ButterflyGA

Adventure last revamp was Feb 2018.  We sailed that May, so everything was fresh and new... I believe is still in great shape, and we are sailing with her again this November.  Cant wait!

Weve done the Galley tour, the Back-of-the-house tour, The bridge/Mechanical-Engine room tour and the Behind-The-Theater tour... All were great, super interesting and they were offered free of charge for the Diamond members.

Super happy that we reserved AOS for November/Thanksgiving weekend.  Traveling with the family, 2 cabins, interior.  Found a great refundable fare of $3900 and change on line.  I called (didn't secure it on line) and worked with a lovely lady over the phone that actually found me a $3745.20 rate for both cabins... I said, sweet! lets do this... by the end of the 45min call the rate has gone up to $4093.50!  How can that be???? I get that if they quote you a rate, and you decide to call later, that rate is probably gone, but in the SAME call??? Aren't they supposed to guarantee the rate on the transaction?  Has anybody else experienced something similar?? 

Very interesting post!!! We are going to Cuba in October and I work for an international hospitality company that has a hotel in Cuba. This particular hotel is listed in the "Do not go" list! I was hoping to do a site inspection of the hotel when originally decided to go to Cuba, but I guess now that I know the hotel is "black listed" I cant! Does anyone knows why are these establishments on this list and if there is any "exceptions" like working for the company that represents this particular hotel in Europe? I live in the States so that might be taken into consideration and "black-ball" me too!!! LOL

Have not seen any menus from the Empress, and was wondering if there are any items with a "Latin" flair on the menu or is pretty much the same as other ships? I've heard the Cuba cruises have a "theme" throughout, activities being Salsa dancing classes, Spanish food cooking classes and such... Is that true? Do anyone have menus to share?

Goat Cheese and Vegetable tart

Onion Tart (more like a quiche)

Escargots

Heart of Palm Salad

French Onion Soup

Corn and Poblano Pepper Soup

Where did you get the fried pepperoni???

MMMM!!!! Yummy Yummy... We tried them on a Pub, close to the pier area in Halifax called Maxwell Plum... They were so good!

http://www.themaxwellsplum.com/food/

Do you know if they let kids in the solarium during the day when it was cold?

I believe no... Didnt see any kids there, however, I didnt spend too much time either, so it could have been a timing thing...

Just off Adventure, and the Library was always packed! No librarian, and there was an honor system in place. Always a lot of ppl reading and relaxing... Our cabins were just off the hallway, so pass through there at least 4 times a day!

On an Anthem cruise in Sept to Canada and Saint John is the one port I'm not sure what to do. Have already done a tour and the revising rapids on our last visit - thinking of just walking around the port. Can you give me a little more info - how easy is it to get into the city from the port and anything interesting to do/see there. Many thanks

I found Saint John to be a quaint, charming city. Previous to this cruise, I had traveled to SJ because of work... and fell in love with the people, with the culture and the city. I too have done the reversing rapids, so this time with the family, we walked the city, explored the Farmers Market (which is the oldest in Canada) and ate at a local restaurant/brewery (they offered us a Cranberry Ale that was amazing!). The city is "Hill-y" so walking might be an issue if you are not used to that intensity. I was VERY tired by the end of the day. The weather was chilly for us, but when I have visited more into the summer months (and it was hot!) there were a LOT of outside vendors, restaurants and cafes offered outside sitting and it was just lovely. We also visited a couple of historic churches and ate poutine! If you enjoy Indian Food, there is a Restaurant walking distance from the pier, that offers fantastic Indian dishes.

Other than the weather how was your trip? Were there a lot of kids? We leave In July on this itinerary and I am sooo excited! We’ve never been to that part of the country.

 

 

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Trip was overall great. Not too many kids, but my kids don't like the Adventure Ocean program so they never go to those activities... Difficult to say if there were more kids than I got to see around... The sights were amazing, even with the cold weather we enjoyed it. In Portland we did a tour of the city and had lunch in the waterfront (Minillos??) were we had Lobster Rolls, Lobster, Fish and Chips and Chowder... everything was delish. In Bar Harbor, visited Acadia with Olys Trolley (Thunder Hole, Jason's Pond and Cadillac Mountain) Really really nice tour and ate Blueberry pie... Our favorite ports were Saint Johns and Halifax... We did our own thing, as the city is very nice and small enough to walk it. We ate regional food and tried Fried Pepperoni for the first time (it is very different than the pepperoni in the states!) The shows were nice but nothing outstanding... We found that the entertainment on board was lacking... almost nothing to do... but of course I think the weather had to do with this, because we could not take advantage of the pools, flow-rider and slides (even though there were some ppl using all these) as it was too cold for us. Hope this helps... Let me know if you have any more questions!

