Anthem of the Seas Ship/Suite Review

[Nvadav]

Ok thanks I will. I thought I read that you had been on both. I was on anthem and also had the genie and I'm hooked but would like to try another cruise line if they have comparable perks. Thanks again

 

 

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We are on Anthem in a star class suite in October and would be very interested in hearing about your experience, compared to this one. I have read a couple of other star class reviews from other ships and they sound amazing. This is the first less than amazing experience I am reading about, and am wondering if it is ship specific or just a one off not so great experience that happens from time to time. We too have sailed in the haven on NCL and have heard from others that the genie is like the NCL Butler on steroids. Also have heard of an app? Genie loop or something specific for communicating with your genie. Wondering how effective this is on Anthem. Thanks very much. Also thanks to the OP for sharing their experience. Sorry it was not up to par, and hoping our experience is more positive.

[123veranda]

I was just on the anthem in star class last week and thought it was amazing. There were a few minor things but I think it's because it's still relatively new. You go to a special boarding area where genie meets u & takes u right to suite. She has a schedule made up of dinners, shows & activities already made up. If u don't like anything she'll change. u meet her 15 mins b4 and u go to head of line (bumper cars, I fly, etc). The only xtra thing we paid for was xtra tips and Johnny Rockets milkshakes (?? Why they aren't included I don't know). I thought it was amazing. Debarking was great. U keep your suitcases and

Valet and genie come to suite(u pick time) and you bypass lines & go right to customs. I don't think I can cruise any other way. That's why I was inquiring about butlers on other lines. Love Anthem but have been on her 3 times and need new shows, ect.

 

 

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[chandom]

For those who have been or will be Star on Anthem or Harmony.

 

I'm curious if the new pay for items were covered on the new room service menu.

[galleycook]

I was just on the anthem in star class last week and thought it was amazing. There were a few minor things but I think it's because it's still relatively new. You go to a special boarding area where genie meets u & takes u right to suite. She has a schedule made up of dinners, shows & activities already made up. If u don't like anything she'll change. u meet her 15 mins b4 and u go to head of line (bumper cars, I fly, etc). The only xtra thing we paid for was xtra tips and Johnny Rockets milkshakes (?? Why they aren't included I don't know). I thought it was amazing. Debarking was great. U keep your suitcases and

Valet and genie come to suite(u pick time) and you bypass lines & go right to customs. I don't think I can cruise any other way. That's why I was inquiring about butlers on other lines. Love Anthem but have been on her 3 times and need new shows, ect.

 

 

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Your experience may have been the way it is supposed to happen but it did not for us and by no fault of ours. Again, we received no correspondence from RCI on the check-in process. This may be Corporates fault rather than the Anthem. Having said that though, we didn’t receive anything from our genie either. We arrived at our allotted time (with a lot of other passengers). Even when the genie found us, we still had to go through the same processes and space that all the other passengers were going through so the process was slow.

 

Keeping your luggage at disembarkation may be an advantage but again for us the process was slow. We still had to take our turn at the elevators. Security was not open at multiple locations. We had to wait for our luggage via the porter taking the elevator (in the terminal). Yes we also walked up to Customs but we did that when on Celebrity (at the same port). They had many lines open so everything was moving quickly. And I believe in this case, if we didn’t have a genie, we could have gotten through pretty quickly.

 

What we found, especially with NCL, is the process both on and off is expedited because they don’t necessarily take you through areas that general passengers can get through at those times. Or the process is setup in such a way that you don’t seem to have to compete with all passengers, making the process quicker. At least that has been our general experience.

 

It doesn’t sound like you’ve had a butler in the past but if you have, I would be very interested to hear if your genie did all the things the butler did. In our case, the genie did what the concierge would do and as I mentioned in my review, the genie acted more like a middleman. And you don’t have to worry about not having a concierge, because as far as I know, most, if not all ships have them. I have been in a suite with butler on a number of occasions, and our genie, albeit nice, was not a butler on steroids as someone has suggested they might be. We saw or spoke with our genie, maybe a dozen times in 9 days. We see our butler a dozen times every 2 days. Now if the genie’s mandate is to also do a butlers job (which some have posted their genie told them they are not butlers), then they need to convey this to their guests.

