My wife and I are Royal Caribbean cruisers. We just attained our Diamond Plus status at the completion of this last cruise. We have three future cruises booked on the Anthem and two on the Harmony. I have only sailed on RCI but my wife has cruised on Carnival and NCL. I started cruising because RCI had a embarkation port in Bayonne only 20 minutes from our NJ residence. It eliminates the need to travel to an airport and waste 3 to 4 hours. We sailed 6 cruises on the Explorer, 2 on Liberty and now 1 on Anthem.

First let me start by saying that I have read almost all of the reviews about cruises out of Bayonne. Some I agree with, many I don't. Different strokes for different folks. Let me say that the only way that you will know how much you enjoy sometime is to try it. Both my wife and I have had severe reservations about the Quantum class ships. In fact, we cancelled a cruise on the Quantum due to these concerns. However, friends who sailed the Quantum encourage us to sail the Anthem and make our own decision about the ship. Some of these friends will not sail on a Quantum class again while others love the ship.

We were prepared for a dramatically different ship than the Explorer or Liberty. The Anthem is very different. First of all it is a beautiful ship. In looks it is a WOW. The decor and common areas of the ship are spectacular. Especially beautiful areas are the outdoor pool area, the indoor pool area, the adult solarium, Two70, Concierge area, the Music Hall and our stateroom. We always book a Grand Suite. It was a beautiful room in spite of being slightly smaller than Grand Suites on the Explorer or Liberty. Read more