Anthem Dec 19th Cruise

[dustball]

Hi all,

 

I am just off the Christmas Cruise for Anthem and I thought I would share some thoughts. Please note that I truly believe that a vacation is what you make of it. If you go in with your eyes open then you will find the magic. I think the following are just some thoughts that will help near future cruisers with expectations and adjustments. I am a firm believer in letting a company gently know of issues and to balance complaints with compliments (where they are warranted), so I will be sure to send off all to RCCL (and I did go to guest services once during the cruise)

 

Entertainment: Spectra's Cabaret is incredible and it is great to try out the 270 venue at different times during the cruise. We were lucky enough to see the Virtual Symphony on Christmas night and loved it! The Gift is an interesting show. Very beautiful! We didn't pick up on the story line as we arrived 5 minutes late. A word of caution... the sight lines in the balcony of the Royal Theater are dreadful. It also is partial viewing of higher up (flying) if you sit under the balcony on the first level. It is a shame whoever designed this theater didn't design it so that all seats (or 90%) have a full view. My reason for mentioning this, is you may want to get there a bit early and get main floor seats. We will Rock You... (I think that is it's name),seemed to be thoroughly enjoyed by many. We live in NYC and go to Broadway shows a lot so we were trying not to compare. We all decided that this is not our favorite type of show. It trys to be Mama Mia ("hey I know that song!") but it doesn't stack up.... This is a personal thing.... The performers were very good! Smaller entertainment.... Wish there was more string players, a guitar player, a rock band at the pool? Very few comics (I think we saw one....)

Depending on how sold out your cruise is, for the big shows, I would try to get there a little early. MAKE RESERVATIONS!!!!

 

Cabin: We were in 6160 and despite being an obstructed view, there was no obstruction! My father was in 6162 which had a bump out triangular balcony and seemed much bigger!! We decided that the obstructions were not a huge big deal for us..... Personal choice! You can definitely see and hear the ocean. There seemed to be plenty of space and the beds were comfortable. Our room steward was absolutely a delight, Herman.

 

The ship: What a beautiful ship! I am not an expert on cruising. We have been loyal NCL cruisers as we love freestyle. Plus we love NCL's entertainment. We were on the Allure and had a great time, but preferred freestyle dining. If I was to compare Allure and Anthem, I would say that they are different ships for different cruisers. We actually met one homesick waiter, who said he missed working on the Allure. The Allure has the beautiful Central Park. The Anthem has the pulse beating always busy seaplex. The art work on Anthem is whimsical and refreshing. We heard from many cruisers that they prefer Oasis and Allure. I am sure there were also many new cruisers that loved Anthem. AND the booking desk for future cruisers was very busy on the last few days.

 

Technology: Well, there were glitches. VOOM seemed to be fast most of the time. There were issues with the Ap and it seemed that there were always folks at guest services. We never got the messaging to work as others that we became friends with, said they had the same issue. Whatever you do, download the ap BEFORE you get on the boat. I can say confidently that NCL has the messaging and AP functions down better than RCCL. The robotics in 270 seemed to be cranky. They had to shut down a show in 270, because the robots froze. Hopefully they will iron out these kinks.

 

Food: Ok, so first I will tell you what we loved. Jamies and Wonderland..... Jamie's was a sensational and much needed meal. It was telling when the waiter told us, so that was better than the other restaurants, yes? Wonderland is an incredible and delightful experience. Please go hungry, believe me you will eat a lot! Such surprising and delightful morsels. Let your waiter guide you... Sadly, they no longer do the painting on the menus and the words magically appear. Just mentioning so that you won't be disappointed. The food does not disappoint however! Devinly Decadent was one of our favorite complimentary venues. It was an oasis of quiet off of the solarium with a twist on healthy and less fattening food. Sadly, our sailing was it's last.... We watched as they peeled the signs off of the doors. We became friends with the manager who said it would be come Solarium Bistro, but he had no idea of the menu. The complimentary restaurants were very underwhelming. We learned quickly to ask the waiter to guide us (hopefully away from items that folks didn't like....) We think that uniformly the food is pretty much the same in complimentary other than Devinly Decadence.... We found Silk to be our very least favorite. This is not good pan Asian food. Sorry! JMHO Windjammer is pretty much a typical buffet. Seating can be difficult but if you go to the very back there is always a seat and some lovely outdoor seating. So comparing NCL (Epic, Getaway, Breakaway) RCCL (Allure) and Anthem, apologies, but complimentary dining in Anthem is our least favorite. The service was friendly and bending over backwards to try to please, but the quality of the food was just not up to par. Again JMHO. We had no problems with reservations as we made all of ours in advance, but those that did not, had big problems. There are issues with reservations, as we went one evening to Devinly Decandence and there were 7 4-tops eating and the rest of the restaurant was empty. When we asked if we could get at a table, we were told that they were fully booked. Eventually we were seated (and they were apologetic!)

