My husband and I chose this cruise because we wanted to try a large and relatively new ship and we wanted to visit New England again. Our embarkation was very easy and smooth but possibly because we were staying in a Grand Suite. We each had one suitcase so we chose the self carry for disembarkation and that was extremely easy. Plus we didn't have to put our suitcases in the hall the night before so we had everything we needed the last morning on the ship. The view from the Suites Lounge is beautiful but it is located at the end of a hallway. I am very glad we did not have a room along that hallway because I think it would have been noisy. We went to two of the extra fee restaurants but ate at "complimentary " restaurants the rest of the time. Except for a few exceptions, the food in The Windjammer was not steaming hot but there was always a wide variety available and it was good. I like buffets so that is not an impartial opinion. We saw The Gift, Spectra's Cabaret, We Will Rock You and the Tribute to Billy Joel. We enjoyed the last two the most.

Our room attendant was great and our room was always clean. We had a good time talking with crew members and other guests every place we went on the ship. Guests who did not know they could reserve times for activities like The North Star seemed to be at a disadvantage. Overall we had a good time on the ship. Not sure if we will cruise on a large ship again but I am not ruling it out either. It would have been nice if Royal Caribbean arranged for transportation from the pier to Newark airport the morning of disembarkation as well as in the afternoon. The Concierge Lounge was very crowded and understaffed the first night. Johnny Rockets is very different on The Anthem. Part of why we liked it on other ships was because the crew members working there made it fun.