Not quite LIVE but reporting regularly, Adventure of the Seas, May 21-31, 2022

[May B]

Bon voyage, Roy!

[richsea]

Thanks for bringing us along! We’re boarding June 23. It certainly sounds like the whole Bermuda permit thing is a big pain in the butt, especially if they don’t even check once you’re there. We love Bermuda but this can only be described as a money grab by them.

[CGinMTL]

We are on b2b. June 4th to 18. Looking forward to seeing your info on Bermuda and Halifax. 

Curious how royal will handle b2b since Bermuda no longer asks to upload negative test results. 

 

If you can find out, it would be amazing. 

 

Thanks Roy 

[rafinmd]

3 minutes ago, CGinMTL said:

We are on b2b. June 4th to 18. Looking forward to seeing your info on Bermuda and Halifax. 

Curious how royal will handle b2b since Bermuda no longer asks to upload negative test results. 

 

If you can find out, it would be amazing. 

 

Thanks Roy 

Thanks.  I should get a pretty good idea from doing it in the reverse, needing documentation for my Arrive Can clearance.'

 

44 minutes ago, richsea said:

Thanks for bringing us along! We’re boarding June 23. It certainly sounds like the whole Bermuda permit thing is a big pain in the butt, especially if they don’t even check once you’re there. We love Bermuda but this can only be described as a money grab by them.

They did check my Bermuda Travel Authority.  The only thing I saw that they didn't check was my arrival appointment time.  Not sure what the continuing purpose of the BTA is now without a covid test required.

 

Roy

[grapau27]

Following along Roy.

Are they letting Diamond Plus into the concierge lounge on Adventure?

We were not allowed in Anthem of the seas concierge lounge last week.

I'm pleased you finally got settled in.

Your balcony cabin looks great and in a good location.

I hope you have a fantastic time aboard Adventure of the seas.

Graham.

[c-leg5]

42 minutes ago, grapau27 said:

Following along Roy.

Are they letting Diamond Plus into the concierge lounge on Adventure?

We were not allowed in Anthem of the seas concierge lounge last week.

I'm pleased you finally got settled in.

Your balcony cabin looks great and in a good location.

I hope you have a fantastic time aboard Adventure of the seas.

Graham.

No concierge lounge only suite. There was an overflow Pinnacle lounge in the card room. The Loyalty ambassador was doing double duty. Not sure if that is continuing.

 

ETA: The coffee machine in the Diamond lounge broke early on the repositioning cruise and equivalent coffees were available on the promenade.

Edited May 22, 2022 by c-leg5

[Luckynana]

Following!  We'll be on Adventure for our NE/Canada cruise at the end of September.😊

[rafinmd]

1 hour ago, grapau27 said:

Following along Roy.

Are they letting Diamond Plus into the concierge lounge on Adventure?

We were not allowed in Anthem of the seas concierge lounge last week.

I'm pleased you finally got settled in.

Your balcony cabin looks great and in a good location.

I hope you have a fantastic time aboard Adventure of the seas.

Graham.

Thank you.  Not allowed in Concierge Lounge but I did visit the Diamond Lounge this morning, and @c-leg5 the coffee machine there is back in service.

 

Early Bon Voyage @Luckynana.

 

Roy

[rafinmd]

18 hours ago, rafinmd said:

Sadly, so far the wifi is abysmal. 

Today the wifi is a lot better.  I did watch much of my online church service from home with quite a bit of buffering but still possible to follow along. 

 

And I have added the officers bios and first 2 compasses to the blog:

 

https://getawaysfrom21044.wordpress.com/advcompass/

 

Depending on your setup when you click one of the links it should either produce the document or offer to download a pdf to your device.

 

We've had  quite a variation of weather at times today with fog, sometimes chilly winds but so far no rain.  I haven't spent much time on the pool deck but do try to be as covid safe as possible and for breakfast and lunch duck into the WJ for my food and then take it out to a table at the pool deck.  At my age and with some health conditions I want to maximize my safety but also feel that if I wait until things are really back to normal I will likely be too old to cruise when that happens.  Today the pool deck felt more comfortable with a fleece than without.

 

Roy

[c-leg5]

18 minutes ago, rafinmd said:

Thank you.  Not allowed in Concierge Lounge but I did visit the Diamond Lounge this morning, and @c-leg5 the coffee machine there is back in service.