 

Finally, I would like to provide two example of our experiences relating to the butler. On NCL our butler saw us take a scoop of M&M’s from the snack table they had out in the Haven. The next day we had a bowl of M&M’s in our room. The same thing happened with a number of items. On Celebrity, I had brought a small bottle of lime juice to make some in-suite drinks (because they provided 2 bottles of alcohol). After I had put it in the fridge (full size in the butler’s pantry), the butler left us a bowl of lime and lemon wedges. In both simple examples, we did not have to ask, the butler anticipates. Definitely nothing like that on the Anthem, even though and unlike the other cruise lines, we were asked us to fill in a questioner in advance. Remember, it took me two days jut to get a bottle opener for beer...... that they put in the minibar. [/size]

[123veranda]

U definitely make a good point; and, yes, I have never had a butler to compare. That is why I was looking into other ships (& the butlers). Your comments make me want to do it even more so. Even thou the butler sounds better than the genie, I don't think I could go back to sailing with neither.

 

 

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[galleycook]

Did you cruise Haven and how did you like it?

 

 

We've been in suites allowing access to the Haven area. Personally I think it's great. As I mentioned, the area is limited to a relatively small number of guests. Obviously the pool is smaller, hot tubs, chairs, etc will be less than for the rest of the ship but proportionally to the number of guests, it is much higher. Essentially it is like night and day and I make the assumption it is like this on their newest ships as well.

 

They also have snack, drinks, etc that you can help yourself too and staff that would be happy to get meals for you.

 

So far, my opinion is that the Haven experience on NCL is better than the other cruise lines suite programs. However if your not in a suite with Haven access, then NCL may not be the best. That's just my opinion.

[galleycook]

U definitely make a good point; and, yes, I have never had a butler to compare. That is why I was looking into other ships (& the butlers). Your comments make me want to do it even more so. Even thou the butler sounds better than the genie, I don't think I could go back to sailing with neither.

 

 

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Absolutely. Once we tried a suite a number of years ago, there was no going back!!

 

We wanted to try RCI because we hadn't sailed with them previously and the genie program sounded interesting. It just wasn't what we expected. When you have to pay so much for a suite, I hate being nickeled and dimed so it was nice having the specialty restaurants and drink package included.

[hansolosmom]

Thanks for the review. After doing the Haven, I would have been disappointed too in some of the things you encountered. The beauty of the Haven is as soon as they see "Haven" on your paperwork in the terminal its special treatment. We did the Haven on Breakaway in March, I got there a little later, so I didn't get to enjoy the lounge and free food which my mom and sister did, but I got the priority security line along with getting right on the ship. I really liked the dedicated elvator when I got on-board the first day too.

Our butler was okay, but we didn't use him for much. But really enjoyed the private sun deck and restaurant.

 

I personally think that RC is trying to cash in on the suite passenger clientele, but I think they rushed out the suite class amenities before quite getting everything worked out.

[Nvadav]

I was just on the anthem in star class last week and thought it was amazing. There were a few minor things but I think it's because it's still relatively new. You go to a special boarding area where genie meets u & takes u right to suite. She has a schedule made up of dinners, shows & activities already made up. If u don't like anything she'll change. u meet her 15 mins b4 and u go to head of line (bumper cars, I fly, etc). The only xtra thing we paid for was xtra tips and Johnny Rockets milkshakes (?? Why they aren't included I don't know). I thought it was amazing. Debarking was great. U keep your suitcases and

Valet and genie come to suite(u pick time) and you bypass lines & go right to customs. I don't think I can cruise any other way. That's why I was inquiring about butlers on other lines. Love Anthem but have been on her 3 times and need new shows, ect.

