Adventure of the Seas, May 20 - 27, 2017 Review

[Aviator of the Seas]

The text of the review I submitted today. Not much, just to reiterate that it is still a great ship on the best route and that I'm glad to be back cruising with RCI. The Adventure and the Southern Caribbean cruises are well worn subjects here, but if anyone still has any questions about this most recent experience, shoot.

 

I hadn't sailed with RCI for almost five years. For one of those years, RCI skipped the Southern Caribbean region during the summer in favor of Europe, so I tried Princess and a couple of land vacations. But I was always yearning to return as without a doubt, the Southern Caribbean cruises are the best, IMHO, and RCI had already reestablished its [summer] routes there, and is in fact expanding with the deployment of the Freedom toSan Juan beginning in 2018.

 

So, I gave it another shot going on my favorite ship, the Adventure of the Seas, and was not disappointed. The ship basically looks the same as I had left it except for the obvious enhancements done to her since, the biggest ofwhich are the Flow Rider, the Cyclone/Typhoon slides and the Chops Grille - all of which I tried.

 

The rest of the ship had the same welcoming feel as always. The crew, led by Captain Tomas Busto, was always happy and motivated and service was experienced accordingly. Yes, she is showing wear and tear here and there, but nothing that prevented us from enjoying the ship.

 

DW and I did the Deluxe Beverage Package, our DD did the next tier down. This is a must do because prices for individual drinks are outrageous. Plus, this saved you from having to sign all those sales slips. We also got the VoomSurf and Stream internet package, which worked very well throughout the ship except in the farthest aft area of the Windjammer.

 

The islands we did were Saint Thomas, Aruba, Curacao and St. Kitts. Except for St. Kitts, we had done all the others many times, so we just walked around on our own there and saved our tour money for St. Kitts. In St. Kitts we did the Grand Tour of the island, which lasted almost five hours, and enjoyed it very much. Too bad we had to rush through our day here since Captain Busto wanted to leave early at 3:30, instead of the usual 5:00 PM. This island deserves more time to explore.

 

All in all we really enjoyed our return to RCI and are looking forward to sailing on the Freedom next year, although we are a little sad to say goodbye to our old friend the Adventure of the Seas. Hope to catch up with her somewhere around the world in our future travels.

 

[cabin review]

 

Except for the flat screen TV the cabins are the same as when the ship was launched in 2001. Nothing wrong with it except for the expected wear and tear. The only minor complaint was a drip-drip sound on the cabin ceiling which we couldn't isolate, and feared there was an impending flooding issue, which never happened. I guess that with older boats, creaking and other sounds are to be expected. Oh, and the balconies had newer chairs and taller tables, which made more sense than the old low cocktail tables we used to have.

Edited June 2, 2017 by Aviator of the Seas
bad copy/paste

[skid10]

Agreed! Was on there with you! Thoroughly enjoyed the cruise as well as the Grand Tour of St Kitts. We were probably on the same bus with Thenford Gray. I do have a question. Do you happen to know how old Captain Busto is. His appearance seems to make him the youngest Captain I have ever seen!

[Aviator of the Seas]

Hey! I was also on the Thenford Gray tour. All the way at the back of the bus with my grandson (the 8 year old with the camera).

 

Capt. Busto must be in his late 40s at the most. He belongs to a well-known Puerto Rico shipping family. His father owns the Museum of the Sea in Old San Juan, which is basically his personal collection.

 

Good to hear from you.

[skid10]

We loved your grandson-so bright, inquisitive and polite. You must be very proud! Thanks for the very interesting information about Captain Busto. Enjoy the summer!

[Aviator of the Seas]

Thanks, you too.