Anthem 5 night Bermuda - Mini Review from 5/6-5/11 cruise

[masonpips]

We cruisedAnthem 5 night to Bermuda –Saturday 5/6 through Thursday 5/11 on our firstQuantum ship and first as Diamond Plus members. No photos, more of a general dump of info.

 

We arrivedin NJ on Thursday 5/4 and spentThurs/Fri nights at the Robert Treat BW in NJ. Easy to Uber everywhere and we took the Path train to WTC and hit NYC onFriday, during the 3” rainstorm day. Ittook 4 days on the ship for my Sperry’s to dry out!

 

Saturday - boarding: wehad received an email that the ship would be having a Coast Guard drill so wedidn’t rush over to the ship. RequestedUber from hotel at 10:40, we were picked up at 10:46 and dropped at the port at11:22. The cost was $18.70. I would say we were at the port at 11:15 but theywere letting in approximately 8-10 cars at a time (there was space for MANYmore) and I think it was probably due to the delayed boarding because by thetime we checked in (super fast) and went to stand in a holding room, it wasPACKED. We started boarding right at 12

 

We wandered the ship as it was new to us andwhen we walked up to the bumper cars they were loading so we jumped on. SO much fun. LOL! We ate a roast beef sandwichfrom Café 270 and just wandered. Roomsopened at 1:30.

We were in 12282 on starboard side. Manuel was our attendant and he was great. Brought us robes without asking! We had 2 Coronas and a bottle of Cabernet inour room upon arrival. Really liked theroom, the bathroom and the air-conditioning was AWESOME. It was freezing in our room the entire weekand AMAZING. Best on a ship. Ever.

 

We had our luggage withinan hour or so, unpacked and had items ready for pressing. Muster station was in Jamie’s and packedbeyond belief. We stayed at the frontand wandered our way to the edge of the crowd towards the end. There was literally no one else on the stairsas we “ran for it” once released. Hitthe gym for a workout, then showers and Concierge Lounge. Gym: was HOT all week. Why can’t they pump in some cool air? Even on the freezing outside days (boardingday and last sea day) the gym was SO HOT. There was a slightly bigger than Voyager class weight area, but 1 set of15 lb dumbbells, 1 of 20 lb and a few of the other “lower” weights so whensomeone had those there was a lot of waiting (pun?) around! The treadmills worked well.

 

The Concierge Lounge thefirst night was DEAD. We wereshocked. It was pretty, the snacks werethe usual and they made Lemon Drops. Allgood. It was close to our room which I loved and I occasionally popped in for the cappuccino, including the last am. We also hit the Diamond Lounge andit was more hopping (Lemon Drops there too). We had dinner with MTD (we had booked the BOGO specialties, but moved toNight 2/4) and our waiter was great. Theprime rib was good (cooked correctly, medium rare) but service was slow and itseemed chaotic. Typical “first night”and “MTD” experiences for us. We wentto the Journey tribute band show givingup our seats for “The Gift” (which we never did see). The Journey band was good and entertainingand people were out dancing like crazy by the end. Fun night!

Sunday – sea day: we had tickets for North Star at 9 and iFly at 11. Both canceled due to weather. It was ROCKING on the ship. We rescheduled both and grabbed poolchairs. It was sunny and warm and if youcould stay out of the wind, it was fantastic. That night we had Wonderland. Weenjoyed it. Our waiter was great and theCaptain actually came around and said hi to everyone! Super nice guy and great customerinteraction. We went to part of Spectre(stood in the back after it started) but decided it wasn’t our thing so wewandered ship.

 

Monday Bermuda day 1:. We had our rescheduled iFlyexperience. I was scared to death. It was a super small group of me and 4 guys(including my dh). The other 3 wiveswouldn’t do it. LOL. I had slightly tweaked my lower back so madethe decision to watch the others and chicken out or call foul due to my back onhow they did. I went for it and it was AMAZING. One of the most awesome things I’ve evertried. Not at all scary and SO MUCHFUN!

