Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

4/30/2016-5/5/2016

Summary:

Having only five days to sail on one of the world’s largest and most innovative ships means you have to work hard to fit everything into an equivalent of a work week. It is possible to see all the shows, dine at most venues, and maximize your time exploring Bermuda with a little planning. Having already sailed on her older sister, Quantum of the Seas, we knew what to expect and were prepared to have a great time. Anthem of the Seas has all of the same restaurants, venues, and features that we explored on our 8 night Quantum cruise a year ago. The ship and itinerary were perfect for a quick getaway, especially for those of us who live on the East Coast. Of course, you can always book a longer nine day itinerary that takes you down to the Caribbean if you want to vacation for a bit longer.

The Ship

Anthem of the Seas is one of three Quantum class ships. This second largest class of ship on Royal Caribbean, and third overall, offers a number of new features, venues, and firsts at sea. With high speed internet and digitally enhanced entertainment that features robots and high definition screens, the ship appeals to younger travelers and those who are more tech savvy. Not to mention amusements like bumper cars, an aerial gondola, a skydiving simulator, and the largest indoor sports area at sea, Anthem of the Seas is also great for families. There are also plenty of choices for dining and nighttime entertainment. One of the few ships with Dynamic Dining, there are four complimentary restaurants, and several specialty restaurants, to tempt your taste buds; not to mention, a Broadway show and other larger than life performances.  Whatever you decide to do onboard, you are sure to enjoy your sailing on Anthem of the Seas.

Itinerary

This was a short, five night cruise to Bermuda including an overnight stay at the Royal Naval Dockyard. Departing from Cape Liberty in May, the weather down and back was not exactly tropical, but the two days in Bermuda were downright perfect. The only other itinerary offered this time of year on Anthem of the Seas is a nine night cruise, which includes a stop in Bermuda and additional stops in the Caribbean. For us, this short trip was just right as we had never been to Bermuda, wanted to test out the ship, and needed to reserve our vacation days for other cruising adventures.

© Royal Caribbean International

Highlight

While Dynamic Dining has received some mix reviews since its launch,  the advent of Dynamic Dining Classic was much appreciated for us cruise traditionalists. With this option, you rotate through the four complimentary restaurants, having dinner at the same table with the same waiter at a set time. Having the same waitstaff every night meant we got the more personal level of service we felt was missing on Quantum of the Seas. Couple that with no wait times and unique culinary menus at each of the complimentary restaurants, we really enjoyed this twist on the classic main dining room setup. We would take Dynamic Dining Classic over Dynamic Dining Choice again in a heartbeat if we sail on a Quantum class ship in the future.

What’s Missing

With all of the technology, you would expect a few bugs. Unfortunately, there were many hiccups with the reservation system during our cruise. A lost dinner reservation, erroneous changes to our entertainment schedule, and difficulty book the Puzzle Room (one of the secret onboard activities) were a bit frustrating. Guest services and other staff were friendly but often gave us the run around as no one seemed to know who was responsible for what or had a back-up plan for when the reservation system was down. With a lot of persistence and mornings wasted waiting in lines, we eventually got everything straightened out. The missing dining reservation was recovered, turns out our entertainment reservations weren’t changed on us even though we got a message stating so, and we were finally able to book the Puzzle Room on the last day of our cruise.

Main Takeway

With bumper cars, roller skating, a surf simulator, and even robot bartenders, Anthem of the Seas can feel like a grown-up theme park. Couple that with the beauty and the extremely friendly islanders of Bermuda, an Anthem of the Seas Bermuda cruise is the perfect choice for an action packed cruise. Offering a solid nightly entertainment line up and the flexibility of Dynamic Dining, Anthem of the Seas offers a unique cruising experience. We would recommend that you pre-book shows and at least some dinner reservations (if you opt for Dynamic Dining Choice) to make your vacation experience more efficient. With only five days, it can seem hectic if you want to ensure you do and see everything, but it is your vacation so you can go strong like us or simply just relax- it’s up to you. Sailing almost exclusively on megaships, we did not have any issues with the 4,000+ other cruisers. Some true traditionalists may not like Anthem of the Seas, but we suggest stepping out of your comfort zone and giving it a try. You’ll be glad you did.

Read our detailed, day by day Anthem of the Seas Cruise Review below…

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

After only a few months since our last cruise (on Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Escape), the Princess and I were back at it on a 5 day cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Anthem of the Seas. Last year, we sailed on her older sister, Quantum of the Seas. Even though the two ships are essentially identical, we decided to book this cruise as there was the new Dynamic Dining Classic option, new shows, and the chance for us to visit Bermuda.  Plus, the short duration made it easier for us to squeeze it in to our work schedules. After all, we still need to have real jobs to pay for all of these trips.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

Living in the Northeast, Cape Liberty Cruise Port is only a few hours drive from our home. Still, we opted to drive down the day before the cruise and spend the night in a local hotel. We did not want to be rushed on the first day. With only five days on the cruise ship, every minute counts. Thinking the weather in April would be more amenable than our Quantum cruise last January, we decided that we would take the ferry over to see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island on our pre-cruise day.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

Neither one of us had ever been to these historic landmarks, which just does not sound very patriotic. When attempting to buy tickets a few weeks before our cruise, I soon realized that if you want crown access, you need to purchase these tickets up to 6 months in advance! We were able to secure pedestal tickets, but the only time that made sense for us was the 1pm slot.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

Working backwards to ensure we arrived on time, this meant we had to leave our home around 7:00 am. If the Google Maps’ travel time estimate could be trusted, this would give us time to get coffee and check in to our hotel, Westin Jersey City Newport, before catching the ferry in Liberty State Park. We were on the highway right on time and made good time for the first few hours coasting through the states of Rhode Island and Connecticut. Then, the traffic started with one construction area and lane closure after the next.  Watching the estimated time of arrival on our GPS creep up, so did my blood pressure. By the time we approached New Jersey, it was clear that we would have to head straight to the ferry if we had any chance of even getting on the tour.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

Our supposedly 3.5 hour drive turned into a 5 hour drive, finally arriving at Liberty State Park close to 12:30pm. Lucky for us, we were quickly through the security (Of note, this is airport level security, so be sure to allow extra time during peak season.) and in line with a few minutes to spare before the 1:00pm ferry. Only problem, it was unseasonably cold!

