1100 Pax on Adventure of the Seas Jan 3 cruise

[foxgoodrich]

Greetings from Adventure...where there are no lines and no waiting for elevators!  That's a new experience for us, but we like the no waiting part.  We learned at check-in in Galveston that they expected 1400 passengers on this 4 nighter, but only 1100 made it onto the ship.  Apparently quite a few people had canceled flights and didn't make it, and quite a few were turned away due to positive test results.  So it's really NOT crowded anywhere.  I haven't even seen a line at Guest Services.

 

The MDR is very quiet!  The food is good and the service is great, so we have no complaints.  There is no production show this cruise, and I heard today that there will be no ice show since only 3 skaters remain negative.  We did go see the comedian last night, but...sigh...he was pretty lame.  Possibly that was because the audience was sparse, but we have heard much better.

 

The Muster Drill was delightful!  Just watch a video, listen to the emergency signal, and reassure a crew member at your muster station that you know how to get there and what to do.  I love this....

 

The Diamond Club has LOTS of seats available.  No problem with crowding in the DL this cruise!!  We are allowed to serve ourselves the hors d'oeuvres, and we use vouchers for drinks.  The waiters go out to the Viking Lounge bar to get the drinks as there is no bar set up in the lounge.  It's been nice to have a small group in there and to be able to hear people and have conversations.

 

We haven't encountered any buttheads who flaunt the rules.  Everyone is masked, crew and staff are double masked, nobody is complaining about it (at least not that I've heard) and life goes on.  It's a lovely ship and a nice cruise.  I do feel bad for the cabin attendants and waiters (tips will be way down) and the musicians (no big audiences anywhere) but everybody seems to be okay with it and service is excellent.

 

Today was a lovely sea day, much warmer than chilly Galveston, and it's about time for happy hour...so I must go.   Later....

Judy

[FionaMG]

Adventure over thanksgiving 2019 was our last normal (as in pre-covid) cruise and our first as diamond cruisers. Loved the ship and the diamond lounge. 

I hope you have a great cruise. 😃

[nelblu]

Glad you are enjoying this new cruising experience.

[dabucs]

On it now.  It definitely doesn't seem like 1100.  I would have guessed maybe 750.

[CruiseSlacker]

I'm getting on the Adventure this Friday. I sailed on 10-15 December 2021.

I've checked the App and did not see any ice show or productions shows schedule for next week.

 

 

[lifes-a-beach]

Wife and I are  boarding Friday with our 2 adult kids.  Can’t wait.  

[foxgoodrich]

7 hours ago, dabucs said:

On it now.  It definitely doesn't seem like 1100.  I would have guessed maybe 750.

We were told there are 1179 aboard - our source is Diamond concierge Raphael.  There are no crowds anywhere, and I've never seen a Pomenade with so few people.  It's kind of nice to be able to do whatever you want without lines or a crowd, but also kind of sad not to have the energy of a full ship.  And we do miss the shows.  And though we've not dined at the Windjammer at night, it is open for dinner.

 

We dined at Chef's Table tonight, and there were only 4 of us, but the meal and wines were excellent and we really enjoyed it.  The specialty restaurants are readily available to anyone who wants a reservation.  

 

OH!  I almost forgot...I sent an email to Special Needs about 10 days before our cruise requesting a mattress pad due to arthritic hips and back.  They emailed me back and told me that a mattress pad would be provided "at no cost" to us.   They followed through, and our bed has an excellent mattress pad!  It's a 2 inch foam pad that's WAY BETTER than the old egg crate pads.  The bed is great with this pad, and it's probably the most comfy bed I've had on Royal ever.

 

Judy

 

 

[foxgoodrich]

6 hours ago, CruiseSlacker said:

I'm getting on the Adventure this Friday. I sailed on 10-15 December 2021.

I've checked the App and did not see any ice show or productions shows schedule for next week.

 

 

The only shows this cruise are the comedian and a singer.  No big production show, and no ice shows due to performers testing positive.  Maybe things will change next week...hopefully!  Hope you have a good cruise!

Judy

[CruiseSlacker]

I saw all the shows on my December cruise. So I'm fine if there will be no big shows.

I'm sure the ship will be at less than half capacity. 

I signed up for Unlimited Dining Plan.

So I'm fine with just eating and sleeping on this cruise. 

I'm staying on for the second leg.

 

[sailor moon]

Is the Windjammer self serve or they serve you? 

[Xtentions]

It was crew served when I was on 12/15 to 12/20/2021.  I suspect that is fleet wide.

[Biker19]

28 minutes ago, sailor moon said:

Is the Windjammer self serve or they serve you? 

Other than some pre-plated items and some drinks, everything is supposed to be served by crew.

Edited January 6, 2022 by Biker19

[steevee]

Interesting that the Ice Performers are positive and/or quarantining. 

 

I follow one of the ice performers Jordan Bauth on Youtube and she does a great job at showing her day to day on the ship.  There is definitely not much room backstage for the unmasked ice skaters and they also all share cabins and spend a lot of time together, so I guess it's not surprising and was only a matter of time.  I wonder if she will vlog about it.

[foxgoodrich]

2 hours ago, sailor moon said:

Is the Windjammer self serve or they serve you? 

Crew serves everything in the Windjammer, and it's worked out fine.  Of course, we don't have a full ship on this cruise, but the service has been efficient and fast.  I believe you can pick up your drink from trays set up at the drink station, but both times we've eaten in the WJ someone stepped up to us, asked what we wanted to drink, and brought the drinks to our table.

 

If you want salt and pepper, you have to ask for it, and they bring you little paper packets, not shakers.  (The MDR, however, does have shakers on the tables.)  If you want lemon for your tea or your fish, you ask for it and they bring it to you.  So basically I saw no real self-service going on.

[CruisinMama2003]

1 hour ago, steevee said:

Interesting that the Ice Performers are positive and/or quarantining. 

 

I follow one of the ice performers Jordan Bauth on Youtube and she does a great job at showing her day to day on the ship.  There is definitely not much room backstage for the unmasked ice skaters and they also all share cabins and spend a lot of time together, so I guess it's not surprising and was only a matter of time.  I wonder if she will vlog about it.

I follow her vlogs too and was also wondering if she will mention anything