One last winter Anthem vs Breakaway question

[robbykapnj]

Hi,

 

We cruised on the Royal Caribbean Anthem of the Seas last year for the holidays. While we are hesitant to book a repeat cruise on the Anthem of the Seas this year, we are very concerned about the lack of indoor space on the Breakaway, when half the sailing for a 7 night cruise will be cold weather (Anthem has Solarium with indoor pool/hottub, a separate indoor pool and a very large indoor space called 270 which overlooks the back of the ship).

 

For Royal - we don't want this to spoil the Anthem being our favorite ship. We are concerned with most of the entertainment and menus being repeats and wonder if this would ruin our cruise and ruin Anthem being our favorite ship by far. With that being said, we loved relaxing in the Solarium, the via and the Esplenade and 270 on the first and last days of the cruise during cold weather.

 

For those that have sailed Breakaway during the winter - I looked at the Freestyle dailies and didn't see too many indoor activities aside from demos. There are pool activities for the first and last day, but I don't see how those would be possible in 20-40 degrees. What was there to do the firs and last 1.5 days of the 7 day cruise?

 

Finally, we will be cruising with our grown kids - 21 and 24. Which ship is better for them? Will either ship for a holiday sailing have more families and people around their age to meet and hang out with at night?

 

Thanks!

[Ocean Dancer]

Never sailed Breakaway,but Anthem was built for cooler weather.

[smallfry74]

I have sailed Breakaway in March, it was cold and we didn't do much outside for the first day and the last. We found things to do inside, but it does get crowded. We had access to the spa which we used a ton. I was never bored but I probably wouldn't do it again in the cold season. I am booked on Anthem for Feb break and I am a little worried about that and Anthem has more indoors to do, at least it looks like it. Overall I would sail Breakaway again just not in winter.

[wilmingtech]

We just booked Anthem over Breakaway because the Anthem is designed for cold weather and it was 8 days instead of 7. And our sail date is in December.

 

Our last cruise was Freedom of the Seas. I had all the same doubts that you have as we had been on Freedom before.

 

We chose Freedom primarily over the Epic because of the 8 day instead of 7 trip with a better itinerary.

 

Hindsight 20/20 I don't regret that we chose the Freedom again. It allowed us to relax more. We also tried some specialty restaurants which we normally don't do.

 

I think if you wanted to try a new ship, go for the Breakaway but if you want a little more out of your vacation choose the Anthem. Save the Breakaway for warmer weather.

 

-Sean

 

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[garnet115]

I haven't sailed Anthem yet, but sailed on Breakaway several times, including a January cruise to nowhere and a February bahamas cruise. On the bahamas crusie, the weather was in the 60s by the middle of the first sea day - not warm enough for me to get in a pool, but my daughter was in her bathing suit as soon as I let her, and enjoyed it. Maybe we just got luck, but my recollection is that it was really only that first 1/2 sea day and the last sea day coming back that were too cool for outside activities.

 

My favorite part of the Breakaway is the Waterfront - I love sitting there during the day with a book and chilling out. The inside spaces can get crowded when the weather doesn't allow full use of the outside facilities, but they do offer activities in some of the other indoor venues like the theater, comedy club and fat cats. Also, if your looking for variety in dining, the Breakaway has a great variety of specialty restaurants (albeit for a fee). Personally, repeat food wouldn't sway me one way or the other in booking - cruise food is cruise food, and you get enough variety over the course of a week.

 

I have Athem booked for this coming February, mainly because I have seen the Breakaway entertainment so many times that I wanted a change. I am glad that Anthem is build for cold weather cruising, but am already concerned about the lack of outdoor space. I know I will miss the Waterfront. Also, my all time favorite cruise entertainment is Howl at the Moon on the NCL ships. I'm sure that Anthem has fabulous entertainment, but I will miss evenings at HATM.

[robbykapnj]

Thanks! Still torn and need to decide today. Do both ships have similar family crowds for a NYC holiday sailing? Can we expect the same amount of 18-20's kids / grown kids on this type of sailing on either ship?

