Anthem of the Seas-Should we cancel?

dptt · February 29, 2016

We are booked for a 10 cruise leaving NOV. 10. Worried about events happening with this ship, storm, virus out break, etc. Why is NO other ship leaving from the New York-New Jersey ports having problems? Shouls we cancel? Thank You

Clarea · February 29, 2016

If you really want to cruise on that particular ship, then I would not cancel. I have confidence in the marine staff. From what I've read here from those in the know, the crew was well trained and did (and is doing) a fine job.

Lady Luck T · February 29, 2016

I'll let you know in a couple of weeks!! LOL

cot427 · February 29, 2016

Only you can answer that question.

Yes, the Anthem has experienced an unfortunate series of events in the last couple months.

There have been weather incidents on other ships in the past. When I went on the Explorer out of NJ in 2014, we had high seas and water damaged a sliding glass door on deck 5. I have friends who were on the NCL Dawn years ago that was hit by a rogue wave.

Noro can happen on any ship and can be the result of multiple sources but mostly, I believe it comes from people who aren't very cleanly. The crew can't force people to clean themselves, they just do their best to clean up after them.

Etc... not sure what you mean by this. Those are the two main things...nothing more. If these warrant a cancellation in your mind, do it. Prices haven't moved that much and a lot of the upcoming sailings near capacity, as I've read on here. I just made my final payment over the weekend for my cruise...never crossed my mind to cancel.

royal girl · February 29, 2016

Any ship can run into noro or weather problems. Just that the Anthem is getting them one after another it seems! No one can tell you whether or not to cancel; only you can make that decision.

We are on this ship in June and I don't plan on canceling. We can't wait!

Turtles06 · February 29, 2016

Sigh.... first of all, there aren't that many ships leaving from NY Harbor in the winter. And to say none of them is having any "problems"... Well, we were on the NCL Gem earlier this month, which docked back in NY on Feb. 11, the day after Anthem returned to Bayonne from the major-storm cruise. On our way back to NY, we actually sailed through the second storm -- the one Anthem turned back to avoid, and had a really rough 24 hours or so. Storms happen at sea, hopefully no ship will have the "perfect storm" problem Anthem did on that ill-fated sailing.

As for noro? Happens frequently, particularly in the winter. Bad luck and bad timing that it happened on Anthem after the storm cruises, but noro happens.

We've sailed on Anthem. She's a stunningly beautiful ship.

impatientlywaiting · February 29, 2016

Heavens NO! We were on the Legend in 1998. After leaving Costa Rica on our sea day we were advised by the captain at 8:00 a.m. to go to our cabins immediately as we were headed into a very bad storm and couldn't go around it and we were going to just ride it out. He shut everything on the ship down and we all went to our cabins until the afternoon. We got through it and that was that. Nothing for free because we missed over half a day having to stay in our cabins; nobody even hinted that they were going to file a lawsuit because we missed over a half a day having to stay in our cabins; you get the idea.

We've also been on ships that had Norovirus the week before us and as other posters have said on these forums, the ships are at their cleanest as they've been very deeply cleaned before new passengers have gotten on.

Neither of these have kept us from cruising and we have 3 cruises on the books for this year and next year and area already figuring out our next 3 cruises after those! Go and have a good time and don't listen to the naysayers. I've decided there are just people who don't know how to do anything but complain and they really aren't worth your time.

Trainman52 · February 29, 2016

Noro can happen on any ship. Despite people self-certifying that they are "illness free", many do in fact sail.

I know many people who sailed on the Quantum who came down with respiratory illnesses.

People should take the hand washing and hand sanitizing seriously. Unfortunately, this falls under the category of "you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make them drink".

Thetrail · February 29, 2016

Stay in your house, lock the doors, don't go out side, don't answer the phone, take your money out of the bank and bury it on your property........:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

libertybelle41 · February 29, 2016

Exactly!

If I cancelled everything I was wary about I would never go anywhere, but nobody can make that decision but you and your family...:rolleyes:

CheerMom15 · February 29, 2016

We are going out in June and I am not cancelling. We got Norovirus at Disney World back in 2009 and still went back. We also got it when we went home for Christmas one year, assuming we picked it up at a highway rest stop. It happens every where all the time and not really a reason to cancel a trip IMHO.

Can't speak for the weather, its been weird this year. We live in NY and we have no snow left on the ground and it was 47 yesterday.. but its supposed to snow on Wednesday. :eek:

js · February 29, 2016

I wouldn't cancel. I'm booked on the NCL Getaway but really wanted to sail this ship but NCL is giving the free alcohol and dining package and leaving out of Miami in February always is more fun than NY but I can tell you I'm hoping prices come down and maybe I'll book LOL

Off to check LOL

Paulette3028 · February 29, 2016

Don't forget to add 'don't send your child/children to school (or go to work) where they may get a germ from another child or you from a co-worker who can't stay home and lose a day's pay'.

foxgoodrich · February 29, 2016

If you're worried about the possibility of Norovirus, you're actually more likely to become infected in your own community than you are on a ship. The CDC reports that about 20 million Americans contract Noro each year, and the worst season for spread of the virus is from Nov to April. The worst places for exposure are schools, health care facilities, nursing homes, restaurants and catered events, and transportation related venues like planes, airports, and ships. Most any venue where there are a lot of people is a prime place for Noro to spread.

