We choose this cruise primarily because it sailed out of Bayonne, NJ and it was a new ship. My husband and I (both 49) and sons, 18 and 15, had never been on a cruise before and booked the cruise in early May for a June 30th sail date.. I was a little nervous after reading some of the reviews of the Anthem of the Seas but we had a great time and are planning to go again next summer. We did 9 nights and ports were Bermuda, St. Maarten, Puerto Rico and Labadee.

This being our first cruise, I don't have anything to compare the ship to but can say that the Anthem is beautiful. Our cabins (ocean view, 3rd deck) were really comfortable with lots of storage space and very clean (we had two cabins between the four of us). I liked being on the 3rd deck as we were in close proximity to a lot of venues but for next trip I think we will do a balcony room.

The ship, I believe, was sold out except for the suites. So, with more than 4,000 passengers I was anticipating it to feel crowded but surprisingly we never encountered long lines and never felt over crowded. Some of our favorite spots on the ship were Two70, which is an awesome space at the back of the ship. During the day, it's great to grab breakfast or lunch and at night it's used for shows and as a night club. One of our other favorite spots was the Solarium on the pool deck. It's an enclosed area with several pools and hot tubs. It's a little more quiet than the main pool area. Although it's enclosed, it's all windows so the sun lights it up and you get to see the ocean on all sides but it's not windy. Our favorite bar area was Schooner's. Read more