Our large family adventure on the Adventure of the Seas (6.13.15)

[Virtopia]

I'm anxious to hear what happened in St Lucia. I went there in 2013 and had an amazing full day tour.

[Elvis1209]

We'll be on Adventure for the 10/31 cruise. Did you leave any food for us?????

Glad you enjoyed it!

 

Elvis

[AtlantaAlly]

Welp CC is on my list because it just deleted my post...

 

We started the day in St. Lucia by meeting with our expected tour company, Real St. Lucia Tours. Prior to our arrival, we confirmed with them that they had a large enough vehicle for our group- 21 people. They committed to having a van big enough so we could all be together, coming from 7 different states. When we met with them, they informed us that they had 2 vehicles, one for 7 and one that could fit 15. We explained that this wasn't suitable (and not what they confirmed) and gave them the opportunity to fix the situation by bringing an appropriately sized bus. They would not meet the need, so we decided to go with a local taxi that could fit all of us. We had two one year olds that in a long car ride, needed grandparents, aunts and uncles for entertainment on top of mom and dad, and no way of splitting up would accomplish that. It was truly unfortunate, but we were better off all together. (the whole point of why we picked this tour company.

 

We weren't appropriately prepared for the day ahead of us, and reliving it is frustrating. So I'm going to try and do it justice, but keep it brief. It is a BEAUTIFUL island. But two people on our tour got sick from the motion. On top of that, another person in our group fainted from the motion in their rental car. The roads are extremely curvy, very hilly, and narrow to the point where you have concerns that the bus will make the turn, or maybe not, and that cliff may be a nice way to "go" if you know what I mean. If I were to ever go back to St. Lucia, I would either stay on the ship or take a boat tour.

 

Starting off, we drove up and up and up and stopped outside of the governor's mansion. I'm guessing it was a good 50% of annual GDP to build this place- it was HUGE!

 

 

From there we drove higher and higher (thinking of the song from Ghostbusters at this point) and took a look back at our ship... oh if only we had stayed on her.

 

 

After about 30 minutes of driving, we stopped in the small fishing village of Anse le Raye. It was a great stop for us, as we were able to wander, buy some local street bbq (delicious), have a beer (Piton being sold for 2/$5 or 1/$3). We purchased 13, so they gave us a deal! I think we also sold the guy out of all he had. There was also some touristy type shopping that some people took advantage of, the rest of us just passed through to the beach.

 

 

 

From Anse le Raye, we drove back up the mountainside and stopped about 15 minutes later at Marigot Bay overlook. They charged $2 for the bathroom here, but we can report that it was clean, if you need it. We took quite a few pictures and enjoyed looking at the scene from many different movies. I wish we could have gone down to the little beach and relaxed there for the day- it would have been much more enjoyable!

 

 

We stopped for lunch in Soufriere after driving for about 2-2.5 hours. The taxi driver recommended this location for a buffet, and it was spot on. We really enjoyed the mix of food, the drink offerings, and being able to get out of the van for more than 10 minutes at a "ooo look over here" location.

 

[AtlantaAlly]

After lunch we went to the "volcano" and did the mud baths. The mud baths were probably the highlight of the entire day (sad).

 

We enjoyed getting muddy, scrubbing ourselves down, then washing off and revealing our super smooth skin. It was well worth the extra $4. We were probably in the area for about 30 minutes or so.

 

 

I have to laugh at what they call a volcano. Imagine being surrounded by beige/grey rock, and seeing a little bit of steam coming out of the side of a hill. You're probably picturing something better than what we saw. The walk up the hill was a bit steep and not as easy as the gate agent led on. Then, the walk over to the point where you looked (at nothing) made you think you were about to see something cool. Nope. Just crack an egg in your mailbox and leave it there for a few weeks, smell it while looking at a pot of boiling water and you've got something cooler than the volcano. Don't waste your money!!

 

We then went onto the botanical gardens and this was the second highlight of the trip. For $5 a person, we were able to walk back and see the Diamond falls (not that impressive if you've ever been to Hawaii) but the flowers and foliage on the walk to and from the Taxi were beautiful.

 

 

 

 

 

So why do I claim it was such a bad day:

1) Spent 4 hours driving on roads worse than the road to hana, with fewer things to stop and do.

