Reporting LIVE from Adventure - NOT!

[Oceans4]

I meant to, I really did.  First of all, kudos to all those that do LIVE trip reports!  I have enjoyed reading them and waiting for the next installments whenever anyone does a LIVE report.  But I have to say that I was having way too much fun to stop each day and write.  So I apologize for the delay in publishing....and now we can consider this a post-cruise review, which I am putting together in segments.   For the purposes of sharing information to those that may need it, I'll post what I have put together so far and will continue as I can.   

 

Drumroll please.....here is what was supposed to be my “live” report of our 6-night Adventure of the Seas Cruise (November 4-10).

 

Since this was a 6-night trip (the shortest cruise ever for me, but it worked better for some of the other couples on our trip), we flew into Fort Lauderdale the day before.  There were four couples, two of whom were flying in the day of the cruise, and two couples in Fort Lauderdale a day early.  My DH and I met up with my brother and SIL in Fort Lauderdale and were sharing a hotel room together.  We arrived around 2:00 pm, and after settling in, my brother suggested we go out and walk around town and stop in a Mexican Restaurant that he heard was fun.  We were up for anything, and off we went.  (There is actually a point to this part of my story).  I won’t make you wait....

 

So we are out walking and my brother sees the restaurant, walks in and is immediately walking towards a guy and taps him on the shoulder.  We often run into people we know.....so guy on chair spins around and “surprise!”  It’s my son and his girlfriend surprising us by joining the cruise.  Of course we thought there was something more to come, especially since my son carried on two bottles of champagne the next day instead of wine.....but as I wrote this review while sitting in the airport, cruise is over, and the champagne was just for drinking!    All in good time though.....  Discovering them coming on the trip was amazing.  Her parents are our good friends and one of the other couples on the cruise, so we had surprising them on board.  

 

Okay, let me back up and start from the beginning.

 

Embarkation was a breeze.  No lines for any category of cruiser.  We were on board in 5 minutes, having arrived at the port about 11:30 am.  There was a delay on the shuttle from the car rental place next to the port (my brother had rented a car).  The other couple on the shuttle with us had the driver stop, as the guy could not find his wallet.  We searched high and low, finally turned around and went back to Avis, everyone searched the guy’s rental car, and no wallet.  They were not going to be on our ship, so we never found out what happened, but we felt so awful for the couple; what a dreadful feeling that had to be.  Later in the day when we watched the Carnival cruise leave the port, we couldn't stop thinking about that couple.   

 

CABIN:  We were in one of the new cabins (former peekaboo bridge) on deck 11 outside the gym and solarium.  We had JS 1106 and really liked it.  My husband hits the gym every day (I’d like to say I do too, but that let's be real - that would be a fib - good intentions (as evidenced by the amount of workout clothes in my suitcase, but I only made it twice.  I got plenty of exercise though, including bicep curls throughout the day.  Just kidding, I don’t drink much, but I did consume a few Johnny Rockets milkshakes.  Cabin was spacious, clean, and location, location, location!  We loved it.  There were storage areas that we never even used.

 

DAY ONE:  Just hung around a bit waiting to get into our cabins at 1:00 pm, dropped off carry ons and went exploring.  We wanted to be sure our reservations were all modified now that we were ten people instead of 8.  There was no problem doing that at all.   A few of us had drink packages, but since we are D+, it didn’t make sense for us to get any alcohol packages, since we are social drinkers only and would never get our moneys’ worth there.  I only had one drink at night (wine with dinner).  I got the Royal Refreshment package, and loved it.  Every day I went to Windjammer to get fresh-squeezed OJ (right at the entrance of WJ), took it back to the cabin, stopped at Starbucks or whatever that coffee place is for coffee, then enjoyed both on the balcony.    We did the BOGO specialty dinner and had Chops on night one and Giovanni’s Table on night three.  (they automatically assign night one and two for the BOGO, but if they can accommodate to another night, they do, so we switched Giovanni's Table to the third night).

