By Jeffrey A. Rendall
Entertainment on Anthem of the Seas – Something to do for every spare moment
One of the most difficult things for non-cruisers or first-time cruisers to understand is the fact there’s so much to do on a ship that it simply isn’t possible to do it all, especially if you run your sailings like we do, which is to take advantage of as much shore time as possible.
Because there’re so many dining choices as well as relaxation/entertainment options, it can be frustrating to worry about what you’re not getting as much as or more than appreciating what you’re eating and seeing.
Therefore, I’ll offer notes and observations on the things we did eat and see on our Alaska cruise on Anthem of the Seas. In no particular order:
The NorthStar rises to 300 feet above sea level with views to match
You should note, if you’re going to travel on Anthem of the Seas, there aren’t any water slides. Whereas many of the newer Royal Caribbean megaships offer up to six or seven slides (water and dry), there aren’t any on Anthem, probably because the ship tends to serve the “cold” destinations in Alaska and Norway.
There are plenty of pools onboard, including a few pools/Jacuzzis that are indoors, but no slides.
This was fine for us. The jacuzzi space was adequate and the warm pools were overcrowded, which we hate. But there’s something special about being outside at sea in a jacuzzi. I can’t put a finger on it, but it’s true.
So to supplement the Anthem/Quantum Class experience, there’s the 360-degree NorthStar, which costs a fee to “ride” and you should make reservations if you fancy the experience. I believe it holds up to ten guests at a time and functions a little like an elevated carnival ride, but not fast or scary.
Note – The Northstar is free in port. If you can do it then, certainly worth the time.
The ride itself moves slowly and goes from vantage point to vantage point bringing passengers high enough to see everything on the top deck. It also goes over the sides of the ship on both port and starboard sides. The view is impressive. For people, like myself, who aren’t wild about heights, it could be seen as intimidating. But not frightening by any means. The NorthStar moves so slowly that one would never sense any danger.
Bring your camera and video equipment for a vantage point you won’t get anywhere outside of a helicopter or an airplane. The ride lasts no more than fifteen minutes.
Onboard lectures and Bingo
One of the things I was looking forward to during downtime on the ship was finding out a little more about Alaska during lectures given by “experts” discussing what we’d find there.
Each day the cruise director highlights the following day’s activities. I believe he talked about lectures, and they were mentioned in the Cruise compass, but we didn’t sit for one. There just wasn’t time. On our first at-sea day, we had lunch at Izumi, then talked to the representative at Next Cruise about future Royal Caribbean voyages we had already booked, and played Bingo – twice. Lost both times, too. On our Rome cruise in 2024, I won at Bingo and was anxious to try again… this time to no avail. I don’t think I was ever one number away from a jackpot, either.
One note about Bingo – it may be the way things trend in this interconnected age, but one of the features the ship offers is the ability to rent an Ipad that monitors up to 36 cards (or something like that), allowing for increased chances to win. That’s a wonderful invention, for those who want to lay out the money for it, but it also takes the human element out of the game.
On the two separate Bingo sessions we played, only a couple of the “winners” had paper cards like we did. The rest were possessors of the electronic bingo games. Is it much different than video slot machines or poker games? I don’t know. But I’m not sure I’d be as eager to play bingo again onboard the next time. It almost seems slanted or rigged.
Shipboard Casino
The only time we went to the shipboard Casino was to cash in our lottery-type cards where we won a total of $14 – about 5% of what we spent. I’m guessing the cruise line offers the meager winnings to entice people to go to the Casino and drop whatever cash they won into a slot machine or table game. The tables only operate when the ship is out to sea in international waters (which does not include Canada, as we found out), a curious rule to begin with, as some of the best opportunities to gamble are when the ship is docked.
As previously noted, the swaying of the ship didn’t prevent us from doing anything onboard, but one would think it would be a little unsettling to have a “drunk” ship when watching the Roulette wheel. I guess next time, maybe we’ll look into it.
The production shows are excellent
One of the big draws of sailing with Royal Caribbean is the shows and comedians and music acts, etc. Because there’s so much of it, we couldn’t do it all.
We did catch a show almost every night. First was the “welcome aboard” comedian, cracking jokes to a semi-full Royal Theater. The next night it was “The Gift”, which shared the same cast as the ship’s Broadway production number. “The Gift” featured costumes right out of a Charles Dickens theme, kind of like “A Christmas Carol” set to music. The acting, dancing and singing was first rate, though all of us commented that we didn’t really understand the plot. Such is the drawback of seeing a musical for the first time.
Description? From the Cruise Compass: “The Gift is a musical journey of fantasy and illusion that begins one stormy night with the arrival of a magical gift. Unwrap the spellbinding story and music that are sure to captivate and inspire all who come to see it.”
