Adventure B2B Trip & Ultimate Beach Review 4/16/16 - 4/30/16 (photo bomb)!!!

[Sky616]

We saw the ice show the week before you and I agree with you the two that balanced each other were the show stealers. Simply amazing they were and the entire show was good, maybe the best we've ever seen. Of course the Beatles songs were a hit with me as I am a huge fan.

[AZAficionado]

Enjoying your review. Been on Adventure several times and is my favorite.

 

Thanks for info on all the different drinks. (Guess you have a strong stomach to be able to handle different types of alcohol in one evening.:) )

 

Too bad it was raining in Antigua. Clarea introduced us to Jolly Beach and it may be the most beautiful beach I've been to. Looking forward to going back in Sept.

I'm glad you are enjoying it!!

 

Rain happens - tropics. At some point I'll see Antigua again and try out Jolly Harbor. It looked amazing from the distance, as so many beaches do.

[AZAficionado]

We saw the ice show the week before you and I agree with you the two that balanced each other were the show stealers. Simply amazing they were and the entire show was good, maybe the best we've ever seen. Of course the Beatles songs were a hit with me as I am a huge fan.

The show was quite good overall. Take out the hand balancing, and I think the Ice Show on Freedom several years ago was just a bit better. However, I'd place both in the fantastic show category along with the Aqua show on Allure. The entertainment Royal gets is really solid.

[AZAficionado]

Castries, St. Lucia (Day 5):

14°0'52" N 60°59'41" W

 

St. Lucia is a beautiful island and it was a gorgeous day.

 

The forecast had been overcast, but instead we were greeted with mostly clear skies with puffy clouds.

 

Our destination was Reduit Beach, which was a $14 per person round trip taxi ride.

 

Reduit Beach:

14°4'33" N 60°57'18" W

 

[AZAficionado]

 

Reduit Beach was an excellent choice. Two loungers and an umbrella was $25. It wasn't overly crowded, but still there were plenty of people. It was very hot and humid (duh, tropics), but there was a wonderful breeze that cooled everything off. The beach itself is pretty good. The sand is fine, but has areas of small shell fragments. Under the water, the sand was smooth. The water was nice and cool. There were small waves and a pretty strong undertow and rip current. For those without good timing, it made entering and exiting the water difficult - more than a few people who didn't pay attention were "up ended" by the waves. Hello, ocean! There were a few vendors wandering the beach, but they were not pushy at all. Overall, a very nice beach.

 

We grabbed a mix and match bucket of 6 local beers for $20.

 

We arranged with our driver a pickup time and he was there as promised. Back at the port area, we grabbed some lunch at the Pink Papaya.

 

The Most Interesting Man in the World: "While I don't always have a rum punch, when I do, I drink it through a bendy straw. Stay thirsty, my friends!"

[AZAficionado]

There was a rather talented musician providing island music. He sang and played the steel drum, while a track filled in the bass, drums, piano, etc.

 

To eat, I had the Jerk Chicken Wrap with Mango-Scotch Bonnet sauce. Wow! This was amazing, especially the sauce (warning: it was very spicy).

 

When I got back on board, it was time for a Bloody Mary. The Champagne Bar bartender said the the Duck & Dog Pub made the best bloodys with bacon (yum), celery, etc. This one was really good, but clearly not what he was talking about. My search for this mythical Bloody Mary will continue at some other time.

 

I wandered the ship a bit and ran into the Peek-A-Boo Bridge. It is open from sunrise to sunset and lets you see the bridge crew in action (monitor the computers).

 

From Deck 4, you can reach the Helipad, which is really cool if it isn't too windy.

 

Looking back at the front of the ship.

 

Up next is the night time activities, including Quest...

[Ti2m]

Yay! I get to relive the cruise, and AZAficionado does all the work!! But since I took part in this beach odyssey, I'll chime in once in a while...someine has to be the fact-checker on the storytelling here! :D

 

I loved your duAling reviews of the Allure cruise. Looking forward to this one!