The report I saw today said that an average of 10 people per day have come down with Noro on Anthem's current cruise. That's a very small percentage of the ship's population of passengers and crew, and would only account for a tiny drop in that 20 million cases a year bucket. I've been on 3 Noro cruises and in each case the crew did an excellent job of containing the outbreak, quarantining affected people, sanitizing public areas, and working with passengers to help prevent infection. I didn't get Noro on any of those cruises. I did get Noro once when I was a school principal, and once when I was a patient in a hospital. (From my perspective the CDC is right about the worst environments!:eek:)

If you're worried about weather, well...there's not much I can say about that! Bad weather can happen during any month of the year and it certainly can affect a cruise negatively. We take our chances on weather whenever we sail, it seems.

Personally, I would not cancel my cruise. But that's a decision you'll need to make based on your own circumstances and feelings. If you decide to go, I hope it'll be a wonderful cruise!

Judy

Edited February 29, 2016 by foxgoodrich

Trainman52 · February 29, 2016

Where in NY is it supposed to snow?? I heard rain.

CheerMom15 · March 1, 2016

We live in NNY.... They were saying 5-10in this afternoon through tomorrow. Not sure if that has changed between yesterday and now though as the weather here changes every 5 minutes! Haha!

MommaBear55 · March 1, 2016

If you are convinced you are going to have an awful time, yes you should cancel. If you know that things can happen anytime, anywhere and that nothing is perfect and you can make the best of every situation, then go for it.

I personally cannot wait to try the Anthem in May. It is going to be a fresh new experience.

I have never been on a trip that things went well 100% of the time. However, I would really have to think hard to remember the bad over the good. Jewel of the Seas? Great cruise, cannot wait to go back. Little thing called Hurricane Sandy kept us in port two extra days, we missed two ports, had a day of 40 foot Seas and 100 mile an hour gusts. Oh well! Still was a great cruise.

Duffy111 · March 1, 2016

You have a right to question the many negative reviews. I was very apprehensive before sailing on the Anthem (I kept my doubts to myself) and I thought that the negative reviews couldn't possibly have any merit.....such bad reviews for a brand new ship? My mistake. I learned now that people write negative reviews because they actually had bad experiences and they write them to voice their feelings about the negatives of cruising on the Anthem!

Judge for yourself....... Remember that many of the RC Loyalists will protect the brand no matter what. That being said, I hope that you have a good cruise.

alfaeric · March 1, 2016

Weather wise- I'd have to check the east coast historical weather for next November, but I kind of doubt that November weather will be like February weather. It sure was not for us this past November.

Viruses- like the cold and flu, Noro passes through communities- my wife and I got Noro visiting her parents one year. It didn't happen before, and it has not happened since. I'm not sure if I would think that a virus would remain in a community for 8 months.

But in the end, the choice is up to you.

Duffy111 · March 1, 2016

Yes, there have been a lot of negative reviews. Before we cruised on the Anthem, I noticed the large amount of negative reviews and I thought that this can't be correct as the Anthem is a brand new ship? My mistake as I kept my apprehension to myself. I know, now, the people that bother to write the reviews actually had negative experiences! "Where there is smoke there is fire"

You have to decide and please remember that the RC Loyalists will protect the Royal Caribbean brand and the Anthem - no matter what. Thats what they do...

CruisingChick · March 1, 2016

There are very few if any Winter Storms in the Northeast in November. Especially November 10th. It's still Autumn. Winter Strorms usually don't start until January. Of course having said that there could be a hurricane, since hurricane season ends November 30th.

As with Norovirus, I cannot even count the number of cruises that have had noro outbreaks.

Back in 2010 the Celebrity Mercury was sailing out of Charleston, SC there was a huge noro outbreak in Charleston and the Mercury had at least 3 cruises where a great number of people got sick. We sailed March 29th of that year and our cruise was the first where there was not an outbreak.

We are sailing Anthem in 6 days and I can't wait to get on the ship.

CapnKimo · March 2, 2016

The Anthem and her crew are still going through some growing pains. I would venture to guess that things should be better sorted out by the time you cruise. We were on the New Years cruise and had a wonderful time. The dining and some other odds and ends were a bit below par. By no means did it "ruin" our vacation. The knuckleheads who reserve every deck chair in the Solarium with their cute little clippy towel holders first thing in the morning and then don't show up for hours, were much more annoying in my book. I suppose one could argue that for the prices paid, things should be better and perhaps that is valid. We were willing to go with the flow for the convince of a reletively short drive to the dock and to experience the newest ship in the fleet. The balcony room and bath were fabulous and we really enjoyed the amenities and in particular, the 270 lounge/theater.

The potential for rough weather is always a factor, especially when sailing out of the northeast in winter. I suspect RCI will be more conservative regarding storms which will lead to lots of unhappy cruisers as plans are changed and forecasted storms fizzle out and the decisions are second-guessed by expert cruisers who always know better.

Regarding Noro, the Anthem was one of the best equipped ships to minimize the potential for infection. There are full hand washing stations located at the entrance to the Wind Jammer. The restrooms have touchless soap and faucets and knee buttons to open the doors without touching anything. I am quite certain that the same knuckleheads who feel so entitled to reserve the deck chairs are the same ones causing the Noro outbreaks due to lack of hand washing!

So to sum it up, I suspect things will be much improved by your cruise. If not having everything perfect will ruin your cruise, you may be safer canceling and booking on a ship with a more proven track record. Despite the bumps, we booked for this August and I am curious to see how it compares.

Anthem of the Seas-Should we cancel?

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