 

THE SURPRISE!  Son and GF hid in a booth at Chops, and I had her parents come down and said there was a problem with reservation so I needed them both.  They came down, aggravated that there was a problem, and I told them we have to talk to the manager and walked back to the booth.  Well, the scream of joy was pretty loud, thank goodness we did this during the day and not at dinner as we originally thought we would do.    So all the surprises were done, and son and girlfriend could freely walk around the ship without worrying about hiding.   

 

CHOPS:
Dinner at Chops was very good - not quite as great as we remembered it.   Those that had the filet were really happy with it.   The crab cake appetizer was always a favorite of mine, and as soon as I saw it, I knew it wasn’t the same - it was smooth like a pattie.   Mushroom soup was my first course (amazing) and I asked the others how the crabcake was, and the answers ranged from "ok" to "not good".  My husband recommended I cancel it, it just wasn't like it used to be.   We had a variety of sides, served family style, and all were very good.   Our waiter Milich (sp?) made the experience awesome. He was fun, funny, engaging, and worked so hard to please us, and we are not difficult to please.    We noticed right away that there is no assistant waiter like there used to be - Milich did everything (order taking, drinks, clearing dirty dishes, serving, etc.).  That’s a lot of work, and he did it with a smile and professionalism.   He was wonderful.  As for the side dishes, the tater tots are fabulous, mac and cheese really good, asparagus cooked perfectly, sauteed mushrooms delicious.   The key lime pie at Chops used to be a favorite....not anymore.   It was a key lime meringue pie, but between the meringue and the key lime filling, there was a piece of sponge cake.   Nobody at the table seemed to like it, but I think we survived because the meals were so good.

MDR - My Time Dining
We ate at the MDR 3 times.   The food has slipped as others have said.   We certainly didn’t go hungry, but there were some dishes that were disappointing.  Just some random comments and thoughts on that as follows:

• French onion soup the first time was so salty it was almost inedible (confirmed by all at the table).   Did not get it again, but the next time we were there, others in our party said it was not as salty.  At least it should be consistent!  
• All of us noted the Caesar salad that first night in the MDR was warm/room temperature, rather than served cold.  Four of us that had the salad noted that a room temperature salad is not a good thing.   Future nights, the salad was cold and crisp.   Again, a consistency issue.
• The roasted tomato soup was excellent!
• We couldn't find the savory bites anywhere (those delicious little nuggets in a breadbasket), but having said that, the dinner rolls on the table are superb and there was a variety to choose from.   
• Creme brulee had good flavor but was really runny under the caramelized topping (both nights).
• Those that had the apple pie ala mode enjoyed it.
• Those that had the royal chocolate cake and the molten chocolate cake enjoyed it.
• The carrot cake was different, there was cream cheese frosting, but hard white chocolate on the top.   I didn't care much for it.
• Prime rib meal was very good, everyone enjoyed it
• One night when I didn't like anything on the menu, I ordered the grilled chicken breast - it was good
• My son thought the pasta carbonara in the dining room was excellent (much better than he had earlier in the week at Giovanni's Table)
• Shrimp cocktail was never good - always watery 
• The waitstaff was good, but we remember a time when water glasses were refilled without sitting empty and having to ask, breadbaskets were filled when empty
• After dinner coffee one of the nights in the dining room was served to 6 at our table, and the coffee was room temperature - instead of waiting for new cups and better coffee, they headed to Cafe Promenade for some coffee
• Vidalia onion tart, always a favorite of mine, is different.   It was very yellow and eggy.  First time ever I didn't finish it.
• Pasta Bolognese I ordered one night was great (as a side dish since I don't like potatoes), and the next night, it seems they put the pasta in the bowl, put the meat in the bowl, but never added the sauce.   It was basically plain noodles with crumbled met on top, no sauce at all.
• My son sent the lamb back, he said there was something not right with it at all.  

