Anthem vs. Other RCI ships - your thoughts?

[whateverkimme]

We just got off Anthem for a 7 day Bahamas itinerary.  It was our first time on a bigger boat as we previously cruised Carnival Victory, Monarch, and most recently Grandeur (same itinerary in 2019).  The Anthem seemed sooo much more crowded.  I know there are more people on a bigger boat, but there is also more space.  The Windjammer on Anthem was twice the size of the one on Grandeur, but seemed to have 3 times the people.  Same with the Solarium.   I was wondering what any other experienced cruisers thought?  It it the layout of the ship (the esplanade instead or a centrum) or are all of the bigger ships more crowded? 

[allyfree]

We were on Anthem in May for the first time ... hubby nailed it by saying it was like a holiday camp from the 1950s! No outside space, no quiet bars, lab-like library with noise from 270 ... really not for us at all ... some of us just want to relax and chill ... we much prefer Oasis class or even Freedom ... think Independence has been our favourite ship ever !

[Biker19]

56 minutes ago, whateverkimme said:

I was wondering what any other experienced cruisers thought? 

If you stay away from the Esplenade and Solarium on sea days, not much different from other ships in terms of crowding. Would rather have the crowds but things to do rather than a slightly less crowded Vision class ship. 

[VernRDH]

We love Anthem, and not just because she is in the closest port to us. We have enjoyed the Solarium immensely, especially on sea days. We do not sail during busy times generally, so have not had issues with crowds really. 

We also loved Odyssey, really like the Quantum class. Not a fan of Oasis class, but that's us. 

My goal is to sail all the RCI ships at least once, so I will have to do those bigger ships at some point.

[CruiseBride926]

12 minutes ago, VernRDH said:

We love Anthem, and not just because she is in the closest port to us. We have enjoyed the Solarium immensely, especially on sea days. We do not sail during busy times generally, so have not had issues with crowds really. 

We also loved Odyssey, really like the Quantum class. Not a fan of Oasis class, but that's us. 

My goal is to sail all the RCI ships at least once, so I will have to do those bigger ships at some point.

We had the same experience. We’ve sailed Anthem a few times and gave Oasis a shot last year and while it was very cool to see everything it had to offer we much prefer Anthem. 

[whateverkimme]

4 minutes ago, CruiseBride926 said:

We had the same experience. We’ve sailed Anthem a few times and gave Oasis a shot last year and while it was very cool to see everything it had to offer we much prefer Anthem. 

Just curious about what you liked better about Anthem?  Trying to get a grasp on the different vibes of the different ships / classes.

[allyfree]

We must just be staid old Brits ... we love Central Park, the Champagne Bar, the ice shows, the cosy library ... we're probably just not cool enough for AOTS ☺️

[taglovestocruise]

8 minutes ago, allyfree said:

We must just be staid old Brits ... we love Central Park, the Champagne Bar, the ice shows, the cosy library ... we're probably just not cool enough for AOTS ☺️

You can throw in some old Yanks as well.  Oasis Class is by far our favorite, over 50 nights.  Just got off 17 nights Ovation/ Quantum. Found the ships to feel small and crowded.  Their version of the promenade is skinny and short. Bionic bar sticks out like a sore thumb, more dining tables for Izumi  out in the pathway then in the restaurant.  Absolutely loved Vintages. 

[CanadaRob]

quantum and Quantum Ultra still some of our faves, like the 270 area,  like the size of the solarium, like the esplanade for different reason than the promenade.

Nothing against Oasis class, but love me some Quantum

[Roybthered]

We sailed on Anthem twice last year around the UK and thought she was a very good ship. This year we sailed Odyssey in the med (12 nights) and Oasis around the Bahamas (7 nights). Really thought that the Quantum class was very good indeed (Odyssey was full to capacity unlike the Anthem trips due to start up), the trip on Oasis was very good also but I felt 7 nights was just not enough time to do everything we wanted. 

We have just booked on Anthem again for next October and are really looking forward to it.

[The_Big_M]

While I know what you mean about crowding, Quantum class is my favourite class. This isn't due to space, but due to the variety of options and spaces onboard, plus the quality of the technology, cabins and shows compared to other ships.

 

I found the crowding on Rhapsody (also Vision class like Grandeur) far worse, after all her refurbishments. While originally crowding wasn't an issue on Rhapsody, much public space e.g. Games room, library, other spaces has been removed and replaced by cabins, to the extent they also removed the central sculpture, to make it an additional entertainment area. We watched one 'show' there, where everyone crowded every deck from top to bottom yet most still could not see the presenter/show due to being behind people. Equally the theatre was filled half an hour before multiple shows due to excessive numbers of people.

 

The difference between the two: while both are crowded, Quantum is built for those numbers so there is still adequate space to see, to queue or whatever. Rhapsody on the hand wasn't and is just overcrowded, meaning you missed out and/or had poor experiences due to the numbers. Similar issues arise on Voyager class after their multiple refurbishments - less public space/s and more passengers also damage their experience, although not as much as on Vision class.

[Tatka]

We were confused the first time we sailed on Anthem in 2016. Then we learned how to cook it. It’s a perfect ship for colder sailings with indoor pool and Solarium. Just returned from #8 on her.
We also sail on other RCI ships (this year it’s Oasis, Adventure and Enchantment). Each has own pros and cons.

 

We miss Viking Crown Lounge on Anthem, but Solarium is amazing ..

 We literally live there. 🙂 

 

Also Boleros is better than on other classes. Grandeur class doesn’t even have it except for stretched Enchantment. 

[boscobeans]

11 hours ago, VernRDH said:

We love Anthem, and not just because she is in the closest port to us. We have enjoyed the Solarium immensely, especially on sea days. We do not sail during busy times generally, so have not had issues with crowds really. 

