We just returned from a vacation on the Anthem of the Seas and found that the level or service on this ship was below average. Though filled with state of the art technology and activities there was a lot of disappointment with the simplest of things. The ship boast of the North Star Experience and advertises with videos of the pod going out over the ocean to give you unique panoramic views of the ship and the ocean. In reality though they have the capacity to perform these maneuvers the North Star just lifts you straight up over the ship and then back down. Less than a 10 minute experience. When we asked the crew operating the North Star why this way he indicated that it took too long to swing out over the ocean and they modified what it would do to increase the number of people who could experience the modified North Star. (Note that the North Star was open for use 3 hours a day as the staff was the same that ran the iFly). The iFly experience was fun but shortened as well. The description indicates that everyone gets 3 minutes of time in the skydive simulator. In actuality every person got 60 seconds. With 10 different people in my family experiencing this activity the longest duration in the simulator was 58 seconds.

The worst part of the experience was the main dining room. The menu did not have the same variety of past cruise ship and the quality of the food was poor. On previous ships the menu would have 2 consistent dishes and then 4 that changed every night. On this trip it was the opposite with 4 of the same dishes each day and 2 different options each day. There was only 1 different dessert each night and at most 2 new appetizers. The service of the wait staff was akin to the service you would get at a mediocre chain restaurant. Water glasses went empty and remained that way multiple times. My father asked if there were any sourdough rolls available as he always looked forward to them. He was told they had them in the Windjammer. On any other cruise ship the waiter would have made sure that the next day they had some for him. The bread that was available tasted over cooked and stale.

We celebrated my daughters 4th birthday on the cruise. I asked the dining staff to bring her an age appropriate piece of cake or cupcake for dessert. She got a candle in a piece of cheesecake. Another waiter from a different table even came over to sing and asked why they didn't bring her something different. Read more