Anthem Christmas Cruise Review (12-22-17 to 12-30-17)

[KelJ]

About Us

Ten familymembers sailed together. We are all from Pennsylvania. I am 51, and DH is 50. We took my parents (ages 77 and 75) and four ofour adult children and two significant others (four boys ages 25, 25, 22 and 19,and two girls ages 25 and 22 (turning 23 on this cruise). This was a Christmas gift from us to ourfamily. This was our first time onAnthem, so our first time on Quantum class, and also our first Christmassailing. DH and I are diamond, two ofour kids are diamond, my parents and two of our kids are gold, and the twosignificant others have never sailed before.

Friday, 12-22-17 (Day1)

We left Ebensburg, PA, in two vehiclesat 5:10 a.m. and arrived at Port Liberty, NJ, at 10:10 a.m. We were lucky to have nice travelingweather. We unloaded our bags quicklywith the porters, and then the guys parked our vehicles in the parking garage(which is new since the last time we sailed out of Port Liberty) while wewaited inside for them. After going tothrough security, we were all directed to the diamond priority check-in linesince we were all traveling together. Check-in was a breeze, even though none of us had submitted photos aheadof time. We were directed to diamondpriority seating but never even sat down as boarding began as soon we got nearthe chairs. We went up the escalator andwalked right onboard.

We had to wait a few minutes for theWindjammer doors to open at 11:00 a.m. We all ate lunch and then went to check out our dining room table whichwas a table for ten (as previously requested and confirmed) in the Chic diningroom (deck 3) where we were assigned to 5:30 p.m. traditional dining (also asrequested). The ship was decorated beautifullyfor Christmas. We explored the ship,watched the bumper cars in the Seaplex, and the kids got hot dogs at theDoghouse. We all downloaded the Royal IQapp, and seven out of ten of us purchased the text feature for $7.95/person,and it made communication very easy and convenient. I highly recommend purchasing the textfeature, especially for a group as large as ours. Also, the Royal IQ app was great for viewingeach day’s compass and for checking our reservation times.

We had five cabins on deck ten: 10554 (D7), 10543 (V3), 10143 (V3), 10531(V3) and 10131 (V3). Staterooms wereready at 1:00 p.m., and our keys were in envelopes on the outside of ourdoors. Inside our cabin were two bottlesof water and a can of Diet Coke, invitations for the Cruise Critic meet andmingle, the top-tier event, notification of our $50 OBC (for inviting two newguests), the wifi password (DH had pre-purchased the deluxe drink package withVoom), a listing of our diamond discount offers, and a note from the DiamondLounge concierge (Luara Baksa).

We met Vergie, our stateroom attendant,and requested robes, daily ice in two buckets (ice bucket and wine bucket), extrahangers and wine glasses, all of which were delivered during muster ordinner. There were also Christmascookies in our cabin. Vergie was adelight all week, and she was very efficient.

Our luggage slowly trickled in, althoughDH and one of our sons each had to claim a bag in the “naughty room,” ours dueto bottles of wine (which were permitted) and our son’s due to a surgeprotector (which was confiscated until the end of the cruise).

Muster was at 2:30 p.m., and our musterstation was at the Chef’s Table, where we watched a video. This was the first time I have musteredindoors, and the first time I’ve seen the muster rules provided via video.

At dinner in the MDR, we met Predrag(head waiter), Prabu (waiter) and Imade (assistant waiter). As on our cruise in October, the wait staffnow handles all bar orders in the MDR, to include bottled wine purchases. I was eating a low-sodium diet, so tonight(and every night thereafter) after dinner Predrag brought me the next night’sdinner menu and made suggestions and took my order so that my food could beprepared appropriately for the next night.

