Adventure of the Seas March 3 -10 - some observations

[NJ&Ozzie]

We were on Adventure the last two weeks also. It's amazing how different experiences can be. We never saw the elevators being worked on, didn't have any issues with toilets or water or even heard that there was an issue. Maybe we weren't in the same areas.

 

We did have an issue with the MDR. Some in our famîly of nine eat gluten free so after a couple of nights in the Windjammer we decided on the MDR. The first night my DIL ordered GF from the menu and we were in and out of there in less than an hour. The head waiter gave us the next night menu to order GF ahead of time so they would know ahead of time.

 

The next three nights we were there two hours each night. This might be ok for a couple but when there's 6 kids, three of which are little, it isn't good. DIL decided to stick with the WJ. She did tell them that it took too long and we wouldn't be back. They also got our desserts mixed up. Don't know whether it was the waiters or the kitchen at fault for the slow service.

 

The WJ had enough choices for the GF people and the kids liked eating there so no one went away hungry ( quite the opposite) They would also make GF pizza and pancakes if you asked.

 

We also had the same problem with the kids slides. Grandson wasn't tall enough (42") for the purple slide and is potty trained so had no swim diapers for the yellow slide so he couldn't go on it either. Not good. When we got back to SJ between cruises I went to Walmart and got the swim diapers so he could use it. They don't sell them onboard. Didnt even know what they were. Make sure you bring some if you're in the same situation.

 

We didn't have any problem with hard sell for the specialty restaurants. I guess the 6 kids scared them away. ��

 

We had a great cruise and the kids, ages 3-15, loved it.

 

You're right, everyone experiences different things. But the elevators were definitely a sore point for a lot of people - maybe you were one of the lucky ones. Maintenance guys were often working on elevators. Elevators were all at one floor at the same time - they were not co-ordinated. Ask all the people waiting for 10 minutes on Deck 14 trying to get to dinner. And not everyone had issues with water/toilets but a certain number did. Maybe we talked to more people in the DL & heard the stories.

 

Our biggest issue in the WJ is that most of the food is lower quality, high carb items, eg. pizza, pasta, fries, burgers. Maybe we're in the minority with other preferences. Guess with kids this food is perfect.

 

There was quite a hard sell for specialty restaurants - we were approached in the DL too a number of times. Always offered 40% off. Izumi was generally under-used - even the hotel director asked us if we thought it was working. Maybe should've put in another burger place.

 

The new Sundeck on Deck 13 was a great idea - but wish they had installed washrooms on that deck too.

 

This was our 8th time on Adventure so we know it well. Noticed the changes.

NJ

[maryjaden]

You're right, everyone experiences different things. But the elevators were definitely a sore point for a lot of people - maybe you were one of the lucky ones. Maintenance guys were often working on elevators. Elevators were all at one floor at the same time - they were not co-ordinated. Ask all the people waiting for 10 minutes on Deck 14 trying to get to dinner. And not everyone had issues with water/toilets but a certain number did. Maybe we talked to more people in the DL & heard the stories.

 

Our biggest issue in the WJ is that most of the food is lower quality, high carb items, eg. pizza, pasta, fries, burgers. Maybe we're in the minority with other preferences. Guess with kids this food is perfect.

 

There was quite a hard sell for specialty restaurants - we were approached in the DL too a number of times. Always offered 40% off. Izumi was generally under-used - even the hotel director asked us if we thought it was working. Maybe should've put in another burger place.

 

The new Sundeck on Deck 13 was a great idea - but wish they had installed washrooms on that deck too.

 

This was our 8th time on Adventure so we know it well. Noticed the changes.

NJ

In regard to Izumi , I wonder if not having the hibachi grill is the reason it is under used.

[C Dog]

 

The new Sundeck on Deck 13 was a great idea - but wish they had installed washrooms on that deck too.

 

 

There is a new sundeck on 13? This is the first I've heard of it. Where is it? Forward, above the spa? I tried searching for older aerial pictures of this ship and it looks like there was some kind of deck there before, but it's hard to tell.

[NJ&Ozzie]

There is a new sundeck on 13? This is the first I've heard of it. Where is it? Forward, above the spa? I tried searching for older aerial pictures of this ship and it looks like there was some kind of deck there before, but it's hard to tell.

 

It's above spa/gym. Walk up stairs on either side from outside deck 12. A huge area - some nice shade.

Cheers,

NJ

[Stormy331]

We were also on the March 3rd sailing of AOS and I agree with your observations. Especially the MDR. It was the worst MDR experience we have had on a RC cruise. The staff appeared stressed and over worked, despite the many empty tables. Most nights they did not even offer us coffee with dessert. We had to ask! We had to ask for bread and water refills a few times also. It's hard to enjoy your meal when you witness the stress level and unhappiness on the staff's faces. I feel bad for them. I do not blame them for this. RC must be getting lots of negative feedback on the post cruise surveys. Are they finally going to listen and do something about this? Or are we wasting our time filling them out.....

