Royal Caribbean's Adventure of the Seas - Cruise Review

Date: Sun, 23 Mar 2003 23:30:31 -0500
From: "Sharon" <dsjaeger2001@yahoo.ca>
Subject: Review

My husband David and I (30 something educators, no children) just returned from our cruise aboard RCCL's Adventure of the Seas and enjoyed it very much. We had cruised two years ago aboard Celebrity's Horizon from Aruba to Panama, Colombia and Costa Rica. The Horizon is a smaller, older ship so our experiences could not be more different.

We started the trip by staying Sat night at the Sheraton at Terminal 3 at Pearson Airport in Toronto. It was a relaxing way to begin the March Break and to avoid the early morning traffic and unpredictable weather. As it turned out there was freezing rain that night. Our flight with Air Canada was pleasant and we arranged our own air instead of flying charter. We arrived in San Juan at 3pm and met up with our transfer driver. She informed us that since we had already attached our luggage tags we did not have to collect our luggage. This was a surprise to me but it certainly made the trip to the pier a quick one. Once there we had only a short wait to board. However, when registering and receiving our Sea Passes we had to turn over our passports. I had heard that this might be the case (although Celebrity did not take our passports in Aruba in 2000) but I resent that Americans did not appear to have to surrender their passports, only Canadians and other non-US citizens. I was unable to obtain a satisfactory explanation for this. Despite this, we found ourselves in our 7th floor balcony cabin just 30 minutes after our flight landed. Quite impressive!

We had read a lot about RCCL's largest ships, though there had been little on this website about Adventure specifically. The ship was very impressive, clean and the staff was generally helpful and courteous. Our cabin was well laid out, roomy enough for two and the balcony was wonderful. We enjoyed watching the sights, chatting with our neighbours over the balcony and hearing the waves at night. It was not large enough for more than two straight back chairs but then the sun did not really reach there enough to tempt you to sunbathe there.

Since we had not collected our bags at the airport, my well packed bag that I had intended to carry on board with me with our evening's clothes, did not arrive with the rest of our luggage until 9pm. We did not want to turn up in the dining room in shorts so we ordered room service and "broke in" our balcony. We spent the rest of the evening exploring the ship and enjoyed the show in the beautiful Lyric Theater.

The ENTERTAINMENT was exceptional throughout the entire cruise. The singers were top notch, the production numbers memorable and the comics and performers very entertaining. The only exception was the comic for the first evening, Tom Briscoe whose racist jokes were quite obnoxious. We also took in the ice show which was amazing, especially considering the small ice surface and the poor ice condition by the end of the performance. We also went skating one afternoon with about a handful of children. I found the skates (no charge for rental) to be comfortable but my husband (an avid hockey player) found them to be almost debilitating! We chatted with one of the figure skaters from Vanvouver and she gave us fellow Canadians a behind the scenes tour of the arena and the mini zamboni! She said that the skaters were treated very well aboard and had a lot of free time between the shows and practices. The zamboni operator (also from British Columbia) also reported that the ice show was a really well run program. The orchestra was fantastic as well. Several of the members were Canadian and they treated us to the theme to Hockey Night in Canada on several occasions to the delight of many. The live music in general was top rate and varied from jazz, latin to classical. We also tried Jesters one night, the two story nightclub. The music was very good and the atmsophere was great. However on the other nights we popped in it was "dead."