 

Bumper Cars: THE BEST AND A HOOT! You have to try to just keep an eye on your TV about when the lines are long and run over when it appears they are not busy. They are rough and FUN!

 

XBox: My tween loved this and The Living Room. Lots of action and he made lots of friends. I saw lots of happy teens and tweens the whole trip.

 

IFly: On my reservations on the AP, it said my reservation was 10:00-11:00. When I arrived at 10:40 they said I had missed my appointment and that I could not rebook (sold out for the entire cruise). I had to wait on stand by. I waited for 20 minutes and was able to do this. I was disappointed on this miss on RCCL's part to not be more specific, but the actual experience is incredible. Please note to arrive 15 minutes BEFORE it says is your reservation time block or they will give away your reservation. RESERVATIONS A MUST

 

Northstar: Wow, I heard one couple say they waited 2 hours and then had it shut down. We had a reservation but were called one night (woken) at 10:30 PM to say that they were canceling our reservation. I had to groggily think of our schedule and we were able to re-schedule over the phone. I was told they were completely booked on Northstar the whole cruise. We had fun on Northstar. If I had to do it again, I would try to do it in or near a port. RESERVATIONS A MUST

 

Photos: Very easy! Loved that you could download to your phone after paying.

 

Chipping away..... what do I mean by this? This ship is brand new and there are already cut backs... no stowaway piano (I asked, they said "no more".... so if you see him please report back! I hope he was only on vacation!) Wonderland, so sad about the menus... that was part of the magic. There is a noticeable cut back in middle management. Everyone we met was so sincere and willing, but they are understaffed. Our head waiters always bussed our tables. We felt so bad we would try to help them. There just isn't enough staff. The staff is bending over backwards, but there just aren't enough.....

 

Cruisers: There seemed to a few folks that felt the same way we did. We tried to pass along constructive criticism to management where we could and hoped that it might help. There were quite a few angry customers (yelling at employees that weren't responsible) The line for the trapeze was a 2 hour wait at times... there were some Moms that weren't happy about that, big yelling and hollering!

 

Puzzle Break: FULLY booked on first day and no chance to do this. Unfortunately, there was no way to even find out the schedule to try stand by. If you want to do this, book it right away! And I am not even sure how to book.... There just isn't enough info about this anywhere. So, if you want to do this, get on the ship and be specific and stay on it, until you get an answer.

 

Spa: I have to say that this was a bit of a disappointment. We are NCL cruisers and a bit spoiled with their much superior facilities. We booked the spa sight unseen. There are approximately 8 stone heated loungers, a hot sauna and a steam sauna. The hot sauna is not hot and the steam sauna was so hot I couldn't go in.... (personal preference on the temperature!). We witnessed many confused cruisers looking in corners ("where's the rest??"). We were able to get a credit (we had to pay a day pass for 1 hour's use).

 

I hope this helps. I don't mean to be negative. I think that managing expectations is more what I am trying to achieve. Did we have fun? YES! Will be back? Hmmmmmm.... can't answer that one! Happy Holidays All! Make it a good one on Anthem!!

[windjamming]

Hey dustball! We were on this cruise too and have similar sentiments.

