Just Off AOS (Oct 8 2006 sailing) Review

[cesarrcabrera]

I just got off yesterday from the Adventure of the Seas. We did the Aruba, Curacao, St. Maarten & St. Thomas route, with two sea days. Below is my review, which was done with the input from my family as well...

 

Embarkation:

The process was smooth (we had the Set Sail ready). No long lines at the time, and we were on our way to the ship quite fast (around 4:30 PM).

The Cabin:

We were on cabin 9622 (mid hump balcony stateroom). The location was great, as we were close to most things on the ship (only far from the theater). There is NO separate hallway for these cabins; and on certain times noise from the elevators and stairways can be very annoying.

Accommodations include a large bed (which is indeed two beds joined together); and a sofa bed (no pull down bed here). Space is adequate; but if the sofa bed is open, space becomes a lot more limited, so take that into consideration when making plans (we ordered breakfast in the room for the first morning as it was a sea day, and realized that it was a bit tight for that).

Food:

The food was below average in terms of taste; and red meats were for the most part very bland (except for the NY Strip on the last night). Juices were never made right, as you could easily make two cups (by adding the proper amount of water) out of each cup available at the Windjammer. As for the Windjammer, I ended up in a "Pizza & french fries for lunch" diet. Hotdogs were also good if you were able to find someone to hand you one, and some fresh buns.

The night that lobster was served, I was served one with the intestinal vein still present, which is quite disgusting to say the least. In addition, I was served scallops which were clearly still raw in the center; and therefore I did not eat them (besides the piece which I had already put in my mouth, which is how I first realized they were not right). Our waiter made every effort to make our meals nice; but the quality of the food just wasn't there...

Although I used the menu in English, the family that traveled with us used the Spanish translation; and we came to find out that they were confusing and sometimes even misleading (not intentionally; but still misleading). The item that jumps to mind is the “Prime Rib”; which was translated as being “costillas” (ribs). One lady in my table ordered it; just to later find out that it was no ribs, but a steak. I also noticed at one point that the same mistake was made with the Rib-eye. There were many other cases of issues understanding the Spanish menu; but I simply forgot to make note of them (I was after all just thinking about eating).

Guest Services:

One very disappointing event occurred on the second Sea day (Thursday), which was not only a disappointment for me; but also for the 4 children involved. In the Adventure Ocean compass (ages 9-11) there was an Ice Skating session scheduled for Thursday at 12:15 PM (right after the Adventure Ocean Talent Show); but when we showed up, we were told that the session didn’t exist, and that it was a misprint in the compass. They also told us that the Adventure Ocean skating was at 11:30 AM; which made no sense as it would conflict with the talent show.

We proceeded to the Guest Relations desk, where Marjorie Venus Baliog told us that it was indeed a misprint, and there was nothing show could do. Then she contacted the Adventure Ocean manager (who she identified as Pierre), and he told her that the session was not a misprint, and that it was going on at the time. I went on to repeat that I had already been to the Studio B, and sent out by the person working there because there was no session scheduled for 12:15 (can’t recall the name, only that he was from Canada).

After standing for 30 minutes at the Guest Relations counter, Mrs. Venus walked out of the back, and told us that the person at Adventure Ocean was wrong, and that the session was a misprint; and that there was nothing she could do to correct the situation or make it up for the inconvenience. She then said that we could try skating on Saturday, when three more sessions where scheduled. I then proceeded to ask her if there was a way she could guarantee a space for our 4 children on the Ice Skating for Saturday (2 mine, 2 of the family traveling with us); and she said that she couldn’t make any reservations; but that there was no limit in the amount of people who could skate at each session (it seemed very strange, so I repeated the question, and she repeated her response of no limit). Needless to say, if it wasn’t because we made sure to be early back on the ship, the kids wouldn’t have been able to skate, as there was limited availability because of the amount of skates available and the size of the rink.

Entertainment:

Entertainment options were in my opinion very poor. Other than the daily show, the usual entertainment available was dancing and/or drinking at a lounge; except for the nights of “The Quest” and the “Love and Marriage” game. In addition, on Tuesday only the Ice Show was available; so if you were not able to get tickets, there was no other show available.

