First time cruising on Anthem. Why are reviews so bad???

[Biker19]

We got off the Anthem on Saturday and it was not my favorite ship and probably will not go back for a variety of reasons. It is a beautiful ship with lots of technological wonders. Best cabin ever. We liked Dynamic Dining but didn't like how close the tables were to each other. We thought the dining room food was much better than the Windjammer. Great shows and cruise director. Did not like the lack of normal chairs to sit in around the decks - hundreds and hundreds of lounge chairs (all with towels on them!) but not a regular, good old chair for us older folks. I bet the covered pool areas are great in the winter, but not so much in the warmer weather! When it's 95 deg. out and 85% humidity, it's damn hot in there! The roof was never opened during the 9 days we were on her. DH's main complaint was no food after 9PM...and the craziness of the Windjammer. I could go on, actually I did do a full review but my point here is - come on people, take it easy on those of us who are only stating our own opinions.

It's the way it is worded - most folks would have no issue with your review in this short paragraph.

[framboesa]

I believe that the "problem" is that this ship class is a little bit different from a big part of the R Caribbean ships and lots of people can't deal with different ways of doing things. For us it will be our first time in one Quantum Class Ship.Is it different? Great! We love new experiences! :)

[MaritimeR&R]

Did both the inaugural for Quantum and Anthem out of Bayonne. Some people love it, others like myself and Super Mario didn't. I think if you enjoy the Oasis class ships, you likely will find the Quantum class enjoyable. The ships are beautiful, but for me, they felt cold, lacking the intimacy of the smaller classes.

[cruise47]

Forget the bad reviews. This is a very nice and enjoyable cruise ship.

[gle0211]

Don't believe everything you see on here, most people will find something to complain about. We sail on her in two weeks and can't wait.

Look through the posts for a review by Swim13 it is very long but quite a good story and the most honest I've read.

Everyone has their own feeling about what a cruise is to be. I would say go for it and not to let others sway you...

ENJOY!!! :cool:

 

We are on the same cruise you're on. November 10-20, right?

[Cruisin'4Us]

Eliminating Dynamic Dining will help the waitstaff focus more on the passenger and provide better service (due to less confusion), and having uniform menus in the four main restaurants should help improve food quality. Not having an elaborate multi-deck main dining room was disappointing.

 

We loved our cabin on Explorer, but not nearly as much on Anthem with the new cabin design (both D1's.)

 

That said, we may sail on Anthem again.

[Pandabear90]

Hi Everyone! Hoping you can answer some of my questions. We're taking our 10 year old son on his first cruise (and our first one in 13 years) I googled family friendly cruises and besides Disney cruises (which are totally out of our budget) the anthem of the seas popped up. I was instantly excited because it's out of New Jersey and we LOVE New York so we thought we would spend a few days there. Now I'm on Cruise Critic and seriously only 50% of families were happy on this ship!?! What's up with that? The quote I got is insanely cheap for such a new ship ($2300 on a balcony) and I'm just wondering if there are going to be all sorts of fees I wasn't expecting once we get on. I know about tipping and that some meals can cost extra, but what else costs money on the ship?

Also wondering about the balcony. The quote we got is for category x. So my guess is we'll get one that has an obstruction. Are we better off just getting an inside cabin or is the balcony still worth it? If I'm sitting down can I still see the ocean?

How does the whole dining concept work? Is the food good? Does the menu change every night or are we stuck with the same menu the whole trip?

We never take trips like this and it's hard to say when we're going to do it again so I just want to make sure we do it right. Any thoughts, different ships, or suggestions would be great!!! Thanks guys!!!

 

Doing the Bermuda on Anthem May 2017. But, I have been with Royal Caribbean for the past 3 cruises in the past 3 years (Adventure, Liberty, and Oasis). I have nothing but good things to say about Royal Caribbean, and am looking forward to trying out Anthem.

 

Reviews

In regards to the 50% of positive ratings from reviewers. You have to keep in mind this is all subjective. There is always something, someone, is going to complain about. Everyone is different, but you can't forget that cruise critic is not the entire population of people who cruise. It may be easy to forget the fact that when people have something bad to say or complain about, they are going to voice it. Welcome to Cruise Critic LOL. I can understand how that can thoroughly put a indifferent/negative mindset about Royal.

 

Rooms

I went from an inside cabin to an obstructed balcony, then to canceling and getting a guaranteed balcony room, which evidently lead me to landing a D8 balcony room. I'm not sure when your cruise is, but I would say give a guaranteed balcony room a try. It costs less and the lowest you are going to get is a obstructed balcony. Now I know most of the time these guarantees aren't released till really close to sail date. But, I was notified a week after booking, which is more then half a year away. So, I'm not sure how it works, may be based on sales, or whatever. But, it doesn't hurt to give it a try, if its a while away. I would definitely do some mock bookings to check the amount of balcony rooms available and gauge what room you may end up getting. If your cruise date is over half a year away, and a lot of D8 rooms are left, you may end up getting lucky and landing one, but pay guaranteed balcony price. It is all random though. Once you are assigned, you can switch to any room that you see available that is within your category.

 

Do you switch to inside? I personally would say no, and I'm sure many others will agree with me. So your view is obstructed, I think it's better to have some fresh air and a window/ door to the ocean, then a inside room. The only thing I can recommend is make sure you check where the obstructed room is. Most obstructed balcony's are on the 6th floor, which is right above royal promenade, floor 5. You may want to look at the floor plans to see what your room is above, for example, you may want to stay away from picking a room that is above bionic bar or Jamie's Italian restaurant, as it can be noisy (based off my research on cruise critic). Also, you may want to stay away from smoking areas that are below you. That is just a couple things to keep in mind.

 

Dining

As I am aware, in November they are going back to regular dining. Again, I am not sure on when you are cruising, but it will just either be where you can show up every night and get seated OR sit at the same table every night (with others or just your family).

 

What costs money on Royal?

Anything you purchase; souvenirs, drinks, excursions, casino, participating in some activities like Bingo, and specialty restaurants. Tipping can be included in your gratuities or taken off and you can tip yourself as needed. It is all up to you.

 

Is the food good?

My gf and I enjoy cruises more then the other vacations we have taken. The food on Royal is great. Now to compare within the cruise, the dining room is way better then the buffet on the cruise. But, in the dining room there is a different menu every night offering guests a choice to venture out and try something different. But, of course on the menus every night is a standard steak, chicken, fish dish as well.

 

Do I recommend a different ship/cruise line?

I am not sure where you are from. For me I chose this as our next vacation cause we have tried a ship from almost each class except the Quantum class, which Anthem is part of. Plus, we are from NY, so it works out. I think the entertainment is pretty awesome. What we like about cruises, in general, is that they provide an itinerary with activities throughout the day that provides something for everyone. To compare, I have been on one Carnival cruise and Royal Caribbean has beat Carnival in every aspect; food, entertainment, and quality. But, again my opinion is subjective, as so is everyone else's you read on cruise critic.

 

-Nick

[330searay]

I sailed anthem in Sept. To bermuda. I have also sailed 4 other RC ships numerous times. I was very nervous after reading so much negative press. We had great weather ( always helps), and it was overall the best ship to date for us. If I had one complaint it was the dining . It was a disaster. Food was excellent but the system bad. They have since done awAy with it . I hope it's better for my Sept 22 sailing but it still wouldn't be a deal breaker. Dan

[Biker19]

They have since done awAy with it .

 

Not for another 2 weeks and assuming things will magically get better overnight simply by a change in the "system" is wishful thinking.