Amazing time on Adventure of the Seas - Aug 12th-19th!

Hi everyone,

 

Thought I would write a quick review since I just got back home yesterday....

 

Background info: Itravelled with my parents and sister and all of us we have gone cruising on Princess,Carnival, NCL a few times. We visited St Thomas, Curacao Aruba (we went to Palm Beach) and St Kitts (wentto Cockleshell beach – TIP: walk past the Reggae Beach Bar and go to “Loxeen Beach Hut” chairs to rent are only $4 but free if you buy drinks).

 

The only new port for us was Curacao. We took a cab and went to Mambo Beach over there. ($3.50 entranceand $3.50 for chair rental) Really nice beach.

 

We flew into San Juan the day before. We stayed at the Best Western Condado Palm Inn and Suites. Great hotel for a pre-cruise stay. It was a 10 minute drive to the Pan American Cruise port and 20 minutesfrom the airport.

 

We got onboard the ship at 2:30pm. It took almost an hour after standing in line which I was surprised about. I thought it would be a shorter line at that time.

 

The only thing was that since it docked at the Pan Am Pier you couldn't walk to Old San Juan easily so before we boarded the ship we left the hotel and did some exploring (which even though I have been there before I love walking in Old San Juan!)

 

So a few things about theship - I knew after reading here on CC that the rooms may not be the best. Westayed in an interior room. It was fine. The couch looked worn out but the roomitself was very clean and we really only went there to sleep and shower. Ienjoy having balcony cabins but since we had 4 port days I was ok with havingan interior cabin. Honestly, my favourite part of an interior cabin is havingthe best sleep when there is no light coming through any windows/balcony butthats just me!

 

The public areas pf the ship werebeautiful and clean. We enjoyed lounging in the Solarium in the late eveningsbut during the sea days we found a quiet spot on Deck 4 with a nice view of theocean.

 

Food: Really enjoyed the dinner in the MDR. But I wish there were more Asian (Chinese, Thai and Indian) choiceson the menu. The food was good on the dinner menu and the waiters were always telling us to tell them if we didn’t like something because they would bring ussomething else!

 

We did mention to the chefsthat we like Indian food so every day they would send us a plate of different types of curry. I also love Jamaican goat curry so the chef sent a huge plate for myfamily one night.

 

DO NOT MISS LUNCH in the MDR. They had this amazing salad bar and pasta station. When we were there theywere making seafood pasta. So good!! Also I strongly recommend the palm sugar chicken you have to try it!

 

We also had Breakfastalmost every day in the MDR. So much calmer and relaxing!! They also have a “buffet area” which is nice too.

 

As for the Windjammer – a lot of selection. Again – I wish there were more Asian choices. On the last day for lunch there were stir fried noodles which was good. We missed lunch most days because we were in port so we would grab pizza from the promenade deck which was great ...oh and the Chicken Roti Wrap was amazing in the Promenade Cafe as well.... definitely try it!

 

Entertainment: This could definitely be improved on. I enjoyed comedian Rich Evanovioch the first 2 nights but after that it went downhill. The other performances was an impressionist, then a stunt show and then a finale show. The Royal Singers and Dancers shows werenot great. I’m not saying the performers were bad just the shows itself. They should have more variety – maybe an acrobatics show or Caribbean Themed shows like they have at all-inclusive resorts in the Caribbean. Definitely more latenight comedy shows needed as well.

 

Ports: They were all great –my favourite was the first day when we went to St Thomas we took a ship excursion to St. John’s ($29 USD per person). Note: Only the ferry ride was included once you get there you are on your own. We went to Trunk Bay which wasexcellent. If you have been to St Thomas many times like I have definitely do this tour. (St John on your Own).

 

Cabs were easy to get a teach port. We spent between $5-$7 pp getting to the beaches.

 

Overall – we had a great vacation. Customer service throughout the ship was excellent. Every crew member we encountered there always willing to help. I would definitely sail on this ship again!

 

P.S

 

The only major complaint mysister had was that getting access to her VPN through the ships WIFI was extremely slow... even though she purchased the most expensive package!! They did end up crediting her account 10% off so that was something good. But just keep this in mind if you need internet for work.

Hopefully this review helps, if you have any questions feel free to ask!

