Adventure of the Seas

We have just returned from the best cruise ever. If you have any questions on the ship, the islands or ??? just reply to this posting and I will be happy to answer.

Islands were: Aruba, Curacao, St. Maarten, St. Thomas and Puerto Rico.

What were the theme nights for dinner? We are going on this same itinerary in January '06, and we're trying to figure out the best night for Portofinos (we don't want to miss "good" meal nights, such as lobster tail or filet mignon).

Also, rumor has it that there are some updated dinner menus? Any input on that?

Thanks for the help, and we're glad you had a great time!! Always great to see that kind of enthusiasm towards one of our future vacations! :)

We are on the AOS next January and can't wait!

Do you know if day passes were available to Breezes Curacao?

Glad you had a great cruise!

We leave for AOS in just over a week. I haven't planned any shore excurisons. What did you do in port? Any recommendations? Thanks!

We leave for AOS in just over a week. I haven't planned any shore excurisons. What did you do in port? Any recommendations? Thanks!

I was on AOS in February -- for ports, I would suggest doing an excursion in Curacao as I find the shopping area dirty and the island folks to be a tad rude..we did one in 02 but not in 05...wish we had...the kids did the dolphin swim.

Aruba is a great place for a tour...we loved the Banana Bus.

St. Maarteen, both times we simply rented a cab and they tour you around the island...they are right at the port.

St. Thomas, we have both times done the Dancing Dolphin excursion...lots of fun, snorkelling and great rum drinks..

Having done the AOS in 9/04, and planning for 9/05, let me give you cruisers a few tips:

-I am from Puerto Rico, so try and do at least a sightseeing tour of Olds San Juan.

-In Aruba, party lovers go to Carlos and Charlie's at night, it's right next to the docks and with their name on the roof, so you can't miss their spot form onboard the ship! renting a car is also a nice way to see the whole island.

-The Dutch-side beach of St. Marteen, where the water taxi docks, is very nice!

-For us (me and my wife) Thursday night was perfect for the Portofino's experience... prepare for something different!!!!

Happy cruising!

We have just returned from the best cruise ever. If you have any questions on the ship, the islands or ??? just reply to this posting and I will be happy to answer.

 

Islands were: Aruba, Curacao, St. Maarten, St. Thomas and Puerto Rico.

Which do you feel is better, the eastern or southern caribbean? if we do the eastern it would be on navigator of the seas. been on voyager and would like to try the newer version of that ship. That's assuming i do the eastern itinerary. southern sounds lot more interesting even if it's a longer plane ride to puerto rico.

what are your thoughts and opinions on this.

Ron

Mandm33: First of all, the menu's are all new. They have only been on the ship for three weeks and they are fantastic. The food was outstanding, there wasn't a meal that went wrong. We had 10 at our table and everyone loved everything. Sunday is Casual (Pirate Night Photos) and included prime rib. - Portofinos is open seating and casual. Monday was was formal, Tuesday was Island Dressing, Wednesday Italian Night (That's the night we went to Portofinos). Thursday is the second formal night, and is usually Lobster. Our Lobster night was switched to Saturday because the head chef did not like the quality of the delivery in San Juan. For Dinner on Wednesday in Portofinos was the Filet, and it was like butter, no knife needed. Don't pass on having the pasta, it's amazing.One night, I think it was Friday, they had local fish. I didn't hear a complaint from anyone I met, the menu was a smash. Enjoy your trip, you are going to have a blast!

ckrobyn: I'm not sure. We elected to take a tour of the island that day and later go see the Let's Go Latin show at the Renissance Hotel. The tour guide did point out a places where you could use facilities, but that name is not coming to my head as one of them.

