Anthem of the Seas 3/27: a retrospective (Star Class, cruising with kids, and more?)

[Don'tNeedAName]

It's officially been a week since getting back to reality and... we realized as much as we thought we missed cruising, we were still underestimating how great it would be to be back on board after nearly 3 years since our last.  This cruise had a bunch of new experiences for our family, so I figured I would offer some perspective and try to answer questions if there are any.

 

Cruise: 7 nights -- Cape Liberty | Port Canaveral | Cococay | Nassau | Cape Liberty

Ship/Room: Anthem of the Seas, 10720 (Grand Loft Suite)

 

I’ll break the review up into a couple of posts below, which may make it a bit more helpful to skim—just jump to what’s of interest.  Otherwise, feel free to ask away if something comes to mind.

[Don'tNeedAName]

Embarkation

 

Terminal/Security/Screening: We've cruised out of NJ previously, and ended up being too late to get in the garage each time.  This time, with a combination of arriving early, somewhat reduced capacity, and I believe only Anthem is home porting in Cape Liberty at this time, we made it into the garage no problem.

 

They opened the garage up at 9:30 after the previous cruisers had mostly departed, and we were one of the first ones in.  We hung out in the car for a second and walked our checked bags to the Star Class porter at 10am, met our Royal Genie (more to come later), and we were led into the terminal.  Everything went quickly for checking vaccination records and test results in addition to baggage screening.  Perhaps the efficiency was because we were Star Class (there was a separate line), but it did seem that they kept things moving pretty well overall.

 

The one thing that obviously took some time was that we had to have our 4 y.o. tested on-site and wait for the results.  Our Genie ran to take care of another group while we waited, but appeared right away when we texted her that the results came back and we were ready to board.

 

Embarkation: Honestly, this right here might be one of my favorite benefits of Star Class.  Our Genie led us on board, used her magic elevator key fob to get us an empty priority elevator that bypassed everything and everyone straight to the 10th floor, and took us right to our room at 11:00.  No waiting to start the cruise, no lines to deal with, no lugging bags around at lunch--just straight to the room with snacks and drinks waiting for us.  Amazing.
 

 

Our room... from the parking garage:

 

[Don'tNeedAName]

The Room and Genie

 

Corner Grand Loft Suite 10720: I can't say enough about it, especially because there were a couple of negative comments I read about this particular layout prior to booking.  Being in the corner, the main floor living area is cut a little short compared to the GLS rooms in the center of the ship; then, there are three balconies as well (the main HUGE aft balcony, a more typically sized side-facing balcony on the main level, and a half-size side-facing balcony on the second level with a little "bird's nest" seat).

 

Although you lose some interior floor space, we preferred this layout for a couple of reasons.  First, we liked the staircase being straight along the back wall of the room, instead of the switchback with a landing as it is in the center room.  We felt it made the layout of the loft area a bit more cohesive.  It also made it easier if one or both of the kids was asleep and someone else was coming in the room, the entry is more set back/removed from the main living area where the kids were asleep.

 

Additionally, the boys and my wife are much earlier to bed than I am, especially on vacation.  When I would get back from the casino late at night, I could head right up the stairs and have a nightcap out on the loft balcony without having to walk past anyone, lessening the chance of disturbing them and potentially waking the kids if I were to open the main balcony door.  That won’t matter to everyone, but it was a benefit to us.  

 

This was also the first time we had selected a loft room, and well… pictures just can’t do it justice.

 

 

Loft Attendants: Raj and Agnel, our Loft Attendants, were excellent.  Our room was in great shape, and they took care of everything that we asked for.  Raj was especially good in taking time to confirm our schedule each day so that he and Agnel could take care of the room at the best possible times.

