Adventure of the Seas-older ship after mostly sailing newer?

[RCCLNYMETS41]

We are considering booking the Adventure for 2023 because it fits into our schedule & logistics for departure port. We have been fortunate to sail newer ships in recent years. Our last 2 were Oasis after being amplified, Odyssey last week & have Symphony coming up next month.  We have been on Voyager when it 1st came out, so we are familiar with the Voyager class & enjoyed it. Obviously, any cruise is better than no cruise, but will we be disappointed on an older ship after sailing newer? Has the Adventure gone through any referb./amplification, or is it scheduled for any? Any other general feedback about the Adventure would be appreciated. Thank you in advance for any input.

[LooneyCruzer]

We have been on AOS twice this year. Very nice and comfortable ship. Cant say anything bad about it at all. 
i saw next referb is oct 2023

[davekathy]

1 hour ago, RCCLNYMETS41 said:

but will we be disappointed on an older ship after sailing newer?

Only you can answer that for yourself. 

[AlohaLivin]

Maybe. We like many of the smaller ships, some over larger ships (like Grandeur). But then we didn’t like Explorer at all, but always enjoy Symphony. You really have to take it ship by ship and individual by individual. 

[Moonarino]

Adventure was refurbished in 2018, which I think was part of Royal's "Amplified" refit. In 2019 I sailed Independence OTS, which I believe is a rough equivalent, a little larger & newer -- but not "brand" new. I enjoyed that cruise.

 

I doubt you'll really notice that Adventure is an older ship, although you might notice "something" (one thing or another) if you look close enough. Something to consider: I just got off Celebrity Silhouette a week ago, 10 years newer than Adventure. One of the first things I noticed (beyond the fact that Silhouette is a positively gorgeous ship and the DJ was slinging a deeelicious playlist in the Atrium) was a big rusty seam in the metal deck of our larger balcony. In various spots the rust was lifting up the metal at the edges of the seam. About 10 years ago I also found heavy rust on the aft end of Carnival Destiny. Not that I go out looking for it, but you just never know what you might find. I wondered how X could have overlooked something like that on the recently renovated Silhouette, being (supposedly) one of the classier cruise lines in the world.

 

I'd say go ahead and check out Adventure OTS, enjoy whatever is to be enjoyed and don't be surprised (or too alarmed) if you find an imperfection here and there.

Edited November 24, 2022 by Moonarino

[as3369]

We sailed on Adventure last month to New England.  I found it to be a little boring and probably will avoid any Explorer class ship in the future.   We are Diamond members and the Diamond lounge was disappointing - service and quality of food not so good.

 

Couple of bright spots - the Bartenders in Schooners were amazing and the Casino staff were extremely friendly.

[ATG]

31 minutes ago, as3369 said:

We sailed on Adventure last month to New England.  I found it to be a little boring and probably will avoid any Explorer class ship in the future.   We are Diamond members and the Diamond lounge was disappointing - service and quality of food not so good.

 

Couple of bright spots - the Bartenders in Schooners were amazing and the Casino staff were extremely friendly.

We felt the same.  After Oasis, Adventure seemed lacking.  We’ve decided that we’ll sail on newer ships unless the itinerary is exceptional.

[smokeybandit]

Adventure is a great ship. No need for all those bells and whistles on the newer ships

[kitkat343]

I've never sailed on a newer ship, and was a little disappointed by AOS which I sailed last August.  There were some stains in the couch, and the cabin balcony is made out of all concrete instead of glass, so it feels a bit like Alcatraz where you have an amazing view surrounded by metal (the metal give you more privacy than glass though so some people might like this design).  There is some good food if you look for it in the buffet, and they will keep bringing you food in the mdr until you find something you like.  The staff is wonderful.  Its not an amazing ship, but if the price and itinerary are right and you have reasonable expectations you might be quite happy on your vacation.  But if you sail primarily for the ship, I don't know that it would be ideal for you.  

For my family, the ability to not have to fly (we had a 3 and 7 year old with us) and nice ports made this totally worth it.  But if you have more flexibility you might prefer a different ship unless the price/itinerary is really good.  

Edited November 24, 2022 by kitkat343

[gumshoe958]

@kitkat343 is spot on.

 

@RCCLNYMETS41 - which is most important, ship or itinerary?