Productions shows were good, as was the welcome aboard show. They had a singer one night (a 13 time winner of star search); and it was so so (had some ups and downs)... Another night they had "El Gaucho", which was quite easily the best entertainment piece on the whole cruise. There was also the Hot Ice Cool Art ice skating show, which should not be missed (so look for tickets as soon as they are available)...

On the production shows, the sound was erratic, in the sense that sometimes the lead singer at the time could not be heard, or only one of the singers of a duet could be heard for a while. Given the time these shows have been running, I would think that by now the sound technicians have all that worked out and smoothly set; but it was not the case.

Debarkation:

The process was as usual. My only issue was that we were instructed to wait either on Studio B or the Lyric theater while watching Discovery Channel programming. I decided to go to Studio B (as it was closer), and realized that although I could watch the TVs, the audio was set so low that even on the second row was not possible to hear it. Other than that, the usual…

 

 

If anyone has any questions regarding this ship please let me know...

[nrdsb4]

Well, I can't really tell from your review:

 

Did you enjoy your cruise? Are you glad you went or do you think it was a waste of money/time? Did you enjoy the itinerary and do you think it made the flight to SJ worth it or would you have enjoyed yourself just as much (or as little) if you'd just cruised an Eastern itinerary? I'm assuming you flew in from the US, but perhaps you are native to PR or came from another country.

 

Anything you recommend from the ports you visited? Restaurants or excursions?

[Madkitty]

just how bad was the noise - I thought i had a bargain after upgrading today to 9318 and didnt realise there was no corridor :confused:

[lephysteria]

Hi,

While I appreciate you writing a review, I also can't understand if you did have a good time, if there was anything you did enjoy or if you would even hesitate to take another sailing on this ship or any other ship in RCCLs fleet.

 

To Madkitty

I was recently off of the Mariner (same floorplan as AOS) and we were in cabin #7322. It is mid hump and directly off of the elevator.

We didn't have a lot of hallway noise, but perhaps no one was yelling or running down the hallway when we were in our cabin.

I wouldn't hesitate to book this cabin again. I thought it was a great location. :)

Hope this helps.

[gsb]

nmnm:mad:

[addictedinflorida]

I'm actually shocked reading this post because I just got off the Adventure on 9/10 and LOVED it! Of course I had my menus in english and didnt use the Adventure Ocean so I cant comment there, however I thought the food was very good (only one night, the lamb wasnt very good, but everything else was), and the entertainment was awesome! There were some nights that activities I wanted to do were overlapping other things, but the shows that were planned (El Gaucho was very good) were very nice and all of the staff that I met and had the pleasure of dealing with all week were very special. I was in the mid ship, so no problems with the elevators, but then again, I wouldnt book a cabin near the elevator. Sorry you didnt enjoy yourself.

[rascalious]

just how bad was the noise - I thought i had a bargain after upgrading today to 9318 and didnt realise there was no corridor :confused:

I have had 9318 twice and 9618 once. Let me reassure you that you are in a great cabin. I never heard any noise. The hallway is isolated from the elevator area. Go and enjoy. Just goes to show the different perceptions and expectations people have. We love the AOS and will always pick 9318 or 9618 - in a heartbeat!!!

[rascalious]

nmnm:mad:

Don't cancel based on this one review. I can assure you the AOS gets consistently high reviews for the ship and it's Southern itinerary.

[estreetbandfan523]

i have been on AOS twice and this review is just a fluke, it is a great ship with an outstanding crew, my group had about 5-8 crew members that remembered us all from the previous year, this is a great ship, although the production shows do lack, but they had Two Funny Guys Mario and Daniel on board and they had people balling will laughter and several people fell out of thier seats, they are the best show i have seen on RCI, but agian i think the AOS is a great ship, and this was probably a fluke

[KSull58]

Can anyone here give me some info on the balconies on Deck 6? I've seen that they have metal railings instead of plexiglass. Is this true and does it block the view if sitting down??

 

Any help will be appreciated!!!

[Colorado Babe]

My family and I just got off the ship too and we had a fabulous time.....i thought the lobster dinner was a 10...It was the best meal that I had the whole time on the ship..The french toast in the morning was to die for and the lunches were superb..Make sure you go to the Vivedeli room at lunch and get the pasta bar.....It is fabulous...you get to pick the ingredients and they make your pasta dish right in front of you.....The main waiter, noticed early on in the cruise that I wasn't eating as much as everyone else (because I am worried about gaining weight) he asked me what he could do to make my dining experience better..I told him I liked Shrimp cocktail..After that night, Shrimp Cocktail was given to me as soon as I sat down for dinner......The dining staff was wonderful. We didn't go without anything.

