New2cruise1483

That was very helpful. Since you are kind to offer me to ask questions...please address the following if you are willing: 1) shows in the theater 2) things to do on the Fun at Sea days 3) Windjammer Buffet vs NCL Buffet

Thanks!

1) We only went to a couple of theater shows on the Adventure, but so far, I have to say I liked the shows on NCL better.

2) It seems like the entertainment on sea days was equal, as far as things going on, but I honestly can't remember exactly what activities there were. I usually spend my time wandering around the ship, or just relaxing and watching the sea :D. Of course the pool decks are always packed on see days lol.

3) I actually preferred the Windjammer to NCL's buffet. In my opinion, it seemed to have a better lay out and also more choices. I also liked the asthetics of it more as well.

I've cruised on the Dawn and The Pearl so far ( Pearl being sister ship to the Gem), and just took my first RCI cruise in September on the Adventure. My comparisons with the ship are that the Adventure was so much prettier and much more elegant. The two NCL ships I mentioned had much louder colors, also not as many places just to sit and relax. So as far as the ships go, from my experience, RCI wins this by a landslide.

As far as the staff go, I found them to be equally as friendly and attentive in both lines. Always making sure we were enjoying our cruise and that we had everything we needed. I have to say though it seemed like RCI had more servers on the pool deck making sure everybody had drinks that wanted them.

No for the food, I know it's completely subjective, but figured I'd give my two cents. I found the food on RCI to have more variety and to be of better quality. Especially since RCI still does the lobster night, and NCL did away with it.

With the dress code, I prefer NCL's policy of dress up or not. It's much more relaxed and easier to pack for. Both lines have there pros and cons as you can see. I hope this helps a little bit, if you have any questions in particular let me know :-).

WOW I am surprised to hear all the "chaotic" comments!!

 

We had a party of 6, 2 in a GS, 4 not... 2 people didn't have their setsail paperwork printed (don't get me started on that!!)

 

We arrived at the port about noon (my DS and BIL flew in that morning, so we waited for them) My DH and I were pointed to the suite line, my stepson/friend to the paperwork line and my DS/BiL to another line... There was No One is the suite line and my DS/BiL were waiting for us (guess our check-in personnel was slower?) My stepson/friend took maybe an extra few minutes!

 

Even WITH them needing to fill out the paperwork we were ALL on the ship by 12:20 -12:25ish.... It felt as if we had just walked on to the ship!!

 

Chaotic?!?!? Hardly! Maybe the key is not to get there before they open the doors?

We got there about 10, before the doors opened. Getting checked in wasn't bad, but the actual boarding of the ship was like a cattle drive, even being in a suite. I've only cruised NCL before this, and their suite boarding was MUCH nicer. I've heard from others on our sailing that it was typical for San Juan to be this way.

We were in an Owner's suite back in Septembet and had the "priority boarding", and I have to say that it was the most chaotic I've experienced so far. There really wasn't much of a priority line. This is jut our experience there.

Ok, so is I'm researching for a cruise in November lol. Is Jaqui O's a resort type place we could spend the day or more like a beach side restaurant/ bar? And if it's a resort, what is the cover charge? So far I know for sure I want to go to sting ray city in the morning, and possibly Jaqui O's for the remainder of the day. Is this possible?

I'm not sure at this point how many nights we'll be staying probably one, possibly two. That does put a damper on my plans if they require three nights.

Thanks everybody for all the helpful input. I'm going to sit down soon and figure out total costs for both places. I'm really looking forward to seeing Old San Juan since I missed it the last time I was there.

I'll definitely look into the trolley. I'm mainly trying to save on cab fare, since my past experience was that taxi fares can add up fast!

Yes, walking distance, as OSJ is very compact. But not very practical. Streets and sidewalks are narrow. Streets are cobblestone. The sidewalks are not cobblestone, but to call them flat would be incorrect. As I am using the CC app so I can't see if you have a signature. If you are sailing on Carnival, you will use the pier in OSJ. However, if you are on Royal Caribbean or Celebrity, you will embark from the Pan American pier, which is not walkable from any hotel.

We will be sailing on the NCL Gem next November, and I was told that NCL will be embarking at Old San Juan, so hopefully I was not misinformed lol. I sailed out of the Pan Am pier with my mother and sister back in September on RCI, so I was familiar with that one. BF and I don't mind uneven sidewalks, so I was just concerned with the distance. Thanks for the input though, I appreciate it :)

The Sheraton is across the street form the pier big plus. El convento puts you almost in the middle of Old San Juan, anywhere in old town is walking distance to the pier but might be difficult with luggage. Take a cab when going to the ship should be about $10-$12 or take a tour and get dropped off at the ship with your luggage.

