Catching Up With Royal for Anthem in '19

[JJSMaine]

Good Day All,

 

I am looking out to Jan 2019 for a cruise, targeting for now the Anthem. I haven't been on ship since my last cruise in 2009 on the Jewel for the Boston to Fl repo...

 

In playing catchup, and boy is there a lot to catch up on with ships and programs, I have noted a few changes that I find myself worrying about.

 

 

Scheduling - I don't recall making reservations for any cruise I have taken outside of the MDR dining time slot and if I chose to pre-book a specialty restaurant. From reading reviews, am I to understand that I have to reserve a seat in the main theater prior to my cruise and I have to pay if I do not cancel in time or do not show up? I read that many other activities now offered on board also require booking in advance, gondola and skydive experience( I know they have names, but I haven't learned them yet) ... hmmmm One of the most enjoyable aspects of a cruise for me is the freedom to do whatever, whenever... but now they want me to preschedule what I will want to do weeks in advance of doing it... it kind of ruins the sense of freedom I have felt cruising in the past.

 

I also get the sense that Anthem in particular has not lived up to the standards set by past experiences, especially in the food area... no one gushes about the food anymore and many seem to think the overall quality of the food on Anthem is not as good... have they reached the limits of size when attempting to prepare massive quantities of food?

 

I enjoy the experience for itself and have gone solo all but one cruise and intend at this time to also go solo for this next trip... a 12 or 14 day run ... I am sorely tempted to try the studio cabin (SI) as it spares me most of the single sup whammy... but I note that all of the SI cabins are .. apparent after thoughts.. stuck in odd places in the ships configuration and all very close to the main elevator/stair well areas... are they noisy in these locations?

 

The Virtual Balcony sounds great... but apparently they have the sound turned off now, as it was too loud prior?? Did no one think to put volume control in the hands of the guest?

 

 

I am a major fan of Sauna and Steam facilities and have taken full advantage of them in all previous ships. I have read that using these facilities will now cost extra..... ? really?

 

Can you plug your own HDMI into the stateroom TV and will it allow switching to that source with the remote?

 

I have been on Adventure/Explorer/Jewel in that order. Much of what I see in terms of refinement in Anthem is welcome and intriguing.

 

Cheers

[dpostman]

We were on Anthem last March. We had a group of 8 families. We found the pre-scheduling very easy to use through the cruise planner. I understand the need for going worry free and not be bothered with scheduling but some of the activities are in such high demand, that it is to give as many cruisers as possible the chance to try them. The shows cannot accommodate all passengers as well, so I think they are doing their best to try and get the most attendance. The shows on these big ships are nearly Broadway worthy, so they are in high demand.

 

For the food, we found the food to be much better than anticipated from reading the reviews before we boarded. we hardly ever went to WJ. Ate many lunches and a few breakfasts at TWO70 and Solarium Bistro. If you are worried about MDR food, perhaps consider a Specialty dining package. We loved Wonderland and Jamie's.

 

We had 2 balcony rooms right across from an elevator bank/Stair case, and never heard a thing.

 

I remember checking and found that I could plug something in the HDMI port but probably best to bring a Universal Remote Control to change the Input as I don't think the in room remote with do it. Other threads mention this.

 

Have a nice cruise.

dp

[dpostman]

I'll add, there were a few occasions were others in our group did not make it to their reserved spot to shows and Escape room. But no one ever mentioned anything about actually being charged. Maybe for the North Star, or iFly because space is really limited but we did not hear of any actual "Fines" in our group.

 

dp

[Oceansaway17]

to the OP, do not book a solo room.!!!!! I did and I got a hard thin 3/4 bed and my room was on a corner hallway with another room sharing same entrance area.

Noisy slamming of the other door for which it was a balcony.

 

 

You will do better to just get an interior with virtual balcony.

 

Solo rooms on RCI are a bit of a joke. They have removed then from Symphony as I was changed to another room for next year. Lucky I got a nice oceanview since I had an oceanview studio. Now it explains why the pricing for Symphony that start last Spring was so way way high for these solo rooms. I think they knew that the possibility of removal was pending and wanted to discourage folks. So only Harmony for Oasis class has a few and really down low near public rooms. Even on Radiance class they only stuck a few on level 4 near dining areas.

 

NCL is only cruise line that does justice to Solo Studio rooms.

 

Also, It really is a good idea to reserve shows and some restaurants since the whole ship can't show up at the same time.

 

I suggest to pick 2-3 nights to do reserved stuff and then wing it the rest of the time.

And I went on Northstar a lot by just doing the stand by line.

[Merion_Mom]

On the Anthem I have stayed in regular balcony cabins AND the studio (solo) balcony. All of the beds were very comfortable.

 

The studio interior is part of a trio of cabins that RC tries to market to families: a JS, a balcony cabin & a studio interior. While each has its own door, they share a common little hallway off the main corridor.

 

But they do book the cabins separately, too.

[reallyitsmema]

Solo cabins on Anthem can be a really good deal, but you need to do your homework. There are SI cabins that are designed to be booked with the two cabins next to them and have the ability to connect them all, making them good for extended families. However, if you are a solo who books one of these cabins, not with the other two, you share a little hallway that can be noisy.

 

The SB cabins are offered a lot as a guarantee rate. Those bookings get upgraded a lot to a DO, which is a double occupancy balcony cabin that is obstructed.

[JJSMaine]

Thank you all for the replies...

[travelady65]

to the OP, do not book a solo room.!!!!! I did and I got a hard thin 3/4 bed and my room was on a corner hallway with another room sharing same entrance area.

Noisy slamming of the other door for which it was a balcony.

 

 

You will do better to just get an interior with virtual balcony.

 

Solo rooms on RCI are a bit of a joke. They have removed then from Symphony as I was changed to another room for next year. Lucky I got a nice oceanview since I had an oceanview studio. Now it explains why the pricing for Symphony that start last Spring was so way way high for these solo rooms. I think they knew that the possibility of removal was pending and wanted to discourage folks. So only Harmony for Oasis class has a few and really down low near public rooms. Even on Radiance class they only stuck a few on level 4 near dining areas.

 

NCL is only cruise line that does justice to Solo Studio rooms.

 

Also, It really is a good idea to reserve shows and some restaurants since the whole ship can't show up at the same time.

 

I suggest to pick 2-3 nights to do reserved stuff and then wing it the rest of the time.

And I went on Northstar a lot by just doing the stand by line.

 

 

I am booked on the Anthem for March 2019, in a solo balcony cabin....It says that the bed is a double bed in the room....My friend just got off Anthem and she verified that the bed in the cabin is a double....I dont understand that you are saying bed is 3/4 bed...she even sailed in a solo virtual cabin and her bed was a double....maybe you are thinking of the cabins that are on the Brillance Serenade and Adventurer...I know for a fact that the Brillance and Serenade had 3/4 single beds.....as i sailed both of those ships...

[Merion_Mom]

I am booked on the Anthem for March 2019, in a solo balcony cabin....It says that the bed is a double bed in the room....My friend just got off Anthem and she verified that the bed in the cabin is a double....I dont understand that you are saying bed is 3/4 bed...she even sailed in a solo virtual cabin and her bed was a double....maybe you are thinking of the cabins that are on the Brillance Serenade and Adventurer...I know for a fact that the Brillance and Serenade had 3/4 single beds.....as i sailed both of those ships...

 

 

 

She is calling the bed a 3/4 bed because (I think) she expected the usual queen size bed.

 

But all official descriptions - website, etc - clearly call it a double bed.

 

 

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