Anthem of the Seas Review

Jersey Jammed

Review for the Bahamas Cruise on Anthem of the Seas
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Crusinwithfamily
10+ Cruises • Age 60s

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Additional details

Sail Date: Nov 2017
Cabin: Deluxe Ocean View Stateroom with Balcony
Traveled with children
Bionic Bar
Cabin
Cabin
Lasagna
Fish
The Gift show
The Gift
The Northstar
View from the Northstar
Coco Cay
Coco Cay
Floating Bar
Building the new dock in CocoCay
Dessert in the Windjammer
The Music Hall
Fun in Nassau at Junkanoo Beach
iFly
Roller Skating in the SeaPlex
Bumper Cars in the SeaPlex

It was difficult deciding what to entitled this review. I ended up with “Jersey Jammed”, but “Virus Vessel” was a close runner-up. We did not realize when we booked this cruise that this week in November most of the New Jersey schools shut down for a good portion of the week, known as Jersey Week. As a result, maybe popular vacation options see a spike. The Anthem was no exception. After a less than pleasant check in process (we did all of the pre-registration stuff and did our pictures, yet they pushed us to the lines that had not done the upfront work), we did our normal routine of going to get our first bite to eat. We were greeted by crew saying the Windjammer (buffet) was full and to return in about an hour. The only other option was a small area in the Solarium with a line that was 2 times the capacity of that space. It is perplexing as to why they don’t open more venues such as other ships do for embarkation or they do on the morning we leave. We eventually found a table and enjoyed our first meal.

Onto choice #2 of review title - Virus Vessel (or maybe Sick Ship) This was the 2nd week in a row the ship experienced a significant outbreak of Norovirus. While their official total was 58, based on surveys in Facebook groups it more likely 300-400 people. They report 36 hours before arrival and only report those that have checked in with the ship Dr and meet all of the criteria. Two of the four of our family got sick and we saw reports of families with 10 or more that were hit by the virus. While the crew works hard to keep the ship clean, there are some issues they need to address. One simple example is the Freestyle soda cups. There is no way for the passengers to sanitize the mug. You use the one mug for the entire week after toughing the screens, then screwing the lid on and then putting that lid on your mouth. Apparently the cruise following our cruise also had another outbreak. I probably would not think much of this, except our cruise in March 2016 on the Anthem had the same issue with a major outbreak.

The Anthem is a beautiful ship with some very unique features such as the high tech Two Seventy, Bionic Bar, FlowRide. Northstar, iFly and the SeaPlex. For the most part, you don’t feel there are nearly 5,000 guests on board. Other than the Windjammer most areas do a nice job handling the crowds.

Cabin Review

Deluxe Ocean View Stateroom with Balcony

Cabin E1

The cabin was roomy, quiet and clean. The bed and pillows were very firm.

Port Reviews

Bayonne (Cape Liberty)

The lines to get into the port are way to long. The check in process was horrible. We took the time to do all of the pre-cruise registration and when we arrived at the port, they directed us to the normal queue with extended lines compared to a line with a few people for those that had pre-checked in.

Nassau

We walked to Junkanoo beach and had a nice time.

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