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Adventure of the Seas -- March 11, 2007 Review

CruiserTK

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CruiserTK

CruiserTK

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My husband, daughter (27), and son (24) left for a wonderful cruise aboard the Adventure of the Seas on March 11, 2007. We flew into San Juan on Sunday, and arrived at the airport at approximately 1 p.m. Embarkation was quick. We got our sea passes, and placed our carry-on luggage in our cabins (two Promenade cabins: 7603 and 7601). My son and husband went to the Fort, while my daughter and I went to Dooney & Bourke, where we purchased two purses. Then it was back to the ship.

 

Our previous cruise was on the Navigator of the Seas. When we began exploring the Adventure, we remarked how it felt as if we had not even left the Navigator. The Adventure is in excellent shape, and is a beautiful ship. We did not have the beds/bedding replaced in our cabins, but I did ask for the egg crates, and that helped out immensely. We enjoyed the captain, Per Arne Kjonso, and looked forward to his daily musings – at times lengthy, but enjoyable nonetheless.

 

The Entertainment: Excellent

Day One: Sarah and Daniel – excellent; Eric Lyden, comedian – hilarious, and the Royal Caribbean Dancers and Singers.

Day Two: The Original Drifters – EXCELLENT. They performed their hit songs. Later that evening, Eric Lyden gave a late-night adult comedy show. Absolutely hilarious. The audience egged him on.

Day Three: The Ice Show, “Cool Art, Hot Ice” – Not to be missed – we went on Thursday evening.

Day Four: The Royal Caribbean Singers and Dancers, “Can’t Stop the Rock” – We enjoyed this production; it was the better of their two performances.

Day Five: El Gaucho (interactive comedy, music, and visual effects): excellent; as well as the ice show, “Cool Art Hot Ice”.

Day Six: The Royal Caribbean Singers and Dancers, “Velvet Rope” – we were not as impressed with this performance.

Day Seven: Carl Banks, comedian: Excellent; Sarah & Daniel: Excellent; and, the Royal Caribbean Dancers and Singers.

As well, there were many other entertainment venues around the ship. We played a couple of trivia games in the Schooner Bar, and enjoyed the performers in the Duck and Dog and the Schooner Bar.

We always enjoy Quest, and this week’s game did not disappoint. This is adult comedy, and not to be missed. If anyone can be easily offended, they should not attend.

I could go on and on about the entertainment. There really was so much to do.

 

The Ports: Excellent Itinerary

Aruba: My husband and son did the snorkelling excursion through the ship, while my daughter and I took a taxi to Palm Beach (we were dropped off at the Radisson). On the way back to the pier, we simply took a bus: price for two -- $2.50 U.S. This was very easy. Beautiful beach. My husband and son enjoyed their snorkelling excursion as well. One of the highlights of our trip was dining at the Flying Fishbone in Aruba. I had made reservations upon the advice of BuyReallyLow. This is such a romantic spot, and the ambiance is exquisite. The tables are at the waterfront in the sand. The food was delicious, and the views of the sunset breathtaking. It was approximately a twenty-minute taxi ride to get there. We all agreed that we would return to this restaurant upon our next visit to Aruba.

Curacao: It was an overcast day, and we did not have any excursions planned. The weather did not prove enticing for a day at the beach, so we basically crossed the floating bridge, shopped, visited the Jewish synagogue and the floating market.

St. Maarten:

My husband and son did the America Cup sailing regatta excursion. They have wonderful memories and pictures. My daughter and I shopped, and then took a taxi to Orient Bay. What a beautiful beach!!! There are many beach activities available here, including jet skiing, snorkelling, and parasailing.

St. Thomas, USVI

I reserved Godfrey Tours (http://www.godfreytoursvi.com) about two months prior. We had used Godfrey Tours two visits’ ago to St. Thomas, and felt he provided an excellent service. He did not disappoint. This tour costs $25 U.S. per person. However, for this price, Godfrey picked us up at the pier at 9 a.m. and drove us into town for shopping. At 11:45, he picked us up and took us on a two-hour tour of the island with many photo stops along the way. Godfrey is very proud of his island, and provides a very informative narrative throughout the journey. He then gives a choice of beaches: Meagan’s Bay, Sapphire, or Coki. We chose Sapphire, a very beautiful beach. He picked us up at 3:45, and we were back at the ship at 4:15. Godfrey has two safari vans. He offers an excellent service for this price.

 

Food: VERY GOOD – EXCELLENT

Dinners in the dining room were excellent. We were seated at a table for eight – great company-- and all seemed to be very pleased with their selections of food. We ate, as mentioned previously, at the Flying Fishbone in Aruba, and the next day in Portofino’s. Portofino’s is a must. What an excellent meal for $20!

My daughter and I ate breakfasts and lunches in the Windjammer, while my son and husband ate in the dining room when it was open for breakfast and lunch. They also ate at Johnny Rocket’s and at the midnight buffet. They enjoyed everything.