We had pre-booked all of our shows (Spectra’sCabaret, The Gift, and We Will Rock You) and also the Ripcord and theNorthstar. The Puzzle Room had neverbeen available to book pre-cruise, and we tried to book it right after lunchtoday, but were told that all slots were full. We also tried to book the Puzzle Room through our stateroom TV, but itwas not an option. Tonight when we wentto the Diamond Lounge, we asked Luara if she could assist us in booking thePuzzle Room. Later we had two phonecalls from her. In the first call, shehad indicated that she was trying to get an additional session added for ourgroup of ten, but then in the second call she advised us that they no longerwould add sessions, even though they have done that in the past. We were very disappointed but were verygrateful for her efforts. As an aside,the Diamond Lounge buffet area for appetizers was oddly laid out and, as aresult, often congested.

We went to the casino (a daily/nightlyritual). DH and I did not attendtonight’s welcome aboard show, which featured Comedia Landry.

The captain of the Anthem was CaptainHenrik Loft, and the cruise director was Dennis Charles.

Saturday, 12-23-17 (Day 2)

Sea day. We slept in. The meet &mingle was at 10:00 a.m., but we did not attend. We ate lunch in Johnny Rockets. DH and DS25 played in the Royal win-a-cruise pokertournament qualifier, and our son won!

My mom got her hair done (shampoo andstyle only, no cut) today in the salon/spa. What was supposed to cost $59 (which she wasquoted when she and my dad made the appointment) ended up costing like $94because the stylist smooth talked my mom into getting some “special”conditioning treatment, despite my warning her to beware of the upsells. She is older, and has dementia issues, and mydad just paid the bill because he didn’t want to embarrass my mom byconfronting the stylist. I thought thiswas a very ****ty move on the part of the salon employee.

We played ‘80s tune trivia in theSchooner Bar. Tonight was a formalnight. After dinner in the MDR, ourdaughter’s boyfriend proposed to her on the staircase between Chic and TheGrande during what she thought was just a formal photo. She said yes, and all of the spectators wereclapping! Tonight was the captain’s welcomeaboard ceremony along with the Christmas tree lighting.

We attended Spectra’s Cabaret tonight inTwo70, ordered a drink at the Bionic Bar and then hit the casino.

Sunday, December 24, 2017 (Day 3)

Sea day. Christmas Eve. DH and I had roomservice breakfast (continental breakfast is still free). Eight of us did the Ripcord today, and ourreservations were for 11:00 a.m. and 11:40 a.m. We spaced them out this way so we could take pictures of everyone. It was a lot of fun and was harder than itlooks! It’s amazing to watch theinstructors during their free time. Itwas also fun to watch people on the Flow Rider and the rock wall.

We decided to try lunch in The Grandetoday. They were crowded, so we wereseated in the overflow seating in Chic. You could order off the menu and/or get good from the buffet that wasset up in The Grande. This was the worstsetup of an MDR lunch buffet that I have ever seen. There was one long line to get toeverything. Unlike the setup on otherships for MDR lunch, there were no stations except for a dessert station. Everything else lined up in a U shape, andyou had to wait in the hot food line even if you only wanted tutti salad orpasta, which was beyond the hot food line. Inevitably, there were line jumpers, and it was shocking and disgusting tosee how many people grabbed food with their hands, ate while standing in line,and actually licked their fingers between food items. We noticed this in the Windjammer as well.

DH and DS25 played in the blackjacktournament today, and DH won. CocoCay tendertickets were available this afternoon.

A plate of chocolate-coveredstrawberries was delivered to our stateroom today. Tonight at dinner in the MDR, the wait staffsang Happy Birthday to our son’s girlfriend who turned 23 today. DH, DS19 and I attended the top-tier event inTwo70 tonight, and we were surprised that the captain did not attend as Iremember the captain always attending these events on past cruises. There were a lot of waiters walking aroundserving appetizers and drinks. The bandwas enjoyable, and C.D. Dennis is a very good singer.

My parents attended a non-denominationalchurch service. We attended the 8:14p.m. showing of The Gift in the Royal Theatre. We attended the 10:30 p.m. musical, A Christmas Wish, in the royalTheatre, which was very enjoyable and seemed to put everyone in the Christmasspirit.

