Anthem - Not quite live...

[wilmingtech]

Northstar -

 

 

1st off - here is a hint to anyone planning on riding*in the Northstar. The ocean looks the same from 50' as it does from 300'.

 

With that in mind we had booked the Northstar for 9am in port at Nassau. We got to Northstar about 20 minutes early. It was hot. We were sweaty and they started about 15 minutes late.

 

When the staff got there at 9am we found out that they did not have a reservation for us. They did manage to squeeze us in though. Shannon (RCI staff member) told us that they leave 2 empty spaces per session to accomodate these kinds of problems.

 

Overall its kind*of gimicky. Sure its nice to be up 300 feet in the air to see the surroundings but not something I would get in line for. They did have binoculars in the capsule which was nice. Be aware that the glass is curved inside the capsule which makes taking decent photos without the correct lens attachment very difficult. All these were taken with my phone.

 

 

 

 

 

-Sean

 

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[banditz]

Great review and thanks for posting the daily compass.

[wilmingtech]

Main Dining Room -

 

 

This was the first Royal Caribbean cruise we have done My Time Dining instead of traditional dining. We all agreed that we really missed traditional dining. There is just something about having the same great waitstaff each night.

 

There were some benefits to My Time Dining. When we got back late from Orlando at 7pm we were hungry and didnt want wimdjammer. It was day 4 and we had not yet been to the main dining room yet. We walked right up to the MTD host desk and were seated immediately.

 

On that first night service was just okay. English as a second language seemed to be a slight barrier at our table. My wife asked for some minor changes to her dinner (no carbs) The waiter automatically assumed she was Gluten free and that started us down a long winding road with a visit from the head waiter and her meal showing up with gluten free carbs.

 

With the main dining room the food is always hit or miss. If you are familiar with the menu and know what you like its a little bit easier to decide. Primarily because the menu descriptions are quite thin.

 

A good example of this would be the garlic shrimp. They were stuffed with a breadcrumb stuffing even though the menu described garlic butter. On top of that they were not peeled at all.

 

The Chicken Cordon Bleu is served with a brown pork or beef based gravy where as it is traditionally served with a white wine or cream sauce.

 

The main dining room to us is more like going to a catered wedding or eating at a hotel catered event. There are some dishes done well but they are all cooked in large quantities and dished up in back of house.

 

Our second night in the main dining room we found our girl. Delsa was our waiter and she was amazing. Fantastic server and we ended up with her for the remainder of our evenings in the MDR. (Only 3 nights total)

 

When service is exceptional (as in this case) I do leave extra cash on the table for the wait staff.

 

On night 8 we came into the MTD dining room (American Icon) and the hostess tried to seat us at a different table then we had previously with Delsa. That different table already had guests seated so we marched with our escort back to the hostess stand. Delsa saw us from across the dining room and immediately came over and told the hostess that we would be seating with her. She let the hostess know the table number and escorted us back to the same table we had been at for two nights previously.

 

So we kind of got our traditional dining experience in the end. Our kids loved Delsa and there were hugs all around at the end of the last night.

 

Overall the service was exceptional with all dining staff going above and beyond to make sure we were happy.

 

-Sean

 

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[Mellylucy]

Thank you very much for the review.

I'm glad you and your family had a wonderfull time on this cruise.

[wilmingtech]

Great review. I did wonder about the SeaPlex on Anthem with crowds so sounds like it can be an issue with long lines. Looks amazing otherwise.

 

Thanks for the review of BOGO. We're going to try one or two specialties and your review helps (but price went up recently). Your comments about Jamies helps as that's one we are considering. Good to hear how it works with kids. Interested in your Chops comments too.

 

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By day 4 the lines were more reasonable. Even on sea days 7 and 8 we were able to get on bumper cars and on the skating rink arriving about 15-20 minutes before they started. They almost always started about 15 minutes early. So if the start time was 530 byy 515 people were skating. Same with the bumper cars.

 

-Sean

 

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[wilmingtech]

Thanks for the updates. Glad to hear you are enjoying your cruise.

 

Quick question/favor -

 

By looking at the compasses, we are disappointed for our family/friends we are traveling with that there are no informal nightly scheduled meetups for the 18-21+ age group, especially during this time of year when many families travel.

 

We traveled last year and our family was hoping they could schedule more than just 1 informal meetup after both dinner seatings at Music Hall and are shocked to see none scheduled. We are sailing next week and this is a disappointment for the family members in our age group who were reluctant to travel with us.

 

I you stop by guest services or talk to the cruise director or assistant cruise director - would it be at all possible to pass along a request for us to see if they can schedule in the compass an informal meetup for the 18-21+ age group after both dinner seatings on the first couple of nights (as has been done on other holiday sailings we've been on)?

 

Thank you very much! Enjoy the rest of your cruise.

Sorry I took so long. You are probably already on the ship. They have a meet up for this age group about 3-4 times on the ship. Its listed as a group (along with the other groups) check in with the service desk and they will let you know when and where.

 

I did ask the CD about this and he said they are supposed to be printed in the compass.

 

-Sean

 

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[wilmingtech]

Great review....just got off when you got on, so I miss the ship a lot....your photo's and comments help ease the loss somewhat.

I really like the very helpful tips you are sharing with those who haven't been aboard yet....thanks for posting!:)

Thanks Bob. I followed all your posts as well. Its always nice to see whats happening when you cant be part of the action.

 

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[wilmingtech]

I see it’s a formal night on day 2 and day 3? Is that correct?

 

 

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On the 8 day formal night is day 2 and day 7.

 

-Sean

 

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[wilmingtech]

Can you tell me how are the helmets with skating? do they wipe the helmets down after each use or should i wear something under helmet? just concerning on this issue.