 

We left the ship after thatand wandered the port area. At somepoint we went back to the ship and changed and decided to rent a scooter. Thus resulting in the most terrifying 2 hoursof my life. It’s not that I don’t trustmy dh (and I do think we would have been happier on our own because he saiddriving 2 was way harder than being alone). We took a terrifying ride to Horseshoe Beach and Hamilton and parkedthat sucker. We shopped, had a snack anddrink and took the ferry (with the scooter) back! ENOUGH. LOL. The weather wasn’t greatthat day so we did have a fun time just wandering and exploring versus a beachday.

 

We did the WJ that nightand they had the Mongolian Grill station and we loved it. If they would offer than on “known” nightswe’d always go there.

 

Tuesday Bermuda day 2: Wehad our rescheduled Northstar that am. LOVED it. Dh had been willing toskip it, but he was thrilled we did it too. We did swivel at the top, but no “over the side” movement. It was an awesome day and we spent themajority of it at the pool. We went backashore later in the day and did the souvenir thing. We had “We Will Rock You”that night before dinner. OUTSTANDING. As good as anyBroadway show I’ve seen on land. Lovedthe story, the cast and the music. Itwas so good that we went back the last night and caught the last houragain!

 

We then had Chops and itwas disappointing. It took FOREVER,service wise and our steaks were completely overcooked. We both ordered medium rare and mine hadabsolutely 0 pink inside (dh’s was slightly better). It took forever to get them so we didn’t wantto send them back. I think they satunder the lights and “cooked through” while we waited. The waiter apologized but then was gone foranother SUPER long stretch of time. Ileft because we had been there 2 hours by then and didn’t want to wait fordessert. The waiter never came back butthe lady who seated us did and gave dh the check. He told her the steaks were completelyovercooked (they still were tender and tasted good) and she brought him the checkfor $84. He said (for the second time)that we had the BOGO (which they ALLOWED us to move nights on, and in factsuggested we do so) and that was resolved.

 

Dh, the next day, went andspoke to the specialty restaurant head – he explained we knew we didn’t waitaround for them to make it right (new steaks) but she didn’t even apologize andmessed up the bill. He completely erasedour charges for BOGO and sent 2 plates of choc covered strawberries to ourroom. WOW. Dh was not ugly about it at all but hadexpressed his disappointment in the service/food and the guy was completelywonderful and gracious.

 

Wednesday sea day: It was FREEZING and windy. Yet, we struggled on (lol) and found slightlywind-blocked sections and hung at the pool part of the day. We did some shopping and had a drink in 270near the window wall. Packed some andjust relaxed. We decided on dinner againat WJ and they had the Mongolian station again! Yay! We caught the end of theshow again.

 

Other random thoughts:

Concierge Lounge picked upafter the first night but was a sedate crowd. Diamond Lounge crowd was more active and out going. Drinks were plentiful and strong in both. Getting Diamond drinks at bars was easy andthe pool bar guy gave me 3 Miller Lites (unopened) at once! We ended up leaving a couple in the fridge.

 

I had a $5 free play at Casino and won $10 so I quit. Dh played poker a lot of late nights (noreport on his winnings so I expect they weren’t great J). The staff overall wasgreat. Dh went on the Galley tour (whichthe Loyalty Ambassador sent us a message on and was messed up because no oneelse showed up and they tried to sell us the “lunch brunch tour”) He ended up being the only person and lovedit. He also did the Bridge tour.

 

Thewomen in the make-up/perfume shop were too “in your face” (that has neverhappened before). We got our 2 freephotos easily. We loved the ship lookand feel (reminded us more of Celebrity). Had one slice of pizza from Sorrento’s. Got nightly hot water/tea on the way to bed. Café 270 lines the worst. They need to separate you before the roast beef (everyone had to shuffle through that line to get to salads) and the salads onOasis have way more choices. Bionic Barwas fun for one drink. Poked our head ina virtual balcony room and loved it!