Joyce: We were traveling with my mother who turned 75 on the trip and who had never been to the islands. We elected to take a morning tour of each island so that we could have time to either shop, go to the beaches or both for the remainder of the day. Most tours start at 9:am and end at Noon. You still have 5 hours to do something else and you get to see the island. In Aruba we did an island tour that included a stop at an Aloe Farm and Factory and a mountain top rock formation that gives you of everywhere including South America which is only 17 miles away. It was nice to stop there as they had a small store to get something cool to drink and a restroom. As in all tours they give you the option of being dropped off in the shopping area or go back to the ship. We also did the "Let's Go Latin" show that night. Carlos and Charlies or a disco was not an option for us because of my 14 year old, but the show was, and it was worth every penny. The dancing and the aerobatics were first class. In Curacao we took the Jewish Heritage tour and were disappointed. The tour guide was very weak in understanding the Jewish religion and heritage. I would recommend doing something else as you can see the current Temple while shopping. It's in the middle of town. In St. Maartin we took a tour that took us all around the island and stopped in Marigot on the French side where they have an open air baazar. We had a blast there and haggled on the prices of things. Lot's of local artists sell there so you see a much less commercial collection of items to bring home. We had time to shop and also spent time swimming and sunning. On St. Thomas we took a tour around the island that also took you to St. Peter's Greathouse. Some of the best prices on T-Shirts are at the greathouse, 4 for $19. You also get to go to two other shopping areas as well as the option of being dropped off downtown. The prices downtown are lower than the mall close to the ship. That's amazing because the same companies own both. They just get you for the convenience of shopping close to the dock.

ronaldfelder: The plane ride is very long. 9 hours for us without layovers. American is still serving beverages, and on some legs serving meals. On others they offer pretzels or the option to buy a snack for $3. Going to Miami we were given headsets for free. Going home they were charging $5. So I was glad I kept them from the first leg. The flight from Miami to Puerto Rico is 2 hours 20 min. We were so tired that we lost time in Puerto Rico we thought we would have to do something. When we did the Eastern we came in the day before we sailed. We relaxed and swam and were refreshed when we boarded.

We have done both, The Eastern on Explorer and the Southern on Adventure. Two of the islands are the same, St. Maartin and St. Thomas. On the Eastern you have limited time in Puerto Rico (only 5 hours instead of 8 on the others). You also get to go to Nassau. On the southern you add Aruba and Curacao. We elected to arrive early in Puerto Rico (On Saturday) so that we could have more time. When we did the eastern we only had time to go to see the fort, which was a lot of walking. We shopped in the duty free stores next to the dock because of time. This time, we were so tired from the plane trip that we went to eat a Puerto Rican Restaurant and to Old San Juan to look around. The Sunday of our departure was Easter Sunday, but you still could do things. Pehaps if we had gone to the rain forest we might have enjoyed the island more. It's old and some of it is not in the best of condition. I imagine they had damage from the hurricanes last year, but still, so much was old and dirty it was a turn off.

St. Maartin, St. Thomas and Aruba are all tourist dependant. Nassau is beautiful and I would love to stay there for a week or more. I think I liked both equally, but for different reasons. The entertainment (Including a Temptations group and Beatlemania) were better on Adventure and so was the food. We had a great time on each for very different reasons. We are planning on doing Western Next Year or the itinery that includes the Panama Canal and Costa Rico.

The biggest difference is the boarding of the ship. For the Eastern, you sail from Miami and the lines were horrible! For the Southern, we walked on board with 10 hours left before we sailed. The muster was easy and in the cool of the evening at 8:30 pm. We had a whole day aboard ship, where as on the Eastern you loose 12 of the day because of the times and boarding and 4:pm muster.

RCCL is going to be moving ships around with the addition of the Freedom of the Seas so you might see different choices coming in 2005/2006 cruising. We were told that they will be moving a Voyager ship to the Mexican Rivera. The have two more Freedom class (Mega-Voyager) due to arrive in 2007 and they will be moving a Voyager class to do the Mediterrainan (Sorry about the spelling). We also were told that the new menu will be enhanced over the next 6 mos until they find the best combination and nights.

Any other questions?

Our family (wife, two sons - 29 & 27 and my Mom) are cruising on 12/4. We plan to arrive on 12/3 and staying at the Hampton Inn. Any info on the Hampton? My wife and two sons plan on doing the BOB on St. Thomas and SNUBA on St. Maarten - heard any reports on these side trips?

Glad to hear that the food has improved in the main dining room, how was the food in the Wind Jammer? We will plan on going to Chops - we did on the Brilliance and it was GREAT - well worth the extra price.