 

So disappointed Devinly Decadence is going away! Our dinner there was our favorite (we ate at complementary restaurants only - would have loved to try Wonderland but was sold out), and we found the setting so tranquil after the other restaurants. We only saw 4-5 tables seated besides us.

 

Will post my own thoughts later .. but in summary, we had a great time, though, admittedly not the *best* time.

[dmlee1990]

Thank you for your review. We won't be sailing the Anthem until September 2016, but love reading all the different opinions of the Anthem. We hope some of the kinks will be worked out when we sail.

 

Just one question......If we don't book the specialty restaurants in advance, when would be the best time to dine at Wonderland or Chops Grille? Are they usually booked during the earlier hours such as 5:30 or 6:00 pm?

 

Thank you!

[dustball]

Hi Dmlee!

 

I would suggest booking in advance (we thought earlier dining works best, but made friends on the cruise that alway booked at 8:30). You can book in advance and try to tweak once on board. You will get charged if you don't cancel 24 hours in advance. In spite of that there were still "no shows", as we they called us the day of to confirm we were showing for our Wonderland reservation.

 

So, JMHO, but plan in advance and tweak on board if you can......

[dustball]

Forgot to mention a few things....

 

Pools: WOW they are stunning. The Solarium is a stunning and quiet place. We didn't see a lot of kids back here and I actually saw an employee gently ask 2 kids to leave (they were on the swing). Since there are 3 pools, this one doesn't seem to attract a young demographic. We never had a problem finding a lounger.

The indoor pool next to Solarium has a younger crowd. Really beautiful space. The outdoor pool is generally the most crowded (except when in northern waters). Great outdoor screen (cool to see them projecting the large moon on it at night).

 

Boarding: no issues. a little chaotic, so find a short line, ask questions, and get there early. I think getting there early is key!

 

Meet and Mingle: This was a little interesting... we are used to NCL and expected an officer or two to be there (I had a few constructive thoughts I wanted to share....) but basically it was a swag giveaway! Ok not complaining!! Also they changed the venue and timing, so it is good to double check this on CC.com, if you can. We met and made friends at this Meet and Mingle and yes, they did have champagne and mimosas.

 

Library: What a beautiful space! Upstairs at 270 .... it is a beautiful open space with books and boardgames.

 

Private spaces: there are so many cozy nooks and crannies, couches, cocoons and special spots to curl up and read a book or have a card game. Truly a beautiful ship.

[Turtles06]

Dustball: welcome back, and thanks for taking the time to post your thoughtful comments. I'm glad you had a fun cruise. We loved Anthem, and had a terrific time on the TA, but also found the food in many of the included venues to be mediocre (or worse), and totally agree that the dining venues are understaffed.

 

Totally agree with you about Silk; ugh, our dinner there was hands down the worst meal of the entire cruise. The food just did not taste good. My spouse and I really think they need a new chef.

 

That is big and disappointing news from you that Devinly Decadence is no more! We haven't cruised on other RCI ships, so I have no idea how good Solarium Bistro is, but I expect it's a different menu. Devinly Decadence on Anthem was wonderful (to our great surprise), and we were kicking ourselves that we hadn't tried it until so late in the cruise. So sorry that it's gone!

 

Anthem is a stunningly beautiful ship. If RCI could just work out the food and service issues. . .

[dmlee1990]

Hi Dmlee!

 

I would suggest booking in advance (we thought earlier dining works best, but made friends on the cruise that alway booked at 8:30). You can book in advance and try to tweak once on board. You will get charged if you don't cancel 24 hours in advance. In spite of that there were still "no shows", as we they called us the day of to confirm we were showing for our Wonderland reservation.

 

So, JMHO, but plan in advance and tweak on board if you can......

 

 

Thank you, Dustball!

