Deciding btwn Anthem vs Adventure (NE and Canada)

[princesslondon]

I’ve finally narowed our next cruise to either the 11day Adventure or 10 day Athem both in Fall(ish) 2019 and both out of NJ, would love opinions of either.

 

*Pros for Adventure

$5900 for Grand Suite (but read suite benefits aren’t much on this ship)

-1 more day

-Better ports (Charlottetown\Sydney/Quebec City)

-Grand Suite; which we’ve never done, price isn’t much more than JS on Anthem

*Cons

-Smaller/older ship (we do like lots of specialty dining options, but we don’t usually utilize all the fancy things, newer ships offer (flow rider, sky diving, etc)

-Ends in Quebec City( we’ve always done round-trip cruises so this makes me a little nervous)

-Flight home is long with 2 stops and looks like it may be pricey

 

*Pros for Anthem

$5200 for Junior Suite (will get priority boarding)

- Newer Ship, lots of dining options

-Stops in Boston, which we would like to visit

-Roundtrip to NJ, inexpensive and easy non-stop flights

-Return on Sat, so we get a day to recoup before back to work

*Cons

-Itinerary isn’t as good

-1less day

-Jr Suite instead of Grand Suite

[Clarea]

I'd lean towards Anthem because of the enclosed pool areas. Adventure has no enclosed pool areas, so that will increase the crowding inside because of the cool itinerary.

[marci22]

I'd lean towards Anthem because I hate to fly. Depends on how important the ports are to you.

 

Service is similar on both ships. Anthem feels newer (cause it is).

 

We don't utilize the Flowrider and such either, so not a factor for us. I do prefer the promenade on AD, but we didn't utilize it as much this past trip because the food choices in the Promenade Cafe were lame. (And the pizza was terrible. Terrible.) Promenade Cafe used to be a good place for snacks but the sandwiches are now lower quality and they have weird salads as the other options.

[barbeyg]

We struggled with the same thing. We opted for Anthem this year, mainly because we can get round trip nonstop flights to and from EWR for about $200 each, and would have had to take three connecting flights from Quebec back home, with the two one way tickets almost $1000 each. Didn’t want to end our vacation with so many hours in airports. We will do B2B if still available when we retire. [emoji846] That said, we loved the itinerary the Adventure is doing.

 

 

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[barbeyg]

Wanted to add, we are staying in NYC area before and after our trip with the funds saved.

[smokeykat]

We loved Anthem. The shows were great and WE Will Rock You is just like seeing a Broadway show. Nothing like that on Adventure. We are booked on Adventure Canada 6 nights beginning of July so the outdoor pool area will not be an issue. There is also no Wonderland on Adventure. We did Wonderland and Chops. Loved Wonderland! Will probably do Giovani's and Chops with the BOGO.

[barbeyg]

smokeykat, all the things I am looking forward to later this month! [emoji16]

 

 

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[Mythbuster]

Normally I would suggest the smaller Adventure but the one way trip would be a deal breaker for me. If you do decide the Anthem JS try for a Family JS. It is slightly bigger, more square vs rectangular and has 1.5 baths. We usually stay in the Grand Suite but do not like the GS on Quantum Class ships, they are split down the middle and feel more like 2 veranda cabins open on 1 end. By the way in case you don't know the Adventure just came out of a full dry dock refurb, so the difference in age is not significant.

[JAMESCC]

I say Anthem as well for a ton of the reasons mentioned above. We LOVED Anthem and just booked her again for next year.

Just a side question, can you take a train back to the US Quebec City or no? Just a curious question.

[Biker19]

Just a side question, can you take a train back to the US Quebec City or no?

Sure - it probably would be via Montreal, but it would be a pretty long trip.

[JAMESCC]

Sure - it probably would be via Montreal, but it would be a pretty long trip.

That what I thought, thanks.

 

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[John Reid]

I’ve finally narowed our next cruise to either the 11day Adventure or 10 day Athem both in Fall(ish) 2019 and both out of NJ, would love opinions of either.