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

After several hours of touring the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island (review coming soon), we caught the last New Jersey ferry back around 5:15pm. Going strong for nearly 12 hours now, we took a slight detour to the closest Starbucks before checking into our hotel.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

Caffeine and a warm drink were just what we needed to get through the rest of this evening. Leaving the Princess and my Jeep in a most likely illegal parking spot, I was able to find the location of the Starbucks, buried behind yet more construction and scaffolding. With two lattes in tow, we could finally head to our hotel. Except, it was now rush hour traffic, meaning the two mile journey took a good 30-ish minutes.

Anthem of the Seas Bermuda Review

Luckily, finding the Westin Jersey City was easy, and we were able to check-in in a matter of minutes.  If the weather had been warmer, our plan was to head to Hoboken for dinner as there is a great foodie scene in this walkable city. But, the temperature and our delayed travel plans meant we would go with the next best thing- the hotel restaurant, Fire and Oak.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

The food was more than satisfying, and the service was also friendly and quick, which was much appreciated as it was a Friday night and the restaurant was plenty busy. Finishing this “late dinner” (by our standards), we really had no momentum left to do much more than go back to the room and crash.

Anthem of the Seas Bermuda Review

There would be a lot of ground to cover on this massive ship with two full days in Bermuda. Sleep was going to be needed to survive this cruise.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

Our plan for today was simple- get to the cruise port early, get onboard, and start taking pictures. To accomplish our embarkation day ritual, the alarm was set for 6:45am. As the Princess began her morning routine, I headed out to the Starbucks across the street from the hotel for coffee and breakfast sandwiches. Given our late arrival at the hotel the night before, I was not able to get any photos of the public areas.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

Good thing the hotel was relatively quiet at 7am on a Saturday morning, allowing me to snap a few solid pictures of the lobby and surrounding areas before making my way to get us coffee. Along the way, I also took a few pictures along the Hudson River Waterfront Walkway that curves down the New Jersey coast. It was a slight detour, but I could use the extra steps and the fresh air (while chilly) to wake up on this overcast morning.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

Back with coffee and a bite to eat, I hopped into the bathroom to get ready for our departure. A couple of days before, RCI had emailed us stating the ship was due to have a mandatory Coast Guard drill so boarding would start later than usual. Would this deter us from arriving at the port before our planned 10am? Of course not. Ready, packed, and prepared, we left the hotel at 9:30am for the approximately 20 minute drive to Cape Liberty.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

Our GPS got us close to the terminal, but there was construction (wait, road work in NJ?), so the last stretch of the trip we had to follow some detour signs pointing us to Cape Liberty. Arriving at the port around 10am, we parked at the garage at the pier which is $20 per day. If you arrive early, we suggest getting a spot on the lower level, which makes loading your luggage when you return much easier.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

Exiting the elevators in the parking garage, there were three port personnel doing check-ins. Perfect! Being as prepared as possible, we had already completed all the check-in information including uploading our photos on the cruise planner and had our set sail passes ready. If only everyone else was as equally ready. After waiting in line for 10 minutes and the staff still assisting the exact same guests, we lugged our bags toward the main terminal to find someone who could check us in a bit quicker.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

Unlike the traditional check-in process, staff members are scattered throughout the area with tablets. Once we found someone to help us, the check-in literally took only a few minutes. Security was also quick, and we were seated waiting by 10:30am. Don’t worry, before taking our seats, we made our rounds to the different Welcome Aboard picture stations. I do like that they offer this before you begin embarkation, so those who want to take the photos can do so without getting out of line.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

It was just before 11am when an announcement was made that the ship passed its inspection early and the boarding process would begin momentarily. Boarding based on status, we were among the second group to be let onboard. By this time, we had already noticed several wedding groups. A few appeared to be having day weddings, where the ceremony occurs while docked and guests come on for the day, leaving before sailaway. We would see a few other weddings later in the cruise as well.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

While others run to the Windjammer to eat, we run to take pictures. Our plan is very simple- go to the top of the ship and work our way down. Up to Deck 15, we got photos of everything from the gym (which would be the only time I visited all cruise) to the SeaPlex and outdoor pools, all the way down to Deck 3.

Anthem of the Seas Bermuda Review

Armed with our checklist and knowledge of the layout given our previous cruise on Quantum of the Seas, we had a bulk of our picture tour done in 90 minutes. By this time, venues were getting filled with people, and how dare we have Anthem of the Seas pictures with other people in them!

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

Being done earlier than normal, it was time to stop for lunch. Avoiding the Windjammer as much as possible, we made our way to Cafe Two70 which was rather quiet and serving up the famous roast beef sandwiches.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

This quick pit stop to fuel up gave us enough energy to continue our embarkation day routines. By now, it was past 1:00pm and cabins were ready. On this trip, we booked a large interior stateroom. Set up more like a balcony room, the large interior stateroom honestly felt to be about the same size as our balcony room on Norwegian Escape!

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

Getting some photos of the room, we were on the lookout for our stateroom attendant who was no where to be found. It turns out that we did not end up meeting her until the next day. As we were finishing up taking pictures, our luggage arrived. Yup, our two over-sized bags made it in one piece. Not wanting to waste too much time, we quickly unpacked our luggage with all of our belongings fitting nicely in the ample closet and storage areas provided.

