Royal Caribbean 'Anthem Of The Seas' review

Sailing from Sydney for the first time, Anthem of the Seas is an award-winning ship.

Looking for thrills, spills and a good dose of chilling? Let the adventure begin on Anthem of the Seas. The ship features ‘first-at-sea’ experiences, including the RipCord by iFLY skydiving simulator, the FlowRider surf simulator and SeaPlex, which has a full basketball court, bumper cars and roller skating. Add to this, the best vantage point at sea on the North Star observation capsule, as well as an incredible line-up of entertainment and dining, and you’re in for a voyage to truly savour.

Anthem Of The Seas North Star observation capsule — Capture 360-degree sea views on top of the North Star observation capsule.

Key dates: This season Anthem of the Seas sets sail into Sydney on 31 October, and will make its final trip from Sydney to Honolulu on 1 May 2026 before returning to Australia next season.

Capacity: 4905 guests

Best suited to: Families and multi-gen cruisers. The Adventure Ocean kids’ programme is located on decks 11 and 12 and offers an array of activities and entertainment for children and teens aged three to 17. While they’re having supervised fun, Mum and Dad, and Nan and Pop might want to spend time at the Vitality Spa, the Solarium or dine at a specialty restaurant.

Where does Anthem of the Seas sail to?

Summit of Kunanyi / Mount Wellington in tasmania — Summit Mount Wellington. (Image: Samuel Shelley)

Upcoming itineraries (from three to seven days) on Anthem of the Seas head to Eden (NSW), Hobart and the Whitsunday Islands. Spot whales, hike through stunning national parks or relax on pristine beaches in Eden. Experience Hobart’s famous culinary scene, ride horses to Mount Wellington and enjoy up-close encounters with Tasmanian devils. Or snorkel the Great Barrier Reef around the stunning Whitsunday Islands.

Further afield, it will also be heading out on seven- to nine-night itineraries to the South Pacific and nine- to 12-night itineraries to New Zealand.

Sustainable practices

aerial of Anthem Of The Seas — Embark on a cruise from Australia on board *Anthem of the Seas*.

The Royal Caribbean Group has a Blue Green Promise, embracing its responsibility to protect the oceans it sails. The Blue Green Promise is a commitment to support sustainable and resilient ocean communities all over the world by working to ensure their health and vitality for generations to come by protecting and restoring ecosystems, reducing marine pollution, advancing sustainable seafood and supporting biodiversity.

Royal Caribbean has also partnered with the ocean communities it visits to ensure their continued cultural and economic vibrancy by supporting small businesses and local entrepreneurs. Royal Caribbean also invests in educational resources, supporting conservation education and providing skills training. For example, Royal Caribbean International has partnered with Amaro Primary School on Lelepa Island, Vanuatu, to provide needed educational resources to local students. The cruise line worked with the school and the local community to provide renovation and repair support to the school, new desks and chairs for the students, equipment such as computers and printers, and teaching resources such as books and stationery supplies.

Dining on Anthem of the Seas

Anthem Of The Seas Izumi Sushi — Stop into Anthem Of The Seas’ many dining options.

With a choice of over 18 dining options, there’s a vast array of flavours from around the globe to sample aboard Anthem of the Seas. Complimentary dining options include the main dining room for a la carte service, Windjammer Cafe for an assortment of global cuisines, Sorrento’s for New York-style pizza, the Dog House for a choice of hot dogs, the Solarium Bistro for lighter options, and cafes. For a special occasion, book into a specialty restaurant. Below are some of the highlights onboard.

Need tips, more detail or itinerary ideas tailored to you? Ask AT.

Jamie’s Italian by Jamie Oliver

Sit down to a delicious meal in this specialty restaurant where the menu, devised by celeb chef Jamie Oliver, features handmade Italian favourites using fresh produce and free-range meats. Royal Caribbean uses dynamic pricing, so each ship or sailing may see different pricing for specialty restaurants. Expect to pay around US$30 for lunch and US$45 for dinner.

Wonderland

Be prepared for a feast for all the senses at this Alice in Wonderland-inspired dining experience, where Royal Caribbean chefs twist their culinary kaleidoscopes to invent a dreamscape of never-before-seen fare. Choose dishes based on five natural elements – Earth, Sea, Fire, Ice and Sun. The dishes (and cocktails) here are designed to tantalise your taste buds. Save room for the dreamy desserts. It’s priced from around US$60.

Chef’s Table

Join up to 14 guests at a private table for the ultimate intimate dining experience: a five-course wine-pairing dinner hosted nightly by an Executive Chef and Sommelier. Dinner with wine pairings comes at around US$120.

Bars on Anthem of the Seas

Anthem Of The Seas Two 70 Lounge — Stay hydrated at 11 bars and lunges on board.

There are 11 bars and lounges onboard Anthem of the Seas. Find a few highlights below.

Bionic Bar

Be prepared for a unique mixology experience. The two robotic bartenders at the Bionic Bar know how to shake, stir and mix your cocktail to perfection.

Boleros

This Latin-themed club is perfect for an after-dinner mojito or caipirinha. Sip on cocktails while enjoying the sound of a six-piece band playing salsa, cumbia, merengue and samba.

