Newbie to RCL - Seeking advice for Adventure of the Sea!!!

[sillybutt]

hi hi all,

 

i am planning on going on my very FIRST RCL cruise late aug. Before i go ahead and finalize my tickets i got a couple of questions and will be more then grateful if all those that have attended this ship can provide me with some advise.

 

my background

early 20s looking for some relaxing beach time and some fun excersion recommendations

 

questions

1. Any advise for room #7348?? Are there a big differences between staying on floor 6,7,8th. I noticed that 5th floor is where all the activities are located, therefore im afraid that being located on the 6th which is the deck right on top will be noisy, im a light sleeper. same problem arise with the promenadate locate on 6,7, and 8th...will it be very noisy to be located on the same floor?

 

2. Tipping - If i selected to pre-paid tips when purchasing my tickets, does it mean when i am done with dinner each night, i can just get up and walk away? [of course, i understand that additional tips will be greatly appreciated if the wait staff did a wonderful job]

 

3. Dinner Reservation - I notice that there is two dinner time, early and later 615pm and 815pm. are the tables set from day one, and remains that way and if so, do we have any options to pick the seats..how? i assume theres only one main dining hall that doesn't require a fee?

Which restaurant [fee and no fee] is everyone's favorite, if the restaurants that requires fee, any recommendated dishes?

 

4. Shows - Where can we pick up tickets for shows? Are the seatings first come first serve, does the shows repeat itself within the same night, meaning two different showing? It will be helpful to know so i'm able to select the dining time that wouldn't be too late or early ..or allow me to miss any shows.

 

5. Room service - Are the options limited and did anyone tried breakfast in bed or on balcony?

 

7. Please list fave exercusions and money saving tips!! the ports that we are making stops at are: san juan, aruba, curacao, st.maarten, st. thomas.

 

8. last but not LEAST!! PLEASE SHARE ALL DISCOVERIES ON THIS SHIP..what i mean by discoveries are the little things that you have discover that most others have not..those are usually the most helpful to know when boarding the ship for hte very first time.

 

 

ps have any sailed for the listed destination during late aug, how was the weather??

 

 

Thanks in advance for all advice.

 

 

 

:) sillybutt

[azcrdfn]

Hope I can help...sailed on AOS twice (10 night and 7 night) and loved it both times. My husband and I are in our early 30's and love to do fun new things, so I will start off with the excursions.

 

You say you want relaxing beach time, unfortunately I can't help you there. We did horseback riding in Aruba both times, first time it was great second was CHAOS.....would not recommend unless can confirm you are in a small group and you take the beach route. Curacao I dove with the sharks at the Seaquarium twice and my kids and husband did the dolphins....WE LOVE AND HIGHLY RECOMMEND. St. Maarten you MUST do the America's Cup sailing regatta, we have done this twice and are about to do again in 2 weeks. This is the BEST excursion we have ever been on. St Thomas we snorkeled....it was ok, not great and we did not get to do anything in San Juan either time....other than shop.

 

Rooms-We stayed in both balcony and inside on the 8th and 9th floor and they were very nice. We don't care very much about the room since we spend such little time it in. I would stay away from 3-5 just because of the traffic, but I can't speak from experience in staying there.

 

Dining-We like the late seatings better, this way you don't have to rush to get ready after being off the ship all day. You get ready, see the shows(no ticket is necessary except for the ice show-get them early, a must see)and then have a nice dinner before finding a fun evening activity to keep you entertained. Club is great.

 

Tipping-We utilize the prepays offered by the ship....it makes it easier.

 

If you are doing any shopping or looking for anything specific find Shelby, the shopping guru. She will be around the Promenade on the first night, she knows everything about where and how to find what you need. She is great and remembered us the following year.

 

Enjoy.....We hope you love this boat as much as we did.

[The Big Booper]

RCI has traditional dining which means you go to the same table at the same time every night. Only alternatives are the 2 extra cost dining rooms, reservation only, or the buffet for dinner. You tip the waiter and asst waiter at the end of the week. If you choose the auto plan then the standard amount is deducted on your room account. Usually you don't tip by the night unless you hit the alternate rests. one night.