 

Timm

[bobmacliberty]

Excellent review so far! We're on the Adventure in a month so this is getting me pumped up. How were facilities at Reduit Beach? We're still deciding what to do in St. Lucia. Thanks.

[AZAficionado]

Excellent review so far! We're on the Adventure in a month so this is getting me pumped up. How were facilities at Reduit Beach? We're still deciding what to do in St. Lucia. Thanks.

Thank you! I'm glad you are enjoying it!

 

They dropped us off at some kind of resort, so the facilities were great. If you are looking for a beach day in St. Lucia, you can't go wrong with Reduit Beach.

[SolsticeAZ]

I loved your duAling reviews of the Allure cruise. Looking forward to this one!

 

Timm

 

I'm glad you enjoyed our Allure review. I got lazy for this one. Let the hubby do all the work while I look at the pretty pictures and toss in the occasional "peanut gallery" comment. Much more my style!! :D

[khm1]

Great review so far!!!! So detailed and I LOVE it!! We were on a B2B on Adventure in January with the same itineraries as you! We booked another B2B for January 2017 while aboard :D It will be our 5th/6th cruises on Adventure! We love the ship and all of the ports! Keep up the good work! You've had me laughing already! I really wanted to do a review but never got around to it! I feel like I'm back on the ship (2nd home) while reading yours!

 

 

 

Will you be on the 1/14/17 sailing? We will! It will be our 4th time on Adventure. I'm looking forward to see the dry dock improvements!

[sg1phileshipper]

I am really enjoying our trip. After three days of painting, putting up wallpaper and sleeping with a slight smell of paint, that wind up on the helipad smells really nice :)

 

 

Cindy

[AZAficionado]

I am really enjoying our trip. After three days of painting, putting up wallpaper and sleeping with a slight smell of paint, that wind up on the helipad smells really nice :)

 

 

Cindy

Glad to hear it!! :D I think everyone hates the smell of paint, especially after several days.

[AZAficionado]

The clouds did not want to participate in an awesome sunset. Maybe tomorrow.

 

Before dinner, I asked for "something with tequila" and got this - Don Julio Anejo, Midori, sweet and sour, and simple syrup. It was really good.

 

Later I moved onto a very popular drink, the Spicy Cucumber and Basil Martini. They are very tasty - a nice blend of sweet and spicy.

 

At dinner, I started with the Caesar Salad. I've long considered this a "go to" appetizer since it has be consistent year to year, regardless of ship. And this one was just as delicious as always. But, it was slightly smaller than I had remembered.

 

For my main, I had the Mustard-Crusted Roast Beef. Prime Rib, it was not. But it was cooked to perfection (I ordered medium rare) and was quite delicious.

 

Dessert was a Pecan Butterscotch Tart with vanilla ice cream. I'm a big fan of pecan pies, tarts, butterscotch, you get the picture. This was rather good and was one of the better desserts I've had on Royal for some time.

[AZAficionado]

Our post-dinner entertainment was Quest. It isn't a show, it's more of a game show. The best description would be an excuse to get the passengers to do crazy stuff. They divide the audience into teams (based on where you are sitting). There are a number of "quests", which are like mini scavenger hunts. It is "timed", so you have to hurry. It starts with things like "a casino chip" or "someone else's driver's license". It turns into "ten bras not being worn" or "a picture on a man's phone of ladies underwear". It got hilarious, but didn't cross the line. It something that shouldn't be missed.

 

Late night at the bar, SolsticeAZ got some kind of chocolate martini. I think it is the Chocolate Mud Martini, but I'm not sure.

 

I had a French 75 - a fine drink and suitable for after dinner or as a night cap.

 

Just a reminder on the beach scores:

 

1. Magen's Bay, St. Thomas

2. Reduit Beach, St. Lucia

3. Rainbow Beach, St. Croix

4. Valley Church Beach, Antigua (rain)

 

Don't go anywhere, we've still got Grenada coming up...

[RI_Cruiser]

Woohoo! I leave in a week and I have the Premium Package...so I am making a mental list of drinks based on your week! :)

 

Thanks!

