REVIEW: Anthem of the Seas Leaving from Bayonne/Cape Liberty Feb 12-19

[Granite543]

Hey all!  I love reading reviews and live reviews so I thought I would put this together for the community.  I cruised on the Anthem of the Seas from February 12-19 2023 out of Bayonne/Cape Liberty with an itinerary consisting of Port Canaveral, Nassau, and CoCo Cay.  I'll segment my review for ease of reading and my line of thinking (although this turned out to be a very lengthy review lol).

 

A little about me: I'm in my late 30s and brought my wife, 2 boys (ages 3.5 and 4.5), 2 grandmas, and a good friend. We had 3 cabins:  2 oceanviews on Deck 3 that held 3 of us each, and an inside on deck 10 for my friend.

 

BLUF:  Mostly good in every category mentioned below with a downside or 2...as expected with most things in life.

 

Embarkation/Debarkation

Extraordinarily smooth on both accounts. All the staff were very pleasant inside and outside the terminal (especially outside I'm surprised to report).  We had a noon check in...the only issue I had here is the traffic getting in was very slow.  We had our bags unloaded by 12:15 and were inside the ship by 12:40.  Really fast and efficient once I got through that long line.  Leaving was just crazy fast...I can't believe they can get all those people off the ship so fast.  Even the parking garage wasn't bad at all to leave. I'd give both Embarkation and Debarkation a 5/5.

 

Ship

Wow! I haven't been on too many ships, but the ship itself is very nice!  Esplanade (sp?) was very appealing and well laid out.  Restaurants were attractive and distinct.  Lots of pools and hot tubs in good locations.  Seaplex is too cool! In reality the ship felt a bit too big...took a solid amount of time to get from one side to the other, or to get from bottom floor to top.  The elevators were very slow.  This cruise was apparently near max capacity and the very very BIG downside of this whole review is that it just simply felt too crowded.  There was very little space you could really spread out and not feel like you are touching someone.  I'm talking the entire top deck, the Seaplex most days, and especially the morning buffet.  I'll get to the food later, but man that morning buffet was just so chaotic.  I don't miss that one bit.  But otherwise a lovely ship and had it been sailing at 80% capacity I think this wouldn't be an issue. Ship I'd give a 4/5 and would have been a 5 if not for overcrowding.

 

Room/Room Attendants

Like I said, we had 2 Oceanviews and one inside and all the rooms were adequate. The bathroom wasn't as small as I remember cruising in the past.  Everything was very clean.  The room attendants were phenomenal (especially Harold!)!  They were so good at somehow cleaning the rooms while we were out even though we were coming back to the rooms frequently.  They definitely earned their extra tip!  My only complaint about the room is we had to use the pull out sofa and it was extremely uncomfortable. My youngest couldn't sleep on it so I took the hit and I never actually got a goodnights sleep the whole cruise. I loved the window had a ledge where my kids would hang out and watch the ocean!  I'd give the rooms a 3/5 for discomfort and relatively small size...but i'd prefer to rate the room attendants separate and give a 5/5

 

Food/Drinks

Food is a big one for most people, as it is for me as well.  The first 2 days we went to the buffet exclusively because of the kiddos and we thought it would be easier.  Well the first lunch was decent and nice, but then dinner the food was basically the same and the next day for lunch the food was the same again.  It was switched up a little for dinner but it started to feel repetitive.  Overall the quality was decent but nothing truly spectacular at the buffets.  That said the breakfast buffet was very good IMO but just so darn chaotic.  Lunch and dinner could be busy too but not as much clearly because more people like to visit the dining rooms at those times.  So finally we sucked it up and went to the dining room for dinner and felt that it was very good...clearly a step above the buffet in terms of quality.  Its a bit of a longer thing so you have to make time for it but I felt it was worth it so we ended the cruise doing that most days. Lunch was usually just a free for all.  We did one specialty restaurant just the wife and I for Valentines day and it was Wonderland. The food itself was pretty good though most things were pretty "out there" and not to my taste.  The presentation by our waiter was just so great...he was charming and attentive.  The desserts were mostly decent with a few hard/stale cookies and dry cakes now and then. The pizza at Sorrentos was good and I ate a slice or 2 basically late every night.  Overall I'd give the food a 3/5.