 

The production shows are repeated on the same day, once for main seating and once for late seating. Check the daily cruise compass. The big time passenger participation events such as Love and Marriage, Battle of the Sexes, THE QUEST, etc are done once a night usually after late seating, raunchiness here.

[wrp96]

I'll try to answer the questions that I can:

 

questions

1. Any advise for room #7348?? Are there a big differences between staying on floor 6,7,8th. I noticed that 5th floor is where all the activities are located, therefore im afraid that being located on the 6th which is the deck right on top will be noisy, im a light sleeper. same problem arise with the promenadate locate on 6,7, and 8th...will it be very noisy to be located on the same floor?

 

7348 looks like a great location for a stateroom, especially since it is towards the aft. The further aft you are the less people will be walking past your stateroom and making noise. You won't hear any noise from the promenade at all. In fact, there are cabins that overlook the promenade, that they can't even hear the promenade.

May I recommend that if you are a light sleeper that you take ear plugs, no matter where your stateroom is.

 

2. Tipping - If i selected to pre-paid tips when purchasing my tickets, does it mean when i am done with dinner each night, i can just get up and walk away? [of course, i understand that additional tips will be greatly appreciated if the wait staff did a wonderful job] On a cruise ship, you don't tip throughout the week to the dining staff or your stateroom attendant. You tip at the very end of the cruise. When you prepay your tips, you are given vouchers at the end of the cruise to hand to your headwaiter, waiter, assistant waiter, and stateroom attendant. If the service was really good, when you hand them the vouchers you can put additional cash in there. For other people like in the bars, etc, tipping is handled differently. A 15% gratuity is automatically added when you buy a drink. There will be a line for you to add extra tip if you want to, but you don't have to if you don't feel it was warranted. If I have a bar that I go to a lot during the cruise, I usually will give the bartenders a nice size cash tip at the end of the week - in addition to the gratuities that are automatically added.

 

3. Dinner Reservation - I notice that there is two dinner time, early and later 615pm and 815pm. are the tables set from day one, and remains that way and if so, do we have any options to pick the seats..how? i assume theres only one main dining hall that doesn't require a fee?

Which restaurant [fee and no fee] is everyone's favorite, if the restaurants that requires fee, any recommendated dishes?

 

RCCL has traditional dining in the main dining room. What that means is at dinner there are two set times, early and late. Before you arrive for the cruise, your dining time is assigned along with who your tablemates will be. You can request a dining time ahead of time. When you get to the ship, you can check out what size table you are at, your dining time etc. If it doesn't work for you, you should go see the maitre'd and see if he can make a change. There is no set seating or times at breakfast and lunch. In addition to the main dining room there are a few more options on the ship. The Windjammer Buffet is a casual atmosphere, just walk in and out kind of place. It will have many of the same foods as the main dining room at dinner time, but not all. On the AOS, there is one specialty restaurant, Portofino's. It serves italian food, and is open only for dinner, and reservations are recommended. The cost is $20 per person. There is a Johnny Rockets onboard, a hamburger and milkshakes kind of place, which has a $3.95 per person cover charge plus the cost of drinks. The Cafe Promenade is open 24 hours and has pizza and small sandwiches and pastries. There is also room service. If you order room service, you should be prepared to tip in cash, a few dollars depending on how much you order.

 

4. Shows - Where can we pick up tickets for shows? Are the seatings first come first serve, does the shows repeat itself within the same night, meaning two different showing? It will be helpful to know so i'm able to select the dining time that wouldn't be too late or early ..or allow me to miss any shows.

 

There are several types of shows onboard ship. The shows in the main theater don't require tickets. Each night they will have one main show, which will be shown twice, once for early seating and once for late seating. Sometimes they will have a late night show that everybody goes to. You just show up if you want to go. The ice show is shown a few times throughout the week and does require tickets. The will have 2 showings that fit in with early seating and 2 showings that fit in with late seating. Check your Compass to see when and where to pickup tickets (the tickets don't cost anything).

