I was interested in cruising on a mega-ship, of which Anthem of the Seas is a great example. I was not particular about the ports of call, which in this case was exclusively Bermuda and back. The ship sails exceptionally smoothly even in very rough seas, which we encountered on the return voyage.

Unfortunately in terms of cuisine, my highest priority at sea, Anthem of the Seas showed nothing to distinguish itself from all the other cruise lines I have traveled on. With one exception the specialty restaurants did not merit the surcharge that they require. We tried all of them. The exception was Izumi, a Japanese sushi style restaurant that offered outstanding selections, but not much by way of decor or ambiance. "Wonderland" is well named because we wondered what the chef was thinking when he brought an array of "post modern" selections with fancy names but no memorable taste sensations.

The other drawback is the disembarkation process, which borders on uncontrolled chaos. We chose to "walk off" with luggage in hand and were promptly met by a thousand or so other passengers who did the same. We were about 30 minutes in line waiting to reach the exit. Surely after decades of experience the management can come up with more streamlined processes to expedite leaving the ship.