Our rooms are on the hump on deck 9, told that it is a great location - very convenient and not noisy - even though it is right at the Centrum and elevators.

Any advise on getting to the airport - take the RCCL bus or a taxi? How bad was it at the airport - security lines - food / restaurants? How early do you need to get there before departure time?

Thanks for your information - we can't wait until December!!!

Can you give any info on the Pier that Adventure is at now. Sailing in Sept '05, previously on her in 2003. The pier in 2003 had a liquor store on the right as you approached the security lines. Is it still the same? I asked on another thread and it sounds like they may be docking at a different pier now. Any info will be helpful.

We took a cab to and from the Pier in 2003 and it worked perfectly. Maybe it was the timing, but the airport checkin took a matter of minutes, there was no line and we ended up sitting around for a couple hours before our plane left!

We leave for AOS in just over a week. I haven't planned any shore excurisons. What did you do in port? Any recommendations? Thanks!

What do you like to do? Go on tours, beach, shop, sail, snorkel? Does price make a difference?

Can you give any info on the Pier that Adventure is at now. Sailing in Sept '05, previously on her in 2003. The pier in 2003 had a liquor store on the right as you approached the security lines. Is it still the same? I asked on another thread and it sounds like they may be docking at a different pier now. Any info will be helpful.

 

We took a cab to and from the Pier in 2003 and it worked perfectly. Maybe it was the timing, but the airport checkin took a matter of minutes, there was no line and we ended up sitting around for a couple hours before our plane left!

I was wondering the same thing also. I hope so.

eyeskatermum, excellent, thanks for the info!!!

It is nice to hear that a Voyager-class will be moving out here! I loved the Vision, but I'd love to have a slightly bigger ship...even a Raidence class would be awesome

Hi all, we were on the same cruise as eyeskatermom, amd we had a great time as well. Cruizewizard, we did the BOB in st thomas and it was great. Justa tip, book it early, we booked on-line and it sold out on the ship almost immediatley. We would do it again in a heartbeat. Didn't do the Snuba, but the video of it looked cool. On the BOB, you are taken in groups of about 10 at a time, and in the BOB for about 20-25 minutes. You then get to snorkel for about 2 hours in the same area as the BOB's drive around you. Make sure you take an underwater camera, they sell them on the tour for 20 bucks, you can get one at home for about 7 bucks. Have fun.....Bob

Thanks Bob for the BOB info. I tried to book it on line but none of the side trips are available. I think that the bookings open 6 months before the sail date.

What time did you'll board the ship? We will be in San Juan a couple of days before we board? How long did it take to get off? We leave in June....

How was the entertainment?

Scott

Cruise Wizard: I saw the Hampton from a distance - not sure of what it's like, we stayed at the Sheraton Old San Juan (Formerly the Wyndam) which is right next to the dock. As far as the Bob, my husband did that in St. Thomas and had a great time. Take a underwater camera with you (one the disposables that go down over 12 feet which is about how deep he went. We did not do the Snuba in St. Maartin. The best snorkeling and scuba on the trip was in Aruba and St. Thomas (My brother-in-law did scuba in both islands). The food all over the ship was excellant, including Windjammer and Island Grille. This ship does not have Chops, only Portofino's, Johnny Rockets, Cafe Promenade, Ben & Jerrys, the main dinning rooms and Windjammer/Island Grille. We eat in every local and never had a bad meal or snack. Room service was also great. I ordered when I was in the room on the balcony hiding from the sun (I'm a bit fair skinned). Service was quick and friendly. You will enjoy your bump rooms, but every room with a balcony is nice. We had joining rooms which were really great for a family. We did see suites as we walked down the hall (we were on the 10th) and they look awesome. You need to know that this is a big ship and there are things to do all over the place. Do not be fooled that just because you are near elevators you are close to all. Being on the bump is close to dining, but the theater is on the other side of the ship as well as the debark ramps for your day in port. We were forward, near the karaoke (Krap-e-oke) bar an the shows and never heard anything in the way of noise. A taxi will cost you about $16 dollars to and from the airport to the docks. We took a taxi van to the hotel (next to the dock) and a RCCL transfer to the airport. Did that because we could take advantage of one porter. We had 9 large suitcases without carry on. The porters are really helpful in speading you thru customs. We did the same thing coming off the Explorer in Miami and we had an easy security check and customs experience. The San Juan Airport has "E-Ticket" counters where you can get your boarding passes without the help of a person, then move and give them your luggage. It Made the process easier. The security in San Juan was tighter than LAX! The lines for food and drink in the airport are long and the airport is not well kept as most seats are torn and they don't clean up trash quickly. I've been in worse and I've been in better. But I was so relaxed at that point it didn't even make a difference. Get there the recommended time in advance of the plane. I think every plane was booked to capacity and I noticed them giving standby well in advance of boarding. The x-ray all carry on's and purses twice, and are very tough about food or plants. Don't cut it short on time you will miss your plane.

