Adventure of the Seas post "dry-dock" review 1/14/17

[khm1]

Day 2 St. Thomas

 

I awoke to the ship docking. We docked at Crown Bay instead of Charlotte Amalie. I heard later that the other pier failed to make improvements that were promised to RCL and that they dock all of their ships at Crown Bay now. I'm not sure if this is true. There were 2 other ships docked at the other pier. Neither was a RCL ship.

 

We had purchased ahead of time a shore excursion that I have done twice before called "St. John on your own." It includes boat transportation to Cruz Bay and back. It leaves right from the pier area.

 

The boat was a motorized catamaran. There were passengers with other excursions on board. Everyone had a wrist band based on the excursion they were on.

 

We left the pier at about 10. After getting into open water, I noticed that we weren't moving very fast. I was sitting right behind the captain. I heard him tell one of the crew that there was a problem with the engine. Uh-oh!

 

He went down below to the engine and was down there for at least 20 minutes. He came back up and said that the engine cooling system was not operating on one side. We would have to run at 50% power to St. John.

 

It took 1 1/2 hours to get to Cruz Bay. It was supposed to take only 40 minutes. We arrived at around 11:30. We were told to return to the dock at 3:15. I was a bit disappointed that we didn't have more time at St. John. Oh well!

 

We went into the nearby Mongoose junction shopping center to a deli to buy sandwiches. We then took a taxi to Trunk Bay.

 

The wind had not died down from the day before and the surf was up at the beach. We were warned by the park ranger. They "recommended" no swimming. I don't really understand why. The waves that day were comparable to a calm day on MD and DE beaches that I am used to! We swam. No problem.

 

The snorkeling was not good since the current was up and the water murky. After a few hours, we headed back for some shopping and to meet the boat for our return.

 

We left Cruz Bay at 3:30. Even though the captain claimed to have fixed the engine problem, we still were over an hour for our return trip.

 

We were literally the LAST PASSENGERS on board the Adventure that day. We got on at 4:45. We sailed at 5. This is the advantage of a ship sponsored excursion! They had to wait for us. Thank goodness!

[khm1]

St. John on your own photos:

 

[GolfSki]

khm-

Thank you for the reply (and your review). I'll be trying to book an aft on the day they are released in March.

[Hutcherl]

Love the review. Great job. It has me seriously considering booking this on board in April.

 

 

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[khm1]

Really enjoying your review. I am really looking at one day doing this cruise out of San Juan as I love it there. So glad there is now a flowrider and slides. My DH and kids are Oasis class snobs and are not sure they would like a small ship. Hoping this sways them the other way.

 

Thank you!

Barbara

 

Love the review. Great job. It has me seriously considering booking this on board in April.

 

 

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Thanks! San Juan is a GREAT port of embarkation! I have sailed from San Juan 10 times now! When you get to SJU airport, it is always at least 80 degrees year round. In the dead of winter it beats the FL ports hands down. For me, it doesn't cost too much more than flying to FL. I can usually get round trip fare from BWI for around $350. There is just so much to do there. You have at your disposal the old city, beaches, caves, rain forest, bio-luminescent bay, and more. We still haven't explored all PR has to offer. If you go, consider flying down at least 2 days ahead, or tack 2 days to the end of your trip. You won't regret it.:)

[Hutcherl]

Already did a price check on flights just to get a idea. I didn't realize they put slides and a flow rider on her. I have a little one so those features are nice. Really would like to try a southern carribean itinerary. I'm on the harmony this April primarily because of the slides. Doesn't hurt that she is new and it'll be a first on this class for us.

 

 

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[khm1]

For those who are interested, here is a list of officers and staff:

 

[khm1]

Sunday evening's show was RCL production "Invitation to Dance" with show times at 9 and 10:45. I didn't go, not my thing.

 

Some of the musical acts on board last week were:

 

Eugene Apa - classical guitar music. I wasn't impressed.

 

Celebration band- pretty good

 

Initiative- Caribbean music and very good

 

Lukas Borsten- no idea, didn't see him

 

Tropical beat trio - Latin music, only heard in passing

[khm1]

Day 3 St. Kitts

 

We awoke to continued wind and cloudy skies with rain showers. Oh no! We had booked an excursion through RCL that we have done twice before. It was called "Fan-ta-sea Catamaran sail to Nevis with snorkel." We headed to our meeting place in Studio B. Our group was called and we headed down the stairs to exit the ship. About halfway down, our escort got a phone call. He turned and told us that our excursion had been cancelled due to the weather. Shoot! What do we do now? We LOVED that excursion and we're looking forward to it. We headed to the shore excursion desk.

