teddie Posted December 15, 2022 #1 Share Posted December 15, 2022 (edited) Our last cruise was way back in 2013. We are sailing on the Anthem out of Bayonne on Feb 4 2023, and after reading through CC for the past few weeks, you guys have gotten me worried. We are sailing our first cruise as Diamonds--and I think the daily drink vouchers are a great perk, But aside from that, I need to hear some good stuff because so far, these are my CC takeaways: Food has gone downhill and is terrible Waitstaff are annoying Anthem is too narrow and too tall and therefore, it (gasp!) rocks too much Coco Cay is a bore Entertainment stinks RCI IT stinks RCI Customer Service stinks C'mon! Tell me something GOOD! Teddie Edited December 15, 2022 by teddie added info 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wreckem2013 Posted December 15, 2022 #2 Share Posted December 15, 2022 (edited) 21 minutes ago, teddie said: Our last cruise was way back in 2013. We are sailing on the Anthem out of Bayonne on Feb 4 2023, and after reading through CC for the past few weeks, you guys have gotten me worried. We are sailing our first cruise as Diamonds--and I think the daily drink vouchers are a great perk, But aside from that, I need to hear some good stuff because so far, these are my CC takeaways: Food has gone downhill and is terrible Waitstaff are annoying Anthem is too narrow and too tall and therefore, it (gasp!) rocks too much Coco Cay is a bore Entertainment stinks RCI IT stinks RCI Customer Service stinks C'mon! Tell me something GOOD! Teddie CoCo Cay is way better than it was in 2013 and the the best of any cruise line private islands. I was on Odyssey a few weeks ago and didn’t notice it being any rockier than other classes of ships. Entertainment on the newer ships is better than the older ships. I cannot comment on MDR food or servers but specialty dining is on par with precovid. Royals IT is bad but it’s a toss up if it’s worse than Disneys. Edited December 15, 2022 by wreckem2013 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teddie Posted December 15, 2022 Author #3 Share Posted December 15, 2022 3 minutes ago, wreckem2013 said: CoCo Cay is way better than it was in 2013 and the the best of any cruise line private islands. I was on Odyssey a few weeks ago and didn’t notice it being any rockier than other classes of ships. Entertainment on the newer ships is better than the older ships. I cannot comment on MDR food or servers but specialty dining is on par with precovid. Royals IT is bad but it’s a toss up if it’s worse than Disneys. Thanks for your take. Appreciated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Husky1987 Posted December 15, 2022 #4 Share Posted December 15, 2022 30 minutes ago, teddie said: C'mon! Tell me something GOOD! Chances are pretty decent that you won't sink. 1 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HicksRA Posted December 15, 2022 #5 Share Posted December 15, 2022 Chances are you won’t be disturbed by your cabin steward coming into your room…. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njkruzer Posted December 15, 2022 #6 Share Posted December 15, 2022 Anthem is one of our favorite ships. Sailed her on October TA. Enjoy bumper cars. Eat at cafe 270 on embarkation. Less crowded than WJ, though obviously fewer choices, but we like it. Try a ride on northstar. Staff is very helpful. Of the specialty restaurants we like Jaimie's. Hope that helps. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonsai3s Posted December 15, 2022 #7 Share Posted December 15, 2022 1 hour ago, teddie said: Our last cruise was way back in 2013. We are sailing on the Anthem out of Bayonne on Feb 4 2023, and after reading through CC for the past few weeks, you guys have gotten me worried. We are sailing our first cruise as Diamonds--and I think the daily drink vouchers are a great perk, But aside from that, I need to hear some good stuff because so far, these are my CC takeaways: Food has gone downhill and is terrible Waitstaff are annoying Anthem is too narrow and too tall and therefore, it (gasp!) rocks too much Coco Cay is a bore Entertainment stinks RCI IT stinks RCI Customer Service stinks C'mon! Tell me something GOOD! Teddie You'll love the new muster drill. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokeybandit Posted December 15, 2022 #8 Share Posted December 15, 2022 People like to complain on message boards. You'll have a good time. 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teddie Posted December 15, 2022 Author #9 Share Posted December 15, 2022 1 hour ago, Husky1987 said: Chances are pretty decent that you won't sink. Ha! Hope you’re right. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teddie Posted December 15, 2022 Author #10 Share Posted December 15, 2022 20 minutes ago, bonsai3s said: You'll love the new muster drill. Hopefully not the high point of the cruise lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teddie Posted December 15, 2022 Author #11 Share Posted December 15, 2022 24 minutes ago, njkruzer said: Anthem is one of our favorite ships. Sailed her on October TA. Enjoy bumper cars. Eat at cafe 270 on embarkation. Less crowded than WJ, though obviously fewer choices, but we like it. Try a ride on northstar. Staff is very helpful. Of the specialty restaurants we like Jaimie's. Hope that helps. Definitely does. Thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teddie Posted December 15, 2022 Author #12 Share Posted December 15, 2022 54 minutes ago, HicksRA said: Chances are you won’t be disturbed by your cabin steward coming into your room…. More of same. Thanks 😊 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drjohn4 Posted December 15, 2022 #13 Share Posted December 15, 2022 Went on my first cruise since 2006 this summer on Odyssey and it was fantastic! There is a lot more to do on ships now then there was then. MDR food was great. Buffet was sometimes crowded, but that is no different than before. Service was great. You will have a good time. Shows are way better than they were before, though showrooms did seem more crowded than I remember, and reservations are required for some shows. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasukkie Posted December 15, 2022 #14 Share Posted December 15, 2022 Anthem is a great ship, you will be fine. It's so convenient to sail from Bayonne since you are from NJ. You also are used to the NJ/NY vibe so there shouldn't be any culture shock that some people from other places feel. There's a bit of a learning curve with the app, the onboard staff can be very helpful. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midway7934 Posted December 15, 2022 #15 Share Posted December 15, 2022 Take it from this Jersey Girl, you will love my favorite, Anthem……..not too big, not too small…just right. The crew has always been great. (Still communicate with my favorite waiter.) Enjoyed the food from buffet to specialty. Entertainment was great. It will be new to you. People just complain because the main shows have been around for a while, but they are enjoyable. The only change I have noticed is there is a more casual vibe to cruising now. However, If you still like the “formal” you will find others who make that choice.One other “good “ comment. Jersey is one of the most relaxing ports to leave from. You will be greeted, guided, and on the ship in no time. Have a great cruise. Welcome back. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare jean87510 Posted December 15, 2022 #16 Share Posted December 15, 2022 7 hours ago, teddie said: Our last cruise was way back in 2013. We are sailing on the Anthem out of Bayonne on Feb 4 2023, and after reading through CC for the past few weeks, you guys have gotten me worried. We are sailing our first cruise as Diamonds--and I think the daily drink vouchers are a great perk, But aside from that, I need to hear some good stuff because so far, these are my CC takeaways: Food has gone downhill and is terrible Waitstaff are annoying Anthem is too narrow and too tall and therefore, it (gasp!) rocks too much Coco Cay is a bore Entertainment stinks RCI IT stinks RCI Customer Service stinks C'mon! Tell me something GOOD! Teddie Leaving out of Bayonne is always good especially if from NJ in February. You dont have to worry about flights delayed with snow. It's a little cold going down first day and a half so no chair hogs. Coco Cay is fine. Free food, drink, chairs and nice area. Husband and I not big fans of these types of ports and had a great day there. All the other stuff, well, I don't do the shows or MDR rarely and I still have a good time. RC IT is fine if you can grasp the basic knowledge and can follow directions. RC CS has had a lot of issues for the past 3 years so just bear with it. The Anthem looks like a great ship. I haven't tried the Quantum class yet. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bretts173 Posted December 15, 2022 #17 Share Posted December 15, 2022 People who write on message boards usually only do so to whinge or cause trouble. 99.9 % of people's who has a cruise that was perfectly fine don't bother to post. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peachestravels Posted December 15, 2022 #18 Share Posted December 15, 2022 All the cruises we have been on have been wonderful. Even if the food was not so good or there were rude people on the ship. We made memories, beautiful memories to always keep close in our hearts. It was our time together. Make those memories and you will have a wonderful time. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lifes-a-beach Posted December 15, 2022 #19 Share Posted December 15, 2022 It will be warm where you’re going. Unlike NJ in February. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