 

This will conclude my first installment, and I will continue when I can and will try to categorize as much as possible so I don't ramble too much!   Feel free to ask questions.   

PS:  After cruising once a year, this was our first cruise since 2014, so it was wonderful to be back on board and take a cruise.   We definitely noted changes that might seem more subtle to others than cruise more frequently.

 

 

 

 

[pisces68]

I'll be on the Adventure next year for the 1st time.  Looking forward to the rest of your review 🙂

[Oceans4]

DAY 2 – AT SEA

 

I love sea days, they are so relaxing.   I would like to be credited for the first of my two visits to the gym!  

 

The weather continued to be perfect, and if one is patient, a lounge chair will be found.  No need to save chairs or argue with anyone.   The best practice is to get one, hang around on that chair until you see someone leave, then you have two.   Continue this until your party of 10 all has a chair – by then its late afternoon, and many have had enough sun or napping or are getting ready for dinner.   This is our solution to not being a chair hog and/or saving any chairs at all until we are ready to stay in them.   Another great place to sit is on the wall of the pool or in the pool area where there’s only about 2” of water.   So refreshing!  Great people watching!  This practice applies to both the solarium and the main pools.   We tended to congregate in the solarium area.

 

Today we did some trivia at the Schooner Bar, entered the Slot Tournament ($25) – no winners in our group but it was efficiently run.   We played lots of mini golf, had a milkshake from Johnny Rockets (black and white shake is SO GOOD!).

 

The MDR is open for lunch on sea days, and I used to love the Tutti Salad Bar.   Now they also have a hot food buffet and the ability to order from the menu.   We didn’t realize they were close to closing when we arrived a bit before 1:00, and they (with good intentions) tried to accommodate us and seated us.   There were only four of us, but we felt very rushed, as they were already setting up for dinner.    It’s only lunch, so not a big deal, but we probably shouldn’t have gone.   It’s also so much easier to grab something at Café Promenade or simply hit the WJ!

 

Our group of 10 dined in the MDR that night, and I have already commented overall about the MDR.  

 

For those that ask about the dress code, we still see everything.   It was formal night, and all in our group were in nice clothes (not gowns and tuxes, but dresses, dressy slacks/blouses, and the men in collared button-down shirts and some sport coats).   We definitely saw shorts in the dining room from time to time, and one night in the dining room, two women were at a table near us – one in very short cut-off jean shorts; the other in regular shorts and with her hair completely wet.   However, if the dining room staff is going to permit entry, then we will see more and more of this I’m sure.   Having said that, I personally don’t care what anyone wears – you should only care about what you do and if you are having a good time.   We cannot worry about others – it’s up the cruise line to enforce or not.

 

DRINKS

 

We are D+ so we have the three drinks per night – and it was so easy to get them from any bar.   As for me, I just had one glass of wine at dinner each night and never used all three of my D drinks, and all dining venues honored our D drinks – no charges applied.   I love this system.  

 

I had the Royal Replenishment package, which I booked earlier when it was 30% off.   I don’t think I would sail without that again.   It was fantastic.   Each morning I walked down to the WJ and got a glass of fresh-squeezed OJ (so good!), then went down to Starbucks (not sure if it’s Starbucks actually but it’s the same) and got a Venti Americano (regular strong coffee) and took it back to the cabin to enjoy on the balcony.   Early afternoon or late morning I would go back to the coffee place and get an amazing frozen blended coffee drink.   Shout out to Paul who was always smiling and made the best coffee drinks for me!   Poolside, I could have a pina colada, Miami Vice, Tropical (all three of these frozen), or bottled water as often as I wished.   You can even get a Power Ade (Gatorade).   Additionally, they give you the soda cup to use the automated machines, which have a lot of variety.   Although I’m not a soda drinker, I enjoyed flavored vitamin water a couple times.   Going off the ship into port?   No problem, show the card and walk off with an icy-cold bottle of water.  If you are not a big alcohol drinker, this is the package for you!  

