Review of Adventure of the Seas, 2/17/18

[printingchick]

Our next day was at sea. We attended one of the two ice show performances scheduled for that day. It was wonderful, as always. It's amazing how the skaters can perform such complex moves on such a small rink. We also enjoyed the Belly Flop contest at the pool. Casey is a good cruise director and made it lots of fun. They also had Zumba by the pool on both sea days. That was to recorded popular music, however there was typically live music by the pool, which was awesome!

 

A few random notes about life on Adventure:

 

• The staff on board was not diligent about enforcing the rules prohibiting the saving of chairs. It was extremely difficult to find loungers, particularly in the solarium pool area.
  
• I wasn't sure how I'd feel about the big screen on the pool deck. This is the first ship I've been on that included that feature. It was far less intrusive than I imagined. During the day, they showed something akin to funny home videos, broadcast without any sound. It was distracting only because it was THERE, but not as invasive as I'd thought it might be.
  
• Our waiter in the MDR always recommended the items that were available for only that one night. They were not always the BEST on the menu, despite his claims.
  
• If you like dark chocolate, you HAVE to try the Royal Chocolate Cake. I'm not a huge cake eater, but OMG...it's amazing!
  
• I was not a fan of the barramundi (fish), although my husband enjoyed it. It had a LOT of garlic and I found it more oily/fishy tasting than a lot of white fish.
  
• If you like curry, try the Indian Scrambled Eggs in the Windjammer. Delicious!
  
• Contrary to reports on this site, Johnny Rockets was still $6.95 per person before gratuity.
  
• If you like Cabernet, we found the best one to be Oberon. It was $16 a glass, but we made use of our C&A coupons to make it more affordable!
  
• Lunch in the MDR on sea days is great. The chopped salads seemed to offer fewer choices than I remember from past cruises, but still very good. They also had customizable pasta.
  
• Try the mango lava flow, a frozen rum drink. Yummy!
  
• Am I commenting a lot of food? Yes, after a successful pre-cruise diet, I packed on 10 pounds during this vacation! EGADS! 10 pounds! Two of those pounds dropped off immediately when I returned home and stopped eating like I lived on a cruise ship!
  
• The two level mini golf was fun!
  
• Playing ping pong on a windy day is a riot, and also tremendous exercise as it requires constant running after the ball!
  
• Not actually about the ship itself, but I'd forgotten how disorganized the San Juan airport is. While operating normally, without any apparent evidence of storm damage, check in and security was SLOW. Plan to arrive two hours before your flight. You will NEED every bit of that time. And don't forget to go to put your bags through Agricultural screening or you'll be sent back. Part of what slowed the line was people cutting back into the check-in line after being sent to Agricultural screening!
  

[printingchick]

Ken,

I'm so sorry. I didn't take any photos of the MDR menus. I found them on-line, but I don't think I can post the web link here. Look for a site called Cruise With Gambee. Then look for Royal Caribbean Main Dining Room Menus.

 

ENJOY!

[MindyJohn]

I notice they've added cabins on deck 11, apparently in the area of the gym formerly used for classes like morning stretch. Did you notice in the Daily Compass if there were still classes offered in the morning between 7 and 8am? Thanks!

[Eeyore1962]

Thank you for posting this review. We leave in 4 days to board Adventure so reading this and seeing the pictures is getting me primed. Will you be posting pictures of the menus? DW would really like to know what awaits her before we board.

 

 

 

Ken, my hubby and I are that cruise also for our first B2B. I am sure we will see you at the Meet and Mingle. :cool:

 

Alison and Scott

[marci22]

If you like curry, try the Indian Scrambled Eggs in the Windjammer. Delicious!

 

Did you notice if there was an Indian night at the WJ dinner hours?

[printingchick]

The stairs to go up to the slides are located on the deck above the end of the slides. If you reference that photo, it's where the waves are painted on a structure located there. It's a glassed-in spiral staircase. The slides let out just to the right of the bleachers for the FlowRider spectators. To the left of the FlowRider is mini-golf. No, there are now loungers located near the end of the slides. You could use one on the deck above or below where the slides let out.

 

I believe there were some classes offered at the gym, but I'm afraid I don't recall what they were. Sorry, I was too busy packing on those ten pounds instead of working them off! There certainly appeared to be room for a morning stretch class. The large hot tub, which I believe used to be located in that area, is now gone.

 

We didn't eat any dinners at the Windjammer, so I can't provide any information about the offerings at dinner time. Sorry. We also didn't eat in any specialty restaurants, just the MDR.

