gugenheimz

Not Anthem-specific but:
1. First day sign them up for Adventure Ocean. You can do it in that awful time between getting on the ship and your room being ready. If you don't sign them up, then you can't leave them there during the cruise. To do this, go to AO and just say you want to sign them up, they will swipe your card, so you are registered as the one to pick them up. On my latest cruise in Allure - first with a kid - I realized they have some fun 'family' activities at AO, like movie day, a puppet show, and a steel drum "class".
2. https://www.royalcaribbean.com/cruise-ships/anthem-of-the-seas/things-to-do That should give you a general idea what there is to do on the ship, and what is included. Apparently the bumper cars are, so that's great! One thing is to check the planner to make sure what shows are age appropiate. I don't know if 'We Will Rock You' (I'm jealous now) is adult oriented or not. Anything that's not for all ages will be clearly marked. I can assure you that 'The Quest' and the 'Love and Marriage Show' are not for kids.
3. Dining - off that's kind of a weird question. But my answer would be: Do whatever you want. If you are doing only MDR, they have a kids menu but they can order off the adult menu.
4. What to do on port is also very subjective. My recommendation would be to research beforehand each port. You can also look in the Planner for the Shore Excursions for ideas, and find something you will all like. Usually booking the excursion beforehand will be cheaper than doing it onboard. Or you can book externally. But the planner gives you a good general sense of what there is to do at each port.
5. Always check the daily planner for activities. There's always something for everyone and anything that is not including ie. Bingo will be marked with a ($). There's all sorts of trivia, games, and things to do.
6. Don't stress too much. I've cruised both as a kid -well, a late teen - and with a kid. Usually no one is going to be a bother. Almost every passenger would at best have a friendly small talk and at worse ignore your kids. The staff is always friendly.

Yes, it's cool to have your kids at AO while you do specialty dining.
Both Nassau and PC have beaches which can generally be inexpensive.

HI @gugenheimz!  You have a good ship for kids.  They will LOVE the Seaplex.  Booking Adventure Ocean is as easy as registering (recommend to do this first thing onboard) and then escorting them down and picking them up.  In port there are plenty of things to do, you have to decide what your interests are as a family.  I assume you are hitting Port Canaveral, Nassau and PDCC.  Lots of family friendly things in those ports.  I would choose early dining.

Curious, is it Anthem February 25? We are sailing Anthem on that cruise with a 2 year old, 25 month old to be exact and a 10 year old. Both boys. 
Anthem is amazing, even though it'll be cold for the first day or so Anthem has an indoor pool that's really nice. The seaplex is awesome for kids too. Ship has a ton to do for everyone. 

Oh that's helpful with Adventure Ocean.  If we have specialty restaurant reservations just for the adults, is it cool just to feed the kids at Sorrento's or Windjammer and then drop them off at adventure Ocean in the evening? 
Any recommended activities at Port Canaveral and Nassau that don't cost a ton? 
Thanks!

Ahh, we are a couple weeks before you (February 9th)

I prefer 150 Central Park over both Chops and Wonderland.  When we were on Allure they brought us anything we showed the slightest interest in, lol.

https://store.optum.com/royal-caribbean/

Ok - so I’m currently on Freedom of the Seas - watching the fox broadcast of Indiana and Michigan - it’s on a channel called Prime One (channel 16) I’ll presume that’s where all the main Fox sports events are aired. 

We had a 12pm time for Freedom last week. We arrived at 11:15am and were allowed into the terminal. We were then processed and went thru security at 11:30am. After that we went up the escalators and were seated spaced out from other parties. Around 11:40am after suite passengers were allowed to board then allowed seated sections get up and board. We were on board at 11:50am, I would only assume they allowed this because we were the first at 12pm to board. 

Not since 2001...

I-O!!!

No, they will not let you in early. Just show up at your assigned time. 

Yes, the aqua theater is showing NFL games.
We planned to watch the Ole Miss/Auburn game on Saturday at Playmakers but told that they don't carry ABC and could not show it.  Definitely had FOX.  Also checked the room tv but no luck there either.   I'm sure if the event is big enough like a Super Bowl, they would find a way to show it.
 
 

I will be on the Symphony December 4th, the same night as the Big Ten championship game. I’m hoping OSU will be there! It will also be aired on Fox

Also, when you board, the events play❌akers will show will be on a card on the tables. I also believe the Satellite service Royal uses has ESPN Caribbean which doesn’t always line up with stateside ESPN. There are other sports channels as well but they typically focus on European sports. Not sure where SY will be on the 27th, but if you’re in St. Tho❌as or San Juan you ❌ight be able to strea❌ it. Those are the best tips I can think of. O-H! 

What was that about "little brother?"  The problem with having a little brother is that sometimes they grow up and kick big brother's (&(!

I’m on Symphony sailing right now (Oct 23rd - Eastern Caribbean). I can verify that Playmakers does broadcast Fox. We watched NFL last Sunday (Eagles vs Raiders) and they are broadcasting the World Series, all of which are on Fox. I believe there’s a strong likelihood you’ll be able to catch the game.