Anthem 4/20

[Boyetter2013]

I looked and didnt see another post for this cruise. Boarded yesterday. The weather hasnt been good but it is what it is. After two sailings on Allure and one on Enchantment, this is my first on Anthem. 

 

Overall, I have to admit Anthem hasnt hit a homerun for us so far. It has some neat stuff (trapeze, bumper cars etc) but that is part of the problem. Those cool, first come first served experiences just cant handle the amount of people on the boat. Thirty minutes before bumper cars start there is a line that wraps all the way around Seaplex and extends out into the pool area. It cant handle this volume.

 

With Northstar and IFly, there are reservations. Not so with the others. Trapeze is only a couple of days out of the entire sailing. I wonder what percent of those who want to do it actually do so.

 

Someone in another thread mentioned windjammer. The layout is terrible. On Oasis classes, WJ flows. Even when packed it doesnt feel like rush hour traffic in NYC. On Anthem, too much is packed down the center and it is congested even when not packed. Or at least it feels that way.

 

Food seems comparable, except for WJ which seems not as good, but only eaten there once, so the sample size is too small to evaluate. Chops and main dining room have been good.

 

On the plus side, boarding was a breeze. Even without the Key, I think it would have been better than Ft Lauderdale. Props to Cape Liberty. With the Key is was a dream. 

 

270 was a pleasant surprise. I really like it and wish Oasis class had one. The bar and sandwich shop being there is great. The only knock is the library is also there and quite loud with the noise below. I haven't found a really quiet place to sit and read yet beside my balcony and the weather hasnt been good for that yet.

 

The wristbands are a nice feature as is the IQ app (when it isnt crashing). 7.95 to text with IQ is sad and it should be included for free. We have the Voom package and just use WhatsApp to text and call. Voom plus WhatsApp is a great combo.

 

Bermuda tomorrow and hopefully better weather. Lots of days to go, but my gut tells me in the future I will spend the cash to fly to S Fla for an Oasis class (we live on Long Island) instead of taking Anthem again. The quick drive vs flying was great but so far the ship hasnt felt to be worth the saving on air fair.

 

Ps.. crew has been good (not great) and so far no sign of the little peeing dog I read about. :-)

 

[brookmill18]

Try going into the Solarium, getting a chair by the window or within sight, and see how you feel.  We were on last week's cruise--really only 2 1/2 days of "cruise type weather" but the Solarium is warm even when outside is not, and looking at the ocean while reading is a treat--see if that makes you feel better.

 

Also, while I wish I had warmer weather, being home by 1:30 on departure day and not having to deal with an airpot more than made up for it!  Give Solarium a try and see what you think.  Also, Music Hall and Schooner Bar can be quieter places doing the day, but don't have a view.

[Boyetter2013]

Thanks. I'm with my daughter so haven't spent time in the Solarium so far. That's a good idea.

[njkruzer]

Sailed Oasis in January and disliked WJ.  Too small for the number of people.  On at least one visit they were letting people in due to a shortage of tables! Never had that on Anthem, Quantum or any other ship.  They also had no omelet station and often ran out if items which they didn't replace in a timely fashion. 

 

Give the ship time.  While she's different she's a great ship.  

[zooma]

@Boyetter2013 -- Appreciate your perspective re Anthem and esp re comps to Oasis class. Please continue. Hoping you have a terrific time!

[Biker19]

10 hours ago, Boyetter2013 said:

 7.95 to text with IQ is sad and it should be included for free.

For those that do a bit of planning it can be (free texting that is) - Quantum class allows iMessage and many Android texting apps through without a VOOM package, for now.

Edited April 22, 2019 by Biker19

[fscool]

"Overall, I have to admit Anthem hasnt hit a homerun for us so far. It has some neat stuff (trapeze, bumper cars etc) but that is part of the problem. Those cool, first come first served experiences just cant handle the amount of people on the boat. Thirty minutes before bumper cars start there is a line that wraps all the way around Seaplex and extends out into the pool area. It cant handle this volume."

 

Can anybody that has sailed Anthem comment as to whether the lines improve as the cruise goes on?  

[sellwingri]

What’s the trapeze?  Haven’t heard about that one.

[Biker19]

19 minutes ago, fscool said:

Can anybody that has sailed Anthem comment as to whether the lines improve as the cruise goes on?  

It varies day to day and probably even between sailings.

[Biker19]

16 minutes ago, sellwingri said:

What’s the trapeze?  

Event in the Seaplex where you get one shot to swing on a trapeze and cushion/net on the net below.

 

Edited April 22, 2019 by Biker19

[Peeker28]

I love Anthem, there is so much to do.  Another quite spot is across from Vintages they have a bunch of chairs all going down the hallway leading to 270.  Solarium is another nice spot to relax.  My daughter did the trapeze and loved it.  There was a line but we didn't wait too long just get there early and look for it in the cruise planner.

[stevea36]

1 hour ago, fscool said:

"Overall, I have to admit Anthem hasnt hit a homerun for us so far. It has some neat stuff (trapeze, bumper cars etc) but that is part of the problem. Those cool, first come first served experiences just cant handle the amount of people on the boat. Thirty minutes before bumper cars start there is a line that wraps all the way around Seaplex and extends out into the pool area. It cant handle this volume."

 

Can anybody that has sailed Anthem comment as to whether the lines improve as the cruise goes on?  

The biggest problem is that it is spring break for many school districts so the ship is probably overrun by kids and larger families.  I have sailed on Anthem in Early May (2017) and there was rarely a backup as described by the OP.  The waits for Bumber Cars were maximum 5 minutes and they were trying to find people to use the Trapeze!!

