Adventure of the Seas Oct 14

Just baqck from an amazing cruise on Adventure. It was a very rough lead up to the cruise because of the uncertainty of it happening due to Maria. I, like many others, were hesitant to go to PR considering the devastation. Many of us, and I met many many on the cruise, wanted RCI to cancel the cruise due to the circumstances. It happened and I cam glad it did because once again I met an exceptional crew who had had a very rough month or so due to hurricane, got to see and hear about PR first hand, and saw amazing ports.

We were "upsold" ( I have been educated about upsell vs upgrade")to an Owner's Suite which was a dream. Our steward was the best we have ever had . There was nothing he wouldn;t do and were were met daily with smiles.

This was a "different" cruise because RCI offered a reduced fare to Puerto Ricans due to many cancellations. I think about 2/3 of the passengers were from PR. Some were three generations . I could see and appreciate their closeness as families and was glad that they were able to get a break from the everyday trials of living in PR

We flew in Saturday after our hotel had been cancelled. AA arrived on time . Airport was very hot and crowded due to the generator power. RCI transfer was right there and we arrived at the ship in good time. It was clear that there was a lot of damage in SJ, especially to the foliage. The terminal was very crowded but we were onboard about two hours after landing.

We avoided the windjammer because on a good day we dislike it. I heard many people talking about how awful it was because of crowds. The first to days, the elevators were really really crowded so we used the steps. We got the specialty dining package and did Chops twice and Giovannis twice. Chops is definitely the better of the two.

A perk of the owner's Suite was use of concierge lounge. That was lovely and we met some wonderful people. The crew there was topnotch. We were invited to sailaway from Antigua from the helipad but it rained so it was in the Viking Crown. Lovely event!

It was an eyeopener to sail from SJ and see very few lights and El Morro was in the dark. After speaking to many people, we learned that life in PR is now an everyday struggle, even fro the well to do, because of the shortages, lack of water, and inconsistency of generators. Children have not been in school in over a month and many have not worked. The crew and islanders we encountered were so happy to see tourists again and that made me feel good. Make no mistake, PR is in a disaster and it appeared that they need MUCH MUCH help

AA gave everyone on SJ route two free bags, headphones, and free meals! Many kudos!

Will be happy to answer any port questions also

Thank-you for the update on Puerto Rico.

We are currently scheduled for an Eastern Caribbean itinerary for the week of Thanksgiving on Oasis. True to RCCL recent norm, we are still in limbo as to where we are actually going. SJ and St Maarten were two of our stops. From your perspective, do you see SJ ready to host large cruise ships as a port of call in less than a month? For us, it does not matter where we go, after many cruises to these same islands, the ship has become our destination, but to may first timers I know they are more anxious because of scheduling shore excursions. Thanks for your first hand thoughts.

Thanks for your update on your cruise. We are on the Adventure leaving on Nov 11 and staying in SJ the night before. I really appreciate your post, it does help to hear what's going on over there.

We too enjoyed our trip on the Adventure. Some Personal thoughts. Ship and personnel were awesome. Ate and Giovanni's it was just ok, ate at Chops it was incredible but the highlight was the Chef's table which was amazing the best food I have ever eaten. All the Islands were great. Our excursions were fun. At the last minute in Aruba we thought about doing the Submarine Atlantis excursion but was told it was sold on on the ship. When we got ashore we saw were the Submarine tour departs from and asked if they had any slots open. It turns out they did and not only was it incredible seeing marine life and two ship wrecks, it was $30 cheaper than if I went through the ship. The only downside which really upset me is that I booked a 75 minute massage at the spa. I arrived on time and had to fill out a lengthy questionnaire then get counselled by the masseuse who tried to sell me a ionotherapy package. Instead of a 75 minute massage I got a 45-50 minute massage, followed by more pressure to buy a package I did not want or need. I did not complain but I will write scathing response to RC's survey that they just sent me. I know they are in the business of making money, But I felt like we were nickeled and dime'ed to death everywhere. We did buy the deluxe beverage package which if you can stand drinking 5-6 cocktails a day is well worth it, but still had to pay a few bucks here and there on drinks that were over $12. All in all it was a great trip and we enjoyed ourselves a lot. We will cruise again on RC but next time armed with a lot more research on this forum will help us in making wise decisions.

We did the Kuku Kukanu bus trip in Aruba which was so much fun!!! We went to Calif lighthouse and Alta Vusta church then Palm Beach for a few hours. My only comment was that I wish we had stayed at the beach longer. However it was such fun singing and laughing. It was so much fun that we did the dinner one. They took us to the beach below the lighthouse where we had champagne. Then we had dinner at a local restaurant and visited three very local bars for dancing. It was a wild time ! We did the beach escape and city tour in Curacao through RC and I was VERY disappointed. The driver said literally NOTHING! We stopped on top of the Juliana bridge for pictures and then to Cabana Beach for three hours. It was a rainy type of day and I did not want to stay that long since there was so much more I wanted to see. I thought we would see more of Curacao. Next time I am just doing an independent tour from the pier. Did not do Chef's Table but will next time. Did not feel nickled and dimed but did have to pay a few $$ extra a few times for wine. Next cruise is on Celebrity but we made Diamond on this one

Will SJ be ready for ships in a few weeks? Not sure. I did read that OSJ is open. Don't know about the pier in OSJ. They are saying power may not be restored til at least December.

We did the Kuku Kukanu bus trip in Aruba which was so much fun!!!

 

We did the beach escape and city tour in Curacao through RC and I was VERY disappointed. The driver said literally NOTHING! We stopped on top of the Juliana bridge for pictures and then to Cabana Beach for three hours.

We did both and loved the Kuku Kukanu had a blast ! The Curacao "city tour" part was joke like you said. It was nice seeing the buildings but basically all the driver did was take us from the ship to the beach no real tour.

I will say that at St. Kitts we did the 4 x 4 Island Safari and Beach from "Greg's Safari's " which was outstanding especially when you get Greg himeslf as your guide like we did. He provided so much information and history and even had a rum tasting on top of a mountain. Best excursion we went on!

We are currently scheduled for an Eastern Caribbean itinerary for the week of Thanksgiving on Oasis. True to RCCL recent norm, we are still in limbo as to where we are actually going. SJ and St Maarten were two of our stops. From your perspective, do you see SJ ready to host large cruise ships as a port of call in less than a month? For us, it does not matter where we go, after many cruises to these same islands, the ship has become our destination, but to may first timers I know they are more anxious because of scheduling shore excursions. Thanks for your first hand thoughts.

I haven't heard that the OSJ pier is open. That's what will likely determine if ships can make day stops there. It's a different pier than the one used for cruises that start and end in SJ.

I haven't heard that the OSJ pier is open. That's what will likely determine if ships can make day stops there. It's a different pier than the one used for cruises that start and end in SJ.

I read elsewhere that a Celebrity ship is leaving (or has left) Bayone today and one of the stops is San Juan. They would normally have stopped at the OSJ piers, so we will see if the do stop there, or instead use the Pan American pier.