Review: Adventure of the Seas, June 20-27

Here’s a review of our swing through the southern Caribbean on the Adventure of the Seas.

The cruise lasted from June 20-June 27. We flew in from Baltimore on July 19, and stayed at the Embassy Suites. The hotel was about a five minute cab ride from the airport. ($19.00 + tip) After checking in we walked to a local fast food place for lunch. This was an independent place, not one of the chains that are also in the area. After lunch, we went to the Pueblo Market, which is also a short walk from the hotel, where we purchased water and wine to carry on the ship. There is also a Walgreens within walking distance.

The Embassy Suites is nice, though it crowded. At the nightly managers reception the line to get a drink was a 10-15 minute wait. Breakfast the following morning was also a bit of a wait, more so if one chose the omelet station.

Day One. Embarkation!!

The cab to the port took about ten minutes. The cost for four people and six suitcases was $27.00+tip. We got to the port at 10:45 and dropped off our bags. The doors opened up at 11:00. Being Emerald, we were directed to a shorter line. We were on the ship at 11:30, and the Windjammer opened for lunch at 12:00. A couple of notes about the Windjammer. Adventure is the second Voyager class ship we’ve been on, the other being Explorer. The first thing I noticed is that Adventure has a full bar at the back end of the Windjammer. There were also two less food stations on Adventure than on Explorer, which resulted in more seating room. The food layout was different also. On past ships it seemed that everything that was in the front section was also in the rear. The only salad station was at the very front of the Windjammer, so if you found seating in the back, you had to walk all the way back to the entrance to get salad. On the port side, they had various breads and deli selections for sandwiches, but in the back they had all the bread but no meat and cheese. (I’m not sure about the starboard side.) Some days on the port side there were desserts on a round station, other days it was a taco bar. There was one antipasti bar in the rear on the port side. The food itself was fine throughout the week. There was always something to choose from, and it was quite edible.

The cabins opened at 2:00. We had connecting balconies, my wife and me in 8308 and our girls in 8306. We were a bit disappointed with the balcony. It was solid metal all around, so it felt like we were in a cave. The girls had a glass panel on one side of their balcony. We were hoping that we would be able to open the panel between us so we could spend time together on the balcony, but oh well!! Also, since the cabins were connecting, we had a single chair instead of a two person couch. Pamela was our room steward, and she was really sweet. And she kept us in ice and glasses for the wine!

Dinner the first night was in Giovanni’s. It was the second time we’ve had dinner at Giovanni’s, and it was absolutely wonderful. And, there’s a 20% discount if you dine there the first night. Antipasto, baked mozzarella, scallops for appetizers, risotto, crab ravioli, and spinach crepes for the pasta, and steak all around for the main course.

The ship left port just before 8:30, the scheduled departure time. Everyone was really tired and we called it an early night.

Next up, St. Maarten.

I thought only 6th floor balconies were all metal? When you say your balcony was surrounded in metal, do you also mean there was no glass front to see the ocean? Or do you just mean the side walls were metal? I had a friend traveling with us in August move her room to the 7th floor from the 6th bc of the metal balconies and now I'm wondering if she'll be disappointed because I misled her?

I thought only 6th floor balconies were all metal? When you say your balcony was surrounded in metal, do you also mean there was no glass front to see the ocean? Or do you just mean the side walls were metal? I had a friend traveling with us in August move her room to the 7th floor from the 6th bc of the metal balconies and now I'm wondering if she'll be disappointed because I misled her?

From what I've read in other reviews it seems to be just the 6th floor that has the metal.

I thought only 6th floor balconies were all metal? When you say your balcony was surrounded in metal, do you also mean there was no glass front to see the ocean? Or do you just mean the side walls were metal? I had a friend traveling with us in August move her room to the 7th floor from the 6th bc of the metal balconies and now I'm wondering if she'll be disappointed because I misled her?

The balcony was metal on both sides and glass panels in the front. The cabin was right before the hump, so that might have been the reason.

Looking forward to the rest of your review! Jan

I thought only 6th floor balconies were all metal? When you say your balcony was surrounded in metal, do you also mean there was no glass front to see the ocean? Or do you just mean the side walls were metal? I had a friend traveling with us in August move her room to the 7th floor from the 6th bc of the metal balconies and now I'm wondering if she'll be disappointed because I misled her?

Yes, the balconies on the 6th floor are all metal. Balconies on the other floors are metal about half way up then glass. I think the OP meant the sides of the balcony is all metal and the opening is shaped like a circle which makes it feel like a cave.

Looking forward to more!

Mary

Great and detailed review so far ... Anxiously waiting for more ... Any pictures?

Great review so far, lets hear some more, as I am crushing on 15 Aug on AOS.