 

This was our first cruise with Royal Caribbean and I assure you, I will not go to another cruise line..We will stick with Royal Caribbean from now on....We had a balcony stateroom (Rm 7244) which was right near the elevators and we never heard any noises....Our room was plenty big for the three of us and we ate in our room every morning (coffee and cinnamon rolls) before going to the gym...we were actually impressed with the room size as we usually book suites and this was our first balcony..So not sure why cesarrcabrera siad it was small....

 

The casino was great. I won 750.00 on the first night and never went back because I didn't want to give back my winnings. We thought the shows were fabulous. We even signed up for the mystery dinner show at Portofino's and had a wonderful time. The waiter was so nice, he gave us a free bottle of wine after the dinner.. When we took it to dinner the following night, they didn't charge us to uncork it either..

 

The pool area, basketball court, ice skating rink and ice show was great....Not sure why cesarrcabrera didn't get tickets for the show because the cruise director, Richard, announced it at least a million times and it was posted in the cruise paper when you had to pick them up. We spent everyday by the pool and our daughter lived at the basketball court...She won so many prizes we didn't have to buy any sourveniers..(three sun visors, a sports bag, medals, (Gold, silver and bronz) and a tshirt....Royal Carribean is very generous with their give aways.....

 

Oh, forgot to add. On the first day of the cruise, my family and I took the spa and gym tour and were offered the chance to raffle for a massage for 1/2 off...We decided to try it and I won.I received a 75 min stone massage for 70.00 and it was the best one I have ever had. If anyone has any questions, please feel free to ask..I have nothing but great things to say about this ship and its crew....If you are booked to go on the Adventure of the Seas you will not regret it..

[Madkitty]

Can anyone here give me some info on the balconies on Deck 6? I've seen that they have metal railings instead of plexiglass. Is this true and does it block the view if sitting down??

 

Any help will be appreciated!!!

 

I had a deck 6 balcony before I upgraded and although people said that they were still great it was still bugging me - there are a couple of pics on webshots if you search for adventure seas 6316

[Annefran]

We are booked on AOS for Easter 2007 and cannot wait to go. I wouldn't let one bad review make me cancel my cruise. Everyone has a different opinion and views their cruise experiences quite differently. I always go with an open mind and to have a fun vacation. There's always a few people on board that have an "half empty glass" mentality and find fault with everything no matter what...poor buggers, lol.

[rlthng]

This cruise was worst I've been on and I've sailed two previous cruises. There were over 2,000 people from Puerto Rico on the ship because there cruises were only $299.00. Why don't they offer that rate to Americans at the last minute? They'd fill that ship up in a heart beat. Food in the Wind Jammer was not good. The bacon had no taste at all. The eggs were undercooked. Food was not hot. The service was so slow. Even our evening waiter asked us daily what could they do in the Wind Jammer to make things better? How did he know there were problems there? We never mentioned it to him. Our head waiter was told of our ten year anniversary and did not even wish us a Happy Anniversary on the day. My husband ordered roses and chocolate covered strawberries to be delivered on our anniversay and they were in our room on our arrival. When he complained they did nothing. They ruined his surprise and he had nothing for me on that day. These are just a few problems we encountered. I could go on. It was also the worste disembarktion I have ever witnessed. I won't sail out of Puerto Rico again and I will rethink RCCL too. Everyone on our flight home also agreed with all I have wrote. The highlight was the casino. Best dealers out there and I lost and still loved them. I'd love to hear any other comments from this cruise on this sail date.