 

The hard sell of everything has really become annoying. But we used to really enjoy the after dinner "specialty shot of the night" with the souvenir glass. They seem to have done away with offering this on the last 2 cruises we have done. In fact, bar service in the MDR seems to be an afterthought now. Surprising when they are trying so hard to get you to spend more of your money.

[cruiseguy1016]

I finally got the Compasses scanned. I thought I would post them for those that are interested.

 

Day 1:

 

 

 

 

[cruiseguy1016]

Day 2 Compass:

 

 

 

 

[cruiseguy1016]

Day 3 Compass:

 

 

 

 

[cruiseguy1016]

Day 4 Compass:

 

 

 

 

[cruiseguy1016]

Day 5 Compass

 

 

 

 

[cruiseguy1016]

Day 6 Compass:

 

 

 

 

[cruiseguy1016]

Day 7 Compass:

 

 

 

 

[Bkchero]

Is the BOGO dining offer put on the cruise planner on an individual cruise basis? I don’t see it on my Ovation Cruise.

 

What Bob said. I only add that if you are on a holiday cruise they might not offer the BOGO. The disclaimers say it’s not available on holiday cruises and it was not offered on my NYE cruise.

[ustasmom]

Was this a themed cruise?

[cruiseguy1016]

Was this a themed cruise?

 

Not that I know of. I didn't see any groups of people doing things together or anything else that would have led me to believe it was a themed cruise.

[cruising sister]

We were also on the March 3rd cruise. I echo the what

the others are saying about the food. The new menus are very limiting if you don't or can't eat fish or shellfish. The beef was very tough and tasteless. The dining room was very empty at dinner and the WJ packed.

 

This was our first time on the Adventure and probably the last unless it is a great price and itinerary. We always get a balcony and it was so tiny and closed in. The metal sides trap the sound and we could hear our neighbors whispering next door.

 

We loved the ABC Islands and had a great time.

[SG65CB]

I too was on the March 3 sailing of Adventure of the Seas.

 

Dining room staff must be luck of the draw - or maybe the early 6:00 seating is better than MTD, but we received excellent service in the dining room. Our waiter learned all of our preferences and provided great service, the assistant waiter was quiet but efficient - water glasses were kept full, coffee was offered and served, he even rearranged our silverware between dinner and dessert. The waiter made our dining experience very enjoyable, he even performed little magic tricks for the kids. We looked forward to dinner every night. As far as the food, I understand that cooking for 3,000 people is different than having the Iron Chef cook for a 20 seat restaurant, but other than one overcooked steak we never had a bad meal.

 

We also found great service in the suite lounge with the bartenders there.

 

Some days during breakfast the Windjammer had overflow seating in Giovanni's. Watch for the door to be open and a small sign advertising additional seating. It is a quieter place to eat.

 

I was a little concerned before the trip having read that it is hard to get bar service now that so many people have the drink package, but that turned out not to be the case. It was easy getting drinks, the bars were staffed and there were waiters circulating at the pool. When we went to shows at the theater we were approached many times by servers circulating through the seating area asking if we wanted drinks.

 

Izumi was interesting, we ate lunch there on a sea day. It is located on the Royal Promenade which means they have no way to run exhaust fans and therefore can't cook there or use hot rocks. Think of it more like an Izumi Cafe. The sushi was excellent, as was our waiter.

 

Overall the ship looked great, new carpet everywhere, our room had new furniture as well as carpeting, and the bed was comfortable. I especially enjoyed the artwork in the stairwells (I can't comment on elevator issues because I always took the stairs).

 

Biggest complaint? The NextCruise people forgot to deliver the promised bottle of champagne for booking another cruise. After I brought it up with them they delivered champagne the next two nights.

[11madmic]

I too was on the March 3rd sailing. I would say my experience differed. First off, the cruise was great overall.

 

The Bad:

-Chair hogs galore. On the one sea day it took about 4 laps around the pool deck and upper deck that is above the pool before we found 2 loungers together. Same on the last sea day, I would say 75% of the chairs had a towel and no people.

-MDR food. I thought it was much worse than our previous cruise in December.

-Casino. for most people this might be irrelevant but as my wife and I are casino goers, this was an awful awful casino. The slots were VERY VERY old. Half of the slots seemed to be broken and there was little variety to chose from because there are so many of 1 single machine. Also, there was an employee there who rolled his eyes at me when I asked a question because I couldn't understand what he said.

