We chose to cruise on Anthem due to the convenience of the cruise port in Bayonne NJ. A cruise with best friends and their mom's! We stayed at Country Inn and Suites in Elizabeth prior to the cruise and choose the option to park there and take the shuttle into the terminal. Excellent choice..at 10a.m. the lines of traffic into the terminal were awful. Boarding procedure was just ok..find a staff member with an IPAD ..check your documents..then proceed to ship. Our timing was good enough; and traveling with handicapped..that we were permitted on the ship by 11:30.

Had a lunch in the Solarium Bistro; which for breakfast and lunch is now a buffet. Nice choice of food. Temperature of hot food was never quite there..always a bit cold. Taste of food was good though.

Was on 9th deck..interior stateroom 525..with a virtual balcony. Nice size of the room; however my virtual balcony sound was not working. The beds were not separated as requested..I did this myself so my Mom could nap before launch. Luggage and stateroom attendant were not visible until nearly 8pm. Very different from my previous cruise on Oasis. This was disappointing; could not dress for dinner or get settled in until late into the evening..when an early start to travel day encouraged nothing but an early bedtime. I had ordered the soda beverage package and had to see 4 different staff members to obtain the cup; which I was finally able to do around 10pm. The Coke freestyle machines always seemed to be without ice or was running out of the most popular drinks. I observed many not able to get their cup to work. Again..no problems such as this on previous Oasis cruise. Read more