If it’s the ship you may find it quite a comedown from O and Q class. There are far fewer speciality dining and entertainment options.
 

But if the ship’s just your hotel between interesting ports of call, you’ll be just fine.

 

Edited November 24, 2022 by gumshoe958

[as3369]

Never sailed on a "newer" ship either, but we have Harmony booked for January.  Hopefully it's a better experience.

[island lady]

2 hours ago, as3369 said:

We sailed on Adventure last month to New England.  I found it to be a little boring and probably will avoid any Explorer class ship in the future.   We are Diamond members and the Diamond lounge was disappointing - service and quality of food not so good.

 

Couple of bright spots - the Bartenders in Schooners were amazing and the Casino staff were extremely friendly.

 

It is actually a "Voyager" class ship.  Mariner, EX, Voyager, Adventure...all the same class.  

 

With your four vouchers...you are not stuck in the Diamond Lounge.  Suggest thinking outside the box and visiting other lounges around the ship. 

 

Food?   There is no shortage of food on the ship...does not have to be limited to the snacks in the DL.   

[island lady]

34 minutes ago, as3369 said:

Never sailed on a "newer" ship either, but we have Harmony booked for January.  Hopefully it's a better experience.

 

Just off Wonder (newest ship in the fleet)  Two weeks Med, staying on for the TA.  Four weeks.  

 

Done for now with the mega ships...looking forward to Serenade B2B, Jewel B2B, B2B2B on Voyager, and back to Jewel B2B...all in the next 3 months.  

[RCCLNYMETS41]

I appreciate all of the responses. We have been on all the classes of Royal ships including Voyager class, so I am familiar with the venues & amenities.

I guess my biggest concern is whether or not the ship looks run down. Since it was amplified in 2018, I imagine that it will not. My daughter enjoys the flowrider, & we all enjoy the ice shows & the shows in the Royal Theater, & I know I won't go hungry.

[as3369]

1 hour ago, island lady said:

 

It is actually a "Voyager" class ship.  Mariner, EX, Voyager, Adventure...all the same class.  

 

With your four vouchers...you are not stuck in the Diamond Lounge.  Suggest thinking outside the box and visiting other lounges around the ship. 

 

Food?   There is no shortage of food on the ship...does not have to be limited to the snacks in the DL.   

Thanks for the clarification.  Overall, I think Royal Caribbean is "ok"  but really didn't enjoy the ship.  One of my cruise mates from Adventure does sail Royal Caribbean quite regularly and she said "never again."  She has high praises for Harmony so we shall see in January.  

As far as the shortage of food, I'm not a big eater so that didn't bother me as much as the quality.  My friends have a saying for me... "We live to eat and you eat to live!"  This is pretty accurate.

 

We have done 4 cruises post-pandemic... 3 Celebrity and one RCCL.  We have never done a "luxury cruise" because our budget doesn't allow for it most of the time.  However, we did book Regent Seven Seas Splendor for Northern Europe in June.  I am interested to see the differences in experience, service, etc.

[bgoff60]

11 hours ago, LooneyCruzer said:

We have been on AOS twice this year. Very nice and comfortable ship. Cant say anything bad about it at all. 
i saw next referb is oct 2023

Can you site any reference or give any additional details?

[KelJ]

We have sailed on all Royal ship classes, I believe. In December we sailed Anthem for the second time. In September we sailed Allure. In October we sailed Adventure and were bored with dining options and variety of shows. 
 

In May we have a B2B on Oasis, and we are sailing Ovation in October.  Royal suite class is a plus as well. We plan to stick to the bigger ships unless the itinerary is super appealing. 

[mets123]

I did a B2B on it in October. I didn't like the casino. I thought it was very tight and closed in. They didn't have a a clearly defined non smoking area , people smoked anywhere they wanted to and staff didn't enforce the the non smoking areas. I was not a fan of the pizza shop in the Royal Promenade. Pizza seemed to be burnt most of the time and service was so slow that people gave up and just walked away.

[Biker19]

9 hours ago, bgoff60 said:

Can you site any reference or give any additional details?

All ships have a mandatory drydock whose schedule is fairly easy to predict - what work will performed during those is a lot harder, but don't look for anything meaningful.

[LooneyCruzer]

11 hours ago, bgoff60 said:

Can you site any reference or give any additional details?