First Royal Cruise

[debnrick]

We are taking our first Royal cruise 05/18 on Anthem .... I like to know things well beforehand. Do you have any tips~need to know~comments that would help us out?????

 

 

Also very curious as to how the check-in process works.

 

 

We have a spa junior suite on deck 7 and we signed up for Crown and Anchor .... do we get priority boarding? If so, what exactly does that mean?

 

 

Thanks and I'll look forward to all of your helpful responses.

 

 

Happy sailing.

Edited June 16, 2017 by debnrick
Forgot shipname

[debnrick]

We are sailing the Anthem of the Seas.

[Amtrac]

We are taking our first Royal cruise 05/18 on Anthem .... I like to know things well beforehand. Do you have any tips~need to know~comments that would help us out?????

 

 

Also very curious as to how the check-in process works.

 

 

We have a spa junior suite on deck 7 and we signed up for Crown and Anchor .... do we get priority boarding? If so, what exactly does that mean?

 

 

Thanks and I'll look forward to all of your helpful responses.

 

 

Happy sailing.

 

 

 

No priority booking but it's a smooth process, usually. C& A no perks for 1st cruise but keep going on RCCL and they will add up fast, double points in a jr suite and above. The spa is a very nice layout with two areas to get ready, left side with tub/ shower and other with toilet and a sink. Also Costal Kitchen if available for your spa js a nice perk.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Life is Good Cruising]

We've been on Anthem many times, here's a few things I thought of at the moment:

 

Rooms are ready at 1 pm and you'll find one sea pass card outside your room and all others will be inside, so make sure you complete your Set Sail Pass before boarding as this will save you time boarding and will serve as your sea pass card until the rooms are ready. Don't worry if you can't upload a picture for your Set Sail pass, it will only take them seconds to take one for you.

 

The ship will feel crowded after the Muster drill and after shows, the elevators will be slow at these times.

 

Only the 3 production shows need reservations, WWRY, The Gift and Spectra. All other shows including the Headliners are first come. Reservations for shows, dining, excursions, beverage packages, etc. can open up at any time, you just need to check your Cruise Planner. If you join your Roll Call, usually someone on a Roll Call will indicate when reservations are open

 

At times, North Star & Ripcord/IFly can be cancel due to wind/weather conditions, so try to book a time slot in the early part of the cruise. If by chance you missed getting reservations for any of the productions shows, any activity (NorthStar, Ripcord, Puzzle Room) or dining, you can also make reservations immediately on embarkation day, either on the Royal IQ app, (which you need to download at home), or on IPads that are at Guest Services on Deck 4 or go to the back of the Royal Theater on Deck 4, staff members will there taking reservations.

 

When connecting to the Royal IQ app on board, you'll need to connect to "Royal Wi-Fi", no internet purchase is needed to use the app which will indicate all your reservations and also a listing of daily activities and other things

 

Phones should be in "Airplane" mode to avoid any data charges.

 

We found embarkation day (Noon-2:45 pm) was the best time to ride the Bumper cars without a long wait in the Sea Plex on Deck 15. You can also go on the standby line for North Star throughout the cruise. If you have a reservation for North Star or Ripcord/IFly and do not show up, they will charge you a $25 fee for no show.

 

If you can't find pool chairs around the pool on Deck 14, there are always plenty of loungers upstairs on Deck 15. Chair Hogs are on every cruise and every ship.

 

Anthem has lots of entertainment nightly all over the ship, The Music Hall is our favorite where their House band and Tribute band perform, also entertainment in Boleros, Schooner Bar, Michael's Pub and Two70.

 

IMO, Anthem has the best Solarium compared to the others on RCI ships, get there early for a seat. Anthem also has an indoor pool.

 

The Windjammer has outdoor eating for breakfast and lunch only, go all the way in the back of the WJ, many people don't realize the outdoor seating.

 

If you like fine wine, Vintages has a nice selection of wines

 

On the first night, there is only one Welcome aboard show usually starts at 7 pm.

 

Two different movies are played nightly at Poolside, 7 pm and 10 pm.

 

There's 2 formal nights on a 9 or 12 night sailing and 1 formal night on a 5 night sailing, many get all dressed up and many do not

Cafe Two70 is nice for breakfast or lunch, they close daily at 5 pm

 

On Embarkation day, besides the WJ for lunch, you can also go to Cafe Two70 (Deck 5) or the Solarium Bistro (Deck 14) which is open until 2:30 pm both will be less crowded than the Windjammer.

 

The WJ closes at 9 pm each evening, Sorrento Pizzeria is open until 3 am

 

Since you're in a SJS room, you are entitled to have dinner only in Coastal Kitchen, food and service are both very good. There's a different menu for the first 7 nights in CK and then the menu repeats on Night 8. You will be able to make reservations on your Cruise Planner for CK, which I highly recommend.

 

Special deals on the specialty restaurants will be indicated on your Cruise Planner. Wonderland is one of our favorite specialty restaurant.

Can't think of anything else right now. Any questions, just ask, many others have also been on Anthem

 

Have a great cruise, Anthem is our favorite ship :D

Edited June 16, 2017 by Life is Good Cruising

[Atalante]

WOW, great post!

[Life is Good Cruising]

WOW, great post!

Thank you :)

[yuvraj]

You have already had an excellent, comprehensive reply so just want to add / emphasise ....

 

Really important on this class of ship to use the cruise planner to plan and book beforehand. I am talking about shows, meals etc. Ultimately it means planning your evenings and perhaps even your sea days.