Family cruise aboard the Adventure of the seas!

[ILUVCRUIZN]

Okay onto more pictures of La Concha. Again we did really like the resort and would definitely stay again if the price was right!!!

 

 

The shower did not have a door so water really got everywhere? We layed towels down to soak some of it up...

 

 

 

 

Dustin loved playing on the beach.

 

Thanks to Host Faith and her awesome review we headed out of the hotel for dinner to di Parma Trattoria for some dinner. It is a lovely little open air restaurant right next to La Concha. As you are leaving the hotel walk to the right down the sidewalk about 2 minutes. It will be on your right before you get to the park. We ended up ordering, you guessed it more pizza. We love pizza and it was yummo. It was a beautiful evening but then it just started pouring rain then after 5 minutes it cleared up. If you do not order any dessert there is a Ben and Jerry's right next to the restaurant. It is very small but has good ice cream..

 

 

Dustin and I shared the pepperoni pizza and Kevin had the Margarita pizza. Dinner was about $35.00 so not terrible.

 

 

I am not sure if I am allowed to post this link but here is the link to the restaurants menu...

 

http://diparmapr.com/#/menu/

 

 

 

[ILUVCRUIZN]

We walked around a little bit and ended up at Walgreens, again super close to the resort. Since Dustin loves to play in the sand I told him when we got to San Juan we would hit the drug store and get him a sand bucket and shovel, best $4.00 I spent he loved it. We also got some water and snacks for the cruise and we walked back to the hotel. The weather was just beautiful but we were exhausted since we got up pretty early to get to the airport. We just watched some TV then went to sleep, we are some party animals, LOL.

 

Kevin always gets up early even at home so instead of waking Dustin and I he hit the shower then walked to Dunkin Donuts for some breakfast. We were going to do room service but it was just too expensive so Dunkin Donuts it is. It was basically across the street and to the left. Who does not like donuts, we love them.

 

Dustin and I were up when he got back so we ate then headed down to the beach and pools for a little while before we had to check out. The pool was pretty chilly and the beach was really rough so we just helped Dustin build some sand castles. It rained off and on but was still nice. We hung out till 10:30 then went back to our room to get ready and repack our bags. In the park next to the hotel there were a lot of tents set up with a lot of different foods that looked and smelled fantastic. This was on a Sunday so I do not know if this is an every weekend event. After we got ready and repacked we walked around the tents to drool at the wonderful foods and drinks then went back to the hotel got in a cab and went to the pier. There are plenty of Taxis waiting at the hotel so again no problems. Check out was at noon. A few more pictures from the hotel.

 

 

The clam shell is a very nice restaurant at the hotel called Perla. It has gotten some really great reviews.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ILUVCRUIZN]

The cab ride to the pier was 15 minutes and another I think $20.00 plus tip. He dropped us off then we walked to the end of a VERY long line. At the other piers we have been to there are multiple luggage porters collecting bags, it is not a one at a time process. We were in line for 45 minutes. We were thankful that the area was covered at least. I was not a fan of the luggage drop off process at all. I am sure that the time we arrived had a lot to do with it so it was our fault but it was a long line!! :eek:

 

After that it was smooth sailing. No lines inside at all. We went through security and had our cabin key in 10 minutes. As we were walking to the ship they had a lovely girl named Tornado telling parents about Adventure Ocean and gave us a copy of the days activities. At this time she told us that there were only 160 kids on the cruise. I was a little worried that Dustin would not have a good time but he loved it!!! He always loves going to the kids area on the ships. We have to drag him out just to go and have dinner, LOL!!! During this time they put on Dustin's muster station bracelet which I really liked. On Carnival you have to try and flag the person down during the muster drill, this worked out much better in my opinion.

 

Now onto the 1st photo of the cruise. I always purchase this picture and many others during our cruises. I love the pictures. It is about the only time during the year that I can get these kind of pictures.

 

 

We heard our 1st ding and we were on board the Adventure of the Seas! I have to say it is a beautiful ship. We were not disappointed...

 

 

We were in ocean view cabin 2330. We were close to the elevators and to debark the ship on port days it was 1 deck down. It was great when we got back from our excursions. We did not have to wait for the elevators. Now going up to the higher decks we did do a lot of stopping on every floor. :D

 

 

 

 

[sjpsoccer14]

Loving your review! Thank you for sharing. Reading your review is getting me excited for my turn on Adventure in 4 weeks!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Cruise Critic Forums mobile app

[ILUVCRUIZN]

Some more pictures from our cabin and the ship...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ILUVCRUIZN]

 

 

This is the best pool band ever. That is one thing that I do miss on Carnival is the Caribbean music by the pool. They were great!!!