 

ENTERTAINMENT/FUN & GAMES

 

We did a few trivia rounds here and there, which were fun.   No winners, but we did come in second place once.  

 

We watched a little karaoke the first night and didn’t return. 

 

There were a few events we participated in, some we just watched.   The one singing game we did was a lot of fun – two teams of 5 and the music would start, someone from the team that felt they knew the words had to run up to the mike and sing.   We had a lot of laughs and good-natured sportsmanship between the two teams.

 

Quest was different from any Quest I have ever seen over the years.   It has become very risqué.   I know the unwritten rule is not to talk about Quest, but that’s really just not to tip people off as to what to bring for the “scavenger hunt”.   None of the items were the ones that always had been asked for.   Remember those innocent days when you needed “today’s compass”?   No more.   Now teams are blatantly ripping off their shirts, bras, pulling down their underwear, and it’s all on camera.   “show us a well-placed piercing” they said.    Out came nipples.   “show us a tattoo they said”.   Out came bare butts.   “Let us see a thong” they said.    You get the picture.   And a replay is shown on the screen.   At one point, one of the teams had a woman pretty much nude while she competed with gusto.   We were laughing hysterically.   A fairly conservative guy in our group was caught up in the moment, and when teams were asked for two men dirty dancing, he showed us what he was made of!  So get ready folks, if you go to Quest, you are in for some laughter, some big competition, and some x-rated views!  

 

Love and Marriage – I think it’s the first time we didn’t go to this, and I always enjoy it, but it was oddly held at 1:00 pm on the last day of the cruise, when we were focused on those last hours of warm sunshine and adult beverages and just being together.    Usually this is held at night.

 

Ice Show – I was worried at first because it seemed very blah – everyone in white and classical music.   But then it got real.   Real good.   Fantastic music, wonderful costume changes, very high energy, and one particular number that had us laughing hysterically (I won’t say because you must see the show if you are on the Adventure). 

 

Re-Voiced.   An acapella group that was absolutely incredible.   I believe they got off the ship, so I’m not sure if they would be returning for each trip, but they were the headliner and well worth seeing.   Incredible talent.

 

Comedian.   I think his name was Lou Johnson, and I didn’t see any other shows except the “Adult” late night show.   And this is definitely Adult comedy.   First we had the usual cruise jokes making fun of the passengers, overeaters, waiters singing, and it was hilarious.  It was raunchy too, but as long as you were an adult and knowing what you were getting into, this guy was so funny.  

 

Other onboard entertainment seemed to be the same as 5 years ago – the 70’s night disco group on the bridge, followed by the dance party, and theme nights, other decades, etc.   One night was pool deck music and dancing, another night was the silent party where you have headphones and dance to whatever is playing.   It was great fun and would be even better if there were more than two channels to listen to.     Remember those parades down the Promenade with all the costumes and stilts and people in promenade cabins watching from their windows?   Just a memory now.   But then again, as I said, it’s been 4 years since I sailed, so maybe they stopped that a while ago.   I could never see anything anyway.

 

The Cruise Director was not present at anything I went to.   I saw him twice for a moment.   I cannot remember his name, but the guy that really stood out was I guess the Activities Director (or maybe he was the Assistant CD).   He could dance.   Could he ever.   I’m pretty sure that was him in the skin-tight white sailor suit on Disco night.   It was definitely him leading and teaching line dances.   It was absolutely him running the Quest.  He is multi-talented and has a voice like a radio announcer.   I should have noted his name to share here – he is an absolute asset to the ship.

 

 

 

 

Next up…..Day Three (what we did in Cayman Islands and all about our dinner at Giovanni’s Table).

 

 

[sdear]

Great review so far.  We are on Adventure in 3 weeks so enjoying your feedback.

