Believe it or not, but we chose a 9-night cruise for our first Royal Caribbean cruise not knowing if we'd even like it or not. To be honest, we had high expectations considering how amazing many people call the cruise line, so we were expecting a lot. Not only were our expectations met, but they were surpassed greatly and we couldn't have asked for a better vacation! To begin, our boarding was really smooth and I felt it was almost too easy! Although the ship was pretty crowded at some times, it never felt too much and you have to expect crowds on such a large ship with such a large person count. I felt the ship's outline was very different than others but there was nothing too dramatic or bad about it. I REALLY enjoyed the food especially at the main dining room, Wonderland, and Chops Grille. The main dining room was outstanding and we wish we went there more, but we wanted to try other restaurants like Wonderland, Chops, and Jamies. The Head Waitress, Maricris was super nice and visited us every night even though she wasn't our actual server and even though she had many things to deal with, so it was outstanding and so kind of her to do this for us. Wonderland had some of the most extraordinary food my whole family has ever tasted and some of the most interesting food my family has ever tasted. We definitely also enjoyed Chops and the layout of the menu that we did it once for dinner and also again for lunch! Yes, Jamies was amazing and had some pretty good food, but we felt that it could have had more Italian theme since it is an Italian restaurant. Moving on from food, me and my family (I traveled with my husband and one 14-year-old boy for further reference) all enjoyed most of the shows. My son and I were in love with Spectra's Cabaret, my husband not that much. We all hated The Gift and thought it was really hard to follow and made no sense even with having full concentration the whole show. The decorations and set designs and singing in The Gift was amazing but none of it made any sense even though we also did some research beforehand. Both the adult and kid-friendly comedy shows were outstanding and we all enjoyed it a lot. We will rock you is great for long Queen fans, so I really liked it but my husband didn't. Overall, entertainment was pretty good and we saw some shows we couldn't ever forget, especially the silent party which was extremely entertaining and enjoyable. Bingo was pretty good despite the same jokes being used each time in each game and the jokes got a bit annoying but we were barely bothered by it. There was so much entertainment that we had to cut some things out and we weren't able to attend everything we wanted to, which is odd considering you'd think everything would be spread out in a 9-night cruise. My son did the flow rider and rock climbing once or twice and enjoyed it, but the whole family really liked North Star and it was unforgettable with the pictures we also got from it. The Sea Plex had so much entertainment and activities that me, my son, and my husband all enjoyed especially bumper cars and my sons first-time roller skating! The ship overall was extremely clean and as I said before, it had a weird outline and I felt that it isn't the same as other ships but it was definitely something I liked and found interesting. The ship was fairly crowded at some times and at some parts including how hard it was to find a deck chair by the pool, but it was fairly empty above the pool deck 1 deck up and is just as enjoyable to sunbathing, listening to the live music, and watching people swim as well. The ship was just amazing and much bigger than we imagined in pictures! Moving onto our cabin, I found it very unique considering there was actually a charging slot on both sides of the bed as well and also a light switch on the side of the bed that turned off most of the lights in the room. I found this amazing since I didn't have to get up (lol!) and turn the lights off then make my way back to the bed. Our only problems with the room was that our comforter/blanket had a weird stain on it that we found really strange, however, it was dealt with swiftly and the same night we noticed it when we told our room stewardess. We also noticed that we only got a towel animal every other night, which was a shock but I guess that's what happens on a 9-night cruise (this was our longest cruise as well, the other longest being 7 nights). We only had a couple of problems that made us have to go to customer service, one being a clogged toilet and lost items, but they dealt with it fast and with no problem at all. The staff onboard are just so nice and it surprised me how much energy they have every single day considering they do this same old thing every week. Moving on from the ship, we REALLY enjoyed all 4 ports that we visited. Starting in order, we really enjoyed Bermuda, Royal Naval Dockyard. This was the tour that we booked with Royal Caribbean where we visited the Aquarium and Zoo for almost all of the day and the tour guides were just so hilarious and we couldn't say anything bad about the experience or tour guides. The map was larger than the place actually was and it was really small but the time they gave us at the place matched how long it takes to go around the place. After the tour, we just went some shopping and got rum cake that was REALLY DELICIOUS and is a must when going to Bermuda. Next up was Saint Maarten or Sint Maartin where we did a circle island tour that visited Maho Beach, Marigot, and some extra places as well. This tour was booked with Bernards Tours, which was off the cruise line and booked by me privately. We felt this tour was outstanding and we really recommend it to everyone! It took most of the day so we just went a little shopping near the port after and then headed back to the ship. The next port was Puerto Rico where we did visited the El Yunque rain forest with another tour, not with the cruise line as we didn't see any tour about the rainforest until after we booked this one. This tour was absolutely outstanding and there was even an extra part at the end where he brought us to an excellent restaurant where we had to get food to go because the tour took almost the entire day and we only had about an hour or so left. Finally, we visited Labadee, Haiti, the private island. Haiti was by far our favorite port and because it was just so beautiful and sooting for the whole family. My child loved the virgin Labadoozie and me and my husband enjoyed the one with rum but it was so delicious and I am currently craving one badly right now. Barefoot Beach was our favorite beach at Labadee and it was so calm. The water was amazing and so clear, it was one of the best we've ever experienced in a very long time. My son did the zipline alone and he said that it was a lot of fun and described it to be the best zipline he's ever done (he has done a LOT). He has never done an over ocean type of zipline so it was a cool experience for him, along with the dragon coaster he also did alone (me and my husband aren't as adventurous as him, lol!). If I had the choice to do it all again, I would definitely. Although it was kind of stressful sometimes rushing to dinner or the Windjammer and doing washy washy every time we entered, I wouldn't have wanted it any other way and the memories we made can never be forgotten. My son didn't go to the teens club despite me telling him to many times. He didn't really make any friends on board but he was fine with that and he just wanted to relax and explore the ship when my husband and I went to the adult-only events like the hilarious comedy show. Disembarkation was super smooth unexpectedly and once we got off the ship, the line to pick up our luggage and go through customs was extremely long, but it went really fast and it was super smooth and I'd say we got out completely in less than 20 minutes (yes, that fast!). Overall, to end this review, this 9-night cruise on Anthem of the Seas was outstanding and surpassed the entire family's expectations fully. We will definitely cruise with Royal Caribbean again and maybe even Anthem!