Anthem of the Seas Review

4.5 / 5.0
2,873 reviews

Eastern Caribbean Disaster

Review for the Eastern Caribbean Cruise on Anthem of the Seas
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Chief Diver
10+ Cruises • Age 70s

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Additional details

Sail Date: May 2017
Cabin: Royal Family Suite with Balcony

Chose a 2 bedroom suite expecting a nice room. It was spacious, had adequate hanging space and sufficient drawers. The storage in the baths was poor and there were no umbrella, makeup mirror, or binoculars in the suite. The sofas were so worn and stained with foreign substances, we had the room attendant cover them with sheets before we'd sit down. And of course, there was no offer to have the upholstery cleaned. The food in the Coastal Kitchen is mediocre at best and the menu changes infrequently. The main dining food is also unappetizing, unseasoned, and inconsistently cooked: Lobster was rubbery, steaks were either cooked to death or rare and the appetizer of Pork Belly was so tough, a knife or fork would not penetrate it. I had to get the chef out to the table to see if he'd eat it and he declined. The wait staff and room attendants are trying their best to make your trip a success. However, this attitude is not consistent throughout the ship. The bar servers actually think they are doing you a favor serving a drink if you have a drinks package. You actually get a sneer if you don't add an extra tip to the receipt when signing for the outrageously priced well drinks. Want upper shelf?-get a mortgage! Want a good wine-bring your own but there's a $25 corkage fee to use the corkscrew. They actually charged $68 for a bottle of California Chardonnay that the local wine store sells for $11.99. Talk about markup! Want a sommelier to suggest a wine-take another cruise line. The wait staff now has to serve drinks and the process is horrendous. One night, we actually got a glass of wine after the meal was served. The pool bar servers spend more time looking out the windows than serving guests; we never did get a bottle of water unless we got up and waited in line at the pool bar. It was a very disappointing experience. When the Master of the Vessel shakes your hand, there is no eye contact and a limp shake, somewhat understandable in the public areas, but he was in Coastal Kitchen theoretically schmoozing with the suite guests. There also is an absence of senior officers talking to the guests, other than at the introductions or the Crown & Anchor cocktail event. The Concierge Lounge is nice, the two servers Joyce and Cheryl are wonderful and very interesting to talk to. The concierge however, never got out of his chair to introduce himself or ask about your cruise. He spent all his time (when he was there) on the computer. When discussing this cruise with one of the junior officers, she indicated we were expecting too much as this cruise line was only 3-star rated so you get what you get. The up-selling is out of control and in your face everywhere you go on the ship. The number of trees killed to produce all the advertising material is criminal even considering they recycle or say they recycle. Finally, I was extremely disappointed with the enforcement of the dress policy in the main dining room. Men's flip flops, dirty t-shirts, stained shorts were the norm. One meal we were seated next to an individual wearing a wife-beater undershirt at the table showing his very hairy back and armpits. Formal night brought out the worst of society in their cutoff t-shirts, ripped shorts, and sandals. A most unappetizing experience. There is also a tendency of those who feel 'entitled' to bring these tiny, squeaky dogs aboard in the guise of "support animals". It's sad to watch these animals relieve themselves in the middle of the photo kiosks and then run all over the furniture in the lounges. If you need emotional support that bad, stay home! It's a scam so they don't have to board their pet while going on a cruise. This mutt was so untrained it wandered all over the lounges jumping on whomever was seated there. I would never go on a RCCL ship again!

Cabin Review

Royal Family Suite with Balcony

Cabin FS

Extremely stained sofas which we would not sit on until they were covered with sheets.

Port Reviews

Labadee

Did not get off the ship. It was cloudy, drizzly, and Labadee is not on my list of places to visit this being my 4th time.

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