7-23-16 Anthem Review

[scottygirl]

Did you rent snorkel equipment there?

 

No we have our own that we brought but you can rent equipment there just not sure it's worth it.

[scottygirl]

Went to breakfast at the Windjammer and we were off the ship and on a $7 shuttle ride to Horseshoe Bay by 9:30 am. The shuttles are very convenient and organized. Rented a couple chairs and an umbrella for $40? Walked along the beach and went to a few of the coves at the very end of the beach. Kids climbed the rocks. This beach is absolutely gorgeous, I am going to put it up there with Maui! We had a very relaxing day and wish we would have had more time. Next time I am in Bermuda I will spend two days at this beach! We caught a shuttle back to the ship at about 2:00. There were people just arriving at the beach from our ship when we were leaving! All aboard was 4:30, that’s cutting it too close for my liking. We did have a couple of runners that my son and I watched yelling and screaming “wait!” at about 4:40.

 

I jumped in the shower and then headed back down to the port area to buy a Christmas ornament. I always get an ornament from every place I visit. I got a glass ornament filled with pink sand for $8.50, not too bad. I checked out the Logo Shop onboard and was disappointed there were no ornaments of the ship. I have them of the other ships I sailed. 

 

We went up to deck 14 and watched the sail away lamenting our short time in Bermuda and vowing to come back again. There was a band playing during sail away. Tonight was our night for We Will Rock You which we all really enjoyed. We had dinner at Chic. Nothing too memorable but nothing awful either. Not sure what we did after dinner but I think Quest was scheduled this night at some ridiculous time like 11:30? We didn’t make it.

Edited August 2, 2016 by scottygirl

[ForeverAfter]

No we have our own that we brought but you can rent equipment there just not sure it's worth it.

 

Glad to hear you liked horseshoe bay so much. We're only in Bermuda one day (8-4) and plan to spend the day there. I was thinking about picking snorkel gear for my kids (8 & 5) before we go.

[scottygirl]

I believe I was up by 7:00 am and headed straight to the Solarium due to inclement weather. Found a prime spot right by a window so we could have some fresh air. This became our home base for the day. It turned sunnier later in the day but we had enough sun and needed a break. After my husband worked out he met me and took over babysitting our seats. I went for a 3 mile run along the “jogging track”. One side is marked for jogging and one for walking. It was obvious that some cruisers didn’t know how to read or hear. On your left, on your left, on your left! is apparently a foreign phrase. I’m going to go out on a limb and say 8:00 am is too late for a run on the “jogging track”! We ate breakfast at the Solarium Bistro and once again enjoyed it.

 

The day was mostly spent reading, taking a dip in the pool, enjoying a bloody mary peppered with watching my family Flowride and Rock Climb. The boys participated in the Puzzle Break but didn’t do as well as the girls! I believe we ate lunch in the Windjammer. At some point we got some frozen yogurt, this was only open at certain times and there was always a huge line hence the phrase: There are lines for everything, that’s why it’s called a “Cruise Line." My husband overheard someone saying this and we thought it was hilarious and fitting for this jam packed cruise. The FroYo isn’t very good and not worth standing in line for.

 

When the boys were doing Puzzle Break my daughter and I showered and got ready for Ripcord. This activity was so much fun! I had reserved one spot at 6:00 online and was able to get three other spots at 6:20 when we boarded. Well it turned out that several of the 6:00 folks didn’t show up so we were all able to go at 6:00. Once again the girls prevailed in being the best at this activity. Maybe because we are both petite? Who knows but it was a blast! We also did some packing somewhere in this timeframe.

 

Headed over to the Bionic Bar and made a Gin and Tonic. This was truly the best drink I had on the cruise. We had dinner in American Icon and this was probably our least favorite meal. Nothing awful but nothing to write home about either. I think we poked around the casino awhile and left because it was too smoky. Tonight was the Love and Marriage Show supposedly followed by a comedian. We enjoyed the L & M Show (not the ahem host) but the comedian called in sick? Called it a night.

[kenandcindyc]

I bought a Christmas ornament off Anthem the week before you. I purchased mine early on day 9 of our trip. By the end of that day, there were no more... sorry that our cruise purchased all of those ornaments.

[RonnieCosmic]

Yes we did the Puzzle Room. I was able to make reservations online. However I could only get two of us the first sea day and the other two on the second sea day. It was fun and my group got out in 37 minutes which I hear was pretty good!

