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On Anthem

mumeof3

By mumeof3,
in Royal Caribbean International

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mumeof3

mumeof3

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day 3 and love this ship, today we will be in Bermuda.... so far here is my 2cents....,Bayonne easy boarding, arrived at 11 on the boat in 15 minutes,left dock at 4 and wow going under the bridge was amazing, we have my time dining and was not happy with food in DR so we are sticking to Windjammer, last night was formal and we opted to skip.we did Sushi making class and it was fun, watched Spectra Cabaret, great show.....,I see land bye for now

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debandbruce

debandbruce

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Anthem is a beautiful ship, just loved her. We also found the boarding and disembarkation process fantastic. Funny your opinion of the MDR, we loved the food. Avoided the Windjammer like the plague just too busy. Solarium Bistro in the Solarium was great for us, ate there many times. Enjoy your trip!!!

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mumeof3

mumeof3

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Anthem is a beautiful ship, just loved her. We also found the boarding and disembarkation process fantastic. Funny your opinion of the MDR, we loved the food. Avoided the Windjammer like the plague just too busy. Solarium Bistro in the Solarium was great for us, ate there many times. Enjoy your trip!!!

So again we went to MDR and the food was awful I ordered Steak and there was brown gravy on it????husband ordered chicken parm and I can't even tell you it looked like a big Patty(it was chicken) with a spoon of sauce and small amount of cheese, you can tell others were not thrilled with the food, only good thing was dessert.., oh had garlic shrimp ..,,,not great, we are not picky eaters just everything we have eaten in windjammer was good(but hamburgers lol) now I am comparing to Freedom last year and their Dining room was awesome

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Breezegirl54

Breezegirl54

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I agree, the food in the main dining room was not good. We ordered lobster tails on the second formal night and they were awful. They did have an excellent appetizer, smoked duck breast, that was awesome. The steak wasn't good. No flavor. We are in all of the specialty dining venues. We liked Chops, order their prime beef it has a much better flavor. I like Jamie's but my husband didn't. I had the truffle pasta which was yummy. Order the plank with meat and cheeses as that was very good. I really liked Wonderland, hubby is a picky eater, but he liked it too.

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asctony

asctony

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Just got off of the Anthem 9/9. MDR food was poor!!! Service was poor!! We are Diamond Plus on RCI and sail RCI at least 3-4 times a year. Been on Harmony, Allure and Oasis within past year. The MDR on those ships was good to very good. Anthem was POOR! Ship great, entertainment great! Ate in Chops and Wonderland. Food there was outstanding. Try Wonderland even if you don't like the menu. Let the waiter pick your food. If you don't like it, leave it. Wonderland is an experience in presentation and food. Harmony OTS Wonderland is really an outstanding experience!!!!!

We did walk off and got off the ship at 8 and was at EWR by 830am. Walk off was very easy and quick! It was a Saturday and very surprised that the airport was very empty.

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Breezegirl54

Breezegirl54

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Forgot to mention that we ate breakfast in the windjammer most mornings. The food was very tasty. The waffles are so good and the eggs to order station was excellent too. They have a place on the buffet that has over easy eggs. The line in the eggs to order section was really long two of the days so I got my eggs on the buffet and they were good. My only complaint was it was very difficult to find a table. We even went to the areas recommended on CC, but those areas were full as well. I would suggest that you find a table first, then get your food.

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Ashland

Ashland

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Just got off of the Anthem 9/9. MDR food was poor!!! Service was poor!! We are Diamond Plus on RCI and sail RCI at least 3-4 times a year. Been on Harmony, Allure and Oasis within past year. The MDR on those ships was good to very good. Anthem was POOR! Ship great, entertainment great! Ate in Chops and Wonderland. Food there was outstanding. Try Wonderland even if you don't like the menu. Let the waiter pick your food. If you don't like it, leave it. Wonderland is an experience in presentation and food. Harmony OTS Wonderland is really an outstanding experience!!!!!

We did walk off and got off the ship at 8 and was at EWR by 830am. Walk off was very easy and quick! It was a Saturday and very surprised that the airport was very empty.

What transportation did you use to get to EWR ?...Details if you please.

Thanks so much for your experience.

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subtchr

subtchr

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What transportation did you use to get to EWR ?...Details if you please.

Thanks so much for your experience.

 

Different poster here, but we just disembarked on Saturday.

 

We signed up for self-carry at 7:30 (you can do it in the Royal IQ, under shore excursions for Cape Liberty).

 

We were at Cafe Two70 for breakfast when it opened at 6:30. There were already people lined up for disembarkation, but that is not necessary. We had a relaxed breakfast and joined the line (which at this point was almost to Two70) about 7:15. The line started moving right before 7:30 and went very quickly (constantly moving). We were off the ship and lined up to go through customs/passport control by 7:35 or a few minutes after.

 

We were out on the curb by 7:44, requested an Uber on the app, texted him which Zone we were standing by (numbers on the poles in the pickup area), and he was there at 7:53. Price for two of us was $26.91 plus tip. I believe that is either surge pricing or an airport surcharge, because our Uber to the port from our hotel was less than $20. But it's still much cheaper than a taxi.

 

We were at EWR by 8:12. Checked bags, TSA Precheck (but the security line at Terminal A was literally empty in any case) and at our gate by just after 8:30. Our flight was 12:30, so we had time to kill!

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asctony

asctony

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What transportation did you use to get to EWR ?...Details if you please.

Thanks so much for your experience.

