Norwegian Escape or RCCL Anthem?

[MikeBTN]

Since responses will be slanted towards RCCL here I'll pose this same question in the "other" board too. My wife and I will be celebrating our 5th anniversary in about a year. We love good food, good drink, good entertainment, and quiet relaxing but ports activities are also something we take into account. We've narrowed it down to the Anthem & Escape for our trip. Comparing a Grand/Owners suite vs a Haven Spa Suite for a Dec 16th(Anthem)/17th (Escape) 2016 sailing

 

Anthem

* The Grande - love the idea of a formal venue (assuming that's still the case in a year!)

* More affordable - Grand Suite $966 pp/Owners Suite $110pp cheaper

* Broadway class shows

* Larger cabin (50-140 sq ft) & balcony (50-150 sq ft)

* Faster internet

* $300 OBC from RCCL

* Double points

* Access to Thermal Spa

 

Escape

* More (and to us more interesting) specialty dining venues

* The Waterfront

* Ultimate Beverage Package, 4-night Dining Package, 250 mins internet, and Thermal Spa access included

* The Haven courtyard

* Better ports (St. Thomas/Tortola/Nassau vs Port Canaveral/CocoCay/Nassau)

 

 

 

Help us decide!! All thoughts welcome!

Edited November 12, 2015 by MikeBTN

[sixesandeights]

The Anthem is in an entirely different league then the Escape. Hands down would be my choice.

 

6&8

[jeffregpuck]

The Anthem is in an entirely different league then the Escape. Hands down would be my choice.

 

6&8

 

Could you elaborate please? We are booked on a New England/Canada cruise next September on the Gem, but have been toying with the idea of trying out the Anthem, which does a similar itinerary about the same time. The Anthem would cost us about $600 more.

 

The perks we have/would have:

 

Gem - UBP, $200 OBC, 3 specialty dinners (we are platinum plus one from AMEX)

 

Anthem - $300 OBC, Dynamic dining (not sure how this works), internet plan

 

We are using one of our "Cruise next" credits, I like the Gem's itinerary only slightly better. The trade off is Boston (Anthem) for Newport (Gem), but I just don't believe you can "do" Boston in a day.

 

It should also be noted that I have done this cruise before on the Gem, and we had a fabulous time, so I know we would have fun. Just wondering if we should give RCCL a try on what does appear to be a stellar ship.

Edited November 15, 2015 by jeffregpuck

[sixesandeights]

Could you elaborate please? We are booked on a New England/Canada cruise next September on the Gem, but have been toying with the idea of trying out the Anthem, which does a similar itinerary about the same time. The Anthem would cost us about $600 more.

 

The perks we have/would have:

 

Gem - UBP, $200 OBC, 3 specialty dinners (we are platinum plus one from AMEX)

 

Anthem - $300 OBC, Dynamic dining (not sure how this works), internet plan

 

We are using one of our "Cruise next" credits, I like the Gem's itinerary only slightly better. The trade off is Boston (Anthem) for Newport (Gem), but I just don't believe you can "do" Boston in a day.

 

It should also be noted that I have done this cruise before on the Gem, and we had a fabulous time, so I know we would have fun. Just wondering if we should give RCCL a try on what does appear to be a stellar ship.

 

The features on the newer Royal ships are insane. They have things that NCL can't touch. Robotic bars, observatory pods, sky diving, surf riders, bumper cars, high dive shows, etc, etc, etc. The Gem is an older ship with nothing close to these features. That's not to say the Gem is bad, but comparing the two is like comparing an NFL team to a high school team. Completely different leagues. As far as which is "better" for you that is completely personal. You have some nice perks on the gem, and maybe you don't care about the new wow features of Anthem. My choice between the two would be easy and I would choose Anthem hands down. The new Royal ships are destination on their own. Hope this helps.

 

6&8

[barnacle_boy]

How important is it that the ship have a great spa? In terms of core features, I feel that this is the biggest area of difference between Escape and Anthem. If having an expansive thermal suite is of any importance to you, Escape is the ship to book.

 

The one on Anthem is ridiculously small: six hot tile loungers, a steam room, sauna, and shower. Escape has an amazing hydrotherapy pool, whirlpool, many hot tile loungers, steam room, salt room, snow room, even a sauna with windows overlooking the ocean!

