Adventure review June 8, 2008

[aqua]

My family was on the June 8 Adventure sailing. Our group of 8 consisted of my parents (who hosted the trip), my sister, her 12 year old son, my husband, my daughters aged 25 and 21, and me. This was my 11th cruise, and the 4th on RCCL. We had a wonderful trip.

 

My family flew to San Juan 2 days early. We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express. Our room, although small, was comfortable and well appointed. The rest of the group arrived late Saturday night. While my parent's room was similar to ours, my sister's had a strong smell of sewage. Unfortunately there were no other non-smoking rooms available, so she had to remain there. (She received a partial credit on her bill the next day.) The continental breakfast was fine and provided enough choices for us to eat. We were very happy with the hotel location as it only took a few minutes to walk to the ocean, shopping, and restaurants. There is a Walgreens nearby and we went there to purchase bottled water to carry onboard. We were glad we did when RCCL was selling water at the gangway for $3.75 each!

 

Hotel checkout was at noon, so we headed to the ship then. Embarkation was a breeze; we were onboard within 20 minutes. Staterooms weren't available until 1:00., but lunch was being served in the Windjammer.The ship is beautiful and well maintained. The Royal Promenade is spectacular. Note to people planning to reserve a cabin overlooking the Promenade-please remember that sheer curtains are see through! The fitness center has lots of gym equipment; I only waited for a machine once the entire week. However, I wasn't thrilled with the ladies locker room. The shower doors are almost transparent and there isn't a good place to change clothes.

 

There were plenty of activities that kept us busy. Among the things that we took advantage of were the wine tasting, the climbing wall, miniature golf, and ice skating. The cruise director, Mike Szwajkowski, is the best we have ever seen. This was Captain Ron Holme's first week onboard the Adventure. He was a very nice man who returned the ship to the dock in St. Lucia when a passenger and his 9 year old son were late. (He said that he didn't want to traumatize the child.) The food on the ship was very good, and the service was excellent. We purchased a Wine and Dine package and enjoyed having it with dinner.

 

This itinerary is very port intensive, and it is easy to become a little overwhelmed with trying to see each island. We had been to all but St. Lucia and St. Maarten previously, so we had some idea of what we wanted to do. All of the non-RCCL excursions were chosen on the basis of Cruise Critic reviews. (Thank you posters!) Here is what we did:

 

San Juan (pre-cruise)- My family took the segway tour in Old San Juan. My husband and daughters are talented athletes, but I am known as the family klutz so I was nervous when Jose' talked about the importance of balance on the segway. However, Jose' gave each of us an individual riding lesson and made sure we were competent. The tour was great fun and I would highly recommend it. We spent the rest of the day walking around Old San Juan, touring El Morro, and shopping. The girls and I took a taxi back to the hotel, and my husband walked back

 

Barbados- My family went on the Cool Runnings catamaran. We had a good time, but I won't elaborate unless questioned since they are no longer accepting cruise passengers. My sister went on RCCL's Malibu Beach Break. She was disappointed because the only thing they saw on the tour of the rum factory was the storage facilities. The beach was fine. My parents went on the ship's Beautiful Barbados and Heritage tour. They thought it was a nice tour.

 

St. Lucia- My daughter, husband and I went on RCCL's Mountain Bike tour, and the rest of the family booked the Cosol island tour. Everyone was pleased with the Cosol tour and found it to be a good value. They were fed well throughout the day, and saw much of the island. My nephew said it was his favorite excursion. If you are even slightly prone to motion sickness, consider medication as the roads are extremely curvy. Also be prepared to pay $1 to go to the bathroom, $1 to take a photo with a snake, and $10 per hour for a beach chair if needed.

 

The biking tour was okay. The rain forest is about 45 minutes from the pier, so we spent much of the time driving there. We only rode the bikes for about an hour of the 4 1/2 hour excursion. Most of the riding was on a road and little was on rain forest trails. Even though it was short, you need to be physically fit to go. There were some people in our group who had a difficult time keeping up. Also, since it is not yet the rainy season, the "waterfall" that we stopped to see didn't exist. It looks like it will be beautiful later in the summer.