 

I have one question about the drink package.  You make it sound very enticing.  We are not big alcohol drinkers, so we may give this a try.   Can you use it for specialty coffee or non alcoholic frozen drinks at the specialty restaurants ?   

 

Thanks !  

[Darkingnj]

Thank you for this report!  We'll be boarding Adventure this Sunday for the 6 day over Thanksgiving.

[gnr25]

Thank you for the review so far. I did the same itinerary on Freedom of the Seas last year, but the ports ended up being partially wasted for me. I pulled some chest muscles from being on the flowrider, and so was unable to do the Coba and cenote excursion when at Cozumel. Thankfully, we received a refund for my dad and I and also I was not charged for visiting the ship doctor.

My parents and I will be on Adventure for the same itinerary in December. I plan to make our port stops much more productive than a year ago. We had wandered around Georgetown for an hour, but this time I will be going to Seven Mile Beach.

Can't wait to read more. I am glad that you had a great vacation.

Edited November 13, 2018 by gnr25

[shorti503]

looking forward to hearing more, we are sailing on Adventure in a couple of months

[Oceans4]

12 hours ago, sdear said:

Great review so far.  We are on Adventure in 3 weeks so enjoying your feedback.

 

I have one question about the drink package.  You make it sound very enticing.  We are not big alcohol drinkers, so we may give this a try.   Can you use it for specialty coffee or non alcoholic frozen drinks at the specialty restaurants ?   

 

Thanks !  

Thank you for the nice comments...I'm glad someone is reading it!   

 

I'm not sure about getting frozen drinks at the specialty restaurants.   You can, however, bring your drink in with you from another bar.   As for the coffee drinks, all the fancy coffee drinks on the menus have alcohol in them, so I doubt they can give you any type of specialty coffee on the refreshment package.   Hope this helps.

[Oceans4]

Day 3 – Cayman Islands

 

Having been to Cayman Islands several times, I tried to organize a catamaran sail and snorkel, swimming with the stingrays, for our group.   I found a couple options, but I couldn’t get everyone to commit, as they didn’t believe me that it’s safe to be with the rays and so much fun to do such an excursion.   Since it was our first port day, I was hesitant to just go ahead and do an excursion separate from our group, so we figured we would just wing it and walk around.   My DH does not like shopping and walking around getting too hot, so I was hoping maybe we would find something last-minute when we got into port. 

 

As an aside, I tried to reach out to Nativway several times, both by email and calling.   They never responded to my four requests, and for that reason, I would not feel comfortable ever using them again.   Previously, I took their Rays, Rum, Reef excursion, and it was great.  But if we cannot even have communication, I can't take a chance of booking and having a let down on the day of the excursion.  I also looked into Maya Chan, which sounded great, and they were so honest about the sea grass issues, and after reading reviews from others, we decided not to chance spending the money on an all-inclusive and having to deal with excessive sea grass.   At the last minute, I reached out to Dexter's Fantasea about a stingray excursion, and their response was awesome - $40 per person, they could accommodate us, and we didn't have to pay anything up front, they guaranteed a good time, and Trip Advisor reviews were wonderful.   But I couldn't get the group to go.

 

Outside the port, several tour operators approached us with various offers to go on boats, stingray tours, island tours, jeeps, etc.  One in particular appealed to us – the tour operator was Chin, and he came up to us to ask if we would be interested in his tour (air conditioned mini bus) for $25 per person.  He said the ship charges $48 for the same trip.   We were a little bit hesitant, as he wanted us to pay up front and then he was going to go find more people to fill his bus (there were 10 of us and he wanted 10 more).   We wouldn’t give him the money up front but said once he brought the bus around and had other people, we would pay as we got on the bus.   He did succeed in getting the bus filled, and we paid him as we got on the bus.

 

All ten of us agreed that this was an awesome tour and fun morning with Chin, who is a real comedian and easy to understand.   I’m not sure I’m spelling it right.   He was so informative and was hilarious.  

