Live Cruising Review Adventure of the Seas 5/12/22 - 5/21/22 Bermuda / Caribbean Lots of Pictures !!!

[Sarah1974]

Thanks for a great blog 

[Sunshine3601]

Great job on your live review.    Thank you for sharing.

On Anthem 3 times this year and each time they did the appreciation show fir chefs, etc in MDR.   Very nice.

 

[Lipz]

Thank you so much for taking us all on your journey with you, giving us tips and especially for sharing your photos.

[Morecruisesplz]

Excellent review as usual, Benny. No one can match your photos and detail. We were on the cruise prior to yours... 13 night repo. We saw things in your photos that we missed while onboard. You have convinced us to give the MDR a try again. We have been eating in the WJ and specialty restaurants on our last 5 or 6 cruises. Thank you!

[BennyBrun]

19 minutes ago, fredmdcruisers said:

Excellent review as usual, Benny. No one can match your photos and detail. We were on the cruise prior to yours... 13 night repo. We saw things in your photos that we missed while onboard. You have convinced us to give the MDR a try again. We have been eating in the WJ and specialty restaurants on our last 5 or 6 cruises. Thank you!

I firmly believe in MDR.  If you want a smooth quick service then set dinning is the way to go… if you want more flexibility then MTD will have to do but just keep in mind MTD anything can happen with the wait time and cruisers rushing in at the same time to dine.  If you can go as late as possible and don’t show up at 6:45 PM.  If you are seated in a section where they are seating people at the same time with the same waiter and his section is full of new diners then the service will not be as attentive.  This is why I like my 8:15 time, I can munch on the offerings at the Diamond lounge or WJ and then go to dinner.

[Chrislynn55]

On 5/21/2022 at 8:27 AM, BennyBrun said:

Day 10 8:15 Uber back to base!  
 

Another adventure on the Adventure of the Seas comes to an end so that another one can begin!

Thank you for all the wonderful photos and info! We're boarding Adventure on Thursday for our first cruise in two and a half years, and your review has helped us with the excitement factor!

[BennyBrun]

3 hours ago, Chrislynn55 said:

Thank you for all the wonderful photos and info! We're boarding Adventure on Thursday for our first cruise in two and a half years, and your review has helped us with the excitement factor!

You are welcome and I hope you enjoy your cruise!!!  It’s a very easy going schedule and there were plenty of seats at the shows (except the first two shows of the ice skating so if you want to see that make sure you go early to secure a good center front row seats!!  Any other questions feel free to ask!  Been to the destinations many many many times feel like a local now 😂 

[CntPAcruiser]

Thanks for your review! We're doing a New England/Canada cruise in October on Adventure, and she was our first and has been our favorite ship. It's nice to see the variety is back at the Promenade Cafe, and the depicted offerings in the diamond lounge far exceed what we had on our last couple of cruises (which were on smaller ships, but that's no excuse--in fact, it should be easy to be just as good or better). 

[Cruise a holic]

18 hours ago, Chrislynn55 said:

Not for those of us who will be boarding in a few days.

Agree!  Looking foward to our Adventure cruise on Thursday! 

[BennyBrun]

2 hours ago, Cruise a holic said:

Agree!  Looking foward to our Adventure cruise on Thursday! 

Have a fantastic cruise!

[Cruise a holic]

24 minutes ago, BennyBrun said:

Have a fantastic cruise!

Thank you!  Just have to take the on line covid test tomorrow morning- our boarding time is 11:-11:30 should we take the test at that time?

[BennyBrun]

14 hours ago, CntPAcruiser said:

Thanks for your review! We're doing a New England/Canada cruise in October on Adventure, and she was our first and has been our favorite ship. It's nice to see the variety is back at the Promenade Cafe, and the depicted offerings in the diamond lounge far exceed what we had on our last couple of cruises (which were on smaller ships, but that's no excuse--in fact, it should be easy to be just as good or better). 

Thank a so much.  Have an amazing cruise!! If you think the offerings on Adventure at the Diamond lounge was good you should see the offerings at the Diamond lounge on Oasis of the Seas it was beautifully presented and replenished even faster.  I agree with you that on smaller ships they should have have the same standards at the Diamond Lounge.

