Adventure of the Seas this weekend

[ethansmom778]

Hi all! My family & I will be setting sail this weekend on the Adventure (Eastern itinerary - 8 nights) so I thought it would be good to ask for any tips/special places/advice about this particular boat. My family consists of myself, my hubby, & our 2 boys (11 & 8). This is our boys first ever cruise and our 3rd (although the last was 8 years ago 😓). Any must do’s for our crew? We have a balcony cabin very back of the boat. Should I be prepared for motion sickness (we normally get more towards the middle but tried something new). Any packing tips/must haves -  kinda overwhelmed packing for our family (& I’m an overpacker by nature 😬).  Thanks so much in advance 

Edited January 13, 2020 by ethansmom778

[Clarea]

See the ice skating show.

[Ocean Boy]

The sports deck is very cool. I think your boys are a good age to enjoy it....Rock wall, basketball court, water slides, flow rider. And I agree, don't miss the ice skating show. The mini golf is a fun family activity. Also, the parade that they have on the Royal Promenade is pretty cool to see.

 

I am on this cruise too. I've been on Adventure several times. It is a very nice ship. I don't remember ever feeling much motion. But since I don't get motion sickness I don't pay that much attention to it.

[BunnyHutt]

Our boys were the exact same age when we went on Adventure 3 years ago. We had an owners suite, but their favorite place to hang out in our cabin was on the balcony. Much to our dismay, neither had any interest in the kids programs. We loved playing Bingo as a family, but it was $$$$. Agree that the sports deck was a favorite. If they’re still there, the ping pong tables at the back of the ship were rarely occupied during our spring break cruise. 

[Vera/Lee]

Pack socks for rock climbing and ice skating. That's a lot of fun to try at least once. They have a wonderful ice skating show, but check the daily planner for times that you can ice skate. The main Production Show is "Don't Stop The Rock" and we loved it. We also enjoy "Movies Under The Stars". Every night your cabin steward will leave a daily planner newsletter in your cabin for the next day. Take a highlighter to mark the things you want to do. There are so many options! Have fun and Bon Voyage!

[brevardcruiser]

We just got off AOS today and little to no motion for 6 out of the 8 days.  The two days coming back from the ABCs north had lots of rock and rolling.  Not bad for me but my wife and kids yes.  Don’t stop the rock Performed their last performance when we were on board.  They said after 8 months something else new.  Ice show is a must.  Bring socks.  I have 2 boys around your age.  The slides are cool. Don’t wear rash guards it slows down the slides significantly.  The back of ship you feel less of the motion of any.  Packing literally lay it out on bed by island and what you plan on doing.  If you go to windjammer versus main dining room plan on more casual attire 

[Vera/Lee]

13 minutes ago, brevardcruiser said:

We just got off AOS today and little to no motion for 6 out of the 8 days.  The two days coming back from the ABCs north had lots of rock and rolling.  Not bad for me but my wife and kids yes.  Don’t stop the rock Performed their last performance when we were on board.  They said after 8 months something else new.  Ice show is a must.  Bring socks.  I have 2 boys around your age.  The slides are cool. Don’t wear rash guards it slows down the slides significantly.  The back of ship you feel less of the motion of any.  Packing literally lay it out on bed by island and what you plan on doing.  If you go to windjammer versus main dining room plan on more casual attire 

I'm sad to hear about the Production Show. I was looking forward to seeing it again! Do you know what will replace it?

[ethansmom778]

Thanks for all the advice! We are super excited & I think we will spend most of our time at the pool/slides/flowrider & sports deck. How formal is formal nights? We love to dress up! How about dress in the MDR? Did you see any shorts/jeans during dinner or more business casual attire? I am also hoping our boys will stay a bit in AO so we can have a bit of “us” time but I have a feeling that’s not going to happen. Great news about the motion, I was concerned about having a balcony at the very back. 

[Merion_Mom]

26 minutes ago, brevardcruiser said:

We just got off AOS today and little to no motion for 6 out of the 8 days.  The two days coming back from the ABCs north had lots of rock and rolling.  Not bad for me but my wife and kids yes.  Don’t stop the rock Performed their last performance when we were on board.  They said after 8 months something else new.  Ice show is a must.  Bring socks.  I have 2 boys around your age.  The slides are cool. Don’t wear rash guards it slows down the slides significantly.  The back of ship you feel less of the motion of any.  Packing literally lay it out on bed by island and what you plan on doing.  If you go to windjammer versus main dining room plan on more casual attire 

 

11 minutes ago, Vera/Lee said:

I'm sad to hear about the Production Show. I was looking forward to seeing it again! Do you know what will replace it?

