Anthem of the Seas out of Cape Liberty, NJ

[DizneyNutz]

We are looking to book the May 20th Bermuda, is this by chance the cruise you are going on? We have a hold on and can't decide, so scared to book outside of Disney!!!!
We can only squeeze in a shorter cruise though and with the May long weekend the timing is perfect, not to mention we can easily drive to NYC!

We were Disney Cruise snobs. We'd done a Carnival cruise and my wife said, never again. I talked her in to a Disney cruise and it was game on. After eight Disney cruises we ventured in to RCCL. We thought the service, food, etc., was comparable, our Central Park balcony was great and we really enjoyed ourselves. We have since (our cruise was in Jan) booked an October cruise with our Grandson AND jumped on a last minute Bermuda/Boston cruise.

 

[HappilyEverAfter80]

The vibe of the ship for us was elegant and fun. Everyone seemed to be having a great time. Remember, Disney was very late getting into the cruise business. I was on the sixth cruise of the original ship the Magic, and it took Disney a long time to correct their mistakes and bring their quality up to where they are now. RCCL has been cruising a lot longer.

As I advised above, check your cruise online every few days and go to the emtertainment area to see if it allows you to book the Ripcord (Ifly) and Northstar. If you can't book anything online, wait until you get onboard and go to the entertainment desk to try and book them then. My husband did Ripcord and he actually only "flew" for 60 seconds. There is a lot of training in your group and then waiting your turn to get in the tube. It is fun, but short. The Northstar is nice, but you are only up for about 10-15 minutes. We booked it for a port day, so we would have something to look at besides the water!

Denise

Well if we book this (and I think we will tomorrow) then it will be fairly last minute as the cruise is May 20th.
Hence my worry we won't be able to book stuff. I know the North Star or iFly is not something that lasts a long time or that we'd do more than once but if we are going on the Anthem I want to try what is unique to that ship.... great advice trying to book it for when in port! This cruise only goes to Bermuda (overnight stop) so hopefully there will be time.

Are you able to book the main attractions more than once?
Did you try the bumper cars, was the wait always long?
What else would you recommend we try? Whether restaurant or whatever.
Oh and do they have the "good morning" room service as they do on Disney? You know, the door hanger that you fill out for a specific time in the morning to have coffee delivered?

Thanks for letting us know kids clubs look great. My DS would be going there for sure.

Thanks in advance for all the replies!

Edited to add (ask If we wanted to book another royal cruise again once on board, do you do that on a specific day, do you know if there are perks to doing that?
I really hope to try the Oasis class too (I think) if we like the Anthem.

 

[ljcrochet]

What month did you cruise on the Anthem? Was it a school break? I'm just wondering if the 45 minute wait for bumper cars is the norm???
I'm also confused by your first point above.. "Had to get our own coffee at windjammer for breakfast". Don't you have to get your own coffee at Cabanas on the Disney cruise?
I don't mean that as a snarky remark, just wondering what you mean.
We are seriously considering booking Anthem for a 5 night cruise to Bermuda to try it. I would prefer to go on an Oasis class ship, but our schedule in May won't allow it.

It was a school break. I think there was 1500 kids on board.
This was my third RCCL during February break week. One was pre kid, other was last year on Grandeur. Last year we ate breakfast in windjammer almost every morning, there was always a crew member pushing around a coffee / juice cart.

Thanks for asking the questions! Mine are pretty much the same

I am also wondering about the general "vibe" on the ship. I know it's not Disney, but do you feel like you are on a really nice and fun ship?

We are looking to go at the end of May, and I'm a little worried that we wouldn't be able to get reservations for the North Star or the sky diving simulator...

When you book the cruise, reserve North Star and I fly. Also double check around final payment date since people's plan change.

 

[Denise W]

Well if we book this (and I think we will tomorrow) then it will be fairly last minute as the cruise is May 20th.
Hence my worry we won't be able to book stuff. I know the North Star or iFly is not something that lasts a long time or that we'd do more than once but if we are going on the Anthem I want to try what is unique to that ship.... great advice trying to book it for when in port! This cruise only goes to Bermuda (overnight stop) so hopefully there will be time.

