When I was looking for summer vacation possibilities, I had a few requirements. One, I wanted a relaxing vacation where I could visit different cities without the worry of commuting between the cities on my own. Two, the trip had to involve minimal trip planning. Earlier this year when I went to India, I had spent almost 4 months of intensive planning. Lastly, I wanted to lie on a beach.
I knew taking a cruise vacation would tick all the boxes on my list. Without hesitation, I looked into Royal Caribbean and decided to take the 167, 000 tonne Anthem of the Seas for 7 nights, sailing from New Jersey to Bermuda, Puerto Rico, St. Maarten, and Haiti. Here’s why you should cruise on Anthem of the Seas.
Anthem of the Seas Overview
Anthem of the Seas is the second ship in Royal Caribbean’s Quantum Class. The ship has 18 decks and can accommodate up to 4905 passengers and 1500 international crew members. The ship has a fun tone as marked by whimsical art such as the two-deck tall giraffe wearing a swimsuit and lifesaver.
The amount of onboard activities do not disappoint. Passengers can rise 300 feet in the ship’s all-glass observation capsule called the North Star, which offers 360° views. Experience the thrill of Ripcord by iFly, an indoor skydiving simulator. The SeaPlex has bumper cars, roller skating, X-box gaming and a circus school. Entertainment includes Broadway style musicals, like We Will Rock You. Casino Royale has a variety of slot machines and table games.
There are 18 dining areas on Anthem of the Seas, ranging from pizzerias and cafes to buffets to a formal dining room and a molecular gastronomy restaurant. 5 of these themed dining venues are included with your cruise fare, but some of the others have an additional fee.
Technology plays a huge part on Anthem of the Seas starting with the check-in process where an agent comes to you with a check-in iPad. Restaurants, activities, and shore excursions can be booked online and you can download an app to organize all your bookings. Plus, there is a robot bartender and radio-frequency identification bracelets for ship cards.
Why I Chose Anthem of the Seas
This is my first cruise on a large-tonnage cruise ship. I normally stick to smaller ships because I don’t like to contend with crowds and I have been collecting loyalty rewards with Princess Cruises. But I have cruised with Royal Caribbean before and they’re known to have some of the best activities at sea. So for my 9th cruise, I decided to see what these big ships are all about!
Pros
Anthem of the Seas is So. Much. Fun. I absolutely loved trying flying trapeze for the first time. There are so many dining options and it was a real treat to sample different foods every day. You get all the benefits of an all-inclusive resort while travelling to different ports of call.
Cons
You are competing with 4900 passengers who want to do the same activities as you – this results in LONG line ups. For example, circus school began at 9AM and by 8:30AM, a long line had formed. When it was our turn, we received wristbands for the 11AM slot. There was chaos at the North Star, despite our reserved time. The crew member wasn’t able to organize the passengers and people starting jumping the queue.
Almost everything required prior reservations, including restaurants and show times. The online reservation system was glitchy and I had to phone Royal Caribbean to make all my reservations. By that time, all my preferred time slots were already taken. If you’re looking for a lot of fun and can handle crowds, definitely cruise with Anthem of the Seas – it easily rivals any themed hotel in Vegas.
Onboard Anthem of the Seas
North Star
Passengers can rise 300 feet in the ship’s all-glass observation capsule called the North Star, which offers 360° views. The entire ride takes no more than 20 minutes. Anthem of the Seas also has 2 outdoor pools, 2 indoor pools, 4 whirlpools, a kiddie pool area, and an outdoor movie screen.
Stateroom Cabins
Anthem’s newly designed staterooms feature the first virtual balconies at sea for interior cabins. The washrooms are also newly designed, with sinks and faucets that reflect the style of hotel washrooms.
Rock Climbing Wall
Gigi, the giraffe looks over the rock climbing area. The rock climbing wall has a self-belaying mechanism. It took a few deep breaths before I was willing to let go at the top to self-belay toward the ground (it was more like collapsing to the ground)!
Ripcord by iFly
A reservation is required for Ripcord by iFly. After signing a waiver and watching an instructional video, you get suited up in a helmet, jumpsuit and googles. You get 60 seconds of fly-time and an instructor will fly with you. Prepare to be blown off your feet by the strong winds generated by powerful fans below while the instructor pulls your body around the wind tunnel. Here, my legs are flailing in the wind! Cameras are not allowed inside, even on the benches, so have a friend take pictures outside for you. Make sure your face is camera ready – I kid you not, lots of people get jiggly face syndrome from the strong wind! Ripcord is so popular, every passenger can only fly once.
Flowrider Surf Simulator
Be prepared to wipe out. The surfing simulator looks hard and it IS hard. A lot of balance and coordination is required. The instructors will hold your hand and then let go. To get your bearings, try boogie boarding on the simulator first.
The Esplanade
The Anthem of the Seas doesn’t have a traditional grand atrium. So there wasn’t a central meeting place, as with other cruise ships I’ve been on, where the captain would normally host the champagne fountain. This is the Esplanade lined with this pub, shops, a pizzeria, cafe and is a hub of day and nighttime festivities.
Food
I recommend eating at all of the free dining venues and trying a couple of the paid venues where you’ll find more unique food options. On Royal Caribbean, each cabin can bring up to 2 bottles of wine from home. That’s one way to help cut back on extra drink costs.
Vitality Fitness Centre
The Vitality Fitness Centre was one of my favourite places on the ship to destress. Practicing yoga at 6:30AM with a view of the ocean and sunrise definitely put me in a good mood for the rest of the day.
SeaPlex
SeaPlex activities include volleyball, basketball, bumper cars, roller skating, X-box gaming, ping pong, foosball, and circus school. Circus school only operates on certain cruise days and is extremely popular – flying trapeze was a LOT of fun. Once you’re harnessed in, you climb up a tall ladder, grab hold of the flying trapeze bar and off you go! I was terrified standing up on the tiny elevated platform (it felt higher than it looked), but it was past the point of no return. While swinging, you could also attempt looping your legs over the bar for an upside down swing before falling to the giant air bag below.
Have you cruised on Anthem of the Seas or with Royal Caribbean before? Share your comments below.
Safe Travels!
xx Deb
Mike says
Hey I went on the ship last month. Missed all the hurricanes. I pretty much agree with your review. The pros were nice ship, huge ship so I didn’t feel any movement, good food, destination (Bermuda), and easy to get to the ship (2 hr drive from PA). Cons were crowds, hard to make appointments, didn’t care for the shows, not many free drink options (even non-alcohol beverages).
Deb Che says
Hi Mike, Sounds like you went right before Hurricane Matthew! It hasn’t been an easy year the Anthem of the Seas. Did you hear how the ship was hit with a severe storm off the coast of the Atlantic this February? I completely agree with your list of cons! Thanks for reading!
Mike says
Yes we left Bermuda right before Karl arrived. Yes I saw the incident from Feb on the news. Then 2 weeks later we were booked on the same ship. I was joking with everyone about it. I didn’t realize north NJ and NYC were such popular cruise sites. If I did it again, I go on a 7 day cruise back to Bermuda. Five days was fast and I’d like an extra day in Bermuda. Norwegian Breakaway is one ship from NY that currently does 7 day Bermuda cruises.
Deb Che says
NJ and NYC are great cruise ports, especially for people who live further away from Florida! I hear Bermuda has a lot of off the beaten path sites that you wouldn’t be able to do on a one day port stopover.