[BennyBrun]

2 minutes ago, Cruise a holic said:

Thank you!  Just have to take the on line covid test tomorrow morning- our boarding time is 11:-11:30 should we take the test at that time?

I take mine around noon time but that’s just the personal preference as I usually experienced no wait at all for a proctor.

[CntPAcruiser]

2 hours ago, BennyBrun said:

Thank a so much.  Have an amazing cruise!! If you think the offerings on Adventure at the Diamond lounge was good, you should see the offerings at the Diamond lounge on Oasis of the Seas it was beautifully presented and replenished even faster.  I agree with you that on smaller ships they should have the same standards at the Diamond Lounge.

 

We were on Oasis not long after she was launched, but were not Diamond at that point. I'm sure it was lovely. I enjoyed the variety of food in general on Oasis and Allure, and the entertainment (the aqua theater is amazing!), but when we were on those ships, the service was stretched rather thin. It may be working out better now.

 

My last cruise was on Grandeur, pre-pandemic, and the diamond lounge snacks and bar service were distinctly below average. Even speaking with the food & beverage manager resulted in no improvement. There was something funny about the bars on Grandeur at that time--we had a difficult time getting a well-made cocktail at almost any bar on board.

[BennyBrun]

1 hour ago, CntPAcruiser said:

 

We were on Oasis not long after she was launched, but were not Diamond at that point. I'm sure it was lovely. I enjoyed the variety of food in general on Oasis and Allure, and the entertainment (the aqua theater is amazing!), but when we were on those ships, the service was stretched rather thin. It may be working out better now.

 

My last cruise was on Grandeur, pre-pandemic, and the diamond lounge snacks and bar service were distinctly below average. Even speaking with the food & beverage manager resulted in no improvement. There was something funny about the bars on Grandeur at that time--we had a difficult time getting a well-made cocktail at almost any bar on board.

Having been on the Oasis a few times since the restart I have to say the food on the Oasis is solid and MDR is fantastic!  Is everything they offer top of the line?  No but between the regular menu/vegan/ menu / kids menu most people can find something they really like and I had no issues.  I will say this again and again with MTD if you show up at 6:45 PM when they open and sit with everyone at the same time the service will suffer because of the surge which is why they recommend making a reservation so they know when to expect you.  The same thing happened on Adventure of the Seas which is why I recommended snack around 5PM /see the 7PM show/ walk slowly to dinner and enjoy the meal!

 

Grandeur is a ship I have not been on but friends of mine have been on them and every time they go on there is always an issue.  Mechanical issues with the room/with the ship and food issues so thank you for your input because I am starting to see a pattern.

 

Have a wonderful time!  Please let me know what you think of the ship and offerings!!!  The wings at Diamond lounge is really good, messy but good!

[FionaMG]

HI @BennyBrun! 

 

Finally caught up with this blog. Thanks for sharing another great virtual cruise. 

 

I totally agree with going later to MTD. We had a standing booking for 8 pm and it was fine apart from the first couple of nights, which are always chaotic anyway.

 

Just FYI, and in preparation for your upcoming cruise in Greece, if you want to take a look at the live thread I did of my Odyssey cruise, it's here: 

 

We did mostly ship excursions, which probably will be a bit different to what's being offered on your NCL cruise but another poster (@bonsai3s) kindly contributed to the thread with a lot of "DIY" port information that you'll likely find useful.

 

Hope you have a great time on the next one. I'll be looking out for your live thread. 

[CntPAcruiser]

On 5/23/2022 at 12:47 PM, BennyBrun said:

Having been on the Oasis a few times since the restart I have to say the food on the Oasis is solid and MDR is fantastic!  Is everything they offer top of the line?  No but between the regular menu/vegan/ menu / kids menu most people can find something they really like and I had no issues.  I will say this again and again with MTD if you show up at 6:45 PM when they open and sit with everyone at the same time the service will suffer because of the surge which is why they recommend making a reservation so they know when to expect you.  The same thing happened on Adventure of the Seas which is why I recommended snack around 5PM /see the 7PM show/ walk slowly to dinner and enjoy the meal!

 

Grandeur is a ship I have not been on but friends of mine have been on them and every time they go on there is always an issue.  Mechanical issues with the room/with the ship and food issues so thank you for your input because I am starting to see a pattern.

 

Have a wonderful time!  Please let me know what you think of the ship and offerings!!!  The wings at Diamond lounge is really good, messy but good!

