We had been on the sister ship "Quantum of the Seas" when it first was launched. We thought it would be fun to try Anthem as well. As was the case on Quantum, Anthem has some glaring problems also.
The ship itself, as others mention, is beautiful. The layout is good but the Esplanade gets extremely crowded on sea days, especially when Royal puts out all the tables with the so-called deals of the day, trying to get guests to part with their money.
On this cruise we opted to let Royal pick the room for us. It saves a few dollars and the room that was given was more than acceptable. Michael, our room attendant was awesome.
Our cabin was a Guaranteed Balcony, picked for us by Royal Caribbean. It was located on deck 7, almost half-way between the 2 elevator areas which was appreciated. The balcony was a little small, but served it's purpose for a late-night spot to enjoy a glass of wine.
Will definitely let Royal pick our room again, if the opportunity should arise.