We found black specks on the furniture and on the deck itself occasionally. I’m guessing this is soot from the exhaust but I don’t know for sure. You have to be careful because it will leave black marks on clothes or yourself if you touch them.

 

Honorable mention goes to the cheap magnet they supply to advise if you want your cabin cleaned, or not to be disturbed. New ship, full of technology and they use a fridge magnet for this purpose :rolleyes:.

Part 1

 

I am enjoying reading about your experiences.

 

I am curious: What kind of notification would you like or expect for the "make up my room" "do not disturb" messages?

[galleycook]

Restaurants

All specialty restaurants are included in the Star Class program. We ate at quite a few of the restaurants and generally found the food was pretty good. Service wasn’t bad but in some cases could have been better. Best for us was, Dinner with the Chef or Chef’s Table as it is called on the Anthem. Worst was The Grande for breakfast. We had a galley tour which was meeting in front of The Grande so we decided to try it for breakfast. I’ve never seen French Toast so small. Two triangle shaped pieces, maybe 4 inches on the hypotenuse side! That was breakfast. When did they started serving appetisers for breakfast J. Could not get a refill on the coffee and the OJ never came. We finally gave up and left.

 

We were charged for Johnny Rockets. A couple of days before the cruise ended our genie advised us that this charge would be removed. I was glad to see that I didn’t have to ask to have it removed. Unfortunately, it was not actually done and I had to remind our genie just prior to leaving the ship. The reaction was interesting. It was either; I’m surprised it’s not done, why are you telling me, or, oh yah, I forgot. I couldn’t tell which. One additional point regarding the interactive TV. I knew the JR charge was not removed because of the hard copy of our account left in the door on the morning of disembarkation. We tried to check using the TV the night before and after an hour of “Please wait, processing”, we gave up. They like telling you about all the latest technology on board, but they need not make it work properly or at least make it work consistently first.

 

The Windjammer is what it is. If you’re lucky, the food will be hot but usually it’s mildly warm. Personally I’m ok with that because I know it’s a buffet. My problem with this venue is the size. I don’t think it’s much bigger (if at all) or doesn’t have any more food serving areas than the smaller ships with half the passengers. In my opinion, the area needs to be larger and there definitely needs to be more serving stations. Especially those doing made to order. Waiting in line 10 minutes for a couple of eggs is crazy for a buffet.

 

We ended up here a couple of times for breakfast/lunch and it was a madhouse! It was very difficult finding a table. Fights almost broke out over tables. And guests would sit there, having finished their meals, just chatting or playing on their cell phones while other can’t find a place to sit. They actually started making announcements asking those who have finished eating to please vacate their table so that other guests could “enjoy” their meal.

 

Another problem with the restaurants, in my opinion, was their operating hours. Generally there is no consistency and sometimes their hours make no sense. We ate dinner at Coastal Kitchen (available to suite and higher tiered guests) one night. Our server told us that breakfast went until 9 or 9:30 the next morning. We arrived at 8:45 and they were already closed. They closed at 8:30! It doesn’t bother me that the server did not know. I understand they have a lot to worry about so it’s possible to get mixed up. What bothers me is that a restaurant (and the suite restaurant at that) finished breakfast service at 8:30!! This one just floored me. They say, it’s an early port day…..so?? Guests are on vacation and maybe they want to sleep in. I get up at 5 am every day. Do I have to do that on the ship as well!

 

Just a note of recognition. We ate dinner at the American Icon one night. This is one of the standard non-specialty restaurants. The food and service were very good. My wife said she had the best cup of tea on the ship in this restaurant. Our server and the restaurant manager were very attentive. My first choice wouldn’t have been to sit next to the kitchen doors. It was noisy but fine.

 

I would like to get on my soapbox for a minute to complain about the amount of wasted food. I just don’t understand why people order or take so much and then leave it. Plates piled high with food left on the tables in the Windjammer or other venues for that matter. Many times I saw someone ask for an extra pastry at breakfast and then just leave it. The hallway to our suite almost always had trays on the floor (outside of the cabins) with plenty of food still left on them. We take our food so much for granted, when there are so many people starving in the world. All the wasted food (including all the prep work and disposal of that food) just increases the cost of cruising for us all. Each person knows what they are capable of eating or what they like. Use this as a guide to make your choices. Please.