 

 

Anyone care for some apple pie! It was huge!

 

 

 

[ILUVCRUIZN]

Loving your review! Thank you for sharing. Reading your review is getting me excited for my turn on Adventure in 4 weeks!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Cruise Critic Forums mobile app

 

Thank you, you will love the ship and will have a great time!!!

[Familygoboston]

Really looking forward to the rest! We just booked this itinerary and ship for April 2015, and I would love to show DD what the ship look like! We loved Navigator and hoping DD will like this class.

 

We also stayed at La concha in November, before our Jewel cruise in November. Loved it, thought it was really lovely and well located!

 

Anxious to see what you do on each island!:D

[JimAOk1945]

we're 6th time Royal cruisers going on our first Christmas Cruise. Would love to hear of your experiences. Kids don't know but we are taking them (their second cruise). They will be 23, 19 and 15 years old. Any ideas for how to aid in the Christmas feeling since we live in the Northeast? Lights for the balcony rails, etc???

 

We absolutely love sailing at Christmas time. The ships are beautifully decorated and there is a festive atmosphere regardless of which ship you may be on.

 

A few tips may be in order. Make sure you read your Cruise Compass to make note of the Christmas related activities. There will be a one time only special Christmas ice show in addition to the regular ice show. You might like to see the slide show my wife made from pictures she took (without the flash). The one you see won't be exactly the same but this will give you an idea of how nice it is.

 

Here is a link that will take you right there. You might want to turn up your speakers to enjoy the background music as you watch the slide show.

 

Mariner of the Seas Christmas Ice Show

 

There will also be a time for caroling in the promenade. Some of the RC singers will provide the music and there will be "snow" (artificial of course) falling for a few minutes that delights those who do not see snow regularly.

 

Lights on the balcony are a no no, but some passengers bring small table top artificial trees for their staterooms.

 

There will be a special thread posted by the Cruise Critic Hosts on Christmas and other holidays later in the year where you can post questions and find some ideas.

 

Happy cruising! You and your family will enjoy every minute of it!

[onlyonetrevorfrancis]

Great review, really enjoying it so far.

 

We are on Adventure in June to the Baltic :)

[Lilly57]

Really enjoying your review, many thanks. We are sailing her in May.

 

For Jenni, yes Brilliance does have the glass elevators.

 

Lynda

[Carolynne67]

Thank you for taking the time to write about your cruise. We will be on her in August, our first big ship experience. Your photos are great and I would love to know more about how your son found it all as we are taking our 14 year old.:)

[ILUVCRUIZN]

Finally home so now I can work on my review. We had Taekwondo testing this morning. Dustin is now a Green belt, so proud of him! Yay!!!

 

Okay back to my review. Kevin as you know gets up early so he likes to head to the upper decks to try and get some really good sunrise pictures and pictures of the islands. It's great he goes and takes his pictures, gets his coffee and gives me and Dustin time to get moving. I have to get up so early at home for work I really do not want to get up early on vacation, well not real early, LOL!!!

 

 

I like this one, he did a good job...

 

Our 1st stop was St Thomas which I love. This is the only port that we booked the excursion through the ship. We did the St John on your own excursion. Basically you board a catamaran and head over to St John and do your own thing, PERFECT, exactly what we wanted to do! Our excursion meeting time was 10AM and the excursion was roughly 6.5 hours long which was plenty of time for us. We met right outside the gate and just waited for everyone to show up. This was great because the Catamaran was docked just down from the ship. No bus to red hook we just walked to the left of the gate down to the new shopping area and we boarded the Cruzan Breeze, easy peasy!!! The ride was roughly 30 minutes and the crew was great!!! If you want to get over to St John I do not think that there is an easier way.

 

 

Me and my baby...

 

I was really excited to get over to St John. I really wanted a St John Hook bracelet and I found Bamboo Studios in St John online. I just loved their pieces on their website so I could not wait to get there and see their selection in person. I was actually torn between the St John Hook Bracelet and the Island Girl Hook bracelet. Well on our way to St John one of the crew on our catamaran had on some jewelry that I recognized from Bamboo Studio so she told me exactly how to get there from where we were docking. It was a 10 minute walk and we were there. I forgot to get a picture of the shop, I was just too excited!!! I ended up coming home with the Island Girl Hook bracelet and I LOVE it. I also was able to talk hubby into a couple of necklace charms, Thanks babe!!! If you are looking for a St John Hook bracelet I recommend Bamboo Studios!!! They are located in Warfside Village with many other shops...

