Anthem of the Seas – 4/27/2019-5/3/2019- by Jamie Carr

Cape Liberty

We live in New Jersey so we drove to the port and used their parking. At the time (2019) it was

$22 a day. You pull up and drop your luggage off to the porters outside the terminal. Be sure to

have your luggage tags attached. After that you drive forward a bit and the parking deck is to

the right. Pay attention to signs, we missed the turn the first time and had to go around again.

Once parked and paid we gathered our carry-ons and walked to check in. We did the online

check in, so going through was really easy. They scan your set sail pass, check that you match

your photo then you go through to the waiting area and if you want, take an embarkation photo.

After having our pictures taken we then registered our daughter and she received her

“evacuation plan band”. This was a color coded wristband to let staff know which muster station

they go to.

After this we waited about an hour in a waiting area. We had arrived early so we didn’t mind.

They had an area for light refreshments and you received the first day cruise compass which

was exciting!

Cabin-Ocean View Balcony Cabin 6644

We had an Ocean View Balcony which we LOVED. The cabin had plenty of room for our small

family of 3. There were two cabinets on each side of our bed, a desk area, and a dresser across

from the sofa. The desk had a light up vanity mirror that was great for getting ready. It had two

American outlets, one European outlet, and two USB ports. We brought magnetic hanging

hooks which helped with storing those random items such as hats, lanyards, and beach bags.

The strong ones even held my purse! The bathroom has a stand up shower with a door and

little area for toiletries. A shampoo/body wash pump is in the shower but I wouldn’t recommend

it. The bathroom also has a few little storage areas and an outlet marked for razors only. The

room configuration worked really well. We had the twin beds pushed together, but you can have

them separated. They even added a mattress pad at our request. We messaged Royal on

Facebook ahead of time and they added it to our reservation. So great! Our daughter slept on

the pull out sofa. They had it set up every night and pushed in during the day. Very convenient.

Food-

Main Dining Room (Recommend)

I would say the feel of the main dining room reminds me of an upscale shore restaurant. The

food was delicious. We actually ended up going to the MDR for breakfast, as well, we liked the

experience so much. During dinner Mark, the head waiter of Silk, came to our table and was so

kind, interacting with our daughter. He even made some origami animals for her, a dragon and a

frog. We did My Time Dining and never had to wait for a table. We were also able to make

reservations on the app if we wanted to. We liked the flexibility of this for shows. My daughter is

lactose intolerant and they would give us the menu the night before so she could pre order if

there were any substitutions needed.

Solarium Bistro (Highly Recommend)

This is a Mediterranean style specialty dining restaurant that is complimentary. It is a half buffet

half service restaurant. You serve yourself appetizers/salads/desserts and then order your

entree from your server. It was a unique and fun restaurant. We paid an upcharge for the lobster

and it was some of the best lobster we have ever had. My husband brings it up anytime lobster

is mentioned.

Brass and Bock $ (Pass for food)

Drinks were delicious and my husband loved t he beer selection. He i s a craft beer person. Food

was pretty “eh.” I had the Mac and cheese bites and Pretzel nuggets. Both weren’t worth the

extra I paid.

Sorrentos (Recommend)

The pizza was delicious and they seemed to have a decent selection. We loved that we could

order a custom pie to go and it only took about 10-15 minutes.

La Patisserie $ (Recommend)

Yes, I was here every morning and yes the Starbucks coffees ARE included with the beverage

package on Anthem. That is because this is not a licensed Starbucks (like the freestanding Starbucks shops on Oasis Class- those are not included). The coffees and teas were delicious.

Cafe Promenade (Recommend)

Great little area next to Sorrentos for sandwiches, snacks and self serve coffee/teas.

Dog House (Recommend)

This was a decent quick food place. My husband liked the special sausages, especially the

German Sausage.

Windjammer (Pass for food)

Loved the variety and selection but the food was hit or miss. I like my food hot and sometimes it

was lukewarm at best. My husband didn’t mind but he’s not as picky. I would say that t he food

always tasted good, though. It also looked like they had a decent amount of gluten free and

sugar free foods so that is a plus.

Tip: Be sure to try the coffee area in the Windjammer. It is awesome and you can even get

spiked coffee drinks, yum!

Johnny Rockets $ (Pass for food)

It was okay quick food. The milkshakes were especially delicious, though.

Two70 Cafe (Recommend)

Get the Kummelweck sandwich. It definitely lives up to its hype. If you are not a meat eater they

also have a delicious eggplant sandwich and yummy salads.

Activities-

Adventure Ocean

Oh my goodness, I can’t say enough good things about Adventure Ocean. The staff was

amazing and my daughter loved it. I honestly had to pull her out of there! The first day we

signed her up and it only took about 10 minutes. Throughout our sailing they played lots of fun

games l ike GAGA ball and also did art activities. My daughter still talks about how she can’t wait

to go back on our next cruise!

Cupcake Class

This class was held in the La Patisserie dining area. My daughter and I took t his class and it

was adorable. Everything was pre baked portioned out for each participant. We made burger

cupcakes and she was smiling the entire time! They were also delicious.

We Will Rock You

I cannot say enough good things about this show. The acting was phenomenal and the band

was amazing. Highly recommend it. We saw it twice!

Pools

I love that Anthem has multiple pool areas. They have the indoor pool, outdoor pool, and the

Solarium which is the adult only pool area. This was the other area my daughter didn’t want to

leave. The temperatures were nice and the pools never really felt too crowded to me. Definitely

go early if you want a front row lounge chair though. The Solarium was beautiful and had

multiple cascading pools and whirlpools. A great place to relax. They also have a complimentary

specialty restaurant which I will review below.

Tip: There is a super cool swing in the front of the Solarium!

Seaplex

This area has lots of fun all day. From Bumper Cars and Cornhole to video games and Ping Pong

there is something for everyone. Where else can you play table tennis in formal wear?!

I-Fly

My husband and daughter did this and thought it was hard to stay straight but had a blast doing

it and both say they would do it again!

Battle of the Sexes Trivia

This was a fun activity that my husband and I actually ended up being Team Captains on.

Definitely recommend trying out some trivia in the Schooner Bar.

Destinations-

Bermuda

Absolutely beautiful. I recommend going to Horseshoe Bay Beach. You can just walk off the ship

and take a shuttle for about $7 per person. Same thing on the way back. There is a restaurant,

bar, and gift shop area right upon entering the beach. You can rent umbrellas and beach chairs

if you wish. We swam in the little alcove to the right when you first walk onto the beach and it

was so calm and beautiful. You can see so many fish and other marine life. There is also a small

cave you can enter and climb up if you are adventurous with even better views, on the right side

of that beach area. For lunch we ate at the Frog and Onion Pub. The food was delicious and the

staff were very kind. We also had some homemade ice cream at the Royal dockyard where you

first get off the ship. It was yummy, as well.

Boston

It rained so we didn’t get off.