We booked this cruise pre-Covid and did a Lift and Switch twice before finally making it onboard the Anthem of the Seas (or Hem of the Seas according to what the neon lights I viewed from my hotel nearby in the early morning hours of embarkation day spelled). We had an enjoyable, relaxing trip from Europe back to the USA, enjoying good food, great service, and fun activities to partake in onboard. Anthem is a nice ship- large but still manageable in terms of finding your way around and discovering favorite places to relax or workout.

Embarkation

We stayed at the Moxy Southampton prior to boarding. It was an easy walk with our luggage to the port. We were sent a message by Royal to stick to our scheduled time, however, we did go on a little early and it was fine. The process was simple and quick. After checking our paperwork (including negative Covid test results), we went onboard. We met up with the helpful staff taking care of VOOM and got set up. Our cabins were ready earlier than expected, so we went to our cabin to drop off our luggage and grab lunch in the Solarium Bistro. We toured the spa facilities, but as there are only a few stations (an infrared sauna, steam room, heated tiled lounge seats, and a shower) I decided not to buy a pass. There is no therapy pool onboard Anthem which is a disappointment. Read more