 

 

 

 

After getting my bracelet we then headed to one of the prettiest beaches that I have ever been to, TRUNK BAY!!!

[ILUVCRUIZN]

TRUNK BAY IS BEAUTIFUL!!! I loved this beach, beautiful turquois water and powder soft sand. We just got in a open air taxi near Warfside Village and headed to Trunk Bay. We passed Caneel Bay and Hawksnest so next time we are in St John we will be stopping at one of these. The ride was about 15 minutes. Trunk Bay is a national park so there is a fee to enter. I think it was like $10-12 for all 3 of us to get in but so worth it...

 

 

There are very nice facilities such as restrooms, showers and a restaurant. We did not eat at the restaurant but others around us did and liked it. Here are some pictures of Trunk Bay...

 

 

 

 

 

 

This beach is heaven...

[ILUVCRUIZN]

A few more pictures of Trunk Bay!!!

 

 

 

The water was so clear...

 

 

 

 

The ride to St John was kind of rough but super smooth on the way back. I would do this excursion again in a heartbeat!!!

[ILUVCRUIZN]

We got back to the ship showered and got ready for dinner. We had selected anytime dining the same option we choose on Carnival. Well it is not anytime dining in my opinion. The 1st night we went down for dinner we were asked if we had a reservation, now why would I make a reservation for ANYTIME dining? We were told that we could not get in until 8:30-8:45 :eek:. Well this is not going to work. We were hungry and Dustin wanted to go to the kids club so we just went to the buffet for dinner. All I will say is I do not like their version of anytime dining, Carnival gets my vote in this area... In the long run we ended up switching to 6PM seating.

 

The buffet food was good and the make your own pizza we really liked. Imagine that we liked the make your own pizza!!! LOL!! But in my opinion I feel that Carnival has better buffet food and desserts. Royal does have much better pizza, Carnivals pizza is like cardboard. I do feel that the main dining room food goes to Royal but I did miss my chocolate melting cake. Dustin liked that they had an ice cream cart going around serving people and a crew member walking around with a tray of cookies. This is just my personal opinion on the food... :)

 

After dinner we dropped Dustin off at the kids club and Kevin and I walked the track. Now this is another problem that I had. If you are on the upper decks and the buffet is closed there is really no where to get anything to drink without going back down to the promenade on deck 5. Now maybe we missed something but Carnival has drink areas by the pool and in the buffet. On Carnival it seemed that the buffet was always open or at least one side is always open they just pulled the shades around the actual buffet area when it was not in use. You could still go in and get water, Lemonade, coffee and Ice cream which was great.

 

We just screwed around until 10 then went and picked up Dustin then headed down to our cabin...

 

 

This was our 1st towel animal of the cruise... We watched a little TV and that was it. Up next is St Kitts...

Edited February 22, 2014 by ILUVCRUIZN

[ILUVCRUIZN]

Today we are in St Kitts and today Kevin got up early to try and get some great pictures. I like this one...

 

 

For todays adventure we decided to head to the St Kitts Marriott. I had read some info about the Marriott on the port of call boards and it sounded like a fun day for us. I emailed the Marriott to ask about their day passes. They were very quick in responding. It was either a day pass with a room for $129.00 plus 24.50% tax for 2 people additional person in room would be $35.00 each. This includes one room with access to the hotel facilities such as the pool and chairs, beach and chairs, all restaurant with a 10% discount on food and beverages also Spa offers you 15% discount on any treatment. The other option was day use with access to hotel facilities only with mention discounts above, no room is included and booking is done upon arrival at check in. This would be a cost of $35.00 per person. Booking can be done at front desk.

We went with just the day pass with no room. The only request was that I email her a week before we were to arrive.

 

We got up and off of the ship around 9:30 and got a cab at the pier. We just told them where we wanted to go and we were off. The cab ride was $12.00 plus tip for the 3 of us. We really liked this resort, we just went up to the registration desk and paid for our day passes. They did not charge us for Dustin which was a really nice surprise. After we were done we headed out to the beach. The beach was nice but it was really windy. Dustin played in the sand, Kevin did a little snorkeling and I lounged in the sun... After we were done at the beach we headed to the pool. It is a really nice big pool. Lots of swimming and playing room. After about 1.5 hours it started to rain sideways so we headed to the restaurant by the pool for some lunch. We were getting hungry anyways so the timing was perfect. The sun came back out 15 minutes later.