Thanks for taking us along on your cruise.

One more thing...the Ice show was great on board! definitely don't miss it :)

Thanks so much for the report. This is our itinerary in a couple weeks.

 

Any tips on crowd size in certain venues...times when it may be better or worse than others? (e.g. MDR, Windjammer, port disembarkation, etc.)

Glad you had a great cruise!

Leaving Saturday on AOTS; thanks for your input.

Thanks so much for the report. This is our itinerary in a couple weeks.

 

Any tips on crowd size in certain venues...times when it may be better or worse than others? (e.g. MDR, Windjammer, port disembarkation, etc.)

We were on Adventure a few weeks ago and hardly had to wait for anything. Sometimes there would be lines in Windjammer, but if you walked around to the other side, there would be no line at all. I was surprised that so few people figured out that there were multiple starting points for the buffet and the same food was available with no wait at all.

 

For disembarking, it was nice that the ship was at the pier at all ports - no tenders! We never had to wait at all to go ashore or get back on board.

 

For the shows, we just arrived a few minutes early and were always able to get a seat.

 

The lines for photos on the formal nights were a little longer than other nights. If you want to get photos taken, allow a little extra time before dinner.

 

The only major complaint mysister had was that getting access to her VPN through the ships WIFI was extremely slow... even though she purchased the most expensive package!! They did end up crediting her account 10% off so that was something good. But just keep this in mind if you need internet for work.

Hopefully this review helps, if you have any questions feel free to ask!

 

Just in case you go on another Royal Cruise, Adventure's internet isn't the newest/fastest that Royal has to offer. Why they offer it in different speeds I don't know, this is something they do on ships with the newer internet. If you on an Oasis class ship you will probably find your VPN works fine. Thanks for posting.

We were on Adventure a few weeks ago and hardly had to wait for anything. Sometimes there would be lines in Windjammer, but if you walked around to the other side, there would be no line at all. I was surprised that so few people figured out that there were multiple starting points for the buffet and the same food was available with no wait at all.

 

For disembarking, it was nice that the ship was at the pier at all ports - no tenders! We never had to wait at all to go ashore or get back on board.

 

For the shows, we just arrived a few minutes early and were always able to get a seat.

 

The lines for photos on the formal nights were a little longer than other nights. If you want to get photos taken, allow a little extra time before dinner.

 

Excellent....thanks so much for taking the time to respond!

Hi everyone,

 

Thought I would write a quick review since I just got back home yesterday....

 

Background info: Itravelled with my parents and sister and all of us we have gone cruising on Princess,Carnival, NCL a few times. We visited St Thomas, Curacao Aruba (we went to Palm Beach) and St Kitts (wentto Cockleshell beach – TIP: walk past the Reggae Beach Bar and go to “Loxeen Beach Hut” chairs to rent are only $4 but free if you buy drinks).

 

The only new port for us was Curacao. We took a cab and went to Mambo Beach over there. ($3.50 entranceand $3.50 for chair rental) Really nice beach.

 

We flew into San Juan the day before. We stayed at the Best Western Condado Palm Inn and Suites. Great hotel for a pre-cruise stay. It was a 10 minute drive to the Pan American Cruise port and 20 minutesfrom the airport.

 

We got onboard the ship at 2:30pm. It took almost an hour after standing in line which I was surprised about. I thought it would be a shorter line at that time.

 

The only thing was that since it docked at the Pan Am Pier you couldn't walk to Old San Juan easily so before we boarded the ship we left the hotel and did some exploring (which even though I have been there before I love walking in Old San Juan!)

 

So a few things about theship - I knew after reading here on CC that the rooms may not be the best. Westayed in an interior room. It was fine. The couch looked worn out but the roomitself was very clean and we really only went there to sleep and shower. Ienjoy having balcony cabins but since we had 4 port days I was ok with havingan interior cabin. Honestly, my favourite part of an interior cabin is havingthe best sleep when there is no light coming through any windows/balcony butthats just me!

 

The public areas pf the ship werebeautiful and clean. We enjoyed lounging in the Solarium in the late eveningsbut during the sea days we found a quiet spot on Deck 4 with a nice view of theocean.

