Anthem Review: Great Ship, I Will Cruise It Again

[Hockey Nut Steve]

I am not one to do many posts, but decided to do one now to negate all the negative posts I've been reading about Anthem of the Seas. Just came back from 5-night Bermuda cruise (cruise was sold out) and to sum it up in one sentence - I will definitely book another cruise on Anthem of the Seas. This ship is beautiful with much to offer. Now to details about this cruise.

 

EMBARK: We arrived at Pt Liberty at 9:15 am. When arriving you drive right up to when you drop off suitcases for check in. Since we arrived early, there was no backup of cars waiting to drop off luggage . After the drop off you drive to what appeared to be a newly built parking garage. You get a ticket when entering and park where you like. (Note: you pay when you leave after returning from cruise). When going inside terminal we went to one of the RCCL greeters in a turquoise sweater. They check passport, set sail passes and they ask the usual three questions. Then it's off to security check in and scanning and then to the waiting area. The entire process took no more than 10 minutes. They had two seating areas: one for suite guests and one for everyone else. There was no separate seating for gold, platinum, emerald, etc members. When it came time for boarding, the people who arrived first boarded first.

 

CREW ATTITUDE: All the crew members I had talked with were friendly and helpful. This includes my cabin attendant, waiters, bartenders, the people at guest services, the people running the activities ( iFly, bumper cars, muster check in, etc). When walking along the cabin passageways, cabin attendants who were attending to cabins other than ours all greeted us by saying hello. When I was growing up I was taught to treat people the way you want to be treated. So I had no issues with the crews attitude. Now I did see some belligerent passengers, like the couple who walked into iFly the second day and made a scene cause there were no more opening left on this short five night cruise. The staff who dealt with this irate couple remained patient.

WINDJAMMER: Seating was not an issue even with this cruise being sold out. What I did observe was that most people want to have a table close to the food and that's where seating was at a premium. But if you walk to the very back of the windjammer there were always empty tables along with tables out on the deck. Problem is most people don't want to walk the extra 100 feet to the aft end of windjammer. As to the food no complaints. The windjammer had a good food selection. If a person can't find something they enjoy eating, then the person is a picky eater. The food was warm, not hot and I would rate it from average to just above average.

 

RESTAURANTS: Even though dynamic dining is going away in late November to be replaced by traditional dining, I will still provide my review of the places we ate.

Solarium Bistro. This is one of the hidden gems on the Anthem since it's located in the Solarium completely away from all the other restaurants. What makes this place unique for dinner is that you order your entree from a menu (I had mahi-mahi which was very good) but then there is a buffet where you select your appetizers and desserts.

Chic. Nothing to brag about with the menu selection or food we ate - but nothing to complain about either. The food was average.

Jamie's Italian. The food was delicious. One of the appetizers is their meat plank with its selection of meats and cheeses. The lamb chops with mint julep were the best I ever had.

Chops. Every cruise I have been on I have eaten at Chops and for this cruise they did not disappoint . Yes you pay a premium dollar to eat here, but you get premium food. The filet minion which seemed to melt in my mouth was delicious, something you would find in the best steakhouses.

Michaels Genuine Pub. Another hidden gem on the Anthem located in the Esplanade. In addition to drinks, Michaels does offer finger food and light servings at an additional cost. For lunch one day I ordered their pub burger with steak fries. This was by far the best burger on the ship. The double patties were juicy and their secret sauce added a nice flavor.

American Icon Grill. Standard selection of classic foods with some additional selections offered. I had the chicken waldorf salad and shrimp scampi which were very good.

 

THINGS TO DO: There is plenty of activities to do on the ship, just make sure that if reservations are required , you do so in advance since on shorter cruises like this one to Bermuda, the available time slots fill up quickly.

I-fly is a definite must. The sky diving simulator is unique. Even though you get one minute of flight time it was well worth the experience.

North Star - another must. When raised above the ship, the view looking down to the pool deck is breathtaking . We did it on a windy day at sea and with the North Star shaking in the wind made it more thrilling.

Bumper cars reminded me of being at the County Fair. Since the location is in SeaPlex, keep track of the scheduled times since the room is also converted over to roller skating, basketball and trapeze.

Music Hall: Great place to sit at night and see different bands performing. During days at-sea this is where Bingo was played.

Two70 - our cruise director said this area of the ship cost $25M and it's easy to see why with all the technology in it. At night the panoramic displays shown during the different shows is mind boggling, well worth attending. During the day it a great place to either eat your lunch from Two70 cafe or enjoy the view aft of the ship.