 

What does NCL have to do on indoor cold days since RCL has 270 and solarium?

[mjkacmom]

Thanks! Still torn and need to decide today. Do both ships have similar family crowds for a NYC holiday sailing? Can we expect the same amount of 18-20's kids / grown kids on this type of sailing on either ship?

 

What does NCL have to do on indoor cold days since RCL has 270 and solarium?

You can pay for a spa pass.

[robbykapnj]

Thanks. Any idea if the crowd will be similar? Same number of families with college-aged kids for our kids to meet?

[jamesboat]

On Anthem last January, people were in the outdoor pool by noon on the second day (ie, 15 hours after sailing from NYC) and I was on the flowrider 12 hours before docking in NYC on the return

 

So you might get lucky with maximizng your outdoor time.

 

On the other hand, there might be a northeaster and youll be wishing you had access to an indoor sports center and solarium

[Ocean Dancer]

Thanks. Any idea if the crowd will be similar? Same number of families with college-aged kids for our kids to meet?

You are really asking us questions that we can't answer. Every other person could be in a walker, or every other person could be a partying frat kid. Expect the answer to be in between.

[hannah0176]

I’m on breakaway right now and can’t be sorrier that I didn’t stick with Anthem. It is night and day difference. Crowd everywhere there is not a peaceful and nice place to be. On anthem there were so many - solarium, indoor pool, outdoor pool, cafe 270 and the entire deck 5, just to name a few.

 

 

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[mjkacmom]

I’m on breakaway right now and can’t be sorrier that I didn’t stick with Anthem. It is night and day difference. Crowd everywhere there is not a peaceful and nice place to be. On anthem there were so many - solarium, indoor pool, outdoor pool, cafe 270 and the entire deck 5, just to name a few.

 

 

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Did you sale Anthem this particular week? I’m sure it’s crowded too, being Jersey week, most kids are off from school 3 - 5 days this week. Get a spa pass, we do.

[hannah0176]

No I sailed anthem end of April. I know Jersey week contributed to the crowd. But BA just doesn’t have many public areas I want to hang out at even if the crowd wasn’t there. I miss the solarium and Cafe 270 on anthem. Also the complimentary food on anthem is so much better than BA. The list goes on. I consider breakaway a huge downgrade from anthem.

 

 

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[vickylexi]

Hmmm...that's not how we saw the Breakaway Vs Anthem comparison. We have a 8 year old and 13 year old, and it was much more relaxing and more things to do on Breakaway. Anthem was a huge let down for us - we just got off of it. They were not prepared to handle 1000 kids. Availability of their special attractions like trapeze school, bumper cars and IFly was pitiful. Breakaway had wonderful water slides and rope course, bungee jumping, crawling structure open almost all the time last November. Yes, we compare apples to apples. Took two November cruises on these two ships. No play structure set up of any sort on Anthem. No waterpark for kids, and a puddle of water for kids in diapers. Toddlers need to go on Breakaway. On Anthem my 8 year old was too short to go on Anthem little lazy river whirlpool...and she is way too advanced of the swimmer to go to kiddie pool...I have to say, for families with kids, I'd recommend Breakaway over Anthem any day. Anthem did not deliver enough activities for kids. Not to mention on Breakaway the buffet was open late at night with specials like crepes. And the entertainment was way better with amazing Broadway dancers - not to mention their cirque the solei offering. Oh well, I guess it all depends who you travel with and what your needs are. I'd go on Breakaway again, would not go on Anthem. Trying Adventure in July, hoping it will be like wonderful Explorer we took years ago.

