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

[signora]

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?

 

Hooray for libraries!

 

BTW what's your upcoming itinerary? Can't wait for the vicarious pleasure!

Edited May 9, 2016 by signora

[oraelo]

Walking around the ship and looking at the various art pieces around the ship (especially in the stairwells) was definitely entertaining. There were some very cool things around the ship, but even more entertaining was the amount of downright odd artsy pieces scattered around. My personal favorite was the shirt that appeared to be covered in nipples in one of the forward stairwells.

[slvrbllt]

Walking around the ship and looking at the various art pieces around the ship (especially in the stairwells) was definitely entertaining. There were some very cool things around the ship, but even more entertaining was the amount of downright odd artsy pieces scattered around. My personal favorite was the shirt that appeared to be covered in nipples in one of the forward stairwells.

 

Okay... this will be on my list of things we MUST find on our cruise (in 26 days, but who's counting?). :D

[Cruising to Retirement]

Your opinion counts..

[AZAficionado]

Hooray for libraries!

 

BTW what's your upcoming itinerary? Can't wait for the vicarious pleasure!

It is 6-night Western then 8-night Eastern Caribbean. Specifically: Grand Cayman, Cozumel, Costa Maya, Ft. Lauderdale, then Labadee, San Juan, St. Maarten, and St. Kitts. A little different than the West/East Caribbean rut we've done in the past several years.

[AZAficionado]

Walking around the ship and looking at the various art pieces around the ship (especially in the stairwells) was definitely entertaining. There were some very cool things around the ship, but even more entertaining was the amount of downright odd artsy pieces scattered around. My personal favorite was the shirt that appeared to be covered in nipples in one of the forward stairwells.

All of the ships are loaded with many art pieces, probably worth millions in total. Although, there are a few pieces I'd pay to not have to see... ;)

 

On other cruises with more sea days, I've done the "stairwell art tour", walking down each set of stairs to see the art and then using the elevator to go back up and hit the next stairwell. Worth checking out.

[Peeker28]

Great review, I've always wanted to go on Adventure but my hubby likes the big ships!

 

How do you post your pictures from your iphone?

 

There's no Sorentos on AOS? Oh my, that's my favorite place to go right before I head to bed

[AZAficionado]

Your opinion counts..

Regarding which side of the ship is better when in port:

 

That's easy: the side away from the dock so nobody is staring onto your balcony or into your cabin. However, that varies from port to port and even from visit to visit. The only way to be sure is to book cabins on opposite sides of the ship. Royal fully supports this practice. ;)

[Clarea]

... There's no Sorentos on AOS? Oh my, that's my favorite place to go right before I head to bed

No Sorrento's on Adventure. Pizza slices are offered at Cafe Promenade late.

[AZAficionado]

Great review, I've always wanted to go on Adventure but my hubby likes the big ships!

 

How do you post your pictures from your iphone?

 

There's no Sorentos on AOS? Oh my, that's my favorite place to go right before I head to bed

Thanks for the compliment! You don't need or even want a big ship with this itinerary - you'd have to choose: see the port or see the ship.

 

As for posting my pictures, I transfer them directly to my computer. "Process" them (mostly just resize and rename). Then upload them to Photobucket and put a link to the photo into my forum posts.

 

I learned the first day of my first review that you have to pay for an account on Photobucket that allows unlimited downloads. Otherwise, you exceed your daily limit in the first hour of each day.

 

No Sorentos, no problem. The late night pizza and snacks at Cafe Promenade are identical (literally, the use the same recipe) to what they make at Sorentos.

 

Ninja'ed by clarea.

Edited May 9, 2016 by AZAficionado
Ninja comment

[AZAficionado]

At 11:30am, we went to the Consecutive Cruiser meeting. There were maybe 30 people staying on board for the next cruise. They gave us In Transit cards and out new SeaPass Cards. Here's how the whole Back-to-Back thing works.

 

You have two options:

 

1. Stay on Board - You meet in one of the lounges at 10:45 am and after all the other passengers have departed, they escort you as a group, off the ship, through customs and then back on board. I've done this with previous cruises and it takes about 30 minutes.

 

2. Get off the Ship - You can leave at any time before 10:45 am and use the Priority Lane to go through customs, although your In Transit card means they wave you through. You can't get back on board until 12:30 pm when embarkation for new passengers starts. Again, you use the Priority Lane and are waved on board. Basically, San Juan becomes a standard port day.

 

Naturally, complementary champagne or mimosas were provided.

 

I grabbed a picture of the drinks menu. Don't worry, they serve more than what's on there. This is a list of the stuff you can get at just about every bar. Note: The Champagne Bar does not have any beer or a blender.

 

So, the running joke (started by the bartenders) at the Champagne Bar goes something like this: "Sir, May I have 4 Pina Coladas (no blender), 3 Cafe Americanos (no coffee), 5 Mojitos (takes a long time to make), a glass of Clos du Bois Chardonnay (they don't have it), and what kind of beer do you have? Oh, and can you make it quick?" To which the joke response is "No, I am sorry Sir. The bar is closing."

 

The line at Guest Services was beginning to grow. These guys can resolve just about any problem you have and they are great. But the line there can be quite long, especially the day before debarkation.

