Adventure to Norway - review

[Barnum42]

I am so upset that the AOS is obviously in poor condition. I suppose that now I have to make the best of it, as we sail June 12, on the Baltic cruise. But poor conditions as have been described tend to actually make me ill; e.g., rust, smells, dilapidated seat cushions, old bathrooms, etc. Question: Aside from the disrepair conditions, is the ship clean? If the ship is clean, I think that I can handle it. Otherwise, I'd better go to the drugstore and get some nausea pills.

 

As already reported, plenty of rust, some interesting smells (carpet glue being the strongest), don't look at the woodwork in the bathrooms and I hope they've fixed the disabled door switch that was hanging off the wall in one of the ladies.

 

Disrepair aside, they were running the vacuum cleaners around and spraying interiors with cleaner. However, I don't think the public area windows saw any care - Windjammer's windows just got progressively grubbier as the week went on. One suspects the window washers you used to see in port caring for these windows have been part of the cutbacks.

[Gary@Lpool]

This is a copy of my review posted on the main reviews... Nice to meet some of you at the m&m especially "a pear of us" Dave & Pam :)

 

I want to write an honest update to one of my favourite ships (Voyager Class - 5 Trips), which also has the best staff !! We previously travelled on Adventure of the Seas last July, and we had a fantastic time ... So we looked forward to this one and also meeting old friends (Staff) and to look at the refit work done earlier this year. To be fair the previous reviews had us concerned about the food, but I have to say the MDR was good, and we did not have a bad meal in my opinion the whole time we ate at the MDR, and we have 5 children with us !! Staff were also excellent again, and were only let down by a few miserable ones in the Casino (Dealers not waiters) who need to smile a bit more, and interact with their customer,s which did not happen previously so must have had an influx of new staff not use to RCL.

 

Another really bad bug bear with us was allowing smoking in the Casino !! which ended up looking like the entrance to the Home Office, with loads of Guests just smoking by the ashtrays and not playing any games which made the whole casino have a haze or cloud over it which really did smell bad (even to walk through to the Lyric Theatre) and although I am a reformed smoker I did not want to play in that atmosphere for long as my dinner suit stunk our cabin out later that night. I dont think this would happen in the USA so should really be banned here ... The funny thing was that they have banned smoking from the balconies ?? but not the Casino ?? sounds like the bean counters want to win again !!

 

The most disappointing aspect was the change from Portofino's to Giovanni's Table, which was really poor with no suite access in the morning or afternoon which made the Windjammer an absolute nightmare to get a table, and it did become stressful with people basically pushing others out of the way to get a table, it was disgusting to see, and many arguments and pushing matches took place ... I cannot understand that a ship with only one Specialty Restaurant should switch to Giovanni's which had a very limited menu, poor chefs or shall I say cooks, because on our visit they served us 6 scollops in fancy shells which they warned us were very hot !! and then we found the scollops were still partly frozen in the middle !! and instead of cooking new ones they re-cooked the 4 which were left which then were served to us like rubber bullets and could have bounced all around the restaurant, then I had tenderloin which nearly broke my tooth implant it was that cremated ... not a good experience !! and for the first time in my RCL history nothing was done about it when I pointed it out to the Manageress who was in charge that night. I still left a $20 tip for the hardworking SERVING staff !! who did their best in a bad situation as it was not their fault that the propeller technician was cooking the food .... and the waitress acknowledged previous issues with the new restaurant and asked us to give it a second chance ... sorry ... no chance.

 

Now... for the good parts ... The staff in the MDR were excellent with Nilsita & Dwayne looking after us perfectly, Farell on the Bar service was again top notch !! and lynet at the next table who looked after us sometimes at the ALC Deck 5 Mozart.

 

I must give a special mention to Eugenio (Asst Waiter) in the Windjammer as he was the height of coolness when everything was going Pete Tong around him, and he calmed down some irate table hunters and two ladies who decided to sit down on the same chair !! He then located fresh fruit for another angry customer and was oblivious I was watching the whole scenario .... he then turned and asked if I needed anything that he could get !! so professional !!

