Have you sailed Anthem twice?

[babchia]

We will be on our second trip on the Anthem this Nov. We said before, "been there, done that", not overly thrilled with the ship. We prefer smaller ships, but the price was the draw and we really need to get away! We are about 1 1/2 hr from the port, and usually a friend will drive us and pick us up.

 

To me, the ship is disjointed, the flow bad. I love the two70, and the British style pub, Michael's. I wish they had a main dining room, going from one venue to another can be confusing. The walk from one end to the other is a killer! And when they have "sale events" you have to sort of plow your way past everyone crowded in the royal esplanade (or promenade).

 

One plus is, after all that walking, we don't gain quite as much weight from all the food! LOL;)

[mumeof3]

We are going in about 3 weeks and I'm worried I won't like as much as Freedom , we are also looking for another cruise out of NJ next July and this is the only one offered

We only sailed Anthem once! That was more than enough for us. We did not warm to that class of ship at all.

 

Sorry

Cheers

Steve

[hallasm]

We are going in about 3 weeks and I'm worried I won't like as much as Freedom , we are also looking for another cruise out of NJ next July and this is the only one offered

 

I'm sure you'll like Anthem. Looking forward getting your feedback once you have cruised Anthem.

 

 

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[Moltar]

Sailed on Anthem twice, 2 different lengths & itineraries. We enjoy it. Booked Anthem for NYE 2018-2019. We live less then an hour from the port so the savings in airfare and hotel stays is a huge factor. Not our favorite ship, definitely not our least favorite either. Biggest killer for us is in the Royal Esplanade the permanent "Sale" island in the middle totally impeding the flow of traffic to just the sides. I love 270, Seaplex, indoor pool and indoor solarium, music hall, movies/football at night on the pool deck, Jamie's Italian, The Via, and Cafe270. Our favorite class is still the Voyager/Freedom. Sooner or later we will go on an Oasis class.

[Snoopycollector]

We've done Anthem twice -- we had an inside for a 9 day to the Caribbean (with 7 others from my family) and then we had a Family Jr Suite for a 7 day Bahamas/Florida (with 2 family members). Completely different cruises on the same ship !

 

The 2nd one, we had an active roll call, and I planned a cabin crawl (which I think was pretty successful if I do say so myself) and access to Coastal Kitchen is a whole different game. Different cruise director, etc.

 

If I could find that FJS again at that price, I'd go in a minute -- being 45 mins from the port helps !!

 

Sandy

[Oceansaway17]

I have sailed twice in 2016. Once to Caribbean for 9 days and then again in the fall to New England. I enjoyed both times.

In between I went on an Alaskan cruise on the "Explorer of the Seas" that use to be in Bayonne before Anthem. Let me say that the Explorer should not be doing Alaska since non of the pools are closed. Also the ship was largest in Juneau and they have to park way out. Take the Radiance instead of the Explorer as their pool was covered.

I had fond memories of the Explorer from a 2009 NJ trip but was disappointed in that ship last year. So the next month I was booked on the Anthem to New England and was very happy to be on it again. I will say I had an odd bed size for their solo rooms. I had a 3/4 bed that was hard as a rock.

But we had Abe Hughes as CD again. Also I enjoyed the shows just as much the second day and I hung out a lot in the Seaplex because it is covered and they play nice radio music. Anthem as great for doing New England.

[NjBabba]

I sailed on Anthem last year and am booked again for Feb 2018. I really enjoyed the ship. We had great service in our cabins & in the dining room for My Time Dining.

As for the shows, We Will Rock You was fabulous, the other shows were just fair or weird. The performers were top notch but the shows were not well thought out, no story or odd. I caution you to bring earplugs to the shows, as the sound is mega-loud.

[gaylemh]

We will be on our second trip on the Anthem this Nov. We said before, "been there, done that", not overly thrilled with the ship. We prefer smaller ships, but the price was the draw and we really need to get away! We are about 1 1/2 hr from the port, and usually a friend will drive us and pick us up.

 

To me, the ship is disjointed, the flow bad. I love the two70, and the British style pub, Michael's. I wish they had a main dining room, going from one venue to another can be confusing. The walk from one end to the other is a killer! And when they have "sale events" you have to sort of plow your way past everyone crowded in the royal esplanade (or promenade).

 

One plus is, after all that walking, we don't gain quite as much weight from all the food! LOL;)

You no longer go to different dining rooms. If you have traditional early or late seating you will be assigned a table in either Chic or The Grande. If you have MTD you will go to American Icon with reservations or Silk without reservations. The menu is the same in all 4 restaurants. Solarium Bistro is all free, and you need to make a reservation.

[Merion_Mom]

We will be on our second trip on the Anthem this Nov. We said before, "been there, done that", not overly thrilled with the ship. We prefer smaller ships, but the price was the draw and we really need to get away! We are about 1 1/2 hr from the port, and usually a friend will drive us and pick us up.

 

To me, the ship is disjointed, the flow bad. I love the two70, and the British style pub, Michael's. I wish they had a main dining room, going from one venue to another can be confusing. The walk from one end to the other is a killer! And when they have "sale events" you have to sort of plow your way past everyone crowded in the royal esplanade (or promenade).

 

One plus is, after all that walking, we don't gain quite as much weight from all the food! LOL;)

 

1. Two dining rooms for traditional, two for MTD, so you should only be dealing with one or the other. The two for each are steps apart across a small hall.

 

2. Anthem is not as long as Oasis class ships - but perhaps you dislike those, too.

 

3. Traverse the ship on Deck 5 to avoid the crowds on Deck 4 in the Royal Esplanade.