We also loved Odyssey, really like the Quantum class. Not a fan of Oasis class, but that's us. 

My goal is to sail all the RCI ships at least once, so I will have to do those bigger ships at some point.

Anthem for us is the perfect size and Cape Liberty our favorite port to sail from. Our vacation starts 3 hours from our front door.

We sail the first 3 months of the year to get away from the Great Northeast Freezer and on dates where there are relatively few school holidays.

We have sailed from the ultra large to the smaller like the Celebrity Zenith and have always been able to find what we need on any of the ships.

Anthem just feels comfortable and less like an amusement park than the larger ships..

[vwlmember]

We have sailed on Holland Nieuw Amsterdam, RCL Anthem of the Seas,  and Celebrity Beyond in the last year. Anthem was our favorite. Plenty to do and less crowded than the other two. We will be taking the April 2024 Odyssey Trans Atlantic as this class seems perfectly designed for this type of cruising. 

[LuCruise]

We went on Anthem for the first time this past March and quite enjoyed her.  The ship is a bit different, but with the familiar Royal feel.  Our kids loved the Sea Plex, iFly and  North Star gave neat views.  In my opinion, Anthem has the best "Broadway" show with We Will Rock You (Broadway used for the type of musical but it never actually played in New York).  Spectra Cabaret had neat effects/technology but tbh, I found it very weird.  The 270 is a wonderful room with beautiful views while staying inside, and then flipping to entertainment venue at night.  The indoor pool is also a plus as it was usable in cold or bad weather.

 

I didn't have an issue with the Esplanade but DH didn't like it as a lot comment as well.  I think my only negative with Anthem is the dining room.  We were lucky in that we had a table near the window, but we wouldn't have been happy if we were in the inside as nothing special there, and would feel very enclosed.  Guess it's like a normal restaurant, but comparing to Royal's usual beautiful MDRs, it's definitely not as nice.

 

One venue I didn't love is The Music Hall.  Unless you get there early to get a seat near the stage (or overlooking it from upstairs), it's hard to see.  We tried one night to go to one of the adult shows and walked out (but did manage to attend a few other events getting there earlier)

 

I still put a ship like Symphony as my favorite, but I can see us going on Anthem again.  We enjoyed it, and being out of New Jersey is a plus too since it's drivable.

 

 

Edited November 29, 2022 by LuCruise

[Arzeena]

16 hours ago, whateverkimme said:

We just got off Anthem for a 7 day Bahamas itinerary.  It was our first time on a bigger boat as we previously cruised Carnival Victory, Monarch, and most recently Grandeur (same itinerary in 2019).  The Anthem seemed sooo much more crowded.  I know there are more people on a bigger boat, but there is also more space.  The Windjammer on Anthem was twice the size of the one on Grandeur, but seemed to have 3 times the people.  Same with the Solarium.   I was wondering what any other experienced cruisers thought?  It it the layout of the ship (the esplanade instead or a centrum) or are all of the bigger ships more crowded? 

It probably is the "sailing". It was a Thanksgiving holiday sailing, hence the crowds. We have been on the Anthem at many times and were likely on the same sailing (since you mentioned you just got off).

Where the Solarium is always popular and pretty packed, I think we feel things are less crowded when it is not a holiday sailing.

[davy jones]

Thanksgiving sailings are usually packed.  That could be the cause of your observation.

 

Quantum class ships are built for year round sailing.  Hence the focus is for more indoor activity areas.   The lack of a water park may contribute to the crowded feeling on a holiday cruise.

[RandomUser123]

The Solarium on Anthem was awesome. The problem is are the people who put a towel on a chair and then never come back. 

[FamilyCruiserUK]

21 hours ago, allyfree said:

We were on Anthem in May for the first time ... hubby nailed it by saying it was like a holiday camp from the 1950s! No outside space, no quiet bars, lab-like library with noise from 270 ... really not for us at all ... some of us just want to relax and chill ... we much prefer Oasis class or even Freedom ... think Independence has been our favourite ship ever !

Totally agree with you. Loved Oasis and indpendence. Wish Indy would come.back to the uk. Anthem we also found everything was just crammed, no open indoor space, lacked good outside space. 270 show was good though but everything else was lacking. However recently on brilliance i thought the outside seating at rear of the wind jammer was amazing. Rest of ship to small and dated

[allyfree]

Not getting the pool issues ??? .... Oasis class have great solariums and covered pools too ... and crowds will vary by timing/destination/etc. ... those aren't great reasons for/against a ship to me ... surely it is the facilities and accommodation that matter

[allyfree]

On 11/29/2022 at 8:42 PM, FamilyCruiserUK said:

Totally agree with you. Loved Oasis and indpendence. Wish Indy would come.back to the uk. Anthem we also found everything was just crammed, no open indoor space, lacked good outside space. 270 show was good though but everything else was lacking. However recently on brilliance i thought the outside seating at rear of the wind jammer was amazing. Rest of ship to small and dated

I know what you mean ... have grudgingly booked Anthem again for May 2023 purely for convenience of Southampton but going to Barcelona in October to enjoy Symphony 

[whateverkimme]

On 11/29/2022 at 10:02 AM, Arzeena said:

It probably is the "sailing". It was a Thanksgiving holiday sailing, hence the crowds. We have been on the Anthem at many times and were likely on the same sailing (since you mentioned you just got off).

Where the Solarium is always popular and pretty packed, I think we feel things are less crowded when it is not a holiday sailing.

Yes!  We were on the 11/20 sailing!  😁  That's what I was thinking, but I had a different experience with the Grandeur sailing, which was also over Thanksgiving.  Maybe we just lucked out with that one!