 

Casino

I like to gamble and I especially like to play poker.  I found the dealers mostly friendly with a few grumps mixed in.  The odds on blackjack were not good if not playing the higher stakes so I stayed away from that.  The variety of the slot machines was very good.  I'm a big poker player and they had a 2/5 Texas NL holdem game every night.  I loved it but you have to show up early to get a seat.  Not sure if this was just this cruise but i learned you have to come early and put your players card down to hold a spot.  Once I learned that I played 4 out of the 7 nights.  It was a good group and the dealers were mostly good with just a few slip ups.  The ship does have a unique terrible rule where a new player could show up and match the buy in of the highest stack (essentially allowing them to come in fresh and bust anyone).  Most casinos have a hard cap so that was a bit weird.  Also, the waiting list on the 3rd night got completely screwed up due to inattentive dealers and really caused a stir.  Also, the waiting list often got to 12-14 people yet they couldn't open a second table that would have filled in 2 minutes, causing many people to miss out on playing.  Final complaint and its a personal one, the smoking in the casino just sucks.  I know most casinos allow smoking but I am personally just sick of it.  I come back to the room smelling like an ashtray and nobody likes that.  I'm not sure how to rate the casino as I did have a good time but there were some serious shortcomings.  Since I had fun with my fellow Texas Hold Em players I want to give it a 5/5 but in reality the situation is more like a 2/5.

 

Kids Club (Adventure Ocean)/Kids Entertainment

I have mixed feelings here...the kids club wasn't bad and the fact that it is free is pretty mindblowing.  My kids seemed to enjoy it at first but refused to go back the last day.  I'm not sure why as they love going to school/daycare so that got me a bit concerned.  I noticed other kids crying every single time I go to pick them up...was it a bad batch of kids?  Personalities not matching?  Something with the counselors?  I know they are kids and hence unpredictable but it did feel a bit off.  I sent my kids to the morning session 4 times and the evening session once.  The evening session doesn't start until 7 which is a bit awkward since my kids go to bed at like 8:30 max usually so I rarely bothered using it.  Also, there was no young child focused entertainment other than that.  Reportedly there were over 800 kids on this sailing (wow!) but yet there was no dedicated childrens activities outside of the kids club.  No kids shows at all, no real entertainment aimed directly at younger kids despite a good portion of the cruise dedicated to them.  Considering I picked this cruise and boat solely for my kids, i'm shocked to give this category only a 3/5 (and honestly it would be a 2/5 if not for the fact that the kids club is free).

 

Entertainment for Adults/older kids/Pools

I didn't see a ton of shows but the ones I saw were not bad.  The rock show was weird but somewhat enjoyable.  Some of the contests were good like the guess that tune gameshow on the last day, others not so much like the 60 seconds show which was just a disorganized mess.  The Seaplex is just great...great great great.  I think it needs to be bigger in fact due to so many kids and people that can fit on the ship.  The bumper cars are slow and a bit of a gimmick but the rest is superb.  Ping pong tables, air hocket, an xbox gaming room, etc. were all pretty decent.  As far as pools go there was an outdoor pool for all, an indoor pool for all, and then a fancy indoor pool for adults.  There were also 8 hot tubs, 4 of which reserved for adults.  Not bad except the ship has so many people that the pool deck is just swamped on the nice days, and the colder days the indoor pool was absolutely packed.  I got to enjoy the hot tub on the cold days because they weren't crowded and people were afraid to get in.  When I was young, it was a thing that kids weren't allowed in hot tubs period because the heat was bad for them in some way.  Well apparently that's no longer a thing because kids were in all the non-adult hot tubs like constantly treating it like a mini swimming pool making me not want to go in.  And somehow the adult hot tubs in the solarium weren't quite as good.  I don't know...this category is a bit of a mish-mash so I'll go with 3/5 as far as my rating.

 

Ports

Port Canaveral:  This is a lackluster filler port in my opinion, but I had a great time ironically. I have a friend who lives here so he picked my whole family up and took us to Kennedy Space Center and got us half price tickets. We had a great time!  Other than that, doesn't seem like much to do.  Also if you had to arrange your own transportation and then pay for full price tickets, that is an expensive day and not worth it.  For me this was a 4/5 day, but overall my honest rating is a 2/5.

Nassau:  I've been to Nassau many times so I knew what to expect, which is a long walk from the ship, then pushy locals, and then an overcrowded beach. The beach is nice but not the best.  I could have sprung for Margaritaville, but we are beach people more than pool people and their beach is only slightly better.  I ended up getting overcharged for a cab to the beach, then paying for a couple of chairs, then paying a fair price for the cab back.  Overall inexpensive day though because I didn't buy the overpriced ship excursions. That said, I do see the appeal of the ship excursions here because the experience is faster with less pushy locals and you get to a nicer location. I might try for the Blue Lagoon next time I visit here even though its a bit pricey.  Overall I'd say this port can vary a bit but I'd give it a 3/5.