 

Antigua- My sister went on RCCL's stingray snorkel. She and her son enjoyed the trip and it was what she expected. Note that it was a long drive to the site, and the stingray area was fenced in. My family walked to the church on the hill and around the port area. The taxi drivers were very aggressive. We returned to the ship and decided to treat it like a sea day. My parents did the same thing.

 

St. Maarten- This was my favorite port. The females in our group took the water taxi to the Dutch side of the island. ($6 for an all day pass or $4 each way) We went shopping but could have easily gone to the beach near the shopping area. We saw several signs advertising an umbrella, 2 chairs, and 2 beers for $10. My father and nephew went on the ship's bottom fishing excursion. They enjoyed the trip but the water was very rough. My husband went scuba diving with RCCL, where he also found rough seas. I think this must be common as the ship's dive staff warned him that sea sickness is a problem on the St. Maarten dive.

 

St. Thomas- My husband went diving with the ship (better seas this time) and the rest of us did Air Force One's shopping and beach excursion. We were fortunate because we were the only customers on the tour, and Papa Bear adjusted it to our interests. We wanted to go snorkeling, and were told that Coki Beach had the best snorkeling on the island. While there were lots of fish, we saw only 3 different varieties. The beach area was small and very crowded. There were only 2 ships in port that day; it must be a zoo when there are several ships in St. Thomas. However, we did enjoy the tour and Papa Bear went out of his way to please us.

 

San Juan (post cruise) - Disembarkation was easy and we were out of the terminal at 9:10. We arranged for Countryside Tours to meet us at the pier and take us on a tour, ending at the airport. Frank loaded our luggage into a 10 passenger van, then did a great job showing us tourist and non-tourist areas of the city. He was willing to adjust the tour however we wanted. Our flight wasn't until 3:00, so this was a good way to spend some time.

 

Overall we had a great trip. A cruise is a wonderful way to spend time with family, and the Adventure is an amazing ship. I will be happy to answer any questions.

[63galaxie]

Thanks for posting. We're leaving Friday to fly in to San Juan for Sunday's departure.

I'd love to hear more about the ship when you get a chance.

It's great to know you all had a wonderful cruise!

Welcome home!

Karen in Kentucky

[aqua]

Hi Karen,

You will love the Adventure. Even though she is huge, I was rarely lost (a first for me.) Once you figure out that you can't go from front to back on all of the decks, then you will navigate her easily. One of the unique places onboard is the "peek-a-boo bridge" where you can watch the officers during daylight hours. It is on deck 11. Cafe Promenade on deck 5 has pizza, sandwiches, sweets, and coffee all of the time. It is in the same area as Ben and Jerry's (where you have to pay) but everything is free at the Cafe. If you have small children, they will love their special area. There is a pool slide that looked like a blast. We weren't real impressed with the shopping onboard.

The decor of the ship is very pretty, especially the solarium. By the way, if you like Coach, be sure and go to the outlet in Old San Juan. We have an outlet near us in Ohio, but this one had better selection and prices. (Perhaps it is just one of those "hit or miss" things, but we found lots last week.) Have a great trip and feel free to ask any questions!

[Riversedge]

Thanks for a great review! We leave for San Juan tomorrow for a Sunday departure. We've spent a week at all the islands before but are really looking forward to visiting them again. It's a great itinerary and it sounds like it's a great ship!

[aqua]

Have a great trip, Lauren! Don't miss the 70's Dance Party in the Royal Promenade. The cruise director is outstanding.

[cruisefeen2304]

ahhhhhh thats so cute that the captain went back for a dad and his son... weren't they lucky! can't wait till august .... 4th cruise for me and Grandma but first for my 2 sisters and mum.

[JRCRUZER]

Aqua,

Great review, do you recall which nights were formal nights???

[Design Diva]

Hi, thanks for taking the time to review and answer questions.

 

I'm wondering if you've been on other voyager class ships and how AOS compares to the others? (I've been on the Explorer = will I see much difference?)

[aqua]

The formal nights were on Monday and Thursday. This was my first time on

a Voyager class ship, so I looked at RCCL's website for comparison. It seems like the Explorer and Adventure have the same specs and "highlights," so I imagine they are very similar. I am amazed at what shipbuilders are able to accomplish. (The captain joked that he is now responsible for hiring Zamboni drivers; not something he ever expected to do!)