Great and detailed review so far ... Anxiously waiting for more ... Any pictures?

I do have pics, but I'm not sure how to post them. Any hints on how do do that, or should I just research.

Sunday, June 21, St. Maarten

The ship docked about 8:30 and folks started getting off around 9:00. We had a leisurely breakfast in the ‘Jammer, and then got off around 10:30. Breakfast was normal fare at the buffet, with one glaring exception. There was no smoked salmon! Lox didn’t show up in the Windjammer until Wednesday or Thursday.

This was our second time on St. Maarten. The first time we took a private tour, so this time around we opted for a beach day. We took the water taxi to the boardwalk. The cost was $7.00/person for unlimited use, or $5.00/person for a one way fare. If one opts to walk, it would take 10-15 minutes. Once we were at the boardwalk, there were vendors renting chairs and umbrellas. We opted for four chairs, one umbrella and a bucket of five beverages, beer, water or soda, access to restrooms and Wi-Fi for $35.00. One could get two chairs and an umbrella for as little at $10.00. The weather was great and the water excellent for swimming.

We didn’t stay all that long. We headed back to the ship around 2:00 for lunch in the Windjammer, and then dinner in the dining room at 6:00. We had early seating, not My Time Dining. The waiter was ok. He didn’t talk much, and made no suggestions until out third night in the dining room. The assistant waiter was pleasant and efficient. He was always ready to refill the water glasses, and once he realized how much we all love the savory bites, he made sure he had enough in his basket. And, after asking for lemon for the water, there was a plate of lemons on the table each night. The food was good, and as expected, there weren’t many changes to the menu since we last cruised with Royal.

We opted out of the show that evening and just spent time in the Schooner playing trivia and listening to karaoke. We headed to our cabins around 10:30.

Up next. St. Kitts.

Monday, June 22, St. Kitts

We awoke to Liquid Sunshine! WHATEVA. We were on a cruise!!

The rain didn’t stop the ships excursions or folks heading to shore, so we took advantage of the wide open Solarium. Read, napped, drank, napped some more, (drank some more!:D)

We had lunch at Johnny Rockets, played cards in Cloud Nine, and my DW enjoyed a Cosmo in the Viking Crown before dinner. The Viking Crown was offering $6.00 house martinis from 5:00-6:00, which consisted of either a gin or vodka Martini, a Cosmopolitan or a Lemon Drop. I opted for an $8.00 Jack OTR. Oh, while I’m on the subject of drinks and prices, the cost for alcohol wasn’t terrible. Jack Daniels or Jameson was $8.00, Kahlua and Cream was $10.00, 16 OZ domestic beer was $6.00, 12 OZ imports $7.00 (I believe.) I think the DOD was $7.95 including the glass. The one time I felt ripped off was when I ordered a Jim Beam Old Fashioned. They charged me $12.00. Really!?!? The Beam shouldn’t have been more than $8.00, and $4.00 for bitters and fruit was a bit much.

After dinner in the dining room and then the Schooner for trivia, we went to the show which featured a comic who juggled and did some nice balancing tricks with a unicycle and a ladder. After that it was bed time.

Next up, Antigua.

Sunday, June 21, St. Maarten

 

The ship docked about 8:30 and folks started getting off around 9:00. We had a leisurely breakfast in the ‘Jammer, and then got off around 10:30. Breakfast was normal fare at the buffet, with one glaring exception. There was no smoked salmon! Lox didn’t show up in the Windjammer until Wednesday or Thursday.

 

This was our second time on St. Maarten. The first time we took a private tour, so this time around we opted for a beach day. We took the water taxi to the boardwalk. The cost was $7.00/person for unlimited use, or $5.00/person for a one way fare. If one opts to walk, it would take 10-15 minutes. Once we were at the boardwalk, there were vendors renting chairs and umbrellas. We opted for four chairs, one umbrella and a bucket of five beverages, beer, water or soda, access to restrooms and Wi-Fi for $35.00. One could get two chairs and an umbrella for as little at $10.00. The weather was great and the water excellent for swimming.

 

We didn’t stay all that long. We headed back to the ship around 2:00 for lunch in the Windjammer, and then dinner in the dining room at 6:00. We had early seating, not My Time Dining. The waiter was ok. He didn’t talk much, and made no suggestions until out third night in the dining room. The assistant waiter was pleasant and efficient. He was always ready to refill the water glasses, and once he realized how much we all love the savory bites, he made sure he had enough in his basket. And, after asking for lemon for the water, there was a plate of lemons on the table each night. The food was good, and as expected, there weren’t many changes to the menu since we last cruised with Royal.

 

We opted out of the show that evening and just spent time in the Schooner playing trivia and listening to karaoke. We headed to our cabins around 10:30.

