Adventure B2B Trip & Ultimate Beach Review 4/16/16 - 4/30/16 (photo bomb)!!!

[khm1]

 

Maybe there is a cultural thing that I missed, but the "locals" had some not very friendly practices. It started on the water taxi. They had no change, at all. We were not the first boat load of passengers, so I find it very hard to believe that they had no money.

 

On the beach, there was some fierce competition between the guys serving drinks and some of that spilled over onto the customers. Stuff like "Hey, I said to buy from me and instead you buy from him!" The bathroom charge was $1 and another $1 to use the shower. Naturally, no change. But you can get change by making a purchase. When I bought a $2 bag of chips so I could pee, I got "So, that's all you buy? No rum, no beer, no t-shirt, just chips?"

 

Overall, a very good beach and a great port. If you ever go, bring lots of dollar bills...

 

 

Unfortunately, we have experienced the same thing in Grenada. I have been there three times. The vendors are very aggressive there. They will fight each other over customers and verbally assault you if you refuse to do what they want. It is a gorgeous island, but the way they treat cruisers is a real turn-off for me.

 

The last time I was there, we ignored all of the vendors with a polite "no thank you" on grande anse beach and just kept walking after turning right off the water taxi pier. We walked almost 3/4 of the way down the beach and found a lonely vendor under a tree renting chairs. It was quiet and almost no one bothered us. There were some locals smoking questionable substances nearby, but they were no trouble. If I went again, this would be my plan. I really can't stand aggressive vendors.

[seashinesunshine]

 

From Deck 4, you can reach the Helipad, which is really cool if it isn't too windy.

Up next is the night time activities, including Quest...

 

On our last cruise on the Adventure we went to the helipad at night, I laid down in the middle of the H and looked up at the stars. It was amazing and so quiet and dark. There were a few people enjoying the same sitting on the benches. I'm sure the guys on the bridge could see with some kind of security night vision thing, but it was a cool thing to do.

[seashinesunshine]

Will you be on the 1/14/17 sailing? We will! It will be our 4th time on Adventure. I'm looking forward to see the dry dock improvements!

 

We will be on that sailing too! Our 3rd time on the Adventure

[AZAficionado]

Unfortunately, we have experienced the same thing in Grenada. I have been there three times. The vendors are very aggressive there. They will fight each other over customers and verbally assault you if you refuse to do what they want. It is a gorgeous island, but the way they treat cruisers is a real turn-off for me.

 

The last time I was there, we ignored all of the vendors with a polite "no thank you" on grande anse beach and just kept walking after turning right off the water taxi pier. We walked almost 3/4 of the way down the beach and found a lonely vendor under a tree renting chairs. It was quiet and almost no one bothered us. There were some locals smoking questionable substances nearby, but they were no trouble. If I went again, this would be my plan. I really can't stand aggressive vendors.

It is unfortunate and I'm willing to bet that it comes from a lack of experience with tourists - who vacations in Grenada? I think this starts a death-spiral where tourists avoid the area, which makes the locals less familiar with tourists and encourages them to engage in short-term profiteering (aggressiveness, no change, etc.) and causes more avoidance by tourists. It is really too bad, because it is a beautiful island.

 

Although, I also think there is a cultural component. I overheard an exchange between one of the beach waiters and one of the shop women who was obviously his supplier. It was the same kind of thing I got on the beach which tells me it might be a cultural thing, too.

[AZAficionado]

On our last cruise on the Adventure we went to the helipad at night, I laid down in the middle of the H and looked up at the stars. It was amazing and so quiet and dark. There were a few people enjoying the same sitting on the benches. I'm sure the guys on the bridge could see with some kind of security night vision thing, but it was a cool thing to do.

Funny story along those lines. On the second week, we met a couple who were staying in a family suite up front with their kids. One night, they left their front curtains open and they got a call saying that the light from their cabin was interfering with the ship's navigation (aka the light could be seen from the bridge). Needless to say, the call came at an inopportune time...

 

Just remember, on the ship, someone is always watching. :eek:

[AZAficionado]

Again, I tried for the perfect sunset shot, and while this one is alright, the clouds were not cooperating. Stupid Caribbean clouds...