 

Jackson was our Room attendant and again was perfect.

 

Diamond Lounge host Dionne was exceptional as was her waiter Rashi, and wish her well in her new role as Concierge, as Sucel was leaving after our cruise ended. The concierge lounge was again good although we preferred the openness and view from the Diamond lounge.

 

The Cruise overall was really enjoyed by all of us, and dont let the above negative points put you off travelling on the AOS as that could happen to anyone on any ship, or any line, she obviously needs some work doing at the next major refit which is in 2016 and I believe when the Explorer arrives in Southampton next year she would have had the Major Refit the Class now needs to compete against other lines that depart from Southampton.

 

The Port visits were again very good with Flam (Flam Railway) & Stavanger (Port) the highlight with fantastic sights and a beautiful town respectively. I cannot understand the stop at Kristiansand as any ship that stops at a foreign port on a Sunday you normally find that everything is closed, and this was the case here and was a totally pointless stop walking around a ghost town.

 

I have to say I love travelling with RCL, however this will be our last trip on the AOS until after her major refit or change in specialty dining, as we do like our special nights and with only poor Giovanni's I will not go back to only one choice again. The reduced suite benefits also put me off spending the extra money for the better cabin so it is easier just to pick a different class of ship.

 

 

Gary

[MDNOTMD]

As someone who is sailing on the AOS on June 12, 2014, I must say "thank you so much for the reviews". They are quite useful, and I truly appreciate them.

[sr4mjc]

I don't remember tablecloths in the Windjammer on any of my cruises..:confused:

[little britain]

Yes they definitely had tables set with cloths and cutlery in the windjammer on a cruise in the past; it may have been on Indie, and it certainly made for a more welcoming experience.

 

 

 

Sent from my KFTT using Tapatalk

[bigeck]

I am so upset that the AOS is obviously in poor condition. I suppose that now I have to make the best of it, as we sail June 12, on the Baltic cruise. But poor conditions as have been described tend to actually make me ill; e.g., rust, smells, dilapidated seat cushions, old bathrooms, etc. Question: Aside from the disrepair conditions, is the ship clean? If the ship is clean, I think that I can handle it. Otherwise, I'd better go to the drugstore and get some nausea pills.

 

We were on Adventure for the Ta from Miami. Although, there are people on Cc who have been on it a lot more, that's 36 nights for us and it's still our favourite ship.

Yes there was wear and tear but there was a good lot of good stuff as well. We were in 1694 and the new floorcovering on the balcony was nice, as it's a big balcony. The new TV's were good and better menu for checking your account. The programs did get better as we reached Europe as mid Atlantic we hardly had any due to being between satellites. We were MTD and always enjoyed what we had and the options. We eat to live and not live to eat. So, the food is what you make it yourself. As far as toilets, no different from anywhere else.

We used the Aquarium Bar a lot and the band was good. It's a nice place to sit on the other side of the stairs to the bar. Bar service was good.

Personally, I don't think its in any worse condition than any other ship before it gets its makeover.

I always try and be realistic. We paid around 2k for a Js and a drink package for 14 nights.

Edited June 1, 2014 by bigeck

[kaznaid]

I am so upset that the AOS is obviously in poor condition. I suppose that now I have to make the best of it, as we sail June 12, on the Baltic cruise. But poor conditions as have been described tend to actually make me ill; e.g., rust, smells, dilapidated seat cushions, old bathrooms, etc. Question: Aside from the disrepair conditions, is the ship clean? If the ship is clean, I think that I can handle it. Otherwise, I'd better go to the drugstore and get some nausea pills.

 

I thoroughly agree ... it is what you make it! :-)

 

Look forward to seeing you at the M&M!!

 

K x

[MariahJ]

Do you happen to remember the details of the internet packages that were offered and whether any deals came up later in the cruise? Thanks!

[little britain]

Do you happen to remember the details of the internet packages that were offered and whether any deals came up later in the cruise? Thanks!