 

Our first stop was the rum cake store/factory (we did not see any production, but the store was big, samples of rum cake and rum were freely given out).   That was about a 20 minute stop and was great.   The specialty food there is a food truck that makes meat patties that apparently are a very popular item.   My son got a beef pattie (sort of like a hot pocket, but homemade) and was passing it around – very delicious!   They also bought a 6-pack of Red Stripe and were enjoying bottles of Red Stripe Beer on the bus ride.

 

Next to went to the dolphin adventure (free to enter and watch) and turtle farm, which was across the street.   At the turtle farm, Chin told us the entry fee was $18, but his guests get in for $11.   Out of the 10 of us, 6 went in, and we were so happy we did.   Again, Chin was unbelievably informative, telling us so much about the different turtles, how to tell males and females apart, their life span, etc.   When we left the enormous turtles and got to the section with the young turtles, we were able to lift them out of their habitat and hold them.   Chin showed us how to hold the sides of their shells and tickle under their necks to make them stop furiously flapping.   We got some great pictures, and we were all so happy we did this.   It took about ½ hour to go through the turtle farm, and then we caught up with the others at the dolphin adventure and were able to see some of the trainers feeding and showing off dolphin tricks.   For $25, you can get a dolphin kiss and picture, and we watched a couple kids get that….so cute!  

 

After this, we went straight to Hell.   I have never been told by anyone that I should go there (thank goodness), but I did go.   There is a little post office there, and a gift shop that for $1 will stamp your passport to show you went to Hell.   If you go there, be sure to go around the back of the buildings – it’s such an eerie sight to see back there – I think it must be some type of coral or lava (I really don’t know), but it’s gray and black and grows high out of the sand.   It’s very cool to see this.  

 

On the way back to port, Chin drove us through and past 7-mile beach, showed us some interesting landmarks, and gave anyone the option to get out and stay an hour at 7-mile beach (they rent chairs and umbrellas there), and Chin will return for you in an hour for an extra $5 per person.   As the 6 people were departing the mini bus, he called out to them that it is very very hot on the beach, and we could tell that.   We stayed on the bus.

 

So….if you don’t have an excursion planned, walk off the ship and look for Chin.   He is the real deal and well worth the money and your time.   He will crack you up.   Bring a bottle of cold water off the ship, as you will get thirsty because it’s pretty hot outside.   Each stop has bathrooms.   His mini bus is white with sort of a gold colored lower part.   I’m not sure I’ve been spelling his name right, but because we are cautious, there was a policeman outside the port area where we were waiting and he assured us all is good.   I am here to assure you that all is GREAT. 

 

We were back on board by 1:00 pm and went right to the café for some pizza.   The rest of the day was spent relaxing in the solarium, having cool drinks, and talking about our fun day. 

 

 

 

Next up – Day 3 Dinner at Giovanni’s Table

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Oceans4]

11 hours ago, gnr25 said:

Thank you for the review so far. I did the same itinerary on Freedom of the Seas last year, but the ports ended up being partially wasted for me. I pulled some chest muscles from being on the flowrider, and so was unable to do the Coba and cenote excursion when at Cozumel. Thankfully, we received a refund for my dad and I and also I was not charged for visiting the ship doctor.

My parents and I will be on Adventure for the same itinerary in December. I plan to make our port stops much more productive than a year ago. We had wandered around Georgetown for an hour, but this time I will be going to Seven Mile Beach.

Can't wait to read more. I am glad that you had a great vacation.

Yikes on the pulled muscles.   We watched some of the talent in the evening when they have the adults-only flowrider session for an hour, and they were so good.   It looks hard to do.   My speed is the new water slides....   I imagine my only experience with Flo would be the one from Progressive Insurance, LOL!

[AshleyDillo]

12 hours ago, sdear said:

 

I have one question about the drink package.  You make it sound very enticing.  We are not big alcohol drinkers, so we may give this a try.   Can you use it for specialty coffee or non alcoholic frozen drinks at the specialty restaurants ?   