Coco Cay:  Well...now here is the main event of the whole cruise.  Wow!  BEAUTIFUL island, perfect weather, everything is so well laid out.  Everyone is so nice.  Noone is pushy.  They don't nickel and dime you at all here.  Royal Caribbean really made a paradise here.  The beaches are just fantastic.  There is a lot to do for my young kids for free.  And if you want to spring for the waterpark, that's totally worth it too.  There are some other niche things you can spring for like the zip line or balloon ride, but not necessary at all.  What a lovely day. Is there a cruise that goes here twice? Lol 6/5!!

 

Final Thoughts/Would I do it again?

Well this turned into a long review didn't it?  Final thoughts are I had a good time, but there were enough short comings that I'm questioning whether I'd do this ship in the near future.  Coco Cay almost makes the whole thing worth while I just loved it so much.  The ship is definitely nice just too many people and yet still too big feeling.  I don't know how people get around on the bigger ships like Wonder and future Icon...it would just take forever to get anywhere.  I think my overall cruise experience was a 3/5 with the possibility of doing this again with a different itinerary and maybe trying to aim for a sailing with less capacity (although is that even possible?).  Also a shorter sailing might work. When my kids are a bit older and can enjoy the entertainment more I think I'll be more likely to revisit.

 

Thanks for reading!!

 

[teddie]

Thanks for the detailed review.  We were on the 2/4 sailing, and it was just the two of us--no kids with us. Agree about the embarkation/disembarkation--it was a breeze!

 

We walked through the Seaplex once and then spent a good bit of our relaxation time in the adults solarium or on our balcony, so maybe that's why we never felt the crowd issue as you expeienced. We had over 600 kids on our cruise, which really surprised me! We also loved Coco Cay!  It was definitely our favorite stop.

 

Teddie

 

 

 

 

[Granite543]

10 hours ago, teddie said:

Thanks for the detailed review.  We were on the 2/4 sailing, and it was just the two of us--no kids with us. Agree about the embarkation/disembarkation--it was a breeze!

 

We walked through the Seaplex once and then spent a good bit of our relaxation time in the adults solarium or on our balcony, so maybe that's why we never felt the crowd issue as you expeienced. We had over 600 kids on our cruise, which really surprised me! We also loved Coco Cay!  It was definitely our favorite stop.

 

Teddie

 

 

 

 

Thanks for reading Teddie! I read most of your live review in anticipation of my cruise! It was great! I love CoCo Cay so much! I would fly there and stay on the island if I could lol.

[LuCruise]

Thanks for the review.  We were on Anthem for the first time last March and quite enjoyed it.  (Was obsessed with trying her as we kept having Anthem cruises cancelled due to the pandemic).  If trying again, you may want to try Oasis class or Freedom or Voyager class (Mariner or Navigator for kids) if didn't like the crowds, but sounds like overall you enjoyed.

[suometar]

Thanks for the review! We will be on the Anthem next month so this was very helpful.

I just have a couple of questions: what days and times was the rock show? Did it have a story line or was it just a collection or Queen songs?

You said that you went to the main dining room. Did you need a reservation or can you just show up and be seated? 

[The Fun Researcher]

12 hours ago, Granite543 said:

 

Nassau:  I've been to Nassau many times so I knew what to expect, which is a long walk from the ship, then pushy locals, and then an overcrowded beach. The beach is nice but not the best.  I could have sprung for Margaritaville, but we are beach people more than pool people and their beach is only slightly better.  I ended up getting overcharged for a cab to the beach, then paying for a couple of chairs, then paying a fair price for the cab back.  Overall inexpensive day though because I didn't buy the overpriced ship excursions. That said, I do see the appeal of the ship excursions here because the experience is faster with less pushy locals and you get to a nicer location. I might try for the Blue Lagoon next time I visit here even though its a bit pricey.  Overall I'd say this port can vary a bit but I'd give it a 3/5.

 

re. Nassau, did you go to Junkanoo beach?  That's what we're planning to do while in Nassau next month (same ship and itinerary as you).

 

Great review by the way, thank you.  We're interested to see how it goes driving to port (from Michigan).  We've always flown to Florida or Galveston TX.  We're driving most of the way Saturday and have a hotel in Allentown.  How much extra time should we add to account for traffic in the morning? Google maps says it's a 1 hour 30 minute drive, should I plan 2 hours instead?

 

We have an 11am embarkation time and a 12pm Jamie's Italian reservation for lunch (not fond of the Windjammer madhouse for lumch on embarkation day)

[The Fun Researcher]

8 minutes ago, suometar said:

Thanks for the review! We will be on the Anthem next month so this was very helpful.

I just have a couple of questions: what days and times was the rock show? Did it have a story line or was it just a collection or Queen songs?

You said that you went to the main dining room. Did you need a reservation or can you just show up and be seated? 