We did RCI Transfers $28.50/person from or to the airport EWR. You can buy a round trip for $57 before you cruise via TA, buy on ship or get it at the bus. Some people used Uber for about $20 from what I heard. We went to Deck 5 Club 270 (Aft) or to Showroom (Forward) and there was a line but once it started to move, it moved very quick. We just walked off the ship with our luggage, cleared customs and Immigration, went directly to the bus. Everything was very easy and not a lot of people that early in the morning. Luggage was loaded by Terminal (A, B, etc.). We had Delta so that was Terminal B. American Airlines I believe was Terminal A. Bus stopped at A, then B, etc. Did curb check in, cleared TSA very quickly and went to get something to eat.

Hope this helps.

FYI - Solarium does have brunch daily from 9am - ?? Food is buffet style and mainly breakfast items, but they call is BRUNCH. We entered at 9am and food was out, but not warm. Windjammer was used by many as they felt it was better food than MDR. Yes, crowed, but you can find a seat. It is more like a Celebrity Ship Buffet, than the Oasis, Allure, Harmony Windjammer.

 

Here is a great site for videos/pics on a lot of ships. Anthem is there, too.

http://www.jimzim.net/CruiseHistory.html

 

Happy Cruising!!!!!

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Ashland

Ashland

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Different poster here, but we just disembarked on Saturday.

 

We signed up for self-carry at 7:30 (you can do it in the Royal IQ, under shore excursions for Cape Liberty).

 

We were at Cafe Two70 for breakfast when it opened at 6:30. There were already people lined up for disembarkation, but that is not necessary. We had a relaxed breakfast and joined the line (which at this point was almost to Two70) about 7:15. The line started moving right before 7:30 and went very quickly (constantly moving). We were off the ship and lined up to go through customs/passport control by 7:35 or a few minutes after.

 

We were out on the curb by 7:44, requested an Uber on the app, texted him which Zone we were standing by (numbers on the poles in the pickup area), and he was there at 7:53. Price for two of us was $26.91 plus tip. I believe that is either surge pricing or an airport surcharge, because our Uber to the port from our hotel was less than $20. But it's still much cheaper than a taxi.

 

We were at EWR by 8:12. Checked bags, TSA Precheck (but the security line at Terminal A was literally empty in any case) and at our gate by just after 8:30. Our flight was 12:30, so we had time to kill!

Thank you so much for all your detail info....I'm sure we're in the minority (everywhere) but have never used or had the need for Uber...:o:)

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Ashland

Ashland

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We did RCI Transfers $28.50/person from or to the airport EWR. You can buy a round trip for $57 before you cruise via TA, buy on ship or get it at the bus. Some people used Uber for about $20 from what I heard. We went to Deck 5 Club 270 (Aft) or to Showroom (Forward) and there was a line but once it started to move, it moved very quick. We just walked off the ship with our luggage, cleared customs and Immigration, went directly to the bus. Everything was very easy and not a lot of people that early in the morning. Luggage was loaded by Terminal (A, B, etc.). We had Delta so that was Terminal B. American Airlines I believe was Terminal A. Bus stopped at A, then B, etc. Did curb check in, cleared TSA very quickly and went to get something to eat.

Hope this helps.

FYI - Solarium does have brunch daily from 9am - ?? Food is buffet style and mainly breakfast items, but they call is BRUNCH. We entered at 9am and food was out, but not warm. Windjammer was used by many as they felt it was better food than MDR. Yes, crowed, but you can find a seat. It is more like a Celebrity Ship Buffet, than the Oasis, Allure, Harmony Windjammer.

 

Here is a great site for videos/pics on a lot of ships. Anthem is there, too.

http://www.jimzim.net/CruiseHistory.html

 

Happy Cruising!!!!!

Thank you also for some great tips....We're flying DL too & have TSA so your info is appreciated.

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Homelines1977

Homelines1977

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OP, can you tell me if there is a baby splash area for little ones that are still in swim diapers? We are looking at the Anthem but can't seem to get a definite answer on this question! Thanks

 

Yes there is, it is a little splash pool next to the kids pool, the water is warm and has a little fountain in it that keeps the water level.. My youngest daughter had fun in there.

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pattak619

pattak619

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OP, can you tell me if there is a baby splash area for little ones that are still in swim diapers? We are looking at the Anthem but can't seem to get a definite answer on this question! Thanks

There is a slash pool for little ones still in diapers :) It is close to the area meant for children,just off to the side.

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Celeste548

Celeste548

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OP, can you tell me if there is a baby splash area for little ones that are still in swim diapers? We are looking at the Anthem but can't seem to get a definite answer on this question! Thanks

 

Yes, it's a small area next to the kiddie pool. My younger son is 1 and it was perfect for him...except for the fact that he could see his older brother in the kiddie pool and wouldn't stay put. :) Also, the ship has complimentary swim diapers available at the towel stand. One less thing to pack!

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cruisercathy

cruisercathy

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We had lunch in Two70 when we boarded.....about 7 of us and no one liked the food so we never went back. We ate breakfast and lunch in Windjammer....cold pancakes, french toast,,made to order omelettes were great...very hard finding a table ......at anytime..not enough seating....I missed the outdoor grills other cruise lines offer to get food while at the pool.

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mumeof3

mumeof3

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We'll be trying Uber for the first time next month when we board the Anthem in Bayonne.

 

Sorry to hear the MDR isn't very good. Maybe I'll just fill up on shrimp cocktail every night.

Or go to windjammer and fill your plate with shrim cocktail instead of just 3 shrimp in mDR lol

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