Live-ish (hopefully) Adventure of the Seas 9/9 - 9/16

[drarill]

Oceano! Can't say enough good things. You must get the steak egg roll appetizer. Seriously one of the best things I have ever eaten. It's a tad expensive, with entres in the mid 20s to high 30s, but worth it!

 

 

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Welcome to San Juan[emoji1202]! Glad you made it! Enjoy the Adventure of the Seas and Happy Cruising!

 

 

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[ResearchObsessed]

Finally coaxed the other half out of bed. He is taking a shower again, I took one look at my humidity poofed hair (fro) and put it into a ponytail. Will probably try out the Solarium Pool pretty quickly anyway!

 

We are about to pack up the room (really, how can you become this unorganized in 18 hours?). Then we have to head to the front desk to see if they have some tape for our luggage tags. Amazon let me down by delivering ours THREE instead of two days. Oh well, I will just return them when I get back. Should have ordered earlier.

 

Plan is to Uber over to ChocoBar/OSJ for some brunch, then maybe wander a bit before heading to the ship! This morning I realized my hotel room has a direct line to one of the forts! It's super tiny here, but you can see it!

 

 

 

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[ResearchObsessed]

Effects of Irma: so far the only physical effects seem to be trees down and lots of branches and foliage piled along the roads for eventual cleanup.

 

The biggest issue appears to power outages. We just went to OSJ and pretty much everyone is out of power. The restaurant we ate at (ChocoBar) is running on generator. The lights are very dim and they are serving everything on paper plates and in to-go cups. Still delicious! Except the churros. I think the fryer is having difficulty getting to temp so they were kinda dense and dry. No biggie.

 

 

Also, just looked up our flight path from yesterday. I am a bit nerdy so this is really cool to me. Here is usual path they fly on this route:

 

And here is what we flew:

 

Check out the difference in flight times!

 

One more thing: I am SOOOO thankful we switched to layover in Charlotte instead of Miami. Technically Miami was still functioning yesterday and American said I didn't need to change, but I just felt more comfortable doing so. Turns out that flight from Miami to San Juan was cancelled and we would have ended up stuck in Miami during the storm if we hadn't switched!

 

 

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[ILCruzr]

Effects of Irma: so far the only physical effects seem to be trees down and lots of branches and foliage piled along the roads for eventual cleanup.

 

The biggest issue appears to power outages. We just went to OSJ and pretty much everyone is out of power. The restaurant we ate at (ChocoBar) is running on generator. The lights are very dim and they are serving everything on paper plates and in to-go cups. Still delicious! Except the churros. I think the fryer is having difficulty getting to temp so they were kinda dense and dry. No biggie.

 

 

Also, just looked up our flight path from yesterday. I am a bit nerdy so this is really cool to me. Here is usual path they fly on this route:

 

And here is what we flew:

 

Check out the difference in flight times!

 

One more thing: I am SOOOO thankful we switched to layover in Charlotte instead of Miami. Technically Miami was still functioning yesterday and American said I didn't need to change, but I just felt more comfortable doing so. Turns out that flight from Miami to San Juan was cancelled and we would have ended up stuck in Miami during the storm if we hadn't switched!

 

 

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and to think the airlines know what they are talking about hahahaha.......you know what's best for you and now you are in paradise...enjoy your cruise. The ABC islands are my most favorite, Curacao being my fave. They are not in the hurricane path so you should have beautiful weather and blue sunny skies! Enjoy every minute of your cruise on AOS! I am jealous of you right now!!!

[moopig]

So happy you made it!!!!

[tlw3184]

Following along. I hope you have an awesome cruise! I would love to do this cruise one day :)

[ResearchObsessed]

and to think the airlines know what they are talking about hahahaha.......you know what's best for you and now you are in paradise...enjoy your cruise. The ABC islands are my most favorite, Curacao being my fave. They are not in the hurricane path so you should have beautiful weather and blue sunny skies! Enjoy every minute of your cruise on AOS! I am jealous of you right now!!!