 

The dress code was again inconsistent. Despite any signage, they seemed to let anyone in wearing whatever they wanted. I don’t believe track shorts and a white tee shirt are considered smart casual. But they are definitely casual! I did see a clothing rack next to the Chic restaurant entrance and it had quite a few jackets on it. This may be a venue where gentlemen are forced to wear a jacket. We did not eat there so I’m not sure. I was actually quite surprised and impressed with the number of guests who were dressed up in the evening though, including many teenagers.

 

Drink package and Bars

The Star Class includes the Ultimate drink package. I don’t remember seeing a drink anywhere that would not be included (based on price). That doesn’t mean that there aren’t any, but it would be few and far between. We never had an issue getting a drink but the process was very inconsistent and I’m not sure why. Sometimes one card would get both drinks, sometime they asked for both (cards). Sometimes we had to sign for them (still no charge), and other times we didn’t. Sometimes 1 of us would have to sign but the other wouldn’t, even when both drinks were ordered at the same time. This last one made no sense at all!

 

 

Another inconsistency was what could be ordered and where. As an example, many of the restaurants have signature cocktails. We ordered one in Wonderland. It was very good and our server told us that Wonderland does not have its own bar but they get them from Schooner Bar next door. If we go there, they can make them. A couple of days later we stopped at Schooner Bar and ordered this drink. We got them with no questions asked. Later that day we stopped by again and this time was told that they don’t make those drinks at Schooner Bar, they don’t have the alcohol and Wonderland has their own bar which makes them. Good to see everyone is on the same page :rolleyes:.

 

 

Soda is included but if you want it around the ship, you need to carry the provided “souvenir” cup around with you. They have a few dispensing machines that are activated only by this cup. You have a variety of Coke product choices that you can pick from. But to use this machine, you always have to carry around the cup, which I would imagine is an inconvenience. We did not use ours at all however I did see a lot of people with them. The alternative is to ask for soda at any of the bars.

 

 

Part 2

[galleycook]

I am enjoying reading about your experiences.

 

I am curious: What kind of notification would you like or expect for the "make up my room" "do not disturb" messages?

 

I think they could have something as simple as a switch inside the door with colored LED lights outside the door. One switch/light for "Do Not Disturb" and the other for "Please Make Up The Room". This is not my idea. I think I've seen it around but for a new ship, it would have been easy to incorporate.

 

Maybe even taking it a step further in that the switch also notifies (via an iPad that they seem to love to use) the room steward that you would like your room made up (or not to disturb you). Might help them to schedule their work more efficiently.

 

It prevents anyone from flipping the magnet to something that you might not have selected.

[galleycook]

The Ship

Generally the ship was ok. Nicely decorated with a classy feel. Being only a year or two old, it was in good shape but you could some see signs of wear and tear that could easily have been fixed. It does feel closed in which may be why I describe it as “ok”. We were told by a senior staff member that it was designed this way because it sails from Bayonne all year long. The idea being to make more of it usable in the colder weather.

The Promenade or “Royal Esplanade” was always a hub of activity. The area near Starbucks/Sorrentos was usually quite busy because of the tables of goods for sale and the people looking. Sometimes it was difficult passing through.

There is one of the typical ship type shops selling souvenirs, liquor, cigarettes and other trinkets. The shop is smaller than on other ships carrying half the passengers. They did have lots of sales out in front of the ship shop. Especially the “1 hour only” sales which lasted all day or night! Do they really need to play this game? The irony is that they would start setting up before the sale started and if a guest picked something up to look at it, they were as much told to put the item down because the sale hadn’t started yet.

There are a number of high end shops selling mostly jewelry and some clothing, which rarely had many guests in them (at least when we were in the area).