Monday, December 25, 2017 (Day 4)

Christmas Day. Our ship was in Port Canaveral from 7:00 a.m.until 8:30 p.m. My parents enjoyedwatching Santa give out gifts to the kids in Two70. We ate lunch in the Café @ Two70, and thensome of us wandered off the ship while the girls got massages. This is the second time we’ve been in PortCanaveral as a port stop, and there is nothing to do if you don’t book anexcursion (particularly on Christmas Day when many things are closed). We walked off and wandered to a crew shop tograb a few snacks for our staterooms and then got right back on the ship.

This afternoon we were called to go toWonderland to choose the food to be delivered to the cabana that we hadpre-booked for CocoCay tomorrow.

Tonight we watched the Steelers game inMichael’s Pub before dinner in the MDR. Therewas a special Christmas dinner in the MDR tonight. At 8:30 p.m. we went to Adam Kario’s jugglingshow in the Royal Theatre, which was very good.

Tuesday, December 26, 2017 (Day 5)

We were in CocoCay from 9:30 a.m. to4:15 p.m. We had room service breakfast.

Unfortunately, my mom had a medicalissue today, and she and my dad spent time in the ship’s medical facility andnever got off the ship today. Thankfully, I had purchased travel insurance through RCCL for myparents, though charges are nonetheless placed on the Seapass account and mustbe dealt with after the cruise.

The waters were rough today, so it was arocky tender ride, but we had perfect beach weather. We had pre-booked a cabana ($95 for up to sixpeople), so tender tickets weren’t required as that is considered a shoreexcursion which includes priority tenders. Despite the fact that the cabana holds six, the eight of us who got offthe ship were permitted to tender together. When we got off the tender, we walked a short distance and boarded ashuttle that took all of us to the cabana area where we checked in and weregiven six bracelets. The cabanaemployees were watchful and didn’t hesitate to ask our non-bracelet-wearingkids to leave the cabana.

The cabanas were great. They had curtains you could leave down or tieback, and most of the day there was a nice breeze. There was U-shaped cushioned seating and anice table in the cabana, and we were provided two lounge chairs as well forthe beach. We were also provided fourbig bottles of water (in a cooler with ice) and floating mats. Our cabana was very close to a restroom andalso to a bar. Our previously orderedfood was delivered to us. We also couldhave gone to the buffet as well, had we chosen to. The swim-up bar was lively, and there were alot of fish, small sharks and a stingray hanging around.

Wednesday, December 27, 2017 (Day 6)

We were in Nassau from 7:00 a.m. to 5:30p.m. DH and I slept in, and then we gotoff the ship with my parents and did some shopping in the straw market. Mom and Dad got back on the ship, and DH andI met all the kids at Senior Frog’s for lunch. DS19 was happy to learn of the drinking age in Nassau, and the kids hada little too much fun at Senior Frogs (which they all paid for later, as acouple of them didn’t make it to dinner or had to leave dinner early).

Tonight DH and I are the only ones fromour group who made it to the 9:00 p.m. We Will Rock You show in the RoyalTheatre, which was very long but very enjoyable. We did not attend Quest tonight.

Thursday, December 28, 2017 (Day 7)

Sea day. DH and I went to the brunch buffet in the Solarium Bistro. The weather was horribly cold, rainy andwindy, and unfortunately our 2:00 p.m. Northstar reservations were canceled,which we were very disappointed to learn as there were no other times that wecould go. All outdoor pool-sideactivities were canceled, to include the belly flop competition.

In the afternoon we got hot dogs at theDoghouse while watching kids play dodgeball in the Seaplex. DH and I hung out in the Solarium hottub. We played Friends trivia in theSchooner Bar, and our kids played Star Wars trivia as well.

Tonight was a formal night, and it waslobster night in the MDR. I amembarrassed to even guess how many lobster tails our kids ate, as the waitstaff kept delivering plate after plate of tails.

DH and I enjoyed listening to Jam in theSchooner Bar and just relaxing. He is agreat piano player and singer who takes song requests from the patrons.