 

 

 

What's your favorite thing to do in Curaçao? We actually didn't plan anything so wide open!

 

 

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[mjgep0316]

Take a cab to Blue Bay Beach or Mambo beach. We have a tour booked in October with Irie Tours for a West End beach hopping tour. Not sure if it's too late for you to book that online.

 

 

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[qdog123]

Oceano! Can't say enough good things. You must get the steak egg roll appetizer. Seriously one of the best things I have ever eaten. It's a tad expensive, with entres in the mid 20s to high 30s, but worth it!

 

 

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I'm in! Thanks again for the great tip and enjoy the Adventure!

[mkad1109]

Enjoy! I enjoyed reading your posts... we are headed on the ship when you get off.. Our first on RCL. Very excited. Looking forward to reading your thoughts. We have different itinerarys (I believe St. Maarten was the only one in common and I am quite sure it is cancelled for us as well) Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!

[mjgep0316]

Royal just announced you guys will be making a stop in St. Maarten tomorrow to drop off humanitarian supplies. I guess the pier is ok???

 

 

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[LuCruise]

So glad to hear you got yourselves there. Enjoy your cruise.

 

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[ResearchObsessed]

Just toured around a bit. Beautiful ship! We are getting so excited to head out on our first sea day ever!

 

When we got to our rooms, we had our tickets for excursions and a few minutes after we entered we got a phone call to schedule our B1G1 dining. Chose Giovanni's tonight and Chops tomorrow. We specifically haven't eaten a lot today knowing we are in for a treat!

 

One weird thing is that we got the beverage package but no cups in our rooms. I went to a bar tender who had one of those "ask me about the beverage package" shirts on to ask about it. I thought he must have misunderstood because he said they aren't given to everyone and then he kinda just walked away. Okay...went to a table that was set up and the guy explained it further. Said because of the storm they didn't receive enough cups and that people who got the delux package wouldn't get the cups and would just have to drink the cans given at the bar. Honestly, I was slightly ok with this but also a bit miffed. I don't drink soda but I do drink vitamin water and with this being the situation I wouldn't be able to get that at all despite paying premium dollars to drink whatever I wanted. On a whim I asked a drink KIOSK (instead of table) person and they gave us cups. Woo!

 

Here is a pic of the updated itinerary we got.

 

Originally we were going to do an extra day in Aruba. Now w we are doing a humanitarian aid stop in St. Maarten. Basically a sea day while in port as we won't be allowed off. While I would rather a day in Aruba, this is 100% the right thing for Royal to do and we are happy to give up an island day for a sea day. Also think it is awesome we are picking up 300 people who need shelter! Kinda curious however where they will eventually be dropped off...

 

Alrighty, I will sign off for the night. Not sure when I will be back but it won't be for a few days I think since we are doing the two sea days, then Curaçao where I know I don't have service. Might get wifi somewhere there though.

 

 

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[mjgep0316]

Curaçao has free Island wide wifi!

 

 

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[Sandie]

If possible, would someone share information about your humanitarian stop in St.Maarten? We have friends there and we are very concerned about them as well as everyone on the island. Thank you.

[mjgep0316]

Just read that Adventure is in St. Maarten now.

 

 

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[Morecruisesplz]

Hoping you will continue to post updates. If I remember right you are doing a b2b. We hope to be able to make it to 9/16 departure.

[CLE2CRUISE]

 

Can't complain! It was seriously amazing. And TOTALLY dead. We walked in at 7 and there was literally one other table. Apparently it is usually completely packed on a Friday night but issues from the storm have resulted in a huge decrease in both tourists and locals being out and about. We got the best seat in the house, as you can see. Rolling waves, ocean wind, plus one of the best meals of our lives started to make all the worry and stress from this last week worth it.

 

Tomorrow the plan is to head to the ship in the afternoon so we can check out OSJ a bit. Figure we will be on her for the next seven days, we aren't in a rush to board immediately.

