Since beginning my cruising career in 2016 I’ve only sailed with premium (not luxury) lines – Cunard (7), Princess (6) and Celebrity (1). Holland America is on my to-do list but they’ve yet to schedule a cruise that I can do.
Deciding to step outside my comfort zone, I booked a nine-night January cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Anthem of the Seas, from Sydney out to the mid-Pacific and back. Anthem is a large resort-style ship with attractions you won’t find on the lines above – see the pictures.
For comparison here are some stats of the ships I’ve sailed on (tonnage, length (m), passengers (double occupancy)):
- Queen Elizabeth (2010): 90,900GT, 294, 2101
- Grand Princess (1998): 108,806GT, 290, 2600
Queen Mary 2 (2004): 151,400GT, 345, 2705
Anthem of the Seas (2015): 168,666GT, 347, 4180
and for reference, the largest passenger ship currently sailing:
Icon of the Seas (2024): 248,663GT, 365, 5610
Sadly for medical reasons I had to cancel this cruise but was able to substitute a mid-Feb two-night round-trip cruise, also from Sydney. I knew I’d not have much time to enjoy the ship but here was my chance to sample it. My allotted boarding time was 3.00p.m. Boarding was quick and efficient and I was excited to be on board.
Most of deck 3 and decks 6 to 13 are given over to staterooms. Public areas (shops, eating entertainment) are on decks 3-6 and 14-16 – see the deck plans here. To keep costs down, I booked an inside stateroom (8711). I was pleasantly surprised by its size (of course it helps when there’s just one of you in a cabin meant for two … except when it comes to paying the bill). The most interesting feature was the virtual balcony: a high-definition floor-to-ceiling screen providing a real-time, high-definition view of the outside, making the room feel larger.
Given the size of the ship it wasn’t hard to spend several hours exploring. The ship’s Royal Esplanade is a two-deck-high central hub on decks 4 and 5, serving as the ship’s prime indoor shopping, dining, and entertainment district.
Notable were the top deck attractions for the fun-loving and family crowd the ship is aimed at. The North Star observation capsule takes guests high above the ship for 360-degree views of the ocean, ship and (when in port) some of the world’s most incredible shores from over 100 metres above sea level. The Flowrider surf simulator was affording the adventurous a lot of pleasure, the lawyer-inspired disclaimer not deterring them:
Riding on the Flowrider® is an extreme sport and high-risk recreational activity. Sheet wave surfing on the Flowrider may result in physical or mental injury, including but not limited to serious injury to the head, neck, back, hips, arms and legs, as well as the possibility of illness, disease, paralysis or death.
So nothing much to worry about!
/I didn’t take in much of the entertainment. The theatre stage show was ‘Wicked’ with a run time of two hours (most cruise shows are 45-60 minutes, two performances) so being rather tired I gave it a miss. Piano/vocalist Zoe Jackson in the Schooner Bar did a great job of entertaining patrons, myself included.
Food: For each of my two mornings I had breakfast in the Windjammer buffet, much like any cruise ship buffet. As elsewhere on the ship to my surprise it wasn’t hard to find somewhere to sit. Saturday lunch was a burger from Johnny Rockets on Deck 14. Each night I took dinner in one of the main dining rooms. The wait staff seemed unsure of what to do with solo travellers like me but after 5-10 minutes did find me some congenial tablemates. The food was excellent. The Saturday menu was supposedly French-inspired but included native dishes such as Steak and Guiness Pie and Lamb Curry!
On Saturday I went to bed early, knowing we had to be off the ship by 8.00a.m. I slept well, was up early for breakfast, then off the ship in time, ready to spend a day in Sydney before flying home. More of this to come.