-Cruise Director: She was fine but I found her really annoying. She did the same bit she must have thought was funny by picking on someone every single event. Its funny first time, but by day 7 it was just annoying.

 

The Good:

-Ship is in great condition

-shows were entertaining

-staff were great, including the MDR, we must have been lucky, also never had to wait even though we did my time dining.

-I never noticed Hard Sells. I mean they would ask, but a polite no thank you and carried on. I would add, they were offering 40% off on Aruba day due to being in port till 11 pm.

-The food at the cafe promenade (exluding pizza) was a huge improvement from oasis (dec 2017).

-The ports were AMAZING. Bonaire, Aruba, St. Marteen, and Curacao

 

Also, we did not have voom, and I read people were disappointed in the speeds post dry dock, but I did see 2 workers on the last few days installing routers everywhere and they wore a T-Shirt that was some contracted company for wifi or something, so maybe an improvement will eventually follow

 

Also, I just want to note, there was some people, not many, maybe 5 or so people who I noticed treated the crew so disgustingly it made me sick. These people work their butts off to give us a great vacation and for you to yell at them and treat them like your better than them is vile. I hope the one lady who was ordering coffee from cafe promenade on the 2nd day reads this, as I witness her almost make the barista lady cry with the way she was treating her.

[squadron]

I did not try the pizza. I have had it in the past. I have always described RCI pizza as cardboard with ketchup on it.

 

There are so many food choices on a ship I don't see why some people worry about pizza?

[drrich2]

Pizza is a widely known and accepted food for a broad range of people, particularly including kids, quick and easy, and one of those foods that's often enjoyed alone - no need for fries, a salad, etc... Along with chicken nuggets, fries and macaroni, it's one of the foods a large portion of little kids readily eat.

 

It's also a hot food, and available on the Royal Promenade, far from the Windjammer and where people spend a lot of time. And since some grocery store frozen pizzas are pretty good, it should be fairly easy to do decently well...not like a steak with the whole rare/medium rare/medium well/well-done spectrum of preferences. When a line doesn't bother to do a decent job with something meaningful to a large portion of the customer base, it doesn't make a good impression.

 

So it matters, and it'd be good P.R. to do right. Burgers are perhaps the quintessential 'familiarity breeds contempt' American food, yet I read Guy's Burgers often cited as a positive by cruisers using Carnival.

 

All that said, I've historically been 'okay' with Royal Caribbean's pepperoni pizza...till that late February Adventure of the Seas cruise. Sorry, but it was kind of pitiful.

 

Richard.

[shipfriend_max]

At first, thank you very much for the daily programs and the observations!!

Did you have the new, smaller menus on Adventure otS? Regardless the reduced food choices, were you satisfied with the quality?

 

Nice to read after lunch at 03:00 pm the WIndjammer buffet is still open for afternoon snacks (on Radiance/Vision-Class it appears to be Park Café) - I'm indifferent about the venue as long as some food corners on the upper decks (pool deck etc.) are open after lunch and before dinner.

On Liberty I hated it that after 03:00 pm you had to step down to Café Promenade from the upper sun decks to grab something to eat. :rolleyes:The Windjammer Café was closed in the afternoon (re-opened at 05:30 pm or so) and no other food venue was open during that time. As I said, only Café Promenade and Sorrentos far down.

 

Does anyone know how it is handled on Anthem of the Seas? Does she have an opened food venue in the afternoon at the upper sun/pool decks?

[Clarea]

... Did you have the new, smaller menus on Adventure otS? ...

Yes, Adventure is using the new menus with the desserts on the same page as the starters and entrees.

[cruiseguy1016]

Nice to read after lunch at 03:00 pm the WIndjammer buffet is still open for afternoon snacks (on Radiance/Vision-Class it appears to be Park Café) - I'm indifferent about the venue as long as some food corners on the upper decks (pool deck etc.) are open after lunch and before dinner.

On Liberty I hated it that after 03:00 pm you had to step down to Café Promenade from the upper sun decks to grab something to eat. :rolleyes:The Windjammer Café was closed in the afternoon (re-opened at 05:30 pm or so) and no other food venue was open during that time. As I said, only Café Promenade and Sorrentos far down.

 

I'm not sure how late the Windjammer was open in the afternoon. Our friends hosted a cocktail hour on their balcony one afternoon. I went to the Windjammer to grab some food to nibble on and the food selection was VERY limited. I think this was about 4:00 or 4:30 so they may have been getting ready to set up for dinner.

[Redrobo]

Yes, Adventure is using the new menus with the desserts on the same page as the starters and entrees.

 

Did you also have to order desserts at the same time as the starters and entrees?

[Clarea]

Did you also have to order desserts at the same time as the starters and entrees?

They preferred that we order all at once. I assume you could decline if you wanted and get the menus again after the main course.