 

Food: Really enjoyed the dinner in the MDR. But I wish there were more Asian (Chinese, Thai and Indian) choiceson the menu. The food was good on the dinner menu and the waiters were always telling us to tell them if we didn’t like something because they would bring ussomething else!

 

We did mention to the chefsthat we like Indian food so every day they would send us a plate of different types of curry. I also love Jamaican goat curry so the chef sent a huge plate for myfamily one night.

 

DO NOT MISS LUNCH in the MDR. They had this amazing salad bar and pasta station. When we were there theywere making seafood pasta. So good!! Also I strongly recommend the palm sugar chicken you have to try it!

 

We also had Breakfastalmost every day in the MDR. So much calmer and relaxing!! They also have a “buffet area” which is nice too.

 

As for the Windjammer – a lot of selection. Again – I wish there were more Asian choices. On the last day for lunch there were stir fried noodles which was good. We missed lunch most days because we were in port so we would grab pizza from the promenade deck which was great ...oh and the Chicken Roti Wrap was amazing in the Promenade Cafe as well.... definitely try it!

 

Entertainment: This could definitely be improved on. I enjoyed comedian Rich Evanovioch the first 2 nights but after that it went downhill. The other performances was an impressionist, then a stunt show and then a finale show. The Royal Singers and Dancers shows werenot great. I’m not saying the performers were bad just the shows itself. They should have more variety – maybe an acrobatics show or Caribbean Themed shows like they have at all-inclusive resorts in the Caribbean. Definitely more latenight comedy shows needed as well.

 

Ports: They were all great –my favourite was the first day when we went to St Thomas we took a ship excursion to St. John’s ($29 USD per person). Note: Only the ferry ride was included once you get there you are on your own. We went to Trunk Bay which wasexcellent. If you have been to St Thomas many times like I have definitely do this tour. (St John on your Own).

 

Cabs were easy to get a teach port. We spent between $5-$7 pp getting to the beaches.

 

Overall – we had a great vacation. Customer service throughout the ship was excellent. Every crew member we encountered there always willing to help. I would definitely sail on this ship again!

 

P.S

 

The only major complaint mysister had was that getting access to her VPN through the ships WIFI was extremely slow... even though she purchased the most expensive package!! They did end up crediting her account 10% off so that was something good. But just keep this in mind if you need internet for work.

Hopefully this review helps, if you have any questions feel free to ask!

 

Glad to hear a positive review of Food services on the ship....it is very subjective of course and it seems as if some personal likes of yours were catered to....and that is GREAT.

 

As far as the Entertainment goes....the cruise line would like to get your feedback. Right here on FB is Ken Rush who is very instrumental on putting together what is offered as Entertainment features on ships. The Cruise Director doesn't have much to do with the entertainers that are brought on board each week, but they do a usually great job with all of the 'around the ship' activities put on by the Cruise Director Staff. Each CD is different and brings a different amount of energy and style to their sailings. You probably had Elvis Pinto.....who usually is like a bundle fo energy.....if he does his Zumba class or poolside dancing....it is a must do.

Michelle,

We were on the same cruise and had a fantastic time too!

Thanks so much for the report. This is our itinerary in a couple weeks.

 

Any tips on crowd size in certain venues...times when it may be better or worse than others? (e.g. MDR, Windjammer, port disembarkation, etc.)

 

Honestly - the only time I felt really crowded was embarkation day lunch in the Windjammer was super crowded!! (if I had to do it again I would do the MDR lunch on embarkation day) and breakfast in MDR on the last day for departure and not eat in the Windjammer.

 

Even the theatre shows - we would always show up 15 min early but really it was only half full at showtime.Ice shows I would recommend being there at least 1/2 hour early so you can get a seat...no advance tix available - you have wait in line outside of Studio B.

 

Overall - the ship to me did not feel crowded at all. There was always seating in the promenade deck throughout the day. We are not sunbathers so didn't spend much time on the higher decks during sea days but you can always find a quiet spot somewhere on the ship!

Glad to hear a positive review of Food services on the ship....it is very subjective of course and it seems as if some personal likes of yours were catered to....and that is GREAT.

