Adventure OTS Halifax June 14-18

[mandyleighflies]

Good Morning CC!! It is CRUISE DAY!! We live in the Northern VA area and since this cruise is departing from New Jersey (just under 4 hour drive) we are going to drive to the ship this morning. 
 

On this sailing we will have myself, my kids (13/15) in JS 9270 and my parents are in a balcony stateroom on deck 7. My husband is not joining us on this cruise as he is in training for his new airline (pilot) so it’s just the 5 of us. I still have my bids in and fingers crossed for an even sweeter upgrade but looking slim right now. We will see!! 

Yesterday the gal’s got our nails done in RCL cruise fashion. Did some last minute shopping (70’s night) and finishing packing. We have the 1230-130 boarding time so we will be hitting the road here around 8am (EST). Usually we would fly but weather is garbage and it’s so close to home anyway. Plus, we have to stop at the outlet mall by the port and get my son (15) new dress shoes as his no longer fit which he informed us of last night. 🙃🙃

[mandyleighflies]

 

My mom (Grandma Kim) and my daughter (13) at the salon. 

 

 

My son (15) who didn’t try on his shoes after numerous times being asked to do so “they fit I know It”… 😆❤️

[mandyleighflies]

 

The handsome missing husband 😆❤️ thanks for the vacation my love and enjoy training on a bigger plane!! 

[Cruise a holic]

Enjoy your cruise!  

[Havin'fun]

Have a wonderful time!

[jimbri]

Have a great time!

[Cruising to Retirement]

Following- taking this same cruise on 7/26... Thanks for posting updates   Enjoy

[Sdotho]

Awesome.  Will be in this inteniary I’m august.  Enjoy!

[mandyleighflies]

Sorry for the delay!! Yesterday was a long day but today is a day at sea so some breathing room. 
 

Drive from northern VA (DC area) was easy, made it from our house to the port of Bayonne in just over 4 hours including stops. Not bad. 

The port itself was a little chaotic. If you arrive by your own car, they have you drop off bags and some guests at the door. Then you drive around to a parking garage for self parking. You take your parking ticket with you as you pay when you leave. By the time we arrived (1245) we were able to receive one of the last spots in the parking garage. I cannot help but feel like exiting will be chaotic but that will be TBD for the time being. 

 

 

Our first view of Adventure from the parking deck. 
 

We had a 1230-130 boarding time and even though we arrived well into our boarding time, we still had to wait outside in a holding area. It was honestly confusing for all of us as we all had different boarding times and there was no special line for suites or Diamond and above members (we qualified for suite but I’m a lowly platinum for the moment, the people in front of us were Diamond + and not pleased with lack of short cut). We waited, luckily for us in the shade, for about 35-40 minutes before they let us into the building. Meanwhile, random people with small children were allowed in whenever they wanted but the rest of us were told it was “a capacity issue”. Needless to say, I was glad to be waiting in the shade at least as it was 85 and sunny. When we did get inside and through security (once again no special lines/shortcuts for suites/Diamond etc) security was quick enough, just picture regular TSA (not precheck) at the airport. Once through the metal detectors we were separated into suites/Diamond and above or regular rooms. The kids and I were whisked away to the left and my parents to the right. Once again, we were in a JS and they are in balcony room. There was little communication but we figured out where to go and what to do quick enough. There is no suite lounge in the check in area, just some armchairs. The kids and I were checked in and onboard in roughly 15 minutes after security…my parents over an hour. 
 

 

The kids were beyond excited for first post-pandemic cruise. 

We are in cabin 9270 and it’s a perfect location. Between elevators and between two guest floors. The only noise I’ve heard so far was sitting out of the balcony you can hear people above you move furniture. Not bad. I also love a midship location as you do not notice as much pitching and rolling. Last night was in the 50’s so we slept like royalty. 
 