time4u2go Posted December 15, 2022 #20 Share Posted December 15, 2022 (edited) 9 hours ago, teddie said: Food has gone downhill and is terrible Waitstaff are annoying Anthem is too narrow and too tall and therefore, it (gasp!) rocks too much Coco Cay is a bore Entertainment stinks RCI IT stinks RCI Customer Service stinks My opinion: Food has gone downhill but I wouldn't say it's terrible. Yet. Annoying wait staff seems to be the exception and not the rule. Any ship will rock under the right circumstances. Coco Cay is not a bore but it is definitely worse than it used to be. Entertainment is pretty good. IT and customer service do stink. Edited December 15, 2022 by time4u2go 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleJoefromKokomo Posted December 15, 2022 #21 Share Posted December 15, 2022 There are several great things about RCL but a few that I can think of: 1. You can not overeat on lobstertails for free anymore on lobsternight. Good for your health. 2. You will have to make several long pauses when you eat in the MDR to talk to your waitor and listen to his stories. Good for digestion not to eat too fast. 3. You will not be fighting your way through the crowded Concierge lounge anymore. Good for your and suiteguests mood. There are many other good things but these are a the ones I came to think of right now 🙂 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuCruise Posted December 15, 2022 #22 Share Posted December 15, 2022 (edited) I was annoyed when I saw a post yesterday all about "tell me the bad things about Royal". Why would someone start such a negative post? (just found the title...it was "Top 5 Overrated Things". I mean, really?) Anyways, on CC, people like to complain so take things with a grain of salt. We went on Anthem for the first time in March and loved it. Wonderful ship. The 270 has amazing views. We didn't spend time in it as we came with our kids but the Solarium looks really nice. We Will Rock You is the best show of the fleet, North Star is really neat and different. The 270 cafe has pretty good selection. Windjammer is nicely spaced out. We also really like the MDR...food and service is great. I would say though on Anthem, you don't get that wow dining room since it's not built like the others of one big room that is multi layered (blame their attempt at dynamic dining). The Robot bar is fun to watch (I forget the name offhand). Lots of activities going on in the Music Hall. Our kids loved the SeaPlex and iFly. And Anthem has indoor pool and areas in case of bad weather (plus start and end of your trip out of NJ). So much for everyone. And...the redo of CoCo Cay is amazing. If you like the beach, that is still there (and with additional options too for a fee). If coming with kids, the waterpark is amazing. They also have this beautiful huge pool (it does get busy though). So ignore all the negative comments. Guess that's the second C in cruise critic. You'll have an amazing cruise. Enjoy! Edited December 15, 2022 by LuCruise 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
time4u2go Posted December 15, 2022 #23 Share Posted December 15, 2022 19 minutes ago, LuCruise said: I was annoyed when I saw a post yesterday all about "tell me the bad things about Royal". Why would someone start such a negative post? (just found the title...it was "Top 5 Overrated Things". I mean, really?) That's just it...the title wasn't "tell me the bad things about Royal". The title was "Top 5 Overrated RC things". Big difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuCruise Posted December 15, 2022 #24 Share Posted December 15, 2022 2 minutes ago, time4u2go said: That's just it...the title wasn't "tell me the bad things about Royal". The title was "Top 5 Overrated RC things". Big difference. It still had a negative tone to it, and pretty much was the same thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
time4u2go Posted December 15, 2022 #25 Share Posted December 15, 2022 7 minutes ago, LuCruise said: It still had a negative tone to it, and pretty much was the same thing. Oh I agree it definitely became "tell me the bad things", even if that wasn't the original intent. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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