 

We went to the Windjammer for a late lunch. I had a pork rib which was delicious and the meat just fell off the bone. A chili dog with sautéed onions (delicious, but a hot dog is a hot dog), Mexican corn salad, and ham and egg potato salad. All were quite good and hit the spot.

[AZAficionado]

Naturally, there is dessert there too. I often just grabbed a cookie.

 

Later on, we went to the Lobby Bar, which is labeled the Aquarium Bar on the online deck plans. That whole area is decorated like an aquarium. At night, there is live music and is like Boleroes (a bar found on other ships). The specialty drink at the Lobby Bar is the Mojito.

 

But they also offer Martini Flights. I might have to check that out later.

 

I went out on deck with my Mojito to have a cigar and enjoy the pool deck.

 

The Caribbean Band was playing, the sun was out, a breeze was blowing, life doesn't get much better than that.

[AZAficionado]

That evening, we went to Chef's Table. I'll say right at the beginning that if you like food paired with wine and/or tasting menus, Chef's Table is for you. It was awesome and the best prepared meal I had on board all week.

 

They start you off with a glass of champagne.

 

The menu.

 

First up was a Chilled Lobster, Scallop, and Shrimp salad that was paired with a Sauvignon Blanc. It was a huge portion, but was delicious. The citrus and delicate seafood flavors brought out the grapefruit flavors in the wine.

 

Next up was a Duo of Soups with Crab Brioche Sandwich. Again, it was fantastic. The first soup was asparagus consume, the second was a carrot bisque. They cleansed out palates so that the wonderful Pinot Grigio would not taste of grapefruit.

 

Third was Pan Roasted Red Snapper, served on a bed of lentils. Note the entree-sized portion. Let's just say there was no way anyone was going to complain about not enough food. It was paired with a very nice Chardonnay.

[AZAficionado]

Fourth was the Seared Beef Tenderloin. Best steak I had on board and cooked to perfection. It came with a Port wine reduction sauce that was to die for. The Oberon Cabernet Sauvignon that was paired with it was perfect. Nicely fruity, but not fruity enough to overpower the rich flavors of the dish.

 

Last up was a Chocolate Creme Brûlée, Pistachio Financier, and Vanilla Ice Cream. It was paired with Moscato. Yum! 'Nuff Said.

 

Back at the late-night hang out (Champagne Bar), I had them make a Manhattan. And they made a great one. We said our good-byes to those getting off and went to bed.

 

Coming up next is another full week of cruising....

Edited May 9, 2016 by AZAficionado

[bobmacliberty]

Chef's Table looks awesome! How long did it take?

[oraelo]

The chefs table food looks fantastic. It would be waste for the wife and I though because we don't drink. Kinda ruins the whole pairing flavors thing.

[cccjenn]

Wow, Chef's Table looks like a worthwhile expenditure!

 

Sent from my SM-G925V using Tapatalk

[charmed101]

Hey Az,,, Celebrity Cruiser here for the most part but I do sometimes go to other cruise lines threads to

a) get a fresh approach from cruisers on other lines

and b) to check out opinions on other ships for possible future cruises.

Would just like to say that I'm really enjoying your trip report and looking forward to your second week. Hope the drinks and food are as good or better than your first ! thanks and enjoy !

[wolfganghowell]

Yay - one more week. I had no idea Adventure was so different from the other Voyager class ships. Learned something new!

[AZAficionado]

Chef's Table looks awesome! How long did it take?

It was! :D It takes about 2 to 2.5 hours.

[AZAficionado]

The chefs table food looks fantastic. It would be waste for the wife and I though because we don't drink. Kinda ruins the whole pairing flavors thing.

The food was quite good. It was one of the better meals I had on board. However, it was not as good as Chef's Table on previous cruises on other ships.

 

If you don't drink wine at all, I think it isn't a good choice. The wine changes your palate and without it, the food won't be as good. Also they are using the second wine deliberately as a palate cleanser (some places use a sorbet). And then there is the cost...

[AZAficionado]

Wow, Chef's Table looks like a worthwhile expenditure!

 

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If you like multi-course wine and food pairings, it is. I think the only dining experience that beats Chef's Table is *maybe* 150 Central Park. Note I said maybe. :eek:

[AZAficionado]

Hey Az,,, Celebrity Cruiser here for the most part but I do sometimes go to other cruise lines threads to

a) get a fresh approach from cruisers on other lines

and b) to check out opinions on other ships for possible future cruises.

Would just like to say that I'm really enjoying your trip report and looking forward to your second week. Hope the drinks and food are as good or better than your first ! thanks and enjoy !

I'm really glad you are enjoying!! :)

 

The drinks and food were just as good (same ship, same crew, same provisions) the second week. Spoiler Alert!!! Damn, I should have said that first, again. :o

[SandyToes2000]

I'm really enjoying your review! It's my lunchtime getaway. Thank you so much for taking the time to write it. It is a lot of work, but I really appreciate all the tips for our upcoming Southern Adventure in Jan'17.

[AZAficionado]

Yay - one more week. I had no idea Adventure was so different from the other Voyager class ships. Learned something new!

Glad you are excited for another week!!!

 

I didn't know Adventure was all that different from others in the class. Is that a straight up comparison with no dry docks involved, or is it comparing post dry dock ships to Adventure?