 

As far as the Entertainment goes....the cruise line would like to get your feedback. Right here on FB is Ken Rush who is very instrumental on putting together what is offered as Entertainment features on ships. The Cruise Director doesn't have much to do with the entertainers that are brought on board each week, but they do a usually great job with all of the 'around the ship' activities put on by the Cruise Director Staff. Each CD is different and brings a different amount of energy and style to their sailings. You probably had Elvis Pinto.....who usually is like a bundle fo energy.....if he does his Zumba class or poolside dancing....it is a must do.

 

 

Hi Paulette!

 

Thanks for your feedback. Do you know how I can contact Ken Rush? I tried to do a search in FB but couldn't find him. Ps. And... Yes Elvis our CD was great on our cruise :)

We loved this ship. It was very easy to learn and get around. Very nice layout and promenade area was very well laid out.

Thanks so much for your review! My boyfriend and I are heading out on her in just over 2 weeks for our FIRST cruise and couldn't be more excited. Any first timer tips specifically for Adventure?

... Any first timer tips specifically for Adventure?

Don't miss the ice skating show.

I did not think that the MDR served lunch on the Embarkation Day but perhaps with AOS out of SJU (since it departs so late) it does.

 

Was the MDR open for lunch that day?

 

VR,

 

T Lex

Honestly - the only time I felt really crowded was embarkation day lunch in the Windjammer was super crowded!! (if I had to do it again I would do the MDR lunch on embarkation day) and breakfast in MDR on the last day for departure and not eat in the Windjammer.

 

Even the theatre shows - we would always show up 15 min early but really it was only half full at showtime.Ice shows I would recommend being there at least 1/2 hour early so you can get a seat...no advance tix available - you have wait in line outside of Studio B.

 

Overall - the ship to me did not feel crowded at all. There was always seating in the promenade deck throughout the day. We are not sunbathers so didn't spend much time on the higher decks during sea days but you can always find a quiet spot somewhere on the ship!

 

Excellent, thanks so much for the feedback!

Thanks so much for your review! My boyfriend and I are heading out on her in just over 2 weeks for our FIRST cruise and couldn't be more excited. Any first timer tips specifically for Adventure?

 

Hi! I just have to say your screen name describes me completely!! Love it!!

 

Congrats on booking your first cruise! I would strongly recommend flying in the day before to San Juan so you are more relaxed and also have time to explore Old San Juan. You can take a free trolley that goes around the area and you can hop on and hop off as you wish. TIP: Wait at Stop 14 because its less crowded than trying to wait in line at Stop 1. You can download the maps online just google Trolley in old San Juan. Its like you have a "extra port" on your cruise :)

 

Now back to the ship...explore as much as you can. Some helpful tips that I wish I knew before I first started cruising:

 

Feel like to try different food items on the menu, ask for more than one app, main or dessert if you want.

 

Bring all the meds that you could possibly need - one time we were cruising and my sister eye started bothering her and we spent almost $10 on VISINE!

 

Read the daily compass and bring a highlighter and highlight any activities that you may be interested in attending. Last week I almost missed an adult comedy show because I didn't read it!

 

On the last day - do Self- Assist Debarkation and take your own luggage with you if you are able to carry them. It makes things easier when you leave the ship and you are not spending time looking for your luggage in the port area especially when you are in a rush to get out and catch your flight home.

 

Good luck planning! and do feel free to post as many questions as you like on this board CC people are amazing and always respond and you learn so much:)

Michelle,

Thanks for the review. While it's fresh in your mind, I have a few questions. I'm doing this same itinerary, but in a bit different order, in February 2018.

 

 

• We're also doing the St. John on Your Own excursion. I've done it before using the Red Hook ferry, but for $29 per person, the RCL transfer was less costly and afforded less stress of missing the ship should there be issues with the ferry. Would appreciate as much detail as you can provide about this experience. For example: The excursion is listed as beginning at 10AM. What time did the transfer ship actually depart? How long was the travel time? I believe I've read in the area of 30-40 minutes? Trying to determine what time we will actually GET to St. John. Are you dropped fairly close (or on the same dock) as the ferry docks? What time did you have to be back at the transfer ship for the return trip?
  
• Did you notice the regular cadance of formal dinner nights changed due to late stops in Curacao and Aruba? On our itinerary, I believe the second formal night would normally be on our Curacao day, but I suspect they may move it?
  
