Patricia

Age: 51
Occupation: Sales
Number of Cruises: 10
Cruise Line: Royal Caribbean
Ship: Adventure of the Seas
Sailing Date: October 31st, 2004
Itinerary: Southern Caribbean

I booked this I cruise with some trepidation, as I didn’t expect to like a ship this size. But my husband was excited to try something new as our last three cruises were with Celebrity (my 1st love). So I was really going to be critical and was looking for reasons to complain. Turns out that was tough.

We arrived in San Juan at 4:30pm, day of cruise. Grabbed our bags and hopped in a cab (we don’t like ship transfers, cabs are cheaper and faster). We were at the port in 15 minutes and on the ship 5 minutes later! No lines? What about the other 3400 people? We had an inside cabin for the first time since our first cruise. Lucky for us, it was a handicapped cabin and so much more spacious. Not sure why we were assigned that cabin, but I highly recommend it if possible. We were on deck 10, aft, which was the most ideal location. Run up one level to the pool and buffet area, two of the places we went to the most. And the dining rooms are aft, so just take the elevator and you’re right there. Near the aft elevators is ideal.

First thing we did on arrival is ask our room steward for feather pillows, which are limited availability, so ask immediately. Several times, we also used the dry cleaning services and thought it was reasonably priced and efficient. Why send your formal wear to the cleaners before you leave home?

We had dinner the first night at Portofinos. It’s the small, gourmet restaurant, requires a reservation and costs $20 each. We thought it was well worth it. The food was a notch above the dining room and the attentive service was excellent. We heard one man who was traveling alone, make a reservation for every night. A nice option if you prefer a small, intimate dining experience and want to dine alone.

The food and service in the main dining room was also very good. I don’t think either my husband or I had a single course that we didn’t like. We asked for a large table, but were seated at a table for 4 which turned out to be fine as we had very nice table mates. We ate all our breakfasts and lunches at the Windjammer Café. The food was varied and good. They did need more omelet lines as it was a long wait. The best was the sandwiches at the Café Promonade on level five. Fabulous deli sandwiches as well as pizza and desserts 24 hours a day. I became addicted to the sandwiches. So much for locarb.

The entertainment was good. Don’t miss the Ice Show!!! The biggest disappointment was the RCCL singers and dancers. They were very talented, but the show they put on, called Velvet Rope, was awful. And by the crowds response, we’re not the only ones who thought that.

Loved the pool area, open 24 hours! We hadn’t seen that before. This ship has so much to offer to the active person. Climb the rock wall (I did and I’m 51!), inline skate, mini golf, golf simulator (that was fun), ice skate, basketball court, etc.

Our 1st port was Aruba. We did the Half day Jeep Safari. Don’t do it! It was way too long, driving over lots of rocky terrain. It was fun for a while, but other than the Natural bridge, you will wonder why would anyone come to Aruba. It’s ugly and much trashier than I expected. To be fair, we didn’t go to the hotel zone, which I guess is nice. We walked into town and found an internet café, much cheaper than the ship.

In Curacao, we did the Swim with the Dolphins. What an neat experience that was. I highly recommend it. It’s costly, but a rare opportunity.

In St. Maartan, we did snuba. I don’t recommend doing any snorkel or dive here. There just wasn’t much to see. Had lunch in town. It’s a nice island with nice people.

In St. Thomas, we did the St. John beach tour. It’s about an hour ferry ride over, but so worth it to see this beautiful paradise island. We were taken to Trunk Bay Beach and the snorkeling there was good.

Overall, we were really impressed with the Adventure of the Seas. It rarely seemed crowded as theres so many places to be. An occasional wait at the elevator is the worst that it got. Even disembarkation only took 10 minutes! I wanted to find fault with a ship this size, but truth be told, I loved it and so did my husband. Can’t wait to go back with the kids and grandkids.
 

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