[LuCruise]

Hmmm...that's not how we saw the Breakaway Vs Anthem comparison. We have a 8 year old and 13 year old, and it was much more relaxing and more things to do on Breakaway. Anthem was a huge let down for us - we just got off of it. They were not prepared to handle 1000 kids. Availability of their special attractions like trapeze school, bumper cars and IFly was pitiful. Breakaway had wonderful water slides and rope course, bungee jumping, crawling structure open almost all the time last November. Yes, we compare apples to apples. Took two November cruises on these two ships. No play structure set up of any sort on Anthem. No waterpark for kids, and a puddle of water for kids in diapers. Toddlers need to go on Breakaway. On Anthem my 8 year old was too short to go on Anthem little lazy river whirlpool...and she is way too advanced of the swimmer to go to kiddie pool...I have to say, for families with kids, I'd recommend Breakaway over Anthem any day. Anthem did not deliver enough activities for kids. Not to mention on Breakaway the buffet was open late at night with specials like crepes. And the entertainment was way better with amazing Broadway dancers - not to mention their cirque the solei offering. Oh well, I guess it all depends who you travel with and what your needs are. I'd go on Breakaway again, would not go on Anthem. Trying Adventure in July, hoping it will be like wonderful Explorer we took years ago.

 

You mention something that I wonder about on the Anthem. They have bumper cars, and cool stuff being held in the SeaPlex (if I have the name right), but with crowds, have always wondered if it's hard to get a turn with long line ups....especially if you go during a busy time such as March or Xmas break or summer (and yet your'e talking about November).

Anthem does have We Will Rock You, which is a fun musical. Never been on NCL but often 'look'....Anthem is interesting for us too since although it would be a long 9hr drive, it is doable (vs air fare which is crazy these days). I see Breakaway is out of NY too certain times of the year.

[luckyinpa]

never was on anthem

 

but last december was on BA with two 8 year olds that do not do the kids clubs. day 2 sucked because of bad weather. had the kids test the pool water and its ice cold for even when the rain stopped. it was mid 50s during the day

 

2 days headed back had bad weather too. we tried to sleep in as late as possible. we had no idea what to do with the kids. the BA seems so small in bad weather. where in side can you even go and sit? the atrium is a joke even when no shows going on. the arcade was the only thing we could think of to do. we just felt trapped.

 

without kids i just got off the princess regal 2 weeks ago. i can say with certainty that theres much more indoor seating for bad weather days. and i'm glad i researched that ship. of course there were only about 20 kids total on board i think lol

 

i also had researched anthem for cold weather and even without me being on board, i can say if i was paying 'full price' id have to choose anthem over BA during any winter months. you lose virtually 2 days each way even if is perfect weather. and having the indoor areas is much superior to the BA

 

now with the prices being dirt cheap on BA this fall, i could see someone choosing it over anthem. but be prepared.

[Jerseygirl1416]

I have now been on both Anthem and Breakaway. I liked the Anthem overall much more than the Breakaway.

 

We didn’t sail with our children on either ship but I did feel the presence of the kids on board a lot more on the Anthem. I think Anthem has a great amount of indoor space to spread out but the outdoor pool areas are lacking.

 

I don’t like sitting in the solarium during good weather days so the only other option is the outdoor pool which was overrun by young kids. We had a cabana in Vibe on the Breakaway and that was the best part of that ship for us but the way you had to rush on board and be one of the firsts there to rent it stunk and I found the indoor space limited, smoke filled and lacking decor in general. The food wasn’t that good either IMO.

 

In conclusion I don’t think I’d sail either ship again. The Anthem was beautiful, clean, great food and service but just had too many kids on board that couldn’t be avoided outdoors or in the theater. Maybe it was because of the kids sail free sale but not sure how you can avoid sailing with that sale since they throw them at random times and could be after final payment. It’s not that I don’t like kids, I raised three sons, but I don’t want to feel like I’m at a Disney on a cruise.

[vickylexi]

never was on anthem but last december was on BA with two 8 year olds that do not do the kids clubs. day 2 sucked because of bad weather. had the kids test the pool water and its ice cold for even when the rain stopped. it was mid 50s during the day

 

2 days headed back had bad weather too. we tried to sleep in as late as possible. we had no idea what to do with the kids. the BA seems so small in bad weather. where in side can you even go and sit? the atrium is a joke even when no shows going on. the arcade was the only thing we could think of to do. we just felt trapped.