 

Now, for some much deserved shut eye!

 

 

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Looks absolutely beautiful!!!! You've earned some rest and relaxation! I hope the rest of your cruise continues to build on the joy of your lovely first meal :) Have a great time!

 

Lisa N.

[waverley7]

Following along. SO glad you made it. Travel is nerve

wracking as it is with out all the unknowns you have dealt with. I love your enthusiasm and patience. I hope you have a great time! Thanks for the tip about Oceana, might have to try that in April. Looking forward to your posts! :cool:

[ResearchObsessed]

Current situation in Curaçao!:

 

 

Our first two sea days were spent getting to know the ship and figuring everything out. We had dinner the first night at Giovanni's and holy cow it was truly amazing. Very impressed. Second night we had Chops and while it was decent, it was forgettable. Definitely glad we only paid $15 for it.

 

We have been very happy to have the drink package. We have yet to be drink, but have easily gotten our money worth every day. Today is our first port day though so we will see. Either way through I am not concerned. Love being able to get what I want without worrying about a bill at the end of the vacation.

 

I know you want to know more about the stop in St. Maarten. We heard about the change during our safety drill. The captain said that RC coordinated with the Dutch military and were able to schedule a humanitarian mission. The crazy part is they didn't even know we could dock until we got within rage of communication with a pilot. We dropped a bunch of supplies like water and food and sheets, and picked up about 300 passengers that were stuck on the island. Two of them ended up becoming our neighbors. They told us that the situation in St. Maarten is much worse than any news is saying. And from our view from the boat it was truly a disaster. They were allowed to bring their pets on board and so we also have a cat and dog as neighbors. We even saw some envelopes attached to their door after with information on vets on the islands! RC seems to be doing an incredible job helping these people in every way possible, including trying to find them a psychiatrist to immediately start offering mental health services. Amazing.

 

Anyway, I have pretty good Wi-Fi while here so feel free to ask any questions!

 

 

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[pamela27]

Hi, am just following along.

 

I am so happy that RC are doing there bit in helping out all those unfortunate people. We have visited the islands many time and it breaks my heart to see these beautifull islands destroyed by mother nature.

The islanders are very friendly people and don't deserve such destuction.

 

We are coming back to the Caribbean next May aboard Freedom from San Juan.

 

Enjoy the rest of your cruise. Adventure is a beautifull ship, and has one of the best crews ever.

[Getting out there]

Glad RC is helping out SO MUCH! Did the refuges get off at Curacao or are they staying until PR? Is there any talk when they will make St. Maartin a port of call again?

[ResearchObsessed]

No info on when St. Martin will be up and running again - my guess (and keep in mind I have no info backing this up) is that it will be many months. So far all of the refugees (is that even the best word for them?) I have spoken to are American. The Dutch military has been getting their people off pretty consistently since Irma hit. America has completely ignored their people. Now I don't know a lot about how America usually responds to disasters in other countries with Americans present, but it seems odd a Royal Caribbean ship needs to stop by on a random mission five days after she hit to get them off.

 

My understanding is some of them got off here, some will do so in San Juan, and I even heard talk of other waiting until Adventure docks in America. No clue when that happens. Maybe they are scheduling a special trip?

 

The people we picked up are SO THANKFUL. They have truly been through a lot. They literally had no clue we were coming until they saw Adventure pulling up and they packed up, jumped in cars, vans, and busses and come on.

 

 

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[gnr25]

Ah, I was wondering who the people boarding the ship at St. Maarten would be. If it would be Americans and Canadians wishing to transit through PR to return home, or if it would be Dutch and French hoping to get on direct flights from the ABC islands to Amsterdam. But so far, all Americans.

[ResearchObsessed]

I believe it was probably more than just Americans. I think I may have only run into the Americans simply because I speak English and am able to strike up conversations with them and hear when they are telling their story to others.

 

 

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