As a Diamond I got a free $29.95 which gave 60 mins of internet.

 

We are regular cruisers and have used RCI many times but standards of both the ships and clientele are moving to the same style as all inclusive holiday resorts, and I think it is time for me to change to another cruise line.

Whilst treading on delicate territory I do agree that there was a large percentage of people who didn't seem to know how to use a knife and fork, or who used a knife to cut their bread roll..... :-) Edited June 1, 2014 by little britain

[goofysmom99]

I, too, was on this same cruise, after coming off of 27 days on the Celebrity Constellation. Both ships are almost the same age and both need some extra love (mostly furniture condition and paint). They were both clean but worn. The AOS has 50% more pax than the Constellation but only 11% more staff and it shows. Nice, friendly staff but there's a wait for everything. I also found the ship too dark. For example, the designers could easily have exposed the windows behind guest relations, but chose a false wall. I had a JS (9624 - nice location) and ended up spending a lot of time there for the quiet view. It had new carpet which did leave little blue fuzzies everywhere but was no big deal. The 560 children on board obviously contributed to the crush (note to self, always check school holidays for 7-day cruises in the future), but, for the most part, after the first day, I didn't notice them that much. . . .except in the Windjammer which was beyond ridiculous. I went up there the first day and there wasn't a seat to be had. None of the headwaiters (or whatever their designations were) knew what foods were gluten-free (I have celiac). Finally the chef came out and took me on a field trip. Even he didn't know if there were GF cookies or pizza available. He did manage to find me a GF hamburger and a GF hotdog bun. Room service provided the rest. I used room service a lot more than I ever have before so I could have a place to dine quietly without fighting for a seat, be assured of GF food (they did an outstanding job of it), and enjoy the view. The MDR salad-tossing buffet (Basserie 30?) was delicious. Very nice. Also liked the food at dinner in MDR and tablemates were delightful! (Huuuge improvement in the sorry food I had this past September on the Brilliance Transatlantic.) Great waiter and asst, too. The Viking Lounge and Diamond Lounge were nice because of the windows. The crush of people on the Promenade was very claustrophobic for me - sort of like 10 pounds of flour in a 5-pound sack. Add to that the stench of smoke rising up the steps from the casino and it made for a memorable experience.

 

I very much enjoyed the ports, especially Flam and Stevanger. Which reminds me of another glaring irritant on AOS. In Flam, they had one, yes ONE, gangway open for returning pax! The queue went all the way to the end of the ship. That's just silly and not well-planned. Have they cut back on security personnel too? With only 2000 pax, the Connie always had two gangways for returning pax so no one waited in a line longer than 15-20 people, ever.

 

I suppose if I were traveling with children, perhaps the Voyager-class would appeal to me more. But, for my tastes, I'll be limiting my future Royal cruises to Radiance-class ships (booked two Brilliance cruises for next year). I like their smaller size and the design of Deck 6. I also like Chops and Portofino a whole lot better than Giovanni's Table (really lousy experience).

 

So, this was my first, last, and only cruise on Adventure of the Seas. :(

[Mapmuppet]

Good evening all,

 

First posting on this forum, so please go gently on me. We have just returned from the 7 day Norway cruise on AOS, and I have to agree with all the comments posted so far. We did take our young children ( aged 6 and 4 ) who had a wonderful time in the children's club. On a positive note the ports of call where 1st class and service was up to the usual RCI standard, however AOS has seen better days and is looking very tired ( having confirmed the refit with RCI prior to booking ). Cabins are still stuck in the 80s and steelwork showing signs of rust. During the cruise they were laying new isle carpets throughout the vessel but these are just small updates which aren't going to provide the much needed refresh required. I have to say the shows where below standard with the exception of Graffiti Classics who were simply amazing.

[little britain]

I have to say the shows where below standard with the exception of Graffiti Classics who were simply amazing.

I'm really annoyed to have missed this - I guess it wasn't 'sold' very well in the Compass so we didn't attend thinking it was going to be the usual screechy on board singers and dancers. Drat!