[printingchick]

Speaking of hot tubs, I found the ones in the solarium to be VERY hot! They were also VERY chlorinated, causing my eyes to burn after several minutes. Maybe my eyes are just especially sensitive. I saw other people lounging in the hot tubs for longer periods of time.

 

Reports from all the islands were that this has been a weird winter in terms of weather. We had just occasional rain showers - nothing that ruined our plans. I believe we were told in Aruba that the average annual rainfall is around 19 inches and they've received nearly that much already in 2018! We may have received the most rain on our Aruba day, but it would pour for a few minutes, then be bright and sunny. Similar weather pattern in Curacao. It was very windy on all the islands.

[Reds4life]

Did you possibly see how the weigh in/wristband procedure went for the water slides? I gained 8 pounds last summer on our cruise and need to make sure I qualify for the 220 lb limit lol. Is it one wristband for the week? per day? each trip? I'm REALLY hoping for per week so I can eat more Royal Chocolate Cake :)

[printingchick]

Did you possibly see how the weigh in/wristband procedure went for the water slides? I gained 8 pounds last summer on our cruise and need to make sure I qualify for the 220 lb limit lol. Is it one wristband for the week? per day? each trip? I'm REALLY hoping for per week so I can eat more Royal Chocolate Cake :)

 

I saw no one being weighed in for the slides, so I don't know where/how/if that procedure was being performed. There was a sign posted listing the minimum and maximum weight restrictions, but I saw no one confirming riders met the criteria.

 

On embarkation day, I decided at the last minute to check my carry-on bag, so I didn't have to take it to lunch with us. My husband had put a bathing suit in his backpack; I had not. He rode the slides the very first day and there was NO line. I highly recommend doing the slides and/or the FlowRider on embarkation day. They were both operating and virtually no one was using them. (And between you and me, it's better to do that before that chocolate cake, right?)

[printingchick]

Back-tracking just a bit. I neglected to mention that on the Javin's My Island Tour in St. Kitts, Javin brought along a camera to take tons of photos - over 180 of our day! He posts all the photos he takes on Shutterfly, where you can download them for free! ALL of my St. Kitts photos were actually taken by Javin, so if you complemented those photos, I'm sorry to say I can accept no credit. (Although I did choose the tour, so maybe partial credit??)

 

Our next port of call was Curacao. We had booked the West End Tour with Irie Tours, in order to explore the more remote and natural side of the island. About a week prior, I received an email indicating that we were the only ones registered for that tour and it was therefore being cancelled. Disappointing, but at least they let us know far enough in advance to make other plans.

 

When we'd originally evaluated our options, our second choice had been the Tugboat and Reef Snorkel tour with Curacao Actief. The excursion included two snorkel stops, one at Tugboat Beach and one at another beach nearby. Both sites were an easy swim from shore and offered amazing coral and an abundance of aquatic creatures. My research had indicated that Curacao was likely the best snorkeling port on our itinerary, but we were still amazed at just how good it was. Our guide, Berenice, indicated Tugboat Beach was the most crowded she'd EVER seen it. Fins in the face can be a little frustrating, but it was still a GREAT experience. The second stop was at a white sand beach and the reef was an incredibly easy swim. It was perhaps even more amazing that the tugboat!

 

After the second snorkeling stop, we were supposed to go to Fort Beekenberg, which is located between the two beaches. We had some people with mobility issues on our tour, and the fort involves a lot of steps. The itinerary was changed on the fly and we visited the liquor factory where we could participate in a free tasting and/or tour. We did stop at another fort, but it had been converted to a mall or restaurant or some such, so we didn't go inside. Not sure that stop was really worthwhile. It was a half day excursion that returned us to the ship around 1:30. The cost was $65. We had about 20 participants that day so they took two vans. Each van included a driver and two tour guides. They were incredibly patient and helpful to those who needed assistance. It's a very professionally run excursion and we were pleased to have chosen it.

 

Photos to follow later. I don't have the time right now.

[boontj2003]

Great review! Thank you!

[Reds4life]

(And between you and me, it's better to do that before that chocolate cake, right?)

 

Absolutely haha! Thank you for the advice. I'm getting there very early and my oldest daughter and I will be all over the water slides and Flowrider!

[printingchick]

Absolutely haha! Thank you for the advice. I'm getting there very early and my oldest daughter and I will be all over the water slides and Flowrider!

