Far from bad - Far from great

Adventure of the Seas Cruise Review to Caribbean - Southern

Cruises: 4-6 cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 156

Overall rating:

3 out of 5
Verified Review
Adventure of the Seas

7 Night Southern Caribbean (San Juan Roundtrip)

Sail date: February 13, 2016

Ship: Adventure of the Seas

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 6238

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 8 years ago

Review summary

Ok, guys - here goes.

I am a long time cruiser. Many ships - many cruise lines.

This cruise was not my first choice, as my previous experiences with RC were unexceptional. RC is better than Princess and Carnival, but a far cry from Holland.

I chose this cruise because I liked the itinerary. Had Holland or Celebrity had anything close in the way of Itinerary, I'd not have taken this cruise.

1. The Ship: GORGEOUS. BEAUTIFUL.

2. Service: They try ...maybe even hard, but, for whatever reason, no one seems to effortlessly make you feel like a king the way Holland does.

NO chocolates on the pillow; NO shampoos, lotions, etc. in the staterooms.....small things, but it shows. NO bathrobes unless you're in their elite (ALL things that Holland provides). Any problems I found on board as to service, in all fairness, WAS taken care of by the crew, but Holland and Celebrity take care of it BEFORE it becomes an issue.

I did NOT like, ONE BIT, that half of the hand sanitizer machines were always inoperable. With Norovirus and now Zika, THAT is simply unacceptable.

FOOD: Acceptable and "good"...but NOT in the class of Holland....not even close. Late night choices were extremely limited.

Salesmanship: Sorry, guys, but I have NEVER seen a staff more high pressure than these guys. It made one feel more like a "mark" than a passenger.

Internet: EXACTLY twice the price of Holland.

It seems to me that what was lacking, lacks from the home office and the staff does the best they can with the tools they are given. With a GORGEOUS ship like this, if the service and amenities can match the ship, you'd have rated much higher in my book.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5
Eh. Good, not great. I expect MUCH more from a cruise, based on SOME of my other cruises.

Entertainment

3 out of 5
Meh. Entertaining, but not thrilling.

Service and Staff

3 out of 5
Again, they took care of all issues; however, a truly GREAT cruiseline would anticipate the issues BEFOREHAND.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5
Gorgeous and amazing - FAR superior to Holland, Carnival, Princess. They are on par with Celebrity.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5
Large, comfortable, spacious. THAT being said, the absence of chocolates on the pillow at night, robes, lotions, shampoos, etc., is evident. It's the small things that differentiate between a good stateroom and a great one.

Ship tip

I VERY much appreciated the age 16 and above pool and Jacuzzi area. I wish the pool/Jacuzzi were open later. While I understand the need to have guests spend their onboard time spending MONEY, still - at 9:00 p.m., it's still warm and I should be able to lounge in a Jacuzzi.

Ports of call

San Juan, Puerto Rico

5 out of 5
TRY to spend a few days here before or after the cruise. An INCREDIBLE city with LOTS to do. It was the best part of the cruise.

Frederiksted, St. Croix, U.S.V.I.

1 out of 5
Waste of time.

Basseterre, St. Kitts

1 out of 5
Waste of time.

Philipsburg, St. Maarten

5 out of 5
Great city - TOO BAD they spend the least amount of time in port here. You have the British Side and the French side - WAYY too much to do with so little time.

Fort-De-France, Martinique

1 out of 5

Bridgetown, Barbados

5 out of 5
GREAT city. Beautiful people, BEST shopping. BEST beaches. Cant say enough about this place.
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