 

Early Bon Voyage @Luckynana.

 

Roy

Thats good to hear. It wasn’t fixed for the last sailing and they told us it probably needed replaced.

[rafinmd]

The May 23 Compass has now been uploaded to the blog.

 

Roy

[rafinmd]

Day 2, Sunday, May 22,2022, At sea, Adventure of the Seas

I will start with something that is relatively new to me.  It’s long been a tradition on Holland America but I have just recently seen it on Royal and I will verify that I’m starting this post on Sunday.

 

Despite being in bed early, it was close to 6AM when I woke up.  Once I was a little bit together I went up to deck 12 and walked for about a half hour although sometimes it was a bit of a struggle with quite a brisk wind.  I did go up next to the flow rider aft for a view of the sunrise although I’m using a picture taken abut 5 minutes later which is a bit prettier.  On the way back to my room I ran into my waiter Paul at Café Promenade where I got coffee and skim milk.

I started breakfast in earnest a little after 7 with a ham omelet from the WJ.  For the most part I am getting breakfast and lunch in the WJ running in for food and then taking it out to a table Al Fresco on the pool deck.

https://getawaysfrom21044.files.wordpress.com/2022/05/omelet.jpg

 

The main event of the morning was the Crown and Anchor (past cruiser program) event held at 10 in the theater.  I think Adventure of the Seas may be going a bit rogue.  The invitation I got at checkin was “Top Tier Event” but it was listed in the Compass as simply “Exclusive Crown and Anchor Event” and attendance seemed unrestricted.  Loyalty Ambassador Valentyna quite profusely welcomed EVERYBODY including the Gold Members who I think by current company policy.  I may be in the minority but I was very pleased with the move.  Most of the real “Top Tier” people who are almost guaranteed to continue to sail as long as they are able, and this is just one more perk.  The second or third time cruiser just testing the water again and looking at many cruise lines I think is the one I would really want to make feel special.  I know that is how I felt back in 2012 on my second Enchantment cruise when there was an official welcome back party for all repeat cruisers.  As it was, also, there were included a number of awards for several real top cruisers.

 

At home I do a combination of in person and more frequently online worship with my home church.  Their services are at 10:30 which is now 11:30 ship time.  I was getting JUST enough band width to pick up the service but my room steward Sails came by right at 11:30 to take care of my room.  The service was well under way when I returned at 11:45 and I was distracted again when Captain Barry gave his noon update (closest land then still Hatteras Island although I placed us mostly south of Cape Cod) and I caught most of the service despite quite a bit of buffering.

 

Lunch was in and out of the WJ, eclectic mix of hot dog, potato wedges, bread, and jello.

https://getawaysfrom21044.files.wordpress.com/2022/05/lunch22.jpg

 

We are always told “Book your next cruise early, they get very busy towards the end”.  I took it to somewhat the extreme and they were certainly not very busy.  There were 3 people on duty when I arrived, and except for a very few minutes after my arrival there was always one waiting.  From my very first port call on Enchantment OTS in 2011 I’ve loved the Vision Class from when I sat in the forward WJ eating lunch and watching the fortress at Old San Juan getting closer.  To date all my Vision class cruises have been out of Baltimore.  That will partially change.  In a little less than a year I will board Vision of the Seas in Fort Lauderdale and visit all the ABC Islands, and then bring the Vision back to her new home port of Baltimore.  I do hope I’m not a jinx, I was supposed to do much the same thing with Carnival Legend in 2020.

 

I’m a bit unsure of how to account for the rest of the afternoon although much of it probably involved catching up on things.  In fact I had lost track of time wondering what to do next when I realized it was after 5 and a rush to get ready for dinner, a little rushed really since it was the new term for formal, the “Dress to Impress” night.  

 

I arrived at the dining room unexpectedly as I have 7PM plans with my church which I thought would be 6 Bermuda time but finally realized they were actually 8, leaving me more than ample time for dinner.  Tonight it was Orange and Radicchio Salad, Chicken Parmesan, and Strawberry ice cream.  

It looks like the internet is good during the day but may get bogged down when everyone is using in the evening.  “Sundays at Seven” is my church’s post pandemic version of the usual social hour after services, and this week it was quite well attended including several regulars, another traveler on a birding mission out of town, and one family just recovered from covid.  Things started out well but my band width kept dropping and after about a half hour I lost connectivity completely.  