We will just be traveling with small rolling carry-ons, so luggage won't be a big issue for us :D

Another vote here for Valley Church! My mother, sister and I went there back in September and it was gorgeous! We were the only ship n port that day, and it wasn't crowded at all. The beach itself is beautiful, not to mention the beautiful turquoise color of the water there. They have a restaurant/ bar there called the nest, as well as vendors renting out jet skis and floats. Very nice, relaxing day there :D

I'm looking at a hotel in old San Juan for our cruise next year, and the El Convento has really caught my eye. I'm wondering though of it is within walking distance of the old San Juan Pier? I would like to find a hotel within walking distance, I'm also looking at the Sheraton. El Convento just looked so much nicer. Thanks in advance for any input :D

I have to say my vote goes to MSC. Longer cruise, better room and a drink package for less money than your previous booking? Go for it!

Thank you again so much for taking the time to do such an awesome review for all of us to joy and gain information from. With all you have going on in your life right now, you deserve extra kudos! I also have yet ANOTHER wine suggestion for you lol. Arbor mist blackberry something or another. VERY sweet and VERY fruity, almost like a fruit juice rare than a wine. My BF, who absolutely hates wine, will even steal a sip of this from me every now and then lol. It's also very cheap, as in inky 5 or 6 bucks for one of the smaller bottles, so maybe that's what makes it taste so good to me lol :D. Let me know your thoughts if you try it and your thoughts on it. Thanks again for a great review :)

Thank you so much for the comments and glad you enjoy the reviews. Who knows, I may just end up on the Gem. I was just really hoping it would have something leaving from the states. I'm not so sure I want to fly to PR to board. :(

 

 

Thanks for the comments and kind words. I really appreciate it.

 

I hope you find something that you'll like in the ports from my reviews. Have a wonderful mother-daughter cruise! :)

I admit it is kind of inconvenient flying to PR, but after My mom and sis and I took a cruise out of there with RCI back in September, it is AWESOME starting a cruise in the Caribbean. It just made the vacation seem that much longer to me :p

Yay! I get to read another one of your awesome reviews! I've enjoyed reading all of them, and they seem to get better and better with each one you do. I'm glad you got to stay at an Embassy Suites, I've stayed with one before two out of three cruises and really love them, especially their breakfasts. I'm going to be in the Gem November of next year when she will be home porting out of Puerto Rico, and I was really hoping you would sail her before me so I could get a preview of what she will be like before I go lol :p:D. Or maybe we'll end up on a cruise together since she will be running a southern Caribbean route at that time! I'm so excited that you're on the Breakaway though, because I'm considering her for a Bermuda cruise sometime in the distant future. Thank you so much for the time and effort you put into your reviews for us all to enjoy and gain information from :).

Thank you for such a detailed review.

Thank you for the kind words and I'm glad you enjoyed it :-). Hopefully the next review I do I'll have my laptop fixed and can I can include pictures lol :D

Thanks for the reviews. I enjoyed reading all of your posts.

Thanks for joining me, and I'm glad you enjoyed it :-).

So I will FINALLY conclude this review with a few of my final thoughts and comparisons.

First off the ship: I absolutely fell in love with this ship! It was so classy, and for me was how I had always envisioned how a cruise ship would be before I ever took my first cruise. However, there was a few areas where the ship needed attention, mainly where some of the art work is looking a little tattered and in the big chandelier in the promenade where several of the lights aren't working. It would be nice to see these little issues fixed and return this beautiful ship to her full glory. As compared to the NCL ships I've sailed so far, this ship is far superior in decor, lay out and amenities in my opinion.

Suite perks: This one goes to NCL for sure. While I really didn't miss the butler service, embarkation and disembarkation is much better for suite guests on NCL, being led on the ship by the concierge is much better than the cattle drive we experienced this time. Also, on NCL, the concierge will take you off the ship " the back way" and you skip the lines and hassle. We never had this offered to us, but I was told on the last night by other cruisers that if you asked, the concierge would do this for you. Which also brings me to a comparison for concierges. It seemed to me that on NCL they were much more present, we would see them all over the ship checking on their passengers, on the cruise we only seen our in the lounge. Also, I'm use to our concierge introducing themselves right away, not really the case this time. While she was very sweet, and was great about chatting with people in the lounge and calling us with updates through out the cruise. I also enjoyed the daily treats on our suite on NCL, we only got them a couple of times on this cruise. One area that RCI out does NCL is the complimentary cocktail hour every evening in the lounge. First of all, how can you go wrong with free booze and finger foods? Lol. Second, it was a great way to chat with and meet new people. I really wish NCL would adopt something similar.

