Anthem of the Seas Review

4.5 / 5.0
2,869 reviews

A Floating Mall

Review for the Bahamas Cruise on Anthem of the Seas
User Avatar
NYCrob
2-5 Cruises • Age 30s

Rating by category

Cabin
Value for Money
Embarkation
Dining
Public Rooms
Entertainment
Fitness & Recreation
Service

Additional details

Sail Date: Feb 2017
Cabin: Deluxe Ocean View Stateroom with Balcony
Traveled with children

If this is your cup of tea, then please excuse me, but to me, it felt like a vacation at Bloomingdale's with a pool. Too many people, too much "gotta get there at X time and get it before you". It was not very relaxing. "Ooh, gotta pay $200 to swim with the caged dolphins" (hellooo Peta?). Everybody slowly waddles and gets in your way, attempts to eat/waste too much food, get in front of you, and generally qualifies as poster children for health issues.

Now, that said, the kids had a great time with their friends wandering around in controlled freedom, as they could not get off the boat. Eating whenever they wanted to, and generally staying out of our hair. There were enough things to keep them occupied (as long as they could spend MORE money in the arcade _ i.e, if you’re clueless going on, they give minors credit), and you signed up and paid MONTHS in advance for whatever activity. This kind of trip is definitely for the "must do, do, do" people. Everything was on the clock. On the boat, off the boat, this time, that time, "oh isn't that so gorgeous", here a raffle, there a substandard piece of merchandise you must have – pages of retarded activities. No peace. For all inclusive, the "up-sell" is on the second you get on board. To get even more granular, all the entertainment is meant to "please all" so the shows are confused and erratic – Le Miz meets BMX bikers – Queen, Queen, Queen, rock means Queen and everybody love that right?. The food was good to a little better which did make it more tolerable (and of course the drink package as long as you drink 4 or more drinks a day), but if you want better, pony up (nothing new in all-inclusive tourism, it's just sad). The crew, were very polite, and at times excessively attentive, which is what it is (I would hide or run when our cabin attendant came by). Even though RCCL is supposedly a few steps above Carnival, they still had all the inane "staff parades" and noisy crap which interrupts what you would hope would be a period of peace and relaxation, i.e dinner. At lunch, they constantly made announcements about how great the restaurant was and to thank the staff (which being mostly not American citizens is another issue altogether). Made it seem like I was eating at a strip joint. And I could go on. So, If this is the environment you consider a "holiday", then they do it very well and the boat is well kept and functional for such. So enjoy.

Cabin Review

Deluxe Ocean View Stateroom with Balcony

Cabin E1

Well kept decent room, albeit small for 4 people, but only for sleeping in right? Bed good, trundle couch too firm. Shower, weird glass tube, but it's a ship where they have to cram as many people on board as possible. Say they have hair dryers, but did not. Hey if you like steerage conditions because you need to coagulate with other corpulent people, awesome.

Port Reviews

Bayonne (Cape Liberty)

They were very efficient.

5 Helpful Votes
previous reviewnext review

Find an Anthem of the Seas Cruise from $341

Any Month

Get special cruise deals, expert advice, insider tips and more.By proceeding, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

© 1995—2024, The Independent Traveler, Inc.