Not the OP but I can help answer this since all Royal ships are pretty much the same in this regard.

 

What did you sign up for when you booked your cruise?  You are either early traditional seating, late traditional seating, or My Time Dining.

 

If you are early or late traditional you need to show up at that time. 

 

If you are "My Time" dining you can show up whenever you like and you will wait for an open table.  or...  If you have "My Time" dining you can go into the cruise planner online, (under "dining" and scroll to the bottom of the page) and look for times to reserve each evening.  This close to the cruise there may not be a lot of desirable times left.  If there are satisfactory times, go ahead and make reservations each evening and you'll wait less.  

[Granite543]

12 minutes ago, suometar said:

Thanks for the review! We will be on the Anthem next month so this was very helpful.

I just have a couple of questions: what days and times was the rock show? Did it have a story line or was it just a collection or Queen songs?

You said that you went to the main dining room. Did you need a reservation or can you just show up and be seated? 

Great questions!  The rock show was mostly in the evenings on port days and the sea days i saw it at 2pm so it does play in the afternoon occasionally.  The show's music was great, but it did have a storyline and it was very very weird.  I don't want to spoil it but its definitely not for everyone.  Still the music and lights and spectacle of it all was pretty cool.

 

I did sit in the main dining room for dinners on the last half of the cruise and highly recommend it.  I had signed up for My time dining only because early seating is too early and late seating is too late lol.  Anyway, as it worked out, the "release" the early dining seating at 5:45pm everyday for people who don't have a set dining time to use (I wish someone would have told me this on Day 1). You just line up outside the dining room in the non-reservation line.  I got there by 5:40pm or so and even though I was toward the back of the initial line, my party of 7 got seated fairly rapidly.  I feel like this was easily the best compromise.  The downside is you get a different waiter every time, but the good side is you get a different dining room everytime too (and they were all very pretty and unique so that was a bonus).  The other downside is you do have to wait just a bit.  Now if you waited for the regular my time dining which opens up like 6:30 or something, then there is a considerable line and probably easily a 20 minute wait.  Still not terrible but something to plan for.

[Granite543]

17 minutes ago, The Fun Researcher said:

re. Nassau, did you go to Junkanoo beach?  That's what we're planning to do while in Nassau next month (same ship and itinerary as you).

 

Great review by the way, thank you.  We're interested to see how it goes driving to port (from Michigan).  We've always flown to Florida or Galveston TX.  We're driving most of the way Saturday and have a hotel in Allentown.  How much extra time should we add to account for traffic in the morning? Google maps says it's a 1 hour 30 minute drive, should I plan 2 hours instead?

 

We have an 11am embarkation time and a 12pm Jamie's Italian reservation for lunch (not fond of the Windjammer madhouse for lumch on embarkation day)

Thanks for reading!  Yes, we went to Junkanoo beach because I heard Cabbage beach was full of vendors and was a bit farther.  I'd say its fine.  I initially paid $5/per person (so party of 7 was $35 total) to get from the port to the beach but its such a short drive thats a rip.  I paid $3 per person on the way back...much more reasonable.  Then I paid $10/chair on the beach and I felt that was worth it. I tried to negotiate but she didn't budge...maybe you will have better luck.

 

As far as driving, yeah budget an extra half hour to get through the line.  Your embarkation time is earlier than ours so maybe you will have it easier as we were aiming for closer to 12.  Then direct you to a baggage drop off spot and a porter takes your bags.  Then you keep driving and park in the garage.

 

By the time I got on the ship it was 12:40pm and then by thte time I was done with Muster, my room was already ready right before 1pm.  I dropped off my stuff and went to Windjammer for lunch at 1:05pm and actually it wasn't too bad.  But Jamie's for lunch on embarkation day sounds excellent.

[The Fun Researcher]

1 minute ago, Granite543 said:

Thanks for reading!  Yes, we went to Junkanoo beach because I heard Cabbage beach was full of vendors and was a bit farther.  I'd say its fine.  I initially paid $5/per person (so party of 7 was $35 total) to get from the port to the beach but its such a short drive thats a rip.  I paid $3 per person on the way back...much more reasonable.  Then I paid $10/chair on the beach and I felt that was worth it. I tried to negotiate but she didn't budge...maybe you will have better luck.

 

Thanks for the reply!

 

Glad you mentioned the taxi fare.  My Father In Law has a bad knee and that walk would be too much for him so we'll probably just grab a cab both ways.  $5pp is perfectly fine. (There are five of us, My wife, our son, myself and my inlaws)  $10 for a chair is great too.  Overall much cheaper than a dedicated excursion.  I always struggle with Nassau.  For being the busiest cruise port in the caribbean/bahamas there sure isn't much to do versus other ports.