 

We booked the Dolphin experience for all 6 of us. I had bought our previous excursion on sale a few months before. The original price of my original excursion was the same as the new one. I asked if RCL would honor the sale price that I paid and not charge me the difference. They said yes, which was appreciated greatly. They told us that the girls were too young to do the swim, push and pull, which is a more interactive dolphin experience. Oh well. Off we went to our 10:30 excursion.

 

We went by a large van to the facility a short drive from town. I asked the staff if it would be possible to upgrade all of us to the swim, push and pull. They had a measuring stick like you find at amusement parks. Both the girls were plenty tall enough. I paid $100 cash for DH, DD, and myself to upgrade. I'm not sure of the cost per adult/child. I didn't think to ask. Just a note: this is considerably cheaper than paying RCL for the upgraded excursion. Shhhhh!

 

We took all jewelry off and donned life vests. They give you free lockers with locks for your things. We proceeded to the dolphin pen area. I wish I could share pictures, but no cameras are allowed. You guessed it, they have their own photographer! They give you the hard sell at the end. They are very pushy about selling photos. We bought one of our DD.

 

The actual dolphin interaction is pretty good. I have always been skeptical. I don't like the idea of these animals in captivity. I did it under protest for my daughter.

 

You stand on a platform about waist deep in water and the dolphins are free to swim right in front of you. The "experience" consists of petting the dolphin, having the dolphin lay across your outstretched arms, kissing the dolphin, having the dolphin swim up toward your raised hand, and giving the dolphin the hand signal to vocalize. The "swim, push, and pull" includes all of the above plus having the animal push you by the bottom of your feet while you are on a boogie board, and having it pull you while you hold it's flippers while it swims upside down.

 

None of my group were scared at all, but a few other patrons were. I'm still not too sure if I think it is good to have these beautiful animals in such an environment. I enjoyed it very much. It will probably be the only time in my life that I will have done this. My DD was over the moon. This made it worthwhile for us.

 

Edited January 27, 2017 by khm1

[khm1]

This excursion only lasts 2 hours. It was just after noon and we still had the rest of the day before us. All my reading on Cruise critic paid off! I knew about Carambola beach club from my port research. We got a cab right from the dolphin place to Carambola.

 

The funny thing is that the weather completely cleared up about an hour after they cancelled our original excursion. It was a gorgeous day! I guess they had to do it due to the uncertainty.

 

It was a gorgeous drive!

 

 

We got to the beach and paid for 2 chairs and an umbrella at the front desk of the restaurant. I believe it was around $30. I think we paid $7 per person for the taxi each way. Our driver met us at the appointed time at the beach club to take us back.

 

The beach is gorgeous!

 

 

We spent an enjoyable 2-3 hours here before we headed back to the ship. Here is a photo of our ship (left) at the pier in St. Kitts.

 

[khm1]

One thing that I forgot to mention: the Diamond lounge. DH, DD, and I are diamond. We usually love going to the Diamond lounge in the evenings. DD snacks on chocolate covered strawberries, and we have a drink. However there were two things that prevented us from using it very much this cruise. The first, and most important reason was that the Diamond lounge was absolutely PACKED every night. You could barely get a drink, let alone find a seat! I had not seen it this bad before. The other reason was that our friends weren't Diamond. In fact, it was their first RCL cruise. We are not big drinkers, so it didn't bother us very much. We only used our drink vouchers a couple of times.

 

Cruises from SJ tend to be very port intensive. Finding time to go to the Diamond lounge is a challenge in and of itself. For those considering a cruise from SJ, but aren't sure about cursing on a "smaller" ship (not that I consider Adventure small), don't worry! You will be so busy, you won't even have time to miss the bells and whistles of Freedom class and Oasis class ships. We actually had two sea days on this itinerary. It was a welcome respite! I usually feel like I need another day to wind down from all of the action.

[khm1]

Evening of Day 3: St. Kitts

 

The show tonight was the only one that I went to. It was Matthew Fallon's "HYPNO-tainment". There were 2 shows at 7 and 9. It was actually very fascinating and entertaining! I don't want to give away too much, but he picks several volunteers from the audience and attempts to hypnotize them as a group. What follows is equal parts bizarre and funny.

 

There was also a late-night adult comedy with Mike Pace at 11:30. It was lights out for us. Cruising is exhausting!

Edited January 27, 2017 by khm1

[khm1]

Day 5: At sea!

 

The show that night was RCL production "Can't Stop the Rock." Showtimes were 7 and 9. Again, I didn't see it. Can't comment.

 

Today was a gorgeous day at sea with endless opportunity for recreation and relaxation! We ate breakfast and went to grab some lounge chairs on the aft sports deck. We planned on a day of water slides and Flowriding!

