Our family reunion included 24 people and was years in the planning. For most of us it was our first cruise. The youngest was nine (my son) and the oldest were in their 70s. I'm glad Anthem was our first cruise experience--the bar is now set very high, and I would like to know more about cruising in general so I can more fully appreciate why the Quantum-class ships are so special.

I've seen in other reviews that the beds in the cabin were hard: this is what I prefer so I was delighted. Our son was accommodated in the pull-out couch, which I also slept on at times to keep him company: roomy and comfortable. Our cabin was on deck 3, so the lowest possible. The view of the ocean through the cabin window was surprisingly intimate at that height: each wave was its own little neighborhood. By arranging the pillows in the sill I made the space into a little "bay window" which was particularly fascinating on the days when we were avoiding storms and the seas were high. Our cabin also had the advantage of being central, so we were close to the earliest available coffee (Cafe Promenade) as well as somewhat protected from the motion of the ship on rougher days. Our stateroom attendant was with us in seconds when we called, as well as tending our room assiduously. I don't know when these people sleep!

Our large party comprised several staterooms at different price points, depending on our needs and degree of financial investment, so we did not all have the same attendants. We all had good experiences with the service. I had the opportunity to visit a stateroom on deck 8 that had a balcony. A bit breezy when the balcony door was open AND the stateroom door opened for access--the wind tunnel created meant there was a danger of slammage...but that's not the ship's fault. That's just the laws of physics. It did make me feel happy that our nine-year-old did not have access to a balcony. Read more