Are you able to book the main attractions more than once?
Did you try the bumper cars, was the wait always long?
What else would you recommend we try? Whether restaurant or whatever.
Oh and do they have the "good morning" room service as they do on Disney? You know, the door hanger that you fill out for a specific time in the morning to have coffee delivered?

Thanks for letting us know kids clubs look great. My DS would be going there for sure.

Thanks in advance for all the replies!

Edited to add (ask If we wanted to book another royal cruise again once on board, do you do that on a specific day, do you know if there are perks to doing that?
I really hope to try the Oasis class too (I think) if we like the Anthem.

None of the shows we went to were full, so I am sure we could have reserved more. Since your cruise is the one to Bermuda, it is a shorter length, and I don't know if they repeat the shows, there might not be enough time. We will Rock You is about 2 hours long. The other two are about 45 minutes long. One of those is held in 270, the gorgeous area at the back of the ship. It doesn't hold as many people, so that one can get full. Head upstairs and you should find seats.

We didn't try the bumper cars, but they restrict you to I think 15 minutes, so even if there is a line, the wait should not be too bad. There were very few children on our cruise so it might not be representative of thenone you are on.

We didn't order coffee to the room in the morning, but I know it was available. There was a menu in our room but I didn't really look at it.

All the specialty restaurants looked great. There were also 4 main dining rooms that were all gorgeous. We ate at the specialty restaurant, Jamies Italian, and it was excellent. If they offer a special for a few of thenspecialty restaurants, do it if you can.

We were in a 2 bedroom suite which we shared with another couple. The only way we could have afforded it was because we booked it on board Brilliance of the Seas a year before. You definitely save money by booking on board. Go to the next cruise desk and make an appointment to meet with them. Do that the first day to get an appointment.

From what I have read, Quantum class is different from Oasis class ships, so don't try to compare. We plan to try Oasis class next.
Denise

 

[HappilyEverAfter80]

None of the shows we went to were full, so I am sure we could have reserved more. Since your cruise is the one to Bermuda, it is a shorter length, and I don't know if they repeat the shows, there might not be enough time. We will Rock You is about 2 hours long. The other two are about 45 minutes long. One of those is held in 270, the gorgeous area at the back of the ship. It doesn't hold as many people, so that one can get full. Head upstairs and you should find seats.

We didn't try the bumper cars, but they restrict you to I think 15 minutes, so even if there is a line, the wait should not be too bad. There were very few children on our cruise so it might not be representative of thenone you are on.

We didn't order coffee to the room in the morning, but I know it was available. There was a menu in our room but I didn't really look at it.

All the specialty restaurants looked great. There were also 4 main dining rooms that were all gorgeous. We ate at the specialty restaurant, Jamies Italian, and it was excellent. If they offer a special for a few of thenspecialty restaurants, do it if you can.

We were in a 2 bedroom suite which we shared with another couple. The only way we could have afforded it was because we booked it on board Brilliance of the Seas a year before. You definitely save money by booking on board. Go to the next cruise desk and make an appointment to meet with them. Do that the first day to get an appointment.

From what I have read, Quantum class is different from Oasis class ships, so don't try to compare. We plan to try Oasis class next.
Denise

Thank you! I read last June's Bermuda cruise compass and it did list We will rock you every day...

I initially really preferred to book one of the Oasis class ships.. but now the more I read about the Anthem the more I think it looks pretty awesome.

 

[Denise W]

Thank you! I read last June's Bermuda cruise compass and it did list We will rock you every day...

I initially really preferred to book one of the Oasis class ships.. but now the more I read about the Anthem the more I think it looks pretty awesome.

The ship is gorgeous. 270 is a bar/lounge/theater at the rear of the ship with huge tall windows that give you a 270 degree view. The library is upstairs off the balcony. There is a small cafe that serves (free) meals right at the entrance to 270, so is a great alternative to lunch at Windjammer. They had soups, salads and sandwiches, plus lots of yummy desserts. We ate lunch there several times and it is so peaceful to sit in 270 and gaze out at the water.

