Adventure OTS 04/21/19

[DaisyGirl55]

My DH and I recently sailed on Adventure OTS.  I know it is not the newest or the biggest, but it was perfect for us and for what we wanted to do on a cruise  This was my 51st total cruise, and I am Diamond on Royal.  This carries some nice perks which I will go into in a bit. As there aren't too many reviews for this ship, I wanted to share my thoughts

 

We drove down the night before.  We live about 3 hours or so from the port but I have learned not to arrive the day of.  We stayed at the Embassy Suites and took a taxi to the port.  As my DH travels we had points for the hotel and free rental car.  So we rented a vehicle from Deltona to the airport in FLL, and then rented one for free to go home.  Worked out great.

 

We arrived at the port about noon, and we were on the ship in about 15 to 20 minutes.  Since our room would not be ready until a bit after 1pm, we decided to just relax in the Schooner Bar and enjoy a couple of drinks.  Once our room was ready we went and got our room keys and dropped off our carry on.  We explored the ship a bit until it was time for Muster.  Once Muster was finished, we went back to our room.  Our suitcases were there so we unpacked.  The cabin has so much storage space!  We only used about half the drawers, and there were plenty of hangers in the closet. 

 

Our cabin number was 7618, which is a Hump Balcony mid-ship.  Lots of room for the two reclining chairs plus a full size table.  The bathroom was a bit smaller than some of the ships I have been on, but it was adequate and everything was good.  Love the shower doors instead of the clingy curtains on some other ships!  The biggest downside was the bed and the pillows.  I would have been as comfortable sleeping on the floor!  I cannot believe how hard the bed was and how flat the pillows were   Definitely a negative in my book.

 

We went on the cruise for some much needed R and R.  We never got off the ship, and stayed on all week.  Our days were spent in the Solarium, out on the balcony, in the casino a bit, or sitting on the Promenade.  It was pure bliss.  We had the Your Time dining, but still had a reservation for each night.  I know it seems a little bit of an oxymoron to have reservations for dining on my time, but it worked for us.  We sat at the same table each night with the same staff.  Dinner was great every night, and took about an hour.  Meals were brought out hot, my water glass stayed full, and I enjoyed my banana split for dessert each and every night.  Breakfast was usually at the Windjammer, although we did eat in the dining room twice for breakfast.  Lunch was always the Windjammer.  It is spread out in a great way and there was little if any congestion or lines during the times we went.  The Washy-Washy woman is a pure delight and always made me smile.

 

The casino was very tight both on the slot machines and the tables.  The casino was surprisingly not too smoky.  I did not notice too many people who were smoking without playing.  I am not sure if that is due to good policing by the staff or if less people are smoking.

 

Diamond Perks:  We used the free 8x10 photo, and definitely enjoyed the three cocktails loaded onto our Sea Pass card each day between 4:30 and 8:30.  Since the drinks were available we never did make it to the lounge for pre-dinner snacks.  We were also able to get off the ship a bit quicker since the Loyalty Ambassador was outside and saw us and two other couples who met with him during the week.  He literally escorted us through the line and we were off the ship, collected out luggage, went through Customs, and in our car in about 30 minutes.  My DH and I just looked at each other and said WOW!

 

I am not sure if I covered everything, but if you have any questions I will try to answer them.  We did go to a couple of the shows (don't remember the names) and they were very well done.  I didn't keep the daily sheets as they are pretty generic in my opinion.  Most folks dressed accordingly to the suggested dress each night for dinner, but there were a few in shorts and jeans on the more dressier nights.  I don't care, but thought I would mention it since it comes up in discussion.  My DH and I get a bit dressy, but we do it for ourselves and for each other. 

 

All in all it was just what we were wanting and needing, and except for the horrible mattress - a perfect cruise for us.

[twincheryl]

Thanks for your review.  On Adventure in June for Canada/New England cruise.  Have been on Adventure before, but always interested in what has changed.  Sorry to hear about the hard beds... that has been an issue in the past.  Will remember to take my blow up camping mattress.... it worked great on the Serenade when I had read about the incredibly hard beds.

[LuCruise]

Thank you for your review.  You're right...there aren't as many on Adventure so appreciate the feedback.  DH and I are going on Adventure in December for the first time so great to hear about it.  I love how you didn't even get off the ship...that's something we could do.  Sorry about the beds. We like hard beds so not an issue for us, but I know that many find them uncomfortable .  Sounds like a wonderful cruise for you aside from that.

 

Wondering...are hump balconies bigger?  People often mention them but never understood the difference.  I think we're in the same type of room as you (but not on the hump).  

 

 

Edited May 2, 2019 by LuCruise

[Clarea]

3 minutes ago, LuCruise said:

 ...

Wondering...are hump balconies bigger?  People often mention them but never understood the difference.  I think we're in the same type of room as you (but not on the hump).  

 

 

 

Hump balconies on Voyager/Freedom class ships are the same size as other side-facing balconies in the same category.

[Colorado Babe]

Thank you for posting about your experience.  I was on the Adventure for a B2B in February and will also be on her again this Sunday.  I look forward to sailing on her again as my experience was a very good one.

[RlrCstr]

4 hours ago, Colorado Babe said:

Thank you for posting about your experience.  I was on the Adventure for a B2B in February and will also be on her again this Sunday.  I look forward to sailing on her again as my experience was a very good one.

 

I have sailed on Adventure several times. Love the multi-deck mini-golf course.

I will be sailing this coming Sunday also. Looking forward to it. 

[smokeykat]

We are sailing in July on Adventure. We got a hump balcony also on deck 8. I was told they are quieter as there is no one walking past your cabin because of the location. Did you find that to be true? 

Thanks for your review!

Edited May 2, 2019 by smokeykat

[TimeToGetNauti]

Thanks for the review. Sounds like you enjoyed your trip. I am sailing on Adventure in December and it will be my first time as Diamond so I appreciate the input.