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Schooner Bar

Sing along to your favourite tunes by the grand piano at this nautical-themed lounge. Perfect for a nightcap, Schooner Bar offers live entertainment and an impressive drinks menu.

Activities and entertainment on Anthem of the Seas

Anthem Of The Seas Flowrider surf simulator — Try your hand at the FlowRider surfing simulator.

Expect extreme highs aboard Anthem of the Seas; ascend 91 metres above sea level with the iconic North Star observation capsule. Then there’s RipCord by iFLY simulated skydiving, and the FlowRider surfing simulator. The 12-metre-long wave machine allows you to carve like a pro.

Come evening, enjoy unique shows and revues in the Royal Theatre. More one-of-a-kind experiences come to life for guests in transformative venues, such as Two70, offering 270-degree views of the ocean by day and transforming into a theatre at night.

Cabins

interior cabin on Anthem Of The Seas — Wake up to sweeping sea views from your superior room.

There’s a stateroom to suit every cruiser’s adventure with a choice of interior, ocean view, balcony or suite. Quantum of the Seas has 2094 staterooms. Located in the middle of the deck, interior cabins are a great budget-friendly option. Royal Caribbean came up with the genius idea to introduce a ‘virtual balcony’ with floor-to-ceiling HD display screens that show live-action footage of the sea.

To get a feel of the ocean, choose an ocean-view stateroom, and for extra space and the perfect perch to enjoy the view, choose a balcony stateroom. Those staying in the spacious Royal Suite Class staterooms have access to complimentary services and amenities, plus personalised attention.

Deck plan

Anthem of the Seas docked in Sydney harbour — Set sail from Sydney.

The cruise ship features 16 passenger decks with a top deck featuring a solarium for adults, an outdoor pool, an indoor pool featuring an operable roof system and an H2O Zone kids’ aqua park.

For more cruising inspiration, tips, and news, visit our Cruising in Australia guide.

The Great Ocean Road has captured the hearts of Australians with its astounding scenery since 1932, but going off-course can enrich your experience with untouched nature, foodie delights and charming towns.

It’s a chilly 16 degrees. My husband pulls on a steamer and jogs – as all seasoned surfers do – into the water. We’re at Bells Beach, the legendary break on Victoria’s Surf Coast that’s home to the Rip Curl Pro, the world’s longest-running event in competitive surfing. Each year, over the Easter long weekend, up to 40,000 people descend on the region for the event. Today, though, we have the beach almost to ourselves, and the less-than-favourable temperature doesn’t deter my husband from surfing this famous break.

Torquay to Anglesea and Aireys Inlet

The red dome of Split Point Lighthouse in Aireys Inlet. (Image: Tourism Australia)

The nearby surf town of Torquay marks the starting point for the Great Ocean Road. Unfolding our map, which we have marked out with a highlighted route for our children to follow, we set off for lesser-known Anglesea, a chilled-out town 20 minutes south of here. Its wide, sandy beach is a gentler swimming option for our young family. Groms can learn to surf here with Go Ride a Wave, which also runs stand-up paddle boarding on the Anglesea River.

Split point lookout — The lighthouse overlooks the Shipwreck Coast. (Image: Tourism Australia)

After a couple of nights in Anglesea, we hit the road again, first stopping at Aireys Inlet. Here we stretch our legs at Split Point Lighthouse, which was made famous by the 1990s television series Round the Twist, before driving under the Memorial Arch that welcomes us, officially, to the Great Ocean Road.

This 243-kilometre coastal road was built by returned First World War servicemen and serves as a permanent memorial to those who fought and died during the war. Carved into rock using hand tools and horse-drawn carts, it was a huge engineering feat and provided much-needed access to isolated coastal communities.

Lorne to Birregurra

Lorne is a delightful beachside stop for lunch and browsing boutique stores. It’s also the gateway to Great Otway National Park, which comprises a varied landscape of old-growth forests, cool-temperate rainforests, heathy woodlands and rugged coast. With the highest rainfall in Victoria, the region is home to many waterfalls – 10 of which are within 10 kilometres of Lorne.

Turning slightly off the main drag, we wind along a gum-shaded road to Erskine Falls. Here, our son leads the way through the hyper-green rainforest and down 200-plus stairs to the cascade that drops 30 metres into a lush fern gully. We hop over large boulders to get closer to the falls, enjoying the entire place to ourselves; it’s worth the return climb.

From Sheoak Falls Picnic Area, there are walking trails to Henderson Falls, Phantom Falls, Won Wondah Falls and Kalimna Falls, some of which follow an old timber tramway from forest-logging days, which only came to an end in 2008.

You can follow your appetite north to the town of Birregurra, which is part of the Otway Harvest Trail that connects farm gates, markets, wineries, breweries and distilleries. It’s home to three-hatted modern Australian restaurant Brae, helmed by celebrated chef Dan Hunter, set among native gardens and an organic farm, and Otways Distillery, which produces small-batch spirits using local produce and botanicals.