They had plenty of photo shoot areas set up throughout the cruise. Photos are all digital. Your sea pass allows you to log in and see your photos only. They have different packages for sale, both digital and hard copies. I will mention one of the technologies used on the ship here. Facial recognition software. Once you have your photo taken a couple of times, the software know who you are and will associate your photos with your cabin. From a Big Brother perspective, this also means they could track your individual activity on the ship (via security cameras) following your shopping, eating or other habits.

The elevators were always a problem. First there aren’t enough for this size of ship. Second, they always had at least one out of service. There are two sets, each about 1/3 of the way from the ends of the ship. Each set had a bank on both port and starboard sides. The set of elevators that we used the most had one out of service right from day one. I did see as many as 3 of them out simultaneously on one day. There almost always was a wait. Occasionally up to 10 minutes. Some guests made serious comments about the delays while others joked about the slow elevators.

The suite guests at the back of the ship had to walk 1/3 of the way toward the front of the ship, take the elevator up a floor or two and then walk all the way to the back again to get into the Concierge Lounge. Doesn’t seem like a very well thought out design.

Sometimes floor announcements were made, other times not. Sometimes you could push 1 button for your floor. Other times you had to press the same floor button on each side of the door. Someone pointed this out to us as to why it didn’t always stop on the selected floor. Next time the ship is in for an overhaul, they really need to address the elevator issue.

Star Class includes unlimited high speed internet. You are provided with 1 access code per person so it is possible to use multiple devices. I only used a laptop and it worked very well. One of our codes didn’t seem to work but I wasn’t concerned about it. I did have to re-log in on a couple of occasions. I don’t know what circumstances prompt re-logging in??? Of the ships I have been on, this is the best internet connection.

I’m not sure if RCI has always done this or just because of the recent drowning but they have staff (Deck Patrol) who stand around the pool monitoring it. There was always someone watching each of the water/pool areas. I saw on a few occasions them tell kids to stop horsing around. They have golf shirts, long pants and shoes on so I’m not sure if they would jump in the pool if someone were in distress. They did carry portable radios so they could call for help.

Occasionally I saw young kids in the tiered pool area which is adults only but staff never said anything. All of the pools were usually crowed unless you went later in the evening. A few large hot tubs, which were also packed regularly. There were lots of kids in the pools and hot tubs and did not seem to be supervised by parents. In fact that was true all over the ship. Of the 3 pools, there is always one open 24 hrs (so we were told). I like this.

I think the best location on the ship is Two70. It’s a theater, lounge, restaurant, bar, or just a place to sit and watch where the ship has been. There are large monitors controlled by robots which can be moved in many positions depending on the activity. They can project onto dropdown screens (on the back windows), imagines which are very lifelike. We watched 2 productions done this way (the Philharmonic Orchestra and Santa Fe & and the Fat City Horns). The depth of the imagines and quality of audio make you think you’re watching a live performance. Food and bar service was good and it was never overly busy. This is just an excellent multipurpose venue.

I didn’t like the fact that they started to push future cruises after we had barely been on the ship for 24 hours.

Scheduling of shows and activities is a pain. Not the process but the concept. I’m on holidays so I might not want to be tied down so much. And when the schedule(s) gets changed (and it does), it could throw a monkey wrench into other plans that you have. Expect long lines and waits for bumper cars or get there well before the start time. Watch the schedules for the interactive activities such as flow rider, I Fly, rock climbing, etc. They vary with no consistency. We found many times, were had to juggle things around to do what we wanted to do.

Entertainment on board was very good. The productions were very well done. The singers have excellent voices. The Gift is a little unusual but just watch it for the entertainment only without trying to figure out the story. We liked the comedians and magicians. Based on the audience reactions and applause, it seems like everyone liked them as well.

Another honorable note. The public bathrooms have hands-free everything, including the doors. Just hip-check the wall switch. And they have signs telling guests to use a paper towel to open the door, including appropriate waste baskets near the door for those paper towels. Also upon entering the Windjammer, you have to wash with soap and water and not just use hand sanitizer. I think these concepts are great. The hand washing at the Windjammer can create a bit of a backlog however.

Part 3

[easyboy]

Appreciate your insights. Following.

[DISFANS3]

We just show up at 10 am to board ship, Most of time we our on the ship by 11 or 11 30? We never wait for the time they tell you to show up..

