RCCL - Adventure of the Seas - HELP?

[beshears]

I am debating now, between the Jewel and Adventure of the Seas cruise ships.

 

I have received some pros/cons on the Jewel ship which I appreciated.

 

If you have been on the Adventure of the Seas within this past year, would you give me your pros/cons very soon?

 

I'm trying to make a decision quick, and I want to make sure I make the right one for us.:)

 

Also, if you have been to St. Lucia recently, please tell me your thoughts of that island?

[Clarea]

Both Jewel and Adventure are excellent ships, either way you cannot go wrong. It comes down to if you want a ship with a Royal Promenade (Adventure) or magnificent views outside and an indoor Solarium (Jewel).

[lauraodonnell86]

We were on Adventure last January and are getting ready to leave again in 3 days on the Adventure on our first back to back ever! We love the Adventure of the Seas! We've never had any complaints! Obviously people are going to FIND things to complain about but then again, those people complain about everything. We love the Royal Promenade on the AOS. The Jewel wont have that. But yet, I've heard a lot of people talk about how much they love the outdoor seating in the Windjammer on the Jewel (which we did love on the Serenade 7 years ago). But for us, we like the Promenade a little more than we like sitting outside.

 

Both ships are great and I really don't think you can go wrong but for us, we prefer the Voyager Class over the Radiance class. Some people complain about the lack of specialty dining on the Adventure but for us, we prefer to eat in the MDR since it's *free* and we love getting to know our table mates as well. We always go with a balcony and love the space in the closet and all of the drawers! We never lack space but I'm not so sure I'll be saying that in a couple of days when I unpack for 2 weeks!!

 

I hope this helps a little and you are able to make a decision and feel good about it! Have a great time!!!!

[lauraodonnell86]

Both Jewel and Adventure are excellent ships, either way you cannot go wrong. It comes down to if you want a ship with a Royal Promenade (Adventure) or magnificent views outside and an indoor Solarium (Jewel).

 

 

I forgot to say that we prefer an outdoor Solarium because I find that the indoor gets a little too chilly! But if you are someone who is apt to burn, it's nice to have the shade on the Jewel in the Solarium.

[Hoopster95]

I am debating now, between the Jewel and Adventure of the Seas cruise ships.

 

I have received some pros/cons on the Jewel ship which I appreciated.

 

If you have been on the Adventure of the Seas within this past year, would you give me your pros/cons very soon?

 

I'm trying to make a decision quick, and I want to make sure I make the right one for us.:)

 

Also, if you have been to St. Lucia recently, please tell me your thoughts of that island?

 

Just got back from Jewel. St Lucia is one of my favorite Caribbean Islands ever! The Pitons and full day on the island was my favorite day and a hi-light of the cruise. I recommend finding a "Land & Sea" tour where you can visit the land sites, then visit the waterfalls/Mud Baths/Sulfur Springs, then go to the beach with a power boat ride back.. the very best of every world. I used Herod's Tours and they were great.

 

Unlike most experienced cruisers here in CC, I'm not the biggest Radiance Class fan. But on the Southern San Juan itineraries with only 1 sea day I don't think the ship matters too much in my humble opinion. I had a great time and the ship will be really nice after her refurbishment in April. I'm a big Voyager Class fan but chose Jewel due to the "deal" I got at the time of booking.

 

Whatever you choose have a great cruise! :D

[trev71]

I was on the Adventure in May. I could not give you any cons. Pros too many to list. It was the oldest ship we ever been on and it was in decent shape for the most part. some of the décor in the rooms were a bit older but we rarely were in our room. St. Lucia was nice we did a tour to the Pitons. Long boat ride to get there but it was nice and scenic

[tserface]

I'm with those that are saying you can't really go wrong, but our cruise last year on Adventure (B2B) was probably my favorite cruise ever. I envy you whichever choice you make.

 

Tom

[Ocean Boy]

W ehave sailed on Adventure several times and I always look forward to returning to the ship. We much prefer Voyager class ships over Radiance class ships. Though I will book a Radiance class ship on a port intensive itinerary I still prefer to be on Adventure over Jewel. We really miss the Royal Promenade when we don't have one.

 

As for St. Lucia, it is an absolutely beautiful island and we always look forward to returning.

[beshears]

Oh my, I'm starting to get excited, just reading ALL your posts to me.:)

 

It sounds like the Jewel would be a wonderful ship, but I do like the Promenade area, and the inside solarium, which may be a couple "deciding" factors on doing the Adventure. :)

 

Someone mentioned about the "paying" restaurants, which we really don't use much, as like you, we like doing the MDR, and meeting people. :)

 

If you visited St. Luicia and there is something "special" that we must see, please let me know?

