Just back from Anthem: Some Observations

[kernow]

41 minutes ago, kwokpot said:

Americans have varied interests and don't all do exactly the same thing at the same time. On the Quantum class there 270, schooner, music hall, boleros, the theater, the pub, bionic bar, all the restaurants, solarium, windjammer, pool bar, sky bar, seaplex, etc. In other words, my example about Brits and their 5pm drinking is that everyone wants to the same thing at the same time at the same place. That's why the OP, who is a Brit, complained there wasn't enough bar space on the Anthem. I've been on the Anthem four times and finding a place to gather was never a problem. That's because people did different things at different times. Whole families jamming into a bar enmass at 5pm is not something Americans do at all. That's not where we socialize. If anything the evening meal is where American families gather together, and not at a pre-meal pub or bar. Then after the meal you may do something at another venue, like a show, movie, activity, etc. Americans don't go to a bar after a meal with extended family to socialize. On cruise ships that's the whole purpose of the production shows, comedy shows, music performances. 

 

 

I don't think most people were in the bars at 5pm, I certainly wasn't 😁.

The point now though is that almost everything in the theatre and 270 at night has to be pre booked, you can't just wander in. It wouldn't let you book to see anything more than once (fair enough) and UK weather in Oct is not really suitable for being outside at night time! It did feel like once you'd had dinner(and you are not supposed to do that now with unlinked reservations) the only place to go without a reservation was a bar.

 

BTW, there were a number of Americans on our cruise too!

Edited October 16, 2021 by kernow
adding text

[billslowsky]

15 hours ago, Moltar said:

I'll be on her again for the 4th time in February. Can't wait. Thanks. They charge for iFly, NorthStar in Asian, Australian and apparently European cruises. Was never ever charged leaving out of NJ.

If someone thinks $29 is outrageous for iFly, try booking it on land.  If it's even within 100 miles of you.

[alexgtp]

I am an American, and I love hanging out in PUBS (bars sounds lowclass).

 

 I just read a popular cruise blogger couple page on their Anthem bar hopping Adventure, there seemed to be a lot of places one could find a cocktail. My worry level is not back down to 1. LOL!!  So excited!

 

Were all the specialty restaurants opened for lunch on embarkation day? Specifically Jamie's? Thanks.

[compman9]

3 hours ago, kwokpot said:

Americans have varied interests and don't all do exactly the same thing at the same time. On the Quantum class there 270, schooner, music hall, boleros, the theater, the pub, bionic bar, all the restaurants, solarium, windjammer, pool bar, sky bar, seaplex, etc. In other words, my example about Brits and their 5pm drinking is that everyone wants to the same thing at the same time at the same place. That's why the OP, who is a Brit, complained there wasn't enough bar space on the Anthem. I've been on the Anthem four times and finding a place to gather was never a problem. That's because people did different things at different times. Whole families jamming into a bar enmass at 5pm is not something Americans do at all. That's not where we socialize. If anything the evening meal is where American families gather together, and not at a pre-meal pub or bar. Then after the meal you may do something at another venue, like a show, movie, activity, etc. Americans don't go to a bar after a meal with extended family to socialize. On cruise ships that's the whole purpose of the production shows, comedy shows, music performances. 

 

 

 

270's bar was shut, otherwise that would have been packed as well, LOL.

Schooner packed (people might nip out to see a show, but were back soon after)

Music - Absolutely rammed

Boleros - Full

Pub - Spilling out onto the promenade

Restaurants - Full

Windjammer - Closed at night

Pool Bar - Closed, and too cold anyway

Sky Bar - Ditto, pool bar

Seaplex - No bar

 

Oh, and I wasn't complaining. I am proud of Britain's social drinking activities. Our pubs are the greatest cultural phenomenon the world has ever seen. I was full of admiration for my fellow countrymen and women for filling Royal's coffers.

 

And also for filling the pool deck when it was just 14 degrees celsius, LOL.

 

I can also assure you the venues were also as full as they were allowed to be for the shows etc. because British people also know how to take full advantage of a cruise ship's offerings. I appreciate your presumption that Americans know what cruise ships are for, though. 

 

 

 

[kernow]

1 hour ago, alexgtp said:

I am an American, and I love hanging out in PUBS (bars sounds lowclass).

 

 I just read a popular cruise blogger couple page on their Anthem bar hopping Adventure, there seemed to be a lot of places one could find a cocktail. My worry level is not back down to 1. LOL!!  So excited!

 

Were all the specialty restaurants opened for lunch on embarkation day? Specifically Jamie's? Thanks.

Sorry I didn't notice about Jamie's and I feel ashamed to say that as we actually went there when we boarded to book for dinner on night 2!

[gavvy]

The bionic bar also broke after day one and was not fixed so that took out an area to chill with a drink, there was nobody there most of the time.

[kwokpot]

49 minutes ago, compman9 said:

 

270's bar was shut, otherwise that would have been packed as well, LOL.