 

Some folks refer to Grandeur as "Stinky of the Seas" due to the occasional wafting of an unpleasant sewer smell in various public areas of the ship. We always go with late seating traditional dining, and you never know how service will be--slow or timely--but we enjoy the company of fellow cruisers and having servers throughout the cruise who know our preferences. 

[BennyBrun]

On 5/28/2022 at 7:53 AM, FionaMG said:

HI @BennyBrun! 

 

Finally caught up with this blog. Thanks for sharing another great virtual cruise. 

 

I totally agree with going later to MTD. We had a standing booking for 8 pm and it was fine apart from the first couple of nights, which are always chaotic anyway.

 

Just FYI, and in preparation for your upcoming cruise in Greece, if you want to take a look at the live thread I did of my Odyssey cruise, it's here: 

 

We did mostly ship excursions, which probably will be a bit different to what's being offered on your NCL cruise but another poster (@bonsai3s) kindly contributed to the thread with a lot of "DIY" port information that you'll likely find useful.

 

Hope you have a great time on the next one. I'll be looking out for your live thread. 

Thank you so much!!  I hope you had a great a cruise!  I will certainly check out the review as I will have lots of time on my hand making my trek across the pond lol !!!

[BennyBrun]

Time to grab that virtual passport because the embarkation process has started for the virtual cruise to the British Isles.  There will be A LOT of pictures (9 port of calls in 10 nights) so grab a snack or two and welcome aboard.

 

 

[shari3]

On 5/13/2022 at 12:57 PM, SNJCruisers said:

There are two lines, one for those with reservations and another for walk ups.  They open at 645, which IMHO is a joke since other lines open at 530 or so for their version of MTD.

Benny had mentioned about the Windjammer being jammed when he stopped to peruse and possibly have a snack before he went to the MDR later in the evening.  If people are used to eating at 600, they are relegated to either the Windjammer or early set dining.  If you want flexibility, you need to be flexible and start at 645 or later.

I was able just last week to reserve 6pm MTD for July sailing. 

[c-leg5]

34 minutes ago, shari3 said:

I was able just last week to reserve 6pm MTD for July sailing. 

Yes! I see it for when she returns to Galveston too. Perhaps things are looking up. Let us know how it goes.

[kleibo]

On 5/13/2022 at 10:24 AM, Luckynana said:

I went onto my cruise planner and booked all of the time slots for our cruise in Sept. on Adventure😉

 

I was just on my cruise planner and my time dining the reservations started at 6:00 pm.  I had read that it doesn't start till 6:45pm?  Will they be honoring 6/6:30 if we book it?

[Biker19]

Just now, kleibo said:

I had read that it doesn't start till 6:45pm?  Will they be honoring 6/6:30 if we book it?

If the slot is there, you should assume that's correct and that's the time MTD starts on board.

[Luckynana]

31 minutes ago, kleibo said:

 

I was just on my cruise planner and my time dining the reservations started at 6:00 pm.  I had read that it doesn't start till 6:45pm?  Will they be honoring 6/6:30 if we book it?

Hi kleibo!  I really can't answer that for sure, but as Biker posted, if the slot is there, you should assume that's correct.  We were on the Allure in April and had 6:45 reservations which were fine.  I decided to go with 7:00 this time with our September cruise just so  I won't feel so rushed when I have my cocktail before dinner.  Enjoy your cruise!

[Garycruz]

11 hours ago, Luckynana said:

Hi kleibo!  I really can't answer that for sure, but as Biker posted, if the slot is there, you should assume that's correct.  We were on the Allure in April and had 6:45 reservations which were fine.  I decided to go with 7:00 this time with our September cruise just so  I won't feel so rushed when I have my cocktail before dinner.  Enjoy your cruise!

 

Glad to hear they are expanding the times for MTD but I've never scheduled MTD prior to the cruise. The aspect of My Time Dining I like the most is that we can have dinner at a different time each evening without having to worry about sticking to a schedule. 

 

Would there be some kind of disadvantage to not scheduling MTD on the Planner ahead of time? Now that it appears they are opening up the earlier time slots, is there a benefit to scheduling ahead of time? Do the time slots fill up?  I haven't cruised in four years and just making sure I'm not missing something. 

 

Thanks.