Just off 5 night Bermuda Anthem - 9/22

[LadiDicruiser]

Well, hi everyone....first, let's say that this is our 5th trip to Bermuda via vessel.....4 have been with RCCL....Anthem - how is she?

The getting to Bayonne is okay, but the arrival at the pier leaves something to think about....they only let 2 lanes of everyone (cars/taxi/bus/private motorcoach) in at a time, which means you sit in traffic for close to an hour if you arrive around 11:30AM or so...plan accordingly.

Anthem is large, and beautiful....lot's of walking....dining venues/entertainment are at each end of ship....plenty of elevators, didn't wait very long at all for any of them....we had balcony stateroom, aft, on Deck 13.

Some have complained about the lack of seating at the pool....so happens that the pool deck isn't flush with the pools, it is raised, and probably only holds about 100 chairs around the four sides. Plenty of new loungers up on Deck 15....Solarium is double the size from the smaller ships in fleet....a nice addition...

We had traditional classic dining...never had an issue....set time at 8:30PM and rotated restaurants with same table mates and wait staff. I can see why they are abandoning the Dynamic portion as it seems contrived.

Entertainment is plentiful, venues are gorgeous and overall not a problem getting seats for anything, with our without a reservation.

Windjammer is good. Plenty of selection, with some staples every day like pasta, salad bar, hamburgers/hot dogs....if anyone complains about this place or the food, they need to maybe start cruising on the QE2 or something. Never a problem getting a seat, and many folks just sit right near the food buffets and never venture far back in the dining room....there is outside dining at the extreme back and it was never crowded.

Didn't partake in any of the sports items offered so can't review any of those options.

Casino is larger than others in the fleet. Looks like they took the idea of the open back from the Allure class ships and closed it in....hence, Two70....just maximizing space. Also, like the Promenade on the Voyager class, if you stand at one end you can see how they refined this area also....doesn't go up the full 4/5 stories, and off the side of those floors are some other restaurants, the bionic bar, etc. Another good use of space.

I want to finish by saying that this sailing was not full....overheard they were down about 1000 guests. All suite and balcony cabins were sold out, just alot of interior rooms not booked. Guess that made for not feeling overwhelmed with persons anywhere.

Weather was perfect, seas were calm, and the Dockyard has grown and changed over the years, and is a perfect place to spend the day.

Didn't know what to expect after reading some not so great reviews, but after sailing, am convinced that some people just have to complain to validate themselves. Would we sail her again? Most definitely.

[DonnaK]

Thanks for your review.

 

In what way did Dynamic Dining seem "contrived" to you?

[Amagamma]

Thanks for the great review. We leave in 7 weeks, and was starting to feel like we made a mistake booking the Anthem with all the negative reviews. We love the smaller ships and have never taken anything larger than Freedom class, and that seems large for us. The port is close enough to drive to, the price was right so we decided to give it a try. Feel a lot better since reading your review.

[skycomb]

Was on this cruise with my girlfriend and her sister. Third cruise for me, second for my girlfriend and first for her sister. We had a great time. First time for Bermuda for all of us. I was just glad the weather worked out for the most part. Where it mattered.

Edited September 22, 2016 by skycomb

[Capp720]

We were also on this sailing. It was a great time! We had 8 kids with our group. There was a total of 200 kids on board. My kids loved going to kids club! Abe our cruise director was great and really funny. All in all it was a great trip!

[easyboy]

Thanks for the review. Sailing again on her really means you enjoyed your cruise!

[spfar]

Well, hi everyone....first, let's say that this is our 5th trip to Bermuda via vessel.....4 have been with RCCL....Anthem - how is she?

The getting to Bayonne is okay, but the arrival at the pier leaves something to think about....they only let 2 lanes of everyone (cars/taxi/bus/private motorcoach) in at a time, which means you sit in traffic for close to an hour if you arrive around 11:30AM or so...plan accordingly.

Anthem is large, and beautiful....lot's of walking....dining venues/entertainment are at each end of ship....plenty of elevators, didn't wait very long at all for any of them....we had balcony stateroom, aft, on Deck 13.