Anthem of the Seas Bermuda Review

Finishing in record time, we made a trip to fix our specialty dining reservation that had somehow disappeared between us printing our schedule a few days earlier and boarding the ship. While in the area, we located our table for Dynamic Dining Classic- Table 108, a nice table for two right next to a window.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

Now that many of our “tasks” were completed, it was time to get our vacation started. Deck 15 was starting to fill up with cruisers, even though the weather was a bit chilly and windy. The Princess found some seats near the pool while I went to get our first round of drinks from the Sky Bar.  I asked for the Drink of the Day, which apparently does not exist on Anthem ships, so I ended up getting two Ultimate Mai Tais.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

Muster was at 3:30pm, which meant there was not too much time to enjoy our cocktails. Making our way to the B4 Muster station (the Schooner Bar on Deck 5), we were sucking down our drinks as they are not allowed. On Anthem of the Seas, all of the muster drill is done inside with a video presentation.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

Following Muster, we made our way outside for Sailway over to the Starboard side to watch as the ship sailed under the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. There is only 5 feet of clearance between the ship and the bridge, and it is certainly a nautical feat. We did not get to experience this on Quantum of the Seas due to bad weather.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

Clearing the underbelly of the bridge, we headed inside to warm up with some coffee. The caffeine was also necessary if we were going to make it until midnight tonight for our prearranged entertainment schedule. Opting for Dynamic Dining Classic, our dinner would start between 5:30pm to 6:00pm. Don’t arrive after 6:00pm or they will give your table away. The restaurant rotation is pre-arranged and in your stateroom upon boarding; for this cruise, our rotation was Chic, Grande, Silk, and American Icon. Getting to dinner at 5:30pm, we passed the line (those waiting for Dynamic Dining Choice) and went straight to our assigned table.

Anthem of the Seas Bermuda Review

I was liking Dynamic Dining Classic already. Our waiter was Manilow, and he was a consistent waiter. Still, there was no committed assistant waiter, nor was the bar service very attentive at the restaurants. Our head waiter, whose name escapes me, was great. He came by every night to see how things were going and to take care of any special requests. He was one of the stand-outs when it came to service in the restaurants.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

Chic was one of our lower ranking options of the 4 complimentary restaurants. They have changed the recipe for my beloved crab cake appetizer, which was a bit disappointing. I did enjoy the pork chop for dinner, and dessert was just sweet enough. Overall, a fine start to our cruise. Stay tuned for our upcoming restaurant review with all the mouthwatering pictures.

Anthem of the Seas Bermuda Review

Finishing dinner in about 90 minutes, we were able to continue our drink around the ship with a pre-show drink at Michael’s Genuine Pub on Deck 4.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

The wife got one of the cocktails, whereas I went with a nice IPA. The bar was slow, and there was no live music yet so we just ordered our drinks and moved on to the Welcome Aboard show.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

The show featured the comedy of Carl Banks. He was a pretty standard cruise comedian, but the Princess seemed to like his set more than I did. We would go to his adults only show a few days later where the material was a bit more lewd and funnier by my standards.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

Making sure we covered all of the venues on our Drink around the Ship, we left the Welcome Aboard show and made our way aft to Two70. The main reason was the cotton canditini- the wife’s favorite drink during our sailing on Quantum of the Seas. I also enjoyed many of the cocktails at Two70. It was relatively quiet, and there were no Vistaramas playing, which was a bit disappointing.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

Sipping our drinks and people watching, we stayed at Two70 for about 45 minutes before walking the entire length of the ship to the Main Theater for our “We Will Rock You” reservations. Approaching 9:30pm, the crowd was already being scanned into the show. Getting our usual seats on the portside of the theater, we passed on getting another drink and just relaxed until the 10pm showtime.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

We Will Rock You is an interesting show. I love the music of Queen, but I had read mixed reviews of the performance online. The biggest problem with the show (which is no fault to Royal Caribbean) is the plot. I found it to be a bit ridiculous, though the Princess liked it.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

With pretty strong lead performers, the show was entertaining nonetheless and did get better during the second half. Wrapping up just around midnight, our energy levels were depleted, but we had to at least make an appearance at Groovy Town, the theme party of the evening.

Anthem of the Seas Bermuda Review

On a five night cruise, they really cram everything in with a party literally every night! On Quantum of the Seas, this was one of the parties we really enjoyed as the cruise director, Jimmy Rhodes, went all in. By the time we got to Groovy Town on Anthem of the Seas, the “show” part was over, and it was just 70s dance music playing.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

Grabbing a couple of photos, it was time to call it a night (which was now technically the morning). We were back in our room by 12:30am with already 20% of our cruise over.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

There is no sleeping when on vacation. With just about six hours of rest, the alarm sounded at 6:45am. There were things on the Princess’ schedule to be done. As the Princess got ready, I went for a morning walk to get some additional snapshots of public places, including some of the restaurants, the Via, and the Esplanade, with virtually no one around.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

You can get great pictures of these mega ships sans people, you just need to be willing to sacrifice some sleep. On my way back, I got us two iced caramel lattes from La Patisserie. We would need multiple iced lattes a day as these medium servings only included one shot of espresso. This was not going to be enough caffeine for all we had to do each day. Good thing they are covered in the Ultimate Drink Package.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

Prior to the cruise, we had booked our iFLY ride for 9:20am on Day 2 via the online cruise planner. One of the highlights of our last cruise, this was something we did not want to miss, so we made sure to book it early. Not wanting to enter the flight tunnel on too full of a stomach, we decided to get a light breakfast at Two70 around 8:30am. Similar to the day before, the venue was not too busy, and we were in and out in no time.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

During the prior day, we tried multiple times to make reservations at the SeaPlex for the Puzzle Room, which takes place in the Fuel Teen Disco, with no avail. The Puzzle Room was not available for booking in the Royal IQ app; we were told by several staff members that there was a glitch in the system, but no one seemed to have any back up plan for making these reservations. This morning, we tried at guest services to get a reservation. The gentleman there confirmed that there was an issue booking through the Royal IQ app, and his only resolution was to continue trying at the SeaPlex. Great, would we get this same runaround all cruise?