[Sanz]

Hi all,

 

I am just off the Christmas Cruise for Anthem and I thought I would share some thoughts. Please note that I truly believe that a vacation is what you make of it. If you go in with your eyes open then you will find the magic. I think the following are just some thoughts that will help near future cruisers with expectations and adjustments. I am a firm believer in letting a company gently know of issues and to balance complaints with compliments (where they are warranted), so I will be sure to send off all to RCCL (and I did go to guest services once during the cruise)

 

 

 

Thank you for your balanced review and your suggestions. We are suppose to leave next Sunday, Jan 3. I have some medical issues that need to be addressed this coming week. Really want to take a cruise, but this is one ship I will not regret missing. Our 11th cruise, our first on Royal, was in 2014. We had a great time and decided to go with Royal again. Quite often I have been reading about cutbacks, staffing, problems with technology, and food on the Anthem. There are always issues with a new ship, but there appears to be many more issues with this ship than other new ships. So happy that I have not mentioned certain things to my husband. He will not miss them.

 

If we get to cruise, like you we will make our own good time, as we always do, and ignore what we cannot change - if it does not need immediate resolution. Hopefully we will not need to address any issues when we return home. - Hopefully we get to go.

Edited December 28, 2015 by Sanz

[swoopy2110]

shame they've got rid of the "Painting menus" in Wonderland .. did they give you a reason why? Surely they're re-useable when they dry?

[emileg]

Dustball: Thanks for a balanced review. We sail on the Anthem in exactly one week. Nothing in your review to deter us or detract from our excitement. We are scheduled for "classic" dining. If we don't like the food in Silk the first time around on this 12 night cruise, we could always book a specialty restaurant on the nights we are scheduled to return to it. Again, much appreciated.

[MisterBill99]

Totally agree with you about Silk; ugh, our dinner there was hands down the worst meal of the entire cruise. The food just did not taste good. My spouse and I really think they need a new chef.

That seems pretty obvious from all of the terrible reviews. It's got to be pretty embarrassing that they are putting out such a mediocre product, and if it's not, then someone higher up also needs to go. Has anyone found the F&B Manager or Executive Chef and discussed it with them? I will if given the chance at the C&A event.

 

Speaking of which, what is the "Top Tier" event on Anthem or did the aforementioned officers show up at it? On Celebrity, you can usually count on the room being full of senior officers.

[Nessa1dc]

Thank you for your review. I appreciate it.

 

Leaving on January 3, 2016....Question...

 

You did say that Devinly Decadence is switching to something else? I have reservations there....what is it now?

Edited December 28, 2015 by Nessa1dc

[Turtles06]

Thank you for your review. I appreciate it.

 

Leaving on January 3, 2016....Question...

 

You did say that Devinly Decadence is switching to something else? I have reservations there....what is it now?

 

The OP says it's Solarium Bistro, menu not yet known.

[dustball]

I was told it will be called Solarium Bistro but the didn't know what the menu would be....

 

 

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[dustball]

I think it would be good to speak to some senior officers. I am not diamond level so I wasn't invited to the party with the officers. I did speak to guest services but I honestly don't know what happened. I can only encourage those sailing to keep an open mind and to convey constructive criticism to the highest level person you can! Happy sailing

 

 

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[Lveh8lve]

I was able to book puzzle break through the Royal IQ app on board and you can also schedule it at the seaplex. It was a great experience for my inner nerd!!!

[DC.Cruiser]

I was able to book puzzle break through the Royal IQ app on board and you can also schedule it at the seaplex. It was a great experience for my inner nerd!!!

 

We booked Puzzle Break experience on Day 1 at The SeaPlex at the entrance, activity desk to your right than you come in. It is offered during Days at Sea at 1030am, 1230pm, 230pm and 430pm. On Day 2 some of our friends wanted to book it and there told that it was completely sold out for the rest of the cruise.

However than we did it on Day 3 at 1230pm half of the people that signed up did not show up. So the host went out to look for people that would like to join our group. In the end we had 9 people in the group instead of 12. My point is if it is completely booked, but you still want to do it come around the start times to Fuel Disco (it is where they do Puzzle Break) and ask if there are any cancellations. Most likely you will be able to get in.

[emileg]

I was able to book puzzle break through the Royal IQ app on board and you can also schedule it at the seaplex. It was a great experience for my inner nerd!!!

What is Puzzle Break? Thanks.

[Royal Fun]

Hi dustball...thank you for sharing your thoughts on your recent cruise. We are sailing in March and have cabin 6160 booked. Do u have any pics? This will be the most forward cabin we have stayed in...did you notice much rocking or swaying? We sailed quantum last yr and loved it...

[njmomof2]

We were also on the same cruise as Dustball.

 

We never got a notification about the M&M so we missed it completely. Sorry not to have met several people with whom I had been posting these last months.

 

We saw WWRY and Spectra's Cabaret. While I love Queen, my older son (a drama geek) sat the entire time with his hand over his face commenting that the show was like a bad 80s drama. The songs were good, but the thread of the show simply wasn't there. The actors worked hard, and they tried, but you can't improve a bad script. Spectra's, while definitely a technology marvel, had absolutely no theme that I was able to figure out. I liked the space a lot, but after that show, we gave up.

 

Had DD and ate at all of the included restaurants except DD. Unlike many, we actually liked Silk. While definitely no where near the quality or taste of even my local Asian cuisine restaurants, it was good enough to have us come back a second night. The one weird thing I noticed was the Vietnamese steamed bun appetizers. First time we went it came with not a steamed bun but a tortilla. Not at all what I expected. However, kids found something to like and when we went back the second time (Christmas day...can't not have our usual Jewish Christmas dinner) they had the buns and it was much better. Had good servers both times so maybe that helped.

 

For the other included restaurants, my son summed it up best. Menus were totally uninspired and there seemed to be nothing about them that defined the cuisine of each specific restaurant. The same lamb shank showed up on three different restaurant menus, and there were times that there wasn't a decent appetizer on the list. Definitely short handed in service with most meals taking almost 2 hours. Drink service was difficult, especially for my younger son with his RR package. And, the biggest issue with that was that the restaurants are not equipped to offer a non alcoholic frozen beverage without charging it even though you had a package. Had to make 3 trips to GS to get the charges off during the week.

 

We spent most of our time in the comfortable chairs at the indoor pool. It was a bit warm for us in the solarium, although it is a lovely space. Definitely a lot of indoor seating for those really cold winter cruises. I did feel that the space in the Via, near Jamie's, seemed to be an underutilized space. Why not offer live music in the evenings to encourage use of this area?

 

Liked our cabins a lot...11220/218, adjoining balconies just forward of the midship elevators. Great location and lots of storage space all around. The beds were new, and hard as a rock. Our cabin steward managed to find me a foam topper the second day and that improved it a bit, but the pillows were awful. Luckily, I had 2 from home in the boys' flowboard bag for cushioning so I used them The shower is larger and has a bar better located for shaving that previously. The bathroom itself seems smaller, but still well designed. Our cabin steward was nice, but we had to ask a few times over the week for extra bath towels even though we had requested them originally. Sometimes I wonder if they get incentives to put out less towels.

 

Boys did iFly shortly after boarding and liked it, but we were unable to secure another time since they were booked up and we were told only one chance per passenger. Never got on Northstar...were unable to book in advance and the lines were well over an hour each time we looked. Younger one did bumper cars also shortly after boarding, and that was the last time. Lines were really long, short ride and often the cars got boxed in and you spent the 3-5 minutes stuck against the rail going nowhere. Same thing with lines for the trapeze and roller skating (and they use four wheel skates and not blades, if anyone's kids need to know). Younger one enjoyed basketball when it was available. Never did the puzzle room.

 

Flowrider is our biggest draw, and boys were able to get on when the weather warmed up on Sunday. Some time on Thursday, however, a piece of someone's jewelry, which they are not supposed to wear, got stuck in the mechanism and between that and some control board issue, the Flowrider broke down. They managed to get 1/2 up on Friday but it's incredibly hard to stand up board with 1/2 of the machine down, so that was it for us. Even heard that they didn't know if they would get the replacement part when we got home to Bayonne so no idea if it's working this week. Disappointing to say the least.

 

A couple of comments comparing to other ships. Sorrento's much bigger, which is nice, but Café Promenade much smaller and the selection is sorely lacking. Maybe because they want you to buy from the for fee La Patissiere across the way? Not a lot of seating around that area, since there is no real promenade like on Freedom class ships. We did one picture opportunity, but we were in Grande on the last night and hoped to do another, but no photographers anywhere that night so we lost the chance. Really liked Café 270 much better than Park Café on Oasis. Was not impressed with Windjammer. Thought the salad options were incredibly limited, with few toppings to make a nice salad. Lots of tables were left dirty with upper management walking through and no one doing anything about it.

 

Other than the first evening, Bionic Bar was almost always empty. Every time we walked through, I thought that was a waste of space. Izumi was small, and some tables are in the hallway leading to or from other areas. Wouldn't have liked to be sitting in the hall eating if I were paying for it.

 

Speaking of paying for food, we did Chops on night 2 since mom is D+ and we had the BOGO coupon. Booked for the four of us at 8:15. About 1/2 hour later, while only starting on entrees, a large party must have come in, with about 15 kids of various ages. They were running around, yelling, crying, and the few adults with them were yelling almost as loudly. As the evening progressed, more adults arrived and started filling in other tables and pushing some together to get larger spaces. This continued throughout our meal. I don't mind kids in restaurants (have 2 of my own) but at that time of the evening, little kids don't belong. For $45 per person, I felt this was unacceptable. Spoke to the server, she had the manager come over. His response was along the lines of the fact that they could not turn away a 35 person booking. First offer was to move us to another table for dessert. Not good enough. Finally, he offered 20% off the meal. Since mom and I were on the BOGO, the server took 40% off the boys. So all of us ended up paying a net of around $27. Better, but it really ruined the meal and we did not do specialty again that cruise. Going forward, while the food was very good, I will not pay $45 for it again.

 

Boarding was relatively easy, although a bit hard to find someone with the iPad to get us checked in. We parked in the garage after unloading the luggage, and after check in, walked right on the ship. This was at about 11 AM. Leaving was easy, once we found our luggage between 2 areas and the "lost luggage" slot, since one of my tags got ripped off. Got a porter to help us with the 6 bags and he walked us right up to my car on the lower level (handicapped) to get loaded. Was home in western Morris County by 9 AM.

 

Would I sail Anthem again...? Not sure. We definitely like Freedom more, but the ease of travel out of NJ is a big draw. Guess we won't have to worry for a while, since my oldest leaves for college in August, so cruising is on hold for a while.

 

If anyone has questions, please let me know.

 

Oh, one last thing. On Saturday, the last sea day, kids were up in the arcade. Younger son played a couple of games of Stacker. Ended up winning the iPad mini in the game. He was incredibly happy.

[dustball]

Royal fun

I am so sorry that I didn't take photos of the actual balcony .. I can assure you that there is no obstruction in front of it but only to your left.....

 

 

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[MisterBill99]

Janet -- great review. I hope you included the critical part of what you posted here in your online survey.

[MisterBill99]

What is Puzzle Break? Thanks.

Puzzle Break is where they lock a bunch of people in a room and you need to solve puzzles to get clues to get out. I believe that you have an hour to do it.

[ISABELLA]

Please tell me if the pool in the solarium is heated..

Also, sailing in April, I did book Devinly Decadence for dinner and wonder when RC will tell us it is no longer the venue... Not a great customer service...

[njmomof2]

Please tell me if the pool in the solarium is heated..

Also, sailing in April, I did book Devinly Decadence for dinner and wonder when RC will tell us it is no longer the venue... Not a great customer service...

 

I do believe the pool in the solarium is heated. The area is lovely, and it's definitely warmer so you should be okay.

 

As for closing DD, we are friends with someone from Freedom who works there in the morning. He did not tell me it was closing, but others have reported that they saw the door sign coming off and were told that our sailing was its last. I would think if they are changing it over to Solarium Bistro it will have similar food (perhaps more spa cuisine) but you'll have to give it a few weeks and read reviews of those coming back.