 

CHRIS:(

[nrdsb4]

This cruise was worst I've been on and I've sailed two previous cruises. There were over 2,000 people from Puerto Rico on the ship because there cruises were only $299.00. Why don't they offer that rate to Americans at the last minute? They'd fill that ship up in a heart beat. Food in the Wind Jammer was not good. The bacon had no taste at all. The eggs were undercooked. Food was not hot. The service was so slow. Even our evening waiter asked us daily what could they do in the Wind Jammer to make things better? How did he know there were problems there? We never mentioned it to him. Our head waiter was told of our ten year anniversary and did not even wish us a Happy Anniversary on the day. My husband ordered roses and chocolate covered strawberries to be delivered on our anniversay and they were in our room on our arrival. When he complained they did nothing. They ruined his surprise and he had nothing for me on that day. These are just a few problems we encountered. I could go on. It was also the worste disembarktion I have ever witnessed. I won't sail out of Puerto Rico again and I will rethink RCCL too. Everyone on our flight home also agreed with all I have wrote. The highlight was the casino. Best dealers out there and I lost and still loved them. I'd love to hear any other comments from this cruise on this sail date.

 

CHRIS:(

 

First of all, Puerto Ricans ARE Americans. They are US citizens in case you didn't know.

 

Secondly, there were 2000 Puerto Ricans onboard and...what?

 

It's amazing to me how people can take offense if someone makes a crack about New Yorkers or people from Texas or New Jersey but think nothing about displaying very poorly veiled prejudice vs. Puerto Ricans.

[addictedinflorida]

First of all, Puerto Ricans ARE Americans. They are US citizens in case you didn't know.

 

Secondly, there were 2000 Puerto Ricans onboard and...what?

 

It's amazing to me how people can take offense if someone makes a crack about New Yorkers or people from Texas or New Jersey but think nothing about displaying very poorly veiled prejudice vs. Puerto Ricans.

 

I agree. Yes, there are going to be more puerto ricans on board since the boat leaves from there, just like there are alot of Floridians on board the ones that leave from here. And yes, I have encountered some very rude puerto ricans on my cruises, but I have encountered just as many rude Americans.

 

I have to agree with one of the other posters who said there will always be those that see the glass as half full. The food is never going to live up to each and every persons standards as some like their food more cooked, some like it more rare, some like it seasoned more, some dont, etc. The food in the windjammer when I was on board was hot and steaming, but of course if you arrive at the items after they have been sitting for a little bit or in between exchanges, things are not going to be as hot as when they are first brought out, but at least give them the opportunity to get the hot food instead of complaining that every item was not piping hot the exact moment you wanted it. The gift was a screw up I admit, if he indeed did request it on your anniversary specifically, but sh*t happens. The people running the ship are just as much human as anyone else and can make mistakes when they have 3,000+ people to accomodate.

[cesarrcabrera]

Let me try to respondo to everyone who has posted...

 

To: nrdsb4

 

We did our best to enjoy the cruise... and we did enjoy the trip; but it was because we were all together and made the best of the situation... We are all from PR, so there was no flight involved...

 

The itinerary has one main flaw (at least to my liking), and it is the two sea days... The other itinerary has only one, which helps a lot since activities flow a lot better (no need to spread them out)... Other than that, the ports are very nice, and the way the itinerary is designed varies a lot from the usual cruise out of PR... mainly because St Thomas is at the very end... Here is my experience on each port:

 

Aruba: We talked with the tour guides right out of the ship... They offered a tour that included the rock formations, the natural bridge (the one that remains), the gold mine ruins, and we also drove by the beach area and the lighthouse (good photo oportunities)... They started at $20; but since we were eight, we were able to get them to $17... if you make a larger group of people from the ship, you could get it even lower..

 

Curacao: We basically walked to and around the Punda area. Just as in Aruba, the weather was VERY hot; therefore we thought that staying close to the ship and going back when we got tired was the best. However, I was offered a tour of the island for $15, and some friends of ours who took it said it was better than the Aruba tour.

 

St Maarten: We booked a tour with Joyce Prince... It was a 6 hour tour, for 8 people; and included pretty much anything we wanted to see in those 6 hours. We went shopping first, as I wanted to get a camera (which I got for $200 less than the cost in the US); and my wife wanted some jewelry, which she got at a very good price as well. All the things we bought were from a store that Joyce recomended (she knows the owner), and a store where Joyce's friend took me for the camera.

 

After that we went all around and inside the island (orient beach, marigot, etc), with some great photo ops (hey, I had just purchased a camera! ;)). Around 1:30 PM we got to Maho beach, as Joyce found out that planes started arriving around that time. I was able to take pictures of two large planes landing (will post them below), and enjoy some french fries while waiting.. Last but not least we went to a local supermarket, as my friends wanted to get some dutch cheese, and they didn't buy it at the first two ports. I would strongly recomend this tour to anyone looking to have a great time in St Maarten.