[champagne123]

Only read your first post so far and very disappointed in the embarking process. Holy Cow. :(

[Clarea]

Enjoying the review, thanks.:)

[marci22]

A sign I saw during port checkin said something like: "Priority boarding will begin at 11am. If you arrive after this time, please board with the masses." paraphrased!

 

I realize that you were in an upper level suite, and should get priorty boarding as people have posted how nice and great it is, but I wonder about the logistics. Do all later-arriving Star class cruisers have to push past people? They should figure something out...

 

"I’ve never seen French Toast so small. Two triangle shaped pieces, maybe 4 inches on the hypotenuse side!" --nice description.

 

Very good and thorough review, enjoyable reading.

Edited August 27, 2016 by marci22

[philpcruiser]

Only read your first post so far and very disappointed in the embarking process. Holy Cow. :(

I read all the posts and am very, very, very disappointed. Hope my upcoming first cruise on RCCL in not our last.

[champagne123]

I read all the posts and am very, very, very disappointed. Hope my upcoming first cruise on RCCL in not our last.

 

I understand how you feel. BUT, there have been so many wonderful reviews for the Anthem in the past few weeks. This is the first negative one I have read in a while. I 100% respect the OP's opinion, but I am going to take this review with a grain of salt. A lot of the complaints are things that would not bother me and we always "go with the flow". For example: having to walk 1/3 of the way down the ship to get to the elevator. :confused: Stuff like that. I have been on 3 mega ships and know what to expect. We always have a blast and don't let things like the "dress code" bother us. The only thing I hate is the traffic getting to the Bayonne cruise port, but we have an early check in time. YAY. You board the ship a couple of weeks before we do. I hope you come back and let us know your experience. Have a GREAT time and don't let the little things bother you!!!:):):)

[galleycook]

We just show up at 10 am to board ship, Most of time we our on the ship by 11 or 11 30? We never wait for the time they tell you to show up..

 

This was a first RCI cruise for us so we followed the "only" instructions which were to show up between 1 and 1:30. It sounds like this was the time offered by the genie to our travel agent.

 

We assumed this process was used across the board, which if everyone stuck to their assigned times could make the process efficient. I assumed we would meet our genie, so following the timing instructions is probably important as they could be busy with other guests. Once on board, we were told that we were our genies last scheduled guests to arrive.

[marci22]

A lot of the complaints are things that would not bother me and we always "go with the flow". For example: having to walk 1/3 of the way down the ship to get to the elevator. :confused:

 

His comment was in reference to the concierge lounge location. I agree, it is not the best location for the top suites as they have to walk to the elevators midship, take elevators, then walk back to the lounge. It's much nicer when the lounge is easily accessible for coffee, etc. On our trip the lounge was empty much of the time.

[champagne123]

His comment was in reference to the concierge lounge location. I agree, it is not the best location for the top suites as they have to walk to the elevators midship, take elevators, then walk back to the lounge. It's much nicer when the lounge is easily accessible for coffee, etc. On our trip the lounge was empty much of the time.

 

I understand Marci, but you have to do that with a lot of venues..not just the concierge lounge. Just trying to point out that some things may bother some people and others, they will not. Just like the Windjammer. I don't think I have ever been to a buffet, regardless of ship or cruise line that wasn't crazy, busy.:D:D:D

[galleycook]

I understand how you feel. BUT, there have been so many wonderful reviews for the Anthem in the past few weeks. This is the first negative one I have read in a while. I 100% respect the OP's opinion, but I am going to take this review with a grain of salt. A lot of the complaints are things that would not bother me and we always "go with the flow". For example: having to walk 1/3 of the way down the ship to get to the elevator. :confused: Stuff like that. I have been on 3 mega ships and know what to expect. We always have a blast and don't let things like the "dress code" bother us. The only thing I hate is the traffic getting to the Bayonne cruise port, but we have an early check in time. YAY. You board the ship a couple of weeks before we do. I hope you come back and let us know your experience. Have a GREAT time and don't let the little things bother you!!!:):):)

 

Certainly take it was a grain of salt. I do the same. This is why I stated at the beginning, these were our observations, experiences and opinions. The same thing may not happen to others.