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

Now about 9:15am, we went to iFLY to check-in. We walked in to a woman complaining that her reservation was not there. The attendant was trying to explain that she had a 9am reservation, which meant she should have showed up at that time, not at 9:20am.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

Without much ado, we were checked in and led into a room for the safety briefing. It turns out that the woman was able to join our group because others did not show up for their scheduled reservation. TIP: If you are unable to get a reservation, you can go standby and hopefully get lucky like this woman did. Following the instructional video, we were geared up and led to the flight chamber. The entire session is an hour, which includes your safety briefing and then your group’s flight. While each person only gets a 1 minute flight, it is a lot of fun. We definitely recommend that you try it.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

Back to our room for 10:30am, we did a slight costume change, as there are clothing restrictions for iFLY. Having walked around outside, we knew it was not really tanning weather. Sunny yes, but warm not so much. What are two cruise bloggers to do with no tanning? Drink? No, not yet- it wasn’t even noon.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

Instead, we did some more touring of the indoor venues and picture taking for another hour or so. By now, it was late enough for the Princess to authorize our first drink of the day. Adding to our list of bars, we got some frozen drinks from the North Star Bar. On Quantum, this bar featured a specialty menu with cocktails infused with Champagne. On Anthem, it features the typical Quenchers at Sea menu found at the other outdoor bars.

Anthem of the Seas Bermuda Review

Taking in some fresh air, albeit a bit on the cool side, the next obvious thing to figure out was what to do for lunch. Having really enjoyed the “healthy” fare at the Solarium Bistro on other ships, we decided to take the short walk over there before the buffet closed.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

The Princess went to use the restroom as I went to grab some photos of the food. That is when I realized that this was just a mini Windjammer. Disappointed, I alerted the Princess about this apparent change to the menu. Looking over the selections, we agreed to try something else. So, I raced down to Chic to get in line just by 1pm, when the dining room closes for lunch.

Anthem of the Seas Bermuda Review

The staff did not give us any issues, and we got seated in a nice table toward the back of the restaurant. Our server was great; he was very personable and attentive. We wish we had him for our night time waiter. Lunch in Chic was much better than the sit down lunch we had at the main dining room on Norwegian Escape.

DB’s Steak Frites

The Princess’ Grilled Cheese

I would say this meal was on par with the positive experience we had when American Icon Grill was the lunch venue on Quantum of the Seas. Spending close to an hour at lunch, we decided to try our luck at the casino. By try our luck, I mean we got the free casino pulls for being Crown and Anchor members. Seven pulls later, and no winnings, it was back upstairs to continue the Drink Around the Ship.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

We headed to the Pool Bar. This indoor pool area was filled with fellow cruisers, but we managed to get some seats on the starboard side to enjoy our drinks in the warm, enclosed area. I went with a classic Long Island Ice Tea, and the Princess did a Caribbean Breeze.

Anthem of the Seas Bermuda Review

Rounding out the afternoon, we had plans to do the bumper cars at 3:30pm. Knowing there would be a line forming and still wanting to make reservations for the Puzzle Break room, we went to the SeaPlex a little before 3:00pm. The staff was not helpful, again, even though I expressed our frustration and disappointment about the situation.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

They said to try back again another time. A solid line was forming for the bumper cars, so we got in queue and waited a little over a half hour before it was our turn to ride. This gave us time to note the length of the ride was 2.5 minutes with a total of 15 bumper cars on the rink. Like two big kids, we were on the hunt for each other during our session.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

Being after 4:00pm by now, it was time to get ready for dinner. As the Princess prepared, I went to grab a bunch of bottled water from the various bars. With the Ultimate Beverage Package, bottled water is included, and we like to have a few extra bottles in our room at all times.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

Upon return, I freshened up for tonight’s dinner at the formal restaurant, Grande. All dressed up and no where to go as none of the photo studios were open yet- they did not open until 6:00pm.

Anthem of the Seas Bermuda Review

Instead, we headed straight for dinner. Arriving promptly at 5:30pm, the meal took a solid two hours. Dinner was much better than the night before. I made my own version of surf and turf with lobster and veal. Grande ended up being my favorite complimentary restaurant of the entire cruise.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

Not sure if it is the kitchen or the menu, but service in Grande was very slow tonight, as was it also on Quantum of the Seas. Stuffed following dinner, I actually had to convince the Princess to take two formal portraits. After all, this would be the only night we would be wearing formal attire on the cruise. With reservations for Spectra’s Cabaret at 9:00pm, we stopped in for a glass of wine at Vintages on the way there. Vintages is another venue that feels under utilized as it was never really busy.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

Even though we had the Ultimate Beverage Package, we still had to pay a couple dollars more for a glass of wine as most of the wines on the menu were above the $13 credit you get with the plan. Sipping our wine, we noticed more and more cruisers filing into Two70. Wanting to ensure good seats, preferably with a table, we left Vintages at 8:15pm to head over ourselves.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

Getting our cards scanned into the venue, our preferred seats in the center of the theater were already taken. However, we were able to get a nice pair of chairs with a table off to the side of the main stage. Part of the lower stage was slightly obstructed, but luckily not much happened in that section of the stage. The show really does happen all around you.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

Compared to Star Water on Quantum of the Seas, Spectra’s Cabaret was a bit of a letdown. All of the surrounding elements, like the Vistaramas and roboscreens are amazing and are the true saving grace of the show, as the theme is disjointed and the main performer did not have the vocal chops of the lead in Star Water. Being just under an hour, we were out and ready for the next party of the cruise, the White Party in the Solarium.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

Even though it was the beginning of the party, it was surprisingly unattended. Feeling like a jungle inside (hot and humid), we did not stay long enough to get a drink.  Not ready to call it a night, we were able to get seats at the Schooner Bar to listen to the piano player instead.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

For this cruise, as long as you got to a venue early, you were able to get seats for most shows and parties. Getting a round of drinks, including the only properly made sidecar I got all cruise, we sat for about an hour to listen to Derek as he played predictable tunes from Elton John, Billy Joel, and even some Prince.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