[suometar]

17 minutes ago, Granite543 said:

Great questions!  The rock show was mostly in the evenings on port days and the sea days i saw it at 2pm so it does play in the afternoon occasionally.  The show's music was great, but it did have a storyline and it was very very weird.  I don't want to spoil it but its definitely not for everyone.  Still the music and lights and spectacle of it all was pretty cool.

 

I did sit in the main dining room for dinners on the last half of the cruise and highly recommend it.  I had signed up for My time dining only because early seating is too early and late seating is too late lol.  Anyway, as it worked out, the "release" the early dining seating at 5:45pm everyday for people who don't have a set dining time to use (I wish someone would have told me this on Day 1). You just line up outside the dining room in the non-reservation line.  I got there by 5:40pm or so and even though I was toward the back of the initial line, my party of 7 got seated fairly rapidly.  I feel like this was easily the best compromise.  The downside is you get a different waiter every time, but the good side is you get a different dining room everytime too (and they were all very pretty and unique so that was a bonus).  The other downside is you do have to wait just a bit.  Now if you waited for the regular my time dining which opens up like 6:30 or something, then there is a considerable line and probably easily a 20 minute wait.  Still not terrible but something to plan for.

 

[suometar]

Just now, suometar said:

 

I'd like to thank you and also The Fun Researcher for both of your detailed replies. Here I should tell you that this is m first time on RCL (almost all our cruises have been on NCL) so I am not used to reserved dining. But we have special dining and also access to Coastal Kitchen because we are in a suite. I was just wondering if we can just show up at a MR if we like that night's menu. 

Thanks again for explaining how it works!

[Granite543]

1 hour ago, suometar said:

I'd like to thank you and also The Fun Researcher for both of your detailed replies. Here I should tell you that this is m first time on RCL (almost all our cruises have been on NCL) so I am not used to reserved dining. But we have special dining and also access to Coastal Kitchen because we are in a suite. I was just wondering if we can just show up at a MR if we like that night's menu. 

Thanks again for explaining how it works!

My pleasure! I would have loved to try coastal kitchen. Maybe next time if I book a suite one day!

[vadersprincess12]

23 hours ago, Granite543 said:

Hey all!  I love reading reviews and live reviews so I thought I would put this together for the community.  I cruised on the Anthem of the Seas from February 12-19 2023 out of Bayonne/Cape Liberty with an itinerary consisting of Port Canaveral, Nassau, and CoCo Cay.  I'll segment my review for ease of reading and my line of thinking (although this turned out to be a very lengthy review lol).

 

A little about me: I'm in my late 30s and brought my wife, 2 boys (ages 3.5 and 4.5), 2 grandmas, and a good friend. We had 3 cabins:  2 oceanviews on Deck 3 that held 3 of us each, and an inside on deck 10 for my friend.

 

BLUF:  Mostly good in every category mentioned below with a downside or 2...as expected with most things in life.

 

Embarkation/Debarkation

Extraordinarily smooth on both accounts. All the staff were very pleasant inside and outside the terminal (especially outside I'm surprised to report).  We had a noon check in...the only issue I had here is the traffic getting in was very slow.  We had our bags unloaded by 12:15 and were inside the ship by 12:40.  Really fast and efficient once I got through that long line.  Leaving was just crazy fast...I can't believe they can get all those people off the ship so fast.  Even the parking garage wasn't bad at all to leave. I'd give both Embarkation and Debarkation a 5/5.

 

Ship

Wow! I haven't been on too many ships, but the ship itself is very nice!  Esplanade (sp?) was very appealing and well laid out.  Restaurants were attractive and distinct.  Lots of pools and hot tubs in good locations.  Seaplex is too cool! In reality the ship felt a bit too big...took a solid amount of time to get from one side to the other, or to get from bottom floor to top.  The elevators were very slow.  This cruise was apparently near max capacity and the very very BIG downside of this whole review is that it just simply felt too crowded.  There was very little space you could really spread out and not feel like you are touching someone.  I'm talking the entire top deck, the Seaplex most days, and especially the morning buffet.  I'll get to the food later, but man that morning buffet was just so chaotic.  I don't miss that one bit.  But otherwise a lovely ship and had it been sailing at 80% capacity I think this wouldn't be an issue. Ship I'd give a 4/5 and would have been a 5 if not for overcrowding.

