luv2cruisekc

We returned today from our 12 night cruise on the Anthem that departed on January 3. We were in "classic" dynamic dining, in which you have the same waiter, assistant waiter, head waiter and wine steward as you rotate through four absolutely gorgeous themed dining rooms. In fact, some of the most beautiful rooms at sea. Prior to the cruise we read many negative reviews of Silk, an Asian - Fusion style restaurant. Our waiter, Stefan, who was a good as it gets, confirmed that prior to the cruise before ours, there were nothing but negative complaints about the food in Silk. He said they let go of the chef and changed some of the menu items. Passengers seem quite satisfied with the changes and we concur.

 

Silk was SO good and was probably our favorite of the four main dining rooms. The beef in the Hibachi Steak just melted in your mouth. When I couldn't find something I liked at one restaurant, our waiter gladly brought me a dish from the Silk menu. The short ribs at American Icon were as good as any I have had in fine restaurants.

 

We had also read complaints about slowness of the bar service in the four main restaurants. Our wine steward was at our table within a couple of minutes of us sitting down. If not, the waiter gave our wine order to the wine steward. Our wine steward even brought us wines from the wine list at other restaurants. Our favorite red was the Yangarra Shiraz at $16 a glass.

 

Somewhere I read on CC that Royal Caribbean doesn't have wine stewards. Well, we certainly had one and he knew his wines. He did take orders for other kinds of drinks as well.

 

Yes, dining could take and hour and a half to an hour and three quarters. That amount of time seemed just right to us and is consistent with our experiences on Celebrity, Princess and Cunard. We never felt rushed, but if we wanted to catch an early show, our waiter would speed things up for us.

 

We had lunch at Jamie's Italian. First class food and service.

 

The Solarium Bistro, which replaced Devinly Decadence, was a very pleasant, low load environment. For breakfast, you can ask for egg dishes made to order and they give you a number to put on your table. The problem is that if two people at the same table put their orders in at the same time, typically they were brought to your table many minutes apart. I would be finished by the time my wife got her order. Other people we spoke to reported the same problem.

 

The MDR used for breakfast is the American Icon. Breakfast, and only breakfast, service was absolutely terrible. We were placed at table for eight with other very nice people. However, if someone asked for a coffee refill, the waiter would refill that person' cup, but not check to see if anyone else needed a refill. The same would happen with bread and rolls. Orders placed at the same time would come out several minutes apart. In fact, we waited about a half hour for our breakfast order to appear. We were about to leave to go to Windjammer, when one of us got our order. AGAIN, THERE WERE NO SUCH SERVICE PROBLEMS AT DINNER, WHERE SERVICE WAS REFINED AND ELEGANT.

 

Overall, I would have to say that the food and service on the Anthem was no better and no worse than food we have had on other lines, such as Celebrity and Princess. However, some dishes really stood out, such as the Hibachi Steak and the short ribs. There was no evidence of low morale as has previously been suggested. The staff appears to have learned the new routine of rotational dining and it really works. In summary, our dining experience on the Anthem of the Seas far exceeded our expectations.

We really enjoyed the meals on Anthem. I second the hibachi steak was excellent. I basically stuck with the signature dishes and was very happy. What could be bad; lobster tails, shrimp, etc., and the dining venues were beautiful. When it comes to Spectras Caberet and the Gift, the costumes and scenery were terrific, but I really did not care for the shows.

Interesting is a good way to describe Spectra and the Gift. The shows were staged beautifully. Being a senior, I personally did not care for the shows. What one likes, someone else doesn't like. Sailing the Anthem again in June with several generations and it will be interesting to see what they think. I would give the ship and food 5 stars, lobster tails every night if you want them and they are huge.

Not our cup of tea, but the shows were interesting and well put together.

Anthem is a different cruise experience. I believe the younger you are the more you will like the experience. We are a couple in our 60's and while the technology is amazing, the main shows are just not our thing. Make reservations online for everything and all will be well. Lobster every night if you want it is great.

Thank you for the running commentary about your cruise. It was great to read.

Good luck with the plumbing. Safe trip home.

First the Anthem of the Seas price for 6/30/16 went way up and today a big drop. I saved $300 today

Saw Rock of Ages last year on the Breakaway. It was well done, but just not our cup of tea. We would prefer a different show but did not complain.

Without insurance you take your chances. We always buy insurance now but when younger never bought it. The cruise lines all offer insurance, take it or leave it.

We walked up and would NEVER recommend doing it. I thought I was going to have a heart attack the way my heart was pumping. Dodging the donkeys and donkey doo was no fun either.:mad: We took the tram back.

We would be interested in purchasing the pesos. Email me at ktcitron@hotmaildotcom

Just mentioning this to help others avoid our mistake. We have 1800 ARP leftover from our recent trip that no currency exchange (MIA or ORD) would buy. Even Chase and Bank of America will not buy them from us. :(

 

Had we not been bumped from our flight home and then received news of my FIL's death, we might have been more on the ball, but it just never occurred to us that this would be a problem.

Hank,

I do take exception to being called a "sucker" for enjoying something and getting a good deal on it. I have looked up some of the items we have purchased online prior to the auction and found the price they go for on board to be quite a bit lower. Then I found one in a port gallery once that was 5 times the price it went for on board and it also was a print. We do enjoy them every time we walk through and see them on the walls. We also have originals from galleries and from artists and purchased an original on our last cruise. The auctions are enjoyable and that is what cruising is all about, so no need to slander those that find a part of a cruise, that you don't, enjoyable.

 

Herb

DITTO! We also have enjoyed and purchased.

You are on Maui, my favorite island. Too bad you didn't go to Kaanapoli, it's the best.

Many thanks for the quick review!

We just chose this ship for Jan 2015, may I ask what you thought of your cabin and what type it was?

We are also possibly doing the january 4 2015 cruise as we like the longer trips. We had a family mini suite on deck 12 mid ship. I will probably book the balcony as the size difference is minimal but I think our mini bathroom was somewhat larger which was nice. The water pressure in the shower was pretty bad so you had to stand up close to the showerhead. We had a tub and I kept hitting my toes on the drain. I would not recommend the rooms with tubs unless you take baths.

did you make it to great stirrup cay?

We did not get to Great Stirup Cay

Just want to say the ship is beautiful, the staff is accommodating and friendly, the food in our opinion was very good, choices of where to have included meals was great. We enjoyed having dinners in Savor and Taste because of the smaller restaurant size. Fire and Ice is not to be missed. Overall, the shows were good. As a 60 something year old couple, we didn't really care for Rock of Ages. We would highly recommend this ship.

I am pretty sure you need non-expired ID to board the ship. Did you happen to see the TV show where they actually denied some passengers access to the ship? I would call NCL and ask them exactly what you could bring to get on. I thought you always needed a passport for cruising. I hope you found the license.