 

 

The refreshment package does include non-alcoholic cocktails and frozen drinks as well as the specialty coffees (frappes, cappucinos, etc.) at the non-Starbucks branded coffee counters.

[accio_7]

Loving your review, will be aboard Adventure in 25 days time! Interested to hear how you enjoyed Costa Maya as I will be visiting the port for the first time aboard Harmony next year 🙂 

 

Weird question, but your son and his girlfriend didn't get engaged while on this cruise? I thought for a moment that was the surprise you referenced at the beginning of your review (especially after we learned that he brought champagne onboard :P).

[dreadpirate3]

I am enjoying your retroactively live review.

 

We will be on the 8-night sailing in January and are very much looking forward to it.

 

Maya Chan is amazing, and will be our spot every time we go to Costa Maya, looking for an itinerary to get there again.

[mrpayroll]

We were on this sailing and had a great time. Totally agree about the group ReVoiced. They were fantastic..

[Oceans4]

4 hours ago, AshleyDillo said:

 

The refreshment package does include non-alcoholic cocktails and frozen drinks as well as the specialty coffees (frappes, cappucinos, etc.) at the non-Starbucks branded coffee counters.

 not sure about getting them at specialty restaurants though.....

[Oceans4]

1 hour ago, dreadpirate3 said:

I am enjoying your retroactively live review.

 

We will be on the 8-night sailing in January and are very much looking forward to it.

 

Maya Chan is amazing, and will be our spot every time we go to Costa Maya, looking for an itinerary to get there again.

Is the 8-night the Eastern?   I would love to do that one next time.    Although I didn't do my Costa Maya report yet, we did find a great activity in Costa Maya, so for those not looking for an all-inclusive, you may be interested in our day.   I better catch up soon for those that need info soon.

[dreadpirate3]

1 minute ago, Oceans4 said:

Is the 8-night the Eastern?   I would love to do that one next time.    Although I didn't do my Costa Maya report yet, we did find a great activity in Costa Maya, so for those not looking for an all-inclusive, you may be interested in our day.   I better catch up soon for those that need info soon.

It is! Four new ports for us. I'm looking forward to this trip.

 

And I have always gotten the refreshment package, and gotten many cappuccinos in specialty restaurants with no issues or extra charges. Looking forward to the day we're D, with the three drinks, that will be all the drinks we need.

[accio_7]

8 minutes ago, dreadpirate3 said:

It is! Four new ports for us. I'm looking forward to this trip.

 

And I have always gotten the refreshment package, and gotten many cappuccinos in specialty restaurants with no issues or extra charges. Looking forward to the day we're D, with the three drinks, that will be all the drinks we need.

 

Four new ports for me too, I'll be on the December 8th sailing 🙂

[dreadpirate3]

19 minutes ago, accio_7 said:

 

Four new ports for me too, I'll be on the December 8th sailing 🙂

I hope you have a wonderful time!

[beej]

Love your review of the Adventure.  Can't wait for the next chapter

[Tin can]

Great review so far, we are on Adventure next year 😊

[Oceans4]

22 hours ago, accio_7 said:

Loving your review, will be aboard Adventure in 25 days time! Interested to hear how you enjoyed Costa Maya as I will be visiting the port for the first time aboard Harmony next year 🙂 

 

Weird question, but your son and his girlfriend didn't get engaged while on this cruise? I thought for a moment that was the surprise you referenced at the beginning of your review (especially after we learned that he brought champagne onboard :P).

The surprise was that they were on the cruise.   They kept telling us they wished they were going (they love cruising), but they used up all their time off this summer with a couple destination weddings.   We were thrilled by the surprise that they were there, but every day we seemed to be expecting a second surprise!   It's definitely coming, but it wasn't last week!   