 

Regarding reviews, just by coincidence I happen to find a review of the same cruise we did on another web site and it was not good. I wasn't looking for it but came upon it more by accident. I don't really think our situation is all that isolated because on CC, only 48% "loved it". That is pretty low compared to most ships. Additionally, my review is partially centered around the suite and genie so some information (good or bad) may not be comparable with general reviews.

 

One last comment regarding "walking a 1/3 of the way down the ship". That is not intended as derogatory. Big ships require lots of walking. It was to point out what seems to be a poor design. For example, if they put all the open esplanade shopping right in front of the theater entrances, it would be a madhouse whenever the theater let out. This would be a poor design.

 

It just doesn't make sense to me the walk a 1/3 of the way to the elevators for a floor or two and then walk all the way back. Put a set of stairs near the aft end for anyone that wants to use them. In fact put more guests stairs in general.

[champagne123]

Certainly take it was a grain of salt. I do the same. This is why I stated at the beginning, these were our observations, experiences and opinions. The same thing may not happen to others.

 

Regarding reviews, just by coincidence I happen to find a review of the same cruise we did on another web site and it was not good. I wasn't looking for it but came upon it more by accident. I don't really think our situation is all that isolated because on CC, only 48% "loved it". That is pretty low compared to most ships. Additionally, my review is partially centered around the suite and genie so some information (good or bad) may not be comparable with general reviews.

 

One last comment regarding "walking a 1/3 of the way down the ship". That is not intended as derogatory. Big ships require lots of walking. It was to point out what seems to be a poor design. For example, if they put all the open esplanade shopping right in front of the theater entrances, it would be a madhouse whenever the theater let out. This would be a poor design.

 

It just doesn't make sense to me the walk a 1/3 of the way to the elevators for a floor or two and then walk all the way back. Put a set of stairs near the aft end for anyone that wants to use them. In fact put more guests stairs in general.

 

Galleycook, as stated, I respect your opinion and you gave some great tips for everyone. Just wanted to point out that some of the things you were not happy with, do not bother some people. Most new ships DO start out with a low rating and over time it improves. We usually wait 1 year before boarding a new ship to get the kinks out. I am truly sorry so many things were not up to your expectations.:( Hopefully you will give RCCL another chance. (maybe a smaller ship). :):)

[galleycook]

I understand Marci, but you have to do that with a lot of venues..not just the concierge lounge. Just trying to point out that some things may bother some people and others, they will not. Just like the Windjammer. I don't think I have ever been to a buffet, regardless of ship or cruise line that wasn't crazy, busy.:D:D:D

 

I agree buffets are typically busy because of the nature in which they work. People spend time just walking around looking at what is available.

 

The Windjammer on Anthem doesn't appear to be that much bigger, if at all, than on the typical 2500 passenger ships. It would therefore be logical to conclude that with almost twice as many passengers, it will be busier. That's what we found. If they have a pre-recorded message that they have to play asking guests who are finished to leave suggests they also know there is a problem.

 

I don't know if it's crowded all the time but was when we were there.

[galleycook]

Disembarkation

This went a little faster than the arrival process but not super-fast. A couple of days before arriving back in Bayonne, our genie asked us what time we wanted to leave. We picked 7:15 (which was one of the times offered). We received a note the last day telling us 7:30. That was fine. The process is that you keep your luggage in the room with you. It is not put out the last night as is typically done. Your genie arrives (at your suite) at the agreed time with a ships porter to take you and your luggage off the ship. Again we took the same elevators as all other guests and again we waited. The security exit point that we went to first was not open yet so we walked down the ship to the next which was also not open yet. So we waited. This is when our genie went and had the Johnny Rocket charge removed. Finally they opened the security point and we along with all the other guests tried to exit. As when we came on board, our genie was cutting into the line. Fortunately they opened the second scanner which we happened to be standing in front of and did not to cut in to the other line. What was not fortunate was the scanner did not work. They kept trying to get my wife’s card to show up with no luck. Finally another security officer realized the card reader was not connected. After getting that fixed we got through. The lineup for the elevator next to the escalator (in the terminal) was long so our genie suggested we take the escalator while our porter takes our luggage down the elevator. We waited on the bottom for him (about 5 minutes). We were able to walk right up to a customs agent. I don’t know if it would have been much different without the genie as they had lots of lines open. The last time we returned on Celebrity to this port we walked right up to customs and we did this on our own without the butler. We did have to transfer our bags to a second terminal porter (from the ships porter) who dropped them off at one of the zones while I went to pick up the car.

