We booked this cruise while on another cruise back in 2015, so we had plenty of time to read reviews, and to plan accordingly. We are fairly frequent cruisers (Diamond Plus with Crown & Anchor Society) so we had a pretty good idea about much of the process, but the Anthem is a bit different in a number of ways.

First, you have the option of uploading a self-prepared security photo to the website prior to embarkation. We did this, and of course we did online check-in, so upon reaching the pier we simply walked over to one of the representatives holding a tablet, handed her our printed Set Sail Passes and passports, and literally within 2 minutes we were heading through the security screening. We were then on the ship within 15 minutes of reaching the pier!

Prior to the cruise we stayed at the Newark Airport Ramada. They offer a park and cruise special, which included up to 21 days of parking in their fenced lot. We arrived the evening prior to sailing to be safe. The hotel provided a complimentary shuttle to the pier. We had already arranged the time during the hotel reservation process, so we went to the lobby at around 10:15 a.m. as instructed, and although we ended up waiting about 1/2 hour the shuttle process worked very well. Upon reaching the pier a porter grabbed our bags (I always print and laminate the luggage tags provided by Royal Caribbean and then attach them as we head to the pier. So our bags were ready to be delivered to our stateroom) and we headed inside the terminal for check-in (described above). Read more