Okay.. so my wife is a bit of a germaphobe. She said to bring wipes and paper towels with you. The helmets are sprayed with Lysol so if you get a fresh off the rink helmet you wont know how much of that moisture is sweat vs. Lysol. Same with the wrist guards.

 

-Sean

 

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[wilmingtech]

Do they provide elbow/knee pads for the skating in addition to the helmets?

Yes. I checked in with the desk. Bob was correct as usual.

 

-Sean

 

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[wilmingtech]

Just off 19 nights on Anthem. Like reliving the dream. Great thread.

 

BTW - we had 200 kids and they mentioned there would be 1,200 on your cruise. Thanks goodness for that large indoor pool area.

200 kids or less on a cruise is a dream.

 

I will say that with 1200+ kids on board it was a pretty tame crowd of kids.

 

(They must have all been homeschooled ;) )

 

-Sean

 

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[wilmingtech]

We just got off today. My son is 12, and so was considered a teen. They had lots of reserved bumper cars, rollerskating, flowrider & rock climbing sessions just for them. We also did bumper cars at noon as soon as we boarded - best tip ever!!

 

 

 

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Does anyone know if the kids get to do things like Bumper cars, circus and roller skating with the Adventure Ocean as a group? Wasn't sure if they get a special time slot to use them if they are signed into the club. Thanks

They did have special times for 12 - 14 and 15-17 year olds. No specific times slated for the younger kids.

 

-Sean

 

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[wilmingtech]

Nice start, I'm on Anthem in May and very much looking forward to it.

23 more days for me, and it will be my turn, looking forward to your review

We board in late January and will arrive early.

Following! 22 more days until it’s my turn!

Looking forward to all of your reviews ;)

 

I hope you all have a great trip!

 

-Sean

 

 

 

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[wilmingtech]

One thing I do want to mention while I have a second to jot it down.....

 

 

Our Server (Delsa) in the MDR mentioned that they were going to have a large changeover of crew on the 18th/19th of January. She said it would be about 200-300 crewmembers.

 

Delsa mentioned that it usually takes a week for the new crew to settle in and get used to the schedule.

 

We also confirmed this with our room steward Desmond who said he would be done with his contract and leaving on that date.

 

Im curious to hear from anyone on the ship this week (Jan 18th) if it affects quality of service at all.

 

-Sean

 

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Edited December 24, 2017 by wilmingtech

[wilmingtech]

Thank you very much for the review.

I'm glad you and your family had a wonderfull time on this cruise.

No problem. You are very welcome. Im super appreciative of anyone who does a review as it takes more time than you would think. But all the reviews I have read have been super helpful and have helped me to enjoy our cruise more than if we had read none at all.

 

We did have a great cruise. The ship and crew were amazing.

 

-Sean

 

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[wilmingtech]

Thank you for your time in doing this. I like how you thouroughly cover one topic per post. It is very easy to read and follow what is going on.

You are very welcome! Im glad at least 1 person is enjoying it!

 

 

-Sean

 

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[ckrobyn]

One thing I do want to mention while I have a second to jot it down.....

 

 

Our Server (Delsa) in the MDR mentioned that they were going to have a large changeover of crew on the 18th/19th of January. She said it would be about 200-300 crewmembers.

 

Delsa mentioned that it usually takes a week for the new crew to settle in and get used to the schedule.

 

We also confirmed this with our room steward Desmond who said he would be done with his contract and leaving on that date.

 

Im curious to hear from anyone on the ship this week (Jan 18th) if it affects quality of service at all.

 

-Sean

 

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I will be embarking on January 19th for the 9 night cruise and possibly reporting LIVE, so I can let you know :D

[Clarea]

I will be embarking on January 19th for the 9 night cruise and possibly reporting LIVE, so I can let you know :D

That would be a treat Robyn.:)

[ckrobyn]

That would be a treat Robyn.:)

 

 

Well if you insist.......;)

[wilmingtech]

I will be embarking on January 19th for the 9 night cruise and possibly reporting LIVE, so I can let you know :D

Sooooo exciting!!!

 

Love your live reports.

 

-Sean

 

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[Turtles06]

OP: thank you very much for taking the time to post your detailed review and your beautiful photos; I know this takes a great deal of time.

 

We sailed on Anthem's inaugural TA, and, like you, I thought that Two70 was just an amazing space. We enjoyed The Gift as well.

 

We'll be back on Anthem in February for the 8-night Florida/Bahamas run, our first "regular" cruise on Anthem, so I found your review particularly helpful. Thanks again for posting it!

[ckrobyn]

Sooooo exciting!!!

 

Love your live reports.

 

-Sean

 

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Yours was great too! I know absolutely nothing about the Anthem, so I was basically hanging on every word :)

[psupa]

One thing I do want to mention while I have a second to jot it down.....

 

 

Our Server (Delsa) in the MDR mentioned that they were going to have a large changeover of crew on the 18th/19th of January. She said it would be about 200-300 crewmembers.

 

Delsa mentioned that it usually takes a week for the new crew to settle in and get used to the schedule.

 

We also confirmed this with our room steward Desmond who said he would be done with his contract and leaving on that date.

 

Im curious to hear from anyone on the ship this week (Jan 18th) if it affects quality of service at all.

 

-Sean

 

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Wow that's is a lot of crew members at one time. I wonder if they are taking the best of them and putting them on the new ship.

[wilmingtech]

Wow that's is a lot of crew members at one time. I wonder if they are taking the best of them and putting them on the new ship.

Our server told us they have big turnovers of 150-200 ppl about 4 times a year. She said this one is a rather large turnover because of how all the contracts lined up.

 

-Sean

 

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[KellyABelly]

Do you know if Adventure Ocean was open (besides for registration) the first night? Or if spaces were available in the nursery? Thinking of doing the two for one specialty dining :). Thank you!!