 

*Pros for Adventure

$5900 for Grand Suite (but read suite benefits aren’t much on this ship)

-1 more day

-Better ports (Charlottetown\Sydney/Quebec City)

-Grand Suite; which we’ve never done, price isn’t much more than JS on Anthem

*Cons

-Smaller/older ship (we do like lots of specialty dining options, but we don’t usually utilize all the fancy things, newer ships offer (flow rider, sky diving, etc)

-Ends in Quebec City( we’ve always done round-trip cruises so this makes me a little nervous)

-Flight home is long with 2 stops and looks like it may be pricey

 

*Pros for Anthem

$5200 for Junior Suite (will get priority boarding)

- Newer Ship, lots of dining options

-Stops in Boston, which we would like to visit

-Roundtrip to NJ, inexpensive and easy non-stop flights

-Return on Sat, so we get a day to recoup before back to work

*Cons

-Itinerary isn’t as good

-1less day

-Jr Suite instead of Grand Suite

 

First, thanks for asking the question. As I checked, I found unbelievably good balcony rates on Anthem to NE/Canada. I'm going to book.

 

My thoughts.

Airfare from Canada to US tends to be extremely high for the distance. Two-stop flights are brutal and make for an exhausting day.

Boarding is fairly easy for all passengers out of Bayonne.

If you can do the slightly less space of a balcony cabin, rates start at about $1,100 pp for unobstructed cabins.

I don't know your numbers, but I would think that the sailing Adventure total costs would far exceed Anthem.

As said before, Anthem is a cold-weather ship. Large indoor pool and a great adult-only Solarium.

 

Also, I'm fairly sure it's 10 days on Adventure and 9 on Anthem.

 

Enjoy either.

[yuvraj]

I have found the suite experience on the Oasis class ships to be really great and if the price is right, I would happily book a suite on these ships.

 

Quantum class ships are not my favourite and I would be less inclined to book a suite but you still get the VIP experience and I wouldn't rule it out.

 

Other ships, for me the suite experience is nothing special and given the premium in price, I would avoid booking a suite.

 

For those wondering, yes I have stayed in suites in all three of above categories (Indy, Allure, Oasis and Anthem).

 

One thing I have learnt is to never compare the experiences on one line to another. I have stayed in suites on QM2 and Celebrity and they were totally different experiences to RC.

[princesslondon]

Thanks for all the great advice. We decided on a junior suite on the Anthem of the Seas and our looking forward to our first non-Caribbean cruise!

 

 

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[barbeyg]

Thanks for all the great advice. We decided on a junior suite on the Anthem of the Seas and our looking forward to our first non-Caribbean cruise!

 

 

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Hope you have a great trip. Ours is just over two weeks away. Beyond excited!

 

 

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[Ashland]

Adventure.....I didn't care for Anthem at all when we did the New England Canada last October. Excited to do Adventure in Oct 2019 from Quebec City to Fort Lauderdale.....wonderful itinerary.

[The Fun Researcher]

Sounds like a good choice. While the Adventure (Freedom and Voyager class) is our favorite layout of ship, the Anthem was designed from the start for cold weather cruising.

 

There are limited venues indoors for outdoor viewing on the Adventure versus the Anthem. On the Anthem you can still comfortably swim if you like. Not so on the Adventure. The hot tubs would feel good though. :)

 

Dan

[JAMESCC]

Sounds like a good choice. While the Adventure (Freedom and Voyager class) is our favorite layout of ship, the Anthem was designed from the start for cold weather cruising.

 

There are limited venues indoors for outdoor viewing on the Adventure versus the Anthem. On the Anthem you can still comfortably swim if you like. Not so on the Adventure. The hot tubs would feel good though. :)

 

Dan

I agree for the same reasons. We loved Anthem. I don't know what is not too like. So much fun stuff to do and it's just beautiful and huge. Those are the things I'm looking for.

 

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[watson50]

After our beloved Explorer departed,we absolutely fell in love with the Anthem when it first arrived. We are booked for a B2B from Oct.27 thru Nov. 10. then it's off to a 11 nt. on Dec. 10. The Anthem is a terrific ship. This will be our 5-6-7 cruises on her. We are D+ and the Diamond lounge and the service there is excellent. GO ANTHEM . Have a fantastic cruise.