The staff : I would have to say in my opinion, the staff on both lines are equally as wonderful. Everybody was always so friendly and helpful, we never once encountered somebody who acted like we were putting them out when we asked for something.

Dining experience and Food: I know this area is subject to everybody's personal taste, but I figured I would give my two cents anyway. This one also goes to RCI. I felt the menu and more options and the food quality was much better, especially the desserts. Also, I was so happy to have lobster night, since NCL did away with them. I know some people find it trivial, but to me it was just one small thing that made this cruise stand out for me. I will say found the wait staff to be equally as attentive and friendly on both lines. This cruise also made me realize why so many people enjoy traditional dining, in the sense of having the same waitstaff. Even though we had My time dining, I enjoyed having the same people every night, it was so fun talking to them and getting to know them through out the week. I have to say though, I do like how NCL is more casual as far as dress codes go, to where I don't have to worry too much about what will be found acceptable and what won't.

Overall, I have to say that I preferred the RCI experience more than the NCL experience, it was just better to me. I still NCL and will continue to sail them, but I'm hoping I can convince my BF to give RCI a try because I REALLY want it sail with them and don't want to do it alone lol!

This concludes this review and comparison. Thank you to everybody who joined me, I hope I was able to give some good pointers and advice, or at least an entertaining read . Happy Sailings!

So funny, really enjoying your review.

I hate the last night and seeing all the luggage in the hallways.

Although it would make it a little better if I spied a lovely lady in a skimpy nighty :D

Thanks for joining me and I'm glad you're enjoying it :). My poor sister was mortified lol:D

So today was the end of our awesome vacation :(. I woke up at 540 for some reason and couldn't get back to sleep, so I decided to sit out on the balcony one last time until Mom and Sis woke up at around 630. I ended up getting the continental breakfast offered in the concierge lounge while they were getting ready. Just so everybody else is aware, disembarkation day is the only day this is offered. Also, the coffee offered in here is very good. It comes out of a machine that grinds up the beans for each cup you get .

By the time I got back to the room, Mom and Sis were ready for breakfast, so we headed to the Windjammer. It was PACKED in there! I think we ended up getting the only empty table in there! We were debating on when we wanted to get off the the ship. The concierge does two group escorts, one at 730 and one at 930. I'll mention a or difference from NCL here. On NCL, you can just go down to the concierge between certain times and get off whenever you want, there isn't really any group walk offs. We wanted to get to the airport in plenty of time because I didn't know how hectic it would be to get through, especially with the agricultural check.

We found out that we didn't have to go with the concierge or a certain color group to get off, so we just headed down on deck four and were off. There were no lines to wait in and was very easy. It only took a couple of minutes to find our bags, and then I was looking at the long lines to get through customs. Crap! Then I remembered our concierge's directions to find the gold card line, and it was very quick! Maybe only a ten minute wait.

Then we made our way outside to find a cab. This is where I found a source of annoyance and I want to arm others about. Of course, there are people outside to help direct you to a cab. Well then, next thing you know, somebody will be there to "help you with your bags". Whether you ask for it or not. After they take your bags the twenty feet to the cab, they will then DEMAND a tip! :mad:This man just grabbed our bags without even asking us, and then wanted a tip for doing so! I gave him a couple of bucks just to avoid any problems and let it go. Just beware when you exit the terminal, and if you don't want to tip somebody for something you didn't even ask for, keep a good hold of your bags and tell them " No thank you!"

It took about 25 minutes or so to get to the airport, and I'm going to say the fare was about $26 or something like that. When we got to the airport it was fairly quiet still, and there was o line for the agriculture check. Our flight wasn't until 1255 so we had quite a wait, but we figured it was better that stressing and rushing to make our flight. Up next will be my final thoughts and comparisons.

So today was a sea day, and the last day of our cruise. I was expecting to sleep in this morning as tired as I was the night before, but I was awake at 645 this morning. It was actually nice not having anything to do today but relax. I sat out on the balcony to read, and enjoy the sound of the ship moving through the water and the sea air.

Mom and Sis we up around 730 or 8 and we headed to the MDR for breakfast at around 9. We enjoyed a nice leisurely breakfast and then set out to explore different areas around the ship that we didn't get a chance to see throughout the week. I loved all the outdoor areas around the ship, and all the decks available that you can walk out on. I especially loved deck four being able to walk all the way aft, and the also go out onto the bow.