Islandthym: They are docking at a different place now with a lot of new construction having been done. The liquor store you refer to is now where the day ships dock. The boarding vessels (we had three in port) are farther down, much closer to the city than the fort. You pull up and the immediately take your luggage and you enter a building to get your seapass and check your documents. Then up and onto the ship! You can board as early as 11:30, and all the way up to the muster (but don't wait to close to that, they will not allow you to get out of it just because you boarded the ship late). You can get off and on, but we choose to explore, book spa treatments and have a leisurely lunch, even take a swim. That way we got out money's worth for the first day. The roads are bumpy everywhere. The cabs are regulated and can easly be found. The drivers, well, I remember when Disneyland had E-Tickets for rides, and that is exactly what you will experience in San Juan!

lmmn: We booked an Island tour in each port and the total was $172 per person. We booked via the ship. If you book with the ship you can get your money back if the tour fails, and if the tour is late coming back, they HOLD THE SHIP FOR YOU!!!! If you book outside of RCCL, you are on your own. On Islands like St. Maartin who have horrible traffic in the afternoon that can be a problem. My husbands "BOB" tour was late coming back in St. Thomas when we traveled on the Explorer and the held the ship. If you decide to hire a taxi on your own do two things: 1) negotiate the price up front 2) make sure you both understand the terms. We heard of several people being stranded because the taxi driver took them somewhere and when they were out looking the taxi left. In Curacao, buses are not new and it's hot there. Take water with you. Oh, and if you want to swim with the Dolphins book it on line ASAP. It sells out quickly. Book as much as you can online, if you wait till you board ship not only do you risk a sold out tour, but the lines are slow and long. You can book on the TV in your room too!

Bob Finiki: Hey Bob! How you doing! For everyone, you should know that the Roll Calls for the ships are really worth participating in. We all made good friendships on line and on the ship with our chat buddies here on Cruise Critic. We all hope to stay in touch, and maybe to cruise together again. If you haven't done so, sign up for your meet and greet party. Ours was on Monday at 11:am and the ship had refreshments and gifts for everyone who attended. You can search on 3/27/05 in the RCCL roll calls to read our banter over the past 8 months. Hope you are over your jet lag Bob!

skogler: We boarded just about 12:noon, and the entire process, from handing over your luggage to getting on the ship took us about 15 min. The Windjamer was open for lunch. Your room is available at 2:pm. We checked our hand luggage and went exploring. You can go everywhere, book your spa appointments and even go out on deck and swim. Dinner is 1/2 hour later on Sunday than the other nights. You can purchase your drink cards. None of the shops or the Casino will be open until you sail. Comparing this boarding to the one we did in Miami for the Explorer, well, marked difference. Either RCCL has improved the process because of the on-line documentation or San Juan is just an easy experience. If you do your pre-checkin online (Which I highly recommend that you do) all you need to fill in is the page for the credit card for your seapass. The ship will cash travelers checks and there is an ATM in Guest Relations (Promenade Aft) and in the Casino. It's $5.50 service charge for the ATM. Every port takes US currency and your charge cards. These are US friendly ports. Getting off was just as easy. Save all your receipts and have your customs documents done the night before. Use an envelope to keep your receipts in. You have to be out of your room by 8:am, but the food in the Windjammer is served until 9:am. It closes then because that is when the call the groups to leave. You leave off of deck 4 either end of the ship, and the staff controls the crowd so the lines are short and quick. Itemize your purchases, it will make customs easy. We were called to leave and were on the dock within 20 min. and wisked away to the airport. We had a three hour wait there. I found the process easy, very easy.