 

 

You can see the restaurant in the background. Not a great picture sorry... This is just a piece of the pool...

 

 

 

Nice beach!!!

 

 

I loved my view!!!

 

 

This view is looking up from the beach to the resort..

[ILUVCRUIZN]

There were a lot of loungers to choose from by the pool. There was a shallow area of the pool with little water spouts shooing our for the little kids.

 

 

 

Do you see the rain clouds moving in. LOL!!!

 

 

This place is huge...

 

 

 

More pictures to come!!!

[ILUVCRUIZN]

 

Mommy and Daddy enjoying the pool, it was nice!!! There is a swim up bar behind us...

 

 

And Dustin goofing around, LOL!!!

 

 

 

The view as you walk into the hotel.

 

 

A nice casino, they did give us a $10.00 match play when we got there.

 

 

We had a great time at the Marriott and would definitely visit again in the future. They did have a little craft market set up in the hotel that was fun to walk around. This was their slow time per the hotel so it was not busy. They have some little shops and other restaurants that we did not eat at. It was a wonderful day!!!

Edited February 23, 2014 by ILUVCRUIZN

[ILUVCRUIZN]

After our fun day at the Marriott we headed back to the port to do a little shopping. We just purchased a couple of T-shirts and headed to the ship.

 

After showers we headed out on deck for sail away...

 

 

 

One of my favorite pictures...

 

 

 

My 2 favorite men!!!

[ILUVCRUIZN]

Today is a day at sea so that means Rockwall. Dustin was so excited about the Rockwall he could not wait. He made it all the way to the top and rang the bell.

 

 

 

And he is off!!!

 

 

Almost to the first bell but he kept going...

 

 

 

He made it and rang the bell...

 

 

Dad also joined in, I was the photographer, LOL!!!

[ILUVCRUIZN]

They both made it to the top and were very proud of themselves. Dustin said he needed some reward ice cream. LOL!!!

 

 

 

We did not do a lot on our sea day. I relaxed in the sun for a while, Dustin wanted to go to Ocean Adventure, we ate of course, Dustin and dad hit the arcade, I went to pick out my inch of gold/silver bracelet, we had some ice cream and had a little nap. It was a nice relaxing day. We got ready for dinner and went and had some pictures taken, Dad just loves pictures, not really but he is a good sport about it!!!

 

 

 

When we returned to our cabin after playing some Uno we had our 2nd towel animal. I was kind of disappointed that on a 7 day cruise we only got 3 towel animals. One thing Dustin loves to do is be the 1st one to go into our cabin for the night to see what kind of towel animal we had and have his picture taken. He was really disappointed the nights that there was no towel animal. Next time we sail on Royal I will ask our room steward to make us a towel animal every night. Another poster stated that she does this for her children and the room stewards always leave one no problem. I am sure he will outgrow this but I have to be honest I like the towel animals too...

 

Edited February 23, 2014 by ILUVCRUIZN

[BLAMBKY]

Wow, if we ever are in Chicago, I think we are staying there! :) Great start! Now I am going back to read more.

[ValerieJo]

Really enjoying your review. I have a question about St. John/St. Thomas. When you get off the catamaran in St. John, I'm guessing it's in town/shopping area? Then how far is it to Trunk Bay? Walking distance or does one need a cab? I'm a little confused about the process of this excursion.

 

Thanks and I'm loving all the pictures. Dustin is adorable.

Edited February 23, 2014 by ValerieJo

[crisndeefromde]

This was my week two of my b2b and I am so loving your review. We so enjoy the Adventure. It was our third year doing a b2b and have another two weeks booked next February.

 

Love your review of St Johns. We have only been over there once but looks like we need to do this excursion.

 

This has to be the first time in our many cruises that we came across so many excursions selling out so quickly. Sometimes the hubby says well we will just get one at the pier if we figure out what we are going to do and then it won't be the same type of excursion the ship has....lesson learned.

 

We had a couple that ended up joining our table as we were second seating dining that had my time dining and said they couldn't reserve the times they wanted so asked to come to our seating. It seems many people wanted the 7-8 timing and they just couldn't handle it this time.