 

5. Room service - Are the options limited and did anyone tried breakfast in bed or on balcony?

 

The options vary depending on the time when you are ordering. There is a full menu at breakfast, but remember when ordering to ask for things like butter and jam, sugar and cream, etc if you want them. During the late afternoon the options are things like a turkey sandwich, hot dog, salad, fruit plate, cookies, etc. During the dinner hours, you can order many of the items off the menu from the main dining room (except for lobster) as long as the dining room is opened. Remember to have cash handy to tip the person who brings you room service.

 

7. Please list fave exercusions and money saving tips!! the ports that we are making stops at are: san juan, aruba, curacao, st.maarten, st. thomas.

 

In Aruba, I highly recommend the Kukoo Kunuku, called something like the Pub and Bar Crawl. It is a really fun excursion on a neon painted open aired bus, that takes you to several bars, dancing and singing all the way.

I've heard really good things about the America's Cup Regatta in St. Maarten as well.

In St. Thomas, if you are a snorkler, going on your own by ferry over to St. John's to either Trunk Bay or Cinnamon Bay.

[techbluedog]

Is Cafe Promenade like Johnny Rockets. Do you have to pay extra for the food you get there?

[DonnaK]

Is Cafe Promenade like Johnny Rockets. Do you have to pay extra for the food you get there?

 

No - the food in Cafe Promenade is free.

 

We had cabin 7650 on the Explorer, which is in the same place on the opposite side of the ship from yours. It was an excelllent location. No problem with noise.

[Stella Darling]

We did the Rhino Rider tour in St. Maartin. It's like a jet-ski only it's impossible (more or less) to tip over. Very, very fun! Curacao we had the dolphin encounter. We had to buy the CD with the photos of us holding the dolphin and getting a kiss from the dolphin, but it was worth it. Aruba we went horseback riding, which was OK, but I don't like wind, so Aruba for me wasn't my favorite island. With the horses, it was organized, but we were taken to the windiest side of the island where it looks like the desert. We got kind of sand blasted. The 2nd tour we did was kayaking. NOT the thing to do in Aruba when there is a SEVERE current. We are in great shape (late 30's) and like strenuous activities, but kayaking against that current was a challenge, not as fun. They take you to a cove to snorkel, but the current is so strong, the waves go over the snorkel a bit. Wear your life preserver is you want to snorkel because of this current.

 

If you or your wife tend to be cold (like me) take along a shawl to go over your shoulders when spending time on the ship because they really crank up the air.

 

The rock climbing wall is incredible. My husband made it to the top and I got some great pictures of it.

 

You'll have a blast. Royal Caribbean is the absolute BEST line. We'll be going on our 4th in March.

[Stella Darling]

Oh, one little tidbit. If you go to the ShipShape Center (gym), there is a jacuzzi in it. We had the early seating for dinner and went up there afterwards (around 7:30 PM). We had the jacuzzi all to ourselves! No one was ever around (nor in the gym for that matter). It was so relaxing!

[sillybutt]

thank you all for the quick and helpful replies!!!

 

 

one last question about dining/seating arranagement. i would prefer to be seating in a two-person table when dining in the main hall. could that be arrange ahead of time, before i step foot onto the ship? or, do i have to wait for my seating arranagement on the arrival day and then talk to the front desk??

 

 

:)Sillybutt

[teacherkim]

Wrona covered it all for you very well. You mentioned beach time. You might want to take a taxi to Orient Beach in St. Martin. Loved this beach, everything to do there or just get a lounge chair and veg. There is some nudity here just in case that sort of thing offends you. You also might want to check out the port of call boards for specific info on excursions or beaches. In PR, try to find a few hours for OSJ, some really neat old forts and cute restaurants and sightseeing.

[MiniMom57]

Your table preferences should be included in the information you give when you book your cruise. They will ask which seating you want (main or late), and large or small table. Specify that you want a table for 2. When you board the ship, check your dining arrangements by visiting the dining room and checking out the table. If it is not to your liking, check with the head waiter about getting it switched.