Another amazing area is the adult Solarium. It is enclosed and has an adults only pool. The pool is not good for swimming, as it is made of multiple little areas, but it is wonderful for relaxing. There are also a few hot tubs. There is another inside pool, an outside pool, and a kids pool area. I know our cruise wasn't sold out, but I never saw a venue totally filled.

If you like fresh baked cookies, check out Windjammer, right as you enter it. There is a baked goods area and we got there just as they took cookies out of the oven. They were great!

Denise

 

[tnshsms]

We are looking to book the May 20th Bermuda, is this by chance the cruise you are going on? We have a hold on and can't decide, so scared to book outside of Disney!!!!
We can only squeeze in a shorter cruise though and with the May long weekend the timing is perfect, not to mention we can easily drive to NYC!

Yes! That's the one we'll be on. I too liked that it would be a shorter cruise to try out since it had been 11 years since our last RCL.

 

[HappilyEverAfter80]

The ship is gorgeous. 270 is a bar/lounge/theater at the rear of the ship with huge tall windows that give you a 270 degree view. The library is upstairs off the balcony. There is a small cafe that serves (free) meals right at the entrance to 270, so is a great alternative to lunch at Windjammer. They had soups, salads and sandwiches, plus lots of yummy desserts. We ate lunch there several times and it is so peaceful to sit in 270 and gaze out at the water.

Anither amazing area is the adult Solarium. It is enclosed and has an adults only pool. The pool is not good for swimming, as it is made of multiple little areas, but it is wonderful for relaxing. There are also a few hot tubs. There is another inside pool, an outside pool, amd a kids pool area. I know our cruise wasn't sold out, but I never saw a venue totally filled.

If you like fresh baked cookies, check out Windjammer, right as you enter it. There is a baked goods area and we got there just as they took cookies out of the oven. They were great!

Denise

Thanks for all the info!

 

[HappilyEverAfter80]

Yes! That's the one we'll be on. I too liked that it would be a shorter cruise to try out since it had been 11 years since our last RCL.

Yes it's perfect for us as well. We have only done Disney last 2.5 years, we have gone on 4 of them.
I'm about to book it, I think... lol
I keep going between this and a 5 night Mexico same dates. I feel like this is our opportunity to try Royal Caribbean. I think DS8 will love the Anthem and we have also never been to Bermuda.

 

[tnshsms]

Yes it's perfect for us as well. We have only done Disney last 2.5 years, we have gone on 4 of them.
I'm about to book it, I think... lol
I keep going between this and a 5 night Mexico same dates. I feel like this is our opportunity to try Royal Caribbean. I think DS8 will love the Anthem and we have also never been to Bermuda.

I feel like we are kindred spirits! We too have only done disney and have been on all 4 ships and we also have an 8yo...but a girl.

 

[HappilyEverAfter80]

I feel like we are kindred spirits! We too have only done disney and have been on all 4 ships and we also have an 8yo...but a girl.

We have taken 4 Disney cruises, 2 on the Fantasy and 2 on the Magic. We definitely want to go back and try the Wonder too, but I have been wanting to try Oasis, Allure or Harmony. I'm less sure about the Anthem but again feel like this 5 nighter would be a good way to try out Royal.
Did you book any of the shows or activities yet?
When we put our cruise on hold they asked if we want to do our time dining or fixed time. So different from DCL!

 

[mevelandry]

We were Disney Cruise snobs. We'd done a Carnival cruise and my wife said, never again. I talked her in to a Disney cruise and it was game on. After eight Disney cruises we ventured in to RCCL. We thought the service, food, etc., was comparable, our Central Park balcony was great and we really enjoyed ourselves. We have since (our cruise was in Jan) booked an October cruise with our Grandson AND jumped on a last minute Bermuda/Boston cruise.

Not gonna lie, I like to hear that. DH and I had cruised DCL twice when an accident made a big hole in our budget. We decided to try Carnival because it was not expensive. We loved it. So if RCCL is better that Carnival, I think it will do a good job for us in the future!