 

Royal Genie Elizabeth: This was our first Star Class room, and apparently Elizabeth is a relatively new Genie, so maybe it was just meant to be.  She was fantastic.  She reached out beforehand with the typical Star Class survey.  We provided our responses, but also sent over a list of the different dinner reservations we wanted, as well as when we were thinking about doing certain of the activities, etc.  She put together an itinerary for us that hit all the reservations we wanted, but she also made changes as our cruise went on and we wanted to veer off our initial plan.

 

She was also amazing with our two boys.  This was true throughout the cruise, but especially evident when there was a delay in the Anthem’s clearance to get off the ship at Cococay (even though a private island, the Bahamian authorities still control…).  Elizabeth held their attention for probably 30 minutes in the stairwell right next to the gangway.  From talking about what they were going to do at Cococay to getting out her phone to look up pictures of sea life and spiders and anything else the boys were talking about.  She had them in a great mood, while we had a nice conversation with the couple from Elizabeth’s other cabin.  That moment really left an impression on me.

 

Ultimately, it's all about having that single point of contact for anything and everything that we needed or wanted.  Just a simple text, and all was taken care of.

[Don'tNeedAName]

Dining and Drinking

 

Coastal Kitchen: Almost every day was breakfast and lunch in coastal, and we did one dinner there as well. Jacob in the Coastal Kitchen is one of the best foodservice staff we have had on one of our cruises.  He made every dining experience in the Coastal Kitchen enjoyable, and he was particularly great with our children.  In fact, both our boys began to refer to it as "Jacob's Kitchen" and wanted to go there for every meal.

 

Specialty Dining: We did the following for dinner Jamie’s (2x), Coastal, Chops (2x—once was room service), Izumi, and Wonderland.  Honestly, Jamie’s was the favorite for our family.  The vibe is a little more laid back was great for our situation, and the food and service were great.  Wonderland was really a cool experience, but I don’t feel like we ended up having the best experience because we didn’t fully draw it out as much as I feel it deserves.  Our boys are good at sit-down dinners, but we generally try to not let them last too long so that we keep the experiences positive.  We liked Wonderland, but you need to spend more time there to really enjoy it.

 

Bars: I did run into some slow service at the various pool bars throughout the cruise (not the fault of the bartenders, they were hustling as always).  There were also two separate times I ran into bars that had exhausted their supply of Buffalo Trace, but otherwise I didn’t notice supply issues.  My favorite bar experience was in the Schooner with Elvis and Mohan.  I had a couple great long conversations with them, and they were quick to take care of everybody.

 

Windjammer: We did check it out once for lunch to experience the crew-served meal (just in time, since it is now back to self-serve apparently).  The food was fine, and I did like the crew-served aspect of it.  We went a little later, so it was not particularly busy, making it an enjoyable experience.  I could see it getting backed up at busy times with the level of staffing.  Alas, it is back to self-serve apparently.
 

[tori0417]

Following! We are going to be sailing with our 3 year old next month. How did you feel that the testing on board was for your son? Were you able to give him the Covid test yourself? I ask because our 3 year old would probably fight it if we didn’t do it like at home. 

[Don'tNeedAName]

 

The Ship / Ports

 

Activities: Anthem is absolutely filled with things to do and enjoy, and it the number of indoor activities is great for cruising out of NJ in March.  We hit (pun intended) the bumper cars, basketball, ping-pong, foosball, Northstar, and iFly.  Our boys had been talking about being excited for the iFly, but we wondered how they would do when they were actually staring down the wind tunnel.  James (“JT”) was a great flight instructor though and really kept them going.  Everyone had a blast.

 

How about ping-pong with a view?

An odd feeling hanging off the side of the ship at sea…

 

I will say, one bit of a letdown as far as kids’ activities is the limited pool splash/play area for kids compared to other ships in Royal’s lineup.  I get the limitations with having the space set aside for the full indoor pool, but it does seem to be one lacking area.  That being said, maybe Royal is onto something realizing they don’t need much to keep the young ones entertained.  Our boys couldn’t get enough of the small pool that there was, so much so that even when it was pouring down rain, I found myself standing out there as they had the time of their lives.