 

I need to get that Costa Maya review written up, as that was my absolute favorite day of the cruise.   As soon as I can, I will post that.   Wish I could stow away in your suitcase and go again!

[accio_7]

7 minutes ago, Oceans4 said:

The surprise was that they were on the cruise.   They kept telling us they wished they were going (they love cruising), but they used up all their time off this summer with a couple destination weddings.   We were thrilled by the surprise that they were there, but every day we seemed to be expecting a second surprise!   It's definitely coming, but it wasn't last week!   

 

I need to get that Costa Maya review written up, as that was my absolute favorite day of the cruise.   As soon as I can, I will post that.   Wish I could stow away in your suitcase and go again!

Well, when it does happen, I wish you and your family nothing but the best; weddings can be a lot of fun to plan 🙂 

So happy to hear that you guys had so much fun in Costa Maya! 

[Oceans4]

Day 3 – Dinner at Giovanni’s Table

 

This was the second of our BOGO package for specialty dining.   To be honest, this was the one I was more excited about because I don’t eat steaks, which is what is so special about Chops, and I love Italian food.   I stalked the Giovanni’s menu a couple times and was ready.   I didn’t eat much that day so I could really enjoy this one.

 

Sorry to say it was not as expected, and half of us were disappointed.  

 

We arrived and were seated promptly at a very nice table.   There were small plates with what was obviously something for dipping the bread.   Our waiter came and took drink orders and told us about the specials and explained about the dipping oil, but we could only understand about 30% of what he said.  

 

While I had planned to order pasta, I did understand the waiter saying he would be bringing a sampling of a few different pastas for the table to share, so I ordered the “grilled prawns”, thinking that wouldn’t be too filling and sounded good.   They were not a good choice and were not grilled at all, they were maybe boiled or steamed and served on top of a pile of mashed potatoes, and everything was floating in something – maybe melted butter?   I didn’t eat the meal but was more than satisfied with the gnocci (very good!) and the mushroom ravioli (a special that night) which was excellent!   My husband first ordered the pork belly, and he returned it immediately.   I forget what he ordered after that, something with the word shank in it, but in the prison way.  He didn’t send it back but he didn’t eat it either.   My friend to the right was served what looked like an old shoe, but in defense of the restaurant, she ordered a filet butterflied and well done.   As my son said, that alone deserved her to receive an old shoe!    Another friend ordered filet and said it was okay but nothing near as good as Chops filet.  

 

Rather than ordering dessert from a menu, a dessert cart was brought by, and as you stated your preference, it was served directly from the cart.   I had a small serving a tiramisu which was good and asked for one of the mini cannoli’s, which was dismal.   We were surprised that an Italian restaurant couldn’t’ serve up a good cannoli.   The shell was soggy and the filling didn’t meet in the middle.   And these were just mini cannoli.   We had to ask for and wait for water refills, and at the end of the meal, the waiter asked one end of the table if they wanted coffee and forgot about the rest of us.   Again, off to the Café promenade for coffee.  

 

Everyone agreed that the dinner at Chops was so much better and wished in hindsight we had double downed and tried to gets Chops twice.   But it was good to be able to experience both.   At least it was a BOGO and really, that’s worth it.  

 

My observation, having cruised a lot, is that the cutback at specialty restaurants of not having an assistant waiter has created too much work for the waiter and results in service gaps.

 

 

[Oceans4]

10 minutes ago, accio_7 said:

Well, when it does happen, I wish you and your family nothing but the best; weddings can be a lot of fun to plan 🙂 

So happy to hear that you guys had so much fun in Costa Maya! 

Thank you for the wishes!   These two are so meant for each other and have been together for over 8 years...we adore her and her family (hence her dad and stepmom being amongst our best friends and were on the cruise with us).   Our older son was married in September of 2017, and I agreed, the wedding planning is so much fun.   Side note - the older son and his lovely wife could not go on the cruise because they just got a new puppy on their one-year anniversary (Lenny the Grumpy Griffon).