 

Room/Room Attendants

Like I said, we had 2 Oceanviews and one inside and all the rooms were adequate. The bathroom wasn't as small as I remember cruising in the past.  Everything was very clean.  The room attendants were phenomenal (especially Harold!)!  They were so good at somehow cleaning the rooms while we were out even though we were coming back to the rooms frequently.  They definitely earned their extra tip!  My only complaint about the room is we had to use the pull out sofa and it was extremely uncomfortable. My youngest couldn't sleep on it so I took the hit and I never actually got a goodnights sleep the whole cruise. I loved the window had a ledge where my kids would hang out and watch the ocean!  I'd give the rooms a 3/5 for discomfort and relatively small size...but i'd prefer to rate the room attendants separate and give a 5/5

 

Food/Drinks

Food is a big one for most people, as it is for me as well.  The first 2 days we went to the buffet exclusively because of the kiddos and we thought it would be easier.  Well the first lunch was decent and nice, but then dinner the food was basically the same and the next day for lunch the food was the same again.  It was switched up a little for dinner but it started to feel repetitive.  Overall the quality was decent but nothing truly spectacular at the buffets.  That said the breakfast buffet was very good IMO but just so darn chaotic.  Lunch and dinner could be busy too but not as much clearly because more people like to visit the dining rooms at those times.  So finally we sucked it up and went to the dining room for dinner and felt that it was very good...clearly a step above the buffet in terms of quality.  Its a bit of a longer thing so you have to make time for it but I felt it was worth it so we ended the cruise doing that most days. Lunch was usually just a free for all.  We did one specialty restaurant just the wife and I for Valentines day and it was Wonderland. The food itself was pretty good though most things were pretty "out there" and not to my taste.  The presentation by our waiter was just so great...he was charming and attentive.  The desserts were mostly decent with a few hard/stale cookies and dry cakes now and then. The pizza at Sorrentos was good and I ate a slice or 2 basically late every night.  Overall I'd give the food a 3/5.

 

Casino

I like to gamble and I especially like to play poker.  I found the dealers mostly friendly with a few grumps mixed in.  The odds on blackjack were not good if not playing the higher stakes so I stayed away from that.  The variety of the slot machines was very good.  I'm a big poker player and they had a 2/5 Texas NL holdem game every night.  I loved it but you have to show up early to get a seat.  Not sure if this was just this cruise but i learned you have to come early and put your players card down to hold a spot.  Once I learned that I played 4 out of the 7 nights.  It was a good group and the dealers were mostly good with just a few slip ups.  The ship does have a unique terrible rule where a new player could show up and match the buy in of the highest stack (essentially allowing them to come in fresh and bust anyone).  Most casinos have a hard cap so that was a bit weird.  Also, the waiting list on the 3rd night got completely screwed up due to inattentive dealers and really caused a stir.  Also, the waiting list often got to 12-14 people yet they couldn't open a second table that would have filled in 2 minutes, causing many people to miss out on playing.  Final complaint and its a personal one, the smoking in the casino just sucks.  I know most casinos allow smoking but I am personally just sick of it.  I come back to the room smelling like an ashtray and nobody likes that.  I'm not sure how to rate the casino as I did have a good time but there were some serious shortcomings.  Since I had fun with my fellow Texas Hold Em players I want to give it a 5/5 but in reality the situation is more like a 2/5.

 

Kids Club (Adventure Ocean)/Kids Entertainment

I have mixed feelings here...the kids club wasn't bad and the fact that it is free is pretty mindblowing.  My kids seemed to enjoy it at first but refused to go back the last day.  I'm not sure why as they love going to school/daycare so that got me a bit concerned.  I noticed other kids crying every single time I go to pick them up...was it a bad batch of kids?  Personalities not matching?  Something with the counselors?  I know they are kids and hence unpredictable but it did feel a bit off.  I sent my kids to the morning session 4 times and the evening session once.  The evening session doesn't start until 7 which is a bit awkward since my kids go to bed at like 8:30 max usually so I rarely bothered using it.  Also, there was no young child focused entertainment other than that.  Reportedly there were over 800 kids on this sailing (wow!) but yet there was no dedicated childrens activities outside of the kids club.  No kids shows at all, no real entertainment aimed directly at younger kids despite a good portion of the cruise dedicated to them.  Considering I picked this cruise and boat solely for my kids, i'm shocked to give this category only a 3/5 (and honestly it would be a 2/5 if not for the fact that the kids club is free).