 

Shows: Frankie and the Dreamers was AMAZING—good voices and high energy.  We also enjoyed the comedy juggling performance (Scott Cavanaugh).  Saw a couple of the production shows, and they were fine.  Unfortunately, The Two70 venue was disappointing, as we had hoped to attend two separate shows there: the Virtual Symphony and the Robo Show.  Due to technical difficulties, both shows were cancelled.  Something went wrong with the computers/projectors on the first night of the Virtual Symphony, as only half of the screen appeared to be working.  Thus, they cancelled the show, as well as the subsequent shows.
 
Ports of Call: We did this cruise more for the ship and embarkation port, rather than the itinerary.  We stayed on board when stopped in Port Canaveral (stop was shortened to only 6 hours anyway) and Nassau (we were the 6th ship in port for the day, so we found an opportunity to enjoy some more peace on the ship).  

Of course, we did get off at Cococay.  I noted above that there were some delays exiting the ship, but once we were there, we had a fantastic time.  This time around, we stuck to a free beach day and Splashaway Bay for the kids.

 

One note—for some reason at Cococay, the Anthem crew were not cleared to exit the ship.  Since we were at Cococay with Independence of the Seas, all venues were staffed by Independence crew.  All of the crew were EXCELLENT (this was not their fault)—but the bar service staff from Independence that were working at Cococay seemed to have no idea of the existence of Star Class and that drinks are included.  Every time I ordered a drink, it caused confusion, generally with them having to ask if I had a drink package and in some cases, the bar staff started to charge me for a drink but I was able to catch them in time to explain.  Or, in one case, I was charged for a drink, and a manager was able to come clear things up and void the charge.  Again, this is NOT the bar staff's fault.  They did an excellent job, especially since they were having to deal with two ships in port on their own without the Anthem crew.  However, I noted in my post-cruise survey that Royal Caribbean management should make some effort to clarify this issue to any bar staff that will be working on Cococay.

 

Anyway, CocoCay is our favorite port.  In July, we have an overwater cabana booked, so that will be another new experience on the island.  She’s a beauty:

[Don'tNeedAName]

Well, if you made it to the end here…. Then you must have really been jones-ing for some cruise related content.  Hope that helped.

 

Until next time…

[Don'tNeedAName]

17 minutes ago, tori0417 said:

Following! We are going to be sailing with our 3 year old next month. How did you feel that the testing on board was for your son? Were you able to give him the Covid test yourself? I ask because our 3 year old would probably fight it if we didn’t do it like at home. 

 

At the port and for the on-board test for the return, we were not able to actually take the sample.  In both instances, my wife was with him and knelt down next to him to comfort him, but the testing company employees/contractors were the ones actually taking the sample.

 

Our 4 year old was not happy when the nurse first came toward him, but we were just straightforward with him explaining that it was a quick thing he had to do, or he would not be able to get on the ship.  He calmed down quickly and took the test after that.

[tori0417]

4 minutes ago, Don'tNeedAName said:

 

At the port and for the on-board test for the return, we were not able to actually take the sample.  In both instances, my wife was with him and knelt down next to him to comfort him, but the testing company employees/contractors were the ones actually taking the sample.

 

Our 4 year old was not happy when the nurse first came toward him, but we were just straightforward with him explaining that it was a quick thing he had to do, or he would not be able to get on the ship.  He calmed down quickly and took the test after that.

Gotcha! Thanks. Im so nervous about her randomly testing positive but we are going to just go with it. 

[Don'tNeedAName]

@tori0417: Yep, we had those same nerves going into it.  We had his PCR test done Weds afternoon, hoping that we'd get the test results before we began our drive Friday evening.  We got those negative results no more than 10 minutes before hitting the road--really at least put us at ease for the drive.