 

[tnshsms]

We have taken 4 Disney cruises, 2 on the Fantasy and 2 on the Magic. We definitely want to go back and try the Wonder too, but I have been wanting to try Oasis, Allure or Harmony. I'm less sure about the Anthem but again feel like this 5 nighter would be a good way to try out Royal.
Did you book any of the shows or activities yet?
When we put our cruise on hold they asked if we want to do our time dining or fixed time. So different from DCL!

I have only booked the Spectra's one as we don't really plan to see any others since I've read their not really kid appropriate. And we have booked ifly and north star. We also booked Jamie's at this point too since we have my time dining. It's gonna be all different for sure!

 

[HappilyEverAfter80]

I have only booked the Spectra's one as we don't really plan to see any others since I've read their not really kid appropriate. And we have booked ifly and north star. We also booked Jamie's at this point too since we have my time dining. It's gonna be all different for sure!

Well... We booked the May 20th cruise!!! Excited and nervous all at once.
Also only booked the Spectra for the same reason. DH and I could go see We Will Rock You by ourselves, but both of us dislike Queen.
Unfortunately both North Star and iFly isn't available to book online so I'm assuming this means all the online spots were taken. I really hope we will be able to get on when we board, as these were one of the main reasons we booked Anthem. DS would be very disappointed. I was afraid this may be the case if we book late (somewhat we booked 75 days out) but hopeful more will open up or that it will be easy to book once we board.
We also have My Time Dining and I'm confused why in the cruise planner it's telling me I can still reserve the complimentary restaurants. I thought the whole point of My Time is to just show up when you want and where you want to eat?
Anyway... as you can see we are totally confused at this point, but will figure it out! I feel like the first time we went to Disney World

 

[mevelandry]

Well... We booked the May 20th cruise!!! Excited and nervous all at once.
Also only booked the Spectra for the same reason. DH and I could go see We Will Rock You by ourselves, but both of us dislike Queen.
Unfortunately both North Star and iFly isn't available to book online so I'm assuming this means all the online spots were taken. I really hope we will be able to get on when we board, as these were one of the main reasons we booked Anthem. DS would be very disappointed. I was afraid this may be the case if we book late (somewhat we booked 75 days out) but hopeful more will open up or that it will be easy to book once we board.
We also have My Time Dining and I'm confused why in the cruise planner it's telling me I can still reserve the complimentary restaurants. I thought the whole point of My Time is to just show up when you want and where you want to eat?
Anyway... as you can see we are totally confused at this point, but will figure it out! I feel like the first time we went to Disney World

Please come back for a review (and pictures!).

 

[HappilyEverAfter80]

Please come back for a review (and pictures!).

Will do! I plan to do take a lot of pictures and making notes for fellow DIS'ers

 

[tnshsms]

Well... We booked the May 20th cruise!!! Excited and nervous all at once.
Also only booked the Spectra for the same reason. DH and I could go see We Will Rock You by ourselves, but both of us dislike Queen.
Unfortunately both North Star and iFly isn't available to book online so I'm assuming this means all the online spots were taken. I really hope we will be able to get on when we board, as these were one of the main reasons we booked Anthem. DS would be very disappointed. I was afraid this may be the case if we book late (somewhat we booked 75 days out) but hopeful more will open up or that it will be easy to book once we board.
We also have My Time Dining and I'm confused why in the cruise planner it's telling me I can still reserve the complimentary restaurants. I thought the whole point of My Time is to just show up when you want and where you want to eat?
Anyway... as you can see we are totally confused at this point, but will figure it out! I feel like the first time we went to Disney World

I've read that ifly and North Star both have spots open for people who didn't get it online so I'd make those ressies as soon as you get on!

I don't know if i get the My Time Dining either. I think the reason you can make a reservation is because if you don't then you wait for a table just like you would at a restaurant at home. But you can make a ressie to eat when you want and not just the standard two sittings. I did reserve one of the complementary restaurants but it doesn't say which one...like I couldn't choose so who knows what we'll get or if I did it right! Although it seems Windjammer has better food than some of the restaurants so we may never eat in one of those main dining rooms.