 

The featured show was one of the production shows, I think “Can’t Stop the Rock” although I’m not sure.  I think it was supposed to be “Invitation to Dance” but I believe the shows were to be switched due to technical issues.  In any case it was the time of my involvement with “Sundays at Seven”.

 

My parting shot will be a sad personal one.  I learned at “Sundays at Seven” of the passing of a long time friend.  Phil was a stalwart in my church for decades and I served with him on many projects and committees over the years.  He was one of the people prepared to be up before dawn and drive me to the hospital when I had my heart valve repair just over a year ago.  He had not been well lately but his final passing came pretty quickly with Phil entering hospice early this week and passing Friday or Saturday.  Rest in Peace.

 

Roy

 

[rafinmd]

We are in Bermuda.

 

First aft line went ashore about 8:50:

 

Estimated clearance time is 9:30 (830 Bayonne time).

 

Roy

[puppycanducruise]

Thanks for sharing your cruise.  Sorry to hear about the passing of your friend Phil.

[Lady Hudson]

Roy — thank you for posting.  I mentioned before that Adventure was a favorite ship of mine and you are bringing back great memories.  
 

So sorry to hear of the death of your friend.  RIP.

 

Bermuda is a special place.  We have been there a number of times and always enjoy it.  My next trip will be a strange one (still up in the air if I can go) but it is an 8 day with just 24 hours in Bermuda with a one day stop in Coco Cay.  Five sea days!  Very unusual

 

Enjoy your trip!  Katherine 

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

Roy, I'm enjoying your live from thread. 

 

Our condolences on the loss of your friend.  I hope your memories of Phil will give you comfort.

[Sarah1974]

Roy, sorry to hear about the loss of your friend

[JazzyV]

Roy, condolences on the loss of your friend Phil.

[rafinmd]

One more thing done. I went into the ArriveCan website this morning and gave them my details.  For those using the App version there is a warning to download the latest version as requirements have changed (test no longer required for fully vaxed).  I thought all was going well until the end when it asked if I had been anywhere other than the USA the last 14 days.  I had a sigh of relief when it gave me the approval anyway.

 

Roy

[shof515]

Did you get any notification from royal about arrivecan? I find it strange they are not sending anything about this and the protocols for cape Liberty also does not have this

[grapau27]

8 hours ago, rafinmd said:

Day 2, Sunday, May 22,2022, At sea, Adventure of the Seas

I will start with something that is relatively new to me.  It’s long been a tradition on Holland America but I have just recently seen it on Royal and I will verify that I’m starting this post on Sunday.

 

Despite being in bed early, it was close to 6AM when I woke up.  Once I was a little bit together I went up to deck 12 and walked for about a half hour although sometimes it was a bit of a struggle with quite a brisk wind.  I did go up next to the flow rider aft for a view of the sunrise although I’m using a picture taken abut 5 minutes later which is a bit prettier.  On the way back to my room I ran into my waiter Paul at Café Promenade where I got coffee and skim milk.

I started breakfast in earnest a little after 7 with a ham omelet from the WJ.  For the most part I am getting breakfast and lunch in the WJ running in for food and then taking it out to a table Al Fresco on the pool deck.

https://getawaysfrom21044.files.wordpress.com/2022/05/omelet.jpg

 

The main event of the morning was the Crown and Anchor (past cruiser program) event held at 10 in the theater.  I think Adventure of the Seas may be going a bit rogue.  The invitation I got at checkin was “Top Tier Event” but it was listed in the Compass as simply “Exclusive Crown and Anchor Event” and attendance seemed unrestricted.  Loyalty Ambassador Valentyna quite profusely welcomed EVERYBODY including the Gold Members who I think by current company policy.  I may be in the minority but I was very pleased with the move.  Most of the real “Top Tier” people who are almost guaranteed to continue to sail as long as they are able, and this is just one more perk.  The second or third time cruiser just testing the water again and looking at many cruise lines I think is the one I would really want to make feel special.  I know that is how I felt back in 2012 on my second Enchantment cruise when there was an official welcome back party for all repeat cruisers.  As it was, also, there were included a number of awards for several real top cruisers.

