Royal Caribbean - Anthem of the Seas

tace28 · ‎03-10-2010

I recently posted this question in the Mom to Mom forum (not realizing there was a travel section).

We are considering taking a cruise in the Spring for 7 days out of NJ, to Bermuda, on the Royal Caribbean, Anthem of the Seas. Was hoping to hear from people that have actually used this cruise line -- all the pros and cons (& of course any tips). Hoping that it is also kid friendly. TIA for any information

reiki604 · ‎03-09-2010

Anthem is a ginormous ship, all very modern and high tech. There is a lot for kids to do. They even have bumper cars. It is a ship geared to families with children. I would suggest finding out everything that's available nd book those activities early. With so many people on the ship, things sell out quickly. Anthem was too big for me personally but my SIL loved it. I would go on her again though if the sailings met my needs, SIL is leaving again this Sunday.

'I refuse to engage in a battle of wits with an unarmed man'.......Unknown

Annabellethecat66 · ‎03-12-2010

@tace28 That's the same cruise (very similar) to the one we took (same cruise ship) when my husband was alive.

Funny story...but typical of us. My middle daughter turned 21 years old on the first day of the cruise. She was ordering every mixed drink she'd read about (she'd just come from being a hostess at the Jimmy Buffet concert and had flown into to meet us on the ship) so she was hot to order!

Well, they give you the bill (slip it under the door) the last day of the cruise. My late husband flipped when he saw all of the drinks she'd ordered. She didn't drink them, she was curious (blue, pink (all colored drinks). Ha!

Anyway, it was a wonderful cruise and we loved it. My son-in-law's family almost lives on cruises! They've cruised round the world now 4 times. In fact last month they took my 2 granddaughters (teenagers) and their other grandson on a 2 week cruise starting in Germany.

Cruising is wonderful. Please come back and tell us all about it. I know I'll be anxious to hear about how wonderful it was.

reiki604 · ‎03-09-2010

@Annabellethecat66 The Anthem of the Seas was put into service in 2015. I think you must be mistaken on the ship in question. Your late husband should have checked his bill on the TV to monitor expenses. Royal Carribean has had that feature in place for at least 15 years or more.

'I refuse to engage in a battle of wits with an unarmed man'.......Unknown

Annabellethecat66 · ‎03-12-2010

I wasn't specifically saying it was that cruise ship, I was speaking of the cruise line.

It was Royal Caribbean cruise line that we traveled on...this I know. I also know that the bill was put under our door the night before we checked out....

It was a long time ago but the ship is going to basically the same places we went to.

The main purpose of MY post was to say that it was fun and I was sure she would enjoy the cruise. I didn't say I specifically went on that ship.......

My late husband got over his 'surprise' very quickly....he was like that...wonderful!

proudlyfromNJ · ‎05-01-2010

We went on the Freedom of the Sea or Oasis. Not sure. For us it was just too big. Thousands of people waiting in lines for a tender, crowded onto beaches, etc. Not for us.

Our friends love it though. They sail on RC at least 4 times a year.

Alter Ego · ‎03-12-2010

You don’t mention if you’ve cruised before or just not on Royal. You also don’t mention ages of your children.

Anthem is a polarizing ship - you either love it or hate it. I personally love it and have been on it twice.

By spring, I assume you mean Spring Break, which means big crowds with lots of children. Anthem is a ship that you need to make reservations in advance - for certain shows, iFly and North Star. You may be able to reserve on ship, but iFly will fill up quickly. These are free. Other things like trapeze school, flowrider, bumper cars are first come first serve. Expect lines.

I have a trip report on here from Anthem somewhere. I’ll try to look for it later (although different itinerary)

The following link should be everything Anthem on Cruise Critic.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/royal-caribbean/anthem

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edited to add my trip report link. There’s a little on page 1, but I really talk about the ship on page 3. Like I said, this isn’t your itinerary, but I did do Bermuda/Boston the year before. One thing I recall specifically about Bermuda was that I don’t believe it was bad getting off ship - likely because it was an overnight and people didn’t have to rush.

https://community.qvc.com/t5/Travel/Trip-Report-Anthem-of-the-Seas-6-26-17-Bar-Harbor-and-Halifax/td...

Lipstickdiva · ‎03-10-2010

I've never been on that particular ship but our very first cruise was with RCL. We did the smallest ship they have (Empress of the Seas) as we have no desire to be on a mega ship. Some people love all that, we would not.

We had no complaints at all with RCL and I personally thought they were much better than Norwegian, which we did this past year.

I don't think I can really say much because there is no comparison between the ship we were on and the one you will be on. Our ship had very little to nothing for kids to do. It was more of an adult cruise ship.