Jan 262016
 

Bionic Bar

By Theresa Russell

My good impressions of Royal Caribbean’s newest ship, the Anthem of the Seas started even before I walked into the terminal at Cape Liberty cruise port. An agent greeted me with a tablet to process me before I even reached the doors. Unfortunately, I missed the deadline to do online check-in and had to go inside to the regular registration desks. My compliant friends, who had pre-registered, whizzed passed me as I waited in a short line. With my registration, I received an RFID bracelet that worked as a key to my stateroom and for purchases. The bracelet is less than fashionable, but wearing it made everything much easier.

Boarding the ship, I expected Anthem of the Seas(AOS) to resemble the Oasis Class ships (yes, I know that Anthem is in the Quantum class) and was pleasantly surprised to see a totally different concept. Sure, some of the components are the same, like the outdoors deck with its FlowriderR and pools and the Royal Promenade, but on this ship, I never felt as if I were strolling through a mall. The layout flows nicely and offers a multitude of spaces to get away from the hustle and bustle.

Tech at Sea

Beyond the registration process, I encountered new tech throughout the ship. How nice to see USB ports in my stateroom. Royal is really taking its electronically inclined guests into consideration, especially with the introduction of Voom, the new high-speed Internet, which supposedly compares to the speed of DSL on land. My experience was that it worked quite well. And how smart of Royal Caribbean to provide this at a reasonable cost (~$100 pre week) to let passengers share their experiences.

Two of the most popular attractions on AOS are the RipCordSM  by iFly® and  NorthStarSM.  I first attempted the RipCordSM , a sky-diving simulator. After a 30-minute class, we donned our special gear and heading to the giant glass tube where we would have a minute of skydiving. Although I had jumped from a plane before, I found this equally exciting, if not a workout because of the position you need to maintain throughout the session. Both my son, who also participated, and I suffered a bit from sore hamstrings after our exciting flights.

Ripcord on Oasis of the Seas

Flying on the Ripcord on Oasis of the Seas

Much more relaxing was the  NorthStarSM, a pod on an arm that rises to 300 ft. above sea level and offers 360° views over the ship and sea. The arm moves so slowly that it is barely noticeable, but there were a few fellow passengers on our flight who found it scary.

NorthStar

The NorthStar

Technically Entertaining

Two70 at the aft of the shift expands several decks with floor-to-ceiling sea views. During they day it’s a perfect spot to enjoy the view, read a book, grab a snack and/or drink and simply relax. By night the area transforms into a totally different space thanks to the wonders of Vistarama, which involves 18 projectors that bring the 100 ft wide and 20ft tall area to life with a variety of textures and special effects ideal for shows like Spectra’s Cabaret.

And what could be more entertaining than enjoying a beverage made by a robot? The Bionic Bar has two hard working robots who can make up to two drinks per minute. Their design mimics human movement. Of course, to order a drink, you use your bracelet or your keycard.  Watch this video about the Bionic Bar.

There is so much to see and do on AOS. Check out this video  for a brief tour of the ship. One of my favorite parts was playing ping pong with COO Adam Goldstein, who often plays with guests when onboard.

 

 

 

 

Theresa Russell

About Theresa Russell

Claiming her lust for travel began on her first journey through the birth canal, Theresa is genetically programmed to travel and to have fun doing it. She especially enjoys adventure and experiential travel and always finds something at a destination to write home about.

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  15 Responses to “Hi-Tech on Anthem of the Seas”

  1. Very cool! I had been thinking about going on a cruise. Might be this one!

  2. The bionic bar looks awesome! There’s another thing for the old bucket list :-)

  3. This looks awesome! I STILL haven’t been on a cruise, but now I really want to try this ship out! I’ve heard Royal Caribbean is one of the best budget cruise lines, and your post proves that…although it doesn’t look very “budget” to me! I’d love to try the NorthStar arm…I imagine you nabbed some fantastic shots from up there.

    • When you figure a per day cost that includes your meals, accommodations, transport and entertainment, you will find that cruising is a great value. Thanks for the comments, it was an awesome ship.

  4. Would you recommend this for someone’s first cruise?

    • I would definitely recommend it as a first cruise. Just keep in mind that this ship has the latest and greatest, so if you then sail an older ship on your next cruise, you probably won’t find all the technology, bells or whistles. But, you will still have a great cruise.

  5. I’ve never been a massive fan of cruises but I can see the appeal – looks great!

  6. Super interesting! I am looking at taking a cruise out here in Alaska. I haven’t started researching them yet. Any info on the best one? 😉 It amazing how the cruise ships keep changing/updating! Thanks for getting me motivated to do some investigating into this trip we keep putting off!

  7. Looks awesome! really fascinating what techology can do and where it can bring us. :)

  8. Aha that looks like a unique experience. The increasingly techie times never fail to overwhelm me. Now I’d now what to expect :)

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