FOOD: The food is a big reason that we love to cruise. We only had the Celebrity top notch food for comparison and RCCL didn't quite meet that very high standard but we still enjoyed the food and service aboard Adventure. We sampled all food outlets aboard with the exception of Portofinos. The menu looked interesting but we did not feel that 20 US dollars per person was really a necessary expense when we had already paid for quality dining opportunities. I am sure it is a nice option for others to try. We tried the dining room once for breakfast. It was OK but the service tends to be slow and you must sit where you are told. The hashbrowns were wonderful but the eggs benedict was not as good as my home made stuff! We also tried the dining room one day for lunch and that was the one very disappointing meal of the trip. My husband's fish was "off" and my chicken sandwich was pretty tasteless. Also, another drawback to eating in the dining room for lunch or breakfast is the strict dress code (no shorts or t-shirts). We dressed up according for each occasion for lunch and breakfast but then saw many others who appeared to be breaking the dress code. We ate every other lunch and breakfast in the Windjammer and the buffet there was very good. The salad was always fresh and the other selections were very wide ranging and tasty. The only drawback to the Windjammer was that it was often difficult to find a seat. I was surprised that the ship did not have more outdoor dining options or outdoor seating ajacent to the Windjammer. We also ate at Johnny Rockets one day for a late lunch and found the burgers and onion rings to be excellent. The only problem I guess was such rich fried foods are hard to eat when you are eating so much to begin with! Finally, we sampled the ice cream and pizza and sandwiches from the French patisserie in the Promenade each evening! A hint: if you don't care for your ice cream in a cone, just get a paper coffee cup and a coffee spoon and help youself to the ice cream! As for the dining room at dinner time we had a very nice experience. We sat in a corner in Vivaldi at a table for 10. At first it really seemed to be out of the way but we realised it was probably the quietest place in the dining room. It made it easy to chat across the large table. On any give night two or four of our table mates were absent so it made for a more intimate group. The appetizers were the highlight. The main courses were fine but my husband commented that some of his chicken and beef dishes could have benefited from more taste. On lobster night our waiter brought more lobster for everyone and it was very good. Desserts were also very good and our waiter brought what you ordered and then a few others to try as well. Overall the food was very good, compared to Celebrity which was excellent.

DRINKS: we are not huge drinkers but we took advantage of the drink cards you can buy in advance at any bar. We bought one drink card each which entitled you to 12 house brand drinks. This included frozen coladas and daquaries which we were most intereseted in on a Carribean cruise! These 24 drinks lasted us until the last day when we ordered a couple of rounds of Heinekens on the pool deck. With the card the drinks work out to about 3.70 per drink including gratuity compared to 4.50 plus gratuity, quite a savings. My husband also got an unlimited soda sticker on his SeaPass which was expensive at about 30 dollars but considering a coke can cost 2 bucks each time it was worth it. And you can get pretty dehydrated when you factor in a sun burn! The bar service was pretty good although we discovered it is faster to go up to the bar yourself especially on the crowded pool deck rather than wait the half an hour it can take for a waiter to get you a drink.

POOLS: Given our cold and snowy winter we were on this vacation mostly to catch the rays. On the two at sea days the pool decks were quite crowded but we never had a problem finding chairs. There is an adults only pool near the Spa with extra comfy loungers but it is a small area with much shade and the chairs are hard to come by! We opted instead for a view on the top deck so we could see the water and the pools below at the same time. It was very windy up there but not as noisy from the activities below. On the days when the boat was in port the pool areas were nearly deserted. We took advantage of this on the St. Maarten day. Though it was a little cloudy we took the opportunity to enjoy one of the many large hot tubs (fresh water).When the 15 minute shower came that day we took cover under one of the covered hot tubs. It was quite a sensation to be in the middle of a torrential downpour but protected in a sea of hot water!

PHOTOGRAPHERS: The opportunities for professional photographs on the ship are endless. Each night there are formal portraits taken with various backgrounds. My favourite was next to the blue sculpture in the Centrum. After posing for numerous other portraits (which my husband hated!) we finally found the photographer in the Centrum on the last formal night. She was a nice Aussie and took a fabulous shot of us. At first I resented being forced to buy the size that it was developed in (8 x 10) for 20 USD but now that I have it home and framed I cherish it! The only
thing is I think they should have provided a more substantial cardboard holder for it so that it wouldn't get bent in my luggage.

