A Great Week on the AOS
Adventure of the Seas Cruise Review to Caribbean - Southern
Contributor Level:
Deck Hand
Cruises: 2-3 cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 40
7 Night Deep Southern Caribbean (San Juan Roundtrip)
Sail date: February 18, 2007
Ship: Adventure of the Seas
Cabin type: Suite
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 14 years ago
Review summary
I had always wanted to cruise on Royal Caribbean and the Adventure of the Seas was an excellent choice. Because my wife and I really enjoy days at sea, we chose this cruise because it had two of them. We also had not visited three of the four ports of call before. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves from the moment we arrived at the dock in San Juan around 11:15 a.m. We breezed through the embarkation process and were on board within just a few minutes. We got our Soda and Juice sticker for the week and made reservations at Portofino's, the specialty restaurant on board. Then we went to the Windjammer for lunch. This ship is huge! I was awestruck at the size and facilities. It is a perfect ship for families, I believe, because of the many varied activities on board. Because we were cruising primarily to relax, we didn't do any of the more exciting activities. We did go to the show each night, and the ice show was phenomenal! I also enjoyed the technical aspects of the second Broadway-style show, but found that the music tended to blast, which detracted from my enjoyment. There was a phenomenal guitarist on the Promenade and in the dining room. We enjoyed our waiter and his assistant, as well as our table mates. The food was basically good, but not as superb as the food on our previous cruises on Celebrity ships. The portions were nicely sized and the menu had a good variety of choices. Our favorite meal was at Portofinos, the specialty restaurant. We went there on Wednesday evening, when the regular dining room was featuring Caribbean food - not our favorite. The Portofino's experience was outstanding. We had the perfect table at a floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the sea. Our waiter and his assistant were superb. Of all the courses, there was only one that I didn't like, and that was because my seafood pasta had that "fishy" taste that suggests the seafood was not that fresh. But the rest of the meal was divine, and worth every penny of the extra charge. We also enjoyed the spa. Each of us had two massages, although we had planned only to have one. The people giving the massage were superb! I even broke down and bought a couple muscle relaxant products, even though I was determined not to. And I must say, both my wife and I use them almost every night before going to bed, and we have found that we are sleeping better and handling tension at work better than those days we don't use the products. Probably our favorite aspect of the ship was our cabin. We decided to get a Junior Suite this cruise, primarily because I wanted a bit bigger balcony. I was amazed at the spaciousness of this cabin. It included a wonderful walk-in closet and the cabin had lots of room to sit and get ready in the morning. The balcony was wonderfully sized, as well. And there was lots and lots of storage. It also was a special delight to come back from dinner each evening and see what kind of towel animal our cabin steward had left for us. All in all, this was an excellent ship. We were able to relax and we had a wonderful week. I would especially recommend this ship to families.Ports of call
This was the only island on which we had booked an excursion. Unfortunately, it was cancelled, and we found the excursion desk on the ship very uninterested in helping us do what we wanted. So we took taxies to the Butterfly Farm, which was one of the highlights of our trip, Marigot, and back to Philipsburg. We enjoyed the shopping area in Philipsburg.
Thumbs Up
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Don't Miss: The Butterfly Farm is absolutely phenomenal!
We spent the day with a friend who lives on St. Thomas. We did some shopping and then visited several wonderful spots on the island. Be sure to visit the Mountain Top for a spectacular view of Magens Bay. We had a fantastic, leisurely lunch at the Secret Harbor resort. Sapphire Beach is also a wonderful place to visit.
Don't Miss: Shopping for jewelry and electronics finds many excellent values.
We spent the day with a friend who lives on St. Thomas. We did some shopping and then visited several wonderful spots on the island. Be sure to visit the Mountain Top for a spectacular view of Magens Bay. We had a fantastic, leisurely lunch at the Secret Harbor resort. Sapphire Beach is also a wonderful place to visit.
Don't Miss: Shopping for jewelry and electronics finds many excellent values.
We didn't do much special at this port, just took a nice leisurely stroll through the shopping area of the town. The town was very picturesque.
Don't Miss: Crossing the Queen Emma Pontoon Bridge was delightful.
We rented a car in Aruba and had a great time driving around the island. We really enjoyed the California Lighthouse and Baby Beach. Walking through the colorful downtown was also very enjoyable.
Don't Miss: Baby Beach was beautiful and not very crowded
We didn't do much special at this port, just took a nice leisurely stroll through the shopping area of the town. The town was very picturesque.
Don't Miss: Crossing the Queen Emma Pontoon Bridge was delightful.
We rented a car in Aruba and had a great time driving around the island. We really enjoyed the California Lighthouse and Baby Beach. Walking through the colorful downtown was also very enjoyable.
Don't Miss: Baby Beach was beautiful and not very crowded
This was the only island on which we had booked an excursion. Unfortunately, it was cancelled, and we found the excursion desk on the ship very uninterested in helping us do what we wanted. So we took taxies to the Butterfly Farm, which was one of the highlights of our trip, Marigot, and back to Philipsburg. We enjoyed the shopping area in Philipsburg.
Don't Miss: The Butterfly Farm is absolutely phenomenal!
Pros: Cabin size, ice show, ports of call, embarkation
Cons: Food
Recommends Adventure of the Seas? Yes!
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