Anthem of the Seas June 17-22, 2017

Ship Review: Wow! Anthem is beautiful. The staff was excellent. We'll be back.

Observations and Recommendations:

Embarkation: Good. We arrived at pier direct from Newark International at 10:20 AM. Checked-in and waited in seated queue. Boarded the ship at 11:00 AM. Enjoyed nice lunch in Solarium Bistro. Entered cabin (#9644) at 1:00 PM. Luggage was waiting for us.

Departure from the ship: Bad. I think the majority of our shipmates chose self-carry as the line that greeted us when we exited the elevators midship snaked all the way to rear and back again. The gangway was closed twice due to congestion on the pier. Took nearly one hour for us to clear the ship. Once in the terminal, it was obvious that most of our problem was due to the fact that only five of the 20 Customs stations were manned.

One of the first things you should do after boarding is to install the Royal IQ app on your smart device. You can then use the app to make your reservations for shows, specialty restaurants, RipCord and North Star. The lines for show reservations can be extremely long on the first afternoon and the slots for RipCord are limited.

Cafe@Two70 is a great alternative for breakfast as the Windjammer becomes overcrowded starting around 8:00 AM. They have pastries, cereal, bagels and breakfast sandwiches.

The Two70 Lounge has to be one of the most beautiful areas on any ship. The daytime view is spectacular and at night the room is transformed into a sound and light showcase. Do not miss the Spectra's Cabaret performance.

Best dinner: Jamie's Italian. We ate there twice. Ask for Marco.

Best burger: Michael's Genuine Pub

Best Milkshake: Johnny Rockets

Bionic Bar is a great photo opportunity but you can get much better drinks at a regular bar for $14.16.

While dockside in Bermuda: Be sure to visit the Dockyard Glasswork and Bermuda Rum Cakes (great tasting bar). Recommend the Bone Fish Bar & Grill for a nice dinner off the ship. Great salads and pasta dishes.

We took a 5-hour private taxi tour of Bermuda. Our "Trip Advisor" recommended tour guide was Millard of Mills Tours. We saw everything there is to see on the island and enjoyed a great lunch in St. George.

Thank you for the review! Did you happen to notice if there was a mobile passport option at the pier when disembarking? I thought I had remembered reading about people using that at Bayonne, but on the site it looks like only Port Everglades is approved. Just wondering if it would be an option that could help if you end up with a back up like yours.

Thanks again!

Thank you so much for sharing your vacation with us!

I do have 1 question - how did you travel from EWR to the port?

Thank you again!//Maria

Ship Review: Wow! Anthem is beautiful. The staff was excellent. We'll be back.

 

Observations and Recommendations:

 

Embarkation: Good. We arrived at pier direct from Newark International at 10:20 AM. Checked-in and waited in seated queue. Boarded the ship at 11:00 AM. Enjoyed nice lunch in Solarium Bistro. Entered cabin (#9644) at 1:00 PM. Luggage was waiting for us.

 

Departure from the ship: Bad. I think the majority of our shipmates chose self-carry as the line that greeted us when we exited the elevators midship snaked all the way to rear and back again. The gangway was closed twice due to congestion on the pier. Took nearly one hour for us to clear the ship. Once in the terminal, it was obvious that most of our problem was due to the fact that only five of the 20 Customs stations were manned.

 

One of the first things you should do after boarding is to install the Royal IQ app on your smart device. You can then use the app to make your reservations for shows, specialty restaurants, RipCord and North Star. The lines for show reservations can be extremely long on the first afternoon and the slots for RipCord are limited.

 

Cafe@Two70 is a great alternative for breakfast as the Windjammer becomes overcrowded starting around 8:00 AM. They have pastries, cereal, bagels and breakfast sandwiches.

 

The Two70 Lounge has to be one of the most beautiful areas on any ship. The daytime view is spectacular and at night the room is transformed into a sound and light showcase. Do not miss the Spectra's Cabaret performance.

 

Best dinner: Jamie's Italian. We ate there twice. Ask for Marco.

 

Best burger: Michael's Genuine Pub

 

Best Milkshake: Johnny Rockets

 

Bionic Bar is a great photo opportunity but you can get much better drinks at a regular bar for $14.16.

 

While dockside in Bermuda: Be sure to visit the Dockyard Glasswork and Bermuda Rum Cakes (great tasting bar). Recommend the Bone Fish Bar & Grill for a nice dinner off the ship. Great salads and pasta dishes.