 

Entertainment for Adults/older kids/Pools

I didn't see a ton of shows but the ones I saw were not bad.  The rock show was weird but somewhat enjoyable.  Some of the contests were good like the guess that tune gameshow on the last day, others not so much like the 60 seconds show which was just a disorganized mess.  The Seaplex is just great...great great great.  I think it needs to be bigger in fact due to so many kids and people that can fit on the ship.  The bumper cars are slow and a bit of a gimmick but the rest is superb.  Ping pong tables, air hocket, an xbox gaming room, etc. were all pretty decent.  As far as pools go there was an outdoor pool for all, an indoor pool for all, and then a fancy indoor pool for adults.  There were also 8 hot tubs, 4 of which reserved for adults.  Not bad except the ship has so many people that the pool deck is just swamped on the nice days, and the colder days the indoor pool was absolutely packed.  I got to enjoy the hot tub on the cold days because they weren't crowded and people were afraid to get in.  When I was young, it was a thing that kids weren't allowed in hot tubs period because the heat was bad for them in some way.  Well apparently that's no longer a thing because kids were in all the non-adult hot tubs like constantly treating it like a mini swimming pool making me not want to go in.  And somehow the adult hot tubs in the solarium weren't quite as good.  I don't know...this category is a bit of a mish-mash so I'll go with 3/5 as far as my rating.

 

Ports

Port Canaveral:  This is a lackluster filler port in my opinion, but I had a great time ironically. I have a friend who lives here so he picked my whole family up and took us to Kennedy Space Center and got us half price tickets. We had a great time!  Other than that, doesn't seem like much to do.  Also if you had to arrange your own transportation and then pay for full price tickets, that is an expensive day and not worth it.  For me this was a 4/5 day, but overall my honest rating is a 2/5.

Nassau:  I've been to Nassau many times so I knew what to expect, which is a long walk from the ship, then pushy locals, and then an overcrowded beach. The beach is nice but not the best.  I could have sprung for Margaritaville, but we are beach people more than pool people and their beach is only slightly better.  I ended up getting overcharged for a cab to the beach, then paying for a couple of chairs, then paying a fair price for the cab back.  Overall inexpensive day though because I didn't buy the overpriced ship excursions. That said, I do see the appeal of the ship excursions here because the experience is faster with less pushy locals and you get to a nicer location. I might try for the Blue Lagoon next time I visit here even though its a bit pricey.  Overall I'd say this port can vary a bit but I'd give it a 3/5.

Coco Cay:  Well...now here is the main event of the whole cruise.  Wow!  BEAUTIFUL island, perfect weather, everything is so well laid out.  Everyone is so nice.  Noone is pushy.  They don't nickel and dime you at all here.  Royal Caribbean really made a paradise here.  The beaches are just fantastic.  There is a lot to do for my young kids for free.  And if you want to spring for the waterpark, that's totally worth it too.  There are some other niche things you can spring for like the zip line or balloon ride, but not necessary at all.  What a lovely day. Is there a cruise that goes here twice? Lol 6/5!!

 

Final Thoughts/Would I do it again?

Well this turned into a long review didn't it?  Final thoughts are I had a good time, but there were enough short comings that I'm questioning whether I'd do this ship in the near future.  Coco Cay almost makes the whole thing worth while I just loved it so much.  The ship is definitely nice just too many people and yet still too big feeling.  I don't know how people get around on the bigger ships like Wonder and future Icon...it would just take forever to get anywhere.  I think my overall cruise experience was a 3/5 with the possibility of doing this again with a different itinerary and maybe trying to aim for a sailing with less capacity (although is that even possible?).  Also a shorter sailing might work. When my kids are a bit older and can enjoy the entertainment more I think I'll be more likely to revisit.

 

Thanks for reading!!

 

Thanks for the review.  I just posted one as well for the same sailing.  We have many of the same issues.

[ymncruise]

Thanks for the review! I hate that casino smoke too. 

[broadwaybaby123]

Hope you left the ship in one piece for me...it's my turn this week!

[junior8]

Granite543, 

hi. Thank you for your review.   Was there a tribute band called Rookie and/or comedian Dan Wilson. 
I am going in April and those two are scheduled to be on when I go. Just wondering if you know of them?

 

Thanks

Brenda

[mets123]

10 minutes ago, junior8 said:

Granite543, 

hi. Thank you for your review.   Was there a tribute band called Rookie and/or comedian Dan Wilson. 
I am going in April and those two are scheduled to be on when I go. Just wondering if you know of them?

 

Thanks

Brenda

If I remember correctly from a cruise about 3 years ago, Rookie is a cover band playing 80's music, not a tribute band.

[Giantfan13]

Thanks for your review. We were on the Anthem in January, for the first time, and, as 2 seniors, we still felt many times as you did, crowded. We are experienced cruisers and have always told people there are many spots on most ships, where you can find a quiet nook outside and just sit and chill out. On the Anthem, those are few and very far between. We love the older ships where you can sit on the Promenade deck (lower decks) and just get away from the crowds, but the Anthem has none of that. You can find several spots inside for those 'quiet'  times, but we prefer to be outdoors.