We also attended the Cabaret show, the only staged production that wasn’t in the Royal Theater – it was in the large venue Two70 in the aft of the ship. This made the swaying of the ship that much more intense. I don’t know how the actors managed to perform while in motion.
From the Cruise Compass: “Explore the deepest recesses of the heart in this mindbending fusion of live performances and experiential cinema. Blending pop culture anthems, dynamic movement, and state-of-the-art technology, it’s an innovative adventure designed to engage all of your senses. Welcome to Spectra’s Cabaret.”
The act was a bit strange, as you might expect from a “Cabaret” show, with colorful costumes, interpretive dance moves and modern rock music. It was quite a production, though again, I can’t say that I understood it – but it was worth seeing just for the production value alone.
Towards the end of our sailing was the “headline” Broadway show on Anthem of the Seas, “We will Rock You”, which included music from Queen and comprehensible characters and dialogue. Seeing the show a second time definitely helped understand the plot, and the inclusion of several classic Queen hits didn’t hurt its enjoyability. I particularly relished “Fat Bottom Girls,” which was played loud and really stirred participation from the audience.
The Royal Caribbean website added, “The West End comes to the high seas in Ben Elton’s We Will Rock You, the Olivier Award-winning musical phenomenon. Join Galileo, Scaramouche and the Bohemians in an epic standoff against an oppressive establishment, featuring a score of killer Queen anthems, like Bohemian Rhapsody, Killer Queen and of course, We Will Rock You.”
“We will Rock You” was our favorite show. Even though it was nearly two hours long, it was extremely well produced. You can’t help but admire the skill of the actors, singers and dancers –and musicians. The music was live, just like the acting. Where does Royal Caribbean get all these talented people?
One note – On our Rome cruise the previous year, we saw the “Aqua 80” outdoor show, which was unbelievable. It was great. If you have a chance on an Oasis Class ship, don’t miss it. Go to it twice. Summer evenings have never been so packed with fun and entertainment.
We’ve also heard good things about Royal Caribbean’s Ice Shows, though we couldn’t fit one into our activities agenda. As I mentioned, be prepared to pick and choose in basically everything you do onboard a cruise ship.
The rest – Quality fun is found in the smaller venues, too
The later evening hours feature smaller “shows” with a great deal of audience participation. We saw “Friendly Feud Game Show” (Rated PG-13), which was a takeoff on the Family Feud gameshow. There also was “The Crazy Quest Game Show” (Rated 18+), which was like a shipboard scavenger hunt with an adult twist complete with audience participants in pursuit of unmentionables and other items, etc.
Probably not for kids.
There were several other similar shows to select from, including “Name that Tune” and a takeoff on the Newlywed Game – “The Perfect Match” — featuring onboard passengers as contestants. Good fun, if you can stay awake after long days of touring and heavy meals in the dining venues. It all works against each other.
On a sea voyage, you always feel like you can/should do more, like you’re leaving the key scene on the cutting room floor of your Alaska cruise vacation movie. But it’s best to try and remember the great things you did do rather than dwell on the things you missed, right?
Alaska Cruise Review Part I – Why cruise to Alaska? Let us count the ways. Bring a calculator
https://www.golfintheusa.com/1448-2/
Alaska Cruise Review Part II — Alaska ports of Call – Sitka is all about wildlife with culture and history thrown-in
https://www.golfintheusa.com/alaska-ports-of-call-sitka-is-all-about-wildlife-with-culture-and-history-thrown-in/
Alaska Cruise Review Part III — Alaska ports of Call – Skagway; Waterfalls, gold miners and a taste of the old west
https://www.golfintheusa.com/alaska-cruise-review-part-iii-alaska-ports-of-call-skagway-waterfalls-gold-miners-and-a-taste-of-the-old-west/
Alaska Cruise Review Part IV — Alaska ports of Call – Juneau. Alaska Capitol, Tracy’s King Crab Shack and Whale watching
https://www.golfintheusa.com/alaska-cruise-review-part-iv-alaska-ports-of-call-juneau-alaska-capitol-tracys-king-crab-shack-and-whale-watching/
Alaska Cruise Review Part V — Alaska ports of Call – Victoria, Canada, Butchart Gardens, Spaghetti Factory and Big City
https://www.golfintheusa.com/alaska-cruise-review-part-v-alaska-ports-of-call-victoria-canada-butchart-gardens-spaghetti-factory-and-big-city/
Alaska Cruise Review Part VI — Alaska ports of Call – Seattle; Original Starbucks and CHAZ
https://www.golfintheusa.com/alaska-cruise-review-part-vi-alaska-ports-of-call-seattle-original-starbucks-and-chaz/