Some have complained about the lack of seating at the pool....so happens that the pool deck isn't flush with the pools, it is raised, and probably only holds about 100 chairs around the four sides. Plenty of new loungers up on Deck 15....Solarium is double the size from the smaller ships in fleet....a nice addition...

We had traditional classic dining...never had an issue....set time at 8:30PM and rotated restaurants with same table mates and wait staff. I can see why they are abandoning the Dynamic portion as it seems contrived.

Entertainment is plentiful, venues are gorgeous and overall not a problem getting seats for anything, with our without a reservation.

Windjammer is good. Plenty of selection, with some staples every day like pasta, salad bar, hamburgers/hot dogs....if anyone complains about this place or the food, they need to maybe start cruising on the QE2 or something. Never a problem getting a seat, and many folks just sit right near the food buffets and never venture far back in the dining room....there is outside dining at the extreme back and it was never crowded.

Didn't partake in any of the sports items offered so can't review any of those options.

Casino is larger than others in the fleet. Looks like they took the idea of the open back from the Allure class ships and closed it in....hence, Two70....just maximizing space. Also, like the Promenade on the Voyager class, if you stand at one end you can see how they refined this area also....doesn't go up the full 4/5 stories, and off the side of those floors are some other restaurants, the bionic bar, etc. Another good use of space.

I want to finish by saying that this sailing was not full....overheard they were down about 1000 guests. All suite and balcony cabins were sold out, just alot of interior rooms not booked. Guess that made for not feeling overwhelmed with persons anywhere.

Weather was perfect, seas were calm, and the Dockyard has grown and changed over the years, and is a perfect place to spend the day.

Didn't know what to expect after reading some not so great reviews, but after sailing, am convinced that some people just have to complain to validate themselves. Would we sail her again? Most definitely.

 

We just got off as well. Review to follow, but I agree with everything you stated. What a great cruise!

[nycfa]

Thanks for the review! We leave for the same cruise a week from tomorrow. Can't wait! :)

[marci22]

I want to finish by saying that this sailing was not full....overheard they were down about 1000 guests. All suite and balcony cabins were sold out, just alot of interior rooms not booked. Guess that made for not feeling overwhelmed with persons anywhere.......

Didn't know what to expect after reading some not so great reviews, but after sailing, am convinced that some people just have to complain to validate themselves.

 

So no one has a reason to complain about anything because you didn't experience any problems?

 

Most of the complaints have to do with overworked staff, lines, waiting for elevators, finding a seat at WJ, etc. If you were 'down about 1000 guests', I am guessing that this positively affected how you experienced Anthem.

 

I would love to be on a sailing that is 1000 guests under capacity.

 

I think that complaints would lessen if they booked less people on each voyage. Don't think that is going to happen, though.

 

Nice review but you don't have to disparage the opinions of others in order to make your points valid.

[finz2u]

DH and I were also on this cruise. It took me about a day to get used to the Anthem's high-tech concept, but now I am hooked on her and cannot wait to be able to book another cruise on her.

 

We lucked out with perfect weather. No complaints there.

 

We did DD Choice. Had no trouble with our reservations. Did not go to Grande (DH didn't want to bring a jacket) for dinner, but did do lunch one day. All the food in the complimentary restaurants was fine. Choices were limited and I did miss some of my favorites from other ships. I thought the wait service was less personable than on any of our other cruises. We never learned the names of our wait staff (a first) so saved some money by not leaving an extra gratuity. I think dining will improve once the ship transitions back to traditional dining.

 

Felt the Windjammer was the best. And seats were usually available in the back. And I guess now the outside area is no longer secret.

 

270 is an amazing space. We did the shows. The Gift - didn't understand it; Spectra's Cabaret I liked, but DH did not, although he felt the lead performer was very talented; We Will Rock You was AMAZING and FABULOUS. And I think we need to thank RCL for supporting live musical entertainment. All the bands, solo performers, and the comedians were top notch.

 

A great time and I want to go back on the Anthem (which until I sailed on her, I thought I would never say).