Anthem of the Seas Review
Customer Service Standards are different on all RCCL ships
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Getting to the port in Bayonne, NJ was a test of patience on January 28, 2018. There is a two lane road they have set up to get you to the ship and the road is narrow and really backed up by about 11:00 am. We took a Lyft from the airport hotel and it took about 20 minutes to get from the hotel to the gate at the port, then it took almost 40 minutes to get from the gate to the ship - about 1 mile. When we arrived at the ship from the time we dropped our bags to actually stepping on board was about 10 minutes! The check in was the fastest we have ever experienced, it was brilliant. A lady with a tablet took our information in just a few minutes and we were on our way to the ship.
The Anthem is in the Ovation class and so is full of technological advances, which makes one wonder why they have so many staff to tell you that the computer won’t allow them to do something for you. For example, the first night we went to the Solarium to have dinner and John told us we had to have a reservation to eat. I looked around and counted 15 empty tables and said to John, “there are 15 empty tables right now”, his reply was “you have to have a reservation”. When pressed for an reason we could not sit down, he suggested that I look at his computer to see the reservations. But you have 15 empty tables and no one coming was not good enough, the computer would not allow us to sit down. Later, when we went to another restaurant and were told the same thing, we asked if we could make a reservation for the next night and were told “the system will not allow me to make reservations for tomorrow, you need to call in the morning”. Then, the next morning when you call the # for a reservation, there are 4000 people calling for a reservation and how well do you think 1 person answering those calls goes? Well why not let me make a reservation on my room TV and get ride of the people telling me that they can’t work with the computer system.
The ship is only a few years old and is in good condition overall with very nice interior appointments. We stayed in Cabin 10709 (interior) and although the cabin was in good condition the area it is located has some industrial process and the noise night and day is very loud and recurs frequently (about 10 - 15 minutes between episodes).
Cabin Review
Interior Stateroom with Virtual Balcony
The cabin appointments are nice and very well taken care of daily. Paola was excellent as an attendant. There is a loud noise that goes on day and night which sounds like a trash compactor or something very large and made of metal being moved about every 10-15 minutes all night long. If you are a light sleeper, choose another area of the ship.
Port Reviews
San Juan
It is a short walk fro the ship to the center of Old Town where there are shops and restaurants along with some sidewalk vendors. Not too much destruction as a result of Hurricane Irma remains. Not much to do and see at this port.
St. Maarten
After Hurricane Irma the people here are still in a rebuilding phase with a significant amount of destruction still remaining all over the island. The port area has been cleaned up with some walking areas still being constructed. The walk from the ship to downtown is short with many restaurants and shops open. There is a ferry from the ship to the downtown area and the cost is approximately $7 USD round trip.
Antigua
The port is basically in town and is a short walk from the ship. There are taxi drivers all along the street when you are walking and at times the drivers behavior could be considered harassment. The people depend on tourism and to some people they have not done a good job of making the town beautiful and tourism friendly.
Barbados
When we arrived at the port there was a shuttle service that was very short (2 minute drive) from the ship to the port area. The taxi drivers were out in force and were pushing taxi rides mainly to the beach. It was Sunday and the taxi drivers told us the main section of the city was closed due to Sunday services in the country. It was cloudy and rainy so we dec
St. Kitts (Port Zante)
This is a standard Caribbean sea port with lots of shops selling trinkets, t-shirts, hats, etc. By far the best prices on souvenirs of all the stops on this itinerary.
St. Lucia
Port is approximately a 20 minute walk from the ship. They have a water taxi from the ship to the city which is approximately $5 USD round trip. Police will stop you and talk with you if you stray from the main tourist section of the city. The police will indicate to you where the ‘safe” areas are and highly suggest you stay in those areas. One person we walked by said to us “you have to be very careful around here” and looked very serious. Saturday is the locals market in the city and there are many people come to the city to sell almost anything out of there cars or small pop up tents on the streets. There are many people all through the city and the taxi drivers are constantly asking you to get in their car.