 

Thursday heading home: We chose toself-disembark. Options were Deck 5theater or Café 270. We chose theaterthinking it was closer to front exit. They put everyone through the middle doors (from front and back ofship). We left room about 7:25 and gotin line right by elevators. We startedmoving by 7:30 and I had Uber pulled up on my phone while waiting in Customsline and the second we walked away I requested one. That was at 7:51. He arrived at 8:12 (he called twice to makesure we weren’t in a huge rush since he had traffic on the way over) and wewere at Newark at 8:37. That cost was$26. Our back up was to take a taxi orshared shuttle if no Ubers had been available. My dh’s flight was at 12:30 so he had 4 hours to kill. I had an Amtrak at 9:56 so we both had plentyof time!

 

Wewould love to cruise Anthem (or another Quantum) class again but we are bothover the shorter cruises. Too much to doand you feel slightly rushed all the time. We never saw The Gift and no other shows were offered (than I mentionedabove) due to 5 nights. I didn't bring home any paperwork and we didn't reserve a new cruise as we have a Fall Break one out of Galveston and a couple's group for Celebrity next Feb already lined up

[dancersp119]

We cruisedAnthem 5 night to Bermuda –Saturday 5/6 through Thursday 5/11 on our firstQuantum ship and first as Diamond Plus members. No photos, more of a general dump of info.

 

We arrivedin NJ on Thursday 5/4 and spentThurs/Fri nights at the Robert Treat BW in NJ. Easy to Uber everywhere and we took the Path train to WTC and hit NYC onFriday, during the 3” rainstorm day. Ittook 4 days on the ship for my Sperry’s to dry out!

 

Saturday - boarding: wehad received an email that the ship would be having a Coast Guard drill so wedidn’t rush over to the ship. RequestedUber from hotel at 10:40, we were picked up at 10:46 and dropped at the port at11:22. The cost was $18.70. I would say we were at the port at 11:15 but theywere letting in approximately 8-10 cars at a time (there was space for MANYmore) and I think it was probably due to the delayed boarding because by thetime we checked in (super fast) and went to stand in a holding room, it wasPACKED. We started boarding right at 12

 

We wandered the ship as it was new to us andwhen we walked up to the bumper cars they were loading so we jumped on. SO much fun. LOL! We ate a roast beef sandwichfrom Café 270 and just wandered. Roomsopened at 1:30.

We were in 12282 on starboard side. Manuel was our attendant and he was great. Brought us robes without asking! We had 2 Coronas and a bottle of Cabernet inour room upon arrival. Really liked theroom, the bathroom and the air-conditioning was AWESOME. It was freezing in our room the entire weekand AMAZING. Best on a ship. Ever.

 

We had our luggage withinan hour or so, unpacked and had items ready for pressing. Muster station was in Jamie’s and packedbeyond belief. We stayed at the frontand wandered our way to the edge of the crowd towards the end. There was literally no one else on the stairsas we “ran for it” once released. Hitthe gym for a workout, then showers and Concierge Lounge. Gym: was HOT all week. Why can’t they pump in some cool air? Even on the freezing outside days (boardingday and last sea day) the gym was SO HOT. There was a slightly bigger than Voyager class weight area, but 1 set of15 lb dumbbells, 1 of 20 lb and a few of the other “lower” weights so whensomeone had those there was a lot of waiting (pun?) around! The treadmills worked well.

 

The Concierge Lounge thefirst night was DEAD. We wereshocked. It was pretty, the snacks werethe usual and they made Lemon Drops. Allgood. It was close to our room which I loved and I occasionally popped in for the cappuccino, including the last am. We also hit the Diamond Lounge andit was more hopping (Lemon Drops there too). We had dinner with MTD (we had booked the BOGO specialties, but moved toNight 2/4) and our waiter was great. Theprime rib was good (cooked correctly, medium rare) but service was slow and itseemed chaotic. Typical “first night”and “MTD” experiences for us. We wentto the Journey tribute band show givingup our seats for “The Gift” (which we never did see). The Journey band was good and entertainingand people were out dancing like crazy by the end. Fun night!