 

 

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Thanks very much for explaining. Makes me feel a lot better. We have sailed almost exclusively in suites on NCL, a few on princess and Royal, but this will be our first Star Class voyage. On NCL, when you book your suite, depending on the ship and the suite level, ie: penthouse suite, haven suite, owners suite etc, you will have special access to certain things. A butler for all in suite needs, room service house keeping, afternoon snacks etc. For all outside of room issues you will have a concierge for reservations, shore excursions etc. as for perks like beverage packages and specialty dining and free internet etc these are not automatically included in NCL suites, they may be included if you booked during a promotional period or perhaps your travel agent secures these perks for you but it isn't automatic like with the star class.

Edited August 28, 2016 by Nvadav

[galleycook]

Thanks for the review. After doing the Haven, I would have been disappointed too in some of the things you encountered. The beauty of the Haven is as soon as they see "Haven" on your paperwork in the terminal its special treatment. We did the Haven on Breakaway in March, I got there a little later, so I didn't get to enjoy the lounge and free food which my mom and sister did, but I got the priority security line along with getting right on the ship. I really liked the dedicated elvator when I got on-board the first day too.

Our butler was okay, but we didn't use him for much. But really enjoyed the private sun deck and restaurant.

 

I personally think that RC is trying to cash in on the suite passenger clientele, but I think they rushed out the suite class amenities before quite getting everything worked out.

 

 

 

Yes, priority lines and dedicated elevators!!

 

The one thing I think RCI did do right was including beverages, speciality dining and gratuities in Star Class, which NCL has only been doing via promotions (and you still need to read the fine print).

[Jenjer]

We've been in suites allowing access to the Haven area. Personally I think it's great. As I mentioned, the area is limited to a relatively small number of guests. Obviously the pool is smaller, hot tubs, chairs, etc will be less than for the rest of the ship but proportionally to the number of guests, it is much higher. Essentially it is like night and day and I make the assumption it is like this on their newest ships as well.

 

They also have snack, drinks, etc that you can help yourself too and staff that would be happy to get meals for you.

 

So far, my opinion is that the Haven experience on NCL is better than the other cruise lines suite programs. However if your not in a suite with Haven access, then NCL may not be the best. That's just my opinion.

 

Absolutely agree. We will never cruise NCL again out of the Haven. Once you go Have you can never go back :-)

 

I am surprised Royal does not back passageways like NCL to move suite guests off ship. We used them every time we left the ship escorted by the concierge and his staff. When we embarked NCL had 1 elevator marked just for Haven guests to avoid having to jump the lines. We got envious glances but not angry ones.

[galleycook]

Absolutely agree. We will never cruise NCL again out of the Haven. Once you go Have you can never go back :-)

 

I am surprised Royal does not back passageways like NCL to move suite guests off ship. We used them every time we left the ship escorted by the concierge and his staff. When we embarked NCL had 1 elevator marked just for Haven guests to avoid having to jump the lines. We got envious glances but not angry ones.

 

The back door passages/elevators is what I expected on the Anthem. Unfortunately not. Our glances were, "why are you butting in" :rolleyes:. I guess if you arrive at the right time, you might be able to avoid the masses.

 

The row of suites along the back of the ship is accessible from the either port or starboard hallways. When you get to the end, there is a glass door which is labeled suites but is accessible by anyone. In fact most times they were propped open. I'm not sure what purpose they served??

[MattInFLL]

Sorry you had a less than great experience.

 

I guess us regulars forget that not everyone knows to ignore the suggested arrival times in US Ports and that arriving into Cape Liberty after a certain time usually means traffic nightmares.

 

I also have been going out of my way to say Genies are in no way butlers. They are really - at least when it works. - like a high end personal assistant. On Oasis class your two cabin stewards take care of all the cleanup and getting to know the little things in cabin that you like.