 

At dinner (lobster night), I started with the Smoked Duck and Terrine Salad. It was quite good. The terrine itself was outstanding. The flavor was not too strong and the texture was perfect. The smoked duck was delicious, but the fat had not been properly rendered and was pretty much inedible - a common mistake when dealing with duck.

 

I'm a crab man. While I enjoy lobster from time to time, I'm very particular. Quite often my complaint is that lobster is over cooked, making it tough and giving it a bitter flavor.

 

Rather than risk all that, I went with the Prime Rib. The "sides" were turned into "belows". I've seen prime rib this big, but I had to search for the properly cooked part. I've had prime rib that was cooked as well as this (to perfection), but it was the size of dinner roll. The chef really hit it out of the park. This was, by far, the best meal I had in the MDR all week.

 

We stopped back in the cabin for some monkey business. High-def video footage of the real monkey business is available on a less family friendly site.

 

I hit the cigar lounge for a Padron 26th Anniversary and a Louis XIII cognac. For you cognac lovers, if you ever want to try Louis XII, do it on a cruise. In San Juan, it was selling for $365 per shot, which is typical for anywhere on land. On board the ship it was $165-ish ($140 with the premium package). Yea, I know. It's still over $100 for a shot of booze. I allow myself one shot per week of cruising.

[AZAficionado]

Late night was back at the Champagne Bar, where our regular band of fellow passengers were waiting. There were about 10 of us that would close down the Champagne Bar every night. It made for good times and great drinks.

 

SolsticeAZ did "something fruity", which was supposed to be the "something fruity" she had several days earlier. I don't know if it was the same or not, but it was good.

 

I did an original recipe Mai-Tai, which tastes very different from your typical Mai-Tai. It was absolutely delicious.

 

The non-menu drinks kept flowing. This is a Spicy Cucumber Martini with Sriracha. So good.

 

Time to check in on the beach competition:

 

1. Magen's Bay, St. Thomas

2. Reduit Beach, St. Lucia

3. Grand Anse Beach, Grenada

4. Rainbow Beach, St. Croix

5. Valley Church Beach, Antigua (rain)

 

I know you are exhausted (we were too), but stay tuned for our first Sea Day...

[MisterMom]

Loving the review and especially the driiiinnkkkk pooooorn.... Sailing Adventure in July and looking forward to trying them all!

[AZAficionado]

Loving the review and especially the driiiinnkkkk pooooorn.... Sailing Adventure in July and looking forward to trying them all!

I'm really glad you are enjoying it.

 

And that's exactly how to say it. :cool: There will be more. I got package on the second week too.

[seashinesunshine]

Funny story along those lines. On the second week, we met a couple who were staying in a family suite up front with their kids. One night, they left their front curtains open and they got a call saying that the light from their cabin was interfering with the ship's navigation (aka the light could be seen from the bridge). Needless to say, the call came at an inopportune time...

 

Just remember, on the ship, someone is always watching. :eek:

 

Now that's funny! Luckily, I was only star gazing. :D

[seashinesunshine]

Funny story along those lines. On the second week, we met a couple who were staying in a family suite up front with their kids. One night, they left their front curtains open and they got a call saying that the light from their cabin was interfering with the ship's navigation (aka the light could be seen from the bridge). Needless to say, the call came at an inopportune time...

 

Just remember, on the ship, someone is always watching. :eek:

 

Now that's funny! Luckily, I was only star gazing. :D

[New2cruise1483]

Thank you so much for the review! I'm absolutely loving the pics! I was on the Adventure in September with my Mom and Sister ( once in a lifetime for us due to the fact that my Mom has terminal ovarian cancer) and this review brings back so many fond memories. It is by far my favorite ship and cruise to date. If you find yourself in St. Croix again, I highly recommend Sandcastle Resort, $25 gets you two loungers, an umbrella and two rum punches, and a beautiful beach :). Also, thank you for the review of Grande Anse beach, as that's my plan for our day in Grenade in November. I can't wait to read more a see more of your awesome pictures! :D

[AZAficionado]

Thank you so much for the review! I'm absolutely loving the pics! I was on the Adventure in September with my Mom and Sister ( once in a lifetime for us due to the fact that my Mom has terminal ovarian cancer) and this review brings back so many fond memories. It is by far my favorite ship and cruise to date. If you find yourself in St. Croix again, I highly recommend Sandcastle Resort, $25 gets you two loungers, an umbrella and two rum punches, and a beautiful beach :). Also, thank you for the review of Grande Anse beach, as that's my plan for our day in Grenade in November. I can't wait to read more a see more of your awesome pictures! :D

I'm so sorry to hear about your mom. But I'm really happy this review reminded you of great memories.