 

We got there at about 10:30. The lines were short and we got several runs in on the slides before the crowd thickened. We switched to boogie boarding on the FlowRider at 11. By noon, there were longer lines. The slides are really FAST! My advise is to get there early.

 

***WARNING: They WILL weigh you prior to getting on the slides!***

 

They started out with one rider at a time. At noon, the put an inflatable divider on the FlowRider and ran two riders at a time. DD and I each got several runs in. I discovered that one instructor in particular was much better than the others. I don't know his name, but he seemed slightly older then the other 3. He is Hispanic and bilingual. He wears a floppy black hat. He is fantastic at telling you how to get in a good ride. You can see him in the video I have shared below of my DD trying tricks. This was only her third run. She was a natural!

 

I rode several times and managed to get up on my knees with no hands. I am in my late 40s and reasonably athletic. I work out regularly and used to be a competitive swimmer. I wiped out a few times. It looks worse than it feels. Don't be afraid. The entire structure is well padded! I saw many people of all shapes and sizes and different levels of ability try it. There were a lot of people just watching. Ladies, wear a shirt! There were a few who showed more than they meant to! [emoji15]My DH witnessed one male rider who lost his shorts! [emoji44]You could spend a few hours just watching other riders. It was loads of fun!

 

https://vimeo.com/201347632

Edited January 27, 2017 by khm1

[Want2Cruise 701]

What is the weight for the slides? Thanks for the review. We are sailing the adventure next spring in 7688 as well.

[khm1]

Information from the Cruise compass on the Sports venues on sea day #1

 

 

Photo of DD riding the FlowRider

 

[khm1]

We went to the pool deck after eating lunch in the Windjammer. DH and DD stayed for a while. I don't like the crowds and noise of the pool deck on sea days, so I took a walk around the ship, then went to read on our fabulous aft balcony.

 

One thing I found interesting about the changes to the ship was the gym. There used to be a huge hot tub as you walked in. It is GONE now. I really loved that big hot tub. No one knew it was even there, so it was never crowded. In it's place is a round group exercise area with a wood floor. The exercise room that used to be on the right as you walked in is walled off. I'm not sure what is behind the wall. Here are some photos.

 

Edited January 27, 2017 by khm1

[khm1]

Tonight was our second formal night. The formal nights on this itinerary were night 2, St. Thomas, and night 4, the first sea day. I know there are a lot of people on these boards who want to know about this. I don't know before we boarded. We chose to only dress up for the first formal night (don't flame me!).

 

Honestly, there were people dressed in varied levels of formality just about every night. They DID, however, turn away from the MDR those dressed in shorts and tank tops. We witnessed this at least twice.

 

Next up: Curaçao and Aruba!

Edited January 27, 2017 by khm1

[khm1]

What is the weight for the slides? Thanks for the review. We are sailing the adventure next spring in 7688 as well.

 

 

 

You must be under 220 pounds for the yellow one and under 260 pounds for the blue. For the slides the minimum height is 48 inches. Keep in mind that there is a smaller slide in the kiddie area, SplashAway Bay on the main pool deck.

 

There is also a minimum height requirement for the FlowRider of 52 inches for boogie boarding and 58 inches for stand up surfing.

[khm1]

Day 5: Curaçao

 

Today we were in port from 8-8. Therefore we had plenty of time to explore. I had been to Curaçao once before about 10 years ago. We did a private snorkeling excursion with a guide which was wonderful. One person in our party is a non-swimmer so we decided to not repeat our prior excursion.

 

I decided through my CC and TripAdvisor research, to go to Blue Bay beach resort. We exited the pier and went to the taxi stand area. The prices for taxis are based on a fare for 4 people. We had 8 total since the 6 of us shared with another couple. I believe we paid about $8 per person, each way. Our taxi driver was a woman and she was very nice. Overall, I found the people of Curaçao the most pleasant of all of our port stops. She arranged a time for us to be picked up at the resort later that day.

 

We arrived at the resort at around 11 am. There was a beach attendant collecting the fee. It was $8 per adult and $4 per child. It included use of the ample beach chairs and facilities. There was a restaurant right on the beach, a small store, dive shop, restrooms, and a bar. Natural shade from the palm trees was plentiful. Below are photos of the beach area.

 

 

 

 

DH, DD, our friend and her DD, and I brought our own snorkel equipment. We headed out to see what we could find as I had heard that there is decent snorkeling here. There is a small inlet on either side of the main beach area that has snorkeling. We found that due to the wind and surf, the water was not as clear in these areas. We found the best snorkeling to be on the far side of the break front on the left side as you look out towards the water. There were many fish in the crystal clear water and some coral as well. I did not bring my waterproof camera, so I have no photos of our snorkeling. It was definitely worthwhile. There were some jelly fish around that were easy to spot. I got stung once, but it was a very mild sting. I only felt it for about 2 minutes. I took a photo of the jellyfish that were there from above water.