[akcruz]

Oh my, I'm starting to get excited, just reading ALL your posts to me.:)

 

It sounds like the Jewel would be a wonderful ship, but I do like the Promenade area, and the inside solarium, which may be a couple "deciding" factors on doing the Adventure. :)

 

Someone mentioned about the "paying" restaurants, which we really don't use much, as like you, we like doing the MDR, and meeting people. :)

 

If you visited St. Luicia and there is something "special" that we must see, please let me know?

 

One correction to what you have above, the promenade is on Adventure but the inside solarium is on Jewel. Neither ship has both. If these are both important to you are you more of an evening out type of person or hang by the pool (adult only) during the day?

 

Honestly I think you are overthinking this. Look at the itineraries and cost and go with the one that appeals to you more. You really can't go wrong either way.

[davekathy]

Tough call for us. We've sailed them both and like them both. The Jewel was our first RCCL ship that didn't have the Promenade Deck and we didn't miss it. Our April 2017 Cruise will be another B2B Cruise out of San Juan and this time we elected the Jewel over the Adventure. In our opinion we like the Schooner bar on the Jewel a lot more than the Schooner bar on the Adventure.

Edited January 5, 2016 by davekathy

[Clarea]

Tough call for us. We've sailed them both and like them both. The Jewel was our first RCCL ship that didn't have the Promenade Deck and we didn't miss it. Our April 2017 Cruise will be another B2B Cruise out of San Juan and this time we elected the Jewel over the Adventure. In our opinion we like the Schooner bar a lot more than the Schooner bar on the Adventure.

Agree 100%. I like Schooner Bar on Sovereign, Vision, and Radiance classes are much better than those on the other classes. Especially Oasis class. I get the impression that on Oasis class, they had the entire ship designed without Schooner, discovered the error, and said "Let's stick it up there".

Edited January 5, 2016 by clarea

[Ocean Boy]

Agree 100%. I like Schooner Bar on Sovereign, Vision, and Radiance classes are much better than those on the other classes. Especially Oasis class. I get the impression that on Oasis class, they had the entire ship designed without Schooner, discovered the error, and said "Let's stick it up there".

 

I definitely agree with you on that point. I really don't like the Schooner bar on Oasis/Allure and I like it on Voyager/Freedom class ships. And on the Radiance class ships it is just a beautiful and classy area of the ship to be in.

[beshears]

AKCRUZ, thanks for clearning that up about the inside/outside solarium on the two ships. Actually it is a no brainer in regard to that area.

 

You are right, in regard to "checking out" the cost and itinerary. We definitely want to stop in St. Lucia, so my TA is working on this now.

 

I hope to be seeing (I'm in Missouri now) warmer/hot weather in a few more months with my cruising. :) We have "tried" to start our cruises in January/Feburary/March, and have found many delays in "weather" here in KC, so that is why I try the end of March or the first part of April anymore. (If I wasn't working, I could plan it anytime. :))

 

Once again, thank you all for your responses.

[DonnaK]

for St. Lucia, I recommend Cosol Tours. It's a highly reputable private tour, and it's an excellent value for the price.

[pixiestyx]

I sailed Adventure just before thanksgiving. We loved it. It looked great and the staff was the best I've had on RCCL. I went with my mom who hadn't done anything in the Caribbean for 20+ years and only cruises other places for the itinerary.

 

She had such a great time that we ended up at the next cruise desk. We're going. To do the Jewel on its 9-day once it returns after refurb and Europe.

 

I don't like buffets and never use them so maybe my opinion is skewed, but we went to check out the windjammer on Adv. and it was horrific, just gross and dirty.

[cb at sea]

I HATE the indoor solarium on Radiance class...no where to tan in peace!

[SamFritz]

I think the cabin balconies are nicer on Jewel. More glass, less steel. If you like to spend a lot of time on your balcony, that would favor Jewel.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[davekathy]

OP...another venue the Adventure has and the Jewel doesn't have is Studio B. That's where the ice skating rink is and where the ice shows are preformed. It's nice but we didn't miss it. QWEST is held in there also. Right next to the Schooner Bar on the Jewel is the Safari Lounge. Another great place for some of the evening entertainment like QWEST.

[TexCruise371]

We sailed on Adventure in November. The ship is in good shape and both the staff & service were good. Dining was good too. Giovanni's was excellent! :D Keep in mind that Adventure does not have a Chops if that matters to you. My wife loves the promenade & Studio B which Jewel does not have as others have mentioned. We thought the entertainment was a little weak compared to other cruises.