Sunday – sea day: we had tickets for North Star at 9 and iFly at 11. Both canceled due to weather. It was ROCKING on the ship. We rescheduled both and grabbed poolchairs. It was sunny and warm and if youcould stay out of the wind, it was fantastic. That night we had Wonderland. Weenjoyed it. Our waiter was great and theCaptain actually came around and said hi to everyone! Super nice guy and great customerinteraction. We went to part of Spectre(stood in the back after it started) but decided it wasn’t our thing so wewandered ship.

 

Monday Bermuda day 1:. We had our rescheduled iFlyexperience. I was scared to death. It was a super small group of me and 4 guys(including my dh). The other 3 wiveswouldn’t do it. LOL. I had slightly tweaked my lower back so madethe decision to watch the others and chicken out or call foul due to my back onhow they did. I went for it and it was AMAZING. One of the most awesome things I’ve evertried. Not at all scary and SO MUCHFUN!

 

We left the ship after thatand wandered the port area. At somepoint we went back to the ship and changed and decided to rent a scooter. Thus resulting in the most terrifying 2 hoursof my life. It’s not that I don’t trustmy dh (and I do think we would have been happier on our own because he saiddriving 2 was way harder than being alone). We took a terrifying ride to Horseshoe Beach and Hamilton and parkedthat sucker. We shopped, had a snack anddrink and took the ferry (with the scooter) back! ENOUGH. LOL. The weather wasn’t greatthat day so we did have a fun time just wandering and exploring versus a beachday.

 

We did the WJ that nightand they had the Mongolian Grill station and we loved it. If they would offer than on “known” nightswe’d always go there.

 

Tuesday Bermuda day 2: Wehad our rescheduled Northstar that am. LOVED it. Dh had been willing toskip it, but he was thrilled we did it too. We did swivel at the top, but no “over the side” movement. It was an awesome day and we spent themajority of it at the pool. We went backashore later in the day and did the souvenir thing. We had “We Will Rock You”that night before dinner. OUTSTANDING. As good as anyBroadway show I’ve seen on land. Lovedthe story, the cast and the music. Itwas so good that we went back the last night and caught the last houragain!

 

We then had Chops and itwas disappointing. It took FOREVER,service wise and our steaks were completely overcooked. We both ordered medium rare and mine hadabsolutely 0 pink inside (dh’s was slightly better). It took forever to get them so we didn’t wantto send them back. I think they satunder the lights and “cooked through” while we waited. The waiter apologized but then was gone foranother SUPER long stretch of time. Ileft because we had been there 2 hours by then and didn’t want to wait fordessert. The waiter never came back butthe lady who seated us did and gave dh the check. He told her the steaks were completelyovercooked (they still were tender and tasted good) and she brought him the checkfor $84. He said (for the second time)that we had the BOGO (which they ALLOWED us to move nights on, and in factsuggested we do so) and that was resolved.

 

Dh, the next day, went andspoke to the specialty restaurant head – he explained we knew we didn’t waitaround for them to make it right (new steaks) but she didn’t even apologize andmessed up the bill. He completely erasedour charges for BOGO and sent 2 plates of choc covered strawberries to ourroom. WOW. Dh was not ugly about it at all but hadexpressed his disappointment in the service/food and the guy was completelywonderful and gracious.

 

Wednesday sea day: It was FREEZING and windy. Yet, we struggled on (lol) and found slightlywind-blocked sections and hung at the pool part of the day. We did some shopping and had a drink in 270near the window wall. Packed some andjust relaxed. We decided on dinner againat WJ and they had the Mongolian station again! Yay! We caught the end of theshow again.

 

Other random thoughts:

Concierge Lounge picked upafter the first night but was a sedate crowd. Diamond Lounge crowd was more active and out going. Drinks were plentiful and strong in both. Getting Diamond drinks at bars was easy andthe pool bar guy gave me 3 Miller Lites (unopened) at once! We ended up leaving a couple in the fridge.