 

We took a 5-hour private taxi tour of Bermuda. Our "Trip Advisor" recommended tour guide was Millard of Mills Tours. We saw everything there is to see on the island and enjoyed a great lunch in St. George.

You mention taking a 5-hr. private taxi tour of Bermuda. Was the cost per person, per hour?

Thanks.

MARAPRINCE

Thank you for the review! Did you happen to notice if there was a mobile passport option at the pier when disembarking? I thought I had remembered reading about people using that at Bayonne, but on the site it looks like only Port Everglades is approved. Just wondering if it would be an option that could help if you end up with a back up like yours.

 

Thanks again!

No Mobile Passport at Cape Liberty . . . yet. (it wasn't there early June). Hopefully soon!! It really is great in Port Everglades. I occasionally check the app on my phone to see if Cape Liberty been added.

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OP: thanks for your thoughts. We love Anthem. I agree Bionic Bar is cool but better drinks are elsewhere. As far as I'm concerned, they can skip BB on new ships or eventually use this space for something else! Two70 is the most awesome space on any ship!

Thank you so much for sharing your vacation with us!

 

I do have 1 question - how did you travel from EWR to the port?

 

Thank you again!//Maria

By Taxi - $47.00

You mention taking a 5-hr. private taxi tour of Bermuda. Was the cost per person, per hour?

 

Thanks.

 

MARAPRINCE

Fixed price for all private tours is $50.00 per hour. You can always share the ride with 1 or 2 more couples to bring down the cost.

Ship Review: Wow! Anthem is beautiful. The staff was excellent. We'll be back.

 

Observations and Recommendations:

 

Embarkation: Good. We arrived at pier direct from Newark International at 10:20 AM. Checked-in and waited in seated queue. Boarded the ship at 11:00 AM. Enjoyed nice lunch in Solarium Bistro. Entered cabin (#9644) at 1:00 PM. Luggage was waiting for us.

 

Departure from the ship: Bad. I think the majority of our shipmates chose self-carry as the line that greeted us when we exited the elevators midship snaked all the way to rear and back again. The gangway was closed twice due to congestion on the pier. Took nearly one hour for us to clear the ship. Once in the terminal, it was obvious that most of our problem was due to the fact that only five of the 20 Customs stations were manned.

 

One of the first things you should do after boarding is to install the Royal IQ app on your smart device. You can then use the app to make your reservations for shows, specialty restaurants, RipCord and North Star. The lines for show reservations can be extremely long on the first afternoon and the slots for RipCord are limited.

 

Cafe@Two70 is a great alternative for breakfast as the Windjammer becomes overcrowded starting around 8:00 AM. They have pastries, cereal, bagels and breakfast sandwiches.

 

The Two70 Lounge has to be one of the most beautiful areas on any ship. The daytime view is spectacular and at night the room is transformed into a sound and light showcase. Do not miss the Spectra's Cabaret performance.

 

Best dinner: Jamie's Italian. We ate there twice. Ask for Marco.

 

Best burger: Michael's Genuine Pub

 

Best Milkshake: Johnny Rockets

 

Bionic Bar is a great photo opportunity but you can get much better drinks at a regular bar for $14.16.

 

While dockside in Bermuda: Be sure to visit the Dockyard Glasswork and Bermuda Rum Cakes (great tasting bar). Recommend the Bone Fish Bar & Grill for a nice dinner off the ship. Great salads and pasta dishes.

 

We took a 5-hour private taxi tour of Bermuda. Our "Trip Advisor" recommended tour guide was Millard of Mills Tours. We saw everything there is to see on the island and enjoyed a great lunch in St. George.

I would love to hear more specifics about your cabin #9644 (like where is the bed, on which wall when you enter the cabin, I know this is a large balcony...how was it...etc. etc.) we have this cabin booked for October 12th.

Also how long did it take you to get off the ship and arrive at EWR...what time was your flight and what transportation did you use? Our flight is scheduled at 12:30pm.

Thanks so much.

I would love to hear more specifics about your cabin #9644 (like where is the bed, on which wall when you enter the cabin, I know this is a large balcony...how was it...etc. etc.) we have this cabin booked for October 12th.

 

Also how long did it take you to get off the ship and arrive at EWR...what time was your flight and what transportation did you use? Our flight is scheduled at 12:30pm.

 

Thanks so much.