Schooner packed (people might nip out to see a show, but were back soon after)

Music - Absolutely rammed

Boleros - Full

Pub - Spilling out onto the promenade

Restaurants - Full

Windjammer - Closed at night

Pool Bar - Closed, and too cold anyway

Sky Bar - Ditto, pool bar

Seaplex - No bar

 

Oh, and I wasn't complaining. I am proud of Britain's social drinking activities. Our pubs are the greatest cultural phenomenon the world has ever seen. I was full of admiration for my fellow countrymen and women for filling Royal's coffers.

 

And also for filling the pool deck when it was just 14 degrees celsius, LOL.

 

I can also assure you the venues were also as full as they were allowed to be for the shows etc. because British people also know how to take full advantage of a cruise ship's offerings. I appreciate your presumption that Americans know what cruise ships are for, though. 

 

 

 

Anthem is not a new ship. If you peruse the reviews here on Cruise Critic for Anthem sailings PRIOR to the pandemic the majority of the reviews don't mention that there aren't enough bars on the ship the existing bars are too crowded, that just isn't a majority view of the Anthem. So either the pandemic sailings have changed things substantially or it's a cultural viewpoint, or a bit of both. 

[kw1816]

13 minutes ago, kwokpot said:

Anthem is not a new ship. If you peruse the reviews here on Cruise Critic for Anthem sailings PRIOR to the pandemic the majority of the reviews don't mention that there aren't enough bars on the ship the existing bars are too crowded, that just isn't a majority view of the Anthem. So either the pandemic sailings have changed things substantially or it's a cultural viewpoint, or a bit of both. 

 

Add to that cold weather, pretty much everything on the open decks closed, Windjammer closed - that puts everyone inside each evening. Not sure that combination of factors has come together before.

 

I can't say i noticed overcrowding on our August sailing, we're back on the 25th sailing which is expected to be busy (half term).

[kernow]

31 minutes ago, kwokpot said:

Anthem is not a new ship. If you peruse the reviews here on Cruise Critic for Anthem sailings PRIOR to the pandemic the majority of the reviews don't mention that there aren't enough bars on the ship the existing bars are too crowded, that just isn't a majority view of the Anthem. So either the pandemic sailings have changed things substantially or it's a cultural viewpoint, or a bit of both. 

Don't forget that there are currently non of the usual evening 'events', things like silent disco, Quest, 70s night etc. Not sure where they would normally hold those on Anthem but surely they disperse people.

[cublet]

Hello,

 

For me the design of the ship spoke 'Celebrity' - it certainly made me feel as if I was on either Eclipse or Silhouette.

 

So it could be that the bars, but not the blasted-out music, was originally intended for the Celebrity demographic.

 

Regards,

 

Cublet

[kernow]

9 minutes ago, cublet said:

Hello,

 

For me the design of the ship spoke 'Celebrity' - it certainly made me feel as if I was on either Eclipse or Silhouette.

 

So it could be that the bars, but not the blasted-out music, was originally intended for the Celebrity demographic.

 

Regards,

 

Cublet

DH made pretty much the same comment when we were onboard.

[Mark_UK]

I was on the 9th sailing too and agree that later in the evenings felt quite busy compared to the two previous times I've been on anthem. 

 

To me it was less about drinking or social habits and more about lack of venues to go if you didn't have a reservation. As above, Bionic Bar was closed, Windjammer closed, no 270 bar. Also the usual evening activities weren't taking place (art display, quest, love and marriage, quizzes, etc). The shops also didn't really have any sale events.

 

The theatre only consumed half the number of people due to SD. Plus the big show (WWRY) was also on during the day. The Beatles show was cancelled and no The Gift. 

 

Don't get me wrong, we had an amazing time still, just think it's much more than Brits drinking habits!

[CaroleC]

15 hours ago, kernow said:

Don't forget that there are currently non of the usual evening 'events', things like silent disco, Quest, 70s night etc. Not sure where they would normally hold those on Anthem but surely they disperse people.

Agreed. Another thing we noticed was how busy the wine bar was. In all the Royal cruises we have done, this is usually the one place where you can find a seat of an evening without a problem. On Harmony last month, one night we were the only ones in there! However, last week on Anthem every time we attempted to have a drink in there after dinner, there were no seats available.

[little britain]

19 hours ago, kwokpot said:

Anthem is not a new ship. If you peruse the reviews here on Cruise Critic for Anthem sailings PRIOR to the pandemic the majority of the reviews don't mention that there aren't enough bars on the ship the existing bars are too crowded, that just isn't a majority view of the Anthem. So either the pandemic sailings have changed things substantially or it's a cultural viewpoint, or a bit of both. 

I can assure you irrespective of demographic, that 270 being shut as a bar severely impacts the number of places on board you can sit/ chat with friends with a drink.  I failed to see why the decision was made to close 270 and make people cram into smaller venues like Schooner bar instead. 