Adventure hasn't even started sailing to NE/Canada yet, so there are no compasses for someone to post. It is still sailing the Bahamas.

Incorrect... Adventure Re positioned out of SanJuan and ended in Bayonne May 11th, and Its been doing the NE/Canada since that day. Sorry I dont have out Compasses... We just came back from the June 1st - June 8th Trip. It was wonderful... Weather was awful on the first 2 ports, but then it got a bit better...Mikki, Anything in particular that you would like to know??

Daily specials were better in our cruise. The lowest I could find pre-cruise was $109 for 50min and onboard, I was able to book $99 for 75min.

Just came back from the Adventure and the drink card was offered on the last 3 days, but only for beers... I believe it was 10 beers for $49. The drink card for mixed drinks was never offered.

1. WJ will be open for lunch

2. Just came back from Adventure, port of calls were Portland and Bar Harbor Maine, Saint Johns and Halifax. We check the weather 2 days before leaving and it said that we should expect Overcast, 40-60's weather... we got rain and 30-40's weather... COLD! We took sweaters and raincoats and umbrellas, but I didnt pack beanies and gloves... and I wish I had.

3. We felt activities were lacking... perhaps because the weather was so awful, and we could not be outside enjoying the pool and other outdoors stuff... Hopefully the weather will cooperate for you guys.

4. Trivia was great, they had StarWars, Michael Jackson, Music, Food, Sports... a nice variety and they had prizes like RCCL shirts, baseball caps with RCCL logo, bags, wine bottles, bingo cards... they were a lot of little nice prizes...

Hope you enjoy the cruise!

The good-

Embarkation and debarkation

Smooth and well organized. Arrived at the port around 12:00, Was at the ship by 12:35p. No major lines and security very organized and professional. Headed directly to the WJ to grab some lunch until cabins were ready (they moved the time to 1:30P) Debarking was the same, very organized, no major lines anywhere and bags were available when they said they were going to be available. The best debarkation process we have experienced (and we travel a lot!)

Food at the MDR

Decent, well prepared and good selection. Lobster offered on Day 6. Escargot available the first 3 days. NY Strip Available every day (we ordered twice and came at perfect temperature) Desserts are nothing fancy, and some are not that good. The Onion and Goat Cheese Tart is AMAZING.

Service in the cabins

Cabins are serviced twice a day, and kept immaculate. Great service from the Cabin Steward. He really seemed genuine in wanting to know us. Super guy.

Diamond Club

Never crowded. Nice offerings of drinks and snacks from 4:30-8p. We were able to use our drinks in the MDR without problems. Very Accommodating ambassador

Cafe Promenade

I heard so many bad things about this cafe and their pizza, that I wanted to go and check it out myself. Perhaps I imagined it to be sooo bad that in reality was ok! LOL... Of course is not the BEST pizza ever, but when your kids are hungry, coming from port and just want a quick bite to tie you up until dinner (since you havent eat in the last 6min!) this hit the spot. I was under the impression that only pizza was offered in this cafe, but they have finger sandwiches (varied selection every day) salads, fruits, dessert and cookies. They also offer breakfast sandwiches and fruit cups and yogurt and granola each morning. This was perfect for us, because we dont like buffets (WJ) and we wanted to sleep in, so didnt go to the MDR for breakfast. It fitted us and what we wanted.

The music bands in Boleros

There was a Latin Music band (3 Mexican guys) that played everything from Salsa to Merengue to Bachata and they were awesome! and there was another band with more contemporary music, great selection of soft rock, 80's and 90's that was fantastic.

Port-of-calls

Great places, rich in culture and sights, explored the cities with gusto and curiosity. Portland- Took a trolley tour through the city (booked ourselves) BarHarbor- Went to Acadia Park with Oli's Trolley, fantastic! Saint Johns- Visited several times before so we did our own thing, walking and visiting on our own. Halifax -LOVED it!!! did our own thing, Citadel, and Promenade.

The bad-

Service.

It has definitely gone downhill in RCCL. So sad about this because I didnt want to believe what I read about this. There were a few here and there that really went above and beyond (our Cabin Steward, Waiter and Assistant Waiter on table 266, the Diamond Club Manager, 2 Guest Services Agents and 1 Casino Cashier) All the others we encountered, it was like they didnt want to be there... and perhaps they dont want to be there. No eye contact, short, rude and plain awful. It didnt spoil our vacay, but definitely not what it used to be.