 

Meet & Mingle:

It was great meeting people with whom I have been chatting over the last few months. Some of us were notified of an incorrect meeting time at 11 a.m. on Monday, when the actual meeting time was 5 p.m. in the Blue Moon Lounge. For this error, we were surprised with a bottle of champagne in our stateroom.

Kathleen Tucker, Cruise Critic’s President and Publisher, was on this sailing. It was great meeting and chatting with you, Kathleen.

 

Cruise Staff:

We liked Mike Hunnerup, the cruise director. He was not obnoxious, and had a quirky sense of humour. Our stateroom attendant and dining staff really aimed to please.

 

Summary:

This was our fourth cruise. Previously we had sailed on the Enchantment, the Radiance, and the Navigator. While all our cruises were wonderful, I think that this one was the best. It seemed as if people had a good time, and the ship, entertainment and itinerary were fabulous. What a great adventure we had aboard the Adventure.

I’ll be happy to answer any of your questions.

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jimbug

jimbug

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Thanks for your review! We will be on this route in August, and can't wait!

 

I do have a question about Orient Beach...where (which bar/restaurant) did you get your beach chairs from there, and what was the cost, if you remember? I have seen widely-varying prices, and was just curious where the best deals were.

 

Thanks!

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CruiserTK

CruiserTK

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I don't remember the name of the place from where we got the beach chairs. All I know is that it was not far from the boundary between the "clothed" side and the "nude" side. I paid $14 for two loungers, an umbrella. We had two drinks included in this price. This is a beautiful beach.

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CruiserTK

CruiserTK

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CruiserTK -- we were on AOS the week before you. Were your "at sea" days rocky and windy like ours were? Or did we just hit an unlucky week?

 

No, they weren't rocky. There was a slight breeze, but it was fine. The pool decks were busy and crowded with people and activities. A fun time!

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CruiserTK

CruiserTK

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Thanks for the great review, sounds like a wonderful vacation. Does the ice show conflict with any of the other major entertainment? I'm wondering if any hard choices need to be made. Thank you!

 

We opted to go to the ice show on Thursday as we had dinner reservations at the Flying Fishbone in Aruba on Tuesday, the first day of the ice show performance.

 

We had main seating, and one of the ice show performances on Thursday, the second sea day, was at 5. We chose to attend that one as it was right before our dinner.

 

According to the Cruise Compass, the performances were at 7:15 and 9:15 the day in Aruba. There was no other show at the Lyric Theatre this evening. On Thursday, the performances were at 5 and 7:30. There was an additional show in the main theatre later that evening -- El Gaucho.

 

DO NOT MISS THE ICE SHOW! It was excellent.

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motro

motro

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Hi CruiserTK,

Great review, we will be sailing in 4 weeks. How were the discounts at Dooney & Bourke and were the bags current styles? I am thinking of taking a trip there day of arrival. Thanks!!!

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ontheopenseas

ontheopenseas

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Thanks for your reply. I have another question regarding your Godfrey tour.

From your review, "St. Thomas, USVI

I reserved Godfrey Tours (http://www.godfreytoursvi.com) about two months prior. We had used Godfrey Tours two visits’ ago to St. Thomas, and felt he provided an excellent service. He did not disappoint. This tour costs $25 U.S. per person. However, for this price, Godfrey picked us up at the pier at 9 a.m. and drove us into town for shopping. At 11:45, he picked us up and took us on a two-hour tour of the island with many photo stops along the way. Godfrey is very proud of his island, and provides a very informative narrative throughout the journey. He then gives a choice of beaches: Meagan’s Bay, Sapphire, or Coki. We chose Sapphire, a very beautiful beach. He picked us up at 3:45, and we were back at the ship at 4:15. Godfrey has two safari vans. He offers an excellent service for this price."

 

You stated your pick up was 9 a.m. Our itinerary states that we arrive at 9:00 (ship time?). What time would be reasonable to arrange for pick up? I think the choices are 9, 10, and 11. Did you pay a deposit ahead of time? What is the policy if your itinerary is changed? Was it easy to find your tour? Thanks for any additional help. All of your information has been great!

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CruiserTK

CruiserTK

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Thanks for your reply. I have another question regarding your Godfrey tour.

From your review, "St. Thomas, USVI

I reserved Godfrey Tours (http://www.godfreytoursvi.com) about two months prior. We had used Godfrey Tours two visits’ ago to St. Thomas, and felt he provided an excellent service. He did not disappoint. This tour costs $25 U.S. per person. However, for this price, Godfrey picked us up at the pier at 9 a.m. and drove us into town for shopping. At 11:45, he picked us up and took us on a two-hour tour of the island with many photo stops along the way. Godfrey is very proud of his island, and provides a very informative narrative throughout the journey. He then gives a choice of beaches: Meagan’s Bay, Sapphire, or Coki. We chose Sapphire, a very beautiful beach. He picked us up at 3:45, and we were back at the ship at 4:15. Godfrey has two safari vans. He offers an excellent service for this price."