 

We sailed Jewel a couple of years back and I agree about the Schooner bar. Much nicer on Jewel. I love the Radiance class ships and DW like the Voyager class better ;)

 

I bet you will be happy regardless of which one you choose :D Enjoy!

[Siora7777]

I've been on both within the last year and a half. Just got off AOS a couple weeks ago. The Jewel had better service overall, windjammer had outside seating at the back of the ship. I did miss that. The cabin was nicer as the color scheme is better. The solarium to me was not as beautiful in person but a nice place to go on the day that it rained because it's indoors but felt like a greenhouse. The ship never felt crowded.

 

But I enjoyed the Adventure more. I liked the promenade and the dining room with the beautiful chandelier. There was also more to do on Adventure, shows were better, pool area seemed way more spacious. Service was still very good. Longer wait time for the elevators.

 

I hesitate to sail Jewel again but I would if the price was right because I wasn't that impressed with her. There wasn't too much going on. Adventure was more beautiful to me. I wouldn't hesitate to book her again or a similar class ship.

 

St. Lucia is nice. I'd like to visit again, but Barbados is my favorite.

Edited January 6, 2016 by Siora7777

[wreckem2013]

We sailed on Adventure in November. The ship is in good shape and both the staff & service were good. Dining was good too. Giovanni's was excellent! :D Keep in mind that Adventure does not have a Chops if that matters to you. My wife loves the promenade & Studio B which Jewel does not have as others have mentioned. We thought the entertainment was a little weak compared to other cruises.

 

We sailed Jewel a couple of years back and I agree about the Schooner bar. Much nicer on Jewel. I love the Radiance class ships and DW like the Voyager class better ;)

 

I bet you will be happy regardless of which one you choose :D Enjoy!

 

IIRC Adventure is slated for Dry Dock in Oct/November 2016 in which she is likley to finally get Chops. Its expected she will get the same treatment as Explorer.

[lauraodonnell86]

AKCRUZ, thanks for clearning that up about the inside/outside solarium on the two ships. Actually it is a no brainer in regard to that area.

 

You are right, in regard to "checking out" the cost and itinerary. We definitely want to stop in St. Lucia, so my TA is working on this now.

 

I hope to be seeing (I'm in Missouri now) warmer/hot weather in a few more months with my cruising. :) We have "tried" to start our cruises in January/Feburary/March, and have found many delays in "weather" here in KC, so that is why I try the end of March or the first part of April anymore. (If I wasn't working, I could plan it anytime. :))

 

Once again, thank you all for your responses.

 

 

Didn't realize you were from good ole KC when I responded to your post originally! We are also from KC (LS actually) and have run in to trouble as well with the weather here and getting out of town. We got married in Jan 2009 so we like to cruise for our anniversary and my hubby needs to escape from the Missouri weather so we stick with January cruising. We usually just leave a day before to make SURE that we are there on time! We leave on Friday and I'm SO glad because I see on Saturday there is a chance for snow! EEK! Get me outta here!! Glad you were able to make a decision and feel good about it! Have a great time!! :D

[krazy4kruisin]

Didn't realize you were from good ole KC when I responded to your post originally! We are also from KC (LS actually) and have run in to trouble as well with the weather here and getting out of town. We got married in Jan 2009 so we like to cruise for our anniversary and my hubby needs to escape from the Missouri weather so we stick with January cruising. We usually just leave a day before to make SURE that we are there on time! We leave on Friday and I'm SO glad because I see on Saturday there is a chance for snow! EEK! Get me outta here!! Glad you were able to make a decision and feel good about it! Have a great time!! :D

 

 

Look at all of the KC folks cruising! I as well am from KC, NKC to be exact. We are cruising the AOS in March, our 1st time to PR, 1st S Caribbean and out 1st AFT CABIN! Yeah! It is during spring break, the only downfall. We booked about 10 mos out, got a great deal $1k pp with prepaid gratuities.

[lauraodonnell86]

Look at all of the KC folks cruising! I as well am from KC, NKC to be exact. We are cruising the AOS in March, our 1st time to PR, 1st S Caribbean and out 1st AFT CABIN! Yeah! It is during spring break, the only downfall. We booked about 10 mos out, got a great deal $1k pp with prepaid gratuities.

 

 

You will LOVE leaving from PR! S. Caribbean is the best because you wake up in a different place everyday! Can't get any better!

 

Just wish we had a better airport to fly out of! :eek: