Just off Anthem 12/27/15 Cruise

[Stevedan]

We just got home from the Anthem 12/27/15 cruise. We were very concerned based on all of the negatives we were reading. We are not always easy to please but we were so pleasantly surprised! One of the best cruises ever! Hard to find any major faults. Were there minor things that could be better? Of course. Crowd management was fantastic and barely a wait for anything. Would be glad to answer any questions. Happy New Year!

[lovelife]

What's your take on the entertainment? What dining venues did you enjoy? Thanks!

[tomjohnsonjr]

How was the food in the MDR? Did you eat in any of the pay restaurants and if so was it worth the up charge? Thanks for any in put on this class ship.

[cruisenfever]

How was the food in the MDR? Did you eat in any of the pay restaurants and if so was it worth the up charge? Thanks for any in put on this class ship.

Since there is no MDR on Anthem, you have to specify which dining venue. There's American Icon, Chic, Silk and The Grande which are used for both Dynamic Dining Choice and Dynamic Dining Classic.

Edited January 3, 2016 by cruisenfever

[tomjohnsonjr]

Since there is no MDR on Anthem, you have to specify which dining venue. There's American Icon, Chic, Silk and The Grande which are used for both Dynamic Dining Choice and Dynamic Dining Classic.

 

Of all the dinning options on the ship witch one did you enjoy the most?

[BettyPC]

Interested to reading more!

[cruz4evr]

We just got home from the Anthem 12/27/15 cruise. We were very concerned based on all of the negatives we were reading. We are not always easy to please but we were so pleasantly surprised! One of the best cruises ever! Hard to find any major faults. Were there minor things that could be better? Of course. Crowd management was fantastic and barely a wait for anything. Would be glad to answer any questions. Happy New Year!

 

Glad to hear you had a great cruise on the Anthem Stevedan. DH and I will be cruising on Anthem in two weeks and would appreciate hearing how you liked the food, which venue you enjoyed the most and any other information about your dining experience you'd like to share with all of us. Did you attend any of the shows?

 

Happy New Year! :)

Edited January 4, 2016 by cruz4evr

[bren61]

Besides the drink packages, did they offer drinks cards (say 10 drinks for a certain price that you can use anytime throughout the cruise)?

 

Crown & Anchor Status % off discounts towards the drink packages?

 

One day drink package?

[Newbcruiser1]

Following! Glad you had such a wonderful cruise - I'll be on the Anthem in one month! Wondering about the 10 drink cards as well!

[bren61]

Who was your Cruise Director? Was it Abe Hughes, if so, how was he and do you know how long he will be on? We are cruising at the end of the month and was hoping to get a fun Cruise Director. Wish Richard Spacey would come back to Royal Caribbean.

[lovelife]

Wish Richard Spacey would come back to Royal Caribbean.

 

Yes, Richard, please come back. I love you. ;)

[drb116]

Of all the dinning options on the ship witch one did you enjoy the most?

 

We just got off the Anthem and I would say that there appears to be a picking order as far as quality of servers. For what ever reason, the American Icon just didn't function well. We ate there twice and found both times the waiters were not great, it took a long time to get seated, and the pace of the meal was just off.

 

Silk was a little better, but we found that Chic and The Grande were noticeable better service. We also liked dinner in the Solarium.

 

The food in all three was decent, depending on what you order. They switch the menus mid week, so if you are going to rotate through the different venues, you may want to try each of them early in the week, then revisit later in the week.

 

Unfortunately, we found it was easy to make reservations the first night or two, but by the end of the week, it was hard to change reservations.

[nycruise]

We just got off the Anthem also. Thought the meals in the MDR's were good both in quality and variety. Service is hit or miss based on the particular server but will say everyone is working hard to please. We liked Grande the best and Silk the least but all were fine when you consider they were serving 4000 people. We didn't use any of the paid restaurants, we tried Jamie's on the Quantum and weren't impressed.

 

They cancelled all showings of "The Gift" on this sailing, they claimed some type of technical difficulty. The rest of the entertainment was high caliber based on typical cruise ship offerings.

 

Good weather, smooth sailing, good food and service, pretty much sums it up but prefer a smaller ship. On this holiday sailing the ship was carrying 4,700 passengers and all venues were crowded and seating was limited at bars, shows and particularly the Windjammer.

[linkerbink]

Did you have any issues with the mattress? There have been many complaints about the "rock hard" mattresses but I haven't seen anything about them being on the Anthem.

[Turtles06]

Did you have any issues with the mattress? There have been many complaints about the "rock hard" mattresses but I haven't seen anything about them being on the Anthem.

 

We were on the Anthem TA and I thought the mattress was pretty hard (and I happen to like a firm mattress). The main problem for us, though, was the pillows. They were really hard and uncomfortable. We loved Anthem, can't understand why RCI didn't spring for more comfortable bedding. (Well, I guess I can. $$$$ )

[nycruise]

Did you have any issues with the mattress? There have been many complaints about the "rock hard" mattresses but I haven't seen anything about them being on the Anthem.

 

Found all of the bedding very comfortable, biggest problem was the room temp. Seemed cold most days, particular on the first and last sea days. We turned off the fan and turned up the temp, all to no avail.

[linkerbink]

We were on the Anthem TA and I thought the mattress was pretty hard (and I happen to like a firm mattress). The main problem for us, though, was the pillows. They were really hard and uncomfortable. We loved Anthem, can't understand why RCI didn't spring for more comfortable bedding. (Well, I guess I can. $$$$ )

 

Thanks. Not much I can do about the mattress but I will be bringing my own pillow...a travel size My Pillow. Greatest pillow ever! At least I will be prepared anout the mattress.

Edited January 4, 2016 by linkerbink

[lazeyey]

That is good to hear. We just booked this cruise and I am so excited but also was a bit worried after what I read.

[Mar y Sol]

We just got off the Anthem also. Thought the meals in the MDR's were good both in quality and variety. Service is hit or miss based on the particular server but will say everyone is working hard to please. We liked Grande the best and Silk the least but all were fine when you consider they were serving 4000 people. We didn't use any of the paid restaurants, we tried Jamie's on the Quantum and weren't impressed.

 

 

 

They cancelled all showings of "The Gift" on this sailing, they claimed some type of technical difficulty. The rest of the entertainment was high caliber based on typical cruise ship offerings.

 

 

 

Good weather, smooth sailing, good food and service, pretty much sums it up but prefer a smaller ship. On this holiday sailing the ship was carrying 4,700 passengers and all venues were crowded and seating was limited at bars, shows and particularly the Windjammer.

 

 

Very curious as to why so few good reports on Anthem! We'll be sailing next month and although I'm looking forward to it, want to know if there's anything we should skip! Taking my elderly mom and have already chosen restaurants, sorry to hear about the hit or miss service. Is there a "must do" like special performances in smaller venues or promenade goodies we should know about?

[drb116]

Very curious as to why so few good reports on Anthem! We'll be sailing next month and although I'm looking forward to it, want to know if there's anything we should skip! Taking my elderly mom and have already chosen restaurants, sorry to hear about the hit or miss service. Is there a "must do" like special performances in smaller venues or promenade goodies we should know about?

 

I would take a look at your dining reservations and avoid the American Grill. The service was clearly an issue there and it wasn't just a bad waiter.

 

I would look to spend time in Two70. They had these virtual concerts, which were great. It really felt like you were watching parti of a show. They also had many other events and it was just a place to get good food, and relax.

[jaimevoyager]

I will be sailing her in June. In the Solarium, are there seats in the shade for a portion of the day? I've done enclosed solariums and I've done Liberty and the Mariner. I've seen pictures but I'm not quite sure what to expect.

Thanks!

[Turtles06]

Very curious as to why so few good reports on Anthem! We'll be sailing next month and although I'm looking forward to it, want to know if there's anything we should skip! Taking my elderly mom and have already chosen restaurants, sorry to hear about the hit or miss service. Is there a "must do" like special performances in smaller venues or promenade goodies we should know about?

 

I read the Anthem posts assiduously, and I think plenty of folks have loved their Anthem cruises. Sure, there are some rough spots, but the ship is stunning, with incredible public spaces. I have a pretty detailed thread at this link with my comments (divided by subject) about our fabulous crossing on the Anthem:

 

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

 

Lots of tips in my thread. In particular, spend plenty of time in Two70 -- it's the most incredible public space we've ever seen on a ship. Great hangout during the day, and at night it's used for all sorts of entertainment and visual shows.

 

Have a great cruise!

[sha88]

Who was your Cruise Director? Was it Abe Hughes, if so, how was he and do you know how long he will be on? We are cruising at the end of the month and was hoping to get a fun Cruise Director. Wish Richard Spacey would come back to Royal Caribbean.

 

Yes, it was Abe Hughes and I thought he was great! Very involved, took a picture of him with me and hubby as part of a bingo quest to find the cruise director, get a picture and get a free bingo card.

[Stevedan]

Did you have any issues with the mattress? There have been many complaints about the "rock hard" mattresses but I haven't seen anything about them being on the Anthem.

 

I loved the rock hard mattresses! No complaints!

[Stevedan]

What's your take on the entertainment? What dining venues did you enjoy? Thanks!

 

The entertainment was very good. We saw We Will Rock You and Spectra's Cabaret. Rock You was a bit long and they left out my favorite Queen song, but it was very good, esp. the female lead. Spectra's Cabaret was simply amazing. The special effects in 270 were unreal. Calypso band also very good. CD Abe Hughes was highly visible and very enthusiastic.

 

Food was good, not great and not terrible. The dining venues are for the most part elegant and beautiful. Food in The Grande was very good but Silk and American Icon not up to the same standard both in quality, taste and variety. Chops a bit of a let down, but I think that was partially b/c we are from the NYC area where excellent steaks are easy to get. Our waiter was very good and followed us to each dining room. He was knowledgeable, efficient and friendly. Although we made dining reservations in advance, they were wrong when we boarded but luckily were able to have them corrected. You should check when you board as we understand this is not an uncommon problem. Windjammer was very nice, great selection and generally good quality and taste. Overall, a very enjoyable cruise!