Reality got in the way!! Our July 14th Anthem musings

[KimboJam]

Hello All !! I have to start off my mini-review by saying we had the most spectacular time aboard the Anthem. This was our first family cruise for my DH, DS (19), DS (21) and myself and we couldn’t have had a more amazing one. I just wanted to jot down some of our opinions and experience as there are so many negative nellies who just can’t wait let us all know how horrible their vacations was.

 

I know food is subjective – everyone has their own unique tastes/dislikes. We went into this vacation not expecting 5star high end dining. I personally feel it’s better to lower one’s expectations so when it turns out better than you thought, it’s a win-win situation.

First night we were in Grande, had a fabulous waiter (unfortunately I cannot remember his name) who was attentive and personable. Our food was hot/warm/cold when it was supposed to be and our glasses weren’t empty for long.

Other nights we went to Wonderland (so glad we tried that – food/presentation was on point and waiter, Phillipe was just terrific); Jaime’s where we had pretty good food and the meat/cheese plank was delicious; Icon and Chops where the food was hot and tasty but the service was meh; Windjammer saw us for breakfast, lunch and a couple of dinners and I have to say that the food we had was a lot better than expected. Hubby and I went to Grande/Chic for breakfast one day and I wasn’t impressed.

Oh!! I tried the kummelweck (sp?) on embarkation day at 270 – the bread was to die for, the meat should have been sliced much thinner and it tasted like brisket rather than roast beef – just sayin.

[KimboJam]

I made reservations for my sons to take the lessons for the Flowrider for early on Day2 – very glad I did!! They had a ball !! One thing I can say, is that I am VERY happy I got them compression shorts to wear under their suits as one lost his suit TWICE lol – it was pretty funny. The instructors were great and they got to boogie board as well as stand up. I also made reservations for I-Fly for about an hour after the Flowrider so they got to do that without crowds and waiting in long lines. The Northstar ride was taken on Day 4 (sea day) – we had 10am reservations – there were 9 of us in the pod – plenty of room and the views were spectacular. If you feel a bit disoriented up in the air, just look to the water and not directly down at the pool – it helps to ”right” you a bit. Also, a couple of mimosa’s at the bar before you get on helps too!!

 

Our show reservations were changed and the new times didn’t work for us so I ended up cancelling them which was OK for all of us. My older son ended up going to see Spectra’s Cabaret as a stand by – he said “it was ok”. Tried the Bionic bar – one arm was out of commission and some people stayed sitting at the Ipads after they ordered so it took a while to get a drink. It was a “one and done” for us.

 

Our cabin was on deck 8 above the smoking section on deck 5 and we did not smell any smoke whatsoever and we spent a pretty decent amount of time on our balcony. Our cabin attendant, Eunice, was on the ball and always had a smile and greeting for us when we saw her about the hallways.

 

I surprised my guys with the All-Access tour – which they LOVED!!! They went through the galley, crew’s mess, crew’s gym, engine control room, I95 and the bridge. My husband got a lot of great pics (which of course, I don’t know how to post). I had about 3 hours of “my time” so it was a great investment .

[KimboJam]

We live about 1 1/5 hours from Cape Liberty but got a bit lost on way there so we arrived around 10:30 – line to offload luggage wasn’t too bad. We got our stuff out and as we were with the porter, DH parked car at garage. We made our way to the front and checked in – that took a bit as the woman’s Ipad was a bit wonky and kept acting up. We get inside, go through security and sit for maybe 15 minutes in the “herding” area (had to wait for wedding party to board)then headed on to the ship. All in all, it wasn’t very long nor a hassle. Getting on/off the ship at ports was pretty easy and again, no hassles nor did it take a long time.

 

There were over 4k passengers on this cruise but it didn’t feel crowded to us. There are so many places to go and things to do that I can’t say that we noticed if everyone congregated in one or two particular spots. We hit the Solarium – found 2 loungers no problem. The water was a bit too warm for me that it didn’t feel refreshing; felt like bath water.

 

Never had a problem with the elevators or getting drinks/water (had drink packages) or rude staff/crew. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves and having fun. Lots of kids on the ship, ranging from babies to teens, and we didn’t notice any unruly, rude children nor “gangs” of kids. All the ones we ran into were well behaved and courteous.

 

From reading these posts for almost a year, I felt pretty well prepared for this vacation. I thank all you informative posters for that!! The greatest piece of advice I took was that “you make it what you will”. We went with the mindset that we were going to have a great time and we did – so much so that we all plan on going again in 2018. DH and I are going next year on a 5 day Bermuda cruise in October for his 50th birthday. I'll be happy to answer any questions. Thanks for reading and happy cruising!

[hansolosmom]

Thanks for the info, sounds like you had a good time - I like your suggestion on the mimosas prior to NorthStar :D

 

Did you find the Solarium humid or stuffy feeling?

[Guest maddycat]

Thanks for your review. I'm glad that you had a good time and enjoyed the Anthem. We also had a great cruise on the Anthem in April. The Anthem is now our favorite RCI ship.

[KimboJam]

Thanks for the info, sounds like you had a good time - I like your suggestion on the mimosas prior to NorthStar :D

 

Did you find the Solarium humid or stuffy feeling?

 

For me it was very stuffy and humid. Our weather was humid to begin with but there was zero air movement in there which made it worse. I was more comfy outside in the sun.

[nycfa]

Thanks for the review!

[cincicruisers]

Thanks for sharing your review with us.

[DaisyL]

For me it was very stuffy and humid. Our weather was humid to begin with but there was zero air movement in there which made it worse. I was more comfy outside in the sun.

 

Great review!

 

I was very disappointed with the Solarium in May too. Because it's enclosed, it was very hot and also in the enclosed pool area too. Too bad because the spaces are really nice.

[easyboy]

Thanks for the review.

[Clarea]

Appreciate the feedback.