 

We broke the drive up into two nights on the way, so once we hit Sunday morning, we were still wound up imagining what would happen if he tested negative.  My wife was NOT a fan of my suggestion that the 6yo and I would go on the cruise still and meet her and the 4yo back at the port after!

 

Just keep positive thoughts, and enjoy the cruise!

[Don'tNeedAName]

I was also reminded of the fact that, although you have to wait around for the test results prior to the cruise in the terminal, the process is much different for the on-board test on the last full day of the cruise.  The on-board test is really just swab-and-go, no waiting.  It made the process less stressful for those involved--just show up in your time window, swab, and you're on your way.  Our 4yo barely realized what was going on.

[Husky1987]

Thank you for the great review!  We were on this cruise and it was a great time.  The cancellation of shows was disappointing but certainly understandable while still coming out of Covid.  The only issue my wife had was leaving from a "cold weather" port, and having to pack for both hot and cold.  We probably won't do anything from Cape Liberty again while the weather is colder but we absolutely loved the ship, and the staff we encountered were all excellent.

[billslowsky]

I was also on this cruise.  Disappointed by the bad weather on Friday, when normally it would have been warm enough to be out on the pool deck.  They should fix that!  We liked the cruise director during those times he chose to make an appearance, not the most visible CD we've encountered.

 

People should be aware how early people line up to get off at Coco Cay, more than an hour before the scheduled time.  With the additional 90 minutes or so delay, many stood in line for several hours.  The delay was due to the previous week's show cast coming down with COVID.  As a result, the Independence crew was called on to staff all of Coco Cay (Anthem would have contributed about half of the workers) and the Anthem crew had to stay on board.  It was also breezy that day and things like the hot air balloon were not being offered (not a lot of people on the zip lines either).

[Jenglish711]

Excellent write up! We were on the week before you in 10324. Raj and Agnel were our attendants as well and we ADORED them. Also loved Jacob and all CK staff. Our genie was Simona and we loved her so much that I can only hope the stars align and we get her on another cruise down the line. We felt the same way about the pools as we have a 2.5 year old in diapers, so his pool time (when you account for a midday nap he's still holding on to) was basically non existent. We ended up taking him to the nursery which he had waaaay more fun at than having to watch his older sister in the "wave" pool, haha. 

 

I'm glad you had a great time. It was our first Star cruise too but not our last. We just booked the Anthem Feb 4, 2023 sailing out of NJ because the KSF price couldn't be beat. We're hooked! 

[Don'tNeedAName]

On 4/11/2022 at 9:51 AM, Husky1987 said:

We probably won't do anything from Cape Liberty again while the weather is colder but we absolutely loved the ship, and the staff we encountered were all excellent.

 

I think I have to agree with you.  We really like cruising out of NJ, but I think we are done with the colder months. We will be on Oasis out of NJ in July of this year, but our spring break cruise next year we'll be following Oasis to go out of Miami.

[Don'tNeedAName]

On 4/11/2022 at 10:57 AM, billslowsky said:

I was also on this cruise.  Disappointed by the bad weather on Friday, when normally it would have been warm enough to be out on the pool deck.  They should fix that!  We liked the cruise director during those times he chose to make an appearance, not the most visible CD we've encountered.

 

People should be aware how early people line up to get off at Coco Cay, more than an hour before the scheduled time.  With the additional 90 minutes or so delay, many stood in line for several hours.  The delay was due to the previous week's show cast coming down with COVID.  As a result, the Independence crew was called on to staff all of Coco Cay (Anthem would have contributed about half of the workers) and the Anthem crew had to stay on board.  It was also breezy that day and things like the hot air balloon were not being offered (not a lot of people on the zip lines either).

 

Agree, Royal really needs to get better control of the weather!  Thanks for the info on the crew issues.  I had not heard that was the reason for the crew not being allowed off the ship, so it makes a little more sense now.

 

And now that you mention it, yes: Joff wasn't super visible, but he did leave an impression!

