Anthem and Adventure

[Danijela]

HI all

 

Just sailed Anthem Thanksgiving week and already looking forward to next cruise with RCI.  My family and I fell in love with the ship and people onboard.

Was checking dates for the spring and saw Adventure will be sailing out of Bayonne as of May 2020. I was wondering if any of you have been on both Anthem and Adventure, and have feedback on both. I know Anthem is obviously larger and newer than Adventure. It was my first cruise so I have nothing to compare it against. Also know one of the giant ones, revamped Oasis, will be in Bayonne this spring as well, but not sure I want to do the same itinerary so soon (Cape Canaveral/Nassau/CocoCay) or Canada/New England.

Anthem was so great and really set the bar for us.

 

Thanks 

 

 

[njkruzer]

They are very different but each has its pluses and mInuses.  Adventure does have the ice show and ice skating.   We've sailed both and like each one for different reasons. 

[alfaeric]

Yea, very different ships.  Nothing like 270 anywhere on the Adventure, but it does have the ice rink.  It also does have a bar/lounge up on the top of the ship (Viking Crown Lounge thing), which is nice, and has some great views.  No full musical, but it does have shorter production shows.

 

If you want to try, the NE/Canadian cruise is a really fun one.

We've sailed both quite a bit, and prefer the Anthem.  But always had a lot of fun on the Adventure.

[Nextcruise42]

We also loved Anthem and are going again in January. Adventure is also wonderful. I love the royal promenade and the parades. Ice show is fabulous. On Anthem I enjoy 270 for shows as well as relaxing. I don't think you can go wrong on either.

[Paulette3028]

We have never been on Adventure, but we have been on other ships in that class and loved them.  We sailed on Anthem this past August/Sept on the NE/Canada itinerary.  We loved the Music Hall on the ship and glad to hear that it has been added to the Oasis ship.  The Promenade on ships like Adventure is nicer to me, than the Esplanad on Anthem.  The Promenade is more open and easier to walk through while the Esplanad is choppy, again IMO.  Adventure has waterslides (a big plus to me) while Anthem has bumper cars (which my husband enjoyed).  We have a cruise on Adventure booked for Feb 2020, so we will get to experience her firsthand then....but we have already sailed on that class of ship with Navigator (3x) and Mariner, once.  I will say, I did not enjoy 270 very much on Anthem.  It was a good place for quiet sitting, but some of the activities they did there were 'difficult' at best, again IMO.

[Biker19]

15 hours ago, Paulette3028 said:

It was a good place for quiet sitting, but some of the activities they did there were 'difficult' at best, again IMO.

Spectra's Cabaret is an acquired taste, kinda like Cats on Oasis.

[Tatka]

We sailed Anthem 4 times and Adventure 2 times. All from Bayonne. Like both ships.

 

Anthem is a cold weather ship so it has amazing Solarium and Indoor family pool. It has better buffet imho.

 

Adventure is on average less crowded in Royal Promenade vs Esplanade. Entertainment is walk-in so you don’t need to book it.

Anthem has inside Seaplex for kids, Adventure has aft open sports area with nice water slides, two story mini golf etc.

 

Ice shows are amazing!

[Tatka]

Spectra's Cabaret is an acquired taste, kinda like Cats on Oasis.

Love Spectra’s Cabaret. Watched on all 4 cruises! It’s created specifically for Anthem. Very technically advanced

[mugtech]

Agree they are both wonderful ships in their own way,  Anthem having more pax and more to do, Adventure being much more a traditional, would give you a good feel for Freedom and Voyager class ships in considering future cruises.

[Paulette3028]

16 hours ago, mugtech said:

Agree they are both wonderful ships in their own way,  Anthem having more pax and more to do, Adventure being much more a traditional, would give you a good feel for Freedom and Voyager class ships in considering future cruises.

When you say there is 'more to do' on Anthem, that is subjective.....I missed not having water slides on Anthem, which are a part of Adventure.  We did the Northstar on Anthem which surely was interesting...but I did not enjoy the Quest nearly as much on Anthem as we have on other ships....the 270 venue, IMO, is a terrible place to have the Quest in.   But more to do, and enjoy....is subjective.

[reallyitsmema]

We would pick Anthem any day over Adventure.  We love all the music options on Anthem.  Two70 is a gorgeous venue that has Spectra's Cabaret, the tribute band of the sailing, The Quest and many other shows.  It is also a great place to grab a bite and sit and watch the ocean.  Expedition 270, a virtual reality game, is also now available in Two70, if your phone is compatible, mine was not.  We also prefer the cabin furnishings on Anthem as opposed to the outdated furnishings on Adventure.  

 

I would look at the itineraries and prices of both Anthem and Adventure, then make my decision.  Royal Suite Class on Anthem would definitely cause me to choose Anthem over Adventure if the prices were the same.