 

Up next. St. Kitts.

Thanks so much for taking the time to write-up a review of your cruise:) We will be sailing the same itinerary on 9/12. I was about to make dinner reservations and noticed only available specialty restaurant was Giovani's. We haven't been on AOS since 2002. Am I missing something, aren't there other specialty restaurants onboard besides Giovani's??:eek:

Thanks again for your review!!

Am I missing something, aren't there other specialty restaurants onboard besides Giovani's??:eek:

No, Giovanni's is the only specialty restaurant on Adventure, unless you count Johnny Rockets. It was phenomenal though!

Thanks so much for taking the time to write-up a review of your cruise:) We will be sailing the same itinerary on 9/12. I was about to make dinner reservations and noticed only available specialty restaurant was Giovani's. We haven't been on AOS since 2002. Am I missing something, aren't there other specialty restaurants onboard besides Giovani's??:eek:

 

Thanks again for your review!!

Giovanni's is the only specialty restaurant. There's also Johnny Rockets. Giovanni's is GREAT!!

No, Giovanni's is the only specialty restaurant on Adventure, unless you count Johnny Rockets. It was phenomenal though!

Giovanni's is the only specialty restaurant. There's also Johnny Rockets. Giovanni's is GREAT!!

Thank you both for the info. I guess cruising on Oasis/Allure and other bigger RCI ships spoiled us:D:D Yes, indeed, Giovanni's is excellent!!! Oh man, can't wait for our turn now, LOL....

Here's some pictures. Sorry I don't have too many pictures of the interior of the ship itself.

There are three pictures of the cabin, the main dining room, the cooking area at Giovanni's Table, two views of San Juan from the ship, the ship from the water taxi on St. Maarten, two of St. Kitts from the ship, three from St. Johns, Antigua, three from St. Lucia, the third being the Pitons, three from The Boatyard on Barbados, and the last the harbor pilot exiting the ship at Barbados.

No, Giovanni's is the only specialty restaurant on Adventure, unless you count Johnny Rockets. It was phenomenal though!

A little weird, last time I was on Adventure, there more specialty restaurants..

A little weird, last time I was on Adventure, there more specialty restaurants..

You must be thinking of a different ship, Adventure has only ever had Portofino which was changed into Giovanni's.

Keep the info coming. Getting my ideas down for oct. we do a lot of the same trips/ships. Look into my Sept 2016 one. Join us?

Following along.

Keep the info coming. Getting my ideas down for oct. we do a lot of the same trips/ships. Look into my Sept 2016 one. Join us?

Alaska, right? Sadly, we can't do September. Gotta vaco around school schedules.

Were all the stores open on St. Maarten - specifically Phillipsburg? I've read conflicting reports that on Sunday they are mostly closed.

Were all the stores open on St. Maarten - specifically Phillipsburg? I've read conflicting reports that on Sunday they are mostly closed.

We only went to the boardwalk area, and everything seemed to be open there. When we were at St. Maarten last time it was also a Sunday and there were quite a few closed shops, though some were opened.

Tuesday, June 23, St. John, Antigua

We decided to spend this day at Darkwood Beach. When we got to the pier there were cabbies everywhere, all aggressively trying to get customers. There may have been so many because we were the only ship in port. (Actually, we were the only ship in port at every stop this week.) The cab cost $8.00/person each way. That felt a bit steep. And the ride was a bit of an adventure. We were in a six person SUV, and my wife and daughters banged their heads on the roof more than once as the driver zipped through town. The driver also picked us up at a pre-arranged time.

Darkwood charged us $5.00/chaise lounge, and we had the choice of setting them up near the building in the shade or out in the sun. We chose to sit in the shade and just pulled the chairs a couple of feet to get sun when we wanted. They were also offering two chaise lounges and six beverages, beer, water or soda, for $35.00. The beach was really quiet and the sand very nice. We had brought some snacks with us so we did not order any food. We stayed until 3:00 and then headed back to the ship. There were some nice shops at the drop off point, so we looked around a bit and then headed in.

Dinner was again in the dining room and then back to the Schooner. My 17 year old and I decided to go to the ice show. The doors supposedly opened at 8:30 for the 9:00 show. We got to Studio B at 8:40, and it was already too late to get two decent seats together. We decided to head back to the Schooner for a little while and then went to the theater for the Love and Marriage Show. My wife and 20 year old opted out of the show and headed to the cabin. The show was as funny as it always is.

That evening the sea got quite rocky. At 9:30, the captain asked everyone to stay off the pool deck. There was a pool party and midnight buffet planned for that evening, so the ice show was canceled and the festivities moved to Studio B.

Tomorrow, St. Lucia.