The entertainment was great. We had a group that performed like the Temptations, and they were just wonderful. We also had Beatlemania. Everyone danced and sang and rocked out to both groups. 1st class performances. We also had a very funny comic and a great magician. The Stage shows were just OK, I've seen better, but they were not bad. They just need more polish. I think the shows were new. The Ice Show was very well done. Being the mother of a national level skater I can tell you that what these kids do on that tiny little surface of ice is amazing. You will enjoy the show very much. There are four performances, two on Tuesday and two on Thursday. Tickets are available (at no cost) at 10:am on Monday outside of Studio B (third deck slightly forward). We did Thursday at 5:pm because we had the main seating (at 6:pm) and we wanted to spend time at night in Aruba. The show is 45 minutes so you have plenty of time to make it to dinner. Thursday is a formal night so if you choose to do the early show be dressed. It's not cold in the rink like if you were in a regular sized Ice Rink. Every seat is good, but since there is no reserved seating for any show anywhere on the ship, leave yourself time to find a seat.

On board there are so many things to do incl. Bingo. I really enjoyed seeing a cooking demo on the promenade hosted by the head chef. He is very funny. You can get Safety Tours which are very interesting because they tell you how the ship was built and why it is so safe. You can also pickup a Galley Tour, and the Same Head Chef is your guide. That was quite the experience!

All in all the Adventure is a wonderful ship and you will have a truely great time.

Any other questions?

as it was stated there is no chops on the adventure of the seas. do you think it's worth doing the southern route on adventure and to sacrifice chops and the asian themed restaurant, or to go on navigator and have those things and do the eastern route instead?

Ron

We are going on the AOS on 4/17 and want to know the cruise director? Is she/he good?

There was a full hour show on the Travel Channel last night about Adventure of the Seas - http://travel.discovery.com/schedule/series.jsp?series=85875&gid=0&channel=TRV - covered everything on board and went to each of your ports - felt like you did the whole cruise in an hour.

They also had another just after it on Voyager http://travel.discovery.com/schedule/episode.jsp?episode=0&cpi=81780&gid=0&channel=TRV

I'm sure they'll replay them again.

Made you want to jump out of bed and go on a cruise.

Howard

We have just returned from the best cruise ever. If you have any questions on the ship, the islands or ??? just reply to this posting and I will be happy to answer.

 

Islands were: Aruba, Curacao, St. Maarten, St. Thomas and Puerto Rico.

My husband and I are leaving on 4/30. Are there theme nights for the formal nights? How was the weather? Any other tips for this particular cruise? This is our 4th.

I have read on other threads that smart casual is a thing of the past. What was your observation?

Eyes, thanks for the great and detailed review. We are sailing during the first week of August with friends and family. Here are a couple of questions, just to start... ;)

- Where can you swim with dolphins? My kids would love this.

- We have a family of first-time cruisers with us who haven't been to the Caribbean before either. The parents aren't big swimmers but love to shop. We want to do both. If we have to figure out and pick the best places to swim/snuba/snorkle/etc versus shopping, what would you suggest? Which is the one place where we really need to sightsee more than anywhere else?

Thanks. I have been checking the boards and just wish we could do it all!

Can you give any info on the Pier that Adventure is at now. Sailing in Sept '05, previously on her in 2003. The pier in 2003 had a liquor store on the right as you approached the security lines. Is it still the same? I asked on another thread and it sounds like they may be docking at a different pier now. Any info will be helpful.

 

We took a cab to and from the Pier in 2003 and it worked perfectly. Maybe it was the timing, but the airport checkin took a matter of minutes, there was no line and we ended up sitting around for a couple hours before our plane left!

I'm with you I've been trying to get an answere to that question forever. We stayed at the Wyndham right across the street. We purchased mega bottles before getting on the ship. Eventhough we did not open them we did not have to spend our island time buying bottles.

Please let me know if you get any info before August 19th we will find out for ourselves then.