Adventure OTS, 13 Night Snowbird Migration Quebec to Ft. Lauderdale Oct. 8, 2018

[twangster]

Interesting enrichment talk in the morning of our day 12 sea day.  "How it Works, The Story of Royal Caribbean Voyager Class of Ships" presented by Bill, our Hotel Director.

Adventure has an "air draft" of 208' depending on loading.  Antennas exceed that a few feet.  Depth numbers are painted on the side of the ship and every day in port a junior officer must record them in a log to indicate how deep the ship is sitting in the water.

Adventure gained ~3 1/2 tons with her make overs.  Originally ~135,000 GT she is now 138,279 GT.   The new cabins on deck 12 and slides have dramatically impacted her top speed.  The original deployment plan for Voyager class in Canada/NE was planned 5 years ago taking into account the top speed of 23- 24 knots.  With the change in aerodynamics they discovered this summer that isn't possible anymore, now she tops out around 20-21 knots. 

There are a number of guest capacity figures.  Max double occupancy is often quoted but Adventure's "SOLAS" capacity is actually 4,000 exactly.  That's the certified capacity based on Safety Of Life At Sea regulations.  Twice this summer she reached that number.  Her double occupancy number is 3,348.  This voyage has 3,280.  This is voyage 888 as indicated on the card provided with the sparkling wine in my cabin.

With 5 diesel generators (DG) or what most folks call "engines" they normally cruise on 3 or 4 DGs.  One DG typically is used for hotel operations or guests purposes versus propelling the ship in the water.  When top speed is needed they kick in the 5th DG.  Depending on conditions that typically gains them an extra 1 to 2 knots of speed but with a 20% increase in fuel consumption. 

The bow thrusters are the same on all Voyager and Freedom class ships.  During the scheduled 5 year dry dock rotation the propellers of some of those are removed and replaced with extra one on hand.  They are sent out for refurbishing and then installed in the next Voyager/Freedom class ship that dry docks.  This cycle continues endlessly ship after ship swapping blades.

The tenders in Bar Harbor cost them around $10k each for the day. 

Lifeboats must be exercised monthly and they do crew life boats drills every 90 days where they must fill a life boat to its capacity in 10 minutes, 147 on this ship, 370 on Oasis.  When Oasis originally came over on it's transatlantic a life boat was damaged.  They had to remove 370 guests from the next few sailings until that life boat was fixed.

Original project name for Voyager class was Project Eagle.  Radiance was Project Radiance,  Oasis was Project Genesis.  Quantum was Project Sunshine.   

When Portofino was added as a specialty restaurant years ago, they neglected to include a galley for it.  They later consumed the nearby flower shop to create a galley for Portofino. 

Back when Johnny Rockets was free they would do 1,700 guests at lunch with a 2 hour wait.  That led to a charge being imposed to manage crowds.  The original charge was $3.25. 

The Verrazano-Narrows bridge sags in the summer due to heat.  In the winter there is an extra few feet of clearance.  Adventure clears with around 14' of clearance.  In theory Oasis could fit under the Verrazano-Narrows bridge if they lowered the stacks for each passing.  Since deployment, the stacks on Oasis have permanent equipment installed at the top of the stacks and they are no longer retractable without removing the permanent equipment used for scrubbing.

While most ships in the fleet are registered in the Bahamas, Brilliance sails under a UK flag so that they can operate the fleet in the EU and that one ship changes the taxation for all sailings.  One ship is flagged in Malta.

Over the last couple of years Canada has created a whale zone that is 200 miles long.  If a whale is spotted and the whale zone is declared "occupied"  the ship must reduce speed to 10 knots.  This impacts arrival times at ports of calls.

New GPS technology on board has improved accuracy from a meter to mere millimeters.

We lucked out in Bar Harbor.  Recall the weather worsened that day.  The next day Serenade couldn't tender in Bar Harbor but still had to clear U.S. Customs there.  Everyone had to get up and be processed by CBP officials who rode out on the pilot boat.

In the rumor department, Super Oasis is in the works, an improved version much like Quantum Ultra.

When in Europe, ships are still reloaded out of Florida.  It's a 6 week order cycle when operating in Europe compared to a 2 or 3 week ordering cycle to supply a ship based in Florida.

 

[ReneeFLL]

twangster really great pictures. What kind of camera are you using?