I will say this now just to say it. I will never cruise in less than a JS ever again. We had a GS on Navi in February and a GS on Grandeur in April. To me it’s worth the extra cost for the convenience of less time in lines and the SPACE. Myself and two teenagers have plenty of room to move around and not be on top of each other. We visited my parents in their balcony stateroom and it seemed so small compared to ours. Between the cabin size and massive difference in boarding times (between suites and non suites) they agreed to only book JS or better also. 
 

 

This room has a huge walk in closet, ideal for us as two people can get changed at the same time and have privacy. One in the closet and one in the bathroom. Here is the ONE GLARING DOWNSIDE to this room. There is only one place in the whole cabin with outlets and there are only two of them.  In this room it’s on the counter and thank goodness we have a charging tower or we would be unable to charge our devices. My parents have the same issue in their room and my dad has a CPAP machine so it’s going to be an interesting challenge for them. 

[mandyleighflies]

Adventure OTS is a smaller (laughable to say it but true today) and older RCCL ship being launched in November of 2001. We love her so far but yes she is showing her age in some areas (as we all do). There are places on the ship that have a sewage odors, our bathroom is showing some signs of early rust/wear and tear and things like this but overall we find her to be in great shape. 
 

 

We found it incredibly heartwarming/touching given the timing of her launch that the godparents of Adventure OTS are NYPD/NYFD members and widows of fallen police/firefighters of 9/11. The fact that she sails out of NYC made this even more touching and profound to us. 
 

Sail Away party was a blast. Smooth seas so far. 
 

 

We all enjoyed the beautiful sail away weather and there is even a spot on deck 11 to view the bridge from above. My son thought this was amazing. My daughter not so impressed (teenager girls are difficult to impress 😆). 
 

I am Sober Fabulous and I have to say I am loving the mocktail’s menu, some of them are very sweet so they are a great treat. My go to will always be club soda mixed with a splash of OJ or some other kind of juice. Fabulous. Simply lovely. 
 

 

This one is the Tropical Crush (it has Red Bull mixed in so if watching caffeine be aware lol) 

 

 

This one is the watermelon lime lemonade. Light and refreshing. Lovely. 
 

 

After some more “authentic photo ops” with teenage young lady and the first cones of the cruise, we got ready for dinner. 

As you can see, plenty of space to get ready. 
 

I am a dining room/specialty dining person. When I’m on a nice vacation I enjoy a sit down meal where we can enjoy decent dining and great service. We have My Time dining and it’s a nightmare. This is unlike anything I have seen before…we waited 45 mins to be seated, waited in a line on deck three that went down the hall of cabins all the way to the next elevator bank. We made no progress in 45 minutes so we caved and went to WJ. It was EMPTY and the food was great. Caribbean style, jerk chicken, plantains, etc. Delicious. We have dining reservations at Giovanni’s tonight and Chops on night 4. I’m going to speak to guest services and see if we can just be placed on an early seating dinner schedule for MDR for tomorrow evening, if not it will be WJ again. 
 

After dinner we went to the family game show and listen to music for a bit. It was a LONG day so the kids skipped the teen things and hung back with us “older people”. We were back in our cabin and asleep by 1045pm 😆🤦🏼‍♀️ So much for being the life of the party right? 

[mandyleighflies]

Day at Sea today!!

 

 

It is a balmy 63 degrees this morning. I’m so thankful this morning for being a “always west layers” type of dresser. If you’re going on this sailing, be prepared for hot then milder temps and pack accordingly. 

 

 

Still drinking our iced coffee in the mild temps 😆😆

[KATHYMAC68]

I’m definitely following your review! I will be on AOS in October for a back to back. Looking forward to hearing about your shore excursions!

On 6/14/2022 at 6:29 AM, mandyleighflies said:

Good Morning CC!! It is CRUISE DAY!! We live in the Northern VA area and since this cruise is departing from New Jersey (just under 4 hour drive) we are going to drive to the ship this morning. 
 