 

At home I do a combination of in person and more frequently online worship with my home church.  Their services are at 10:30 which is now 11:30 ship time.  I was getting JUST enough band width to pick up the service but my room steward Sails came by right at 11:30 to take care of my room.  The service was well under way when I returned at 11:45 and I was distracted again when Captain Barry gave his noon update (closest land then still Hatteras Island although I placed us mostly south of Cape Cod) and I caught most of the service despite quite a bit of buffering.

 

Lunch was in and out of the WJ, eclectic mix of hot dog, potato wedges, bread, and jello.

https://getawaysfrom21044.files.wordpress.com/2022/05/lunch22.jpg

 

We are always told “Book your next cruise early, they get very busy towards the end”.  I took it to somewhat the extreme and they were certainly not very busy.  There were 3 people on duty when I arrived, and except for a very few minutes after my arrival there was always one waiting.  From my very first port call on Enchantment OTS in 2011 I’ve loved the Vision Class from when I sat in the forward WJ eating lunch and watching the fortress at Old San Juan getting closer.  To date all my Vision class cruises have been out of Baltimore.  That will partially change.  In a little less than a year I will board Vision of the Seas in Fort Lauderdale and visit all the ABC Islands, and then bring the Vision back to her new home port of Baltimore.  I do hope I’m not a jinx, I was supposed to do much the same thing with Carnival Legend in 2020.

 

I’m a bit unsure of how to account for the rest of the afternoon although much of it probably involved catching up on things.  In fact I had lost track of time wondering what to do next when I realized it was after 5 and a rush to get ready for dinner, a little rushed really since it was the new term for formal, the “Dress to Impress” night.  

 

I arrived at the dining room unexpectedly as I have 7PM plans with my church which I thought would be 6 Bermuda time but finally realized they were actually 8, leaving me more than ample time for dinner.  Tonight it was Orange and Radicchio Salad, Chicken Parmesan, and Strawberry ice cream.  

It looks like the internet is good during the day but may get bogged down when everyone is using in the evening.  “Sundays at Seven” is my church’s post pandemic version of the usual social hour after services, and this week it was quite well attended including several regulars, another traveler on a birding mission out of town, and one family just recovered from covid.  Things started out well but my band width kept dropping and after about a half hour I lost connectivity completely.  

 

The featured show was one of the production shows, I think “Can’t Stop the Rock” although I’m not sure.  I think it was supposed to be “Invitation to Dance” but I believe the shows were to be switched due to technical issues.  In any case it was the time of my involvement with “Sundays at Seven”.

 

My parting shot will be a sad personal one.  I learned at “Sundays at Seven” of the passing of a long time friend.  Phil was a stalwart in my church for decades and I served with him on many projects and committees over the years.  He was one of the people prepared to be up before dawn and drive me to the hospital when I had my heart valve repair just over a year ago.  He had not been well lately but his final passing came pretty quickly with Phil entering hospice early this week and passing Friday or Saturday.  Rest in Peace.

 

Roy

 

Prayers 🙏 and sincerest condolences for all the friends and family of your good friend Phil.

Royal always have a day change plate in the elevator which comes in handy when we forget what day it is.

Our reverend is back from holiday so our sermon will be on Sundays Daily.

Great review and food pictures Roy.

Graham.

 

[Luckynana]

On 5/22/2022 at 3:28 PM, rafinmd said:

 

Early Bon Voyage @Luckynana.

Thank you, Roy😊

 

I am sincerely sorry to hear of the passing of your dear friend Phil.  May he Rest in Peace.🙏

[StLouisCruisers]

Roy, I'm very sorry to hear of your friend Phil's passing.  It's never easy when you hear that news.

 

When is your stop in Halifax next cruise?  We will be there Monday, May 30 on Island Princess.

[rafinmd]

2 hours ago, StLouisCruisers said:

Roy, I'm very sorry to hear of your friend Phil's passing.  It's never easy when you hear that news.

 

When is your stop in Halifax next cruise?  We will be there Monday, May 30 on Island Princess.

We are just a day apart.  I'm on Sunday, May 29.  You're starting in Fort Lauderdale, right?

 

Roy

[0106]

12 hours ago, rafinmd said:

  In a little less than a year I will board Vision of the Seas in Fort Lauderdale and visit all the ABC Islands, and then bring the Vision back to her new home port of Baltimore. 

Would you mind sharing the dates of the repositioning cruise.

Sorry to hear you lost a close friend.

Thanks for your trip report.

Edited May 23, 2022 by 0106