 

Where is Bob when you need him for all the "extra" duplicate pictures? There is a way to quote twangster without duplicating all of his nice pictures.

 

[JoyMouse]

23 hours ago, Sunny AZ Girl said:

Thank you for the response. I thought that you had stayed overnight. We may be flying into Montreal, so looking at all of the possibilities. 

We were on the September 17 sailing and stayed at the Springhill Suites Old Montreal. It was a nice hotel with a lot of restaurants around, and we could walk to see the Old Montreal sites easily in the morning. After lunch we grabbed our bags and took a taxi to the bus terminal. Orleans Express was $25 pp with bags (no refunds and no changes at that price) for the trip to Quebec City. I highly recommend both the hotel and bus. 

[twangster]

Just now, ReneeFLL said:

twangster really great pictures. What kind of camera are you using?

 

 

Thanks!

 

I normally shoot with a DSLR or mirrorless full frame camera.  I have my Sony A7III with me but I gave my self an assignment this cruise.  I wanted to see if a small travel camera could capture a cruise given how I take pictures.  When I sailed Adventure on the repo from San Juan to Bayonne I tried going with just my iPhone.  I wasn't happy with the photo results.  Okay in great lighting, iPhones and phone cameras in general are too limiting for my needs.

 

I recently purchased a Sony RX100M6.  Expensive for a point and shoot camera but it shoots in RAW and isn't a typical point and shoot camera.  Every picture in this review was shot on my RX100 except for the very first picture of the bagels, that was my phone.  My A7III has been locked in the safe for the entire cruise.

 

The RX100 is very portable and fits in a pocket.  I've taken with me every time I left my cabin.  My A7III is great, no doubt, but the RX100M6 is an awesome travel camera and with a 24-200mm zoom lens it's worked out quite well.  I may cruise in the future with just the RX100, other than Alaska or Europe when I'll still bring my A7.

 

4 minutes ago, ReneeFLL said:

There is a way to quote twangster without duplicating all of his nice pictures. 

 

Highlight any text, a "Quote Selection" popup will appear.  Click it.

[twangster]

Day 12 - Evening

 

Dinner menu

 

 

In the Viking Crown Lounge the food and beverage team was doing a presentation for us.

 

 

Dinner in the Windjammer.

 

 

Main theater entertainment wasn't working for.

To the pub!

 

 

Dancing in Boleros.

 

 

At 10:30pm the Quest was on...

 

 

No words.

 

 

As the saying goes... "What happens at the Quest, gets all over the internet"

 

 

Late night music.

 

 

Finally, in the realm of unicorns and pink elephants, the diamond lounge was empty.

 

[zebra36]

Thanks for posting a great pictorial review of your cruise. I do admire your self control on being able to forgo so many meals in the dining room.

[twangster]

7 minutes ago, zebra36 said:

I do admire your self control on being able to forgo so many meals in the dining room.

 

Cruising solo I often find it more efficient to eat in the Windjammer.  I actually like the food there, not that the MDR isn't also good, it's just that I don't always feel like sitting through the whole MDR process when solo.

[Sunny AZ Girl]

39 minutes ago, JoyMouse said:

23 hours ago, Sunny AZ Girl said:

 

We were on the September 17 sailing and stayed at the Springhill Suites Old Montreal. It was a nice hotel with a lot of restaurants around, and we could walk to see the Old Montreal sites easily in the morning. After lunch we grabbed our bags and took a taxi to the bus terminal. Orleans Express was $25 pp with bags (no refunds and no changes at that price) for the trip to Quebec City. I highly recommend both the hotel and bus.

Thank you! I will keep that in mind. 😎

[twangster]

Day 13 - Port Canaveral

 

I felt the subtle rumble of bow thrusters and ventured up to deck 12.

 

 

 

The familiar sight of a ship with a mouse problem.

 

 

 

The sun was thinking about rising.

 

 

 

 

Good morning Canaveral, we have arrived.

 

No plans today, I was just here for my Enchantment cruise and I'll be back after Thanksgiving for another cruise.

 

I'll probably head down to Grills for a beer in the afternoon.

[ubish00]

Enjoying your review and very much looking forward to reading more.  The pictures are fantastic.  I'm Canadian and your pics from down East (PEI, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia) have me thinking I should do a road trip next summer.