On this sailing we will have myself, my kids (13/15) in JS 9270 and my parents are in a balcony stateroom on deck 7. My husband is not joining us on this cruise as he is in training for his new airline (pilot) so it’s just the 5 of us. I still have my bids in and fingers crossed for an even sweeter upgrade but looking slim right now. We will see!! 

Yesterday the gal’s got our nails done in RCL cruise fashion. Did some last minute shopping (70’s night) and finishing packing. We have the 1230-130 boarding time so we will be hitting the road here around 8am (EST). Usually we would fly but weather is garbage and it’s so close to home anyway. Plus, we have to stop at the outlet mall by the port and get my son (15) new dress shoes as his no longer fit which he informed us of last night. 🙃🙃

Love the nails!,

[mandyleighflies]

We are home!! I will update with day's and photo's soon! Wifi was not good after leaving Halifax due to weather but GREAT cruise, some minor hiccups but looking forward to sailing again soon!! 

[Luckynana]

I'm glad to hear you and your family had a great cruise!  I'll be on Adventure on September 29th, and am naturally looking forward to this cruise and itinerary, but my DH and I are booked for 7:00 MTD, and I have yet to read anything good about it on the Adventure!  I was on Allure in April and had MTD;  there was only one night where we weren't seated right away at our customary time slot.  We also were on Celebrity Silhouette in February, and that didn't go quite as smoothly as we are used to for our MTD.  We have almost always been lucky enough to have had our same waiter and table throughout the years with MTD.  On our February cruise, we were sent to different tables/waiters  for the first 3 nights of our cruise before we finally had the same waitstaff for the rest of our time on the ship.

May I ask what time slot you had your reservations for at MTD??

[Medic5emt]

I'm sad to here about the MTD issues still being persistent. We sail Adventure July 7 and Im already looking at a traditional time change. 

 

[mandyleighflies]

16 hours ago, Luckynana said:

I'm glad to hear you and your family had a great cruise!  I'll be on Adventure on September 29th, and am naturally looking forward to this cruise and itinerary, but my DH and I are booked for 7:00 MTD, and I have yet to read anything good about it on the Adventure!  I was on Allure in April and had MTD;  there was only one night where we weren't seated right away at our customary time slot.  We also were on Celebrity Silhouette in February, and that didn't go quite as smoothly as we are used to for our MTD.  We have almost always been lucky enough to have had our same waiter and table throughout the years with MTD.  On our February cruise, we were sent to different tables/waiters  for the first 3 nights of our cruise before we finally had the same waitstaff for the rest of our time on the ship.

May I ask what time slot you had your reservations for at MTD??

 

The ship is beautiful! The staff were courteous and helpful but severely understaffed for full sailings. We chose one of the early slots and it did not matter. Reservations and non reservations were all standing in the super long lines. My advice would be to book specialty dining at least a few times during your cruise so you at least will not be waiting for all your meals. BRING SNACKS food is scarce.  

[mandyleighflies]

11 hours ago, Medic5emt said:

I'm sad to here about the MTD issues still being persistent. We sail Adventure July 7 and Im already looking at a traditional time change. 

 

 

Do it NOW. Many of us tried to change while onboard and it seemed to be an issue. 

[Medic5emt]

On 6/20/2022 at 7:25 AM, mandyleighflies said:

 

Do it NOW. Many of us tried to change while onboard and it seemed to be an issue. 

Our travel agent got us changed to a late seating. The agent stated they are hearing about these issues.

[yogimax]

46 minutes ago, Medic5emt said:

The agent stated they are hearing about these issues.

As they should be.  MTD was a mess and nothing was done.

[CGinMTL]

I was on the same sailing. B3b June 4 to 14

We had 5.30 seating.

Some days , they would try to open the dining room at 5 and tell us the day before to try to come early 

But we would see the huge lines when we left.

 

 

 

 

 

[redwave]

how was the weather?