 

Again, thanks for your very honest review.

 

Cheers

Len

[junior8]

7 hours ago, mets123 said:

If I remember correctly from a cruise about 3 years ago, Rookie is a cover band playing 80's music, not a tribute band.

Thanks. Never heard of them. 

[junior8]

2 hours ago, Giantfan13 said:

”are many spots on most ships, where you can find a quiet nook outside and just sit and chill out. On the Anthem, those are few and very far between. We love the older ships where you can sit on the Promenade deck (lower decks) and just get away from the crowds”

Len

i totally agree with you. I LOVE deck 5 on the older ships. Shade, not crowded, my go too spot 😁

I am not a fan of the newer ships at all. Been on Anthem and Oasis. I love the Explorer and Freedom size. Booked Liberty in October. 
the one thing about Anthem I do love is the solo balconies. Well that is before they increased the rate of them. 😁

[The Fun Researcher]

2 hours ago, junior8 said:

Len

i totally agree with you. I LOVE deck 5 on the older ships. Shade, not crowded, my go too spot 😁

I am not a fan of the newer ships at all. Been on Anthem and Oasis. I love the Explorer and Freedom size. Booked Liberty in October. 
the one thing about Anthem I do love is the solo balconies. Well that is before they increased the rate of them. 😁

Amped Freedom and Amped voyager classes are our favorite so far but we have not tried the quantum class yet. It will be interesting to see what we think in a couple of weeks on the Anthem

[Sunshine3601]

On 2/20/2023 at 10:38 AM, The Fun Researcher said:

re. Nassau, did you go to Junkanoo beach?  That's what we're planning to do while in Nassau next month (same ship and itinerary as you).

 

We have an 11am embarkation time and a 12pm Jamie's Italian reservation for lunch (not fond of the Windjammer madhouse for lumch on embarkation day)

We have done this itinerary several times on Anthem and Oasis.  Will be back onboard end of this month.   

Traffic can line up quite a bit at the port I would give yourself an extra 45 minutes onto drive time from your hotel.  This will give you time to drop off luggage with porters, park and checkin. 

Junkanoo Beach is an okay beach.   Usually rent loungers for $10 pp with optional umbrella for extra I think.

It's about a 15 minute walk from the pier.  We usually walk there then taxi back.  

[Merion_Mom]

On 2/20/2023 at 11:19 AM, suometar said:

I'd like to thank you and also The Fun Researcher for both of your detailed replies. Here I should tell you that this is m first time on RCL (almost all our cruises have been on NCL) so I am not used to reserved dining. But we have special dining and also access to Coastal Kitchen because we are in a suite. I was just wondering if we can just show up at a MR if we like that night's menu. 

Thanks again for explaining how it works!

 

Since you have access to Coastal Kitchen and will do some  specialty dining, just sign up for My Time Dining.  (RC won't let you NOT sign up for something).  Then if you choose to eat in the MDR, you can do the "just walk up and be seated" option.

[Merion_Mom]

On 2/20/2023 at 10:36 AM, suometar said:

Thanks for the review! We will be on the Anthem next month so this was very helpful.

I just have a couple of questions: what days and times was the rock show? Did it have a story line or was it just a collection or Queen songs?

You said that you went to the main dining room. Did you need a reservation or can you just show up and be seated? 

 

On 2/20/2023 at 10:54 AM, Granite543 said:

Great questions!  The rock show was mostly in the evenings on port days and the sea days i saw it at 2pm so it does play in the afternoon occasionally.  The show's music was great, but it did have a storyline and it was very very weird.  I don't want to spoil it but its definitely not for everyone.  Still the music and lights and spectacle of it all was pretty cool.

 

I did sit in the main dining room for dinners on the last half of the cruise and highly recommend it.  I had signed up for My time dining only because early seating is too early and late seating is too late lol.  Anyway, as it worked out, the "release" the early dining seating at 5:45pm everyday for people who don't have a set dining time to use (I wish someone would have told me this on Day 1). You just line up outside the dining room in the non-reservation line.  I got there by 5:40pm or so and even though I was toward the back of the initial line, my party of 7 got seated fairly rapidly.  I feel like this was easily the best compromise.  The downside is you get a different waiter every time, but the good side is you get a different dining room everytime too (and they were all very pretty and unique so that was a bonus).  The other downside is you do have to wait just a bit.  Now if you waited for the regular my time dining which opens up like 6:30 or something, then there is a considerable line and probably easily a 20 minute wait.  Still not terrible but something to plan for.

We Will Rock You will be performed three times:  one matinee and two evening shows.  These will either be the first two days of your cruise or the last two days of your cruise.