 

 

ok, I see your point if you were in a bad weather first 2 and last 2 days. We cruised in November, but got lucky with warm weather, so the pools slides and rope course were open day one. The thing is that you have abundance of options for outdoors entertainment for kids. On Anthem, they will be inside most of the time, regardless of the weather, since there is not much outside for them to do. And all the attractions have extremely limited availability, and yes, adults and elderly also want to do IFly, bumper cars and trapeze school - just because, so you are not competing for space just with the kids. On a side note...the circuz trapeze school that sounds so intriguing....you get to swing on a trapeze once, and you are done...no clue why they call it "school". You swing ones, for about 8 seconds, and they tell you to let go and they take you off. That's what you stand in line for an hour in hope you'll get it (12 people per session x 4 sessions). There - that's your circus school. Breakaway provided constant attractions (on our good weather sailing) like amazing waterslides and rope park. Compare that with Ifly 60 seconds, bumper cars 5 minutes. Keep your expectations low. We had tears when we were stepping off breakaway, and we had tears stepping off of Anthem - the latter were of joy. I guess you have two try both of them to have an opinion. Both of them are amazing, all depends on your preferences and weather I guess...

[Les_Bill]

We have been on the Breakaway 3 times(once in cold weather) and would not recommend it. Yes the waterfront is nice but there is so little to do inside as the atrium consists of an area that is designed for a couple hundred people and always has 5x that many people , it is a total zoo!

[luckyinpa]

ok, I see your point if you were in a bad weather first 2 and last 2 days. We cruised in November, but got lucky with warm weather, .

 

you wanna talk about luck. late october i had 70 degrees in canada. i think it was a record day in halifax. and i didnt bring shorts! ugh. i thought a canada cruise would be freezing, but not those 2 days. super lucky!

 

the 2016 patters listed 40 to 50 degrees for the same cruise.

[Maraprince]

Hi,

 

We cruised on the Royal Caribbean Anthem of the Seas last year for the holidays. While we are hesitant to book a repeat cruise on the Anthem of the Seas this year, we are very concerned about the lack of indoor space on the Breakaway, when half the sailing for a 7 night cruise will be cold weather (Anthem has Solarium with indoor pool/hottub, a separate indoor pool and a very large indoor space called 270 which overlooks the back of the ship).

 

For Royal - we don't want this to spoil the Anthem being our favorite ship. We are concerned with most of the entertainment and menus being repeats and wonder if this would ruin our cruise and ruin Anthem being our favorite ship by far. With that being said, we loved relaxing in the Solarium, the via and the Esplenade and 270 on the first and last days of the cruise during cold weather.

 

For those that have sailed Breakaway during the winter - I looked at the Freestyle dailies and didn't see too many indoor activities aside from demos. There are pool activities for the first and last day, but I don't see how those would be possible in 20-40 degrees. What was there to do the firs and last 1.5 days of the 7 day cruise?

 

Finally, we will be cruising with our grown kids - 21 and 24. Which ship is better for them? Will either ship for a holiday sailing have more families and people around their age to meet and hang out with at night?

 

Thanks!

 

 

Having sailed on both Anthem and Breakaway, Anthem is definitely a better choice for a winter sailing. Lots of indoor places and several indoor pools. Loved the Conservatory and the fact windows can be opened for fresh air. Lots of things to do on sea days as well. Breakaway is really only good in a warmer climate and has very poor traffic flow. One open space runs into another making for congestion especially around the attruim area which they seem to use for everything even though there is a big lack of available seating.

 

Anthem seems to be better at providing many places to have meals thereby spreading passengers around rather than limiting them to a few venues. 3 main production shows (same cast), Michael's Pub (country/western), Music Hall (different groups perform), Two 70 (used for different shows/activities), Bollero's (Latin Music), etc.

 

MARAPRINCE

[dpostman]

you wanna talk about luck. late october i had 70 degrees in canada. i think it was a record day in halifax. and i didnt bring shorts! ugh. i thought a canada cruise would be freezing, but not those 2 days. super lucky!

 

the 2016 patters listed 40 to 50 degrees for the same cruise.

 

You should change your forum handle to "LuckyinCA" ;p

 

dp