Concluding thoughts

What did I think about the RCI’s genie program? Well, using NCL and Celebrity’s concierge/butler program as a benchmark, I don’t think the genie program met the mark. It seems the genie and concierge are doing pretty much the same thing. In fact in some cases the genie appears just to be acting as the middleman for the concierge. The marketing or promotional pictures used by RCI for the genie, show them arriving to the suite with coffee/soda on tray, serving popcorn and wine in suite, assisting with seating at a restaurant, delivering/serving a cake in suite, etc. These are the things that a butler would do and the genie apparently has told some, they are not butlers. Based on our experience and interaction, I doubt our genie would not be doing those types of things. I’m not really sure what RCI is suggesting by those pictures.

I suppose the fact that the genie has either 3 or 4 suites to look after could suggest that you may end up with more attentive service. However my experience with the concierge(s) on NCL, where they look after all the suites, was very good. Maybe one experience with a poor concierge but I think that was the person more than the position.

We did have reserved seats (courtesy of our genie) at the theater productions and they were very good seats. But we’ve had reserved seats on NCL and Celebrity as well via the concierge/butler although not as good.

The way I describe it is, the concierge is your “out of suite assistant” and the butler, your “in-suite assistant”. That in-suite detail or attention was missing on this cruise. We didn’t even experience some of the so-called genie perks like expedited embarkation/disembarkation. I will say that our genie did offer to provide priority to get off the ship at the ports. We didn’t utilize the service as there no need. We just waited for ½ an hour and could almost walk right off without delay. I believe the RFID cards help speed up the process as security never takes your card. A quick tap on the scanner (when they’re working) and your free to go. When you have over 4000 passengers, every 10 seconds saved speeds up the overall process.

Did we have fun? Sure. You can almost always make whatever you want out of your situation. The weather was great and the seas were very calm! Did we get good value? No. This is the most expensive suite we have ever stayed in. Fortunately our pricing was based on a promotion which was something like, pay for 3 days and get 1 free. If we hadn’t have receive the 25% discount, I might not be so nonchalant in my comments. I think they need to be more consistent in their policies, get things like the elevators fixed, optimize their technology and enhance the genie program.

Lastly, I would like to acknowledge that RCI did contact me directly after I filled in the on-line survey. They were typical average comments so it appears to suggest RCI is interested in taking customer feedback to improve where they can. As I said at the beginning (of this review) and told the Customer Service person that called, these were our observations and experiences. I might be able to answer any questions if you have them.

Part 4, final

[marci22]

Most new ships DO start out with a low rating and over time it improves. We usually wait 1 year before boarding a new ship to get the kinks out. I am truly sorry so many things were not up to your expectations.:( Hopefully you will give RCCL another chance. (maybe a smaller ship). :):)

 

I don't know about that, look at the ratings for Quantum on this site, they are even lower than Anthem.

 

It is hard to describe what is 'bad' about a new ship to someone who hasn't been on it. I think I had a good idea of what to expect from reading reviews here, but I was still surprised by some things.

 

No doubt this ship is beautiful, and the crew is very willing to help, but there is just so much that beauty and helpfulness can overcome. They are still having multiple issues with cards/bands working as described. Some people sail through the cruise without any problems, and others must visit GS repeatedly, as I did. There are some great activities and shows, but there are just too many people that have to be accommodated, and some will not be, through no fault of their own.

 

It seemed that passengers were competing against each other for the available (limited) free resources, throughout the cruise.