[Sandytoes]

Thanks for your review.

 

I happen to agree.

The cruise director, Mike Szwajkowski, is the best we have ever seen.

[mattsmom11]

Thanks Aqua for the review, glad you had a nice time. I love reading everyones pots about the AOS, we leave in Sept on her for our first RCCI ever. We are flying in the day before and staying at the Marriott Stelarris Resort & Casino. I LOVED the Coach store in San Juan were we there as a port last fall on Carnival and I bought myself a small leather purse and a logo wallet forwhat I concider to be a fabulous price :) I am so looking forward to visit aagain this time and plan on adding something to the collection :D .

 

If you have your compasses would you mind scanning them in to share with us? I have never seen and would love to have a pre-view.

Wouldn't mind see some photos too Thanks again

[sueajp]

Thanks for posting. We are leaving on July 6th and very excited! WE booked Cosol too. Also Bernard in St. Marten and RC Tour to St. John's in St. Thomas. Nothing booked in Barbados or Antigua... Would love to get to the monkeys and turtles.. too much???

Sue

Where is my pina colada???:D

[Gon2hwe]

Thanks for the review. We're going on AOS July 20. Can't wait to experience all that AOS has to offer. We have an active Roll Call for AOS and would like for anyone else going on this date to come on over to our Roll Call and talk ship and register for the Meet and Mingle.

 

Thanks for the reviews, they are so helpful in planning our trip!

[aqua]

Thanks to everyone for your kind remarks. Cruise Critic people help me often, so it is a pleasure to try to return the favor. My daughter wanted me to note that the food on the Cosol tour in St. Lucia is local and very good. Sorry but I have problems when I try to scan things and post.....I'll be glad to check the Compass and answer any questions though. I will try to get some photos posted soon. We stayed at the Marriott on our first trip to San Juan. We stopped by on this visit, and it is still a beautiful hotel. I would suggest that you research something to do in Antigua. There is some shopping in the port area, but there is little to see within walking distance. Someone told me they were doing the miniboats privately for half of RCCL's price, but I don't know how that went. I know that some excursions were sold out on the first day of the cruise, but I don't know for what ports. There was a huge line at the excursion desk on Sunday, and I was told that the television system wasn't working then due to high traffic. I wish I had done more homework for Antigua, because we tried to book some excursions late in the cruise and everything was sold out.

[marshabear]

we sail in October and really hope the same CD is aboard...he sounds wonderful!! any word on how long he will be on this ship???

 

 

Marsha

[*Jessica*]

We are going on AOS September 28th...Im a little worried about hurricane season though :( It sounds like fun. My husband and I got married on Monarch of the Seas last September and that was a first cruise. So for our anniversary we are going on this cruise.

[J&JTrig]

There were plenty of activities that kept us busy. Among the things that we took advantage of were the wine tasting, the climbing wall, miniature golf, and ice skating. The cruise director, Mike Szwajkowski, is the best we have ever seen. This was Captain Ron Holme's first week onboard the Adventure. He was a very nice man who returned the ship to the dock in St. Lucia when a passenger and his 9 year old son were late. (He said that he didn't want to traumatize the child.) The food on the ship was very good, and the service was excellent. We purchased a Wine and Dine package and enjoyed having it with dinner.

 

Thanks for your review! We did a similar cruise last January and had a great time.

 

I had a question on the wine and dine package. How did that work? My mom and I are thinking about doing that this coming November and were looking for more information.

 

Thanks!

[J&JTrig]

Thanks to everyone for your kind remarks. Cruise Critic people help me often, so it is a pleasure to try to return the favor. My daughter wanted me to note that the food on the Cosol tour in St. Lucia is local and very good. Sorry but I have problems when I try to scan things and post.....I'll be glad to check the Compass and answer any questions though. I will try to get some photos posted soon. We stayed at the Marriott on our first trip to San Juan. We stopped by on this visit, and it is still a beautiful hotel. I would suggest that you research something to do in Antigua. There is some shopping in the port area, but there is little to see within walking distance. Someone told me they were doing the miniboats privately for half of RCCL's price, but I don't know how that went. I know that some excursions were sold out on the first day of the cruise, but I don't know for what ports. There was a huge line at the excursion desk on Sunday, and I was told that the television system wasn't working then due to high traffic. I wish I had done more homework for Antigua, because we tried to book some excursions late in the cruise and everything was sold out.