2) there weren't things to stop and really "do" along the way. It was very "stop here and take a picture" or "stop here and shop" The day wasn't very interactive at all

3) The tour company put a damper on the day.

4) The people were pushy and rude if you didn't buy something from you, trying to open the windows on our tour bus to sell us things.

[AtlantaAlly]

Some people had been asking for Cruise Compasses- I'm goin to post day 1 here. If the format is ok (image size/legibility) can someone let me know? If not, I'll need to scan and attach as pdf.

 

Thanks!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[yankees111]

Scanning and attaching as a pdf will probably be easier to read. Thank you!

Edited June 29, 2015 by yankees111

[AtlantaAlly]

Scanning and attaching as a pdf will probably be easier to read. Thank you!

 

Agreed- that's what I get for trying to do it at work :o Will try and get them scanned soon!

[kevink]

Agreed- that's what I get for trying to do it at work :o Will try and get them scanned soon!

 

No rush. Thank you for a very entertaining review!

[rpettus]

Some people had been asking for Cruise Compasses- I'm goin to post day 1 here. If the format is ok (image size/legibility) can someone let me know? If not, I'll need to scan and attach as pdf.

 

Thanks!

 

 

:( :(

Couldn't read the images. Can you try the pdf solution?

 

Thanks

:cool:

 

Whoops - already addressed, my bad...

Edited June 30, 2015 by rpettus
updated

[cruiselife4me]

Loving this review!! Keep it coming - sorry to hear about St. Lucia - we're going there in Feb. but I'm not driving ANYWHERE! Thanks for the tips!

Mary

[AtlantaAlly]

Well back to it:

 

In the evenings after port days we often found ourselves on the pool deck either by the solarium pool (if the kiddo was napping) or by the regular pool. I must report that the mudslides were phenomenal at the pool bar, Solarium bar not so much, and Windjammer not at all. But I must also report on the fact that throughout the week I did not see a single suite guest using their special decks and chairs. Not one. Not even a stray flip flop reserving a seat (you should have seen the creativity of people on the sea day. I imagined the thought bubbles going into some of the reservations: "If I put a book like 50 Shades of Gray, someone will be too embarrassed to move it" or "No one will notice that this shoe is so ugly that I will never wear it, and I don't mind if they throw it away" Too funny

 

 

Nothing spectacular to report on dinner front, but nothing bad either. So it's a push!

 

It was Harry Potter Trivia night. We got no credit for saying Avada Kedavra instead of "the Killing Curse." Any Potter fan will understand our frustration with being even more specific! We had enough points to be in third place, but they decided only two teams could only tie for third, and we were voted off the island, or something like that, bummer- no medal for me tonight. But I will get a medal another night ;) Stay tuned!

 

The trivia was followed up with the Pirate Parade. How fun for the kiddos! I think we saw faces painted 3 of the 7 nights; animals, pirates and super heroes!

 

 

The show of the night was three tenors from Vegas. Good, but not my favorite... I did love this guy's expressive eyebrows and shiny jacket!

 

 

Up Next: Barbados!

[krazy4kruisin]

Loving it! You keep me coming back for more ;)

[AtlantaAlly]

Helloooooo Barbados!

 

We had a wonderful day planned with Calabaza Sailing Company. I had originally contacted Gina back in June of 2014 about booking with her. We had an interested group large enough to fill all the spaces on their boat. Unfortunately, there were already 2 people booked, so she wouldn’t be able to fit all of us. She did alert us that there was a possibility that she would be buying another boat in the coming weeks and that she would keep my e-mail address in case something opened up. She did a great job of checking in with us throughout the following weeks, giving me updates on boat negotiations and we were over the moon when she sent us the “clear to book” e-mail! I frantically ran to my computer (Yes, ran, because I didn’t want to miss out) and we had Calabaza booked all to ourselves.

 

When we arrived, we walked off the ship in probably the least pretty dock of the whole trip. We walked through the shopping area as clearly described by Gina’s directions. From there, we went and met with our taxi driver. She gave us some history of the island, some fun facts, and we were at the boat in a quick (maybe 7 minute) drive. Off the shoes went and on the boat we climbed. The crew (Fabian, Dan and Ben) helped us aboard and after a quick stow of our bags and application of sunscreen we were off. We were offered banana bread and coffee as we arrived- perfect for our group! Once we were out on the open waters, rum punch was also offered. It was served with bitters and a bit of nutmeg. She sent us the recipes for later use, and we sure will! The boat is beautiful. Very clean. We were offered one of two options, option 1 is to sail for a while, then stop for lunch then snorkel a reef with turtles. Or we could sail quickly, snorkel a few places with turtles and sunken ships, lunch, then sail for a while. We opted for the sunken ships route as we had a 6 year old who loves pirates.