 

We ordered lunch at about 12:30 and expected a long wait as we usually expect in the Caribbean. We were pleasantly surprised to find our food ready in about 15 minutes. We got a grilled ham and cheese sandwich and a caprice salad to share. We ate right on the beach in the outdoor section of the restaurant.

 

We spent about 4 hours at Blue Bay. It was a very pleasant and relaxing afternoon! More photos of Blue Bay:

 

Edited January 29, 2017 by khm1

[khm1]

Edited January 29, 2017 by khm1

[khm1]

After returning to the ship, we showered and dropped the girls off a Adventure Ocean kids club. We headed out again to walk around town. The shops closed at 5-6 pm for those who plan on shopping. The main part of town is not a far walk from the pier. There is plenty of shopping available.

 

The photo below is DH and I with the main part of town and the famous floating bridge behind us.

 

 

We were going across the floating pedestrian bridge back towards the ship when they opened it for a boat. It is a really cool thing to see. It must have been quite a feat of engineering to make this bridge. Instead of raising it like a draw bridge, it actually swings open.

 

Here is a photo of the beautiful Adventure at the pier in Curaçao.

 

Edited January 29, 2017 by khm1

[khm1]

Day 5's show was the Ice Show "Cool Art, Hot Ice." I saw it twice on previous sailings. It was good, but I didn't want to see it a third time. They also had a third showtime at 3 on the final sea day, day 7. The show times this night were 7 and 9. There was also a showing of the movie "Ghostbusters" in the Lyric Theater at 7:30. Tonight was also the "Love and Marriage Game Show" at 10:45. We were down for the count by then, so we didn't attend.

 

For those wondering, we had a very good experience with Adventure Ocean for the girls. They couldn't wait to finish dinner every night so that they could go to the "kid's club." They had a great time and it gave us adults a break and spend time together as 2 couples traveling together. The hours are varied depending on whether it is a port or sea day, but it closes at 10 pm unless you want to pay $7 per child, per hour. My DD isn't used to late hours, so we didn't use this service.

 

Next stop? Sunny Aruba!

[khm1]

I was very excited to go to Aruba! We were in port from 8 am until 11 pm! We had lots of time to go out and explore!

 

I had rented a car online through Royal car rental. I had tried to contact Hertz, but received no reply. As promised, an agent was waiting right outside the port gate with a sign with my name on it. He led us to the car, a minivan big enough for the 6 of us, and spew were soon on our way!

 

Traffic was heavy in town. It took us a few minutes to get going. We drove to the southeast corner of the island to get to Baby beach. We finally got our non-swimming travel mate to get in the water here. The water is very shallow pretty far out and it is protected by rocks and reef so there are no waves.

 

 

We spent about an hour here, then headed back towards the port area, to go to Palm beach.

 

Wow! Aruba sure has been built up since I was last here about 7 years ago! I was amazed at the development that has occurred. We managed to find parking near the Holiday Inn. We went to the beach and found it to be very crowded. We had lunch at the outdoor restaurant at the Holiday Inn. Service was pretty quick and the food was pretty good. However, we decided to head to Eagle beach to try and get away from the crowds. Below is a photo taken from our table at the Holiday Inn.

 

Edited January 29, 2017 by khm1

[khm1]

It was short drive down the strip to Eagle beach. There was ample parking. We were somewhere in front of the Amsterdam Manor beach resort. There was a guy renting chairs, cabanas, and umbrellas. I believe it was $30 for 4 chairs and a cabana (after some bargaining). We stayed at this beach until about 4:30 since we needed to return our rental car at 5.

 

It is really very easy to drive in Aruba. The entire island is around 20 miles long and 8 miles wide. The island is very flat and the roads are mostly well maintained. It is a great way to get around. In our case, we had a lot of people, a lot of time there, and we wanted to go to multiple locations. It would have cost a lot more to do what we did by taxi.

 

Pictures of Eagle beach:

 

[khm1]

We returned our rental car with no problems. We went back to the ship, showered, and ate at the Windjammer. After dropping off the kids at Adventure Ocean again, we headed out to shop. The stores were opened a lot later here than in Curaçao. There were a lot of bars, restaurants, and casinos opened as well.

 

The show tonight was a tribute to Motown by the band Spectrum at 9 and 10:45. My friends saw it and said it was very good. They are picky about their music, so it must have been excellent!

 

We were a little late for sail away. I wonder if the captain was waiting for people who lost track of time?