Attempt at a Live Review- Adventure OTS August 19-26, 2017

I always like reading live reviews, and since I bought an Internet package for this cruise I thought I would try my hand at it in case it's helpful to anyone.

We flew to San Juan a day early and I'm glad we did because we were able to enjoy a leisurely day in San Juan prior to boarding the ship. However, getting to SJU was not leisurely at all. We flew JetBlue and our flight was scheduled to leave at 8am. As I was getting dressed I got a text alert that the flight was delayed to 10am. Not great, but we were already up so we decided to leave the house at the originally planned time. As we were getting ready to request an uber I got another notification that the flight was delayed, now until 10:30am. When we got the the gate we were told that there was yet another delay and that the flight would be leaving at 11am. Had we been flying in the same day of the cruise for a 4pm departure this definitely would have been cutting it way too close for my personal comfort level but luckily we were getting there a day early and the ship was scheduled to leave at 8:30pm. I will say that JetBlue did a great job of giving updates and they even set up a cart with complimentary water and snack boxes for everyone on our flight while we were waiting at the gate. It turned out that our original plane was having maintenance issues so they were flying a plane up from FLL for us. Once it arrived we started boarding and expected to be wheels up shortly because that what's supposed to happen, right? Except, it turns out that due to bad weather (not in our area) our flight path had to be revised and because of that we needed to refuel. We eventually took off around 12:45pm and landed around 4pm, 5 hours later than scheduled.

Uber didn't allow pickups from SJU so we took a taxi, and it's a flat rate of $15 to Isla Verde, where our hotel was located. I wish Uber did allow pickups there because our hotel was less than 5 minutes from the hotel. We stayed at the Embassy Suites San Juan Hotel and Casino, which is where we stayed during our last visit to San Juan. I'll do a full review of the hotel on my blog but the quick review is that we enjoyed our stay and would recommend that hotel.

After checking out of the hotel on 8/19 my mom and I made the short walk to the beach and spent about 30 minutes there enjoying the view and getting our feet wet. We had planned on going to the beach the day before but with the flight delay we weren't able to fit it in, so we were glad to get there on departure day if only for a little while. We were able to get an uber from the hotel to the pier, but the driver could not pick us up directly in front of the hotel due to issues with the taxi drivers. We only had to walk literally just across the street but that's something to keep in mind if you're going to be calling an uber from your hotel. The cost was $8.17 to the Pan American pier and it was a short pleasant ride.

We arrived at the pier around 1pm. We received an email a few days before the cruise with a boarding schedule based on cabin decks, up since we had a suite we could board anytime. I don't recall ever getting an email like that and I'm curious how many people actually followed the scheduled and how many arrived whenever they wanted.

Check in was quick as the suite line wasn't very long, and we were soon on the ship. The rooms were available at 2pm so we didn't have to wait long until we were able to relax in our room. We're in a Grand Suite and although it's certainly big enough for my mom and I we've been spoiled by the Crown Loft Suite on our most recent cruise (Allure).

The first thing we noticed is that the welcome letter explaining our suite amenities was addressed to other people in a different cabin. Also, the sofa and chairs could do with reupholstering as they are pretty stained. Due to the age of the ship I know those things are to be expected, but it was definitely noticeable after coming from Allure. The balcony was the full length of the cabin and was bigger than expected, which was a nice surprise. The bathroom was a nice size but one thing I don't like is that it's a tub/shower combination and the height of the tub is pretty high. My mother does not have any mobility issues but she was concerned about getting in and out.

As I mentioned earlier, we had a scheduled departure time of 8:30pm but the captain informed us that a significant number of passengers would be arriving late so the new departure time would be 9:30pm. We did end up leaving at 9:30pm and I went to bed shortly after.

I think that's all I have to say for now. We're at sea today, and I will do a recap tonight. If anyone has any questions post below and I'll do my best to answer them. I will be posting the compasses and I'll try to do the dinner menus as well, but they may go on my blog if I can't figure out how to post them here. I'm writing this on my iPad so I apologize for any typos!

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If it's not too much trouble could you post the cruise compasses for your cruise?

Thank You

WE like the GS but I understand the tub/shower is hard to get into out of, wish it was just a shower

WE like the GS but I understand the tub/shower is hard to get into out of, wish it was just a shower

Move up to the OS with the walk-in shower.:)

If it's not too much trouble could you post the cruise compasses for your cruise?

Thank You

I'll definitely post the compasses, if not here then I'll post on my blog and link to it.

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WE like the GS but I understand the tub/shower is hard to get into out of, wish it was just a shower

I prefer a shower too. We've both used the tub/shower already without incident but it would definitely be easier if it were a shower or a lower tub.

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Move up to the OS with the walk-in shower.:)

We probably should have done that! But the GS isn't too shabby otherwise

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If you get a chance, would you please post pics of your room?

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If you get a chance, would you please post pics of your room?

 

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Will do!

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was muster drill at 5:30pm? Was dinner open seating the first night or did you go at your assigned times.

Thank you and enjoy your cruise.

Bill

was muster drill at 5:30pm? Was dinner open seating the first night or did you go at your assigned times.

 

 

 

Thank you and enjoy your cruise.

 

 

 

Bill

I don't remember the exact time of muster but 5:30 sounds about right. There was also another muster drill in the theater for people who boarded after the first drill.