WJ

Let me start saying that we are not buffet ppl. I cant stand the mess and the rude patrons eating with their hands and then reaching out to the thongs to serve themselves some more. So I am the first one to say that my view *might* be skewed LOL... Buffet was messy, no themed what so ever. Its like they put random dishes out there... Mind you this is just my impression of the ONE day I ate there. Might not be a totally fair review. JUST MY OPINION< take it with a grain of salt.

Casino

Good selection of games, but not a good air filter... you can smell a heavy scent of cigarette smoke everywhere. I get it... is a Casino, you are going to smell cigarette smoke... BUT it was a lot... just saying.

Air Filters in the cabin

After seeing a review right here on the boards, I made the point of checking our vents first thing when we got to our rooms. Dirty Dirty Dirty... The exhaust on our bathroom shower was FILTHY too.

The Ugly

Really cant think of anything really really bad on the cruise that could spoil my vacation. Just as I was debarking, I got the news of Anthony Bordain's passing and that was UGLY to me. Still in shock about that.

My kids enjoyed everything, however, they dont want to cruise again in RCCL. Now that they have tried RCCL and Carnival, they prefer Carnival. I prefer RCCL, however, I am just hoping this *service* thing gets better.

Glad you liked the ports. I did Adventure out of San Juan, but would consider a summer NE/Canada cruise. Thanks.

Ports were outstanding. The weather didn't cooperate with us (2 days before the cruise, it said was going to be in the 60-70's range) we ended up having 30-40's and rain on the first 2 ports !:loudcry: But hey... we know weather can be unpredictable, so yes... more into summer should be better!

Party of 5 (Mom(44) Dad (42), DD (17) DS#1 (16) DS#2 (10)

Avid Cruisers

Rooms 8465 and 8467 (Adjoining/connecting Cabins)

My Time Dining

The good-

Embarkation and debarkation

Smooth and well organized. Arrived at the port around 12:00, Was at the ship by 12:35p. No major lines and security very organized and professional. Headed directly to the WJ to grab some lunch until cabins were ready (they moved the time to 1:30P) Debarking was the same, very organized, no major lines anywhere and bags were available when they said they were going to be available. The best debarkation process we have experienced (and we travel a lot!)

Food at the MDR

Decent, well prepared and good selection. Lobster offered on Day 6. Escargot available the first 3 days. NY Strip Available every day (we ordered twice and came at perfect temperature) Desserts are nothing fancy, and some are not that good. The Onion and Goat Cheese Tart is AMAZING.

Service in the cabins

Cabins are serviced twice a day, and kept immaculate. Great service from the Cabin Steward. He really seemed genuine in wanting to know us. Super guy.

Diamond Club

Never crowded. Nice offerings of drinks and snacks from 4:30-8p. We were able to use our drinks in the MDR without problems. Very Accommodating ambassador

Cafe Promenade

I heard so many bad things about this cafe and their pizza, that I wanted to go and check it out myself. Perhaps I imagined it to be sooo bad that in reality was ok! LOL... Of course is not the BEST pizza ever, but when your kids are hungry, coming from port and just want a quick bite to tie you up until dinner (since you havent eat in the last 6min!) this hit the spot. I was under the impression that only pizza was offered in this cafe, but they have finger sandwiches (varied selection every day) salads, fruits, dessert and cookies. They also offer breakfast sandwiches and fruit cups and yogurt and granola each morning. This was perfect for us, because we dont like buffets (WJ) and we wanted to sleep in, so didnt go to the MDR for breakfast. It fitted us and what we wanted.

The music bands in Boleros

There was a Latin Music band (3 Mexican guys) that played everything from Salsa to Merengue to Bachata and they were awesome! and there was another band with more contemporary music, great selection of soft rock, 80's and 90's that was fantastic.

Port-of-calls

Great places, rich in culture and sights, explored the cities with gusto and curiosity. Portland- Took a trolley tour through the city (booked ourselves) BarHarbor- Went to Acadia Park with Oli's Trolley, fantastic! Saint Johns- Visited several times before so we did our own thing, walking and visiting on our own. Halifax -LOVED it!!! did our own thing, Citadel, and Promenade.

The bad-

Service.