We went down to the promenade to shop around a little bit, as it has become my custom on cruises to find a pretty, yet inexpensive piece of jewelry to commemorate the trip. I can't remember what shop we were in, but I found a pair of sea turtle earrings that I fell in love with. I wasn't completely sure if I wanted them, so I decided to think about it for a bit. In the mean time, I found Sis and Mom admiring a few things. Sis a really pretty ring, and mom a pair of Swarovski crystal earrings. We purchased a few other last minute souvenirs and then Mom needed to sit and rest. We parked ourselves at one of the outside tables at Cafe Promenade, and I went in to grab us some snacks. There was a line, and by the time I got back, my sister had disappeared. Oh, well. Mom and I enjoyed a couple pieces of pizza, and cheese cake cake pops.

Sis decided she wanted to smoke, so while her and mom went out on deck, I decided to go down to deck three to find our embarkation photo, and purchased a couple of copies. Afterward I went to where I left them in deck, but I couldn't find them. Hmm, after some searching I decided to go up o our cabin and that's where I found them. Mom wasn't feeling good, just lighted headed and an upset stomach so we decided to relax in the room for awhile.

As I was going through and getting some more of my stuff together and in my suitcase, Mom and Sis presented me with the sea turtle earrings that I was trying to decided on! I couldn't believe it! The sneaker little stinker that I call my sister had snuck off and bought them for me when I was getting us our food at cafe promenade lol. I told them they were bad for doing this, but they wouldn't listen to me lol. I decided I would have to get even he he he.

A little later Mom decided to try and nap, so Sis and I wandered around, and made our way back to the promenade. I decided to buy Mom the earrings she had been admiring, and also buy my sister the ring she was looking at. I was trying to be sneaky, but my sister caught me at the check out stand while I had her ring! Darn it I was caught! Oh well, it was too late and I had already purchased them lol. We went by the windjammer to find some crackers for Mom to help settle her stomach, and then headed back to the cabin. Mom loved her earrings, and the crackers helped settle her stomach a little.

We relaxed and watched a movie we borrowed from the concierge lounge for the rest of the afternoon. Mom still wasn't feeling well enough to go to dinner, so it was just Sis and I tonight. Marcos and Royal inquired about Mom, and asked if they could have something prepared for he to take to the room with us. I thought this was such a nice and thoughtful gesture, but we declined because she was mainly wanting just mashed potatoes, Mac n cheese and other bland foods because of her upset stomach. I also forgot to mention we ending up sailing into a storm this evening. You could feel the motion of the ship the most tonight, I was loving it, but Sis wasn't as excited lol. After we finished dinner we got out pictures taken with Marcos and Royal and received nice hugs from both of them. I was disappointed that Mom could be here, because she really enjoyed them as well.

We headed back to the cabin and finished getting all of our stuff together and in our suitcases. We were in bed around 10 or so. I was sleeping pretty good when next thing I know, I hear my sister moving around. The she asks me when we were suppose to put their suitcases out. Shoot! We forgot to do this! It was a little before midnight so we still had some time. She was putting them out in the hallway and forgot to prop the door open, and the door shut behind her and she was locked out f the room in just her little short night gown! With people out in the hallway! She was ringing the door bell for me to let her back in, and I was cracking up! I had an evil thought to not open it for a minute but I felt sorry for her lol. He had to have one more hilarious episode to end the cruise with lol. Well that's all I have for tonight, in my next segment I will be going over disembarkation and my final thoughts and NCL vs RCI comparison. Have a good evening everybody :-)

Ship - Adventure of the Seas

Deck -10

Stateroom # - 1600

Stateroom Category – owners suite (OS)

Starboard or Port Side - Port

Quiet Stateroom? (With comments on problems) – Suprisingly, it was very quiet for the location. I was expecting all sorts of noises being right under the pool deck, but we heard very little noise

Was stateroom a connecting stateroom? - No

Balcony View - Give comments on view, noting if location of any obstructions was an issue. – Great view. There is an overhang from the pool deck above, but it helped keep our balcony from being scorching hot.

Balcony Size? Normal or oversized for class? - Normal

Was wind a problem? - No

If an aft cabin, was soot a problem? - N/A

Any specific problems with this cabin? - None

Any other comments?- We LOVED this cabin, especially the bathroom with double sinks and jetted bathtub. There were three of us girls in this room, and there was plenty of space and storage.

Thanks for the quick reply! I've had such a hard time finding this info. Would you mind sharing where you found it?

Does anybody no where I can find out which teminal NCL will be using when the Gem is home porting in Puerto Rico? I'm trying to start researching hotels, but I'm not sure which teminal to try to be closest to. I looked on their website but couldn't find anything.