 

I have had a butler in an NCL Garden Villa - that was pre haven days - he was phenomenal. But I've never been back to NCL because I didn't like the "rest of the experience" as much.

 

Another Anthem Oasis difference that might make a difference is that there is no dedicated Deck 17 suites only area with your own lounge and restaurant. Anthem is set up very differently.

 

Again - sorry it didn't live up to your expectations.

[galleycook]

Sorry you had a less than great experience.

 

I guess us regulars forget that not everyone knows to ignore the suggested arrival times in US Ports and that arriving into Cape Liberty after a certain time usually means traffic nightmares.

 

I also have been going out of my way to say Genies are in no way butlers. They are really - at least when it works. - like a high end personal assistant. On Oasis class your two cabin stewards take care of all the cleanup and getting to know the little things in cabin that you like.

 

I have had a butler in an NCL Garden Villa - that was pre haven days - he was phenomenal. But I've never been back to NCL because I didn't like the "rest of the experience" as much.

 

Another Anthem Oasis difference that might make a difference is that there is no dedicated Deck 17 suites only area with your own lounge and restaurant. Anthem is set up very differently.

 

Again - sorry it didn't live up to your expectations.

 

 

 

Hey, no need to apologize. I appreciate you providing your insight and experiences before our cruise. At least we didn’t have to argue about charges being added for perks which are included (except for a reminder about Johnny Rockets) ;).

 

We heard from a number of staff members that the cruise was sold out and there were lots of kids on board but,……next week (the week after our cruise), it would be a lot quieter as the kids would be getting back to school. I’m not sure if we kept hearing this as an excuse or a, just so you know. You always have to design for worst case so it doesn’t really matter if it’s a full house or not.

 

Regarding the rules, we wouldn’t do anything different, even going through what we did. Generally, I like to think I follow the rules. If I decide to do what I want, I can see how the genie may not be available because they are dealing with another set of suite guests. Which then might start a different backlog. We were told by our genie we were the last guests to board. I therefore assume we were given the last time slot. However with a more efficient process, I’m not sure why 3 or 4 suites can’t be given 45 minutes worth of time and have all on board by 12-12:30.

 

It’s the “dedicated suite guest” elevators, passageways, security lines, etc that make a huge difference. I expected them here and they don’t have them so you are competing with hundreds of other guests.

 

I think I may have previously heard (read) you say genies are like high end personal assistants (or equivalent). I have an opinion of what that actually translates into, however no indications from our genie. As I mentioned in previous posts the RCI marketing photos show the genie doing butler type work. Regardless it should be the genies responsibility to convey what they do. What we saw, was what a concierge does and the high end assistant part may come into play as they only have 3-4 suites to look after (verses the concierge who has all suites). Having said that, generally we have always had good service from the concierge on other ships so they must be able to handle more than a few suites. As I also pointed out, our genie occasionally appeared to be a middleman between the concierge and us.

 

Room stewards basically cleaned the suite and did the turn down at night. And because we pretty much clean up after ourselves, I’m sure they were in and out in 10 minutes every day. There seemed to be disjointed communications with the mini-bar attendant. And according to him, he only shows up every few days. If you want extra service you have to contact him. We tried that and he didn’t show up anyway. Wouldn’t have that problem with a butler.

 

There even seems to be a line between what the room stewards do, the mini-bar attendant, or other suite related staff do, and they can’t cross each other’s respective line. Just one example, we left a few dishes, a couple of empty beer bottles and empty water bottle and I think the core of apple neatly stacked on the counter near the TV. We come back later in the day and everything was gone as expected. However, we found the beer bottles and I think the water bottle and apple core in the waste basket??? I asked one of the room stewards if they did this and yes they did. Something about the mini-bar attendant I think. I don’t know if they thought they were stepping on the other guy’s toes. And why include the apple core??? I have no idea who brought the couple of pieces of fruit in the one day but is it a case of whoever brings it in, has to bring the empties/leftovers out?? This is why I like the butler, they bring things in, they will clean up, they anticipate, etc. On an NCL cruise, we stopped at the internet café to ask about the jack for an Ethernet cable in our suite. The staff member told us our butler will be able to show us where it is (never even though to ask him). He asked for our butler’s name, called him and within 15 seconds our butler showed up at the internet café. I know this was pure coincidence that he was basically around the corner but an example of what the butlers do (and how quickly they do it).