 

They were giving a LOT of instruction at the FlowRider to folks on the first day because they had so much time to spend with each individual. Also, the gate to the water slide stairs was closed when we got there. The gate displays a sign saying the slides are not open. However, when asked, they opened the gate. Not sure if it had simply blown shut, or they didn't intend to open it until someone requested. Don't simply assume it's closed - ask.

[Reds4life]

Another Adventure of the Seas question: I was just told over the phone by a RCI rep that the casino has a non smoking area in the casino that is physically separated by a wall or barrier from the smoking section. I had never heard this before. Is that true?

[Denversail]

Another Adventure of the Seas question: I was just told over the phone by a RCI rep that the casino has a non smoking area in the casino that is physically separated by a wall or barrier from the smoking section. I had never heard this before. Is that true?

 

 

 

That is false. It isn’t how they r making it sound. I can see the nonsmoking tables while sitting at the smoking ones. It is just a separate pit. A little wall protrudes between the two sections but it isn’t a separator in anyway.

 

 

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[cruiseguy1016]

That is false. It isn’t how they r making it sound. I can see the nonsmoking tables while sitting at the smoking ones. It is just a separate pit. A little wall protrudes between the two sections but it isn’t a separator in anyway.

 

 

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Denversail - Can you tell if they have Caribbean Stud Poker in the casino?

[wezie]

Do they have any Broadway type shows?

 

 

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[Reds4life]

That is false. It isn’t how they r making it sound. I can see the nonsmoking tables while sitting at the smoking ones. It is just a separate pit. A little wall protrudes between the two sections but it isn’t a separator in anyway.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

How about the slots area? I like to gamble but with a limited supply of clothes packed for the cruise, I don't want my clothes or room to smell of smoke stench

[Denversail]

How about the slots area? I like to gamble but with a limited supply of clothes packed for the cruise, I don't want my clothes or room to smell of smoke stench

 

 

 

I found the casino to be extremely smoky on our trip a few weeks ago. Now I’m a smoker and obviously contribute to the problem. It is an older ship and doesn’t have the best ventilation. The casino is also pretty small. I even noticed a few times that the schooner bar smelled pretty smoky. I did wonder if this had something to do with it being very windy outside. We were on the repositioning cruise and seemed to consistently be traveling at a decent speed. I know as a smoker that steers me towards the only indoor smoking area. Sorry I don’t have better news. I will say when we were on her in the summer it didn’t seem as bad.

 

 

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[printingchick]

We only walked through the Casino, but I didn't notice ANY sort of wall separating smoking and non-smoking sections. It was a pretty smokey area. Sorry!

[printingchick]

Next Port of Call: Curacao. As mentioned earlier, we primarily snorkeled here, having read it was a great island for snorkeling/diving. My photos honestly do NOT do it justice. But here they are, nonetheless.

 

 

 

[Mrs.C05]

Deleted. Wrong itinerary but it's a great read anyway!

 

Sent from my [s7] using Forums mobile app

[printingchick]

Remember when I said we were cleared to disembark at each island earlier than the captain had anticipated. Not so in Aruba, where it took longer to clear the ship. We had booked with ABC tours and were supposed to meet our tour right at 8:00AM. We didn't. But they were well aware that our ship was late and, of course, they waited. That's a bigger deal when realizing that there were only six people on our tour and ALL the others were visitors staying on the island. WE delayed the start of the tour, but not by much.

We chose this tour because it visited the most natural and remote parts of the island. Our guide, Ludwig, was terrific. I didn't have a high opinion of Aruba after my last visit, thinking it was just like any other island featuring beach resorts. Having seen the natural side of the island, I have an entirely new appreciation.

 

We had more rain on Aruba than on any other island and we were touring in an open air vehicle. Yes, we got wet! But luckily, the rain mostly came while driving and stopped when we reached our various destinations. It was a great day and I would recommend this excursion to anyone who wants to see the sort of natural beauty you can only visit in a jeep or ATV.

 

 

 

 

[printingchick]

More Aruba...

 

 

 

[printingchick]

The seas were too rough for us to swim in the Natural Pool, so we had to admire it from afar. The scenery and terrain on Aruba is incredible. And for those who feel like no day on a Caribbean island is complete without a visit to a fabulous beach resort, we ended our day on Baby Beach. We drank pina coladas at "Big Mama's Bar," a Flintstone theme beach bar where the decor mimicked the iconic Flintstone cartoon and the staff dressed in animal print to further the theme.