 

I had a $5 free play at Casino and won $10 so I quit. Dh played poker a lot of late nights (noreport on his winnings so I expect they weren’t great J). The staff overall wasgreat. Dh went on the Galley tour (whichthe Loyalty Ambassador sent us a message on and was messed up because no oneelse showed up and they tried to sell us the “lunch brunch tour”) He ended up being the only person and lovedit. He also did the Bridge tour.

 

Thewomen in the make-up/perfume shop were too “in your face” (that has neverhappened before). We got our 2 freephotos easily. We loved the ship lookand feel (reminded us more of Celebrity). Had one slice of pizza from Sorrento’s. Got nightly hot water/tea on the way to bed. Café 270 lines the worst. They need to separate you before the roast beef (everyone had to shuffle through that line to get to salads) and the salads onOasis have way more choices. Bionic Barwas fun for one drink. Poked our head ina virtual balcony room and loved it!

 

Thursday heading home: We chose toself-disembark. Options were Deck 5theater or Café 270. We chose theaterthinking it was closer to front exit. They put everyone through the middle doors (from front and back ofship). We left room about 7:25 and gotin line right by elevators. We startedmoving by 7:30 and I had Uber pulled up on my phone while waiting in Customsline and the second we walked away I requested one. That was at 7:51. He arrived at 8:12 (he called twice to makesure we weren’t in a huge rush since he had traffic on the way over) and wewere at Newark at 8:37. That cost was$26. Our back up was to take a taxi orshared shuttle if no Ubers had been available. My dh’s flight was at 12:30 so he had 4 hours to kill. I had an Amtrak at 9:56 so we both had plentyof time!

 

Wewould love to cruise Anthem (or another Quantum) class again but we are bothover the shorter cruises. Too much to doand you feel slightly rushed all the time. We never saw The Gift and no other shows were offered (than I mentionedabove) due to 5 nights. I didn't bring home any paperwork and we didn't reserve a new cruise as we have a Fall Break one out of Galveston and a couple's group for Celebrity next Feb already lined up

 

 

 

 

We are cruising on Anthem next week...Where is the Diamond lounge located????

[masonpips]

We are cruising on Anthem next week...Where is the Diamond lounge located????

 

 

 

It is forward on the starboard side near the theater. Either 4 or 5. You come out in the new live music arena on one end

 

 

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[travelpeon]

Thanks for the review!

 

Interesting that they suggested moving BOGO to days 2/4 instead of sticking to 1/2. What time did you eat dinner at Chops and Wonderland? I'm glad the specialty restaurant head handled the situation well. How does one find the specialty restaurant head? I usually get officer contact numbers/names at Meet & Mingles during intros.

[maggie416]

We returned from the awesome Anthem a couple of weeks ago, this was our second time, and our second 12 nighter!! We also had Manuel as our cabin steward and loved him, he was the greatest!!! We had the same experience as you at Chops, very slow but our steaks were cooked to perfection. A great ship, a great staff. Will be sailing on her again next year! We live in Ct so an easy ride for us.

Marg

[masonpips]

Thanks for the review!

 

 

 

Interesting that they suggested moving BOGO to days 2/4 instead of sticking to 1/2. What time did you eat dinner at Chops and Wonderland? I'm glad the specialty restaurant head handled the situation well. How does one find the specialty restaurant head? I usually get officer contact numbers/names at Meet & Mingles during intros.

 

 

 

Wonderland was 8 or 830. We were among the last to leave. It seemed fairly empty. Chops was 830 but we got there about 820. We were seated immediately. It was about half full. At 845 it was packed. I really think they had too many people that night.

 

I think DH just went and asked at guest relations or the loyalty desk

 

 

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[Pandabear90]

Were you able to check out the Music Hall at night where the DJ played, was it packed?

[masonpips]

Were you able to check out the Music Hall at night where the DJ played, was it packed?

 

 

 

Sorry we did not

 

 

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