 

IN SUMMARY: So are there things this ship could have improved on? Yes. During the "peak" times the elevators are crowded. The Anthem could have had a few more elevators, but isn't that true on all ships. The casino I thought could have been bigger. It seemed small when compared to the number of people cruising on the ship. I would have liked to see a few more blackjack tables, the ones there were always crowded and I had to wait to get a seat.

The Anthem is a great new ship with much to offer, but it may not be right for everyone. Having now been on four different classes of RCCL ships, each one is unique in what they offer. Some people prefer the older smaller ships while others like the new larger ships. Since multiple RCCL ships travel to the same destinations, do your homework on what each ship offers before booking a cruise. For me, this is a ship I will definitely book another cruise on.

[Leosmom]

Thanks for your review! Enjoyed reading your prospective of the Anthem as we will be sailing on her soon:) one question......I understand you need to sign waivers for the onboard activities. Where can you do this in advance?

[LadyLion_AP]

Thanks for your review. I enjoyed Anthem as well & have been on the Freedom & Oasis classes. I plan to cruise on her again summer 2017.

 

Leosmom....you can sign the waivers during your online check-in process.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Hockey Nut Steve]

If you did not sign you waivers in advance during your online check in you have two options once you get onboard the Anthem. You can do it on your TV in your room or you can do it at the iFly check-in location for the Flowrider or iFly.

[MizDemeanor]

Thanks for your notes especially since you have been on Allure. We will be on Allure next week and have Anthem booked for next year with payment due at the end of this month....

 

So a question or two...how are the evenings activities, good comedy, good shows?

 

....and I do have to ask....if you had to choose one ship over the other if irtin and cost were identical which would you chose and if you dont mind saying why.

 

I know this is putting you on the spot so I appreciate your insight.

[Arzeena]

I am not one to do many posts, but decided to do one now to negate all the negative posts I've been reading about Anthem of the Seas. Just came back from 5-night Bermuda cruise (cruise was sold out) and to sum it up in one sentence - I will definitely book another cruise on Anthem of the Seas. This ship is beautiful with much to offer. Now to details about this cruise.

 

EMBARK: We arrived at Pt Liberty at 9:15 am. When arriving you drive right up to when you drop off suitcases for check in. Since we arrived early, there was no backup of cars waiting to drop off luggage . After the drop off you drive to what appeared to be a newly built parking garage. You get a ticket when entering and park where you like. (Note: you pay when you leave after returning from cruise). When going inside terminal we went to one of the RCCL greeters in a turquoise sweater. They check passport, set sail passes and they ask the usual three questions. Then it's off to security check in and scanning and then to the waiting area. The entire process took no more than 10 minutes. They had two seating areas: one for suite guests and one for everyone else. There was no separate seating for gold, platinum, emerald, etc members. When it came time for boarding, the people who arrived first boarded first.

 

CREW ATTITUDE: All the crew members I had talked with were friendly and helpful. This includes my cabin attendant, waiters, bartenders, the people at guest services, the people running the activities ( iFly, bumper cars, muster check in, etc). When walking along the cabin passageways, cabin attendants who were attending to cabins other than ours all greeted us by saying hello. When I was growing up I was taught to treat people the way you want to be treated. So I had no issues with the crews attitude. Now I did see some belligerent passengers, like the couple who walked into iFly the second day and made a scene cause there were no more opening left on this short five night cruise. The staff who dealt with this irate couple remained patient.

WINDJAMMER: Seating was not an issue even with this cruise being sold out. What I did observe was that most people want to have a table close to the food and that's where seating was at a premium. But if you walk to the very back of the windjammer there were always empty tables along with tables out on the deck. Problem is most people don't want to walk the extra 100 feet to the aft end of windjammer. As to the food no complaints. The windjammer had a good food selection. If a person can't find something they enjoy eating, then the person is a picky eater. The food was warm, not hot and I would rate it from average to just above average.

 

RESTAURANTS: Even though dynamic dining is going away in late November to be replaced by traditional dining, I will still provide my review of the places we ate.

Solarium Bistro. This is one of the hidden gems on the Anthem since it's located in the Solarium completely away from all the other restaurants. What makes this place unique for dinner is that you order your entree from a menu (I had mahi-mahi which was very good) but then there is a buffet where you select your appetizers and desserts.

Chic. Nothing to brag about with the menu selection or food we ate - but nothing to complain about either. The food was average.

Jamie's Italian. The food was delicious. One of the appetizers is their meat plank with its selection of meats and cheeses. The lamb chops with mint julep were the best I ever had.

Chops. Every cruise I have been on I have eaten at Chops and for this cruise they did not disappoint . Yes you pay a premium dollar to eat here, but you get premium food. The filet minion which seemed to melt in my mouth was delicious, something you would find in the best steakhouses.