[alfaeric]

27 minutes ago, Paulette3028 said:

When you say there is 'more to do' on Anthem, that is subjective.....I missed not having water slides on Anthem, which are a part of Adventure.  We did the Northstar on Anthem which surely was interesting...but I did not enjoy the Quest nearly as much on Anthem as we have on other ships....the 270 venue, IMO, is a terrible place to have the Quest in.   But more to do, and enjoy....is subjective.

Given all of the other venues on the Anthem that it could be held (which is only the SeaPlex), it's the best location.  The only other place would be Music Hall, which can't hold enough people.

 

Also, there are regular other shows in 270- some robot events, some live music events, etc.  Between the Music Hall, Boleros, and 270, there's live music all over the place on Anthem.  There's a smaller Boleros on Adventure- but given the number of people actually dancing, that really does not make a difference on New York sailings.

[Paulette3028]

20 minutes ago, alfaeric said:

Given all of the other venues on the Anthem that it could be held (which is only the SeaPlex), it's the best location.  The only other place would be Music Hall, which can't hold enough people.

 

Also, there are regular other shows in 270- some robot events, some live music events, etc.  Between the Music Hall, Boleros, and 270, there's live music all over the place on Anthem.  There's a smaller Boleros on Adventure- but given the number of people actually dancing, that really does not make a difference on New York sailings.

Of all the venues on Anthem.....I did LOVE the Music Hall.  Happy to hear it has been added to Oasis replacing Dazzles.

[mugtech]

2 hours ago, Paulette3028 said:

When you say there is 'more to do' on Anthem, that is subjective.....I missed not having water slides on Anthem, which are a part of Adventure.  We did the Northstar on Anthem which surely was interesting...but I did not enjoy the Quest nearly as much on Anthem as we have on other ships....the 270 venue, IMO, is a terrible place to have the Quest in.   But more to do, and enjoy....is subjective.

In addition to more better music there is bump cars.

[DonnaK]

OP:  Oasis is also coming to Bayonne in May 2020.  Have you checked its sailings to see if any are suitable for you?  

[Arzeena]

On 12/8/2019 at 8:01 AM, Biker19 said:

Spectra's Cabaret is an acquired taste, kinda like Cats on Oasis.

I totally agree about Spectra's cabaret.

Did not care for it.

Edited December 10, 2019 by Arzeena

[jerseyjjs]

Been on both Anthem and Oasis.   Definately sailing Oasis when it gets to Bayonne.  I think it's heads and tails better.

[barbeyg]

We have sailed both, and while we would choose Anthem if both were doing the same itinerary, we enjoyed Adventure and will sail her again.  

[Danijela]

17 hours ago, DonnaK said:

OP:  Oasis is also coming to Bayonne in May 2020.  Have you checked its sailings to see if any are suitable for you?  

 

I did see Oasis will be coming and have been checking dates. Thought about it and I actually wouldn't mind doing the same itinerary we did on Anthem, and would probably stay onboard the entire time since there seems to be so much to do. Port days seemed so short and we sometimes looked forward to getting back on.

[Danijela]

Thanks everyone for all your feedback!

[Another_Critic]

I've been on Anthem 3 times (Transatlantic, Bermuda, Canada/New England) and Adventure 1 time (Canada/New England).  I've a also been on Quantum 1 time (maiden Transatlantic)

 

Anthem:  Nicer stateroom/bathroom, North Star, indoor pool, solarium.

 

Adventure:  Ice show, water slides, mini golf, overall a better ship layout.

 

If the same itinerary / price, I'd probably choose Adventure.

Edited December 10, 2019 by Another_Critic

[Tatka]

5 hours ago, jerseyjjs said:

Been on both Anthem and Oasis.   Definately sailing Oasis when it gets to Bayonne.  I think it's heads and tails better.

 

I thought so too after sailing on Allure and then on Anthem. However in 4 sailings she so grew on me.

 

But... these two ships are for different weather. What would you do on Oasis in November - March?

I would not sail on Anthem during hot weather too.

 

Combination of outdoor-indoor-solarium pools is just great.

Solarium is AMAZING. Especially during holidays when families are on board and Solarium is not crowded.

Edited December 10, 2019 by Tatka

[Danijela]

19 minutes ago, Tatka said:

But... these two ships are for different weather. What would you do on Oasis in November - March?

I would not sail on Anthem during hot weather too.

 

I believe (somone correct me if wrong) Oasis will only be leaving out of Bayonne from May - Oct 2020, and Anthem returns Nov 2020.

[Tatka]

Yes exactly. And we cannot compare them as if h they sailed at the same time. Each of them is perfect for different types of cruises.

We might do both :)

Although we are already taking Empress with her unique itinerary to Bermuda next summer. And 12 days on Summit right from Boston looks amazing.

So could be Anthem for Thanksgiving again ))

Choices, choices