We have anytime dining and we went at the time I reserved in the cruise planner. As far as I know everyone went to their assigned time or went into the 'no reservations' line if they have anytime dining and didn't make a reservation.

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I don't remember the exact time of muster but 5:30 sounds about right. There was also another muster drill in the theater for people who boarded after the first drill.

 

We have anytime dining and we went at the time I reserved in the cruise planner. As far as I know everyone went to their assigned time or went into the 'no reservations' line if they have anytime dining and didn't make a reservation.

 

 

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We are on the same cruise as well. Yes, the announcement said to go to your muster stations at 5:30. I saw some passengers come strolling in at 5:50pm. The drill was over about 6:15pm. Enjoy your cruise!

Move up to the OS with the walk-in shower.:)

Would rather move to Royal suite but I am cheap:D

Following along. Enjoy your cruise!

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Move up to the OS with the walk-in shower.:)

Yup!!!! Looking forward to it.

But, FWIW, I kind of preferred the RS on Mariner and Serenade for a REALLY big shower. :D

Thanks, Bob. As always. ;)

VR,

T Lex

Yup!!!! Looking forward to it.

 

But, FWIW, I kind of preferred the RS on Mariner and Serenade for a REALLY big shower. :D

 

Thanks, Bob. As always. ;)

 

VR,

 

T Lex

You're very welcome.:)

Will be following along. Enjoy your cruise!

Following along, have a great cruise.

We are on the same cruise as well. Yes, the announcement said to go to your muster stations at 5:30. I saw some passengers come strolling in at 5:50pm. The drill was over about 6:15pm. Enjoy your cruise!

Thanks for chiming in! I hope you're enjoying the cruise :)

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Following along, have a great cruise.

Will be following along. Enjoy your cruise!

Following along. Enjoy your cruise!

 

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Thank you! Finally figured out how to multi quote on the iPad lol

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Yesterday was our first sea day. We had breakfast at Giovanni's Table and the omelette and orange juice were delicious but the pancakes not so much. We spent some time in the casino and I was up about $28 at one point but eventually I donated it all to the house. We attempted to go out o the suite area on the pool deck but it was uncovered so it's great for those looking to get some sun but not so great for shade lovers like me. I'll make sure to get a picture of that sometime during the cruise.

Last night was the first formal night and it was nice to see so many people dressed up for the occasion. The main show was Invitation to Dance; I love a song and dance number so I enjoyed it but it wasn't the best Royal production show I've seen. The seats in the theater were very comfortable and have cup holders which is always a plus.

Today we're in Bonaire, and we booked the Bonaire Highlights tour (we booked excursions for all of the ports through Cruise Planner). The temperature is around 85 degrees and it's overcast with a chance of rain so I'm not sure how much of the eclipse we'll see.

I tried using the Scannable app on my iPad to upload the compass from Day 1 and it did work but the quality doesn't look too good. I'll upload it anyway, but I will definitely post better quality versions later.

Yesterday was our first sea day. We had breakfast at Giovanni's Table and the omelette and orange juice were delicious but the pancakes not so much. We spent some time in the casino and I was up about $28 at one point but eventually I donated it all to the house. We attempted to go out o the suite area on the pool deck but it was uncovered so it's great for those looking to get some sun but not so great for shade lovers like me. I'll make sure to get a picture of that sometime during the cruise.

 

Last night was the first formal night and it was nice to see so many people dressed up for the occasion. The main show was Invitation to Dance; I love a song and dance number so I enjoyed it but it wasn't the best Royal production show I've seen. The seats in the theater were very comfortable and have cup holders which is always a plus.

 

Today we're in Bonaire, and we booked the Bonaire Highlights tour (we booked excursions for all of the ports through Cruise Planner). The temperature is around 85 degrees and it's overcast with a chance of rain so I'm not sure how much of the eclipse we'll see.

 

I tried using the Scannable app on my iPad to upload the compass from Day 1 and it did work but the quality doesn't look too good. I'll upload it anyway, but I will definitely post better quality versions later.

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Following along, whetting my cruising appetite.

We sail on Brilliance from Barcelona on 29th and I'm tempted to do a Live From thread again. Will not buy the full package though, just use our D+ minutes and phone when ashore.

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Following along, whetting my cruising appetite.

We sail on Brilliance from Barcelona on 29th and I'm tempted to do a Live From thread again. Will not buy the full package though, just use our D+ minutes and phone when ashore.

 

 

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Thanks for following, and have a great time on your cruise!

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Yesterday was a pretty low key day. I really enjoyed the Bonaire Highlights tour and would recommend it for a good overview of the island. One of the other guests brought along eclipse glasses so we were able to get a glance of it during one of the stops on the tour. Once we returned to the ship we had a quick bite to eat at the Windjammer. It was our first time there this cruise as I'm not a big fan of buffets in general, but the food wasn't too bad. After we had some food we went up to the Peekaboo Bridge as there was a special sail away party for suite guests and Pinnacles. The top tier event was held last night too but we ended up not going to that one. The show was comedy/stunts with Matt Baker. Does anyone know if this is the same Matt Baker who used to be a cruise director for NCL? I was too tired to attend the show but I was curious if it was the same Matt Baker.

Today we're in Curaçao and we booked the Discover Curaçao tour. We'll probably head off the ship in a little bit to walk around before the tour.

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