Stepping on board one of the world’s largest ever cruise ships, Anthem of the Seas, is a remarkably low-key process – Royal Caribbean aims to get passengers on its new ship from kerb to cabin in 10 minutes or less. And the company delivers perfectly, assuming you’ve checked in and completed all the relevant processes online (we recommend you do).

Once on-board, there is a lot to discover – and our 48 hours on board this weekend seemed hardly long enough to scratch the surface. But my over-riding impression was of a ship that wants you to have fun – with a generous helping of glitz and glamour to boot.

Where Anthem of the Seas is really going to “wow” passengers is with the quality of the entertainment. There’s literally something to do on board every moment of the day, and for parents who dread the words, “I’m bored” then this is the trip for you.

Kids will adore the Ocean Adventure area at the top of the ship, overlooking the stern. There’s an iFly indoor skydiving adventure, immediately next to a climbing wall, and a Flow Rider surf simulator – all included in the price of your cruise. Flea (my 9yo) particularly loved the skydiving, claiming it to be the absolute highlight of her time on board Anthem of the Seas.

On sunny days, especially at sunset, the place to be is North Star – a sort of mechanical arm on the top of Anthem, which lifts visitors 300 feet above the ocean for panoramic views of the ship and the great blue beyond.

If the weather isn’t so great, you could head indoors and be occupied for days in the Seaplex entertainment centre, where a giant court might be a roller disco, dodgem car arena, circus training workshop or basketball court – depending on the time of day.

That’s not all, though. Seaplex is also home to an X-Box Lounge, table tennis, air hockey and football tables, and an arcade with an impressive range of free games for youngsters to play. There’s even an authentic-looking retro hot dog stand (“The Dog House”) where hungry passengers can wolf down hot dogs and bratwurst.

Appropriately enough, music plays in Seaplex all day, courtesy of the DJ. Music is a huge part of what gives Anthem its character – we walked past piano bars and salsa bars, and in several places on the ship DJs were holding court.

Most notable was probably the DJ at the Bionic Bar, which overlooks the main Esplanade in the middle of the ship. The DJ plays in front of a hypnotic moving digital display, while two robots mix cocktails, ordered by patrons using bar-mounted iPads. It’s a cute gimmick and lots of fun to watch – although when it’s busy you’ll certainly notice the robots are a bit slower than their human counterparts!

If you’re travelling with kids or non-drinkers, they won’t be left out of the fun – although you need an adult wristband to order drinks at the Bionic Bar, there are kids’ drinks on the menu, or they can invent their own using a wide variety of non-alcoholic ingredients.

As you might expect on such a huge ship, there are plenty of dining options on Anthem of the Seas – 18 to be exact. At the more formal end of the spectrum, The Grande is a luxurious, old-style restaurant, while Michael’s Pub offers traditional British favourites, including roast beef and Yorkshire puddings.

For adventurous diners, we enjoyed the sushi and sashimi at Izumi, while my 9-year-old’s highlight was burger and a shake from Johnny Rockets, situated just by the main pool.

The pools are perhaps the real jewel in Anthem’s crown – with plenty of space and variety to keep everyone on board happy.  The H20 zone is a waterpark just for kids, with colourful floors and sculptures, fountains, jets, a wave pool – and even a lazy river.

Adjacent to the children’s area is the main outdoor pool, with plenty of seating and a giant video screen, for showing movies and other entertainment. During our stay it was a “digital dashboard” showing Tweets and Instagrams from passengers and my daughter had a great time spotting us on the big screen.

There’s a second, larger pool under a retractable glass ceiling, which is closed during colder weather. There are two large whirlpools and a pool bar under cover, too, making a perfect refuge on cooler days. But that’s not all – Anthem of the Seas also has an adult-only solarium, which is uber-luxurious and peaceful.

Our evenings on-board were the perfect opportunity to sample some of the ship’s entertainment. For my money, I thought the We Will Rock You show was as good as anything I’ve seen in the West End, and who doesn’t love an opportunity to see what happened to Curly Watts (featured actor Kevin Kennedy, who is fantastic).

The Spectra Cabaret was also lots of fun, and reminded me of seeing Cirque du Soleil in Vegas – it’s that kind of other-worldly, acrobatic performance. There are also live bands in the Music Hall every night, although we didn’t get a chance to visit during our mini-cruise.

Our final experience on-board was a visit to the Vitality Spa, which isn’t included in the price of the cruise.  Passengers can pay to access the spa for the duration of their cruise, which costs $140 for one person or $190 for a couple (so it’s well worth teaming up with a friend on this one!).

All treatments are charged on top of this fee, and my full-body massage was relaxing enough that I found myself happily buying up various lotions and gels in a daze at the end of the hour. I must say though, watching people on the running track immediately outside my treatment room meant my relaxation was tinged with a touch of guilt that I wasn’t doing something more active…

Anthem of the Seas will be sailing from Southampton this summer, and 80,000 people are expected to board. If you’re one of them, then you’re in for a world of high-tech fun.