Debating about getting another round of drinks, we decided to pass and ventured over to the theater to catch the 11:30pm late night comedy of Carl Banks. Again, I thought the comedian was average, and mild at best for an adult only comedy show.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

Having a few laughs, it was past midnight for the second time this cruise. Of course, we had our 9am call into Bermuda tomorrow and a complete itinerary of things to do and see that depended on us getting on the first ferry to St. George. So, it was time to retire for the evening, being greeted with a towel animal from our room attendant.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

Port days are usually early mornings, this meant our alarm sounded at 6:00am for the first day in Bermuda. We had a full list of things to accomplish today. Similar to the previous mornings, I was up taking pictures of the ship as the wife got ready. This time, I went up to the pool decks.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

On the top decks, I could see we had already made our way into Bermuda and were slowly approaching the Naval Dockyard. Returning with some nice pictures of the empty pool decks, it was my time to get ready so we could be downstairs for coffee and breakfast by 7:30am. Two70 was busier than the past few days. Like our experiences on other ships, it feels like it takes people a few days to find this hidden gem.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

Still, the crowd here must have been nothing compared to the Windjammer. Following breakfast, the line at guest services was short, so we lined up to ask about canceling our booked shore excursion for that evening. Prior to sailing, we had booked a Bermuda Triangle night time cruise. But, since getting onboard, the show schedule had been altered, and given the change, we wanted to cancel our shore excursion for tonight.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

Of course, guest services was unable to help, but luckily the shore excursion desk was open from 8am to 9am. Even though the policy is a 24 hour cancellation window, after explaining our frustrations with the changing times, the staff was willing to refund the shore excursion.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

Unexpectedly, the ship was docked and cleared about 30 minutes early. Our plan was to catch the 9:30am ferry to St. George. Expecting people to be rushing off the ship now, we went back to our room to grab our stuff and make our way to the gangway. Being docked at King’s Wharf, disembarkation was smooth with a very short line. In the terminal building, there is a small desk that sells passes for the ferries and buses. We purchased round trip ferry passes (4 tokens) and were off. We did not want to miss this ferry as the next one didn’t leave until 11:30am.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

Following the crowds of people, we were shocked to see the huge lines for the ferry. Luckily, the first ferry to Hamilton had a much longer line than the one to St. George.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

But, I was glad we did not wait much longer to get off the ship. Waiting for only about 10 minutes, we started boarding and got some of the last seats on the top of the ferry. Noting the time of departure, we left promptly at 9:30am and arrived in St. George right at 10:15am. Along the way, I was able to snag some great pictures of our ship and the P & O ship docked right next door.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

If you take the ferry over, I recommend sitting on the starboard side of the ferry heading to St. George, as you can get some nice coastline pictures. Once we arrived, it was a quick pit stop in the Welcome Center to use the restroom, and then it was time to tour historic St. George. We headed to King’s Square where we purchased a bus transfer at the Visitor’s Information Center. We spent over 4 hours exploring downtown St. George and the surrounding beaches and forts with a mix of walking and use of the mini-bus.  A complete review of our day in St. George is coming soon. The parish was easy to get around, and everyone we met was very friendly and helpful. The people of Bermuda get my vote for the nicest islanders of any place we have ever visited on a cruise.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

Having seen and explored as much as we could in the warm Bermuda sun, we were back at the ferry terminal by 2:45pm. The ferry was not scheduled to leave until 3:30pm. She did arrive early, but we were not allowed to board until 3:15pm. Getting some premium portside seats on the way back, I was able to get some pictures of St. Catherine’s fort and other Bermudian coastal sights during the 45 minute ride back to the Naval Dockyard and our ship.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

Back to the Dockyard by 4:15pm, we had to get back on the ship to change for dinner. Tonight’s dinner was in Silk, one of our favorites from Quantum of the Seas.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

We grabbed some iced lattes before heading back to the room. It took some hustling on the Princess’ part, but we were changed and at the restaurant by 6:00pm. This time around, we had some new table neighbors that must have been Dynamic Dining Choice cruisers. We never did get to talk with them.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

The menu for Silk read quite tasty, but unfortunately the apps and sides were better than the entrees themselves. Despite really liking Silk on Quantum, it was probably our least favorite of the 4 complimentary restaurants on Anthem of the Seas.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

Following dinner, I made a quick costume change, and the Princess grabbed a jacket for a night time stroll around the Dockyard. While most shops were closed, we were able to get some photos of the area. We walked around the main shopping area then down to the Clock Tower Shopping Mall, planning out where we would stop tomorrow for some shopping.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

With the sun setting, we were able to snap some lovely pictures of Anthem of the Seas all light up in the harbor.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

This self guided tour of the area lasted for about an hour. However, I was not going to leave Bermuda without getting the island’s signature drink, a rum swizzle. Following the lights and music, we decided to check out the Snorkel Park, which did not start charging admission until 10pm.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

Actually, it was a nice little beach (from what we could see at night) with a bonfire and dance floor. The DJ was blaring music, and there were a few people dancing, but the place was not really that busy. Getting some drinks, we sat and listened to the music while many fellow cruisers filtered in and out of the place probably due to the lack of energy. We lasted about 30 minutes or so before the Princess had enough and was ready to go back to the ship.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

Making a quick pit stop at our room, we had some time to kill, so we made our way over to Boleros for a drink and the last few songs from the live band’s set.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

The wife ordered the Grand Sangria, and I tried the Margarita El Picadura. A very refreshing cocktail, the margarita was something different- not really spicy, but not sweet either.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

One of the main reasons we canceled our nighttime excursion was because we wanted to see the Journey cover band. Like any show on a cruise, we knew we had to get to the Tribute show early. Unfortunately, the show was in Two70 and not the Music Hall, as the Music Hall seemed to be closed frequently for private events. We arrived at Two70 around 10:15pm for the 11pm show.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