Friday, December 29, 2017 (Day 8)

Sea day. DH and I slept in and then had a late lunch at Café @ Two70. Our kids played sports trivia and played in adodgeball tournament. We picked up ourtwo free photos (diamond perk). Thephoto gallery is all computerized, and you view and order your pictures byswiping your seapass card.

DS25 played at the final win-a-cruisepoker table but unfortunately did not win.

Tonight in the MDR, we received thesecond or third hard sell from our waiter, Prabu, regarding the post-cruisesurveys and how he could lose his job if he got scores of less than a five. Tonight’s spiel was very lengthy and veryawkward and put a damper on our final family dinner together. Before he began speaking, he even told usthat he needed all of us to stop talking because he had something important totalk to us about. There was even anannouncement over the speakers in the MDR tonight regarding the importance ofthe surveys and how a five is the only acceptable score.

We went back to our staterooms to packand to put our luggage out, and then we hit the casino one last time. We did not attend the farewell show.

Saturday, December 30, 2017(Disembarkation)

The Windjammer was a nightmare at 8:00a.m. this morning with not a seat to be found. DH and I grabbed a bagel and an English muffin and took them with us tothe Royal Theatre to meet our group. Four of us (diamonds) were given #7 tags (with an estimated call time of7:10 a.m.) and six of us were given #35 tags (with an estimated call time of8:40 a.m.). We all waited in the RoyalTheatre together to wait for #35 to be called.

At 8:40 a.m., it was announced thatthere would be delays because the gangway was backed up and ultimatelyclosed. At 9:25 a.m., they called#35. Our group walked off the shiptogether, gathered our luggage, waited in a long, winding immigration line and ultimatelywalked outside at 10:00 a.m. It wasbitter cold. There were buses thatpeople could board to stay warm, and there were hot chocolate carts outside aswell. It took a while for DH and my dadto get our vehicles from the parking garage and to pull around to pick us upand load everything.

It was a long, sometimes snowy andwindy, drive home. We arrived home toover a foot of snow in our driveway and had to blow snow and clean offeveryone’s cars so they could be on their way.

Comments

We had a wonderful time, despite thecold weather down and back. There were alot of children on this sailing. Attimes during the cocktail hours, the Diamond Lounge was very crowded andunderstaffed.

I would have loved to have eaten dinnerat Wonderland, but it was more important to me that our group had dinnertogether every night in the MDR since it was a Christmas sailing, and it waswonderful to have family time together.

The first two days and the last two dayswere very cold. Anthem is built for coldweather and offers many indoor activities and many pools, but I don’t think I’ddo a winter sailing again out of New Jersey or Baltimore. I’d prefer that my whole vacation be warm andsunny instead of just the middle part. Thiscruise made sense for us though since we were a group of ten (that originallystarted out as 12), and airfare for everyone would have made the trip even moreprohibitively expensive, as sailing over Christmas costs a premium as it is.

While DH had free wifi, I also used ourtwo free 24-hour periods of wifi throughout the week.

While our wait staff was pretty greatall week and in my opinion earned fives, I mentioned the relentless ramblingsof Prabu on my post-cruise survey, as I hope to never experience such ademonstration again.

[KelJ]

I'm so sorry about all of the spacing issues that make this harder to read. I had typed the review in Word, and then cut and pasted it here, and it took out many of my spaces. I tried to edit it, but I wasn't permitted because it was beyond the 30-minute correction window by the time I was done. :mad::mad:

[Keith1010]

Thank you for your review and no worry about the spacing issues.

 

I have learned to get around this I copy and paste from word and in my case I put it on pages from Apple and then copy and paste that and it works.

 

Keith

[ladylemondrop]

A lovely detailed review thank you, sounds like your family had a wonderful time together aside from some minor issues.

[Clarea]

Thank-you for your review.

[KelJ]

OP here.

EDIT TO ADD: At CocoCay, we had a BUNGALOW (not a cabana), and the cost was $195 (not $95). I am sorry for the misinformation.