Each January for the last several years, Anthem of the Seas has taken passengers from New York harbor (Cape Liberty, N.J.) to the Caribbean and back. In 2024, there were three such 11-day cruises extending into early February.
The primary attraction of these cruises is that they provide a mid-winter escape from the cold of the northeast to the sun-filled Caribbean. This year, the Caribbean was not as sun-filled as in past years. But although there were some grey days, there were also some long lazy days in the sun. In any event, it was much warmer there than it was back in the northeast. Traveling to and from the Caribbean from the northeast involves traversing the North Atlantic along the East Coast of the United States. In past years, this has been a generally peaceful journey despite this areas' reputation for storms. Inasmuch as much of the United States was experiencing storms during this period, it was not surprising that Anthem encountered some storms this year. For the most part, this just meant that the passengers had to stay indoors on these days. Most passengers were out and about in the ship's public areas indulging in activities and dining despite the occasional warnings of rough seas ahead. Anthem handled these seas with very little movement. This is not surprising considering that the Quantum class, of which Anthem is part, were designed to be all-weather cruise ships. In contrast to earlier cruise ships, much of the upper decks is enclosed so that passengers can lie by a pool, soak in a hot tub or indulge in sports activities even on rainy days. Furthermore, Anthem has good seakeeping qualities and is not prone to as much rolling and pitching as earlier cruise ships. Anthem's public areas have a light sophisticated décor that is more closely akin to that of Royal Caribbean's premium sister brand Celebrity Cruises than to the Royal ships that preceded her. The highlight is “270” located at the aft end of the public areas which is part theater, part activities area and part living room. Rising through multiple decks, the back of the room and wrapping around both sides, are windows that offer a spectacular view over the stern. These windows can become high tech electronic screens that enhance performances involving human entertainers or which can be used to present entirely digital shows. 270 is not the only entertainment venue. At the forward end of the public areas is a traditional theater, which is used for production shows and for shows by visiting comedians, singers and jugglers. In between, there are bars, lounges, dining venes and a large casino. The production shows remain the same as when Anthem entered service in 2015. There is the Queen-inspired “We Will Rock You” and “The Gift”, a rather sad musical developed in-house by Royal Caribbean. The high-tech, quite-unusual “Spectra's Cabaret” is presented in 270. In my view, it is the most condusive to repeat-viewing because it is not plot-dependant and the music, lighting and technological effects make for an entertaining experience. In past reviews, I have noted that Anthem is a high-quality, well-built ship. That is still true. However, as she nears ten years in service, some refreshing of the soft furnishings would be in order. The elevators also seem to have developed a mind of their own, sometimes arbitrarily deciding not to go to the desired floor. An important part of every cruise is the food. This year, I dined in one of the four main dining rooms for one cruise and in the suites restaurant, Coastal Kitchen, for the other two. Both venues were very good both in terms of the service and the quality of the food. I also liked Jamie's Italian, which is British chef Jamie Oliver's take on Italian cuisine. The itinerary for each cruise was slightly different but consisted of five eastern Caribbean stops on the first two cruises and four on the final cruise. There were calls at St. Maarten, St. Thomas USVI and St. Kitts on each of the voyages. Antigua, St. Lucia, San Juan, Puerto Rico and Puerto Platta, Dominican Republic made appearances on one or two of the voyages. The officers and crew of Anthem are friendly and approachable. Their efficiency really became apparent on the turn-around days between the cruises. It is rather depressing to sit around a cruise ship for hours at the end of the cruise waiting to disembark. On each of these cruises, however, essentially all of the passengers who were disembarking were off the ship and on their ways home by 9 a.m. Moreover, the ship was ready to receive its new passengers by 10. This is quite an achievement considering the necessary movement of baggage and cleaning that is required in this short time. |
Above: Anthem has a friendly crew and you might even find a towel animal waiting for you.
Below: The crew can often be seen out maintaining the ship. Here, a crew member is using an anchor as a platform for painting the hull. Below: Anthem in Antigua.
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Cruise ship review - - Royal Caribbean International - Anthem of the Seas - Caribbean 2024