Anthem of the Seas - Feb 2021

[sillypuppy]

We are thinking of booking our first RCL cruise on Anthem of the Seas out of New Jersey 🙂. I realize that Feb will be cold leaving from NJ but how long before it will warm up?  Days?  Has anyone done this cruise during the month of February to give feedback?  Are the seas rough?  
 

We are looking at booking the virtual inside cabin - thoughts on this?  
 

Any suggestions/advice would be much appreciated!

[mets123]

Can't predict the weather. That being said  the weather will start warming up by the afternoon of the next day. If no storms  the seas are not that bad. The Anthem is a great ship for cold weather, plenty of inside activities.

[mugtech]

Did virtual inside cabin twice on Anthem, spent very little time in the cabin.  We went in May and September, cannot say about the cold, but she is a great cold weather ship with plenty going on.

[FamilyCruiserUK]

We did this cruise this year. out of New Jersey on 7th Feb. We were scheduled to go around the Bahamas and coco kay, however due to a late departure we ended up going across to Bermuda. The weather in New York area was cold as per time of year, the weather gradually got better as we went across to Bermuda, At Bermuda the weather was around 21C.

 

Felt the sea a few times but was ok TBH. We had a Balcony cabin as the ship was only 50% full. 

 

Not the area you are planning on going too but the ship was ok and the weather fine for us. Best of a bad situation tbh. I have left a review of our cruise here

 

https://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=678875

 

 

 

 

[LepKit]

I’ve done a 12 night out of NJ in January of last year and loved it.  It was nice sailing out of the cold to warmer waters.  I also felt like it allowed us to ease into vacation and then back out on the way home.  We missed out on a day of warmer weather on the way home as we diverted to Bermuda for a medical emergency but no big deal and hopefully the person got the treatment they needed.

 

Very relaxing cruise, liked it so much we’ve just booked another at the end of January 2021.

[BeagleAgility]

I was on a cruise in end of February 2020 out of Bayonne. 

 

The weather was chilly on Sunday (day of leaving) and part way through Monday. However, the Anthem has many indoor activities to keep you busy.

 

It was chilly the last day and a half on the way back (although part of that was nighttime) but again - lots to do indoors. The solarium is WONDERFUL.

 

Actually have another cruise booked for this coming February. Keeping my fingers crossed that it is not cancelled.

[LXA350]

On 6/16/2020 at 4:11 AM, sillypuppy said:

We are thinking of booking our first RCL cruise on Anthem of the Seas out of New Jersey 🙂. I realize that Feb will be cold leaving from NJ but how long before it will warm up?  Days?  Has anyone done this cruise during the month of February to give feedback?  Are the seas rough?  
 

We are looking at booking the virtual inside cabin - thoughts on this?  
 

Any suggestions/advice would be much appreciated!

 

Wouldn't recomend you to book a cruise in winter out of NJ if you are not ok with rough weather + taking last minute changes to the itinarary in place caused due to weather.

[Airbear232]

On 6/15/2020 at 10:11 PM, sillypuppy said:

We are thinking of booking our first RCL cruise on Anthem of the Seas out of New Jersey 🙂. I realize that Feb will be cold leaving from NJ but how long before it will warm up?  Days?  Has anyone done this cruise during the month of February to give feedback?  Are the seas rough?  
 

We are looking at booking the virtual inside cabin - thoughts on this?  
 

Any suggestions/advice would be much appreciated!

We’ve done a number of cruises from Bayonne and on the Anthem.

 

First the ship is great, an all weather ship.  If it is a little chilly the first day or so, it’s okay because main venues are largely inside.

 

Travelling down the east coast is s always a mixed bag.  Sometimes the weather is great, and other times it isn’t.  We’ve been on cruises out of Bayonne with great weather all the way, and others with some rough seas.  The water is usually a little rougher off the coast of Cape Hatteras.

 

If cruising in Jan/Feb from Bayonne and it is cold there, you’ll find the outside temperature warm up a lot within a day.  But this still won’t be too warm, that’ll take another day.

 

Again, the ship is fantastic and you should have a great trip.  Look at some videos on YouTube.  Have a great time!

[Airbear232]

50 minutes ago, LXA350 said:

 

Wouldn't recomend you to book a cruise in winter out of NJ if you are not ok with rough weather + taking last minute changes to the itinarary in place caused due to weather.

I’d respectfully disagree.  Bayonne is a great port to sail out of, especially if you drive to port.  Yes, there can be some bad weather, but this certainly isn’t the norm.  And, Anthem is a great all weather ship.

[Airbear232]

57 minutes ago, LXA350 said:

 

Wouldn't recomend you to book a cruise in winter out of NJ if you are not ok with rough weather + taking last minute changes to the itinarary in place caused due to weather.

I’d respectfully disagree.  Bayonne is a great port to sail out of, especially if you drive to port.  Yes, there can be some bad weather, but this certainly isn’t the norm.  And, Anthem is a great all weather ship.

[Airbear232]

A couple of other points, if you are driving down from Canada, cruising out of Bayonne is great.  Not sure where you’re coming from, we’re in Toronto and have done this quite a bit.  It’s about a 9 hour drive from Toronto to Bayonne.  Bayonne’s a great option if you don’t want the expense to fly to Florida.  Also, if you drive direct to port, you’re not restricted by suitcase weight - my DW loves this.  Have a great trip.

[franncos]

My wife and I cruise the Anthem out of NJ this past Dec27th to Jan 5th. Cold but once the ship went south weather got warm. Seas were very calm. In fact you did not know you were even moving. Also you have to remember the Anthem has indoor pools so that is what makes this ship so great. This was the best cruise we ever went on. Food and entertainment was top notch. But let's say the ship does sail in Feb. Chances are it will be lot different then past cruises. In my own personal opinion I would not make any payments until all the new rules are published. Let's say someone gets tested positive for the virus while you are on that ship, are you going to be allowed off the ship? Something to think about .

[MaritimeR&R]

Been on Anthem numerous times. As others have said, the first 36 hours or so coming and going will be between bitter cold and chilly, depending on what your body is used to.  In terms of the weather, a nor'easter is always a possibility and though rough seas do not bother me, there are those seasoned cruisers that will swear that they feel those seas on Quantum class ships moreso than Voyager or Freedom class and will book lower decks because of that .  

[twangster]

That time of year the first and last sea days are what I call "long pants days".  Pools are open, hot tubs are hot but you may want to have longs pants on walking around the upper decks.  Anthem is designed for cooler weather so lots of indoor spaces and a great solarium for adults plus a separate indoor pool area for families that keeps the kids out of the solarium.  Perfect for cooler weather.  

[sellwingri]

I’m booked on Anthem on Feb 6th.  Can’t wait! Great ship.  Weather really isn’t horrible.

[mets123]

On 7/29/2020 at 5:03 PM, LXA350 said:

 

Wouldn't recomend you to book a cruise in winter out of NJ if you are not ok with rough weather + taking last minute changes to the itinarary in place caused due to weather.

Have you been on the Anthem at that time of year? I've been on her seven or so times on the Jan thru Mar timeframe in the past three years. Never had weather problems. We missed Antigua this year and had an extra  day at sea. Life should be so hard.