• Nice to hear the MDR has a buffet at breakfast now. I've tended to avoid the MDR on port days because we're always hurrying to disembark and table service tends to be too slow under those circumstances. A buffet option would definitely help! I bet it will alleviate some crowding at the Windjammer as well!
  
• You may not know this since you boarded later, but I was wondering what time the cabins were available. On some ships it seems to be around 1:00-1:30, others around 2:00-2:30. Not sure where Adventure falls on that spectrum.
  

I am also a research obsessed extreme planner!

Michelle,

Thanks for the review. While it's fresh in your mind, I have a few questions. I'm doing this same itinerary, but in a bit different order, in February 2018.

 

 

• Did you notice the regular cadance of formal dinner nights changed due to late stops in Curacao and Aruba? On our itinerary, I believe the second formal night would normally be on our Curacao day, but I suspect they may move it?
  
• You may not know this since you boarded later, but I was wondering what time the cabins were available. On some ships it seems to be around 1:00-1:30, others around 2:00-2:30. Not sure where Adventure falls on that spectrum.
  

I am also a research obsessed extreme planner!

 

Formal nights were on sea days. Dinner was on the same schedule even when there were late departures, but we found the dining room to be less crowded as obviously many people were late getting back or choosing to have dinner off the ship. In Aruba, we enjoyed having dinner on the ship and then going back into port to have a few drinks and enjoy the nightlife. There's plenty of time to do that.

 

On day 1, our cabins were ready as soon as we got on board around 1:00. Our luggage arrived a few hours later.

Michelle,

Thanks for the review. While it's fresh in your mind, I have a few questions. I'm doing this same itinerary, but in a bit different order, in February 2018.

 

 

• We're also doing the St. John on Your Own excursion. I've done it before using the Red Hook ferry, but for $29 per person, the RCL transfer was less costly and afforded less stress of missing the ship should there be issues with the ferry. Would appreciate as much detail as you can provide about this experience. For example: The excursion is listed as beginning at 10AM. What time did the transfer ship actually depart? How long was the travel time? I believe I've read in the area of 30-40 minutes? Trying to determine what time we will actually GET to St. John. Are you dropped fairly close (or on the same dock) as the ferry docks? What time did you have to be back at the transfer ship for the return trip?
  
• Did you notice the regular cadance of formal dinner nights changed due to late stops in Curacao and Aruba? On our itinerary, I believe the second formal night would normally be on our Curacao day, but I suspect they may move it?
  
• Nice to hear the MDR has a buffet at breakfast now. I've tended to avoid the MDR on port days because we're always hurrying to disembark and table service tends to be too slow under those circumstances. A buffet option would definitely help! I bet it will alleviate some crowding at the Windjammer as well!
  
• You may not know this since you boarded later, but I was wondering what time the cabins were available. On some ships it seems to be around 1:00-1:30, others around 2:00-2:30. Not sure where Adventure falls on that spectrum.
  

I am also a research obsessed extreme planner!

 

 

 

Hi Printing chick!

 

 

For the St Johns tour: We had to meet at the Studio B theatre at 8:30am and then we walked out. Then we had to line up for tickets and then walk to the ferry "Island Girl" and boarded around 9am, We had to wait til everyone got on board and then we left. We got to St Johns I would say almost 10am. The ferry ride was 45 minutes. It was a calm smooth ride. We had to be back to the ferry at 3pm to take us back. At the same place we were dropped off.

 

 

I went to Trunk Bay and paid a $5 entrance fee. Beautiful beach! My TIP is that when you take the safari bus back to the cruz Bay dock make sure you are specific on where to drop you off say "Island girl" (if thats the name of your ship) ferry name because with us we got dropped off at the wrong place. We could have walked to the proper spot we didn't realize at the time it was only 5 min away. But luckily a local called the driver back and told him to drop us off in the proper dock.

 

 

As for the formal nights - they still had it even though we stayed in port late. Lobster night was the second formal night.

 

I believe the rooms were ready when I got on board at 2:30pm. I was able to drop off my bags before I headed up for lunch.

Hello

Can you tell me about the movement of the ship.. another post a while back said this ship really rocked especially on sea days with this itinerary. Was this the case? I thought maybe due to ships age perhaps.. Curious what you thought.