It has definitely gone downhill in RCCL. So sad about this because I didnt want to believe what I read about this. There were a few here and there that really went above and beyond (our Cabin Steward, Waiter and Assistant Waiter on table 266, the Diamond Club Manager, 2 Guest Services Agents and 1 Casino Cashier) All the others we encountered, it was like they didnt want to be there... and perhaps they dont want to be there. No eye contact, short, rude and plain awful. It didnt spoil our vacay, but definitely not what it used to be.

WJ

Let me start saying that we are not buffet ppl. I cant stand the mess and the rude patrons eating with their hands and then reaching out to the thongs to serve themselves some more. So I am the first one to say that my view *might* be skewed LOL... Buffet was messy, no themed what so ever. Its like they put random dishes out there... Mind you this is just my impression of the ONE day I ate there. Might not be a totally fair review. JUST MY OPINION< take it with a grain of salt.

Casino

Good selection of games, but not a good air filter... you can smell a heavy scent of cigarette smoke everywhere. I get it... is a Casino, you are going to smell cigarette smoke... BUT it was a lot... just saying.

Air Filters in the cabin

After seeing a review right here on the boards, I made the point of checking our vents first thing when we got to our rooms. Dirty Dirty Dirty... The exhaust on our bathroom shower was FILTHY too.

The Ugly

Really cant think of anything really really bad on the cruise that could spoil my vacation. Just as I was debarking, I got the news of Anthony Bordain's passing and that was UGLY to me. Still in shock about that.

My kids enjoyed everything, however, they dont want to cruise again in RCCL. Now that they have tried RCCL and Carnival, they prefer Carnival. I prefer RCCL, however, I am just hoping this *service* thing gets better.

Hi there! I am planning my next cruise and it will be me with 3 kids (15, 15, 9). Will they let the 15 year olds stay in a room without an adult over 18? I'd really like to avoid having all 4 of us in the same room, but obviously I have to stay with the 9 year old. Thanks in advance!

We have a 17, 16 and 10 and they have been traveling with us, in an adjoining cabin since they turned 15, 14 and 8. We usually watch the pricing, and call the cruiseline directly. The agents on the phone have been super accommodating always (Carnival and RCCL) We usually leave the door open between the cabins and everyone have their own space... We have thought about getting a family suite, but I prefer the fact of having 2 bathrooms if I book 2 cabins... Good luck!

Hi there! I am planning my next cruise and it will be me with 3 kids (15, 15, 9). Will they let the 15 year olds stay in a room without an adult over 18? I'd really like to avoid having all 4 of us in the same room, but obviously I have to stay with the 9 year old.

 

Thanks in advance!

We have a 17, 16 and 10 and they have been traveling with us, in an adjoining cabin since they turned 15, 14 and 8. We usually watch the pricing, and call the cruiseline directly. The agents on the phone have been super accommodating always (Carnival and RCCL) We usually leave the door open between the cabins and everyone have their own space... We have thought about getting a family suite, but I prefer the fact of having 2 bathrooms if I book 2 cabins... Good luck!

We just booked transportation with Dial 7. I've been monitoring the pricing with UBER and Lyft and for our family of five (needing the XL service) goes between 98-134 on average from LGA and Bayonne. We decided to book with Dial 7 since it was a set price of $98 (after a coupon I found in Retailmenot.com) and is for a mini van/car service for 5. It was easy and very professional.

Going on same cruise/same time... Adventure? I was wondering the same thing... One of my co-workers is from Bar Harbor... she said June can be tricky... could be 78 during the day but it could also be very foggy/rainy... she suggested to bring layers (as you were planning) to strip down if necessary, but to also bring rain jackets and a thicker (light) coat, if is cold to wear under the rain poncho! LOL... I know is not too much help, but that is what I've been told... I already went to the dollar store and stacked on rain ponchos and planning on packing shorts but also jeans and umbrella! LOL....

Thank you!!!

I did a quick search for Car Rental Companies in Portland, but is confusing as I have never been there and dont know about the distances in reference of where we dock... I will be there in June, for a couple of hours and wanted to drive to Biddeford (about 1 hr from DT Portland) Those who know better about the area... is that a good plan? which company would you recommend... ?

Sailing out of Bayonne, Cape Liberty, in June 1st, going on the AdOTS and wondering... should I pack my 2 wine bottles (and check them with the Airline) or should I wait until I get to NJ, and find a wine store to get the wine there?... Is there anything around the port in NJ??? Never traveled out of that pier, so I am not sure what to expect...