[jimbri]

Your photos of Quebec City are wonderful!  Brings back great memories of our visit there.  Thank you.

[PhilNDebbieAtSea]

Wow! Your pictures are amazing! Really enjoying this review! Thanks so much for sharing! We are doing this same itinerary next year and I’m glad to see it is as awesome as it sounded. Enjoy your last day of your trip! 

[bigeck]

8 hours ago, JoyMouse said:

We were on the September 17 sailing and stayed at the Springhill Suites Old Montreal. It was a nice hotel with a lot of restaurants around, and we could walk to see the Old Montreal sites easily in the morning. After lunch we grabbed our bags and took a taxi to the bus terminal. Orleans Express was $25 pp with bags (no refunds and no changes at that price) for the trip to Quebec City. I highly recommend both the hotel and bus. 

Thanks for info. Will remember that for next year

[Biker19]

10 hours ago, twangster said:

Over the last couple of years Canada has created a whale zone that is 200 miles long.  If a whale is spotted and the whale zone is declared "occupied"  the ship must reduce speed to 10 knots.  This impacts arrival times at ports of calls.

 

 

We were told this is also true off Norfolk and it may affect Grandeur's speed in the area.

[twangster]

Day 13 - Port Canaveral, continued...

 

Crew life raft drill in the pool this morning.  New crew and every two years crew are required to go through several safety drills and be certified.  In this case they were learning how to right an upside down life raft.  

 

 

My day started off slowly.  I relaxed and enjoyed a lighter ship with a few hundred guests having disembarked and many others on excursions.

 

I headed down to Grills bar for a beer and a bite to eat.

 

 

Grills is that patio you see right behind the ship for the many Royal ships that use this berth. 

 

 

 

I didn't have a plan really, I just walked around the port area.  Here is a fishing charter just back with the crew cutting up their catch for them.

 

 

 

 

Continuing the history theme experienced in previous ports, here is some history for Port Canaveral.

 

 

 

A view across to the Disney Fantasy and Carnival Breeze.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yep, we are not in Boston any more.

 

 

 

We used terminal 1 today, the same terminal that Oasis uses as her current home port terminal.

 

 

It was hot and humid, back on-board it was time... Kraken Lavaflow.

 

 

In other news... I mentioned earlier that Kone contractors were on-board doing elevator upgrades.  For anyone familiar with Voyager and Freedom class ships there are four elevators that service the Viking Crown Lounge.  Two of the four elevators have been down for the entirety of this voyage as they are upgraded.  With over 1,200 diamond lounge eligible (plus suite guests) trying to reach deck 14 the two remaining in service elevators have been crazy busy. Finally, a sign of life as the displays are lit for the two elevators being upgraded.  They aren't in service yet but it must be close.

 

 

At 4pm the slides and flowrider opened.  No pictures as I was in slide mode and managed several runs having them all to myself.  I was on Mariner a few weeks ago and tried those new slides.  I have to say Adventure's slides are faster.  These slides also have a distinct drop at the very end that dump you into the trough of the watery landing zone absent on Mariner (the final drop that is, Mariner also has a watery landing zone).  Sorry Mariner, Adventure's slides are better.

 

 

Edited October 21, 2018 by twangster

[twangster]

Day 13 - Port Canaveral, continued...

 

Sail away.

 

At 6:35pm the Captain announced we were waiting for two more guests.  All aboard was at 6:30pm.

 

 

 

 

Finally the Captain signaled our intention to depart with a blast of the ship's whistle and we were off the pier.

 

 

 

Several mildly interested spectators looked on.

 

 

Our escort this evening courtesy of the local Sheriff's department.

 

 

People were out enjoying the local beach.

 

 

As we continued out the channel and towards our final stop the local pilot boat positioned to pick up the pilot.

 

 

Hail to the pilots!  Day after day, ship after ship, they guide us safely into their home port.

 

 

The Carnival Sunshine was making her way in, now in the darkness of the night.

 

 

Final night festivities were underway with fellow guests enjoying the last night on-board.

 

 

Our progress so far...

 

 

We've crossed the 3k milestone.  Total cruise distance so far... 3,074 nm. 

 

Final MDR menu

 

[NHProud]

Great review of your cruise with gorgeous photos . I really enjoyed reading it especially since it was so positive .  You had a good time doing your own thing with no intense sightseeing at every single port.  You have the right attitude.  