[Don'tNeedAName]

13 hours ago, Jenglish711 said:

Excellent write up! We were on the week before you in 10324. Raj and Agnel were our attendants as well and we ADORED them. Also loved Jacob and all CK staff. Our genie was Simona and we loved her so much that I can only hope the stars align and we get her on another cruise down the line. We felt the same way about the pools as we have a 2.5 year old in diapers, so his pool time (when you account for a midday nap he's still holding on to) was basically non existent. We ended up taking him to the nursery which he had waaaay more fun at than having to watch his older sister in the "wave" pool, haha. 

 

I'm glad you had a great time. It was our first Star cruise too but not our last. We just booked the Anthem Feb 4, 2023 sailing out of NJ because the KSF price couldn't be beat. We're hooked! 

 

Yes, Raj and Agnel were awesome!  So good with our kids.

 

I'm glad your son enjoyed the nursery too and hope that keeps up!  Our boys have never really taken to Adventure Ocean.  The times that they went, they did enjoy it, but have stated on our latest cruises that they just didn't want to go back.  We're hopeful that as they get older, they may feel more inclined to try those activities in the future.

 

Also, your last comment is so on point--our family is now in the same position.  We thought that Star Class would be a worthy one-time experience, but not something we'd really justify the value in the long term.  Of course, now July this year we will be doing one on Oasis (Aqua 2bdr) out of NJ and then again on Oasis (excited to try out the Ultimate Panoramic, even if a bit hesitant about not having a balcony) out of Miami in March 2023.  It's addicting!

[Jenglish711]

12 minutes ago, Don'tNeedAName said:

I'm glad your son enjoyed the nursery too and hope that keeps up!  Our boys have never really taken to Adventure Ocean.  The times that they went, they did enjoy it, but have stated on our latest cruises that they just didn't want to go back.  We're hopeful that as they get older, they may feel more inclined to try those activities in the future.

 

Also, your last comment is so on point--our family is now in the same position.  We thought that Star Class would be a worthy one-time experience, but not something we'd really justify the value in the long term.  Of course, now July this year we will be doing one on Oasis (Aqua 2bdr) out of NJ and then again on Oasis (excited to try out the Ultimate Panoramic, even if a bit hesitant about not having a balcony) out of Miami in March 2023.  It's addicting!

 

So funny; our 7yo went a few times but she's way more into crafting and they just weren't doing much of that (they were doing more organized physical games and thats just not her bag) so she stayed mostly with us. But that's a cool age for the most part - lots of pool time and she's becoming quite the trivia maven. 

 

And we ALSO have an Oasis trip planned in an A2! Ours isn't until next June though so the Feb one will have to tide me over, haha. We like sailing from NJ since we don't have to fly (husband is a nervous flyer). Enjoy your future cruises! are you in the [insert social media app name here] Star class group? 

[Don'tNeedAName]

9 hours ago, Jenglish711 said:

 

So funny; our 7yo went a few times but she's way more into crafting and they just weren't doing much of that (they were doing more organized physical games and thats just not her bag) so she stayed mostly with us. But that's a cool age for the most part - lots of pool time and she's becoming quite the trivia maven. 

 

And we ALSO have an Oasis trip planned in an A2! Ours isn't until next June though so the Feb one will have to tide me over, haha. We like sailing from NJ since we don't have to fly (husband is a nervous flyer). Enjoy your future cruises! are you in the [insert social media app name here] Star class group? 

 

Awesome, enjoy yours too!

 

I'm not in the group, but my wife is.  Definitely seems to be some really good information available, with some... interesting... posts mixed in.

[Jenglish711]

9 hours ago, Don'tNeedAName said:

 

Awesome, enjoy yours too!

 

I'm not in the group, but my wife is.  Definitely seems to be some really good information available, with some... interesting... posts mixed in.

Yes, I'm particularly enjoying Mr. Beach Club Should Be Free And Always Available For Star Class 

 

Big OOF energy there lol