[MikeBayAreaCa]

Great review. Thank you for taking the time to post all of the pictures.

 

We will be on the Adventure next month.

 

Question, were all of the drinks you are showing covered by the package or did you have to pay the difference?

[AZAficionado]

Woohoo! I leave in a week and I have the Premium Package...so I am making a mental list of drinks based on your week! :)

 

Thanks!

You will want to talk to Resa and Adrian at the Champagne Bar. Those two guys will hook you up with all kinds of awesome drinks. Just tell them the "Champagne Team" sent you. ;)

[AZAficionado]

Great review. Thank you for taking the time to post all of the pictures.

 

We will be on the Adventure next month.

 

Question, were all of the drinks you are showing covered by the package or did you have to pay the difference?

Thanks for the kind words and you are most welcome for the pics!!

 

The only drinks that were not covered were Remy XO cognac (no pics) $2 charge, maybe a Stoli Elit martini $2 charge, Louis XIII cognac $140 charge, a full bottle of Veuve Cliquot, and a couple of glasses of wine that were $2 to $6 over. Otherwise, everything else was 100% covered by the Premium package. I was surprised that Don Julio tequila was 100% covered - they had all three: silver, repasado, and anejo.

[cccjenn]

This is the first time we have purchased the drink package, and I am excited after seeing/reading about all of these delicious libations!

 

Sent from my SM-G925V using Tapatalk

[brady.bunch]

And to keep track. .. you are still on leg 1 of your B2B.... I really like this itinerary!

[AZAficionado]

This is the first time we have purchased the drink package, and I am excited after seeing/reading about all of these delicious libations!

 

Sent from my SM-G925V using Tapatalk

If you like to drink, the package is a pretty good deal. This particular itinerary is probably the toughest on the package given the number of port days.

 

Enjoy!

[AZAficionado]

And to keep track. .. you are still on leg 1 of your B2B.... I really like this itinerary!

Yep. There is still over a week to go. And all different islands, except one, plus a day in San Juan! This is one of the best ways to see the most of the Southern Caribbean in one trip. :D

[AZAficionado]

St. George's, Grenada (Day 6):

12°3'4" N 61°45'21" W

 

It was a beautiful day in Grenada.

 

It was hot, hot, hot in the sun, but there was a near-constant breeze (aka trade winds) blowing that cooled everything off.

 

Random ship picture!!

 

We took a water taxi to Grand Anse Beach, not far from the port area. The cost was $8 per person round trip.

[AZAficionado]

Grand Anse Beach:

12°1'42" N 61°45'20" W

 

Some of the US forces landed here in 1983 during Operation Urgent Fury. We rented padded loungers and an umbrella for $20.

 

Grand Anse beach was very good. The sand is very fine and extends far out into the water. There was a small band of broken shells a foot or so into the water, but they were broken into tiny pieces. The water was crystal clear. I could easily see the bottom in neck-deep water. There were a few star fish (sorry, no pics. My iPhone hates water) and the occasional coral. Overall, a pretty good beach.

 

Maybe there is a cultural thing that I missed, but the "locals" had some not very friendly practices. It started on the water taxi. They had no change, at all. We were not the first boat load of passengers, so I find it very hard to believe that they had no money.

 

On the beach, there was some fierce competition between the guys serving drinks and some of that spilled over onto the customers. Stuff like "Hey, I said to buy from me and instead you buy from him!" The bathroom charge was $1 and another $1 to use the shower. Naturally, no change. But you can get change by making a purchase. When I bought a $2 bag of chips so I could pee, I got "So, that's all you buy? No rum, no beer, no t-shirt, just chips?"

 

Overall, a very good beach and a great port. If you ever go, bring lots of dollar bills.

 

Back on board, I grabbed a late lunch at the Windjammer (first time this cruise). The food was very good for being a fajita and a burger.

 

After that, some balcony and mojito time. All-in-all, a very fine day.

 

A parting shot of Grenada.

 

There's still more to come...