 

We’ve been in the Garden Villa twice and both times, through pre-arrangement, our butler came in while everyone was still sleeping, and set up the dining room table with a pre-breakfast (as I like to call it :) ). Their idea, again, no asking. You may have had the same thing. Aside from having no-charge access to the mini-bar, in-suite attention was just like any other cabin. Our room was just bigger.

 

And as you mention, the suites only areas make a huge difference. Aside from Coastal Kitchen/Concierge Lounge, Anthem has nothing. I can’t complain too much about this because I knew this before the cruise. But most people think this is a huge perk on NCL.

 

So as I said in my review, we had fun, it was different and not what I expected (or at least hoped for). At the price of the suite, we didn’t get good value. Obviously the point in the forum is to convey experiences, answer questions, have discussions, etc. I was looking for this before we sailed and now have the opportunity to post and possibly help someone else by answering a question. Thanks for your concern though.

[MattInFLL]

Well when I truly enjoy something and come on here as much as I do talking about it, I hope others will enjoy it as much as I did. But obviously that can't happen all the time for a variety of reasons.

 

Anyway, still enjoyed your review and reading about your experiences and glad that overall you had a fun cruise.

Edited August 31, 2016 by MattInFLL

[TonyL128]

Thanks for the write up. We've been on the Anthem only once and because it leaves out of NJ, we won't be back because it take so long going back and forth to the Caribbean. The ship was great and we enjoyed her very much. We were on pre "suite class" roll out.

 

We were on Harmony in July in a Jr Suite, so we got to sample Sea class. Next Cruise crew gave us a tour of the perks for Sky and Star classes, so we went ahead and booked those two classes on our upcoming cruises.

 

I've read on CC that Royal has been changing the perks for Star class, I hope they are for the better and that the Genies will find their groves before we sail.

 

 

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[BEENSAILING]

We recently were on the Anthem - 5 days Bermuda. Superior Grande Suite. Previous on Anthem was 10 days last year to Western Carrib in Spa Suite. Both times were great experiences for us. This last time we slept in one morning, missed Coastal Kitchen for b'fast. Went into Windjammer - no tables - picked up food and brought our food to our suite and had a lovely time eating at the dining table on our balcony. I like this ship and the experiences offered. And walking to the Concierge lounge was a nice stroll in light of all of the extra food we ate. Elevators can be a problem - that is on all ships - especially with rude people trying to get on before people are getting off. PS - if you were having a problem in your service in your suite - (need of a beer opener)- why don't you say something to your Genie? or to the Concierge in the Concierge Lounge? We had a great suite attendant on this past cruise. The times for Coastal Kitchen are readily available for you - all you needed to do was ask the CK hostess or your genie. And you also could have asked for a different type of coffee maker /hot water kettle. You comment survey will be read by Royal personnel. PS - your travel agent should have let you know that you could board early - before your "assigned" time. And I saw the "empty" stand outside but having been in Bayonne for previous Anthem and Quantum, we knew what to expect with boarding.

[hapster85]

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.

 

I have to agree regarding the size of the Windjammer, it certainly didn't feel any bigger than the one onboard the Radiance. I think the layout may contribute to it feeling smaller than it actually is.

 

As to the announcements asking people to leave after eating, we heard those on Radiance as well, on sea days, at lunch and dinner; it was never crowded on port days. I only recall hearing the announcement once on Anthem, at lunch on embarkation day. We didn't eat there very often, however, and usually managed to go at less crowded times when we did.