Michaels Genuine Pub. Another hidden gem on the Anthem located in the Esplanade. In addition to drinks, Michaels does offer finger food and light servings at an additional cost. For lunch one day I ordered their pub burger with steak fries. This was by far the best burger on the ship. The double patties were juicy and their secret sauce added a nice flavor.

American Icon Grill. Standard selection of classic foods with some additional selections offered. I had the chicken waldorf salad and shrimp scampi which were very good.

 

THINGS TO DO: There is plenty of activities to do on the ship, just make sure that if reservations are required , you do so in advance since on shorter cruises like this one to Bermuda, the available time slots fill up quickly.

I-fly is a definite must. The sky diving simulator is unique. Even though you get one minute of flight time it was well worth the experience.

North Star - another must. When raised above the ship, the view looking down to the pool deck is breathtaking . We did it on a windy day at sea and with the North Star shaking in the wind made it more thrilling.

Bumper cars reminded me of being at the County Fair. Since the location is in SeaPlex, keep track of the scheduled times since the room is also converted over to roller skating, basketball and trapeze.

Music Hall: Great place to sit at night and see different bands performing. During days at-sea this is where Bingo was played.

Two70 - our cruise director said this area of the ship cost $25M and it's easy to see why with all the technology in it. At night the panoramic displays shown during the different shows is mind boggling, well worth attending. During the day it a great place to either eat your lunch from Two70 cafe or enjoy the view aft of the ship.

 

IN SUMMARY: So are there things this ship could have improved on? Yes. During the "peak" times the elevators are crowded. The Anthem could have had a few more elevators, but isn't that true on all ships. The casino I thought could have been bigger. It seemed small when compared to the number of people cruising on the ship. I would have liked to see a few more blackjack tables, the ones there were always crowded and I had to wait to get a seat.

The Anthem is a great new ship with much to offer, but it may not be right for everyone. Having now been on four different classes of RCCL ships, each one is unique in what they offer. Some people prefer the older smaller ships while others like the new larger ships. Since multiple RCCL ships travel to the same destinations, do your homework on what each ship offers before booking a cruise. For me, this is a ship I will definitely book another cruise on.

 

Thanks for posting. Great to read a positive review.

[FHSPSU67]

Thanks for mentioning Michael's. I swear that their burgers were the best I've ever had, anywhere. I "only" had four of them during our 12 day cruise back in March :)

[cincicruisers]

Thanks for sharing your review with us.

[alfaeric]

Thanks for mentioning Michael's. I swear that their burgers were the best I've ever had, anywhere. I "only" had four of them during our 12 day cruise back in March :)

 

+1 to that comment. I totally forgot to mention the food at Michael's. Really good.

 

Thanks, again, for bringing that up.

[atnolan94]

Thank you! Just booked Anthem for spring break with friends. I'm curious because I've heard its worlds different than other RC ships.

 

Will definitely try the burger at Michaels. I love that the pub has food offerings. The pub on the Liberty last spring break was drinks only. What was the cost like?

[Hockey Nut Steve]

The pub burger with fries was $15.

[Hockey Nut Steve]

The pub burger with fries was $15.

 

 

Forgot to include that other items such as the buffalo wings were $8.

[Hockey Nut Steve]

Thanks for your notes especially since you have been on Allure. We will be on Allure next week and have Anthem booked for next year with payment due at the end of this month....

 

So a question or two...how are the evenings activities, good comedy, good shows?

 

....and I do have to ask....if you had to choose one ship over the other if irtin and cost were identical which would you chose and if you dont mind saying why.

 

I know this is putting you on the spot so I appreciate your insight.

 

There are many evening activities on the Anthem. The main ones are The Headliner act which varies from cruise to cruise. Being a short 5 night cruise they only had one comedian (adult comedy) for one night. Shows included We Will Rock You play (all the songs are from Queen) and The Gift, both of which were performed in the Theatre. I enjoyed We Will Rock You but found The Gift confusing until the very end. A group call Rock the Boat performed during my cruise, but my understanding is that for each cruise, a different band is onboard performing in the Music Hall. There was also a show called Spectra's Cabaret which performed in Two70 and they took advantage of the technology found in this room. There are other activities which the ship has each day and they are identified in the Cruise Compass which is published daily.

 

Both the Anthem and Allure are great ships. Each offers different activities and each has different food venues to choose from. As to which ship is better, if you ask a 100 different people you will get a 100 different answers. It comes down to personal preference.

[Buckeyebrd]

Thanks for the detailed and well-balanced review of your Anthem cruise!!!

 

Have you found any sights/links where we could obtain the Cruise Compass for Anthem and the 12-day Southern Carib. cruise????

 

Many thanks to all!!!:)