Anthem of the Seas Review
Rating by category
Additional details
My husband and I chose to book this Christmas cruise as we had been on the Anthem of the Seas sailing from Southampton in June 2015. It was one of the best cruises we have ever done. We hoped to have the same experience again but were sadly disappointed. The bathroom toiletries have been downgraded, you now have to pay $5 for a wristband to use for purchases, the individual dining venues have all been changed, and the rock band 'Rock the Boat' we really enjoyed previously had moved to another ship in November 2016.
We were being asked to fly to Newark via Brussels outwards and via Frankfurt on the return journey. There is a direct flight from our local airport (Edinburgh) to Newark and weagreed top ay £65 each to upgrade to this flight.
We arrived in Newark at 12.00 noon and went to our overnight hotel. We did not get collected until 12.00 noon the next day. The ship was sailing at 3.00 p.m. and we struggled to get on board on time for the safety drill before sailing. There was nothing to do at the hotel or anywhere to go as it was an airport hotel. We are Diamond members but this did not appear to make any difference at check in and we were told we just have to join the queue like everyone else. We thought one of the privileges of being Diamond members was to get on board quicker!!
Cabin Review
Deluxe Ocean View Stateroom with Balcony
We had a balcony cabin. The cabin was spacious, had a good sized balcony and a fairly large bathroom. It was situated near to a set of lifts so it was always easy negotiating our way to and from the cabin.
Cabin staff were good but it was disappointing not getting the cabin cleaned during the few days of my husband's illness.
Port Reviews
San Juan
Lovely place just to have a stroll around without taking an excursion.
St. Thomas
This port was not as busy as San Juan. We left the ship after 9.30 a.m. but most shops were still closed. It rained on a few occasions so we returned to the ship early.
St. Maarten
Always love a visit to St. Maarten. Lovely beach, can do some shopping then have a drink in one of the esplanade bars.
Bayonne (Cape Liberty)
The dock is in an industrial area which is not very pretty. There are horrendous traffic jams trying to get to the port. However, the views leaving the docks and sailing out of Cape Liberty were lovely.