Guests boarding Royal Caribbean’s Anthem of the Seas will not be starting their cruise vacation as early as they may have hoped for one upcoming sailing. The cruise line has reached out to guests booked on the ship’s March 4, 2025 departure date to let them know of a slight delay.
The impacted sailing is a 3-night roundtrip getaway from Singapore to Penang, Malaysia. While the single port of call on the voyage is not impacted and will still be on Wednesday, March 5, from 2-11 p.m. as scheduled, Anthem of the Seas will not begin embarkation as early as planned.
Royal Caribbean has notified guests of the change, along with a revised schedule for embarkation day.
“Before you head to the terminal, we have an important update to share with you. Anthem of the Seas will be sharing the terminal with another large ship. Additionally, a portion of the terminal is currently undergoing renovations, so space is limited,” the email explained.
“To ensure a smooth boarding process, please arrive one (1) hour later than your selected arrival time.”
For all original arrival times from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., guests will be expected to arrive exactly one hour later than their previous appointment. This means that 11 a.m. appointments should arrive at noon, 1 p.m. appointments should arrive at 2 p.m., and so forth.
All 2 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. appointments will arrive at 2:30 p.m. The later afternoon arrival times are generally less popular, which is why they can all be accommodated at once on the revised schedule.
Guests are advised that if they arrive at their original time, which they would have selected when checking in for their cruise, they will be turned away and need to return at the new, later arrival windows.
All guests must be checked in at the cruise terminal and onboard Anthem of the Seas by 3 p.m. for the ship’s planned departure. No itinerary changes are anticipated at this time.
Why the Embarkation Delay?
Anthem of the Seas is docking at Singapore’s Marina Bay Cruise Centre, which is easily capable of accommodating the 168,666-gross-ton, Quantum-class vessel.
What the terminal can’t quite manage, however, is two large vessels at once. On March 4, Resorts World Cruises’ Genting Dream will also be docked. The 150,695-gross-ton vessel will be homeporting from Singapore and offering a variety of short sailings to Thailand and Malaysia, depending on the sailing date.
While Genting Dream is currently part of Resorts World Cruises, the brand is being transitioned into Dream Cruises following pandemic-related difficulties that plagued the ship and its parent company.
When combining Anthem of the Seas and Genting Dream, as many as 16,500 debarking and embarking cruise passengers may be using the Marina Bay Cruise Centre that day. This does not include crew members moving to and from the ship as well as supplies, contractors, and terminal employees.
By slightly delaying embarkation for Anthem of the Seas, the cruise terminal employees can better manage passengers for both vessels for smooth and hassle-free processing.
Read Also: What Are the Different Royal Caribbean Ship Classes?
Furthermore, staggering the ships a bit more can help minimize any traffic snarls or parking difficulties, as there will be more time for debarking guests to leave the terminal area entirely before new guests arrive.
Because Genting Dream will be homeporting from Singapore for several months, it is possible that additional Anthem of the Seas sailings may have similar embarkation changes.
The Royal Caribbean ship is sailing from Singapore through the end of April, at which time she will reposition to Seattle, Washington for the Alaska sailing season. In October, Anthem of the Seas will move to Sydney for the Australian summer season, and she will return to Alaska in 2026.
At this time, Anthem of the Seas is not scheduled to return to Singapore for any currently available sailings over the next two years, but it is possible she may be deployed there again in the future.