 

We went off and in about 30 minutes time we were at our first snorkeling location. There were probably another 5-7 boats in the area, filled much more than we were. One group had the same size catamaran with triple the people! Nuts! We never felt crowded, but I’m sure that other group did. We were given our snorkeling gear and Fabian jumped in the water to entice the turtles to come over our way, as well as snap some good pictures of our group. It was a great time and we saw 4 different sea turtles, including a baby. They also weren’t shy, they came right up to us in some cases. I was able to snap some pictures with my underwater camera. They were beautiful creatures and it was interesting to see that some of them were tagged. We were probably in the water for about 45 minutes or so. *Once we got out of the water, hors d’ourvres were around the boat, some fish fritters and three different dips and crackers. Delicious!

 

 

 

From that first spot with turtles, we went to a second location where the ships were. There were two different ships, one about 100 years old and one about 40 years old (from what I can remember). This is where Ben jumped in the water with us to take some pictures. Very fun to get down close by the ships, see the coral that had grown over them, and enjoy the fish the coral attracted. After being in the water for about 45 minutes here, we got back on the boat and it was time for a relaxing sail to our next destination and lunch!

 

 

 

Lunch was a delicious spread! I couldn’t believe how great everything was. Pineapple chicken, cous cous, greek salad, there was no way that any of us could leave hungry. The drinks also kept flowing. They would pass them out to us around the ship throughout the day.

 

We were then anchored off of the shore by about 50 yards. It was a nice little beach but we all decided to stay around the boat and float on noodles and enjoy the little bits of sun that broke through the clouds. That’s when we discovered one of the best water drinking inventions. It was a small drink float! They passed our rum punches in this little float out to us in the water. Lots of fun!

 

 

 

We got back on the boat and ended up riding the fun waves back to their dock. We didn’t want the day to end! We ran into Gina and I gave her a big hug because she gave us such a great day! That’s when we found out that Dan is actually her son. She’s raised him well from what we can tell. All the crew were fantastic and we would go back to Barbados simply based on the time we spent with them. So fun!

[AtlantaAlly]

Ah, the Quest.

I forgot to post this a couple of nights ago, but I wanted to make sure I mentioned it.

 

I think that’s all I’m allowed to say about it! But, one quick note: TEAM SIX! TEAM SIX! TEAM SIX!

 

 

 

We came in 3rd and I won my first official RCI Medal, thanks to the help of all of my team members. One note, if you go to this, sit on the sides of the theater, not the front, you have a much shorter distance to run. That really held us down as the two teams that won were right on the side.

 

Oh, and if you are at all nervous about going, just sit in the back and watch, there are sure to be some funny instances

[searoses]

Barbados is in my top 3 islands along with bermuda and St john....we have enjoyed several land trips there......such a pleasure to read your review....especially the warmth you have for your extended family....what great memories you are all making...

[mardavbetale]

Helloooooo Barbados!

 

We had a wonderful day planned with Calabaza Sailing Company. I had originally contacted Gina back in June of 2014 about booking with her. We had an interested group large enough to fill all the spaces on their boat. Unfortunately, there were already 2 people booked, so she wouldn’t be able to fit all of us. She did alert us that there was a possibility that she would be buying another boat in the coming weeks and that she would keep my e-mail address in case something opened up. She did a great job of checking in with us throughout the following weeks, giving me updates on boat negotiations and we were over the moon when she sent us the “clear to book” e-mail! I frantically ran to my computer (Yes, ran, because I didn’t want to miss out) and we had Calabaza booked all to ourselves.