 

[Sizzlechest]

13 hours ago, Boyetter2013 said:

Bermuda tomorrow and hopefully better weather. Lots of days to go, but my gut tells me in the future I will spend the cash to fly to S Fla for an Oasis class (we live on Long Island) instead of taking Anthem again. The quick drive vs flying was great but so far the ship hasnt felt to be worth the saving on air fair.

 

The Oasis of the Seas is coming to Bayonne in summer 2020.

[SuiteLady]

19 minutes ago, Sizzlechest said:

 

The Oasis of the Seas is coming to Bayonne in summer 2020.

That will be great!  Bayonne is a quick 1.5 hours drive for me!

[Boyetter2013]

We arrived into Bermuda this morning.  Bad weather is now behind us and wow but Bermuda is beautiful. The residents are really great. This destination has quickly gone to my top three (with St Thomas and St Kitt).

[Swin-2-win]

We were on Anthem last week and the lines never seemed to get smaller as the week went on.  We had horrible luck with the reservations for NorthStar, RipCord and Escape Room.  We booked our cruise late (January) so we never had a chance to book them online.  Guest services was also no help.  I'm really disappointed with the fairness of everyone having a chance to book different events.

 

NS: Not sure why, but NorthStar was down for both Boston port and the day after.  We couldn't find one reservation open the entire week.  Standby line was always long when open.

 

RipCord: Finally got an 8pm reservation for the last night after 4 days of continuous app checking and dropping by the check-in office for stand-bys.

 

Escape Room: Took 4 stand-by attempts and we finally got in on the last try.  Small and not too difficult but still really fun and worth the time.

[CruiseKeeper]

We usually enjoy embarking from Port Liberty. . . unless the ship is late coming in and then the traffic back up is horrible.  For us, it's a real plus to drive to the port.  

 

[OceanBlue123]

8 hours ago, fscool said:

 

Can anybody that has sailed Anthem comment as to whether the lines improve as the cruise goes on?  

We found short lines on port days.

[Boyetter2013]

2 hours ago, OceanBlue123 said:

We found short lines on port days.

Lines were shorter today for the bumber cars with us in port.

[BTSEN5]

5 hours ago, Swin-2-win said:

We were on Anthem last week and the lines never seemed to get smaller as the week went on.  We had horrible luck with the reservations for NorthStar, RipCord and Escape Room.  We booked our cruise late (January) so we never had a chance to book them online.  Guest services was also no help.  I'm really disappointed with the fairness of everyone having a chance to book different events.

 

NS: Not sure why, but NorthStar was down for both Boston port and the day after.  We couldn't find one reservation open the entire week.  Standby line was always long when open.

 

RipCord: Finally got an 8pm reservation for the last night after 4 days of continuous app checking and dropping by the check-in office for stand-bys.

 

Escape Room: Took 4 stand-by attempts and we finally got in on the last try.  Small and not too difficult but still really fun and worth the time.

We had reservations for the Northstar on Wednesday (4/17) but it was cancelled due to wind. Later in the day we stood in the standby line and got on. The man running it told us that they are not allowed to run the Northstar in Boston due to being so close to the airport. 

[Swin-2-win]

12 hours ago, BTSEN5 said:

The man running it told us that they are not allowed to run the Northstar in Boston due to being so close to the airport. 

 

Thanks for this info!  Having that info before we sailed would have really helped us to plan to get in stand-by before we hit Boston, rather than assume we'd just jump on when everyone got off the boat that day.  They couldn't just add that one piece of info to the Thursday Compass?  I guess I'm a tough critic, but so many typos and misinformation between the paper Compass and the app drove me nuts.  I guess that's why they have a 2&1/2 star rating in the app store.  That's definitely being generous.

 

Another gripe of mine is that if we had asked Guest Services about this, one person may have had the info and another would have had no clue.  The range of expertise at the different desks was quite annoying.

 

Rant over...I really enjoyed this boat but the reservation system needs work.

[Boyetter2013]

My daughter and I did a spur of the moment Segway tour of Bermuda today. We had a great time and got to see some of the island up close and personal. It was worth every penny. Our guide was both knowledgeable and friendly. 

[cleophus12]

I have been looking at the PortBermuda webcam and your weather looks fabulous.  Hope we have the same sunshine next week.

 

[Boyetter2013]

The weather has been fantastic. I hope you get the same.

[BTSEN5]

10 hours ago, Swin-2-win said:

 

Thanks for this info!  Having that info before we sailed would have really helped us to plan to get in stand-by before we hit Boston, rather than assume we'd just jump on when everyone got off the boat that day.  They couldn't just add that one piece of info to the Thursday Compass?  I guess I'm a tough critic, but so many typos and misinformation between the paper Compass and the app drove me nuts.  I guess that's why they have a 2&1/2 star rating in the app store.  That's definitely being generous.

 

Another gripe of mine is that if we had asked Guest Services about this, one person may have had the info and another would have had no clue.  The range of expertise at the different desks was quite annoying.

 

Rant over...I really enjoyed this boat but the reservation system needs work.

I thoroughly loved the ship, but had an issue with information not being given and suffered the consequences with regard to Boston and bringing pastries home. I chalk it up to a lesson learned, but I think that they should have specified it in the sea compass or all of the literature regarding Boston....I did not see it at least. Nothing is absolutely perfect and no one does everything right, so all in all my experience on this ship was amazing, and I would do it again. Next time I will not get pastries though (even if they are securely boxed) to take home to my sons. I don't feel like feeding the security people again. LOL!