Brae restaurant — Brae is a three-hatted restaurant in Birregurra. (Image: Tourism Australia)

Apollo Bay to The Otways

Back on track, the cliff-hugging stretch between Lorne and Apollo Bay is breathtaking. At Teddys Lookout, we overlook the winding road ahead and St George River spilling into the ocean. We spend languid days in Apollo Bay, a buzzy seaside town that boasts a three-kilometre-long, crescent-shaped beach with a backdrop of rolling green hills. One evening, as the sun sets, we take the steep 10-minute walk to Marriners Lookout, which affords panoramic views of the ocean, hinterland and town.

A 15-minute drive along the road, Maits Rest is a lush rainforest gully that has been protected since the early 20th century. Wandering along the 800-metre boardwalk, we inspect the delicate moss-covered forest floor and the gnarled roots of 300-year-old myrtle beech trees, then crane our necks to see their canopies, some 50 metres above us. It’s therapy in nature.

Cape Otway to the Twelve Apostles

The southernmost tip of Cape Otway is a delightful detour, home to the 1848-built Cape Otway Lightstation, the oldest surviving lighthouse on mainland Australia. We climb the narrow winding staircase to the gallery deck, explore the keepers’ quarters and telegraph station, and enjoy a coffee and some ‘famous’ scones at the charming onsite cafe.

It’s a pinch-me moment to finally see the Twelve Apostles in person. This unmistakable cluster of limestone stacks rising abruptly from the sea were never 12, however. When coined this in the 1890s as a marketing ploy, there were only nine; today, only seven remain after two collapsed in 2005 and 2009. We admire these Aussie icons from the viewing platform, in awe of Mother Nature’s ever-evolving artwork.

The Grotto is another natural attraction within Port Campbell National Park. (Image: Carmen Zammit)

Edging the wild Southern Ocean, this part of the coast – dubbed Shipwreck Coast – is made up of many sea-carved natural wonders including London Bridge, The Grotto and Gibson Steps. After exploring the lookout trails of Loch Ard Gorge/Poombeeyt Kontapool – its English name taken from the site of the 1878 shipwreck – we nestle into the sandy beach encircled by towering sandstone cliffs, as our children splash about on the water’s edge, and soak it all in.

Port Campbell to Timboon

Timboon Fine Ice Cream is part of a regional foodie trail. (Image: C McConville)

Just north of Port Campbell National Park, the region of Timboon is part of the 12 Apostles Food Artisans Trail, filled with purveyors of delicious foodstuffs such as Timboon Fine Ice Cream, Timboon Railway Shed Distillery and Apostle Whey Cheese. As an antidote to the indulgence, the 20-kilometre Poorpa Yanyeen Meerreeng Trail is a self-guided ride or walk between Port Campbell and Timboon through tall forests, over historic bridges and past sparkling lakes and farmland with grazing cattle.

Warrnambool to Port Fairy

Warrnambool building — A 19th-century building in Warrnambool. (Image: Peter Foster)

In Warrnambool, a town rich in maritime history, we take the four-kilometre Thunder Point Walk that traces the coast. The kids squeal when an echidna shuffles out from beneath the wooden boardwalk, and we stop to admire a seal lazing on a rock at the port.

Further along, the streets of quaint fishing village Port Fairy are lined with 19th-century cottages, old stone churches and Norfolk pines. Follow the historic walking trail to see some of the 60-plus National Trust buildings. Port Fairy is also home to Port Fairy Folk Festival (6-9 March), one of the country’s longest-running music and cultural festivals. You could time your road trip with the event for a fittingly celebratory end to any journey.

The Great Ocean Road can easily be done in three days, but we’ve spent a week on the road. The highlighted line on our now creased and well-worn map doesn’t follow the famous route precisely. It has sprouted branches in many directions, leading us to untouched rainforest and charming rural towns filled with culinary delights, and where we experienced some of our most memorable moments on the Great Ocean Road.

A traveller’s checklist

Staying there

The Monty is a highly anticipated, newly refurbished motel with a chic Palm Springs-inspired aesthetic set across the road from the Anglesea River. Basalt Winery in Port Fairy grows cool-climate wines such as pinot noir and Riesling in rich volcanic soil. Stay among the vines in its tiny home, complete with a kitchen, lounge area and outdoor firepit.

The Oak & Anchor Hotel has been a Port Fairy institution since 1857. Cosy up by the bar in winter or bask in the sunshine of the Lawn Bar in summer. The rooms are beautifully boutique with considered details, such as luxe baths for sinking into post-road trip.

Eating there

The Coast in Anglesea is a modern Australian restaurant focused on local ingredients. Grand Pacific Hotel has been a local landmark in Lorne since 1879 and recently underwent a restoration. It serves a mix of traditional pub and Italian fare alongside ocean views.

Graze is a cosy 40-seat dining room in Apollo Bay with a modern Australian menu complemented by regional wines. Apollo Bay Distillery offers tasting flights, a gin blending masterclass and serves woodfired pizzas.

Everything you need to know about Royal Caribbean’s Anthem of the Seas

Sailing from Sydney for the first time, Anthem of the Seas is an award-winning ship.

Where does Anthem of the Seas sail to?

Sustainable practices