The Tribute band for our sailing was DSB, a Journey covered band. The set lasted about 75 minutes, and these guys killed it. The lead singer was great, and while I am a not a huge Journey fan, they put on a great show. It took the crowd some warming up, but by the end, everyone was singing and dancing. Another midnight affair, we were back to the room for some sleep, as we had to make the most of our second (and last) day in Bermuda.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

Up at 6am again, it was time for me to get some aerial photos of the port.  I was able to get some great shots of the marina, Naval Dockyard, and surrounding points. Having toured the area the day before, I actually knew what I was taking pictures of for a change.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

Today’s plan was for some morning relaxation at the beach. More than half way through our cruise, and I finally had some time to relax. Today would actually be the only time I would get to wear my bathing suit all cruise. So, down to Cafe Two70 for some quick breakfast and coffee, and we were off the ship by 8:30am.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

Bermuda has several modes of transportation, including public buses, the mini-buses, and private taxis. The day before, we had looked at the rates and knew that a taxi would be more money, but offered more flexibility as we wanted to visit a few key landmarks on our way to the beach.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

Obviously beating the crowds off the ship this morning, the transportation stand was relatively quiet still. A gentleman at the stand asked us what we wanted to do. Prepared with the Princess’  list of must see attractions, a private taxi was recommend. Again, the people working the transportation area were very courteous, unlike some islands where you feel like you might get into the taxi and never make it back. David, our taxi driver, asked what we wanted to see. Understanding that the meter would keep running during these stops, we told him we wanted to see the Somerset Bridge, Gibb’s Lighthouse, and a bit of the island on our way down to Horseshoe Bay Beach.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

He was awesome, taking us to a few vantage points and showing us around the island. He offered a bit of history and took some pictures of us at Fort Scour and Somerset Bridge, home to the world’s smallest drawbridge. In fact, for the roughly hour drive, he became our personal tour guide. Note: the rates are the same for 1-4 people, so if you have some friends, I would recommend getting a private taxi and creating your own personal tour.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

Stopping at Gibb’s Lighthouse, the Princess was not going to climb the 185 stairs to the top after her trek up the Statue of Liberty a few days earlier. David kept her company as I paid the $2.50 entrance fee and hustled to the top. There was only one other group of people at the lighthouse, again another advantage of waking up early. I was to the top, grabbed some pictures, and down in no time.

Anthem of the Seas Bermuda Review

Arriving at Horseshoe Bay Beach by 9:45am, we asked David to return at 12:45pm to pick us up as I knew the Princess wanted to do a little shopping before getting back on the ship. Walking from the small parking lot to the beach, you are not prepared for what you are about to encounter. The beach has to be one of the most beautiful beaches we have ever seen. In our opinion, much better than other “world famous” beaches like Magen’s Bay in St. Thomas.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

While the beach is free, we did rent two chairs and an umbrella for $25, which seemed on par with the costs at other beaches. There are restrooms, a bar with a small patio area, and a restaurant on site. After getting some pictures of a virtually empty beach, we relaxed in the sun for a while. After about an hour in the sun,  I was ready to jump in the chilly water.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

Definitely colder than I expected, but it was refreshing. The three hours past quickly, and we were out near the parking lot waiting for David right around 12:40pm, but he was nowhere to be found. There were tons of taxis and mini-buses in the area, so we searched a bit and asked a few of the other drivers if they had seen him. Giving him the benefit of the doubt, we finally decided to hop on a mini-bus to get back to the pier after waiting close to 15 minutes. In the end, it did save us some money as it was only $7 a person for the trip back.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

This time around the ride was much shorter and direct as we did not stop for any sightseeing or photos. Our driver was equally friendly, telling us about his past as an international soccer player during the drive. It was about 1:30pm when we arrived back at the port area. Our first stop was the Clock Tower shopping mall. The Bermuda Rum Cake Factory and Glassworks were being renovated so they set up make shift store fronts in this mall.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

These two stores were on the top of the Princess’ list. Luckily, we escaped with only a few purchases- two rum cakes, a small glass ornament, and some fudge. I needed to get my customary t-shirt, so we set out to explore some of the other shops and venues. We were a bit surprised by the Craft Market; it was much smaller than we expected when compared to similar markets in the Bahamas and other Caribbean islands. We did manage to score a handmade Christmas ornament, and I settled for a t-shirt from the Island Outfitters store.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

Our shopping escapades were completed by 2:30pm, getting back onboard to get some quick lunch. We had little time to spare as we had a 3:00pm North Star reservation. On our sailing, each day (except for embarkation day) you had to reserve North Star. We were able to book this in advance on the Cruise Planner, but you could also make reservations while onboard at Guest Services or on the Royal IQ app.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

Staff informed us that on a short cruise like this, the North Star only goes up and down, not off to the side, so they can fit in more rides to ensure everyone gets to experience this activity. Before our ride, we scarfed down some grub- the wife got some Sorrento’s pizza, and I grabbed a Smokehouse dog from the SeaPlex Doghouse.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

Checking in with the North Star staff only a few minutes before 3pm, we were the second to last in line for our particular ride. Lasting only about 10 minutes, we were able to get some pretty good photos, but the sun glare did hinder us a bit.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

Coming back down from over 300 feet above sea level, it was time to get out of the sun. Dropping the wife off at the room, I continued down to deck 4 for some iced lattes.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

Back with our iced pick me ups, I had to make a mad dash to the SeaPlex to get pictures of the trapeze school. While we were not going to get to try this out, we at least needed to see what it was all about. Being mostly kids, I felt a little weird taking pictures, but it was all in the name of the blog. I came to the conclusion pretty quickly that we did not miss anything special.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

Back and changed up from a long day in the sun, we were at dinner for 5:45pm at the final restaurant in our rotation, American Icon Grill.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

The night before, the Princess had requested a special meal. She wanted her favorite turkey dinner, which was not on tonight’s menu, but on the second menu in the rotation that would be offered the following night.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

