Royal Caribbean Anthem of the Seas Room Review
I just got back from my first Royal Caribbean Cruise on the $940 Million Anthem of the Seas Ship, the second ship of the Quantum Class. I booked a Superior Oceanview state room with balcony on the 10th floor. (Room 10252 to be exact.) This review is limited to room. Next week I’ll do a full review of the ship and overall experience.
Cost
The total for the trip for room, taxes and fees for two people came out to $2325. Cruise prices really vary widely depending on how and when you book them as well as what’s included in your package. I ended up booking through the AMEX Cruise Privileges program because it gave me a state room credit and an extra membership rewards point per dollar on the cost. All for the same price that Royal Caribbean charges.
Room Type: Superior Ocean View State Room with Balcony
One Word: Tiny. When we first walked in, my first thought was something along the lines of “Wow, have staterooms always been this small or did I get bigger? I’m actually down a few lbs, so I don’t think it’s me.” Once you get over the size, you can appreciate the modern style and attractive color scheme.
Royal Caribbean’s Anthem of the Seas is 3 years old and it’s still got the polished look of something new. I also felt the small area was laid out well, so as to maximize space. Unfortunately those last two points are the only two positives I can share about the rooms.
For frame of reference, I’m not a huge cruiser. I’ve been on eight or nine cruises mostly on Norwegian and Carnival Cruise lines. I was looking forward to Royal Caribbean because it seems to be regarded as the best of the three. I definitely don’t have the same impression. Both Norwegian and Carnival had bigger rooms and Norwegians seem to be nicer.
Cleanliness could have been better, I was constantly noticing things that were dusty or dirty. There were four staterooms between us and the other members of my group felt the same way. Also the bed was very uncomfortable, it felt like it may have been broken, so hopefully that was an isolated incident. Though the balcony chairs weren’t very comfortable either.
As far as amenities and other extras, I really feel this is an area that could easily be improved to elevate the experience. There’s hand soap and a two-in-one shampoo and conditioner provided. That’s it. I don’t need them to provide much, but in this day and age a separate shampoo and conditioner and maybe q-tips seem like the bare minimum. I also have never been on a cruise where robes aren’t provided.
The bathroom was acceptable but again, very small. The shower was pretty tight and I kept knocking the shampoo dispenser off of the wall which got a bit annoying. We also had to call maintenance the second day because the shower wasn’t draining. It was handled quickly and fixed for the remainder of the trip. Temperature and shower pressure were decent, so no complaints there. One thing to keep in mind, if you have to blow dry your hair or get ready in the mirror, there’s definitely not enough space to do that in the bathroom, but there is a desk with a mirror.
Conclusion
I wish I had more, but you know what they say: Small room….. small review. I think for the price, I would have done better on a different cruise line. Overall, I was a bit disappointed and felt the rooms could have been nicer and larger. Royal Caribbean’s state room seemed to be pretty basic without many frills. I would be afraid to see how small a room without a balcony would feel. Sometimes guest experience comes down to the small details and I think that’s the case here. The good news is that you can get a much better deal on a different line and the staterooms will be bigger.
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I don’t know… it looks fine to me. It’s a CRUISE SHIP, not a hotel room… Boat, you know. Plus who stays in their cabin when you are on a cruise ship???
That’s a good point…. I hadn’t realized it was a boat.
I cruised on the Oasis and loved the shows and activities especially the Flowrider. I was disappointed in the cabin though, also a Superior Ocean View. Even so, it appears that you had even less storage space with that small closet. I was put off by the fact that there was only one location for charging. A cabin designer that used a smartphone would have included charging ports on each of the bedside lamps.
I am not a big cruiser, just 8 or 9 cruises…………FYI, YOUR A BIG CRUISER, IN DENIAL.
LOL, maybe. Before this one I haven’t been on one in about 5 years and the majority of them were family trips when I was a child. I also go on 1-3 trips a month so 8 or 9 over the span of my life doesn’t seem significant to me- but I’m certainly ok with the label 🙂
Why no pictures of the actual balcony?
That’s a very valid question. Apparently I didn’t take one that actually showed anything other than the view. I did ask my friends for one, hopefully someone finds one today.
I’ve stayed in an interior stateroom on RC’s Vision of the Seas, one of the smallest ships in the fleet. I felt it was adequate. Small, yes, but it worked. Staying in a similar room on the Independence for my next cruise, will see how that compares.
Have you been on other cruise lines? I’m curious to see if others had the same feeling that the rooms were smaller on RCL
I have not, but others on the same trip had been on Carnival and found them pretty comparable (they liked RCL’s atmosphere better though). I only really used the room for sleeping though, so that probably helped. I wonder if the newer ships like Anthem, Harmony, Symphony have smaller rooms than the older ships (stealing from our friends in the airline industry of more passengers more $$).
Hello Clo – she is energetic 🙂
Anthem is nearly as tall as Oasis, but Oasis is twice wider and have open area in between.
Anthem pros (to me):
– iFly skydiving simulator. Did you try it? 🙂
– Roller skating fun (Sea Plex area)
– Open air lunch tables aft in Windjammer.
– Two 70 day time view aft if sit next to the big windows.
Oasis pros:
– Openness to air/nature. Adds much to me. Central park – promenade in the center of the ship – is open to sky, breeze. What a lovely time it was to sit there and listen to quality live classical music performances – violin + keyboard, under the stars, warm breeze…
Aft is open. People watch aqua performances on open air, lovely, you feel you sail for real…
Also they have wide open, one side of the ship to another, area atop of ship command bridge – great to feel connected with night sky with stars or just watch arrival to a new port – St.Thomas or St. Martin.
– Dining in sitting restaurants – food quality/preparation felt better, or let’s say less pathetic.
– Shows felt of better quality. (it’s minor details, but the same is universally across the ship – everything is of slightly greater quality, not significant, but noticeable.)
– Not ship specific, but itinerary wise. Sail from NYC is to me a bad idea. So much days spent to reach interesting waters/ports. When sail from Florida, I opened balcony door the first day and never closed it – so lovely – fresh warm sea air, slept in it…
Common:
Layout of the ships feels the same at large. I felt I new where is everywhere right after boarding.
Lastly, Anthem felt so mass product to me. Quality of everything suffers. Do they cater better for Florida audience due to tighter competition there?..
After reading your comparison, I actually do want to take one more RCL cruise on a ship from that class! I agree with what you say in re the cons and I’m no fun so the ifly and roller skating (Seaplex Activities in general) weren’t big draws to me. We were also at capacity so everything was so busy and there were no reservations available, otherwise I definitely would have done Ifly. I really wanted to try the escape room but that was sold out too unfortunately.
Love your food comparison lol. Agree on that point as well
Good thing the site is doing cruises reviews. Keep them coming.
We may have been on the same ship at the same time. I returned 4/7.
Overall it was a very pleasant cruise. Used my stateroom with balcony mostly for sleep this time. Too many outside activities.
Since the ship departed and then arrived into cold weather, usage of balcony was limited for me to destination days mostly.
My previous cruise was on the biggest ship – Oasis of the Seas – from Fort Lauderdale, FL. That experience was better in nearly every aspect.
It least one would start and finish journey from already hot weather. And tropical vacation would start right away.
We actually got back today…. I’m glad you enjoyed it! I actually didn’t spend too much time in the room this time either. Maybe because it was so small? LOL. What did you think of this ship in relation to the Oasis?
I have to say, the best part of the cruise for me (aside from my friends of course) were the game show type shows hosted by Clo (spelling?) I thought she was terrific and the game shows were very funny.