 

Runaway beach in Antigua was beautiful! We went there on our own (I think there's a tour through the ship that goes there as well) and only paid for the cab ride. We used the aggressive taxi drivers to our advantage and talked the price down. I think we paid $10 each way. The drive out to the beach is beautiful, but not in the way you'd usually think. You see what life in Antigua is really all about since the drivers don't stick to "nice routes" (at least ours didn't). It's a beautiful country.

 

Back to the beach, the sand is like silk and the water is blue as can be. There's food available right there on the beach and we only saw one person walking through the beach trying to get you to buy things. He was making bowls or hats out of coconut trees, so it was pretty cool. My husband and I bought a bowl ($12) and he would sit there on the ground and we could watch him make it. We had a great time talking to him as he worked.

 

Here's the link to my pictures from Runaway Beach (and the pictures from the rest of our cruise on Serenade of the Seas): http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2330156080096149848neVatg

[aqua]

I bought the 7 bottle Gold Wine and Dine package as a gift for my mother. I ordered it in advance, but they were also selling it on the ship (at least the first day or so.) At dinner the first night, someone came to the table and put a sticker on her Seapass card. Each night, they asked her if she wanted wine. If she did, they took her Seapass card for a few minutes, then came back with what she ordered. We didn't want any wine the first night, but we ordered 2 bottles on the 2nd night. They saved any remaining wine until the next dinner. Sometimes we would have 2 different bottles open, with everybody having their own favorite. We went to the wine tasting on the first day (free with Crown and Anchor coupon), and one of the wines we tasted was on the Gold list. I also bought the champagne card in the champagne bar. It was a good value, as the cocktails cost about $8 each, and the card was around $50. Unfortunately, I didn't finish it, so I am hoping that my daughter can use it on the Explorer in August.

 

It sounds like you did well in Antigua. I remember that the beaches there are beautiful, and you were smart to take advantage!

[J&JTrig]

I bought the 7 bottle Gold Wine and Dine package as a gift for my mother. I ordered it in advance, but they were also selling it on the ship (at least the first day or so.) At dinner the first night, someone came to the table and put a sticker on her Seapass card. Each night, they asked her if she wanted wine. If she did, they took her Seapass card for a few minutes, then came back with what she ordered. We didn't want any wine the first night, but we ordered 2 bottles on the 2nd night. They saved any remaining wine until the next dinner. Sometimes we would have 2 different bottles open, with everybody having their own favorite. We went to the wine tasting on the first day (free with Crown and Anchor coupon), and one of the wines we tasted was on the Gold list. I also bought the champagne card in the champagne bar. It was a good value, as the cocktails cost about $8 each, and the card was around $50. Unfortunately, I didn't finish it, so I am hoping that my daughter can use it on the Explorer in August.

 

It sounds like you did well in Antigua. I remember that the beaches there are beautiful, and you were smart to take advantage!

 

Thanks for your help. This will be my second cruise and my parents 10th, and neither of us have done this package before, but we believe that we'll get our money's worth out of it. We're actually thinking of going for the 7 bottle package and splitting it between three people now instead of just two.

 

Thanks again!

[kittymom65]

Thanks for your excellent review, this cruise is high on our "want to do" list.

[aqua]

Thank you. It's a good itinerary if you like to be busy!

[mattsmom11]

We are going on AOS September 28th...Im a little worried about hurricane season though :( It sounds like fun. My husband and I got married on Monarch of the Seas last September and that was a first cruise. So for our anniversary we are going on this cruise.

 

Jessica DH & I are on the AOS Sept 28th too. If you haven't already checked out the meet & Mingle thread http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=623929 please do, we can be a chatty bunch but it's nice to get to know each other a little before the cruise. Looking forward to getting to know you a little better :)