I went with the lamb, which was solid. While different than Quantum’s menus, American Icon Grill was on par with our experiences the year before.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

We thanked Manilow for his service with an additional gratuity at the end of our dinner, as we were not going to be dining again in Chic the following night. Exiting dinner, we stopped at a few photo studios. Knowing we were only going to get a few photos, but feeling like we did not take enough formal pictures, the Princess convinced me to pose at a few stations for one last time.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

Wanting to ensure good seats for the show, we got to the the main theater 45 minutes early for our 8:30pm reservation for The Gift. There was some confusion as to whether our show had been rescheduled, as we received a message on the television stating our reservation was moved to 10:30pm, but Guest Services was adamant that our reservation was indeed the original 8:30pm time. We were relieved that our SeaPass cards scanned us into the theater with no issues.  Being early, we did get a round of drinks so all was not lost.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

Filling in quickly, the theater felt more crowded than it was on night one for We Will Rock You. The Gift, while not exactly the most uplifting story, was certainly more entertaining than Spectra’s Cabaret and of the same caliber as Sonic Odyssey, the other show on Quantum of the Seas.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

Finishing up in about an hour, it was going to be a struggle for us to snag seats for the Anthem Rocks party at the Music Hall tonight. Somehow, we managed to grab some chairs and a table near the left-hand side of the stage. This gave us an okay view of the “show” part of Anthem Rocks. Tonight was probably the most we had seen the cruise director Drew all cruise.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

Covering music from across the decades, the show was a little disjointed, but it got the crowd up and dancing. Getting a round of drinks, we had enough of the classic rock by about 11pm. Having spent virtually no time in the casino, we decided to walk through. The tables were busy as expected, and finding a “good” slot machine (whatever that means) was difficult. The Princess lost $50 within 15 minutes, so that was our cue to call it a night. Back to our room by 11:30pm, our cruise was now 80% over.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

Our last day on the ship was a sea day. Short cruises like this go by way too fast, especially on a megaship like Anthem of the Seas. Even though we had nothing scheduled, the alarm was set for 6am. Granted, we were able to set the clock back an hour, as we had moved it forward on the night of day 2.  I will take an extra hour of sleep, even if I would really like an additional 5 hours of rest. We had one mission today- getting into the Puzzle Room.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

While we had been unsuccessful thus far, we were going to get to play the game! While the wife got ready, I grabbed us some iced lattes, and we headed down to the SeaPlex promptly at 8 am when it opened.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

At the SeaPlex for when it officially opened, there were no staff present. Finally, someone showed up. After explaining our situation, the only advice she could offer was to come back at 10am as they should be setting up the room at that time. Again, another waste of time. However, traveling up to deck 15 gave us a view of the outside weather, which was cloudy and a bit windy.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

The pools were still open, and the indoor pool area got busy later in the day, but there would be no chance of further tanning on this last sea day.  Down to deck 4 for a sit down breakfast in Chic before 8:30am, we were greeted by a small line. Apparently, we were not the only ones with this idea. The queue moved quickly, even though we had to wait a few extra minutes for a table of 2 as the Princess did not want to sit with other people this morning.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

There is both a breakfast buffet and a sit down breakfast in the main dining room. We both opted to order something off the menu, but don’t worry, I got some pictures of the breakfast buffet options. We were in a bit of a rush as the $10 t-shirt sale was scheduled for 9am. This is always a must, even though I have drawers full of cruise t-shirts. For breakfast, we both ordered omelettes, which were pretty standard.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

I decided to get a side of french toast and the Princess went with a nutella crepe. Her “second breakfast” was a much better option than mine!

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

Unlike Quantum, the t-shirt sale occurred in some of the retail shops on deck 4, not in the Esplanade, making it somewhat more organized. Getting out of breakfast a few minute after 9am, we hit the back of the line near Boleros. Waiting a solid 40 minutes, we finally got into the stores, and interestingly enough, we both picked out the same exact shirts! All in all, our two $10 shirts cost us close to 2 hours of our cruise. You can be the judge if the wait was worth it.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

Next, we decided to split up, the wife getting in line for the 10:30am bumper cars, while I tried to flag down staff to sign up for the Puzzle Room. I was not alone. As I approached Fuel, where the game takes place, there were already three couples more frustrated than me also trying to sign up for this event. When the staff member emerged, one woman let her have it. I just sat back and eventually signed up for the last game of the cruise occurring at 4:30pm.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

Finally securing our spot in the Puzzle Room, I met back up with the Princess who was in line for the Bumper Cars. Waiting about 40 minutes, we hopped on for some child-like amusement and a few photo ops. We both love amusement parks, so we felt the wait was worth it. Feeling like we still had a lot to accomplish, we maneuvered back down to the dining rooms to get pictures of the new menus.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

The four day rotation of “menu A” was done, and we needed to get all of the new “menu B” options. I was not alone as another cruiser was doing the same thing.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

Grabbing all of the dinner menus, our next stop was deck 5 to the Bionic Bar. While we had passed this venue multiple times, we still had not gotten a drink here for our “drink around the ship” post. Using our Ultimate Beverage Package, we both got cocktails, which were honestly not that great. Robots might be good at some stuff, but making cocktails is not one of them…yet.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

Following up the drinks from Bionic Bar, we had another round of drinks at the Solarium Bar. Hey, what else did you want us to do in the middle of the day? The frozen drinks at the Sunshine Bar (the official name of the bar in the Solarium) were much better.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

These cocktails officially ended our drink around the ship, which meant I was no longer bound by the wife’s schedule (that is wishful thinking). Not being a fan of the humidity in the Solarium, we took our drinks to the Indoor Pool area where we found a seat to relax.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

I left the Princess to grab a couple photos, and cookies from the Windjammer, per her request. Before long, I made my way to the SeaPlex Doghouse to grab a few dogs for lunch. Don’t judge, it was the last day, and I needed to get as many meals in as possible!