[dln929]

We had MTD so ate in the dining room except for one where we went to the WindJammer. I was disappointed to see that they did not lay the tables with tablecloths any more and it lacked little atmosphere.

 

I notice things like table settings as well because I think it sets the tone for the dining area. I wonder if it's the Hotel Director who dictates what goes on the table? When we were on the Quest last December, for example, the tables were gorgeous. Always set with stemware and a placemat. On the Journey last month, Quest's twin, the tables were set very plainly and I had much the same reaction as you did on the AOS: the atmosphere was lacking.

 

We're on the AOS in January 2016 (I can't believe we're booked so far in advance but the sale was fantastic!) so I am reading your review with interest.

[amajaa]

I have to say the shows where below standard with the exception of Graffiti Classics who were simply amazing.

 

We saw them on The Jewel, they were brilliant, if anyone gets the chance to see them, do.

[JM-1972]

Can anyone give any further information on the price of wine by the glass. I have read that the price on AOS includes gratuities. I like the Sauvignon Malborough Dashwood and wondered if you get it in the Beer and Wine Package? I believe that the limits for wine by the glass are different for ships from the UK.

[janeer]

I love the Dashwood wine as well! We are on AOS in 6.5 weeks and would love to be able to order it on the package!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Scrappytraveller]

I'm thinking of this same itinerary next year on the Seranade, out of Copenhagen. It's about 2.5 weeks earlier than yours though I think, May 9th. I was wondering how you found the temperatures, and how it felt being out on deck during the day. I would be booking an inside cabin and would be counting on spending a lot of time on deck with my camera. What kind of outerwear did you need?

[Photofinish4]

Just back from a 7 night cruise to Norway on Adventure. This has been my first cruise with RCI for a while (having favoured X and Azamara over the past few years) so please excuse me if I state things that you know!!!

 

My first comments will be about the refurb....RCI have supposedly spent $50million on the recent refit. If I were RCI I would ask for my money back :eek:

The ship is in terrible condition in places - like the banquettes in the Windjammer...

The rust round the balconies has not been tended in years, the railings need varnishing, the pools need tiling.

All I can see that is new is a flat screen TV in the room, every thing else is the same, old curtains, ripped nets, saggy sofas...

The big screen by the pool seems to be underutilised. And the only film that people seemed to watch (One Direction movie) they turned off before the end!

 

The cruise was during the UK half term so there were over 500 children on board. Most were well behaved; others were not, and the parents seemed to pay little notice when the children were screaming around people trying to read in the lounges. There is only one 'child free' area on the ship and that is the Solarium. However I even saw children here on the sun loungers. I really do think that perhaps RCI should enforce the rules - the towel police were not around either and I lay next to a chair that was unoccupied for 2 hours (until I removed the towel...).:rolleyes:

 

The weather was fabulous! We had glorious sunny skies for 3 days.

 

....more to follow - happy to answer any questions too...

 

We were on aos for 33 days prior to the Norway sailing. We ate in the wj most mornings and lunches and never encountered the sofa you showed. Did you look around for another place to sit. Maybe I'm not a knit picker but I did not find the ship in the condition you are reporting. Maybe it was the 500 kids on board that got to you. We enjoyed aos and would not hesitate to go back. The only thing we did not feel were that great were the rc singers

[Photofinish4]

This is a copy of my review posted on the main reviews... Nice to meet some of you at the m&m especially "a pear of us" Dave & Pam :)

 

I want to write an honest update to one of my favourite ships (Voyager Class - 5 Trips), which also has the best staff !! We previously travelled on Adventure of the Seas last July, and we had a fantastic time ... So we looked forward to this one and also meeting old friends (Staff) and to look at the refit work done earlier this year. To be fair the previous reviews had us concerned about the food, but I have to say the MDR was good, and we did not have a bad meal in my opinion the whole time we ate at the MDR, and we have 5 children with us !! Staff were also excellent again, and were only let down by a few miserable ones in the Casino (Dealers not waiters) who need to smile a bit more, and interact with their customer,s which did not happen previously so must have had an influx of new staff not use to RCL.