Edited November 15, 2015 by barnacle_boy

[BettyPC]

For me the ports are important. I would book with that preference in mind.

[Cruzinbabe06]

It's funny you post this.

 

Hubby wants Anthem for next December vacation. For a Boardwalk balcony which is what I want to try is coming to approximately $1900. With $300 OBC. Ports Labadee, Cozumel and Falmouth.

 

Just saw the Escape deal for approximately $2300. Oceanview Balcony, With Unlimited Drink package and Dining Package included. Ports are Cozumel, Costa Maya, Belize NCL purchased a Caye and that will be used for docking upon completion and Honduras.

 

I am definitely going with the Escape for now. Anthem looks awesome.

 

Our bar tabs are usually $500 to $600 on 7 night cruises. And we always put aside 2 nights of the cruise for the Steakhouse.

 

This is a good deal for us.

[MikeBTN]

How important is it that the ship have a great spa? In terms of core features, I feel that this is the biggest area of difference between Escape and Anthem. If having an expansive thermal suite is of any importance to you, Escape is the ship to book.

 

The one on Anthem is ridiculously small: six hot tile loungers, a steam room, sauna, and shower. Escape has an amazing hydrotherapy pool, whirlpool, many hot tile loungers, steam room, salt room, snow room, even a sauna with windows overlooking the ocean!

 

This may make the difference. We LOVE using the thermal spas on other ships.

[Turtles06]

Could you elaborate please? We are booked on a New England/Canada cruise next September on the Gem, but have been toying with the idea of trying out the Anthem, which does a similar itinerary about the same time. The Anthem would cost us about $600 more.

 

The perks we have/would have:

 

Gem - UBP, $200 OBC, 3 specialty dinners (we are platinum plus one from AMEX)

 

Anthem - $300 OBC, Dynamic dining (not sure how this works), internet plan

 

We are using one of our "Cruise next" credits, I like the Gem's itinerary only slightly better. The trade off is Boston (Anthem) for Newport (Gem), but I just don't believe you can "do" Boston in a day.

 

It should also be noted that I have done this cruise before on the Gem, and we had a fabulous time, so I know we would have fun. Just wondering if we should give RCCL a try on what does appear to be a stellar ship.

 

My spouse and I have sailed on the Gem twice (as well as on two of her sister ships), and we've just returned from the Anthem's inaugural transatlantic. As sixesandeights says above, these are two totally different classes of ships. It's comparing apples and oranges.

 

Gem is a comfortable old shoe, a nice size, not much in the way of bells and whistles. We will be on her again this winter, and are looking forward to it.

 

Anthem is a mega ship, stunningly beautiful, an amusement park at sea. We had a great time, but would not sail on her at a time when a lot of kids would be aboard.

 

My review of Anthem is here:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2277588

 

With a ship like Anthem, the ship really is the destination.

 

You really have to decide between two very different types of ships, and what you are looking for in your vacation.

 

Happy to answer any questions.

[denatravels]

I just changed my Anthem booking to NCL breakaway-- saving $600 made the change worthwhile, when I'm pretty much going to get out of the snow. I'm fine just sitting in the sun.

[Golfin55]

If ha add my 2cents here. Having sailed on the Getaway & Quantum, and knowing that the escape is a larger version of the BA/GA. I can tell you that the Quantum class is a more elegant ship in my opinion. It had that WOW factor that NCL just did not have. The Quantum is one of our favorite ships, and I'm sure the Anthem is no different. Besides where else can you ride bumper cars in the middle of the ocean, or go into a skydiving simulator. Very cool ships.

[Turtles06]

If ha add my 2cents here. Having sailed on the Getaway & Quantum, and knowing that the escape is a larger version of the BA/GA. I can tell you that the Quantum class is a more elegant ship in my opinion. It had that WOW factor that NCL just did not have. The Quantum is one of our favorite ships, and I'm sure the Anthem is no different. Besides where else can you ride bumper cars in the middle of the ocean, or go into a skydiving simulator. Very cool ships.