 

When we arrived, we walked off the ship in probably the least pretty dock of the whole trip. We walked through the shopping area as clearly described by Gina’s directions. From there, we went and met with our taxi driver. She gave us some history of the island, some fun facts, and we were at the boat in a quick (maybe 7 minute) drive. Off the shoes went and on the boat we climbed. The crew (Fabian, Dan and Ben) helped us aboard and after a quick stow of our bags and application of sunscreen we were off. We were offered banana bread and coffee as we arrived- perfect for our group! Once we were out on the open waters, rum punch was also offered. It was served with bitters and a bit of nutmeg. She sent us the recipes for later use, and we sure will! The boat is beautiful. Very clean. We were offered one of two options, option 1 is to sail for a while, then stop for lunch then snorkel a reef with turtles. Or we could sail quickly, snorkel a few places with turtles and sunken ships, lunch, then sail for a while. We opted for the sunken ships route as we had a 6 year old who loves pirates.

 

We went off and in about 30 minutes time we were at our first snorkeling location. There were probably another 5-7 boats in the area, filled much more than we were. One group had the same size catamaran with triple the people! Nuts! We never felt crowded, but I’m sure that other group did. We were given our snorkeling gear and Fabian jumped in the water to entice the turtles to come over our way, as well as snap some good pictures of our group. It was a great time and we saw 4 different sea turtles, including a baby. They also weren’t shy, they came right up to us in some cases. I was able to snap some pictures with my underwater camera. They were beautiful creatures and it was interesting to see that some of them were tagged. We were probably in the water for about 45 minutes or so. *Once we got out of the water, hors d’ourvres were around the boat, some fish fritters and three different dips and crackers. Delicious!

 

 

 

From that first spot with turtles, we went to a second location where the ships were. There were two different ships, one about 100 years old and one about 40 years old (from what I can remember). This is where Ben jumped in the water with us to take some pictures. Very fun to get down close by the ships, see the coral that had grown over them, and enjoy the fish the coral attracted. After being in the water for about 45 minutes here, we got back on the boat and it was time for a relaxing sail to our next destination and lunch!

 

 

 

Lunch was a delicious spread! I couldn’t believe how great everything was. Pineapple chicken, cous cous, greek salad, there was no way that any of us could leave hungry. The drinks also kept flowing. They would pass them out to us around the ship throughout the day.

 

We were then anchored off of the shore by about 50 yards. It was a nice little beach but we all decided to stay around the boat and float on noodles and enjoy the little bits of sun that broke through the clouds. That’s when we discovered one of the best water drinking inventions. It was a small drink float! They passed our rum punches in this little float out to us in the water. Lots of fun!

 

 

 

We got back on the boat and ended up riding the fun waves back to their dock. We didn’t want the day to end! We ran into Gina and I gave her a big hug because she gave us such a great day! That’s when we found out that Dan is actually her son. She’s raised him well from what we can tell. All the crew were fantastic and we would go back to Barbados simply based on the time we spent with them. So fun!

e

 

Loving your review. Thanks for taking the time to do it

 

We've booked this tour with Gina for this October. I'm not a swimmer (especially in the sea) but my my hubby loves it. Will I still enjoy the tour and will i look a bit odd not getting in the sea?

[AtlantaAlly]

We've booked this tour with Gina for this October. I'm not a swimmer (especially in the sea) but my my hubby loves it. Will I still enjoy the tour and will i look a bit odd not getting in the sea?

 

I don't think you'll look odd at all. There is still plenty of sunshine, wind and waves to enjoy from the boat. You'll also be the first to get some of the snacks! Find your special place out on the net if that's what you enjoy and relax to the rhythm of the waves and the music they play. You'll still enjoy for sure! Get to know the crew- they're all awesome :)

[AtlantaAlly]

Attached is the file on the Babies and Tots Program. These were available in our room on Day 1.

Babies and Tots.pdf

[AtlantaAlly]

Attached is the Cruise Compass from Day 1 as well as the officer sheet.

Day 1.pdf

Officers.pdf

[AtlantaAlly]

Attached is Day 2, St. Croix!

Day 2.pdf

[AtlantaAlly]

Day 3 is attached: St. Maarten

Day 3.pdf

[AtlantaAlly]

Day 4 is attached: Antigua!

Day 4.pdf

[reallyhooked]

Enjoyed reading your review. Love the Southern Caribbean.

[AtlantaAlly]

Day 5 is attached: St. Lucia

Day 5.pdf

[AtlantaAlly]

Day 6: Barbados!

Day 6.pdf