 

Another really bad bug bear with us was allowing smoking in the Casino !! which ended up looking like the entrance to the Home Office, with loads of Guests just smoking by the ashtrays and not playing any games which made the whole casino have a haze or cloud over it which really did smell bad (even to walk through to the Lyric Theatre) and although I am a reformed smoker I did not want to play in that atmosphere for long as my dinner suit stunk our cabin out later that night. I dont think this would happen in the USA so should really be banned here ... The funny thing was that they have banned smoking from the balconies ?? but not the Casino ?? sounds like the bean counters want to win again !!

 

The most disappointing aspect was the change from Portofino's to Giovanni's Table, which was really poor with no suite access in the morning or afternoon which made the Windjammer an absolute nightmare to get a table, and it did become stressful with people basically pushing others out of the way to get a table, it was disgusting to see, and many arguments and pushing matches took place ... I cannot understand that a ship with only one Specialty Restaurant should switch to Giovanni's which had a very limited menu, poor chefs or shall I say cooks, because on our visit they served us 6 scollops in fancy shells which they warned us were very hot !! and then we found the scollops were still partly frozen in the middle !! and instead of cooking new ones they re-cooked the 4 which were left which then were served to us like rubber bullets and could have bounced all around the restaurant, then I had tenderloin which nearly broke my tooth implant it was that cremated ... not a good experience !! and for the first time in my RCL history nothing was done about it when I pointed it out to the Manageress who was in charge that night. I still left a $20 tip for the hardworking SERVING staff !! who did their best in a bad situation as it was not their fault that the propeller technician was cooking the food .... and the waitress acknowledged previous issues with the new restaurant and asked us to give it a second chance ... sorry ... no chance.

 

Now... for the good parts ... The staff in the MDR were excellent with Nilsita & Dwayne looking after us perfectly, Farell on the Bar service was again top notch !! and lynet at the next table who looked after us sometimes at the ALC Deck 5 Mozart.

 

I must give a special mention to Eugenio (Asst Waiter) in the Windjammer as he was the height of coolness when everything was going Pete Tong around him, and he calmed down some irate table hunters and two ladies who decided to sit down on the same chair !! He then located fresh fruit for another angry customer and was oblivious I was watching the whole scenario .... he then turned and asked if I needed anything that he could get !! so professional !!

 

Jackson was our Room attendant and again was perfect.

 

Diamond Lounge host Dionne was exceptional as was her waiter Rashi, and wish her well in her new role as Concierge, as Sucel was leaving after our cruise ended. The concierge lounge was again good although we preferred the openness and view from the Diamond lounge.

 

The Cruise overall was really enjoyed by all of us, and dont let the above negative points put you off travelling on the AOS as that could happen to anyone on any ship, or any line, she obviously needs some work doing at the next major refit which is in 2016 and I believe when the Explorer arrives in Southampton next year she would have had the Major Refit the Class now needs to compete against other lines that depart from Southampton.

 

The Port visits were again very good with Flam (Flam Railway) & Stavanger (Port) the highlight with fantastic sights and a beautiful town respectively. I cannot understand the stop at Kristiansand as any ship that stops at a foreign port on a Sunday you normally find that everything is closed, and this was the case here and was a totally pointless stop walking around a ghost town.

 

I have to say I love travelling with RCL, however this will be our last trip on the AOS until after her major refit or change in specialty dining, as we do like our special nights and with only poor Giovanni's I will not go back to only one choice again. The reduced suite benefits also put me off spending the extra money for the better cabin so it is easier just to pick a different class of ship.

 

 

Gary

Sorry to hear about your Giovanni's experience. We were on aos for33 days before you and eat there 3 times. Our steaks were so tender you could cut it with a dull knife. And the scallops were my favorite. Had them 3 times and were perfect every time. I hope you give them a try again. Maybe the chef was different. I agree about the smoke in the casino that needs to go.