 

It's too bad your experience didn't live up to your expectations, but good to know you were able to enjoy yourselves anyway.

[galleycook]

We recently were on the Anthem - 5 days Bermuda. Superior Grande Suite. Previous on Anthem was 10 days last year to Western Carrib in Spa Suite. Both times were great experiences for us. This last time we slept in one morning, missed Coastal Kitchen for b'fast. Went into Windjammer - no tables - picked up food and brought our food to our suite and had a lovely time eating at the dining table on our balcony. I like this ship and the experiences offered. And walking to the Concierge lounge was a nice stroll in light of all of the extra food we ate. Elevators can be a problem - that is on all ships - especially with rude people trying to get on before people are getting off. PS - if you were having a problem in your service in your suite - (need of a beer opener)- why don't you say something to your Genie? or to the Concierge in the Concierge Lounge? We had a great suite attendant on this past cruise. The times for Coastal Kitchen are readily available for you - all you needed to do was ask the CK hostess or your genie. And you also could have asked for a different type of coffee maker /hot water kettle. You comment survey will be read by Royal personnel. PS - your travel agent should have let you know that you could board early - before your "assigned" time. And I saw the "empty" stand outside but having been in Bayonne for previous Anthem and Quantum, we knew what to expect with boarding.

 

Thanks and let me address some of your comments/questions.

 

Ahhh, Coastal Kitchen closed and no tables in the Windjammer….seems like it was just yesterday;). Seriously, the hours for the restaurants were posted. I hope I didn’t suggest otherwise. My intended point was, I like more consistency. Close all the restaurants at the same time so once you know, you know. And don’t close them at 8:30 am. Some people (and thank you for confirming this) consider the trip a holiday and like to sleep in. And I have to add especially the suites restaurant. If they really want to do it well, leave CK open all day.

 

Now if you had a butler, you wouldn’t be carrying your food from the buffet to your room. They would have looked after all that for you including a pot of coffee, jug of juice, table cloth, etc, along with your order. And it’s not the same as room service.

 

Walking to the concierge lounge isn’t the end of the world. We all have to walk and walk a lot on a large ship. And the extra exercise, as you suggest, doesn’t hurt. Just a poor design in my mind (especially as an advertised suite perk). I would have been happy with a set of stairs at the aft end.

 

I agree, elevators can be a problem on any ship. However these were the worst I have seen and for a new ship, it makes no sense. In the group of 5 elevators that we used most, I saw 3 out of service at the same time on one day! 1 out of service (in that same set) for the whole trip. Any quantity out of service can have a huge impact on wait times. Maybe the delays also have something to do with the layout of the ship. Specifically, to get to the areas where most people congregate (pools restaurants, other) in relation to the cabins, maybe requires extra elevator traffic, more so than on other ships. Just a guess but something was/is not right. Some people got upset while others just laughed. Like hitting your “funny bone”. It hurts but you laugh anyway.

 

I could have asked the genie for a bottle opener but;

 

1/ There should have already been one in the suite (in all suites)

2/ The mini-bar attendant should have made sure there was one because it would be required as a result of the bottles he left

3/ I asked the most obvious person(s), ie the room stewards who told me they would get me one

4/ I would have expected the room stewards to tell me they don’t have them or can’t get them without me having to ask again 24 hrs later

5/ According to the room stewards, they (the ship??) don’t seem to have them to leave in the room, which is why the mini-bar attendant had to come by the next day and leave one of his own.

 

This was not so much of a complaint as an observation or experience. Someone reads my review and knows to bring their own bottle opener because they now know that openers may not be readily available.

 

If eventually we weren’t provided one, maybe I would have escalated it to our genie Again though, the genie's role was never explained to us. I could have just as easily heard the same thing as I did from the room stewards. I will say that there is a slight irony to this (bottle opener situation) because I did ask the genie during our check-in escort if the mini-bar was included and if yes, could I have some beer put in the fridge. The answer was “yes and yes but you can’t ask for 6 because they won’t do it”. I think I was asking but, I still had to ask the mini-bar attendant for the beer (and opener).