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

Not to be out done, the Princess decided to get a salad at Two70. This worked out well as it was close to 1pm by now, and we wanted to see the roboshows at 2pm anyway. We really enjoyed these shows on Quantum, and this was the only time they were offered on our cruise. Grabbing a few seats with a table, we enjoyed lunch and relaxed in a mild food coma until the show started at 2pm.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

The roboshows started right on time. The first two productions were Abstract Perspectives and Dance in a Box, which we were familiar with from Quantum. The third show, which involved aliens, was new to us, but there was a malfunction toward the end. Hanging around for about 15 minutes to see if the roboshow would restart, we decided to leave the venue and check out the rollerskating in the SeaPlex. Notice, I said check it out. We both already gave the four wheel disco a try on Quantum with some interesting results. This time around it was purely for picture purposes.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

Getting our necessary details and pictures, we took a break to go back to our room for the dreaded task of packing. Yup, we would be heading home tomorrow. Packing went unexpectedly smoothly, so we were back up at the SeaPlex for 4:15pm for the Puzzle Room. Talking with other cruisers and sharing our frustration about signing up for this event, a member of the cruise director staff appeared and announced she was going to let all those in attendance compete even though some individuals were not technically signed up.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

With a slightly larger group, we did escape with about 6 minutes left, which may not be a record but was good enough for us to feel accomplished. All of the headaches were worth it as we really enjoyed this activity. After completing the game, it was back to the room to change for dinner.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

Tonight, we had dinner reservations at Jamie’s Italian specialty restaurant for 6:30pm. Having enjoyed dinner at this restaurant on Quantum, Jamie’s delivered with excellent food once again. Service was good, but not great this time around.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

The waitress did hook it up by not charging us the difference in price for our drinks as they were over the allotted amount of the drink package. This time around, we got a plank for an app and pasta dishes for dinner- two for me and one for the Princess.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

The food was heavy but delicious. Unfortunately, I did not make it through dinner without making a small mess. So following dinner, it was time for another quick outfit change. Good thing we are both over packers. No longer in a sauce-splattered shirt, I wanted to get an IPA from Michael’s Pub.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

Getting a cold draft beer, we then scoped out seats for the show of Mo5aic at 9:30am in the Music Hall. They were the headliner act the overnight in Bermuda, so we did not catch the show. Karaoke was just finishing up when we arrived, so we quickly snagged seats, rearranging the chairs a bit so we could have a table and decent view of the stage. With seats secured, we ordered some of our favorite cocktails.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

Mo5aic’s set was highly entertaining. All of the sounds you hear are performed live by the vocals of different members, including a lot of base and percussion sound effects. Performing a mix of contemporary songs and classics, the show was one of the best headliner acts that we have ever seen.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

The short 45 minute set for Mo5aic bled right into the Slight Party. Now, I was not a big fan of this concept, but after experiencing it, OMG! This was my favorite party.  I had so much fun switching back and forth between the two DJ channels. I will definitely make it a point to do this party on our next cruise.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

As I was rocking out, we got another round of drinks. After about 30 minutes of my hi-jinks, we decided to try our luck at the casino one final time. Finding a roulette table with a decent crowd, we spent about an hour playing our favorite numbers, hitting enough to keep us alive. After a switch of the dealer, and a few mess ups with the payouts, we left the table (along with a few other gamblers) down only $25 dollars. Not a bad way to spend an hour.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

Walking away only slightly down, we retired to our room as there was still some last minute packing that needed to be done. Finally, we hit the sack around midnight with the alarm set for 5am, the earliest of the entire trip!

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

Disembarkation day- the worst day of the cruise! For this short 5 day trip, it felt like this day came too early. Speaking of early, we were up early once again so we could get lattes, a quick bite to eat, and complete self-checkout. On our Quantum cruise the previous year, we did self-checkout, but waited until later and ended up getting stuck in a ridiculously long line to get off the ship. Up at the sound of the alarm, we were still pulling into the Cape Liberty port so we were able to get a few nice photos from the virtual balcony- including one with the Staten Island Ferry sailing by us.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

Done getting ready, and all of our toiletries packed, we left our bags in the room to get coffee and breakfast. To our surprise, the line for self-checkout was just as long (if not longer) than we remembered it from our previous trip, and it was still early in the morning. We did not waste too much time, as we knew we had to jump in this line as well soon. Devouring our drinks and food, we got back to the room and were graced to get an elevator going down with all our bags rather easily.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

Seeing the line near Two70 moments ago, we opted for the forward elevators. Still a rather long and slow moving line, we were off the ship within 40 minutes, and through customs with no issues in another 15 minutes or so. All in all, not the worst disembarkation we have experienced.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

Carrying our bags off, we crossed through the mobs of people waiting for taxis or arranged transportation as we followed the line to the parking garage. There was a rather long queue of fellow travelers waiting for the elevator. We were only on floor 2, but I was not ready to lug 100 pounds worth of luggage up a flight of stairs. Overhearing one of the staff mention that you can load luggage on level one near the porter station, I left the Princess with our luggage and jogged up to our car. Racing down to the first floor, I met her with our luggage. We loaded my Jeep rather quickly and were out of the parking garage with less headaches than I expected by slightly after 9am.

Anthem of the Seas Review Bermuda

Putting the home address into the GPS, a pretty straight shot north on 95, we did hit a little traffic right near the cruise port and in New Jersey/ New York. It was pretty much clear sailing once we got to CT, so we were home by 1:30pm. And like dedicated cruisers, we spent the drive home planning/booking the shows for our next cruise on Oasis of the Seas, taking place in August. The rest of the day was spent editing photos and reliving our 5 day Bermuda cruise, knowing that we would be cruising again in about 3 months. Stay tuned!

Comments

Have you sailed on Anthem of the Seas? What do you think of our Anthem of the Seas Cruise Review to Bermuda? Drop us an anchor below to share your experiences onboard this new and innovative vessel. We would love feedback or questions too.