 

I think we might have been in the same group!

[scottygirl]

We chose self-carry debarkation at 9:15. Went to take a shower and discovered the cabin steward had not given us fresh towels the night before, guessing she was not happy about not getting and additional tip?? So had to dry off with hand towels, good thing we are not large people.;) Went to Café 270 for breakfast and then headed back to our cabin to collect our things. Our # was called by 9:00 and we wer off the ship, through customs and back to our car before 10:00am. Very smooth process. We then went into the city for a few days before heading back home.

 

The Anthem is a beautiful ship with some great technology. We didn’t care for the lack of openness to the sea. Service was decent but not outstanding. With dynamic dining choice you really don’t get to develop a rapport with the servers. On the other hand dinners were quick, I think the longest meal was 1 ½ hours so that is definitely a plus! We loved Bermuda and would go back in a heartbeat for a land vacation or another cruise, 7 days. But I highly doubt we would go during the height of summer break, just too crowded. This was our first Royal cruise and I am sure I will get some flames, but my cruise ratings are Disney #1, Celebrity #2, Royal #3. I am not including the NCL cruise from 1991 because that ship was no comparison to the others we’ve been on but it will hold a special place in my heart because it was our first! We are going on the Freedom of the Seas in February and I will be interested to see how it compares to the Anthem.

[FM]

... I went for a 3 mile run along the “jogging track”. One side is marked for jogging and one for walking. It was obvious that some cruisers didn’t know how to read or hear. On your left, on your left, on your left! is apparently a foreign phrase. ...

 

Obviously they haven't watched Captain America - The Winter Soldier :D - lol ... "On your left"

 

We chose self-carry debarkation at 9:15. Went to take a shower and discovered the cabin steward had not given us fresh towels the night before, guessing she was not happy about not getting and additional tip?? So had to dry off with hand towels, good thing we are not large people.;) Went to Café 270 for breakfast and then headed back to our cabin to collect our things. Our # was called by 9:00 and we wer off the ship, through customs and back to our car before 10:00am. Very smooth process. We then went into the city for a few days before heading back home.

 

The Anthem is a beautiful ship with some great technology. We didn’t care for the lack of openness to the sea. Service was decent but not outstanding. With dynamic dining choice you really don’t get to develop a rapport with the servers. On the other hand dinners were quick, I think the longest meal was 1 ½ hours so that is definitely a plus! We loved Bermuda and would go back in a heartbeat for a land vacation or another cruise, 7 days. But I highly doubt we would go during the height of summer break, just too crowded. This was our first Royal cruise and I am sure I will get some flames, but my cruise ratings are Disney #1, Celebrity #2, Royal #3. I am not including the NCL cruise from 1991 because that ship was no comparison to the others we’ve been on but it will hold a special place in my heart because it was our first! We are going on the Freedom of the Seas in February and I will be interested to see how it compares to the Anthem.

 

Geez no fresh towels :( - pretty petty there ! Our 1st RCL cruise will be with Anthem next year but I can't see it beating Disney or Celebrity (our #1 and 2 also) ... thanks for the review ...

[moopig]

Great review! Thanks for taking the time to post it. I am doing this cruise in October so anxious to check out the ship. I am expecting some lines and crowds--it seems that the larger the ship, the more crowds :(

[scottygirl]

Forgot to mention Voom and the Royal IQ app. We purchased one device Surf and it was pretty much just used by the kids for Snapchat. I disconnected the entire cruise and loved it! I did try and I-Message a few pics but they never went through. We purchased the Royal IQ chat and it worked out really well for us.

[libertybelle41]

The beds are hard, but I may be the only one that actually loves them. My back approves :)

 

Thanks for the review...

Edited August 3, 2016 by libertybelle41

[cincicruisers]

Thanks for sharing your review with us.

[LadyLion_AP]

Great review! Freedom is a great ship & is very different from Anthem. Anthem almost feels like another brand. Anthem also felt more crowded than the Freedom & Oasis class ships even though the Oasis class has over 1000 additional passengers. I did find, however, many peaceful places to get away on Anthem & 270 was a beautiful place to sit an enjoy the view of the ocean. I think Disney, Celebrity, & Royal Caribbean offer great products. It's more about what your looking for when you cruise & the ship you choose definitely matters.

 

 

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[TeeRick]

Scottygirl- Thanks so much for the honest and balanced review. We are looking forward to our experience on Anthem in Nov.