Passenger environment/makeup on Adventure of the Seas July Sailings

[rfische1]

Each cruise we have been on has had very different feels due to the mix of passengers. Our latest cruise was our first during the summer and a good third of the passengers were children. Most of the them were from the southern US with some hispanics mixed in. Very few passengers seemed to be from Europe or Asia. On our other cruises in October, we scheduled shore excursions with others whom we met on these boards. However most people on this cruise chose to do things with thier own families, so there seemed to be less interactions among the passengers. Also, there was less smoking on this cruise than on our October cruises and less drinking. I did not find the children to be too obnoxious as some have reported. However, I did hear and see the results of some underage drinking, which the ship dealt with severely.

 

My question to you is this. We have booked the Adventure of the Seas for the July 29, 2007 cruise to Antigua, Barbados and St Lucia. I have heard that cruises out of San Juan have a more international feel about them because of the home port. I am curious about this. My family has always been open to different cultural experiences and were wondering if this will be the case on Adventure. Also would like to know if there will be lots of kids as my son will be 17 on this cruise.

 

Thanks in advance.

[lv2cruisgrl]

We have found that every cruise is different. So just go with an open mind. We did Adventure last Oct out of SJ and loved it, yes the mix of people was a little different but not enough to make us uncomfortable. In the summer months you will have more kids on board no matter what RCCL cruise you take. You will have a good time, she is a great ship and has a very good crew.:)

[nrdsb4]

We cruised AOS from San Juan at Thanksgiving. The ship was about 60-70% Puerto Rican. We had a fabulous cruise and despite the large number of children, had no problems with anyone, young or old.

 

Some people have complained about the announcements being made in both English and Spanish and others have come right out and complained about the Puerto Ricans being "loud and rude." I noticed many of them spoke loudly, but they always seemed to be having fun and were never rude. I liked the salsa bars and mixing with those of different cultures. Some people want a very white bread mainland American experience. I never understood why someone who feels that way would book a cruise that departs from an exotic port.

 

The ship was beautiful and we enjoyed the southern caribbean itinerary.

[Cruising Khi]

I sailed AOS out of San Juan in July 2005. Maybe I am just completely oblivious, but I didn't notice the cruise feeling any different from one that sailed out of a Florida port. I had read a lot of reviews that said a lot of bad things about Puerto Rican passengers, but we experienced absolutely no problems. I even asked my husband about it, thinking that maybe I was the only one, but he didn't notice any problems either. In fact, the only large group of rude people that we noticed were Chinese! The only group of Hispanic people that we even remember was a large group of teenage girls who got their picture taken together, and we only remember them because they looked so beautiful in their dresses.

 

So, to sum it up, our AOS cruise didn't seem to be more culturally diverse than any other cruise that I have been on. However, it was lots of fun, and I know that you will have a great time!

[rfische1]

Thanks for your input everyone. Living in the least culturally diverse state (though that's changing in Portland), it's a treat for us to meet people with varying cultural backgrounds and to be able to share our different ways. My question was merely out of curiousity as I have heard of the different flavor of the cruises out of San Juan.

[mom kaplan]

My family and I just sailed on the Adventure in July of this year, the same route you'll be taking. Like others, I didn't feel that the ship had any more of an international flavor than any other despite the fact that it sailed out of San Juan. We met a few people from Europe and there were some Spanish-speaking families (it's hard for me to say where they were from).

 

We had our 2 sons, 14 and 16yrs. old, with us and they had a ball. There were quite a few kids--the chef mentioned that there were about 700 according to his records --but I have to say, it certainly didn't feel it. Maybe I'm more tolerant of them because I had my own with me. I didn't notice any underage drinking, nor did my kids report any to me.

 

One thing we did do, and I'm very glad we did, was to go to San Juan 2 days before the cruise. If you and your son have been there before, there probably isn't a need but we hadn't and it was a wonderful place. For me, going to the various ports showed us a little about other cultures but staying there a couple of days gave us a little more than a port-stop would have.

 

At any rate, have a great time. Your son will surely enjoy himself. My kids say it's the best vacation we've ever done.:D

[Andipanda1]

Each cruise we have been on has had very different feels due to the mix of passengers. Our latest cruise was our first during the summer and a good third of the passengers were children. Most of the them were from the southern US with some hispanics mixed in. Very few passengers seemed to be from Europe or Asia. On our other cruises in October, we scheduled shore excursions with others whom we met on these boards. However most people on this cruise chose to do things with thier own families, so there seemed to be less interactions among the passengers. Also, there was less smoking on this cruise than on our October cruises and less drinking. I did not find the children to be too obnoxious as some have reported. However, I did hear and see the results of some underage drinking, which the ship dealt with severely.

 

My question to you is this. We have booked the Adventure of the Seas for the July 29, 2007 cruise to Antigua, Barbados and St Lucia. I have heard that cruises out of San Juan have a more international feel about them because of the home port. I am curious about this. My family has always been open to different cultural experiences and were wondering if this will be the case on Adventure. Also would like to know if there will be lots of kids as my son will be 17 on this cruise.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

We took Empress out of SJ and LOVED the international feel. Tons of folks from Puerto Rico and South America countries were on board. Although our command of Spanish is limited, there were plenty of announcements in both languages and we had a BLAST. My husband especially liked the ladies from Brazil:rolleyes:. The amazing part? Watching children with their parents at late seating (which began around 9!) eating quietly and politely. And formal night was truly that--everyone dressed up. I think you will enjoy it--and your kids will learn a lot.

[cruisecookie]

We were on the Adventure just two weeks ago. It was a great cruise. I expected to hear a lot more Spanish spoken on board, but I did not notice that. All of the announcements were made in English first and then followed in three different languages. I did notice some Spanish language programs on the Compass. There must have been a lot of kids on the ship because it was summer vacation time, but I didn't notice an abundance of them. They were all really well behaved.

 

The only thing that did surprise me was the level of poverty on Barbados, St. Lucia and Antiqua. I did motorcoach tours in those cities. I'd advise you to stick to beach excursions on those islands. The beaches and resort areas are beautiful!

[LRISR]

As I just got off the Adventure on Sunday, I can speak to the fact that yes there was a mixed culture on board. Also just because the ship leaves from San Juan does not mean that every Spanish speaking passenger is Puerto Rican. There were also people from Argentina, Brazil, the Domincan Republic, Spain, and Colombia. The only reason I know this is because while hanging out at the Latin Lounge, the band would do a roll call of different islands/countries and the people would cheer when their home was called.

 

I had a great time and I made a lot of friends of different nationalities. Everyone was super friendly on the ship much friendlier than any of the other cruises I've been on.