 

Regarding the coffee maker, I asked the lead room steward for a review of the coffee maker the second morning. I thought I was doing it right but asked just in case. He confirmed I was using it correctly. After having little luck on subsequent days, I mentioned the problems again and he said he would look at it. He said he would. I assume he did, but he never followed up with me. I guess I could have eventually asked for another machine but personally I think the staff need to be more proactive than reactive. That’s what suite service is all about. They definitely should have been following up with me after my last request to check the machine (the same as they should have followed up with me regarding the bottle opener) and or just replaced the machine. We asked very minimally of them during the cruise. It’s the little details like this that make the difference.

 

As I mentioned in my review, I was contacted by RCI a few days after submitting the survey. Just a side note to the survey. The instructions stated that if you don’t finish you can come back. Just use the same link and it will take you to where you left off. I didn't finish but left some areas as I wanted to think about it and get additional thoughts from my wife. When I tried to come back later, no luck. Basically "Thanks for filling in the survey"....... but I didn’t finish! Even after the cruise, I’m still shaking my head. Anyway, I was surprised but happy to see RCI contact me so soon. Kudos to them.

 

This is the first time in years we have used a travel agent to book a cruise. It’s a long story so won’t go into the why we did but will be back to booking ourselves in the future. I can’t hold the travel agent responsible if this is what they were told. Unfortunately, I don’t know. Again, as I previously mentioned, we received no correspondence from RCI providing any details so we had nothing else to use a reference. Nothing from our genie either. It is funny that the one thing they (RCI/Anthem) are consistent at, is not a good thing. No one manning the Star Class check-in kiosk.

[galleycook]

Thanks for the write up. We've been on the Anthem only once and because it leaves out of NJ, we won't be back because it take so long going back and forth to the Caribbean. The ship was great and we enjoyed her very much. We were on pre "suite class" roll out.

 

We were on Harmony in July in a Jr Suite, so we got to sample Sea class. Next Cruise crew gave us a tour of the perks for Sky and Star classes, so we went ahead and booked those two classes on our upcoming cruises.

 

I've read on CC that Royal has been changing the perks for Star class, I hope they are for the better and that the Genies will find their groves before we sail.

 

 

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We actually like the sea days that the trip from north to south provides. Driving to the north port also allows us to bring too much luggage ;).

 

Good luck and enjoy your up coming cruises!!

[DonnaK]

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..

 

 

Us too. REgardless of the time we are told to show up, we always get there around 10:30. No lines, only a small wait, no hassle.

[BEENSAILING]

Thanks and let me address some of your comments/questions.

 

Ahhh, Coastal Kitchen closed and no tables in the Windjammer….seems like it was just yesterday;). Seriously, the hours for the restaurants were posted. I hope I didn’t suggest otherwise. My intended point was, I like more consistency. Close all the restaurants at the same time so once you know, you know. And don’t close them at 8:30 am. Some people (and thank you for confirming this) consider the trip a holiday and like to sleep in. And I have to add especially the suites restaurant. If they really want to do it well, leave CK open all day.

 

Now if you had a butler, you wouldn’t be carrying your food from the buffet to your room. They would have looked after all that for you including a pot of coffee, jug of juice, table cloth, etc, along with your order. And it’s not the same as room service.

 

Walking to the concierge lounge isn’t the end of the world. We all have to walk and walk a lot on a large ship. And the extra exercise, as you suggest, doesn’t hurt. Just a poor design in my mind (especially as an advertised suite perk). I would have been happy with a set of stairs at the aft end.