ARUBA: we had been to Aruba previously and loved its clean, safe atmosphere. We rented a midsized car with air conditioning from Hertz (arranged before hand on line) for 55 USD. The rental lot is right next to the pier and the clerk knew my husband by first name when he enquried about an onlinbe booking. We saw others from our ship being talked into renting a jeep from a no-name outfit for more than Budget and Hertz was asking. Our car was clean and it took us all around the island. We drove east first to St. Nicholas and Baby Beach. It was a nice beach with snorkling but it was very cloudy so we kept driving. Just up the road on the north shore we stopped at a beautiful long beach with crashing surf. It was deserted. Behind it however stood the Dutch Antilles penetentiary! It added to the eerie ambiance! We stopped at a local grocery store and bought 12 Balashi beers, Aruba's own brand for 12 USD. (NOTE: we took this beer aboard with no trouble thoough others had their bottle!s of spirits take for the duration of the cruise) Then we went back to Oranjestad, parked at the Hertz rental lot for free and ate lunch on the ship. Then we shopped in town and then headed west to Palm Beach and the highrise hotels. Just passed the hotels is a lovely beach called Fishermen's Huts Beach. We had seen a picture of it in the latest Carribean magazine and set out in search of its azure waters, tethered multi coloured boats and small huts for shade. The water was warm as was the sun! We then drove inland through the desert area and saw the Natural Bridge on the northern shore. It is quite a sight and worth the drive. We returned the car (we could keep it as long as we wanted but didn't want to drive at night) and went aboard for dinner. Afterwards we explored Oranjestad's night life and ended up in Charlie and Carlo's near the pier. A healthy and good natured US versus Canada competition was in full swing encouraged no doubt by all the March Break Ontarians aboard and the bar tender on the mike encouraging the rivalry. Aruba was definitely the highlight of the trip. The full day in port (morning until 1 am) certainly helped but Aruba is an island that can be explored independently with ease and without fears of any kind.

CURACAO: This quaint Dutch island does not exude the charm of Aruba unfortunately. We explored the town, enjoyed the multicoloured buildings and purchased the most expensive coffee we will ever buy: I pound of Jamacian Blue beans for 32 USD! Curacao did offer the best unobstructed view of the amazing ship of any of the ports.

ST. MAARTEN: We took the water taxi to town but only browsed the shops. We are not into jewelery shopping though I did find a purfume that I had only previously seen in Europe (Joop for women, 100 ml for 35 USD,
cash only).

ST. THOMAS: We took a taxi to town though the shops were not yet open. We walked up to the governor's residence and got a beautiful view of the harbour, our impressive ship and the gardens. The shops were a repeat of St. Maarten so we walked back to the ship (the taxi was not necessary in the first place) and enjoyed the less crowded atmosphere aboard).

SAN JUAN: On the last day we had 6 hours to kill between checking in at the airport and flying out at 4. We took a taxi from the airport to Isla Verde nearby and wandered around the beach. We also explored the nearby cemetery which was quite interesting. We walked back to the airport which was not far though some of it was on busy roads with no sidewalks. Just before you get to the airport buildings there is a small two story structure near the runway with a snack bar and an observation deck. It seemed to be a real drawing card for locals watching planes and listening to the air traffic controllers on receivers. My husband, an airplane nut, was transfixed! We had intended to watch our inbound plane but missed it walking back to the terminal. Next time I think we will arrange it to fly to San Juan a day early instead of staying the night at the airport.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS: It was a young crowd, probably given the March Break timing, which added a real lively atmosphere to the ship. Perhaps it is not always this way but we certainly enjoyed it. There were many children on board though they were well entertained in their own program and did not in any way "get in the way." Shopping on board was quite extensive. The amber jewelerly display one day was impressive and I regret now not purchasing a nice pair of earrings for 25 USD. Oh well there is always next time! Beware: the internet is very slow and the minutes add to your bill very quickly! Also the casino didn't pay out too much, although we heard "stories" from others who won big on several occasions. Beware the in cabin mini bars! As the sign says, you will be automatically charged even if you only touch the goods inside! We used the extra shelf to chill our beer and found that our final bill charged us 14 dollars for the mini bar. Our cabin steward vouched that we hadn't taken anything from the mini bar but we had to wait in a long line at guest relations to get it sorted out before disembarking.

Highlights: -renting the car in Aruba and doing our own thing
    - dancing at Jesters
    - sleeping with the balcony door open
    - Adventure of the Seas singers and dancers
    - room service breakfast on our balcony
    - pineapple daquaries by the pool
    - playing table tennis in the evenings on deck
    - sitting in awe in the Promenade gazing up at the ceiling realising A) you are on a ship and B) the pool is up there!
    - being proud of our ship dwarfing anything else in port!
    - getting dressed up each evening for dinner and the show

Overall we had a wonderful trip. It was packed with fun and non-stop activities but it was relaxing all the same. And we did not find that the week flew by, in fact every day was so packed with activities that you real feel like you savoured every minute. We will definitely be back on RCCL's big boats!

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