The bed in our cabin was on the right wall, just past the bathroom door. The couch is between bed and sliding door. Love the larger balconies. More room to enjoy breakfast from room service. Mid-ship elevators are just outside the cabin door. There was some concern that we might hear conversations but noise was never a problem. As mentioned in my post, it took approximately an hour to depart the ship and clear customs. We were at the taxi stand at 9:10 and arrived at EWR at 9:50 AM. We cleared security (love TSA PreCheck) and were at the gate for our 12:30 PM flight at 10:20. The ship sells airport transfer to Newark if you have an afternoon flight. The cost is $28.50 per person. The two of us took a taxi for $65.00.

There is also a shared shuttle from the port to EWR for $20 per person. No reservations accepted.

Thank you for your review!

Sent from my SGH-M919 using Forums mobile app

The bed in our cabin was on the right wall, just past the bathroom door. The couch is between bed and sliding door. Love the larger balconies. More room to enjoy breakfast from room service. Mid-ship elevators are just outside the cabin door. There was some concern that we might hear conversations but noise was never a problem. As mentioned in my post, it took approximately an hour to depart the ship and clear customs. We were at the taxi stand at 9:10 and arrived at EWR at 9:50 AM. We cleared security (love TSA PreCheck) and were at the gate for our 12:30 PM flight at 10:20. The ship sells airport transfer to Newark if you have an afternoon flight. The cost is $28.50 per person. The two of us took a taxi for $65.00.

Thanks so much for the info...We also have a 12:30pm flight and have TSA PreCheck...so it looks like we should also try to be in the 8:00am departure group...and hopefully everything goes as well for us as it did for you.

Any reason you opted for a taxi...were you concerned about timing and did you know about or see the shared shuttle option at the taxi stand?

Also did you have access to the CL...if so how was it?

Thanks so much for the info...We also have a 12:30pm flight and have TSA PreCheck...so it looks like we should also try to be in the 8:00am departure group...and hopefully everything goes as well for us as it did for you.

 

Any reason you opted for a taxi...were you concerned about timing and did you know about or see the shared shuttle option at the taxi stand?

 

Also did you have access to the CL...if so how was it?

With a 12;30 flight, there is no rush to get to the airport. Taxis for us are by personal preference. Pay a little more for convenience and privacy. A couple of bad experiences over the years with shared rides send us to the taxi stand now.

We're Diamond+ so we had access to Concierge Club on Deck #12. The room and the view are spectacular but we only visited one time because of the LONG walk. I stopped by the Diamond Club (Deck #4) several times in the afternoon for drinks. With Diamond, you also get the 3 complimentary drinks preloaded on your SeaPass card to use during the ship's cocktail hours (5:30 pm to 8:30 pm).

We were on the same sailing and agree with almost everything. Maybe the only exception being to download the app before you get there. My family did not listen to me when I told them to download it and we had no internet once inside the ship. It took hours for them to get it downloaded! Maybe the issue was all the rain that day and not making it out on deck until sail away! Oh, also, we went to the Solarium for lunch as I had read here and the line was 45 mins long. That was a huge mistake!

As far as disembarkation, we also chose to carry off thinking it would be fast and it was a nightmare. We chose to leave late since getting our big crew moving can be difficult. We got to the Royal Theater at 9 and weren't out until almost 11.

Also, the customs line meshed into the luggage area and while we got into the end of the line, people were picking up luggage and walking into the middle of it, infuriating people who had waited (I thought there was going to be a fight right behind us!). I was pretty surprised that it was such a logistical mess and expected much more order.

Anyway, living in Philadelphia, with an easy drive to the port I think we will be cruising Anthem again, but maybe next time with no kids so we can explore more of the lounges and night life!

With a 12;30 flight, there is no rush to get to the airport. Taxis for us are by personal preference. Pay a little more for convenience and privacy. A couple of bad experiences over the years with shared rides send us to the taxi stand now.

 

We're Diamond+ so we had access to Concierge Club on Deck #12. The room and the view are spectacular but we only visited one time because of the LONG walk. I stopped by the Diamond Club (Deck #4) several times in the afternoon for drinks. With Diamond, you also get the 3 complimentary drinks preloaded on your SeaPass card to use during the ship's cocktail hours (5:30 pm to 8:30 pm).

We're also D+ and glad to hear that we will still have the choice of lounges on Anthem.

Drinks in the afternoon in the DL...what kind?

Thanks so much for taking the time to answer my questions.