 

I agree, elevators can be a problem on any ship. However these were the worst I have seen and for a new ship, it makes no sense. In the group of 5 elevators that we used most, I saw 3 out of service at the same time on one day! 1 out of service (in that same set) for the whole trip. Any quantity out of service can have a huge impact on wait times. Maybe the delays also have something to do with the layout of the ship. Specifically, to get to the areas where most people congregate (pools restaurants, other) in relation to the cabins, maybe requires extra elevator traffic, more so than on other ships. Just a guess but something was/is not right. Some people got upset while others just laughed. Like hitting your “funny bone”. It hurts but you laugh anyway.

 

I could have asked the genie for a bottle opener but;

 

1/ There should have already been one in the suite (in all suites)

2/ The mini-bar attendant should have made sure there was one because it would be required as a result of the bottles he left

3/ I asked the most obvious person(s), ie the room stewards who told me they would get me one

4/ I would have expected the room stewards to tell me they don’t have them or can’t get them without me having to ask again 24 hrs later

5/ According to the room stewards, they (the ship??) don’t seem to have them to leave in the room, which is why the mini-bar attendant had to come by the next day and leave one of his own.

 

This was not so much of a complaint as an observation or experience. Someone reads my review and knows to bring their own bottle opener because they now know that openers may not be readily available.

 

If eventually we weren’t provided one, maybe I would have escalated it to our genie Again though, the genie's role was never explained to us. I could have just as easily heard the same thing as I did from the room stewards. I will say that there is a slight irony to this (bottle opener situation) because I did ask the genie during our check-in escort if the mini-bar was included and if yes, could I have some beer put in the fridge. The answer was “yes and yes but you can’t ask for 6 because they won’t do it”. I think I was asking but, I still had to ask the mini-bar attendant for the beer (and opener).

 

Regarding the coffee maker, I asked the lead room steward for a review of the coffee maker the second morning. I thought I was doing it right but asked just in case. He confirmed I was using it correctly. After having little luck on subsequent days, I mentioned the problems again and he said he would look at it. He said he would. I assume he did, but he never followed up with me. I guess I could have eventually asked for another machine but personally I think the staff need to be more proactive than reactive. That’s what suite service is all about. They definitely should have been following up with me after my last request to check the machine (the same as they should have followed up with me regarding the bottle opener) and or just replaced the machine. We asked very minimally of them during the cruise. It’s the little details like this that make the difference.

 

As I mentioned in my review, I was contacted by RCI a few days after submitting the survey. Just a side note to the survey. The instructions stated that if you don’t finish you can come back. Just use the same link and it will take you to where you left off. I didn't finish but left some areas as I wanted to think about it and get additional thoughts from my wife. When I tried to come back later, no luck. Basically "Thanks for filling in the survey"....... but I didn’t finish! Even after the cruise, I’m still shaking my head. Anyway, I was surprised but happy to see RCI contact me so soon. Kudos to them.

 

This is the first time in years we have used a travel agent to book a cruise. It’s a long story so won’t go into the why we did but will be back to booking ourselves in the future. I can’t hold the travel agent responsible if this is what they were told. Unfortunately, I don’t know. Again, as I previously mentioned, we received no correspondence from RCI providing any details so we had nothing else to use a reference. Nothing from our genie either. It is funny that the one thing they (RCI/Anthem) are consistent at, is not a good thing. No one manning the Star Class check-in kiosk.

 

I make coffee in my suite. I bring Starbucks via with me. Everywhere... re carrying the food - we intended to sit down but no room in Windjammer as it was second day in Bermuda and raining. People were not leaving. Yes we could have ordered room service or CK menu to be delivered - if we had thought about it in time.... but i was okay with carrying my food to our suite- and kind of nibbled along the way as i was browsing the food stations in Windjammer. Royal does read reviews and I will guess that there will be a bottle opener as a standard from now on, based on your comment. We did have a corkscrew for wine in our suite. As we don't drink beer en suite never paid attention to see if there was a bottle opener. Our suite attendant was very pro active and somehow we always had ice - always and without even asking... and he always had extra bottles of water for us... re CK - at breakfast on port days I would like to see CK have later hours...