Anthem of the Seas Review
Very mixed experience- will stick with RC, but not this ship
Rating by category
Additional details
We travelled with my folks who have been on over 20 cruises, across a wide range of cruise lines. This was the third cruise for my husband and I, both prior ones were with Royal Caribbean and they were FANTASTIC...real 5 star experiences. Those were on smaller ships, Seranade and Brilliance of the Seas to Alaska and the Mediterranean respectively. We wanted to try a larger ship and visit Canada so this seemed like a great choice. This ship has some exceptional attributes, but unfortunately it also had some real disappointments. Since different folks prioritize differently this may be an absolutely wonderful ship for you, but for us, we won't choose it again. Here are the Pros/Cons:
PROS-
Cabin- HUGE amount of storage. My folks said it's the best cabin they have had in regards to storage and they have even been in suites. Absolutely no complaints. Love that they took out the coffee table which made it much easier to move in the room. Lots of hooks, two closets, giant overhead space over the bed. Really terrific. Also the cabin steward was exceptional.
Cabin Review
Ocean View Balcony
Loved our balcony cabin. Exceptional storage, actually had empty spaces and I packed A LOT! The balcony had nice chairs that had foot rests too. Great view too. Bed was hard though, asked for extra topper, which they were happy to provide. Parent's also requested a topper.
Port Reviews
Portland (Maine)
Nice, easy to walk town. We loved our tour with Lucky Lobster. Just a dozen folks on the boat, really terrific experience with a small group.
Bar Harbor
This was our second visit to Bar Harbor. Took a 4 hour tour with At Your Service Taxi tours. Kelly was a fantastic guide. It was so relaxing to have her drive us around to all the key spots we were hoping to visit and she was a wealth of information on the area. Highly recommend!
Halifax
Visited the Maritime Museum and Nova Scotia Crystal shop near by. The museum was much bigger than we expected and we ended up spending all day there! This was not our original plan, but we thoroughly enjoyed it. Loved watching the glass blowers at the crystal shop. If you haven't been to Canada, don't miss a coffee and donut, or other tasty treat at Tim Horton's. (There is one right across from the crystal shop.) The muffins are terrific and the bacon grilled cheese sandwich was delicious!
Saint John (New Brunswick)
Of all the ports we visited this is the one we'll definitely return to with our young adult sons to explore in greater detail. Seeing Reversing Falls in the morning going one direction and in the late afternoon in the other was really cool. We also LOVED walking on the ocean floor and exploring the sea caves at low tide. Next time we will plan on a kayak tour when the tide is in. Bring flip flops/sandals and be prepared to get wet and really enjoy your time here!
Boston
We're not big American History buffs, so this port wasn't super appealing but we ended up having a really terrific day. We went straight to Paul Revere's House and were so lucky there was no line and we practically had the place to ourselves. As we exited, the line was out the door and down the street. So happy we weren't with a big tour group! Then we had a nice visit to a local park and came across a truly moving Holocaust Memorial. It's between Congress and Union streets. Highly recommend walking through. Finished up with a visit to the Boston Public Market and saw some cool local artisan wares and lots of tasty treats. The fudge was great!