Edited October 21, 2018 by NHProud

[twangster]

Day 14 - Port Everglades

 

Disembark day 🙁

 

I woke around 5am, showered and finished packing my last minute items.  Like I always do, I'm using self-assist so all my luggage is with me. 

 

Our progress...

 

 

Total cruise distance 3,211nm.  

 

Around 6:20am I headed down to deck 4 and was directed into the theater to join the self-assist line.

 

 

Shortly after 6:30am they started letting people off.  It took a few minutes for me to reach the security kiosk to be scanned off the ship at 6:45am.  CBP was fast, just a quick check of my passport and by 6:50am I was in a cab on the way to FLL airport.

 

By 7:05am I had luggage checked, through security and I was sitting in the Delta Skyclub writing this post.

[twangster]

Cruise Summary

 

Where did the time go?  It seems like we just boarded.  

 

Despite cooler temperatures to start the cruise it was all very enjoyable.  A little light rain at times but prepared with my rain coat it really didn't impact this journey.   

 

Every port we stopped in was unique and enjoyable.  It was a very different experience compared to a typical Bahamas or Caribbean cruise and different from an Alaska cruise as well.  I can see doing this snowbird migration again or even a round trip Canada/New England out of Bayonne.  

 

My interior cabin, 6535 was chosen for its location and quick access to the forward elevator lobby.  It's basically the first inside cabin forward of the elevators port side.  It was a quick trip down two decks to the outside deck four space and the helipad or a short ride in an elevator up to deck twelve.  Choosing an inside cabin saved me a shipload of money.   The forward elevators always seem less crowded on Voyager and Freedom class.

 

Adventure is a nice sized ship for this cruise.  All the advantages of Voyager class and recently AMPED.  I suppose a covered Solarium would have been beneficial in the cooler weather but I'm not sure I would want to trade down to a Radiance class ship to get it.  Don't get me wrong, I enjoy Radiance class but lacking a promenade and sports deck amenities they are a different experience.    

 

Sometimes when a port is skipped such as Sydney, Nova Scotia port fees and taxes are refunded for that port.  Not so on this journey.  According to the guest services manager, RCI HQ determined they undercharged taxes by mistake and therefore there would be no refund of any taxes and port fees associated with skipping Sydney for any guest on board.

 

Thirteen nights.  It seemed like a long cruise when I booked it but it went quickly and felt no different than a seven or eight night cruise.  Before I knew it I had that sinking feeling you get when you realize it's time to pack.

 

Next cruise - Later this week I fly to Barcelona to jump on the Symphony of Seas transatlantic!  This cruise was basically a practice transatlantic, North to South instead of East to West.  Symphony is one day shorter, just twelve days across the pond but absent of as many ports of call it's a longer distance.

 

I hope you enjoyed following along and I thank you for viewing.

[sisocialworker]

thanks for taking me...waiting till next year for my turn....maybe see you on it?  did you get the drink package? how much was it?

Edited October 21, 2018 by sisocialworker

[John&LaLa]

23 hours ago, twangster said:

Day 13 - Port Canaveral

 

 

Good morning Canaveral, we have arrived.

 

No plans today, I was just here for my Enchantment cruise and I'll be back after Thanksgiving for another cruise.

 

I'll probably head down to Grills for a beer in the afternoon.

 

Pretty sure you'll be here on the Symphony before that. 😉

 

Did many really get off in PC?

Edited October 21, 2018 by John&LaLa

[pstone1]

Loved your review!  We have taken this cruise on Serenade and are taking it again next year on Adventure!  Thank you for taking the time to share so many insights and fantastic photos!

 

I hope you have a wonderful cruise on Symphony!

[pstone1]

10 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Pretty sure you'll be here on the Symphony before that. 😉

 

Did many really get off in PC?

 

We plan to get off in PC next year!  Have tickets for a show at the King Center that night.  😁

[twangster]

58 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

Did many really get off in PC?

 

Hard to know.  A few bags were in the halls the night before.  I didn't go down to watch people disembark.   

[John&LaLa]

1 minute ago, twangster said:

 

Hard to know.  A few bags were in the halls the night before.  I didn't go down to watch people disembark.   

 

Gotcha, I just was thinking of the earlier post where you anticipated less crowds.