 

You stated your pick up was 9 a.m. Our itinerary states that we arrive at 9:00 (ship time?). What time would be reasonable to arrange for pick up? I think the choices are 9, 10, and 11. Did you pay a deposit ahead of time? What is the policy if your itinerary is changed? Was it easy to find your tour? Thanks for any additional help. All of your information has been great!

 

 

We were off the ship by 9. Godfrey gives you a choice of whether he will pick you up at 9 for three hours of shipping or at 10 for two hours of shopping. No, you do not have to pay a deposit. When I booked him, he answered via email telling me that he would be at the pier and to look for his safari van. All the drivers there seemed to know him. You pay at the beginning of this tour. As there were a few ships in port that day, Godfrey suggested that he pick us up from the downtown area at 11:45 instead of 12. Everything went smoothly, and the other people were pleased that they had booked with him.

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CruiserTK

CruiserTK

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Hi CruiserTK,

Great review, we will be sailing in 4 weeks. How were the discounts at Dooney & Bourke and were the bags current styles? I am thinking of taking a trip there day of arrival. Thanks!!!

 

There are three (or two) levels in the store. The first level features the new arrivals; the other level(s) have discounted items. My daughter and I bought two nice purses there. We also took a walk over to Coach before buying at D&B, but then returned to D&B, and made our purchases there. We are quite pleased with the purses, and receive many compliments on them.

Have a great time.

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Bstein493

Bstein493

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Hi cruisertk. We were also on the 3/11 AOS and had a great time. Perfect weather every day except for about 2 hours in the mornig in St. Maartin. In Aruba we did the 4x4 jeep trip through ABC Tours and it was great. We did the half day because we had also scheduled the catamaran sunset sail through the ship-which was terrific!! We also went for dinner in Aruba after the sunset sail to Gasparito's-wonderfully delicious.

In Curacao we just walked into town and also went to the old synagogue which was just beautiful.

In St Maartin we rented a car for $70 (including gas) for the whole day. We drove to Marigot and then went to Orient Beach for awhile. Nice way to spend a day without having a set schedule.

St. Thomas-we took the ship excusion to St. John's. It was the eco-hike and then some time at Honeymoon Beach. We can't wait to go back to see more of the Island.

Just a word of advise to everyone-don't get wrapped up in your shore trips that you have a chance of missing the ship. Evidently that happened to some people in St. Maartin. The ship sails at the noted time with or without all the passengers!

We have just a few complaints-the lunches in windjammers were just ok and my husband didn't feel there were enough good choices for desserts. He loves chocolate and that was lacking (not important to some). We have taken Celebrity in the past and we felt that on RCCL there was not enough attention paid to details. But never the less we had a great time and met nice people. Enjoy your cruises and I need another one soon!

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CruiserTK

CruiserTK

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Thanks for the wonderful review.

 

Did they start changing the bedding while you were onboard?

Palm Beach - can you rent chairs/umbrella there? Or is that just for the hotel guests?

They did not change the bedding in our cabins, but from what I have gathered on these threads, they have begun to change the bedding.

There is a type of alley/walkway between the Radisson and the Riu Hotel?? that is currently under construction. Take this walkway to get to Palm Beach. There we rented beach chairs and palapas?. I can't remember the price, but know that I enjoyed my stay there. It was the workers that told us to take the bus back to the pier. The bus stop is in front of the Radisson, and the bus station at which the bus stops is across the street from the entrance to the pier. Apparently the bus comes by every ten minutes. The next time I'm in Aruba, I won't hesitate to take the bus to the beach and back from there.

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Sun Lover

Sun Lover

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cruiserTK,

 

Sounds like you had a great time. We leave in 11 days and I can't wait. I have a question about the refrigerators in the cabins. About how many sodas or bottled waters would fit in it? Does it keep drinks really cold or is there an ice bucket we could put a few bottles in and fill with ice?

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MIcruiser99

MIcruiser99

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How long did it take with all the stops the bus made to get from Palm Beach to the pier? I need to make sure that we allow enough travel time

 

When you take the bus, do you need exact change? Do they take dollars? or do you need Aruba florin?

 

Thanks! Last time, we took the taxi but that starts to add up when you use it both ways!

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Atty

Atty

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We are going in June and I was wondering if the entertainment will be the same on our cruise or does it change from cruise to cruise? Thanks!!!:D :)

 

The entertainment normally changes every few cruises. The comedians come on board Friday or Saturday and stay through the middle of the next week (they do the farewell show, then the next welcome aboard show and their late night comedy then they leave and a new one comes on for the farewell show who stay on board etc.). The headlines usually change every few cruises if not every week. The production numbers and the ice show are longer running

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