Cruise Reviews: Anthem of the Seas

By Colleen Boyle

After a very disappointing trip, April 29-May 6 from NJ to Bermuda, Boston, NJ

Worst cruise we have ever been on.

Food poisoning on the second night. Customer Service is inept. Unless you are prepared to book entertainment after 10pm, there is nothing to do. Casino is so small with very little to play with. Smoking is disgusting in such a small area. We were bombarded from the moment we stepped upon the ship with Royal staff trying to sell us even more than what we had already booked. Chasing us down in costumes to try to buy photo packages. Lost our luggage at end of trip—having it sent to another area, even though tags were intact. NOTHING happening during the day as far as entertainment or games. They advertise a Fly station, Bumper Cars—Water surf etc., but they are only available for a few hours a few times during the week. Lines were so long, we never experienced them and there was no sign up so we could secure a place. The Windjammer was not totally opened to passengers—simply because they were trying to sell us packages for more expensive restaurants. They would run a recorded message at EVERY meal, asking us to "eat and leave your table for other passengers wanting to eat"—if they had the staff, they could have opened the entire Windjammer area and accommodated everyone without pushing people out. When one is on vacation, eating meals with family is treasured time, NOT to be rushed. The food that was suppose to be hot was often cold or room temperature. My sister got food poisoning on the second night—and after speaking to other guests, we found out MANY people experienced FOOD POISONING. Spoke to Royal staff about this, they did NOTHING. Cold food, that should have been on ice or freezer tray, was NOT. Room Service was hit and miss. Sometimes they would show up, sometimes not. Internet service and Excursions were not in the room waiting for us, as we were promised they would be—had to go to Customer Service many times in order to get them taken care of, only to be told it was our responsibility. After reading Customer Service the paperwork, STATING they were responsible for printing and leaving in staterooms, they took care of it begrudgingly.

Loved the barista in Windjammer—polite, quick and very professional. One band started earlier than most—Katrina Love and her bandmates—what wonderful performers—truly enjoyed them.

Unless you are into shopping, this is not the cruise line for you—because that is ALL there is to do. They boast a sky-star-arm that can take people up for a view—it lasts 3 minutes, takes you straight up, then back down. Why they spent the money on this is beyond us—boring. Plenty of staff but not very well organized so they provided poor service. We cannot blame the staff, it's the managements duty to train them properly. Try to get a superior to speak with—good luck—you will be told "they will call your room"—that never happened.

Although the ship is VERY large, it did not handle well in the water—never, NEVER experienced such rough cruise, and we have been on many.

We know there will always be glitches, but this was BEYOND glitches—it was one mess up after the other. Speaking with other passengers, so many were disappointed with the cruise, service, food etc. I cannot imagine that Royal will need to make some MAJOR changes to their lines in order to maintain customer flow after initial curiosity diminishes.

When we arrived in Boston on way home, we were told to be up, dressed and ready to leave ship at 7:30 am—we were but Royal can't seem to get their staff together long enough to organize the mass chaos that took place. Customs arrived after 9:30—waiting over 2 hours for them. When we tried to board ship at end of day, we were not allowed to. They kept us out on the dock for well over an hour—it was a cold and windy day standing on the docks. Some passengers needed medication, they were NOT allowed back onboard. One woman had MS, and was so cold and tired, she could not walk—her husband requested a wheelchair for her and eventually got one. Mr. Jakovich from Royal arrived because crowds grew to over 150 passengers, police were called too. Mr. Jakovich disappeared quickly when he found out what the problem was, Thanks for NOTHING Mr. Jakovich.

One problem after the other EVERY single day, and we are pretty chill travelers—nothing went smoothly and we had to spend so much time down in Customer Relations. Would never, NEVER spend that kind of money again, for such poor service. There are plenty of cruise lines out there—do your homework and if you have to use Royal, make it your VERY LAST CHOICE, and don't expect much, because you won't get much.

CAREFUL WHAT YOU EAT—THEY ARE NOT KNOWN FOR SAFE FOOD PRACTICE.

Image Courtesy of Royal Caribbean International