Tips for Cruising on Anthem of the Seas with kids

[gugenheimz]

Hi everyone!  I am traveling with my wife, three kids (ages 10, 8, and 5 at time of sailing) and Mom in February on the Anthem of the Seas out of Bayonne.  I would love any tips/advice for traveling with a bigger party, and with kids. 

How should we do dining?  What should we do with the kids in port?  What are some of the activities we can do that are included?  How do we book adventure ocean?  (Also, I'm sure there are questions I am missing!) 

Any thoughts would be welcome!  Thank you!

[Xaa]

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.

[RCIfan1912]

7 hours ago, gugenheimz said:

Hi everyone!  I am traveling with my wife, three kids (ages 10, 8, and 5 at time of sailing) and Mom in February on the Anthem of the Seas out of Bayonne.  I would love any tips/advice for traveling with a bigger party, and with kids. 

How should we do dining?  What should we do with the kids in port?  What are some of the activities we can do that are included?  How do we book adventure ocean?  (Also, I'm sure there are questions I am missing!) 

Any thoughts would be welcome!  Thank you!

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. 

[gugenheimz]

On 8/21/2023 at 5:03 AM, RCIfan1912 said:

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. 

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

[gugenheimz]

On 8/21/2023 at 3:49 AM, Xaa said:

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.

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!

[Xaa]

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.

[JFCruise]

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.