 

I don't understand your comment to OP about trying a smaller ship. It's not about the bigness here; it's about how things are run. I think the crew tries their best, but logistically, it is very hard for them to be successful in accommodating all passengers. There are just too many people onboard for what is available. It's like a floating apartment building, full of families and kids, with a small playground and little cafeteria.

[galleycook]

Galleycook, as stated, I respect your opinion and you gave some great tips for everyone. Just wanted to point out that some of the things you were not happy with, do not bother some people. Most new ships DO start out with a low rating and over time it improves. We usually wait 1 year before boarding a new ship to get the kinks out. I am truly sorry so many things were not up to your expectations.:( Hopefully you will give RCCL another chance. (maybe a smaller ship). :):)

 

For sure some things will not bother everyone. As I mentioned, some guests were upset with the elevators, others just laughed. I point it out because this is what happened and then anyone reading can decide if that is something important to them. Whatever it happens to be. I think I also provided positive things, which also could be argued are not positive to everyone. The reader has to decide.

 

Take a look at my "final thoughts". We did have fun but for a suite, it wasn't what I expected.

[dforeigner]

How disappointing. I been thinking about booking this cruise and suite class for next year. If that were to happen to me, I would also be rather unhappy.

 

I was under the impression that since you are booked in this type of class, the Genie would be able to book your shows and restaurants once you boarded. Glad to hear that if you don't pre-book, you may not be able to get the times you want once you board.

[galleycook]

I don't know about that, look at the ratings for Quantum on this site, they are even lower than Anthem.

 

It is hard to describe what is 'bad' about a new ship to someone who hasn't been on it. I think I had a good idea of what to expect from reading reviews here, but I was still surprised by some things.

 

No doubt this ship is beautiful, and the crew is very willing to help, but there is just so much that beauty and helpfulness can overcome. They are still having multiple issues with cards/bands working as described. Some people sail through the cruise without any problems, and others must visit GS repeatedly, as I did. There are some great activities and shows, but there are just too many people that have to be accommodated, and some will not be, through no fault of their own.

 

It seemed that passengers were competing against each other for the available (limited) free resources, throughout the cruise.

 

I don't understand your comment to OP about trying a smaller ship. It's not about the bigness here; it's about how things are run. I think the crew tries their best, but logistically, it is very hard for them to be successful in accommodating all passengers. There are just too many people onboard for what is available. It's like a floating apartment building, full of families and kids, with a small playground and little cafeteria.

 

 

I agree! Waiting well over an hour for bumper cars, as an example, suggests a lot of competition for limited resources.

 

Maybe they can have food stations around the perimeter of the bumper car field. That way you can eat while waiting in line for your turn, reducing the number of people at the Windjammer :).

[galleycook]

How disappointing. I been thinking about booking this cruise and suite class for next year. If that were to happen to me, I would also be rather unhappy.

 

I was under the impression that since you are booked in this type of class, the Genie would be able to book your shows and restaurants once you boarded. Glad to hear that if you don't pre-book, you may not be able to get the times you want once you board.

 

Let me clarify. The genie can (and in our case, did) book us for activities/shows/restaurants when we got on board. Our genie pre-booked some activities for us but the times did not work out and we had to change some. You may not get what you want as far as timing goes if you wait though. The genies can do some things but not everything.

 

We ended up with times for some events that were ok but would not have been our first choice and some things change once booked (I'm not sure why).

 

We were able to make some of our own restaurant reservations. We asked the genie to help with Chops because we were told they were booked for the cruise. A genie (not ours) did get us in at a different time than requested but we did get in.

[dforeigner]

Let me clarify. The genie can (and in our case, did) book us for activities/shows/restaurants when we got on board. Our genie pre-booked some activities for us but the times did not work out and we had to change some. You may not get what you want as far as timing goes if you wait though. The genies can do some things but not everything.

 

We ended up with times for some events that were ok but would not have been our first choice and some things change once booked (I'm not sure why).

 

We were able to make some of our own restaurant reservations. We asked the genie to help with Chops because we were told they were booked for the cruise. A genie (not ours) did get us in at a different time than requested but we did get in.

 

Thank you for the clarification.