 

St Thomas: Since all our budget was gone after our St Maarten shopping spree (the prices were too good to pass); we headed to Havensight mall and just walked around and got some souvenirs we needed for some good friends back home. We then headed to the Cold Stone Creamery we had visited about a year ago, just to find out that it closed around 8 months ago. :( So we were off to the supermarket to get some ice cream bars (once you want ice cream, you must get ice cream)...

 

We considered the Skyride; but prices have gone so high it hardly makes any sense anymore ($18 per adult, $9 per child)...

 

To Madkitty:

The noise level would vary, of course, depending on the time of the day. When it was around time for either of the dinner times, and early morning when people were getting off the ship at the ports (gangway was down those stairs) was when noise was the worse. Also around 1:00 AM, given that the teen disco closes at that time, and curfew starts... therefore there were a lot of teens going up/down the stairs to their rooms. One night as I was coming down from Adventure Ocean getting my kid; a group of kids was so noisy that the guards actually showed up and asked to go to their rooms... they were jumping from the third and fourth step down, aparently challenging each other to a jumping competition...

 

After about 1:30 AM, noise would go down a lot; as most people is either in their cabins. or away from that area of the ship...

 

To lep:

I would not travel again on the AOS based on my experience. It may have been a fluke; but one that certainly went all the way around... I remember one day that we all fell asleep in the cabin (the second sea day, couple of hours after the skating incident), and I showed up 4 minutes late to pick up my girl from Ad. Ocean... The lady told me, in a harsh tone, to be more responsible next time and get there on time... I just told her "yes, as I've been all week given that she's been here every day since Sunday"... and left... however, it just added to the bad taste left by the skating incident earlier that day...

 

I have already paid for another cruise in RCCL on December (the Empress), which I expect to be a lot better (or at least hope so)... I've done the Empress twice before, and I have no complaints about it... so we'll see... After that, I'm thinking of trying Celebrity; as I've read great reviews from them (yes, I know they are owned by RCCL; but they are still separate companies and management)...

 

To ColoradoBabe:

I did get tickets for the Ice Show... in fact, we ended up with double the tickets we needed as I went very early and picked for the whole group; and the other family did exactly the same thing; but about an hour after I did... Hence we gave the extra tickets to some elderly couples that didn't make it ontime to the ticket line, so they were not wasted... However, my point is that those that didn't get tickets for the Ice Show, had no alternative show to watch...

 

The morning we got to eat at the room, we requested omelettes and toasts. So we needed some sort of table to eat at; and with the sofa bed open, it was pretty hard to achieve. That's another thing, you need to consider whether you had a sofa bed open while having breakfast or not... it does take up a lot of space...

 

To All:

In general, I feel the cruise experience was below what I've had previously with Royal Caribbean. I did not mention it on my first post; but this was my fourth cruise with Royal Caribbean, and my 7th overall (3 previously with Carnival)... So I'm not new to cruising or Royal Caribbean, and I have what to compare this experience to.

[ajbrath8077]

Ive been on two cruises (one w/ RCI and Carnival) and my wedding will be on Adventure of the seas in august 07. Ive told all my guests that with any trip you go on, you have to go with an open mind and allow for mistakes. If you focus on having fun, no matter what happens, you will enjoy yourself. Esp. w/ a cruise, you have to allow for mishaps but its all about keeping an open mind and positive attitude.

[rlthng]

Ok, I was not cutting on Puerto Ricans. I was just saying that they received better rates. I was only trying to say that if people in the United States were offered $299.99 as the residents of Puerto Rico were they would surely jump at the chance. If we are all equal as we should be rates should be the same across the board. People always jump to the wrong idea and have to play the race card. This is a board to post comments and not to judge opinions. They of course are just opinions.

[cesarrcabrera]

By the way.. I'm Puerto Rican, and I do not think this was the problem with the sailing, although I admit that we can be at times a bit noisy... ;) However, I do want to clarify that the rates we get for cruises are the same that people in the US get. In fact, I buy my cruises from an Orlando based Travel Agency (Cruises Only), and they are always pricing same or below what I can get locally. Of course, for us is still cheaper, since we save the flight, cab, hotel (if traveling from far), and other extras involved if you flight here to take your cruise... Also, it may be a bit easier to book a last minute trip, as flight schedules and prices are not an issue...