 

Don't forget being raised up in a 15-person capsule on the arm of a crane, 300 feet above the surface of the ocean, and then swinging out 90 degrees on each side. It was one of the most amazing things I've ever done on a ship. :)

 

 

(photo by turtles06, taken from the North Star on Anthem)

[Golfin55]

Don't forget being raised up in a 15-person capsule on the arm of a crane, 300 feet above the surface of the ocean, and then swinging out 90 degrees on each side. It was one of the most amazing things I've ever done on a ship. :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

(photo by turtles06, taken from the North Star on Anthem)

 

 

The Northstar is really breathtaking.

[motleyfan]

Since responses will be slanted towards RCCL here I'll pose this same question in the "other" board too. My wife and I will be celebrating our 5th anniversary in about a year. We love good food, good drink, good entertainment, and quiet relaxing but ports activities are also something we take into account. We've narrowed it down to the Anthem & Escape for our trip. Comparing a Grand/Owners suite vs a Haven Spa Suite for a Dec 16th(Anthem)/17th (Escape) 2016 sailing

 

Anthem

* The Grande - love the idea of a formal venue (assuming that's still the case in a year!)

* More affordable - Grand Suite $966 pp/Owners Suite $110pp cheaper

* Broadway class shows

* Larger cabin (50-140 sq ft) & balcony (50-150 sq ft)

* Faster internet

* $300 OBC from RCCL

* Double points

* Access to Thermal Spa

 

Escape

* More (and to us more interesting) specialty dining venues

* The Waterfront

* Ultimate Beverage Package, 4-night Dining Package, 250 mins internet, and Thermal Spa access included

* The Haven courtyard

* Better ports (St. Thomas/Tortola/Nassau vs Port Canaveral/CocoCay/Nassau)

 

 

 

Help us decide!! All thoughts welcome!

 

The escape also has Broadway shows

[barnacle_boy]

Generally speaking, I prefer the shows on RCI's ships. However, Anthem is a huge exception to this. We Will Rock You was horrendously bad. I was also underwhelmed by Spectra's Cabaret, which really doesn't take full advantage of the unique performance space that Two70˚ offers.

 

I thought the new shows on Escape were much better than NCL's usual offerings, and are definitely better than those on Anthem.

[Jenjer]

If ha add my 2cents here. Having sailed on the Getaway & Quantum, and knowing that the escape is a larger version of the BA/GA. I can tell you that the Quantum class is a more elegant ship in my opinion. It had that WOW factor that NCL just did not have. The Quantum is one of our favorite ships, and I'm sure the Anthem is no different. Besides where else can you ride bumper cars in the middle of the ocean, or go into a skydiving simulator. Very cool ships.

 

I have sailed both Quantum and Getaway and I totally agree.

 

Anthem is going to be going out of Cape Liberty so the beginning and end it will be cold. Anthem is designed for the cold weather with the whole sports plex being inside.

[Turtles06]

I have sailed both Quantum and Getaway and I totally agree.

 

Anthem is going to be going out of Cape Liberty so the beginning and end it will be cold. Anthem is designed for the cold weather with the whole sports plex being inside.

 

That's only true to a certain extent. If there are high seas and/or strong winds (both very possible in the winter), many things on Anthem may be closed. For example, on our recent TA, the seas and winds required for several days that the pools (including the indoor pool and Solarium) be drained; the bumper cars in the seaplex (what you called the sports plex) were not operating, nor was North Star, flowrider, or Ripcord by iFly. We still had a great time, but cruisers should be prepared for things to be closed at times because of weather.

[Turtles06]

Generally speaking, I prefer the shows on RCI's ships. However, Anthem is a huge exception to this. We Will Rock You was horrendously bad. I was also underwhelmed by Spectra's Cabaret, which really doesn't take full advantage of the unique performance space that Two70˚ offers.

 

 

As I wrote in my review of Anthem, I thought the first half of We Will Rock You was pretty cartoonish (actually, even a bit dull/cheesy); I thought it picked up toward the end. I was not a big fan of Specta's Cabaret either, it's just not what I enjoy, although I think we are both in the minority there. I did like The Gift; it was a beautiful (albeit short) show.

 

Two70 itself, though, is the most amazing public splace we've ever seen on any ship. It has to be seen to be believed.