 

Good tip about St. Croix. I'll have to remember that. Just remember to bring lots of ones and your best defense for Grand Anse. ;)

[Elvis1209]

AZAficionado:

 

Love the review so far! I, like you, like to smoke a cigar and have a martini or a cognac every night. But unlike you I am a purist. I only drink classic vodka martinis (Tito's vodka or Ketel One). I was on Adventure last October/November. The weather was hot, humid, and most days rainy! But what the hell, I was on a cruise. Do you take your usual cigars with you, or do you assemble a cross section just for the cruise? I usually start about 6 months before and start collecting special cigars just for the cruise. I always include Rocky Patel Noordings and Romeo and Juliette's in my collection. I try to snag some Cubans when I'm in the islands but you have to watch out for counterfeits. Anyway, I look forward to reading the rest of your review. I have a 9-night cruise coming up on Navigator in December.

 

Elvis

[signora]

Great review: thank you! This is called escaping from reality for me as we are not going until 2/2018. One thing to note: last time we were off of Celebrity in Grenada, we went to a small beach near Grand Anse (of course I can't remember the name) and it was beautiful and deserted, with us and a few people at a restaurant. No vendors at all. We were able to rent loungers too. We found out about it on the Ports of Call Forum.

[AZAficionado]

AZAficionado:

 

Love the review so far! I, like you, like to smoke a cigar and have a martini or a cognac every night. But unlike you I am a purist. I only drink classic vodka martinis (Tito's vodka or Ketel One). I was on Adventure last October/November. The weather was hot, humid, and most days rainy! But what the hell, I was on a cruise. Do you take your usual cigars with you, or do you assemble a cross section just for the cruise? I usually start about 6 months before and start collecting special cigars just for the cruise. I always include Rocky Patel Noordings and Romeo and Juliette's in my collection. I try to snag some Cubans when I'm in the islands but you have to watch out for counterfeits. Anyway, I look forward to reading the rest of your review. I have a 9-night cruise coming up on Navigator in December.

 

Elvis

Glad you are liking the review, Elvis!! :)

 

As for cigars, I pick from what I have in my humidor at home. Although, I take more of my "weekend" cigars (Fuente Anjeo, Opus X, AVO, Padron Anniversary) than my daytime "go-to", Rocky Patel Vintage Connecticut. I often buy Cubans on cruises, but only from shops that are well-known and reputable. I didn't know of any shops like that on these islands, so I didn't go shopping.

 

I hope you enjoy the rest of the review and your upcoming cruise.

[AZAficionado]

Great review: thank you! This is called escaping from reality for me as we are not going until 2/2018. One thing to note: last time we were off of Celebrity in Grenada, we went to a small beach near Grand Anse (of course I can't remember the name) and it was beautiful and deserted, with us and a few people at a restaurant. No vendors at all. We were able to rent loungers too. We found out about it on the Ports of Call Forum.

You are most welcome and thank you for the kind words. :D

 

I think you might be referring to Morne Rouge Beach, which was my planned destination. It is just beyond the peninsula west of Grand Anse and supposed to be a much better beach. But, the taxi and water taxi dispatchers were smelling blood in the water and charging triple with a long wait to depart to go to Morne Rouge - they wanted full boats/taxis to a beach nobody was asking about (except me). It is a short walk from the west end of Grand Anse. Naturally, they were dropping everyone on the east end of Grand Anse. Since Grand Anse came up quite a bit in my research, I decided to go "the easy route".