 

[poosiegirl]

Keep checking everyday for reservations for iFly and Northstar! I missed when they became available for booking online and was able to snag some about two weeks before the cruise. I checked 3-4 times a day and all of a sudden there was an opening (for those and the bungalow I wanted on CoCo Cay). I've also heard if you go directly tp the theater they are making reservations there upon embarkation, so if you get on board early enough you might be able to get them there. Northstar also had open hours the first day where you could just line up. Try to do that in port - as our reservation (on a sea day) got cancelled due to wind.

We just got off Sunday, so I'm happy to answer any questions! We had a great time and are looking forward to booking for 2019 - although we are thinking about going out of Florida or San Juan to get to the southern ports. This was our 5th Royal cruise (2nd with kids).

 

[HappilyEverAfter80]

Keep checking everyday for reservations for iFly and Northstar! I missed when they became available for booking online and was able to snag some about two weeks before the cruise. I checked 3-4 times a day and all of a sudden there was an opening (for those and the bungalow I wanted on CoCo Cay). I've also heard if you go directly tp the theater they are making reservations there upon embarkation, so if you get on board early enough you might be able to get them there. Northstar also had open hours the first day where you could just line up. Try to do that in port - as our reservation (on a sea day) got cancelled due to wind.

We just got off Sunday, so I'm happy to answer any questions! We had a great time and are looking forward to booking for 2019 - although we are thinking about going out of Florida or San Juan to get to the southern ports. This was our 5th Royal cruise (2nd with kids).

I feel like I've hijacked OP's
thread by now, sorry about that! Hopefully though this is helping others too.

Thanks so much Poosiegirl this gives me hope about North Star and iFly.
I am really hoping they hold out on some reservations for onboard bookings.
Our sailing has 2 days in port (overnight Bermuda) no Coco Cay.
This is our first Royal Caribbean after 4 Disney cruises. If we like it I want to try the Oasis class next.
I have a couple of questions if you don't mind.
Did your kids like the Adventure Ocean and did you find they combined the Explores and Voyagers groups? Did lots of kids take part in the late night party (10 pm to 2am)?
Also, my understanding is Adventure ocean takes the kids to windjammer cafe for dinner if the kids are in their care. Did you happen to take advantage of this?

I also have a question about My Time Dining (if you did it).
Did you make advance reservations for the complimentary restaurants or did you just show up?
I was also wondering if you purchased any drink packages or the coffee card?
Do you have any idea how much domestic draft beer costs in the bars?
My Cruise Planner has some specials right now on the ultimate drink package 20% off @ $48 a day. They also have 30% off internet. But it says you have to get the internet for the duration of cruise, and we would only need it for a couple of days.. maybe.
Just wondering if it's worth purchasing in advance.
Thank you so much for answering anything you can

 

[tnshsms]

I feel like I've hijacked OP's
thread by now, sorry about that! Hopefully though this is helping others too.

Thanks so much Poosiegirl this gives me hope about North Star and iFly.
I am really hoping they hold out on some reservations for onboard bookings.
Our sailing has 2 days in port (overnight Bermuda) no Coco Cay.
This is our first Royal Caribbean after 4 Disney cruises. If we like it I want to try the Oasis class next.
I have a couple of questions if you don't mind.
Did your kids like the Adventure Ocean and did you find they combined the Explores and Voyagers groups? Did lots of kids take part in the late night party (10 pm to 2am)?
Also, my understanding is Adventure ocean takes the kids to windjammer cafe for dinner if the kids are in their care. Did you happen to take advantage of this?

I also have a question about My Time Dining (if you did it).
Did you make advance reservations for the complimentary restaurants or did you just show up?
I was also wondering if you purchased any drink packages or the coffee card?
Do you have any idea how much domestic draft beer costs in the bars?
My Cruise Planner has some specials right now on the ultimate drink package 20% off @ $48 a day. They also have 30% off internet. But it says you have to get the internet for the duration of cruise, and we would only need it for a couple of days.. maybe.
Just wondering if it's worth purchasing in advance.
Thank you so much for answering anything you can

It's Ok....I want to know that stuff too!!

I might just add how did you get from port to airport? I debate on the best way to do that.