Edited October 17, 2021 by little britain

[LuCruise]

Seeing your comments makes me wonder a bit.  Were you able to at least book something for each night?  Or were there nights where there was no thing to do (e.g. you had the reserved for one of the other nights or anything else running)? I'm taking a quick look at the compass and it seems like there are some things like Karaoke, Finish the Lyric, watch a movie on deck etc.  We're coming with our kids so typically go to a show or event after dinner...and then DH and I may go out for a drink or adult show afterwards.  I do get the concern with bars with areas being closed so then the ones that are open are over crowded.

P.S. - I get why they can't run Quest at this time, but not get why Love and Marriage isn't running.  That should be easy to socially distance.

Edited October 17, 2021 by LuCruise

[Mark_UK]

It seem

27 minutes ago, LuCruise said:

Seeing your comments makes me wonder a bit.  Were you able to at least book something for each night?  Or were there nights where there was no thing to do (e.g. you had the reserved for one of the other nights or anything else running)? I'm taking a quick look at the compass and it seems like there are some things like Karaoke, Finish the Lyric, watch a movie on deck etc.  We're coming with our kids so typically go to a show or event after dinner...and then DH and I may go out for a drink or adult show afterwards.  I do get the concern with bars with areas being closed so then the ones that are open are over crowded.

P.S. - I get why they can't run Quest at this time, but not get why Love and Marriage isn't running.  That should be easy to socially distance.

They had a show on every night, some nights it was 2 (one in theatre and another in 270). We only found it an issue getting a table from about 9 onwards, once the shows and dinner were finishing. 

 

Most of the games and quizzes (finish that lyric and who wants to feel like a millionaire) I saw seemed to be running in the daytime or early evening. They didn't have films at the pool in the evening for obvious reasons. 

 

I feel like they need another venue, so can see why Playmakers has been added on Oddessy. 

[kernow]

2 hours ago, LuCruise said:

Seeing your comments makes me wonder a bit.  Were you able to at least book something for each night?  Or were there nights where there was no thing to do (e.g. you had the reserved for one of the other nights or anything else running)? I'm taking a quick look at the compass and it seems like there are some things like Karaoke, Finish the Lyric, watch a movie on deck etc.  We're coming with our kids so typically go to a show or event after dinner...and then DH and I may go out for a drink or adult show afterwards.  I do get the concern with bars with areas being closed so then the ones that are open are over crowded.

P.S. - I get why they can't run Quest at this time, but not get why Love and Marriage isn't running.  That should be easy to socially distance.

I don't know whether it was just for the UK cruises but we saw several of the shows in the afternoon which meant we didn't have anything in the evening. I think we had show bookings for 10 or 10.30 on three evenings leaving four unfilled. Most of the quiz type events were in Schooner (earlier) or Music Hall which I counted as bars and were usually full after dinner.

[CaroleC]

1 hour ago, Mark_UK said:

They didn't have films at the pool in the evening for obvious reasons.

They did last week. We took a stroll around the pool deck most evenings after dinner and films were usually showing. Pax were wrapped up in blankets on sun beds watching 🥶

[Mark_UK]

1 hour ago, CaroleC said:

They did last week. We took a stroll around the pool deck most evenings after dinner and films were usually showing. Pax were wrapped up in blankets on sun beds watching 🥶

Oh I didn't realise that! Crazy! ❄️❄️

[CaroleC]

3 minutes ago, Mark_UK said:

Oh I didn't realise that! Crazy! ❄️❄️

Definitely not my idea of a good time 🤪

[Aquahound]

On 10/16/2021 at 9:39 AM, kernow said:

Don't forget that there are currently non of the usual evening 'events', things like silent disco, Quest, 70s night etc. Not sure where they would normally hold those on Anthem but surely they disperse people.

 

Sorry to hear that.  Quest was the only event not held on Ovation.  The silent disco and 70s night were held in Two70.  

 

On 10/15/2021 at 3:06 PM, Moltar said:

I'll be on her again for the 4th time in February. Can't wait. Thanks. They charge for iFly, NorthStar in Asian, Australian and apparently European cruises. Was never ever charged leaving out of NJ.

 

On our Alaska cruise, NorthStar was free while in port (I took advantage of that 3 times 😉).  There was a charge during sea days.  

[kernow]

4 minutes ago, Aquahound said:

 

 

 

 

On our Alaska cruise, NorthStar was free while in port (I took advantage of that 3 times 😉).  There was a charge during sea days.  

These Anthem cruises were exactly the same but I'm not sure you could book the free slots more than once.

[Aquahound]

1 minute ago, kernow said:

These Anthem cruises were exactly the same but I'm not sure you could book the free slots more than once.

 

It wouldn't work on the app.  We had to make the bookings in person with the staff members at NorthStar.  

[toad455]

The layout of the Music Hall is really poor. Any seating behind the bar or upstairs isn't good. Anthem typically has good bands, so if you don't arrive early for a seat, you're left standing.

[CaroleC]

10 minutes ago, toad455 said:

The layout of the Music Hall is really poor. Any seating behind the bar or upstairs isn't good. Anthem typically has good bands, so if you don't arrive early for a seat, you're left standing.

I found it far too hot in there but perhaps that was just me 🥵