[twcricket]

Hubby and I visit the cigar lounge every evening. We own a cigar store, so it is important to us to cruise on ships that have a lounge. Someone posted that they heard the lounge on Adventure was going to be turned into a library during dry dock. Anyone else hear this?

[AZAficionado]

Hubby and I visit the cigar lounge every evening. We own a cigar store, so it is important to us to cruise on ships that have a lounge. Someone posted that they heard the lounge on Adventure was going to be turned into a library during dry dock. Anyone else hear this?

:eek: Don't even ask about such things! :eek:

 

I haven't heard anything. There was a frequent cruiser and multiple back-to-backer on board who said he knew the upcoming changes from talking to many of the officers. He didn't mention anything about changing the cigar lounge. I think he would have said something, if he knew, as he was frequently in there. But only Royal knows for sure what changes will be applied.

[twcricket]

:eek: Don't even ask about such things! :eek:

 

I haven't heard anything. There was a frequent cruiser and multiple back-to-backer on board who said he knew the upcoming changes from talking to many of the officers. He didn't mention anything about changing the cigar lounge. I think he would have said something, if he knew, as he was frequently in there. But only Royal knows for sure what changes will be applied.

 

We sail on her on the 21st. I will see what I can find out. Hopefully, it isn't true. Seems strange to turn a space that can generate revenue into a space that wouldn't generate revenue.

[AZAficionado]

At Sea (Day 7):

 

Finally, a sea day. I have to say that while this itinerary is great with all the different ports, it is a bit hectic.

 

We get a lazy start with breakfast at the Windjammer. Our plan was to do breakfast on the balcony, but it was like a steam bath out there.

 

At the back of the 'Jammer, is the Island Grill Bar, which I think is in a great location. The Bloody Mary's were awesome.

 

Here's a few shots of what's available for breakfast. A great selection, no matter what you like for breakfast.

[AZAficionado]

To kill some time until the Consecutive Cruiser meeting, I wandered taking photos.

 

 

The Royal Promenade.

 

The library. I'm all for literacy, but does the ship really need a library?

[AZAficionado]

Next Cruise, where you can book your next cruise vacation. How convenient. They also give you a discount.

 

RC Online, where you can use a computer to print boarding passes, do airline check-in, check your favorite adult site, whatever...

 

The Schooner Bar. They were doing some kind of trivia. Based on the people's faces, how fun was that?

 

Ok, here is some irony: I took over 500 pictures during the two weeks on board. I made a deliberate effort to capture as much of the ship as possible. I spent many (most?) of my waking hours on board at the Champagne Bar. I have exactly zero pictures of the Champagne Bar. Go me!!!

 

At several places on each deck are interactive maps that are fantastic.

 

Not only do they serve as maps, but you can see the Cruise Compass, Menus for dining, etc. You can also see what is happening on the ship "Right Now", select something, and you get directions. Nice. I guess all the people wandering aimlessly didn't notice these things (they are all over the place).

[AZAficionado]

For those of you who can't use a touch screen, there is the low-tech map of the ship, from the side and top. Not as good as the other one, but should prevent getting lost.

 

On the promenade, they were doing a Black Forest Cake Decorating class/competition with the Cruise Director, Dan Dan (or is it Dan-Dan?). They also had two passengers (both did a fantastic job). Naturally, Dan Dan's cake was a disaster and he used so much cherry liquor that his cake sprung a leak and then slowly collapsed. It was hilarious to watch.

 

In the pool, they were doing some kind of aqua exercise/massage. To be honest, I don't know what they were doing, but it sounded dirty at times. Typical pool deck fun.

 

Naturally, the pool deck was packed. Tomorrow, almost all of these people are going home and they need to squeeze every last bit out of their vacation.

 

Don't go away, the rest of the sea day (and night) is coming up next....

[AZAficionado]

We sail on her on the 21st. I will see what I can find out. Hopefully, it isn't true. Seems strange to turn a space that can generate revenue into a space that wouldn't generate revenue.

I'd be interested to hear what you find out. According to the frequent cruiser, there is still some debate over the changes. The folks at Giovanni's want to keep their current location and I guess others (Miami HQ?) wants to move it. So, who knows?