[jeffregpuck]

The features on the newer Royal ships are insane. They have things that NCL can't touch. Robotic bars, observatory pods, sky diving, surf riders, bumper cars, high dive shows, etc, etc, etc. The Gem is an older ship with nothing close to these features. That's not to say the Gem is bad, but comparing the two is like comparing an NFL team to a high school team. Completely different leagues. As far as which is "better" for you that is completely personal. You have some nice perks on the gem, and maybe you don't care about the new wow features of Anthem. My choice between the two would be easy and I would choose Anthem hands down. The new Royal ships are destination on their own. Hope this helps.

 

6&8

 

I hear you....I've sailed on the Gem before, and I actually tend to prefer the smaller ships. It's about a $600-800 difference for us to go on the Anthem instead of the Gem, but my DH does seem to prefer the larger ships. Just weighing our options. We will probably stick with the Gem for this particular itinerary, but one of the Royal mega ships is on our rador.

[aquarianne11]

My spouse and I have sailed on the Gem twice (as well as on two of her sister ships), and we've just returned from the Anthem's inaugural transatlantic. As sixesandeights says above, these are two totally different classes of ships. It's comparing apples and oranges.

 

Gem is a comfortable old shoe, a nice size, not much in the way of bells and whistles. We will be on her again this winter, and are looking forward to it.

 

Anthem is a mega ship, stunningly beautiful, an amusement park at sea. We had a great time, but would not sail on her at a time when a lot of kids would be aboard.

 

My review of Anthem is here:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2277588

 

With a ship like Anthem, the ship really is the destination.

 

You really have to decide between two very different types of ships, and what you are looking for in your vacation.

 

Happy to answer any questions.

 

Thanks for sharing your Anthem review. We are also looking at booking the Anthem in the near future. Our friends were very happy about their Thanksgiving cruise on the Anthem. The big bonus for is that the ship's home port is a short drive away from home.

[Brittany C]

Hi Mike,

 

We actually broke down a lot of the aspects of Norwegian Escape versus Anthem of the Seas so it would be easier to make the right decision for you. Check it out here and happy sailing!

 

~Brittany Chrusciel, Associate Editor, Cruise Critic

[nbsjcruiser]

The features on the newer Royal ships are insane. They have things that NCL can't touch. Robotic bars, observatory pods, sky diving, surf riders, bumper cars, high dive shows, etc, etc, etc. The Gem is an older ship with nothing close to these features. That's not to say the Gem is bad, but comparing the two is like comparing an NFL team to a high school team. Completely different leagues. As far as which is "better" for you that is completely personal. You have some nice perks on the gem, and maybe you don't care about the new wow features of Anthem. My choice between the two would be easy and I would choose Anthem hands down. The new Royal ships are destination on their own. Hope this helps.

 

6&8

 

There's no high diving shows on the Anthem, the ship that was referred to by the OP. We're diamond on Royal and so you know that we are fans of Royal but their service has been going downhill IMO. The food selections in the MDR are not what they were and NCL has far better dining options.

 

Personally I do not get the draw of things like bumper cars. Who cares? To me its like the vaunted boxing ring on the Freedom class ships when they came out. Made no sense then and still doesn't. Been on the Indy 3 times and have never seen that boxing ring used.

 

This Royal Diamond member would pick the ship based on itinerary, food options and then ship amenities. Food options on Royal ain't what they used to be and there's plenty to do on the Escape. Given the great itinerary on the Escape versus the ho-hum one on the Anthem, I'd be electing to go with the Escape.

Edited January 10, 2016 by nbsjcruiser

[Turtles06]

There's no high diving shows or surf riders on the Anthem . . .

 

I'm not sure what you mean by "surf riders," but Anthem has a Flowrider. Here it is:

 

 

 

(photo by turtles06)

[nbsjcruiser]

I'm not sure what you mean by "surf riders," but Anthem has a Flowrider. Here it is:

 

 

 

(photo by turtles06)

 

yeah meant to say high diving shows then got sidetracked talking about the wave runner on the Indy and just kept on typing. Thanks for clarifying that.

[denatravels]

Hi Mike,

 

We actually broke down a lot of the aspects of Norwegian Escape versus Anthem of the Seas so it would be easier to make the right decision for you. Check it out here and happy sailing!

 

~Brittany Chrusciel, Associate Editor, Cruise Critic

 

 

I think for some it's not escape vs anthem, but breakaway vs anthem given that they are in the same market-- I know that's my thought. During the winter, I don't want to fly because the is a decent chance of cancellation.