 

I know timing is important with food; but it plays no part in the juice at the windjammer being pure syrup most of the time; or with the bar serving flat soda (knowingly)... I stood by the bar at the Windjammer, and the server mentioned to a waiter that she was mixing the flat coke from the machine, with a bit of coke from a can to give it a little bit of soda taste... Of course, when I went to the dinning room at night, aparently the problem was still going on; but the soda was going out simply flat, not even the illussion of soda was present... And then there is the intestinal vein in the lobster, as well as the scallops being undercooked (this is not a matter of taste, there is right and wrong way to cook scallops)...

 

I understand the cruise has many guests to accomodate; but I still expect a certain level of service and quality, given that I'm not being given a discount based on the fact that the ship has many passengers... The screw up on the strawberries is something they could've easily worked on and made up, by providing some other sort of surprise gift for the wife (i.e. a flower arrangement, couple spa treatment, a larger or different arrangement of chocolate covered strawberries, a romantic dinner for two at portofinos with rose petals on the table, etc).. So they had many options, and chose to do nothing (which was the case with all of the inconveniences I had and mentioned to the cruise staff)...

[cesarrcabrera]

Now some pics..

 

Here are three pics of the cabin... I'll have more soon; as the others are on my other camera...

 

You can see two different views, as well as one where the balcony shows clear..

[wolfcathorse]

the cruise staff

 

Cesarrcabrera - who was your Capt?

[cesarrcabrera]

Here is the view to the back and to the front of the ship from my balcony on 9622.

 

wolf - I can't recall the name of the captain off the top of my head; but will have it for you tomorrow...

[luvjftffc]

Also just got off the Adventure from the Oct 8th sailing. The Captain is Captain Pierre (Spelling ??). Nothing against PR, but most did not speak english at all. RCL did fix the problem with our tablemates of day 2 of this cruise, since they had us (my Mom, My dad, myself (27) seating at at table for 8 with the other families all from PR and none spoke english. it was very uncomfortable at first but we got moved to a different table on day 3. Our waitress the first 2 days were awesome and very on top of things....the waitress the remaining days was very good but her assistant just was not helpful to her at all. the barstaff in the dining room was very slow..it took almost to the beginning of the main entry to get a can of coke. coke has gone up in price since last year (this years its 1.75 plus 15% = 2.01 for a less than 12 once can). RCCL upgraded us (if you can even call it an upgrade) from an inside on deck 6 to an inside on deck 9 right next to the service room where the stateroom attendants get towels and cleaning supplies. these attendants were up by 6:00 am opening and closing the doors and it was very noise. Im not bashing RCL, I booked the Mariner for next October and also a platinum member.

 

The shows were great...On Quest, only half of Studio B was full (which usually its packed). The ice show was awesome...do not miss this! I only wish that the Love and Marriage Show was not on Aruba day since we left Aruba at 1:00 am. and the show was at 10:45 pm. Went went to visit Carlos & Charlies.

 

On Aruba we did the Jolly Pirates tour. By far the best excursion we ever did. Would recommend and if you book online you get a discount!

 

St. Thomas Skylight ride is 18.00 per person.... a lot but we still did it. It rained half the day in St. Thomas.....but it wa still nice.

 

If I can think of anything else Ill post more.

 

If my spelling is bad...sorry.

 

Still would not think about crusing any other line.

[nrdsb4]

cesarrcabrera,

 

Thanks for the addendum. I found your comments on the ports/excursions to particularly valuable.

 

As for Puerto Ricans receiving reduced rates, we hear this constantly from disgruntled passengers coming off AOS. Yours is the second post from a Puerto Rican I've read in recent weeks which states that Puerto Ricans do not receive substantially lower rates. I wonder why there continues to be disagreement about this. I've never asked what someone else paid, whether it be for a cruise or airline tickets. I know that depending on timing and how well a certain sailing is selling, the prices will vary. The same applies to airlines and hotels. It doesn't bother me if locals get reduced rates, that's just part of what goes with living in a port city. One hears often about resident specials in Florida, NJ, and Galveston and it always seemed to be a reasonable business practice to garner local support with good rates.

 

Regardless, I seriously doubt 2,000 Puerto Ricans received $299 rates.