 

brevardcruiser misunderstood.  It was just the end of this cast's contract.  They leave, and a new cast takes over.  On and on and on and on and on and on and on...……………….

[lazydayz]

What are your ports?  We left the Adventure this morning and had a great time. 
 

The main dining room is pretty casual.  Other than formal nights, shorts would be acceptable. Jeans are ok on any night.  Even on formal nights, I saw few suits or long dresses. 
 

We enjoyed all of the shows. And check out the parties in the Promenade and the late night deck party.  
 

As for packing, find a good packing list and give a copy to everyone.  Your kids might enjoy preparing for the trip and will probably like having clothes they picked out. 
 

Have a great cruise. 

[ethansmom778]

We are sailing Eastern. Our ports are Labadee, San Juan, St. Thomas, & St. Maarten. 

[Ocean Boy]

6 hours ago, Merion_Mom said:

 

 

brevardcruiser misunderstood.  It was just the end of this cast's contract.  They leave, and a new cast takes over.  On and on and on and on and on and on and on...……………….

One could only hope a ahow would change on this ship.

[tunisbridal]

I am on this sailing as well!   I always dress up for formal nights!   My husband has a tuxedo.  It’s up to you!   We have rented a car in st Martin. I am a bit concerned about the French side.  I heard roads were closed due to protests in December.  Anyone have any thoughts on that?   We love friars beach and hope to go there.  We also like the artesian markets in Marigot.    Thought about going to beach in San Juan.  St Thomas.. Megan’s bay is my favorite place in the world!   

[Cel_cruise]

What a great ship and great age for cruising!   

 

My advice - have the kids go to AO on the first night to make friends and find out how to contact those friends to do things .  At their age - they are likely to make friends that they can meet up with outside of AO to flowrider or play mini golf or hang at the pool - with adult supervision most of the time but it’s nice when they have playmates! 

 

For AO - your oldest can have sign out privileges.  You can set this up to be all the time or only when you sign him in and authorize it.  When our kids were 6 & 10, I actually added my 10 yo as someone who could sign my 6 yo out.   They would do this only when we planned it or I called AO to say we were back from a show etc.   They LOVED practicing the freedom of walking out themselves and getting pizza and coming to our room or whatever - it was the perfect amount of responsibility to practice with!!  

 

Also - you will need some cabin hacks for sanity...Bring some heavy magnet hooks for the cabin walls (dollar store or amazon), towel clips, and post it notes/pens/highlighter for day compass review.. we also bring a pump bottle of hand soap from the dollar store for the bathroom sink, a room air freshener, and a collapsible hanging shelf to add in the closet.  

 

Think about how the kids will carry their sea pass cards (lanyard? Clip? Etc).   

 

Pack fewer clothes than you think you need (but 2 pairs of sneakers/water shoes if you have wet adventures planned).   

 

Enjoy your cruise!   We really enjoyed this class of ship - not too big, not too small!  Hope you have a fabulous time!

[DeeDee316]

Have a great time! The Adventure is an awesome ship. Lots of good tips already.. I would definetly check out the arcade for the kids, and mini golf! Cafe promenade is great for quick small meals or snacks. We sailed a similar itinerary (just Bermuda instead of St. Thomas) in 2013 and it was great.. before kids though so I  have nothing to offer. .. sailing again this summer with our kiddos. 

 

I'd suggest getting a few pairs of sea bands off amazon to help for motion sickness.. they are cheap and work well (I still use for vertigo). I also brought a cheap over the door shoe organizer to keep everything organized.. this is a MUST IMO - esp w/ kids. Bring some Downey wrinkle release because you can't have an iron. We bought some cheap reusable water bottles to fill up, and just tossed them after the cruise. Definetly lanyards to keep sea passes. I also got some of the vacuum seal bags for packing.. was able to fit more in our suitcases this way (but don't do too much or they get heavy). Bring some ziploc bags also. 

[thegraminator]

Be sure to  pack  long pants and socks  for your  boys if they  are planning  to  go ice skating .   Long pants are required .